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DISCOURSE 13
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ill of the King though he was wicked. She did not want him to court a spiritual disaster after his death. If she did not have that kind of amity for others and that kind of concern for the spiritual welfare of others, she would have, at once, communicated the matter to Yugabahu. She would have said to him, "See what kind of character, your elder brother has! He has sent me such an ignominious message by his attendant. He wants to make me his wife. I never knew till now that he has such a wicked desire. I find that he has such a wicked passion and I will never speak to him. I will not accept the presentations he has given me. Now I understand why he gave me such excellent presentations. He gave me precious garments and jewels and his plan was to tempt me by these things. I would rather die than accepting his wicked advances."
If Madanrekha had spoken thus to her husband, Yugabahu, the palace would have become a battle-field and the fires of animosity would have arisen in the royal family. Yugabahu would have taken his sharp sword and rushed to kill the King and then there would have been a ghastly and gruesome fight between the brothers. Madanrekha had intellectual vision. Her internal eyes had been awakened. But Manirath did not have this kind of mental vision. He was agitated by lust and infatuation. Manirath who was in great agitation on account of lust heard Madanrekha's message from the maid and in a moment, he became restless. Just as Ravana was agitated when he was unable to secure Sita, Manirath also experienced a similar restlessness when he could not secure Madanrekha. How can there be peace in the mind of a man who is a slave to passions? How can there be wholesomeness in the mind and heart of such a man! His agitation increased on hearing Madanrekha's reply. “I want Madanrekha. Somehow or the other, I will make her my darling". When he was thus thinking, in his mind, there arose, like a comet, a wicked plan. "As long as Yugabahu is alive, Madanrekha cannot become my darling. I will kill him and then naturally Madanrekha will become my darling and accept my amorous advances.”
Why did he entertain such a low, such a ghastly, such a heinous and hostile plan? I think you are following the tenor of
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