читать дальше PART-5
Disappearance of horse in a river
Then, one day, after coming to the shore of the River Reva, the horse jumped into the water and did not again come to the surface.The guardians of the horse were confused about what to do. Finally,Shatrughna arrived there. After hearing about what had happened, he entered the water, along with Pushkala and Hanuman.There, within the river, Shatrughna saw a beautiful city, having many nice gardens. He also saw Rama's horse, tied to a golden stake.Nearby was seen many excellent ladies, waiting upon another lady, who was seated upon a couch. When they saw Shatrughna and his companions, the ladies said to the queen, "These three will make excellent food for you. They are well-nourished, and so their blood will certainly be very sweet.Upon hearing this, the queen laughed. The three then approached the ladies, who shone brilliantly, and offered their respects.
The queen said- "Who are you, that have come here? My place is inaccessible, even to the demigods. One who comes here never returns. To whom does this horse belong? Please tell me everything.
Hanuman replied - "We are servants of the king, Lord Rama, to whom this horse belongs. The king is reparing to perform a horse-sacrifice. Now, you must release the horse. We are all skilled in the use of weapons and we are prepared to kill anyone who obstructs the horse's journey.
The queen laughed and said-"No one will be able to free this horse, kept by me. But, don't worry, for I am also a servant of Lord Rama. Since I now understand that the horse belongs to Rama, I consider myself to be an offender. I pray that Lord Rama will pardon me. Now, you can ask for a benediction, so that your king will be pleased with me.
Hanuman replied- "By Lord Rama's mercy, we find everything very nice. Still, I will ask this benediction. May we have Rama as our Lord, birth after birth.
Again the lady laughed and then said- "Whatever you desire will surely take place. Later on, King Viramani, under the protection of
Lord Shiva, will seize your horse. Now, you may take a wonderful weapon from me that will enable you to conquer that king. Shatrughna, you should fight with Viramani in a single combat, riding upon chariots. When you release this weapon, the king will realize Rama's true position and so voluntarily return the horse to you.
Shatrughna received that wonderful weapon from the queen. Thereafter, he took the challenge-horse and rose out of the water, onto the shore. Upon seeing this, all of the soldiers, who had waited by the side of the river, were highly delighted.
PART-6
Fight with Viramani and death of Puskal
After wandering at will for some time,the horse arrived at the vicinity of Devapura.This city was so opulent that even the houses of the ordinary citizens were made of silver.The king was named Viramani,and his son was Rukmangada.One day, Rukmangada went to the forest, surrounded by many beautiful women. In that enchanting atmosphere, some women pleased the prince by their dancing, others by their singing, and others by their affectionate embraces. Just at this time, the challenge-horse arrived there. Upon seeing the horse, the women requested, "My dear prince, capture this lovely horse. Look, there is a golden note on it's forehead." Rukmangada easily caught the horse with one hand, and then read the note to the ladies. After doing so, he said, "Who is this Rama? My father is the most powerful king, and he is protected by Lord Shiva. Take this horse to our stables, so that my father can perform the ashvamedha-yajna.Thereafter, the prince returned to the city, along with his wives, and then presented the horse to his father. Upon hearing of what had happened, King Viramani, being very intelligent, did not approve of the act. Indeed, the king thought that his son had acted like a thief. Taking the horse, Viramani then went to consult Lord Shiva.
Lord shiv- "Your son has done well. Today, there will be a great war, enabling me to see my Lord Rama, upon whom I always Meditate. Even though Rama is my Lord, I am still confident that even tne thirty-three crore devas would not be able to take the horse from you, because I am your protector.
Meanwhile, Shatrughna could not find the challenge-horse. He thus inquired from his minister, Sumati, who then informed him that the king of the region was Viramani. He also warned Shatrughna that the king was being personally protected by Lord Shiva.
While Sumati was thus speaking, King Viramani arranged his army,getting ready to fight with Shatrughna.Soon thereafter,Shatrughna saw the vast army approaching for battle.Sumati advised Shatrughna that Pushkala should fight with the king, so that he could engage with Lord Shiva.First, Rukmangada fought with Pushkala. After a fierce fight, Pushkala discharged a weapon that burnt Rukmangada's chariot and made the prince fall unconscious onto the battlefield. After witnessing his son's defeat, Viramani angrily approached Pushkala, desiring revenge. Hanuman rushed at Viramani, but Pushkala stopped him, saying that this enemy was too insignificant to worry about. Thus, Hanuman desisted and Pushkala went to encounter Viramani.
The king said-"You are but a child. Do not try to fight with me, for I am very angry and I am invincible in battle!
Pushkala replied-"You say that 1 am a child, but I say that you are an old man. I have already defeated your son, and now I shall knock you down from your chariot with my weapons.
A terrible battle ensued, with innumerable casualties on both sides. Pushkala and Viramani greatly afflicted one another with their weapons but at last, the king was struck in the chest with a powerful arrow, causing him to fall unconscious from his chariot. In this way, Pushkala again attained victory.Upon seeing the defeat of his devotees, Lord Shiva sent Virabhadra to fight with Pushkala, and Nandi to fight with Hanuman.After an intense fight, when Virabhadra broke his chariot, Pushkala dismounted. The two great warriors then fought with their fists. Indeed, the fight went on for many days, continuing throughout the day and night.On the fifth day, Virabhadra grabbed Pushkala and ascended to the sky, where the battle continued. Finally, Virabhadra threw Pushkala to the ground and then cut off his head with his trident,Puskala died