The Life of Lord Mahavira: The Afflictions and Rejection of the Divine Help, Part 3 of 4

“The cowherd continued beating Him. And Mahavira just bore it all and did not move. ‘Stop it, you ignorant idiot! You are committing a grave crime. This person is no thief. He is the son of King Siddhartha. He is Shraman Mahavira, a great yogi and a meditating ascetic.’ The cowherd fell prostrate at the feet of Mahavira and, begged His Pardon. The divine being who had interfered was none else but the king of gods, Indra.” I think they made a mistake here, right? So, Indra is not a king of gods. Could be that he is also king of all the rain gods. “Disturbed by the inflamed marks on the body of Mahavira, he said, ‘Please allow me to be in Your attendance to provide You protection. ’Mahavira replied in all humility, ‘You should know that an ascetic on the spiritual path reaches the goal of purity with the help of his own practice, courage, and discipline. It is never with the help of the king of gods or the king of demons that a soul sheds all its karmas and becomes an Arhat or gets liberated.’ Full of reverence and praise, the king of gods…”