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When Shrenik's chariot arrived at the gate, Chelna at once boarded it. King Shrenik was in a hurry. The driver moved the chariot. Chelna sat in a corner bashfully. When they crossed the tunnel she revealed that she was Chelna and not Sujyeshtha.
King Shrenik accepted her fondly as his queen.
At the other end, when Sujyeshtha arrived at the gate of the tunnel she found that Cheina had lest. The game was over. She was disappointed and got initiated as a Shramani. She joined the religious organization of Bhagavan Mahavir and devoted her time to spiritual practices.
Chelna was a staunch Jain and devout follower of Bhagavan Mahavir and king Shrenik was a follower of Buddhist gurus. With her ability and wisdom Chelna removed the religious differences and made Shrenik a follower of Jainism and a devout disciple of Bhagavan Mahavir.
Although king Shrenik loved queen Chelna more than his own life, there came an occasion when a spark of doubt about her fidelity erupted in his mind.
The incident was as follows
Once Rajagriha was hit by an intense cold wave. Bhagavan Mahavir arrived there. King Shrenik and queen Chelna drove in a chariot to pay homage to Bhagavan. On the way back they saw that a Jinakalpi ascetic was standing in kayotsarg (meditation devoid of any awareness of the body) on the bank of a pond. The king and the queen bowed before him and praising his lofty practices in sentimental terms they returned to their palace.
The intense cold was oppressive. The king and the queen were lying in their beds wrapped in gem imbedded blankets. The windows and balconies of the palace were covered with woolen curtains. The heat of the lamps was also adding some warmth to the room. But still the cold was so intense that any part of the body left uncovered became stiff with cold and lost any sensation.
One hand of queen Chelna got exposed and it became stiff. She some how drew it inside the blanket and uttered
"In this temperature what will be his condition?"
King Shrenik was awake. The moment these words entered his ears the snake of doubt raised its hood in his mind. He was filled with a nagging doubt about Chelna's fidelity. He turned in his bed with unease and tension throughout the night.
In the morning he went to the samavasaran of Bhagavan Mahavir. After paying homage he asked
"Bhagavan ! My queen Chelna is chaste or infidel?"
Bhagavan Mahavir replied―
४६२
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