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mendicancy only with the object of filling their delicious articles of food.
bellies
with
Ardraka Muni I am not slandering any mendicant, but I am only saying out the tenets of my faith. All the schools of philosophy always try to propagate their individual faith, and their leaders siander others when an occasion arises. I am only showing my belief and am refuting heresies. Truth can never be refuted, and there is no harm in refuting a false notion. I am not imputing blame on any particular individual
Gośâlaka-- Ārādraka ! I am telling you something about the timidity of your religious preceptor. Listen to me. Pormerly, he was staying at public inns and in forest dwellings, but now he is not doing so He knows that a number of clever learned persons assemble in such localities, and he is afraid that in case any well-versed scholar were to put him any intricate question, he may not be able to answer him satisfactorily; and, therefore, he now, purposely avoids visiting such places.
Ārdraka Mun2--It seems you are perfectly unfamiliar with the greatness of my religious preceptor. Mahavira is really an Exalted Soul. He does not Çossess juvenile indiscretion nor is any voluntary indiscretion to be found with him. He is an inde pendent perfect personality. It is ridiculous to talk about the timidity of Śramaya Bhagavāna Mahavira against the verbal attacks of the mendicants, although he does not care for the commands of Kings. Mankhali Sramaņa i Mahavira Bhagavāna-now-a days is not an ordinary mendicant fit for dwellings of public inns, but he is a great religious pioneer-Deliverer of the World. Living in deserted localities he practised very severe austerities, and having attained Kévala Jnāna ( Perfect Knowledge ) through the medium of these austerities, for the present, he is moving about in localities where the rendering of such service is possible for the welfare of the world. There is no cause for fear or favour in this. Where to go or where not
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