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SUMMARY OF CONTENTS
 

 
completed his penance he stayed here long and then as desired
by the sages he slew my brother and made me the ruler of the
forest. He declined to accept my humble presents offered to
him and favoured me with this bracelet. Your appearance,
voice and deeds bring before my mind the noble form of
Ripuñjaya and my eyes gush with tears of joy." The king had
a chat with the old man about the glorious days of his father
and dismissed him and his daughter-in-law. After a while,
Vindhyasenā came to the king's hermitage with her husband
Vyāghradamana. The king and the queen accorded to them a
cordial welcome and in due course a strong bond of friend-
ship developed amongst them. Then, in the last quarter of a
night, the queen had a dreain that she devoured the whole
sphere of the universe. By the grace of god Guha, the
queen, the wives of the ministers and the Sabara girl
Vindhyasenā had conceived. After a time on an
auspicious day, when the planets were in their exalted
positions, the queen gave birth to a son marked with signs of
an emperor. A son named Simhadamana was born to
Vindhyasena and with the babe in her arms she rushed to the
queen to see the new-born prince. The purohita gave the name
Rājavāhana to the prince indicating his future greatness. At
the same time sons were born also to the four ministers;
Sumati's son was named Pramati, Suśruta's son Mitragupta,
Sumantra's son Mantragupta and the son of (Brahmadatta),
the purohita, Somadatta.
 
(Av. Sara III. 45-68; Av. pp. 157-66)
 
Story of Apahāravarman
 
One day the mother of Vindhyasenã came to the hermit-
age with a child in her arms accompanied by an old Sabara.
The old man made obeisance to the king and said: "King,
not far off from here, lives a Kirāta chief [named Särtha-
mardana], the husband of Vindhyasena's mother's sister.
I am his maternal uncle (Alātacakra by name). One day we
heard that the king of Mithila was passing through the forest
and we at once set out with a band of armed hunters to waylay
him. In the tussle that followed the king fought bravely
even after his forces had been defeated; finally he was forced
to flee with the remnant of his army. The chief commis-
sioned me to collect the spoil from the wounded while he
himself pursued the fleeing king. When I was about to leavę
 
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