:--

"Indra decreed that I am to be recalled to heaven when you see our son.
This induced me to conceal from you so long the birth of the child. Now
that you have accidentally seen the child, I shall have to return to
heaven, in compliance with the decree of Indra."

She now prepares to leave her husband after she has seen her boy
installed as associate king. So preparations are made for the
inauguration ceremony when Narada the messenger of Indra, comes to
announce that the god has compassionately revoked the decree. The nymph
is thus permitted to remain on earth for good as the hero's second wife.

Nymphs descend from heaven with a golden vase containing the water of
the heavenly Ganges, a throne, and other paraphernalia, which they
arrange. The prince is inaugurated as Yuvaraj. All now go together to
pay their homage to the queen, who had so generously resigned her rights
in favour of Urvasi.

MALAVIKAGNIMITRA,

OR

AGNIMITRA AND MALAVIKA.

We learn a wise sentiment from the prologue. The stage-manager,
addressing the audience, says:--"All that is old is not, on that
account, worthy of praise, nor is a novelty, by reason of its newness,
to be censured. The wise do not decide what is good or bad till they
have tested merit for themselves: a foolish man trusts to another's
judgement."

Puspamitra was the founder of the Sunga dynasty of Magadha kings, having
been the general of Vrihadratha, the last of the Maurya race, whom he
deposed and put to death: he was succeeded by his son Agnimitra who
reigned at Vidica (Bhilsa) in the second century B.C. King Agnimitra has
two queens Dharini and Iravati. Malavika belongs to the train of his
queen Dharini's attendants. The maid was sent as a present to the queen
by her brother, Virsena, governor of the Antapala or barrier-fortress on
the Nermada.

The queen jealously keeps her out of the king's sight on account of her
great beauty. The king, however, accidentally sees the picture of
Malavika, painted by order of the queen for her _chitrasala_, or
picture-gallery. The sight of the picture inspires the king with an
ardent desire to view the original, whom he has never yet beheld.

Hostilities are about to break out between Agnimitra and Yajnasena, king
of Viderbha (Berar). The first, on one occasion, had detained captive
the brother-in-law of the latter, and Yajnasena had retaliated by
throwing into captivity Madhavasena, the personal friend of Agnimitra,
whe