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His impartial attitude and love for learning without any sectarian bias has brought him a good name in the Jaina and non-Jaina circles.
Basically being a brahmin by birth, he might have studied the Arthaśāstra in his educational career. We find the reference to Caṇakya in his commentarial and narrative literature in various context.
[A] References in the Avaśyaka-ṭīkā and Daśavaikālika-ṭīkā (i) Avaśyaka-ṭīkā p.342
A small incident is noted down here in the form of an anology for explaining the rereness of human birth. In the Avaśyaka-niryukti 832, ten dṛṣṭāntas are enumerated, among which 'pāśaka' is mentioned. The short story is
‘पासग’ त्ति, चाणक्कस्स सुवण्णं नत्थि, ताधे केण उवाएण विढविज्ज सुवण्णं ?, ताधे जंतपासया कता, केइ भणंति - वरदिण्णगा, ततो एगो दक्खो पुरिसो सिक्खावितो, दीणारथालं भरियं, सो भणति-जति ममं कोइ जिणति सो थालं गेण्हतु, अह अहं जिणामि तो एगं दीणारं जिणामि, तस्स इच्छाए जंतं पडति अतो ण तीरइ जिणितुं, जहा सो ण जिप्पइ एवं माणुसलंभोऽवि, अवि णाम सो जिप्पेज्ज ण य माणुसातो भट्ठो पुण माणुसत्तणं ।
The analogy of pasaka can be explained thus - Cāṇakya had no gold (in the royal treasury). He thought, 'How can we gather gold ?' He prepared gambling-dices having peculiar magical power. Some say that he obtained the dices as a boon from a deity. He trained a clever person. Filled up a big plate with deenāras (golden coins). The trained person said, 'If somebody wins, I will bestow on him the whole plate. If I win, I will take only one golden coin.' The clever person had a full control over the dices. Therefore it was impossible to defeat him. As the possibility of his defeat is very low, likewise when a person looses his human birth, it is almost impossible to obtain the same birth again.
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