fied his assent, mounted the horse and presently reached his preceptor's house.
"And his preceptress that morning after having bathed was dressing her hair sitting, thinking of uttering a curse on Utanka if he should not return within time. But in the meantime Utanka entered his preceptor's abode and paid his respects to his preceptress and presented her the ear-rings. 'Utanka,' said she, 'thou hast arrived at the proper time at the proper place. Welcome, my child! Thou art innocent and therefore I do not curse thee! Good fortune is even before thee. Let thy wishes be crowned with success!'
"Then Utanka waited on his preceptor. And his preceptor said, 'Thou art welcome! What hath occasioned thy long absense?' And Utanka replied to his preceptor, 'Sir, in the execution of this my business obstruction was offered by Takshaka the King of serpents. Therefore had I to go to the region of the Nagas. There I saw two damsels sitting over a loom, weaving a fabric with black and white threads. Pray, what is that? There likewise I beheld a wheel with twelve spokes ceaselesly turned by six boys. What too doth that import? Who also is the man that I saw? And what the horse of extraordinary size likewise beheld by me? And when I was on the road I also saw a bull with a man mounted thereon, by whom I was endearingly accosted thus—Utanka, eat of the dung of this bull, which was also eaten by thy master.—So I ate of the dung of that bull according to his words. Who also is he? Therefore, enlightened by thee, I desire to hear all about them.'
"And his preceptor thus addressed said unto him, 'The two damsels thou hast seen are Dhata and Vidhata; the black and white threads denote night and day; the wheel of twelve spokes turned by the six boys signifieth the year comprising six seasons. The man is Parjanya, the deity of rain; and the horse is Agni, the god of fire. The bull that thou hast seen on the road is Airavata, the king of elephants; the man mounted thereon is Indra; and the dung of the bull which was eated by thee was Amrita. It was certainly for this (last) that thou hast not met with death in the region of the Nagas; and Indra
