________________
345
by that vice although they were renowned in the world, although they were uncommonly brave in crushing the strength of the powerful arms of their enemies, and although they looked beautiful by their excellence of all the arts. Also, on account of that vice living beings, accounting their life as a straw, and ignorant about what is suitable, and what is not, take upon their heads innumerable violent agonies Wlsemen desirous of their own wellare, therefore, abandon at a distance, association with another man's wife, in the same way, that a mouse abandons a cat, a pot filled with ghee ( clarified butter ) does a fire, a butterfly does a lamp, and in the way that a deer abandons a lion." Da hearing this, Vidyāsiddha repented very much and, his mind becoming attached to the path of renunciation, he said "O Gobha. dra ! You have given me very good advice. You have saved me from an ocean of endless sin From now, I abandon, throughout my life, all association with the remaining women except enjoy. ment with my own wife." Gobhadra said “o honourable man ! I have now acquired my wished for object. Hence-forth, remember me always, in your conversations with your kinsmen'. Then, Vidyasiddha with an anjali in front of forehead, saluted all of them, and with a flow of tears in his affectionate eyes, he dis appeared, noticed attentively by Candrakānta and others. Now, experiencing slight absent-mindedness on account of agony of momentary separation when he went out of the range of his vision, Gobhadra said, “ Ah I his arrangement of words, Ah ! his exemption from sin, Ab! his shyness, Ah! his good breeding. Ab! his effort for acquiring virtuous quallties. Ah ! his extreme politeness. Candra!ékhā said, “ All this is your experience; because a frog cannot be able to attack the hood of a big snake without the strength of a snake-charmer; an elephant inflamed by lust cannot walk on the right path without a mahout bearing a sharp goad. After living there for several days, gossipping on various toples, one day Gobhadra told Candralékhå- “ It is many days since I left my house. Give me your permission to go home. I cannot understand how your brother's (friend's) wife who is pregnant may be passing her days ". Candralekhã again detained him for a few days more. She, then, gave him a present of a
44
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org