Jain Stories 01

Author(s): Mahendramuni, K C Lalwani
Publisher: A B Jain Shwetambar Terapanth Samaj

Page 88

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JAINA STORIES
"The maid reported it to the queen and the queen felta curiosity about the bird She also felt a tie of attach-- ment and kinship towards it She decided to buy the bird and in order to have the money from the treasury, she sent the maid to the king The king told the maid curtly, ‘Such a fabulous amount may be needed to buy a pedigree horse or elephant, but not surely to buy sueh a petty thing. I cannot waste so much money after it'
“When the maid reported this, the queen said, 'Surely this man is not my husband He would not have been so mean and inconsiderate He would never deny me anything I ask for This is a rogue and a miser too by some means, he has got possession of the king's body' She took out the money from her own purse and gave it to the maid asking her to bring the bird at once She had a feeling that the. bid might be able to throw some light on the whole situation
"Although the minister had curtly dismissed the maid, on second thought, he felt that there must be something behind the queen's interest in the bud, This fired his determination to prevent the parrot from reaching the. queen's hand He came at once to her apartment The queen was so angry with him that she did neither receive nor speak to him The minister, in a hurry, took the bird into his hand and separated its neck The king at.once gave up the body of the parrot and entered into the body of a dead bee.
"The queen could no longer check her anger "Why did you kill my bird? I had bought it with my own money, not yours, and what right did you have to touch it? You must restore it to life at once, or I court self-immolation in your very presence.'
"The minister felt helpless. He had no words to meet the lady He knew not what to do The queen thundered, “There's no escape now. You must restore my parrot to Life at once, or see the consequence.'