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last the king had both her ears and her nose cut off, and banished her from the city. And King Surasundara took his own daughter aside and reproached her bitterly. But Prince Kanakaratha, reunited with Rishidattá, was plunged in a lake of happiness. For some time he was simply bewildered with his joy; but one day he said to his beloved Rishidattá, who was seated on his lap, ‘My darling, all has turned out prosperously, but my friend, the hermit, is suffering in the house of Yama.' Rishidattá laughed, and said : ' Prince, do not be downcast; I accomplished all this by means of a herb. But grant me the boon that you previously promised me. The prince said: 'Well, then, what boon is to be granted ? Rishidattá said: 'Regard Rukmiņí as you regard me.' When the prince heard this, he said to himself: "How excellent is the feeling of her soul even towards one that is an enemy! Having gone through these reflections, he said to his beloved : ‘Be it so, queen.' When Rishidattá heard this, she herself summoned Rukmiņí, and induced her to lay aside her shame. Then the prince took leave of the King of Káverí and returned with those two beloved ones to his own city. Then King Hemaratha came out to meet his son. When the prince saw that his own father had come, he bowed before him, and they entered the city. Then King Hemaratha, having heard the facts, being ashamed of his own misconduct, showed great honour to Rishidattá. In course of time Hemaratha placed Kanakaratha on his throne, and, repairing to Bhadráchárya, took the vows in his presence. Then Kanakaratha ruled his realm righteously, and had by Rishidattá a son, named Simharatha. One day the king, while sitting at a window with Rishidattá, saw a bank of clouds, which was immediately swept away by the force of & violent wind. Then, seeing that the cloud was dispersed almost as soon as it had gathered, the king became full of the spirit of renunciation, and he said thus to himself : ‘Even as this bank of clouds appeared and disappeared, so in this revolving world transient are life, wealth and other
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