ishtha said, 'O blessed one, I do not cast thee off! Stay if thou
canst! O, yonder is thy calf, tied with a stout cord, and even now being
weakened by it!'

"The Gandharva continued, 'Then the cow of Vasishtha, hearing the word
stay, raised her head and neck upward, and became terrible to behold.
With eyes red with rage and lowing repeatedly, she then attacked
Viswamitra's troops on all sides. Afflicted with their stripes and
running hither and thither with those red eyes of hers, her wrath
increased. Blazing with rage, she soon became terrible to behold like
unto the sun in his midday glory. And from her tail she began to rain
showers of burning coals all around. And some moments after, from her
tail she brought forth an army of Palhavas, and from her udders, an army
of Dravidas and Sakas; and from her womb, an army of Yavanas, and from
her dung, an army of Savaras; and from her urine, an army of Kanchis; and
from her sides, an army of Savaras. And from the froth of her mouth came
out hosts of Paundras and Kiratas, Yavanas and Sinhalas, and the
barbarous tribes of Khasas and Chivukas and Pulindas and Chinas and Hunas
with Keralas, and numerous other Mlechchhas. And that vast army of
Mlechchhas in various uniforms, and armed with various weapons, as soon
as it sprang into life, deploying in the very sight of Viswamitra,
attacked that monarch's soldiers. And so numerous was that Mlechchha host
that each particular soldier of Viswamitra was attacked by a band of six
or seven of their enemies. Assailed with a mighty shower of weapons,
Viswamitra's troops broke and fled, panic-stricken, in all directions,
before his very eyes. But, O bull in Bharata's race, the troops of
Vasishtha, though excited with wrath, took not the life of any of
Viswamitra's troops. Nandini simply caused the monarch's army to be
routed and driven off. And driven (from the asylum) twenty-seven full
miles, panic-stricken, they shrieked aloud and beheld not anyone that
could protect them. Viswamitra, beholding this wonderful feat that
resulted from Brahmana prowess, became disgusted with Kshatriya prowess
and said, 'O, fie on Kshatriya prowess! Brahmana prowess is true prowess!
In judging of strength and weakness, I see that asceticism is true
strength.' Saying this, the monarch, abandoning his large domains and
regal splendour and turning his back upon all pleasures, set his mind on
asceticism. Crowned with success in asceticism and filling the three
w