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he meant that a daughter-in-law should not sit at a place frequented by the elders. (In sitting in such a place, she has to stand up everytime an elderly person comes, making herself uncomfortable). Then he said, eat comfortably, by which he meant that a daughter-in-law should never dine before her parents-in-law and her husband had taken food. She should take her meal only after making enquiry that everyone in the house has been duly fed. And then he said, 'Lie comfortably', by which he mean that a daughter-in-law should retire only after the elders had retired. And then he said, 'Behave as you do towards fire', by which he meant that a daughter-inlaw should view her parents-in-law, even her own husband, as she would view a heap of fire, or even king cobra. And my father's final words were, 'Bow before family deities', by which he meant that the guests arrived at the house should be duly taken care of".
Even before Visakhā had stopped, the elders said to Sresthi Mrgāra,
'Sir! Does your ethics debar you from giving food to the mendicants"?
The Sreşthi could give no reply. He bent his head low.
Being now confident about their own strong position, the elders said,
"Sreşthi! Is there any other thing on which you intend to charge our daughter"?
Finding that the Sresthi had nothing more in his stock, they said,
"Then why do you intend to turn her out from your home"?
Vis'ākhā's self-respect flared up. Addressing the elders, she said in an angry voice,
'It was not proper for me to get out at the bidding of my father-in-law. My father had placed my
