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Bhagawan Mahavir )
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of the world, from the incongruity in nature, from the words of the saints and the scriptures, and from experience, it was clear that the last Tirthankara will soon appear on the earth. But Goshala was declaring that he himself was the twenty fourth Tirthankara; and in order to prove his Tirthankara-hood, he had adopted many foolish measures. Some times he influenced the people by showing the power of his Siddis; some times tried to spread his fame through some of his flatterers; and some times he tried to win the love and faith of the people by predicting events with the help of his knowledge of astronomy. It is no wonder, therefore, that some people began to regard him even as the twenty-fourth Tirthankara. While Goshala was thus hankering after worldly fame, Lord Mahavira was still seeking for Kevala-Jnana (Omniscience ) and as he had not yet been able to attain it, he did not think it proper to preach but absorbed himself in the practice of severest penances. The public had not yet listened to his ambrosial teachings. It is no wonder, therefore, if Goshala was regarded as the Twenty-fourth Tirthankara, according to the saying, “The half-blind rule where all are blind”. Some times people tested his ability, but when they found that he utterly lacked the virtues that a Tirthankara ought to possess in conformity with the scriptures, and when they found a complete absence of super-natural and charming beauty in his actions and talk, they were not withont doubt in his being a Tirthankara. But the great difficulty was that there were few people well versed in scriptures who could examine the virtues of Goshala. The majority of the public, therefore, was in favour of recognising his superiority in spite of their
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