Gaudavaho

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

Page 410

The Churning of Ocean
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looking like tongues (gushing forth) from their noses (thus appearing) like poisonous snakes.
1013. The creeper-like, coiling column of smoke, (issuing from) his sacrificial performances, looked fine like the dark path ( sarani) of the thick fluid of ichor (flowing from the temples) of the heavenly elephant of Indra, invoked (on the earth ) by his good deeds.
1014. The great ancestors of his family ( kulapuvvā ), although made (to look) small by the magnificence of his merits, were again elevated by him by his own greatness.
1015. His frowns of wrath (samrambhabhiidi), tolerating (the co-existence of) the sighs of pity, look charming on him, who, although strictly abiding by the code of controls and restrictions (imposed on the people ) under his legal authority, rules the world with their opposites (viz. love and sympathy).
The king as Visnu in his Tortoise incarnation, helping in the churning of the ocean and accepting Lakşmi
1016. The (Milky) ocean, with its conchs and coiling clusters of jewels lifted up (to its surface ), was observed by the Lord of tortoises to be a (silver) plate full of worship-materials, as it were, held up (to Him ) in haste by the gods (to honour Him ).
1017. The broad back of the Lord of tortoises, who had emerged (ummilla ) and relaxed His body, (giving out) breaths for a long time, was again over-flown by waves.
1018. The big fish, balanced ( on His back ) by the Tortoise, with the parts of their throats looking reddish at the time of the exhalations of breath, appeared like clouds with repeated (punarutta) lightning flashes
1019. The gods and the demons watched the back of the Lord of the tortoises, as whitishness was developed on that portion ( of the back ), where the earth rubbed in close contact, leaving the borders naturally blackish (as before ).
1020. The reflection (phadimā) of the ( Mandara ) mountain, planted on (the back of) the Tortoise, cast on (the surface of) the ocean and swaying and swinging in its position ( ņivesa ) because of waves, looked as if it was getting crooked and curved on account of the bottom (of its foundation of the earth ) being insufficient (apahutta) (to cover and fully occupy the back ).
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