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[ Shali-Bhadra's Renunciation and Consecration
ously. In the mean-time, when the other co-wives heard the news of their husband's untimely acceptance of asceticism, they came to Subhadra and began to curse her for her foolish words that she had spoken to her husband. Subhadra ran after her husband, caught hold of his feet, and with tears flowing down from her eyes, said to him very sorrowfully, "My Lord Subhadra has grieved your heart; pardon her. I was simply joking with you, but you unfortunately took my words seriously. It is at the same time the rule of this world that the younger always commits faults and the elder excuses them. I am younger to you and have committed this fault on account of my ignorance. 1, therefore, hope that you pardon me this time at least. If, however, you have made up your mind to accept consecration, I very humbly request you not to accept it today. You may accept it at any other time in future. If, on the other hand, you accept it today, I shall be regarded as the cause of this and shall have to bear all the taunts, rebukes and curses of my co-wives.” With these words, Subhadra burst into tears. But Setha Dhana, who was now too eager to exchange his little material wealth with the endless wealth of the next world, could not be influenced by the pity-exciting words of Subhadra. He paid did good-bye to his wives, addressing them as "sisters”, and now it was too late to dissuade him from his resolve. Had one of his wives come forwad and called him her “brother”, he was sure to speak to her. But as Subhadra was treating him as her husband, all her requests, all her tears and all her attempts to stop him proved fruitless. Dhana was indeed a man of iron-heart. He could not be deviated from his path even by all the storms of the Last
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