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The Sixty-seventh Chapter
546
The girl came to the shore with the young man. The young man, out of joy, also shook the rope. || 298 || Seeing the rope shaking, Nagadatta came out, pulled the girl and her belongings into the ship and was very pleased. || 299 || When it was time for the ship to leave, the young man went back to the city to bring the girl's forgotten ornaments. || 300 || Nagadatta, pulling the rope, said, "I have got a lot of wealth with this girl, which I will enjoy till my death. I am fulfilled. May the young man, like Pritikar, be well." Saying this, he left with the other merchants who had found a loophole. || 301-302 || Knowing Nagadatta's intention, the girl remained silent and vowed that she would not speak to anyone on the ship except Pritikar. || 303 || Nagadatta also told people that the girl was mute and appointed her to guard the wealth with gestures of love. || 304 || Nagadatta reached his city in due course. Upon reaching, the Seth asked him, "Pritikar also went to the city of Bhootilka with you, why didn't he come?" In reply, Nagadatta said, "I don't know anything." Taking the ornaments, Pritikar came to the seashore. || 305-306 || But the wicked Nagadatta had already left, deceiving him. Not seeing the ship, he returned to the city, worried. || 307 || Filled with worry, Pritikar saw a Jain temple there and went inside. He worshipped the Lord with flowers and other offerings, according to the rituals. Then he started praising the Lord as follows: || 308 ||
"O Jinendra! Just as the darkness of the night is destroyed by the lamp for a man with open eyes, so too, my sins have been destroyed by merely seeing you. || 309 || O Jinendra! You, the pure soul, know the worldly beings who are affected by karma, and the inanimate matter that is different from beings. You are free from karma, so how can you be compared to anyone? || 310 || O Lord! Although you are devoid of sensory knowledge, you have alone defeated the famous philosophers like Sankhya, who have sensory knowledge. This is amazing. || 311 || O God! This three worlds, without beginning and end, are asleep, enveloped in the darkness of ignorance. You alone are awake, eternally seeing the whole universe. || 312 ||