________________
LXII
VAJRAKARNA'S SALVATION
Shri Ramachandra kept travelling towards Dashangapur walking on stony, flinty and thorny paths; crossing deep valleys and wild forests. His only purpose was to liberate Vajrakarna from his fear of King Simhodhar. After travelling a long distance, Shri Ramachandra, Lakshman and Sita reached the outskirts of the city of Dashangapur. When Sita saw the temple of Bhagwan Chandraprabhaswamy situated in the outskirts of the city her heart bloomed like a blissful flower. She forgot all her fatigue and weariness. She expressed the desire of seeing the Jin. Shri Ram was full of praise for her desire. They went to the sky-high temple of Chandraprabhaswamy. All experienced inordinate felicity when they saw the sublime image of the Lord.
The sun had already set. The evening had appeared with its golden splendour. Shri Ramachandra decided to spend the night there. Lakshman found out a convenient place and the
rest there for the night. In the morning, Shri Ramachandra ordered Lakshman;
"Dear brother ! Go and meet Vajrakarna, the king of Dashangapur and find out the truth about the situation."
Acting upon the commands of his elder brother, Lakshman went into the city of Dashangapur. King Simhodhar had laid a siege to the city sometime ago with the result that all the main gates of the city had been closed. The anxiety of the people of the city knew no bounds. Yet they continued to be enthusiastic. Every movement and gesture of the people revealed their heroism. Lakshman walking through the streets of the city reached the main door of the fort. At that time, Vajrakarna was sitting at the window of his balcony. His eyes sudddenly fell
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
