________________ * 196 Homage to Vaisali for Sarika, he befriended her, and Suprabha was his daughter by her. As Suprabha grew up in this asrama (of the Agastyas), she and her companions offended its Agastya chief, and her father's Vaisya-hood (not so far given effect to) was confirmed and made compulsory by his curse; but concession was made for her to the extent that striving for attainment of royalty for her husband and son, she (Suprabha) could yet return to her Ksatriya status. As against all these explanations, Nabhaga put forward further reasons for sticking to his Vaisya-hood and remaining a farmer, and suggested that as such he would pay taxes to his son, who might become king by virtue of conquest. His view prevailing, Bha-nandana became king, and in course of time proved to be a very righteous and religious ruler, known to posterity as a Rg-Vedic Rsi, like his father. He retired to Vanaprastha in old age, and his son and successor was Vatsa or Vatsa-Pri (Vatsa the Beloved), also a great monarch of ideal character. He had twelve sons (Prarsu and others, named in the Marko Puro) by his queen Saunanda, daughter of the Yadava king Viduratha, whose capital was on the river Nirvindhya in Malava, and a daughter in whose direct line, named Manini, became queen of Rajyavardhana, a successor of Vatsa. The following episode is related about the romance of Vatsa and Saunanda : Vatsa gained her by slaying the Daitya (Asura) king Kujtmbha of Rasatala' or 'Patala.' A big tunnel near Viduratha's capital on the bank of the Nirvindhya led to Kujrmbha's fortress. Viduratha, afraid of Kujsmbha's power, sought counsel of his ministers. Mudavati, the king's daughter, overheard the consultations, and came to know of the vital defect in the mysterious irresistible weapon of Kujsmbha,--that a woman's touch spoiled its efficacy for a day. Soon Mudavati was kidnapped by Kujrmbha from a suburban park of the capital city; her two brothers fought the abductor at the tunnel, but were captured. King Viduratha proclaimed in his capital as well as abroad that Mudavati would be given in marriage to whosoever rescued her and her brothers. Bba-nandana's son Vatsa (-Pri) responded to this call of his father's friend, and when he arrived he was also promised his throne if he succeeded. Mudavati espied the adventurer into her captor's stronghold, and loved him; she spoilt the Daitya's war-arm, called "Sunanda', by her touch, so that when Kujsmbha used it against the advancing Vatsa, it could do nothing, and he was killed after a great fight. The Daitya or Asura Kujsmbha's fall led to restoration of the sovereignty of the Nagas in that region (belonging to the Sesa or Ananta clan), and the gratified Nagas gave the appellation of Saunanda'
