________________
468
Śramaya Bhagavān Mahavira, and inquired. “O Lord! how can Téjo-léssă be created ? Bhagavän said " O Gośālaka ! Téjo-léśya is produced by observing a two days' fasting continuously for six months, and taking a handful of māsa ( Hindi Udada, GujAdada, Latin Masolus ) and a mouthful of water on the breaking of the fast on the thịrd day.” Gośāla carefully remembered the process of acquiring it.
One day, śramaņa Bhagvān Mahāvîra went in the dire. ctou of Sidbāratha Nagara froin Kumāra-grāma. On the way, on reaching the locality of the sesamum plant mentioned before, Gośāla said “O Bhagavān ! It seems to me that the sesamum plant must not have grown up. Śramaņa Bhagavān Mahāvîra replied “O good maa! Do not say so, It has grown up in immediate neighbourhood." Disbelieving these words of śramana Bhagavān Mahāvira for a while, "Gośāla opened with his own hand a pod of the resamum plantt hrown, in a solitary corner and on counting the number of sesamum seeds in it, he said, All the souls after death are repeatedly born with their same individual body. Gośāla, therefore, rejected his firm belief in Purusa ( refutation of the theory of acquicitionly Kāramatas work and accepted of the theory of fixed order of things (Fate, Destiny ). Then getting separated from the company of the Sramaņa Bhagavăn, Mahāvira, the greedy Gośāla, went into Srāvasti Then living there in a potter's house, Gošala was able to accomplish Téjo-léśyā after a severe penance for six months, and becoming greatly pleased by his firm convi. ction by burning the body of a maid-servant standing on the margin of a well, he began to wander from village to village end town to town, with the object of constantly observing Curiosities.
At that time, one day, some disciples of Tirthankara Bha. gavån Sri Pārsvanätha well-versed in the eight divisions of the Science of Augury, but careless in observing religious rites met Gośåla, when they were wandering, at their own pleasure, from village to village, and town to town with the object of witness.
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org