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178
JAIN RAMAYAN
Making my point more clear I said: "Dear friend : Instead of getting angry with me please try to understand our Gurudev's interpretation. Every teacher preaches and proclaims the
arma. A teacher never preaches that goats should be sacrificed at Yajnas and Yagas (sacrifices). If Aja is taken to mean a goat, we get a precept which is wrong. No teacher gives such wrong precepts even by a mistake. Moreover, all the hymns in the scriptures expound only Dharma or lofty doctrines. When that is so how can they expound the principle that violence should be committed ? Therefore, your exposition does injustice to the hymn and to our Gurudev. Brother Parvat! Discard your sense of false prestige and understand the truth that you are committing a sin by giving such false interpretations”.
Thus, our arguments and counter-arguments continued. Neither was willing to concede the other's point. Then he said.
"If my interpretation is proved to be wrong, I will cut off my tongue and if your interpretation is proved to be wrong you must cut off your tongue. Do you agree to this ?"
"I agree; but who will settle the dispute and establish the truth?"
“Our fellow student, King Vasu”.
I gave my consent to this without demur. How could a truthful man be perturbed ? I was fully determined to face the ordeal. Meanwhile Parvat's mother came to settle our dispute. She sent for Parvat and said to him privily. "Oh you fool! What a futile and perilous argument are you carrying on with Narad! I have heard many times your father say, "Aja means food grain three years old”. Therefore what Narad has been saying is absolutely true”.
"But I ......”
"Impelled by your sense of false prestige you are challenging that you would cut off your tongue if your view is wrong. You are yourself cutting your feet with an axe. I do not know what fate has kept in store for you ?" His mother said with deep grief. Her agitation and anguish were indescribable.
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