Disclaimer: This translation does not guarantee complete accuracy, please confirm with the original page text.
The Tale of the Dark Fort
105
The widowed and sorrowful woman lived in that house and taught her son, remembering the virtues of her husband. ||168|| See, son, the influence of Hemaṅka, the sage, who, with a calm mind, acquired knowledge in his childhood. ||170|| You are the son of such a father, who, with his knowledge of archery, surpassed all the Brāhmaṇas, or even Parśurāma. ||171||
Hearing his mother's words, his eyes filled with tears, Śrīvardhita, the proud boy, comforted his mother and immediately went to learn. ||172||
Then, in the city of Vyāghrapura, he learned all the arts in the house of his teacher and, having abducted the daughter of King Sukānta, he fled from there. ||173|| The daughter's name was Śīlā, and her brother's name was Simhendu, a warrior of great strength, who set out to bring back his sister. ||174|| But Śrīvardhita had become so skilled in weapons that he defeated Simhendu, who was accompanied by an army, in battle. He returned home, met his mother, and attained supreme joy. ||175|| Śrīvardhita was a great scholar, and his fame gradually spread. Therefore, King Kararuha gave him the kingdom of the city of Podanapura. ||176||
When King Sukānta of Vyāghrapura died, his enemy, Tināma, attacked his son, Simhendu. Fearing for his life, Simhendu fled his home with his wife through a tunnel. ||177|| He was very frightened and, deeply distressed, went to his sister for refuge. On the way, he met some betel-sellers, and carrying their load on his head, he reached the vicinity of Podanapura with his wife after sunset. There, the king's soldiers captured him and threatened him. Somehow, he escaped and, terrified, entered the forest. ||178-179|| There, a great serpent bit him. His wife, weeping, carried him on her shoulder to the place where Mayamuni resided. ||180|| Mayamuni, the bearer of great mountains, stood motionless like a pillar in the forest, in the posture of a statue. The queen then...