Book Iv. Canto Xliii. The Army Of The North Canto Xliii.: The Army Of The North. Forth went the legions of the west:And wise Sugrva addressed S'atabal, summoned from the crowd.To whom the sovereign cried aloud: 'Go forth, O Vnarf, go forth, Explore the regions of the north. Thy host a hundred thousand be, And Yama's sons 4b attend on thee. With dauntless courage, strength, and skill Search every river, wood, and hill.Through every land in order go Right onward to the Hills of Snow. Search mid the peaks that shine afar, In woods of Lodh and Deodr. 5b Search if with Janak's daughter, screened By sheltering rocks, there lie the fiend p. 378The holy grounds of Soma tread By Gods and minstrels visited. Reach Kla's mount, and flats that lie Among the peaks that tower on high. Then leave that hill that gleams with ore, And fair Sudars'an's heights explore. Then on to Devasakht 1 hie. Loved by the children of the sky.A dreary land you then will see Without a hill or brook or tree, A hundred leagues, bare, wild, and dread In lifeless desolation, spread. Pursue your onward way, and hasteThrough the dire horrors of the waste Until triumphant with delight You reach Kailsa'stering height. There stands a palace decked with gold, For King Kuvera 2 wrought of old,A home the heavenly artist planned And fashioned with his cunning hand.There lotuses adorn the flood With full-blown flower and opening bud Where swans and mallards float, and gay Apsarases 3 come down to play. There King Vaisravan's 4 self, the lord By all the universe adored, Who golden gifts to mortals sends, Lives with the Guhyakas 5 his friends. Search every cavern in the steep, And green glens where the moonbeams sleep.If haply in that distant ground The robber and the dame be found. Then on to Krauncha's hill, 6 and throughHis fearful pass your way pursue: Though dark and terrible the vale Your wonted courage must not fail. There through abyss and cavern seek, On lofty ridge, and mountain peak. On, on! pursue your journey still By valley, lake, and towering hill. Reach the North Kurus' land, where rest The holy spirits of the blest;Where golden buds of lilies gleam Resplendent on the silver stream,And leaves of azure turkis throw Soft splendour on the waves below.Bright as the sun at early morn Fair pools that happy clime adorn,Where shine the loveliest flowers on stems Of crystal and all valued gems.Blue lotuses through all the land The glories of their blooms expand,And the resplendent earth is strown With peerless pearl and precious stone.There stately trees can scarce uphold The burthen of their fruits of gold,And ever flaunt their gay attire Of flower and leaf like flames of fire.All there sweet lives untroubled spend In bliss and joy that know not end, While pearl-decked maidens laugh, or sing To music of the silvery string. 1b Still on your forward journey keep, And rest you by the northern deep,Where springing from the billows high Mount Somagiri 2b seeks the sky,And lightens with perpetual glow The sunless realm that lies below. There, present through all life's extent, Dwells Brahm Lord preeminent, And round the great God, manifest In Rudra 3b forms high sages rest. Then turn, O Vnarsrch no more, Nor tempt the sunless, boundless shore.'Footnotes 377: 1b One of the oldest and mightiest of the Vedic deities; in later mythology regard ed as the God of the sea. 377: 2b The knotted noose with which he seizes and punishes transgressors. 377: 3b Svarni Manu, Manuspring of the Sun by Chhy. 377: 4b The poet has not said who the sons of Yama are. 377: 5b The Lodhra or Lodh (Symplocoa Racemosa ) and the DevadrueodaDeodar are well known trees. 378:1 The hills mentioned are not identifiable. Soma means the Moon. Kla, black; Sudaras'an, fair to see; and Devasakh friend of the Gods 378:2 The God of Wealth. 378:3 The nymphs of Paradise. 378:4 Kuvera the son of Vis'ravas. 378:5 A class of demigods who, like the Yakshas, are the attendants of Kuvera, and the guardians of his treasures. 378:6 Situated in the eastern part of the Himlaya chain, on the north of Assam. The mountain was torn asunder and the pass formed by the War-God Krtikeya and Paras'urma.
the cave of treasure | yriac cave of treasure