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THE WAY OF LIFE
Kingdom; otherwise I would have been a beggar.... In those days I was wandering aimlessly without food. I could not get even a morsel of food. When I was in such distress you initiated me into the sadhudharma..... you gave me enough food..... Oh Lord! with great love and affection you made me your disciple. When on that night I was on the point of death you sat by my side and you recited the Namaskar Mahamantra. You tried your best to enable me to keep up my emotional equanimity and spiritual integrity and poise. I died and in this life I was born in a royal family. Now I am a King. All this is the fruit of your supreme grace".
"Gurudev ! I will dedicate my Kingdom to your feet. Kindly be so graceful as to accept it”. This was the gratitude shown by Emperor Samprati. His heart was full of devotion for the great man who had bestowed a great benefaction upon him in his previous life. He was determined to dedicate his empire to the feet of his Gurudev. Gurudev Acharya Suhasthi said to Samprathi : "Noble man! your desire to dedicate your empire to me shows your greatness but I cannot accept your Kingdom. You know the Jain Sadhus do not accept any gifts like this. They practise the vow of non-attachment”.
Question : Samprati was initiated into sadhudharma in his previous life; so did he not know that a Jain Sadhu cannot possess wealth or materialistic things ?
Answer: You don't seem to realise when and in what condition he received the Deeksha and you do not also seem to know how long he conformed to the sadhudharma. Do you know it?
It was noon on that day. The sadhus went out to obtain food. When they were returning after obtaining food, they met a beggar on the way. The beggar said to the sadhus, "If you have Biksha (food with you) kindly give me some food. I am very hungry and actually I am dying of hunger". The sadhus did not treat him with contempt; on the contrary, they said to him, "Brother, we cannot give you anything from this Biksha because only our Gurudev has the authority of disposing of the
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