521
condition. And he shall rule the Vidyádharas with that lady, who shall
be an incarnation of a portion of Gaurí, and shall be named Padmávatí,
for his consort, and at last he shall come to me. So bear up for a little: this desire of yours is already as good as accomplihed." When Śiva had said this to Vishnu and his companions, he disappeared; then Vishnu, Brahmá, Indra and Bŗihaspati went, in high delight, back to the places from which they came.
Then Muktávalí the wife of that king of the Vidyádharas, named Chandraketu, became pregnant, and in time she brought forth a son, il- luminating the four quarters with his irresistible splendour,*[1] like the infant sun arisen to remove the oppression under which those ascetics were groaning. And as soon as he was born this voice was heard from heaven, " Chandraketu, this son of thine shall slay the Asura Vidyuddhvaja, and know that he is to be by name Muktáphalaketu, the terror of his foes."
When the voice had said so much to the delighted Chandraketu, it ceased; and a rain of flowers fell; and Padmaśekhara, and Indra, hearing what had taken place, came there, and the other gods, who were lurking concealed. Conversing to one another of the story of the boon of Śiva, and having rejoiced thereat, they went to their own abodes. And Muktáphalaketu had all the sacraments performed for him, and gradually grew up; and as he grew, the joy of the gods increased.
Then, some time after the birth of his son, a daughter was born to Padmaśekhara, the supreme lord of the Gandharvas. And when she was born, a voice came from the air, " Prince of the Gandharvas, this daughter of thine Padmávatí shall be the wife of that king of the Vidyádharas who shall be the foe of Vidyuddhvaja." Then that maiden Padmávatí gradually grew up, adorned with an overflowing effulgence of beauty, as if with billowy nectar acquired by her being born in the world of the moon. †[2]
And that Muktáphalaketu, even when a child, was high-minded, and being always devoted to Śiva, he performed asceticism, in the form of vows, fasts, and other penances. And once on a time, when he had fasted twelve days, and was absorbed in meditation, the adorable Śiva appeared to him, and said, " I am pleased with this devotion of thine, so by my special favour the weapons, the sciences, and all the accomplishments shall manifest themselves to thee. And receive from me this sword named Invincible,‡[3] by means of which thou shalt hold sovereign sway, unconquered by thy enemies," When the god had said this, be gave him the sword and dis-
