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PHILOSOPHY OF SOUL
199
serve no purpose to debate on that point then. He made up his mind to establish his contention on opportunity arising. Then he got erected two palatial buildings outside the city Rajagruhi. One of them was as white as snow and the other was as black as collyrium. In between the two buildings he constructed a charming garden, with accommodation of about thousand persons.
One day Abhay Kumar arranged a festival here and numberless men and women attended the festival. Abhay Kumar addressed them all as follows, “Gentlemen, the righteous ones from you should resort to the white mansion and the unrighteous ones should retire to the black one. All arrangements are made for the feast."
With this instruction the white mansion was overcrowded with people and hardly a few persons stayed in the black mansion. Then Abhay Kumar asked the people in the white-house, “What righteousness do you practise ?" A Butcher replied, "I perform my duty by slaughtering the creatures, lest the people would d starvation. Moreover I have to breed cattle for my trade and so I am righteous. Therefore I have entered the white-house."
A vendor of liquor replied, "I perform my duties by satiating people's thirst of liquor. People who consume my liquor get alertness and forget all worldly miseries. They feel as if they are strolling in heaven. Therefore as a man of righteousness I have occupied the white-house."
A prostitute replied, “I also entertain many men and satiate their keen physical passion. I therefore as a person of righteousness have taken my place in the white-house."
A farmer said, "I produce the corn which all pious persons eat. Thus they owe me great obligation and I have entered the whitehouse as a man of righteousness."
A merchant declared, “I supply all the necessary provisions like salt, chillies, oil, butter, grains etc. to the people. If I do not do so, they would starve. Thus as a man of righteousness I am here in the white-house."
Thus everyone pointed out obligation in one's own profession and thereby claimed as a person of righteousness.
