Yantras or Mechanical Contrivances in Ancient India c2.152

c2.152

which were put into action, removed the lids of jewel boxes and picked up some jewels and then the swans were again moved back to their original place. This mysterious theft was going on, and the King ordered an all-night vigil to catch the culprits. The swans were seen doing this dexterous job and were detached from the rope, which suddenly sagged; the fastening nail became loose and Prāṇadhara understood at once that the theft had been found out. He asked his brother to accompany him to a far-off place to escape being caught as thieves early in the morning. Prāṇadhara said that he had with him an aerial vehicle that could in a single sweep rocket across 800 *yojanas* and got into it immediately, with his family. As the seating capacity of that yantra had been reached by the crowd that entered it, Rājyadhara left in his vehicle, a *vāta-yantra-vimāna*, as it is here styled, which he himself had made; that machine took him at one jerk over 200 *yojanas*, and with a second propelling, over another 200 *yojanas*.