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122.HEAVY AND LIGHT
Once, Indrabhūti Gautama asked his master Mahavira, "How do beings become heavy or light ?"
" Look Gautama, said the great master. Take a dry gourd. Wrap it with darbha and kusa grass. But be sure that it is unbroken and completely free from crevices. Now smear it with a layer of clay. Let it be completely dry. Wrap it with darbha and kusa grass a second time. Again cover it with a layer of clay and dry it in the sun. When it becomes dry, for the third time cover it with darbha and kusa grass, put a layer of clay upon it and dry it. Go on doing it for seven times. After it has received all these layers of clay, throw it in water. Due to the heaviness and weight of the layers of clay it goes under the water and settles at the bottom. Even so Gautama, human beings on account of injury to living beings, gradually accumulate eight types of karma and due to the heaviness and weight of the karma go down beneath the earth and remain in the hell below after their death. Thus beings become heavy."
"Down below in the water the upper most layer of clay becomes wet and loose and drops off. The gourd becomes slightly light and rises a little from the bottom. After the second layer has dropped off, it rises a little more. In this way when all the layers of clay are gone and the gourd is free from all bonds, it rises to the surface of the water. In the same manner, after having dissolved the eight types of karma by abstaining from injury to living beings, from false faith, living beings rise up to the sky. They even reach the top of the universe, that is to say, attain salvation. Thus Gautama, beings become light."
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