Treasury of Jain Tales

SR No.: 006762
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: V M Kulkarni
Publisher: Shardaben Chimanbhai Educational Research Centre
Publication Year: 1994
Total Pages: 468
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 17 MB

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queens of the king felt greatly enraged against Kanakamañjari and they planned to expose her before the king. They believed that she must be in possession of some witchcraft to bewitch the king like this. Otherwise, how could a daughter of a poor artisan manage to keep the king away for such a long time from all other queens who were born in the highest families. They were afraid that the king's wealth would one of these days be ruined by her jugglery and trickery.
Kanakamañjari, who was quite aware of what she really was, a poor artisan's daughter, everyday in the noon time, entered one of the chambers in her palace, shut the door and cast off the rich garments and the finery that belonged to the king and put on the tattered dress and the cheap trinkets that she had got from her father. She would then begin to admonish herself: "Don't be proud, O soul, of this wealth. Don't be conceited, forget thyself. This wealth is the king's. Thine are these clothes all tattered to pieces. So don't feel proud of this wealth and don't be conceited. Be of a calm mind, for a long time thou didst not enjoy such splendour. The king can any time catch thee by the neck and throw thee out."
When she shut herself up in her own chamber, and mumbled all these words to herself, the other queens of the king tried to overhear her but could not catch the exact words. They therefore jumped to the conclusion that she was working some incantation of an evil spirit. This way they thought they had obtained evidence to prove that she had only bewitched the king. They quickly decided to inform the king of the evil designs of this artisan's daughter.
The king said he would verify it for himself and accordingly, he came to Kanakamaniari's chamber one afternoon when she had locked herself in it. The king listened to her words carefully and entered the room. He saw all that the other queens described and also heard for himself how she went about instructing herself which was grossly misunderstood by them. His heart was filled with joy. He was quite impressed by her humility and felt convinced that she was in every respect a treasure of all excellences. He decided to ignore the warnings of witchcraft which his other queens had given him. They were only envious. To them excellence in Kanakamanjari