Illustrated Namokara Mahamantra

Author(s): Shreechand Surana, Surendra Bothra
Publisher: Diwakar Prakashan

Page 27

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LBUMIN
A leper, who was an accomplished speaker, came forward. Saluting the King he said, “Sire ! Wandering through many villages, this group of seven hundred lepers has reached your town today. Umber Rāņā, the person on horseback, is the leader of this group. Being lepers, we are not allowed to settle anywhere. Driven from many villages we have arrived here today.”
When king Prajāpāla further enquired about Umber Rānā it was revealed that he was still unmarried. He thought, "Maināsundarī is very proud of her luck. If she is married to leper Umber Rāņā she will realize that who bestows happiness and sorrow, the karma or the king...."
The ministers, priests and the queen, all opposed this plan but the king was very adament. He married his beautiful and intelligent daughter to Umber Rānā.
Mainā did not weap, nor did she become angry. She accepted this as her fate. She took leave of her parents happily and went to a tent outside the town with her leper husband, Umber Rāņā.
Seeing such a beautiful and well-mannered daughter-in-law, Kamalaprabhā, the mother of Umber Räņā, thanked her stars. It was as if she got a divine boat of happiness and hope, to cross the ocean of Sorrow and misery.
At night Umber Räņā's mother asked the couple to sit near her and said, “Princess, Dear daughterin-law ! don't you worry. We are also ksatriyas (of martial race); your husband is prince Śrīpāla of Campanagari. He is not a leper by birth. An adversary king defeated us. Šripäla's father, king Simharatha was killed. Sripäla's uncle also conspired against us and to save our life we eloped into the jungle. There we met this group of lepers. Śrīpāla caught this disease due to years of exposure during our long stay with them. Now that you have come, good luck has dawned. Everything will be alright now.”
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CHAT