and anxious to find out a leader for the celestial host, thought within himself, ’I must find out a mighty person who observing the ranks of the celestial army shattered by the Danavas will be able to reorganize it with vigour.’  He then repaired to the Manasa mountains and was there deeply absorbed in thought of nature, when he heard the heart-rending cries of a woman to the effect, ’May some one come quick and rescue me, and either indicate a husband for me, or be my husband himself.’  Purandara said to her, ’Do not be afraid, lady!’ And having said these words, he saw Kesin (an Asura) adorned with a crown and mace in hand standing even like a hill of metals at a distance and holding that lady by the hand.  Vasava addressed then that Asura saying, ’Why art thou bent on behaving insolently to this lady?  Know that I am the god who wields the thunderbolt.  Refrain thou from doing any violence to this lady.’  To him Kesin replied, ’Do thou, O Sakra, leave her alone.  I desire to possess her.  Thinkest thou, O slayer of Paka, that thou shalt be able to return home with thy life?’ With these words Kesin hurled his mace for slaying Indra.  Vasava cut it up in its course with his thunderbolt.  Then Kesin, furious with rage, hurled a huge mass of rock at him.  Beholding that, he of a hundred sacrifices rent it asunder with his thunderbolt, and it fell down upon the ground.  And Kesin himself was wounded by that falling mass of rock.  Thus sorely afflicted, he fled leaving the lady behind.  And when the Asura was gone, Indra said to that lady, ’Who and whose wife art thou, O lady with a beautiful face, and what has brought thee here?’”

SECTION CCXXIII

“The lady replied, ’I am a daughter of Prajapati (the lord of all creatures, Brahma) and my name is Devasena.  My sister Daityasena has ere this been ravished by Kesin.  We two sisters with our maids habitually used to come to these Manasa mountains for pleasures with the permission of Prajapati.  And the great Asura Kesin used daily to pay his court to us.  Daityasena, O conqueror of Paka, listened to him, but I did not.  Daityasena was, therefore, taken away by him, but, O illustrious one, thou hast rescued me with thy might.  And now, O lord of the celestials, I desire that thou shouldst select an invincible husband for me.’  To this Indra replied, ’Thou art a cousin of mine, thy mother being a sister of my mother Dakshayani, and now I desire to hear thee relate thine own prowess.’  The lady replied, ’O hero with long arms, I am Avala[70] (weak) but my husband must be powerful.  And by the potency of my father’s boon, he will be respected by gods and Asuras alike.’  Indra said, ’O blameless creature, I wish to hear from thee, what sort of power thou wishest thy husband to possess.’  The lady replied, ’That manly and famous and powerful being devoted to Brahma, who is able to conquer all the celestials, Asuras, Yakshas, Kinnaras, Uragas, Rakshasas, and the evil-minded Daityas and to subdue all the worlds with thee, shall be my husband.’