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great merit, gave her a golden image of the illustrious lord Cánti,* and said to her : My daughter, this image of the adorable lord Cánti must be worshipped by you three times a day.' She, for her part, did so. In time she grew up. The king when he saw her of ripe age, said to himself : 'This girl is of matchless beauty ; to whom must I give her ? Either there is no bridegroom fit for her, or, if there is one fit for her, I do not know of him. So I must appoint & Svayamvara, in order that my daughter may select a bridegroom according to her own wish.' Then he sent an ambassador, and summoned the kings and the princes, and they came, surrounded by elephants, horses, chariots, and footmen. Nala also came there. King Bhímaratha welcomed them all in splendid dwellings. Then he had made & Svayamvara-pavilion, adorned with pillars of gold. In it be placed golden thrones, and on those the kings and the princes sate. In the meanwhile, by order of her father, Davadantí arrived, adorned with the mark that shot forth & blaze of glory, with calm face, graceful with shapely bosom, herself gracing the Svayamvara-pavilion. When the kings saw her, the faces of all of them were full of astonishment. Then, by order of the king, the warder of the women's apartments, Bhadrá by name, began to tell the princess the families of the kings. She said : Princess Davadantí, this is the lord of Kácí (Benares) of great strength of arm, Bala by name; if you wish to see the river Ganga with its tossing waves, choose him.' Davadantí said : ‘Bhadrá, the people of Benares are addicted to the bad habit of cheating their neighbours, so my mind does not take pleasure in him. Go on further. Then she went on further, and said again : ' Princess, this is the lord of Kunkuņa, named Simha ; choose him, and in the hot season enjoy yourself agreeably in the plantain-groves.' Then Davadantí said : 'Bhadrá, the people of Kunkuņa get angry without reason, so I cannot please him on every occasion; mention another king. She went forward, and said again: 'Princess, this is the King Mahendra, an
* The sixteenth Tirthankare of the present age.
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