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NandiSootra
sympathetically asked him the reason for his sadness. The warrior said - "My wife is pregnant. She has this strange dohad (pregnancy-desire) of swallowing the moon. How can I fulfil this strange desire? Consequently she is getting weaker and weaker every passing day. I am afraid that this might end in her death." Chanakya assured him that coming full moon night her desire will be fulfilled
Finding a suitable place outside the town Chanakya raised a tent. In the roof of this pavilion, he made a hole of calculated size. During the first quarter of the full moon night Chanakya invited the Kshatriya with his wife. When the couple entered the tent, Chanakya placed a large flat plate filled with a transparent liquid before the pregnant women on a marked place on the ground where the moon would reflect through the hole in the tent in the plate. Some time later when the moon was in line with the plate and the hole, it became visible in the plate. Chanakya at once said - "Sister, now the moon has descended in the plate. Please carefully lift the plate and swallow it with the liquid."
The lady was pleased to see the reflection of the moon in the plate. She carefully picked up the plate and started drinking the liquid. In the mean time. Chanakya drew a pre-arranged curtain over the hole with the help of a string. When the lady finished the liquid in the plate she put it back on the ground and saw that there was no moon in the plate. She was convinced that she had swallowed the moon. She beamed with joy. Slowly her health improved and in due course she gave birth to a brilliant child. The child was named Chandragupta. This same child grew into a valorous young man and with the help of Chanakya destroyed the Nand dynasty to become famous as Chandragupta Maurya, the Magadh Emperor. Chanakya was endowed with unlimited Parinamiki Buddhi.
13. Sthulabhadra Shaktal, the prime minister (f) of the Nand king of Patliputra, was a very intelligent and clever person. He had two sons named Sthulabhadra and Shreyak, and seven daughters named Yaksha, Yakshadatta, Bhuta, Bhutadatta, Sena, Vena and Rena. All these sons and daughters of Shaktal were astonishingly sharp. Each of the seven daughters had a unique and sharp memory. The eldest daughter, Yaksha could remember verbatim anything told to her just once. The second daughter memorized when she heard a thing twice, the third when she heard thrice, and so on and the seventh when she heard seven times.
In Patliputra also lived a learned but poor Brahman named Vararuchi. He wrote 108 new verses everyday in honour of king Nand and recited them in the king's assembly. After listening to the recital the king looked at his minister Shaktal for his opinion. If Shaktal approved, Vararuchi could be rewarded. Serious tempered Shaktal remained silent every time and Vararuchi returned empty handed. When' he reached home his wife taunted him that if he did not earn, how could she run the household. Dejected Vararuchi one day went to Shaktal's house and reported his sad story to Shaktal's wife. The lady assured him that she would persuade her hust ad to change his attitude
During the night, after Shaktal returned home, his wife said "My Lord, Brahman Vararuchi recites 108 new verses everyday in honour of the king. Are they not good or just not to your liking? If you, in fact, like his work why don't you praise the poor Brahman and encourage his creativity?"
Shaktal replied "He is conceited." The wife insisted - "If just two words of praise may benefit a poor Brahman, what is the harm?" Shaktal was silenced by these words from his wife.
Aagam- 44 -NandiSootra
Compiled by- Deepratnasagar
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