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II2
CHAPTER ONE
the sky sparkling with elephants engaged tusk against tusk; with horsemen meeting, lance against lance; with charioteers meeting, arrow against arrow; with infantry attacking, sword against sword; with the ground muddy with blood. After they had fought for a long time, Andhaka, Kişkindhi's younger brother, made Vijayasinha's head fall, like a fruit from a tree, by means of an arrow. The Vidyadhara-lords, Vijayasinha's followers, were terrified. Whence is there courage for people without lords? Verily, a leaderless army is defeated.
Kişkindhi took Śrīmālā along, like the Sri of victory in person, flew up, and went to Kiskindhă with his followers. When he heard the news of his son's death, which was like a stroke of lightning from the sky, Aśanivega hastened to Mt. Kişkindhi. He surrounded the city Kişkindhā with many soldiers, like the stream of a river surrounding the high ground of a large island with water. The heroes, Sukeśa and Kişkindhi, came out of Kişkindhā with Andhaka, eager to fight, like lions from their den. Then Aśanivega, very impatient, a hero, regarding the enemy as straw, began the battle with an attack with the whole army. Then in the front line of battle, blind with anger, Aśanivega, powerful, cut off the head of Andhaka who was the lion to the elephant of Vijayasinha. Then the monkey-soldiers with the Rākşasas ran in all directions like a mass of clouds scattered by wind. The leaders of Lankā and Kişkindha went to Pātālalarkā with their wives and retinues. Sometimes retreat is strategy. When he had struck down his son's murderer, like an elephant a diker, the anger of the King of Rathanūpura was appeased. Delighted with the destruction of his enemies, he, the authority for setting up kings, installed a Vidyadhara, named Nirghāta, on Lańkā's throne. Then King Aśani returned to his city Rathanūpura on Vaitādhya, like the king of the gods to Amaravati.
One day King Aśanivega, in whom a desire for emancipation had arisen, bestowed the kingdom on his son,
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