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TRANSLATION
57
some (streams) flowed on the moss-covered stones lightly as if out of fear of slipping, and collected in the woods on the mountain sides; where the jungles were scented by the fragrance of the sallaki trees as their barks were recently ripped off by the scratching of the trunks of the elephants; which seemed to be full of foliage due to the flames of the forest-conflagration; which appeared to be flowery by the citralaka mixed with pundraka(?); which seemed to be laden with fruits due to the huge-bodied elephants; which was colourful with the groups of peacocks with their plumages raised in dancing; which was adorned by tigers moving in the bushes; which seemed to be laughing by the young ones of the lions at the mouths of the mountain caves; which seemed to have horripilation on account of the thorny bamboos; which appeared to have the hair standing on ends due to the erect kharjūra trees; which was as if engaged in dancing on account of the thousands of sprouts tossed about by the wind; which seemed to be perspiring in the form of the jaturasa oozing out from the rocks heated by the sun; which was as if fanned by the leaves of the high palm trees swayed by the wind; which seemed to be possessed of speech due to the chirpings of the birds everywhere; where at various places it was throwing out pieces of elephants' dry flesh, drying the hides of the lions and tigers, and keeping tusks of dead elephants; where in some regions the waters of the streams surpassed the redness of the sun being mixed with the blood of the travellers put to death; where places under the shades of the trees were noisy with the quarrels of the travellers with the caravaneers; where the eaves of the roofs of huts of hay were made colourful by the peacocks' feathers; where at some places commodities were purchased from caravans; where at some places search was made for the blood-stained pearls from the temples of the recently killed elephants; where the directions resounded with the fight of the dogs greedily snatching pieces of dry meat of a beast killed near the caitya tree; where at places heat was dispelled by the flocks of vultures circling above the flesh of the dead beasts, exhibiting thus it seemed the sovereign rule of the place of destruction; where the travellers avoided the settlements of the Bhillas which were inferred by the sky darkened by the smoke of the continuously cooked meat; where looking with alarm at the recently killed travellers on the paths, the palates of other travellers were parched, their footfalls became quick and light, and as they looked frequently at them with necks turned, they tottered even on the level paths, walked a little on one side due to anxiousness, were frequently terrorized by the fear of wild beasts on hearing the rustling produced by their own feet falling on dry leaves and considered even the short roads long; where at places the fierce wild beasts were also terrified by the army of Sabaras filling the directions, blowing horns and engaged in hunt
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