Page:The Katha Sarit Sagara.djvu/40

 up, let us escape with the help of the slices, and so taking Patali in his arms he flew away from that place through the air. Then descending from heaven near the bank of the Ganges, he refreshed his weary beloved with cakes provided by means of the magic vessel. When Patali saw the power of Putraka she made a request to him, in accordance with which he sketch- ed out with the staff a city furnished with a force of all four arms. In that city he established himself as king, and his great power having attain, ed full development, he subdued that father-in-law of his, and became ruler of the sea-engirdled earth. This is that same divine city, produced by magic, together with its citizens; hence it bears the name of Pataliputra, and is the home of wealth and learning.

When we heard from the mouth of Varsha the above strange and extraordinarily marvellous story, our minds, Kanabhuti, were for a long time delighted with thrilling wonder.

Having related this episode to Kanabhuti in the Vindhya forest, Vararuchi again resumed the main thread of his narrative.

While thus dwelling there with Vyadi and Indradatta, I gradually attained perfection in all sciences, and emerged from the condition of childhood. Once on a time when we went out to witness the festival of Indra, we saw a maiden looking like some weapon of Cupid, not of the nature of an arrow. Then, Indradatta, on my asking him who that lady might be, replied,—"She is the daughter of Upavarsha, and her name is Upakosa," and she found out by means of her handmaids who I was, and drawing my soul after her with a glance made tender by love, she with difficulty managed to return to her own house. She had a face like a full moon, and eyes like a blue lotus, she had arms graceful like the stalk of a lotus, and a lovely full bosom; she had a neck marked with three lines like a shell, and magnificent coral lips; in short she was a second Lakshmi, so to speak, the store-house of the beauty of king Cupid. Then my heart was cleft by the stroke of love's arrow, and I could not sleep that night through my desire to kiss her bimba lip. Having at last with difficulty gone off to