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KESARI
In the land of Bharata, there was a city named Kamarupa, where ruled King Vijayachandra In the same city, there lived a rich merchant named Sanghadatta, who had a son named Kesari The merchant was famous for his honesty and munificence, but the son was the reverse of it He had developed into a notorious thief. The merchant tried his best to improve his son, but it was all an useless effort. Then, at last, he brought the matter to the notice of the king :
"Your Majesty ! I have nothing to do with this boy I have tried my best to improve him, but he is incorrigible. If, in future, he commits a theft, I suggest, let the law take its own course"
The kiog sent for the boy and asked him to get out of his kingdom at once He told him that he would kill him if he saw his face again
Kesarı left the kingdom While wandering through a forest, he reached a tank and drank water from it Then, as he was seated in a corner, taking stock of his situation, he saw a man descending from the sky He further saw that the man had a pair of magic sandals which helped him to fly and he hid these in a part of the forest and entered into the tank
Kesari now silently stood up, picked up the sandals and flew away into the sky He spent the whole day flyiog, reaching home after sun-set. Here his first task was to chastise his father who had reported against him to the king He bit him so severely that the poor man died
Already a veteran thief, Kesarı had now the equippage of the pair of sandals which could take him anywhere he liked So now be could extend his activities over wider regions and there was hardly a rich man in the lands
