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ADMINISTRATION AND STATECRAFT
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and chief overlords of the earth on an auspicious day with unlimited array of foot soldiers made over to him.'
The consecration ceremony proper has been fully illustrated by Dhanapāla neither in the case of Harivāhana nor in the case of Samaraketu but in case of the ablution ritual of the sole lord of the triad of worlds (Jinendra) making a covert allusion to the consecration bath of the supreme sovereign of the triad of the worlds Samaraketu (with reference to Malayasundari) and Harivāhana (with reference to Tilakamañjarī)- both acting the would be chief queens (Mahādevīs) respectively for each of them).
"In the meantime ensued the auspicious ceremonial connected with the consecration bath of the overlord of the triad of the worlds. The lute players playing on lutes brought forth the chimes of their chords. The sons of Bharata (i.e., the followers of the school of Bharata) made ready many musical instruments with numerous mārjanās distributed among themselves. The flute players keeping female singers in front took their seats with flutes drawn out of their wooden cases. The people having hands sanctified by cleansing brought on the ewers of gold brimming with water brought from all the holy places. The harlots drew near bearing breasts shining with their expanses appearing thereby as carrying the gold ewers meant for consecration bath raised aloft. Some roved about carrying bunches of flowers; some carrying vases full of unguents while others carrying ewers brimming with scented water etc.? And ultimately when Samaraketu had been united with Malayasundarī and Harivāhana with Tilakamañjarī and Harivāhana had made over administration of his region allocated to him by his sire and when sufficient time had elapsed Meghavähana summoned Samaraketu, Kamalagupta and others of the same stock and in their presence made him ( i.e. Harivāhana) sit on the chair in accordance with the dicta of scriptures, on an auspicious day, meaning thereby that he abdicated the throne in his life time and departed for the other world only after that. Harivāhana, too, grown into a fully fledged sovereign pleased his attendants from his boyhood, by making over in charity the circle of many lands and had his virinity never deserted by the chief princes such as Kamalagupta gratified by charities and munificence showered day in and day out. He protected his kingdom bearing one parasol for its insignia with subjects protected with efforts, with the disputes about the behaviour of the castes (lit. orders) connived at by him, with the proclamation tabor about ensuring
1. TM. Vol. II pp. 250-251. 2. Ibid. Vol. II pp. 188-189. 3. Ibid. Sm. p. 426.