Runners brought news that the victorious army of Madra, with their wounded commander, Prithusen, was slowly moving towards Sagal. The previous night, the army had camped at a distance of two yojanas from the city. The commander was unable to travel more rapidly on account of his wounds. As soon as the news of Prithusen’s injuries reached Sagal, the aged physician Cheebuk, with a number of other eminent and experienced physicians of the town were sent post-haste on chariots drawn by the fastest horses.

Shading their eyes with their hands from the glare of the sun, and looking out towards the north, the crowd noticed a cloud of dust rising on the horizon. The sound of musical instruments was drowned in the loud cheering of the crowd.

Weary with pain and fever, surrounded by a slow-moving army carrying cartloads of gold, jewels, precious stones and valuable articles captured from the conquered territory of Darva, together with two thousand men and women slaves, Prithusen at last arrived at the city gate.

A delegation of happy high-born matrons welcomed the victorious commander and performed the arati with a hundred and one lighted lamps, their wicks burning in ghee, around Prithusen. Seero, the granddaughter of Mithrodus, the aged President of the Republic and Commander-in-Chief, anointed him as victor, and in accordance with the Greek custom, placed on his head a coronet of green leaves.

The President pressed the young commander’s head to his beard and remained standing in silent rapture for some time. Dev Sharma, the aged Chief Justice, supported by slave-attendants, stepped down from his palanquin and putting his hand on the head of the wounded commander showered his blessings on him. The feudatory chief, Sarvarth, Acharya Pravardhan and members of the Republican Council and other prominent citizens welcomed the young commander in a similar way.

The city of Sagal went wild with the joy of victory. Festivities continued day and night, in the streets and in the lanes. The booty captured in Darva, including male and female slaves, was put up for auction by the state officials to replenish the government treasury. The President distributed compensation in the form of money and slaves to those families whose breadwinners had been killed in the war.

Prestha, the magnate, organized a grand yajna for the propitiation of the gods. Acharya Pravardhan agreed to act as the Chief Priest of the yajna. A thousand priests chanted mantras and performed the religious rituals. In the holy Buddhist monastery, the magnate engaged a thousand bhikshus to chant the sutras before the image of the Buddha and thereafter gave them large donations in gratitude of their prayers for deliverance. He also offered a sacrifice in the temple of the Greek god Zeus.

Prestha’s palace resounded with rejoicing and merrymaking. The only section in the palace where silence reigned was the one in which Prithusen lay. The eminent physician, the aged Cheebuk, was in attendance. A competent surgeon, he stitched Prithusen’s wounds with strands of kausheya¹ grass and bound them up with herbal dressings. He also prescribed a restorative, and ordered him complete rest. Through sleep induced by sedatives, Prithusen began to recover his health. Seero, the granddaughter of Mithrodus, the Commander-in-Chief, stayed day and night with the victorious commander, attending to his needs.