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as it were, bursting the heavens, as it were, they began an acrobatic dance extraordinary in its use of dance-steps.
CHAPTER FOUR
While they were dancing an acrobatic dance for the king's pleasure an aerial car appeared in the air. A man of noble appearance was seen in it, accompanied by a young woman, like Manobhava by Rati. Then Queen Priyamitrā spoke to the king, "Who is he? And who is she? And whence and why have they come here, lord?"
Then Megharatha related: "In this Jambudvipa in Bharata in the northern row on Vaitäḍhya there is a fine city Alakā. A Vidhyadhara-king, Vidyudratha, and his agreeable wife, Mānasavegā, lived there. He had a son by her, the tree of whose arm was blooming with power, named Sinharatha, because of a dream of a chariot with lions for steeds. He married a maiden, Vegavati, belonging to an eminent family, suitable to himself, like the Moon marrying Rohiņi. King Vidyudratha made him yuvarāj. For that is a suitable thing for kings to do when the son has reached military age. Sinharatha, devoted to pleasures, happily amused himself as he liked in pleasure-spots, gardens, tanks, et cetera, like a lion in a forest.
One day Vidyudratha, knowing that everything in samsara has the inherent uncertainty of lightning, felt extreme disgust with existence. After he had installed Sinharatha on the throne, King Vidyudratha at once undertook restraint of everything censurable in the presence of a guru. Having attained supreme desire for emancipation by self-control and vows, having destroyed eight karmas by meditation, he became emancipated.
King Sinharatha, resembling the Sun in rising splendor, acquired the cakrinship of the Vidyadharas hard to acquire. One time at night, sleepless like a yogi, he meditated, 'My birth is in vain like that of a jasmine in a forest. I have not seen and have not worshipped the Arhats in a samavasaraṇa, omniscient lords, boats for crossing the ocean of samsara. Therefore I shall purify myself by seeing the
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