Page 97 - Courage Redifined

Asamat Nastik arranged woods around the saint and ignited
them. But attracted by the saint’s religious steadiness, the
Kshetra Devta burnt the woods and left the saint unharmed.
Not even his hair was burnt. On the next day, Nastik came
to look at the saint’s state and was amazed to see the saint
standing steady amidst the heap of burnt ashes around him.

Nastik’s regret :

Seeing this, Nastik’s mind changed. He analyzed, “Arre! What
happened ? The woods have reduced to ashes but the saint
is still intact! It doesn’t seem that the saint had run away
somewhere because in that case the woods would have been
scattered here and there. But here the ashes are arranged in
the same manner as the woods which I had assembled. This
proves that the saint did not leave his place. The fact that the
fire did not burn him proves the miraculous power of religion.
Does religion really possess such incomparable power ? I
believed that nothing like religion exists. But now I have to
believe that, religion is not imaginary but a solid fact. Only
then can it possess such unmatchable powers. This great saint
exercised his religion and experienced such a magical effect.
Then why should I deny the presence of religion ? Why am I
misguiding people ? I am such a sinner to drag people away
from religion and engross them in sins.”

Nastik attains Kevalgyan :

Asamat Nastik now deeply regretted his atheism and his act of
misguiding innocent and ignorant people. While doing so, he
acquired Jatismaran Gyan (i.e. knowledge by which you can
recollect your previous birth) and recollected that he had taken
upcharitra in his last birth. But while following that pure path,
he had left some loopholes in faithfully exercising Samyak
darshan (right faith) and as a result, he became prey to such
Ignorance : A Curse 87