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

190 THE OCEAN OF STORY
treasure-house of virtue, as my chosen husband, I pray,
holy one, that he may be my husband in a future birth,
inasmuch as, though in this birth my mother wishes to
y haughty father, being a
The Prayer Sive me to mm m >
of the Daitya captive, will not consent to it." * When Tri-
Mmden
bhuvanaprabha, heard that, she, in the same
way, prayed to the Fire God that Malayadhvaja might be
her husband in a future life.
Then King Merudhvaja, who was delighted at hearing
that, and the queen, his wife, said to one another : "If our
two sons could obtain these two maidens for their wives,
they would reap fruit from their conquest of the two worlds.
So let us go to them and their mother, before they have cast
themselves into the fire, as they intend to do in a moment,
and dissuade them from doing so." When the king, in consultation
with the queen, had made up his mind to this, he
went up to them, and said :
" Do not act rashly ;
for I will
put a stop to your sorrow." When all the Asura ladies heard
this speech of the king's, that seemed like a rain of nectar to
their ears, and afterwards saw him, they
him.
And Svayamprabha said to him :
all bowed before
" Before, we were con-
cealed by magic, and you did not see us, though we saw you ;
but now we have been seen here by you, the sovereign of the
two worlds. And now that we have been seen by you, our
sorrow will soon come to an end much more since you have
bestowed on us by your own mouth a boon we never craved.
So take a seat, and receive the arghya and water for the feet. 2
For you deserve to be honoured by the three worlds ; and
this is our hermitage." When she said this, the king answered,
"
Give the arghya and water for the feet to these
laughing :
"To your sons-in-law." Then Svayamprabha said :
them
the god Siva will give the arghya, and soon, but do you re-
ceive it to-day." Then Merudhvaja "I
said :
have already
1 An act of truth. See Vol. II, pp. 31-33 ; Vol. Ill, pp. 179-182. n.m.p.
2
I read arghyapadyadi in si. 180, 6; as in si. 181, 6. The is y found
in the three India Office MSS. and the Sanskrit College MS. I also read, in
si. 1 79, svagira datte devendnarthite vare, which I find in the three India Office
MSS. and the Sanskrit College MS.