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_[30] (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."'
[30] _Avala_ is a common name of women. It means one who has no
vala or strength or power. The word is also used as an
adjective.
"Markandeya continued, 'On hearing her speech, Indra was grieved and
deeply thought within himself, "There is no husband for this lady,
answering to her own description." And that god adorned with sun-like
effulgence, then perceived the Sun rising on the Udaya hill,[31] and the
great Soma (Moon) gliding into the Sun. It being the time of the new
Moon, he of a hundred sacrifices, at the _Raudra_[32] moment, observed
the gods and _Asuras_ fighting on the Sunrise hill.
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