he is striving to accomplish. It behoveth you to accord him your
permission.'

"Sauti continued, 'Those ascetics thus addressed by the illustrious
Kasyapa, abandoned that bough and went to the sacred mountain of Himavat
for purposes of ascetic penances. After those Rishis had gone away, the
son of Vinata, with voice obstructed by the bough in his beaks, asked his
father Kasyapa saying, 'O illustrious one, where shall I throw this arm of
the tree? O illustrious one, indicate to me some region without human
beings.' Then Kasyapa spoke of a mountain without human beings with caves
and dales always covered with snow and incapable of approach by ordinary
creatures even in thought. And the great bird bearing that branch, that
elephant, and that tortoise, proceeded with great speed towards that
mountain. The great arm of the tree with which that bird of huge body flew
away could not be girt round with a cord made of a hundred (cow) hides.
Garuda, the lord of birds, then flew away for hundreds of thousand of
yojanas within--the shortest time. And going according to the directions
of his father to that mountain almost in a moment, that ranger of the
skies let fall the gigantic bough. And it fell with a great noise. And
that Prince of mountains shook, struck with the storm raised by Garuda's
wings. And the trees thereon dropped showers of flowers. And the peaks
decked with gems and gold adorning that great mountain itself, were
loosened and tell down on all sides. And the falling bough struck down
numerous trees which, with golden flowers amid dark foliage, shone there
like clouds charged with lightning. And those trees, bright as gold,
falling down upon the ground and, dyed with mountain metals, shone as if
they were bathed in the rays of the sun.

"Then that best of birds, Garuda, perching on the summit of that mountain,
ate both the elephant and the tortoise, rose on his wings with great speed