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The Wheel of joy and Sorrow
289
"Yes, when the messenger came to our court and conveyed this insolent message, King Ravan was greatly infuriated. He, at once, ordered his able and heroic commanders Khar and Dushan to march with a large army to Varunpur; to invade it and to capture Varun and bring him alive to his presence".
"What happened next ?"
"What else could happen? The heroic warriors Khar and Dushan, at once, took a large army with them; and invaded Varunpur. Varun had received information of the impending invasion through his spies. At once, he made preparations for the war; and came into the battle-field accompanied by his heroic sons, Rajiv and Pundarik and a large army. A terrible war broke out between the two armies.
Varun is an incomparable master of the art of war. His sons are unique as warriors and excel their father. They made extraordinary battle-formations of soldiers; and pounced upon the Rakshasa army like a cloud of locusts. A tremendous furore arose everywhere on account of the terrible war. Soldiers of both the sides grappled with each other thirsting for each other's blood. In ability and military prowess neither army was inferior to the other; so, both the armies determined to achieve a victory fought in a heart-rending manner. The war went on for some days. Neither was willing to retreat. Countless soldiers on both sides were killed. Since there was no sign of the war coming to an end; one day, Varun with his sons challenged Khar and Dushan and attacked them. Within a short time, Rajiv and Pundarik captured alive Khar and Dushan respectively.
As soon as Khar and Dushan were captured, the soldiers of the Rakshasa army began to run helter-skelter; and there was a stampede. Some were killed; and some ran away to save their skin and some were taken captive. The news of the capture of Khar and Dushan reached the ears of King Ravan with the speed of wind. Ravan, the King of Lanka was shocked to hear this news. He felt thunder-struck. King Ravan, that Bellona's bridegroom decided to defeat and capture Varun. He has issued
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