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CELAŅĀ'S PALACE, DURGANDHĀ, ĀRDRAKUMĀRA 189 tree, he attained the highest bliss. The elephant got up again and, looking at the sage with eyes motionless from devotion, calmly entered the large forest.
When they had seen his remarkable power, the ascetics, who were in a state of great anger, were enlightened by Ārdrakakumāra. Sent to Śrī Mahāvira's samavasaraņa, they went and took initiation, possessing tranquillity and desire for emancipation.173
King Sreņika heard of the release of the elephant, how it happened, and of the enlightenment of the ascetics and went there with Abhaya. The muni delighted the king, who paid homage with devotion, with the blessing," May you have dharma," which bestows good fortune on all. When he had seen the muni seated on pure ground, free from care, the king asked, “Blessed One, I am amazed at the freeing of the elephant.” The sage said: “ Lord, the freeing of the elephant was not difficult, (but) release from the snare of the spinningthread seems difficult." Questioned by the king, the muni told the story of the spinning-thread. The king and the people were astonished.
Then the sage, Ardrakakumāra, said to Abhaya: “You, a disinterested benefactor, became my brother in dharma. You, Prince, sent the Arhat-statue to me. Having remembered former births from the sight of it, I became a follower of the Arhats. What was not given me by you? What benefit was not conferred by you by whom, having employed a device, I was turned to the religion of the Arhats? I, sunk in the deep mud of non-Aryanism, was raised by you. Enlightened by your cleverness, I came to the land of the Aryas. I have taken initiation, enlightened by you. Because of that, Abhayakumāra, you will prosper greatly with good fortune.”
Then Śreņika, Abhaya, and the other people, after paying
173 344.
Two of the characteristics of right-belief. See I, n. 121.
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