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The Signs of Progress
Lord Mahavira was still roaming about alone The attendant or the disciple he had none To attract a disciple was no achievement for a man of the Lord's calibre But he would not bind himself with this added responsibility without testing the ultimate freedom (1) The master-disciple tradition founded by Lord Parshva still obtains Some of these saints excel in their high stvtion and its vows and practices and still others have flouted the initiation to become Vedic medicants or live in a household
Utpal is initiated in the tradition of Parshva He has mastered numerous subjects of learning Then he disowned initiation and became a Parivrajaka mendicant He has settled at Asthikgram He is a pastmaster in the eight aspects of occultism
The Lord halts in the Shulapaniyaksa temple! The entire Asthik village resounds with the event of a mendicant choosing it of all the places to halt They whisper-'tis unfortunate The miserable saint shall die Didn't the priest forewarn him? Didn't somebody caution him that a stay overnight there means certain death? How to help now? The night is fairly advanced Who would dare visit the place now?'
The priest and his companions explained to the people that they had warned the saint However, the mendicant is 1. First year of the pursuit at Asthikgram
