and
character! Yonder are all the celestials in heaven, with Purandara at
their head, who are looking at me with derisive smiles at my being
deceived by thee, O lady! Look at those celestials, for thou art now
possessed of celestial sight! Before this I have endued thee with
celestial vision, in consequence of which thou couldst see me!'"

Vaisampayana continued, "Thereupon the princess beheld the celestials
standing in the firmament, each in his proper sphere[107], even as she
saw before her that highly resplendent deity furnished with rays, viz.,
Surya himself. And beholding them all, the girl became frightened and her
face was suffused with blushes of shame. And then she addressed Surya,
saying, 'O lord of rays, go thou back to thy own region. On account of my
maidenhood, this outrage of thine is fraught with woe to me! It is only
one's father, mother, and other superiors, that are capable of giving
away their daughter's body. Virtue I shall never sacrifice, seeing that
in this world the keeping of their persons inviolate is deemed as the
highest duty of women, and is held in high regard! O thou possessed of
wealth of splendour, it is only to test the power of my mantras that I
have, from mere childishness, summoned thee. Considering that this hath
been done by a girl of tender years, it behoveth thee, O lord, to forgive
her!' Then Surya said, 'It is because I consider thee a girl that, O
Kunti, I am speaking to thee so mildly. To one that is not so I would not
concede this. Do thou, O Kunti, surrender thyself! Thou shalt surely
attain happiness thereby. Since, O timid maiden, thou hast invoked me
with mantras, it is not proper for me to go away without any purpose
being attained, for, if I do so I shall then. O thou of faultless limbs,
be the object of laughter in the world, and, O beauteous damsel, a
bye-word with all the celestials. Do thou, therefore, yield to me! By
that thou shalt obtain a son even like myself, and thou shalt also be
much praised in all the world.'"

SECTION CCCV

Vaisampayana said, "Although that noble girl addressed him in various
sweet words, yet she was unable to dissuade that deity of a thousand
rays. And when she failed to dissuade the dispeller of darkness, at last
from fear of a curse, she reflected, O king, for a long time!--'How may
my innocent father, and that Brahmana also, escape the angry Surya's
curse for my sake? Although energy and asceticism are capable of
destroying si