Jain Stories 03

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

Page 39

MRIGASUNDARI
29
"I am Sajjankumar, the only son of King Chandra
her
sekhara of Virpur I was going to be married to eight princesses All preparations for the marriage ceremony had been completed and only three days remained for it, when one night I was stolen by the wife of a vidyadhara king The lady took me to her own chamber and desired to enjoy my company But I was not prepared to oblige To protect myself from any further overtures from her side, I remained mute Meanwhile, the vidyadhara king had returned and was watching the bahaviour of his wife from hiding Now, when the lady failed in all her stratagems, she started shouting and abusing me with vile and ignoble words Soon she attracted a crowd and I was put under arrest Next day, I was presented before the king who asked me many questions, but I gave only one reply to all, which was, ‘Ask me not, ask your queen'. The vidyadhara king seemed to be satisfied with my reply, and gave me his daughter, Puspamanjari, who became my first wife I lived there for some time and learnt some of the powers
"After a month's stay there, my mind went back to my eight wives at home So I requested my new father-inlaw, the vidyadhara king, to arrange for my return to my native city A big air-chariot was built up and on a fine day, I, with my wife, Puspamanjari, was very cordially seen off The chariot dropped us at Virpur and flew back It was night then and I could not recognise if I had reached the correct place In the morning, I discovered that it was not my own city, but Virpur in the south, which was at a very great distance from my own place So I left my wife in the park, and went to the city yogi stole my wife and carried her to the park, she was not there made enquiries about her from the lady-keeper of the park, but she could throw no light yogi, who had been seen in away the lady
During my absence, the away When I returned I was very anxious and
But her surmise was that the the park, must have carried So I started in search of the yogi, and