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meals etc. One day he saw Puspavati and felt fascinated by her. In order to win her, he began to learn magic. He wanted to be the master of a magic spell so that he would be able to captivate her He lived in a bamboo-bower and did hard penance. What happened to him at this stage was well known to Brahmadatta. The two princesses wept piteously at the sad end of their brother. They were comforted by Puspavati with sweet words who further told them of the words of the ascetics that Brahmadatta was to be their husband. So she went out to wave to Brahmadatta the white flag of agreement but by that time he had already gone away. Since then the two sisters of Nattumatta had been wandering up and down in search of Brahmadatta but when they could not trace him anywhere they came to that place where Brahmadatta had met them. They appeared delighted as if unexpected rain of gold fell on them. Brahmadatta was too willing to marry both of them and after a night of pleasure with them sent them to Puspavati with a word to her to have patience till he won his lost kingdom. When they went away, the white palace in which Brahmadatta had stayed and all the servants in it mysteriously disappeared.
Brahmadatta remembered Ratnavati and went to look for her at the hermitage but she was not there. An old man of auspicious appearance offered the following explanation:
He had seen Ratnavati sitting alone and weeping. He made kindly inquiries and to his pleasant surprise realised that the young damsel was his own grand-daughter, his daughter's daughter. Upon that he went to her uncle and reported the whole story to him and when he knew the particulars he conducted her respectfully to his own house. They looked for Brahmadatta everywhere and now felt happy that he had come.
Brahmadatta was well received and the uncle celebrated their wedding in a grand style and the two lived happily together for some time.
One day when the prince was performing the srāddha of his friend Varadhanu, whom he had presumed to be dead in the forest on that fateful night when he and Puspavati made their escape in
come.
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