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ILÄCHIKUMÄR
He discarded his fancy clothes for the acrobats' uniform and began learning their skills. Since he was smart and diligently worked to learn acrobatics, the chief's daughter soon fell in love with him and helped him learn. With her help, he easily mastered the art and soon became an expert acrobat. When the group reached the city of Benätat, he requested the chief to organize a show at the royal court so that he could have a chance to fulfill the condition. The chief went to the young King and requested that he watch the performance of the young acrobat and to award him a suitable prize for his skills. When the King agreed, the acrobats erected the poles in the compound of the royal palace and invited the officers of the state and the elite of the city to watch. Just before the show was due to start, the King arrived and took his seat in the balcony of the palace. Bowing to him, lächikumär went over to the pole, jumped up and began displaying his acrobatic skills. llächikumar walked on the rope with ease and grace, performing risky jumps and somersaults. It was a superb performance and full of acrobatic feats no one had ever seen before. Everyone was highly impressed with his skill.
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llächikumar walking the rope for the King
llächikumär felt gratified by the appreciation of the people, thinking that it was enough to please the king as well. He came down and bowed to the King again and the chief went to him to request an appropriate award. However, during the performance the King's attention had been diverted by the beautiful girl and he had been fascinated by her. Seeing how lovingly she gazed at llächikumar throughout the performance, he thought that he could easily gain her if he somehow got rid of llächikumär. Therefore, when the chief acrobat approached the King and asked if he had enjoyed the performance, the king pretended that his mind had been occupied with problems of the state. He said that he had not been able to give his full attention to the performance. He requested
JAIN STORY BOOK
