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Bhagwan Mahavir ]
[ 455
strong in his heart. He is now consoling his wives one by one. The day of his consecration is slowly drawing nearer. It was the reflection of this thought in my mind that made me melancholy and sad at this time."
At this, Dhana said to his wife very tauntingly, “Dear Subhadra, your brother seems to be a great coward. When he has got the feeling of Vairagya or renunciation in him, why should he while away the time in useless apologies ? When I consider a thing to be poison, and know for certain that it is poison, why should then I hesitate in rejecting it? When one has made up one's mind to accept asceticism and to leave all connection with the world, it is mere folly and cowardice on one's part to delay any longer on the pretext of consoling wives. Dear Subhadra, whatever you may say, I feel that his mind is not yet prepared to accept asceticism. It is yet too weak. It is easy to talk but difficult to act."
Subhadra was a little excited to hear these words of her husband. She said, “My Lord, if this be so, why do you not try to get out of this mud of delusion. If a man can put himself in the position of another before blaming him, I am quite sure, the very root of enemity, jealousy and quarrel would be effaced out of existence in this world. My Lord, you said that it was easy to talk but difficult to act. Does this rule apply to my brother only? I think, it applies to all without exception.” Hardly had Subhadra spoken these words, when Setha Dhana left all his wealth, his family, his dearest wife Subhadra, and seven other wives like a straw and prepared himself to adopt consecration. Subhadra was very mcuh dejected to see this. She had only joked. She never meant that her husband should take her words seri
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