24. PLUCKING OFF THE HAIR AND ACCEPTING THE VOW OF RENUNCIATION

The grand procession finally reached the forest ‘Jnatakhanda’. After alighting from the palanquin, Prince Vardhamana stripped himself of all the garments and ornaments and handed them over to an elderly lady of the family. At the end of two days of fasting, he stood under an Asoka tree and in the presence of thousands of persons, he took the solemn vow of renunciation. He then plucked all the hair on the head in four handfuls and the hair on the chin and the lips only in one handful and threw it away (Pancamusti loca). Indra himself collected the hair. He then solemnly recited the words, “I bow down to all the liberated souls, ”-and accepted life-long renunciation. Then, he took the five great vows of non-violence, truth non-stealing, celibacy and non-possession in order to avoid accumulation of any fresh Karman in future and to annihilate the past Karman. Indra then placed a divine piece of cloth (Devadusya) on his left shoulder. And immediately Bhagavan Mahavira acquired the ‘Manahparyava’ knowledge (reading the thoughts of all sentient beings). Thereafter he proceeded on foot to the village Asthika.