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Introduction
35
by two Vidyadharas. They fought with each other for her possession, but on being told by a divine voice that she was destined to marry V., and on being threatened by her, they deposited Sägaradatta in the hermitage of Jatilakausika, who was Sāgaradatta's uncle. Later on two Cårana monks predicted to them the time and place of V.'s arrival there, as also the freeing of the well from Rakşası's trouble through V.'s powers. A divine voice instructed them about the mode of operation. They thus explained their earlier disrespectful treatment of V. and apologised.
They returned to the hermitage along with V. There, according to the Kirâta custom, Sagaradattā became Vi's wife just by her word of consent, without performance of any wedding ceremony. Thereafter a message was sent to Sāgaradattā's brother sāgarasena. He arrived there in a palanquin carried by flying monkeys and took the couple to his resort on the summit of the mount Malaya. There the chamberlain narr. ated to V. how Mahāsimha was murdered and how a Cāraṇa monk had predicted the restoration of their kingdom with V.'s help. He also explained the presence there of the friendly monkeys who flew in the air and talked in a human language: Formerly a king Suvarṇavarman ruled that place. He helped the Vidyadhara king Sugriva against the latter's brother Valin. In gratitude, Sugriva promised to maintain friendly ties between their families and to accept permanent residence on the mount Malaya Kiskindha, with Vidyadharas helping and serving Suvarṇavarman's progeny. That relationship had continued over subsequent generations upto that day.
Shortly thereafter V. succeeded in creating dissensions among the followers and partisans of the usurper, killed him in the battle and installed Sagarasena as the king of the Kirāta country.
XVIU Winning of Malayasepā
(pp. 267-270)
There was a long-standing hostility between Sagarasena's family and king Sumukha of Dramida ruling from its capital at Nāgapura. At Sāgaradatta's suggestion V. sent a messenger to Sumukha asking to marry his (i.e. Sumukha's ) daughter to Sāgarasena, so that an alliance may be affected. The messenger brought a return message from Sumukha saying that he was willing to marry his younger daughter to Sāgarasena on condition that V. accepted to marry his elder daughter Malaya senā. With Sägaradatta's consent V. accepted this offer. They went to Nāgapura and both the weddings were celebrated. On that occasion there appeared in the
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