Parabels of Mahavir

Author(s): Harindranath Chattopadhyaya
Publisher: Shri Kiran Publishers

Page 34

PART THREE
The townsfolk watched the distant scene With hushed abated breath And marvelled at the Stranger who Was unafraid of death,
Of certain death awaiting him Along the shorter route. They saw the way the Stranger met The challenge of the brute;
That serpent who, for years, had slain Poor travellers who took That selfsame route; had slain them with His fiery serpent look !
But in the Stranger's case they saw The serpent, fuming wild, Strike at his feet and while he did, That Stranyer only smiled !
Seeing the light upon his face, The splendour in his eyes, They gathered that he was a god Come down from paradise
To serve the earth and save the earth From serpent-lust and hate : Some whispered : "He is wonderful !" And other's "He is great !"