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CHAPTER FOUR
a bell, a vessel of wrinkles, the hair on his body white, his eyes covered by his eye-brows, his flesh and blood dried up, the trembling of his whole body apparent, the king thought, “While we are not yet like that, we will struggle for the fourth object of existence.” With such a wish the king passed some time in worldly existence, averse to objects of the senses, absorbed in disgust with the world.
Recognition of Bhāmaņdala (372-390) One day, a muni who had four kinds of knowledge, Satyabhūti by name, came to this city and made a stop, attended by the congregation. King Dasaratha, with a retinue of his sons, et cetera, went and paid him homage and, wishing to hear a sermon, sat down. Just then King Candragati of Mt. Vaitādhya, accompanied by Bhāmaņdala consumed with love of Sītā and by Vidyādhara-kings, after worshipping the Arhats on Mt. Rathāvarta, came there in the air on his way back. When he saw the muni who had stopped, he descended, paid homage to him first and sat down, wishing to hear dharma. Knowing Bhāmaņdala's pain arising from love of Sītā, after he had delivered a sermon, Satyabhūti Sūri, speaking the truth, related the former births of Candragati, Puspavatī, Bhämandala, and Sītā, to turn them from sin.
The muni related the birth as twins of Sītā and Bhāmandala in this birth and the kidnaping of Bhāmandala just as it happened. When Prince Bhāmaņdala heard the muni's account, memory of his (former) birth was produced and he fell to the ground in a swoon. When he had regained consciousness, Bhāmandala himself told the story of his former births which had been related by Satyabhūti. Candragati and the others reached extreme desire for emancipation and Bhāmaņdala, intelligent, bowed to Sītā with the thought, "She is my sister.” Sītā, very noble, gave him her blessing with joy, thinking, "He is my full brother who was kidnaped as soon as he was born."
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