Jain Story Book

Author(s): Manu Doshi
Publisher: Manu Doshi

Page 72

She got an urge to see him closely. She hurriedly finished her make up and came out with the glamorous look. She had put on fine clothes that neatly displayed the artistic shape of her figure. It looked, as if, beauty was flowing from all parts of her body. As she stood in front of Upagupta, he blessed her and waited for food unaffected by her glamour. She then said that she did not need blessings, because she had everything that a person could imagine. What she needed was his love and requested his company. Upagupta replied that he would do so at the appropriate time. So saying, he left the place.
After a few months Upagupta happened to go to her place for alms once again. As Vasavadatta saw him, she thought that he had come to give her the company. She therefore came out to receive him and thanked him for keeping his words. Upagupta however said that it was still not the right time and he had been there only for alms. Vasavadatta got disappointed and asked him when the appropriate time would come. Upagupta calmly asked her to wait and left with the alms. After that he did not come that side. Thinking that he might not be interested, Vasavadatta decided to forget him.
Years rolled on. Vasavadatta was happily spending her life in the midst of her adorers, but the time was leaving its marks upon her. She started losing her glamor and her beauty appeared fading. She tried to make good their impacts by resorting to additional make up; but how long was that going to be helpful? Moreover long hours of wakeful nights had spoilt her health. By mid thirties, her face began to wither and that worked as a brake for her admirers. They stopped going to her. Money could no longer flow in her lap and for the first time in her life, she had to experience shortage. Since she used to spend lavishly during her hay days, she had not saved too much for the rainy day. She could see that in absence of fresh income, she could no longer afford the palatial residence and the host of maids. She thereupon moved to a small house along with one single maid.
But the lustful life that she had lived demanded its toll. She had contracted venereal disease that made her look unattractive. She needed regular medication and nursing care which she could not afford. Fearing infection, the lone maid too left her. Now there was no one to care for her. All over her body she had boils and ulcers that gave agonizing pain and from which pus was flowing out. She had to take lot of trouble for keeping clean. But with the passage of time, her condition continued to deteriorate and she realized that her energy was steadily going down.
Gradually she got too weak to take care of herself. She vainly recalled the days when people used to hover around her like butterflies near a lamp. She bitterly lamented that she never cared for her future that time. She kept on losing her energy and her pain continued to grow. Eventually a time came when she could hardly get up even for urination and toilet. Her bed and the entire residence started stinking and the people around raised their nostrils, as offending smell started coming out. When they could no longer bear the foul smell, they came in to figure out the cause of the smell and to their utter disgust, they noticed her lying unconscious smeared with filthy materials. Thinking that she was dead, they wrapped her body in a piece of cloth and cast her out of the city.
After a while when Vasavadatta regained consciousness, she experienced agonizing pain all over the body and began to sob. Upagupta's cottage was nearby. As he heard the sobs, he went towards her. He could recognize her and was amazed to see her in that pitiable condition. Gently lifting her in his arms, he brought her to his cottage. There he carefully cleaned her body and applied medicine on her wounds. Then wrapping her in a clean cloth, he put her in his bed. As she experienced some solace, she opened her eyes. She could not believe her eyes, when she noticed that someone was nursing her very carefully. She asked in a low tone who he was and he replied with a gentle smile that he was Upagupta whose company she was longing for.
On hearing those words, she vainly tried to pull back from him. That slight jerk too brought upon pus from her wounds. As he got up to apply medicine once again, she respectfully murmured that