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to recite something. The latter replied immediately in a verse composed on the spur of the moment. The king was so much pleased with the composition that he invited Hemasuri to come to the palace daily at noon to entertain him. Hemasuri accepted the invitation and gradually won the king's favour."
Merutunga knows nothing of this meeting. According to him, when Siddharaja returned to Anahilavada after his Conquest of Malwa, Hemachandra and other Jain monks, being invited, went to bless the king. Though all of them were clever, they elected Hemasuri as their representative to pronounce the blessing, and he blessed the king by the following verse:
"O wishing cow! sprinkle the earth with streams of your product. O sea! make a swastika of pearls. O moon shine in full splendour. O elephants of the quarters! take leaves of the wishing tree and with your erected trunks make temporary arches of foliage. For truly Siddharāja is coming, having conquered the world."
When this stanza was explained to the king,
5 Prabhavakacharita, XXII, 64 to 73; Jayasimhasūri, Kumarapalacharita. I, 274-9; Jinamandana, Kumarapalaprabandha, p. 13.
Shree Sudharmaswami Gyanbhandar-Umara, Surat
www.umaragyanbhandar.com
