Having thus despatched his army and waited at Ayodhyā for a month Shatrughna, the slayer of enemies, proceeded alone. Having spent two nights on his way he arrived at the holy and picturesque hermitage of the great ascetic Valmiki. And having bowed unto that high-souled Muni he, with folded palms, said: — “O illustrious Sir, I wish to wait here this day; I have come here for some business of our master Rāma. To-morrow morning I shall proceed to the dreadful West.” Hearing the words of the high-souled Shatrughna, Vālmiki, the foremost of ascetics, replied saying: — “O thou of great renown, do thou wait here without any hesitation. O gentle one, this hermitage belongs to the descendants of the Raghu race. Do thou fearlessly take thy seat and water to wash thy feet.” Thereupon taking water to wash his feet and feeding upon fruits and roots Shatrughna attained to great delight. And afterwards he asked the great ascetic Vālmiki saying: — “O great ascetic, to whom belong the articles of sacrifice in the cast near this hermitage?” Whereto Vālmiki replied “Shatrughna, hear I shall tell thee, whose sacrificial ground was this in the days of yore. There was a king by the name of Saudāsa—one of thy ancestors. His son Virjashaha was a highly powerful and pious king. The heroic Saudāsa was fond of hunting from his boyhood. Once on a time while a-hunting, he espied two Rakshasas in the forest. He had heard about them many times before; they were in the shape of tigers and of a dreadful figure and were not satiated with devouring many thousand deer. King Saudāsa saw those two Rākshasas and found the forest divested of all creatures. And enraged in consequence thereof he slew one of them. Having slain him and been at ease, Saudāsa, the foremost of men, began to eye that Rākshasa. His mate, greatly aggrieved, said to him: — ‘O vicious one, thou hast, without any fault, slain my companion—I shall therefore mete out becoming punishment unto thee.’ Having said this the Rākshasa vanished therefrom. Thereupon in time the prince Virjashaha became king. Saudāsa engaged in celebrating a mighty horse-sacrifice in the vicinity of this hermitage. Vasishtha officiated as a priest at that sacrifice. It continued for many Ayuta years. For immense riches the sacrifice appeared like one performed by the celestials. Thereupon when the sacrifice was about to be finished the aforesaid Rākshasa, remembering his former enmity, assumed the shape of Vasishtha and said to the king Saudāsa: — ‘O king, to-day the sacrifice shall end; do therefore, without any delay, feed me with meat.’ Hearing the words of the Rākshasa in the guise of a Brahman, the king ordered his expert cooks, saying: — ‘Do ye soon prepare such dishes of meat as may satisfy my preceptor Vasishtha.’ Having been ordered by the king the cooks reverentially went away and the Rākshasa assuming their shape brought before the king dishes. The king and queen offered those dishes unto the ascetic Vasishtha, who, after being treated to them, perceived that they were of human flesh and, terribly enraged, said: — ‘O king, let this be thy food which thou hast offered me; this shall not prove otherwise.’ Being enraged on hearing it the king Saudāsa took water in his palms and was about to imprecate Vasishtha, when his queen, preventing him said: — ‘O king, the illustrious great ascetic Vasishtha is our preceptor and priest and so thou shouldst not imprecate him.’ Hearing those words of his queen, the king Saudāsa, threw off that powerful water on his own feet which at once became dark. From that time the illustrious king Saudāsa became also known by the name of Kalasmpāda. Thereupon the king with his spouse again and again bowed unto Vasishtha’s feet and informed him of what the Rākshasa had done under the guise of a Brāhmana. Hearing the words of the king and being apprised that this vile act had been done by the Rākshasa, Vasishtha said, ‘O king, even what I have said angrily shall not prove futile. However, I confer upon thee this boon that after twelve years thou shalt be freed from this curse, and by my favour thou shalt cherish no recollection of thy condition extending over those twelve years.’ Having thus suffered the consequences of the curse, Saudāsa, the slayer of enemies, again obtained his kingdom and governed his subjects. O descendant of Rāghu, the sacrificial ground of which thou hast asked me, belongs to the king Saudasa.” Having thus heard the dreadful story of the king Saudāsa and saluted the ascetic Vālmiki, Shatrughna entered a thatched cottage.