The Kathá Sarit Ságara; or, Ocean of the Streams of Story
these two magnanimous sons of thine, who resemble thee, shall always
be invincible by all their enemies. And this son of mine Suvásakumára,
resembling in splendour the autumn moon, shall come when thou thinkest
of him, and assist thee in the night of calamity. When the hermit had
thus spoken, his wives and the rishis and the Lokapálas in the same way
gave boons to them, to Maya and the rest, in the assembly. Then Aditi
said to Indra--"Desist, Indra, from thy improper conduct, conciliate
Maya, for thou hast seen to-day the fruit of discreet conduct, in
that he has obtained boons from me." When Indra heard that, he seized
Maya by the hand and propitiated him, and Srutasarman, eclipsed by
Súryaprabha, was like the moon in the day. Then the king of the gods
immediately prostrated himself before Kasyapa his spiritual guide,
and returned as he came, accompanied by all the Lokapálas; and Maya
and the others, by the order of that excellent hermit, departed from
his hermitage to meet success in their proposed undertaking.
CHAPTER XLVI.
Then Maya and Sunítha and Súryaprabha, all of them, left that hermitage
of Kasyapa, and reached the junction of the Chandrabhágá and Airávatí,
where the kings, the friends and connexions of Súryaprabha, were
awaiting him. And the kings who were there, when they saw Súryaprabha
arrived, rose up weeping in despair, eager to die. Súryaprabha,
thinking that their grief arose from not seeing Chandraprabha, told
them the whole occurrence as it happened. Then, as they still remained
despondent, he questioned them, and they reluctantly related how his
wives had been carried off by Srutasarman. And they also told him how
they were preparing to commit suicide through grief at that outrage,
when they were forbidden by a heavenly voice. Then Súryaprabha in
wrath made this vow--"Even if Brahmá and all the other gods protect
Srutasarman, I will certainly overthrow him, a villain who carries off
the wives of others, addicted to treacherous insolence." And having
made this vow, he appointed a moment fixed by the astrologers on the
seventh day, for marching to his overthrow. Then Maya, perceiving
that he was determined, and had made up his mind to conquer his enemy,
again confirmed him with his speech, and said to him--"If you really
have made up your mind, then I will tell you this; it was I that on
that occasion carried off your wives by magic, and I placed them
in the under-world, thinking that thus you would set about your
victorious expedition in an impetuous manner, for a fire does not
of itself burn so fiercely, as it does when fanned by a breeze. So
come, let us go to the under-world; I will shew you those wives of
yours." When they heard that speech of Maya's, they all rejoiced,
and they entered again by the same opening as before, and went to
the fourth under-world, Maya leading the way. There Maya brought
those wives of Súryaprabha's out of a dwelling-house, and delivered
them over to him. Then Súryaprabha, after receiving those wives, and
the others, the daughters of the Asuras, went by the advice of Maya
to visit Prahláda. He, having heard from Maya that Súryaprabha had
obtained boons, and being desirous of proving him, took up his weapon,
and said with feigned anger as he bowed before him,--"I have heard,
wicked one, that you have carried off the twelve maidens captured
by my brother, so, I will slay you now; behold me." When Súryaprabha
heard that, he said to him, without changing countenance,--"My body
is at your disposal; punish me, for I have acted improperly." When
he said this, Prahláda laughed and said to him--"As far as I have
tested you, you have not a drop of pride in you. Choose a boon,
I am pleased with you." When Súryaprabha heard this, he consented,
and chose as his boon devotion to his superiors and to Siva. Then,
all being satisfied, Prahláda gave to Súryaprabha a second daughter
of his, named Yáminí, and that prince of the Asuras gave him two of
his sons as allies. Then Súryaprabha went with all the rest into the
presence of Amíla. He too was pleased on hearing that he had obtained
the boons, and gave him Sukhávatí his second daughter, and two of
his sons to help him. Then Súryaprabha remained there during those
days, accompanied by his wives, inducing other kings of the Asuras
to make common cause with him. And he heard, in the company of Maya
and the others, that the three wives of Sunítha and his own wives,
the daughters of the kings, had all become pregnant, and when asked
what they longed for, they all said, to see that great battle, and
the Asura Maya rejoiced at it, perceiving that the Asuras, who were
slain in old time, had been conceived again in them--"This," said he,
"is the cause of their desire."
So six days passed, but on the seventh Súryaprabha and the others,
with their wives and all, set out from the under-world. Delusive
portents, which their rivals displayed to impede them, were
dissipated by Suvásakumára, who came when thought of. Then they
anointed Ratnaprabha, the son of Chandraprabha, king of the earth,
and ascended the chariot Bhútásana, [656] and went all of them, by
the advice of Maya, to a wood of ascetics on the bank of the eastern
Ganges, the dwelling of Sumeru the king of the Vidyádharas. There
Sumeru received them with all honour, as they had come on a friendly
visit, having been told the whole story by Maya, and remembering the
previous command of Siva. And while Chandraprabha and the others were
in that place, they summoned each of them all their own forces, and
also their relations and friends. First came those princes, the sons
of the fathers-in-law of Súryaprabha, who had acquired from Maya the
required sciences, eager for the fray. They were sixteen in number,
headed by Haribhata, and each was followed by a force consisting of
a myriad of chariots, and two myriads of footmen. After them came
the Daityas and Dánavas true to their agreement, brothers-in-law,
fathers-in-law, friends and other connexions of Súryaprabha.
Hrishtaroman, and Mahámáya, and Sinhadanshtra and Prakampana,
and Tantukachehha and Durároha, and Sumáya, and Vajrapanjara,
and Dhúmaketu, and Pramathana, and the Dánava Vikatáksha, and many
others came from as low down as the seventh under-world. One came
with seven myriads of chariots, another with eight, another with
six, and another with three, and the least powerful of all with one
myriad. One brought three hundred thousand footmen, another two hundred
thousand, another one hundred thousand, and the pettiest potentate
of all fifty thousand. And each brought a corresponding number of
horses and elephants. And another innumerable host came belonging to
Maya and Sunítha. And Súryaprabha's own countless army also arrived,
and those of Vasudatta and the other kings, and that of Sumeru.
Then the Asura Maya addressed this question to the hermit Suvásakumára,
who came to him when thought of, in the presence of Súryaprabha and
the others--"Reverend sir, we cannot review this army here because
it is scattered; so tell me where we could get a view of the whole
army at once extended in long array." The hermit answered--"Not
more than a yojana from here there is a place called Kalápagráma;
go there and behold it drawn up in line." When the hermit said that,
all the princes went with him and Sumeru to Kalápagráma. There they
made the armies of the Asuras and the kings take up their positions,
and going to an elevated spot they reviewed them separately. Then
Sumeru said--"Srutasarman has the larger force, for he has under him
a hundred and one chiefs of the Vidyádharas. And every single one
of those chiefs is lord of two and thirty kings. Never mind! I will
draw away some and make them join you. So let us go in the morning
to the place named Valmíka. For to-morrow is the eighth lunar day of
the black fortnight of Phálguna, which is a high day. And on that day
there is produced there a sign to show the future emperor, and for that
reason the Vidyádharas are going there in a great hurry on that day.
When Sumeru gave that opinion with regard to the army, they spent that
day in accordance with the law, and went on the morrow to Valmíka in
chariots with their army. There they encamped with shouting forces
on the southern plateau of the Himálayas, and beheld many Vidyádhara
kings that had arrived. And those Vidyádharas had lighted fires
there in fire-cavities, and were engaged in sacrificing, and some
were occupied with muttering prayers. Then, where Súryaprabha made
a fire-cavity, the fire burst forth of itself, owing to the power
of his magic science. When Sumeru saw it, he was pleased, but envy
arose in the breasts of the Vidyádharas at the sight; then one said to
him--"For shame, Sumeru! why do you abandon your rank as a Vidyádhara,
and follow this inhabitant of earth named Súryaprabha?" When Sumeru
heard this, he angrily rebuked him. And when Súryaprabha asked his
name, he said--"There is a Vidyádhara of the name of Bhíma, and Brahmá
loved his wife at will; from this connexion he sprang. Since be sprang
from Brahmá in a secret way, he is called Brahmagupta. Hence he speaks
in a style characteristic of his birth."
After saying this, Sumeru also made a fire-cavity. And in it
Súryaprabha sacrificed with him to the god of Fire. And in a moment
there suddenly rose from the hole in the ground an enormous and
terrible serpent. In his arrogance, that chief of the Vidyádharas,
named Brahmagupta, by whom Sumeru was blamed, ran to seize it. That
serpent thereupon sent forth a hissing wind from its mouth, which
carried Brahmagupta a hundred feet, and flung him down with such
violence that he fell like a withered leaf. Then a chief of the
Vidyádharas, named Tejahprabha, ran to seize it; he was flung away
by it in the same manner. Then a lord of the Vidyádharas, named
Dushtadamana, approached it; he was hurled back like the others by
that blast from its mouth. Then a prince of the sky-goers, named
Virúpasakti, approached it; he too was flung away as easily as a
blade of grass by that breath. Then two kings, named Angáraka and
Vijrimbhaka, ran towards it together; and it flung them to a distance
with its breath. Thus all the princes of the Vidyádharas were flung
away one after another, and rose up with difficulty, with their limbs
bruised with stones. Then Srutasarman, in his pride, went forward
to seize the serpent; but it hurled him back with the blast of its
breath like the others. He fell at a short distance, and rose up again,
and ran again towards it; when it carried him a greater distance with
its breath, and flung him to earth. Then Srutasarman rose up abashed,
with bruised limbs, and Sumeru sent Súryaprabha to lay hold of the
serpent. And then the Vidyádharas ridiculed him, saying, "Look! he too
is trying to catch the snake! O! these men, thoughtless as monkeys,
imitate whatever they see another doing." Even while they were mocking
him, Súryaprabha went and seized the serpent, whose mouth was quiet,
and dragged it out of the hole. But at that moment the serpent became
a priceless quiver, and a rain of flowers fell from the sky on his
head. And a heavenly voice sounded aloud--"Súryaprabha, thine is
this imperishable quiver equal to a magic power, so take it." Then
the Vidyádharas were cast down, Súryaprabha seized the quiver, and
Maya and Sunítha and Sumeru were delighted.
Then Srutasarman departed, accompanied by the host of the Vidyádharas,
and his ambassador came to Súryaprabha and said; "The august lord
Srutasarman thus commands--'Give me that quiver, if you value
your life.'" Then Súryaprabha said; "Ambassador, go and tell him
this--'Your own body shall become a quiver, bristling all over with
my arrows.'" When the ambassador heard this speech, he turned and