Jain Stories 01

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

Page 90

JAINA STORIES
"The minister now went into another room, placed the king's body on the couch and himself entered into the parrot's body The parrot was alive again and the queen took it in her hand, patting it gently on its back and displaying great affection for it This was a chance for the king who was sheltered in the bee. He came out of the bee and reoccupied his own body He rushed to the queen at once and she embraced him The king narrated the whole story and the queen was about to kill the parrot , but the king prevented her from doing so and requested her to leave the minister to his own luck
"The minister realised that he had been badly deceived, but there was no remedy The parrot was placed in an iron cage"
Concluding his narrative, Kunchika said
“Oh monk' You have behaved with me like the minister who had deceived his own master I tried to help you, but you have cheated me Such conduct befits you not"
"Oh merchant'' You have misunderstood me. Your surmise is wholly wrong It smacks of a deep ignorance on your part to place a monk at par with a greedy minister A monk's conduct, his supreme detachment, his freedom from greed, these have been exemplified by the four disciples of Acharya Suhasti."
"Oh monk' Who were these disciples of Acharya Suhastı? What proof did they give of having conquered greed ?" The monk started his narrative
"King Srenika of Rajagriha had many queens of whom Sunanda and Chelana were well-known Abhayakumar, a very meritorious person, and the minister of the realm, was Sunanda's son Once, Lord Mahavira, in the course of his wanderings came and halted at the Gunasila Chaitya outside the city The message about the Lord's arrival was sent to the monarch Srenika came there with his whole