हम्मीर महाकाव्यम् (रणथम्भौर चौहान वीरगाथा एवं इतिहास)

23 After Govindarája, Bálhana succeeded to the throne Bálhana had two sons—Prahláda, the elder, and Vágbhata, the younger. Being brought up and educated to gether, there was between them very great brotherly affection When they came of age, their father, who had grown old and feeble, placed his elder son, Prahláda, upon the gádi and appointed the younger, Vágbhata, to the post of prime mi- nister The old king did not long survive this arrangement Prahláda was a just king, and, as he ruled mildly, his subjects were contented One day, however, as fate would have it, he went out to the forest to hunt The hunting party was a grand one There were many dogs with them, and the party was dressed in fine clothes Merrily they went that day over hill and dale and the prey was unusually heavy Many a mighty lion was made to bite the dust While the party was thus engaged, the king saw a big lion lying at his ease in a patch of tall reed-grass, and, being dexterous with his bow, aimed an arrow at the lion and killed him The attendants of the king raised a shout of joy at this feat of royal archery, which had the effect of rousing from his slumbers another lion that was hard by, but of whose presence they were not aware In an instant the brute rushed on the king with the swiftness of lightning and seizing one of the king's arms in his mouth tore it from the body This sad accident put a stop to the sport, and the party bore the wounded monarch home, where the effects of the poison of the animal's bite termi- nated his life. The death-bed of the king was an afflicting scene He placed on the gádi his son Víranáráyana, and called to his presence Vágbhata, his brother and minister, and said to him that the three qualities of bravery, penetration, and circumspection were the main stays of a monarch, but that these were acquisitions to which people attained in their majority. Rarely were they