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3. While Mahavira was in meditation he could not take care of the cattle of a shepherd who, finding his cattle missing, thought that Mahavira had committed theft.On being asked Mahavira, who was in meditation, did not reply. This angered the shepherd who began to beat him. Indra the king of gods, is said to have seen this. He revealed the identity of the meditating saint to the ignorant shepherd who repented for his mistake.
Then Indra is said to have offered permanent protection to the master for future. Mahavira politely declined to accept the offer saying that spiritual heights can be achieved only on ones own strength, thus propounding the Asharana Bhavana' of Jainism.
4. Mahavira's first Chaturmas (monsoon stay of four months at one place) was fixed at the Ashrama of one of his acquaintances in a forest at a place called "Morak Sannivesh". He put up at a hut where he used to meditate. Once some cows came there and began to eat grass of all such huts of the Ashram and damaged them seriously. All the inmates of the hermitage except Mahavira rushed to drive away the animals. Such incidents repeatedly occurred but Mahavira did not take any notice thereof, and did not allow his meditation to be disturbed. He therefore earned displeasure of all. On being taunted about the type of a kshatriya
member of a warrior class- he left the hermitage and resolved not to stay at any place so as to cause inconvenience to others, not to allow his meditation to be disturbed, to receive food only in his palms to eat and not to serve any householder. All these resolutions have now become part of the conduct of a Jain monk.
5. There is another incident of the same place, Morak-Sannivesha; on his second visit to that place, he found one astrologer named Achhchhandaka earning his livelihood by cheating people. Mahavira knew his tricks and began to expose him. Achhchhanadaka requested him not to destroy his livelyhood and assured him not to cheat people. Mahavira realized his mistake and left the place as he was of the opinion that education rather than exposure is better.
6. Once the master was passing by the place called Kanakhal where in the past there was a beautiful hermitage of a Rishi named Kaushik. As children of that place were often damaging the hermitage the said Rishi once got very angry and in the process of chasing the children to beat them he stumbled over a stone, fell in the nearby deep well and died. there. Since he died in anger, he was reborn there as a deadly poisonous serpent whose very breath and sight emitted poison. People were so much afraid that they never passes by that place, which became desolate and deserted. The serpent saw a daring human with bare feet coming near him, he became furious, but his angry sight and poisonous breath
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