by the king, Chyavana said unto him, ’Thou shalt, with thy spouse, return hither tomorrow, O monarch!’ With these words, the royal sage Kusika was dismissed.  Saluting the Rishi, the monarch, endued with a handsome body, returned to his capital like unto a second chief of the celestials.  The counsellors then, with the priest, came out to receive him.  His troops and the dancing women and all his subjects, also did the same.  Surrounded by them all, king Kusika, blazing with beauty and splendour, entered his city, with a delighted heart, and his praises were hymned by bards and encomiasts.  Having entered his city and performed all his morning rites, he ate with his wife.  Endued with great splendour, the monarch then passed the night happily.  Each beheld the other to be possessed anew of youth.  All their afflictions and pains having ceased, they beheld each other to resemble a celestial.  Endued with the spendour they had obtained as a boon from that foremost of Brahmanas, and possessed as they were of forms that were exceedingly comely and beautiful, both of them passed a happy night in their bed.  Meanwhile, the spreader of the feats of Bhrigu’s race, viz., the Rishi possessed of the wealth of penances, converted, by his Yoga-power, that delightful wood on the bank of the Ganga into a retreat full of wealth of every kind and adorned with every variety of jewels and gems in consequence of which it surpassed in beauty and splendour the very abode of the chief of the celestials.”

SECTION LIV

“Bhishma said, ’When that night passed away, the high-souled king Kusika awoke and went through his morning rites.  Accompanied by his wife he then proceeded towards that wood which the Rishi had selected for his residence.  Arrived there, the monarch saw a palatial mansion made entirely of gold.  Possessed of a thousand columns each of which was made of gems and precious stones, it looked like an edifice belonging to the Gandharvas.[308] Kusika beheld in every part of that structure evidences of celestial design.  And he beheld hills with delightful valleys, and lakes with lotuses on their bosom; and mansions full of costly and curious articles, and gateways and arches, O Bharata.  And the king saw many open glades and open spots carpeted with grassy verdure, and resembling level fields of gold.  And he saw many Sahakaras adorned with blossoms, and Ketakas and Uddalakas, and Dhavas and Asokas, and blossoming Kundas, and Atimuktas.  And he saw there many Champakas and Tilakas and Bhavyas and Panasas and Vanjulas and Karnikaras adorned with flowers.  And the king beheld many Varanapushpas and the creepers called Ashtapadika all clipped properly and beautifully.[309] And the king beheld trees on which lotuses of all varieties bloomed in all their beauty, and some of which bore flowers of every season.  And he noticed also many mansions that looked like celestial cars or like beautiful mountains.  And at some places,