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For four months during the cāturmāsa he stayed in one place and at other times wandered in those places which were favourable and conducive to his practices. This kind of practice is called 'Vivikta Śayyāsana', which means lives in solitude. In solitude a person is able to progress steadily on the path of perfection. The Uttaradhyayana Sūtra says that in solitude, a person is able to practice perfect code of conduct, is nearer to perfection and in due course destroys the Karmas.
Lord Mahāvīra generally stayed in deserted places, workshops, guest houses, grave yards, and under the trees. He never stayed in those places which caused unpleasantness to others and he was careful not to become the target of hatred of others.
Once Lord Mahāvīra moved from the society of kollāga to the Moraka region. There was a hermitage in that region where some heretics called 'Durjantaka' lived. The patriarch of the hermitage was a friends of King Siddhārtha, Lord Mahāvīra's father. Lord Mahāvīra spent a night there and when he was about to move elsewhere the head of the hermitage persuaded him to stay there. Lord Mahāvīra came there again for the cãturmāsa period, stayed in a small hut and spent his entire time meditating.
The cows of the village used to enter the hermitage and eat the grass of the huts in the monastery. The hermits used to beat and drive away the cows. But Lord Mahāvīra, engrossed in meditation was unaware of the happenings in the hermitage. When the hermits saw the indifferent nature of Lord Mahāvīra, they went upto the head of the hermitage and complained to him about Mahāvīra and his unforgivable nature. There upon the head man approached Lord Mahāvīra and said "O Prince! Even a bird safeguards and protects, its nest. You are a prince, you ought to protect the hermitage where you are staying."
On hearing these words Lord Mahāvīra thought, the inmates of the hermitage are troubled by my presence as my behaviour is not in accordance with theirs and I do not associate myself with their activities. Hence I should not stay here any longer". After which,
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