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NIRWANA (DELIVERANCE)
305
yogi may live without recourse to meals Hence the Digambara doctrine that the Lord did without meals is also not untrue
This was the seventy-second year of the Lord He was perfectly healthy From Rajgriha he went to Apapapun The King of the place and his subjects heard the Lord's spiritual discourse His deliverance was imminent He signalled Gautam. and said, 'Gautam! Brahmin Deosharma resides in the neighbouring village He required preaching You may call on him and edify him'
Gautam obeyed the Lord and departed
The Lord observed fast for a couple of days He preached constantly for two days and two nights 1 in his last discourse he tabulated the consequences of good and evil actions a In the midst of his pulpit speech he attained Nirwana It was four gharies* to dawn 3 ✓ The light was gone out of human world that granted to numberless individuals the bright glow of wisdom The sun that emitted rays for the masses withdrew itself across the horizon
The democracies of Malla and Lichchhavi lit lights The moonless night of Kartik was brightened The Lord attained Nirwana (deliverance) For an instant the entire creation experienced the lilt of ecstasy 599 B C (542 before Vikram ) The Lord was born 569 BC (512 before Vikram ) The Lord became a monk 557 B C (500 before Vikrama) The Lord attained enlightenment 527 BC (470 before Vikrama) The Lord attained Nirwana.
1 "Saubhagyapanchamyadı Parvakatha Sangraha leaf 100 2 'Samvao' 55/4 * 21 Gharies=1 Hour 3 'Kalpasutra' verse 147 'Subodhika' commentary
