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Notes
171
Poet imagines that it is due to the fact of the Himalayan regions where they come from and their bodily quiver is a result of the healthy cold, which they still feel even here.
263. Now the elephants. They have lifted up their trunks and turned and twisted them gracefully, which, the Poet imagines, is for the purpose of serving as a cushion, as it were, for Lakşmi, as she reposes on the couch of their huge tusks.
264. The elephants trampled upon the heads of enemies which they crushed, turning and twisting their feet over their heads. The big toe-nails of these elephants are, as it were, (the Poet imagines ) pieces of skulls imbedded in the sides of their feet. Says the Com, - TETTİ Fuiqürtsafari ya wafaat I TOTHESTET ETTI
265. The triple black-coloured streams of rut flowing in a zig-zag ( 37 ) way from the temples of elephants are fancied to be the triple braid of hair of Laksmi, or Royal Glory.
266. The rival elephants have been floored by these elephants who threw them on their sides (74fc37), pierced and stuck their pointed tusks inside them. The Poet imagines the piercing tusks to be the hollow lotus-stalks used by these elephants to suck the blood-water of these fallen elephants. (We now use grassy straws to drink liquids from glasses in restaurants.)
267. The flapping ears of these elephants are fancied as their futtering wings in action to fly up to the heaven with the intention of engaging gods' elephants in a fight.
268. The ground down below is marked by the sticky streams of ichor from the temples of elephants, as they advance daily ahead of the king's army. Thereby they indicate, as it were, the progress made by the King's Royal Glory, by laying down on the ground a measuring tape (सुत्तणिवेस). Cf. यावती qeyfiy qarafrat 37114fret atacat toyut face I T | Com.
269. The elephants with their dark skin covered up by the layers of white powder are compared to the white clouds of autumn, their turbid (paper) contents of water having now been drained off. f3_TGT:-gone ahead (973).
In a Kulaka of 7 Gāthās ( 270-276) the Poet now describes the season of winter.
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