||Sri Ram Jayram Jaya Jaya Ram||

Chapter – 64 – Dhoha – 63

King Prathapbhanu's meeting with the ascetic in the wood.

King Prathpbhanu understood that he was left alone in the wild forest without men, tired of hunger and thirst, he wandered with his horse all around searching for the water, soon he has fallen unconscious. Once, he regained consciousness and saw a hermitage.  The ascetic lived in the hermitage was one of the Kings who was battled against King Prathapbhanu,  flew from the battlefield leaving his army men, felt disappointed in the battlefield and abandoned home and families, his pride was not willing to make a peace treaty with the King Prathapbhanu. He controlled all his disappointments and frustration and was living like a mendicant in the woods. It was that ascetic received the King Prathpabhanu who was in a miserable state of hunger and thirst, could not recognize the ascetic. King Prathapbhanu got down from the horse and prostrated before the ascetic, he pointed a pond full of drinkable water to the King. He went with horse and took bath and quenches his thirst, all the tiredness was gone, and the ascetic took the King to his hermitage. It was during the hours of dusk; the ascetic gave a seat for the King and began to speak softly “Who are you? Why are you wandering all over the woods? You have a marvelous appearance of an emperor, I feel pity for you.” King Prathapbhanu spoke “Oh! Maharshi, there is a King Prathapbhanu, I am the minister of him, I have lost track while chasing an animal, it was great fortunate I have found you. It is highly promising that I met you here.” The ascetic spoke “Oh! Son, it is already dark, you cannot go back to your kingdom which is seventy Yojanas far from this dense wood. Oh! Dear friend, spend this night in this hermitage, the night hours are too dark and difficult to cross the dense wood, you can start your journey in the morning.”

Tulsidas Maharaj speaks “ The movement of ‘Time’ either goes miserably opposite for a person or favorable. Sometimes, it may bring unexpected happiness or unexpected agony as well.”

King Prathapbhanu sincerely thanked the ascetic and withdrawn to his space, he tied the horse under a tree and took a seat in the hermitage. King highly praised the ascetics and prostrated before him, and felt fortunate and spoke “Oh! Maharishi, I consider you as my father and wanted to share my thoughts with you. Kindly treat me as your son and reveal your identity.”  King did not recognize the ascetic, spoke with innocence, the ascetic was wicked, was aware of everything about the King.  He considered the King as his enemy, a powerful Kshatriya and a King, decided to play a trick on King Prathapbhanu. The loss of stately pleasures made the ascetic to take revenge on him, he was completely burned with the feeling of jealousy, listening to the innocent words of King Prathapbhanu, smiled wickedly, and spoke softly and introduced himself as Bhikhari/beggar, has no home or wealth. King Prathapbhanu spoke “Oh! Maharishi, intelligent people like you live in complete renunciation never reveal their identity. They are the happiest in the world, lives in impure clothes. Therefore these mendicants and ascetics are favorites of supreme Lord Hari pronounced by Veda and scriptures. The mendicants like you put Lord Bhrama and Lord Shiva in uncertainty, whoever you are I shall prostrate before you. Oh! Prabho, kindly shower mercy upon me.” listening to the innocent and devoted words of King the ascetic replied that he has started living in the woods so long, he has never seen anyone and never tried to have acquaintance with anyone, because the interest in the worldly matter is like a forest fire,  destroys the penance like wood.