matter, but at that very moment the beggar disappeared. Utonka burst out laughing at having been deceived by such a curious image and illusion. But he was again surprised when that half-naked, shaven-headed image appeared floating in the sky, only to disappear again in the twinkling of an eye.
Utonka laughed to himself and thought: “The next time the beggar comes, he will stand right on my head and I shall be able to make Mr. Juggler a captive.” Laughing at this thought Utonka stood up suddenly, but the beggar was nowhere to be seen. Instead, Utonka saw the powerful Takshat emerge suddenly like a flash of lightning from a hole five feet away. Darting to Utonka’s feet he seized the box containing the ear-rings and leapt back into the hole.
When Utonka realised the clever cunning of the wicked serpent king, he fell into a frenzy of despair. But when he had managed to calm his mind, he began to pray to Indra, saying, “O mighty Indra, whose thunderbolt can shatter a rock to atoms and can burn the whole world to ashes, now help this poor helpless Brahmachari. O Indra, whose clouds afford a grateful shade to the hot and weary traveller
