ack after accomplishing the sacrifice which he had
gone out to perform."'"

SECTION XLI

"'Bhishma said, "One day the chief of the celestials assuming a form of
celestial beauty, came to the retreat of the Rishi, thinking that the
opportunity he had been expecting had at last come. Verily, O king,
having assumed a form unrivalled for comeliness and exceedingly tempting
to women and highly agreeable to look at, Indra entered the ascetic's
asylum. He saw the body of Vipula staying in a sitting posture, immovable
as a stake, and with eyes destitute of vision, like a picture drawn on
the canvas. And he saw also that Ruchi was seated there, adorned with
eyes whose ends were extremely beautiful, possessed of full and rotund
hips, and having a deep and swelling bosom. Her eyes were large and
expansive like the petals of the lotus, and her face was as beautiful and
sweet as the moon at full. Seeing Indra come in that guise, the lady
wished to rise up and offer him a welcome. Her wonder having been excited
at the unrivalled beauty of form which the person possessed, she very
much wished to ask him as to who he was. Although, however, she wished to
rise up and offer him a welcome, yet her limbs having been restrained by
Vipula who was dwelling within her, she failed, O king, to do what she
wished. In fact, she was unable to move from the place where she sat. The
chief of the celestials then addressed her in agreeable words uttered
with a sweet voice. Indeed, he said, 'O thou of sweet smiles, know that I
am Indra, arrived here for thy sake! Know, O sweet lady, that I am
afflicted by the deity of desire provoked by thoughts of thee! O thou of
beautiful brows, I have come to thy presence. Time wears off.'[274] These
words that Indra spoke were heard by the ascetic Vipula. Remaining within
the body of his preceptor's wife, he saw everything that occurred. The
lady of faultless beauty, though she heard what Indra said, was, however,
unable to rise up for welcoming or honouring the chief of the celestials.
Her senses restrained by Vipula, she was unable to utter a word in reply.
That scion of Bhrigu's race, of mighty energy, judging from the
indications afforded by the body of his preceptor's wife that she was not
unwilling to receive Indra with kindness, restrained her limbs and senses
all the more effectually, O king, by his Yoga-powers. With Yoga-bonds he
bound up all her senses. Beholding her seated without any indication of
a