OS Historical Narrative of the Rajahs of Goomsoor. [Jan, 



was altaclied to music of his own performance ; entertained one hun- 

 dred and forty poets (or minstrels) to whom he appropriated the sum 

 of seventy thousand rupees to be given out from time to time, and 

 keeping many concubines, with elephants and horses, he appointed his 

 younger brother named Govinda B^hofijn., as second chief, or ruler, and 

 gave himself entirely up to pleasures. He had eighteen sons born to 

 him, of whom G air gad' J Lara B^honju w'as the eldest. He was a son of 

 the crowned wife. The son of the latter was Sattrvrnjaya B'honjn. As 

 to his younger brothers, since it would require much writing were de- 

 tails given, the doing so is omitted. The concubine of the before men- 

 tioned Dlianurjaija Blionju was Uadu-devi also called Svagi-maha-devt, 

 by whom he had a son named Nila-candha B^honju. As this Svagi- 

 maha-devi was greatly in favor with the said Dlianurjaya, he allowed 

 her to have entire control over his wealth. The chief himself, together 

 with his property, being entirely at her disposal, she considered in her 

 own mind, that so long as the legitimate child {Gangad'hara) and his 

 son {Sattrum-jaya) and the chief's younger brother {Govinda) were 

 alive, her own son {Nila-candha) could not come to the chieftainship ; 

 on which account she meditated the means of removing those three per- 

 sons by death, and as eight of the other children (out of the eighteen) 

 were devoted to the elder legitimate son, she also determined on their 

 removal. At this same time by divine appointment Asvddlidma* ap- 

 peared and came to Collada-cota. The chief obtaining a sight of him, 

 and knowing him to be an illustrious personage, caused him by civili- 

 ties to remain for some time. The chief having some anxiety as to 

 which of his children would succeed him, enquired of the sage in terms 

 of homage, w^hich of them would be his successor, seeing that they were 

 all of them powerful men. Aavdd' hdma replied that if on the following 

 day he would cause all his sons to be assembled, then it should be told 

 him, which of them should succeed to the chieftainship. On the fol- 

 lowing day the chief had all his sons assembled, and shewn to the sage ; 

 who then privately told the chief that no one of his sons would succeed 

 him, but that G^hana B^Jtonju the son of his younger brother (Go- 

 vinda) would inherit his authority. The chief, though greatly 

 grieving, yet considered the deprivation of his sons to be an 

 act of divine appointment. The aforesaid Hadu-devi, stiled Svagi- 

 maha-devi now said to the chief " your younger brother's son G'hatia 

 B'honju greatly molests both me and the people of the country, and 



* This is the name of the son of Dronacharya in the Mahabharata, who survived the 

 great war, and is fabled to be not liable to death. 



