Trishasti Shalaka Purusa Caritra Part 6

Author(s): Hemchandracharya, Helen M Johnson
Publisher: Oriental Research Institute Vadodra

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STORIES OF THE PLOUGHMAN AND OTHERS
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sons, with the surface of the earth adorned by ranks of horses and elephants, went there. In the van of his army went two men, Sumukha and Durmukha, who had wrong-belief, talking to each other about various things. On the way they saw Prasannacandra enduring the heat of the sun, standing on one foot, his arms upraised.
When he saw him, Sumukha said, Look! Surely neither heaven nor emancipation will be hard to gain for that muni enduring the heat of the sun." Durmukha (Abusive), both in name and fact, replied: "That is King Prasannacandra, Lord of Potana, certainly. How is there dharma of that man by whom his son, a child, is yoked to the burden of the kingdom, like a young bull to a very large cart? His son will be deprived of the kingdom by Dadhivahana, Lord of Campā, together with the ministers. The royal ethics has been trodden under foot by him; even his wives have gone somewhere. Therefore he, by whom a heretical doctrine is held, is not worthy of a visit."
Hearing that speech, a thunderbolt to the mountain of meditation, Prasannacandra, the royal sage, instantly reflected: "Alas! the ungrateful ministers whom I always treated well have caused the overthrow of my son. If I were there now I would punish them severely. "
With such reflections Prasanna, untranquil from these doubts, forgot his vow. Thinking himself a king, he began to fight in his mind, and then Śreņika came there and paid homage to him with reverence. Thinking, "Oh ! What a state of meditation of Prasannacandra! Śreņika went to Mahavira, bowed, and said, If the royal sage, Prasannacandra, had died at the time when, engaged in meditation, he was honored by me, where would he have gone? Tell me." The Lord explained, "To the seventh hell." Śrenika thought: "I have not heard right. There is no hell for a sādhu." After a moment Śreņika asked the Lord again, "If Prasanna dies now, where will he go?" The Blessed One replied, "He will go to Sarvārthasiddha." Then Śrenika
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