Gaudavaho

Author(s): Vakpatiraj, Narhari Govind Suru, P L Vaidya, A N Upadhye, H C Bhayani
Publisher: Prakrit Text Society Ahmedabad

Page 37

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the whole city, with all its appurtenances viz. mansions with terraces and turrets, wells, gardens, snakes, men and women, was suddenly uprooted, lifted and like a giant spacecraft, transported and lodged in the heaven! It is no wonder that this legendary miracle of a flying city (507) catches the imagination of our Poet, who vividly depicts this wonderful phenomena in graphic penpictures in the following words : “ The sky became a curved rampart for the city, being observed by its frightened citizens coming out only on balconies ' ( 495 ). “The snakes, recoiling from the path of descent, as they observed clear open space through the cracks (in the subsoil), stayed put, huddled in fright, just in their holes ” ( 496). “The wells, with their (feeding) springs uprooted, became dried up, developing deeper, hollow depths" (498). “The eyes of ( loving ) couples, remaining big and wide open, in the absence of the blinking action, are painful (to observe), having been deprived of dalliance even at the pleasure of seeing each other” (500). “The city becomes lighter day after day, as its supporting earthfoundation is gradually crumbling because of the vioelnt winds beating against it” (501). "Even with a (celestial) park ( Nandana ) full of trees of heavenly branches and juicy blossoms and fruits (at hand ), the earthly trees ( of the city ) were favoured and fondled ( by the citizens), because of the bond of their first friendship” (505). “Even as the earth's surface ( down below ) had darkened with the enveloping darkness of the night, there was day only in this city on account of the overspreading bright light of the sun" (506). (A case of the midnight sun, as in Sweden and Norway ). Visit to the Mandara mountain and tracts in the North :
From the city of Ayodhyā, he advances further and reaches the slopes of the Mandara mountain 'shaded blue