________________
THE THUNDERBOLT OF VIOLENCE AGAINST NON-VIOLENCE
297
winking, at the traders, reducing them all to ashes excepting the one who had counselled otherwise
'Ananda! Your preceptor is treading an identical course. He has been rewarded with laurel after laurel and still he is not contented He prides upon myself being his disciple and denies my Jinahood You would do well to go and forewarn him to spare such a course failing which I am sure to treat him as did the python to the traders You alone will survive this severe exposure to my devastating wrath'
Ananda was agitated He left the workshop of Halahala, the potter, and made for the Lord He narrated all that occurred between him and Gaushalak He was not unaware of the Lord's powers and still the dire threat worked alongh is bonemarrow to chill him with fear He uttered in a shaky voice
Sirel Can Gaushalak reduce one to ashes by his occult powers?'
'Said the Lord, 'He does have the virtue but not to reduce an Arhat to ashes He can slightly expose him to his heat You may please go Ananda and instruct all the monks to spare all discussions with Gaushalak when he is here, never remind him of the past events nor insult him'
Ananda instructed the monks accordingly Having performed his chores he was on his way to the Lord when Gaushalak arrived with his follower ‘monks Said Gaushalak the moment he arrived, 'Well Kashyapa, you may live long! You claim to have initiated me Let me tell you that it is far from true The one who was initiated by you is dead since long Kashyapl I have since then reincarnated seven times
(1) In the last but six incarnations I was Udayı Kundiyan I transmigrated from that frame to that of Aineyak and lived in that body for full twenty-two years
(2) I vacated Aineyak's body at Chandravataran chatya in Udandapur to haunt Mallaram's body for twenty years
(3) I vacated Mallaram's body at Angamandır chaitya in Champa and transmigrated to Mandit's body to live in it for eighteen years