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Story of Sundara und Madanavallabhā
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ground, he came to Crīpura, in the outskirts of which city he went to sleep under a mango tree. The king of Çrīpura having just died sonless, the five oracle method (pañcadivya-adhivāsana 45) of finding a successor was employed. The procession of elefant, horse, chowries, umbrella, and water-jug, headed by the court arrived at the spot where Sundara slept. The horse then neighed, the elefant roared, the water-jug emptied itself on the king, the umbrella stood over his head, and the two chowries waved. He was carried in triumf on the back of the elefant to the city, and received the homage of the ministers and vassals. Not even in all this glory did King Sundara, devoted to his own most beloved wife, think of marriage, for sooner than have two wives a man should go to prison, or exile, or hell (838).
The king's two sons separately wandered far, but in time each arrived at Cripura and met at the watch of the town. The merchant Somadeva also, having Madanavallabhā, their mother, in his caravan, came to that city, and asked the king for watchmen for his caravan. The two boys were assigned to this duty. By night, in order to pass the time, the younger asked the older to tell him a story, whereupon he told him his own story. Their mother, Queen Madanavallabhā, still attached to Somadeva's camp as woman of all work, lying awake sadly, overheard 46 the boys, recognized them as her long-lost children, came out, and embraced them with tears. Somadeva was angered by this occurrence, and had the boys brought before the king. Him they told what had happened between them and the woman from the camp. The king then questioned Somadeva, who told him that the woman had been carried with his caravan from Pộthvi
* See additional note 20, on p. 199.
See additional note 2, on p. 185.
