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THE WAY OF LIFE
Of course, those who love and admire virtues utter words of praise spontaneously. In their emotional excitement and exhilaration, they do not try to realize in whose presence they are praising others. Though Indra could, by means of his Avadhijnan or extra-sensory vision, understand what the gods were thinking, he did not use that power. How could he use it? An extraordinary emotion of devotion for the Paramatma had been springing in his heart. So, he did not see what was happening in the mind of that accursed god, Sangam. At any rate, Sangamdev decided to test the strength of Mahavir's determination.
Sangamdev saw only the human form of Mahavir. He saw him as a mere human being. He could see only the form of his body which was human. He did not know that in a human body the soul could be stronger than that of a god. How could he know it ? He was himself a god; and he had a firm belief that a god has greater strength than a man. He did not know that mental strength is of greater importance than physical strength. The power of the soul is of greater importance than mental strength. Sangam was a god; a god possesses greater physical strength than a man. But a man can possess greater mental strength than a god. A god becomes a servant at the feet of a man who has a lofty mental strength. Even a god salutes a man whose mental strength reaches a lofty level by means of Mantrasakti "(the power attained by spiritual and magical pursuits). Even mighty magicians salute the feet of Tirthankars with bowed heads because the Tirthankars possess boundless mental and spiritual powers.
INDRA'S REGRETS
Sangam was not aware of the extraordinary spiritual power that Mahavir possessed. He was aware only of his own powers. "I will go and shake Mahavir's equanimity and mental powers within a moment". Sangam announced his decision in the court of Indra. He made it clear to the court, that he was determined to disturb Mahavir's meditation and concentration. On hearing this, Indra and all the angels in the court were stupefied. No one had thought that there would be such a reaction to Indra's
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