come.  Then, O chief of Bharata’s race! after the expiry of very many days, the mighty king Sagara accepted the consecration for performing the rites of a horse-sacrifice.  And his horse began to roam over the world, protected by his sons.  And when the horse reached the sea, waterless and frightful to behold—­although the horse was guarded with very great care—­it (suddenly) vanished at the very spot (it stood upon).  Then, O respected sir! those same sons of Sagara imagined the same fine horse to have been stolen; and returning to their father, narrated how it had been stolen out of sight.  And thereupon he addressed them, saying, “Go ye and search for the horse in all the cardinal points.”  Then, O great king, by this command of their father, they began to search for the horse in the cardinal points and throughout the whole surface of the earth.  But all those sons of Sagara, all mutually united, could not find the horse, nor the person who had stolen it.  And coming back then, they with joined palms thus addressed their father, (standing) before them, “O Protector of men!  O ruler of the earth!  O king! by thy command, the whole of this world with its hills and its forest tracts, with its seas, and its woods, and its islands, with its rivulets and rivers and caves, hath been searched through by us.  But we cannot find either the horse, or the thief who had stolen the same.”  And hearing the words, the same king became senseless with wrath, and then told them all, carried away by Destiny, “Go ye all, may ye never return!  Search ye again for the horse.  Without that sacrificial horse, ye must never return, my boys!”

“’And those same sons of Sagara, accepted this command of their father, and once more began to search through the entire world.  Now these heroes saw a rift on the surface of the earth.  And having reached this pit, the sons of Sagara began to excavate it.  And with spades and pickaxes they went on digging the sea, making the utmost efforts.  And that same abode of Varuna (namely the ocean), being thus, excavated by the united sons of Sagara and rent and cut on all sides round, was placed in a condition of the utmost distress.  And the demons and snakes and Rakshasas and various (other) animated beings began to utter distressful cries, while being killed by Sagara’s sons.  And hundreds and thousands of animated beings were beheld with severed heads and separated trunks and with their skins and bones and joints rent asunder and broken.  Thus they went on digging the ocean, which was the abode of Varuna and an exceedingly long space of time expired in this work, but still the horse was not found.  Then, O lord of earth! towards the north-eastern region of the sea, the incensed sons of Sagara dug down as far as the lower world, and there they beheld the horse, roaming about on the surface of the ground.  And they saw the magnanimous Kapila, who looked like a perfect mass of splendour.  And having beheld him shining with his brightness, just as the fire