And thereupon that maiden resolved to invoke him. And having recourse to
_Pranayama_, she invoked the Maker of day. And thus invoked by her, O
king, the Maker of day speedily presented himself. And he was of a
yellowish hue like honey, and was possessed of mighty arms, and his neck
was marked with lines like those of a conchshell. And furnished with
armlets, and decked with a diadem, he came smiling, and illumining all
the directions. And it was by _Yoga_ power that he divided himself in
twain, one of which continued to give heat, and the other appeared
before Kunti. And he addressed Kunti in words that were exceedingly
sweet, saying, 'O gentle maiden, over-powered by the _mantras_, I come
hither obedient to thee. Subject as I am to thy power, what shall I do,
O queen? Tell me, for I shall do whatever thou mayst command.' Hearing
these words of the deity, Kunti said, 'O worshipful one, go thou back to
the place thou hast come from! I invoked thee from curiosity alone.
Pardon me, O worshipful one!' Surya then said, 'O damsel of slender
waist, I will, even as thou hast said, return to the place I have come
from! Having called a celestial, it is not, however, proper to send him
away in vain. Thy intention, O blessed one, it is to have from Surya a
son furnished with a coat of mail and ear-rings, and who in point of
prowess would be beyond compare in this world! Do thou, therefore, O
damsel of elephantine gait, surrender thy person to me! Thou shall then
have, O lady, a son after thy wish! O gentle girl, O thou of sweet
smiles, I will go back after having known thee! If thou do not gratify
me to-day by obeying my word, I shall in anger curse thee, thy father
and that Brahmana also.
Pages:
594
595
596
597
598
599
600
601
602
603
604
605
606
607
608
609
610
611
612
613
614
615
616
617
618