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ascetic during the life time and strongly against the will of his father, who had taken all possible measures to prevent him from being one, Mahavira became an ascetic after his father's death and with the permission of those in power. The other similarity observed is that both of them observed a life of self-mortification and austerities, one for 12 years and the other for six. There is nothing peculiar in this observation of austerities, every one in India at that time, wishing to acquire any extraordinary or superhuman knowledge, lived such a lite before he could expect to acquire that know. ledge. The other thing to observe in reference to this point is that though both lived the life of self-mortification and penance, the effect on each was diametrically opposite. Buddha not only found these years wasted, but he found the weakened body it produced quite detrimental to his end, while Mahavira was convinced of the necebsity of his penances and self-tortures, and continaed
Shree Sudharmaswami Gyanbhandar-Umara, Surat
www.umaragyanbhandar.com
