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Prašamarati
However, there was again much persuasion by the Sangha so that in the end Śrī Bhadrabahu Svāmī did pass on only the bare Pūrvas but he did not explain the meaning thereof. It is because of this that after the times of Muni Sthūlabhadra the knowledge of the four Pūrvas has been lost forever to all. MORAL:
If there is pride accompanying the achievement (here that of gathering knowledge), then one's worthiness for greater achievement destroys itself.
Story No. 5
Suci Piśāca Brāhmaṇa
(Referred to in Verse No. 98) There was a Brahmaņa called Suci Piśāca, who was ultra pious and ultra cautious regarding his purity (external). He thought it was not possible to preserve this purity by living with others. So he went away to what he thought was an uninhabitable island. This island was full of sugarcane.
As it happened, there was a businessman who was also stranded on the island. As a result of eating sugarcane, his excreta was shaped as round balls and tasted sweet and looked like a dry-fruit. The island was littered with these round “fruits”. Unwittingly the Brāhmaṇa ate them (and thus landed himself in far greater impurity than previously!).
One day, on seeing and talking with the businessman, the Brāhamana understood his folly. He left for another island, which he thought was also uninhabited and also completely pure. However, again a similar fate befell him there too. so he moved to another island. He did this again and again - till he perished. So all that he got was much pain, anxiety, unhappiness and
