women replied, ’We behold here a female of unrivalled beauty.  And the king sporteth with her, having married her with a pledge that he would never show her water.’  And hearing those words, the minister-in-chief caused an artificial forest to be created, consisting of many trees with abundant flowers and fruits, and he caused to be excavated within that forest and towards one of its sides a large tank, placed in a secluded spot and full of water that was sweet as Amrita.  The tank was well covered with a net of pearls.  Approaching the king one day in private, he addressed the king saying, ’This is a fine forest without water.  Sport thou here joyfully!’ And the king at those words of his minister entered that forest with that adorable wife of his, and the king sported with her in that delightful forest, and afflicted with hunger and thirst and fatigued and spent, the king beheld a bower of Madhavi creepers[48] and entering that bower with his dear one, the king beheld a tank full of water that was transparent and bright as nectar, and beholding that tank, the king sat on its bank with her and the king told his adorable wife, ‘Cheerfully do thou plunge into this water!’ And she, hearing those words plunged into the tank.  But having plunged into the water she appeared not above the surface, and as the king searched, he failed to discover any trace of her.  And the king ordered the waters of the tank to be baled out, and thereupon he beheld a frog sitting at the mouth of a hole, and the king was enraged at this and promulgated an order saying, ’Let frogs be slaughtered everywhere in my dominions!  Whoever wishes to have an interview with me must come before me with a tribute of dead frogs.’  And accordingly when frogs began to be terribly slaughtered, the affrighted frogs represented all that had happened unto their king, and the king of the frogs assuming the garb of an ascetic came before the king Parikshit, and having approached the monarch, he said, ’O king, give not thyself up to wrath!  Be inclined to grace.  It behoveth thee not to slay the innocent frogs.’  Here occurs a couple of Slokas. (They are these):—­’O thou of unfading glory, slay not the frogs!  Pacify thy wrath!  The prosperity and ascetic merits of those that have their souls steeped in ignorance suffer diminution!  Pledge thyself not to be angry with the frogs!  What need hast thou to commit such sin!  What purpose will be served by slaying the frogs!’ Then king Parikshit whose soul was filled with woe on account of the death of her that was dear to him, answered the chief of the frogs who had spoken to him thus, ’I will not forgive the frogs.  On the other hand, I will slay them.  By these wicked wretches hath my dear one been swallowed up.  The frogs, therefore, always deserve to be killed by me.  It behoveth thee not, O learned one, to intercede on their behalf.’  And hearing these words of Parikshit, the king of the frogs with his senses and mind much pained said, ’Be inclined