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KUMĀRAPĀLACARITA Āņāka arrived, Kumārapāla was informed by his spies of the disaffection that had been created among his followers, but being naturally brave made up his mind to fight alone with Anāka, and ordered Sāmala to take his elephant against him. Finding that Sāmala hesitated to obey his order, Kumārapāla charged him with treachery. Sāmala denied the charge and explained his hesitation by saying that in the opposite army there was Vāhada, also riding an elephant, whose voice was so shrill that it terrified even elephants. He however, removed the danger by previously stopping the ears of his elephant by his wearing garment and then driving him against that of: Anāka. Vāhada who was not aware of the change of the elephant-driver, being fully confident that he would receive help from the elephant-driver of Kumārapăla, forced his elephant on Kumārapāla's and tried to step on his head, sword in hand. Sāmala, who foresaw the attack, slightly withdrew his elephant, so that Vāhada fell down between the two elephants, where he was seized and taken prisoner by the foot-soldiers of the brave king. Immediately Kumārapāla hastened against Ānāka, and, challenging him to fight as the best of Ksatriyas' with his usual practice, shot an arrow exactly in his face, and when he lay prostrate on his elephant, shouted victory, waving his garment with great joy. When the two leaders were thus defeated, all rendered obedience to Kumārapāla whose victory was thus complete.
The next great encounter of Kumārapāla's men was with Mallikārjuna, the king of the Konkan. Once while Kumārapāla was sitting in his court surrounded by his generals and dependents, a bard described Mallikarjuna as having assumed the title, “the grand father of kings." Kumārapāla, unable to bear the insult looked around and was astonished to see one of his councillors, Āmbada by
