Page:The Dravidian Nights Entertainments.djvu/47



, Oh you best of womankind! There was a town named Dharmapurî. Over it ruled a king Dharmananda. He regarding the lives of his subjects as his own life, ruled them very justly with his fellow officers-the minister, councillors, commanders, captains and lieutenants. During the fifty years of his prosperous reign there was not even a single day on which he swerved from the Codes of Manu. But for all his charitable disposition he had not the happiness of a son to his allotment. Of course, this defect worked much in his mind. He consecrated several shrines to Brahmâ, Rudra, Vishnu and other Gods, had their festivals regularly conducted, distributed food to the poor, made the sixteen kinds of donations to deserving men, and sent up prayers to God on the three occasions of morning, noon and evening with the intention of securing a son. After all his devotions seemed to have effect, and God gave him a son. The king distributed sugar on account of that happy news, and brought him up very tenderly. In the third year after this event, the king had another son, who was also being carefully brought up.

A few days after, all on a sudden, an enemy invaded the town of Dharmapurî, and totally