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bent his back, the chief of the gang and his five hundred comrades rode on his back one after another, and made him walk about in regular order. When Gośāla became greatly debilitated with bunger, thirst, and exhaution, the robbers left him there aud went away. Gośāla fainted with bewilderment as if he had been tormented with blows from hammers or with the stroke of a thunder bolt; and remained for some time under the shade of a big tree, but on regaining consciousness by cooling winds, he began to wail, " Ah! Ah! Although I am always intent on my self interest, I foolishly acted unwisely that I left off the company of śramaņa Bhagavān Majāvira, who is a treasure of unexpected splendour. The disrespect shown by me by becoming overwhelmed by evil tboughts towards Sramaņa Bhagavān Mahāvīra who is perfectly faultless, has on the contrary, settled on my shoulders. Although I am a vicious man, I have maintained my status at numerous places on account of his greatness, but yow it is difficult to live in separation. Or, acts done in haste without mature meditation, turn out disastrous in the long run like an indigestible meal. It seems to me that under this pretext, the God of Death wants to cheat me. Or else, how can I have such evil thoughts ? Now, whom hould I seek as my shelter i and what course should I take ? Or, to whom can I unreservedly say out my troubles and can there-by become free frorn wental worries ? Or, what is the use of these evil tboughts i There is no other shelter for me except Sramana Bhagavån Mahavira, – my religious preceptor-let me, therefore find him out ". With this idea in his mind, Gośāla passed through the forest very dreadful like Samsăra, and then he began to go about various villages in seach of Sramaņa Bhagavän Mabăvira.
śramaņa Bhagavān Mahāvira eventually reached Vaišāli Nazari-a town surrounded by specious ramparts and delightful with lovely yourig females, and he remained in religious conte mplation in a building owned by a number of blacksmiths. On a lucky day, at an auspicious time, one of the blacksmiths, having become free from disease during the sixth month of his illness and having put on clothes as white as Kāšakusuma-a flower of
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