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35. THE STORY OF UDUMBARADATTA
Gautama once asked his master Mahävira about a man that he saw every time he went to the city of Pätalisanda whether through the eastern gate or the southern gate, who was miserable in his suffering. Even to look at him caused Gautama tremendous lot of pain. Mahavira explained the entire story of the previous life of the man to throw light on his present suffering.
This man in suffering is Udumbaradatta, the son of a rich merchant Sāgaradatta and his wife Gangadattā. He was born to them after many still-born babies, through the blessings of the Yaksa Udumbaradatta whose name he bears. During his previous life time, Udumbaradatta was a physician Dhanvantari by name who was in the service of the king of Vijayapura. He had studied the science of medicine consisting of eight parts namely the diseases of children, the science of surgery, the science of casting out evil spirits, the science of stimulating manly powers, the science of preparing antidotes to poison, the science of curing diseases to the body etc. His patients consisted not only of the royal family but of the rich merchants of the town of the Brahmins, ascetics and of several other poor people of the town. But for many of the diseases, he prescribed the flesh of animals such as tortoise, lizards, crocodiles, goats, cows, buffaloes and several varieties of fish and birds. He himself enjoyed eating the different varieties of flesh along with wines and this way he collected a large store of sins, and when his death came, he was sent to the sixth region of hell as a hell-being. After his long stay of twentytwo sāgaropamas there was over, he was sent into the city of Patalisanda as the son of
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