Page:Katha sarit sagara, vol2.djvu/473

 Then the army of the Vidyádharas mounted up into the sky, obscuring the sun, looking like a rising of Ráhu out of due time chilling to the foe. And Naraváhanadatta himself ascended the pericarp of the lotus, chariot, and placed his wives on the filaments, and his friends on the leaves, and preceded by Chandasinha and the others, set out through the air to conquer his enemies. And when he had completed half his journey, he came to the palace of Dhanavatí which was called Mátangapura, and he stayed there that day, and she did the honours of the house to him. And while he was there, he sent an ambassador to challenge to the combat the Vidyádhara princes Gaurímunda and Mánasavega.

The next day he deposited his wives in Mátangapura, and went with the Vidyádhara kings to Govindakúța. There Gaurímunda and Mánasavega came out to fight with them, and Chandasinha and his colleagues met them face to face. When the battle began, brave warriors fell like trees marked out for the axe, and torrents of blood flowed on the mountain Govindakúța. The combat, eager to devour the lives of heroes, yawned like a demon of destruction, with tongues in the form of flexible swords greedily licking up blood.* That great feast of slaughter, terrible with the rhythmic clapping of hands on the part of Vetálas drunk with blood and flesh, and covered with palpitating corpses for dancers, gave great delight to the demons.

Then Mánasavega met Naraváhanadatta face to face in the conflict, and the prince himself rushed on him in wrath. And having rushed on him, that emperor seized the villain by the hair, and at once cut off his head with his sword. When Gaurímunda saw that, he too sprang forward in a fury, and Naraváhanadatta dragged him along by the hair, for the power of his science left him as soon as he saw the prince, and flung him on the ground, and seizing his legs whirled him round in the air, and dashed him to pieces on a rock. In this way he slew Gaurímunda and Mánasavega; and the rest of their army, being terrified, † took to flight. And a rain of flower's fell into the lap of that emperor, and all the gods in heaven exclaimed, Bravo ! Bravo !" Then Naraváhanadatta, with all those kings that followed him, entered the palace of Gaurímunda; and immediately the chiefs of the Vidyádharas, who were connected with Gaurimunda's party, came and submitted humbly to his sway.

Then Dhanavatí came up to that sovereign in the midst of the rejoicings on account of his having taken possession of his kingdom after slaying all his enemies, and said to him, " My liege, Gaurímunda has left a