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The Muni-life and the Emergency.
Now Samantabhadra was concerned that if he abandoned the Digambara Muni-vesha, what other attire should he wear, and would that attire be Jain or non-Jain. The thought of abandoning his Muni-vesha brought him sorrow, and he began to think, "How can I wear that other attire which I have always considered to be distorted and unnatural? Will I have to wear it now? Is this the Guruji's command? Yes, this is the command. He has clearly said, 'This is my command,' wear whatever attire you wish, but upon recovery from the illness, you must again take Jain Muni-diksha." Then it should be called irresistible power of destiny. It is true that I do not consider attire (linga) to be everything - I do not consider it to be the sole cause of liberation - it is dependent on the body, and the body is the world of this soul; therefore, a seeker of liberation, who desires to be free from the bonds of the world, cannot have an exclusive attachment to any attire*; yet, I do recognize two distinct categories of attire, distorted and undistorted, and I consider it better for myself to remain in the undistorted attire. Therefore, although... -...tatas tat-siddhyartha param karano grantham ubhayam.
Bhavaneva atyakshina cha vikrita veshopa dhirata. || Swayambhu. * In the Samadhi Tantra of Shri Pujyapada, a similar sentiment is expressed regarding attire; as follows:
Linga dehaashrita drishtam deha eva atmano bhava.
Na muchyante bhavat tasmat te ye linga krita agraha. || 87 || . • That is - Linga (wearing matted hair, nakedness, etc.) is dependent on the body, and the body is the world of the soul, therefore, those who have an exclusive attachment to Linga (attire) - who consider it to be the cause of liberation - do not escape the bonds of the world.