________________
Next morning, on being presented to the king, Mamman humbly begged the king to visit his house and see the bulls. He led the king to his house and, passing through many underground passages, they finally arrived at a secret cellar. It was here that he had kept the two bulls of gold hidden behind a curtain. Drawing aside the curtain, he pointed to the horns. “As Your Majesty will notice, three of the four horns are complete. They are studded with gems. Only the fourth one is still incomplete and I need sandalwood for it.”.
The king was plunged in utter amazement. The bulls of gold were as large as young elephants; rare stones gleamed from the sockets of the eyes; the horns were so thickly studded with sparkling gems that even the dark cellar seemed to be lit up by their glitter. He could hardly believe his eyes. He was confounded. Why should a man who was wealthy enough to own these fabulous gems that surpassed even his royal treasure, labour on a chilly, rainy night to collect a few bits. of sandalwood:
From somewhere deep down inside of him, the king seemed to hear once again the pregnant words of Bhagwan Mahavira:
इच्छाओ आगासं, “Your desires and yearnings are boundless ås the sky. Pierce your instincts for acquisition with the spear of contentment; else it will pierce your very heart.”
28
