Book
XV.
Chapter
CIX.
May
Gaṇeśa,
who at night seems with the spray blown forth from his hissing trunk uplifted
in the tumultuous dance, to be feeding the stars, dispel your darkness!
Then,
as the emperor Naraváhanadatta was in his hall of audience on the mountain
Govindakúṭa, a Vidyádhara named Amṛitaprabha
came to him through the air, the same who had before saved him, when he was
flung down by his enemy on the Mountain of Fire. That Vidyádhara came and
humbly made himself known, and having been lovingly entertained by that
emperor, said to him, “There is a great mountain named Malaya in the southern
region; and in a hermitage on it lives a great hermit named Vámadeva. He, my
liege, invites you to come to him alone for the sake of some important affair,
and on this account he has sent me to you to-day. Moreover you are my sovereign,
won by previous merits; and therefore have I come; so come along with me; let
us quickly go to that hermit in order to ensure your success!”
When
that Vidyádhara had said this, Naraváhanadatta left his wives and forces there,
and himself flew up into the air with that Vidyádhara, and in that way quickly
reached the Malaya mountain, and approached the hermit Vámadeva. And he beheld
that hermit white with age, tall of stature, with eye-balls sparkling like
bright jewels in the fleshless sockets of his eyes, the depository of the
jewels of the emperor of the Vidyádharas, with his matted hair waving like
creepers, looking like the Himálaya range accompanying the prince, to assist
him in attaining success. Then the prince worshipped the feet of that sage, and
he entertained him, and said to him, “You are the god of Love consumed long ago
by Śiva, and appointed by him emperor of all the Vidyádhara chiefs, because he
was pleased with Rati. Now, I have in this my hermitage, within the deep recess
of an inner cave, certain jewels, which I will point out to you, and you must
seize them. For you will find Mandaradeva easy enough to conquer, after you
have obtained the jewels; and it was with this object that I invited you hither
by the command of Śiva.”
When
the hermit had said this to him, and had instructed him in the right method of
procedure, Naraváhanadatta joyfully entered that cave. In it the hero overcame
many and various obstacles, and then he beheld a huge furious elephant charging
him with a deep guttural roar. The king smote it on the forehead with his fist,
and placed his feet on its tusks, and actively mounted that furious elephant.
And a bodiless voice came from the cave, “Bravo, emperor! thou hast won the
jewel of the mighty elephant.” Then he saw a sword looking like a mighty snake,
and he fell upon it, and seized it, as if it were the locks of the Fortune of
Empire. Again a bodiless voice sounded in the cave, “Bravo, conqueror of thy
foes! thou hast obtained the victorious sword-jewel.” Then he obtained the
moonlight-jewel and the wife-jewel, and the jewel of charms, named the
destroying charm. And thus having achieved in all seven jewels (useful in time
of need, and bestowers of majesty), taking into account the two first, the lake
and the sandal-wood tree, he went out from that cave and told the hermit
Vámadeva that he had succeeded in accomplishing all his objects.
Then
the hermit said lovingly to that emperor, “Go, my son, now that you have
obtained the jewels of a great emperor, and conquer Mandaradeva on the north
side of Kailása, and enjoy the glorious fortune of the sovereignty of both
sides of that mountain.” When the hermit had said this to him, the successful
emperor bowed before him, and went off through the air with Amṛitaprabha.
And in a moment he reached his camp on Govindakúṭa
guarded by his mighty mother-in-law Dhanavatí. Then those kings of the
Vidyádharas, that had sided with him, and his wives and his ministers, who were
all watching for him, saw him, and welcomed him with delight. Then he sat down
and they questioned him, and he told them how he had seen the hermit Vámadeva,
and how he had entered the cave, and how he had obtained the jewels. Then a
great festival took place there, in which celestial drums were joyfully beaten,
and the Vidyádharas danced, and people generally were drunk with wine.
And
the next day, in a moment in which a malignant planet stood in the house of his
foe, and one which argued his own success as a planet benignant to him,
predominated over his enemy’s house, and which was fraught with every other
kind of prosperity, Naraváhanadatta performed the ceremonies for good fortune,
and ascended that car made by Brahmá, which Śiva had bestowed on him, and set
out with his army through the air, accompanied by his wives, to conquer
Mandaradeva. And various heroes, his followers, marched surrounding him, and
kings of the Gandharvas and chiefs of the Vidyádharas, fearless and faithful,
obedient to the orders of the general Hariśikha, and Chaṇḍasinha,
with his mother the wise Dhanavatí, and the brave Pingalagándhára, and
Váyupatha the strong, and Vidyutpunja and Amitagati, and the lord of Kálakúṭa,
and Mandara, and Mahádanshṭra and his
own friend Amṛitaprabha, and the hero
Chitrángada with Ságaradatta,—all these, and others who were there of the party
of the slain Gaurímuṇḍa, pressed eagerly
after him, with their hosts, as he advanced intent on victory. Then the sky was
obscured by his army, and the sun hid his face, as if for shame, somewhere or
other, his brightness being eclipsed by the splendour of the monarch.
Then
the emperor passed the Mánasa lake haunted by troops of divine hermits, and
left behind him Gaṇḍasáila the
pleasure-garden of the nymphs of heaven, and reached the foot of mount Kailása
gleaming white like crystal, resembling a mass of his own glory. There he
encamped on the bank of the Mandákiní, and while he was sitting there, the wise
chief of the Vidyádharas, named Mandara, came up to him, and 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 Śiva. So you must pass to the other side of the mountain by
the cave of Triśírsha. 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, Vajramushṭi
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 Chaṇḍasinha 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 Vajramushṭi,
Mahábáhu, Tikshṇadanshṭra
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 Vajramushṭi
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 Triśírsha, which he wished to
enter, related the following true history of it.
History
of the cave of Triśírsha.
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, Ṛishabha by name,
propitiated Śiva 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 Śiva, who happened to be
below, and so fell from the sky. Ṛishabha
again propitiated Śiva 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 Śiva, the
trident-bearing god, heard this, he cleft asunder Kailása, and made this
cave-like opening for Ṛishabha to pass to
the northern side.
Then
mount Kailása, having been pierced, was despondent, and addressed this petition
to Śiva, “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 Śiva had been thus supplicated
by the mountain, he placed in the cave as guards, elephants of the quarters,
mighty basilisks, and Guhyakas; and at its southern opening he placed Mahámáya
the Vidyádhara chief, and at its northern opening Kálarátri the invincible Chaṇḍiká.
When
Śiva 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 anyone who has obtained the jewels, and is emperor over the Vidyádharas
with their wives and their messengers, 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, Ṛisbabha 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 Triśírsha;
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 Triśírsha, 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 Vishṇu,
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 Śiva 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 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 Śiva, 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
Dhúmaśikha, 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 Dhúmaśikha
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 Dhúmaśikha’s 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 Chaṇḍasinha and other great
champions, and on the other Kánchanadanshṭra
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, Kánchanadanshṭra
rushed on Chaṇḍasinha, and smote him on the
head with a formidable mace. When Dhanavatí saw that her son had fallen under
the stroke of the mace, she cursed and paralysed both armies by means of her
magic power. And Naraváhanadatta on one side, in virtue of his imperial might,
and on the other side, Mandaradeva were the only two that remained conscious.
Then even the gods in the air fled in all directions, seeing that Dhanavatí, if
angry, had power to destroy a world.
But
Mandaradeva, seeing that the emperor Naraváhanadatta was left alone, ran upon
him with uplifted weapon. Naraváhanadatta, for his part, descended from his
chariot, and drawing the sword which was one of his imperial jewels, quickly
met him. Then Mandaradeva, wishing to gain the victory by magic arts, assumed
by his science the form of a furious elephant maddened with passion. When
Naraváhanadatta, who was endowed with pre-eminent skill in magic, saw this, he
assumed by his supernatural power the form of a lion. Then Mandaradeva flung
off the body of an elephant, and Naraváhanadatta abandoned that of a lion, and
fought with him openly in his own shape. Armed with sabres, and skilled in
every elaborate trick and attitude of fence, they appeared like two actors
skilled in gesticulation, engaged in acting a pantomime. Then Naraváhanadatta
by a dexterous sleight forced from the grasp of Mandaradeva his sword the
material symbol of victory. And Mandaradeva, having been thus deprived of his
sword, drew his dagger, but the emperor quickly made him relinquish that in the
same way. Then Mandaradeva, being disarmed, began to wrestle with the emperor,
but he seized him by the ancles, and laid him on the earth.
And
then the sovereign set his foot on his enemy’s breast, and laying hold of his
hair, was preparing to cut off his head with his sword, when the maiden
Mandaradeví, the sister of Mandaradeva, rushed up to him, and in order to
prevent him, said, “When I saw you long ago in the wood of ascetics, I marked
you for my future husband, so do not, my sovereign, kill this brother of mine,
who is your brother-in-law.” When the resolute king had been thus addressed by
that fair-eyed one, he let go Mandaradeva, who was ashamed at having been
conquered, and said to him, “I set you at liberty; do not be ashamed on that
account, Vidyádhara chief; victory and defeat in war bestow themselves on
heroes with varying caprice.” When the king said this, Mandaradeva answered
him, “Of what profit is my life to me, now that I have been saved in war by a
woman? So I will go to my father in the wood where he is, and perform
asceticism; you have been appointed emperor over both divisions of our
territory here. Indeed this occurrence was foretold long ago to me by my father
as sure to take place.” When the proud hero had said this, he repaired to his
father in the grove of ascetics.
Then
the gods, that were present in the air on that occasion, exclaimed, “Bravo!
great emperor, you have completely conquered your enemies, and obtained
sovereign sway.” When Mandaradeva had gone, Dhanavatí by her power restored her
own son and both armies with him to consciousness. So Naraváhanadatta’s
followers, ministers and all, arose as it were from sleep, and finding out that
the foe had been conquered, congratulated Naraváhanadatta their victorious
master. And the kings of Mandaradeva’s party, Kánchanadanshṭra,
Aśokaka, Raktáksha, Kálajihva and the others, submitted to the sway of
Naraváhanadatta. And Chaṇḍasinha, when he saw
Kánchanadanshṭra, remembered the blow of the
mace, which he received from him in fight, and was wroth with him, brandishing
his good sword firmly grasped in his strong hand. But Dhanavatí said to him,
“Enough of wrath, my beloved son! Who could conquer you in the van of battle?
But I myself produced that momentary glamour, in order to prevent the
destruction of both armies.” With these words she pacified her son and made him
cease from wrath, and she delighted the whole army and the emperor Naraváhanadatta
by her magic skill. And Naraváhanadatta was exceedingly joyful, having obtained
the sovereignty of the north side of Kailása, the mountain of Śiva, a territory
now free from the scourge of war, since the heroes, who opposed him, had been
conquered, or had submitted, or fled, and that too with all his friends
unharmed. Then shrill kettle-drums were beaten for the great festival of his
victory over his enemies, and the triumphant monarch, accompanied by his wives
and ministers, and girt with mighty kings, spent that day, which was honoured
by the splendid dances and songs of the Vidyádhara ladies, in drinking wine, as
it were the fiery valour of his enemies.
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