"It is my command that from today, no guard will follow me, during my night outs."
Vallabharaya reluctantly nodded his head and started to leave.
The king stopped him and said, "Don't try to have someone follow me surreptitiously. If you do so, I will deem it a breach of my command."
A few days passed since the king began to go out in the nights, without any security cover. When the minister came to know of this, he pleaded with the king to allow a couple of security guards to follow him, but the king did not accept his plea.
Sambudeva took the additional precaution of leaving the palace without anyones's knowledge, lest some security guards should follow him, despite his strict order against doing so.
When Sambuvaraya was walking in a street, he heard some noises behind him. When he turned back, he saw that a person holding a knife in his hand was overpowered and held by another.
The man who was holding the man with the knife told Sambuvaraya, "This man tried to stab you from behind. I stopped him and saved your life. Go and fetch some men, so that we can take him to the guards and hand him over to them. Hurry up" in a commanding tone.
As Sambudava stood there, not knowing what to do, that man shouted, "Oh, men! Please come here. I have caught a thug, trying to commit a murder."
Hearing his shout, a few people from the neighbourhood rushed to the spot. Some of them joined together and tied the person caught, to a pillar on the pial of a house. A couple of men went in search of a guard, who could be nearby, for handing over the culprit to him.
"How did you catch him?" Sambudeva asked the man, who caught the culprit.
"This man has been roaming about this place for the past few days. When I looked at him from a distance, he appeared to be a foreigner. I had my suspicion about him. Tonight, I was lying awake on the pial of my house, since I didn't get sleep. Hearing the sound of footsteps, I opened my eyes and looked out. I saw someone walking on the street. Now I know it was you. I then closed my eyes and tried to sleep. I heard another set of footsteps. Then I saw this man walking behind you, surreptitiously. Doubting his intentions, I got up, stepped out into the street and walked behind him noiselessly. I noticed the glittering of the knife he was holding in his hand. By that time, he had come close to you. Fearing that he was going to stab you, I ran to him and caught hold of him. Looking at his face, I realized that he was the person I had seen during the last couple of days. Why did he try to stab you? Is there any enmity between the two of you?"
"I have no enemies in this country. But, you say he is a foreigner. Maybe, I have some enemies in other countries" said Sanbudeva, with a chuckle.
"Are you such a notable person to have enemies outside our country?" exclaimed the man. "Anyway, the fact is that someone tried to kill you. It was a miracle that your life had been saved. Do you know who saved you?"
"It was you, of course!"
"Not me. It is the sceptre of our king that saved you. Our king has been ruling this country with integrity and dedication, focusing on the welfare of the people. It is his good rule that saved you" said the person, without being aware that the person saved by him was the king himself.
muRai kAkkum muttAch cheyin.
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