Jain Story Book

Author(s): Manu Doshi
Publisher: Manu Doshi

Page 37

advisor in place of Abhayakumar. He saw Dhannä as the right man for the purpose. He therefore appointed Dhannä as his advisor. He also gave him his daughter Shobha in marriage. That time, polygamy was the accepted way of life.
In Räjgruhi there was a wealthy man named GoBhadrä. By his wife Bhadrä he had a son named ShäliBhadra and a daughter named SuBhadra. Attracted by his status and wealth, 32 people had given their daughters in marriage to ShäliBhadrä who was leading the most luxurious life along with them. Meanwhile, GoBhadra was conducting his lucrative money lending business and Bhadra was efficiently managing the family affairs. Once a rogue planned to gain money by playing a trick. He had only one eye. He complained that he had mortgaged the other eye to GoBhadra and now wanted it back. The king was exasperated to hear such bogus claim but the rogue produced his accomplices as witnesses to the mortgage. The king therefore entrusted that knotty problem to his new advisor. Dhannä called that rogue and said that GoBhadra had many eyes mortgaged to him. It was therefore hard to identify the complainant's eye. Dhannä therefore asked him to give his other eye so as to properly identify his mortgaged eye. The rogue had to withdraw his complaint and bore appropriate sentence for the fraud. GoBhadrä got sick of the worldly life by this incident. He however wanted to get his daughter married before leaving the worldly life. He was very pleased with Dhannä for the way he had solved the problem. GoBhadra therefore gave SuBhadrä in marriage to Dhannä and became a monk leaving a vast fortune for his son ShäliBhadrä.
Dhanna's brothers again lost everything that Dhannä had left in Ujjayini. His parents therefore came to Räjgruhi along with the sons and their wives. Dhannä once again welcomed them to stay with him. The brothers however could not bear the high status and prosperity of Dhannä and started creating problems. Their wives advised them to live happily and peacefully with Dhannä, but they were picking up quarrels every now and then. In disgust, Dhannä left Räjgruhi with the permission of the king and went to Kaushambi. There too, Dhannä сould soon please the king and became his favorite. During that trip he happened to marry three more girls and then came back to Räjgruhi.
Meanwhile GoBhadra had died as monk and was reborn in heaven. On account of his attachment for ShäliBhadrä, he used to supply all his needs, heavenly jewelry, divine apparel etc. Bhadra was taking every care to see that the luxuriously happy life of ShäliBhadrä does not get any way affected. Most of the time ShäliBhadrä used to stay along with his wives in palatial building where all his needs were taken care of by his mother.
Once some traders from Nepal came to Räjgruhi to sell diamond studded Shawls. They went to the king's palace, but Shrenik declined to buy any because they were too costly. They couldn't get any other buyer as well. In despair, they happened to pass by ShäliBhadra's place talking about their failure in selling the Shawls. Bhadrä heard it and called them inside. She offered to buy 32 Shawls for her daughters in law. They however had only 16 Shawls. Bhadrä bought all of them at the demanded price. She cut them into halves and gave one piece to each of her daughters in law. It was laid down by her that they would use anything for only one day and the next day even the most costly materials were to be discarded.
When queen Chellana heard about the Nepali Shawls, she asked king Shrenik to buy at least one for her. Shrenik accordingly called back those traders who told him that all their Shawls were sold to Bhadrä. Shrenik therefore sent a messenger to Bhadrä with a request to spare one Shawl for his queen. The messenger came back with the reply that they were halved and every half of the Shawls was in use by her daughters in law. The next day all the pieces of Shawls were discarded and picked up by the servants. One of them used to work for Chellana too. She went to the palace for work with a stitched Shawl on her shoulder. Chellana could not believe her eyes when she saw that the Shawl which the King could not buy, was adoring the maid servant. When she enquired, she came to know of all the details of Bhadra's household. She told it to the king who was surprised by the affluence of ShäliBhadrä. He was inquisitive to see him and invited him to