Satharakan Manthranaya

Miyulu Nuwara Watalama

King Culanl was enraged because Mahausadha Pandit had prevented the great revel he had prepared in order to murder the hundred princes with poisoned toddy, while the hundred princes were offended because they had been deprived of the cup of victory. And the soldiery were disappointed because they had lost the chance of drink- ing gratuitously. And so King Brahmadatta called the hundred princes, and said, " Come, friends ! go to Mithila. Cut off the head of King Vedeha with this sword, and trample it beneath your feet as one crushes the ripe palmyra with his feet ; then we will keep our wassail. Go and tell your men to equip themselves for battle ; " and informing Kevatta secretly of this, he said, " We shall capture the enemy who hindered this great plan of ours. We shall besiege Mithila with our eighteen complete armies and the hundred princes. Come, teacher, with us."

The Brahmin, in his wisdom, reflected, "We cannot capture Mahausadha Pandit. If we go, we shall only incur disgrace. I shall keep back the king by arguments : " and said, " My lord ! King Vedeha has no power ; the entire control rests with Mahausadha Pandit. He is a person of extraordinary power. The kingdom of Mithila, which he guards as a lion defends his rocky lair, cannot be captured by any one. If we go, we shall suffer disgrace. I do not favour the expedition."

The king, intoxicated with pride in his rank and power, blazed forth with anger, like a snake struck with a club, saying, " What will that Mahausadha do ? " and started off to Mithila with the hundred princes, who were as proud in their own conceit as himself, attended by the eighteen complete armies, which raged with anger, like the ocean lashed into fury by the whirlwind.

Kevatta, finding that his words made no impression on the king's mind, and seeing the uselessness of opposing him, started off with him. The hundred warriors whom the Bosat had sent to disturb King Brahmadatta's revel having performed the work they had come to do, travelled the whole night, reached Mithila in one day, and informed the Bosat of all that they had done.

And the scouts, whom the Pandit had at first sent to live with the kings, sent letters to the Pandit, saying, " King Culanl Brahma- datta is coming, attended by a hundred princes, in order to capture King Vedeha. Be on the look-out." Thus letters came continuously to the Pandit " To-day they are encamped at such a place ; " " To-day they are at such a place ;" "To-day they will reach the city." On receipt of this news the Maha Bosat redoubled all his prepara- tions. King Vedeha heard on all sides, "They are coming to capture the city." Now, King Brahmadatta approached Mithila, seven yodunas in length, by rows of torches, which had been kindled in thousands early in the evening, and encom- passed it.

And now to describe how they besieged Mithila. First, around the dry moat they marshalled a chain of elephants standing ear to ear, tall as columns of smoke rising from the flames of a king's wrath, caparisoned with gilded armour, and equipped with golden spears and hatchets, and with clubs to be grasped in their trunks animals powerful enough to crush in even a brazen rampart with the weight of their onslaught, who distilled three different humours from ten places ; one from three places the two ears and the penis ; another from these, and the two ear-holes and the eyes in all from seven places ; and a third from these seven places, and also from the two nostrils and the scrotum in all from ten places ; which glistened on the splendid spear and darts which their numerous riders held in their hands. Next they placed, neck to neck, a circle of horses bred in mighty Scindia, Cambodia, and Arabia, fully caparisoned and adorned for battle, bearing a numerous troop of gaily decked and armoured knights, which at the trumpet that gave the signal for the fray pranced with delight, like the swift-rushing, devastating wrath of the king, whose heart, swollen with anger, like the celestial river, longed for the destruction of his foe.