________________
63 8. ]
the blossoming of the flower of the tree of actions produced out of carelessness and maltreatment of the sage; and its fruit will be the great pain in the hell. If you then feel repentance, then take to hermitlife which is the axe for tree of actions. I shall make you free from this calamity and become the helper of you who are prepared for the acquirement of the other world." The boys said, “O divine sir, this is the favour. We are ashamed of this act of carelessness; we feel great repentance; [63] if the elders permit us, we shall take to hermit-life. Then the elders permitted them. The recluse joined them by putting together the joints of the limbs and also by putting in them that great merit (of right conduct ) Then they took to hermit-life. The merit of a recluse ripened in them. And some time passed of them, doing just as they were asked. And on account of the rise of actions in the son of the chaplain who was one of them, the malice to the teacher was produced in him with the idea, ' I am made a hermit with force by the sage.' He nei. ther censured the teacher nor confessed be
94
