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with an agreement,*[1] and preparing to obtain from the gods the nectar which was the price of her ransom, wanted to eat something which would
increase his strength, and so he went to his father, who being importuned said to him, "My son, in the sea there is a huge elephant, and a huge tortoise. They have assumed their present forms in consequence of a curse: go and eat them." Then Garuda went and brought them both to eat, and then perched on a bough of the great wishing-tree of paradise. And when that bough suddenly broke with his weight, he held it up with his beak, out of regard to the Bálakhilyas †[2] who were engaged in austerities underneath it. Then Garuda, afraid that the bough would crush mankind, if he let it fall at random, by the advice of his father brought the bough to this uninhabited part of the earth, and let it drop. Lanká was built on the top of that bough, therefore the ground here is of wood." When he heard this from Vibhíshana, Lohajangha was perfectly satisfied.
Then Vibhíshana gave to Lohajangha many valuable jewels, as he desired to set out for Mathurá. And out of his devotion to the god Vishnu, who dwells at Mathurá, he entrusted to the care of Lohajangha a lotus, a club, a shell, and a discus all of gold, to be offered to the god; Lohajangha took all these, and mounted the bird given to him by Vibhíshana, that could accomplish a hundred thousand yojanas, ‡[3] and rising up into the air in Lanká, he crossed the sea and without any difficulty arrived at Mathurá. And there he descended from the air in an empty convent outside the town, and deposited there his abundant treasure, and tied up that bird. And then he went into the market and sold one of his jewels, and bought garments and scented unguents, and also food. And he ate the food in that convent where he was, and gave some to his bird; and he adorned himself with the garments, unguents, flowers and other decorations. And when night came, he mounted that same bird and went to the house of Rúpiniká, bearing in his hand the shell, discus and mace; then he hovered over it in the air, knowing the place well, and made a low deep sound, to attract the attention of his beloved, who was alone. But Rúpiniká, as soon as she heard that sound, came out, and saw hovering in the air by night a being like Náráyana, gleaming with jewels. He said to her, "I am Hari come hither for thy sake ;" whereupon she bowed with her face to the earth and said ——
- ↑ * Sec Chapter 22 sl. 181 and ff. Kaśyapa's two wives disputed about the colour of the sun's horses. They agreed that whichever was in the wrong should become a slave to the other. Kadrú, the mother of the snakes, won by getting her children to darken the horses. So Garuda's mother Vinatá became a slave.
- ↑ † Divine personages of the size of a thumb; sixty thousand were produced from Brahmá's body and surrounded the chariot of the sun.
- ↑ ‡ A yojana is probably 9 miles, some say 2½, some 4 or 5. See Monier Williams s.v.
