[1] For a parallel to the absurdities that follow, see Campbell’s West Highland Tales, p. 202.
[2] The personified energies of the principal deities, closely connected with the worship of the god Śiva. Professor Jacobi compares them with the Greek goddesses called μητέρες, to whom there was a temple in the Sicilian town of Engyion. (Indian Antiquary, January 1880.)
[3] For ávaham I read áhavam.
[4] Labdhakakshyáḥ is probably a misprint for baddhakakshyáḥ.
[5] I read abhikánkshá for abhikánksho which is found in Brockhaus’s text. This is supported by a MS. in the Sanskrit College.
Chapter XLVIII.
The next morning, Súryaprabha and his party, and Śrutaśarman and his supporters, again went to the field of battle armed, with their forces. And again the gods and Asuras, with Indra, Brahmá, Vishṇu, and Rudra, and with the Yakshas, snakes, and Gandharvas, came to see the fight. Dámodara drew up the troops of Śrutaśarman in the form of a discus, and Prabhása drew up the troops of Súryaprabha in the form of a thunderbolt. Then the battle of those two armies went on, deafening the horizon with drums and the shouts of champions, and the sun hid himself in flights of arrows, as if out of fear that the warriors smitten with weapons would certainly pierce his disk. Then Prabhása, by command of Súryaprabha, broke the discus-arrangement of the enemy’s host, hard for another to break, and entered alone. And Dámodara himself came and defended that opening in the line, and Prabhása fought against him unaided. And Súryaprabha, seeing that he had entered alone, sent fifteen great warriors to follow him, Prakampana, and Dhúmraketu, and Kálakampana, and Mahámáya, and Marudvega, and Prahasta, and Vajrapanjara, and Kálachakra, and Pramathana, and Sinhanáda, and Kambala, and Vikaṭáksha, and Pravahana, and Kunjarakumáraka, and Prahṛishtaroman the heroic Asura prince: all those great warriors rushed forward to the opening in the line; then Dámodara exhibited his wonderful heroism, in that alone he fought with those fifteen.
When Indra saw that, he said to the hermit Nárada, who was at his side, “Súryaprabha and the others of his party are incarnations of Asuras, but Śrutaśarman is a portion of me, and all these Vidyádharas are portions of the gods, so observe, hermit, this is a disguised fight between the gods and Asuras. And observe, in it Vishṇu is, as ever, the ally of the gods, for Dámodara, who is a portion of him, is fighting here.”