________________
As advised by the prime minister Pu pac la organised Brahmadatta's wedding very well and giving lots of material in the form of dowry, bid farewell to the newly weds. At K mpilya city, D rgha and Culan sent their son and daughter-in-law to the wax-hall for their nuptial night. As per Dhanu's hint, Pu pac la, who was alert, sent instead of his daughter Pu pavat , her look-alike a maid-s daughter, without anyone finding out. In the night the wax hall became enveloped in red flames all over and within moments the palace that touched the sky melted and started to scatter about. There, being alerted by Varadhanu about the entire situation, Brahmadatta went with him through the tunnel to the sacrificial hall on the banks of river Gamg. The prime minister gave two fast horses to Brahmadatta and Varadhanu and sent them away to a far off place and he himself started off looking for an undisclosed location.
Both the horses, running at the speed of wind, came as far as 50 yojanas from K mpilyapura, but having run at that speed continuously the horses' lungs gave way and they fell to the ground. Now Brahmadatta and Varadhanu began to run on their feet continuously and reached the village Ko haka. Leaving Brahmadatta outside the village, Varadhanu entered the village and came back with a barber. Shaving off his hair with the help of the barber Brahmadatta wore black robes and covered his r vatsa sign. Varadhanu put his sacred thread around Brahmadatta's neck. This way, changing their appearances, they entered the village, where a Brahmin took them to his house and with great respect, fed them and asked them to take rest.
The two friends had just about sat down when the Brahmin's wife came with her daughter Bandhumat and stood with her hands folded in front of Brahmadatta. The two friends started looking at each other in surprise. The Brahmin's wife said, "My daughter has the fortune of being married to a cakravart king. The soothsayers who told me about her groom's signs, I have found that today. They had said the person who comes to your house to eat covering his r vatsa sign with a cloth will be your daughter's groom."
Brahmadatta got married to Bandhumat . After a night's happiness, again the ocean of sorrow appeared. The sun had not even risen when D rgha's soldiers surrounded the Ko haka village. Seeing this both friends got out of the Brahmin's house and like wild animals, began to run hiding
215
