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ed from him by the curse of Párávatáksha, and as he augured therefrom
success in all that he had in hand.
Note.
Properly speaking, there are 24 instead of 25 stories in this version of the Vetála Panchavinśati. The same appears to be the case with the redaction ascribed to Śivadása, according to Oosterley, and with the Tamul version. The 24th tale in Oesterley's translation is simply a repetition of the 22nd.
CHAPTER C.
Honour to the vanquisher of obstacles,*[1] round whose knees, when he is dancing at night, there winds a garland of stars, which appears as if it had fallen from the globes on his forehead !
Then, the story being ended, the delighted Mrigánkadatta rose up from the middle of the path, and set out again for Uijayiní for which he had long ago started in order to find Śasánkavatí, with a party of eight, including himself, having recovered Vikramakeśarin, accompanied by Guná- kara, and Vimalabuddhi, and Vichitrakatha, andBhímaparákrama, and Prachandaśaktí, and the Bráhman Śrutadhi, and he kept looking out for those of his companions separated from him by the curse of the Nága, whom he had not yet recovered.
And in course of time, he reached a treeless desert, all the water in which had been dried up by the heat, and which was full of sand heated by the fierce blaze of the sun. And as the prince was traversing it, he said to his ministers, " Observe how long, terrible, and difficult to cross is this great desert; for it has in it no refuge, it is pathless and abandoned by men ; and the blaze of its fire of grief seems to ascend in these sandy mirages ; its rough and dishevelled locks are represented by the dry rustling blades of grass; and its thorns make it appear to have its hair standing on end through fear of the lions, tigers, and other noisome beasts; and it laments in the cries of its deer exhausted by the heat and longing or water. So we must cross this terrible desert as quickly as we can."
When Mrigánkadatta had said this, he quickly crossed that desert with his ministers, who were afflicted with hunger and thirst. And he beheld in front of him a great lake filled with pellucid and cold water, looking like streams that had flowed down from the moon after it had been
- ↑ * Ganeśá who is represented with the head of an elephant. In sl. 8 I read with the Sanskrit College MS. vibhrashtapațhá.
