At that time, the powerful king Bimbasara ruled in India. He conquered neighboring lands, creating a vast empire, and was the kind of man who, if he wanted something, had to have it immediately.
He heard a lot about Mahavira, for crowds of people flocked to him. One day Bimbasara asked his minister:
-What does this person have? Why is he so popular?
- The truth! - he answered.
“I want to get the Truth,” said Bimbasara and went to Mahavira.
When they met, Bimbasara said very respectfully:
- Give me your Truth. Whatever you ask, even if you ask for my entire kingdom, I will give it to you. This is my position in life: everything I want, I must have!
Mahavira laughed and said:
“I can’t sell what doesn’t belong to me.” Truth is not my property. And you should know that I am also the son of a king. I was supposed to inherit my father's kingdom, but I renounced it in order to find the Truth. For forty years I have been looking for her, and now that I have found her, you are offering me a kingdom in return!
Bimbasara was a brahmin and could not help but see the divine light emanating from Mahavira.
Later he also became a devotee of the Buddha, despite the fact that both Great Masters opposed casteism. Bimbasara even gave Buddha his attending physician, the famous Jivaka. However, being an elderly man, he continually called Jivaka to court.
In all things, his rival king Prasenjita was also a Brahmin and a devotee of the Buddha. He placed his attending physician at his disposal.
At that time, the powers that be in India competed with each other to please the holy man. They understood that as long as they had this opportunity, no natural disasters would befall them. By donating part of their supplies to feed the monks, they hoped for a good harvest. Good deeds were held in high esteem in those days.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru