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NandiSootra
cess of becoming. She was very proudessed the king, "Sir
at once can
the arm of his body and we did." The sanyas - "No only cloth coveand said - "Now daze. She utte
Impressed by his Autpattat Buddhi the king rewarded him and made him a minister.
13. Kshullak (a type of Jain ascetic clad in a single piece of cloth and is in process of becoming completely non-clad) - Once there lived a sanyasini (a female mendicant) in a town. She was very proud of her knowledge and conduct. One day she went to the king's assembly and addressed the king, "Sir, there is no one in the town that can defeat me in a debate." This conceited remark disturbed the king and he made an announcement that he who defeats the sanyasini will be richly rewarded. In spite of this announcement no one came to confront the sanyasini. Some days later a Kshullak decided to melt the sanyasini's ego and came to the assembly.
The sanyasini laughed when she saw the challenger - "Ha! This shaved head will face me!" The Kshullak did not react. He could assess the cunning mind of the sanyasint by her utterance and decided to employ a suitable trick. He said - "You will have to accept defeat if you cannot do what I do." The conceited sanyasini thought that there was hardly anything that the petty Kshullak could do and she could not. She said - "I accept your challenge." The Kshullak was eager to hear this reply. He at once caught hold of the arm of the nearest courtier and made him stand. He now took off the only cloth covering his body and wrapped it around the courtier. He turned to face the sanyasini and said - "Now do as I did." The sanyasini looked at the now nude Kshullak and at once shifted her gaze. She uttered shyly - "No, I can't do this." Her ego shattered, she accepted her defeat and went to her place.
14. The Path - A man with his wife was going to another village on a chariot. On the way his wife asked him to stop the chariot and went to a nearby bush to relieve her. On a roadside tree lived a witch. She was attracted towards this man. She transformed herself into the form, of the man's wife and came to sit near him in the chariot. The man started the chariot. Just then the real wife came out of the bush. Pointing at her the witch said - "Look! Some witch has taken my form and is coming in our direction. Please increase the speed of the chariot."
Before the man could increase the speed the real wife arrived near the chariot. Running along the chariot she pleaded - "Please stop the chariot, my Lord ! The one who is sitting with you is some witch disguised as me." The man was in a quandary. He shifted his gaze from one woman to the other and thought - what to do, how to spot the real one. He reduced the speed of the chariot.
By this time they arrived near a village. The man went to the local panchayat (a group of five village elders) and narrated his story. The old head of the panchayat was very experienced. He applied his Autpattiki Buddhi. He made the two women stand about ten to twelve steps away from the man and said to them - "The lady who' first touches this man will be accepted as his wife."
Hearing this real wife started running towards her husband. The witch just extended her hand and touched the man. The village head said - "The disguise has been removed now." The man got his wife and the witch disappeared.
15. The Woman - There were two friends named Mooldev and Pundareek. One day they were going somewhere. On the same path a man was also walking with his wife. When Pundareek saw this woman, he got infatuated with her beauty. He said to Mooldev - "Friend, if I do not get this woman I will die." This made Mooldev worried. In order to save his friends life he took a detour and went a long distance ahead of the couple on the same path. There he made Pundareek sit Aagam- 44 -NandiSootra
67 - Compiled by- Deepratnasagar
