Shraman Bhagvana Mahavira Part 1

Author(s): Ratnaprabhvijay, D P Thaker
Publisher: Parimal Publication

Page 36

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their turn, cheat their own kinsmen. People will be persecuted by robbers with frequent raids, by kings with heavy burden of taxation, and by kings' officers with pressing and persistent bribery like persons possessed by demons. People will be always intent on selfish motives, perfectly indifferent to the good of others, and, being entirely destitute of truthfulness, sense of shame, and of politeness, they will bear animosity towards their own family-members. Young sādhûs will not behave respectfully towards their religious preceptors and the preceptors will not have any affection towards their own disciples and they will not impart them any Scriptural Knowledge. In course of time, Sādhus will like to get themselves separated from the fold of a Congre gation of Monks, and have an independent living un-cared-for by any well-disciplined, well-versed ācārya. There will be slackness in the practice of religious duties.
The world will be full of many harmful animals. Celestial Beings will not visit human habitations. Sons will disobey their parents; wives will be revengeful like a serpent; mothers-in-law will be formidable like the night of the destruction of the world at the end of an age; and females of noble families, leaving off all sense of shame, will act like barlots by the repeated use of amorous side-glances, vicious laughters, un-bridled conversations, and of various coquetish pranks.
There will be a gradual decrease in virtuous qualities among śrāvakas (male followers of the Tîrthankaras ) and śrāvikās (fema le followers of the Jaina church ); sādhus (Monks) and sādhvis (nuns) will be very rarely invited for taking alıns, as well as, their necessary utensils and cloths. There will be an un-detect table use of false weights and measurements, and the use of adulterated articles of food and drink-materials, with an over destructive influence on the bodily, constitutions of human beings and lower animals. There will be wicked-mindedness among religious preceptors, and well-bebaved persons will be unhappy and evil-minded individuals will appear happy. During the preHent fifth ara there will be a daily diminution in the efficacy of