27. GIFT OF THE HALF OF THE DEVADUSYA TO A POOR BRAHMIN

While Bhagavan Mahavira was distributing largesse’s, a poor Brahmin was away and his wife naturally started nagging him, saying “Even now, you better approach Bhagavan Mahavira because he alone can possibly help you.” The Brahmin accordingly went in search of him and ultimately found him on the way. He narrated his tale of woe to Bhagavan Mahavira. Moved by the harrowing tale, he gave the Brahmin half of the divine cloth given to him by Indra. The Brahmin’s wife showed the garment to a weaver. He said, “if you can get the other half also, i will stitch them into one piece. It would easily one lack of golden coins.”

The Brahmin again went in search of Bhagavan Mahavira and found him, but he could not summon courage to beg for the remaining half of the garment. He, therefore, followed him in the forest. The garment got stuck in a thorny shrub and slipped from the shoulders of Bhagavan Mahavira who never bothered about it. The Brahmin avidly gathered it and went away. Since then Bhagawan Mahavira remained nude throughout his life.