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The Lord's Biography : Some Images and Sketches
Kumar Shramana Keshi was the disciple of Lord Parsvanath and Shramana Gautam of Lord Mahavira Lord Mahavira had just come into his own The holy wheel of Dharma established by him had just begun to revolve The sun had still not cast its beams far Keshi felt that the dark was all the more intensifying the sun in the monastic tradition was yet to rise to convert this gloom into light As soon as he met Gautam he confided to him his anxiety With anguish he said -
'The masses are weltering in the encircling gloom Who shall lend them light?
Said Gautam-'Sır, the sun that will flood the earth with light has already risen He will lead the masses from darkness to light' * The response consoled Keshi a little Astonished he queried, 'Who could that sun be?'
'Lord Mahavira is that sun,' 'And who, prithee, happens to be this Lord Mahavira ?'
The one who initially was the prince of the kingdom of Viden and who is today the great exponent of freedom from body--consciousness, the verily enlightened, the propounder of the principle of perennial creation, and the truly venerable 1
1 'Uttarajihayanam
23/75-78
