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47
King Ripupratkatru's Marriage with Mrigavati
Now, seeing Mrigavati in marriageable youth, Queen Bhadra having decorated her with costly garments and valuable ornaments, one day, sent her to pay homage to her father King Ripupratiśatru. Mrigăvat! went to her father accompanied by a few maid-servants and bowed down at his feet. The king very attentively looking at her with a deluded sight, affectionately made her sit on his lap. Then, becoming enraptured by her excessive beauty and charming youth, the king began to think within himself :
"Ah! Her handsome form capable of humillating the beauty of celestial damsels ! Ah the charm of all the limbs of her body ! Ah! the mass of radiance of the brilliance of her Autumnal Moon-like face! Ah her sweet speech more attractive than the melodious tunes of the flute and of the Indian lute ! Besides, her every gesture is always wonderful to the whole world. Indeed, such a gem-like virgin may not have been prepared by Fate, in a Ksatriya family in former times, and hence, Manmatha, (the God of Love) accepted Rati 20 his consort, Mahadvéa (the great God Siva) took Parvati the daughter of a mountain-as his wife, for Śrt Kriga, made Laksmi coming out as a human female from the MilkOcean by churning it with Mount Mandara, his own beloved, and Indra himself married the virgin daughter of Paloma Muni. I consider myself very fortunate that a gem-like daughter has been born in my harem as if in a great ocean,
Jain Education International
Now Manmatha, (the God of Love), although posseusing tender arrows in the form of sweet side-glances of lotuseyed young females and arrows in the form of towers of five colours, became at once ready to be equipped as if with thousand arrows out of his greed for more arrows. So, whereever the young damsel threw her bewitching eyes, Manmatha (God of Love) gan to throw a series of sharp arrows. The councillors of the kings assembly became afflicted with carnal'
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