Acharya Mahaprajna
Hemchandra happened to be present is the court of the most enlightened Kumarpal. There were other scholars, too. The talk centred round Sthulibhadra. Acharya Hemchandra proclaimed Sthulibhadra was a detached pleasure-seeker. For 12 years he lived in the house of a courtesan, partook of the pleasures of the body, yet remained unattached. Other scholars found it hard to accept this view. They said:
The sages Vishwamitra, Parashar, etc. ate leaves and water. Even these got ensnared by a woman's lovely face. It is astounding that a person who partakes of fatty diet, plenty of milk and butter, should be so able to control his senses. That the partakers of simple fare, Vishwamitra and Parashar, should get infatuated while a man living in the house of a prostitute should continue celibate, is not amenable to reason.
All those present were perplexed. Complete silence prevailed. Acharya Hamchandra gauged the situation and found himself on the losing side. He recollected himself and said: 'The lion eats meat, yet it indulges in sexual intercourse only once a year. The pigeon, on the other hand, pecks at grains and pebbles: Yet it copulates every day. What is the reason thereof? Surely, food alone cannot be the chief factor."
As the Acharya said these words, the whole atmosphere changed. All felt the truth of the Acharya's utterance. All exclaimed, "He's right!"
The chief factor is the infatuation of the mind. It is on the basis of attachment and non-attachment that the final consummation takes place.
