Excursus: The Life of Parsva
As mentioned earlier in the paragraph on Parsva in the chapter on Jainism, in all the previous incarnations of the Tirthankara there was in contrast to him a hostile and evil brother who personified the darker side of human existence: selfishness and a craving for power.
The first time, Parsva was born as Marabhuti, the son of a minister. He succeeded his father to the office. His evil brother, Kamatha, seduced his wife and was banished to the forest for this crime. Here, Kamatha practised the most severe asceticism in order to gain magical powers. Marabhuti heard of this, believed in the noble motives of the other and sought him out in the forest. He found him balancing on one leg with a rock held in his raised hands. Moved, he fell at his feet while Kamatha let fall the stone, killing Marabhuti.
