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VASUDEVA'S MARRIAGE WITH KANAKAVATI 147 Covering the sun with the dust of that army, in a few days he arrived at a garden, Rativallabha, near Ayodhya and camped. When he knew that Nala had come with great power, Kabara was terrified, as if his breath had left his throat from fear.
Nala sent word by a messenger: Play again with dice. Let your wealth be mine alone, or mine be yours.' Kübara, his fear of battle removed, delighted, gambled again. For he thought he would be victorious in this. Naişadha, having good luck, won the whole earth from his younger brother. For in good fortune victory acts like a marāli to the lotus-hand of men
Kübara, whose kingdom had been won by Nala, though he was very cruel, was not made the home of disfavor, with the idea, “He is my younger brother.' Kūbara was made yuvarāja as before without anger by him whose wife was Vaidarbhi, after he had become the ornament of his own kingdom. Having taken possession of his own realm, united with Davadanti, then Nala paid homage eagerly to the shrines in the city Kośalā. All the kings living in half of Bharata brought auspicious presents for the coronation, with devotion. Nala ruled half of Bharata for many thousand years, his unbroken command observed by all the kings.
One day Nişadha came from heaven in the form of a god and enlightened Nala, a sheat-fish in the ocean of sense-objects. "Why are you, a man, not guarding your wealth of discernment which is always being stolen in the forest of existence by thieves in the form of the senses ? Formerly I promised to tell you when it was the proper time to become a mendicant. Now take mendicancy, the fruit of the tree of life.'.
After saying this, the god departed and then a sūri, named Jinasena, a treasury of clairvoyance, came there. Davadanti and Nala went to pay him homage zealously. Asked about their former births, after narrating them to them thus, 160 he said: “You obtained the realm from the gift of milk to the
160 1067. As narrated by Kubera himself.
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