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280
JAIN RAMAYAN
The sun rose, Birds began to twitter in the trees. Cool breezes began to blow. The prince decided to settle down to a family life in the forest. Atisundari's joy knew no bounds. She gave her consent gladly. The prince, at once, put up a strawhut and they began to live in it happily. Atisundari felt that she had attained heavenly bliss. The prince used to go out in the mornings. He returned in the evenings having earned something. Sometimes, he brought foodgrain and sometimes he brought dress and decorations.
Sometimes, when Atisundari asked him how he got those things he evaded her question and merely smiled. This behaviour of the prince made her rather sad. There arose in her mind the suspicion that the prince might be robbing those things from travellers. Her suspicion gradually increased.
In course of time the prince became the leader of all the robbers and thieves in the area and in that area there appeared a colony of robbers and thieves. The robbers and thieves obeyed every word of the prince and carried out every command of his. In course of time, the prince prospered and his straw-hut became a splendid mansion. The prince somehow kept all his comrades happy and cheerful. He took care to see that no one had any trouble or worry. Atisundari also mixed with them freely sharing their joys and sorrows.
The prince liked the vicinity of Ayodhya. It was an ideal place for robbing people. Every day he went into the territory of Ayodhya; robbed people and returned to his village in the forest.
Why was he doing all this? He had to recapture his father's kingdom; not by means of politeness or humbleness but by means of force. He desired to organise an army and he was committing robberies to fulfil this desire of his. He could not collect a large army without a lot of money.
In course of time, King Dasarath came to know of the robberies that were taking place in the area. In order to prevent the robberies and to give protection to people, he sent a poten
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