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CHAPTER III MAHĀVĪRA'S FIRST SIX YEARS AS AN ASCETIC
Loss of half of his garment (1-14) Then the Lord of Three Worlds took permission of his full-brother, Nandivardhana, and others of the Jñāta-family to go elsewhere. As the Lord set forth on his wandering, seated in the chariot of good conduct, an old Brāhman, named Soma, a friend of his father, said to him:
“ Master, for a year you gave gifts without making any distinction between your own people and others. People became rich, except me, unfortunate that I am. For I, Lord, crushed \by extreme poverty from birth, wander constantly from village to village, to beg from others. In some places, I suffer abuse; in others I am taken by the neck; in some places my garment is seized;74 and in some my mouth is smashed. Just at that time I was wandering outside (the city) in the hope of gain and your gifts for a year were without profit to me as I did not know about it. So now, show compassion, Lord of the World, and give me something. I am in your presence now, Master, sent by my wife, who has reviled me.”
The Master said compassionately: “ Now I have abandoned all associations. Nevertheless, take half of this garment around my shoulder, sir." Delighted, the Brāhman took half of the garment and went home. He showed it to the tailor to have the hem bound. The tailor asked, “Where did you get this?” and the Brāhman replied, " It came from Sri Mahāvira.” The tailor said: “Follow the muni and take the second half of the garment also. Caught on thorns, et cetera, the half of the garment will fall off the muni, as he
74 5. Or it might mean: no answer was given. But that is not in accord with the violence in the other cases.
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