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Āsā
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Asā (Āśā) A principal Disäkumāri residing on the Vijaya (20) peak of the northern Ruyaga (1) mountain. 1
1. Sth. 643, Jam. 114. Āsāgara (Āśākara) Religious teacher of Namdana(1), the seventh Baladeva(2) and Datta (2), the seventh Väsudeva (1), in their previous birth. 1 See also Laliyamitta and Sāgara (3).
1. Sam. 158, Tir. 606. 1. Āsādha (Āsādha) A preceptor and the third Nişhava. The doctrine of Avvatta-uncertainty of knowledge was established after him in Rāyagiha, in king Balabhadda's (4) time, after 214 years of the death of Mabāvīra. 1 Preceptor Asādha staying at the Polāsa (1) garden of Seyaviy, town, died all of a sudden and became a god in Ņaliņigumma (4). Out of his love and compassion for his disciples left behind, he re-entered his corpse and started teaching and guiding them as usual. After finishing his work, he told them the true story. He expressed sorrow for taking salute from them, (inasmuch as he was no more a preceptor, not even an ordinary monk) and went to his heavenly abode.? This caused a great stir among his disciples. They started suspecting bona fides of every body. Consequently, they established the doctrine that nothing can be certainly known. This doctrine can be called scepticism which leads to agnosticism. King Balabhadda (4) made them to realise the defects in the doctrine of Avvatta. 3 1. AvaBh. 129-130, AvaCu. I. p. 421, 2. AvaN. 780, Utts. p. 160, Sth. 587, Vis. 2857.
AvaH. p. 315. 3. UttN. & Utts. pp. 160-162.
2. Āsādha A preceptor who took promise from each of his dying disciples to come back to him after going to heaven. Many of his disciples died but none of them returned. This created a doubt in his mind about the existence of heaven and hell. Consequently, he left the group and started living all alone. Seeing this condition of the preceptor one of his late disciples who was a god in the heaven, came on the earth and staged a play. Asādha witnessed the play constantly for a period of six months. He was not mindful even of hunger and thirst. The god then stopped the play. Asādha started for another place. The god transformed himself, one by one, into six children well adorned with ornaments, etc., and met him in the way. He killed all the children and took away their belongings. The god then transformed himself into a king and requested the preceptor to accept food from him. Āsādha declined to accept it, since his bowls were full of ornaments which in fact he did not want to disclose to the king. He was, however, compelled to place the bowls before the king. Now, his position was very awkward. The king was very angry. Asādha had no other alterna
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