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105. TWO YOUNG COWHERDS
Two young cowherds who acquired the right knowledge at a fairly early stage of life, were re-born after death amongst gods and came down into the world after their term in heaven was over, as brothers in a rich family. They met four other equally rich men and after a spell of pleasures of life, they renounced the world at the behest of an old monk. After death, they went back to heaven where they had a long stay as gods.
Of these six gods, four were re-born in the Kuru country and the two cowherds continued to remain as gods in the heaven. Those who came to the Kuru country became the king and the queen of that country, the third became the priest of the king and the fourth was the priest's wife. But the priest and his wife were unhappy because they did not have children. They worshipped many gods and consulted any number of soothsayers.
The two cowherd boys who were still gods in heaven saw the plight of their old friends and decided to come in the form of sons in their family. But first they appeared as two Jain monks and the priest and his wife became their devout followers. One of these days, the couple asked the monks whether they saw any chance of the couple being blessed with sons. The monks assured them that they soon would be thus blessed. They also added a warning that the sons should not be persuaded to stay on in this world for long. In fact, they should be allowed to renounce the world in childhood itself.
In due course of time, the priest's wife became pregnant and she and her husband left the city and went to live in a small village. She bore to her husband two sons. The parents' anxiety was to
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