Maṇimatī there lived formerly a Daiteya Ilvala, whose
younger brother was Vātāpi (Prāhrādi, v. 8645). Ilvala,
inflamed with wrath against all brahmans, because a brahman
had refused to grant him a son equal to Indra, used to
transform Vātāpi into a ram and offer his flesh to brahmans
as food, and then to recall him to life (whomsoever Ilvala
summoned with his voice would come back even from the
abode of Yama), and Vātāpi, ripping the flanks of the
brahmans, would come out laughing. Thus they killed many
brahmans. Meanwhile Agastya saw his ancestors hanging in
a hole with the heads downwards, and was asked by them to
procure offspring to them. As he did not see any wife
worthy of himself, he selected the most beautiful parts from
various creatures and created an excellent woman, whom he
caused to be born as the daughter of the Vidarbha king, who
was then undergoing ascetic penances for obtaining offspring.
She was named Lopāmudrā, and was very beautiful. When she
attained to puberty no one dared to ask for her hand (III, 96).
When Agastya asked the Vidarbha king to bestow her upon him,
the king and his queen became much afflicted, but at her own
request Lopāmudrā was bestowed upon Agastya, who im-
mediately asked her to discard her ornaments and dress herself
in rags and barks and deer-skins and partake of his vows, and
proceeding to Gaṅgādvāra they practised the severest penances.
When at last he summoned her for marital intercourse she
made it a condition that he should approach her on a bed like
to that which she had in the palace of her father, and that
both should be adorned with costly ornaments, and she told
him to procure these things without impairing his ascetic
merit (III, 97). Agastya then went to King Śrutarvan and
asked him for wealth, but seeing that his expenditure was
equal to his income, he took nothing, but, together with
Śrutarvan, went to King Bradhnaśva, with the same result;
then all three went to King Trasadasyu Paurukutsa of the line
of Ikṣvāku, with the same result. At the suggestion of the
three kings they all four went to Ilvala (III, 98). Ilvala went
out with his ministers to receive them on the confines of his
domain. He prepared the flesh of Vātāpi in order to entertain
them, at which the kings became sad, but Agastya ate it all,
and when Ilvala summoned Vātāpi there came only air out
of Agastya's stomach, Vātāpi having already been digested.
Then Ilvala, becoming sad, promised to give them wealth if
Agastya could tell him what he intended to give, and Agastya
rightly said that he intended to give each of the kings 10,000
cows and as many gold coins, and to Agastya twice as much,
and a car that would be found to be a golden one, with two
steeds (Virāva and Surāva). The car brought Agastya and the
kings to Agastya's hermitage within the twinkling of an eye.
Then the rājarṣis went away to their cities. When Agastya
proposed to Lopāmudrā to choose between 1000 sons, or 100
each equal to 10, or 10 each equal to 100, or 1 equal to 1000,
she chose the last alternative. After she had conceived he
retired into the forest. After seven years she gave birth to
Drḍhasyu, who came out as if repeating the Vedas with the
Upaniṣads and Aṅgas; and from carrying, while yet a child,
loads of sacrificial fuel to the hermitage of his father, he was
called Idhmavāha. Agastya was highly pleased, and his
ancestors obtained the lokas they desired.—§ 384: In the
kṛta age the Dānava tribes named Kālakeyas under Vṛtra
pursued the gods under Indra. The gods, on the suggestion
of Brahmán, with Nārāyaṇa at their head, proceeded to the
hermitage of the ṛṣi Dadhīca on the other bank of Sarasvatī,
and having prevailed upon him to leave his body, they caused
Tvaṣṭṛ to construct of his bones the six-sided (ṣaḍaśri) vajra
which Tvaṣṭṛ handed to Indra that he might slay Vṛtra
with it (III, 100). In the encounter that ensued between
the gods and the Kālakeyas the gods were defeated, until
Nārāyaṇa, the gods, and the brahmarṣis had transferred
their own vigour to Indra. He then hurled the vajra
against Vṛtra and slew him so that he fell headlong like the
Mandara mountain hurled of yore from Viṣṇu's hand; but
Indra fled in fear, desiring to take shelter in a lake, thinking
that the vajra had not been hurled from his hand and that
Vṛtra was still alive, while the gods defeated the Dānavas,
who fled to the depths of the sea. Here they conspired for
the destruction of the three worlds, and resolved upon
destroying all who were possessed of ascetic virtues (tapas),
for so the universe would itself be destroyed, as it is supported
by asceticism (III, 101). Remaining in the depths of the
sea by day, the Kāleyas during the night slew the munis in
the hermitages and sacred spots (puṇyeṣvāyataneṣu); in the
hermitage of Vasiṣṭha, 197 ascetics; in that of Cyavana, 100;
in that of Bharadvāja, 20, without being seen; every morning
people saw the dead bodies and mutilated limbs of the munis
and the disturbed agnihotras scattered on the ground. Men
fled for their lives into all directions or killed themselves from
fear. Some brave bowmen searched in vain for the evildoers.
The gods with Indra repaired to Nārāyaṇa (c) (III, 102).
They did not know by whom the brahmans were being killed
during the night. Viṣṇu explained the whole affair to them,
and told them to apply to Agastya (Maitrāvaruṇi) that he
might dry up the sea, as no one else was capable of so doing.
They then went to the hermitage of Agastya, and mentioned
to him that he had delivered the gods from Nahuṣa and
caused Vindhya to cease to increase in height (in competition
with the Sun), the world having been covered with darkness
(III, 103).—§ 385: Vindhya (q.v.).—§ 386: At the request
of the gods Agastya, accompanied by ṛṣis, gods, men, Uragas
(snakes), Gandharvas, Yakṣas, and Kimpuruṣas, approached
the ocean (III, 104) and drank it up, to the amazement of
the gods, who called him Vidhātṛ and the creator of the
worlds, while the musical instruments of Gandharvas were
playing, and celestial blossoms were showered upon him.
The Kāleyas, who had previously been burnt by the tapas of
the munis, were now destroyed by the gods, except some few
who, rending asunder the goddess Earth, sought refuge in
Pātāla. The gods now asked Agastya to fill up the ocean
again, but he had already digested the water. The gods
with Viṣṇu came to Brahmán and spoke to him about
replenishing the sea (III, 105). Brahmán dismissed them,
saying that only after a long course of time the ocean would
be brought to resume its wonted state by the agnates of king
Bhagīratha.