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NEW IDEOLOGIES NEW TRADITIONS
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'I propose to build its like sire, 'said Mammana, his finger aiming at the half-built bullock
The king kept silent for a moment and said, 'Yes, a match for your rare bullock is nowhere to be found in my kinehouse Even the royal coffers would prove inadequate to provide for such an extravagant venture I wish you godspeed in this lavish venture Strange is your determination 'I
The king narrated the tale of that wealthy pauper to his queen at the palace The two were non-plussed at this contrast of Mammana the rigorous toiler at the river-bank and Mammana the connoisseur pursuing the fine artistry of gold and inlay work on the golden bullock
The incident is the index of Mahavira's vow of nonacquisition Be it noted that Mahavira never employed nonacquisition as a means to distribute property equally The problem of haves and have-nots did not exist then The problem was how to cultivate tranquillity, austerity and selfrealisation Acquisition of wealth was a great obstacle in these pursuits' That led the Lord to enunciate non-acquisition as a major observance He was firmly of the opinion that without grasping non-acquisition, spiritualism cannot comprehended One incapable of non-acquisitive conduct is incapable of spiritual conduct
Acquisition in common parlance means collection of wealth and property The Lord's idiom is totally different Body itself is acquisition and so are human latencies Wealth and property are as much acquisition Whatever is non-aware is acquisition, if we are not on our guard with respect to it If we are aware of what is what, nothing will constitute acquisition Fading of the great sense of discrimination is itself acquisition A thing in itself does not constitute acquisition It constitutes acquisition once it is linked with non-discrimınation Truly speaking non-discrimination is acquisition and the material object constitutes the tangible cause of it to a
1
Awashyakchurni', 1 pt pp 371, 372.
