________________ Dharmasvamin's Travels in Vatsali 419What was meant by the above sloka ?The story of the peril from the wild buffalo was told in the chapter on Tirbut. And what was meant by the words, "bebeld the Vajrasana through the miraculous powers" ? When the Guru was preaching during the autumn term at the great monastery of Than-po-che, he showed him the slokas on the upper floor of the ecclesiastic palace. "Did you write this?", inquired the Guru. "I wrote it some five years ago at ITe'u-ra", said he. The Guru then explained the meaning (of the slokas). The Dharmasvamio said that "when they had reached the city of Vaigali, all the inhabitants had fled at dawn from fear of the Turushka soldiery. A fellow guest inquired : "When shall we flee?" When the three hundred fellow travellers were preparing to go, I had a dream that I had gone to Vajrasana and that the Dharmasvamin the Elder had also gone there and had opened with his staff the doors of the temple, saying, "Son, look well at these ! Do not be afraid ! Come here !" On awakening, I felt a pleasant sensation in my heart. Then at daybreak all the inhabitants of Vaigali fled away, but I did not flee. A companion said, "Well, I also shall stay" and stayed behind. Because we three stayed behind, one of the guests also stayed behind. At suprise, when I came out into the street in front of the door, a female lay-supporter was seen staying in the street; the guests of the inn) inquired, "Do you have some pleasant news to tell us ?" The woman said, "The soldiery left for Western India." All rejoiced apd some people said that "the woman must have been the goddess Tara herself", and saying this the Dharmasvatnin himself smiled. [111. Further journey till the crossing of the Ganga on way to Magadha] Southwards from the border of Vaisali, at a distance of eight stages, lies Vajrasana. There is also the river Ganga. The river flows from west to east. Having started early in the morning, one did not reach (the opposite bank of the river ?) till evening. There were two ferry boats which had the appearance of boxes, and were tied together with ropes. They could carry about three hundred passengers. Io the river there were sea-monsters called nakra (crocodile), of the size of a yak. Sometimes these crocodiles caused the boats to sipk, sometimes they snatched away passengers, from inside the boats, and carried them away in their mouths. Great was the danger!, Across the Ganga lies the country of Magadha.
