Jain Legend Vol 2

Author(s): Hastimal Maharaj, Shuganchand Jain, P S Surana
Publisher: Hastimal Maharaj Shugan C Jain P S Surana

Page 159

Sai , Mai and Rai , got up and recited all the verses of the poem in front of the king. In fact, his seven daughters were eka p h (remembering any prose or poetry of any length by just listening once), dw p h (ability to remember by listening twice), trip h , Catusp h, pamcap h, adph and saptap h respectively. The entire court was in bewilderment. All the eyes were looking at Vararuchi in hatred. The reputation of all his scholarly knowledge was reduced to rubble within minutes. Vararuchi felt humiliated and ashamed.
With just one ploy of the Minister, Vararuchi lost all his reputation. A fire of vengeance burst in the heart of Vararuchi. By fair means or foul, he decided to restore his lost honour by taking revenge on aka ra. After much deliberation, he came up with a scheme.
The Mysterious spectacle
After making necessary arrangements to successfully accomplish his mission of taking revenge on aka ra, Vararuchi, through his disciples proclaimed to the people of P al putra, that in the early hours of a specific day, he would recite his self-composed verses in praise of River Gamg and that Gamg , pleased, would present him with 108 gold coins with her own hands. On that particular day, much before sunrise, a large number of people gathered on the banks of the Gamg. Vararuchi took bath in the Gamg and in a high tone invoked her. By sunrise, thousands of men and women saw that suddenly from the currents of the Gamg , a hand of a woman came up, gave a bag in the hands of Vararuchi and disappeared back into the Gamg. When he opened the bag in the presence of all and counted the gold coins, they were exactly 108 in number. The applause of the people there echoed in the skies. The word spread all over, like thunder. Within few days the glory of Vararuchi spread far and wide.
One day king Nanda expressed his desire to aka ra that he too would like to see the miracle with his own eyes.
The Prime Minister aka ra entrusted the work of finding the factual truth to one of the most efficient and skilled secret emissary. Through him aka ra came to know that Vararuchi goes to the Gamg at night and places the bag of gold coins in a contrivance hidden in the river and
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