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It was a school with 63 resident pupils. The king disguised himself as a student and secured admission there. At night, when Soma śarman and the pupils were all asleep, Uma
up, climbed the tamarind tree and gave it a blow with her cudgel, at which the tree rose up from the ground, root and branch, and moved into the air. The king, who was feigning asleep, observed all this. The next day he climbed the tree earlier and waited for the night, when, again, the same process took place. The tree went to another island and stopped near a big temple, where she alighted and bowed down to 64 Yoginis. Meanwhile the Kşetra pāla came to the scene and, saluted by Umā devi, he aske she was not offering the victims. She replied that the 64 pupils and their preceptor were suitable victims for the Yoginis and himself. She requested him to wait till the 14th day of the dark half of the nionth of Asvina, when, having placed the wooden slab-seats on the mystical diagrams drawn on the ground smeared with cow-dung, having adored the cudgel, offered the oblations and tied the holy string to the hand, her lady-cook would take the solemn vow and perform obeissance.
The king, who had concealed himself, listened to these talks and silently mounted the tree, which duly returned to its original place. The next morning he reported to the preceptor that all 65 of them were going to be victimized on the fourth day thence.
On the fixed day Umā devi performed all ceremonies upto the tying of the string. As she was about to take the solemn vow, however, the king cut off the string, caught hold of the cudgel and mounted the tamarind tree with his fellow-students and the preceptor. Getting a blow from the cudgel, the tree flew to another island where it was made to descend near a deserted city.
Alighting from the tree, he straight-way went to the palace where he found the princess all alone, who informed him that a giant at rage had destroyed the city as well as its king and that he intended to marry her. She requested him to go away in order to avoid an immature death, since the giant was about to arrive.
The dauntless king remained there concealed and no sooner did the giant arrive there than he killed him with a stroke of his sword. Thereafter he married the princess and, having climbed the tamarind tree, returned to the orchard of his city.
Now the K setra pāla went that day to Soma sarman's house where he found none but Umā devi. Consequently the oblation-offering was performed by cutting Umā devi herself to pieces.
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