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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by the hunters, he showed a great deal of caution and walked towards them most carefully. The washermen at that time were looking out for a person who had pilfered some of their clothes. When they saw the boy in his cautious and stealthy movements, they pounced on him and hammered him well. Only when he explained his own position, they stopped beating him. But before they allowed him to go away, they advised him to accost people with a greeting like 'Let it wash well.'
As he went further, he saw a group of farmers busy sowing seeds in their fields, and this boy greeted them with his newly acquired wisdom 'Let it wash well.' The farmers looked furiously at him, gave him the beating he deserved but on his explanation, they took pity on him. They said, the proper way to greet people would be to say something like, "Let it multiply and fetch great returns - heaps and heaps."
On his way further, he ran into a group of people carrying a dead body. Quickly he came out with his newly acquired greeting: "Let it multiply." As usual, he got a thrashing for it. Those people told him that the correct form of conveying his consolation should be, "You should be spared such a misery. Never again such a misfortune."
This is exactly how he greeted a couple during their wedding in which he got involved on his way further.
The thrashing was repeated and so also the words of advice: "Long and happy life to the couple. Long life together."
He proceeded ahead till he saw a prisoner in chains. He greeted him with "long life together". He was advised the correct form would be "Hope your association would end soon."
He saw a group of young men who had just become members of a certain union. He heard them talking enthusiastically about their union. Our young friend promptly came out with, "Hope your association ends soon." The same story was repeated before he was allowed to proceed further.
When he came to a town, he met a young man who was a son of a police official. He offered him a job in his own house and our