________________
170
JAINA STORIES
She shut herself in a room The harlot offered her all inducements .to open the door but she would listen to nothing
Soon the neti's spread all over the town that a woman had confined herself in a room in the Louse of the harlot. The king issued forth an annourcement to the effect that anyone who would be able to induce the lady to open the door would be duly rewarded The minister heard the announcement and felt at once that this might be his own wife So he responded and came to the barlot's home There he gave a full account of the lady's past. Now the princess had no doubt that the narrator was none other than her own husband. She opened the door and came out to meet him In recognition of the minister's power, the king nor gave him half of his kingdom and the hand of his own daughter With such an important position, it was now not difficult for the minister to institute a search for his other two wives Scon he came to know that two more ladies were confined in their own rcoms and he felt that these might be his other two wives, Vinayasundari and Saubhagyasundari When the minister gave them a complete account of each, both the ladies opened their doors to meet their dear husband In this manner, the minister recovered all his three wives.
When the king came to know of Sagardatta's treacherous behaviour, he compelled him to return the minister's portion of the treasure The harlot that had stolen the princess was exiled from the town The minister was thus happy once again
One night, he thought of go ng back to his former king Papabuddhi and teach bim a lesson He took out a vast army and beseized his kingdom The king was taken a prisoner and was brought before tbe minister The minister said,
