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The Forty-Eighth Chapter
291. In the meantime, a man named Ksudra, having lost his way, wandered about in distress and came upon that tree. ||342|| Seeing the shade of the tree, he went under it to rest. He heard the faint sound of Vinayadatta's groaning and looked up. ||343|| He saw Vinayadatta bound with strong ropes at the top of a very tall branch, his body motionless. ||344|| Ksudra, whose heart was filled with compassion, climbed up and freed him. Then Vinayadatta descended and took Ksudra with him to his home. ||345|| There was great joy in Vinayadatta's house at his return, and Vishalabhuuti fled upon seeing him. ||346|| Ksudra stayed at Vinayadatta's house. He had a toy peacock made of peacock feathers, which one day was blown away by the wind and reached the prince. ||347|| Ksudra was deeply grieved at the loss of his artificial peacock and said to his friend, "My friend, if you want me to live, give me back my artificial peacock." ||348|| "I freed you from your bonds on that tree, so give me this return for my great favor." ||349|| Vinayadatta replied, "Take another peacock, or a gem or a jewel, but how can I give you that peacock?" ||350|| Ksudra insisted, "No, give me that peacock." Ksudra was foolish and stubborn, but you, being a noble man, are also being stubborn. ||351|| Tell me, how can you get back the artificial peacock that has reached the prince's hands? Only those who ask from the prince can expect death. ||352|| Therefore, O Raghunandan, give up your desire for Sita and become the husband of those women whose eyes are white, black, and red, whose radiance is like gold, whose breasts are full and round, whose hips are wide and beautiful, whose faces are more radiant than the moon, and who are endowed with many other beautiful qualities. Enjoy great pleasures and be happy. ||353-354|| Give up this humorous and sorrow-increasing stubbornness and...