________________ 32 Siri Sirivalakaba however, he did not eat them and brought them to Ujjaini and told Chandrapradyota how he had not eaten them on account of ill-omens on the road, and come home hungry. The king told the same thing to Abhayakumara and asked him to explain to him the hidden meaning of this. A bhayakumara smelt the pot of the sweet-balls and told that some snch thing had been mixed with them that a drashtivisa' serpent has been born in it. Had Lohajangha opened it, he would have met with death. Then the serpent was taken out of the pot and thrown into a jungle. Chandrapradyota was greatly pleased with this talent of Abhayakumara and promised him one boon which the former reserved for a proper occasion. Similarly Abhayakumara was 'promised a second boon on the occasion of his checking the elephant Nalagiri who had created a great excitement and uproar in Ujjaini, and whom no body could control. He was also given a third and a fourth boon in return of his pacifying a great fire, and a great divine wrath (Upadrava). ; Now Abhayakumara thought the proper occasion of asking all the four boons and
