पृष्ठम्:मथुराविजयम्.djvu/१८

the help of this divine weapon the descendants of this race con. tinued to rule the kingdom prosperously for a very long period; but by a misfortune the princes of the Pandya dynasty lost the virility of their sires. Agastya, having secured this remark- able sword, presents this now to you. By wielding this sword, you will attain unabating vigour and the weapons of the enemy will become powerless against you. Just as Krishna slew Kamsa in Mathura in olden times, 0 King do you also proceed now to the Southern Madhura and slaughter the Mussalman king, the enemy of the world, and set up several pillars of victory on the bridge of Rama (between the mainland and the island of Ramesvaram). During your administration of the south, you should also build a strong dam across the Kaveri, and make her flow in a manner useful to the agricultural population......" (Because there are blanks at the beginning and the end of this portion, it is impossible to ascertain who the strange lady was, who had pleaded so pathetically before Kampana, how she happened to obtain the divine sword and who had sent her on her mission. We should perhaps presume that she was herself a divine being, one of the guardian deities (nagara-devatas) of Madura, who, not being able to bear the sinful acts of the Mussalmans, had repair to the asrama of Agastya, the family- priest of the Pandya kings and consequently perhaps the legiti. mate custodian of their heirlooms, and had obtained the sword from him for ridding the Madhurarajya of the Muhammadans.) Lastly, the poem describes vividly the encounter between the armies of Kampana and the Sultan of the south. Finding that his army was getting routed, the Yavana king (the Muham- madan chief) of Madura came out to offer single combat to prince Kampana, which was readily accepted. After several attacks on each other, the crow-banner of the Muhammadan chief was firet cut down and next the string of the bow held by him. Then, with swords in their hands, they came to close quarters, and after a few moments' engagement Kampana des- patched his opponent with a blow from his divine sword. The head of the despoiler of the kingdom of the Ballalas and the