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28. MALLI CARITRA
Vitas okā was the capital of Salilāvativijaya of which Bala was the king. His principal queen was Dhārini. She once saw a lion in her dream. To see a lion was considered as one of the fourteen great dreams and according to the interpretation of the svapna pāthaka, she gave birth to a son. He was called Mahābala. In time to come Mahabala was sent to a teacher for his education and when that was over, this handsome young man was married to five hundred princesses who came from noble families. Kamalas ri was appointed the principal queen.
Once a venerable monk visited Vitas okā and lived in an adjoining park where he held religious discourses. King Bala was greatly impressed by them and installed his son Mahābala on the throne and entered the religious order. Like all initiates, he studied the eleven arigas and the fourteen pūrvas. He observed fast and went through many penances and finally on the Cāru mountain attained salvation.
Kamalas ri also saw a similar dream and her son Balabhadra was born. King Mahabala had six friends who came from six different royal families. They were all born at one and the same time and were brought up together. They decided that whatever fell to the lot of any one of them should be shared by all together.
King Mahabala attended the sermons of a certain reputed monk who was visiting his city and like his father he too decided to leave the royal responsibilities to his son Balabhadra and accept the life of a monk. His six friends expressed their desire to accept monkhood in a similar manner. They also installed their eldest sons on their thrones and came to join Mahābala. They were all initiated
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