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JAIN RAMAYAN
portance to omens but those who are strong, heroic and fearless do not care for omens. Cowards may taste of danger thus many times but the valiant are never daunted by omens.
Shri Ram was walking ahead. Lakshman was walking at the back and Sita walked between them. Thus they travelled through the forest area. When they had gone some distance they found there a vast army of the savage kings. There were chariots, elephants, horses and armed soldiers and the entire army was marching towards them like a cloud of locusts. Their commander was travelling in a chariot at the head of the army.
The commander saw from a distance two men and a woman coming up. He was greatly startled and fascinated by the incomparable beauty of Sita. He became infatuated with her. He ordered his soldiers, "Somehow you turn away those men or kill them and abduct the woman and bring her here"
. As soon as the commander gave this order, his soldiers came running towards Shri Ram. Lakshman heard the order given by the commander and was incensed with indignation. He said to Shri Ram :
"O Lord of Kausala! You two take rest here for a while, I will go and come back in a moment."
Lakshman went running towards the savage army; stopped the savage army on the way by taking up his bow and arrow. He began causing a rain of arrows over the army which killed large numbers of them. The very sound of the bow paralysed the soldiers. All the soldiers were filled with mortal dread. Just as deer begin shaking with fear when they suddenly hear the roar of a lion, the savage soldiers also began to shake with mortal fear. The commander kept looking at Lakshman for a few moments. He stopped. He thought, "When the noise made by his bow assumes the form of the god of death, he will surely decimate our armies."
He at once alighted from his chariot, threw away his weapons. His face was covered with gloom and distress. He straight went to Shri Ram, saluted him and stood before him. Laksh
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