Such is the difference between the car of Indra and that of your
Majesty.
KING.
In which direction, Mátali, is Ka[s']yapa's sacred retreat?
MÁTALI. [Pointing.
Where stands yon anchorite, towards the orb
Of the meridian sun, immovable
As a tree's stem, his body half-concealed
By a huge ant-hill. Bound about his breast
No sacred cord is twined[115], but in its stead
A hideous serpent's skin. In place of necklace,
The tendrils of a withered creeper chafe
His wasted neck. His matted hair depends
In thick entanglement about his shoulders,
And birds construct their nests within its folds[116].
KING.
I salute thee, thou man of austere devotion.
MÁTALI. [Holding in the reins of the car.
Great Prince, we are now in the sacred grove of the holy Ka[s']yapa—the grove that boasts as its ornament one of the five trees of Indra's heaven, reared by Adití.