Prathamasangama told the two princes what the king’s vassal was about to do based on the letter of the king.
The two princes were shocked and could not believe that their own father would want them dead especially after they were so successful.
Their grandfather looked grave. “I think there is some misunderstanding. But we do not have time to discuss this. I have procured some good horses for the three of us. We shall leave this place and get into the Vindhya forests far away from here.”
The two princes realized the wisdom in the old man’s words and took the horses.
The three of them drove the horses non-stop through the night and by afternoon of the next day, the three of them had reached the thick Vindhya forests.
But this took a dangerous turn.
The horses could not survive the continuous run and fell dead. Worse, the old Prathamasangama could not survive this too. He too ended up dead.
The two princes were heartbroken.
But then realized that they had to go on. They were thirsty, hungry and weak and were in the dense forests of Vindhya.
That was when the two princess remembered the words of their father - that they were born because of the blessings of Goddess Chandika.
Initially, the princes did not want to believe the words of their father, who had wanted them dead. But the two princes prayed to the Goddess anyway.
The Goddess heard their prayer and immediately made the two princes free of hunger and thirst.
The two princes were delighted by this and walked to the temple of Goddess Vindhyavasini and thanked the Goddess there.
Adapted from the Katha Sarith Sagara
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