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242
JAIN RAMAYAN
The Commander Suman was greatly grieved to hear this and he sat with a bent head.
• The news enraged the emperor of Magadha. At once, he stood up; drew out his sword and said in a ferocious voice;
"You cannot carry out this task. I myself will go. Let me see who that fellow Virdev is".
"May the Emperor of Magadha be free from all worries. Why should he take pains to carry out such a trivial task as this? The necessary arrangements have been made already”. The Chief Minister Maniratna said rising to his feet.
"But only this arrangement will not be adequate. Dear Chief Minister! Didn't you hear the King Dasarath of Ayodhya had invaded Magadha with forty thousand soldiers ?” Suman said trying to restrain himself; his voice shivered with fear and he was breathing heavily. .
"But dear Suman! You seem to have forgotten that the soldiers of Magadha will surely rout them and compel them to take to their heels. The soldiers of Magadha are not inferior to any other soldiers. I am sure that they will surpass any other army in strategic skill and tactics." Field Marshal Sugupta said trying to inspire confidence in the commander. Suryadev, the master of political strategy who had been silent till then interrupting the discussion said in a serious and elevated voice.
"Dear Commander ! I agree that nobody can question or suspect the incomparable valour and heroism of the soldiers of Magadha. Yet nobody can deny this truth that Virdev has in a wicked manner, massacred two thousand soldiers of Magadha in the mountainous region in the north. This truth is very well known to us. At the same time, today we have also heard the other truth that King Dasarath has tricked Vibhishan, the brother of Ravan who is a Prativasudev. Not only this; King Shubhmati of Kautukmangal is extending, active co-operation to King Dasarath along with his army of twenty-five thousand soldiers. Vikramaraj, the world famous hero, the supreme com
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