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CHAPTER SEVEN
and received blows repeatedly, expert in battle like elephants. After they had fought for a long time and the sol. diers of both were exhausted, Ašanivega appeared with his chariot swift as the wind. 'Ha! Ha! where is Vajravega's enemy, a new guest for the house of Yama?' Insulting his enemies with these words, he strung his bow. Saying, 'I am he, Vajravega's enemy, O new guest of the house of Yama,' Aryaputra strung his bow. Then a battle between the two very powerful men took place, arrow against arrow, causing the multitude of the sun's rays to disappear.
After Aryaputra and the king of Vidyadharas, intent on killing each other, had fought with missiles and also with clubs, et cetera, without reaching a victory, they fought with cruel divine missiles, the serpent-missile, the garuda-missile, the fire- and water-missiles, checked and checking.246
The Vidyadhara-king discharged an arrow after twanging his bow and Aryaputra cut his bow-string, like his life, with an arrow. Aśvasena's son cut off half the arm, like half the glory, of Ašanivega as he ran forward, after drawing his sword. Like an elephant with one tusk broken, like a boar with one tusk lost, even though one arm was cut off, he ran on because of excessive anger. As he ran forward to strike, biting his lower lip with his teeth, my husband cut off his head with the cakra delivered to him by the vidyā.247
Then Aśvasena's Lakşmi of sovereignty joined my husband completely. For the courageous man is the home of Sri. Aśvasena's son, confident, went to Vaitādhya with Candravega and other kings of the Vidyādharas. His installation as overlord of the Vidyadharas was held by the Vidyadhara-lords who had been reduced to the rank of
246 277. The serpent-missile was obstructed by the garuda-missile, and the fire-missile by the water-missile.
247 281. Prajñapti.
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