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CHAPTER TWO flood, like an ocean-wave, reached Daśagriva occupied with the puja. The water advanced, uprooting trees by the roots as easily as bunches of grass, above the high banks. High waves in succession crushed like oyster-shells the boats that were tied to the banks with blows against the banks in every direction. The water filled up great caves in the banks resembling caverns in Pātāla, like food filling gluttons. The river covered the islands completely like moonlight of the full moon the aerial cars of the circle of heavenly bodies. The flood uncovered fish by its great waves advancing, like a fast wind the shoots of trees. The foamy, muddy water came swiftly and carried away the Arhats' pūjå from Daśakantha as he was making it. More angered by the carrying away of the pūjà than by cutting off his head, Daśagrīva approached with harsh speech:
"Say! What enemy without cause released this water hard to restrain because of its speed to make an obstacle to the Arhats' pūjā ? Is some heretic-king present, or a Vidyadhara, or a demon, or a god?”
Then a Vidyādhara explained to Daśamauli: “Ahead of here there is a large city Māhismati. In it there is a powerful king, Sahasrānšu, like another sun, served by kings by the thousand. He obstructed the water in the Revā by a dam for the sake of water-sports. What is impossible for the powerful? Now this Sahasråńsu is playing comfortably in the water with a thousand queens, like an elephant with cow-elephants. His body-guards to the number of a lac, fully armed, stand on the two banks, with weapons raised like those of Hari. There is an assurance, never seen before, on the part of him having unequaled strength, so they are merely for looks, or rather, as witnesses of the action.
. The water-goddesses were terrified and the water· animals were put to flight by the vigorous blows in water
sports of him, powerful. This water was surely rolled up because of the excessive obstruction and the overflow caused by him and a thousand women. After this high
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