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52
ŚRNGĂRAMANJARIKATHA
and rut; great in body and valour; and red in the palate and the corners of the eyes. By his class, form, behaviour, valour and so on.
He looks as if made of all the seasons with his eye-ball looking beautiful like the autumn when sugarcane grows; his might terrific like the winter which is full of snow; his action violent like the cold season which produces tremor, and his tip of the trunk moving gracefully like the spring when lotuses bloom; his using all the rivers like summer when all the rivers get dried up, and his roaring deep like the rainy days when deep rumbling is heard. He conquered as it were the whole group of heavenly elephants by disregarding the roar of Airāvata, (the elephant of the eastern quarter), destroying everyday the glory of Puņdarīka «elephant of south eastern quarter, day lotuses» by water sports; uprooting the splendour of Kumuda «elephant of south western quarter, night lotuses»; conquering Sārvabhauma «elephant of the northern quarter, all conquering ones in many battles; surpassing the lustre of Añjana «elephant of the western quarter, collyrium»; defeating Puspadanta «elephant of north-western quarter, sun and moon» by his lovely and refulgent brilliance; and who put aside the enthusiasm of Vāmana «elephant of the southern quarter, Vāmana> by the constant grace of taking three steps. Who bore the beauty of the fourth day(?); who was charming to the eyes of all people like the state of inebriation, and who by his excessively fascinating beauty and charm as if satisfies, fills, expands, pleases and gladdens the eyes.
(48) On seeing it, the king joyfully said to LAVANYASUNDARĪ after a moment-"My beloved LAVANYASUNDARI ask for anything". When she was again and again requested respectfully she said:
"Whatever is yours is mine, what else shall I ask for? But if you want to please me, then (know) that since childhood I have great fascination for elephants, therefore give me a hundred such elephants". The King said—“This is nothing, ask for anything else you desire".
Saying this he gave her a hundred elephants. She said; "Let it be announced that a hundred elephants have been given to LAVANYASUNDARI”. The king did as he was told.
When two-three days passed by, LAVANYASUNDARI, folding her hands said to the king_"Sire, let me take leave of you. I am a courtesan, Such is our practice",
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