Chapter 63

“Narada said, ‘King Sasavindu, O Srinjaya, we hear, fell a prey to death.Of great beauty and of prowess incapable of being baffled, he performeddiverse sacrifices. That high-souled monarch had one hundred thousandwives. From each of those wives were born a thousand sons. All thoseprinces were endued with great prowess. They performed millions ofsacrifices. Accomplished in the Vedas, those kings performed manyforemost of sacrifices. All of them were cased (on occasions of battle)in golden coats of mail. And all of them were excellent bowmen. All theseprinces born of Sasavindu performed Horse-sacrifices. Their father, Obest of monarchs, in the Horse-sacrifices he had performed, gave away,(as sacrificial presents), all those sons unto the Brahmanas. Behind eachof those princes were hundreds upon hundreds of cars and elephants andfair maidens decked in ornaments of gold. With each maiden were a hundredelephants; with each elephant, a hundred cars; with each car a hundredsteeds, adorned with garlands of gold. With each of those steeds were athousand kine; and with each cow were fifty goats. The highly blessedSasavindu gave away unto the Brahmanas, in the great Horse-sacrifice ofhis such unlimited wealth. The king caused as many sacrificial stakes ofgold to be made for that great Horse-sacrifice of his as is the number,double of sacrificial stakes of wood in other sacrifices of the kind.There were mountains of food and drink of the height of about two mileseach. Upon the completion of’ his Horse-sacrifice, thirteen suchmountains of food and drink remained (untouched). His kingdom abounded inpeople that were contented and well-fed. And it was free from all inroadsof evil and the people were perfectly happy. Having ruled for many longyears, Sasavindu, at last, ascended to heaven. When he died, O Srinjaya,who was superior to thee in respect of the four cardinal virtues and whosuperior to thee was, therefore, much more superior to thy son, thoushouldst not, saying, ‘Oh, Swaitya, Oh Swaitya’, grieve for the latterwho performed no sacrifice and made no sacrificial present.'”