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CHAPTER TWO After hearing that, he stayed there with her in a hermitage.
Balacandra (474-490)
One day he saw a maiden held by a noose in the river. Told (to do so) by Vegavati and compassionate himself, Sauri freed the maiden from the noose. She was in a faint and Sauri restored her by sprinkling water. Then she circumambulated Vasudeva and said: “Today magic arts of mine have been subdued by your power. Moreover, hear:
There is a city Gaganavallabha on Mt. Vaitādhya. Vidyuddanştra of Nami's line was king there. One day he saw a muni standing in statuesque posture in West Videha.
Look! This is some portent of calamity.' Vidyuddanștra took him to Mt. Varuna and had him beaten by Khecaras, saying, 'Kill him.'
The muni being engaged in pure meditation, his omniscience arose; and the Indra Dharaṇa came for the omniscience-festival. When he saw them (the Vidyādharas) hostile to the sage, Dharaña quickly destroyed their magic arts from anger. They, miserable, said: “We do not know who he is. We were ordered to do this act against the muni by Vidyuddanşțra only, who incited us, saying, “ He is a portent of calamity.'” Indra Dharaņa said: 'I have come on account of his omnisciencefestival. O villains, what shall I do to you, ignorant as you are! Because of your grief, the magic arts will submit again to you, (if you are) devout laymen. They will destroy instantly the hostility to sādhus and to those who have taken refuge with them. The great magic arts, Rohiņi and others,75 will not submit to any man or woman in the line of Vidyuddanșțra, evil-minded. But they will submit at the sight of a sādhu or a great man.'
After saying this, the Indra Dharaṇa went to his own house. In former times a maiden in his line, Ketumati, who was
75 485. See I, n. 218; Abhi. 2. 153-4; III, p. 41.
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