43T

the curse. After releasing them? from tlie curse'
Krishna prepared himself to return to Dwarka, when:
Ga-ruda said to-him, ' lam very hungry. Please, there-'
fore, give1 me something to eat.' *'I shall postpone my
departure for an hour or so,' replied Krishna, £ and in
the meantime, you can eat.the. corpses of the nakra and'
gajandra.' Whereupon' Garuda went and picked up the-1
corpses with his- bill and sat on a tree called Jarabuvrak-
sha for the purpose of eating them: But the branch of
the tree on which he had sat, was broken by his weight,,
when he observed that--millions of Rishis sat in meditation
on the leaves of the branch. In order that the branch
might not fall on the ground and kill the Rishis,. he firmly
held the'branch by his bill; and not knowing1 where to-
keep it, he went to-his father, Easyapa, a Rishi,.. and'
informed him of his difficulty,- Whereupon- Kasyapa
requested the Rishis to come down, and they complied,
with his request..He then told Garada to leave the branch
on a mountain at Lanka. Garuda accordingly did. it and
went away. The branch remained on the mountain and
was converted into gold; and when- Maruti burnt Lanka,
it was melted by the heat of the fire- and the liquid over-
flowed the part of Lanka which was-burnt by the monkey."
Soon after,.Rama and Lakshuman made - preparations
lor march against Ravana; and on- the day oi Dasara*'
they set out with eighteen padmas^ of monkeys, seventy-

* " This festival is. held on the 10th of Aswin Shud. It is
called Durga Paja. On this day, in commemoration" of the victo-
ry of Devi, the wife of Siva, over the buffalo-headed demon, Ma-
heshasur,—her image, after having been worshipped foe nine dayi
is thown into the water. On this day Marathas and Kshatryas
or those who consider themselves, of $he military race, worship^
the implements of war and ask protection of them throughout;
the year, under a conception that to the propitiousness of the
sword they owe every prosperity,'' f Ten biljions are equal to
ome '