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SHRAMAN MAHAVIR
3 THE PLANE OF TOLERANCE
Metarya was born in a family of untouchables He was initiated into Lord Mahavira's order As a monk he pursued knowledge and equanimity to a high degree of advancement The light within was all illumination Now he had gone beyona the limits of the order of monkhood He did his pursuit alone He came to Rajgriha He visited the door of a goldsmith for begging meals The host was overjoyed to see a monk at his door He greeted the monk and asked him to wait till he found out whether the meals were ready in the kitchen While the goldsmith was inside a pair of cranes perched there gulped the ornaments lying in the shop
The goldsmith came out to summon the monk inside He was shocked to learn that the ornaments were missing Angrily he enquired of the monk what he had to say about it He was silent Said the goldsmith, 'A moment back the gold ornaments lay here Till I had come back none visited the shop Who else should be answerable for this loss but you?'
The monk was still silent
The goldsmith insisted on a reply The taciturnity of the monk was too much for the artisan
'Please monkl The ornaments don't belong to me They belong to king Shrenik I am engaged by him to manufacture ornaments for his females Can't you guess how I will be treated if I fau to find his ornaments? You embraced monkhood after renouncing great wealth You were the king's son-in-law You have joined Lord Mahavira's order whom 1 worship Please don't lose sight of your great renunciation, the great Lord Mahavira who has initiated you and of my plight Pray be not greedy. Return to me my ornaments To err is human You are only aspirant yet and not a great Master Hence you are liable to commit such peccadiloes As yet the thing is a secret between me and you Pray listen to my fer
