302 THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY. [October, 1873. away the whole of his own territory in religious gifts, and then invaded Uchchangi and other countries belonging to his enemies. Commencing from his own abode* * * §, and invading the whole earth as far as Belvola, he washed his horse in the KfishraverrA.f Again and again, with the words “ Reflect upon Hoysala,” he was reminded by his servants of the necessity for ingratiating himself with king Paramardidevad£ who was unassailable among kings. Again and again lands were given by him for religious purposes, and sacrifices, the sixteen great gifts, and other holy actions were performed by him. His son was the celebrated king Narasimha, whose virtues cannot bo described by men like me. As Sri was the wife of the Foe of the demons (Vishru), and as P&rvati was the wife of Sankara (Siva), so £chaladevi, born in a noble race, was his consort. A son was born to him from her, renowned under tho name of Sri-Viraball&la, who was of unrival¬ led dignity, who acquired his kingdom through worshipping the lord of thunderbolts (Indra), and who was a very universal emperor in respect of his prowess. Through his occupying ever a cen¬ tral position, (or, the position of aD arbitrator,) through his loftiness, and through his golden wealth, and through his being done homage to by wise men, (or, by gods,) he was as it were a moving Meru§ and so was preeminent among kings. Fear¬ ing to transgress the boundaries (of good behavi¬ our), of a very profound nature, and abounding in the quality of mildness, there was no difference between him and the Possessor of Lakshmt (the Ocean||), which hesitates to overflow its bounds, which is very deep, and which abounds in living creatures. The achievements of Bharata and others are to be recognised only up to the time when the superhuman qualities of this man were first beheld. In the present day, when men re¬ gard his faith in Vishr.u, which was implanted in him by nature, even the legends of Prahrada and others fail to excite astonishment. There is no penance or sacrifice, no offering and no gift, that was not performed or given by him repeatedly when the proper time or place or object presented itself. While he was ruling, there was none who committed sin among women or children, or even fc>fldra8 or any others. He was well versed in poe¬
- DTfirfivattpura or Dv&rfisamudra, now
Halabiduin Mysore.—Elliot. f The K r i a h n ft at its junction with the V 6 n y & or V^nfi near S£tf.r&. J The Ch&lukya kin* Vikram&ditya II. or PermSdidcva, fUka998-1049. § The epithets apply equally to the king and to M £ r u, tho mountain in the centre of the seven continents, and the play on words is in the expression mahfbh^itdm agranth, try, in the drama, in the writings on regal polity of Vatsy&yana and Bharata, and in all other di¬ visions of literature. In all the systems of logic he was a very universal emperor in the science of reasoning; and there was no one to oppose him, for he was a very lion towards the infuriated ele¬ phants that were disputants. Preeminent amongst all whose profession is that of arms, the favourite of all learned people, both weapons and the sacred writings at length found in him a master (who knew how to use them properly). His very name was as potent as a magic charm in captivating all lovely women; who is able to describe the good fortune of him who was a very KAmadeva to women inclined to flirting P When, at the approach of battle and of twilight, the regions are darkened by night and by the clouds of dust rising up from the earth which is pulverised by the blows of the hoofs of his prancing horses, his sword, like a swift-footed procuress, causes his brave foes to keep assignations with the nymphs of heaven. When the musical instruments that always announce his setting forth to fight are sounded, the wives of his enemies, anticipating the slaughter of their husbands, tremble, and the women of tlie gods, taking garlands of the flowers of the Mandara tree in their hands, prepare themselves for the purpose of choosing lovers from among the warriors (about to die). When for the purpose of going to war he leaves the throne of the universal sovereignty of the Hoysala kings and takes the chief seat upon an infuriated royal elephant, straightway each hostile king also descends from the throne <5f universal empire that has come down to him by the succession of his race and takes his stand upon a molehill. When he prepares himself for conquering the regions, and the deep-voiced drum that announces his marching forth is sounded clear, afar off Anga, Kalinga, Vanga and Magadha, Chola and M&lava, Paidya, Kerala, Gdrjara and the rest straightway lose their courage; then how can other kings endure P At the contemptuous command of his father, (or, perhaps, because his father had been treated -with contumely,) he despoiled the warrior race of Kalachuri and with one elephant slew sixty elephants; and conquered, through his violent onset with cavalry only, the famous general Brahma,* whose army was strengthened with numbers of elephants, and os mahibhrit, supporter of the earth, means either a king ora mountain. ||Lakshmt or Sri sprang from the ocean when it was churned by the gods for the purposa of obtaining nectar. Tho epithets in this verse apply equally to the king aud to the ocean, and the use of the word Lakshmi indicates his regal splendour. H * Pitdbarena’ ; this word iB unintelligible, unless Pi- til bar a was tho name of Viraball&la's war-elephant. • The leader of the Kalachuri army.
