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TRANSLATION
159 298. Said Kuncika : 'Reverend sir, tell me who were those
munis who did not commit theft ?' Then the muni
said : Listen 299. There is a country called Magadha whose excellences are
sung by the bards and which is the meeting-place of those who seek the aims of existence, kāma, dharma
and artha. 300. In it is a famous town called RājagȚha resembling a
celestial city whose water receptacles, in which the
water never dries up, dance with jewels. 301. There dwelt a king Śreņika who had set the likeness of
the lord Mahāvīra on the palace of his heart and who
gave abundant largesse at the wishes of his people. 302. He had two wives, the very flower of his harem, as rich
in the qualities of elegance, beauty and youth as the
Rohana mountain is in jewels. 303. One was Queen Cellanā, daughter of the king of the
Cedis who was an ornament of the Haihaya race and the second whose name was Nandā was a merchant's
daughter. 304. Queen Nandā's son was Prince Abhaya endowed with a
pure intellect, very experienced in the use of concilia
tion, dissension, punishment and bribery. 305. His intelligence quickened by the seventy-two arts, he
was engaged in promoting the welfare of his father's
kingdom and harem and other affairs. 306. One day whilst making a tour by stages the lord Var
dhamāna surrounded by a crore of gods arrived at
the city of Rājagsha, 307. and having marked off a purified enclave in the caitya of
Guņaśīla, accompanied by a numerous band of ascetics,
he made a samavasarana for the benefit of living beings. 308. Then the vāyukumāras removed the grass and wood and
a meghakumāra sprinkled it with scented water 309. and the gods laid an attractive perfumed surface of
jewels and gems and gold of diverse forms all around to the distance of one yojana
