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152
SHRAMAN MAHAVIR
'None whatsoever' 'How be it, sire ?' 'Pray, let me know what the goal in life happens to be' 'Liberation' 'What shall your caste distinction be then?' 'That stage cannot be labelled with a caste, sire'
'The caste-branded cannot be bracketed with the casteless Hence I aver, you are casteless you transcend the caste'
The Lord addressed himself to the monks thus 'A monk of your order ought to shun all vanity in his superior knowledge, austerities, caste and livelihood one free from these vanities alone transcends castes and achieves the supreme state of casteless deliverance!'l
(3) People from all the castes joined the Lord's order During those days the people were addressed by their names combined with the caste surname The vainglory of those who were addressed with superior caste surnames was aroused People labelled with mean castes were remorseful Vainglory and mean feeling both are high-water marks of inequity The Lord would not stand either Once the Lord invited all the monks and thus addressed them-Worthy beings! Take it as my command that henceforth no monk address another by the latter's caste 8
(4) As the Lora's movement of eqanımity gathered momentum the dragon of casteism put out its fangs New corollaries of inequity came into play The bogey of divine sanction was raised to enfeeble the voice of equanimity
The monks who swore by the sanctity of man were not behind in making their creed felt The message of Buddha was also resounding across the length and breadth of the continent The creed of the monks was welcome like the first showers to the inequity-torn humanity High-caste people were equally enthused Ksatriyas had already become one
1 2
Ibid, 1/13/15, 16 lbid, 1/9/27.
