The ocean of story, being C.H. Tawney's translation of Somadeva's ...

148 THE OCEAN OF STORY
broke his fast, and went to his city. There he was welcomed
by the citizens, and met by that minister of his father's who
had endured suffering for his sake, and who now made great
rejoicing. He then summoned the armies of the Asuras, and
made preparation for battle, and sent an ambassador to
Indra to warn him to hold himself in readiness for fight. And
he marched out, hiding with his banners the sky, which he
clove with the thunderous roar of his host, and so he seemed
to be fulfilling the wish * of the inhabitants of heaven. And
Indra, for his part, knowing that he had returned from winning
a boon, was troubled, but, after taking counsel with the
2
adviser of the gods, he summoned his forces.
Then Vidyuddhvaja arrived, and there took place between
those two armies a great battle, in which it was difficult to
distinguish between friend and foe. Those Daityas, who
were headed by Subahu, fought with the wind-gods, and
Pingaksha and his followers with the gods of wealth, Mahamaya
and his forces with the gods of fire, and Ayahkaya and
his hosts with the sun-gods, and Akampana and his warriors
with the Vidyadharas, and the rest with the Gandharvas and
their allies. So a great battle continued between them for
twenty days, and on the twenty-first day the gods were
routed in fight by the Asuras.
And when routed they fled, and entered heaven and
;
then Indra himself issued, mounted on Airavana. And the
forces of the gods rallied round him, and marched out again,,
with the leaders of the Vidyadharas, headed by Chandraketu..
Then a desperate fight took place, and Asuras and gods 3
were being slain in great numbers when Vidyuddhvaja
attacked Indra, to revenge the slaughter of his father. The
king of the gods cleft over and over again the bow of that
chief of the Asuras, who kept repelling his shafts with answer-
ing shafts. Then Vidyuddhvaja, elated with the boon of
Siva, seized his mace, and rushed furiously on Indra. He
1
Perhaps there is a pun here. The word ishta may also mean " sacrifice,"
" sacred rite."
2 I.e. Brihaspati.
3 The word for god here is amara, literally "immortal." This may remind
the classical reader of the passage in Birds, 1224, where Iris says, "aAA.' dOdvaros;
el/A," and Peisthetaerus imperturbably replies, " d\\' o/xws av d-n-tdaves."