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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COOKING WITHOUT FIRE
Again after some time, the king asked the villagers to cook some porridge but without making use of fire. The village would not know how to do it till Rohaka suggested, "Soak some rice in water. Then keep the pot full of this rice on a heap of dry cow dung and grain chaff and keep it in the scorching heat of the sun. You will soon get well cooked porridge." The villagers succeeded in obeying the king's order and reported accordingly to him. He was surprised but pleased.
ROHAKA VISITS THE KING
By now, the king was fairly well convinced of Rohaka's high degree of intelligence and ready wit, therefore he sent for him to his court. But he asked him to come neither in the brighter half of the month nor in the darker, neither at night nor during the day time, neither in shade nor in sun light, neither walking on foot nor being carried aloft, neither by road nor sneak in by an unauthorised path, neither after a bath nor without it.
Rohaka studied the message carefully and decided to make his journey to the king's palace at twilight on a day between the new moon and the next. He took his bath, washing his body only below the neck (kanthasnāna). He held a sieve for an umbrella and rode a ram and chose as his path the portion of the road between two wheel tracks. He did not forget the usual etiquette that one should not approach a king, God or teacher empty handed. Therefore he carried with him a handful of earth. He bowed to the king and offered to him the gift he had carried. The king as surprised to see such a mean gift and asked him the meaning of it. Rohaka replied, "Your Majesty, you are the lord of the earth, so I have brought to you this piece of earth." The king was very pleased to hear this. He seated Rohaka by his side in a place of honour.
Rohaka's Bizarre Problems
One night when Rohaka was sleeping, the king woke him up in the early hours of the night and asked him whether he was really asleep. Rohaka replied:
"Your Majesty, I was not sleeping. I am wide awake."