Jain Stories 02

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

Page 50

28
JAINA STORIES
joy kaow do end He had never thought that such a difficult job vould be so easily accomplished He thanked the deva for his services and bade him good-bye.
From the shore, Harıbala moved into the city. It was a different world altogether which presented itself to him. Lapka was a magnificent city with wonderful buildings and parks, the like of which Haribala had never seen before There, inside the city, he came across a wonderful mansion, which, however, wore a deserted look He entered the mansion and freely moved through its chambers, At the sixth floor, in one of the chambers, he saw a young lady lying senseless This surprised him all the more. He looked around and in one corner, he saw a jar full of pectar He spriokled a few drops from it on the lady, and what a surprise, the lady sat up, as if awaken from a sleep. She was, however, somewhat surprised and abasbed at the presence of a stranger and foreigner in her chamber She asked him who he was and how he came there After Harıbala had narrated his part of the account, the lady gave the following account about herself :
"My name is Kusumashri My father Puspabatuka is a gardener unto King Vibhisana The king has much wealth and grains but his ideas are not lofty My whole family is unfavourably disposed towards him The quarrel has gone so far now that none save me from my family can go to the king As for myself, I do not want to go to bim, but I cann't help It is my father who has made me the pivot of the whole game"
Haribala's curiosity was fired. Kusumasbri continued :
"Once my father had consulted an astrologer about my future The fellow had predicted a bright future for me and said that my husband would be a king My difficulties really started from that day. My father has been dreaming now of the arrival of a king and does not give me in marriage to any other young man What a dilemma for me and ignomiay for my father! For this very reason, everyone in the family is now opposed to him When he goes out, he makes me seaseless, and when he comes back, he restores me to sepse