________________
Narrative Literature of the Jainas. 231 माता हृदयेन फलितेन विय पुत्तं मोचेत्वा रोदमाना अट्टासि । पण्डितो महाजनं पुच्छि । दारके मातु हदयं मुदुकं होति उदाहु अमातु हदयन्ति। मातु हदयं पण्डिताति। इदानि किमेतं दारकं गहेत्वा ढिता माता होति विस्सजेन्वा ठिताति । विस्सज्जेत्वा ठिता पण्डिताति । इमं पन दारकचोरि तुम्हे जानाधाति । न जानाम पण्डिताति । यक्खिनी। एसा दारकं खादितुं गण्हीति । कथं जानासि पण्डिताति। अक्खीनं अनिमिसताय चेव रत्तताय च छायाय अभावेन च निरासंकताय च निक्करुणताय चाति । अथ नं पुच्छि । कासि त्वन्ति । यक्खिनिम्हि सामाति । कस्मा इमं दारकं गण्हीति । खादितुं सामीति । अन्धबाले पुब्बे पि पापकं कत्वा यक्खिनी जातासि । इदानि पुन पि पापं करोसि। अहो अन्धबालासीति ओवदित्वा पञ्चसु सीलेसु पतिट्रापेत्वा उथ्योजेसि । दारकमाता चिरंजीव सामीति पण्डितं थोमेत्वा पुत्तं आदाय पक्कामि ॥ ___I add the translation by Prof. E. B. Cowell:
__" The son." A certain woman took her son and went down to the sage's tank to wash her face. After she had bathed her son she laid him in her dregs and having washed her own face went to bathe. At that moment a female goblin saw the child and wished to eat it, so she took hold of the dress and said, "My friend, this is a fine child, is he your son ?” Then she asked. if she might give him suck, and on obtaining the mother's consent, she took him and played with him for a while and then tried to run off with him. The other ran after her and seized hold of her, shouting, " whither are you carrying my child ?” The goblin replied, "Why do you touch the child ? he is mine." As they wrangled they passed by the door of the hall, and the sage, hearing the noise, sent for them and asked what was the matter. When he heard the story, although he knew at once by her red unwinking eyes that one of them was a goblin, he asked them whether they would abide by his decision. On their promising to do so, he drew a line and laid the child in the middle of the line and bade the goblin seize the child by the hands and the mother by the feet. Then he said to them, “ Lay hold of it and pull: the child is hers who can pull it over.” They both pulled, and the child, being pained while it was pulled, uttered a loud cry. Then the mother, with a
