PLATE FIVE

‘After accepting the feature of avadhiita, a great saintly person with-
out material cares, Lord Rsabhadeva passed through human society like a
blind, deaf and dumb man, an idle stone, a ghost or a madman. Although
people called Him such names, He remained silent and did not speak to
anyone. Wherever He traveled, all bad elements surrounded Him, just as
the flies surround the body of an elephant coming from a forest. He was
always being threatened, beaten, urinated upon and spat upon. Some-
times people threw stones, stool and dust at Him, and sometimes people
passed foul air before Him. Thus people called Him many bad names and
gave Him a great deal of trouble, but He did not care about this, for He
understood that the body is simply meant for such an end. He was situ-
ated on the spiritual platform, and, being in His spiritual glory, He did
not care for all these material insults. In other words, He completely
understood that matter and spirit are separate, and He had no bodily con-
ception. Thus, without being angry at anyone, He walked through the
whole world alone.” (pp.208-209)
