Chapter CVIII: Section I: Alighting of the Ladies on Earth

Vasishtha said:—After having seen the worlds in their aerial journey, the ladies alighted from there, and quickly entered the inner apartment of the king.

2. There they saw the dead body of the king lying in state amidst heaps of flowers, accompanied by the spiritual body of Lílá, sitting beside the corpse.

3. It was the dead of night, and the inmates had fallen into sound sleep one by one; and the room was perfumed with the incense of resin, camphor and sandalwood and saffron.

4. Lílá, seeing the house of her latter husband, and wishing to enter into it, alighted in her assumed body (sankalpadeha) on the spot of his sepulchre.

5. She then passed through the fictitious spacious palace of her lord (_sankalpasansára_), by breaking out of the confines of her body and cranium called the earthly and worldly environs in Yoga terminology (sansára and Brahmánda-ávaranas).

6. Then she went again with the goddess to the bright and spacious temple of the world (Brahmánda-mandapa), in which she quickly entered.

7. She saw her husband’s imaginary world to lie as a dirty and mossy pool, as the lioness beholds the mountain cave covered by darkness and clouds.

8. The goddesses then entered into that vacuous world with their airy bodies, as weak ants make their passage through the hard crust of the wood-apple or _bel_-fruit.

9. There they passed through regions of cloudy hills and skies, and reached the surface of the earth, consisting of tracts of land and basins of water.

10. They then came to the Jambudwípa (Asia), situated amidst the ninefold petals of the other dwípas (or continents), and thence proceeded to the territories of Lílá’s husband in the _varsha_ land of Bharata (India).

11. At this interval of time they beheld a certain prince—(the ruler of Sinde), strengthened by other chiefs, making an attack on this part which was the beauty of the world.

12. They beheld the air crowded by people of the three worlds, who had assembled there to see the conflict.

13. They remained undaunted, and saw the air crowded by aerial beings in groups like clouds.

14. There were the Siddhas, Cháranas, Gandharvas, Vidyádharas, Súras, celestials and Apsarás in large bodies.

15. There were also the goblins of Bhútas and Pisáchas, and Rákshasa cannibals; while the Vidyádhara females were flinging handfuls of flowers like showers of rain on the combatants.

16. The Vetálas, Yakshas and Kushmánds, that were looking at the affray with pleasure, took themselves to the shelter of hills, to avoid the flying darts and weapons.

17. The imps were flying from the air, to keep themselves from the way of the flying weapons; and the spectators were excited by sound of the war-whoop of the combatants.

18. Lílá who was standing by with a flapper (or fan) in her hand, was frightened at the imminent dreadful conflict, and smiled to scorn their mutual vauntings.