SECTION XXVI

(Astika Parva continued)

“Sauti said, ’And then Indra, the king of gods, having the best of horses for his bearer, thus adored by Kadru, covered the entire firmament with masses of blue clouds.  And he commanded the clouds, saying, Pour ye, your vivifying and blessed drops!’ And those clouds, luminous with lightning, and incessantly roaring against each other in the welkin, poured abundant water.  And the sky, in consequence of those wonderful and terribly-roaring clouds that were incessantly begetting vast quantities of water, looked as if the end of Yuga had come.  And in consequence of the myriads of waves caused in the falling torrents, the deep roar of the clouds, the flashes of lightning, the violence of the wind, and the general agitation, the sky looked as if dancing in madness.  The sky became overcast, and the rays of the Sun and the Moon totally disappeared in consequence of that incessant downpour.

“And upon Indra’s causing that downpour, the Nagas became exceedingly delighted.  And the Earth was filled with water all around.  And the cool, clear water reached even the nether regions.  And there were countless waves of water all over the Earth.  And the snakes with their mother reached (in safety) the island called Ramaniyaka.”

And so ends the twenty-sixth section in the Astika Parva of the Adi Parva.

SECTION XXVII

(Astika Parva continued)

“Sauti said, ’And then the Nagas drenched by that shower, became exceedingly glad.  And borne by that bird of fair feathers, they soon arrived at the island.  That island had been fixed by the Creator of the Universe as the abode of the makaras.  There they saw the terrible Lavana Samudra (ocean of salt).  On arriving there with Garuda, they saw there a beautiful forest washed by the waters of the sea and resounding with the music of winged choirs.  And there were clusters of trees all around laden with various fruits and flowers.  And there were also fair mansions all around; and many tanks full of lotuses.  And it was also adorned with many lakes of pure water.  And it was refreshed with pure incense-breathing breezes.  And it was adorned with many a tree that grew only on the hills of Malaya, and seemed by their tallness to reach the very heavens.  And there were also various other trees whose flowers were scattered all around by the breeze.  And that forest was charming and dear to the Gandharvas and always gave them pleasure.  And it was full of bees maddened with the honey they sucked.  And the sight of all this was exceedingly delightful.  And in consequence of many things there, capable of charming everybody, that forest was fair, delightful, and holy.  And, echoing with the notes of various birds, it delighted greatly the sons of Kadru.