to grace, O king! I am the king of the frogs by
name Ayu. She who was thy wife is my daughter
of the name of Susobhana. This, indeed, is an
instance of her bad conduct. Before this, many
kings were deceived by her.’ The king thereupon
said to him, ’I desire to have her. Let
her be granted to me by thee!’ The king of the
frogs thereupon bestowed his daughter upon Parikshit,
and addressing her said, ’Wait upon and serve
the king.’ And having spoken these words
to his daughter, he also addressed her in wrath saying,
’Since thou hast deceived many Kings for this
untruthful behaviour of thine, thy offspring will prove
disrespectful to Brahmanas!’ But having obtained
her, the king became deeply enamoured of her in consequence
of her companionable virtues, and feeling that he
had, as it were, obtained the sovereignty of the three
worlds, he bowed down to the king of the frogs and
reverenced him in due form and then with utterance
choked in joy and tears said, ’I have been favoured
indeed!’ And the king of the frogs obtaining
the leave of his daughter, returned to the place from
which he had come and some time after the king begot
three sons upon her and those sons were named Sala
and Dala and Vala, and some time after, their father,
installing the eldest of them of all on the throne
and setting his heart on asceticism, retired into
the forest. One day Sala while out a-hunting,
beheld a deer and pursued it, on his car, and the
prince said to his charioteer, ’Drive thou fast.’
And the charioteer, thus addressed, replied unto the
king, saying, ’Do not entertain such a purpose.
This deer is incapable of being caught by thee.
If indeed Vami horses had been yoked to thy car, then
couldst thou have taken it.’ Thereupon the
king addressed his charioteer, saying, ‘Tell
me all about Vami horses, otherwise I will slay thee,’
Thus addressed the charioteer became dreadfully alarmed
and he was afraid of the king and also of Vamadeva’s
curse and told not the king anything and the king
then lifting up his scimitar said to him, ’Tell
me soon, else I will slay thee.’ At last
afraid of the king, the charioteer said, ’The
Vami horses are those belonging to Vamadeva; they are
fleet as the mind.’ And unto his charioteer
who had said so, the king said, ’Repair thou
to the asylum of Vamadeva.’ And reaching
the asylum of Vamadeva the king said unto that Rishi,
’O holy one, a deer struck by me is flying away.
It behoveth thee to make it capable of being seized
by me by granting me thy pair of Vami horses.’
The Rishi then answered him saying, ’I give thee
my pair of Vami horses. But after accomplishing
thy object, my Vami pair you should soon return.’
The king then taking those steeds and obtaining the
leave of the Rishi pursued the deer, having yoked the
Vami pair unto his car, and after he had left the
asylum he spoke unto his charioteer saying, ’These
jewels of steeds the Brahmanas do not deserve to possess.
These should not be returned to Vamadeva.’
Having said this and seized the deer he returned to
his capital and placed those steeds within the inner
apartments of the palace.