Lalita-māh&tmya 35.16-28
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16. Some of them have oars in their hands. Some have horns filled with water in their hands. They drink the nectarine water of that lake. They move about in hundreds of rafts and boats. 17-18. Mother Tārā who is the chief among those Śaktis who row the boats and whose complexion is dark, does not permit even the three-eyed lord to sail in the waters of the lake without the permission of Mantrinī and Dandanāthā. 19-2la. The group of Śaktis in charge of the boats and rafts of Tārā is very beautiful. They sing and sail about in boats rendered beautiful by means of gems and jewels. At every step they recite instances of the great munificence and exalted state of the empress. They steadily drink wine in goblets of rubies. In every boat there is a jewel-studded abode of fascinat ing features where they live. 21b-23. Some boats are made and beautified by gold, O sage, some are made of gems and precious stones. Some boats are in the shape of sharks and crocodiles. Some of them are deer-faced Some boats have leonine faces and some are elephant-faced. Surrounded thus by boats of wonderfully varie gated forms, Mother Tārā shines splendidly. She possesses her own huge boat. 24. Rowing continuously in the waters of the lake, both clockwise and anticlockwise directions, 1'ārā guards this enclosure. 25. Within the enclosure of Manahśāla (Chamber of mind) and seven Yojanas away from it is the enclosure wellknown as Buddhiśila (Chamber of Intellect). It is four Yojanas in height. 26. The entire space in the middle of that chamber is occupied by Ānandavāpikā (the lake of Bliss). The great divine wine rendered highly fragrant by the Bahula (Mimusops elengi) flowers and having the lustre of heated gold serves the purpose of water in that river. 27. The depth etc. of the lake of bliss are recounted as before. The structure of the series of steps etc. and the nature and features of the birds—everything is as before. 28.
By frequently drinking the water therein viz. : wine,