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A. CHAKRAVARTI :
Rāmadattādēvī invited the minister Satyaghõşa for a game of chess. In the first game she won the minister's yajñopavīta and the signet ring as stakes. Having won these two important things, insignia of the minister, she secretly sent these two things through her attendant to the treasurer. She instructed the attendant to show these two things to the treasurer and to get from him the casket of jewels belonging to the merchant deposited in the royal treasury in secret by the minister. When the attendant brought the casket it was an eye-opener to the king. Then he realised the crime committed by the minister. The minister himself now knew that he was discovered by the queen. Still the king wanted to test the honesty of the merchant. Therefore, he had this casket placed in the midst of several others belonging to the royal treasury and asked the merchant Bhadramitra to take all these. He would not touch the others except his own. Even within the casket there were other precious stones put together with those belonging to the merchant. The merchant took up his own things and rejected the others as not belonging to him. This behaviour of the merchant impressed the king and others assembled there. They all praised the honesty of this merchant and condemned the minister for his avarice. The king dismissed the minister from service and banished him from the city after disgracing him. The minister went out nourishing hatred towards the king and the queen. As a result of this hatred, he was born as a serpent in the royal treasury room; and when the king entered the treasury, he was bitten by this snake and killed. As a result of
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