Trishasti Shalaka Purusa Caritra Part 6

Author(s): Hemchandracharya, Helen M Johnson
Publisher: Oriental Research Institute Vadodra

Page 95

MAHĀVIRA'S FIRST SIX YEARS AS AN ASCETIC
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ascetic who left the hermitage to break his fast. As he was going along, he injured a frog by a kick. His junior disciple showed him the frog, so he could confess it. But he, on the other hand, showing frogs killed by other people said, "Did I kill these also, small one?" Then he became silent and the young disciple thought, "Since he is pure in mind and noble in nature, he will confess in the evening." When he had sat down without confessing it in the pratikramaņa,82 the junior disciple thought, "He has forgotten the injury," and he reminded him of the frog, Why do you not confess?" The ascetic jumped up angrily, thinking, "I'll kill the young disciple," and began to run. Blind with anger, he ran against a pillar and was killed.
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As his status as an ascetic had been injured, he was born. in the Jyotiskas. He fell and became the son, named Kausika, of the wife of the abbot, the head of five hundred ascetics in Kanakakhala. There were other CC Kausikas " because there was a Kausika gotra and he was known as Caṇḍakausika (cruel Kausika) because of his extremely bad temper. When the abbot had become the guest of Yama, he became the abbot of the ascetics there. From delusion he roamed day and night in a wood and did not allow anyone to take a flower, root, fruit, nor leaf. Picking up an axe, club, or clod of earth, he killed any one who took fruit, et cetera in the wood, even though it had fallen on the ground. The ascetics living there did not get any fruit, et cetera. When the club fell, they went in all directions like crows.
One day when Kauśika had gone away on account of the garden, Rajanyas83 came from Śvetavi and quickly broke down
82 233. Avaśyaka. A daily duty. Here it is the pratikramana, confession, which must be made in the morning and evening. In this case it is obviously the evening public (i.e. before the other sadhus) confession. Pratikramana may be either public or private.
83 242. See I, p. 155. Rajanyas were one of the 4 classes created by Rşabha as king. The rajanyas were his companions, distinct from the ksatriyas.
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