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object of biting him, and having inflicted a severe bite with his Lighly venomous powerful tooth, be turned back to see," lest by dying with my severe poison, he (Sramaņa Bhagavān Mabā. vira ) may not fall on me. But on seeing Sramaņa Bhagavān Mahāvīra in his usual unperturbed state, the snake bit him three times and kept on Icoking angrily towards him, but wben he saw Sramana Bhagavān Mahāvira, compassionately addressing him " O Canda Kausika, Be calm. noble Soul ! be more tran. quil. Do you not remember the incident that you have yourself experienced that during your former life, you neglected the entire sanyama (right conduct ) by anger, although you were a Sādhu and that on death you got the misiortune of being born as a vile Jyotisk god ! After that, you were born as the son of the Kulapati in this asrama, and that you are now born as a snake emitting venomous poison from your eyes, in this garden. So O good soul ! leave off your anger even now, because, it is an obstacle in the attainment of the wealth of Final Happiness; it is like an intoxicated elephant in destroying the creeper of auspi. ciousness; it is a great enemy to excellent behaviour; it is like fire in burning away the forest of excellent performances; and because it leads one to a formidable state Leave aside, therefore your attachment for anger. herce-forth for ever." On tearing these words of Sramaņa Bhagavān Mabāvira, the snake while endeavouring for the remembrance of the incidents of his former birth, had a knowledge of remembrance of the events of his previous life, and he saw his deplorable condition as a Jyotisk god, caused by negligence of the vows of restraint and austerities previously taken by him Becoming more discreet and with great devotion, he howed down before the Bhagavān, and did anasan a-abstained from food and drink-material. Śramana Bhagavān Mahāvīra, knowing that the snake bad been enlightened and he had commenced fasting, remained there in Kāyotsarga out of sympathy for the miserable creature."
The snake, thinking lest any one may not be angrily killed by the "ow of venom from his eyes, kept his mouth in
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