द्वितीय राजतरङ्गिणी (जोनराज - कल्हणोत्तर मध्यकालीन कश्मीर का प्रामाणिक इतिहास)

tion, brought her back. The she-elephant of the wilder-
ness, when her agony caused by heat is relieved by the
water of a lotus-tank, nevertheless troubles the water, and
rudely shakes the mosses and the lotuses in the tank. Even
so Lāsā, the beloved of the king, behaved ungratefully
towards Lakshmī, the sister of her mother, and who had
nourished her like a mother ;—as the full moon which
is nourished by the bright fortnight terminates and
destroys that fortnight. The kumuda flower is des-
tined to bloom by night ; otherwise the night, like a
wicked woman could have destroyed it by the help
of the moon which destroys the wakefulness of the
world.
Once upon a time Lāśā, in the enjoyment of her pros-
perity, thus spoke to the king with the wile of a serpent :
and the king listened with anxiety, and his breath dulled
the splendour of his lips. "If the sun had not by its rays
expanded the lotus, who would have cared to destroy
it through jealousy ? Who cares to destroy the moss ?
Unable to bear the favours bestowed on me, your queen
is devising for my destruction. The queen watches me
through her spies, and out of her enmity, has directed
Udayashrī, who has become her favourite by his services,
to employ magic against me." But the wise king replied
to her that Udayashrī was inimical to the gods, and
could not therefore perform magic. Lāsā repeated the
charge ; and in order to convince her of her mistake, the
king thus addressed Udayashrī : "O ! Udayashrī ! The