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156
LALITA-TISTAKA.
melodious tunes, filled the air with the most ravishing music. Trees, similar in beauty to tboxe growing in the seats of Nats, apparently sensible of the presence of incarnated Buddha, seemed to share in the universal joy.
"On biodling this wonderful appearance of all the lofty trees of the forest, the quecu felt a desire to approach nearer, and enjoy the marvellous sight offered to her astonished regardy. Her noble atteudant: led her forthwith short distance into the forest. Maia, kontod on lier couch, along with her sister Patzapati, desired her attendants to have it moved closer to an ingyin tree (Shorea robusta), which she pointed out. Her wishes were inmediately complied with. She then roso gently on her conch; her luft hand, clasperl round the neek of her intor, supported her in a standing position. With the right hand she tried to reach and break a sinall branch, which slie wanted to carry a wax. On that very instant, us the slender rattau, heitted by fire, hond cow its tondor head, all the branches lowered their strunities, offering tlemselves, as it were, to the band of the guce, ww unbesitatingly seized and broke the extremity of one of the young loughs. By virtuc of a certain power inherent in her dignity, ona salion all the winds blew gently throngh the foregt. The attendanis, having desired all the people to withdraw to a distance, disposeu curtains all round tbe place tho qnoen was standing on. TVhilst she was in that position, admiring the slender hough she held in her hands, the moment of her confinement happened, and she was delivered of a son.
"l'ou chief Brahmas received the newborn infant on a golden neta work, and placed him in the presence of the happy mother, saying, "Give yourself up, o Queen, to joy and rejoicing; here is the precious and wonderful fruit of your womb." (Bigandet I, pp. 358)
The Siamese version is closely similar to this. According to it:
“Bulween the cities of Kapila and Dewadaha, there was in those. days a forest of the most splendid trees, named Simwaliwana. It was a lovely spot. Interlacing branches, richly covered with foliage, ebeltered the traveller as if he were covered with a canopy. The suu's surching rays could not penetrate to the delicious shade. All over the trees, from their trunks to their very tops, bunohts of flowers' budded, bloomed, and shed their fragrant leaves, and unceasingly
