Stories From Jainism

Author(s): Mrugendramuni
Publisher: Jain Yoga Foundation

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When Ardrakumar proceeded to travel by road he was prevented from going further by the cavalry of the king. He wondered why he was being obstructed.
Time rolled on. He set out many a times on his horse, but soon came back. The people thought that the Prince was not keen on becoming a monk. So, they became lax in their vigilance. One day, he stealthily set out on his sojourn to India, and succeeded in reaching Vasantpur. Here he found the daughter of the Nagarsheth playing with her friends in the garden.
It was the rainy season. Dark, water-laden clouds had gathered in the sky. Their darkness was reflected in her eyes and the darkness of the girl seemed to match the weather. She and her companions began to play a game of choosing things. Some of them chose a creeper; others chose green vegetation, while the heroine of this story chose Ardrakumar, whereupon Ardrakumar was freed from his dreamworld. He gazed at her mutely, and left the place. But no one prevented him from departing.
The girl gradually grew up and her family approached her with a proposal for marriage. She went to her father and warned him not to betroth her to anyone as she was already married for all intents and purposes. But her father laughed at her assertions. She averred that Aryan girls did not re-marry.
Her father, therefore, was puzzled. “How can I find out that Sadhu?", he wondered. “Would he marry her and accept worldly life again?
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