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Shri Mahavir Jain Aradhana Kendra
www.kobatirth.org
Acharya Shri Kailassagarsuri Gyanmandir
106
Sympathising with them, the shop-keeper gave them a truthful answer, “Yes, I saw a horse going this way sometime ago.” The soldiers said sternly, "Come with us, and show us where the horse turned and into which lane it went."
The shop-keeper did not like to go with them leaving the shop unattended. He was alone in the shop. He explained his difficulty to them. But, in those days, the soldiers thought that they were not inferior to their officers and so they were angry. They were four in number and carried lathis in their hands. They said angrily, “You must come with us. Otherwise, we will beat you with our lāthis so that all the bones in your body, would break to pieces.”
The merchant thought that the soldiers had not appreciated his truthfulness. On the contrary, they had begun to threaten him. He thought, “These people do not care for others' convenience or inconvenience. They seek only their selfish objectives. Therefore, I should somehow escape from them.” Having thought thus he said to the soldiers, “Very good, I will come with you. But please tell me if the horse, you are searching for is a white one.” The soldiers at once said, “Yes, yes, it is white in colour." The merchant said, "Does it have two long horns on its head?” The soldiers said laughing, “Horns? You fool! Horses do not have horns, you must have seen an ox.” Saying this the soldiers went away thinking that the shop-keeper must have seen only an ox. The merchant sighed with relief. He used his skill and cleverness to safeguard his interest. By fooling those arrogant soldiers, he rectified his own foolishness.
Those people who desire to attain spiritual welfare must keep their vision pure and perfect. They should be able to see their own faults and the merits of others.
The following incident took place in a place called waraka. One day, a dead dog was lying on a road. Just at that time, Sri Krishna and the Pandavas happened to be passing by. The body of the dog had become rotten and worms were wriggling all over its body. The Pan
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