Chapter XLV: Section XLVII

When the embryo had been sundered in seven, Diti exceedingly aggrieved humbly spoke unto the irrepressible thousand-eyed deity, saying,--'By my fault it is that the embryo hath been sundered in seven. O chief of the celestials, herein thou art guilty of no transgression, O destroyer of Vala, And since calamity hath befallen the embryo, I wish to do thee a good turn. Let the seven parts become the guardians of the seven Maruts. And, O son, let my sons having noble forms, becoming famous as Marutas range the Vataskandha regions in heaven. And let one range Brahma's regions, and another Indra's, and the highly illustrious third also range around, being known as Divya Vayu.[64] And, O best of celestials, by thy command, let the four remaining sons of mine known by the name which thou hast mentioned, range about in appointed periods.' Hearing her words, that destroyer of Vala; the thousand-eyed Purandara, with clasped palms said,--'All this that thou hast said must come to pass; there is no doubt about it. Good betide thee, thy sons endowed with celestial forms, shall range about. And it hath been heard by us that having thus ascertained in that hermitage, the mother and the son, O Rama, went to heaven, their desire obtained. Even this, O Kakutstha, is the place where formerly the mighty Indra sojourned, and where he attended upon Diti of accomplished ascetic success. And, O most powerful of men, Ikshwaku had an exceedingly righteous son born unto him of Alamvusha, known by the name of Vicala. And here stood a palace, built by him, called Vicala. And Vicala's son, O Rama, was the mighty Hemachandra. And after Hemachandra comes the celebrated Suchandra. And, O Rama, the son of Suchandra was Dhumraswa. And then was born Srinjaya, son unto Dhumraswa. And Srinjaya's son was the powerful Sahadeva. And Sahadeva's son was the pre-eminently pious Kucacwa. And Kucacwa's son was the puissant Somadatta. And now, O Kakutstha, Somadatta's son the effulgent and invincible and renowned Sumati resideth in this city. And by the grace of Ikshwaku, all the sovereigns of Vicala are long-lived, and high- souled, and puissant, and pious. And here will we happily spend a night; and on the morning of the morrow thou wilt, O foremost of men., behold Janaka.' And having heard that the illustrious Vicwamitra had come, that best of kings, the effulgent Sumati, appeared before him. And having paid Vicwamitra high homage together with his priests and friends, and with clasped hands enquired after the former's welfare, he addressed Vicwamitra, saying,-- "Blessed are we, and obliged are we, whose domains, O ascetic, have been graced with thy presence. Surely none is more blessed than I am."

[64] Etherial air.--T.