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his mother in the merchant's camp and entered the city alone to see how the king was and the general situation there in the city. As he entered the city he saw a crowd of people gathered around a well which, curiously enough, was dry. On his inquiry, he was told that the king's ring had fallen in the well and that the king had announced a rich reward for any one who would take it out with his own hand, but all along standing on the brink of the well. When this condition was confirmed by the king's men, he offered to try his luck and the king's men would have no objection to his doing so.
Abhayakumāra had a careful look at the ring down below at the bottom of the well and he aimed a lump of wet cowdung at it. When it fell on the ring, it got stuck into the lump. Then he allowed it time enough to become dry. Then he filled the well with water from another well. The dry cowdung cake came floating to the surface of the water. Abhayakumāra standing on the edge of the well picked it up with his own hands. The people around cheered him lustily. The king's men reported it to the king who summoned Abhayakumarato his court where he presented the ring to the king. The king asked him who he was and Abhayakumāra told him that he was his son and confirmed it by narrating the whole account of the king's early life at the merchant's place and his marriage to his mother. The king was overwhelmed with joy, kissed his son profusely and asked him where his mother at the moment was. When Abhayakumāra said that she was waiting outside the city, the king rushed up to receive her with appropriate retinue. In the meantime, Abhayakumāra had gone ahead to keep his mother informed. Nanda wanted to bedeck herself for the occasion but Abhavakumara stopped her by pointing out that ladies of noble birth would not do this so long as they were separated from their husbands. They would wait till they met their husbands. When the king arrived, Nandā fell at his feet and the king greeted her by the royal offerings of ornaments etc. She was brought into the city along with Abhayakumära in a great procession and eventually Abhayakumāra was made the minister of the king.
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