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a larger one ?' The ministers said: "You have reduced under your power half of India, with the exception of three districts; but two hundred yojanas from this place is the city of Takshaçilá: in it there is a king, named Kadamba, who does not attend to your orders. He has been long overlooked by you like an insignificant disease, and has become difficult to deal with. So first send an ambassador to find out his inclinations.' Then an ambassador was sent, and he went immediately to Takshaçilá, and said to Kadamba Nala, the fire that burns up the wood of his enemies, thus commands: "Do homage to me, and then rule your own kingdom; but if you will not do so, you will meet defeat at the hands of this king." When King Kadamba heard this speech of the ambassador, not knowing his own weakness, he bit his lips, and said to the ambassador: Ambassador, is your master a child, or mad, or epileptic, that he does not know that I am the Garuda that swallows up all enemies like snakes? Or has he no ministers capable of distinguishing between good and bad qualities, that they have not restrained Nala from such unbecoming babble? So depart, ambassador! If your master is exceedingly tired of life, let him prepare for combat and approach quickly; I am now prepared for battle.' Then the ambassador returned and told Nala what Kadamba had said. Then the eyes of Nala became red with rage, and he set out with a force of all four arms, and in course of time reached Takshaçilá; then Nala invested the city of Takshaçilá. Kadamba could not endure that, so he prepared for battle and marched out. The two armies began a battle. It doubled the brilliancy of the sun's rays with the flashing of many weapons; it obstructed the circle of the earth; it gleamed with points of flame springing from clashing sword-blades; it presented to view a multitude of headless trunks dancing, gazed on by gods, Siddhas, and Yakshas; while heads of warriors appeared like lotuses on the streams of blood that flowed along. Nala said to Kadamba : < What is the use of killing these poor worms of foot-soldiers? Let you and me
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