________________
194
JAIN RAMAYAN
"My Lord! You seem to be worried about something. You have not been able to sleep to-night”.
"Dear Queen! What you say is true”. “What problem can worry the king of Ayodhya ?”
“What can worry me? Do I look worried ?" Dasarath said to remove the tenseness of the atmosphere and to render it natural.
"Yes. My lord ! Something has been worrying you and you are trying to conceal it from me”, Kaikayi said in a firm voice moving closer to him.
"That is not true. The truth is after having met you I have not experienced any worry”. Dasarath said in an affectionate manner looking towards Kaikayi.
“Then, why are you not able to sleep ?” "A thought has been occurring to me again and again”.
"If it is not something that should be concealed from me, you may tell me what it is.”
"How can there be anything that has to be concealed from my dear queen ?”
“There can be much !" “How so ?”
"Is it possible to administer the Kingdom of Ayodhya without concealing many things from women”.
"Oh! You know very well the deeper aspects of political matters". Dasarath laughed as he said this.
"My Lord! Kindly tell me what actually the matter is”.
"You are unnecessarily giving importance to the matter. All right! If you want to know it, you listen to me. I want to leave Kautukmangal.”
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
