Note 19 — Chapter LX

“So I too will adopt an expedient when the time arrives; I will not go away through fear of the sea.” Having said this to his wife, the ṭiṭṭibha remained where he was, in his nest; and there the sea heard his boastful speech. Now, after some days, the hen-bird laid eggs, and the sea carried off the eggs with his waves, out of curiosity, saying to himself; “I should like to know what this ṭiṭṭibha will do to me.” And the hen-bird, weeping, said to her husband; “The very calamity which I prophesied to you, has come upon us.” Then that resolute ṭiṭṭibha said to his wife, “See, what I will do to that wicked sea!” So he called together all the birds, and mentioned the insult he had received, and went with them and called on the lord Garuḍa for protection. And the birds said to him: “Though thou art our protector, we have been insulted by the sea as if we were unprotected, in that it has carried away some of our eggs.” Then Garuḍa was angry, and appealed to Vishṇu, who dried up the sea with the weapon of fire, and made it restore the eggs.19