“Vrihadaswa said, ’Having heard the words of the leader of that caravan, Damayanti of faultless limbs proceeded with that caravan itself anxious to behold her lord.  And after having proceeded for many days the merchants saw a large lake fragrant with lotuses in the midst of that dense and terrible forest.  And it was beautiful all over, and exceedingly delightful, (with banks) abounding in grass and fuel and fruits and flowers.  And it was inhabited by various kinds of fowls and birds, and fall of water that was pure and sweet.  And it was cool and capable of captivating the heart.  And the caravan, worn out with toil, resolved to halt there.  And with the permission of their leader, they spread themselves around those beautiful woods.  And that mighty caravan finding it was evening halted at that place.  And (it came to pass that) at the hour of midnight when everything was hushed and still and the tired caravan had fallen asleep, a herd of elephants in going towards a mountain stream to drink of its water befouled by their temporal juice, saw that caravan as also the numerous elephants belonging to it.  And seeing their domesticated fellows the wild elephants infuriated and with the temporal juice trickling down rushed impetuously on the former, with the intention of killing them.  And the force of the rush of those elephants was hard to bear, like the impetuosity of peaks lessened from mountain summits rolling towards the plain.  The rushing elephants found the forest paths to be all blocked up, for the goodly caravan was sleeping obstructing the paths around that lake of lotuses.  And the elephants all of a sudden, began to crush the men lying insensible on the ground.  And uttering cries of “Oh!” and “Alas!” the merchants, blinded by sleep, fled, in order to escape that danger, to copses and woods for refuge.  And some were slain by the tusks, and some by the trunks, and some by the legs of those elephants.  And innumerable camels and horses were killed, and crowds of men on foot, running in fright, killed one another.  And uttering loud cries some fell down on the ground, and some in fear climbed on trees, and some dropped down on uneven ground.  And, O king, thus accidentally attacked by that large herd of elephants, that goodly caravan suffered a great loss.  And there arose a tremendous uproar calculated to frighten the three worlds, “Lo! a great fire hath broken out.  Rescue us.  Do ye speedily fly away.  Why do ye fly?  Take the heaps of jewels scattered around.  All this wealth is a trifle.  I do not speak falsely, I tell you again, (exclaimed some one) think on my words, O ye distracted one!” With such exclamation they ran about in fright.  And Damayanti awoke in fear and anxiety, while that terrible slaughter was raging there.  And beholding slaughter capable of awaking the fear of all the worlds, and which was so unforeseen, the damsel of eyes like lotus leaves rose up, wild with fright, and almost out of breath.  And those