Book Title: Two Prakrit Versions of Manipati Charitra
Author(s): R Williams
Publisher: Royal Asiatic Society

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Page 319
________________ 306 TWO PRAKRIT VERSIONS OF THE MAŅIPATI-CARITA 200. the sådhu Śiva went out to wait on his guru and saw the sūri standing there in the kāyotsarga, his neck adorned with the necklace. 201. He stood there for a moment with fear in his heart, then came indoors and said: 'Bhaya' alarmed and forgetting the words of the recitation. 202. Then Abhaya asked : Whence is this fear of yours?' The muni replied: What happened aforetime is by us remembered.' 203. Tell me.' Then the sādhu began his narative: We -- were the two sons of a merchant in Ujjain, Siva and Sivadatta by name, both poor. 204. In order to acquire wealth we set out for the province of Saurāşțra and with great toil amassed abundant riches. 205. Putting this into a purse we carried it, turn by turn, tied to our loins as we proceeded towards our city. 206. But whichever of us had the money in his hand kept thinking: 'I will kill the other. Thus we arrived outside the city. 207. There I threw the money which I was holding at that moment into a big tank as I knew the evil disposition generated by it. 208. And I said to Sivadatta : Alas, this money is unprofit able pelf for the sake of which there came upon me a sinful intention towards you.' 209. He said the same thing and approved the throwing of the money into the water of the tank : and so with one accord we both went moneyless home. 210. But the purse was swallowed by a fish and this, being caught by a fisherman, was sold into the hand of my sister while still alive. 211. When she went to the kitchen to prepare hospitality for us and began to cut it she saw the purse there. 212. Mistrustfully she hid it immediately in her lap, and by a stroke of fate this was perceived by our mother,

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