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166
One day King Jitaçatru, the father-in-law of Lalitánga, asked Sajjana in private : 'Who is this Prince Lalitánga ? What is his origin ?' Then Sajjana showed his character, for he said : ‘King, I am a prince; he is the son of a potter.' When the king heard this, he was angry, and ordered his servants to kill Lalitánga. He said : You must destroy the man who comes by the gate leading into the main approach to the palace at the time of sunset.' So he sent a summons to Lalitánga at the time of sunset. Lalitánga took his sword and rose up to go. But Pushpávatí forbade him. She said : * You must not trust this, if you are a man that understands these
Have you not read in policy, that a king can be no man's friend ? So, my lord, remain here yourself; send Sajjana on this errand.' Sajjana was sent, and as he was entering the gate of the palace avenue he was killed.* The princess saw that her father was angry, and she said to her husband : My lord, set your army in battle array, and march out. He did so. Jitaçatru also was ready for the fray. But the nobles said to the king :
matters
• The man who acts rashly is quickly deserted by happy fortunes : Hear, with reference to this, the example of King Jaya.
"This is as follows: 'In a banyan-tree in a great wood on the Vindhya
mountain there lived a STORY OF THE PARROT THAT BROUGHT
H* pair of parrots. A young THE FRUIT OF IMMORTALITY.
parrot was born. One day, when the parent birds had gone away into the forest, the young parrot went out of the nest. After it had gone a little distance, owing to its being so young, it fell on the ground. When wearied it was seen by a certain herwit. Out of compassion he gave it water to drink, took it to his own hermitage, and gave it the name of Çukanáca. The parrot's parents also came to that hermitage to look for
* Compare vol. i., p. 162, of my translation of the Kathá Sarit Ságara,' with the note.
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