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The Value of Self-Control
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The Value of Patience
The great lady Anjana was the daughter of Queen Hridaysundari and King Mahendra. Because she was the only sister of a hundred brothers, her parents and all her brothers loved her very much. Sweet and charming, she impressed everyone at first sight. Because of her extraordinary beauty and talent, it was not easy to choose a groom perfectly suited to her.
The King's chief minister, whose help the king sought in the matter, had two princes in mind: Vidyutprabha, the son of King Hiranyabha, and Pavananjaya, the son of King Prahlada. The astrological readings of the two, however, were that the former would die at eighteen whilst the latter would have a long life. After some time, King Prahlada sent a marriage proposal to King Mahendra, who accepted it. All agreed to a date for the wedding ceremony.
A week before the ceremony was to take place, Pavananjaya convinced his friend Prahasit to come with him to glimpse Anjana before the marriage. They surreptitiously entered into Anjana's room, hid themselves when they saw a group of women and listened to the ongoing conversation.
One of Anjana's many friends praised Pavananjya, while another praised Vidyutprabha. Then Anjana said, "You know, Vidyutprabha is lucky that he has left carnal desires and will attain liberation very soon". Pavananjaya, thinking that Anjana loved Vidyutprabha, at first wanted to
