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Life Story of Rşabhadeva
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took initiation following the Lord's example. Their leaders were Kaccha and Mahākaccha33. Rşabhadeva avoided violence to Sthävara and Trasa types of beings. He took the vow of speaking the truth as well as sweet words. He determined to give up things, which had not been given to him. The things possessed by wars or law of inheritance or by earning livelihood were forsaken by him. He became personified Brahāmacarya without any break. He accepted five kinds of Mahâvratas. He became immersed in his inner self. He checked the natural tendencies and stopped speaking. Some godly prosperous persons observed conjointly the ceremony of Așțāhanika in Nandiśvara Dvipa to show respect to Lord's penance. Kaccha and Mohākaccha along with the four thousand followers of Rşabhadeva failed to follow vigorous austerity as Lord used to do. Not going back to family life they started roaming about as a class of ascetics with heaps of matted hairs. They lived on kanda, müla and fruits in a forest near Ganges. So indirectly Lord became the founder of that class of ascetics. Lord Rşabhadeva abstaining from speech under a vow was roaming about all places belonging Aryans and non-Aryans. After one year's austerity passed, he thought in his mind that he might fail like Kaccha and Mahākaccha, which would set a bad example. Thinking thus he went to Gajpur (Hastinapur) for alms, Everybody offered him princely gifts, which he could not accept. Lastly Śreyāmsa Kumāra his great grandson offered him fresh and flawless sugarcane juice. Some divine incidents occurred. It was due to the flawlessness of offering food or drink to a Tirtharkara. That happened in the third day of waxing moon of Vaisakha (middle of April to middle of May). The result of this never wears away. So that day was called Aksayatritivăor Aksa yatija and it became a custom. This started from Rşabhadeva's acceptance of gift from the prince Śreyāmsa Kumāra. Rşabhadeva being a Chadmastha Tirthankara could not stay there more than one night. Sreyāmsa Kumāra, saying “No one is to cross the place of the Blessed One's fast breaking, put their a jeweled platform. Bowed with a load of devotion, Śreyāmsa started to worship the place like the Lord's feet actually present34.
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