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of wood was burning in the fire. The prince's heart filled with compassion. He told ascetic Kama ha - "Compassionis the basis of religion. How is it possible to be compassionate through burning of a ritual fire? For by burning the fire so many living beings are killed/ destroyed.” Enraged with anger, the ascetic started fuming at the words of P r va - "Prince! What do you know about religion? Your work is to take pleasure with elephants and horses. It is ascetics like us w the essence of religion. Can you tell me which living being is burning in this fire?” The prince ordered his attendants to remove a burning log of wood from the ritual fire and carefully tore it open when a burning snake emerged. Seeing the snake suffer in pain P r van tha recited the navak ra mantra and made the snake observe paccakh a to free them from cruel and inauspicious meditation, thereby enablingthe snake complete his life in pure feeling. The snake died and was born as Indra called Dhara endra in the realm of serpent-gods. The people present there started praising freely the knowledge and sense of discrimination of Pr van tha. The ascetic's respect declined. He was filled with envy for Pr vakum ra. In the end, completing his time in ignorant penance, he became a god named Megham 1 among the demon princes.
Detachment and Initiation
There are three categories of people who gained knowledge in this world – self-taught / knowing, taught / instructed by others and taught by the enlightened. T rthamkara are counted among the self-knowing / selftaught. They do not become detached gaining knowledge from anyone else. P r van tha was detached till 30 years, despite staying as a householder; he did not become attached to it. Considering the karma of enjoyments to be diminishing and decaying, P r va decided to accept self-restraint and as per norms the lok ntika gods requested him to propound the religious t rtha. Accordingly, P r van tha donated gold coins for a year and on the eleventh day of the dark fortnight of Pau a month at the ramapada mountain in Varanasi, amidst a huge gathering of people, under the A oka tree, removed all his clothes and ornaments on his own and five fistfuls of hair and with a three-day fast without water, under the Vi kh constellation, became a monk along with 300 others, and at that very moment he obtained the fourth type of knowledge namely telepathy (manah paryavaj na).The next day, leaving
ramapada he reached Kopaka aka where he broke his fast at the
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