bed-stead adorned with gold.  The daughter of the king of mountains, sitting by his side, shone in brilliance.[1399] The high-souled deities, the Vasus of immeasurable energy, the high-souled Aswins, those foremost of physicians, and king Vaisravana waited upon by many a Guhyaka,—­that lord of the Yakshas, endued with prosperity and puissance, and having his abode on the summit of Kailasa,—­all waited upon the highsouled Mahadeva.  And the great sage Usanas, and the foremost of Rishis having Sanatkumara for their first, and the other celestial Rishis headed by Angiras, and the Gandharva Viswavasu, and Narada and Parvata, and the diverse tribes of Apsaras, all came there to wait upon the Master of the universe.  A pure and auspicious breeze, bearing diverse kinds of perfumes, blew there.  The trees that stood there were adorned with the flowers of every season.  A large number of Vidyadharas and Siddhas and ascetics too, O Bharata, repaired thither for waiting upon Mahadeva, the Lord of all creatures.  Many ghostly beings, also, of diverse forms and aspects, and many dreadful Rakshasas and mighty Pisachas, of diverse aspects, mad with joy, and armed with diverse kinds of uplifted weapons, forming the train of Mahadeva, were there, every one of whom resembled a blazing fire in energy.  The illustrious Nandi stood there at the command of the great god, blazing with his own energy and armed with a lance that resembled a flame of fire.  Ganga also, that foremost of all Rivers and born of all sacred waters in the universe, waited there in her embodied form, O son of Kuru’s race, upon that illustrious deity.  Thus adored by the celestial Rishis and the gods, the illustrious Mahadeva of immeasurable energy dwelt on that summit of Meru.

“After some time had passed away, the Prajapati Daksha[1400] commenced to perform a Sacrifice according to the ancient rites (laid down in the Vedas).  Unto the Sacrifice of Daksha, all the deities headed by Sakra, assembling together, resolved to repair.  It hath been heard by us that the high-souled deities, with the permission o f Mahadeva, mounted their celestial cars resembling the fire or the Sun in splendour, and proceeded to that spot (on the Himavat) whence the Ganges is said to issue.  Beholding the deities depart, the excellent daughter of the king of mountains, addressed her divine spouse, viz., the Lord of all creatures, and said, ’O illustrious one, whither are those deities headed by Sakra going?  O thou that art conversant with the truth, tell me truly, for a great doubt has filled my mind.’

“Maheswara said, ’O lady that art highly blessed, the excellent Prajapati Daksha is adoring the gods in a Horse-sacrifice.  These denizens of heaven are proceeding even thither.’

“Uma said, ’Why, O Mahadeva, dost thou not proceed to that Sacrifice?  What objection is there of thy going to that place?’

“Maheswara said, ’O highly blessed lady, the deities in days of yore made an arrangement in consequence of which no share was assigned to me of offerings in all Sacrifices.  Agreeably to the course that was sanctioned in consequence of that arrangement, O thou of the fairest complexion, the deities do not give me, following the old custom, any share of the sacrificial offerings.’