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RANASURA
91
This opened the eyes of the king and right there, he accepted the vows of a sravaka. Even the god appeared there and congratulated the king for the great change. Then he restored him to his city and departed.
At times, an unexpected event gives a major turn to life and simultaneously acts as an ordeal Such a thing was to happen to the king One day, as the king came to the harem, he did not see Srikanta there He waited for some time but she did not come. The king became restless, and ordered a search of the whole palace, but she was nowhere. In extreme anxiety, the king sent for an astrologer who advised him to proceed in the northern direction and assured him that he would find her there The king started at once and proceeded for five days without any stop At last, he reached a jungle, where he saw a temple dedicated to a yaksa. The king halted there to rest. As it happened to be chaturdasi (14th day), he sat down with a triple yow of silence, meditation and pausadha.
The resident yaksa named Dhananjaya wanted to test the king's devotion and steadfastness So he ordered an attendant to go at once to the king with the message that his consort, Srikanta, was being carried away by that way by a miscreant.
The king heard the message but did not respond, nor did he seek the miscreant with a view to recover Srikanta. To break the vow would be, thought he, like taking content out of life, and in that case, what would remain of life and what of the woman he loved so infatpously ! So he let the event take its own course during the duration of the vow. But even in his meditation, the king could feel some miscreant carrying Srikanta away and hear her bewail as follows :
"My Lord ! Save me. This wretch has stolen me away from the palace He is now carrying me away to fulfil his evil design. I koow not what he will do to me. I am so helpless I am undone My dear, you love me so much and you have come all the way here in search of me. It is a happy coincident that this wretch has brought me here Rescue me at once from his hands."
