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210
SHRAMAN MAHAVIR
'Yes, sire'
'Good it is that you could prove your mettle
'By your grace, My Lord'
'The Lord invited the monks and the nuns and said, 'Worthy monks' Kamdeo is a householder And still he has shown a remarkable degree of moral awareness He has stoically stood all the tests he was put to by the divine powers He has attained the Summun bonum You are monks Your spiritual awareness, equanimity, stoicism and concentration should be of a still higher degree1"
Eternal watchfulness is an ever-burning lamp. It lights many more such lamps Inwardly each of us is like a lamp The lid of moral indolence obstructs it If you know the device how to uncover the lid, you will be enlightened It will be all light then Light is not borrowed externally It hails from within We are not to seek it from elsewhere We are ourselves perfect in all respects Outwardly we are imperfect The moment this lid of moral inaolence is off, there will be nothing but light outwardly as well as inwardly
Gautam had left Prishthachampa to visit the Lord The ex-monarch monks Shal and Gagal of Prishthachampa accompanied him Where the Lord held the congregation notable arrangements for seating were available Listeners sat in their respective groups Shal and Gagali moved towards the group of enlightened beings (Kewalis) Gautam prevented them Said the Lord, 'Gautam! Don't prevent them from going thither They have attained enlightenment2'
Gautam was at his wit's end 'My new initiates are enlightened while I am still not! What a jeopardy!' Gautam was heart-broken The moral bewilderment he suffered grew
intense
Later, Gautam proceeded to Ashtapada Kaudinna, Dinna and Shewal, the three anchorites alongwith their disciples
1 Uvasgadsao', 2/45, 46
2 Uttaradhyayan Sukhbodha, leaf 154
