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[ Muni Dhana attains Liberation
hermits started straight towards the house of Setha Shali Bhadra, for they knew that Lord Mahavira never told a lie and therefore it was useless for them to wander any where else in search of food. When they reached there and wanted to enter the gate a sentinel stopped them and said, “ Your Holiness, the mother of Shali Bhadra and her whole family are going today to see Lord Mahavira, Muni Shali Bhadra and Muni Dhana who are staying here in this city. Sorry to say that you cannot get food and water from this house to-day. I therefore request you to go back.” To hear these words. of the sentinel, the hermits returned from the house and met a milk-maid on their way back. This milk-maid was the mother of Shali Bhadra in his previous birth and was going to sell milk and curds in Raja-Griha. As soon as she saw Shali Bhadra, she felt a kind of filial love for him and wanted to give him some milk and curds. With this intention she called the two hermits back and asked them kindly to accept some milk and devotion and took some milk and curds from her. Then they left the milk-maid and came to the Lord.
After reaching there, Muni Shali Bhadra said to the Lord, "Lord, we had gone to take food and water from the house of worldly Shali Bhadra's mother: but we could not even enter the house not to say of accepting food and water. As soon as we wanted to enter, the sentinel stopped us at the gate and said, “Go back please; you cannot get any food or water from this house today, because all the inmates are going to see the Lord etc.” When we were returning, a milk. maid took compassion on us and gave some milk and curds to us." At this, the Lord replied, “Hermits, do not mis-appre
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