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Indra and Ahalya
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perish and not me! How mean! Of course, I should not expect you to be different."
"Please, pleașe," interrupted Rambha, "Moralising ! Surely, not from you."
"What do you expect from me then ?"
"Not much, now that, as you say, you have reserved your homage for a miserable mendicant's wife. When are you meeting her ?"
"You seem to think I have designs on her. No, I simply worship her."
"Yes, we know when you worship a woman. Please let us have no moral pretensions. We are convinced that you are going to betray us and your credulous wife, Sachi Devi, in the pursuit of your mad designs on Ahalya.”
"Why do you say it is mad to admire Ahalya ?”
"Is it not madness to keep thinking of someone who does not know you someone who does not care for you even if she knows you ?"
Indra felt that his prestige was now at stake. “Ahalya's highest homage," he declared proudly, "is reserved for me, as mine is for her. You cannot imagine how flattered she feels to have won the admiration of the King of the Gods ?”
"Oh, no," they said giggling contemptuously, "you are deceiving yourself. Ahalya is not only the prettiest woman ever born but the haughtiest too. She would not care even for the Lord Vishnu. So be sensible and think no more of her. There is no possibility of your ever seeing her.”
"You may be right, but I continue to admire her. I have no desire to meet her and your silly, cattish talk cannot tempt
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