Jain Stories 03

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

Page 15

SURASUNDARI
S
Surasundari had said to him once in a proud voice, 'I could have purchased even a kingdom with the shells How are you concerned about that ?' The voice was still ringing in his ears till his love for his wife turned into a feeling of hatred He tied seven coins at the corner of her sari and also a message as follows
'I hope, you will now avail this opportunity to get a kingdom in exchange for these shells'
Then he left Surasundari under the tree and returned to the ship When the fellow passengers asked him about his wife moaningly he said that a monster had overpowered him and devoured his wife The passengers consoled him for this tragic loss and the ship sailed onwards
When Surasundari woke up, it was quite late at night She was surprised to find herself alone in that dense forest Amarkumar was nowhere near her She started searching for him, but all in vain. Then fear creeped into her and she shuddered to think that her husband might have abandoned her for ever. But she just couldn't comprehend the reason for this cruel bebaviour "Why at all should he be cruel unto me when I had loved him so dearly and he too seemed to be a very loving husband,' thought she She was now in deep misery All on a sudden, the knot at one end of the sart attracted her attention She opened it hastily, and in the increasing darkness of the night could read with great difficulty the following words
"I hope, you will now avail this opportunity to get a kingdom in exchange for these shells "
The earth seemed to slip from beneath her feet The entire episode of the student days long buried in the past again revived in her memory That Amarkumar had taken an apt revenge was clear enough But what was she to do