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S. N. Ghosal
On one occasion in the dead of the night a goblin appeared before. him with a dazzling sword in his hand. He had a monostrous shape and a terrific appearance. He asked Kämadeva to give up the religious practices and threatend him to kill if he would not act according to his words. But Kamadeva was not daunted by his threats and he remained steadfast in his devotion. Then he took the shape of a gigantic elephant, who looked like a thick mass of cloud. With his two hideous tasks he created fear into one's mind. He tried to dissuade Kamadeva from his religious observances and asked him to go back to the worldly life. But Kamadeva did not pay any heed to his threats. Then the monster assumed the appearance of a gigantic serpent, who was discharging poison through his mouth. Hist hissing noise appeared like the rumbling of the cloud and the same generated a deep consternation into one's heart. The snake made the same proposal to Kamadeva, but the latter was undaunted like before and was ready to bear any assault, however severe might it have been.
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Then a god, who assumed all such appearances to intimidate Kamadeva and thereby to test his religious fervour appeared before him and praised him with excellent words for his devotion and deep faith in the Nirgrantha doctrines. He begged excuses for his uncharitable act and left the place.
Then on one occasion the lord Mahavira came to Campa. Kamadeva too visited the place and received preachings from the lord. Mahāvīra refered to the intimidations, which on occasions in the dead of the night the god held before Kamadeva with a view to dissuading him from the track of right faith of the Nirgrantha doctrine. The lord Mahavira apprised the people of the efficacy of the Nirgrantha faith, which enabled people to surpass all obstacles and brave all intimidations coming from any source.
Kamadeva passed twenty years rigidly performing the duties of a lay worshipper. He required in this way the eleven standards. For one month he remained being submerged in meditation and did not take any food. He became extremely emaciated and the end came soon. He left his mortal frame and became transformed into a god in the Arunabha-Vimana, in the Sohamma-Vidimsaya-mahāvimāna and the Sohamma Kappa, His final stay. was settled in the Mahavideha. In this legend too as in the former we find the sanction of the self-immolation, that occurs as a step to the ultimate emancipation of the soul.
Let us discuss the story of Mahasayaga and see how he too adopted self-immolation for achieving the soul. There lived at one time a rich householder Mahasayaga by name in Rajagṛha. He was fabulously rich,
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