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Ram And Lakshman
265
the birth of his second son on a grand scale and organised the eight kinds of worship in all the Jin temples in the city. In all the Jin temples the Jin images were consecrated. All the prisoners were released as a part of the celebration. Gifts were given to the needy magnanimously. A sublime person is born only for the happiness and progress of Jivas. The King and the subjects experienced great delight and elation.
The people of the city and King Dasarath celebrated the birth of Sumitra's son on a grand scale. ... It was celebrated on a grander scale than that of the birth of Shri Ram because the son of Sumitra possessed the merit of Vasudev.
At a proper time the boy was named Narayan. He later became famous as Lakshman. Ram and Lakshman fascinated the whole empire of Magadha. Everyone who saw Ram and Lakshman was spell-bound by their fascinating appearance and his heart overflowed with love. Their sublime appearance, their gentleness, their grace and their captivating voice fascinated everyone with the result that not only King Dasarath but all experienced extraordinary joy and elation at the sight of Ram and Lakshman.
The boys were brought up with extraordinary affection and love. In course of time, they reached the phase of youth. King Dasarath engaged scholars of outstanding eminence to educate the boys. But the scholars and masters of the various arts were merely like observers witnessing their development because Ram and Lakshman were born after having attained a pacification of their passions. In other words, they had great Punya or merit. As a result of this, the two brothers achieved an absolute mastery over all arts and accomplishments, within a short time.
Every day people had the opportunity of witnessing their skill in the use of various weapons and in archery and that sight filled them with great joy. Dasarath was immensely happy to see their extraordinary heroism and physical strength. In consequence, he began to make many plans for the future.
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