"When I heard that, I said, 'What, what? Who is he? Listen, he has been created by Siva as your future emperor. If he is a mortal, then mortals have attained divinity, and the Vidyadharas have seen the valour of that mortal; moreover, if he comes here, we shall soon see which party will be destroyed.' When I said this in wrath, that a.s.sembly was disturbed. And Srutasarman and Dhurandhara rushed forward to slay me. And I said to them--'Come now, let me see your valour!' Then Damodara rose up, and restrained them, exclaiming 'Peace! an amba.s.sador and a Brahman must not be slain.' Then Vikramasakti said to me--'Depart, amba.s.sador, for we, like your master, are all created by Siva. So let him come, and we will see whether we are able to entertain him or not.' When he said this in a haughty manner, I laughed and said, 'The swans utter their cries in the lotus-bower and enjoy themselves much, until they see the cloud that comes darkening the heaven.' After saying this I rose up in a contemptuous manner, left the court, and came here." When Maya and others heard this from Prahasta, they were pleased. And they all, Suryaprabha and the rest, determined on preparing for battle, and made Prabhasa, the impetuous in war, their general. And receiving the command from Suvasak.u.mara, they all prepared that day with strict vows to consecrate themselves for the combat. [661]

And at night, Suryaprabha, as he was lying sleepless, saw a wonderful and beautiful maiden enter the chamber, in which he was occupying a solitary couch in accordance with his vow. She came boldly up to him, who pretended to be asleep, with his ministers sleeping round him, and said to her confidante, who was with her; "If he possesses such glorious beauty, when he is asleep, and all the graceful motion of his body is still, what must it be, my friend, when he is awake? So let be! we must not wake him up. I have gratified the curiosity of my eyes. Why should I fix my heart too fondly on him? For he will have a battle with Srutasarman, and who can say what will befall either party in it? For the feast of battle is for consuming the lives of heroes. And should he not be fortunate, we shall have to take some other resolve. [662] And how could one like me captivate the soul of a man who, when roaming in the air, beheld Kamachudamani?" When she said this, her confidante answered, "Why do you say this? Why, fair one, is it your duty not to allow your heart to attach itself to him? Why should not he, the sight of whom captivated the heart of Kamachudamani, captivate the heart of any other lady, were she even Arundhati in bodily presence? And do you not know that he will prosper in fight by the force of science? And when he is emperor, you, and Kamachudamani, and Suprabha of the same family, are to be his wives, so say the holy sages, and in these very days he has married Suprabha. So, how can he be unsuccessful in fight? For the predictions of the sages are never falsified. And will you not captivate the heart of the man, whose heart was captivated by Suprabha? For you, blameless one, exceed her in beauty. And if you hesitate through regard for your relations, that is not right, for good women have no relations but their husband." That excellent maiden, when she heard this speech of her confidante's, said--"You have spoken truth, my friend, I need no other relations. And I know my husband will conquer in fight by his science. He has obtained jewels and sciences, but my mind is grieved because up to the present time he has not obtained the virtuous herbs. Now they are all in a cave of the mountain Chandrapada. But they are to be obtained by an emperor possessing virtue. So, if he were to go there and procure those mighty drugs, it would be well, for his great struggle is nigh at hand, even to-morrow." When Suryaprabha heard this, he flung off all his feigned sleep, and rising up, said respectfully to that maiden--"Lovely-eyed one, you have shewn great favour to me, so I will go there, tell me who you are." When the maiden heard that, she was abashed with shame, and silent, thinking that he had heard all, but her friend said--"This is a maiden named Vilasini, the daughter of Sumeru, the prince of the Vidyadharas, who was desirous of beholding you." When her friend said this, Vilasini said to her, "Come, let us go now," and went out of the room.

Then Suryaprabha woke up his ministers, Prabhasa and the rest, and told them of that method of procuring the drugs, which the lady spoke of. And he sent Prabhasa, a fit person to accomplish that, to tell it to Sunitha and Sumeru and Maya. And when they came and approved of it, Suryaprabha, accompanied by his ministers, went with them in the night to the mountain Chandrapada. And as they were gradually advancing, the Yakshas, Guhyakas, and k.u.mbhandas, being alarmed, rose up to bar their way, armed with numerous weapons. Some of them Suryaprabha and his friends bewildered with weapons, some they paralysed by science, and at last they reached that mountain Chandrapada. When they reached the mouth of the cavern in that mountain, the Ganas of Siva prevented them from entering, a.s.suming strange deformed countenances. Then Suvasak.u.mara said to Suryaprabha and the others, "We must not fight with these, for the revered G.o.d Siva might be angry. Let us praise that giver of boons by his eight thousand names, and that will make the Ganas [663] favourably disposed to us." Then they all agreed, and praised Siva; and the Ganas, pleased at hearing their master praised, said to them; "We abandon this cave to you, take its potent simples. But Suryaprabha must not enter it himself; let Prabhasa enter it, for it will be easy for him to enter." They all said "So be it," and acceded to the advice of the Ganas. Then that cave, as soon as Prabhasa entered it, though before enveloped in darkness, became irradiated with light. And four very terrible Rakshasas, who were servants there, rose up, and bending before him, said to him "Enter." Then Prabhasa entered, and collected those seven divine herbs, and coming out, gave them all to Suryaprabha. And that moment a voice was heard from heaven, saying, "Suryaprabha, of great power are these seven drugs which you have obtained to-day." When Suryaprabha and the others heard that, they were delighted, and quickly returned to the dwelling of Sumeru to greet their army. Then Sunitha asked that Suvasak.u.mara; "Hermit, why was Prabhasa allowed by the Ganas to enter the cave, and not Suryaprabha, and why was he also welcomed by the servants?" When the hermit heard that, he said in the hearing of all, "Listen, I will explain this--Prabhasa is a great benefactor to Suryaprabha, being a second self to him, there is no difference between them. Moreover, no one is equal in might and courage to Prabhasa, and this cave belongs to him on account of his good deeds in a former life, and listen, I will tell you what sort of a person he was in a former existence."

Story of the generous Danava Namuchi.

In old times there was an excellent Danava named Namuchi, who was devoted to charity and very brave, and did not refuse to give anything to anybody that asked, even if he were his enemy. He practised asceticism as a drinker of smoke for ten thousand years, and obtained as a favour from Brahma, that he should be proof against iron, stone, and wood. Then he frequently conquered Indra and made him flee, so the rishi Kasyapa entreated him, and made him make peace with the G.o.ds. Then the G.o.ds and Asuras, as their enmity was at an end, deliberated together, and went to the ocean of milk, and churned it with the mountain Mandara. And as Vishnu and the other G.o.ds received Lakshmi and other things as their shares, so Namuchi gained the horse Uchchhaihsravas; and the other G.o.ds and Asuras received other various shares, appointed by Brahma, of the things that rose from the sea, when churned. And the amrita at last came up at the end of the churning, and the G.o.ds stole it, so a quarrel again took place between them and the Asuras. Then, as fast as the G.o.ds killed an Asura in their light with them, the horse Uchchhaihsravas immediately restored him to life by smelling him. The consequence was that the G.o.ds found it impossible to conquer the Daityas and Danavas. Then Vrihaspati said in secret to Indra, who was in despair: "There is only one expedient left, adopt it without delay; go to Namuchi yourself, and ask him for that excellent horse, for he will certainly give it to you, though you are his enemy, sooner than mar the glory of open-handedness, which he has been acc.u.mulating since his birth." When the preceptor of the G.o.ds said that to him, great Indra went with the G.o.ds and craved as a boon that horse Uchchhaihsravas from Namuchi. Then the great-hearted Namuchi reflected, "I never turn back a suppliant, so I will not turn back Indra; and how can I, as long as I am Namuchi, refuse to give him the horse? If the glory of generosity, which I have long been acquiring in the worlds, were to wither, what would be the use to me of prosperity, or life?" Accordingly he gave the horse to Indra, although Sukra warned him not to do it. Then Indra, after he had given the horse, lulled him to security, and as he could not be slain by any other weapon, killed him with foam of the Ganges, in which he had placed a thunderbolt. Alas! terrible in the world is the thirst for enjoyment, carried away by which even G.o.ds do not shrink from unbecoming and infamous conduct. When Danu, the mother of Namuchi, heard this, being afflicted with grief, she made by virtue of her asceticism a solemn resolve for the allaying of her sorrow, "May that mighty Namuchi be again born in my womb, and may he again become invincible by the G.o.ds in battle." Then he was again conceived in her womb, and born as an Asura composed all of jewels, named Prabala on account of his strength. Then he performed asceticism, and satisfying supplicants even with his life, became successful, and as prince of the Danavas conquered Indra a hundred times. Then the G.o.ds took counsel together, and came to him, and said to him: "By all means give us your body for a human sacrifice." [664] When he heard that, he gave them his own body, although they were his enemies; n.o.ble men do not turn their backs on a suppliant, but bestow on him even their lives. Then that Danava Prabala was cut to pieces by the G.o.ds, and he has been again born in the world of men with the body of Prabhasa.

"So Prabhasa was first Namuchi, and then he was Prabala, and then he became Prabhasa, therefore on account of his merit he is hard for his enemies to conquer. And that cave of herbs, which belonged to that Prabala, is for that reason the property of Prabhasa, and is at his command with its servants. And below it there is in Patala [665] the mansion of Prabala, and in it there are his twelve head-wives beautifully adorned, and various jewels, and many kinds of weapons, and a wishing-stone, and a hundred thousand warriors, and also horses. This all belongs to Prabhasa, and was acquired by him in a former life. Such a hero is Prabhasa; in him nothing is wonderful." When they heard this from the hermit's son, Suryaprabha and his followers, with Maya and Prabhasa, went immediately to that cavern belonging to Prabhasa, that led down to Patala, for the purpose of securing the jewels. Prabhasa alone went in by that entrance, and secured his former wives, and the wishing-stone, and the horses, and the Asura warriors, and coming out again with all his wealth, he gave great satisfaction to Suryaprabha. Then that Suryaprabha, having quickly obtained what he wished, returned to his own camp with Maya and Sunitha and Prabhasa, followed by Sumeru and the other kings and the ministers. There, after the Asuras and kings and others had gone to their own quarters, he again was consecrated for the fight, restraining his pa.s.sions, and spent the rest of the night on a bed of kusa gra.s.s.

CHAPTER XLVII.

Early the next morning, Suryaprabha set out from the hermitage of Sumeru with his forces to conquer Srutasarman. And arriving near the mountain of Trikuta his dwelling place, he encamped, driving away the enemies' army with his own force, which was established there. And while he was encamped there with Sumeru, Maya, and others, and was in the hall of council, an amba.s.sador came from the lord of Trikuta. And when he came, he said to Sumeru the Vidyadhara prince; "The king, the father of Srutasarman, sends you this message. 'We have never entertained you, as you were far off; now you have arrived in our territory with guests, so now we will shew you appropriate hospitality.'" When Sumeru heard this scoffingly ambiguous message, he said in answer: "Bravo! you will not get another guest such a fit object of hospitality as we are. Hospitality will not bear its fruit in the next world, its fruit is in this. So here we are, entertain us." When Sumeru said this, the amba.s.sador returned to his master as he came.

Then Suryaprabha and the others, established upon an elevated place, surveyed their armies encamped separately. Then Sunitha said to his father-in-law the Asura Maya: "Explain to me the arrangement of the warriors in our army." Then that all-knowing prince of the Danavas said, "I will do so, listen;" and pointing them out with his finger, he began to say--"These kings Subahu, Nirghata, Mushtika, and Gohara, and Pralamba, and Pramatha, and Kankata, and Pingala, and Vasudatta and others, are considered half-power warriors. [666] And Ankurin, and Suvisala, and Dandin, and Bhushana, and Somila, and Unmattaka, and Devasarman, and Pitrisarman, and k.u.maraka, and Haridatta and others are all full-power warriors. And Prakampana, and Darpita, and k.u.mbhira, and Matripalita, and Mahabhata, and Virasvamin, and Suradhara, and Bhandira, and Sinhadatta and Gunavarman, with Kitaka and Bhima and Bhayankara, these are all warriors of double power. And Virochana, and Virasena, and Yajnasena, and Khujjara, and Indravarman, and Sevaraka, and Krurakarman, and Nirasaka, these princes are of triple power, my son. And Susarman, and Bahusalin, and Visakha, and Krodhana, and Prachanda,--these princes are warriors of fourfold power. And Junjarin, and Virasarman, and Praviravara, and Supratijna and Mararama, and Chandadanta, and Jalika, and the three, Sinhabhata, Vyaghrabhata, and Satrubhata, these kings and princes are warriors of fivefold power. But this prince Ugravarman is a warrior of sixfold power. And the prince Visoka, and Sutantu, and Sugama, and Narendrasarman are considered warriors of sevenfold power. And this king Sahasrayu is a great warrior. But this Satanika is lord of a host of great warriors. And Subhasa, Harsha, and Vimala, the companions of Suryaprabha, Mahabuddhi and Achalabuddhi, Priyankara and Subhankara are great warriors, as also Yajnaruchi and Dharmaruchi. But Visvaruchi, and Bhasa, and Siddhartha, these three ministers of Suryaprabha, are chiefs of hosts of great warriors. And his ministers Prahasta and Mahartha are leaders of hosts of transcendent warriors. And Prajnadhya and Sthirabuddhi are leaders of hosts of hosts of warriors; and the Danava Sarvadamana, and Pramathana here, and Dhumaketu, and Pravahana, and Vajrapanjara, and Kalachakra, and Marudvega are leaders of warriors and transcendent warriors. Prakampana and Sinhanada are leaders of hosts of leaders of hosts of warriors. And Mahamaya, and Kambalika, and Kalakampana here, and Prahrishtaroman, these four lords of the Asuras, are kings over chiefs of hosts of transcendent warriors. And this Prabhasa, the general of the army, who is equal to Suryaprabha, and this son of Sumeru, Kunjarak.u.mara, these two are leaders of hosts of chiefs of hosts of great warriors. Such heroes are there in our army, and others besides, girt with their followers. There are more in the hostile army, but Siva being well disposed towards us, they will not be able to resist our host.

While the Asura Maya was saying this to Sunitha, another amba.s.sador came from the father of Srutasarman, and said thus to him; "The king of Trikuta sends this message to you; 'This is a great feast for heroes--the feast, which goes by the name of battle. This ground is narrow for it, therefore let us leave it, and go to a place named Kalapagrama, where there is a wide s.p.a.ce.'" When Sunitha and the other chiefs with their soldiers heard this, they agreed, and all of them went with Suryaprabha to Kalapagrama. And Srutasarman and his partizans also, eager for battle, went to that same place, surrounded with the hosts of the Vidyadharas. When Suryaprabha and his chiefs saw elephants in the army of Srutasarman, they summoned their contingent of elephants, which was conveyed in the chariot that flew through the air. Then Damodara, that excellent Vidyadhara, drew up his army in the form of a large needle; Srutasarman himself took up his position on the flank with his ministers, and Damodara was in front, and other great warriors in other places. And Prabhasa, the leader of Suryaprabha's army, arranged it in the form of a crescent; he himself was in the centre, and Kunjarak.u.mara and Prahasta at the two horns; and Suryaprabha, and Sunitha and the other chiefs, all remained in the rear. And Sumeru with Suvasak.u.mara stood near him. Thereupon the war-drums were beaten in both armies.

And in the meanwhile the heaven was filled with the G.o.ds, come to see the battle, together with Indra, and the Lokapalas, and the Apsarases. And Siva, the lord of all, came there with Parvati, followed by deities, and the Ganas, and demons, and the mothers. [667]

And holy Brahma came accompanied by the Vedas incarnate in bodily form, beginning with the Gayatri, and the Sastras and all the great Rishis. And the G.o.d Vishnu came, riding on the king of birds, bearing his weapon the discus, accompanied by G.o.ddesses, of whom the G.o.ddesses of Fortune, Glory, and Victory were the chief. And Kasyapa came with his wives, and the adityas and the Vasus, and the chiefs of the Yakshas, Rakshasas and snakes, and also the Asuras with Prahlada at their head. The sky was obscured with them, and the battle of those two armies began, terrible with the clashing of weapons, accompanied with loud shouts. The whole heaven was darkened by the dense cloud of arrows, through which the flashes, made by the arrows striking against one another, played like lightning, and rivers of blood flowed, swollen with the gore of many elephants and horses wounded with weapons, in which the bodies of heroes moved like alligators. That battle gave great delight to heroes, jackals, and goblins, that danced, waded, and shouted in blood.

When the confused melee, in which countless soldiers fell, had abated, Suryaprabha, and the other chiefs, gradually began to perceive the distinction between their own army and that of the enemy, and heard in order from Sumeru the names and lineage of the chiefs fighting in front of the enemies' host. Then first took place a single combat between king Subahu and a chief of the Vidyadharas, named Attahasa. Subahu fought a long time, until Attahasa, after riddling him with arrows, cut off his head with a crescent-headed shaft. When Mushtika saw that Subahu was slain, he rushed forward in wrath; he too fell smitten by Attahasa with an arrow in the heart. When Mushtika was slain, a king named Pralamba in wrath rushed on, and attacked Attahasa with showers of arrows, but Attahasa slew his retainers, and striking the hero Pralamba with an arrow in a mortal place, laid him low on the seat of his chariot. A king named Mohana, when he saw Pralamba dead, engaged with Attahasa and smote him with arrows. Then Attahasa cut his bow and slew his charioteer, and laid him low, slain with a terrific blow. When the host of Srutasarman saw that the dexterous Attahasa had slain those four warriors, expecting the victory, they shouted for joy. When Harsha, the companion of Suryaprabha, saw that, he was wroth, and with his followers attacked Attahasa and his followers; and with shafts he repelled his shafts, and he slew his followers, and killed his charioteer, and two or three times cut his bow and his banner, and at last he cleft asunder his head with his arrows, so that he fell from his chariot on the earth, pouring forth a stream of blood. When Attahasa was slain, there was such a panic in the battle, that in a moment only half the two armies remained. Horses, elephants and footmen fell down there slain, and only the trunks of slaughtered men remained standing in the van of battle.

Then a chief of the Vidyadharas, named Vikritadanshtra, angry at the slaughter of Attahasa, showered arrows upon Harsha. But Harsha repelled his arrows, struck down his chariot-horses, and his banner and his charioteer, and cut off his head with its trembling earrings. But when Vikritadanshtra was killed, a Vidyadhara king, named Chakravala, in wrath attacked Harsha; he slew Harsha still fighting on, though fatigued with combat, after his bow had been frequently cut asunder, and his other weapons damaged. Angry at that, king Pramatha attacked him, and he too was slain by that Chakravala in fight. In the same way four other distinguished kings, who attacked him one by one, were slain one after another by that Chakravala, namely, Kankata, and Visala, and Prachanda and Ankurin. When king Nirghata saw that, he was wroth, and attacked Chakravala, and those two, Chakravala and Nirghata, fought for a long time, and at last they broke one another's chariots to pieces, and so became infantry soldiers, and the two, rushing furiously together, armed with sword and discus, cleft with sword-strokes one another's heads, and fell dead on the earth. Then the two armies were dispirited, seeing those two warriors dead, but nevertheless a king of the Vidyadharas, named Kalakampana, stepped forward to the front of the fight. And a prince, named Prakampana, attacked him, but he was in a moment struck down by that Kalakampana. When he was struck down, five other warriors attacked Kalakampana, namely Jalika, and Chandadatta, and Gopaka, and Somila, and Pitrisarman; all these let fly arrows at him at the same time. But Kalakampana deprived all five of their chariots, and slew them at the same time, piercing the five with five arrows in the heart. That made the Vidyadharas shout for joy, and the men and Asuras despond. Then four other warriors rushed upon him at the same time, Unmattaka and Prasasta, Vilambaka and Dhurandhara; Kalakampana slew them all easily, in the same way he killed six other warriors that ran towards him, Tejika, and Geyika, and Vegila, and Sakhila, and Bhadrankara and Dandin, great warriors with many followers. And again he slew five others that met him in fight, Bhima, Bhishana, k.u.mbhira, Vikata, and Vilochana. And a king, named Sugana, when he saw the havoc that Kalakampana had made in the battle, ran to meet him. Kalakampana fought with him until both had their horses and charioteers killed, and were compelled to abandon their chariots; then Kalakampana, reduced to fight on foot, laid Sugana, who was also fighting on foot, low on the earth with a sword-cut. Then the sun, having beheld that surprising struggle of Vidyadharas with men, went grieved to rest. [668] Not only did the field of battle become red, filled with streaming blood, but the heaven also became red, when evening set her foot-prints there. Then the corpses and demons began their evening dance, and both armies, stopping the battle, went to their camps. In the army of Srutasarman were slain that day three heroes, but thirty-three distinguished heroes were slain in the army of Suryaprabha.

Then Suryaprabha, grieved at the slaughter of his kinsmen and friends, spent that night apart from his wives. And eager for the fight, he pa.s.sed that night in various military discussions with his ministers, without going to sleep. And his wives, grieved on account of the slaughter of their relations, met together in one place that night, having come for the sake of mutual condolence. But even on that melancholy occasion they indulged in miscellaneous conversation; there is no occasion on which women are not irrelevant in their talk. In the course of this conversation, one princess said--"It is wonderful! How comes it that to-night our husband has gone to sleep without any of his wives?" Hearing that, another said--"Our husband is to-day grieved on account of the slaughter of his followers in battle, so how can he take any pleasure in the society of women?" Then another said, "If he were to obtain a new beauty, he would that instant forget his grief." Then another said--"Do not say so; although he is devoted to the fair s.e.x, he would not behave in this way on such a sad occasion." While they were thus speaking, one said with wonder; "Tell me why our husband is so devoted to women, that, though he has carried off many wives, he is perpetually marrying new princesses and is never satisfied." One of the wives, a clever woman of the name of Manovati, said when she heard this,--"Hear why kings have many loves. The good qualities of lovely women are different, varying with their native land, their beauty, their age, their gestures, and their accomplishments, no one woman possesses all good qualities. The women of Karnata, of Lata, of Saurashtra and Madhyadesa, please by the peculiar behaviour of their various countries. Some fair ones captivate by their faces like an autumn moon, others by their b.r.e.a.s.t.s full and firm like golden ewers, and others by their limbs, charming from their beauty. One has limbs yellow as gold, another is dark like a priyangu, another, being red and white, captivates the eyes as soon as seen. One is of budding beauty, another of full-developed youth, another is agreeable on account of her maturity, and distinguished by increasing coquetry. One looks lovely when smiling, another is charming even in anger, another charms with gait resembling that of an elephant, another with swan-like motion. One, when she prattles, irrigates the ears with nectar; another is naturally beautiful, when she looks at one with graceful contraction of the eyebrows. One charms by dancing, another pleases by singing, and another fair one attracts by being able to play on the lyre and other instruments. One is distinguished for good temper, another is remarkable for artfulness; another enjoys good fortune from being able to understand her husband's mind. But, to sum up, others possess other particular merits; so every lovely woman has some peculiar good point, but of all the women in the three worlds none possesses all possible virtues. So kings, having made up their minds to experience all kinds of fascinations, though they have captured many wives for themselves, are for ever seizing new ones. [669] But the truly n.o.ble never, under any circ.u.mstances, desire the wives of others. So this is not our husband's fault, and we cannot be jealous." When the head-wives of Suryaprabha, beginning with Madanasena, had been addressed in this style by Manovati, they made one after another remarks to the same effect. Then, in their merriment, they laid aside all the ties of reserve, and began to tell one another all kinds of secrets. For unfortunately there is nothing which women will not let out, when they are met together in social intercourse, and their minds are interested in the course of the conversation. At last that long conversation of theirs was somehow or other brought to an end, and in course of time the night pa.s.sed away, during which Suryaprabha was longing to conquer the host of his enemies, for he was alone, intently waiting for the time when the darkness should depart. [670]

CHAPTER XLVIII.

The next morning, Suryaprabha and his party, and Srutasarman and his supporters, again went to the field of battle armed, with their forces. And again the G.o.ds and Asuras, with Indra, Brahma, Vishnu, and Rudra, and with the Yakshas, snakes, and Gandharvas, came to see the fight. Damodara drew up the troops of Srutasarman in the form of a discus, and Prabhasa drew up the troops of Suryaprabha in the form of a thunderbolt. Then the battle of those two armies went on, deafening the horizon with drums and the shouts of champions, and the sun hid himself in flights of arrows, as if out of fear that the warriors smitten with weapons would certainly pierce his disk. Then Prabhasa, by command of Suryaprabha, broke the discus-arrangement of the enemy's host, hard for another to break, and entered alone. And Damodara himself came and defended that opening in the line, and Prabhasa fought against him unaided. And Suryaprabha, seeing that he had entered alone, sent fifteen great warriors to follow him, Prakampana, and Dhumraketu, and Kalakampana, and Mahamaya, and Marudvega, and Prahasta, and Vajrapanjara, and Kalachakra, and Pramathana, and Sinhanada, and Kambala, and Vikataksha, and Pravahana, and Kunjarak.u.maraka, and Prahrishtaroman the heroic Asura prince: all those great warriors rushed forward to the opening in the line; then Damodara exhibited his wonderful heroism, in that alone he fought with those fifteen.

When Indra saw that, he said to the hermit Narada, who was at his side, "Suryaprabha and the others of his party are incarnations of Asuras, but Srutasarman is a portion of me, and all these Vidyadharas are portions of the G.o.ds, so observe, hermit, this is a disguised fight between the G.o.ds and Asuras. And observe, in it Vishnu is, as ever, the ally of the G.o.ds, for Damodara, who is a portion of him, is fighting here."

While Indra was saying this, fourteen great warriors came to a.s.sist the general Damodara,--Brahmagupta and Vayubala, and Yamadanshtra, and Suroshana, and Roshavaroha, and Atibala, and Tejahprabha, and Dhurandhara, and Kuveradatta, and Varunasarman, and Kambalika, and the hero Dushtadamana, and Dohana and arohana. And those fifteen heroes, joined with Damodara, fighting in front of the line, kept off the followers of Suryaprabha. Then single combats took place between them; Prakampana carried on a missile fight with Damodara, and Dhumraketu fought with Brahmagupta, and Mahamaya fought with Atibala, the Danava Kalakampana fought with Tejahprabha, and the great Asura Marudvega with Vayubala, and Vajrapanjara fought with Yamadanshtra, and the heroic Asura Kalachakra with Suroshana; Pramathana fought with Kuveradatta, and the king of the Daityas, named Sinhanada, with Varunasarman. Pravahana fought with Dushtadamana, and the Danava Prahrishtaroman fought with Roshavaroha; and Vikataksha fought with Dhurandhara, Kambala fought with Kambalika, and Kunjarak.u.maraka with arohana, and Prahasta with Dohana, who was also called Mahotpata.

When these pairs of warriors were thus fighting in the front of the line, Sunitha said to Maya, "Alas! observe, our heroic warriors, though skilled in the use of many weapons, have been prevented by these antagonists from entering the enemies' line; but Prabhasa entered before recklessly alone, so we do not know what will become of him there." When Suvasak.u.mara heard this, he said, "All the G.o.ds, Asuras, and men in the three worlds are not a match for this Prabhasa unaided, much less then are these Vidyadharas. So why do you fear without reason, though you know this well enough?"

While the hermit's son was saying this, the Vidyadhara Kalakampana came to meet Prabhasa in fight. Then Prabhasa said to him, "Ha! Ha! you have rendered me a great service, so let me now see your valour here." Saying this, Prabhasa let fly at him a succession of arrows, and Kalakampana in return showered sharp arrows upon him. Then that Vidyadhara and that man fought together with arrows and answering arrows, making the worlds astonished. Then Prabhasa with a sharp arrow struck down the banner of Kalakampana, with a second he killed his charioteer, with four more his four horses, and with one more he cut his bow in half, with two more he cut off his hands, with two more his arms, and with two more his two ears, and with one sharp-edged arrow he cut off the head of his foe, and thus displayed wonderful dexterity. Thus Prabhasa, as it were, chastised Kalakampana, being angry with him because he had slain so many heroes in his own army. And the men and Asuras, when they saw that Vidyadhara chief slain, raised a shout, and the Vidyadharas immediately proclaimed their despondency. [671]

Then a king of the Vidyadharas, named Vidyutprabha, lord of the hill of Kalanjara, in wrath attacked Prabhasa. When he was fighting with Prabhasa, Prabhasa first cut asunder his banner, and then kept cutting his bows in two, as fast as he took them up. Then the Vidyadhara, being ashamed, by his delusive power flew up invisible into the sky, and rained swords, clubs, and other weapons upon Prabhasa. Prabhasa, for his part, swept away his succession of missiles with others, and by the illuminating weapon made that Asura manifest, and then employing the weapon of fire, he burned up Vidyutprabha with its blaze, and bringing him down from the heaven, laid him dead on the earth.

When Srutasarman saw this, he said to his warriors, "Observe, this man has slain two chiefs of hosts of great warriors. Now why do you put up with it? Join together and slay him." When they heard that, eight warriors in anger surrounded Prabhasa. One was a king of the Vidyadharas named urdhvaroman, a lord of hosts of warriors, dwelling in the great mountain named Vankataka. And the second warrior was a chief of the Vidyadharas named Vikrosana, the king of the rock Dharanidhara. And the third was the hero Indramalin, a prince of the Vidyadharas, lord of a host of distinguished warriors, and his home was the mountain Lila. And the fourth was an excellent Vidyadhara named king Kakandaka, a chief of a host of warriors, and his dwelling was in the mountain Malaya. And the fifth was Darpavaha by name, lord of the hill Niketa, and the sixth was Dhurtavyayana the lord of the mountain Anjana, and both these Vidyadharas were chiefs of excellent warriors. And the seventh one, whose chariot was drawn by a.s.ses, was named Varahasvamin, king of the mount k.u.muda, and he was chief of a host of great warriors. And the eighth warrior was like him, Medhavara king of Dundhubhi. Prabhasa repelled the numerous arrows, which these eight came and discharged, and he pierced them all at the same time with arrows. And he slew the horse of one, and of one the charioteer, and he cut in half the banner of one, and he cleft the bow of another. But Medhavara he struck at the same time with four arrows in the heart, and at once laid him dead on the earth. And then he fought with the others, and cut off with an anjalika [672] the head of urdhvaroman with its curled and plaited hair, and of the other six he killed the horses and charioteers, and at last laid themselves low, cutting off their heads with crescent-headed arrows. And then a rain of flowers fell on his head from heaven, encouraging the kings of the Asuras, and discouraging the Vidyadharas. Then four more great warriors, armed with bows, sent by Srutasarman, surrounded Prabhasa; one was named Kacharaka, the lord of the mountain Kuranda; the second Dindimalin, whose home was the hill of Panchaka, and the third was Vibhavasu, king of the mountain Jayapura, the fourth was named Dhavala, the ruler of Bhumitundika. Those excellent Vidyadharas, chiefs of hosts of great warriors, let fly five hundred arrows at the same time at Prabhasa. But Prabhasa easily disposed of all, one by one, each with eight arrows; with one arrow he cut down the banner, with one cleft the bow, with one he killed the charioteer, with four the horses, and with one more he cut off the head of the warrior, and then shouted triumphantly.

Then another four Vidyadharas, by the order of Srutasarman, a.s.sembled in fight against Prabhasa. The first was named Bhadrankara, dark as the blue water-lily, sprung from Mercury in the house [673] of Visvavasu, but the second was Niyantraka like the fire in brightness, sprung from Mars in the house of Jambaka, and the third was called Kalakopa, very black in hue, with tawny hair, sprung from Saturn in the house of Damodara. And the fourth was Vikramasakti, like gold in brightness, sprung from the planet Jupiter in the house of the Moon. The three first were lords of hosts of lords of hosts of transcendent warriors, but the fourth was a great hero surpa.s.sing the rest in valour. And those haughty chiefs attacked Prabhasa with heavenly weapons. Prabhasa repelled their weapons with the weapon of Narayana, and easily cut asunder the bow of each eight times; then he repelled the arrows and clubs which they hurled, and slaying their horses and charioteers, deprived them all of their chariots. When Srutasarman saw that, he quickly sent other ten lords of the Vidyadharas, chiefs of lord of hosts of lords of hosts of warriors, two called Dama and Niyama, who exactly resembled one another in appearance, two sons born to the Asvins in the house of the lord of Ketumala, and Vikrama and Sankrama, and Parakrama and akrama, and Sammardana and Mardana, and Pramardana and Vimardana, the eight similar sons of the Vasus born in the house of Makaranda. And when they came, the previous a.s.sailants mounted other chariots. Wonderful to say, though all those fourteen joined together, and showered arrows on Prabhasa, he alone fought with them fearlessly. Then, by the order of Suryaprabha, Kunjarak.u.mara and Prahasta left the melee and flying up from the front of the line, weapons in hand, white and black in hue, came to the aid of Prabhasa, like Rama and Krishna over again. They, though fighting on foot, hara.s.sed Dama and Niyama, by cutting asunder their bows and killing their charioteers. When they, in their fear, soared up to heaven, Kunjarak.u.mara and Prahasta soared up also, weapons in hand. When Suryaprabha saw that, he quickly sent them his ministers Mahabuddhi and Achalabuddhi to act as charioteers. Then Prahasta and Kunjarak.u.mara discovered, by employing magic collyrium, those two sons of the Vidyadharas, Dama and Niyama, though they had made themselves invisible by magic power, and riddled them so with showers of arrows that they fled. And Prabhasa, fighting with the other twelve, cleft all their bows asunder, though they kept continually taking fresh ones. And Prahasta came and killed at the same time the charioteers of all, and Kunjarak.u.mara slew their horses. Then those twelve together, being deprived of their chariots, and finding themselves smitten by three heroes, fled out of the battle.

Then Srutasarman, beside himself with grief, anger and shame, sent two more Vidyadharas, captains of hosts of warriors and distinguished warriors; one was called Chandragupta born in the house of the lord of the great mountain Chandrakula, beautiful as a second moon, and the second was his own minister named Narangama, of great splendour, born in the house of the lord of the mountain Dhurandhara. They also, after discharging a shower of arrows, were in a moment deprived of their chariots by Prabhasa and his comrades, and disappeared.

Then the men and Asuras shouted for joy; but thereupon Srutasarman came himself, with four great warriors of mighty force, named Mahaugha, arohana, Utpata and Vetravat, the sons respectively of Tvashtri, [674]

Bhaga, Aryaman and Pushan, born in the houses of the four Vidyadhara kings, Chitrapada and others, that ruled over mount Malaya. And Srutasarman himself, blinded with furious anger, was the fifth, and they all fought against Prabhasa and his two companions. Then the host of arrows, which they shot at one another, seemed like a canopy spread in the sky by the Fortune of war in the full blaze of the sun. Then those other Vidyadharas, who had been deprived of their chariots, and had fled from the battle, came back into the fight.

Then Suryaprabha, seeing many of them a.s.sembled in fight, under the leadership of Srutasarman, sent other great warriors of his own to support Prabhasa and his comrades, his own friends with Prajnadhya at their head, and the princes of whom Satanika and Virasena were the chief. They flew through the air, and Suryaprabha sent the other warriors also through the air in the chariot Bhutasana. When all those archers had gone chariot-borne, the other Vidyadhara kings, who were on the side of Srutasarman, also came up. Then a fight took place between those Vidyadhara princes on the one side, and Prabhasa and his comrades on the other, in which there was a great slaughter of soldiers. And in the single combats between the two hosts, many warriors were slain on both sides, men, Asuras, and Vidyadharas. Virasena slew Dhumralochana and his followers; but having been deprived of his chariot, he was in his turn killed by Harisarman. Then the Vidyadhara hero Hiranyaksha was killed by Abhimanyu, but Abhimanyu and Haribhata were slain by Sunetra. And Sunetra was killed by Prabhasa, who cut off his head. And Jvalamalin and Mahayu killed one another. But k.u.mbhiraka and Nirasaka fought with their teeth, after their arms were cut off, and so did Kharva and the mighty Susarman. And the three, Satrubhata, Vyaghrabhata, and Sinhabhata were slain by Pravahana, the Vidyadhara king. Pravahana was killed by the two warriors Suroha and Viroha, and those two were slain by Sinhabala, the dweller in the cemetery. That very Sinhabala, whose chariot was drawn by ghosts, and Kapilaka, and Chitrapida the Vidyadhara king, and Jagajjvara, and the hero Kantapati, and the mighty Suvarna, and the two Vidyadhara kings Kamaghana and Krodhapati, and king Baladeva and Vichitrapida, these ten were slain by the prince Satanika. When these heroes had been slain, Srutasarman, beholding the slaughter of the Vidyadharas, himself attacked Satanika in his anger. Then a terrible fight took place between those two, lasting to the close of the day, and causing a great slaughter of soldiers, exciting the wonder even of the G.o.ds, and it continued until hundreds of corpses, rising up all round, laid hold of the demons as their partners, when the time arrived for the joyous evening dance. At the close of day the Vidyadharas, depressed at the great slaughter of their army, and grieved at the death of their friends, and the men and Asuras having won the victory by sheer force stopped the combat, and went each of them to their own camps.

At that time two Vidyadharas, chiefs of captains of bands of warriors, who had deserted the cause of Srutasarman, came, introduced by Sumeru, and said to Suryaprabha, after bowing before him: "We are named Mahayana and Sumaya, and this Sinhabala was the third of us; we had obtained magic power by having the rule of a great cemetery, and were una.s.sailable by the other Vidyadharas. While we, such as you have heard, were once taking our ease in a corner of the great cemetery, there came to us a good witch named Sarabhanana, of great and G.o.dlike power, who is always well disposed towards us. We bowed before her and asked her, 'Where have you been, honoured lady, and what have you seen there strange?' She thereupon related this adventure."

Adventure of the witch Sarabhanana.

'I went with the witches to visit my master, the G.o.d Mahakala, [675]

and while I was there, a king of the Vetalas came and reported: "See, O master, the chiefs of the Vidyadharas have killed our commander-in-chief named Agnika, and one named Tejahprabha is swiftly carrying off his lovely daughter. But the holy sages have foretold that she shall be the wife of the emperor of the Vidyadharas, so grant us a boon, and have her released before he forcibly carries her off to a distance." When the G.o.d heard this speech of the afflicted Vetala, he said to me--"Go and set her free," then I went through the air and came up with the maiden. Tejahprabha said, "I am carrying off the girl for our rightful emperor Srutasarman," but I paralyzed him by my magic power, and bringing back the maiden, gave her to my master. And he made her over to her own family. I in truth went through this strange adventure. Then I remained there some days, and after taking a reverent farewell of the G.o.d I came here.'

"When that witch Sarabhanana had said this, we said to her--'Tell us, who is to be the future emperor of the Vidyadharas? You in truth know all.' She said--'Suryaprabha will certainly be.' Whereupon Sinhabala said to us--'This is untrue, for have not the G.o.ds and Indra girded up their loins to support the cause of Srutasarman?' When the n.o.ble woman heard that, she said to us--'If you do not believe this, listen; I tell you that soon there will be war between Suryaprabha and Srutasarman, and when this Sinhabala shall be slain before your eyes by a man in battle, you will recognise this token, and will know that this speech of mine is true.' When that witch had said this, she departed, and those days pa.s.sed away, and now we have seen with our own eyes, that in truth this Sinhabala has been slain. Relying upon that, we think that you are indeed appointed emperor of all the Vidyadharas, and submitting ourselves to your rule, we have repaired to your two lotus-like feet." When the Vidyadharas Mahayana and Sumayaka said this, Suryaprabha, in concert with Maya and the rest, received them into confidence and honoured them, and they rejoiced. When Srutasarman heard that, he was in great consternation, but Indra comforted him by a message, sending to him Visvavasu, and commissioning him to say--"Be of good cheer! To-morrow I will aid thee with all the G.o.ds in the van of battle." This he said to him out of love, to comfort him. And Suryaprabha, having been encouraged by beholding the breaking of his enemies' line, and having seen in the front of battle the slaughter of his rival's partisans, again forwent the society of his charmers, and entered his dwelling at night surrounded by his ministers.

CHAPTER XLIX.

Then Suryaprabha, lying on his couch at night, eager for battle, apart from his wives, said to his minister Vitabhiti--"I cannot sleep, so tell me, my friend, some strange story of courage and endurance, to amuse me during the night." When Vitabhiti heard this request of Suryaprabha's, he answered--"I will obey your order," and he told this story.

Story of king Mahasena and his virtuous minister Gunasarman.

There is a city Ujjayini, the ornament of this earth, full of numberless jewels of pellucid water. In that city there lived a king named Mahasena, beloved by the virtuous, an unequalled treasury of accomplishments, having the beauty both of the sun and moon. He had a wife named Asokavati, whom he loved as his life, there was not another woman in the three worlds equal to her in beauty. The king ruled his realm with her for consort, and he had besides a friend, a Brahman named Gunasarman, whom he respected and loved. And that Brahman was brave and very handsome, and, though young, had thoroughly mastered the lore of the Vedas, and knew the accomplishments, the Sastras, and the use of weapons, and was always in attendance on the king.

And one day, as he was within the palace, a conversation arose about dancing, and the king and queen said to Gunasarman, who was in attendance,--"You know everything, there is no doubt about that; so we have a curiosity to see you dancing; if you know how to dance, kindly exhibit your skill." When Gunasarman heard this, he said with a smile on his face; "I know how to dance, but dancing is a thing not becoming in the king's court; foolish dancing is generally ridiculous and is censured in the Sastras. And far from me be shame here in the presence of the king and queen." When Gunasarman said that, the king answered him, being urged on to it by the queen out of curiosity--"This will not be like a dance on the stage, or in such places, which would make a man feel ashamed, but merely a private display of skill in the society of friends. And at present I am not your king, I am your friend without ceremony, so rest a.s.sured that I will not eat to-day, until I have seen your skill in dancing." When the king pressed him in this style, the Brahman consented to do it. For how can servants refuse the request of an importunate lord? Then that Gunasarman danced so skilfully with his body, that the hearts of both the king and queen danced for joy. And, at the end of it, the king gave him a lyre to play upon, and the moment he tested its tones, he said to the king, "This lyre is not in good order, so give me another one, there is a puppy inside this, your Majesty,--I know that by the indications of the tw.a.n.ging of the strings." Saying this, Gunasarman let go the lyre from under his arm. Then the king sprinkled it, and unscrewed and examined it, and a puppy came out of it. Then king Mahasena praised Gunasarman's omniscience, and was much astonished, and had another lyre brought. He played on that lyre which, like the Ganges that flows in three worlds, [676] was charming from its swift stream of music, [677] and purged the ear by its sound. Then in presence of the king, who with his wife looked on astonished, he exhibited in turn his skill in the n.o.bler studies. Then the king said to him, "If you are skilled in fighting, then shew me a specimen of the art of binding the enemy's limbs with your own hands unarmed." The Brahman answered him--"King, take your weapons and strike at me, that I may shew you a specimen of my skill." Then, as fast as the king took a sword or other weapon and struck at him, Gunasarman, by that artifice of fettering the limbs immediately disarmed him with ease, and frequently fettered his hand and body, without receiving a wound. Then the king, seeing that he was capable of aiding him in his political affairs, praised that excellent Brahman of transcendent ability, and honoured him highly.

But queen Asokavati, having beheld again and again the beauty and abilities of that Brahman, suddenly fell in love with him. She thought to herself, "If I cannot obtain him, of what use is my life to me." Then she artfully said to the king--"Do me a kindness, my husband, and order this Gunasarman to teach me to play on the lyre. For when I beheld to-day his skill in playing on the lyre, I took a desperate fancy to the instrument." When the king heard this, he said to Gunasarman--"By all means teach the queen to play on the lyre." Then Gunasarman said, "I will do so, my sovereign, we will begin the practising on an auspicious day." Then he took leave of the king and went home. But he put off for many days beginning to teach the queen the lyre, seeing the changed expression of the queen, and afraid of some mischief.