हम्मीर महाकाव्यम् (रणथम्भौर चौहान वीरगाथा एवं इतिहास)

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possessed by inexperienced youths. "My son," said he, "is yet
a child, and he knows only how to sleep and rise again to play.
Be thou, therefore, such a guide to him that he may not come to
ruin."
Vîranârâyaṇa from his very childhood was a naughty and
unmanageable boy, and Vâgbhaṭa, convinced of this, could
not find it in his heart to hold out the language of decided hope
to his dying and beloved brother. "My dear brother," said he,
as the tears rushed down his cheeks, "you know that no one is
able to avert what is to happen. As for myself, I will serve the
prince as faithfully and as diligently as ever I have served you."
Scarcely had Vâgbhaṭa finished his speech when the king
breathed his last.
When Vîranârâyaṇa came of age, a marriage was arranged
between him and the daughter of the Kachhavâha prince of Jaya-
pur, and he set out for Amarapur (Amber), the capital of
the Kachhavâha. On the way Vîranârâyaṇa and his party
were pursued by Jelâlu'd-dîn, and had to turn back to
Raṇathambhôr without being able to marry the Jayapurânî.
Here a great battle ensued, but neither party obtained the advan-
tage. Jelâlu'd-dîn saw that it would be difficult to conquer
Vîranârâyaṇa in the field, and therefore determined to
entrap him into his power by stratagem. For the present, there-
fore, he returned to his country; but after some days he sent a
very flattering message to Vîranârâyaṇa through one of his
most trusted servants. The messenger represented to Vîranâ-
râyaṇa that he and Jelâlu'd-dîn were the sun and moon in the
surrounding starry heaven of kings, and that his master, ex-
tremely pleased with the gallantry displayed by the prince in the
late war, sought his friendship. He also represented how good
it would be if they both lived in harmony and saw each other
frequently; how strong they both would be by this alliance,
which would be like the union of wind with fire, and which would