For some time their meetings remained hidden. But one day the guards of the women's quarters noticed signs that made them suspect that a man had been secretly visiting the princess. Fearing that they would be blamed, they went before the king and said, "My lord, first grant us protection, for there is something we must tell you."

When the king assured them that they would not be punished, they said, "My lord, we have carefully guarded the palace and allowed no man to enter. Yet there are signs that someone has been secretly meeting the princess. We do not know how he comes or who he is."

Hearing this, the king was deeply troubled. He began to reflect upon the worries that come with raising a daughter, "From the moment a daughter is born, her father worries about her. When she grows older, he wonders whom she should marry. Even after she is married, he wonders whether she will be happy. Truly, a father's concern for his daughter never ends."

"At birth she fills her mother's heart with concern. As she grows, those who love her worry for her. Even after she leaves for another home, their concern does not end. Such is the care that follows a daughter through life."

"A daughter is like a poem sent out into the world. A father wonders into whose hands she will fall, whether she will be treated well, and what others will say of her."

After thinking for some time, the king went to the queen and said, "Find out whether what the guards have told us is true. Learn who this man is."

The queen went at once to her daughter's chambers. There she saw signs that confirmed what the guards had said. Angered and distressed, she said, "What have you done? You have brought shame upon our family. Who is this man who has been secretly coming to you? Tell me the truth at once."

The princess lowered her head in shame and told her mother everything. She explained how Lord Vishnu himself appeared each night, descending from the sky upon Garuda, and how he had told her that she had been his wife in an earlier life. She also told her mother of their secret Gandharva marriage.

The moment the queen heard this, her anger disappeared. Her face brightened with joy, and she hurried to the king.

"My lord, rejoice! It is Lord Vishnu himself who comes to our daughter every night. He has married her by the Gandharva manner. Tonight you and I shall hide near her window and see him with our own eyes. But we must remain hidden, for he does not speak with mortals."

The king was filled with such joy that the hours until night seemed endless.

When darkness finally came, the king and queen hid near their daughter's window and waited. Before long they saw a figure descending from the sky, mounted upon Garuda and bearing the conch, discus, and mace, with all the signs by which Lord Vishnu was known.

The king could scarcely contain his happiness.

He whispered to the queen, "There can be no one in this world more fortunate than you and I. Lord Vishnu himself has chosen our daughter. Every desire of my heart is now fulfilled. With such a son-in-law beside us, what power on earth can stand against me? I shall bring the whole earth under my rule."

Before long, messengers arrived from the south. They had been sent by the mighty King Vikramasena, ruler of a vast realm, to collect the yearly tribute owed to him.

But the king, now proud of his divine son-in-law, refused even to give the messengers the respect usually shown to them.

The messengers said, "O King, the time for the tribute has already passed. Why have you not sent what is due? Have you suddenly gained some extraordinary power that makes you bold enough to anger the mighty Vikramasena?"

Instead of answering them with respect, the king insulted them and sent them away in contempt.

The messengers returned to Vikramasena and, in their anger, made the insult sound a hundred thousand times worse than it had been.

Vikramasena was furious.

"Even if that wicked king hides beneath the ocean or climbs to the heights of Mount Meru, he shall not escape me. I have sworn that he must die."

He gathered his army of elephants, horses, chariots, and foot soldiers and marched against the kingdom. His forces swept through the countryside, laying waste to the land, while those who escaped fled for safety behind the walls of Puṇḍra-vardhana.

The king's counsellors came before him in alarm.

"My lord, the enemy has surrounded the city. How can you remain so unconcerned?"

The king replied calmly, "Do not be afraid. By tomorrow morning you will know what becomes of our enemy. For now, guard the walls and gates of the city carefully."

He then called his daughter Sudarshana and spoke to her gently. "My child, trusting in the strength of your husband, I have entered into this war. When Lord Vishnu comes tonight, tell him that tomorrow morning he must destroy our enemy."

That night, when the weaver came to Sudarshana, she gave him her father's message.

The weaver laughed and said, "My dear, what is there to fear in a battle against mere men? In former times I easily destroyed mighty demons such as Hiranyakashipu, Kamsa, Madhu, Kaitabha, and many others. Go and tell your father to be at ease. Tomorrow morning Lord Vishnu himself will destroy the enemy army with his discus."

Sudarshana went to her father and repeated these words. The king was overjoyed. At once he ordered a proclamation to be made throughout the city, "Tomorrow, when Vikramasena's army has been destroyed, whatever anyone finds in the enemy camp shall belong to him—money, grain, gold, elephants, horses, weapons, or anything else."

Hearing this, the people of the city spoke among themselves. "Our king must indeed possess some great power. Even with such a mighty army surrounding the city, he shows no fear. Surely tomorrow he will destroy his enemy."

The weaver, however, was far from calm. Left alone with his thoughts, he began to consider what he had brought upon himself.

"If I mount my wooden Garuda and flee from here, I shall never see the princess again. Vikramasena will kill her father, seize the city, and take her away from the palace. But if I go into battle, I shall surely die, and all my hopes will end with me.

"Yet without her, what life would remain for me? Whichever path I choose, death seems to stand before me. Then it is better to face it with courage."

Having made his decision, he strengthened his heart.

"The great must hold fast to courage, even when danger is near and all seems lost. Those who remain steady and choose their path wisely may find a way even through the greatest trouble."

Thus the weaver resolved to fight.

Far away in Vaikuntha, the true Garuda became aware of what was happening. He approached Lord Vishnu and respectfully said, "My Lord, in the city of Puṇḍra-vardhana there is a weaver who has taken your form and, riding upon a wooden image of me, has married a princess.

"Now a powerful king from the south has come against the princess's father, and the weaver has resolved to enter the battle. If he is killed, people will say that Vishnu himself was slain by a mortal king. Faith will be shaken, sacrifices will cease, and even your temples may lose their honour."

Lord Vishnu considered Garuda's words and said, "King of birds, you have spoken wisely. There is something of the divine within this weaver, and it is through him that the enemy king must fall. Therefore we shall help him.

"I shall enter the weaver's body. You shall enter his wooden Garuda, and my divine discus shall enter the discus he carries."

Garuda bowed and replied, "So be it."