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land. The two consorts passed some time in mutual affection and loving intercourse; then one day the keeper of the park said to the king: 'My liege, to-day there has arrived in the garden of the sandalwood grove the saint çrí Vírachandra, who possesses learning and knowledge. Then the king went to adore him, surrounded by all his harem. He went and bowed before the great hermit, and sat down to hear his sermon. At the end of it Árámaçobhá said to him : 'Reverend sir, what act did I perform in a previous life ?' Then the spiritual teacher said:
* In this very land of Bharata, in the town of Champá, STORY OF ÁRÁMAÇOBHÁ IN A FORMER LIFE.
there was a mer
be chant named Kulandhara ; he had a wife named Kulánandá. They had seven daughters——their names were Kamalaçrí, Kamalávatí, Kamala, Lakshmiká, Çrí, Yaçodeví, and Priyakárita--and they were all married in the houses of rich merchants. One day an eighth daughter was born, but she was utterly without promise of good fortune, so her father and mother were afflicted at her birth, and did not even give her a name. In time she grew up, but her father did not offer her in marriage. Then people said, “Why do you not marry your daughter ?” Then the merchant, moved by the speeches of the people, began to look out for a bridegroom. One day there arrived in the exchange of the merchants a traveller with limbs begrimed with dirt. The merchant said to him: “Who are you? What kind of family do you belong to? What is your name ?" He answered: “I am a merchant's son, and my name is Nandana, and I live in the city of Kauçalí. Once on a time, my wealth having been exhausted, I went to the land of Gauda to make money; but even there I could not make money, owing to my ill-luck. My feelings of pride made me return to my own country, and there I live by serving other men.” When the merchant heard this, he said to himself, “This is a suitable bridegroom for my daughter.” So he gave him his daughter. One day the
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