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CCLXXXIV
Kavyanusasana
only that their intimate contact 'doing honour daily to that monk' began after that 'greatest expansion' of his empire. It does not mean that their first acquaintence began at that time.
Another argument of Dr. Bühler that the prabandhas though mention early acquaintence do not describe the relationship of Hemachandra and Kumārapāla immediately after the latter became king. First, we cannot infer anything from the absence of mention, and secondly Kumārapāla in the beginning of his reign was too busy subduing his internal and external enemies and consolidating and extending his empire to think of religiously meeting Hemachandra. This, however, does not preclude the possibility of his early acquaintance and even occasional meeting after he got the throne. On the contrary, it appears to me that one of the causes of Kumārapāla's attachment to Hemachandra must have been the support he got, no doubt indirectly, from the monk through his rich and influential followers like Udayana and his son Vägbhata.
We have already referred to the meeting of Kumārapāla and Hemachandra when the former in his wanderings was looking for a shelter. We have also referred to the Horoscope of Kumārapāla which Hemachandra had cast. It is not necessary to assume the scientific validity of astrology in order to believe in the reality of this incident. For such things were quite common in those days as they are even now; and astrology with medicine was practised by Jaina monks in those days and was a means of getting influence over the people. So we may very well believe that the fulfilment of Hemachandra's forecast was one of the
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