Book Title: Jain Legend Vol 1
Author(s): Hastimal Maharaj, Shuganchand Jain, P S Surana
Publisher: Hastimal Maharaj Shugan C Jain P S Surana
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coins. The Lord gave this charity continuously for a year. Thus he gave in charity a sum total of 3 billion, 88 crores and 80 lakh gold coins at the end of a year. Through this charity he instilled the thought in people's minds that the importance of wealth is not in its enjoyment but in its sacrifice.
Eventually, after spending a householder's life for 83 lakh p rvas on the ninth day of the dark fortnight of the month of Caitra under the constellation uttar ādhāV abhan tha resigned from the mundane life to get initiated into monkhood. He left all the royal splendour and family and renounced all sensual indulgences and leaving Vint nagara with a large group of gods and men in steeped austerity, under the A oka tree, accepted initiation into monkhood with the Siddhas as witness saying – "I renounce all impure activities”, that is violence, and other impure acts are prohibited, hence I renounce them forever. He started to pull out his hair in fistfuls; after four fistfuls he said just like these strands of hair we need to remove impurities / sins from their very root. Upon Indra's request, he let one fistful of hair remain (on his head).
The huge congregation of gods, demons and men were left awe-struck seeing this mighty sacrifice of the Lord. Seeing his renunciation, 4000 other princes of the K atriya caste also became mendicants. r V abhan tha did not initiate them into mendicancy, but on their own accord they followed the Lord, pulled their hair, etc, and started to move along with the Lord as monks. In this way, with the resolve of pure discipline V abhan tha became venerable first as a monk, mendicant and monk. This day of the Lord's initiation is celebrated even today as “kaly aka divasa".
Emergence of Vidy dharas (beings with extraordinary powers/skills)
When Lord V abhan tha began to wander about, having adopted the attitude of pure sacrifice and detachment, two princes, Nami and Vinami, sons of Kaccha and Mah kaccha, appeared in service of the Lord and said, “Lord, you have given everyone something appropriate, please grant us, too, something." Having placated him thus, they stayed close to the Lord. Once when Indra went to the Lord, he saw the boys pleading thus. He told the princes that the Lord is devoid of passion, it is not right
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