Then loud the horrid clamor rose
Of monsters dying ’neath their blows,
Giant and demon, fiend and snake,
That in earth’s core their dwelling make.
They dug, in ire that nought could stay,
Through sixty thousand leagues their way—
Cleaving the earth with matchless strength
Till hell itself they reached at length.
Thus digging searched they Jambudvip
With all its hills and mountains steep.
Then a great fear began to shake
The heart of God, bard, fiend, and snake—
And all distressed in spirit went
Before the Sire Omnipotent.
With signs of woe in every face
They sought the mighty Father’s grace,
And trembling still and ill at ease
Addressed their Lord in words like these:—
’The sons of Sagar, Sire benign,
Pierce the whole earth with mine on mine,
And as their ruthless work they ply
Innumerable creatures die,’
‘This is the thief,’ the princes say,
’Who stole our victim steed away.
This marred the rite, and caused us ill.’
And so their guiltless blood they spill.
CANTO XLI
KAPIL
“The Father lent a gracious
ear
And listened to their tale
of fear,
And kindly to the Gods replied
Whom woe and death had terrified:—
’The wisest Vasudeva,
who
The Immortals’ foe,
fierce Madhu, slew,
Regards broad Earth with love
and pride,
And guards, in Kapil’s
form, his bride.
His kindled wrath will quickly
fall
On the King’s sons and
burn them all.
This cleaving of the earth
his eye
Foresaw in ages long gone
by:
He knew with prescient soul
the fate
That Sagar’s children
should await.’
The Three-and-thirty, freed
from fear,
Sought their bright homes
with hopeful cheer.
Still rose the great tempestuous
sound
As Sagar’s children
pierced the ground.
When thus the whole broad
earth was cleft,
And not a spot unsearched
was left,
Back to their home the princes
sped,
And thus unto their father
said:—
’We searched the earth
from side to side,
While countless hosts of creatures
died.
Our conquering feet in triumph
trod
On snake and demon, fiend
and God;
But yet we failed, with all
our toil,
To find the robber and the
spoil.
What can we more? If
more we can,
Devise, O King, and tell thy
plan,’
His children’s speech
King Sagar heard,
And answered thus, to anger
stirred:—
’Dig on, and ne’er
your labor stay
Till through earth’s
depths you force your way.
Then smite the robber dead,
and bring
The charger back with triumphing.’