48
THE KING OF
Surangama
Yes, that is true. My father used to gamble. All the young men of the country used to gather at my father's house—and they used to drink and gamble.
Sudarshana
And when the King sent away your father in exile, did it not make you feel bitterly oppressed?
Surangama
Oh, it made me quite furious. I was on the road to ruin and destruction: when that path was closed for me, I seemed left without any support, without any succour or shelter. I raged and raved like a wild beast in a cage—how I wanted to tear every one to pieces in my powerless anger!