Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature c9.977

c9.977

During the time of Svārociṣa Manu, there lived a King named Suratha. Because of his liberality and truthfulness he had very few enemies. While he was ruling over the kingdom known as Kolāpura, once the low caste people of the mountains fought a battle with the King. Though the army of the low castes was small it was the King who sustained defeat. He returned to the palace thoughtful. He had no peace of mind. So he went to the forest to get peace. After travelling for a long time on horse-back, he reached the hermitage of the sage Sumedhas. Forgetting himself in the peaceful stillness of the hermitage, the King got down from the horse and sat under a tree. The hermit Sumedhas came there and talked with the King. The King told his story to the hermit, who invited the King to live with him. Thus the King lived in the hermitage eating fruits, roots etc.