________________
410
to attend a lecture on dharma. Visakha took her food at the festival canteen and proceeded straight to the vihara. She had her mahālatā ornament on that day. So on reaching the vihara, she took out her mahalata and other lesser ornaments, and entrusted them to a maid saying to her,
"I shall take them on my way back from the Leader"
Visakha attended the sermon and returned to receive her jewellery. Meanwhile, the maid had forgotten all about the ornaments so that they were lying uncared for. Now, it was a self-allotted duty of Ananda that after the people dispersed, he checked carefully if anyone had left any personal belonging in the assembly hall, and if he found any, he carried it and placed before the Leader. While on his usual round, Ananda came across the discarded ornaments. At once he placed them before the Buddha who asked him to keep them aside in safe custody. Ananda deposited them near the staircase. When after fulfilling her work at the vihāra she asked the maid to give her ornaments back, the maid suddenly woke up to her absent-mindedness and looked alarmed. Visakha read into the situation and said,
"Go and get them back if they are there where I gave them to you. But remember that if perchance they have been taken care of by Sthavira Ananda, then do not ask for them. I shall prefer to leave them with the great monk".
The maid went to the spot inside the vihara where she was entrusted with the ornaments. Ananda at once observed her and asked her the cause of her coming back. When maid Supriya explained the position, Ananda said
to her,
"I have kept them near the staircase. Pick them up from there".
But Supriya made no secret to tell Ananda that since the ornaments had been touched by him, they were no longer fit to be used by her mistress. When Visakha heard all about them, she gave them to the monks. But then she had a thought in her mind that in leaving such valuable ornaments with the monks, she would be putting them into
