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observance of difficult austerities ? Following therefore, the praise-worthy exainpie of Sramana Bhagavān Mahāvîra, devout individuals possessing wealth but desirous of ascetic life, should also act accordingly. When the gifts were thus being given every day, King Nandivardhana ordered his attendants thus - “O good people ! Let many dining--halls be prepared in the principal localities of the town, and let them be furnished with completeness of ample materials for food, driak, chuwing, and savoury articles, and let heretics, house-holders, or such other persons suffering from hunger or overcome with thirst who happen to come there on foot or in a palanquin or who come there with their eyes widening with joy, be respectfully given aricles of food etc of the four kinds. Besldes, let elephants of Manda and Bhadra varicties be stationed all round at various localities, excellent horses as swift as the horses of the chariot of the Sun, be kept everywhere, let chariots be kept at several places, let excellent clothes be placed in many quarters, and let villages, mines, dwelling-places etc. be shown, and give every body whatever article he asks for." The servants saying " Just as your Majesty orders” went and did all the work ordered by the king. Thus, during one year, Śramaņa Bhagavān Mahāvira gave gifts alike to a king or to a pauper without any hindrance to any body,- gifts worth three hundred eighty - eight crore and eighty lac gold coins, - which was a source of extreme joy to all living beings, and satisfied tbe desires of beggars with gifts of gold.
It is said, तिन्नेव य कोडिसया, अट्ठासीई य हुंति कोडीओ।
असीइं च सयसहस्सं एवं संवच्छरे दिन्नं ॥१॥ 1. Tinneva ya kodisayā attāsîî ya hunti kodio; Asiim ca sayasahassam éyam sanvacchare dinnam. 1.
[त्रीण्येव च कोटिशतानि अष्टाशीतिश्च भवन्ति कोटयः। अशीतीश्च शतसहस्राणि एतत् संवत्सरे दत्तं ॥१॥
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