362
them be pursues, throw this fire in his way; and if you do this, you will return here without the Daitya; so do not hesitate— go, you shall to-day behold the power of my magic."— When she said this to him, Śringabhuja took the earth and the other things and said, " I will do so," and mounting her horse went to the temple in the wood. There he saw an image of Śiva, with one of Párvatí on his left and one of Ganeśa on his right, and, after bowing before the Lord of the Universe,*[1] he quickly addressed to Dhúmaśikha the form of invitation told him by Agniśikha, and fled from the place at full speed, urging on his horse. And he soon turned his head and looked round, and he beheld Dhúmaśikha coming after him. And he quickly threw that earth behind him in his way, and the earth, so flung, immediately produced a great mountain. When he saw that the Rákshasa had, though with difficulty, climbed over that mountain, and was coming on, the prince in the same way threw the water behind him. That produced a great river in his path with rolling waves: the Rákshasa with difficulty got across it and was coming on, when Śringabhuja quickly strewed those thorns behind him. They produced a dense thorny wood in Dhúmaśikha's path. When the Rákshasa emerged from it, the prince threw the fire behind him, which set on fire the path with the herbs and the trees. When Dhúmaśikha saw that the fire was hard to cross, like Khándava, †[2] he returned home, tired and terrified. For on that occasion the Rákshasa was so bewildered by the magic of Rúpaśikhá that he went and returned on his feet, he did not think of flying through the air.
Then śringabhuja returned to Dhúmapura, free from fear, commending in his heart that display of his love's magic power. He gave up the horse to the delighted Rúpaśikhá, and related his adventure, and then went in to the presence of Agniśikha. He said, " I went and invited your brother Dhúmaśikha." When he said this, Agniśikha being perplexed, said to him " If you really went there, mention some peculiarity of the place." When the crafty Rákshasa said this to Śringabhuja, he answered him " Listen, I will tell you a token: in that temple there is a figure of Párvatí on the left side of Śiva, and of Ganeśa on his right." When Agniśikha heard that, he was astonished and thought for a moment " What! did he go there, and was my brother not able to devour him? Then he cannot be a mere man, he must be a god, so let him marry my daughter, as he is a fitting match for her." After thus reflecting, he sent Śringabhuja as a successful suitor to Rúpaśikhá, but he never suspected that there was a traitor in his own family. So Śringabhuja went, eager for his marriage, and after eating and drinking with her, managed somehow to get through
