preservation of his sons, he provided a nurse for every
(receptacle). Then after a long time there arose sixty thousand
exceedingly powerful sons of that same king--gifted with unmeasured
strength, they were born, O ruler of earth! to that saint-like king, by
Rudra's favour. And they were terrible; and their acts were ruthless.
And they were able to ascend and roam about in the sky; and being
numerous themselves, despised everybody, including the gods. And they
would chase even the gods, the Gandharvas, and the Rakshasas and all the
born beings, being themselves valiant and addicted to fighting. Then all
people, harassed by the dull-headed sons of Sagara, united with all the
gods, went to Brahma as their refuge. And then addressed the blessed
grandfather of all beings (Brahma), "Go ye your way, ye gods, together
with all these men. In a not very long space of time, there will come
about, O gods! a great and exceedingly terrible destruction of Sagara's
sons, caused by the deed perpetrated by them." Thus addressed, those
same gods, and men, O lord of the sons of Manu! bade adieu to the
grandfather, and went back to whence they had come. Then, O chief of
Bharata's race! after the expiry of very many days, the mighty king
Sagara accepted the consecration for performing the rites of a
horse-sacrifice. And his horse began to roam over the world, protected
by his sons. And when the horse reached the sea, waterless and frightful
to behold--although the horse was guarded with very great care--it
(suddenly) vanished at the very spot (it stood upon). Then, O respected
sir! those same sons of Sagara imagined the same fine horse to have been
stolen; and returning to their father, narrated how it had been stolen
out of sight. And thereupon he addressed them, saying, "Go ye and search
for the horse in all the cardinal points." Then, O great king, by this
command of their father, they began to search for the horse in the
cardinal points and throughout the whole surface of the earth. But all
those sons of Sagara, all mutually united, could not find the horse, nor
the person who had stolen it. And coming back then, they with joined
palms thus addressed their father, (standing) before them, "O Protector
of men! O ruler of the earth! O king! by thy command, the whole of this
world with its hills and its forest tracts, with its seas, and its
woods, and its islands, with its rivulets and rivers and caves, hath
been searched through by us. But