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character similar to his own. Sometimes putting on his armor, he would play with rogue elephants, 'who had broken their chains like lotus fibers, flung away the pegs like sprouts of grass, torn the ropes to pieces like branching creepers, and smashed the posts like reeds'. Sometimes he would pet vicious wild horses. Sometimes he would plunge into lakes and grapple crocodiles. Sometimes he would betake himself at night to cremation grounds, 'terrible with the sound of the loud drums in the hands of female goblins', and engage in duels with powerful spirits and overthrow them in the encounter.
But there was also a lighter side to his activities. Like a veritable god of love, he enjoyed the company of the women of different nationalities. Sometimes he dallied with young women in pleasure gardens, and, on other occasions, indulged in water-sports, surrounded by beautiful women, in artificial lakes, perfumed and abounding in flowers, with emerald floors, crystal embankments, golden steps and islets of pearls. Although reckless and self-willed, and addicted to wine, hunting, and courtesans, Māradatta was free from dangers and calamities, and considered himself akin to the gods.
One day a Tantric teacher told him that he would obtain a miraculous sword with which he could conquer the rcalm of the Vidyādharas (celestial warriors), if only creatures of all kinds were sacriliced, and killed with his own hands a couple of human beings possessing all auspicious physical characteristics, in the temple of the goddess Chăndamudi in his capital. Hearing this, he summoned the entire population to the temple of the dreaded goddess under the pretext of celebrating a special festival, although it was not the proper season for it. He, himself, repaired to the shrine and ordered the guards to fetch the required couple of human beings for the purpose of sacrifice.
The temple of Chāndamundi was a horrid place frequented by the terrible spirits and a crowd of fanatical votaries engaged in outrageous forms of self-torture. Certain devotees were burning incense on their heads; some, extremely ferocious, were burning their arteries, like lights; while others, exceedingly bold, were trying to please
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