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veda, Sāmaveda, and the Atharvaņa Veda ... upto ... well-versed. Those (three) Brahmins had three wives, and they were (respectively) as follows:- Nāgas'rī, Bhotas'rī, and Yaks'asrī, (all three) delicate and tender,... upto...lived enjoying the desired and many human pleasures with those Brahmins. Then, once upon a time, those Brahmins, when they happened to come together...upto...the following type of conversation took place :-Thus, Verily, O Beloved of Gods, we possess plenty of wealth...and property, sufficient....upto....capable of lasting till the seventh generation, even after being given away in plenty, enjoyed at our sweet pleasure, and shared liberally (as we like). It is, therefore, meet for us, O Beloved of Gods, to live-(for the rest of our lives)-taking our meals everyday in each others houses (by turn), having prepared plenty of food, drink and eatables and delicacies. They promised (this) to one another, for having mutually agreed) - they got, every day, plenty of food etc. ready in each other's houses (by turn), and thus lived merrily, enjoying. Then once it happened that it was the turn of Brahmaụī Nāgas'rī to cook the food. Then that Brāhmaṇi Nagas'rī prepared plenty of food etc., and also dressed a large and juicy but very bitter gourd fruit, mixed with plenty of spices, and fried in ghee; then she tasted a drop of it by taking it on the palm of her hand when she found that it was very sour (salty), bitter, not fit to be eaten (not potable), and turned into poison (by being decomposed), and said to herself as follows ;— "Fie upon me! who am unfortunate, & sinful wretch, miserable, of miserable nature, and who am as undesirable (or disagreeable) as a Nimba-fruit-I who dressed this juicy (gourd-fruit), prepared with plenty of spices and fried in ghee, and merely wasted so much mate. rial (or food-stuff), and ghee (or oil). Now if my sisters-in. law would come to know of it then they will surely rail at me. So before my sisters-in-law come to know of this, it is better that I conceal in a solitary place this juicy but bitter 'gourd (- preparation), dressed in ghee and plenty of spices, and to prepare another juicy prepara
tion [ P.14] from a sweet gourd ... upto .... dressed in Shree Sudharmaswami Gyanbhandar-Umara, Surat
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