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TWO PRAKRIT VERSIONS OF THE MANIPATI-CARITA
556. Kuñcika, that necklace was broken by the queen as foretold. The king was aware of what had been said previously:
557. that if anyone put together and repaired the necklace the first time it was broken, his head would straightway burst into seven fragments.
558. Then the king had a proclamation made with the drum in Rājagṛha: 'Whoso puts together the necklace with the eighteen links, to him the king
559. will give a lakh of money': then an aged jeweller afflicted with poverty thought in his heart with clear intelligence:
560. Even death from the mending of the necklace will have a beneficial result through enriching my sons.' So he touched the drum and this was reported to the king
561. who had half the lakh of money given to him assuring him he would receive the remainder when the necklace had been mended.
562. The king handed this necklace to the jeweller who, choosing a part of his house where there was no move
ment
563. and the ground was level, twisted a very slender thread into the necklace and smeared the ends with honey and ghee.
564. Then he dropped them and left them near the apertures of the jewels of the necklace; and because of the odour of honey and ghee a very tiny ant at once
565. entering the interstices in the row of jewels and seizing the ends of the thread emerged again with them and so the necklace became complete.
566. Having joined all the threads that jeweller gave back the knotted necklace and then his head burst into seven fragments.
567. When he was dead he was reborn as a monkey in the same city and whilst roaming among the houses by some chance came to his own house.
