Book Title: Trishasti Shalaka Purusa Caritra Part 6
Author(s): Hemchandracharya, Helen M Johnson
Publisher: Oriental Research Institute Vadodra

View full book text
Previous | Next

Page 188
________________ 148 CHAPTER SIX their possessions Nandā's son and Nandā went to the city Rājagrha. He left his mother with her attendants in a garden outside and Abhaya entered the city with a small retinue. Now, at that time five hundred, less one, ministers, clever in counsel, had been assembled by King Sreņika. Then the king sought some outstanding man among the people to make the full number of five hundred ministers. In order to test them the king threw his own ring in a dry well and told the people the conditions: “Whoever, standing on the rim (of the well), gets this ring with his hand, shall have the office of my prime minister, bought by his sharp intellect.” They said: “It is an impossible undertaking for people like us. One who could draw down the stars with his hand, he could draw up this ring.” Then Abhayakumāra came there and said with astonishment, “Why is it not taken? What is difficult about this?” When they had seen him, the people thought, “ He is some one with very superior intellect.” For on occasion the hue of the face shows men's valor. They said to him: “ Take this ring that has been made their stake and take the wealth of half the kingdom, a maiden, and the chief place among the ministers.” Then Abhayakumāra, standing above, struck with a ball of moist dung the ring that was in the well. Then, clever, he threw a burning bunch of grass on top and at once dried out the dung. Nandā's son quickly had a water-channel made and filled the well with water and the people with astonishment. Śreņika's son took the floating dung with his hand. What difficulty is there in a stratagem well-managed by intelligent persons ? When this incident was made known by the guards, the king, astonished, at once summoned Abhayakumāra to his presence. Śreņika embraced Abhaya with a welcome suitable for a son. A relative, even though he is unknown, who has been seen delights the mind. Questioned by King Sreņika, Jain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only www.jainelibrary.org

Loading...

Page Navigation
1 ... 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 310 311 312 313 314 315 316 317 318 319 320 321 322 323 324 325 326 327 328 329 330 331 332 333 334 335 336 337 338 339 340 341 342 343 344 345 346 347 348 349 350 351 352 353 354 355 356 357 358 359 360 361 362 363 364 365 366 367 368 369 370 371 372 373 374 375 376 377 378 379 380 381 382 383 384 385 386 387 388 389 390 391 392 393 394 395 396 397 398 399 400 401 402 403 404 405 406 407 408 409 410 411 412 413 414 415 416 417 418 419 420 421 422 423 424 425 426 427 428 429 430 431 432 433 434 435 436 437 438 439 440 441 442 443 444 445 446