________________
296
CHAPTER ELEVEN city and family. Therefore, let him be killed. How can one, who has been killed, kill?” Then they all, angry, beat him again and again with clods, kicks, slaps, and fists. After _felling him to the ground almost dead, they went to Dvāravati and entered their respective houses.
Krşņa learned about this from spies and, depressed, thought: “Oh! this lack of restraint on the part of these princes will be the death of the family.” Then Kșşņa and Rāma went there to Muni Dvaipāyana and saw him red-eyed from anger like a serpent poisoning with its look. Janārdana began to soothe the excessively terrifying three-staved ascetic, like a mahout calming a rogue elephant.
"Anger, above all, is a great enemy which not only causes pain in this birth, but causes continuous pain to a creature in lacs of births. The crime was committed by my sons, ignorant, blind from drinking wine. So, pardon it, great sage. Anger is not fitting for you.”
Being so addressed by Krşņa the three-staved ascetic was not appeased and he said: “ Enough of this conciliatory talk of yours, Krşņa. Beaten by your sons, I have made a nidānato burn Dvārakā with its people. There is no escape from that, except of you."
Rāma' restrained Krşņa: “Do not, brother, uselessly appease this miserable ascetic intent upon forbidden things. People with crooked feet, noses, hands, with large lips, stomachs, noses, with defective eyes, and deficient limbs certainly do not become tranquil. This one having spoken, there is no escape from the future event, brother. In any case the speech of the Omniscient can not be false.”
Then burned by grief, Kșşņa went to his own house. Dvaipāyana's nidāna became known in Dvārikā. On the next day Sārngabhịt had a proclamation made in the city: “ Henceforth, people, be especially devoted to dharma.” All the people began (to be) so. The Blessed One, Sri Nemi, came and stopped on Mt. Raivataka. Kșşņa went there, bowed, and listened to a sermon resembling the sun for putting
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
