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BRAHMADATTACAKRICARITA
339 destruction of the world, simultaneously with their soldiers they covered the sky with arrows, like a pavilion. The prince took a bow and, shouting, kept down the band of thieves with arrows, like a cloud a forest-fire with streams of water. As the prince was raining arrows, they escaped with their soldiers. Indeed! when a lion attacks, how can deer remain ?
The minister's son said to the prince: “You are tired from the battle. Sleep for an hour, master, staying right here in the chariot.” Brahmadatta went to sleep in the chariot with Ratnavati, like a young elephant with a cow-elephant on a mountain-ridge. At daybreak, when they had reached a river, the tired horses stopped and the prince awoke. Awake, he did not see the minister's son in the chariot. Thinking, “Has he gone for water?” he called him repeatedly. As he did not receive an answer and saw the front of the chariot smeared with blood, wailing, “Oh! I am killed,” he fell in the chariot in a faint. Being conscious again, he got up and wailing like ordinary people, “ Oh! Oh! friend Varadhanu, where are you?" was enlightened by Ratnavati.
“So long as it is not known for certain that your friend is dead, it is not fitting to do anything inauspicious for him, even in speech, lord. Doubtless he has gone somewhere on your business. Ministers go on their lord's business without asking their lord. He, guarded by his very devotion to you, will surely come. For the power of devotion to the master is an armor for servants. When we have arrived at a settlement, we will have men search for him. It is not fitting to remain in this forest--a garden of Death.”
At her speech he drove forward the horses and came to a border-village of Magadha. What is very far for horses and Maruts? The village-chief, who was in the assembly-hall, saw him and conducted him to his own house. Great persons, even though unknown, are honored because of their appearance.
Questioned by the village-chief, “Why do you seem overcome by grief?” he said, “My friend, fighting with thieves,
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