‘Lonely Sanctuaries’
The narrator reports, “Then shortly after my wife passed away I learned of a vacant post at a Government rest house on the Narmada River. I had often stayed in such rest house while touring the countryside on official business. Over time I had even developed an affection for these lonely sanctuaries.” The allegorical ‘lonely sanctuaries’ emphasize the inordinate solitude of the rest house which is what makes them supreme for meditation because there would be no humans to distract the rumination course.
Pantheon
The Jain monk asserts, “ Unlike your busy pantheon of Hindu gods, we Jains follow in the footsteps of a man. A great prince it is true, but still only a man who found all his wealth, power, beauty gave him no more than transitory pleasure and who yearned for a pleasure that could be sustained.” The pantheon is emblematic of the assortment of Hindu gods who the Hindus entreat for divergent purposes. Hindus rely on manifold gods for their requirements, in contrast to the Jains.
‘Gilded Age’
The Jain Monk explicates, “ And so one day he (Mahavira) left his gilded cage in a mighty procession with dancers clearing the way for elephants, horses, camels loaded with wealth to be distributed to the poor.” The ‘gilded cage’ is allegorical of the luxurious zone that Mahavira subsisted in before he committed to be a monk. Exiting the cage is emblematic of the exposition of the bliss that he anticipates to attain through his religious expedition.
