2023-02-26 04:07:27 by ambuda-bot
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10
AVANTISUNDARĪ KATHĀ SĀRA
that spot, I saw an young woman wounded all over her
body and also heard a child crying. The woman entreated in
a feeble voice, "Please protect the prince." Then I beheld not
far off from her an elephant killed in battle and a child in the
cavity of the ear of the animal. I took hold of the child who
had fortunately escaped injury and asked her who she was
and what brought her thither.
(Av. Sāra III, 68-77; Av. pp. 166-71)
'Sir,' she said, "you may have heard of Prahāravar-
man, king of Videha, and his friend Rajahamsa, king of
Magadha. The queens of these two were also close friends.
[Priyamvadā] the queen of Videha set out for Magadha
with her husband to see her pregnant friend. At this time a
war broke out between the Magadha and Mälava rulers. The
king of Videha and the ruler of Anga rendered help to the
Magadha king but they were overwhelmed by the forces of the
enemy and Prahāra was caught in a dense mass of arrows.
The brave Magadha ruler removed them from danger and
fought heroically alone but at last being struck by a divine
weapon he fell down and fainted.
But Mānasāra, the Mālava king, did not exult in his victory;
[he conciliated Prahāra by healing his wounds,] and in apprecia-
tion of the valour of Rajahamsa he declared before an assembly
of Ksatriyas that the king of Magadha was the real victor
and that he would not thereafter take arms against anybody in
battle. Prahāra lingered long in Malava as a guest of Māna-
sāra when twin sons were born to him. [Then Mänasāra
celebrated the Visvajit sacrifice and presented Prahāra with
the famous horse Bhadravahana acquired in the battle against
the Magadha king]. Then Prahāra started with the king of
Anga and the remnants of his forces for his kingdom [and
halted a few days on the way at Campā, the capital of Anga].
On the way, he came to know that [Vikaṭavarman and other]
sons of his elder brother [Samhāravarman] had usurped his
throne. With a view to seeking the aid of the king of Sumha,
his sister's son [who had been reported to be camping by the
side of the Vindhyas for the subjugation of the frontier
people], he took this short route [in spite of the fact that
it was infested with Kirātas]. I do not know if he survived
the onslaught of the Kirātas. My mother entrusted this child
to me and took the younger one with her. An elephant
without a mahout came near me with affection and the child
AVANTISUNDARĪ KATHĀ SĀRA
that spot, I saw an young woman wounded all over her
body and also heard a child crying. The woman entreated in
a feeble voice, "Please protect the prince." Then I beheld not
far off from her an elephant killed in battle and a child in the
cavity of the ear of the animal. I took hold of the child who
had fortunately escaped injury and asked her who she was
and what brought her thither.
(Av. Sāra III, 68-77; Av. pp. 166-71)
'Sir,' she said, "you may have heard of Prahāravar-
man, king of Videha, and his friend Rajahamsa, king of
Magadha. The queens of these two were also close friends.
[Priyamvadā] the queen of Videha set out for Magadha
with her husband to see her pregnant friend. At this time a
war broke out between the Magadha and Mälava rulers. The
king of Videha and the ruler of Anga rendered help to the
Magadha king but they were overwhelmed by the forces of the
enemy and Prahāra was caught in a dense mass of arrows.
The brave Magadha ruler removed them from danger and
fought heroically alone but at last being struck by a divine
weapon he fell down and fainted.
But Mānasāra, the Mālava king, did not exult in his victory;
[he conciliated Prahāra by healing his wounds,] and in apprecia-
tion of the valour of Rajahamsa he declared before an assembly
of Ksatriyas that the king of Magadha was the real victor
and that he would not thereafter take arms against anybody in
battle. Prahāra lingered long in Malava as a guest of Māna-
sāra when twin sons were born to him. [Then Mänasāra
celebrated the Visvajit sacrifice and presented Prahāra with
the famous horse Bhadravahana acquired in the battle against
the Magadha king]. Then Prahāra started with the king of
Anga and the remnants of his forces for his kingdom [and
halted a few days on the way at Campā, the capital of Anga].
On the way, he came to know that [Vikaṭavarman and other]
sons of his elder brother [Samhāravarman] had usurped his
throne. With a view to seeking the aid of the king of Sumha,
his sister's son [who had been reported to be camping by the
side of the Vindhyas for the subjugation of the frontier
people], he took this short route [in spite of the fact that
it was infested with Kirātas]. I do not know if he survived
the onslaught of the Kirātas. My mother entrusted this child
to me and took the younger one with her. An elephant
without a mahout came near me with affection and the child