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MAHAVIRA'S FIRST SIX YEARS AS AN ASCETIC 69 Skanda left and Gośāla laughed aloud. Saying, “Who, pray, laughs aloud, after staying hidden like a piśāca ?” Skanda beat him and then went home.
Gośāla told the Lord, “ Is this your duty as master, that you do not protect me when I am beaten, though innocent?” Siddhārtha said to him again, “Fool, several times you have brought injury on yourself in this way by the fault of your mouth, like a partridge.”94
Then the Blessed One went to the hamlet Kumāra and stood in statuesque posture in a garden named Campakaramaņiya. There lived a potter, Kūpanaya by name, rich in money and grain, addicted to drink, always like a liquor-worm. At that time a very famous disciple of Pārsvanātha, Ācārya Municandra, attended by a flock of disciples, was stopping in his house. The sūri put a disciple, Vardhana, in charge of the group and practiced the extremely difficult practices of the Jinakalpa.95 One day he was meditating on himself, deeply concentrated, with regard to the second division of reflectionpenance, strength of character, scripture, solitariness of the soul, and power (of mind and body).96
Now Gośāla said to the Lord at noon, “It is time for us to go inside the village for alms." Siddhārtha said, “We fast today.” But Gośāla entered the village for alms, as he was very hungry. He saw Pārśva's disciples, who were wearing various garments, carrying bowls, et cetera, and he asked “Who are you?” They replied, “We are Nirgranthas, disciples of Pārsva.” Gośāla laughed and said: “Qut upon you telling falsehoods. How can you be Nirgranthas when you have possessions, clothes, et cetera ? This hypocritical pretence is only for the sake of a living. Devoid of interest
94 444. IS 4879 says that the tittira, partridge, along with parrots and mainas, owes its captivity to its facility in talking. See IV, p. 67; and Bloomfield's On Talking Birds in Hindu Fiction.
95 448. The Puritans of the Jains.
96 449. These divisions of tulanã (= bhāvanā) are discussed in great detail with various interpretations in Rajendra., s.v. jinakappa.
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