86 
THE ORIENTAL ANNUAL. 
diately opposite to Benares ; and then and there 
proclaimed his design of building a more splendid 
city than the favourite of the god Siva, which it should 
eclipse and eventually swallow up, even though the 
new city should be suspended over the Ganges bed. 
This loud proclamation Viasa caused to be sounded 
abroad for the purpose of alluring from Kasi the skil - 
ful craftsmen and artificers, for the more perfect 
execution of his design. Siva was not deaf to the 
news which threatened to destroy his capital, but 
being unwilling openly to oppose the schemes of 
Viasa, to whom he was otherwise greatly indebted, he 
commissioned his first-born son, Genesa, the god of 
wisdom and artifice, to undermine and subvert the 
plots of his new enemy. Genesa, having entered the 
camp of the sage Viasa as an idler and one seeking 
employment, offered his services as a labourer upon 
this great undertaking ; but Viasa beholding the ex- 
ceeding skill and shrewdness of the new comer, took 
him into his favour, explained to him his designs, and 
sought his counsel in all difficulties. Thus Genesa 
made himself fully acquainted with the intentions of 
the projector, and finding that nothing short of destruc- 
tion to Kasi would satisfy his inordinate jealousy, he 
so perplexed his master with abstruse and insolvable 
propositions, that Viasa became displeased, and could 
not restrain himself from giving vent to his wrath in 
words of anger and opprobrium. This was the exact 
purpose of Genesa’s behaviour, he being well persuaded 
