Arjunavijaya, or Arjuna’s Victory, by Mpu Tantular: Digital Critical Edition — After the edition by Supomo (1977)

⟨1⟩Hail! To the god Parvatarāja, the life of all the vital spirits of the vorld ;* Who is the very image of Buddha, the supreme reality, who is firmly held in meditation by the perfect yogins; Who is like the nectar to vise souls, but poison to great sinners; Who passes unhindered throughout the vorld as [the radiance of] the sun passes through clear vater.

⟨2⟩The purpose of my praise to the Lord is to implore Him to pay heed to the reverential homage of one who devotes himself to poetry, So that the carrier of the dark coloured case may achieve the perfect goal he sets himself in vriting, — this is what I implore, as I build my temple of language on my vriting leaf; It is the velfare of the kings of Java and its princes and princesses that I have in mind,* Long may they live, saṅ Paməkas-iṅ-Tuṣṭa first of all, may they be secure in their palaces.

⟨3⟩The reason that I have the audacity to attempt to vrite a lengthy story * — even though, compared to those who are as the moon in The art of poetry, I am only a little star — * Is that I hope it may serve to repay the debt that the king’s kindness has imposed upon me, a poet.* It is śrī Raṇamaṅgala alone who condescends to allow me to enter his presence.*

⟨4⟩Nov, he is the son of the brother of Lord Wəkas-niṅ-Sukha,* And furthermore he has now become the son-in-lav of the younger sister of the King of kings.* It is fitting therefore that he becomes my patron now that I render a prose narrative into a poem in quatrains, He who is the very embodiment of the fourth season, and who is never far from my side .

⟨5⟩This is the beginning of the story, so let those who wish to enjoy the art of poetry listen.* In former times there was a king who belonged to the family of the king of demons, A descendant of the god Padmayoni, grandson of Pulastya, and a son of sage Wiśrava; His name was Rāvaṇa, and he was renovned throughout the vorld for his provess and pover in battle.

⟨6⟩The vorld lay in ruins, all creatures trembled in fear, and all the deities were in disarray, Because the vicked demon king, whose pover was without equal, was on the rampage [throughout the vorld]. The story goes after the slaying of the demons Mālī and Mālyavān in battle By the god Harimūrti, their army was poverless, and [as a result of this defeat] many of them sought refuge in the nether vorld.

⟨7⟩This episode is followed by Dhaneśvara being securely enthroned in Ləṅkā, Because his father had told him that the well.established, most beautiful kingdom of Ləṅkā was now deserted;* He wandered at ease over the shores and mountains, or flev to Heaven from the palace, always in his chariot, escorted by the demons.

⟨8⟩One day Sumāli emerged into the vorld of mortals to try to outvit [the gods] — he was none other than the brother of the great demons who had escaped the great Keśava. He was filled with pleasure at the sight of lord Waiśravaṇa, a god with most excellent auspicious marks, For truly the son of Wiśrava was renovned for his provess and virtues.

⟨9⟩This gave Sumāli thought, and he then decided to make the sage Wiśrava his son-in-lav, So that he (the sage) might have children equal to Waiśravaṇa, whom he now took as his ideal, And at the same time increase the progeny of the Sukeśa family of the great demon race. May they be perfect and faultless [he thought] so that they will be able to withstand the attack of god Keśava in the future var.

⟨10⟩In a flash he reached the nether-vorld, and told his daughter [of his wish].* She, the excellent maiden Kaikeśī, was obedient to her father, And so assumed a form unlike that of a descendant of the great demons;* As a goddess in visible form descending into the vorld, she came into the presence of the sage.

⟨11⟩However, the sage of sublime mind knev well the purpose of this beautiful maiden;* It was the conceiving of children that filled her mind. Inadvertently she arrived vhile he was engaged in his devotions; He therefore granted her these favours: she would give birth to a lion-bodied son, Rāvaṇa, who would be terrible in appearance, as he would have ten faces and tventy svinging arms;

⟨12⟩As for her second child, his ears would be as large as cooking pots, hence his name would be Kumbhakarna; Ave-inspiring, he would look like a mountain, huge and tall, and his eyes would be like suns. Then, there would be [a third child], with sharp pointed nails resembling vinnoving baskets, She would be none other than the great female demon called Śūrpanakhā.

⟨13⟩Such were the favours the great sage offered her. Kaikeśī replied to the sage That she wished to give birth [also] to a son who would be like him, a god incarnate. ’So be it! The youngest will be equal to me’, said Wiśrava, ’he shall be free from the evil of anger, hence his name will be Wibhīṣaṇa, and he will have the soul of a sage.’*

⟨14⟩We do not describe the marriage: These four children had now been born. They practised asceticism, performing yoga assiduously and murmuring mantras constantly. And Dhaneśvara, who was Rāvaṇa’s older [half-] brother, advised, And urged his younger brothers to acquire great favours and told them to go

⟨15⟩To a mountain named Gokarṇa, where a most excellent hermitage was established; The vay there was difficult and perilous, but Rāvaṇa vent there, accompanied by his brothers. There the excellent Kumbhakarṇa sipped drops of dev, and svallowed them, While he remained motionless for one thousand years, striving for God’s protection.

⟨16⟩As for Wibhīṣaṇa, he was not will.ng to be surpassed by his older brother; Whether in yoga, in meditation, or in any other [form of asceticism] he would not be outdone. Daśavaktra was different: he performed yoga and recited mantras for ten thousand years. And after each thousand years, without fail he severed one of his heads and offered it in sacrifice;*

⟨17⟩These offerings were placed in the pot, when the god Śivāgni was blazing. When all his heads but one had been sacrificed, and his principal head was about to be sacrificed, The god Dhātṛ and all the accompanying gods shoved their delight at the sight of these ascetical practices,* And, lo, he reached Daśāsya in a flash and prevented him [from severing it].

⟨18⟩’Nov, nov, my grandson, do not do thus! What is your wish? Whatever wish you have, I shall not shrink [from granting it], because of your great determination.’ Thus spoke the Lord, and Rāvaṇa replied: ’With all my respect,* I velcome you, O my Lord, if you wish to grant me a favour.

⟨19⟩Let me not be slain by the eagles, serpents, the marvellous vil, Dānava, daitya, rākṣasa, nor by the celestial musicians and fairies, Not to mention the hosts of gods; and let the whole earth, sky and heaven be submissive to me; Let none of them dare to oppose me, and let them be destroyed, if they persist in opposing me in battle.’

⟨20⟩’So be it!’ thus the Lord spoke, in granting the most heroic one all his requests. ’And I shall grant you more favours: your body will be perfect again, your heads will be as numerous as before; And further you will be able to assume at will vhatever form you wish; You will have the pover of mayabañcana [that is to say] the ability to make yourself invisible in battle, and to be skilled in all the guiles of var.

⟨21⟩And nov, my great-grandson Wibhīṣaṇa, what is your wish? Even though you are just as much a demon as your brother, take care that your wish be not evil.’* ’O my Lord,’ said Wibhīṣaṇa, ’it will not be so, for I have no such inclination; * I wish only to be loved by others, to be an embodiment of dharma.

⟨22⟩As the moon is encompassed by its radiant beams, So may my body be encompassed by all virtues, causing delight to the beholders forever; May I always perform asceticism without difficulty, and strive for righteousness. Protect this [virtue of mine], O, my Lord, so that I shall be steadfast in tranquility of mind.’

⟨23⟩Hearing all his wishes, the god Brahmā, full of joy, granted his requests, saying: ’And moreover you will not be influenced by the vicked nature of the demons.’ Thus he spoke, bestoving on him an additional favour; then the god turned to Kumbhakarṇa, Who was like Kāla in his great meditation directed to the destruction of the vorld.

⟨24⟩All the deities accompanying the god Brahmā were perplexed, Because he now wished to grant Kumbhakarṇa an excellent favour. ’As Kumbhakarṇa is already supremely formidable, he will be even more superior to the deities; And with his huge size and his might, who, among the gods, will be his equal?’

⟨25⟩Thus spoke the gods, but the god Jagatkāraṇa did not accept their plea,* For it was not the Lord who caused a creature to gain pover or fall into insignificance; It was nothing but the product of his ovn karma that had brought about the Lord’s affection. And therefore the god descended and approached Kumbhakarṇa.

⟨1⟩While the gods were perplexed and in despair Because the god Jagatkāraṇa was adamant, Let us now tell of Sarasvatī, The vise and intelligent consort of the god Widhi.

⟨2⟩The deities quickly made their vay* To the tongue of the excellent Kumbhakarṇa. There the goddesses uttered vords [as though coming from him] in contradiction To what he wished when the Lord inquired of him [his desire].

⟨3⟩’May I fall into a deep slumber,’ he seemed to say, ’And not vake for thousands of years.’ The Lord granted his request For [a period of] uninterrupted sleep, without equal.

⟨4⟩After a vhile the Lord departed and Vanished with all the gods delightfully, And Sarasvatī flev out From the mouth of the excellent Kumbhakarṇa.

⟨5⟩As for the demon Kumbhakarṇa, He was left to himself in anguish, speechless and perplexed, Because he had requested what he did not wish for, And thus was different from his ovn two brothers.

⟨6⟩And this was why he slept without interruption, And did not witness the conduct of king Daśavaktra, Who was very poverful and terrible,* Who desired nothing but to destroy and shatter the vital spirit of all creatures and the triple vorld,

⟨7⟩For there was no god that he regarded as his Lord; All creatures, men and others were reduced to ashes, They were depressed and submissive to him. It was because of the excellent favours [he had von] that he was so poverful.

⟨8⟩The palace called Ləṅkā, where his brother (Dhaneśvara) lived, he seized. So Dhaneśvara left the palace, and Daśāsya succeeded to the throne of Ləṅkā.

⟨1⟩The city of Ləṅkā was as beautiful as Mount Meru, terrifying and avesome ;* Graceful and spacious on the summit of Mount Trikuṭa, it was built of gold studded with jewels; There was a deep river encircling the palace, like a turbulent sea;* Pandanus trees were blossoming, their flowers hanging dovn from the white stones which looked like rocks.

⟨2⟩The high valls were made of black stone, inlaid with sapphires and nine kinds of jewels; * There were four gates; they were like mountains of fire, because they were of polished golden bricks; They were nine storeys high, each of them perfectly carved; Their tops were a blaze of light gloving in the sky, resembling Mṛtyu assembled.

⟨3⟩The splendid vaṅuntur-yard lay before [the gate], it was spacious and level, exactly like a battlefield; On all sides of the market-place there were long, large buildings, where the troops assembled. Within, the spectacle was even more wonderful, the audience hall was crovded; The pavilion with meru stood out in the vataṅan-yard;

⟨4⟩The palm fibre roofs were like black clouds, topped with jewels, glittering like lightning; It was crovded with demon soldiers and officers, such as taṇḍa, subala and pamukha. The nearby stables for elephants and horses were also lofty in appearance; The trumpeting of elephants and the neighing of horses sounded as if [warriors were engaged in] stabbing each other and exchanging blovs in hand-to-hand combat.

⟨5⟩Even more beautiful and beyond compare was the arrangement of the palace; the interior was most imposing, Because of the radiantly sparkling crystal-pavilions; some of them, which were [as bright] as if it was continually daytime, Were like the abode of Smara transported thither when he vanished into the sky; And the sleeping quarters of Daśamukha were like the abode of Śiva.

⟨6⟩The courtyard was splendid and well.kept, its sand was of radiant, crushed rubies; The paved slopes were of opals and jewels, in appearance like beautiful stars, illuminating the ground, And the bright faces of the peerless ladies of the court were as bright as the moon,* [And so the courtyard vas] like the second firmament at sunset, when the sun dimmed in the sky.

⟨7⟩All around there were many kinds of flowers, some just in bud, others blossoming in abundance. As [flowers] in a picture remain either blossoming or in bud for ever, So in this garden, the flowers never withered but ever increased the beauty [of the palace] ; The sun itself was mellowed on reaching there, as though terrified of Daśamukha’s officers.

⟨8⟩Limpid streams floved dovn the hill slopes, and flowers were in full bloom along the banks; The vater [of these streams] sprang from the mouth of a statue of Gajendramukha in furious anger, Which was placed under the heavenly coral tree; vhirling his trunk, He looked avesome and terrible, like the god Gaṇa bent on destroying the vorld.

⟨9⟩The streams floved into the great river that encircled the city, and thence floved into the Royal household, As well as the houses of the female servants and nurses, greatly enhancing the beauty of the palace. Thus the palace was like Mount Mandara in the midst of the ocean, its beauty was magical, And the thunderous voice of the great demon (Daśamukha) appeared muted.

⟨10⟩Were ve to describe the beauty of the city [ve should say] it resembled that of Paśupati, Gracefully looking in all directions as far as the mountains, the sea and the forests; And the army quarters did not appear [to be such]* For they looked like heaven transported thither, or like the abode of Indra, or that of Baruṇa.

⟨11⟩To the north of Daśamukha’s palace was that of Wibhīṣaṇa; It was like the abode of Wiṣṇu: the jewels sparkled like kaustubha-jewels, shining into the sky. To the south there was a palace like the abode of Dhātṛ, blazing like a mountain of gold; here the great demon Kumbhakarṇa slept, — he had not yet avakened.

⟨1⟩It would take too long to describe the marvellous beauty of the splendid city of Ləṅkā, So let us now tell of the demon king who was pondering on the supremacy of his pover in this vorld: It would not be until he had destroyed the earth, sky and heaven, reduced the serpents and men to ashes, And vanquished the deities in heaven, that his might in battle would be proved.*

⟨2⟩This was why the fearful Daśamukha came out from his private quarters, And all the demons paid him homage, as he came to speak to his officers, tributary kings and warriors.* Then he seated himself in the palanquin studded with jewels,* While the beautiful garments, the lion-throne and the splendid pillows were set in readiness.

⟨3⟩All the hosts of demons were seated on the ground, no one was absent; A great number of ogres, shouting aloud in unison, were packed together with the giant soldiers; Foremost among them was minister Prahasta, the superior, whom the dreadful demon had appointed first minister; He sat on the terrace in front of Daśamukha, formidable in appearance.

⟨4⟩When the milling crovds of demons had assembled, the large palace appeared too small, Because a hundred million of these dreadful officers filled the main courtyard to capacity. Then arrived an envoy from Dhanapati, named Gomukha, having the appearance of a demon;* He brought a letter, and read it aloud to Rāvaṇa, so that the latter could hear the message.

⟨5⟩’O king Daśāsya, you who are the Lord of this kingdom of Ləṅkā, Who are like Brahmā in visible form in this vorld, dreaded by all the deities, and without equal. I am grieved, my brother, both on account of your pover and your virtue — resulting from the favours God has bestoved upon you —* That you have no forbearance tovards others, no love for the poor and destitute.

⟨6⟩For indeed, the purpose of flavless virtue is to eliminate the defilements of the whole vorld; The role of the king is to care for the priests, and to perform irresistible service to the Gods. But since you have not conducted yourself in this vay, chaos is spreading in heaven and the hermitages, As is evident from the most vicked manner in which you drove me out from here.

⟨7⟩In brief, do not behave in such a manner any longer, and cease being foolish and arrogant; * strive for the dharma, for the revard of a king in this vorld of mortals is to be loved by his people. You should follow my example; I always performed the most virtuous dharma in this vorld, and from the moment I did so Lord Īsvara, who is now like an esteemed friend, loved me.*

⟨8⟩Thus should be your behaviour; bear in mind that you are a son of Brahmā’s line, invincible; so do not behave in the manner of great demons, but be steadfastly com-passionate. And let us hope, my dear brother, that you may have the good fortune to be permitted to join the company of all the deities, that you may [henceforth] come together with me to the feet of the great Nīlakantha.’ *

⟨9⟩Thus were the vords of the eldest brother in his letter. Rāvaṇa replied, his lips trembling with anger: ’Shame upon that despicable and base Dhanapati, who censures me as ferocious and vicked; he himself is blind to his ovn vickedness, for he had attempted to usurp this very kingdom of Ləṅkā; but since this is my kingdom, which I inherited from my mother, I could not restrain myself from reclaiming it by force.

⟨10⟩now he orders me to be on good terms with the king of the gods and the celestial musicians! It is impossible for the king of birds to befriend and keep company with the terrible king of serpents. Moreover, the most vicked god Wiṣṇu is my arch-foe. Hov could I, if I befriended Artheśvara, remain the most poverful in this vorld?

⟨11⟩He is both foolish and ignorant, that is why he wished to befriend a malicious foe. I beg your leave, but there is nothing better for me to do now than to attack heaven.* Even if all the deities and all the inhabitants of heaven were to come to his aid, Or even if Lord Īśvara were the enemy’s protector, I would not vaver.’ *

⟨12⟩Thus spoke the demon king, abusing Lokapāla vehemently. Then sviftly he grasped his candrahāsa-svord, and severed the envoy’s neck. His blood spurted high, and the head flev into the air like that of Rāhu, as he exclaimed [saying]: ’Aha, you, king of the demons, in time to come an envoy will reduce your palace to ashes!’

⟨13⟩Rāvaṇa, increasingly enraged by the envoy’s curse, choked with fury; And when the head fell to the ground he urged his demons to devour both it and the trunk. Then he quickly retired to make preparations to attack Dhanendra, fore-most among the kings. ’He is to be exterminated’, thus Daśāsya commanded his ministers, tributary kings and officers.

⟨14⟩All the company of demons shouted thunderously, as they heard the nevs That their king was to set forth to attack his elder brother. And so they hastily made ready the elephants, the horses and the chariots, arming themselves with veapons, arrows and thunderbolts; Gongs and kettledrums boomed, and the sound of the beaten musical instruments mingled with the din of the shouting army.

⟨15⟩A great number of spirited and courageous warriors packed the market-place, so that there was no open space left, And the senior ministers arranged themselves in the vaṅuntur-yard ready for combat. Sviftly they prostrated themselves the moment the great demon king made his appearance, Riding in his huge seven-storeyed chariot resplendent with crystals.

⟨16⟩Then the dreadful demon king, at the sight of the preparations of those frightful heroes, Whose tusk-veapons were flaming like Kāla together with Mṛtyu, [Said to himself]: ’It will be a wonder, O Lokapāla, if you can withstand against all these heroes! Where can you seek refuge? Even if you flee to the great heaven or to the abode of Wiṣṇu, you will be pursued.’

⟨17⟩Thus spoke Rāvaṇa to himself, and at length he ordered the hosts of heroes to set out. Then the elephants and the chariots made a clamour as the terrible great demons set out; Some brandished their spears, thunderbolts and discuses, so that the on-lookers trembled with fear; Others moved through the air, shouting aloud with the sound of a hundred million thunderbolts.

⟨1⟩The courageous Dhūmrākṣa was appointed to lead the column, And riding in his sparkling jewelled chariot he was formidable in appearance; He vore a diadem, a necklace and a garland of sparkling jewels, And in his hand was a mighty svord, sharp and gleaming.

⟨2⟩His crovded soldiers shouted tumultuously; they were demons of all kinds: * Wvil, bhūta, yakṣa, dānava and añja-añja, As well as trunks with their heads flying before them, Their blazing eyes bulging from their sockets, and their red tongues protruding from their mouths.

⟨3⟩Following behind Dhūmrākṣa was Bajramuṣṭi, victorious over the three vorlds; His elephant was white in colour, like Airāvaṇa, Its four tusks were ablaze, gloving like Mṛtyu, And its trunk, brandishing a spear, was like a dreadful serpent.

⟨4⟩Ave-inspiring, he stood on the back of his elephant, Svinging a sun-like discus which he held in his right hand; Accompanied by multitudes of his troops, who were formidable in appearance, [One wonders]: ’What heaven would not be destroyed, if they ranged over it?’

⟨5⟩Then Supārśva set out in his jewelled chariot Like a wild lion at the sight of a spirited elephant in rut; He carried with him a javelin which was of great magical pover, Which continually issued forth blazing arrows of fire.

⟨6⟩A hundred of his troops were mounted on elephants, all of them eager for battle; Tventy thousand of them were marching sviftly; Like all-engulfing floods and thunderstorms, They destroyed the mountains they traversed, reducing them to dust.

⟨7⟩A moment later Akampana mounted his magnificent horse, Which now flev through the air, then galloped on the earth; He became invisible, then at length he was to be seen dismounting From his horse and, like Indra, mounting an elephant.

⟨8⟩Some of his demon soldiers looked like the excellent king of the kinnara, Others were well.built like the gods and demi-gods* — The only difference was that when they grinned their tusks were terrifying, And their eyes were round, gloving red like the red lotus.

⟨9⟩Then the hideous Prakopa set out, in appearance like Kāla,* Blazing like a mountain of fire because of his raiment; His necklace was a great serpent, mighty and poverful, [which cried]: ’ṅak, ṅak’, His tusks shone together with his sharp-pointed veapon.

⟨10⟩He was mounted on a huge and fierce white elephant which trumpeted violently; Ever in his right hand was his infallible veapon, which he brandished; The boom and roar of thunder vent before him. And two billion shouting heroes followed him.

⟨1⟩Then the marvellous Rāvaṇa himself set out as the rear-guard of the army; * Seated in a horse-dravn chariot preceded by two elephants,* He was in truth like the god Kālarudra bent on the total destruction of the three vorlds,* His eyes aglov with the devouring fire of anger.

⟨2⟩Thousands upon thousands of demon kings escorted him, Foremost among them the senior minister Prahasta, with a bow at the ready in his hand; His lofty, demon-faced elephant was terrifying, its sharp-pointed tusks were flashing; His red banner fluttered, flaming and blazing as though about to consume the vorld.

⟨3⟩The eruptions burst upvards, mountains collapsed and wooded hills moved like surging vaves. The movements of the terrible demon army of Ləṅkā when they marched out,* Are not described; the demons had now reached the foothills of Mount Kailāśa, Spreading throughout the fields, filling even the mountain groves.

⟨4⟩Taken by surprise, the demons living in the neighbourhood of Mount Kailāśa were poverless, And fled seeking refuge into Lokapāla’s palace, trembling with fear at the enemy’s arrival; And [they said]: ’The demon king in a fury has slain the envoy.’ Thus were their vords, informing the noble god Artheśvara [of what had happened].

⟨5⟩Then Lokapāla reflected upon the difficulty of the course he had to take: It was because of his love [for Rāvaṇa] that this happened, for after all He was Rāvaṇa’s eldest brother; yet even if he withdrev nov, he would suffer misfortune; [vhat he had done is] to be compared with attempting to help a dog and getting bitten [for his pains] ; * In vain had been all his noble and just vords, because of Rāvaṇa’s foolishness and vickedness. 6 Indeed, what happiness does it bring to beasts in the forest to give them vealth? It is the enjoyment of roots of grass and alaṅ-alaṅ grass that makes them well.content. And monkeys are far from pleased by gifts of gold, ornaments and jewels, For they are attracted only by fruit which they regard as truly precious.*

⟨7⟩Similarly the swine; hov can they enjoy various perfumes? They desire only foul, stinking and filthy mud to sleep on and to treasure. And thus was the nature of Daśāsya; he was bent on varfare, for he was an inveterate rogue; He abominated the dharma, because the demon-family from his mother’s side had incited him [to evil] .*

⟨8⟩This was why Dhanendra ordered all the officers to engage the foe, Namely: Yogandhī and Wiṣṇu, the celebrated chiefs of army,* Padma, Śaṅkha, Duśśāsana, Kaluṣasadā, Durkāla, Kubala, Cakrāsya, Krodha, Bajra, Agada, Paraśu, Bala, Abala and Anala.*

⟨9⟩The whole army quickly assembled in the open square, eager to fight; The hosts of demons were innumerable, all were armed with sharp veapons of various kinds; They shouted violently, the musical instruments boomed, mingled with the confusing noise of the gongs and drums; Then as soon as Daśamukha reached the great market place, the battle was joined.

⟨10⟩Clenching their teeth, the company of heroes rushed forward menacingly; Each side fell upon the other ferociously — all were the descendants of Danu —, becoming intermingled, yelling and screaming violently; Some of them mounted their elephants and chariots, and attacked boldly, showering the foe with their arrows, stabbing them and shooting at them with their blovpipes; Other ferocious demons flev in the air, in appearance like fighting eagles.

⟨11⟩The battle raged even more furiously; it was as though the mountains were shattered to pieces, and the earth shook, Because those formidable heroes of great provess were innumerable; They were engaged in close combat, issuing hosts of demons And various kinds of veapons from their mouths, raging like blazing fire.

⟨12⟩This was why the number of casualties was avesome, and the bodies were piled up mountain high; The daylight suddenly disappeared as the dust svirled around, and as blood engulfed the battlefield it became pitch black. The ferocious heroes striving for fame mounted their attacks even more furiously over the mountain of bodies; Tvo billion were annihilated, and the army of the demon king fled the battlefield.

⟨13⟩Then Bajramuṣṭi sviftly turned his elephant to make a fierce counter-attack ; Dhūmrākṣa, Akampana and Wikaṭa with all their troops charged forward again and again; And all the great demon chiefs too attacked together, stabbing and overvhelming the enemy; And so the army of Waiśravaṇa was rendered poverless, and was viped out without any resistance.

⟨14⟩Then the formidable Rāvaṇa, armed with a mace, alighted From the throne chariot and struck at his enemies, and ten thousand of them were slain; At the same time the most valiant Suptāghna pressed forward from the flank, So that Waktrāsya and all his troops fell in battle, their heads cut off.*

⟨15⟩Struck by an unceasing shower of mighty arrows, Waiśravaṇa’s army was broken to pieces, and hard-pressed By the heroic Prahasta, Anala, Pavana and Wirūpākṣa who were inflamed with passion. Enraged, Wiṣṇu immediately brandished his mace, struck the enemies with it, and pursued them; And Yogandhī began mercilessly to batter the Ləṅkā army and to crush them to pieces.

⟨16⟩Rāvaṇa’s army was undaunted at the sight of the two wonderful heroes who pressed forward to the attack; They were precisely like tvin Kāla, the more they were attacked, the more they struck back at the enemies, yelling and screaming. Mārīca’s chariot was shattered to pieces by the blovs, and his horses were crushed; Sviftly he leapt from the chariot, whereupon Dhūmrākṣa pressed onvard, discharging his arrows.

⟨17⟩Then an arrow struck Wiṣṇu’s side, blood spurted out, gushing from the wound and poured dovn; Yogandhī was enraged, but Suptāghna attacked and slev him. The din of the army of Waiśravaṇa was even more thunderous, the soldiers trampled upon one another in confusion as they attempted to flee the battlefield; They were routed, sviftly pursued and slain, their bodies heaped up in front of the palace.

⟨18⟩Then the marvellous Rāvaṇa sviftly scaled the high vall from the outside; He slev the yakṣa who guarded the gate, and severed his head; Then he flev to the gate and pushed it hard, it collapsed killing those crushed beneath it. All the demons screamed and shouted thunderously, their voices boomed, reaching even to the Interior of the palace.

⟨19⟩Moreover, the blazing fire issuing from the demon king’s right hand raged savagely; It burnt dovn the palace, reducing it to ashes, and flared into the alun-alun. And the hosts of demons shouted thunderously and violently as they encircled the palace, Rushing forward from the east, the north, the south, as well as from the vest.

⟨1⟩Let us now tell of the god Waiśravaṇa who had remained in the Interior of the palace; He was astonished on seeing the arrival of the brave Rāvaṇa; He wished he had come out to fight before, but there was nothing he could do as his chariot Puṣpaka Had flovn to heaven carrying all the beautiful ladies to safety; only now had it returned.

⟨2⟩And so, overvhelmed with incessant anger, he fiercely Mounted his chariot, arming himself with a most terrifying bow; Attired in blazing, brilliant, beautiful ornaments of fine crystal, He looked like the god Harimūrti flying on the valiant king of the birds.

⟨3⟩In throngs the demons gathered round Waiśravaṇa as he made his appearance, And Citrāyudha and Citrācapa, commanders of the host of the gods, stood in their chariots; In the vanguard was the first minister Maṇīndra, mounted on his elephant, pressing onvard; His army of tventy thousand heroic warriors launched their attacks, and the demons [of Ləṅkā] were held in check.

⟨4⟩The blazing fire that raged in the palace was now extinguished Because the first minister (Maṇīndra) had sent a shower of excellent rain-arrows; And the great demons who encircled the palace had all been exterminated Because Citrāyudha and Citrācapa had fired their arrows from the sky, rendering the demons poverless.

⟨5⟩Then the fearful army of Rāvaṇa pressed forward again furiously and attacked at close range, But Maṇīndra slev ten million of them at a time with his arrows. And so the hero named Dhūmrākṣa quickly made a counter-attack, And felled Citrāyudha and Citracāpa with the blovs of his mace.

⟨6⟩And the first minister (Maṇīndra), foremost among them, had also fallen in battle, Slain by Śāraṇa and Tuṣṭa.* This was why Dhanarāja’s army fled in terror, at great speed and in disorder, The bodies of the slain piled up, millions of them, celestial musicians and fairies.

⟨7⟩now Dhanarāja was the only one left alive, all the other heroes had fallen in battle; Mounted on his chariot he pressed forward, blazing like Mṛtyu. The demon army withdrev; and the heroic Prahasta, the chief of them all, did likevise. It was not out of fear [that he withdrev], but because he was prudent; he knev that Daśāsya was concerned for his brother.*

⟨1⟩’Whoosh’, was the sound of Rāvaṇa’s wonderful chariot rushing along perfectly As he encountered Dhanendra, who showered him with arrows, uttering blood-curdling screams. Dhanendra fired his most excellent arrow, that of Rudra, and discharged blazing mountains of fire, But they were all destroyed, svept aside by the demon king.

⟨2⟩Likevise, Daśāsya destroyed all the eagle-, serpent- and elephant-arrows, Not to mention the bhūta-, yakṣa- and asura-arrows, all of which he trampled to pieces. The only veapon Dhanendra had not used to strike his terrible and valiant foe was his mace, Which he had received from the god Rudra a long time before, because Rudra held him as a valued friend in the vorld.

⟨3⟩And so the wonderful Lokapāla sviftly leapt dovn from his chariot, roaring aloud like a lion: ’Shame upon you, wretched demon! Feel the blovs of this mace which will follow you even to Rorava-hell.’ Thus spoke the god Lokapāla; then he struck the mace against Rāvaṇa’s face, but the latter stood bravely. Thump, thud, but Rāvaṇa was invulnerable, like a mountain of iron struck with a huge mace of kapok wood.

⟨4⟩Then the furious Daśāsya fought back, he svung his mace, and now both were smiting each other with their maces; They exchanged blovs, both were skilled in parrying, courageous as well as fearless; They hurled themselves on each other fiercely and were locked in close combat, their shouts resounding like thunderbolts clashing with each other, Destroying the trees, the gates and the houses in the Royal compound.

⟨5⟩A great number of the golden pavilions were flung into the air and broken into pieces, their jewels scattered in all directions, Trees were uprooted, flowers withered, and the coral trees were torn up as if struck by a vhirlvind; The women of the palace were in confusion, and terror-struck, exhausted and distressed they burst into tears; They were carried off their feet and flung into the air when the two heroes, engaged in close combat and smiting at each other, came into the palace.

⟨6⟩Constantly each tried to outvit the other, svooping around the palace, each attacking the other; They looked wonderful, like two dreadful serpents intertvining, neither inferior in pover to the other; All kinds of veapons issuing from their terrible bodies flashed around violently And fire from their left hands blazed up like the sweeping vind of doomsday.

⟨7⟩Many invincible veapons were blunted, viped out and rendered poverless, For Artheśvara and Daśamukha varded all of them off, hurling them into the distance; But the earth shook, the mountains collapsed, and anything they struck was reduced to ashes;* The wild game and lions were in confusion, the seas were churned up, the fishes and sea-monsters were crushed.

⟨8⟩Such was the chaos and the devastation that the two formidable heroes brought to the vorld. They pressed each other to the ground, locked in close combat; then they flev to heaven, And destroying anything they set foot upon; taken by surprise the gods fled in terror with the goddesses to the vorld of Rudra, While the women of heaven sought refuge in inaccessible, solitary houses.*

⟨9⟩At the sight of Rāvaṇa and Dhanendra, the god Śakra spoke: ’Do not bring your anger here! I beg you, return and fight your var in the vorld of mortals, For surely the heaven will be ruined, perhaps even the deities and their works.’ And so Dhanendra and Daśāsya moved to the mountain [Mahāmeru].

⟨10⟩Smitten, the great mountain collapsed, its black-stones were shattered and broken to pieces, And the fire issuing from them burst into a shower of sparks which reduced the trees to ashes. Mount Mahāmeru shook as the two poverful heroes trod upon it; The inhabitants of the forest, foremost among them the hermits, were terrified, and they screamed as fire consumed them.

⟨11⟩And so the great hermits in the hermitages, the gods and others,* Asked them to move to another battlefield, lest the mountain might crumble to pieces. At once they plunged into the sea, still fighting in close combat; the fishes were poverless and crushed, Junks and pelaṅ boats were vrecked and sank, and the screams of the merchants were tumultuous and deafening.

⟨12⟩In addition dolphins, porpoises, sharks and bākapə-fish were killed By the incessant showers of all kinds of veapons which made the sea boiling hot.* In a tvinkling the god Baruṇa appeared, and asked the two fighting heroes to move on; With a terrible boom they moved on to dry land, then descended [to the nether-vorld] ; the terrified serpents were in uproar;*

⟨13⟩The earth quaked and shook, and the seven hells were as if riven apart, they svayed so violently. Then the goddess of Earth shed tears of grief at the sight of her abode being rent apart. Thereupon both of them sviftly returned to the palace where they had fought hand-to-hand before, And there they found the hosts of demons who were amazed at the sight of these two wonderful heroes.

⟨1⟩While they were boldly striking and stabbing at each other in the course of the long battle in close combat, Neither yielding, as they were equally mighty, dexterous and poverful in battle, Daśāsya suddenly vanished into the sky without any trace, And the kingdom was enveloped in pitch darkness and a hurricane raged violently.

⟨2⟩Dhanarāja was frustrated and bewildered, and he lost consciousness because of the deafening noises in the four quarters; Therefore, it was impossible for him to see the enemy, let alone pursue him; He could only hear Daśāsya’s booming voice in the sky, horrible like thunder, Just as the sound of thunder [re-echoing] at the sight of a vicked person committing evil vhile the rain is falling incessantly.*

⟨3⟩Suddenly Daśāsya descended from the sky and cruelly struck at his elder brother, Who was exhausted, distressed and unable to see Rāvaṇa coming to strike him. And so Dhaneśvara fell forward to the ground, and Daśāsya ceaselessly showered him with blovs, And contemptuously tugged at his hair, screaming furiously:

⟨1⟩̀Shame upon you, dog Dhaneśvara, wretched dog! Nov, take the consequences of criticising others, Of offering devotions to the deities, belittling the great demons, And of coveting the kingdom of Ləṅkā.

⟨2⟩Shame upon you, this is the end [of your life], you, who have a virtuous mind, And who arrogantly boast to be the friend of Rudra. Nov, if the Lord really favours you, show your provess, I am sure I can destroy you, despite all your efforts.’

⟨3⟩Thus spoke Daśāsya; then he kicked his brother’s head violently, Pressed him and beat his face against the ground, so that it became red with blood. Not a soul rendered him any help; the gods Remained silent, no one dared to oppose Daśāsya.

⟨4⟩It was Prahasta alone who came to Dhaneśvara’s aid; respectfully but firmly he said: ̀̀̉̀̉̀̀̉O, Daśāsya, supreme lord, do not do thus. Remember the devotion you ove to your father, the great sage; Should Waiśravaṇa die, [your father’s pover] will be broken and useless.*

⟨5⟩Moreover, since Waiśravaṇa is now already defeated, he is in the position of one who, suffering from thirst, asks for vater.’* Thus spoke Prahasta, embracing Daśāsya’s feet; And asking for mercy on Waiśravaṇa, he gently took avay Daśāsya’s mace.

⟨6⟩Then Padma and Śaṅkha sviftly Carried god Dhanarāja to safety; Soon they reached the garden of the Nandana-woods, And the god Indra tended him without delay.

⟨7⟩In short, this was the conduct of the demon king: He did not pursue his brother who was carried avay, But he seized his chariot which surrendered itself to him meekly, As well as many valuables, as tokens of his victory.

⟨8⟩Then Daśāsya roamed about in the regions of the wooded mountain; Having traversed the slopes of Mount Kailāsa, He began to climb it again intending to reach the summit, But the guard of the God named Nandīśvara attempted to dissuade him:

⟨9⟩’Hey, Daśāsya, go back! Abandon your rash Desire to climb to the peak of this wooded mountain; Perhaps, young man, you do not know that the Lord Is lying there with Umā, foremost among the goddesses.

⟨10⟩Moreover, the nature of this mountain is such that from ancient times Not even Indra, foremost among the gods, has been allowed to climb to the peak.* So, Daśavaktra, go dovn, For you will surely come to grief if you rashly persist.’

⟨11⟩Thus spoke the guard. Daśavaktra immediately leapt From his chariot, and laughed at him contemptuously As he looked on his monkey head and animal appearance.* And so the guard cursed Daśāsya in anger:

⟨12⟩’Hey, Daśāsya, you [have committed the sin] of despising others by laughing at my appearance. Therefore, in time to come, monkeys will destroy your kingdom of Ləṅkā And exterminate all your kinsfolk as well.’ Thus he spoke; and Daśavaktra was now furious.

⟨13⟩Ferociously clenching his teeth, he put his hands under the base of Mount Girīndra,* And took it in his arms, intending to destroy it completely. The Lord, who had just finished making love, was startled, And Pārvatī, who was exhausted, had not even put on her kain.

⟨14⟩The hermits living on the slopes of the mountain were agitated and distressed, The lions and bears fled in opposite directions. Knoving the reason for what was happening, the Lord carefully Pressed dovn the peak of the mountain with the big toe of his left foot.

⟨15⟩In short, Daśāsya’s arms were trapped under the mountain, And he was not able to move them. now he was all the more determined to pull them out, but he could not move them; Furiously he cursed, and screamed aloud.

⟨16⟩The three vorlds were stunned by his great voice; The gods and others were astounded, and their shouts could be heard even from the vorld of Śiva, For his voice was most terrible, booming like turbulent sea, In truth like the sound of a hundred thousand thunderbolts clashing at the same time.

⟨17⟩The god Jagatguru grinned with delight, And then allowed him to pull his arms free; The God was pleased at the sound of his excellent screams, And so the Lord called him Rāvaṇa.

⟨18⟩Then Daśāsya departed from Mount Girīndra, After making obeisance to the Lord and asking his pardon. Riding his chariot, he now ranged around the vorld at great speed, Accompanied by all the roaring demon officers and soldiers.

⟨19⟩All the palaces he attacked were shattered and reduced to dust; The kings and their armies were all exterminated, And all ring-communities, cloister-halls and temple-complexes he seized by force As he svept along boldly throughout the three vorlds.

⟨20⟩Soon king Daśāsya came to Mount Himavan, And was delighted at the sight of beautiful hermitages.* The slopes were beautiful with kapuṇḍuṅ, durian, Mangosteen, laṅsəb, mango and jackfruit tree, laden with great fruits;

⟨21⟩Banana trees were plentiful, laden with ripe, yellowing fruits; In the areas of dry cultivation movi, suḍa and taləs tubers were abundant.* And so the demons were delighted, some picked the fruit, Others asked the hermits for cacah and vegetables.

⟨22⟩King Daśavaktra was tranquil and enthralled At such a lovely sight [enhanced by] vater bubbling from the springs; Moreover, all the hermits came out to velcome him, Offering betel leaves and nuts, and vater to drink as well.

⟨1⟩It would take long to describe this scene. Let us now tell of a hermitage situated on the slopes of the southern mountains, Bordered by avesome, inaccessible deep ravines among the ridges, hidden in mist. The anchoress [who dvelt there] was called Wedavatī, the beautiful daughter of a god sage. This is why the sacred grove was like the abode of Smara, and the anchoress resembled Ratih.

⟨2⟩Her beauty was even more enchanting when she made her appearance — after making her offerings to the deity — From a wonderful meru-shaped offering place, topped with resplendent, sparkling jewels; Before it was a splendid lion-throne pavilion overlooking the beautiful scenery of the seashore;* Jaṅga flowers spread their fragrance from the wooden valls of the pavilion, where she vent to gaze on the beauty to refresh herself.

⟨3⟩All the beauties of nature seemed to be in ave at the sight of the anchoress: The fragrance of flowers would not even speak of the destruction of her ascetic pover; * The thunder could only rumble when she was absorbed in collecting flowers; The rivulet cascaded over the cliff with a distant murmur, for hov could it withstand her?

⟨4⟩And the bees too were embarrassed, as they vept, overvhelmed by the charm of the blossoming flowers; Dev-drops on the tips of the alaṅ-alaṅ grass on the ridge, were like tears. But let us tell no more of this, as Daśāsya now had arrived — as though to make the [pre-ordained] curse inevitable; He reached the courtyard, and met the anchoress who came dovn to velcome him.*

⟨1⟩’Welcome, O great demon, O king, Since you have come to amuse yourself in my hermitage in this mountain. But I beg your pardon, my Lord, you will find no benefit from coming here,* For here there is nothing to enjoy, nor even beautiful scenery to visit.

⟨2⟩But [because of your visit], my hermitage is now like the abode of the god Parama (Īśvara) in heaven, For you are in truth like the god Parameśvara absorbed in the contemplation of beauty, And your excellent demon heroes are equal to the gods, Giving delight to me’.*

⟨3⟩Thus spoke the great anchoress respectfully to her guest. Rāvaṇa was overcome, and smitten with passion, Since she was of such outstanding beauty; And delighted by her charming velcome [he said:]

⟨4⟩’O my dear lady, O anchoress, Tell me why you became an anchoress,* For you are of such inconceivable beauty, That all your doings are like those of the goddess of the splendour of flowers.*

⟨5⟩All kinds of beauty are within you: Young aśoka leaves merge with your waist,* The beauty of ivory coconuts is that of your breasts, The svaying of the tender shoots of the gaḍuṅ vines is that of your arms.

⟨6⟩Blue lotuses are your sparkling eyes; Svarms of bees mistake your lovely calves [for puḍak flowers];* [Your gait is] the movement of all kinds of flowers blovn by the breeze, It seems that you will slip from an eager embrace;*

⟨7⟩The evening moon looks like being overtaken by daylight Because of your beauty, and pines for [its lost] light.* It would take long to depict your beauty, No matter hov many poems one composed, they would never be sufficient’.*

⟨8⟩’O Daśāsya,’ she said, ’Hear the reason why I practice asceticism: There was a god-sage, his excellent virtues were peerless, His name was Kuśadhvaja, famous throughout the vorld.

⟨9⟩He was a son of the sage Wṛhaspati, learned in the holy Books; He was none other than my father, He called me Wedavatī, because He was absorbed in reading the Wedas when I was born.

⟨10⟩As time passed and I came of marriageable age,* Many asked for my hand: Celestial musicians, fairies, daitya, demons, Gods and others, but my father rejected them all firmly.

⟨11⟩It was none other than the great Keśava who was to be his son-in-lav, Such was the excellent wish of my father and mother. But their hopes were shattered, for alas! both my parents were slain By the most savage demon Śambhu.

⟨12⟩It was indeed my fault that they were slain,* For this demon asked my hand time and again, but they steadfastly refused him. This is why I practise asceticism: to remain faithful to my parents, For I wish, in time to come, to marry the god Hari.’

⟨1⟩Thus she spoke gently. Rāvaṇa replied: ’Dear anchoress, there is no need for this. It is indeed both foolish and base, my dear, To make your ardent desire to be rawished By the god Hari the sole goal for being an anchoress,

⟨2⟩Because he is a base, most ignominious god, Who is not equal to one of my arms, even if I should only use the elbow. In other vords, you should serve none, other than me, Who am peerless in provess, pover and bravery, and have received gifts for completing ascetical exercises,*

⟨3⟩I am in truth feared by the three vorlds, and endoved with the highest supernatural pover. I vanquished Dhaneśvara in a recent battle, Captured his celestial chariot, And exterminated many of his army of demons and gods,

⟨4⟩Then I proceeded to the blessed mountain of Kailāsa [intending to climb to the summit], But a monkey-faced guard advised me against my intention, — [Saying] ’Even Lord Indra is not allowed to go there, You will surely come to grief if you rashly persist’ —

⟨5⟩And so I became furious and was filled with rage; I put my arms under the base of Mount Girīndra intending to reduce the mountain to dust, But suddenly, the Lord, who was at the peak of the mountain, prevented me, For he happened to be disporting himself there with the goddess Girisutā.

⟨6⟩This is why all mountains now are submissive to me, And none of the gods are able to look me in the face, Much less the despicable, base god Hari; Hov can he stand against me in battle?

⟨7⟩The abode of the great Keśava in the vorld of the immortals is indeed thriving,* And therefore the fallen heroes strive for and the multitudes seek after it; But hov can its beauty match that of the splendid palace of Ləṅkā? It is like a fire-fly compared to the shining moon.

⟨8⟩See for yourself when you are with me in the palace, The arrangement of which is indescribable, most beautiful beyond compare.’ Thus he spoke, then caressed and kissed her hair; The anchoress spoke in anger and distress:

⟨9⟩’Shame upon you, Daśāsya, most evil dog!* By kissing my hair [you have shovn] that you do not know hov to behave, Not to mention your vicked desire of having me to serve you,* And saying vords not proper for an anchoress’ ear;

⟨10⟩And further you continually hold Lord Hari in contempt: Therefore I shall be the cause of your death at his hand in the battle to come.’ Thus she spoke, cursing Rāvaṇa, and pointed her finger at him threateningly; Then she entered the offering-place in which the fire was blazing,

⟨11⟩And leapt into the burning pit, after making an obeisance. Daśāsya ran after her, but she was already in flames.* Let us pass over hov Daśavaktra flev avay in shame, after her death; He was dazed, speechless and overvhelmed by her noble disposition.

⟨1⟩Let us tell no more of the journey of Daśamukha wandering through the sacred groves. He now came to a most beautiful mountain named Uśinara, Where king Māruta ruled like the god of the palace;* Blessed was the sacrifice this king was now performing with the sages, in accordance with the custom of the gods.

⟨2⟩Then Daśāsya entered the hall of sacrifice; All of those present at the performance of the king’s sacrifice were frightened, And fled; some putting off their proper outvard forms, as deceivers do,* And assuming other forms, since they were terror-struck by the great demon.

⟨3⟩Indra took on the form of a magnificent peacock, Yama that of a crov, Baruṇa a flying svan; And Dhanapati became a chameleon, cravling on a tree, — He, most of all, for he knev hov the vicked Daśamukha behaved.

⟨4⟩Then Daśamukha challenged king Māruta to battle, And the latter courageously replied; ’Who are you, O impudent one bent on interrupting my sacrifice? A vicked sinner such as you, hov can you survive in battle against me?’

⟨5⟩’I am Daśāsya’, Daśamukha replied, ’I am poverful as well as valiant; I am the vanquisher of Dhaneśvara.’ Thus spoke Daśāsya; king Māruta drev his excellent arrow, Intending to shoot Daśamukha.

⟨1⟩As the king took his bow And aimed his flaming arrow, Sambarta, his teacher, spoke, Barring him from fighting Rāvaṇa:

⟨2⟩’It is very unlikely that you can withstand The attack of Rāvaṇa, for he is a poverful enemy. Who is there among the gods able to slay him, Let alone the demons and the asura?

⟨3⟩In short, do not rashly Confront Rāvaṇa in anger. Remember the ceremony, For it is not proper for one [performing sacrifice] such as you to enter into battle.

⟨4⟩Moreover, were this sacrifice to Paśupati To be left unfinished, it would be unfortunate; The presentation of the offerings would be of no avail, And the invitation to the god-sages also would be futile.’

⟨5⟩Thus spoke the great sage, restraining the king; With an effort the king whom he addressed realised [the truth of his vords]; He laid dovn his bow and arrows, And took up again the sacrificial oil and curds.

⟨6⟩Arrogantly the demons roared aloud At the sight of the king’s conduct, for they considered him vanquished; Daśamukha was pleased at his victory, And all his army were also delighted.

⟨1⟩Let us tell no more of the doings of the king who laid dovn his excellent arrow; We now tell of Daśavaktra’s journey to other countries; Accompanied by his valiant troops, he proceeded to the kingdom of Ayodhya, Ruled by a mighty ruler called Anaraṇya.

⟨2⟩This ruler was deeply disturbed to hear of the arrival of this great demon, So accompanied by his heroic warriors, he vent out to the open space in the city; And the host of his tributary kings ranged themselves in readiness to protect him, Together with the millions of their soldiers, elephants, horses and chariots which overfloved into the market place.

⟨1⟩Then Bāṇaputra set out to meet Rāvaṇa, the peerless in battle; * Riding his jewelled chariot, Bāṇaputra was like the blazing sun descending from the sky; His glittering ornaments were ablaze like flashing lightning, avesome and of various hues; His wonderful bow like the rainbow shining over the vorld after the rain.

⟨2⟩All the kings accompanying him were like blazing red clouds; They had now arrived at a spacious and splendid pasture on the outskirts of the city.* Then they ranged themselves in an unassailable battle array in the eagle formation: The king of Kamboja was ensconced on the left ving, Daśapati on the right, king of Wallabha on the magnificent body;

⟨3⟩On the head was the king of Wela, on the beak was that of Bhīmaka, foremost among the tributary kings; On the tail was the king of Ayodhya himself, who stood steadfastly with [the other] heroes and tributary kings. Rāvaṇa immediately arrived, descending from the sky at great speed in his flying chariot; The demons called dreadfully to each other with voices like thunder, and their enemies, taken by surprise, were poverless.

⟨4⟩Intently the brave heroes and the valiant army of Bāṇaputra gave battle; Armed with lances and spears, they countered the frenzied attacks of the demons. They joined battle at close quarters: the elephants and the horses bit each other; charioteers fell and were slain, And their chariots with the kings on them were all crushed by the blovs of the terrible demons.*

⟨5⟩Thereupon, mounting on their elephants and horses the hosts of tributary kings rushed forward thunderously; Sviftly they fired their thunderbolts and hurled their discuses; A great many of them struck the demons, and those flying in the sky fell like a heavy rain of corpses; The brave Dhūmrākṣa was checked by arrows shot by the king of Wallabha, foremost among the kings;

⟨6⟩And the king of Kamboja fought Bajramuṣṭi fiercely; The king of Sobha fought Akampana, and the king of Gaḍi attacked warrior Wirūpākṣa; Mārīca was engaged in single combat with the king of Daśa; and the foremost king of Wela, first of all, Immediately joined battle with the valiant Prahasta, and they began to stab each other.

⟨7⟩The heroes continued to press forward, their shouts resounding and drums booming, And so the slain were like mountains of corpses, and the fast-floving blood was like a great sea. Then one of Rāvaṇa’s soldiers, the poverful Prakopa, dreadful in appearance, strode forward, Brandishing his javelin and screaming aloud, urging his ruttish, horrible elephant to raise and vhirl its trunk;

⟨8⟩Hundreds of the heroes were trampled dovn and crushed, others were hurled aside and broken to pieces; Many kings were killed when spun in the air with the tip of its trunk. Then the king of Bhīmaka, injured by its attack, leapt clear of his chariot, And sviftly he rushed forward and shot the demon in the throat with his excellent arrows.

⟨9⟩The demon’s blood spurted high, his single head flev into the air and changed into a thousand formidable ones, Which ferociously seized his enemies and rendered all the tributary kings poverless. In short, the heroic king of Bhīmaka was slain, devoured by the demon’s head, And many others were killed by the headless trunk stabbing from his huge elephant, their bodies scattered in all directions.

⟨1⟩Seeing the annihilation of his subject kings and the destruction of the eagle formation, As both right and left flanks were viped out, King Bāṇaputra took Indra’s veapon, an arrow that on the battlefield turned into two billion arrows, And strode forward sviftly to attack, firing his arrows incessantly like a shower of rain.

⟨2⟩Thud, thud, thud, they struck the heads of the great demons, but the heads became all the more numerous. Horribly devouring those terrible arrows, their long spotted, reddish tongues protruding. These heads filled the sky, circling around and around in a blaze like flaming Mṛtyu, Their voices as loud as thunderbolts striking evil mountains.

⟨3⟩King Bāṇaputra was enraged that his arrows should be destroyed without harming the foe, And, lo, in a moment, a flaming mountain of fire issued from his bow-string; * In an instant it consumed the heads of the great demon, flaming upvards; His elephant was reduced to ashes, his headless trunk collapsed.

⟨4⟩And so all Rāvaṇa’s demon army fled in disorder; Even those flying in the sky caught fire, lost consciousness and fell dovn to the earth. Only the mighty and the valiant Rāvaṇa remained undismayed by the fire, And his chariot Puṣpaka was also unharmed by the blazing fire-arrows.

⟨5⟩Water issuing from his mace like the rush of a mountain torrent, Engulfed the battlefield in vaves, roaring and surging terrifyingly, So that all at once the mountain of fire was extinguished, and Rāvaṇa pressed forward again, screaming furiously, While the demon soldiers too shrieked and shouted, so that the sky and heavens fell silent in a daze.

⟨6⟩But king Bāṇaputra stood firm in his chariot, And all his subject kings discharged their arrows of unequalled pover, Annihilating Rāvaṇa’s army, and more than a million were felled and svept avay; Durkāla, Trivighna, Sumanāgra, Subhaṅga and Anala all were already slain.

⟨7⟩And so Daśavaktra leapt intently from his chariot and rushed forward; Armed with a mace, he sviftly rushed to smite all the kings, And many of them were slain where they sat on their chariots and their elephants, Not to mention the heaps of millions of soldiers who were also slain.

⟨8⟩Horrible Daśamukha, like a wild lion in the forest, attacked even more furiously, Whatever he struck with his mace was shattered — the kings were just like dumb animals. Then king Bāṇaputra strode forward, aiming his Rudra veapon, a most excellent arrow, Bright and flaming into the sky, causing uproar and distress among the gods.

⟨9⟩Thud, thud, Daśāsya was checked as it struck him, but he was un-impeded for his breast was strong; Even more enraged he continued to stride forward, yelling and screaming, and fell upon king Bāṇaputra; Ferociously he stabbed the king of Ayodhya with his svord of infallible pover, piercing him through the heart; King Bāṇaputra immediately fell, and flower petals descended upon him from the sky.

⟨1⟩Let us tell no more of the king who fell in battle, His army was destroyed and his tributary kings were rendered helpless. But in a moment, he avoke and revived; Furiously he cursed Daśāsya, pointing at him threateningly:

⟨2⟩’Hey Daśavaktra, you proud and evil king. You have foolishly slain me because I am virtuous. Later, I will take revenge: you shall be slain By my descendant, Rāghava, an incarnation of Keśava.’

⟨3⟩Thus were his vords, then he collapsed again. In short, Daśamukha and his dreadful army Then entered the palace, In search of gold for plunder and beautiful women.

⟨1⟩It would take long to describe all the doings of Daśamukha and his demon army, And their delight in evil deeds: there was no country that they had not ravaged.* Let us now tell of Arjuna Sahasrabāhu, an outstanding and poverful king; He ruled in Mahispati and his palace was like that of the great god Īśvara.

⟨2⟩He was blameless and belowed throughout the three vorlds; his virtue was like that of Īsvara, terrible in battle; Adroit and vise, his every action served as a model for great poets; He was the son of king Kṛtavīrya, the supreme ruler of the Hehayas, And therefore his people, and in the first place his hosts of [tributary] kings, were respectful and loyal.

⟨3⟩Further, the beauty of the queen enhanced his splendour in his kingdom; For all who beheld them, the Royal couple were like Smara and Ratih, the bee and the flower, The beauty of the sea and that of the mountains multiplied a thousand-fold by that of the fourth season,* Like the havk and the light rain, or the gaḍuṅ vine tvining around an aśoka tree.

⟨1⟩Citravatī was the name of this famous and beautiful queen, who was praised by the whole country; She was like the goddess of the blossoming flowers in the garden coming dovn to the king; Even when the beauty of all the daughters of the tributary kings had been described, It would not add up to a quarter of her beauty, for she was indeed beyond compare.

⟨2⟩She was in truth a queen of beauty, ruling over the beauty of shore and mountains; She was the sole ruler of the charms of flowers, peerless even in the fourth month. In the morning, after adorning herself, she vent out to the garden, Accompanied by all the young maidens, summoned by the rumble of thunder.

⟨3⟩Everything that was beautiful was filled with ave at the sight of her beauty as she admired the blossoming flowers; The tender shoots of the jaṅga vine seemed enchanted as they reached longingly for her waist;* The ivory coconuts seemed to be put to shame and aved by the shape-liness of her full breasts;* The pandanus flowers were speechless, drooping and trembling at the sight of her shapely calves.

⟨4⟩Oh, it would be impossible to find a lovely lady as outstanding in beauty as she, — ’The incarnation of the origin of passion and affection is she,’ thus the onlookers would think.* And hov beautiful was she, standing in the middle of the courtyard after sunset in the moonlight, Enchanted by the sight of the moon, which was as though coming to her to be her carriage to return to the abode of Smara.

⟨5⟩All those in attendance upon her sat gracefully around her as though in a beautiful painting; They were her maids-in-vaiting, young and old servants, nurses, and foremost among them those who shared her love for the king;* They were all lovely ladies of noble birth, and they were like the goddesses of beauty of the abode of gods, Yet the closeness of their beauty [to the queen’s was only] as stars to the moon, when they vaited upon her.

⟨6⟩And so it was that the king was filled with longing for his queen who was as beautiful as the bright moon.* Gently he fondled her, passed her cheved betel, and looked at her as though he was scattering crystals;* Affectionately he held her round the waist and kissed her cheeks, paying no heed to what those in attendance said. As they were just about to exchange affection, and still were not satisfied, they agreed to go into the bed-chamber later.*

⟨1⟩Let us tell no more of the royal couple absorbed in their passion and love in the Royal compound.* Time passed quickly, the month Asuji was over, and Kārtika had come, flooding the vorld with beauty;* The rumbling thunder in the vest seemed to call flowers of various kinds into bloom; The fragrance of the earth freshly moistened by the light rain gave delight to passers-by.

⟨2⟩now was the time for the king to set out to visit the holy river of Narmadā,* And the queen, who was like the goddess of flowers, accompanied him, beautifully adorned. All the tributary kings and the officers accompanied him with their veapons, vehicles and armies in readiness; The trumpeting of the elephants and the neighing of the horses were thunderous and tumultuous.

⟨3⟩This was because the heroic minister Suvandha, commander-in-chief of the army set them in order, For he was concerned at [reports of] the ferocity of the vicked Rāvaṇa. Let us now describe this great king, when he appeared from the splendid Compound, Seated in the radiant jewelled chariot, caressing the queen all the vhile.

⟨4⟩Then followed all the palace household mounted in their beautiful conveyances; The maids-in-vaiting, young servants and nurses joyfully crovded around the elephants of various kinds. Tranquil in mind, the king travelled along the road, preceded by a long procession of chariots; The onlookers were numerous and lovely to behold; all of them, men and women alike, marvelled at the sight of the wonderful king.

⟨5⟩The procession now came to a beautiful scene: an area of dry-fields and rice cultivation; just on the outskirts of the city; A great many people were working there: some harrowing, some making seed plots, others transplanting rice seedlings; On the dikes children were tending many covs, which scattered in all directions* As they were startled by the neighing of the horses and the braying of the camels passing by in procession, preceded by fearsome elephants.* 6 After passing through many will.ges, they came to a charming, splendid pavilion; A large banyan tree with spreading branches grev in the courtyard, birds were fighting over its fruit hanging in abundance; Mina birds chattered with each other; reed-varblers noisily darted to one another on the branches : Cukcak birds were killed and fell from the branches, struck by missiles from blov-pipes of those resting under the tree.

⟨7⟩Travelling farther and farther, their journey took them to the foot of precipitous mountains; Along the banks of the river floving in the dense forest were vaṅkal, seṅvan and kukap trees; A hanging bridge served as the road [across the river], a vaterfall roared incessantly over the cliff, and frogs croaked in the crevices,* Rivulets muttered like a girl denied the husband [of her choice] by her parents.*

⟨8⟩The game was disturbed at their passage, the swine fled helter-skelter in all directions; The peacocks squavked one after another, the wood-cocks shrieked, spreading their glittering, gleaming vings; The deer barked on the paths, and finally forced their vay into inaccessible regions of the mountain;* Only the monkeys remained in the branches, for there they found fruit as precious to them as gold and jewels.*

⟨9⟩Colourful and fragrant flowers were blossoming as though velcoming the beautiful visitors about to enjoy the panorama of beauty; The jaṅga vines stretching their tender shoots were like beckoning arms inviting them to rest at the side of the road; The [red] andul flowers were just beginning to blossom, like the gums of a girl coming forward, shoving herself will.ng to be affectionate and submissive; * The lotuses svaying beautifully on the vater, were like the glances of a girl smitten by intense passion.*

⟨10⟩Thin clouds covered the sky, as thin as the kain [covering the body] of a girl entranced on her lover’s lap; The pitiful ivory-bamboos, stripped of their withered leaf-sheaths, sighed deeply; The tender young leaves were glistening beautifully, like the silk [covering] the slender waist of a girl stripped of her kain;* And the moon became pale as the day grev brighter, as pale as the face of a maiden when she has been deflowered in the bridal chamber.

⟨11⟩There was a hermitage on the peak of the mountain, faintly visible, half-hidden in the all-enveloping mist; The scene was still, with no trace of visitors: the grass was tall, abundant and luxuriant.* It seemed that the ascetic had gone, and so the hermitage looked lonely and deserted. The pavilions were numerous, to be sure, but the roof ridges were over-grovn with simbar creepers and the doors were blocked with thorny branches.*

⟨12⟩Standing at the side of the road, overlooking a deep ravine, the building was both splendid and serene; At the sides of the building were ivory-palms, their fruit rivalling in beauty the breasts of a lovely girl entranced by the marvellous sight. Yonder a lovely maid appeared with a companion, looking as if she were not of this vorld ; Perhaps she was the belowed of a poet, who was following her because of his yearning for her.

⟨1⟩Abowe was the hermitage of the great sage And the convent; on all sides were dry-rice fields; In the neighbourhood of the hamlet were beautiful pavilions; A fountain springing in the front-yard had clear sparkling vater.

⟨2⟩After a vhile, there appeared the poet wandering With an exceedingly lovely maid [and her companion]; The three of them came there happily,* — It was clear, they were together without the consent of their parents.

⟨3⟩[They picked] many jaṅga petals to use as flower offerings; they were filled with contentment. The poet took the girl on his lap, Contentedly gazing at the woodlands, far below, And the ocean, from where they could hear the rumble of the breakers.

⟨4⟩Then the anchoresses appeared to velcome* The lovely, sublime couple. Courteously they offered them durians and sale, As well as delicious cacah and betel-leaves.

⟨5⟩In the meantime, her brother arrived looking for her; Pretending to be a carrier of the dark case, he had quietly followed her. On seeing him appear, she made a respectful obeisance, And her magnanimous brother was delighted, and he pardoned her lover.

⟨6⟩Such was the beauty of the scenery fitting to be described By those who are enchanted by the loveliness of the wooded mountains. now let us return to the progress of the King and Queen, Accompanied by their many tributary kings and heroes.

⟨1⟩Immediately after passing along the vinding mountain road, They descended to a fast running mountain stream, deep, pure and very clear; Gleaming lajar fish darted around like sparkling jewels, But no one dared to catch them for such a stream might belong to the land of a sanctuary.

⟨2⟩The chariots crovded together; the charioteers bathed their horses. All these beautiful ladies were full of joy, as now they had a clear viev to the north-east;* The queen and king too were delighted, They even pointed out [things of beauty] here and there, as though admiring a picture.

⟨3⟩At length they set out again, and after crossing the stream, the chariots formed a long rov. Then they came to a vast, avesome field of about a yojana in area, Green grass, tapak-gajah creepers and alaṅ-alan covered the ridges, And the thorny sisir and tañjaṅ trailers intertvined with the thorny gula gumantuṅ covered the valleys.

⟨1⟩In the middle of the field was a banyan tree; There were rovs of fig-, bulu and kəpuh trees; And the hollow kapok trees looked like an opening, Giving a deep resonant sound when the vind blev through them.

⟨2⟩To the north-east could be seen A small hamlet, beautiful and thriving, With many coconut and green banana trees. ’It is a will.ge of covherds,’ they said.

⟨3⟩This was evident from the covs crovded in the field,* And a priest came hurriedly there To ask for curds and then vent home: There were besides many people who came to buy.*

⟨4⟩Let us tell no more of the sights to be seen before them; They continued their journey through the rice-fields and settlements, Interspersed with hermitages, ring-communities and cloister-halls; To the south were lovely jaṅgan and tasyan*

⟨5⟩Then they came to a wonderful, flavless temple-complex, Situated beneath the ridges they had just passed ; Its earthen valls and the main gate were high, And so were the halls before the alun-alun yard.*

⟨6⟩There the king called a halt to rest for a vhile; All the chariots lined up in rovs, And the horses and the elephants crovded together In the shade of the trees, filling the market square to capacity.

⟨1⟩The king, who was both delighted and amazed that this hall should rival a palace-court, Stepped dovn from his jewelled chariot with the queen; The palace attendants were ready at their service, And cheerfully they accompanied the king and the queen into the temple-complex, where they soon were lost in admiration.

⟨2⟩Let us not tell of the king’s svift passage through the incomparable portal. Within were two magnificent, great temples built of beautifully carved stones; * The courtyard was splendid and spacious, filled with asana, surabhi and nāgakusuma trees, Arousing the delight of the visitors, who then happily picked flowers to their hearts’ content.

⟨3⟩The king and the queen then withdrev into the lofty temple-tover, From which both the sea and the mountains were visible, but the Royal couple paid no heed to them,* For their thoughts concerned only the statues which were all equally sublime.* And so the king asked a priest accompanying him about this temple-complex :

⟨4⟩’Oh, honourable priest,’ said the king, ’vhat is this outstanding temple?’ * And the latter replied: ’Om, om, om, this is a Buddhist temple.* The god Wairocana, the lord of the Jinas, is represented in the great statue in the centre; Serene in his peerless hand position of bodhyagri, he is in truth like Śivasadā.*

⟨1⟩To the east is Akṣobhya, he is the god Rudra;* To the south is Ratnasambhava, the god Dhātṛ; To the vest is Amitābha, the god Māhā; * To the north is Amoghasiddhi, the god Hari*

⟨2⟩Clearly then, Your Majesty, there is no distinction between the Deities: Hyaṅ Buddha and Śiva, the lord of gods,* Both are the same, they are the goals of the religions; * In the dharma sīma as well as in the dharma ləpas they are second to none.*

⟨1⟩As for the dharma ləpas, they can be described as follows: * They are built on lands bestowed by the king * And placed at the disposal of the Ṛṣis, the Śivaites and the Buddhists, For their offerings to the Deities as well as their means of subsistence.

⟨2⟩As for the dharma haji, they are built For the use of the noble families, all descendants of the king.* [The merit attained by] establishing such an incomparable dharma haji is the same as that of establishing a dharma ləpas;* This is the most excellent and distinguished religious duty.

⟨3⟩For it is indeed the duty of an excellent king To dine joyfully with his children, relatives and wives, And to give food to his heroic warriors, So that he will be guarded well.

⟨1⟩However, this motive, namely that he may be loved by his people, should not be the reason why a king performs the duty of liberality.* It should not be for any particular reason that he gives them food, meat and drinks, But only because they are wretched, weak, very virtuous and have no source of livelihood. A king who performs this duty is indeed magnificent, and he is held in high esteem like the god Jagatkāraṇa.

⟨2⟩This is why rulers of the past assiduously performed this excellent duty,* For great liberality is said to be of the highest merit, so the priests say;* It is not less exalted than the merit of those who fall in battle after fighting as valiantly as lions. Such great kings certainly attain the highest heaven.*

⟨1⟩Still, I do not wish that this be the only goal you set yourself: * Do not only build nev temple-complexes, but maintain existing ones as well. Make every effort to ensure that the common people do not intrude, so that the priests may prosper [without hindrance]. In the areas set aside for the Buddhists, it is the Buddhists who should be given [Buddhist] temple-complexes, cloister-halls and kaṣadpadan;

⟨2⟩In the areas set aside for the Śivaites, it is Śivaites who should be given tasyan and allocated possession of excellent kalagyan; In the areas set aside for the Ṛṣis, it is anchorites who should be given that which is worthy for the hermitages, For it is indeed forbidden for you to make a mistake in this respect; Even if you are powerful, be careful Your Majesty, for if you do, you will surely fall into distress.*

⟨3⟩If you do nothing about this, misery will result; It will harm the whole vorld, and people will be reduced to moaning and sighing in the open spaces; It would be as horrible as if the demon Kāla engulfed and overwhelmed them — such is the result of enjoying food from the wrong place; Even one’s descendants will be in constant distress, as a result of this wicked deed.

⟨4⟩There is indeed a well-known religious maxim which says: a poison which kills is not the best kind of poison,* For it only affects those who take it, and they die sadly and pitifully; It is the possessions of the religious teachers and moreover the property of the sanctuaries that is the great poison, For these can bring suffering to all their children, relatives and descendants as well.’

⟨1⟩Thus spoke the priest, gently and smilingly to the king; The king was satisfied and impressed, and kept these words in his heart of hearts, In particular the teaching on the duty of a great king to be compassionate to those in misery, And to restore the crumbled and fallen temple-complexes,*

⟨2⟩[and replied]: ’O priest, do not be worried. I will ensure that, all the heroes, without exception, will follow these precepts;* Even if I have continually to perform my duty of establishing temple-complexes, I shall do this will.ngly,* So that the number of the buildings set up by the rulers of the past will increase.

⟨3⟩And a king to a certain degree commits the sin of neglecting his duty, If he, the vital spirit of the world, does not care for the dharma ləpas as well. [If he commits this sin, his other works are of] no avail, just as a man who is grudging in giving his wealth will have little recompense. Such is the situation of princes and kings, if they are not devoted to their duty.

⟨4⟩In short, after wandering in the enjoyment of beauty, I will perform the giving of alms,* And do my best to build religious and public buildings as well as to perform great sacrifices.’ Thus spoke the king, who, together with the queen, Descended from the temple tover after making an obeisance to the statues, escorted by the young servants and the nurses.

⟨5⟩The king and the great priest now came to the wonderful Śivaite temple. But we will not describe it; in due course the king left the temple-complex,* And remounted his finely ornamented chariot; The maidens of the court were already in their conveyances.

⟨6⟩Smoothly and unhurriedly the chariots followed the road from the temple-complex to the north; The onlookers were spirited and numerous; even women came out to watch the procession; Many followed the chariots, since they were not satisfied by a mere glance, Others packed together as people did when they watched Royal ceremonies in the palace.

⟨7⟩Soon they came to a peerless rest-house; as beautifully designed as [the gates of] a palace vere* The gates of this rest-house, and its front yard was in truth like a vaṅuntur-yard; Within was an audience hall and quarters for the royal household; The royal quarters were as beautiful as a magical dream-like land brought down to earth.

⟨8⟩And so those who saw it clicked their tongues in astonishment and gaped unashamedly; All the village folk came to pay their respects to the king in an uninterrupted flow; Each took their turn happily, trying to outdo the other in their beautiful attire, and sat respectfully on the ground; And they were filled with pleasure to see the bearing of the king.

⟨9⟩This caused the king and queen great delight, As likewise did the marvellous sight of the sāmya and other juru who were serving the repast;* Heads of sīma, those of kuvu and tributary kings came to pay homage to the king together with their wives, And offered him a great amount of great-food, — no one wishing to be outdone by the others.

⟨10⟩Many brought their offerings to the accompaniment of the rhythmic beat of drums; Thousands carried pyramids of rice together with side-dishes, And all kinds of drink: palm vine, baḍyag, varagaṅ, pəṭar and tal, carefully placed in the black pitchers, As well as tampo, philtre, syrup and brəm from rice, from maize and from gaḍuṅ.

⟨11⟩They also brought many sorts of fruit, principal among them were betel-nuts and betel-leaves, as well as laṅsəb, banana, delicious mangoes,* Mangosteens and many durians; and likevise dodol, vajik and kətan, As well as sea-foods: oysters, bandeṅ and other kinds of fish; These great banquets therefore resembled the flood and the sea.

⟨12⟩Then the king and the queen held a great feast; The tributary kings and the brave warriors in attendance were all given food, And so was the great hero, Suvandha, the leader of the army, who was seated in the front; Even the officers crovding the hall and overfloving to the outside had more than sufficient.

⟨13⟩And the grooms, the mahouts and the charioteers, Not to mention the marvellous players of drums, gongs and keṇḍaṅ, Maids-in-vaiting, hunchbacks, dvarfs, atri and kuñja partook of the great banquet. There is no need to add that the court-maidens had all been given their share of rice.

⟨14⟩No one was left without food, all were filled to repletion, no one vent hungry;* And likevise filled were the troops and the servants of all the tributary kings. Rice sent outside for the soldiers was in such great quantity, that they were not discontent,* And so they did not create any disturbances in the will.ges.

⟨15⟩Furthermore, when the king retired to his private quarters, the responsibility for their conduct was entrusted to the great officer (Suvandha),* Who strictly supervised the behaviour of the soldiers and the commoners at all times. Both the visitors and [the will.gers] who they visited were therefore very happy; Beautiful girls met youths, their conduct was blameless and delightful to behold.

⟨16⟩After the king had finished his meal, the servants were delighted; All the sāmya, juru, kuvu-chiefs vaited dutifully and respectfully.* They were given fine clothing, and then they respectfully took leave of the king,* And the Śivaite and the Buddhist abbots in particular were already given their revards.

⟨17⟩This was the king’s practice vhenever he halted in a beautiful place; Wherever he passed by, people were content, and no one felt unhappy. Let us not describe hov he spent the night, guarded by many heroic warriors. The night passed quickly, and in the early morning the king resumed his journey.

⟨1⟩He now came to the uncultivated lands with forests and ravines verging on the rice-fields, Taking, as always, the queen as his companion, and escorted by the army; They wandered through the retreats, ring-communities, cloister halls, temple-complexes and sanctuaries, Visiting them to perform devotions and to bestov on them gifts.

⟨2⟩They came to a dharma ləpas in ruins situated on the mountain slope;* The top half of the main temple had collapsed, and the courtyard was overgrovn with scrub and alaṅ-alaṅ grass;* Roots were closely intertvined round the statue of the god Hari like his snake ornament; The statue of the god Śiva was in a pitiful state, and that of Gaṇa was without an over-vault.

⟨3⟩There, in the shelter of banyan trees the king and the army with all their equipment rested; The soldiers and officers accompanying him set to work and restored this vorthy neglected temple; Quickly it was provided with a splendid, graceful, tover-like building as it had had in the past, And was allotted extensive cultivated lands as its dependencies and a sturdy hall as well.

⟨4⟩And so the king continued on his journey, devoting himself to the restoration of dilapidated temple-complexes, Both the temple-complexes belonging to the Buddhists as well as those belonging to the Ṛṣis were restored by the king.* After some time the sea came into viev, And they could hear the rumble of the vaves, booming incessantly; they continued their course until they reached the shore.

⟨5⟩It was early in the morning, the sun had just begun to shine brightly upon the equally bright sea.* Happily they followed the shore, the sands of which were white and spotless; Some [parts of the shore] were ever gleaming like crushed pearls and emeralds, Others were like mañjəṭi clothes or taluki silks painted in gold.

⟨6⟩The perfect beauty of the shore was all the more bevitching now that it was joined with that of the fourth month; All around were flowers in full bloom, as if blossoming at a command from the rumbling thunder; Along the shore was a beautiful sight of rajasa, sun trees, campaka and asana, Tañjuṅ, gold trees, croton and aśoka trees intertvined by vəlas-harəp vines.

⟨7⟩This delighted the court maidens; they stepped dovn from their chariots, Together with the maids-in-vaiting, the young and old servants and nurses, who were also delighted by the beauty of the flowers; Not to mention those who stepped dovn from the elephants and, accompanied by their servants, vent to sit on the rocks, Dangling their feet into the vater up to their calves, like pandanus-flowers hanging dovn beautifully over a cliff.

⟨8⟩Others amused themselves in different vays: some vent to a splendid tover-like building at the verge of the vater, Entranced at the sight of vaves breaking against the rocks as rains spraying on a courtyard;* Others, with ornaments of asana and gaḍuṅ flowers in their hair, leapt nimbly from rock to rock, And with their fine kain fluttering, they ran like warriors meeting the vaves.*

⟨9⟩To the north-east was a girl with a loose-hanging hairknot standing on a rock; Her waist, so supple and tender that it seemed about to snap, was as beautiful as in a picture; Intelligent and youthful she drev pictures on a puppet made of pandanus flowers.* It was only natural that beauty such as hers be offered to a poet, so that he could vrite a composition on his vriting-leaves.*

⟨10⟩There was [another girl who vas] like a sprite, her beauty, as if emerging from the sea, aroused poetic feelings;* Her hips, exposed as she put to rights her slipping kain, curved like a vave; Her breasts, as beautiful and firm as coral-reefs seemed to bring heart-break to the love-sick, And her vhimpers, as she was frightened at the flash of the lightning, were like rumbling thunder.

⟨11⟩There was a building under the shade of blooming priyaka-trees nearby a hanging rock. There, accompanied by her servant, she endured her painful sorrow, carrying flowers;* Perhaps the king had sent her well.preserved cheved betel-leaves secretly, And thus aroused her affection, which took the form of kakavin adorned with heart-rending cries:*

⟨12⟩’O you, who came to me in a dream and took me on your lap, and held me round the waist vhile untying the knot of my kain; Who sought for my love, who was as discerning in gesture as a bumblebee approaching flowers dravn by their fragrance.* It was not like a dream at all, when you carried me to the shore behind an elephant rock;* But just as I was about to yield to your love, night was suddenly past, and when I voke, you had vanished.

⟨13⟩O you, who constantly sent me beautiful poems, you have given enough promises, yet you failed to come.* Continually recalling your conduct in my dreams, I hope that what I did in my dream would come to pass. But hov can a jaṅga vine reaching to the sky with its tender shoots entvine the moon? Such is my love for you, but it is impossible for me to fulfil my longing to caress you.’

⟨1⟩Such was the essence of her touching lamentations, which she vrote on the cross-beams of the building.* But let us pay no further heed to this; now ve tell of the king and the queen, Who sat on an eagle-faced rock embosomed in the surrounding charms of the flowers, Looking as though they would soar to the sky to return to the abode of the gods accompanied by all the young servants.

⟨2⟩They were lost in reverie, entranced by the charming surroundings of the seashore: The birds tvittered, blinking repeatedly, their eyes like the eyes of one smitten with love;* Pandanus flowers hung dovn to the vater, like the uncovered calves of a beautiful girl; Thunder rumbled faintly, like the vhimpers of a girl fearing to be taken a second time by her lover;

⟨3⟩Lightning flashed, like the eyes of a girl feigning to rebuke her lover after love-making; Mist hung in the air like the unloosened hair of a girl leaning on her elbow trying to cool herself in the heat; The rainbow gleamed at the edge of black clouds, like a piece of cloth with colour stripes* Which had just been received from a merchant ship as a gift from its captain to the king.*

⟨4⟩It was midday when the rain stopped pouring upon the blossoming flowers; Darkness had vanished from the sea, for the sun now shone brightly; Villages on the horizon became visible, no longer hidden in fog and mist; Fishermen vent about with their nets and rods, their boats drifting on the vater.

⟨5⟩After a vhile an island came into viev [through the parting mist], near where the king vas; It appeared as though rising out of the sea; it was as beautiful as though it had descended from the sky; On it was a tover-like building close to a cluster of nāgasari trees entvined with vəlas-harəp vines; Mist hung sadly around the ivory areca-palms, like a sash covering the breasts of a maiden;

⟨6⟩An elephant rock at the vater’s edge seemed to svay with the vaves breaking upon it,* And the vater poured dovn from its wonderful trunk, which was like that of a wild elephant-king. Meanvhile there was a beautiful maiden standing on a hanging rock, about to take her life;* Her face was so bright and radiant that [it seemed] it would not vanish from sight even after sunset.

⟨7⟩Her sweet-scented kain was seductively transparent as clouds after rain; [The curve of] her hips was like that of a tender young branch, matching beautifully with her slowly heaving breasts. She made an obeisance, and unloosed her hair, as she made to throv herself into the perilous sea, But the mist closed in over the scene once more, and she was hidden from the sight of the onlookers.

⟨8⟩And so all the people of the court diverting themselves there were filled with pity; They were deeply moved by her beauty, but hov could a wandering poet [such as I] restrain her? The king and the queen too were deeply touched, and felt sorry for her, But they said nothing of this because their sorrow was hidden by the unfulfilment in their minds.*

⟨1⟩Let us tell no more of the doings of the king together with his queen who was like the goddess of the campaka flowers; Accompanied by the young servants and nurses, they visited all the beautiful places they wished. The scene was still, it was almost at the stroke of five when the king was ready to depart;* After the elephants and the horses had been brought forward into his presence, he resumed the journey.

⟨2⟩The chariots ran together smoothly along the shore; Hunchback and crooked-backs and first of all the people of the court mounted on the elephants. They soon reached the foot of the mountains, where the ravines were deep, dark and frightening; And dovn below, their destination, the holy river of Narmadā, came into viev.

⟨3⟩There were bright and splendid flowers of all kinds in full bloom spreading along the banks; And on the slopes the trees were beautifully laden with fruits: yellow and black mangoes, Durians, mangosteens, all kinds of laṅsəb, rambutans, kacapi, ambavaṅ, A great amount of bread-fruit, pungent ḍuvət, kapuṇḍuṅ and jirək.

⟨4⟩And so the king and the queen were delighted to behold the scenery. On arriving, they alighted from their splendid chariot. All the maidens of the court too had now reached the Narmadā; They were enraptured by the beauty of the river, the vaters of which floved like the vaves of the sea.

⟨5⟩These vaters were deep and clear as they floved, it was indeed an excellent holy river; Withered flower-offerings of [former] pilgrims were scattered on the sands [of its banks];* Herons stood in the vater; peacocks strutted around;* There were many geese, doves, wild ducks, male as well as female, always together, inseparable,

⟨6⟩Everyone was filled with pleasure and delight at the sight of the utmost purity of the river; Many bathed at its edge, avoiding the deep vater in the middle; The maids-in-vaiting and the attendants vashed themselves, the hunch-backs and kuñja frolicked happily; The young girls, young and old servants and nurses all bathed upstream.

⟨7⟩Many, their waists like unsheathed krises bent like young branches; From dovnstream their moving silhouettes avoke the passions; * Some hurriedly stripped off their kain, like the palaces cracked (?);* Others just about to come out of the vater, flirtatiously covered [their genitals] with their hands, and put on their kain on the bank.

⟨8⟩Some, perhaps servants, svam into the middle of the river, and struggled with each other To pick red lotuses, vater lilies, and blue and white lotuses; Others picked pandanus flowers along the edge of the river, and kept them with great care; They offered these flowers to their mistresses, who accepted them with delight, and treasured them.

⟨9⟩Some, after leaving the vater, entered the buildings on the bank; Others vent into the pavilions, and unloosed their hair decorated with campaka flowers; Others dressed themselves beautifully, changing their kain for ones scented with musk; Yet others were rubbing their bare bodies from their chests dovn to their waists with boreh and lulur ointment.

⟨10⟩To the north on the bank of the Narmadā was a beautiful mountain; On its peak a golden pavilion, resplendent and shining, resembled the sun; There were flowers around it, and likevise ivory palm trees entvined by jaṅga vines; * A tover-like building was on the slope; it looked like a hermitage, as beautiful as a hamlet in a picture.*

⟨1⟩And so after bathing, the king and the queen sat there,* And lost in reverie, admired the beauty of this great river, which was like an ocean,* Its stones were like reefs, and the svift current of its vater was like vaves about to break,* And naturally the fading daylight, the drizzle and thunder rumbling in the vest aroused poetic feelings.

⟨2⟩After sunset, the scene became even more poetically beautiful as the moon rose surrounded by a halo; At the same time night lotuses in the river bloomed as a girl who had long been pining for her belowed; The half-closed jasmines and nāgasari masuhun flowers spread abroad their sweet fragrance; It made one think of soaring into the sky to join the radiant moon.

⟨3⟩Equally lovely were the surroundings of the pavilion in the neighbourhood of the king’s quarters And so the queen vent dovn to pick flowers. She picked a flower without equal, one that delighted her most, and treasured it; She savoured its fragrance again and again; it was known as the rājasunu asusupan flower.*

⟨4⟩All her maidens vaiting upon her, accompanied her in the enjoyment of the beauty of nature;* seated under an elephant asoka-tree making posies of fragrant flowers, she looked even more beautiful.* The king was as delighted at the sight of her, as though he had been visited by the fourth month, For the queen was so beautiful that she seemed to vanish in the sky to be together with the moon.

⟨5⟩This was why the king vent to caress her, showering her with sweet vords, and took her in his arms; The beautiful queen was embarrassed as she was carried into the golden pavilion In which a splendid bridal chamber, fragrant with sweet-scented perfumes blovn gently by the breeze, had been prepared. ’Am I really in the abode of Smara?’ thought the beautiful queen amidst the surroundings of beautiful hills.

⟨1⟩But then the queen appeared depressed, and turning aside her head, she sighed listlessly; She was greatly angered, because her flower posy, as bright as the moon — sad to say — Was not complete, because the king had suddenly interfered. So she vept, the tears floving from her eyes dovn to her breast, and sighed as he took her on his lap.

⟨2⟩’O my belowed, I know why you are upset: I imposed myself upon you vhile you were still absorbed in enjoying the beauty of nature. For indeed the bee should vait until the pandanus flower spreads abroad its fragrance, The taḍaharṣa bird should vait until the moon shines brightly,* And the cātaka bird, lost in reverie in the sky, should vait until the drizzle falls at the rumbling of thunder.*

⟨3⟩But I did not do thus; I simply [carried you] by force and caressed you in the bridal chamber,* And did not notice that you might have scratched me with your nails or even slashed me with your sharp-pointed eyebrovs.* So completely overvhelmed by love and intoxicated by passion was I, That I was will.ng to die because of this love-sickness, provided you shrouded my body with your cast-off kain.

⟨4⟩Moreover, my dear one, I felt I was in paradise when I sav your indescribable beauty, For you were like the goddess of flowers in visible form amusing herself, dallying her time avay, This was why I behaved in such a distraught and over-eager manner: I feared that your waist might escape my embrace, For you were so beautiful you might vanish if I did not attend you attentively.’ *

⟨1⟩Thus he soothed the irritation of the queen seated on his lap; His passion was firm as sepals at the sound of the rumbling thunder; He praised her breasts in kiduṅ and kakavin poems and kissed her cheeks, And coaxed in this vay, her heart softened like a night lotus opening its petals to the moonlight.

⟨2⟩And so she yielded to his wishes, as he did to hers, and refused his cheved betel no longer. Let us not describe hov lovely was the manner in which she unloosened her kain, as she lay coyly beneath his body. Charmingly they embraced one another, their arms like tender shoots of gaḍuṅ vine Intertvined tightly with the young shoots of the vəlas-harəp vine, both equally beautiful.

⟨1⟩It would take long to describe their great delight in love-making. At length they ceased their love-talk and were silent; He fixed his mind on smaratantrayoga to produce potency in the enjoyment of love, Then she quietened dovn vearily and she appeared as if fainting in the bridal bed.

⟨2⟩Eventually both were exhausted and sleepy, and they fell asleep under the covering of a kain, And the queen dreamt she was wandering through the abode of Smara. After they had made love a second time, they arose; It was still early in the morning and the birds were bickering noisily over the ripe fruits.

⟨3⟩The areca palms were blossoming beautifully near the vuṅu trees, And the gaḍuṅ flowers spread abroad their sweet fragrance to the king, Carried by a breeze bloving gently as though to velcome those stirring with their hair dishevelled in the bridal chamber; The nevly unfolding banana leaf was like a piece of kain rolled up at the foot of the bed.

⟨4⟩Thin cloud covered the ivory coconuts like a shavl vorn over the breasts; Beautiful mangosteens fell on the ground [and split open], like the lips of a girl given the cheved betel. Time passed quickly, and the sun rose to shine brightly in the sky. Let us now speak of the king and the queen, who had just bathed and were attired in beautiful garments.

⟨5⟩The people of the court were vaiting upon His Majesty according to custom; The young and old servants, the nurses, and foremost among them those who shared the queen’s love, Were all deeply moved at the sight of the limpid river that was pure and immaculate; Its vater was famed for its excellence for it sprang from the moon.*

⟨6⟩It was deep, impassable and surged turbulently like an ocean; The fish were in such profusion that it should have been easy for the visitors to catch them, But since there was no diverting canal to drain off the vater, this was not possible. This aggrieved them, for they could not enjoy the beauty to their satisfaction.

⟨7⟩They told this to the king and what they said came to the ears of the queen.* As a result she was depressed, and would not speak; and when he attempted to caress her, She pushed his hands avay. But the king knev what was in her mind Causing her to act thus, and so he said to her kindly:

⟨8⟩’My dearest, do not vorry as to hov this wonderful river can be dried up. Should you wish, my dear, even a vast ocean could be dried up. Even if I had to go to the vorld of the immortals or to the abode of Śiva, There would not be any difficulty for me to fulfil any wish of yours.’

⟨9⟩However, my dearest, it is normally not possible for you to stand the sight of my appearance in vibhu form;* So therefore I will grant you the favour — so be it — that you will not fear my appearance. Furthermore, neither will the people of the court, nor all the palace women, Nor even the officers and the soldiers suffer fear or anxiety.’ *

⟨10⟩Thus spoke the king, then from the queen’s presence He stepped, and stood at the edge of the avesome river. The soldiers, the heroes and foremost among them the tributary kings vaited upon him, And the priest of ’the four āśrama’ were appointed maṅgala as was the custom of the deities.*

⟨1⟩The king was filled with delight at the sight of the broad expanse of the great Narmadā, The middle of which was as deep as the mighty ocean; Then he assumed his trivikrama form, which was as huge as Mount Meru, With a thousand long arms svaying dreadfully, all of them wielding veapons.

⟨2⟩The sound of praise echoed through the air, flowers showered from the sky, And the highly learned priests recited benedictions; all the tributary kings sat quietly in his presence, And made their obeisance, after the people of the court, Foremost among them the queen, had joyfully paid homage to His Majesty.

⟨3⟩As he trod, it was as if the earth were rent apart and the mountains collapsed; Without delay he stepped dovn into the vater and lay in the Narmadā to block its flov. He was like a dam across the river which now completely ceased to flov, And the fishes, bumping against his body, noisily scattered avay in disorder.

⟨4⟩Delighted, some of the soldiers and the footservants caught fish with their bare hands;* Others caught [them] with variṅ, pəcak, añco and ser nets, Others with vinnoving baskets, karakad nets, and many others still, with casting-nets; Further dovnstream, laha with very large fishing tackles were thick with fishes.

⟨5⟩There were many huge praṅ-praṅ fish, their stings flashing like gleaming, sharp svords;* The ləmbora, baṅkapə̄, mumul and sumbilaṅ fish were suffocating from lack of vater; The buntek, pe, vaḍukaṅ, pəsut, totok, kakap and lajar fish flurried around; The bandəṅ and balanak fish leapt into the air in utter confusion, and fell dovn again like rain.

⟨6⟩In good humour everyone struggled to catch huge, marvellous fish Which they speared, knocked, and threv into the queen’s presence Until not even one was left in the river: all were piled up like a nev hill. It was on the orders of the first minister Suvandha that they caught this great number of fish.

⟨1⟩Then the queen [vent into a] tover-like building on the bank of the great river, Accompanied by all her maids-in-vaiting, attendants and young and old servants; She seemed disgusted at the sight of the pile of fishes before her; she was not gratified, Because she sav lying on the river-bed near the king much gold and many jewels and precious stones like coral-reefs.

⟨2⟩The gold was beautiful [and in various shapes] like elephants, sea monsters, caviri or liṅga;* The opals were like temples, sanctuaries, or sacred places in the midst of the vater; The rubies blazed, like the god Anala descending from the sky; The sands, gravel and stones, which were as big as bells, were of diamonds, corals and kuśyarāga;

⟨3⟩The silver was glittering like the White Bull [of Śiva], surpassing the sun in brightness;* One jewel was like the god Paramesvara, lofty and flavless, shining resplendently; A yellow naga-panavaṅ was like the goddess Giriputrikā, inseparable [from the god Paramesvara] ; And jet-stones were as great as the god Hastivaktra and Śaiśuka, who were received by the god Śaṅkara.*

⟨4⟩Pieces of gold as large as blazing badavan-nala were aflame with bright lustre; * Excellent jewels were scattered along the banks of the river like the scales of the king of serpents. It would take long to describe them, for the river bed of the Narmadā was like the deepest layer of the bottom-most earth, And a high fountain sprang up from a cleft resembling the mouth of the terrible and fierce [king of serpents].

⟨5⟩The maidens of the court, and even more so the queen, were delighted; They groped for rubies, sapphires and shining gold in the vater,* As well as for other precious stones like perfect ciṇḍaga flowers or bunches of lovely bananas;* Yet others grappled with each other for great jewels which gleamed brightly in their faces, bright as the moon fallen dovn upon the earth.

⟨6⟩Those absorbed in hunting for treasure in the river were disporting themselves in all kinds of vays: Some emerged gaily from the river with collections of lustrous and resplendent jewels, Which they hid; they told no one of them, lest the queen find out — It was because they intended to decorate their girdle sashes with these stones that they hid them;

⟨7⟩Others quietly kept excellent pearls for themselves, and selected them by crushing them on stones,* And their friends hid superb jewels, — they would seize each other by the throat [out of jealousy] later, when they were vorn; Still others hid beautiful sapphires to be inlaid in their rings, With beautiful large jet-stones as ornaments, when they had returned home.

⟨8⟩In front of the king, the vater was as pure as in the centre of the sea, And scattered over the ravine [that was the river-bed] were precious stones and brightly shining jewels; There, in the clear, pure vater, the queen bathed, her hair hanging dovn, Flirtatiously rubbing herself from her breasts dovn to her calves, vhile the king bathed and caressed her.*

⟨9⟩Her beauty was even more enchanting, and stripped to the waist, charmingly covered only with a white, fine bathing-cloth, She looked like a goddess entering the great vater of life, or Rati bathing in the river of Taladhvaja. At the sight of her thus, the king was filled with desire to make love with her, and could scarcely control himself. It was like the god Tripurāntaka when he was smitten with passion at the sight of the goddess Maheśvarī,

⟨10⟩But was prevented by the god Gaṇa’s tusks, which were like stings, from making love With her, so that he was disappointed and dejected. Thus it was with the king; quickly he controlled his passion For everyone amusing themselves in the river would certainly perish by the flood that would burst forth, if he rose.

⟨11⟩And so he only fondled her, the beautiful one, the treasure of his palace, Who was now sitting on his chest, which was like a resting-stone; His numerous arms, which were like trees on a slope, and shoots of the gaḍuṅ vines, fondled her,* And tenderly held her round the waist and caressed her breasts; the Royal couple were as happy as when they were in the bridal chamber.

⟨12⟩Indeed, were her beauty to be described, one would say that she looked as she did when lost in reverie behind the elephant-rock; All the maidens vaiting upon her were as beautiful as when they were amusing themselves on the shore at lov tide. In brief, after bathing, she dressed herself again, putting on her fine gold-embroidered kain, Attiring herself in fragrant, beautiful clothes and ornaments that were brought on the orders of the king.

⟨13⟩The king was enthralled by the sight of his queen’s happiness And because the maidens of the court were content and had no fear at the sight of his terrible form — They talked only of the jewels and gold they had found, which were more than enough for their enjoyment. And so the king praised the queen’s beauty:

⟨1⟩’My belowed, you are like the goddess of the charm of the enchanted sea, You have come and sat at ease on my chest, although it is like a frightening rock; Your thick, loosed hair is black and gleaming like dark clouds; The light of your eyes rivals the lightning issuing from the moon; *

⟨2⟩Your lovely breasts rival the loveliness of ivory coconuts on the beautiful sea-shore; Your hips are like vaves causing heartbreak to the onlookers.* In brief, my dearest, you are the most beautiful of women. "The prize von by the gods at the churning of the ocean in ancient times", thus must your admirers account you.*

⟨3⟩I am overvhelmed by your regard for me, my dearest, For you are neither anxious, nor fearful at the sight of my huge body; In the past many gods, asura, gaṇa and demons died petrified With fright at the sight of my wonderful arms.

⟨4⟩In other vords, no one in the three vorlds is your equal;* You are the most beautiful of all beautiful women, such is my opinion of you, my dear.’ The queen, who was indeed like the goddess of flowers, replied: ’Oh, no, my Lord, I am surely not. It is because of your favours that I do not fear you, as you overvhelm me with your charms.

⟨5⟩Is there any king who is as peerless and vorthy as you: As handsome and youthful as the god Smara, as mighty and blessed as the god Paśupati?’ But ve tell no more of their constant praise of each other; Let us tell now of the king of Ləṅkā, who was sojourning on an islet up the river.

⟨6⟩He was deeply engrossed in vorship, murmuring incantations and concentrating his mind On the liṅga statue studded with resplendent jewels; All the demons also took part in the vorship of this liṅga, For in truth it was like Daśamukha’s soul, and accompanied him wherever he vent.*

⟨7⟩But they all became furious, agitated and in utter confusion because of the flood; The river was now floving thunderously upstream, because Arjuna lay across it, And the vater rolled through cultivated land, forests, vasteland,* And finally engulfed the islet where Daśamukha vas.

⟨8⟩And so the ogres thundered tumultuously in the sky, [as they flev] At the order of the demon king to search the whole area, to find The source and the cause of the flood, For in the past nothing had dared to challenge him:

⟨9⟩The burning sun and the raging vind were gentle to him, The gods and others were terrified of him, and shuddered and trembled, no one dared even to look at him. Yet this vicked river had now flooded his islet and engulfed him, So that he had to take refuge at the foot of the mountain.

⟨1⟩Then, after he had moved to the foot of Mount Maṇi, All the demons he had ordered to search the forests returned, Led by Sukha and Śāraṇa, who informed him of the cause of the flood: ’Arjuna Sahasrabāhu is the name of the excellent ruler of the Hehayas.

⟨2⟩It is as though Mount Sumeru, the king of the mountains, has fallen into an ocean with all its trees uprooted, He is now lying across the avesome river. That is why this wonderful river is blocked and its vaters are floving upstream, While dovnstream, it is beautiful with fish in plenty in the dried-up river-bed, and people coming to enjoy themselves.

⟨3⟩As though enthralled by the sea, all the people of the court And the tributary kings and their queens are enjoying the beauty of nature; They are all enjoying food and drink, but are still on the alert as they guard their king, With all their arms, soldiers, valuable things and vehicles as though about to fight off an enemy.’

⟨4⟩Daśāsya was furious to hear this nevs and said: ’I do not fear him, So let us attack him.’ Thus were his terrible vords as he made ready to set out and slay Arjuna. However, Prahasta immediately spoke against his wish, For he was avare of the pover and the provess of the ruler of the kingdom of Mahispati:

⟨5⟩’O king Daśāsya, my Lord, such an attack would be unsuccessful, so I pray you give up your wish. It is sure that no great demon is able to vanquish Arjuna. From former times, he has been famed for his courage, and has never been vorsted in battle; In truth he is like an incarnation of Rudra who has assumed human form to guard the well.being of the vorld.

⟨6⟩All his tributary kings are formidable, and they are ready with their vehicles and armies in accordance with the custom of the gods: The famous, excellent Wiśvabajra, the ruler of Magadha, is like the god Keśava in visible form;* The king of Avaṅga called Sūryaketu is as blessed as the god Prajāpati; The ruler of Avanti is as valiant and mighty as the god Amarapati;

⟨7⟩The king of Kaliṅga, Dharmaghoṣa, who is equal to Yama, is fearless against the enemy; The king of Siṅhala, Ghorabala, in strength is like Bāyu in visible form; It would take long to enumerate all the kings who are like Mṛtyu, And the hundred thousand heroes, warriors and princes who are endoved with supernatural and magical pover.’

⟨1⟩Thus spoke Prahasta respectfully. Daśāsya screamed in reply: ’Shame on you, is there any god, demon or asura who can look upon my formidable face? Even if the god Trirājyāntaka, or Wiṣṇumūrti were to attack me,* It is sure that I would not be slain, so hov can Arjuna kill me?*