________________
120. ALWAYS IN THE WRONG
A poor widow in a certain town managed to support herself and her young son by selling fuel wood but she gradually got disgusted with the apathy of the people around and so she went away to a small village with her son.
When the boy grew up he asked her : Where is my father? He is dead, my dear. Who was he? He was a hanger on. A hanger on ? Why can't I be one ? You? What do you know about it? Mammy, tell me how does one become a hanger on.
You see, my dear, you have first to be very submissive. You have to greet people you meet most humbly. Always go about with your head bent low.
The young boy set out for a town in the neighbourhood to try his luck. On his way he saw a few hunters waiting with bated breath for the deer to come closer. The boy broke the silence by his enthusiastic greetings and they all felt so upset; at his sound the deer had scampered off. They caught hold of him and thrashed him well. He explained how his mother had instructed him about greeting people he met. The hunters now told him that whenever he saw people like themseives, he should avoid making any noise, walk gently and speak, if he has to, very low.
As he proceeded, he saw a group of washermen. As instructed
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
