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ŚRNGĀRAMANJARIKATHA
conflagration, and there the young-ones and she-elephants cried out alarmingly on seeing the splintering of the thorns, knots and barks of the bamboo forests; where in the herds) some elephants were loudly roaring, with their trunks rolled up they were frequently circling, with raised ears and necks they were looking for roads of escape, with their hind quarters slightly drawn in, tails straightened and then flung up, eyes wide open due to fear, with the desire to escape the fierce forest-fire that was slowly spreading, they spread themselves, then came together, then after seeing the conflagration lessening in one direction they waited for moment then roaring wildly, dashing the trunks on the ground, deafening the directions with roars as their sides were burning, they swiftly rushed out with the leader amongst them showing the way; and where (in the herds) every moment the she-elephants were anxious about the young ones lagging behind due to their slow speed; (the forest) with one side variegated with the mud of the ant-hills dug up by the bears; where the deep lakes were disturbed by herds of elephants, some of whom, though fatigued by the heat of rays of the midday sun, slowly dragging themselves near the water were engaged in digging water on the banks by their feet, their tails raised up and trunks spread out; some (elephants) were drinking water by curling up their trunks, opening their lips, slightly raising their necks and placing the tips of the trunks in the mouths, where elephants were drinking, emitting, beating and dirtying the waters by coming in and out of them); spreading at it were a watery umbrella over themselves by first taking water, then sprinkling it on their sides, and then spraying drops higher up; rendering undistinguishable their ears and tusks by the leafy lotus plants and roots thrown on their heads; taking dips and throwing up water from the tips of the trunks; passing urine on the bank after drinking water, hearing carefully the sound of the passing urine, with the buttocks lowered, the sides expanded, the ears a little raised, the front feet spread out, the heads a little shaking and the eyes drawn towards their ears; some leaders of the herds with their temples full of rut entering the waters and exhibiting a blue umbrella indicative of their sovereignty by the swarms of bees who had left the temples out of fear of water, but had fallen (on the temples) again out of desire of drinking (the rut); and the young ones eager to enter the waters turning away being afraid of their depth and taking resort behind the limbs of the she-elephants; which (forest) appeared to be flooded with thousands of streams of the Ganges oozing down from the sky by the springs gushing out from the base of the mountain broken by iron rods or flowing out through the woods or from cracks of the huge boulders; (52) some (streams) became broader and whiter as they flowed along, and being extensive and clean were not seen long distance off,
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