M(yor-General Sir J. Malcolm on the Bhtlls. ^S 



" Barma proceeded with the only remaining mango, till she came to 

 " a part of the country that was overgrown with long grass, in which her 

 " feet getting entangled, she fell, and dropt her mango. On missing it, 

 " she turned to look for it, and perceived it change into an egg, which as 

 " suddenly became transformed into a serpent. She conjured the reptile, 

 " if subject to the power of SedAsiva, again to become an egg ; which 

 " having taken place, as she desii'ed, she took the egg in her hand, and 

 " proceeding on her journey, reached Toran Mall in safety. The egg 

 " afterwards produced twins, a boy and a girl, who were called Ktjnda 

 " and KuNDAN." 



After this the story becomes defective. No further mention is made of 

 Olia and Barma ; and the five brothers, with their sister, are introduced 

 as grown up, and living together at Toran Mall. They are represented 

 as being in a state of indigence, and obliged to labour for their food, or 

 procure it by hunting. Being, however, the children of Sedasiva, they are 

 under the protection of divine power ; and, in one of their hunting excur- 

 sions, they find a horse, which proves to be of celestial breed. This ani- 

 mal, which has the gift of speech, tells the brothers, that they are destined 

 to rise, from poverty and obscurity, to wealth and power, by one of them 

 marrying Kajel Rani. Kijnda (who appears to be the recognised head 

 of his brothers), enquires who this Kajel Rani is, and how she is to be 

 obtained. The horse replies, that she is a Ganc/liarba (a fairy, or celestial 

 being), and that she resides at her father's court, in a distant region, called 

 Meghpuri (or the city of the cloud), from whence she is in the habit of 

 descending, with seven other celestial nymphs,* to bathe in the river Sip-a.f 

 The horse offers to conduct Kunda to the spot, and to assist him in con- 

 cealing himself from view, while the nymphs bathe in the river, when 

 Kunda is instructed to seize Kajel RanI's garments, and not to restore 

 them till she promises to become his wife. In short, Kt;NDA gains the 

 Ran! by following the advice of the horse. After he had obtained her, 



* There are a great many nymphs at Indr a's court, and, as it is believed that the demi-god 

 can be dispossessed of his sovereignty, by any mortal « ho can exceed him in the austerities, by 

 wliich lie obtained his present power, he generally despatches one of these charming and allur- 

 ing damsels, to tempt the ascetic, and to interrupt and destroy the efficacy of his self-imposed 

 penance. 



f The Sipra is a river in Malwa, which flows past the sacred city of Ujayan. For descrip- 

 tion of its course, vide Central India, Vol. II. Index, p. 513. 



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