Page:The Indian Antiquary Vol 2.djvu/31

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January, 1873.] THE CANARESE COUNTRY. 23 Narsifiha throwing the corpse from off him rose. Bhagw&n attacked him. Narsifiha cast his arm round him and plunged his dagger into his belly : the valiant Bhagw&n also fell to the earth ; ‘ alas !’ ‘ alas !’ sounded in the world of mortals : ‘ victory !’ ‘ victory 1* in the abode of the Suras. Gokal rushed on like a furious elephant, or like lightning burst¬ ing from the sky. He threw himself upon Kaim&s brandishing his gwg. Kaim&s cut him down with his sword as one cuts a plantain tree. Vishnu sent Garuda to receive him. M&dhava Khaw&s burst open the door and threw himself between the com¬ batants. Dagger in hand he struck down the Pra- m&ra. The rage of Kanh was appeased. Hai I hai! sounded in the darb&r. The companions and servants of the Ch&luk, hearing what had happened, pressed into the hall: they beheld the corpses lying in their blood. They fell upon Kanh like shooting stars or like moths rushing to a lamp. They dashed open the doom. Narad began to clap his hands and dance ; the sixty-four Dqvis (saktis) of the terrible countenance were filling their drinking-cups with blood; Bhairavas and Bhuts sported, Khetrap&las also, it seemed as if the Kalpa had come to an end. The servants of the Ch&lukyas and the Chauh&n fought: their swords flashed like lightning, S'iva was stringing his necklace ; the held of battle was red with blood; the earth shook ; human limbs were scattered over it. Bhuts sounded their drums, Virs shouted, some piercing the sun’s disc attained mokaha, some passed to awarga: debts contracted in a former life were paid off. For two gharia (48 minutes) the sword played : a hundred and fifty men were slain by Kanh; the rest fled : the brother of Somes'a, raging like K&la, slew the seven brothers of Bhima and was victorious. Then he was restrained by his friends. Pritbir&ja hearing of the matter was angry with Kanh. Kanh heard it: he remained at home and sought not the darb&r. For three days in Ajmir the shops were shut—a river of blood flowed in the bazar. Finding that Kanh came not to the darb&r, Prlthi- r&ja went to his house and said—“ Why have you done thus ? Alb will say the Chauh&n called the Ch&luk to his house and slew him.” Kanh replied, “ Why laid he his hand on his moustache ?” “ O Kanh, if you will attend to what I say our fault will be forgotten. Bind your eyes with a bandage.” Prlthir&ja ordered also that any acting like him should suffer the same punishment. He bound Kanh’s eyes with a gold-worked cloth, and ordered him to remove it only when at home with his women or in battle. He made Kanh a present. The story was wafted as perfume by the wind. Ch&luk Bhima heard that the Chauh&n had slain the sons of S&rang. He was inflamed with grief and anger, and wrote to the Chauh&n demanding “ bair,” which the Chauh&n declared himself ready to grant at any time. Bhima proposed to his officers to advance on Ajmir. Vir Pradh&n [or “ chiefs and ministers”] represented that in the rainy season it was fitting to remain at home, and recommended that the Chauh&n should be attacked at K&rtik. The R&ja agreed : as the time passed the Ch&luk’s rage abated. The Chauh&n, lord of Sam- bar, remaining at Ajmir behaved like an avatar of Krishna. In S. 1138 (A.D. 1081) Prlthir&ja mounted the throne at Dehli, from which Anangap&la with his queen had retired to Bhadrik&shrama. Garlands of flowers were bound at the doors, and in the ten directions buffalo calves were sacrified to the local gods. Shah&b-ud-din again attacked him, but was defeated by him and captured by Ch&mand Ray.* The Sultan was fined and released after a month. On a subsequent occasion, Prlthir&ja, having dis¬ covered property buried in the Khatwan (^W*T), a jangal at Nagor, determined, by the advice of Kaim&s, to call S&mareifiha R&wal of Chitror, the husband of his sister Prlth&, to assist him, for he feared three enemies—the Ghori Sultan, Jayachand of Kanauj, and Bhima. The Ghori, however, made an attack, but was defeated by Prlthir&ja and S&marsifiha, and after a month’s confinement he was released—paying a fine. The treasure was then removed from its concealment and shared among the S&mants. THE CANARESE COUNTRY COMPARED WITH THE COUNTRIES ADJACENT TO IT. TRANSLATED BY REV. F. KITTEL, MERKARA. The following lines were written by Sarvagna, the son of Basava Arasa, a Brahmin. His father’s home was Masfiru in the Dharward dis¬ trict ; but Sarvagfia was born in a certain village called Ambaluru. He became a clever fellow, and made verses on various subjects, always using the Tripadi metre. He may have lived two centuries ago. Description op Countries. (Prose version.) On each road are thorns of the shabby Ocy- mum ; all that are bom speak indistinctly. The road to the east is not to be taken (verse 1). Roasted com is cheap ; for sn obeisance you get some buttermilk ; there are small Solanum fruits to suck (instead of mangos). Can one de¬ clare the east to be rich ? (v. 2.) Whithersoever you look you see thorns of the miserable Ocymum ; all the people, even when grown up, speak indistinctly. The north is not beautiful (v. 3). The villages are far from each other ; water is met with every ten miles ; there