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JAIN RAMAYAN
great anguish. Her anger and anguish knew no bounds. She decided not to take food until the image was traced. She sat in front of the empty throne of the Lord; and fell into deep meditation.
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Sulekha and Kanakodari hid the image in a flower-basket; and went to a garden outside the city, taking it with them. They went to the back part of the garden taking extreme precaution to see that no one might notice them and suspect them. Instructing Sulekha to stand there keeping a watch over the place Kanakodari went out of the garden through the back gate. She went hurriedly to a place where all the rubbish of the city was heaped.
Kanakodari with her feet made a deep hole in the rubbish and buried the image in that hole. When she after having buried the image there, turned back and began walking towards the gate, she found that her pet parrot had flown away. She began to shudder with fear. Her heart palpitated. Her body was bathed in perspiration.
She saw behind her a sadhvi. Her name was Jayshree. Realizing that the sadhviji had noticed her evil action, she bent her head in shame.
But sadhvi Jayshree spoke in a very pleasing manner. She possessed a serene face. The emotion of compassion was surging from her eyes. She was young but she was wearing the dress of a sadhvi. She said in a serene voice;
"Noble woman! What a terrible thing have you done !" The Sadhvi said in a voice expressive of love and compassion. Kanakodari was silent. She could not speak even a word. What could she say? She was greatly ashamed of her evil action.
"You have committed a terribly sinful action in burying the image of the Paramatma, the supreme ocean of compassion in the rubbish. You have committed a terrible sin. Do you realize the nature of your enormity? You will have to experience the painful consequences of this enormity in this life as well as in your next life".
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