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All the guests were received with great honor. They were housed in beautiful
palaces. They were feasted and entertained most splendidly. On the marriage day,
the royal guests set out in their best clothes and jewels. They assembled on one
side of a large field which was fenced on all sides. The King of Khosla arrived
with his family, his ministers, court officials, and friends. He told the big
gathering that his daughter, Satya, would marry the first prince who could yoke
the seven wild bulls together. He then ordered the contest to begin. The
ceremony began with the beating of drums and the sounding of bugles. The pipers
and trumpeters joined in. The music was exciting. Seven large cages were brought
in. The attendants opened the doors of the cages. Seven huge, fierce-looking
bulls rushed out. They moved about, challenging everyone. Every prince desired
to win Satya and wanted to get in first to try his luck. Many of them rushed in
together, in the hope of yoking the wild bulls. One king, who had won many
battles and thought he was the strongest man to enter the contest, walked boldly
towards one of the wild bulls. the bull charged at him with great force. Hew as
tossed, and he fell to the ground. The bull followed him but the brave man got
up and ran for his life. A prince, one who had killed many wild animals,
rushed at one of the bulls. The bull gored him and he fell down unconscious.
Another prince approached a bull. But he then felt frightened and ran out of the
field. One prince who tried to catch one of the bulls was kicked by the animal.
He withdrew with a broken leg. All the kings and princes fried their best but
none of them was able to catch the bulls and yoke them together. Everybody was
upset. Some of the princes said that the King of Khosla had set an impossible
task for them. They said that the King must choose one of them to marry his
daughter. They argued that the marriage had been fixed and it must take place.
The King of Khosla was very sad that the contest had failed. He ordered the
bulls to be put back in their cages and taken away. Suddenly, a new prince
arrived in a chariot. It was Krishna. Krishna wanted to try his luck in the
contest to win Satya. The King welcomed Krishna and told him about the terms of
the contest. The defeated kings and princes looked on. The wild bulls were all
standing in a row, with their heads raised high, as if celebrating their
victory. Then they saw another man walking boldly towards them. They stared at
him; he stared at them. For the first time the bulls seemed frightened. Krishna
was strong and clever. He knew how to tackle these wild animals. Slowly, he
walked around, caught the bulls one by one, and firmly yoked them together. The
kings and princes were surprised. There were loud cheers for Krishna. The
drummers, pipers, and buglers went into action with exciting loud music. The
King of Khosla greeted Krishna. He placed Satya's hand in Krishna's. There was
joy on all sides. |
