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Jainism: The Cosmic Vision
thousand cows each. When Ananda saw this chief disciple of Mahavira, he bowed down and asked "Bhagwan, can a layman attain clairvoyance ?"
"Surely, while living his worldly life, a monk's devotee can attain the third great knowledge-clairvoyance."
Ananda's face lighted up when he heard this. He said, "Bhagwan, I have attained clairvoyance. By virtue of it, I can see fifty jojans (50 x 8 = 400 miles) deep in the Lavana sea to the east, the west and the south. I can directly recognize all things as far as Saudharmakalpa in the sky and as far as Lolachchua hellish abode in the other regions."
Ananda's voice smacked of experience. Members of his family, who had collected around, heard this with surprise. Gautama Swami thought for a while and then said, "Ananda ! A shravaka can attain clairvoyance, but it cannot be so farreaching as you said. Your statement is delusive. You should immediately practise penance for it."
Shravaka Ananda had full faith in his contention. He said, "Bhagwan! Does Bhagwan Mahavira's dispensation perscribe penance for him who tells the truth?"
"No."
"Then you should practice penance. You made a wrong statement," said Anand with confidence.
This statement of the monk's devotees confused Guru Gautama for a while. People began to say that Ananda had crossed the limits of polite speech: on the one hand, there was Gautama, the greatest of monks, and on the other hand, there was Ananda, the layman. An ocean is an ocean and a lake is a
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lake. Guru Gautama is an ocean of knowledge. A lake has its limits. Can an ocean have a boundary?
Gautama, the great ganadhara, was very eager to know the truth. He soon went to Bhagwan Mahavira and narrated the incident. He asked in humility, "Bhagwan ! Who should practise penance for this I or Ananda ?" Without the least hesitation, Mahavira, the great justifier and propounder of truth, said, "Gautama! You should practise penance for this. You should immediately ask Ananda's forgiveness."
As a wild storm shakes all the trees in a forest, so there was a violent commotion in the atmosphere. What a judgement! God Himself asked his chief disciple to beg pardon. No concession, no moderation! In case Gautama of vast knowledge made a mistake, he could be asked privately to practise penance. But to go to a shravak to beg his pardon was improbable, impossible. Between Gautama and Ananda the difference was great. The Shravak who had a little knowledge of religion and religious rites, and Gautama who had explored the vast ocean of religious principles were poles apart.
The world wondered, but Gautama, who had conquered pride and arrogance, went straight to Ananda and said, "Ananda, you are right. I ask your forgiveness (michchhami dukkadam) for my wrong statement."
Tears flowed from Ananda's eyes. Joining his hands in supplication he said, "You have brightened my last hour. What humility befitting a man of knowledge! What modesty, difficult to attain even after a number of bhavas (births)! Victory! Victory of Lord Mahavira! Victory of Gautama of vast knowledge !"
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