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CHAPTER TWO
city. In each of its houses the moon, reflected in jeweled pillars, attained the beauty of a permanent, handsome mirror. There the trees of the householders' courtyards resembled wishing-trees because of necklaces shaken by peacocks kept for sport who kept pulling at them. Rows of lofty shrines gave the appearance of mountains with high cascades bursting forth because of streams from moon-stones.400 The roofs paved with jewels on the tops of the shrines with stars reflected in them looked as if handfuls of flowers had been scattered by the gods. Its pleasure-pools in the houses filled with people amusing themselves steal the beauty of the Ocean of Milk with Apsarases coming forth. Its house-pools shine instantly with wreaths of golden lotuses from the faces of fair women submerged to the neck. Outside the city the grounds were dark with extensive gardens, like mountain-plateaux with new clouds. The wall, encircled by a large lake, looked just like Mt. Așțāpada with the lake of the gods. In every house in it there were givers, like kalpa-trees in heaven, always very easy to find, but beggars were very difficult to find.
Description of Samvara (31–39) Its king was named Sarnvara, the moon to the Ocean of Milk of the Ikşvāku family, chosen as husband by the Śris of all his enemies. The wealth of the sole king whose command ruled the entire surface of the earth did not leave his treasury, like the sword of a compassionate man its scabbard. The earth was made to have one umbrella, like the sky one moon, by him, long-armed, very powerful with formidable majesty. He firmly supported the earth; otherwise it would have burst into a thousand pieces from the weight of his army as he went on processions of conquest. When he had repeatedly attracted Śrīs from
400 24. See I, n. 192.
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