The Kathá Sarit Ságara; or, Ocean of the Streams of Story
addressed to him the following pleasing speech, "Let your army halt
here, king, on the bank of the river of the gods! It is not fitting
that you should advance over this mountain Kailása. For all sciences
are destroyed by crossing this dwelling-place of Siva. So you must
pass to the other side of the mountain by the cave of Trisírsha. And
it is guarded by a king named Devamáya, who is exceedingly haughty;
so how can you advance further without conquering him?" When Mandara
said this, Dhanavatí approved it, and Naraváhanadatta waited there
for a day.
While he was there, he sent an ambassador to Devamáya with
a conciliatory message, but he did not receive the order it
conveyed in a conciliatory spirit. So the next day the emperor
moved out against Devamáya with all the allied kings prepared for
battle. And Devamáya too, when he heard it, marched out towards him
to give battle, accompanied by numerous kings, Varáha, Vajramushti
and others, and followed by his army. Then there took place on
Kailása a battle between those two armies, and while it was going
on, the sky was obscured by the chariots of the gods who came to
look on. Terrible was that thunder-cloud of war, awful with the
dense hailstorm of many severed heads, and loud with the shouting
of heroes. That Chandasinha slew Varáha the general of Devamáya,
as he fought in the front rank, was in truth by no means wonderful;
but it was strange that Naraváhanadatta, without employing any magic
power, took captive Devamáya himself, when exhausted by the wounds he
received from him in the combat. And when he was captured, his army
was broken, and fled, together with the great champions Vajramushti,
Mahábáhu, Tikshnadanshtra and their fellows. Then the gods in their
chariots exclaimed, "Bravo! Bravo!" and all present congratulated
the victorious emperor. Then that mighty monarch consoled Devamáya,
who was brought before him bound, and welcomed him kindly, and set
him at liberty. But he, having been subdued by the emperor's arm,
humbly submitted to him, together with Vajramushti and the others.
Then, the battle having come to an end, that day passed away, and next
morning Devamáya came to the place of audience, and stood by the side
of the emperor, and when questioned by him about the cave of Trisírsha,
which he wished to enter, related the following true history of it.
History of the cave of Trisírsha.
In old time, my liege, the two sides of mount Kailása, the north and
the south side, formed different kingdoms, having been assigned to
distinguished Vidyádharas. Then one, Rishabha by name, propitiated
Siva with austerities, and was appointed by that god emperor over
both of them. But one day he was passing over Kailása to go to the
northern side, and lost his magic science owing to the anger of Siva,
who happened to be below, and so fell from the sky. Rishabha again
propitiated Siva with severe asceticism, and the god again appointed
him Supreme Sovereign of both sides; so he thus humbly addressed the
god, "I am not permitted to pass over Kailása, so by what path am I
to travel in order to be able to exercise my prerogatives on both
sides of the mountain?" When Siva, the trident-bearing god, heard
this, he cleft asunder Kailása, and made this cave-like opening for
Rishabha to pass to the northern side.
Then mount Kailása, having been pierced, was despondent, and addressed
this petition to Siva, "Holy one, this north side of me used to
be inaccessible to mortals, but it has now been made accessible to
them by this cave-passage; so provide that this law of exclusion be
not broken." When Siva had been thus supplicated by the mountain,
he placed in the cave as guards, elephants of the quarters, mighty
basilisks, [575] and Guhyakas; and at its southern opening he placed
Mahámáya the Vidyádhara chief, and at its northern opening Kálarátri
the invincible Chandiká. [576]
When Siva had thus provided for the guarding of the cave, he produced
great jewels, and made this decree with regard to the cave, "This cave
shall be open at both ends to any one who has obtained the jewels, and
is emperor over the Vidyádharas with their wives and their messengers,
[577] and to those who may be appointed by him as sovereigns over the
northern side of the mountain,--by these, I say, it may be passed,
but by no one else in the world." When the three-eyed god had made
this decree, Risbabha went on holding sway over the Vidyádharas,
but in his pride made war on the gods and was slain by Indra. This
is the history, my liege, of the cave, named the cave of Trisírsha;
and the cave cannot be passed by any but persons like yourself.
And in course of time I Devamáya was born in the family of Mahámáya
the keeper of the entrance of the cave. And at my birth a heavenly
voice proclaimed, "There is now born among the Vidyádharas a champion
hard for his foes to conquer in fight; and he, who shall conquer him,
shall be emperor over them; he shall be the master of this child now
born, and shall be followed by him as a lord." I, that Devamáya,
have been now conquered by you, and you have obtained the jewels,
and are the mighty sole emperor of both sides of mount Kailása,--the
lord of us all here. So, now pass the cave of Trisírsha, and conquer
the rest of your enemies.
When Devamáya had told the story of the cave in these words, the
emperor said to him, "We will march now and encamp for the present at
the mouth of the cave, and to-morrow morning, after we have performed
due ceremonies, we will enter it." When Naraváhanadatta had said this,
he went and encamped with all those kings at the mouth of the cave. And
he saw that underground passage with deep rayless cavity, looking like
the birthplace of the sunless and moonless darkness of the day of doom.
And the next day he offered worship, and entered it in his chariot,
with his followers, assisted by the glorious jewels, which presented
themselves to him, when he thought of them. He dispelled the darkness
with the moonlight jewel, the basilisks with the sandal-wood tree,
the elephants of the quarters with the elephant-jewel, the Guhyakas
with the sword-jewel, and other obstacles with other jewels; and
so passed that cave with his army, and emerged at its northern
mouth. And coming out from the bowels of the cave, he saw before
him the northern side of the mountain, looking like another world,
entered without a second birth. And then a voice came from the sky,
"Bravo, emperor! thou hast passed this cave by means of the majesty
conferred by the power of the jewels."
Then Dhanavatí and Devamáya said to the emperor, "Your Majesty,
Kálarátri is always near this opening. She was originally created
by Vishnu, when the sea was churned for the nectar, in order that
she might tear in pieces the chiefs of the Dánavas, who wished to
steal that heavenly drink. And now she has been placed here by Siva
to guard this cave, in order that none may pass it, except those
beings like yourself, of whom we spoke before. You are our emperor,
and you have obtained the jewels, and have passed this cave; so,
in order to gain the victory, you must worship this goddess, who is
a meet object of worship."
In such words did Dhanavatí and Devamáya address Naraváhanadatta,
and so the day waned for him there. And the northern peaks of Kailása
were reddened with the evening light, and seemed thus to foreshadow
the bloodshed of the approaching battle. The darkness, having gained
power, obscured the army of that king, as if recollecting its animosity
against him for his recent victory over it in its home the cave;
an animosity which was still fresh and new. And goblins, vampires,
jackals, and the sisterhood [578] of witches roamed about, as it were
the first shoots of the anger of Kálarátri enraged on account of
Naraváhanadatta having omitted to worship her. And in a moment the
whole army of Naraváhanadatta became insensible, as if with sleep,
but he alone remained in full possession of his faculties. Then the
emperor perceived that this was a display of power on the part of
Kálarátri, angry because she had not been worshipped, and be proceeded
to worship her with flowers of speech.
"Thou art the power of life, animating all creatures, of loving
nature, skilful in directing the discus to the head of thy foes;
thee I adore. Hail! thou, that under the form of Durgá dost console
the world with thy trident and other weapons streaming with the
drops of blood flowing from the throat of the slain Mahisha. Thou
art victorious dancing with a skull full of the blood of Ruru in thy
agitated hand, as if thou wast holding the vessel of security of the
three worlds. Goddess beloved of Siva, with uplifted eyes, though
thy name means the night of doom, still, with skull surmounted by a
burning candle, and with a skull in thy hand, thou dost shine as if
with the sun and moon."
Though he praised Kálarátri in these words, she was not propitiated,
and then he made up his mind to appease her by the sacrifice of
his head; and he drew his sword for that purpose. Then the goddess
said to him, "Do not act rashly my son. Lo! I have been won over by
thee, thou hero. Let this thy army be as it was before, and be thou
victorious!" And immediately his army awoke as it were from sleep. Then
his wives, and his companions, and all the Vidyádharas praised the
might of that emperor. And the hero, having eaten and drunk and
performed the necessary duties, spent that night, which seemed as
long as if it consisted of a hundred watches instead of three.
And the next morning he worshipped Kálarátri, and marched thence to
engage Dhúmasikha, who had barred his further advance with an army
of Vidyádharas. Then the emperor had a fight with that king, who was
the principal champion of Mandaradeva, of such a desperate character,
that the air was full of swords, the earth covered with the heads of
warriors, and the only speech heard was the terrible cry of heroes
shouting, "Slay! slay!" Then the emperor took Dhúmasikha captive
in that battle by force, and afterwards treated him with deference;
and made him submit to his sway. And he quartered his army that night
in his city, and the host seemed like fuel consumed with fire, as it
had seen the extinction of Dhúmasikha's [579] pride.
And the next day, hearing from the scouts that Mandaradeva, having
found out what had taken place, was advancing to meet him in fight,
Naraváhanadatta marched out against him with the chiefs of the
Vidyádharas, determined to conquer him. And after he had gone
some distance, he beheld in front of him the army of Mandaradeva,
accompanied by many kings, attacking in order of battle. Then
Naraváhanadatta, with the allied kings at his side, drew up his forces
in an arrangement fitted to encounter the formation of his enemies,
and fell upon his army.
Then a battle took place between those two armies, which imitated
the disturbed flood of the ocean overflowing its banks at the day of
doom. On one side were fighting Chandasinha and other great champions,
and on the other Kánchanadanshtra and other mighty kings. And
the battle waxed sore, resembling the rising of the wind at the
day of doom, for it made the three worlds tremble, and shook the
mountains. Mount Kailása, red on one side with the blood of heroes,
as with saffron paint, and on the other of ashy whiteness, resembled
the husband of Gaurí. That great battle was truly the day of doom
for heroes, being grimly illuminated by innumerable orbs of the sun
arisen in flashing sword-blades. Such was the battle that even Nárada
and other heavenly beings, who came to gaze at it, were astonished,
though they had witnessed the fights between the gods and the Asuras.
In this fight, which was thus terrible, Kánchanadanshtra rushed on