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Bhagwan Mahavir ]
[ 311
not as yet be able to cast aside the filth of his desires. Even after accepting asceticism he never thought for a single moment, that it is the anger and greed the seeds of desires, which cause the down-fall of a man. To be a slave of desires is a great self-deception. A man becomes so blind under their influence that he cannot realise even the truth about himself. This is really an injustice to the soul. It is intellectual deception and spiritual ruin. It blots the pure body of world civilisation, and helps to increase the sins, results into punishments and imprisonments. Goshala had a desire to attain various kinds of Siddhis ( miraculous powers ) and that was why he left the Lord with a mind to attain Tejolesh ya. He came to Shravasti and there stayed in a garden belonging to a potter. He soon busied himself in acquiring the means for obtaining Tejolesh ya, and was successful in his attempts after the completion of the fixed period. He got Tejoleshya. His second desire was that he should test his acquired power in that very village someday. He, therefore, left his abode and came to a well. He sat there and thought of the means for exciting his anger. Immediately there came a maid to fetch water from the well. Goshala thought that the best means for exciting anger was to break her jar with a stone. He, therefore, hurled a stone on her jar. The maid was very much displeased at this misbehaviour of Goshala and she showered a lot of abuses over him. Goshala too, was enraged and used his Tejoleshya upon her by way of testing it. The poor maid was burnt to ashes then and there by the Tejoleshya, after which Goshala left that place.
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