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 chhas that obstruct the fulfilment of the law contained in the three Vedas. And by my favour thou shalt be a king ruling over the seven divisions of the world; moreover the Rákshasas, the Yakshas and the Vetálas shall own thy supremacy;* and after thou hast enjoyed human pleasures, thou shalt again return to me."

When the Gana Mályavat received this command from Śiva, he said " The command of you two divine beings cannot be disobeyed by me: but what enjoyments are there in the life of a man, which involves separations from relations, friends, and servants, very hard to bear, and the pain arising from loss of wealth, old age, disease, and the other ills of humanity ?" When the Gana said this to Śiva, the god thus replied, " Go, blameless one ! These woes shall not fall to thy lot; by my favour thou shalt be happy throughout the whole of thy sojourn on earth." When Śiva said this to Mályavat, that virtuous Gana immediately disappeared. And he went and was conceived in Ujjayiní, in the proper season, in the womb of the queen of king Mahendráditya.

And at that time the god, whose diadem is fashioned of a digit of the moon, said to that king in a dream, " I am pleased with thee, king, so a son shall be born to thee, who by his might shall conquer the earth with all its divisions; and that hero shall reduce under his sway the Yakshas, Rákshasas, Piśáchas and others, even those that move in the air, and dwell in Pátála, and shall slay the hosts of the Mleehchhas; for this reason he shall be named Vikramáditya; and also Vishamaśila on account of his stern hostility † to his enemies." When the god had said this, he disappeared; and next morning the king woke up, and joyfully related his dream to his ministers. And they also told the king, one after another, with great delight, that Śiva had made a revelation to each of them in a dream that he was to have a son. And at that moment a handmaid of the harem came and shewed the king a fruit, saying, "Śiva gave this to the queen in a dream." Then the king rejoiced, saying, again and again, " Truly, Śiva has given me a son," and his ministers congratulated him. Then his illustrious queen became pregnant, like the eastern quarter in the morning, when the orb of the sun is about to arise, and she was conspicuous for the black tint of the nipples of her breasts, which appeared like a seal to secure the milk for the king with whom she was pregnant. In her dreams at that time she crossed seven seas, being worshipped by all the Yakshas, Vetálas, and Rákshasas. And when the due time was come,