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wife; otherwise, how is it possible for him to see the black mole on her thigh, covered by clothes? We punish persons having illicit intercourse with other females, then, how can I pardon a wicked man who has practised immorality with my own wife ? With this idea in his mind, the king ordered the young painter to be hanged to death. On hearing this order, a deputation of chief painters of the town approached the king, and requested him thus :-"O Mighty King! This young painter has received a boon from a Yakşa, and through the grace of the deity, he is able to prepare the entire exact-representation of a living or dead being, or an object, or any natural or artificial scenery simply on seeing a very small part of it. He is perfectly innocent. You need not be angry with him If you cannot believe in our statement, just convince yourself about the veracity of our appeal.” At their entreaty, only the face of a hump-backed maid -servant was shown to the young painter, and the king ordered him to prepare the entire exact likeness. The painter did it to the entire satisfaction of the king. When the king was thoroughly convinced of his innocence, the young painter was set free alive. The king, however, ordered the thumb and the indexfinger of the right hand of the painter to be cut off, and he was banishsed from his kingdom.
The young painter again went to the Yakşa and sat near him, observing a fast. The Yaksa told him :-O good man ! Leave aside your sorrow. By my grace, you will be able to do all the work as before, with your left hand." The young painter, having, again, received a boon from the Yaksa, maliciously thought -Ah! Although I was perfectly innocent, the impudent king, has unnecessarily reduced me to this miserable condition, i will any how teach him a lesson for his evil conduct.'
The dishonoured painter, however, went to Avant-désa (Málwa) with the object of taking revenge and having drawn a beautiful and perfectly accurate painting-with costly well-fitting garments and dazzling ornaments-of Queen Mrigāvati of King
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