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Introduction
схсу and vegetables and animals that die a natural death. They never take away animal life. They have a great respect for cattle and bury them when they die; when they get past work, they feed them.”
How equitably Jayasimha behaved with Mussalmans is seen from the report of an incident in Khambhat by Muhammed Ufi in his Jame-ul-Hikayata +
The following story of the gram-seller from the P. C. shows what tales - real or unreal – had formed round the popular king. “Once the king was witnessing a play at night in a temple known as Karņameruprāsāda. At the time a gram-seller - just a bania – put his hand on the king's shoulder. The king got interested in the bania's jolly manner. ( Presumably this has reference to the bania's jolly and friendly remarks as the play was proceeding). The king offered him a beetle-leaf with camphor which the latter took with great delight. After the play was over, the king, through his men, inquired of his whereabouts and sent for him in the morning to go to his court. The king complained that, his neck was aching on account of the weight of the bania's hand. The bania realized the whole thing, but answered with his ready-wit: "Your Majesty ! you carry the burden of the whole earth on your shoulder, and even then it does not feel it; how can it feel the pain of the burden of a bania's hand - just like the blade of a grass ?” The king was pleased with the man's sense of propriety and gave him handsome reward” (pp. 70-71).
From the Vāgbhatalamkāra and a verse of Sripāla quoted under the name of Kaviraja by Somaprabha.
+ N. P. P. Vol. IX p. 291.
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