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Shri Mahavir Jain Aradhana Kendra
www.kobatirth.org
Acharya Shri Kailassagarsuri Gyanmandir
sign of distress or agitation. He remained equanimous and serene. There was not an iota of animosity or spite in his heart. Transcending the outer surface of the endless pain, Mahavira's inner eyes searched for the real reason as to why he had to suffer like that. With his omniscient knowledge, he realised that it was the inescapable consequence of an evil deed that he had committed in his past birth as Triprushtha Vasudeva. Triprushtha had poured hot lead into the ears of his guard and had thus clogged his ears. The fruits of acts carried out with intense attachment or hatred are unalterable and inescapable. Their consequences have to be suffered.
Lord Mahavira resumed his journey. He left Chammani village and reached Madhyama-Pava. He went to the house of a merchant called Siddhartha for alms. An eminent physician named Kharaka had also come to Siddhartha's house. He was pleased to see Mahavira but he sensed that there was some thorn-like object embedded somewhere in Mahavira's body. When he told Siddhartha of this, the compassionate Siddhartha requested the physician to locate the object. When Kharaka examined Mahavira's body, he noticed that rail-like roots were thrust into Mahavira's ears. Siddhartha's heart bled out of pity for Mahavira and he said, "O Kharaka, please remove those roots from the ears of this great yogi. I shall pay whatever amount you ask for." Kharaka humbly replied that it was his duty as a physician to remove the roots from the ears of a saint. While they were discussing this, Tirthankara Mahavira left Siddhartha's house.
Siddhartha and Kharaka took the necessary instruments and medicine and went to a park outside the village. They found Mahavira there standing in deep meditation. Kharaka started the procedure of removing the nail-like roots. He began by massaging Mahavira with oil to relax his body. Then two strong men pulled out the nail-like roots from the ears with pincers. The roots came out with jets cf blood. Mahavira had always endured crdeals with equanimity, but the pain caused by the removal of the roots was so agonising that he let out a shrill scream. The scream caused the entire park to tremble. The sound collided with mountains and produced loud echoes and caused tremor in the mountains. Even the sky resounded with the waves of the scream. How cruel was the shepherd's behaviour towards an embodiment of compassion! Kharaka stopped the bleeding and applied medicinal paste on the wounds. Kharaka and Siddhartha bowed down before Mahavira and begged his forgiveness. They then returned to the village.
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