Page 45 - English Class 06

We next hear that the king had not got any son. Next we hear that the king has gone

away into the forest for tapasya in order to get a son. There was only one thing that would
have made me go into the forest and that was to get away from my tutor!

But, the king left behind with his queen a small girl who grew up into a beautiful princess.

Twelve years passed away and the king goes on practising tapasya and never thinks all
this while of his beautiful daughter. The princess had reached the full bloom of her youth.
The age of marriage had passed but the king does not return. And the queen pines away
with grief and cries, “Is my golden daughter destined to die unmarried? Ah, me! What a fate
is mine.”

Then the queen sent men to the king to request him earnestly to come back for a single
night and take one meal in the palace. And the king consented.

The queen cooked sixty-four dishes with her own hands and made a seat of sandal-wood
for him. She served the food in plates made of gold and cups made of silver. The princess

stood behind with the peacock-tail fan in her hand. The king, after twelve years’ absence,
came into the house and the princess waved the fan, lighting up all the room with her
beauty. The king looked at his daughter’s face and forgot to take his food.

At last he asked his queen, “Dear, who is this girl whose beauty shines as the gold image
of the Goddess? Whose daughter is she?”

The queen beat her forehead, and cried, “Ah,
pines away : have a desire for something
how evil is my fate! Do you not know your own
destined : governed by fate
daughter?” fate : fortune
The king was struck with amazement. He earnestly : in a serious manner
evil : morally bad or wrong
said at last, “My tiny daughter has grown to be
a woman.”

“What else?” the queen said with a sigh. “Do you not know that twelve years have
passed by?”
“But, why did you not give her in marriage?” asked the king.

“You were away,” the queen said. “And how could I find her a suitable husband?”

The king declared with excitement. “The first man I see tomorrow,” he said, “When I
come out of the palace, shall marry her.”

The princess went on waving her fan of peacock feathers and the king finished his meal.

The next morning, as the king came out of his palace, he saw the son of a Brahman
gathering sticks in the forest outside the palace gates. His age was about seven or eight.

English-6 45