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north; to locking his mouth in wooden ring to remain silent and go on walking and wherever he was tired or fall, to remain there.
As per the resolve, early in the morning he started northwards and reached under an A oka tree by afternoon. He put his wooden waterpot down, and after ablutions, etc, became silent again locking his mouth in wooden ring. In the middle of the night some god told him – "Somila, your penance is not right.” But Somila paid no attention. The god repeated the same statement twice or thrice and went away. Somila continued to walk northwards. In the afternoon he would rest under the shade of a tree and in the night stand silent by locking his mouth in awooden ring. Again the same god would appear and say - "Somila, your asceticism is not correct.” When Somila would remain silent, paying no attention, the god would go away. On the fifth day Somila completed his daily ablutions and stood silent as before under a wild fig tree. In the night the god repeated the same words. When he said it a third time, Somila broke his silence and said - "Dear god! What is lacking in my asceticism?”
The god said – “Somila, you had accepted the votary conduct of 12 vows under arihanta P r va. Giving that up, you have become a mendicant, this is incorrect asceticism. If you again accept the 12 vows of a votary your mendicancy will turn unto a good mendicancy.” The god left. As per the god's words, Somila again accepted the votary conduct and started moving about observing different kinds of fasts. In the end, affecting his soul with samlekhan of 15 days, without being critical of the past bad deeds, completing his life span, he became the great planet god ukra. Because of severe penance and observing the rama a tradition, he attained these accomplishments. When he completes his term as a god he will be born in Mah Videha and becoming a mendicant, shall destroy all his karmas and attain nirva.”
Somila keeping his mouth tied up in wooden ring and observe silence calls for analysis and some research. There is no other religion except Jainism which has the practice of keeping the mouth covered. Reference in Niray valik to Somila keeping his mouth tied up proves that in
nt times in non-Jain traditions too, there was the practice of tying up (covering) the mouth and that even in P r van tha's time there was the
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