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INTRODUCTION
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renounced the world together with one hunderd and ten Vidyadhars (9). Lankā was given to his son Mahāraksas. Ajita attained Nirvāņa.
Once Sagara's sixty thousand sons went to Kailāsa and bowed down to the twenty-four Jina shrines there, constructed by Bharata with gold and jewels. On Bhagirathi's suggestion to dig out the Ganga and encircle therewith the holy places as a protective measure, they employed the Daņda-ratna to excavate the earth round the Kailasa (10). This produced such an upheaval in the region of the serpents that their lord Dharanendra threw his venomous glance on Sagara's sons and all were reduced to ashes, except two Bhima and Bhagirathi, who with heaving hearts and downcast looks returned to Säketa city. The ministers advised them to break the sad news to the king in such a manner as would not shock him to death. At the time of holding the Darbar (assembly) Sagara was pained to see not a single son present out of the sixty thousand (11). Then entered Bhima and Bhagirathi, and the king asked them the whereabouts of their brothers. The ministers in reply stressed the transitory nature of everything in the world (12). The king caught the hint and afterwards, choosing a fitting moment, Bhima and Bhagirathi related all that happened, whereupon the king swooned. Recovering he lost all taste in kingship and thought of immediately renouncing (13). As Bhima refused to occupy the throne, Bhagirathi was crowned king.
Here, Mahāraksas, who had got a son Devaraksas, once went out for water-sports surrounded by his queens, when he chanced to see a dead bee in the interior of a lotus and he reflected: 'all who are given to passion meet a similar fate' (14). While he was in such a dejected mood, there arrived a company of monks, all of whom were shining with great asceticism, learning and character and destined to attain salvation in this life (15). Delighted at this, the king requested them to introduce him into the holy Order. The monks said: "There remain only eight days for you to live, so do what you like.' Thereupon, the king spent those eight days in penance, worship, scriptural recitation and charity and attained salvation. His son Devarakşas ruled over Lankā (16).
VI Sandhi. The origin of the line of Monkeys (up to Praticandra ) ---The account of Taditkeśa.
After a succession of sixty-four kings, the throne came to be occupied by Kirtidhavala (the names of these kings are recounted in Sanskrit prose). Once Kirtidhavala's brother-in-law Srikantha came to Lankā with his wife and retinue. He received him with great honour. That very moment the news reached him that hostile forces had surrounded his city. Thereupon Srikantha took a vow to overpower the enemy (1). Śrikantha's wife Kamalā explained to Kirtidhavala: 'I am daughter of Puspottara, the king of Meghapura. Once I saw passing through the sky the aerial car of Srikantha who was returning after bowing to the Jina shrines at Meru and immediately I was smitten with love. There and then we married. There is now no meaning in fighting and destroying each other's armies. So you send envoys to my father'. 'Accordingly messengers were sent to Puspottara (2). They said, 'All
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