SECTION XIV

"Salya said, 'Then the goddess of Divination stood near that chaste and beautiful lady. And having beheld that goddess, youthful and lovely, standing before her, Indra's queen, glad at heart, paid respects to them and said, 'I desire to know who thou art, O thou of lovely face.' And Divination said, 'I am Divination, O goddess, come near thee. Since thou art truthful, therefore, O high-minded lady, do I appear in thy sight. Since thou art devoted to thy lord, employed in controlling thyself,

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and engaged in the practice of religious rites, I shall show thee the god Indra, the slayer of Vritra. Quickly come after me, so may good betide thee! Thou shalt see that best of gods.' Then Divination proceeded and the divine queen of Indra went after her. And she crossed the heavenly groves, and many mountains; and then having crossed the Himavat mountains, she came to its northern side. And having reached the sea, extending over many yojanas, she came upon a large island covered with various trees and plants. And there she saw a beautiful lake, of heavenly appearance, covered with birds, eight hundred miles in length, and as many in breadth. And upon it, O descendant of Bharata, were full-blown lotuses of heavenly appearance, of five colours, hummed round by bees, and counting by thousands. And in the middle of that lake, there was a large and beautiful assemblage of lotuses having in its midst a large white lotus standing on a lofty stalk. And penetrating into the lotus-stalk, along with Sachi, she saw Indra there who had entered into its fibres. And seeing her lord lying there in a minute form, Sachi also assumed a minute form, so did the goddess of divination too. And Indra's queen began to glorify him by reciting his celebrated deeds of yore. And thus glorified, the divine Purandara spoke to Sachi, 'For what purpose hast thou come? How also have I been found out?' Then the goddess spoke of the acts of Nahusha. And she said, 'O performer of a hundred sacrifices, having obtained the sovereignty of the three worlds, powerful and haughty and of a vicious soul, he hath commanded me to visit him, and the cruel wretch hath even assigned me a definite time. If thou wilt not protect me, O lord, he will bring me under his power. For this reason, O Indra, have I come to thee in alarm. O thou of powerful arms, slay the terrible Nahusha of vicious soul. Discover thyself, O slayer of Daityas and Danavas. O lord, assume thy own strength and rule the celestial kingdom.'"