king."'

"Vaisampayana continued, 'Thus addressed, the king once more addressed
Utanka and said unto him, "Do thou, at my word, go to my venerable queen,
O best of men, and ask her, saying,--Give!--She of pure vows, thus
solicited by thee, will certainly, at my command, give thee, O foremost
of regenerate persons, those jewelled ear-rings of hers without doubt."

"'Utanka said, "Whither, O ruler of men, shall I be able to meet thy
queen? Why dost thou not thyself go to her?"

"'Saudasa said, "Thou wilt find her today in the vicinity of a foremost
fountain. I cannot see her today as the sixth hour of the day has come."'

"Vaisampayana continued, 'Thus addressed, Utanka, O chief of Bharata's
race, then left that spot. Beholding Madayanti, he informed her of his
object. Hearing the command of Saudasa, that lady of large eyes replied
unto the highly intelligent Utanka, O Janamejaya, in these words: "It is
even so, O regenerate one. Thou shouldst, however, O sinless one, assure
me that thou dost not say what is untrue. It behoves thee to bring me
some sign from my husband. These celestial ear-rings of mine, made of
costly gems, are such that the deities and Yakshas and great Rishis
always watch for opportunities for bearing them away. If placed at any
time on the Earth, this costly article would then be stolen by the Nagas.
If worn by one who is impure in consequence of eating, it would then be
taken away by the Yakshas. If the wearer falls asleep (without taking
care of these precious ear-rings) the deities would then take them away.
O best of Brahmanas, these ear-rings are capable of being taken away,
when such opportunities present themselves, by deities and Rakshasas and
Nagas, if worn by a heedless person. O best of regenerate ones, these
ear-rings, day and night, always produce gold. At night, they shine
brightly, attracting the rays of stars and constellations. O holy one, if
worn by any one, he would be freed from hunger and thirst and fear of
every kind. The wearer of these ear-rings is freed also from the fear of
poison and fire and every kind of danger. If worn by one of short
stature, these become short. If worn by one of tall stature, these grow
in size. Even of such virtues are these ear-rings of mine. They are
praised and honoured everywhere. Indeed, they are known over the three
worlds. Do thou, therefore, bring me some sign (from my husband)."'"

SECTION LVIII

"Vaisampayana said, 'Utanka, coming ba