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DISCOURSE 12
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king was not consulting the Mahamantri with respect to any matter. The Chief Minister was carrying out his administrative duties in a proper manner. He enjoyed the sympathy of the people. All the people were eagerly waiting for the time when the Chief Minister would be declared innocent. They were expecting some miracle to occur.
How sublime was the character of the Mahamantri! No one except the King had any suspicion regarding the integrity and purity of the Mahamantri. What a tremendous popularity had he attained ! In the mind of the Mahamantri, there was no agitation or restlessness of any kind; but there was restlessness in the minds of the people. One day, even their restlessness and anxiety ended. The chief elephant of the King broke its chains and ran out of its stable madly. Having created a cyclone in the entire city, it ran out of the city. The soldiers of the King also went out to catch it. The elephant went beneath a huge tree and there incontinently it became unconscious and fell down upon the ground. The soldiers found that the elephant had become absolutely unconscious.
THE KING'S ELEPHANT POSSESSED BY A GHOST
The King came to know everything. He came running to see the elephant. He loved the elephant greatly. On seeing his favourite elephant lying unconscious, he became greatly agitated and began to weep. What great love for an animal ! The love for the animal made the King weep. The ministers sent for all the able magicians and occultists in the city. The magicians came and began their rituals. They found out that the elephant had become possessed by an evil spirit. They performed many rituals to drive away the ghost but the ghost did not leave the elephant. The tantriks, i.e. those who had mastered the occult sciences also carried out their experiments; but their efforts also failed. The king said to the magicians and the occultists. "I will give you whatever amount you demand, if you can restore life to my dear elephant which is lying here as if dead. If my elephant cannot live, I will leap into the flames of a pyre and die. Without the elephant, I can't live".
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