IINTRODUCTION 5 book " The Ideals of Japan." Indeed, Japan has become quite an ideal country to the world and to India ; and if the principle of devotion to one's country so remarkably displayed by Japan is brought home to every reader of this remarkable story, the author too may have the complacency of having done his duty to his country and to his fellow suljects. 7. The story itself is simple and need not be detailed in this preface. The tragic stage of the story is brought about by a single false step, namely, resorting to white falsehood even in a good cause and with the best of intentions. This brings home to us the eternal principle that सत्यमेव जयते नानृतम् truth alone triumphs and trutbalone can bring universal happiness. Any deviation from it cannot produce good to all alike, good ultimately if not immediately. Two good men, the priest and the adviser of king Devasena, resorted to a falsehood, though with the best of intentions and without any personal motives. They misrepresented to their king that the maiden Unmadayanti though perfect in every way as a woman, was not suitable to be the wife of their king. This misrepresentation was based on a wrong interpretation of naturc, that an extremely beautiful wife wou'd necessarily prove an object of entire devotion for her husband, and to the entire neglect of all else on
