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JAINA LITERATURE IN TAMIL
105 Then Nīlakēśī thought that the only way by which she could defeat this yõgin by some hook or crook, was to deviate him from his spiritual purpose and draw him towards sensual pleasures. She thought that this would be the surest way to spoil his penance. With this object in view, she put on the beautiful form of the princess of the land and began to play the coquette before the yogin. She behaved even as a public courtezan trying to attract the ācārya. Even this attempt proved no more successful. In the meanwhile, Municandrācārya himself told her the whole truth. He made her understand that she was not really the princess from the royal household, that she was merely the chief of the dëvatās attempting to frighten him away from the place in order to restore their usual animal sacrifice. This plain speaking made her realise the greatness and the wisdom of the yogin, and she confessed before him that all he stated was true and begged him to pardon her. When she was pardoned by the yögin, she, out of gratitude, expressed her willingness to adopt, in future, a more healthy and reasonable course of life and wanted him to help her in this by teaching her the fundamental principles of ahimsā. When she heard the noble religious principles of ahimsā she felt extremely grateful to the guru and begged him to say what would be the best thanks-offering from the disciple. When he told her the best form of thanksoffering that he would have was for her to go about the land preaching this doctrine of ahimsā, she accordingly accepted the task and, therefore, taking the human form she devoted her time in propaganda work in favour of
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