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obliging us by spending your precious time with us. I shall feel more oblied to you, if you bless me with the entrustment of some suitable task.” The Suriji, who considered Abhayadāna-or ridding of all fears-as a great merit, desired all the birds to be freed from cages. And we need not mention that Akaber instan tly fulfilled his desire by effecting release of all beasts and birds
In the course of religious discussions that were continued at the occasion, the Sūri took several opportumtes to explain to them the importance and significance of “abhayadána" In the end, he advised the Emperor to have non-injury observed in his vast empire during the Paryüşara week. The kind King responded to this and he issued an ordinance of " amarı' throughout the empire for complete twelve days (i. e. from the 10th of the dark half of Srāvana to the oth of the bright half of Bhadra. pada ) Five copies ef this declaration were sent to (1) Gujarat and Saurashtra, (2) Delhi, Fatehpur and the round-about area, (3) Ajmer, Nāgpur etc, (4) Malva ahd the Deccan, and (5) Lāhor and Multān, while one copy was handed over to Sri Hiravij. aya Sûri.
During this stay at Fateh Pur Sikm he had several meetings with the Emperor, when, though discourses on variety of subjects he propunded the real nature of Truth. Extremely pleosed, Akabar convened a mammoth meeting where he adorned the the Süri with the title of " Jagadguru" or the Preceptor of the World At the occasion he offered abhayadâna too to several persons.
Once, out of desire to test the guru's power of learning, irbal put a question to him with the King's permission, which led to the following conversation. Birbal--O great preceptor I can Sankara be considered as
possessing attributes ? Hiravijaya Sari-Yes, Sankara does possess attributes.
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