THE
... -
KATHA SARIT SAGARA
OB
OCEAN OP THE STREAMS OF STORY
^SLATED FROM THE
ORIGINAL SANSKRIT
BY
C. H. TfAWNEY, M. A,
X3LUME I.
CALCUTTA:
PBINTED BY J. W. THOMAS, AT THE BAPTIST MISSION PEESS.
1880.
CONTENTS OF VOLUME I.
BOOK I.
Page
CHAPTER I.
Introduction,... ... ... ... ... ... 1 — 5
Curse of Pushpadanta and Malyavan, ... ... ... 4 — 5
CHAPTER II.
Story of Pushpadanta when living on the earth as Vararuchi ... 6 — 10
How Kanabhuti became a Pisacha, ... ... ... ... 6 — 7
Story of Vararuchi'a teacher Varsha, and his fellow-pupils Vyadi and
Indradatta, ... ... ... ... ... 7 — 10
CHAPTER III.
Continuation of the story of Yararuchi, ... ... ... 11 — 16
Story of the founding of the city of Pataliputra,.. ... ... 11 — 16
Story of king Brahmadatta, ... ... ... ... 12 — 13
CHAPTER IV.
Continuation of the story of Yararuchi, ... ... ... 16 — 23
Story of Upakosa and her four lovers, ... ... ... 17 — 20
CHAP^R V.
Conclusion of the story of Yararuchi, ... ... ... 23 — 31
Story of S'ivasarman, ... ... ... ... ... 27 — 28
CHAPTER VI.
Story of Malyavan when living on the earth as Gunadhya,... ... 32 — 40
Story of the Mouse-merchant, ... ... ... ... 33 — 34
Story of the chanter of the Sama Veda, ... ... ... 34 — 35
Story of Satavahana, ... ... ... ... ... 36 — 37
CHAPTER VII.
Continuation of the story of Gunadhya, ... ... ... 41 — 47
How Pushpadanta got his name, ... ... ... ... 43 — 46
Story of king S'ivi, ... ... 40— 46
rv
CHAPTER VIII. .
Continuation of the story of Gunadhya,
Siva's tales, originally composed by Gunadhya in the Paisacha language,
are made known in Sanskrit under the title of Vrihat Katha,
BOOK II.
CHAPTER IX.
Story of the ancestors and parents of Udayana king of Vatsa,
CHAPTER X.
Continuation of the story of Udayana' s parents,
Story of S'ridatta and Mrigankavati, ...
Udayana succeeds to the kingdom of Vatsa, ...
CHAPTER XL
Continuation of the story of Udayana,
Story of king Chandamahasena,
CHAPTER XII.
Continuation of the story of Udayana,
Story of Rupinika,
CHAPTER XIII.
Continuation of the story of Udayana,
Story of Devasmita, ... ... ...
Story of the cunning Siddhikari, ...
Story of S'aktimati, ... ... ...
CHAPTER XIV.
Continuation of the story of Udayana,
Story of the clever deformed child, ...
Story of Ruru,
Page
47—49
49
52-56
56—67
56—66
67
67—71
69—71
72—82
76—82
82—93
85—92
87—88
91—92
94—98
96
97-98
BOOK III.
CHAPTER XV.
Continuation of the story of Udayana,
Story of the clever physician, ...
Story of the hypocritical ascetic,
Story of Unmadini, ...
Story of the loving couple who died of separation,
Story of Punyascna,
Story of Sunda and Upasunda, ... ...
101—109
101—102
102—104
104—105
105—106
106
103
CHAPTEE XVI.
Continuation of the story of Udayana,
Story of Kunti,
CHAPTER XVII.
Continuation of the story of Udayana,
Story of Urvasi, ... ••« •••
Story of Vihitasena, ... ... •••
Story of Somaprabha, ... ... •••
Story of Ahalya,
CHAPTEE, XVIII.
Continuation of the story of Udayana,
Story of Vidiishaka,
CHAPTER XIX.
Continuation of the story of Udayana, ...
Story of Devadasa, ... ...
CHAPTER XX.
Continuation of the story of Udayana, ...
Story of Phalabhuti,
Story of Kuvalay avail and the witch Kalaratri,...
Story of the birth of Kartikeya, ... ...
Story of Sundaraka and Kalaratri, ... ...
Page
109—115
110—111
115—124
115—117
117
118—122
122—123
124—145
128—144
145—152
146—147
152—164
152—163
155—158
155—157
158—161
BOOK IV.
CHAPTER XXI.
Continuation of the story of Udayana,
Story of Pandu, ... ...
Story of Devadatta, ... .,. * ...
Story of Pingalika,
CHAPTER XXII.
Continuation of the story of Udayana,
Story of Jimutavahana, ...
Story of Jimutavahana' s adventures in a former life,
Story of Kadru and Vinata, ...
CHAPTER XXIII.
Continuation of the story of Udayana,
Story of Sinhaparakrama,..
Birth of Udayana's son Naravahanadatta,
165—173
166
168—170
170—171
173—186
174—186
176—181
182—183
186—191
188
189
VI
Page
BOOK V.
CHAPTER XXIV.
Continuation of the story of Udayana and his son, ... ... 193 — 204
Story of S'aktivega king of tho Vidyadharas, ... ... ... 194 — 204
Story of S'iva and Madhava, ... ... .., ... 197 — 202
Story of Harasvamin, ... ... ... ... .,. 203 — 204
CHAPTER XXV.
Continuation of tho story of S'aktivega, ... ... ... 205 — 219
Story of Asokadatta and Vijayadatta, ... ... ... 208—219
CHAPTER XXVI.
Conclusion of the story of S'aktivega, ... ... ... 220—233
Story of Devadatta, ... ... ... ... ... 229—231
Continuation of the story of Udayana and his son, ... ... 233
BOOK VI.
CHAPTER XXVII.
Continuation of the story of Udayana and his son, ... .. 235 — 216
Story of Kulingadatta, king of Takshasila, ... ... ... 235—246
Story of the merchant's son in Takshasila, ... ... ... 236 — 238
Story of the Apsaras Surabhidatta, ... ... ... ... 238—239
Story of king Dharmadatta and his wife Nagasri ... ... 239 — 240
Story of the seven Brahmans who devoured a cow in time of famine, ... 241
Story of the two ascetics, the one a Brahman, the other a Chandala, ... 241 — 212
Story of king Vikramasinha and tho two Brahmans, ... ... 242 — 246
CHAPTER XXVIII.
Continuation of the story of Kalingadatta, ,.. ... .... 246 — 257
Birth of his daughter Kalingasena, ... ... ... 21(5
Story of the seven princesses,... ... ... ... ... 247 — 249
Story of the prince who tore out his own eye, ... ... ... 217 — 218
Story of the ascetic who conquered anger, ... ... ... 248 — 249
Story of Sulochana and Sushena, ... ... ... ... 249—252
Story of the prince and the merchant's son who saved his life, ... 253 — 255
Story of the Brahman and tho Pisacha, ... ... ... 255 — 256
CHAPTER XXIX.
Continuation of the story of Kalingadatta, ... ... ... 257—267
Story of Kirtisena and her cruel mother-in-law,... ... ... 260— 267
CHAPTER XXX.
Continuation of tho story of Kalingadatta, ... ... ... 2G7 — 274
Story of Tejasvati, ... ... ... ... ... -7
Story of tho Brahman Harisarman, ... ... ... ... 272 — 27-4
VTI
Page
CHAPTER XXXI.
Conclusion of the story of Kalingadatta, ... ... ... 276—278
Story of Usha and Aniruddha, ... ... ... .. 276—277
Kalingasena daughter of Kalingadatta escapes to Vatsa, ... ... 278
Continuation of the story of Udayana and his son, ... ... 278 — 280
CHAPTER XXXII.
Continuation of the story of Udayana and his son, ... ... 281 — 291
Story of the Brahman's son Vishnudatta and his seven foolish companions, 283 — 285
Story of Kadaligarbha, ... ... ... ... ... 286—290
Story of the king and the barber's wife, ... ... ... 288—289
CHAPTER XXXIII.
Continuation of the story of Udayana and his son, ... ... 291 — 302
Story of S'rutasena, ... ... ... ... ... 292—295
Story of the three Brahman brothers, ... .. ... 293
Story of Devasena and Unmadini, ... ... ... ... 294
Story of the ichneumon, the owl, the cat and the mouse, ... ... 296 — 298
Story of king Prasenajit and the Brahman who lost his treasure, ... 298—299
CHAPTER XXXIV.
Continuation of the story of Udayana and his son, ... ... 302 — 317
Story of king Indradatta, ... ... ... ... 303
Story of the Yaksha Virupaksha, ... ... ... ... 306—307
Story of S'atrughna and his wicked wife, ... ... ... 312
Story of king S'urasena and his ministers, ... ... ... 313 — 314
Story of king Harisinha, ... ... ... ... ... 314
BOOK VII.
CHAPTER XXXV.
Continuation of the story of Udayana and his son,
Story of Ratnaprabha, ... ... ... ...
Story of Sattvasfla and the two treasures, „,. ...
Story of the brave king Vikramatunga,
CHAPTER XXXVI.
Continuation of the story of Udayana and his son,
Story of king Ratnadhipati and the white elephant S'vetarasmi,
Story of Yavanasena,
CHAPTER XXXVII.
Continuation of the story of Udayana and his son, ...
Story of Nischayadatta, ... ... ...
Story of Somasvamin, ... ... ,„
Story of Bhavasannan, ...
319—327
320—226
321—322
322—323
328—334
328—331
331—332
334-316
334—346
339—341
312-343
VIII
CHAPTER XXXVIII.
Continuation of the story of Udayana and his son,
Story of king Vikramaditya and the hetaera,
Story of king Vikramaditya and the treacherous mendicant,
CHAPTER XXXIX.
Continuation of the story of Udayana and his son,
Story of S'ringabhuja and the daughter of the Rakshasa,
CHAPTER XL.
Continuation of the story of Udayana and his son,
Story of Tapodatta,
Story of Virupasarman, ... ... „
Story of king Vilasasila and the physician Tarunachandra,
CHAPTER XLI.
Continuation of the story of Udayana and his son, ...
Story of king Chirayus and his minister Nagarjuna, ...
CHAPTER XLII.
Continuation of the story of Udayana and his son,
Story of king Parityagasena, his wicked wife, and his two sons,
CHAPTER XLIII.
Continuation of the story of Udayana and his son, ...
Story of the two brothers Pranadhara and Rajyadhara,
Story of Arthalobha and his beautiful wife, ... ...
Story of the princess Karpurika in her birth as a swan, ...
BOOK VIII.
CHAPTER XLIV.
Continuation of the story of Udayana and his son,
Story of Suryaprabha,
CHAPTER XLV.
Continuation of the story of Suryaprabha,
Story of the Brahman Kala, ... ...
CHAPTER XLVI.
Continuation of the story of Suryaprabha, ...
Story of the generous Danava Namuchi,
CHAPTER XLVII.
Continuation of the story of Suryaprabha,
CHAPTER XLVI 1 1.
Continuation of the story of Si'n-\ aprubh.t,
Adventure of the witch ;>',UM! luiaani, ...
Page
346—354
347—354,
34.9—350
355—367
355—367
369—375
370
371
372—375
376—379
376—378
379—390
381—389
390—403
391—393
393—396
397—398
405 — 406
406—111
414—131
418—119
434—416
•111—446
446—452
452—139
458
IX
CHAPTER XLIX.
Continuation of the story of Suryaprabha,
Story of king Mahasena and his virtuous minister GunaSannan,
Page
459—471
459—471
CHAPTER L.
Conclusion of the story of Suryaprabha, ...
Continuation of the story of Udayana and his son,
472—481
481
BOOK IX.
CHAPTER LI.
Continuation of the story of Udayana and his son,
Story of Alankaravatf, ...
Story of Rama and Sita, ... ... ...
Story of the handsome king Prithvirupa,
483—494
484—485
486—488
489—492
CHAPTER LII.
Continuation of the story of Udayana and his son,
Story of Asokamala, ... ...
Story of Sthulabhuja,
Story of Anangarati and her four suitors,
Story of Anangarati in a former birth,
CHAPTER LIII.
Continuation of the story of Udayana and his son,
Story of king Lakshadatta and his dependent Labdhadatta, .
Story of the Brahman Viravara, ... ...
Story of Suprabha, ... ... ... ,
494—515
496—498
497—498
498—514
502—503
515—524
515—518
519—524
52U— 521
CHAPTER LIV.
Continuation of the story of Udayana and his son,
Story of the merchant iSamudrasura, ...
Story of king Chamarabala,
Story of Yasovarman and the two fortunes,
521—537
521)— 531
532— 5;itj
532—535
CHAPTER LV.
Continuation of the story of Udayana and his son,
Story of Chiriidatri,
Story of king Kauakavarsha and Madanasuudari,
537—549
537—538
538— 5-W
Page
CHAPTER LVT.
Continuation of the story of Udayana and his son, ... ... 549 — 569
Story of the Brahman Chandrasvamin, his son Mahipala, and his
daughter Chandravati,... ... ... ... ... 549 — 569
Story of Chakra, ... ... ... ... ... 554—556
Story of the hermit and the faithful wife, ... ... ... 556 — 557
Story of Dharmavyadha the righteous seller of flesh, ... ... 557
Story of the treacherous Pasupata ascetic, ... ... ... 558 — 559
Story of king Trihhuvana, ... ... ... ... 558—559
Story of Nala and Damayanti, ... ... ... ... 559 — 568
ADDENDA AND CORRIGENDA
To Fasciculus I.
Page 1, line 6, for " Part I" read " Book I, called Kathapitha."
Page 14, add to footnote. — " See also Ealston's Russian Folk-Tales, p. 230 and Vec-
kenstedt's Wendische Sagen, p. 152."
Page 20, add to footnote. — " General Cunningham is of opinion that the denoument
of this story is represented in one of the Bharhut Sculptures ; see his Stupa of
Bharhut, p. 53."
Page 27, 3rd line, from the bottom of the page, add to footnote. — " The reader will
find similar questioning demons described in Veckenstedt's Wendische Sagen,
pp. 54_56, and 109."
Page 40, add to footnote. — " See also the 60th Tale in Gonzenbach's Sicilianische
Marchen, Vol. II, p. 17.
Page 58, add as a note to the story of the guardian lion. " This incident may be
compared with one described in Weckenstedt's Wendische Sagen, p. 82.
Pao'e 70, add to footnote at the bottom of the page — " Cp. also Veckenstedt's Wen-
dische Sagen, p. 72."
Page 77, add to the second footnote — " Cp. also Veckenstedt's Wendische Sagen,
p. 124."
CORRIGENDA AND ADDENDA
TO VOL. I.
Pago 5. For note t substitute — See note on page 281.
Page 12, line 16 " Every day when he awakes from sleep, a hundred thousand gold
pieces shall be found under his pillow." This may be compared with Grimm's No. 60,
" Die zwei Briider." Each of the brothers finds every day a gold piece under his
pillow.
Page 14. Add to footnote— See also the story of "Die Kaiserin Trebisonda" in a
collection of South Italian tales by Woldemar Kaden, entitled " Unter den Olivenbau-
men'' and published in 1880. The hero of this story plays the same trick as Putraka,
and gains thereby an inexhaustible purse, a pair of boots which enable the wearer to
run like the wind, and a mantle of invisibility. See also " Beutel, Miintclchen und
Wunderhorn" in the same collection, and No. XXII in Miss Stokes's Indian Fairy
Tales. The story is found in the Avadanas translated by Stanislas Julien : (Leveque,
Mythes et Legendes de L'Inde et de la Perse, p. 570, Liebrecht, zur Volkskunde,
p. 117.) M. Leveque thinks that La Fontaine was indebted to it for his Fable
of L' Huitre et les Plaideurs. See also De Gubernatis, Zoological Mythology, Vol. I,
pp. 126—127, and 162.
Page 16, line 1. " And so taking Patali in his arms he flew away from that
place through the air." Compare the way in which Zauberer Vergilius carries off
the daughter of the Sultan of Babylon, and founds the town of Naples, which ho
makes over to her and her children : (Simrock's Deutsche Volksbiicher, Vol. VI,
pp. 354, 355.) Dunlop is of opinion that the mediasval traditions about Vergil are
largely derived from Oriental sources.
Page 20. Add to note — A faint echo of this story is found in Gonzenbach'u
Sicilianische Marchen, No. 55, pp. 359 — 362. Cp. also No. 72(i) in the Novellas
Morlini. (Liobrecht's Dunlop, p. 497.)
Page 22, last line of the page, " Yogananda threw S'akatala into a dark dungeon
and his hundred sons with him." Compare this with the story of Ugolino in Dante's
Inferno.
Pago 30, line 5. For " performing" read " presiding at."
Page 42. Add to note % — This belief seems to be very general in Wales, see Wirt
Sikes, British Goblins, p. 113. See also Kuhn's Herabkunft des Fcuers, p. 93, De
Gubernatis, Zoological Mythology, Vol. II, p. 285.
Page 44. Add to note* — See also Ralston's Russian Folk-Tales, p. 241, where
Prince Ivan by the help of his tutor Katoma propounds to the Princess Anna the l;iir,
a I'iddlc which enables him to win her as his wife.
10. Add to footnote. M. Levequo (Lcs Myth->s rt I/-^ n.lc-s de L'lado
p 327) connects this story with that of Philemon and Baucis. LLo lays particular
stress upon the following lines of Ovid :
72
572
Unieua atuer erat, minimrr custodia
Qucm Dis hospitibus domini mactare parabant :
Ille celer penna tardos setate fatigat,
Eluditque diu, tandemque est visus ad ipsos
Confugisse deos. Super i vetnere necari.
See also Gubernatis, Zoological Mythology, Vol. II, pp. 187, 297 and 414.
Page 53, last lino of page. For illustrations of this bath of blood see Dunlop'a
Liebrecht, page 135, and the note at the end of the book. The story of Der arme
Heinrich, to which Liebrecht refers, ia to be found in the Vlth Volume of Simrock's
Deutsche Volksbuchcr.
Page 64. Add to note • — Gigantic birds that feed on raw flesh are mentioned by
the Pseudo-Callisthenes, Book II, ch. 41. Alexander gets on the back of one of them,
and is carried into the air, guiding his bird by holding a piece of liver in front of it.
He is warned by a winged creature in human shape to proceed no further, and descends
again to earth. See also Liebrecht's Dunlop, p. 143 and note. See also Birlinger, Aus
Schwaben, pp. 6, 6, 7. He compares Pacolet's horse in the story of Valentine and
Orson.
Page 68, line 5. For " the god with the bull-blazoned banner" read " the god
whose emblem is a bull."
Page 64, line 9. " A village named Nagasthala near Mathura." Mr. Growse
remarks : " In Hindi the word Nagasthala would assume the form Nagal ; and there
is a village of that name to this day in the Mahaban Pargana of the Mathura Dis-
trict."
Page 70. Add to note J — In the Gehbrnte Siegfried (Simrock's Deutsche Volks-
biicher, Vol. Ill, pp. 368 and 416), the hero is made invulnerable everywhere but
between the shoulders, by being smeared with the melted fat of a dragon. Cp. also
the story of Achilles. For the transformation of Chandamahasena into a boar see
Bartsch's Sagen, Marchen und Gebrauche aus Meklenburg, Vol. II, pp. 144, 145,
and Gubernatis, Zoological Mythology, Vol. II, p. 14.
Page 74, line 7 from the bottom. " Yaugandharayana, by means of that very
charm, gave Vasantaka a body full of outstanding veins &c." Cp. the way in which
the Eitter Malegis transmutes Reinold in the story of Die Heimonskinder (Sinirock's
Deutsche Volksbiicher, Vol. II, p. 86). " He changed him into an old man, a hundred
years of age, with a decrepit and misshapen body, and long hair." See also p. 114.
So Merlin assumes the form of an old man and disguises Uther and Ulfin, Dunlop'a
History of Fiction, translated by Liebrecht, p. 66.
1'agc 76, lino 13. Mr. Growse writes to me with reference to the name Loha-
jangha — " This name still exists on the spot, though probably not to be found else-
where. The original bearer of the title is said to have been one of the demons whom
Krishna slew, and a village is called Lohaban after him, where an ancient red sand-
atone image is supposed to represent him, and has offerings of iron made to it ut the
annual festival.
Pago 77. Add to note f " See also the story of Heinrich dor Lowe, Simrock's
Di.-ut.sche Volksbiicher, Vol. I, p. 8. Dr. Kiihler refers to the story of llerzog Ernst.
The incident will be found in Simrock's version of the story, at page 308 of the Illrd
Volume of his Deutsche Volksbiichor."
Pago 79. Add to note f The legend of Garuda and the Balakhilyas is found
in thu Muhabharata, see De Gubernatis, Zoological Mythology, p. 96.
573
Page 80. Add to note * But Joscphus in Ant. Jud. XVIII, 3, tells it of a Roman
knight named Mundus, who fell in love with Paulina the wife of Saturninus, and
by corrupting the priestess of Isis was enabled to pass himself off as Anubis. On tho
matter coming to the ears of Tiberius, ho had the temple of Isia destroyed, and the
priests crucified. (Dunlop's History of Fiction, Vol. II, p. 27. Liebrecht's German
translation, p. 232). A similar story is told by the Pseudo-Callisthenes of Nectaneboa
and Olympias.
Page 86. Add to note f See also " The king of Spain and his queen " in Thorpe's
Yule-tide Stories, pp. 452 — 455. Thorpe remarks that the tale agrees in substance
with the ballad of the " Graf Von Rom" in Uhland, II, 784 ; and with the Flemish
story of " Ritter Alexander aus Metz und Seine Frau Florentina." In the 21st of
Bandello's novels the test is a mirror (Liebrecht's Dunlop, p. 287). See also pp. 85
and 86 of Liebrecht's Dunlop, with the notes at the end of the volume.
Page 98, line 3, for " he went and begged the hermit to give him to her in
marriage" read " he went and begged the hermit to give her to him in marriage."
Page 98. Add to note * Bernhard Schmidt in his Griechische Marchen, page 37,
mentions a very similar story, which he connects with that of Admetos and Alkestis.
In a popular ballad of Trebisond, a young man named Jannis, the only son of hia
parents, is about to be married, when Charon comes to fetch him. He supplicates
St. George, who obtains for him the concession, that his life may be spared, in case his
father will give him half the period of life still remaining to him. His father refuses,
and in the same way his mother. At last his betrothed gives him half her allotted
period of life, and the marriage takes place. The story of Ruru is found in the
Adiparva of the Mahabharata, see Leveque, Mythes et Legendes de 1' Inde, pp. 278,
and 374.
Page 99. Add to note. See also Henderson's Folk-lore of the Northern Counties,
p. 45. " The vicar of Stranton was standing at the churchyard gate, awaiting the
arrival of a funeral party, when to his astonishment the whole group, who had arrived
within a few yards of him, suddenly wheeled and made the circuit of the churchyard
•wall, thus traversing its west, north, and east boundaries, and making the distance
some five or six times greater than was necessary. The vicar, astonished at this
proceeding, asked the sexton the reason of so extraordinary a movement. The reply
was as follows : ' Why, ye wad no hae them carry the dead again the sun ; the dead
maun aye go with the sun.' This custom is no doubt an ancient British or Celtic
custom, and corresponds to the Highland usage of making the deazil or walking
three times round a person according to the course of the sun. Old Highlanders will
still make the deazil around those to whom they wish well. To go round tho person
in the opposite direction, or " withershins," is an evil incantation and brings ill-
fortune. Hunt in his Romances and Drolls of the West of England, p. 418, says,
"If an invalid goes out for the first time, and makes a circuit, the circuit must be
with the sun, if against the sun, there will be a relapse. Liebrecht, zur Volks-
kundo, p. 322, quotes from the Statistical Account of Scotland, Vol. V, p. 88 tho
following statement of a Scottish minister, with reference to a marriage ceremony :
" After leaving the church, the whole company walk round it, keeping the church
walls always on the right hand."
Thiselton Dyer, in his English Folk-lore, p. 171, mentions a similar custom as
existing in the West of England. In Devonshire blackhead or pinsoles are cured by
creeping on one's hands and knees under or through a bramble three times with the
sun ; that is from cast to west. See also Ralston's Songs of the Russian people, p. 299.
574
Page 102 ; Add to note * Cp. Henderson's Folk-lore of the Northern Counties,
p. 131.
Page 103 Add to note * This story bears a certain resemblance to the termina-
tion of Alles aus einer Erbse, Kadon's Unter den Olivenbiiumen, p. 22. See also
page 220 of the same collection.
Page 104. Add to note f Liebrecht, in note 485 to page 413 of his translation of
Dunlop's History of Fiction, compares this story with one in The Thousand and One
Days of a princess of Kashmir, who was so beautiful that every one who saw her went
mad, or pined away. He also mentions an Arabian tradition with respect to the
Thracian sorceress Uhodope. " The Arabs believe that one of the pyramids is haunted
by a guardian spirit in the shape of a beautiful woman, the mere sight of whom drives
men mad." He refers also to Thomas Moore, the Epicurean, Note 6 to Chapter VI,
and the Adventures of Hatim Tai, translated by Duncan Forbes, p. 18.
Page 115. For parallels to the story of Urvasi, see Kuhn's Herabkunft des
Feuer's, p. 88.
Page 121, lino 6. Grimm in his Teutonic Mythology (translation by Stallybrass,
p. 121, note,) connects the description of wonderful maidens sitting inside hollow
trees or perched oc the boughs, with tree-worship.
Page 130, line 6. Grimm in his Teutonic Mythology (translation by Stallybrass,
p. 392) remarks — " One principal mark to know heroes by is their possessing intelligent
horses, and conversing with them. The touching conversation of Achilles with his
Xanthos and Balios finds a complete parallel in the beautiful Karling legend of Bayard.
(This is most pathetically told in Simrock's Deutsche Volksbucher, Vol. II, Die Heimons-
kinder, see especially page 64). Grimm proceeds to cite many other instances from
European literature. See also Note 3 to the XXth story in Miss Stokes's collection.
See also De Gubernatis, Zoological Mythology, Vol. I, p. 336 and./.
Page 132. Add to note * The belief that the dead rose from the tomb in the
form of Vampires appears to have existed in Chaldsea and Babylon. Lenormant
observes in his Chaldiean Magic and Sorcery, (English Translation, p. 37) "In a
fragment of the Mythological epopee which is traced upon a tablet in the British
Museum, and relates the descent of Ishtar into Hades, we are told that the goddess,
when she arrived at the doors of the infernal regions, called to the porter whoso duty
it was to open them, saying,
" Porter, open thy door ;
Open thy door that I may enter.
If thou dost not open the door, and if I cannot enter,
I will attack the door, I will break down its bars,
I will attack the enclosure, I will leap over its fences by force ;
I will cause the dead to rise and devour the living ;
I will give to the dead power over the living."
The same belief appears also to have existed in Egypt. The same author observes
(p. 02). "These formula) also kept the body fircm beoomhig, during fta separation
from the soul, the prey of some wieked spirit which would enter, re-animate, and cause
it to rise again in the form of a vampire. For, according to the Egyptian belief, the
possessing spirits, and the spectres which frightened or tormented the living were but
the souls of the condemned returning tu tho earth, before undergoing the annihilation
of the ' second death.' "
575
Pago 133, lino 1. Cp. the way in which the witch treats the corpse of her son
in the Vlth book of the Aethiopica of Heliodorus, ch. 14, and Lucan'a Pharealia, Book
VI, 754—757.
Page 134, line 25. Cp. Simrock's Deutsche Volksbiicher, Vol. Ill, p. 399.
Page 137, line 26. General Cunningham identifies Pauudravardhana with the
modern Pubna.
Page 138. Add to note » See also the 30th page of Lenormant's Chaldn ,m
Magic and Sorcery, English translation.
142, lines 1 and 2. For stories of transportation through the air, see Wir
Sikes, British Goblins, p. 157 and/1.
Pago 142. Add to footnote. See also the story of Heinrich der Lowe, Simrock's
Deutsche Volksbiicher, Vol. I, pp. 21 and 22.
Pago 151. Add to note * Probably the expression means " flexible, well-tempered
sword," as Professor Nflmani Mukhopadhyaya has suggested to me.
Page 153, lino 21. For the worship of trees and tree-spirits, see Grimm's Teu-
tonic Mythology, p. 75 and,/'., and Tylor's Primitive Culture, Vol. II, p. 196 and^.
Pago 154. Add to note § See also Wirt Sikes, British Goblins, pp. 200, and 201 ;
Henderson's Northern Folk-lore, p. 19, Bartsch's Sagen, Miirchen, und Gebrauche aus
Meklenburg, Vol. I, pp. 128, 213. Professor Jebb, in his notes on Theophrastus*
Superstitious man, observes " The object of all those ceremonies, in which the offerings
were carried round the person or place to be purified, was to trace a charmed circle
within which the powers of evil should not come."
Page 157. Add to note* In Icelandic Sagas a man with meeting eyebrows is
said to be a werewolf. The same idea holds in Denmark, also in Germany, whilst in
Greece it is a sign that a man is a Brukolak or Vampire. (Note by Baring-Gould in
Henderson's Folk-lore of the Northern Counties).
Page 159, line 15. " Kalaratri came into it with a drawn sword in her hand."
Cp. the Aethiopica of Heliodorus, Book VII, ch. 15, where the witch is armed with a
sword during her incantations ; and Homer's Odyssey, XI, 48. See also for the magic
virtues of steel Liebrecht, Zur Volkskunde, pp. 312, 313. Add to footnote J See also
Bartsch's Sagen, Miirchon und Gebrauche aus Meklenburg, Vol. I, p. 115.
Pago 166. Add to note f See also Bernhard Schmidt's Gricchische Marchcn,
p. 38. " A popular ballad referring to the story of Digenis gives him a life of 300
years, and represents his death as due to his killing a hind that had on its shoulder the
image of the Virgin Mary, a legend the foundation of which is possibly a recollec-
tion of the old mythological story of the hind of Artemis killed by Agamemnon."
[Sophoclis Elcctra, 568.] In the llomance of Doolin of Mayence Guyon kills a hermit
by mistake for a deer. (Liebrecht's translation of Dunlop's History of Fiction, p. 138)
See also De Gubernatis, Zoological Mythology, pp. 84 — 86.
Pago 174, line 13. For " all you desire " read " all ice desire." Liebrccht, speak-
ing of the novel of Guorino Meschino, compares this tree with the sun and moon-
trees mentioned in the work of the 1'seudo-Callisthenes, Book III, c. 17. They
inform Alexander that the years of his life are accomplished, and that ho will die in
Babylon. See also Ralston's Songs of the Russian people, p. 111.
Pago 183, lino 1. M. Le"veque considers that the above story, as told in the
Mahabharata, forms the basis of the Birds of Aristophanes. He identifies Garuda with
the hoopoe. (Les Mythes et los Legcndes do 1' Inde et de la Perse, p. 14).
Page 183. Add to note f Seo also Bartsch's Sagen, Miirchen, und Gebriiuche
aus Mekleuburg, Vol. I, p. 277 and/1.
576
Page 189. Add to note f For the idea see note on page 305.
Page 205. Add to note f Lenormant in his ChalcUean Magic and Sorcery, p. 41,
(English Translation), observes : " We must add to the number of those mysterious
rites the use of certain enchanted drinks, which doubtless really contained medicinal
drugs, as a cure for diseases, and also of magic knots, the efficacy of which was firmly
believed in, even up to the middle ages." See also Ralston's Songs of the Russian
people, p. 288.
Page 206. Add to note * Cp. also Kaden's TJnter den Olivenbaumen, p. 56.
Page 224. Add to note * In Wirfc Sikes's British Goblins, p. 84, a draught from
a forbidden well has the same effect.
Page 237, Add to note* See also Bartsch' s Sagen, Marchen, und Gebrauche aus
Meklenburg, VoL I, p. 90.
Page 241, line 4, " Story of the seven Brahmans." This appears to be found in
a slightly different form in the Harivansa. (Leveque, Mythes et L^gendes de 1'Inde,
p. 220).
Page 253. Add to note * A very striking parallel will be found in Bernhard
Schmidt's Griechische Marchen, Story No. 3, p. 68. In this story the three Moirai
predict evil. The young prince is saved by his sister, from being burnt, and from
falling over a precipice when a child, and from a snake on his wedding-day. See also
De Gubernatis, Zoological Mythology, Vol. II, pp. 301—302.
Page 254. Add to note * See also Sir Thomas Browne's Vulgar Errors, Book IV
ch. 9, " Of saluting upon sneezing."
Page 255, line 22, " the evil importunity of Pisachas." There is a story illus-
trating the " pertinacity" of goblins in Wirt Sikes's British Goblins, p. 191.
Page 263. Add to footnote. Compare also the way in which the gardener in
"Das Rosmarinstrauchlein," Kaden's Unter den Olivenbaumen, p. 12, acquires some
useful information. The story of Kirtisena from this point to the cure of the king
closely resembles the latter half of Die Zauberkugeln in the same collection.
Page 276. Add to footnote. So Arthur in the Romance of Artus de la Bretagne
(Liebrecht's Dunlop, p. 107) falls in love with a lady he sees in a dream. Liebrecht
in his note at the end of the book tells us that this is a common occurrence in Romances,
being found in Amadis of Greece, Palmerin of Oliva, the Romans de Sept Sages,
the Fabliau of the Chevalier a la Trappe, the Nibelungen Lied, &c., and ridiculed by
Chaucer in his Rime of Sir Topas. He also refers to Athenseus, p. 675, and the Henno-
timus of Lucian.
Page 286. Add to note * Cp. the story of St. Macarius.
Page 290. Add to footnote. See also Bartsch's Sagen, Marchen, und Gebrauche
aus Meklenburg, Vol. I, pp. 265, 313, 441—444, and 447, where peas are used for
the same purpose. See also De Gubernatis, Zoological Mythology, p. 165.
Page 305. Add to note J The same notion will be found in Bartsch's Sagen,
Miirchen, und Gebrauche aus Meklenburg, Vol. I, pp. 17, 64, 89, 91 ; Vol. II, p. 43.
Page 306. Add to footnote. For treasures and their guanli itsch's
Sagen, Miirchon, und Gcl.nluchc aus Meklenburg, Vol. I, p. 213 and Jf\, and for the
candle of human fat, Vol. II, pp. 333 and 335 of the same work. Cp. also Birliiigi-r,
Aus Schwaben, pp. 261 and 262 — 270.
Page 312. Add to note t The author of Sagas from the Far East remarks ;
" Scrpont-Cultus was of very ancient observance, and is practised by both foil*
of Brdhmanism and Buddhism. The Brahmans seem to have dr.-ind to show their
disapproval of it by placing the serpent-gods in the lower ranks of their mythology,
577
(Lassen. I, 707 and 544, n. 2). This cultus, however, seems to have received a fresh
development about the time of Asoka circa 250 B. C. (Vol. II, p. 467). When Madhy-
antika went into Cashmere and Gandhara to teach Buddhism after the holding of tho
third synod, it is mentioned that he found sacrifices to serpents practised there (II.
234, 235). There is a passage in Plutarch from which it appears to have heen tho
custom to sacrifice an old woman (previously condemned to death for some crime) to
the serpent-gods by burying her alive on the banks of the Indus (II. 467, note 4)
Ktesias also mentions the serpent worship (II. 642). In Buddhist legends serpents
are often mentioned as protecting patrons of certain towns. (Sagas from the Far
East, p. 355). See also Mr. F. S Growse's Mathura memoir, p. 71.
Page 327. Add to footnote. See also Simrock's Deutsche Volksbiicher, Vol. I,
p. 301 ; Vol. Ill, p. 12 ; Vol. VI, p. 289. Lucian in his De Dea. Syria ch. 32, speaks
of a precious stone of the name of \vxvis which was bright enough to light up a
whole temple at night. We read in the history of the Pseudo-Callisthenes, Book II,
ch. 42, that Alexander found in the belly of a fish a precious stone which he had set
in gold and used at night as a lamp. See also Baring Gould's Curious Myths of the
Middle Ages, p. 42.
Page 338. Add to note * The incident in Sicilianische Marchen closely resembles
one in the story of Fortunatus as told in Simrock's Deutsche Volksbiicher, Vol. Ill,
p. 175. There is a pipe that compels all the hearers to dance in Hug of Bordeaux,
Vol. X, p. 263, and a very similar fairy harp in Wirt Sikes's British Goblins, p. 97 ;
and a magic fiddle in Das Goldene Schachspiel, a story in Kaden's Unter den Olivcn-
baumen, p. 160. A fiddler in Bartsch's Sagen aus Meklenburg, (Vol. I, p. 130) makes
a girl spin round like a top. From that day she was lame. See also De Gubernatis,
Zoological Mythology, Vol. I, pp. 182 and 288, and Baring Gould, Ilnd Series, p. 152.
Page 343. Add to note. Cp. also Miss Keary's Heroes of Asgard, p. 223, where
Loki and Iduna in the forms of a falcon and a sparrow are pursued by the giant
Thiassi in the shape of an eagle.
Page 350, line 14. Cp. Sicilianische Marchen, Vol. II, p. 46, where the giant
treacherously lets fall his gauntlet, and asks his adversary to pick it up. His ad-
versary, the hero of the story, tells him to pick it up himself, and when the giant
bends down for the purpose, cuts oif his head with one blow of his sword.
Page 355. Add to note * Another parallel is to be found in Kaden's Unter den
Olivenbiiumen, p. 168. See also Sagas from the Far East, p. 268 ; Birlinger, Aua
Schwaben, p. 105.
Page 360, Note*; 3rd line from bottom. After "p. 408" insert "and Wirt
Sikes's British Goblins, p. 39."
Pago 361. Add to note * So in No. 83 of the Sicilianische Marchen the anta
help Carnfedda because ho once crumbled his bread for them.
Page 364. Add to footnote. See also Bartsch's Sagen, Marchen, und Gebrauche
aus Meklenburg, Vol. I, p. 508.
Page 369. Add to note on Chapter 39. Cp. also for tho tasks the story of Bisara
in Kaden's Unter den Olivcnbaumen, and that of Die schone Fiorita. Herr Kaden
aptly compares the story of Jason and Medea. Another excellent parallel is furnished
by the story of Schneeweiss-Feuerroth in the same collection, where we have the
pursuit much as in our text.
Pago 387. Add to footnote f See also Bartsch's Sagen, Marchen und Gebhiuche
aus Mcklonburg, Vol. I, p. 474. See also De Gubernatis, Zoological Mythology,
Vol. I, p. 328, Vol. II, p. 317.
•r)7S
.103. A 'U to note* See also the romance of Parthenopex of Blois in
Dunlop's History of Fiction, (Liubrucht's translation, p. 17-J).
Page 465. Add to note * See also Bartsch's Sagen, Miirchen und Gebrauche aus
Meklenburg, Vol. II, p. 313, and Birlingcr, Aus Schwaben, pp. 374 — 378, and 404.
For similar superstitions in ancient Greece see Jebb's Characters of Thoophrastus,
p. 163, "The superstitious man, if a weasel run across his path, will not pursue his
walk until some one else has traversed the road, or until he has thrown three stones
across it. When he sees a serpent in his house, if it be the red snake, he will invoke
Sabazius, if the sacred snake, he will straightway place a shrine on the spot • * * *
If an owl is startled by him in his walk, he will exclaim " Glory be to Athene !"
before he proceeds." Jebb refers us to AT. Eccl. 792.
480. Add to note t The same is asserted by Palladius of the trees in the
island of Taprobane, where the Makrobioi live. The fragment of Palladius, to which
I refer, begins at the 7th Chapter of the Illrd book of the History of the Pseudo-
Callisthenes edited by Carolus Mueller.
Page 499. Add to note t Kuhn in his "Herabkunft des Feuers" traces this
story back to the S'atapatha Brahmana.
TRANSLATION
OF THE
KATHA SARIT SAGARA
OB
OCEAN OF THE STREAMS OF STORY.
PART I.
CHAPTER I.
May the dark neck of S'iva, which the god of love has, so to speak,
surrounded with nooses in the form of the alluring looks of Parvati reclin-
ing on his bosom, assign to you prosperity.
May that victor of obstacles,* who after sweeping away the stars with
his trunk in the delirious joy of the evening dance, seems to create others
with the spray issuing from his hissingf mouth, protect you.
After worshipping the goddess of Speech, the lamp that illuminates
countless objects, | I compose this collection which contains the pith of the
Vrihat-Katha.
The first book in my collection is called Kathapitha, then conies
Kathamukha, then the third book named Lavanaka, then follows Xarava-
hanadattajanana, and then the book called Chahmlarika, and then Madana-
manchuka, then the seventh book named llatnaprabha, and then the eighth
book named Suryaprabha, then Alankaravati, then S'aktiyasas, and then
the eleventh book called Vela, then comes S'asankavati, and then Madivii-
vati, then comes the book called Paneha followed by Mahabhisheka,
and then S'uratamanjari, then Padnuivuti, and then will follow the
eighteenth book Vishamasila.
* Dr. BrorVnuiis explains this of GancSa, he is probably ;
the danco. So the poet invokes two gods, 3iva and (.laur-u, and one god.
vati, the goddess of speech and Icarni;
t S'tikdra a sound made by drawing in the breath, cxpros -ore.
% There is a double meaning : paddrtiiu also m.-an-. words and their meanings.
1
This book is precisely on the model of that from which it is taken,
there is not even the slightest deviation, only such language is selected as
tends to abridge the prolixity of the work ; the observance of propriety
and natural connexion, and the joining together of the portions of the
poem so as not to interfere with the spirit of the stories, are as far as
possible kept in view : I have not made this attempt through desire of a
reputation for ingenuity, but in order to facilitate the recollection of a
multitude of various tales.
There is a mountain celebrated under the name of Himavat, haunted
by Kinnaras, Gandharvas, and Vidyadharas, a very monarch of mighty
hills, whose glory has attained such an eminence among mountains that
Bhavani the mother of the three worlds deigned to become his daughter ;
the northernmost summit thereof is a great peak named Kailasa, which
towers many thousand yojanas in the air,* and as it were, laughs forth
with its snowy gleams this boast — " Mount Mandaraf did not become
•white as mortar even when the ocean was churned with it, but I have
become such without an effort." There dwells Mahesvara the beloved of
Parvati, the chief of things animate and inanimate, attended upon by
Ganas, Yidyadharas and Siddhas. In the upstanding yellow tufts of his
matted hair, the new moon enjoys the delight of touching the eastern
mountain yellow in the evening twilight. When he drove his trident into
the heart of Andhaka, the king of the Asuras, though he was only one, the
dart which that monarch had infixed in the heart of the three worlds was,
strange to say, extracted. The image of his toe-nails being reflected in
the crest-jewels of the gods and Asuras made them seem as if they had been
presented with half moons by his favour. J Once on a time that lord, the
husband of Parvati, was gratified with praises by his wife, having gained
confidence as she sat in secret with him ; the moon-crested one attentive
to her praise and delighted, placed her on his lap, and said, " What can I do
to please thee ?" Then the daughter of the mountain spake — " My lord, if
tbou art satisfied with me, then tell me some delightful story that is quite
new." And S'iva said to her, " What can there be in the world, my beloved,
present, past, or future that thou dost not know ?" Then that goddess, be-
loved of S'iva, importuned him. eagerly because she was proud in soul ou
account of his affection.
Then S'iva wishing to flatter her, began by telling her a very short
story, referring to her own divine power.
* Possibly the meaning is that the mountain covers many thousand ynjanas.
f This mountain K<TV< d the -<itl* and Asuras as a churning stick at the dunning
of the ocean for the recovery of the Amrita and fourteen other precious things lost
during the <1<
S'iva himself wears a moon's cresceut.
" Once on a time* Brahma and Narayana roaming through the world
in order to behold me, came to the foot of Himavat. Then they beheld
there in front of them a great flame-linga ;f in order to discover the
end of it, one of them went up, and the other down ; and when they could
not find the end of it, they proceeded to propitiate me by means of austeri-
ties : and I appeared to them and bade them ask for some boon : hearing
that Brahma asked me to become his son ; on that account he has ceased
to be worthy of worship, disgraced by his overweening presumption.
" Then that god Narayana craved a boon of me, saying — Oh revered
one, may I become devoted to thy service ! Then he became incarnate, and
was born as mine in thy form ; for thou art the same as Narayana, the
power of me all-powerful.
" Moreover thou wast my wife in a former birth." When S'iva had
thus spoken, Parvati asked, " How can I have been thy wife in a former
birth ?" Then S'iva answered her. " Long ago to the Prajapati Daksha were
born many daughters, and amongst them thou, 0 goddess ! He gave thee in
marriage to me, and the others to Dharma and the rest of the gods. Once
on a time he invited all his sons-in-law to a sacrifice. But I alone was not
included in the invitation ; thereupon thou didst ask him to tell thee why
thy husband was not invited. Then he uttered a speech which pierced thy
ears like a poisoned needle ; ' Thy husband wears a necklace of skulls ;
how can he be invited to a sacrifice ?'
" And then thou, my beloved, didst in anger abandon thy body, ex-
claiming,— ' This father of mine is a villain ; what profit have I then in this
carcase sprung from him ?'
" And thereupon in wrath I destroyed that sacrifice of Daksha. Then
thou wast born as the daughter of the mount of snow, as the moon's digit
springs from the sea. Then recall how I came to the Himalaya in order
to perform austerities ; and thy father ordered thee to do me service as his
guest : and there the god of love who had been sent by the gods in order
that they might obtain from me a son to oppose Taraka, was consumed,];
when endeavouring to pierce me, having obtained a favourable opportunity.
Then I was purchased by thee,§ the enduring one, with severe austerities,
and I accepted this proposal of thine, my beloved, in order that I might
add this merit to my stock. || Thus it is clear that thou wast my wife in
* The Sanskrit word Asti meaning '• thus it is" is a common introduction to a tale.
f The linga or phallus is a favourite emblem of S'iva. Flame is one of his eight
tanus or forms.
J He was burnt up by the fire of S'iva's eye.
§ Compare Kumara Sambhava Sarga V, line 86.
|| Heading tatsanchaydya as one word. Dr. Brocthaus omits the line. Professor
E. B. Cowell would read priyam for priye.
a former birth. What else shall I tell thee ?" Thus Siva spake, and when
he had ceased, the goddess transported with wrath, exclaimed, — " Thou art
a deceiver ; thou wilt not tell me a pleasing tale even though I ask thee :
Do I not know that thou worshippest Sandhya, and bearest Ganga on thy
head ?" Hearing that, S'iva proceeded to conciliate her and promised to
tell her a wonderful tale : then she dismissed her anger. She herself gave
the order that no one was to enter where they were ; Nandin* thereupon
kept the door, and S'iva began to speak.
" The gods are supremely blessed, men are ever miserable, the actions
of demigods are exceedingly charming, therefore I now proceed to relate
to thee the history of the Vidyadharas." While S'iva was thus speaking
to his consort, there arrived a favourite dependant of Siva's, Pushpadanta,
best of Ganas,t and his entrance was forbidden by Xandin who was guard-
ing the door. Curious to know why even he had been forbidden to enter
at that time without any apparent reason, Pushpadanta immediately enter-
ed, making use of his magic power attained by devotion to prevent his
being seen, and when he had thus entered, he heard all the extraordinary
and wonderful adventures of the seven Vidyadharas being narrated by the
trident-bearing god, and having heard them he in turn went and narrated
them to his wife Jaya ; for who can hide wealth or a secret from women ?
Java the doorkeeper being filled with wonder went and recited io in the
presence of Parvati. How can women be expected to restrain their speech ?
And then the daughter of the mountain flew into a passion, and said to her
husband, " Thou didst not tell me any extraordinary tale, for Jaya knows
it also." Then the lord of Uma, perceiving the truth by profound medi-
tation, thus spake : " Pushpadanta employing the magic power of devotion
entered in where we were, and thus managed to hear it. He narrated it
to Java ; no one else knows it, my beloved."
Having heard this, the goddess exceedingly enraged caused Pushpa-
danta to be summoned, and cursed him, as he stood trembling before her,
saying, " Become a mortal thou disobedient servant. "J She cursed also
the (Sana M;ilyav;in who presumed to intercede on his behalf. Then the
two fell at her feet together with .Java and entreated her to say when the
curse would end, and the wife of S'iva slowly uttered this speech — " A
Yaksha named Supratika who has been made a 1'isaeha by the curse of
Kuvera is iv.-iding in the Yindhya forest under the name of Kanahhuti.
When thou shalt see him and, calling to mind thy origin, tell him this
tale, then, Pushpadanta, thou shalt be released from this curse. And
* One of S'iva's favourite :
t Attendant* of S'iv.i, inv-iiini
J For the alh'i/nta of Dr. lirockkuus's text 1 road ai-inita.
when Malyavan shall hear this talc from Kanabhuti, then Kanabhuti shall
be released, and thou, Malyavan, when thou hast published it abroad, shalt
be free also." Having thus spoken the daughter of the mountain ceased,
and immediately those Ganas disappeared instantaneously like flashes of
lightning. Then it came to pass in the course of time that Gauri full of
pity asked S'iva, " My lord, where on the earth have those excellent Pra-
mathas* whom I cursed, been born ?" And the moon-diademed god answered :
" My beloved, Pushpadanta has been born under the name of Vararuchi
in that great city which is called Kausarnbi.f Moreover Malyavan also
has been born in the splendid city called Supratishthita under the name of
Gunadhya. This, 0 goddess, is what has befallen them." Having given
her this information with grief caused by recalling to mind the degrada-
tion of the servants that had always been obedient to him, that lord con-
tinued to dwell with his beloved in pleasure-arbours on the slopes of mount
Kailasa, which were made of the branches of the Kalpa tree. £
CHAPTER II.
Then Pushpadanta wandering on the earth in the form of a man, was
known by the name of Vararuchi and Katyayana. Having attained per-
fection in the sciences, and having served Nanda as minister, being wearied
out he went once on a time to visit the shrine of Durga. § And that god-
dess, being pleased with his austerities, ordered him in a dream to repair
to the wilds of the Vindhya to behold Kanabhuti. And as he wandered
about there in a waterless and savage \vood,|| full of tigers and apes, he
beheld a lofty Nyagrodha tree.^f And near it he saw, surrounded by hun-
dreds of Pisachas, that Pisacha Kanabhuti, in stature like a $>dla tree.
* Pramatha, an attendant on S'iva.
t Kausambf succeeded Hastinapur as • the capital of the emperors of India. Its
precise site has not been ascertained, but it was probably somewhere in the Doaba, or
at any rate not far from the west bank of the Yamuna, as it bordered upon Magadha and
was not far from the Vindhya hills. It is said that there are ruins at Karali or Karari
about 14 miles from Allahabad on the western road, which may indicate the site of
Kausambi. It is possible also that the mounds of rubbish about Karrah may c<>:
some vestiges of the ancient capital — a circumstance rendered more probable by tho
inscription found there, which specifies Kata as comprised within Kausiimba mandala
or the district of Kausambf. [Note in Wilson's Essays, p. 163.]
J A tree of Indra's Paradise that grants all <L •>: :
§ More literally, tho goddess that dwells in tho Vindhya hills. Her shrine is near
Mirzapur.
|| Dr. Brockhaus makes parusha a proper name.
. H ficui Indica.
When Kanabhuti bad seen him and respectfully clasped bis feet, Katyaya-
n;i. sitting down immediately spake to bim. " Thou art an observer of
the good custom, bow hast thou come into this state ?" Having heard this
Kanabhuti said to Katyayana, who bad shewn affection towards bim, I
know not of myself, but listen to what I beard from Siva at Ujjayini in
the place where corpses are burnt ; I proceed to tell it thee. The adorable
god was asked by Durga — " Whence, my lord, comes thy delight in skulls
and burning-places ?" He thereupon gave this answer.
" Long ago when all tilings had been destroyed at the end of a Kalpa,
the universe became water : I then cleft my thigh and let fall a drop of
blood ; that drop falling into the water turned into an egg, from that
sprung the Supreme Soul,* the Disposer ; from bim proceeded Nature, f
created by me for the purpose of further creation, and they created the
other lords of created beings, J and those in turn the created beings, for
which reason, my beloved, the Supreme Soul is called in the world the
grandfather. Having thus created the world, animate and inanimate, that
Spirit became arrogant :§ thereupon I cut off his bead : then through
regret for what I bad done, I undertook a difficult vow. So thus it comes
to pass that I carry skulls in my band, and love the places where corpses
are burned. Moreover this world resembling a skull, rests in my band ;
for the two skull-shaped halves of the egg before mentioned are called
heaven and earth." When S'iva had thus spoken, I, being full of curiosity,
determined to listen ; and Purvati again said to her husband. " After how
long a time will that Pushpadanta return to us ?" Hearing that, Mahes-
vara spoke to the goddess, pointing me out to her ; " That Pisacba whom
thou beholdeit there, was once a Yakaha, a servant of Km era, the god of
wealth, and he had for a friend a Kakshasa named Sthulasiras ; and the
lord of wealth perceiving that be associated with that evil one, banished
him to the wilds of the Vindhya mountains. But his brother Dirghajangba
fell at the feet of the god, and humbly asked when the curse would end.
Then the god of wealth said — " After thy brother has heard the great tale
from Pushpadanta, who lias been born into this world in consequence of a
curse, and after he has in turn told it to Malyavan, who owing to a curse
has become a human being, he together with those two Ganas shall be
released from the elTeets of the curse." Such were the terms on which the
god of wealth then ordained that Malyavan should obtain remission from
bis curse here below, and thou didst fix the same in the case oi.' PushpacUui-
• Pitman = Fitm*!"'. \\\>- >i>irit.
t Pratrilij the original source or rath IH.V..T of creating the ni;.
world.
J Prujiipiili.
§ The spirit was of course Brahma whowo head Siva cut off.
ta ; recall it to mind, my beloved." When I hoard that speech of Siva, I
came here overjoyed, knowing that the calamity of my curse would 1 •>•
terminated by the arrival of Pushpadanta. "When Kanablmti censed at't>-r
telling this story, that moment Vararuchi remembered his origin, and
exclaimed like one aroused from sleep, " I am that very Pushpadanta, hear
that tale from me." Thereupon Katyayana related to him the seven great
tales in seven hundred thousand verses, and then Kanabhuti said to him —
" My lord, thou art an incarnation of S'iva, who else knows this st<
Through thy favour that curse has almost left my body. Therefore tell me
thy own history from thy birth, thou mighty one, sanctify me yet further,
if the narrative may be revealed to such a one as I am." Then Vararuchi,
to gratify Kanabhuti, who remained prostrate before him, told all his his-
tory from his birth at full length, in the following words :
Story of VdrarucM, Jns teacher Varsha, I» the city of Kausambi there
and his fMow-jnipils Vyadi and Indradatta. lived a Brahman called Somadatta,
who also had the title of Agnisikha, and his wife was called Vasudatta.
She was the daughter of a hermit, and was born into the world in this position
in consequence of a curse ; and I was born by her to this excellent Brah-
man, also in consequence of a curse. Now while I was still quite a child
my father died, but my mother continued to support me, as I grew up, by
severe drudgery ; then one day two Brahmans came to our house to stop
a night, exceedingly dusty with a long journey ; and while they were stay-
ing in oui" house there arose the noise of a tabor, thereupon my mother
said to me, sobbing, as she called to mind her husband — "there, my son, is
your father's friend Bhavananda, giving a dramatic entertainment." I an-
swered, " I will go and see it, and will exhibit the whole of it to you, with
a recitation of all the speeches." On hearing that speech of mine, those
Brahmans were astonished, but my mother said to them — " Come, my
children, there is no doubt about the truth of what he says ; this boy will
remember by heart everything that he has heard once." Then they, in
order to test me, recited to rne a Pratisdkhya* ; immediately I repeated the
whole in their presence, then I went with the two Brahmans and saw that
play, and when I came home, I went through the whole of it in front of
my mother : then one of the Brahmans, named Vyadi, having ascertained
that I was able to recollect a thing on hearing it once, told with submi
reverence this tale to my mother.
Mother, in the city of Vetasa there were two Brahman brothers, Deva-
Swamin and Karambaka, who loved one another very dearly, this Indradatta
here is the son of one of them, and I am the son of the other, and my name
* A grammatical treatise on the rules regulating the euphonic combination of
letters and their pronunciation peculiar to oue of the diU'cmit i>akhaa or brunches of
the Yedas. — M. W. s. v.
8
is Vyadi. It came to pass that my father died. Owing to grief for his
loss, the father of Indradatta went on the long journey,* and then the
hearts of our two mothers broke with grief ; thereupon being orphans
though we had wealth,f and, desiring to acquire learning, we went to the
southern region to supplicate the lord Kartikeya. And while we were engaged
in austerities there, the god gave us the following revelation in a dream.
" There is a city called Pataliputra, the capital of king Nanda, and in it
there is a Brahman, named Varsha, from him ye shall learn all knowledge,
therefore go there." Then we went to that city, and when we made en-
quiries there, people said to us : " There is a blockhead of a Brahman in
this town, of the name of Varsha." Immediately we went on with minds
in a state of suspense, and saw the house of Varsha in a miserable condition,
made a very ant-hill by mice, dilapidated by the cracking of the walls,
untidy,^ deprived of eaves, looking like the very birth-place of misery.
Then, seeing Varsha plunged in meditation within the house, we ap-
proached his wife, who shewed us all proper hospitality ; her body was
emaciated and begrimed, her dress tattered and dirty ; she looked like the
incarnation of poverty, attracted thither by admiration for the Brahman's
virtues. Bending humbly before her, we then told her our circumstances,
and the report of her husband's imbecility, which we heard in the city.
She exclaimed — " My children, I am not ashamed to tell you the truth ;
listen ! I will relate the whole story," and then she, chaste lady, proceeded
to tell us the tale which follows :
There lived in this city an excellent Brahman, named S'ankara Svamin,
and he had two sons, my husband Varsha, and Upavarsha ; my husband
was stupid and poor, and his younger brother was -just the opposite : and
Upavarsha appointed his own wife to manage his elder brother's house. §
Then in the course of time, the rainy season came on, and at this time the
•women are in the habit of making a cake of flour mixed with molasses, of an
unbecoming and disgusting shape, || and giving it to any Brahman who is
thought to be a blockhead, and if they act thus, this cake is said to remove
their discomfort caused by bathing in the cold season, and their exhaustion^"
* i. e., died.
t Bare we have a pun -which it is impossible to render in English. Andtha
means without natural protectors and also poor.
J Taking chhdyd in the sense of sobhd. It might mean "affording no shelter to
the inmates."
§ Dr. Brockhaus translates the line — Von dicsem icttrde ich meinem Mannc vcr-
miihlt, urn fti
|| Like the Roman fascinum. gtihya = phallus.
f I read tat for td h according to a conjecture of Professor E. B. Cowdl's. I To
informs me on the authority of Dr. Rost that the only variants are i>d for tdh and
caused by bathing in the hot weather ; but when it is given, Brahmans
refuse to receive it, on the ground that the custom is a disgusting one.
This cake was presented by my sister-in-law to my husband, together with
a sacrificial fee ; he received it, and brought it home with him, and got a
severe scolding from me ; then he began to be inwardly consumed with
grief at his own stupidity, and went to worship the sole of the foot of the
god Kartikeya : the god, pleased with his austerities, bestowed on him the
knowledge of all the sciences ; and gave him this order — " When tliou
findest a Brahman who can recollect what he has heard only once, then
thou mayest reveal these" — thereupon my husband returned home delight-
ed, and when he had reached home, told the whole story to me. From that
time forth, he has remained continually muttering prayers and meditating :
so find you some one who can remember anything after hearing it once, and
bring him here : if you do that, you will both of you undoubtedly obtain
all that you desire.
Having heard this from the wife of Varsha, and having immediately
given her a hundred gold pieces to relieve her poverty, we went out of that
city ; then we wandered through the earth, and could not find anywhere a
person who could remember what he had only heard once : at last we
arrived tired out at your house to-day, and have found here this boy, your
son, who can recollect anything after once hearing it : therefore give him
us and let us go forth to acquire the commodity knowledge.
Having heard- this speech of Vyadi, my mother said with respect, " All
this tallies completely, I repose confidence in your tale : for long ago at
the birth of this my only son, a distinct spiritual* voice was heard from
«
yoskitd for yoshitah. Dr. Rost would take evamkrite as the dative of evamkrit. If tdh
be retained it may be taken as a repetition " having thus prepared it, I say, the women
give it." Professor Cowell would translate (if tdh be retained) " the women then do
not need to receive anything to relieve their fatigue during the cold and hot weather."
Professor E. B. Cowell has referred me to an article by Dr. Liebrecht in the Zeit-
schrift der Morgenlandischen Gesellschaft.
He connects the custom with that of the Jewish women mentioned in Jeremiah
VII. 18, " The women knead their dough to make cakes to the queen of heaven," and
he quotes a curious custom practised on Palm Sunday in the town of Saintes. Dulaure
slates that in his time the festival was called there La fete iles Pinnes; the women and
children carried in the procession a phallus made of bread, which they called a pintle, at
the end of their palm branches ; these jn'/ntcs were subsequently blessed by the ]
and carefully preserved by the women during the year. This article has been repub-
lisheil by the learned author in his " Zur Volkskunde" (Heilbronn, 1879) p. 430 and
f f. under the title of " der aufgegessene Gott." It contains many iuteu>ting purallcLj
to the custom described in the text.
• Literally bodiless — she heard the voice, but saw no man.
2
10
heaven. " A boy has been born who shall be able to remember what he has
heard once ; he shall acquire knowledge from Varsha, and shall make the
science of grammar famous in the world, and he shall be called Vararuchi
by name, because whatever is excellent,* shall please him." Having utter-
ed this, the voice ceased. Consequently, ever since this boy has grown big,
I have been thinking, day and night, where that teacher Yarsha can be, and
to-day I have been exceedingly gratified at hearing it from your mouth.
Therefore take him with you : what harm can there be in it, he is your
brother ?" When they heard this speech of my mother's, those two, Yyadi
and Indradatta, overflowing with joy, thought that night but a moment in
length. Then Vyadi quickly gave his own wealth to my mother to provide
a feast, and desiring that I should be qualified to read the Yedas, invested
me with the Brahmanical thread. Then Vyadi and Indradatta took me,
who managed by my own fortitude to control the excessive grief I felt at
parting, while my mother in taking leave of me could with difficulty sup-
press her tears, and considering that the favour of Kartikeya towards them
had now put forth blossom, set out rapidly from that city ; then in course
of time we arrived at the house of the teacher Yarsha : he too considered
that I was the favour of Kartikeya arrived in bodily form. The next day
he placed us in front of him, and sitting down in a consecrated spot, he
began to recite the syllable Om with heavenly voice. Immediately the
Yedas with the six supplementary sciences rushed into his mind, and then
he began to teach them to us ; then I retained what the teacher told us
after hearing it once, Yyadi after hearing it twice, and Indradatta after
hearing it three times : then the Brahmans of the city hearing of a sudden
that divine sound, came at once from all quarters with wonder stirring in
their breasts to see what this new thing might be ; and with their reverend
mouths loud in his praises honoured Yarsha with low bows. Then behold-
ing that wonderful miracle, not only Upavarsha, but all the citizens of
Pataliputraf kept high festival. Moreover the king Nanda of exalted
fortune, seeing the power of the boon of the son of Siva, was delighted,
and immediately filled the house of Yarsha with wealth, shewing him every
mark of respect. J
* Vara = excellent ruth = to please.
t /. e. Palibothra.
J Wilson remarks (Essays on Sanskrit Literature, Vol. T, p. IGo). " The contempo-
rary existence of Nanda with Vararuchi ;md Vyadi i.s a rhvumstanrc of r<>nsidrnil>k>
int>Ti-t in the literary history of the Hindus, as the two ;ote on
philological topics. Yararurhi i.s al.-o calli-d in this v. v. ho is one of the
earliest commentators on 1'anini. Nanda is tin- i>ivd<rrssor or one of the predoi
of Chandragupta or Sandrakottos : and < -OHM '<|iirntiy thr rhi, • ,,f Sanskrit
grammar arc thus dated from the fourth century bi.i'on: tli \Vo need
11
CHAPTER III.
Having thus spoken while Ivdnabbuti was listening with intent mind,
Vararuchi went on to tell his tale in the wood.
It came to pass in the course of time, that one day, when the reading
of the Vedas was finished, the teacher Varsha, who had performed his daily
ceremonies, was asked by us, " How comes it that such a city as this has
become the home of Sarasvati and Lakshmi,* tell us that, O teacher."
I louring this, he bade us listen, for that he was about to tell the history of
the city.
story of the founding of the city of There is a sanctifying place of pil-
Pdtaliputra. grimage, named Kanakhala, at the
point where the Ganges issues from the hills,f where the sacred stream was
brought down from the table-land of mount Usinara, by Kanehanapata the
elephant of the gods, having cleft it asunder. J In that place lived a certain
Brahman from the Deccan, performing austerities in the company of his
wife, and to him were born there three sons. In the course of time he and
his wife went to heaven, and those sons of his went to a place named
Kajagriha, for the sake of acquiring learning. And having studied the
sciences there, the three, grieved at their unprotected condition, went to
the Deccan in order to visit the shrine of the god Kartikeya. Then they
reached a city named Chinchini on the shore of the sea, and dwelt in the
house of a Brahman named Bhojika, and he gave them his three daugh-
ters in marriage, and bestowed on them all his wealth, and having no
other children, went to the Ganges to perform austerities. And while they
were living there in the house of their father-in-law, a terrible famine arose
produced by drought, thereupon the three Brahmans fled, abandoning their
virtuous wives, (since no care for their families touches the hearts of cruel
men,) then the middle one of the three sisters was found to be pregnant ;
and those ladies repaired to the house of Yajnadatta a friend of their
father's : there they remained in a miserable condition, thinking each on her
own husband, (for even in calamity women of good family do not forget the
not suppose that Somadeva took the pains to be exact here ; but it is satisfactory to bo
made acquainted with the general impressions of a writer who has not been biassed in
any of his views by Pauranik legends and preposterous chronology."
* /. e., of learning and material prosperity.
t Literally the gate of the Ganges : it is now well known under tho name of
Haridvar (Third war).
t Dr. Brockhaus renders tho passage " wo Sftva die Jahnari i»t goldenen Folk am
den Gipfclii den licnjcs l.'simira licrabsaiulte."
12
duties of virtuous wives). Now in course of time the middle one of the
three sisters gave birth to a son, and they all three vied with one another
in love towards him. So it happened once upon a time that, as S'iva was
roaming through the air, the mother of Skanda* who was reposing on
S'iva' s breast, moved with compassion at seeing their love for their child,
said to her husband, " My lord, observe, these three women feel great affec-
tion for this boy, and place hope in him, trusting that he may some day
support them ; therefore bring it about that he may be able to maintain
them, even in his infancy." Having been thus entreated by his beloved, S'iva,
the giver of boons, thus answered her : I adopt him as my protege, for in a
previous birth he and his wife propitiated me, therefore he has been born on
the earth to reap the fruit of his former austerities ; and his former wife has
been born again as Patala, the daughter of the king Mahendravarman, and
she shall be his wife in this birth also. Having said this, that mighty god
told those three virtuous women in a dream, — " This young son of yours shall
be called Putraka ; and every day when he awakes from sleep, a hundred
thousand gold pieces shall be found under his pillow, and at last he shall
become a king." Accordingly, when he woke up from sleep, those virtuous
daughters of Yajnadatta found the gold and rejoiced that their vows and
prayers had brought forth fruit. Then by means of that gold Putraka having
in a short time accumulated great treasure, became a king, for good fortune is
the result of austerities.f Once upon a time Yajnadatta said in private to
Putraka, — " King, your father and uncles have gone away into the wide world
on account of a famine, therefore give continually to Brahmans, in order
that they may hear of it and return : and now listen, I will tell you the
story of Brahmadatta.
There lived formerly in Benares a
fiforu of king Brahmadatta. -, • j -r> i j .
king named Brahmadatta. He saw
a pair of swans flying in the air at night. They shone with the lustre of
Miing gold, and were begirt with hundreds of white swans, and so look-
ed like a sudden flash of lightning, surrounded by white clouds. And his
desire to behold them again kept increasing so mightily that he took no
pleasure in the delights of royalty. And then having taken counsel with
his ministers he cau^-d a fair tank to l>e made according to a design of his
own, and gave to all living creatures security from injury. In a short time
he perceived that those two swans had settled in that lake, and when they
had become tame he asked them the reason of their golden plumage. And
then those swans addressed the king with an articulate voice. ' Jn a former
* Skanda is K&rtikeya and his mother is of course Durga or Purvati the >
of S>iva.
t In this case the austerities which he h:ul pn-funurd in a former birth to i>i"jii-
tiatc B
13
birth, O ting, we were born as crows ; and when we were fighting for the
remains of the daily offering* in a holy empty temple of S'iva, we fell down
and died within a sacred vessel belonging to that sanctuary, and consequently
\\vhavebeen born as golden s\v;ms with a remembrance of our former
birth' ; — having heard this the king gazed on them to his heart's content,
and derived great pleasure from watching them.
" Therefore you will gain back your father and uncles by an unparalleled
gift." When Yajnadatta h;id given him this advice, Putraka did as lie re-
commended; when they heard the tidings of the distribution those Brah-
mans arrived : and when they were recognized they had great wealth
bestowed on them, and were reunited to their wives. Strange to say, even
after they have gone through calamities, wicked men having tlieir minds
blinded by want of discernment, are unable to put off their evil nature.
After a time they hankered after royal power, and being desirous of mur-
dering Putraka they enticed him under pretext of a pilgrimage to the
temple of Durga : and having stationed assassins in the inner sanctuary of
the temple, they said to him, " First go and visit the goddess alone, step
inside." Thereupon he entered boldly, but when he saw those assas<ins
preparing to slay him, be asked them why they wished to kill him.
They replied, " We were hired for gold to do it by your father and uncles."
Then the discreet Putraka said to the assassins, whose senses were bewilder-
ed by the goddess, " I will give you this priceless jewelled ornament of
mine. Spare me, I will not reveal your secret ; I will go to a distant
land." The assassins said, " So be it," and taking the ornament they depart-
ed, and falsely in formed the father and uncles of Putraka that he was slain.
Then those Brahmans returned and endeavoured to get possession of the
throne, but they were put to death by the ministers as traitors. How can
the ungrateful prosper ?
In the meanwhile that king Putraka, faithful to his promise, entered
the impassable wilds of the Vindhya, disgusted with his relations : as he
wandered about he saw two heroes engaged heart and soul in a wrestling-
match, and he asked them who they were. They replied, " We are the two
sons of the Asura ^laya, and his wealth belongs to us, this vessel, and this
stick, and these shoes ; it is for these that wo are fjghting, and whichever
of us proves the mightier is to take them." When he heard this speech of
theirs, Putraka said with a. smile — " That is a fine inheritance for a man."
Then they said — " By putting on these shoes one gains the power of flying
through the air ; whatever is written with this staff turns out true ; and
whatever food a man wishes to have in the vessel is found there immediate-
* /. e.t bali, a portion of the daily m; ul offered to oreatun 's of every il -' ii]>tion,
especially the household spirits. I'l-actually the bali generally fulls to sonic m>\v,
hence that bird is culled lulibhuj.
14
ly." When he heard this, Putraka said — " What is the use of fighting ? make
this agreement, that whoever proves the hest man in running shall possess
this wealth."* Those simpletons said — " Agreed" — and set off to run, while
the prince put on the shoes and flew up into the air, taking with him the
* A similar incident is found in Grimm's Fairy Tales translated by Mrs. Paull,
p. 370. The hero of the tale called the Crystal Ball finds two giants fighting for a little
hat. On his expn -ssing his wonder, " Ah", they replied " you call it old, you do not know
its value. It is what is called a wishing-hat, and whoever puts it on can wish himself
where he will, and immediately he is there." " Give me the hat," replied the young man,
" I will go on a little way and when I call you must both run a race to overtake me,
and whoever reaches me first, to him the hat shall belong." The giants agreed and the
youth taking the hat put it on and went away ; but he was thinking so much of the
princess that he forgot the giants and the hat, and continued to go further and further
without calling them. Presently he sighed deeply and said, " Ah if I were only at the
Castle of the golden sun."
Wilson (Collected AVorks, Vol. Ill, p. 169, note,) observes that " the story is told
almost in the same words in the Bahar Danish, a purse being substituted for the rod ;
Jahandar obtains possession of it, as well as the cup, and slippers in a similar manner.
"NYVber [Eastern Romances, Introduction, p. 39] has noticed the analogy which the slippers
bear to tin1 cap of Fortunatus. The inexhaustible purse, although not mentioned here, is
of Hindu origin also, and a fraudulent representative of it makes a great figure in one of
the stories of the Dasa Kumara Charita" [eh. 2, see also L. Dcslongchamps Essai sur
ables Indiennes. Paris, 1838, p. 35 f. and Grasse, Sagen des Mittelalters, Leipzig,
1812, p. 19 f.] The additions between brackets are due to Dr. Reinholdt Host the
editor of "Wilson's Essays.
The Mongolian form of the story may be found in Sagas from the Far East, p. 24.
A similar incident is also found in the Swedish story in Thorpe's Scandinavian Tales,
entitled " the Beautiful Palace East of the Sun and North of the Earth." A youth
acquires boots by means of which he can go a hundred miles at every step, and a cloak,
that ivndi rs him invisible, in a very similar way.
I find that in the notes in Grimm's 3rd Volume, page 168, (edition of 1856) the
passage in Somadeva is referred to, and other parallels given. The author of these notes
•ares a Swedish story in Cavallius, p. 182, and Priihle, Kindcrmarchen, No. 22. He
also quotes from the Sidi Kiir, the story to which I have referred in Sagas from the
Far Bart, and compares a Norwegian story in Ashhjiirnsen, pp. 53, 171, a Hungarian
story in Muilath and Gaal, N. 7, and an Arabian tale in the continuation of the 1001
Nights. See also Sicilianischo Marchen by Laura Gonzenbach, Parti, Story 31.
Here we have a table-clotfe, a purse, and a pipe. When the table-cloth is spread out
one has only to say — Dear little table-cloth, give maccaroni or roast-meat or wh,:
may be required, and it is immediately present. The purse will supply as much money
as one asks it for, and the pipe is something like that of the pied piper of Ilanielin,
one who hears it must dance. Dr. Kiihler in his notes, at the did of Laura
Gonzenbach' s collection, compares (besides the story ofl'ortutiatu.s, and (Jrinun I Il.:>oi2,)
:le, Kinder-und Hau>iiiiuvhen, 1 1. 7.'] and 193. Curze, Popular Traditions from
Waldeck, ]i.:;]. < M-sta Kollianorum, (.'hap. 1 •_'<>. (.'ainpl.eH'.- 1 lighlaml Tales, No. 10,
and many others. The f-h,,, s in <,ur j i may also be cuinparcd with thu bed
in the IXth Novel of the Xth day of f] • ron.
15
staff and the vessel ; then he went a great distance in a short time and saw
beneath him a heautiful city named Akarshika and descended into it from
the sky. He reflected with himself ; " heteerae are prone to deceive, Bnih-
mans are like my father and uncles, and merchants are greedy of wealth ;
in whose house shall I dwell ?" Just at that moment he reached a lonely
dilapidated house, and saw a single old woman in it ; so he gratified that
old woman with a present, and lived unobserved in that broken down old
house, waited upon respectfully by the old woman.
Once upon a time the old woman in an affectionate mood said to Putra-
ka — " I am grieved, my son, that you have not a wife meet for you. But
here there is a maiden named Patali, the daughter of the king, and she is
preserved like a jewel in the upper story of a seraglio." While he was lis-
tening to this speech of hers with open ear, the god of love found an un-
guarded point, and entered by that very path into his heart. He made up
his mind that he must see that damsel that very day, and in the night flew
up through the air to where she was, by the help of his magic shoes. He
then entered by a window, which was as high above the ground as the peak
of a mountain, and beheld that Patali, asleep in a secret place in the sera-
glio, continually bathed in the moonlight that seemed to cling to her limbs :
as it were the might of love in fleshly form reposing after the conquest of
this world. While he was thinking how he should awake her, suddenly
outside a watchman began to chant ; " Young men obtain the fruit of
their birth, when they awake the sleeping fair one, embracing her as she
sweetly scolds, with her eyes languidly opening." On hearing this encou-
raging prelude, he embraced that fair one with limbs trembling with excite-
ment, and then she awoke. When she beheld that prince, there was a
contest between shame and love in her eye, which was alternately fixed on
his face and averted. When they had conversed together, and gone through
the ceremony of the Gandharva marriage, that couple found their love
continually increasing, as the night waned away. Then Putraka took leave
of his sorrowing wife, and with his mind dwelling only on her went in the
last watch of the night to the old woman's house. So every night the
prince kept going backwards and forwards, and at last the intrigue was
discovered by the guards of the seraglio, accordingly they revealed the
matter to the lady's father, and he appointed a woman to watch secretly
in the seraglio at night. She, finding the prince asleep, made a mark with
red lac upon his garment to facilitate his recognition. In the morning she
informed the king of what she had clone, and he sent out spk>s in all
directions, and Putraka was discovered by the mark and dragged out from
the dilapidated house into the presence of the king. Seeing that the king
was enraged, he flew up into the air with the help of the shoes, and enteivd
the palace of Patali. He said to her, — " We are discovered, therefore rise
16
up, let us escape with the help of the slices, and so taking Patali in his
arms he flew away from that place through the air. Then descending from
heaven near the bank of the Ganges, he refreshed his weary beloved with
cakes provided by means of the magic vessel. When Patali saw the power
of Putraka she made a request to him, in accordance with which he sketch-
ed out with the staff a city furnished with a force of all four arms.* In
that city he established himself as king, and his great power having attain,
ed full development, he subdued that father-in-law of his, and became ruler
of the sea-engirdled earth. This is that same divine city, produced by
magic, together with its citizens ; hence it bears the name of Pataliputra,
and is the home of wealth and learning.
When we heard from the mouth of Varsha the above strange and
extraordinarily marvellous story, our minds, 0 Kanabhuti, were for a long
time delighted with thrilling wonder.
CHAPTER IV.
Having related this episode to Kanabhuti in the Vindhya forest, Vara-
ruchi again resumed the main thread of his narrative.
While thus dwelling there with Vyadi and Indradatta, I gradually
attained perfection in all sciences, and emerged from the condition of child-
hood. Once on a time when we went out to witness the festival of Indra,
we saw a maiden looking like some weapon of Cupid, not of the nature of
an arrow. Then, Indradatta, on my asking him who that lady might be,
replied, — " She is the daughter of Upavarsha, and her name is Upakosa,"
and she found out by means of her handmaids who I was, and drawing my
soul after her with a glance made tender by love, she with difficulty
managed to return to her own house. She had a face like a full moon, and
eyes like a blue lotus, she had arms graceful like the stalk of a lotus, and
a lovely fullf bosom ; she had a neck marked with three lines like a shell, J
and magnificent coral lips ; in short she was a second Lakshmi, so to speak,
the store-house of the beauty of king Cupid. Then my heart was cleft by
the stroke of love's arrow, and I could not sleep that night through my
desire to kiss her bintb<t§ lip. Having at last with difficulty gone off to
* /. f., infantry, cavalry, elephants, and archers.
t Literally she was s]ili-inlid with a full bosom, ...glorious with ri>i
uttatmi in the let hall I n .ul iij,itntu.
J Consid.-icd tu he indicative «l' exalt, d I'urtune. — M»nit>- Jf'if.-
§ Tip ':>'< an 1 ndiaii fruit, this expression may he paralleled hy "currant
lip'' in tin' Two Noble KiiiSiin n I. 1.21iiur "cherry lip" Jiii-h. 111. I. I. !U.
17
sleep, I saw, at the close of night, a celestial woman in white garments ;
she said to me — " Upakosa was thy wife in a former birth ; as she appre-
ciates merit, she desires no one but thee, therefore, my son, thou oughtest
not to feel anxious about this matter. I am Sarasvati* that dwell con-
tinually in thy frame, I cannot hear to behold thy grief." "When she had
said this, she disappeared. Then I woke up and somewhat encouraged I
went slowly and stood under a young mango tree near the house of my
beloved ; then her confidante came and told me of the ardent attachment
of Upakosa to me, the result of sudden passion : then 1 with my pain
doubled, said to her, " How can I obtain Upakosa unless her natural pro-
tectors willingly bestow her upon me ? For death is better than dishon-
our ; so if by any means your friend's heart became known to her parents,
perl nips the end might be prosperous.
" Therefore bring this about, my good woman, save the life of me and
of thy friend." When she heard this, she went and told all to her friend's
mother, she immediately told it to her husband Upavarsha, he to Varsha
his brother, and Varsha approved of the match. Then, my marriage having
been determined upon, Vyadi by the order of my tutor went and brought
my mother from Kausambi ; so Upakosa was bestowed upon me by her
father with all due ceremonies, and I lived happily in Pataliputra with my
mother and my wife.
Now in course of time Varsha got a great number of pupils, and
among them there was one rather stupid pupil of the name of Panini ; he,
being wearied out with service, was sent away by the preceptor's wife, and
being disgusted at it and longing for learning, he went to the Himalaya to
perform austerities : then he obtained from the god, who wears the moon
as a crest, propitiated by his severe austerities, a new grammar, the source
of all learning. Thereupon he came and challenged me to a disputation,
and seven days passed away in the course of our disputation ; on the eighth
day he had been fairly conquered by me, but immediately afterwards a
terrible menacing sound was uttered by Siva in the firmament ; owing to
that our Aindra grammar was exploded in the world,f and all of us, being
conquered by Panini, became accounted fools. Accordingly full of despon-
dency I deposited in the hand of the merchant Hiranyadatta my wealth for
the maintenance of my house, and after informing Upakosa of it, I went
fasting to mount Himalaya to propitiate S'iva with austerities.
Upakosa on her part anxious for
otory of Upakos'a ana her four /< l
my success, remained in her own
house, bathing every day in the Ganges, strictly observing her vow. One
* Goddess of eloquence and learning.
t See Dr. Burnett's " Aindra grammar" for the lu-uring of this passage on the hii-
tory of Sanskrit literature.
3
IS
(lay, when spring had come, she being still beautiful, though thin and slight-
ly pale, and charming to the eyes of men, like the streak of the new moon, was
seen by the king's domestic chaplain while going to bathe in the Ganges,
and also by the head magistrate, and by the prince's minister ; and imme-
diately they all of them became a target for the arrows of love. It hap-
pened too somehow or other that she took a long time bathing that day,
and as she was returning in the evening, the prince's minister laid violent
hands on her, but she with great presence of mind said to him, " Dear Sir,
I desire this as much as you, but I am of respectable family, and my hus-
band is away from home. How can I act thus ? Some one might perhaps
see us, and then misfortune \vould befall you as well as me. Therefore you
must come without fail to my house in the first watch of the night of
the spring-festival when the citizens are all excited."* When she had said
this, and pledged herself, he let her go, but, as chance would have it, she
had not gone many steps further, before she was stopped by the king's
domestic chaplain. She made a similar assignation with him also for the
second watch of the same night ; and so he too was, though with difficulty,
induced to let her go ; but, after she had gone a little further, up comes a
third person, the head magistrate, and detains the trembling lady. Then
she made a similar assignation with him too for the third watch of the
same night, and having by great good fortune got him to release her, she
went home all trembling, and of her own accord told her handmaids the
arrangements she had made, reflecting, " Death is better for a woman of
good family when her husband is away, than to meet the eyes of people who
lust after beauty." Full of these thoughts and regretting me, the virtuous
lady spent that night in fasting, lamenting her own beauty. Early the
next morning she sent a maid-servant to the merchant Hiranyagupta to
ask for some money in order that she might honour the Brahmans : then
that merchant also came and said to her in private, " Shew me love, and
then I will give you what your husband deposited." "When she heard that,
she reflected that she had no witness to prove the deposit of her husband's
wealth, and perceived that the merchant was a villain, and so tortured with
sorrow and grief, she made a fourth and last assignation with him for the
last watch of the same night ; so he went away. In the meanwhile she
had prepared by her handmaids in a large vat lamp-black mixed with oil and
scented with musk and other perfumes, and she made ready four pieces of
rag anointed with it, and she caused to be made a large trunk with a fas-
tening outside. So on that day of the spring-festival the prince's minister
came in the first watch of the night in gorgeous array. AVhen he had
cd without being observed rpakosa said to him, " I will not receive
you until you have bathed, so go in and bathe." The simpleton agreed to
• And will not observe you.
19
that, and was taken by the handmaids into a secret dark inner apartment.
There they took off his under-garments and his jewels, and gave him by way
of an under-garment a single piece of rag, and they smeared the i
from head to foot with a thick coating of that lamp-black and oil, pretend-
ing it was an unguent, without his detecting it. While they continued
rubbing it into every limb, the second watch of the night came and the
chaplain arrived, the handmaids thereupon said to the minister, — " here is the
king's chaplain come, a great friend of Vararuchi's, so creep into this box"
— and they bundled him into the trunk, just as he was, all naked, with the
utmost precipitation : and then they fastened it outside with a bolt. The
priest too was brought inside into the dark room on the pretence of a bath,
and was in the same way stripped of his garments and ornaments, and made
a fool of by the handmaids by being rubbed with lamp-black and oil, with
nothing but the piece of rag on him, until in the third watch the chief magis-
trate arrived. The handmaids immediately terrified the priest with the
news of his arrival, and pushed him into the trunk like his predecessor.
After they had bolted him in, they brought in the magistrate on the pre-
text of giving him a bath, and so he, like his fellows, with the piece of rag
for his only garment, was bamboozled by being continually anointed with
lamp-black, until in the last watch of the night the merchant arrived. The
handmaids made use of his arrival to alarm the magistrate and bundled
him also into the trunk, and fastened it on the outside. So those three
being shut up inside the box, as if they were bent on accustoming themselves
to live in the hell of blind darkness, did not dare to speak on account of fear,
though they touched one another. Then Upakosa brought a lamp into the
room, and making the merchant enter it, said to him, " give me that money
which my husband deposited with you." When he heard that, the rascal
said, observing that the room was empty, " I told you that I would give
you the money your husband deposited with me." Upakosa calling the
attention of the people in the trunk, said — " Hear, 0 ye gods this speech of
Hiranyagupta." When she had said this, she blew out the light, and the
merchant, like the others, on the pretext of a bath was anointed by the
handmaids for a long time with larnp-black. Then they told him to go,
for the darkness was over, and at the close of the night they took him by
the neck and pushed him out of the door sorely against his will. Then he
made the best of his way home, with only the piece of rag to cover his
nakedness, and smeared with the black dye, with the dogs biting him at
every step, thoroughly ashamed of himself, and at last reached his own
house ; and when he got there he did not dare to look his slaves in the
face while they were washing off that black dye. The path of vice is in-
deed a painful one. In the early morning Upakosa accompanied by her
handmaids went, without informing her parents, tu the palace of kin;,'
20
Nanda, and there she herself stated to the king that the merchant Hiranya-
gupta was endeavouring to deprive her of money deposited with him by
her husband. The king in order to enquire into the matter immediately
had the merchant summoned, who said — " I have nothing in my keeping
belonging to this lady." Upakosa then said, " I have witnesses, my lord ;
before he went, my husband put the household gods into a box, and this
merchant with his own lips admitted the deposit in their presence. Let
the box be brought here and ask the gods yourself." Having heard this the
king in astonishment ordered the box to be brought.
Thereupon in a moment that trunk was carried in by many men.
Then Upakosca said — " Relate truly, O gods, what that merchant said and
then go to your own houses ; if you do not, I will burn you or open the
box in court." Hearing that, the men in the box, beside themselves with
fear, said — " It is true, the merchant admitted the deposit in our presence."
Tli en the merchant being utterly confounded confessed all his guilt ; but
the! king, being unable to restrain his curiosity, after asking permission of
Upako.-a, opened the chest there in court by breaking the fastening, and
those three men were dragged out, looking like three lumps of solid dark-
ness, and were with difficulty recognised by the king and his ministers.
The whole assembly then burst out laughing, and the king in his curiosity
asked Upako.su, what was the meaning of all this ; so the virtuous lady told
the whole story. All presentin court expressed their approbation of Upakosu's
conduct, observing : " The virtuous behaviour of women of good family
who are protected by their own excellent disposition* only, is incredible."
Then all those coveters of their neighbour's wife were deprived of all
their living, and banished from the country. Who prospers by immorali-
Upakosd was dismissed by the king, who shewed his great regard for
her by a present of much wealth, and said to her : " Henceforth thou art
my Mstc-r," — and so she returned home. Varsha and 1'pavarsha when the\
heard it, congratulated that chaste lady, and there was a smile of admira-
tion on the face of every single person in that city.f
* Instead of the walls of a seraglio.
f This story occurs in Scott's Additional Arabian Nights as the Lady of Cairo
and her four Gallants, [and in his Tales and Anecdotes, Shrewsbury, IMOO, p. l
the story ot th. Men hunt's wife and her suitors]. It is also one of the lYr>i:u.
of Arouya [day 146 ff ]. It is a story of anrient ceb-brity in Kin-opt- as Constant du
Hatnel or la I>ame tpii attrapa 1111 1'retre, nil 1'revot et un FOIVM
Fabliaux ft CM I Mi'.'. Vd. I V. pp. 21G-5G]. It is curious that the Fabliau
jilt IIP ith the Hindu original in putting the lovers out of the way and di.-r«hiny
tin-in by the jili a of the bath. ^N»t<- in \\'il>mt's ]v-ays on Sanskrit Literature..
by Dr. Host. V»l. I, p. 173.) See also a story contributed 1>\- the lat •• Mr. l>aiuant to
the Indian Antiquary, Vol. IX. pp. li and :5, and the XX VI I lib story in Indian F,,ii\
Talcs collected and tr.ui.-LiK J b\ .M: ,. ith the note at the cud of the volume.
21
In the meanwhile, by performing a very severe penance on the snowy
mountain, I propitiated the god, the husband of Parvati, the great giver of
all good things ; he revealed to me that same treatise of Panini ; and in
accordance with his wish I completed it : then I returned home without
feeling the fatigue of the journey, full of the nectar of the favour of that
god who wears on his crest a digit of the moon ; then I worshipped the
feet of my mother and of my spiritual teachers, and heard from them the
wonderful achievement of Upakosa, thereupon joy and astonishment swelled
to the upmost height in my breast, together with natural affection and
great respect for my wife.
Now Yarsha expressed a desire to hear from my lips the new grammar,
and thereupon the god Kartikeya himself revealed it to him. And it came
to pass that Vyadi and Indradatta asked their preceptor Varsha what fee
they should give him ? He replied, " Give me ten millions of gold pieces."
So they, consenting to the preceptor's demand, said to me ; " Come with us,
friend, to ask the king Nanda to give us the sum required for our teacher's
fee ; we cannot obtain so much gold from any other quarter : for he posses-
ses nine hundred and ninety millions, and long ago he declared your wife
rpakosa, his sister in the faith, therefore you are his brother-in-law ; we
shall obtain something for the sake of your virtues." Having formed this
resolution, we three fellow-students* went to the camp of king Nanda in
Ayodhya, and the very moment we arrived, the king died ; accordingly an
outburst of lamentation arose in the kingdom, and we were reduced to
despair. Immediately Indradatta, who was an adept in magic, said, " I will
enter the body of this dead kingf ; let Vararuchi prefer the petition to me,
and I will give him the gold, and let Vyadi guard my body until I return."
Saying this, Indradatta entered into the body of king Nanda, and when the
king came to life again, there was great rejoicing in the kingdom. While
Vyadi remained in an empty temple to guard the body of Indradatta, I
went to the king's palace. I entered, and after making the usual saluta-
tion, I asked the supposed Nanda for ten million gold pieces as my instruc-
tor's fee. Then he ordered a man named S'akatala, the minister of the real
Nanda, to give me ten million of gold pieces. That minister, when he saw
that the dead king had come to life, and that the petitioner immediately
got what he asked, guessed the real state of the case. What is there that
the wise cannot understand ? That minister said — " It shall be given, your
Highness," and reflected with himself ; " Nanda's son is but a child, and our
realm is menaced by many enemies, so I will do my best for the present to
* Dr. Brockhaus translates " alle drci wit iiiiscru Sc/iiilcrn."
t This forms the leading event of the story of Fadlallah in the Persian tales.
The dervish there avows his having acquired the faculty of animating a dead body
from an aged Brahman in the Indies. (Wilson.)
22
keep his body on the throne even in its present state." Having resolved on
this, he immediately took steps to have all dead bodies burnt, employing
spies to discover them, and among them was found the body of Indradatta,
which was burned after Vyadi had been hustled out of the temple. In the
meanwhile the king was pressing for the payment of the money, but
S'akatala, who was still in doubt, said to him, " All the servants have got
their heads turned by the public rejoicing, let the Brahman wait a moment
until I can give it." Then Vyadi came and complained aloud in the pre-
sence of the supposed Nanda, " Help, help, a Brahman engaged in magic,
whose life had not yet come to an end in a natural way, has been burnt by
force on the pretext that his body was untenanted, and this in the very
moment of your good fortune."* On hearing this the supposed Nanda
was in an indescribable state of distraction from grief : but as soon as
Indradatta was imprisoned in the body of Nanda, beyond the possibility of
escape, by the burning of his body, the discreet S'akatala went out and gave
me that ten millions.
Then the supposed Nanda,t full of grief, said in secret to Vyadi, —
" Though a Brahman by birth I have become a S'udra, what is the use of
my royal fortune to me though it be firmly established ?" When he heard
that, Vyadi comforted him,J and gave him seasonable advice, " You have
been discovered by S'akatala, so you must henceforth be on your guard
against him, for he is a great minister, and in a short time he will, when
it suits his purpose, destroy you, and will make Chandragupta, the son of
the previous Nanda, king. Therefore immediately appoint Vararuchi your
minister, in order that your rule may be firmly established by the help of
his intellect, which is of god-like acuteness." When he had said this, Vyadi
departed to give that fee to his preceptor, and immediately Yogununda sent
for me and made me his minister. Then I said to the king, " Though your
caste as a Unilunan has been taken from you, I do not consider your throne
secure as long as S'akatala remains in oifice, therefore destroy him by some
stratagem." When I had given him this advice, Yogananda threw S'aka-
tala into a dark dungeon, and his hundred sons with him, proclaiming as
* Compare tin story in the Panchatantra, Benfey's Translation, p. 124, of thn kin^
who lost his Lody but eventually recovered it. Benfey in Vol. I, page 128, refers to
some European parallels. Liehrecht in his Zur Volkskunde, p. 206, mentions a story
found in Apollonius (Historia Minibilium) which forms a striking parallel to this.
Aecording to Apollonius, the soul of llermotimos of Klu/oinen;e left his hody frequent-
lv. re.sided in different places, and uttered all kinds of predictions, returning to his
li«dy whieh remained in his house. At last some spiteful persons hurnt his body in
the alliance of liis soul.
f(i d aa being Nanda . hy yoga or magic.
% I read d£rd.tya.
his crime that he had burnt a Brahman alive. One porringer of barley-meal
and one of water was placed inside the dungeon every day for S'akatala
and his sons, and thereupon he said to them ; — " My sons, even one man
alone would with difficulty subsist on this barley-meal, much less can a
number of people do so. Therefore let that one of us, who is able to take
vengeance on Yogananda, consume every day the barley-meal and the
water." His sons answered him, "You alone are able to punish him,
therefore do you consume them." For vengeance is dearer to the resolute
than life itself. So S'akatala alone subsisted on that meal and water every
day. Alas ! those whose souls are set on victory are cruel. S'akatala in
the dark dungeon, beholding the death agonies of his starving sons, thought
to himself, " A man who desires his own welfare should not act in an arbi-
trary manner towards the powerful, without fathoming their character and
acquiring their confidence." Accordingly his hundred sons perished before
his eyes, and he alone remained alive surrounded by their skeletons. Then
Yogananda took firm root in his kingdom. And Vyadi approached him
after giving the present to his teacher, and after coming near to him said,
" May thy rule, my friend, last long ! I take my leave of thee, I go to
perform austerities somewhere." Hearing that, Yogananda, with his voice
choked with tears, said to him, " Stop thou, and enjoy pleasures in my king,
dom, do not go and desert me." Vyadi answered — " King ! Life comes to
an end in a moment. What wise man, I pray you, drowns himself in
these hollow and fleeting enjoyments ? Prosperity, a desert mirage, does
not turn the head of the wise man." Saying this he went away that mo-
ment resolved to mortify his flesh with austerities. Then that Yogananda
went to his metropolis Pataliputra, for the purpose of enjoyment, accom-
panied by me, and surrounded with his whole army. So I having
attained prosperity, lived for a long time in that state, waited upon by
Upakosii, and bearing the burden of the office of prime-minister to that
king, accompanied by my mother and my preceptors. There the Ganges,
propitiated by my austerities, gave me every day much wealth, and Saras-
vati present in bodily form told me continually what measures to adopt.
CHAPTER V.
Having said this, Vararuchi continued his tale as follows : —
In course of time Yogananda became enslaved by his passions, apd like
a mad elephant he disregarded every restraint. Whom will not a raddeo
access of prosperity intoxicate ? Then I reflect^ with, myself, " The king
24
has burst all bonds, and my own religious duties are neglected being inter-
fered with by my care for his affairs, therefore it is better for me to draw
out that S'akatala from his dungeon and make him my colleague in the
ministry ; eVen if he tries to oppose me, what harm can he do as long as
I am in office ?" Having resolved on this I asked permission of the king,
and drew S'akatala out of the deep dungeon. Brahmans are always soft-
hearted. Now the discreet S'akatala made up his mind, that it would be
difficult to overthrow Yogananda as long as I was in office, and that he
had accordingly better imitate the cane which bends with the current, and
watch a favourable moment for vengeance, so at my request he resumed
the office of minister and managed the king's affairs.
Once on a time Yogananda went outside the city, and beheld in the
middle of the Ganges a hand, the five fingers of which were closely pressed
together. That moment he summoned me and said, "What does this
mean ?" But I displayed two of my fingers in the direction of the hand.
Thereupon that hand disappeared, and the king, exceedingly astonished,
again asked me what this meant, and I answered him, " That hand meant
to say, by shewing its five fingers, ' What cannot five men united effect
in this world ?' Then I, king, shewed it these two fingers, wishing to
indicate that nothing is impossible when even two men are of one mind."
When I uttered this solution of the riddle the king was delighted, and
S'akatala was despondent seeing that my intellect would be difficult to cir-
cumvent.
One day Yogananda saw his queen leaning out of the window and
asking questions of a Brahman guest that was looking up. That trivial
circumstance threw the king into a passion, and he gave orders that the
Brahman should be put to death ; for jealousy interferes with discernment.
Then as that Brahman was being led off to the place of execution in order
that he might be put to death, a fish in the market laughed aloud, though
it was dead.* The king hearing it immediately prohibited for the present
the execution of that Brahman, and asked me the reason why the fish
laughed. I replied that I would tell him after I had thought over the
matter ; and after I had gone out Sarasvati came to me secretly on my
thinking of her and gave me this advice ; " Take up a position on the top
* Dr. Liobrecht in Orient und Occident, Vol. I, p. 341 compares with this story
one in the old French romance of Merlin. There I\ led in laughs because the wife of
tlie emperor Julius C;e -a r h;nl twelve y<>im-men disguised as ladies-iii-wait in--. 1 '.en fey,
in a note on Dr. Liehivrht'.s artlble, compares with the story of Merlin one by tho
Countess D'Aulnoy, No. 30 <>i' the IVntitmenm.- ..f li.isile, Strapun.la IV. I. ami ;i story
in the S'uka Saptati. Tbu he quotes from the translation of Demetri . In
this some cooked fish laugh so that tho whole town hears them. The reason is the
game as in tho story of Merlin and in our 1 <
of tliis palm tree at night so as not to be observed, and tbou sbalt without
doubt hear the reason why the fish laughed." Hearing this I went at
night to that very place, and ensconced myself on the top of the palm tree, and
saw a terrible female llakshasa coming past with her children ; when
they asked her for food, she said, " Wait, and I will give you to-morrow morn-
ing the flesh of a Brahman, he was not killed to-day."* They said to their
mother, " Why was he not killed to-day ?" Then she replied, " He was not
executed because a fish in the town, though dead, laughed when it saw him."
The sons said, " Why did the fish laugh ?" She continued, " The fish of course
said to himself — all the king's wives are dissolute, for in every part of this
harem there are men dressed up as women, and nevertheless while these
escape, an innocent Brahman is to be put to death — and this tickled the fish
so that he laughed. For demons assume these disguises, insinuating them-
selves into everything, and laughing at the exceeding want of discernment
of kings." After I had heard that speech of the female Kakshasa I went
away from thence, and in the morning I informed the king why the fish
laughed. The king after detecting in the harem those men clothed as
women, looked upon me with great respect, and released that Brahman
from the sentence of death.
I was disgusted by seeing this and other lawless proceedings on the
part of the king, and, while I was in this frame of mind, there came to
court a new painter. He painted on a sheet of canvass the principal queen
and Yogananda, and that picture of his looked as if it were alive, it only
lacked speech and motion. And the king being delighted loaded that pain-
ter with wealth, and had the painting set up on a wall in his private apart-
ments. Now one day when I entered into the king's private apartments,
it occurred to me that the painting of the queen did not represent all her
auspicious marks ; from the arrangement of the other marks I conjectured
by means of my acuteness that there ought to be a spot where the girdle
comes, and I painted one there. Then I departed after thus giving the
* Cp. the following passage in a Danish story called Svend's exploits, in Thorpe's
Yuletide Stories, page 341. Just as he was going to sleep, twelve crows came flying
and perched in the elder trees over Svend's head. They began to converse together,
and the one told the other what had happened to him that day. When they were
ahout to fly away, one crow said, " I am so hungry ; where shall I get something to
eat ?" " We shall have food enough to-morrow when father has killed Svend," ;uis\,
the crow's brother. " Dost thou think then that such a miserable fellow dares fight with
our father ?" said another. " Yes, it is probable enough that he will, but it will not pro-
fit him much as our father cannot be overcome but with the Man of the Mount's sword,
and that hangs in the mound, within seven locked doors, before each of which are tw o
fierce dogs that never sleep." Svend thus learned that he should only be sacrificing
his strength and life in attempting a combat with the dragon, bcforo ho had made him-
self master of the Man of the Mount's sword.
4
queen all her lucky marks. Then Yogananda entered and saw that spot,
and asked his chamberlains who had painted it. And they indicated me
to him as the person who had painted it. Yogananda thus reflected while
burning with anger ; " No one except myself knows of that spot, which
is in a part of the queen's body usually concealed, then how can this Vara-
ruchi have come thus to know it ?* No doubt he has secretly corrupted
my harem, and this is how he came to see there those men disguised as
women." Foolish men often find such coincidences. Then of his own
motion he summoned S'akatala, and gave him the following order : " You
must put Vararuchi to death for seducing the queen." S'akatala said, " Your
Majesty's orders shall be executed," and went out of the palace, reflecting,
" I should not have power to put Vararuchi to death, for he possesses god-
like force of intellect ; and he delivered me from calamity ; moreover he
is a Brahman, therefore I had better hide him and win him over to my
side." Having formed this resolution, he came and told me of the king's
causeless wrath which had ended in his ordering my execution, and thus
concluded, " I will have some one else put to death in order that the news
may get abroad, and do you remain hidden in my house to protect me from
this passionate king." In accordance with this proposal of his, I remained
concealed in his house, and he had some one else put to death at night in
Border that the report of my death might be spread. f When he had in
this way displayed his statecraft, I said to him out of affection, " You have
shewn yourself an unrivalled minister in that you did not attempt to put
me to death ; for I cannot be slain, since I have a Rakshnsa to friend, and
lie' will come, on being only thought of, and at my request will devour the
whole world. As for this king he is a friend of mine, being a Brahmau
named Indradatta, and he ought not to be slain." Hearing this, that minis-
aid — " Shew me the llakshasa." Then I shewed him that Kakshasa who
came with a thought ; and on beholding him, S'akatala was astonished and
terrified. And when the liakshasa had disappeared, S'akatala again asked
me — " How did the liakshasa become your friend ?" Then I said — " Long
ago the heads of the police as they went through the city night after night
on inspecting duty, perished one by one. On hearing that, Yogananda
made me head of the police, and as I was on my rounds at night, I saw a
liakshasa roaming about, and he said to me, "Tell me, who is considered
the best-looking woman in this city ?" AYhen I heard that, I burst out
laughing and said — " You fool, any woman is good-looking to the man who
admires her." Hearing my answer, he said — " You are the only man that
has beaten me." And now that I had escaped death by solving his riddle, J
* Compare the " molo cinque-spotted" in Cymbeline.
f Ciiiiijuirc Measure for JI<
I Cp. the story of (Edipus and ttu- Muhulhai.' . C. 312. -where
27
he again said to me, " I am pleased with you, henceforth you are my friend,
and I will appear to you when you call me to mind." Thus he spoke and
disappeared, and I returned hy the way that I came. Thus the llakshasa
has become my friend, and my ally in trouble. When I had said this, S'aka-
tala made a second request to me, and I shewed him the goddess of the
Ganges in human form who came when I thought of her. And that god-
dess disappeared when she had been gratified by me with hymns of praise.
But S'akatala became from thenceforth my obedient ally.
Now once on a time that minister said to me when my state of con-
cealment weighed upon my spirits ; " why do you, although you know all
things, abandon yourself to despondency? Do you not know that the
minds of kings are most undiscerning, and in a short time you will be
cleared from all imputations ;* in proof of which listen to the following
tale : —
There reigned here long ago a king
The story of Sivararman.
named A'dityavarman, and he had a
very wise minister, named S'ivavarman. Now it came to pass that one of
that king's queens became pregnant, and when he found it out, the king
said to the guards of the harem, " It is now two years since I entered this
place, then how has this queen become pregnant ? Tell me." Then they
said, " No man except your minister S'ivavarman is allowed to enter here,
but he enters without any restriction." When he heard that, the king
thought, — " Surely he is guilty of treason against me, and yet if I put him
to death publicly, I shall incur reproach," — thus reflecting, that king sent
that S'ivavarman on some pretext to Bhogavarman a neighbouring chief,f
who was an ally of his, and immediately afterwards the king secretly sent
off a messenger to the same chief, bearing a letter by which he was ordered
to put the minister to death. When a week had elapsed after the minis-
ter's departure, that queen tried to escape out of fear, and was taken by
the guards with a man in woman's attire, then A'dityavarman when he
heard of it was tilled with remorse, and asked himself why he had cause-
lessly brought about the death of so excellent a minister. In the mean-
while S'ivavarman reached the Court of Bhogavarman, and that messenger
came bringing the letter ; and fate would have it so that after Bhogavar-
man had read the letter he told to S'ivavarman in secret the order he had
received to put him to death.
The excellent minister .S'ivavarman in his turn said to that chief, —
Yodhisthixa is questioned by a Yaksha. Benfey compares Mahabharata XIII (IV,
206) 6883-5918 where ;i liniluuaii seized by a Uakshusa rsraprtl in tlu- same way.
* Reading chuddkis for the chudis of Dr. Brockluuis' ;
t Samanta seoms to mean a feudatory or dependent prince.
28
" put me to death ; if you do not, I will slay myself with my own hand."
When he heard that, Bhogavarman was filled with wonder, and said to
him, " What does all this mean ? Tell me Brahman, if you do not, you will
lie under my curse." Then the minister said to him, " King, in whatever
land I am slain, on that land God will not send rain for twelve years."
When he heard that, Bhogavarman debated with his minister, — "that
wicked king desires the destruction of our land, for could he not have em-
ployed secret assassins to kill his minister ? So we must not put this
minister to death, moreover we must prevent him from laying violent hands
on himself." Having thus deliberated and appointed him guards, Bhoga-
varman sent S'ivavarman out of his country that moment ; so that minister
by means of his wisdom returned alive, and his innocence was established
from another quarter, for righteousness cannot be undone.
In the same way your innocence will be made clear, Katyayana ; remain
for a while in my house ; this king too will repent of what he has done.
When Sakatala said this to me, I spent those days concealed in his house,
waiting my opportunity.
Then it came to pass that one day, 0 Kanabhuti, a son of that Yoga-
nanda named Hiranyagupta went out hunting, and when he had somehow
or other been carried to a great distance by the speed of his horse, while
he was alone in the wood the day came to an end ; and then he ascended a
tree to pass the night. Immediately afterwards a bear, which had been
terrified by a lion, ascended the same tree ; he seeing the prince frightened,
said to him with a human voice, " Fear not, thou art my friend," and thus
promised him immunity from harm. Then the prince confiding in the
bear's promise went to sleep, while the bear remained awake. Then the
lion below said to the bear, " Bear, throw me down this man, and I will go
away." Then the bear said, " Villain, I will not cause the death of a
friend." When in course of time the bear went to sleep while the prince
was awake, the lion said again, " Man, throw me down the bear." When
he heard that, the prince, who through fear for his own safety wished to
propitiate the lion, tried to throw down the bear, but wonderful to Fay, it
did not fall, since Fate caused it to awake. And then that bear said to the
prince, " become insane, thou betrayer of thy friend,"* laying upon him a
curse destined not to end until a third person guessed the whole transac-
tion. Accordingly the prince, when he reached his palace in the morning
•went out of his mind, and Yogananda seeing it, \vas immediately plunged
in despondency ; and said, " If Vararuchi were alive at this moment, all this
matter would be known ;" curse on my readiness to have him put to death !
* Benfey considers that this story was originally Budilhistic. A very similar
story is quoted by him from thu Kurin;is;it;iku. (runchutautiu I, p. 209) cp. also c. 65
of this work.
29
S'akatala, when he heard this exclamation of the king's, thought to hims.-lf,
"Ha! here is an opportunity ohtained for bringing Katyayana out of con-
cealment, and he being a proud man will not remain here, and the king
will repose confidence in me." After reflecting thus, he implored pardon,
and said to the king, " 0 King, cease from despondency, Vararuchi re-
mains alive." Then Yogananda said. " Let him he brought quickly."
Then I was suddenly brought by S'akatala into the presence of Yogananda
and beheld the prince in that state ; and by the favour of Sarasvati I was
enabled to reveal the whole occurrence ; and I said, " King, he has proved
a traitor to his friend" ; then I was praised by that prince who was deli-
vered from his curse ; and the king asked me how I had managed to find
out what had taken place. Then I said, " King, the minds of the wise see
everything by inference from signs, and by acuteness of intellect. So I
found out all this in the same way as I found out that mole." When I
had said this, that king was afflicted with shame. Then without accepting
his munificence, considering myself to have gained all I desired by the
clearing of my reputation, I went home : for to the wise character is
wealth. And the moment I arrived, the servants of my house wept before
me, and when I was distressed at it Upavarsha came to me and said,
" Upakosa, when she heard that the king had put you to death, committed
her body to the flames, and then your mother's heart broke with grief."
Hearing that, senseless with the distraction produced by recently aroused
grief, I suddenly fell on the ground like a tree broken by the wind : and
in a moment I tasted the relief of loud lamentations ; whom will not the
fire of grief, produced by the loss of dear relations, scorch ? Varsha came
and gave me sound advice in such words as these, " The only thing that
is stable in this ever-changeful world is instability, then why are you dis-
tracted though you know this delusion of the Creator" ? By the help of
these and similar exhortations I at length, though with difficulty, regained
my equanimity ; then with heart disgusted with the world, I flung aside
all earthly lords, and choosing self-restraint for my only companion, I
went to a grove where asceticism was practised.
Then, as days went by, once on a time a Brahman from Ayodhya came
to that ascetic-grove while I was there : I asked him for tidings about
Yogananda's government, and he recognizing me told me in sorrowful
accents the following story :
" Hear what happened to Nanda after you had left him. gfakaf al:>.
waiting for it a long time, found that he hud now obtained an opportunity
of injuring him. While thinking how he might by some device get
Yogananda killed, he happened to see a Bnihman named Chanakya digging
up the earth in his path ; he said to him, " Why are you digging up the
earth ?" The Brahman, whom he hud asked, said, I am rooting up a plant
30
of darlJia grass here, because it has pricked my foot.* When he heard
that, the minister thought that Brahman who formed such stern resolves out
of anger, would be the best instrument to destroy Nanda with. After
asking his name he said to him, " Brahman, I assign to you the duty of
performing a s'rdddha on the thirteenth day of the lunar fortnight, in the
house of king Nanda ; you shall have one hundred thousand gold pieces by
way of fee, and you shall sit at the board above all others ; in the mean-
while come to my house." Saying this, S'akatala took that Brahman to
his house, and on the day of the s'rdddha he showed the Brahman to the
king, and he approved of him. Then Chanakya went and sat at the head
of the table during the s'rdddha, but a Brahman named Subandhu desired
that post of honour for himself. Then S'akatala went and referred the
matter to king Nanda, who answered, " Let Subandhu sit at the head
of the table, no one else deserves the place." Then S'akatala went,
and, humbly bowing through fear, communicated that order of the
king's to Chanakya, adding, " it is not my fault." Then that Chanakya,
being, as it were, inflamed all over with wrath, undoing the lock of hair
on the crown of his head, made this solemn vow, " Surely this Nanda must
be destroyed by me within seven days, and then my anger being ap-
peased I will bind up my lock." When he had said this, Yogananda was
enraged ; so Chanakya escaped unobserved, and S'akatala gave him refuge
in his house. Then being supplied by S'akatala with the necessary instru-
ments, that Brahman Chanakya went somewhere and performed a magic
rite ; in consequence of this rite Yogananda caught a burning fever, and
died when the seventh day arrived ; and S'akatala, having slain Nanda's son
Hiranyagupta, bestowed the royal dignity upon Chandragupta a son of the
previous Nanda. And after he had requested Chanakya, equal in ability to
Brihaspati,t to be Chandragupta's prime-minister, and established him in
the office, that minister, considering that all his objects had been accom-
plished, as he had wreaked his vengeance on Yogananda, despondent through
sorrow for the death of his sons, retired to the forest." J
After I had heard this, O Kanabhuti, from the mouth of that Brahman,
1 became exceedingly afllicted, seeing that all things are unstable ; and on
account of my affliction J came to visit this shrine of Dunra, and through
her favour having beheld you, O my friend, I have remembered my former
birth.
* Probably his foot bled, and so he contracted defilement.
f The preceptor of the gods.
J See the Mudra Kakshasa for another version of this story. (Wilson. Hindu
Theatre, Vol. II.) Wilson remarks that the story i& ulttu told differently in the Pura-
nas.
81
And having obtained divine discernment I have told you the great
tale : now as my curse has spent its strength, I will strive to leave the
body ; and do you remain here for the present, until there comes to you
a Brahman named Gunadhya, who has forsaken the use of three langua-
ges,* surrounded with his pupils, for he like myself was cursed by the
goddess in anger, being an excellent Gana M&yar&n by name, who for
taking my part has become a mortal. To him you must tell this tale
originally told by Siva, then you shall be delivered from your curse, and so
shall he.
Having said all this to Kanabhuti, that Vararuchi set forth for the
holy hermitage of Badarika in order to put off his body. As he was going
alon<* he beheld on the banks of the Ganges a vegetable-eatingf hermit,
and while he was looking on, that hermit's hand was pricked with Jcusa
grass. Then Vararuchi turned his blood, as it flowed out, into sap J through
his magic power, out of curiosity, in order to test his egotism ; on behold-
ing that, the hermit exclaimed, " Ha ! I have attained perfection ;" and so
he became puffed up with pride. Then Vararuchi laughed a little and said
to him, " I turned your blood into sap in order to test you, because even
now, 0 hermit, you have not abandoned egotism. Egotism is in truth an
obstacle in the road to knowledge hard to overcome, and without knowledge
liberation cannot be attained even by a hundred vows. But the perishable
joys of Svarga cannot attract the hearts of those who long for liberation,
therefore, O hermit, endeavour to acquire knowledge by forsaking egotism."
Having thus read that hermit a lesson, and having been praised by him
prostrate in adoration, Vararuchi went to the tranquil site of the hermitage
of Badari.§ There he, desirous of putting off his mortal condition, resorted
for protection with intense devotion to that goddess who only can protect,
and she manifesting her real form to him told him the secret of that medi-
tation which arises from fire, to help him to put off the body. Then Vara-
ruchi having consumed his body by that form of meditation, reached his
own heavenly home ; and henceforth that Kanabhuti remained in the Vin-
dhya forest eager for his desired meeting with Gunadhya.
* Sanskrit, Prakrit and his own native dialect.
t I change Dr. Brockhaus's Stikdsana into S'dkdsana.
J As, according to my reading, he ate vegetables, his blood was turned into tho
iuice of vegetables. Dr. Brockhaus translates machte dass das heransstromende Blut r«
Krystallen sich bildete.
§ A celebrated place of pilgrimage near the source of the Ganges, the Bhudrmath
of modern travellers. (Monier Williams, ». ».)
32
CHAPTER VI.
Then that Mtilyavan wandering about in the wood in human form,
passing under the name of Gunadhya, having served the king Satavahana,
and having, in accordance with a vow, abandoned in his presence the use of
Sanskrit and two other languages, with sorrowful mind came to pay a visit
to Durga, the dweller in the Vindhya hills ; and by her orders he went and
beheld Kanabhuti. Then he remembered his origin and suddenly, as it
were, awoke from sleep ; and making use of the Paisacha language, which
was different from the three languages he had sworn to forsake, he said to
Kanabhuti, after telling him his own name ; " Quickly tell me that tale
which you heard from Pushpadanta, in order that you and I together,
my friend, may escape from our curse." Hearing that, Kanabhuti bowed
before him, and said to him in joyful mood, " I will tell you the story, but
great curiosity possesses me, my lord, first tell me all your adventures from
your birth, do me this favour." Thus being entreated by him, Gunadhya
proceeded to relate as follows :
In Pratishthana* there is a city named Supra tishthita ; in it there
dwelt once upon a time an excellent Brahman named Somasarman, and he,
my friend, had two sons Vatsa and Gulmaka, and he had also born to him
a third child, a daughter named 'S'rutartha. Now in course of time, that
Brahnian and his wife died, and those two sons of his remained taking care
of their sister. And she suddenly became pregnant. Then Vatsa and
Gulma began to suspect one another, because no other man came in their
sister's way : thereupon S'rutartha, who saw what was in their minds, said
to those brothers, — •" Do not entertain evil suspicions, listen, I will tell you
the truth ; there is a prince of the name of Kirtisena, brother's son to
Viisuki, the king of the Nagas ;f he saw me when I was going to bathe,
thereupon he was overcome with love, and after telling me his lineage and
his name, made me his wife by the Gandharva marriage ; he belongs to the
Brahman race, and it is by him that I am pregnant." When they heard
this speech of their sister's, Vatsa and Gulma said, " What confidence can we
repose in all this ?" Then she silently called to mind that Naga prince,
» Pratishthiina according to Wilson is celebrated as the capital of Salivahana. It
is identifiable with Peytan on the Godavari. the Bathana or Paithana of Ptolemy, — the
capital of Siripolemaio.s. Wilson identifies this name with Salivahana, but Dr. Rost re-
marks that Lassen more correctly identifies it with that of S'ri Pullman of the Andhra
dynasty who reigned at Pratishthana after the overthrow of the house of Salivahana
about 130 A. D.
f Fabulous serpent-demons having the head of a man with the tail of a serpent. —
(Monicr Williaind, a. ».)
33
and immediately he was thought upon, he came and said to Vatsa and
Gulma, "In truth I have made your sister my wife, she is a glorious hea-
venly nymph fallen down to earth in consequence of a curse, and you too
have descended to earth for the same reason, but a son shall without fail
be born to your sister here, and then you and she together shall be freed
from your curse." Having said this he disappeared, and in a few days from
that time, a son was born to S'rutartha ; know me my friend as that son.*
At that very time a divine voice was heard from heaven, " This child that
is born is an incarnation of virtue, and he shall be called Gunadya,t and is
of the Brahman caste. Thereupon my mother and uncles, as their curse
had spent its force, died, and I for my part became inconsolable. Then I
flung aside my grief, and though a child I went in the strength of my self-
reliance to the Deccan to acquire knowledge. Then, having in course of
time learned all sciences, and become famous, I returned to my native land
to exhibit my accomplishments ; and when I entered after a long absence
into the city of Supratishthita, surrounded by my disciples, I saw a wonder-
fully splendid scene. In one place chanters were intoning according to
prescribed custom the hymns of the Sama Veda, in another place Brahmans
were disputing about the interpretation of the sacred books, in another
place gamblers were praising gambling in these deceitful words, " Whoever
knows the art of gambling, has a treasure in his grasp," and in another
place, in the midst of a knot of merchants, who were talking to one another
about their skill in the art of making money, a certain merchant spoke as
follows :
It is not very wonderful that a
Story of the Mouse-merchant. JIT. i_ i i • ,n ,
thntty man should acquire wealth by
wealth ; but I long ago achieved prosperity without any wealth to start
with. My father died before I was born, and then my mother was depriv-
ed by wicked relations of all she possessed. Then she fled through fear of
them, watching over the safety of her unborn child, and dwelt in the house
of Kumaradatta a friend of my father's, and there the virtuous woman gave
birth to me, who was destined to be the means of her future mainte-
nance ; and so she reared me up by performing menial drudgery. And as
she was so poor, she persuaded a teacher by way of charity to give me some
instruction in writing and ciphering. Then she said to me, " You are the
son of a merchant, so you must now engage in trade, and there is a
rich merchant in this country called Yisakhila ; he is in the habit of lend-
ing capital to poor men of good family, go and entreat him to ghv
something to start with." Then I went to his house, and he at the
moment I entered, said in a rage to some merchant's son -, this
* It seems to me that tvam in Dr. Brockhaus' text must be a misprint fur (am.
t /• f., rich in virtues, and good qualities.
34
dead mouse here upon the floor, even that is a commodity by which a capa-
ble man would acquire wealth, but I gave you, you good-for-nothing fellow,
many dinars* and so far from increasing them, you have not even been
able to preserve what you got." When I heard that, I suddenly said to
th:;t Yisakhila, " I hereby take from you that mouse as capital advanced ;"
saying this I took the mouse up in my hand, and wrote him a receipt for
it, which he put in his strong box, and off I went. The merchant for his
part burst out laughing. Well, I sold that mouse to a certain merchant
as cat's-meat for two handfuls of gram, then I ground up that gram, and
taking a pitcher of water, I went and stood on the cross-road in a shady
place, outside the city ; there I offered with the utmost civility the water
and gram to a band of wood-cutters ;f every wood -cutter gave me as a
token of gratitude two pieces of wood ; and I took those pieces of wood
and sold them in the market ; then for a small part of the price which I
got for them, I bought a second supply of gram, and in the same way on a
second day I obtained wood from the wood-cutters. Doing this every day
I gradually acquired capital, and I bought from those wood-cutters all
their wood for three days. Then suddenly there befell a dearth of wood
on account of heavy rains, and I sold that wood for many hundred panas,
with that wealth I set up a shop, and engaging in traffic, I have become a
very wealthy man by my own ability. Then I made a mouse of gold, and
gave it to that Visakhila, then he gave me his daughter ; and in conse-
quence of my history I am known in the world by the name of Mouse. So
without a coin in the world I acquired this prosperity. All the other mer-
chants then, when they heard this story, were astonished. How can the
mind help being amazed at pictures without^walls ?J
In another place a Brahman who
&lor;/ of the chanter of the Kama 1 eua. A
had got eight gold maslias as a pre-
sent, a chanter of the Sama Veda, received the following piece of advice
from a man who was a bit of a roue, " You get enough to live upon by
your position as a Brahman, so you ought now to employ this gold for the
purpose of learning the way of the world in order that you may become a
knowing fellow." The fool said " Who will teach me ?" Thereupon the
roue said to him, " This lady§ named Chaturika, go to her house." The
* From the Greek Srivdptov = denarius. (Monier "Williams «. r.) Dramma = Or.
Spax^ is used in the Panehatantra ; see Dr. Liihler's Notes to Panchatantra, IV ;uid
V, Note on P. 40, 1. 3.
t Literally wood-carriers.
J He had made money without capital, so his achievements are compared to pic-
tures suspended in tin: air:
§
35
Brahman said, " What am I to do there" ? The roue replied — " Give her
gold, and in order to please her make use of some sdma."* When he heard
this, the chanter went quickly to the house of Chaturik.-i ; when he enl
the lady advanced to meet him and he took a seat. Then that Brahman
gave her the gold and faltered out the request, " Teach me now for thi.s fee
the way of the world." Thereupon the people who were there began to
titter, and he, after reflecting a little, putting his hands together in the
shape of a cow's ear, so that they formed a kind of pipe, hegan, like a
stupid idiot, to chant with a shrill sound the Sama Veda, so that all the
roues in the house came together to see the fun ; and they said " Whence
lias this jackal blundered in here ? Come, let us quickly give him the
half-moonf on his throat." Thereupon the Brahman supposing that the
half-moon meant an arrow with a head of that shape, and afraid of having
his head cut off, rushed out of the house, bellowing out, " I have learnt the
way of the world ;" then he went to the man who had sent him, and told
him the whole story. He replied " when I told you to use sdma, I meant
coaxing and wheedling ; what is the propriety of introducing the Veda in a
matter of this kind? The fact is, I suppose, that stupidity is engrained
in a man who muddles his head with the Vedas ?" So he spoke, bursting
with laughter all the while, and went off to the lady's house, and said to
her, " Give back to that two-legged cow his gpld- fodder." So she laughing
gave back the money, and when the Brahman got it, he went back to his
house as happy as if he had been born again.
Witnessing strange scenes of this kind at every step, I reached the
palace of the king which was like the court of Indra. And then I
entered it, with my pupils going before to herald my arrival, and
saw the king Satavahana sitting in his hall of audience upon a
jewelled throne, surrounded by his ministers, S'arvavarman and his
colleagues, as Indra is by the gods. After I had blessed him and
had taken a seat, and had been honoured by the king, S'arvavarman and the
other ministers praised me in the following words, "This man, O king, is
famous upon the earth as skilled in all lore, and therefore his name Gunu-
dhyaj is a true index of his nature." Satavahana hearing me praised in
this style by his ministers, was pleased with me and immediately enter-
tained me honourably, and appointed me to the office of Minister. Then L
married a wile, and lived there comfortably, looking after the king's affairs
and inst rut-ting my pupils.
* The vita or rout- meant "conciliation" but the chanter of the Sdma Veda took
it to moan " hymn."
f 1. e., scizo him with curved h;uid, and fling him out neck and crop. T'v
otnlor supposed them to menu a en s<:'t ut-huuk'd arrow.
J 1, e., ri.-h in accomplishments.
36
Once, as I was roaming about at leisure on the banks of the Godavari
out of curiosity, I beheld a garden called Devikriti, and seeing that it was
an exceedingly pleasant garden, like an earthly Nandana,* I asked the
gardener how it came there, and he said to me, " My lord, according to the
story which we hear from old people, long ago there came here a cortain
Brahman who observed a vow of silence and abstained from food, he made
this heavenly garden with a temple; then all the Brahmans assembled here
out of curiosity, and that Brahman being persistently asked by them told
his history. There is in this land a province called Vakakachchha on the
banks of the Xarmada, in that district I was born as a Brahman, and in
former times no one gave me alms, as I was lazy as well as poor ; then in
a fit of annoyance I quitted my house being disgusted with life, and
wandering round the holy places, I came to visit the shrine of Durga the
dweller in the Vindhya hills, and having beheld that goddess, I reflected,
' People propitiate with animal offerings this giver of boons, but I will
slay myself here, stupid beast that I am.' Having formed this resolve, I
took in hand a sword to cut off my head. Immediately that goddess being
propitious, herself said to me, ' Son, thou art perfected, do not slay thy-
self, remain near me ;' thus I obtained a boon from the goddess and attained
divine nature ; from that day forth my hunger and thirst disappeared ; then
once on a time, as I was remaining there, that goddess herself said to me,
' Go, my son, and plant in Pratishthana a glorious garden ;' thus speaking,
she gave me, with her own hands, heavenly seed ; thereupon I came here
and made this beautiful garden by means of her power ; and this garden
you must keep in good order. Having said this, he disappeared. In this
way this garden was made by the goddess long ago, my lord." When I
had heard from the gardener this signal manifestation of the favour of the
goddess, I went home penetrated with wonder.
When Guiuidhyahad said this,
The story of Satavaha/ta.
Kanablmti asked, " Why, my lord,
\\as the king called Satavahana ?" Then Guuadhya said, Listen, I will tell
you the reason. There was a king of great power named Dvipikarni.
He had a wife named S'aktimati, whom he valued more than life, and onee
upon a time a snake bit her as she was sleeping in the garden. Thereupon
she died, and that king thinking only of her, though he had no son, took
a vow of perpetual cha>tit,y. Then once upon a time tin- god of the moony
crest said to him in a dream — " While wandering in the forest thou shalt
behold a boy mounted on a lion, take him and go home, he shall he thy
son." Then the king woke up, and rejoiced remembering that dream, and
one day in his passion for the chase he went to a di>tant wood ; there in
the middle of the day that king beheld on the hank of a lotus-lake a boy
* Indru'a pleasure-ground or Elysium.
37
splendid as the sun, riding on a lion ; the lion desiring to drink water set
down the boy, and then the king remembering his dream slew it with one
arrow. The creature thereupon abandoned the form of a lion, and suddenly
assumed the shape of a man ; the king exclaimed, " Alas ! what means
this ? tell me !" and then the man answered him — " 0 king, I am a Yaksha
of the name of Sata, an attendant upon the god of wealth ; long ago
I beheld the daughter of a Rishi bathing in the Ganges ; she too, when she
beheld me, felt love arise in her breast, like myself : then I made her my
wife by the Gandharva form of marriage ; and her relatives, finding it out,
in their anger cursed me and her, saying, " You two wicked ones, doing
what is right in your own eyes, shall become lions." The hermit-folk
appointed that her curse should end when she gave birth to offspring, and
that mine should continue longer, until I was slain by thee with an arrow.
So we became a pair of lions ; she in course of time became pregnant, and
then died after this boy was born, but I brought him up on the milk of
other lionesses, and lo ! to-day I am released from my curse having been
smitten by thee with an arrow. Therefore receive this noble son which I
give thee, for this thing was foretold long ago by those hermit-folk."
Having said this that Guhyaka named Sata disappeared,* and the king
taking the boy went home ; and because he had ridden upon Sata he gave
the boy the name of Satavahana, and in course of time he established
him in his kingdom. Then, when that king Dvipikarni went to the forest,
this Satavahana became sovereign of the whole earth.
Having said this in the middle of his tale in answer to Kanabhuti's
question, the wise Gunadhya again called to mind and went on with the
main thread of his narrative. Then once upon a time, in the spring
festival that king Satavahana went to visit the garden made by the god-
dess, of which I spake before. He roamed there for a long time like
Indra in the garden of Nandana, and descended into the water of the lake to
amuse himself in company with his wives. There he sprinkled his beloved
ones sportively with water flung by his hands, and was sprinkled by them
in return like an elephant by its females. His wives with faces, the eyes
of which were slightly reddened by the colly rium washed into them, and
which were streaming with water, and with bodies the proportions of
which were revealed by their clinging garments, pelted him vigorously ;
and as the wind strips the creepers in the forest of leaves ami ilowers, so
he made his fair ones who fled into the adjoining shrubbery lose the marks
on their foreheadsf and their ornaments. Then one of his qutvns tardy
* Guhyaka hero synonymous with Yaksha. The Guhyakas like tin.- Yakshas aro
attendants upon Kuvera the god of wealth.
t The tilaku a mark made upon the forehead or betwri n tin cyrln-uv,
coloured earths, sandal-wood, >!CL'., serving as ail oruauicut or a strtarial distinction.
M oilier Williams i. ;•.
38
with the weight of her breasts, with body tender as a s'in'sJta flower, be-
came exhausted with the amusement ; she not being able to endure more,
said to the king who was sprinkling her with water, — " do not pelt me
with water-drops ;" on hearing that, the king quickly had some sweet-
meats* brought ; then the queen burst out laughing and said again — " king,
what do we want with sweetmeats in the water ? For I said to you, do
not sprinkle me with water-drops. Do you not even understand the
coalescence of the words m/i and udaka, and do you not know that chapter
of the grammar, — how can you be such a blockhead ?" When the queen, who
knew grammatical treatises, said this to him, and the attendants laughed,
the king was at once overpowered with secret shame ; he left off romping
in the water and immediately entered his own palace unperceived, crest-
fallen, and full of self -contempt. Then he remained lost in thought,
bewildered, averse to food and other enjoyments, and, like a picture,
even when asked a question, he answered nothing. Thinking that
his only resource was to acquire learning or die, he flung himself down on
a couch, and remained in an agony of grief. Then all the king's atten-
dants, seeing that he had suddenly fallen into such a state, were utterly
beside themselves to think what it could mean. Then I and S'arvavarman
came at last to hear of the king's condition, and by that time the day
was almost at an end. So perceiving that the king was still in an un-
satisfactory condition, we immediately summoned a servant of the king
named liajahansa. And he when asked by us about the state of the king's
health, said this — " I never before in my life saw the king in such a state
of depression : and the other queens told me with much indignation that
he had been humiliated to-day by that superficial blue-stocking, the daughter
of Yishnusakti." When S'arvavarman and I had heard this from the
mouth of the king's servant, we fell into a state of despondency, and thus
reflected in our dilemma ; " If the king were afflicted with bodily di.~
we might introduce the physicians, but if his disease is mental it is im
possible to find the cause of it. For there is no enemy in his country
the thorns of which arc destroyed, and these subjects an- at tached to him ;
no dearth of any kind is to be seen ; so how can this sudden melancholy of
the king's have arisen?" After we had debated to this effect, the wise
S'arvavarman said as follows — " I know the cause, this king i- -,l by
sorrow for his own ignorance, for he is always ex]>r desire I'or
culture, saying ' I am a blockhead ;' I long ago detected this desire of his,
and we have heard that the occasion of the present fit is his having '
humiliated by the queen." Thus we debated with one another and after
* Tli j>;irti,-!r ;„,»' .-o.-ilosi'os -with u<l<iknih (the plural instrumrn!,
of udaku] into mmlukiiih, and »ivi/>: -"b^" word) iii'/aus " with :>wt.vt.iue;itd."
39
we had passed that night, in the morning we went to the private apart-
ments of tiie sovereign. There, though strict orders had been given that
no one was to enter, I managed to get in with difficulty, and after me
S'arvavarman slipped in quickly. I then sat down near the king ami |
him this question — "Why, 0 king, art thou without cause thus des-
pondent ?" Though he heard this, Satavahana nevertheless remained silent,
and then S'arvavarman uttered this extraordinary speech, " King, thou
didst long ago say to me, ' Make me a learned man. ' Thinking upon
that I employed last night a charm to produce a dream.* Then I saw in
my dream a lotus fallen from heaven, and it was opened by some heavenly
youth, and out of it came a divine woman in white garments, and imme-
diately, (.) king, she entered thy mouth. When I had seen so much I
woke up, and I think without doubt that the woman who visibly entered
thy mouth was Sarasvati. As soon as S'arvavarman had in these terms
described his dream, the king broke his silence and said to me with the
utmost earnestness, — " In how short a time can a man, who is diligently
taught, acquire learning ? Tell me this. For without learning all this
regal splendour has no charms for me. What is the use of rank and power
to a blockhead ? They are like ornaments on a log of wood." Then I
said, " King, it is invariably the case that it takes men twelve years to
learn grammar, the gate to all knowledge. But I, my sovereign, will
teach it you in six years." When he heard that, S'arvavarman suddenly
exclaimed in a fit of jealousy — " How can a man accustomed to enjoy-
ment endure hardship for so long ? So I will teach you grammar, my
prince, in six months." WThen I heard this promise which it seemed
impossible to make good, I said to him in a rage, " If you teach the king
in six months, I renounce at once and for ever Sanskrit, Prakrit, and the
vernacular dialect, these three languages which pass current among men ;f
then S'arvavarman said — " And if I do not do this, I S'arvavarman, will
carry your shoes on my head for twelve years." Having said this he went
out ; I too went home ; and the king for his part was comforted, expecting
that he would attain his object by means of one of us two. Now S'arva-
varman being in a dilemma, seeing that his promise was one very difficult
to perform, and regretting what he had done, told the whole story to his
wife, and she grieved to hear it said to him, " My lord, in this difficulty
there is no way of escape for you except the favour of the Lord Karti-
ke v a. J " It is so," said S'arvavarman and determined to implore it. Accord-
* So explained by Bohtlingk and Roth s. v. cp. Tarunga 72 si. 103.
t Ho al'tenvards learns to speak in the lan.^ua^o of the 1'iiuchas, goblins, «r
ogres.
£ Called also Kumara. This was no doubt indicated by the Kiuimra or boy, who
opened the lotus.
40
ingly in the last watch of the night, S'arvavarman set out fasting for the
shrine of the god. Now I came to hear of it by means of my secret emis-
saries, and in the morning I told the king of it ; and he, when he heard it,
wondered what would happen. Then a trusty Rajput called Sinhagupta
said to him, " When I heard, 0 king, that thou wast afflicted I was seized
with great despondency. Then I went out of this city, and was preparing
to cut off my own head hefore the goddess Durga in order to ensure thy
happiness. Then a voice from heaven forbade me, saying, ' Do not so, the
king's wish shall be fulfilled.' Therefore, I believe, thou art sure of suc-
cess." When he had said this, that Sinhagupta took leave of the king, and
rapidly despatched two emissaries after S'arvavarman ; who feeding only on
air, observing a vow of silence, steadfast in resolution, reached at last the
shrine of the Lord Kartikeya. There, pleased with his penance that spared
not the body, Kartikeya favoured him according to his desire ; then the
two spies sent by Sinhagupta came into the king's presence and reported
the minister's success. On hearing that news the king was delighted and
I was despondent, as the cMtaka joys, and the swan grieves, on seeing the
cloud.* Then S'arvavarman arrived successful by the favour of Kartikeya,
and communicated to the king all the sciences, which presented themselves
to him on his thinking of them. And immediately they were revealed to
the king Satavahana. For what cannot the grace of the Supreme Lord
accomplish ? Then the kingdom rejoiced on hearing that the king had
thus obtained all knowledge, and there was high festival kept throughout
it ; and that moment banners were flaunted from every house, and being
fanned by the wind, seemed to dance. Then S'arvavarman was honoured
with abundance of jewels fit for a king by the sovereign, who bowed humbly
before him, calling him his spiritual preceptor, and he was made governor
of the territory called Vakakachchha, which lies along the bank of the Nar-
mada. The king being highly pleased with that Rajput Sinhagupta, who
first heard by the mouth of his spies, that the boon had been obtained from
the six-faced god,f made him equal to himself in splendour and power.
And that queen too, the daughter of Vishnusakti, who was the cause of his
acquiring learning, he exalted at one bound above all the queens, through
affection anointingj her with his own hand.
* The cMtaka lives on rain-drops, but the poor swan has to tike a long journey
to the WUKI.SI lake beyond the snowy hills, at the approach of the rainy season.
t Kartikoya.
J More literally sprinkling her with watrr.
CHAPTER VII.
Then, having taken a vow of silence, I came into the presence of the
sovereign, and there a certain Brahman recited a slokn- he had com-
posed, and the king himself addressed him correctly in the Sanskrit lan-
guage ; and the people who were present in court were delighted when tln-y
witnessed that. Then the king said deferentially to S'arvavarman — " Tell
me thyself after what fashion the god shewed thee favour." Hearing that,
S'arvavarman proceeded to relate to the king the whole story of Kartikeya's
favourable acceptance of him.
" I went, O king, on that occasion fasting and silent from this place, so
when the journey came to an end, being very despondent, and emaciated
with my severe austerities, worn out I fell senseless on the ground. Then,
I remember, a man with a spear in his hand came and said to me in distinct
accents, 'Rise up, my son, everything shall turn out favourably for thee.'
By that speech I was, as it were, immediately bedewed with a shower of
nectar, and I woke up, and seemed free from hunger and thirst and in good
case. Then I approached the neighbourhood of the god's temple, over-
powered with the weight of my devotion, and after bathing I entered the
inner shrine of the god in a state of agitated suspense. Then that Lord
Skanda* gave me a sight of himself within, and thereupon Sarasvati in
visible shape entered my mouth. So that holy god, manifested before me,
recited the sutra beginning ' the traditional doctrine of letters.' On
hearing that, I, with the levity which is so natural to mankind, guessed the
next sutra and uttered it myself. Then that god said to me, 'if thou
hadst not uttered it thyself, this grammatical treatise would have supplant-
ed that of Panini. As it is, on account of its conciseness, it shall be called
Katantra, and Kahipaka, from the tail (kaldpfi) of the peacock on which I
ride.' Having said this, that god himself in visible form revealed to me
that new and short grammar, f and then added this besides ; ' That king
of thine in a former birth was himself a holy sage, a pupil of the hermit
Bharadvaja, named Krishna, great in austerity : and he, having beheld a
* Skanda is another name of Kartikeya.
t This grammar is extensively in use in the eastern parts of Bengal. The ruli s
arc attributed to Sarvavarma, hy the inspiration of K;irtik< ya, as narrated in tin
The tfjnftt or gloss is the work of Durgi Singh and that again is commented <>n Vv
Trilochana Dasa and Kaviraja. Vararuchi is the supposed author of an illustration of
the Conjugations and Sripali Yarma of a. Supplement. Other Commentaries are attri-
buted to Gopi Niitha, Kula Chandra and Visvi>var;i. (X<>t' in \\'i!,-"n's I
I. p. 183.)
6
42
hermit's daughter who loved him in return, suddenly felt the smart of the
wound which the shaft of the flowery-arrowed god inflicts. So, having
been cursed hy the hermits, he has now become incarnate here, and that
hermit's daughter has become incarnate as his queen.
So this king Satavahana, being an incarnation of a holy sage,* when
he beholds thee, will attain a knowledge of all the sciences according to thy
wish. For the highest matters are easily acquired by great-souled ones,
having been learnt in a former birth, the real truth of them being recalled
by their powerful memories. 'f When the god had said this, he disappeared,
and I went out, and there grains of rice were presented me by the god's
servants. Then I proceeded to return, O king, and wonderful to say,
though I consumed those grains on my journey day after day, they remain-
ed as numerous as ever." When he had related his adventure, S'arvavarman
ceased speaking, and king Satavahana in cheerful mood rose up and went
to bathe.
Then I, being excluded from business by my vow of silence, took leave,
with a low bow only, of that king who was very averse to part with me,
and went out of that town, accompanied by only two disciples, and, with
my mind bent on the performance of austerities, came to visit the shrine of
the dweller in the Vindhya hills, and having been directed by the goddess
in a dream to visit thee, I entered for that purpose this terrible Vindhya
forest. A hint given by a Pulinda enabled me to find a caravan, and so
somehow or other, by the special favour of destiny, I managed to arrive
here, and beheld this host of Pisachas, and by hearing from a distance their
conversation with one another, I have contrived to learn this PaisYicha lan-
guage, which has enabled me to break my vow of silence ; 1 then made use
of it to ask after you, and, hearing that you had gone to Ujjayini, I waited
here until your return ; on beholding you I welcomed you in the fourth
language, (the speech of the Pisachas), and then I called to mind my origin ;
this is the story of my adventures in this birth.
When Gun&dhya had said this, K&nabhuti said to him, — "hear, how
your arrival was made known to me last night. I have a friend, a Eaksha-
sa of the name of Bhutivarman, who possesses heavenly insight ; and I
went to a garden in Ujjayini, where he resides. On my asking him when
my own curse would come to an end, he .said, wo have no power in the
day, wait, and I will tell you at night. I consented and when night came
on, I asked him earnestly the reason why goblinsj delighted in disporting
* Risliis.
f £om£ora means tendency produced -by some past inflwiuv, often works in a
former liirih. .
; For tin1, idea op. Shaki'sprar, Hamlet, Act I. Si1. 1. (towards the end) and nume-
rous other 1'iis^iijes in the same author.
43
themselves then, as they were doing. Then Bhutivarman said to me, ' Lis-
ten, I will relate what I heard S'iva say in a conversation with Brahma.
R&kshasas, Vakshas, and Pisachas have no power in the day, being dazed
with the brightness of the sun, therefore they delight in the night. And
where the gods are not worshipped, and the Brahmans, in due form, and
where men eat contrary to the holy law, there also they have power.
Where there is a man who abstains from flesh, or a virtuous woman, there
they do not go. They never attack chaste men, heroes, and men awake.'*
When he said this on that occasion Bhutivarman continued, ' Go, for Gumi-
dhya has arrived, the destined means of thy release from the curse.' So
hearing this, I have come, and I have seen thee, my lord ; now I will
relate to thee that tale which Pushpadanta told ; but I feel curiosity on
one point ; tell me why he was called Pushpadanta and thou Malyavan."
Hearing this question from Kanabhiiti, Gunadhya said to him. On the
Story of Pushpadanta, bank °£ the Gan8f there is a dls'
trict granted to Brahmans by royal
charter, named Bahusuvarnaka, and there lived there a very learned Brah-
man named Govindadatta, and he had a wife Agnidatta who was devoted
to her husband. In course of time that Brahman had five sons by her.
And they, being handsome but stupid, grew up insolent fellows. Then a
guest came to the house of Govindadatta, a Brahman Vaisvanara by name,
like a second god of fire.f As Govindadatta was away from home when
he arrived, he came and saluted his sons, and they only responded to his
salute with a laugh ; then that Brahman in a rage prepared to depart from
his house. While he was in this state of wrath Govindadatta came, and
asked the cause, and did his best to appease him, but the excellent Brah-
man nevertheless spoke as follows — " Your sons have become outcasts, as
being blockheads, and you have lost caste by associating with them, there-
fore I will not eat in your house ; if I did so, I should not be able to purify
myself by any expiatory ceremony." Then Govindadatta said to him with
an oath, " I will never even touch these wicked sons of mine." His hos-
pitable wife also came and said the same to her guest ; then Vaisvanara
was with difficulty induced to accept their hospitality. One of Gurudat-
ta's sons, named Devadatta, when he saw that, was grieved at his father's
sternness, and thinking a life of no value which was thus branded by his
parents, went in a state of despondency to the hermitage of Badarika to
perform penance ; there he first ate leaves, and afterwards he fed only on
smoke, persevering in a long course of austerities in order to propitiate the
husband of Uma. J So S'ambhu,^ won over by his severe austerities, inani-
* Brockhaus renders it Fromne, Helden und Wdse.
t Vaisvanara is an epithet of Agui or Fire.
1 S'iva.
44
fested himself to him, and he craved a boon from the god, that he might
ever attend upon him. S'umbhu thus commanded him — " Acquire learn-
ing, and enjoy pleasures on the earth, and after that thou shalt attain all
thy desire." Then he, eager for learning, went to the city of Pataliputra,
and according to custom waited on an instructor named Vedakumbhu.
When he was there, the wife of his preceptor distracted by passion, which
had arisen in her heart, made violent love to him ; alas ! the fancies of
women are ever inconstant ! Accordingly Devadatta left that place, as his
studies had been thus interfered with by the god of love, and went to Pra-
tishthana with unwearied zeal. There he repaired to an old preceptor
named Mantrasvamin, with an old wife, and acquired a perfect knowledge of
the sciences. And after he had acquired learning, the daughter of the
king Susarman, S'ri by name, cast eyes upon the handsome youth, as the
goddess S'ri upon Vishnu. He also beheld that maiden at a window, look-
ing like the presiding goddess of the moon, roaming through the air in a
magic chariot. Those two were, as it were, fastened together by that look
which was the chain of love, and were unable to separate. The king's
daughter made him a sign to come near with one finger, looking like Love's
command in fleshly form. Then he came near her, and she came out of
the women's apartments, and took with her teeth a flower and threw it
down to him. He, not understanding this mysterious sign made by the
princess, puzzled as to what he ought to do, went home to his preceptor.
There he rolled on the ground unable to utter a word, being consumed
within with burning pain, like one dumb and distracted ; his wise precep-
tor guessing what was the matter by these love- symptoms, artfully ques-
tioned him, and at last he was with difficulty persuaded to tell the whole
story. Then the clever preceptor guessed the riddle, and said to him,*
" By letting drop a flower with her tooth she made a sign to you, that you
were to go to tbis temple rich in flowers called Pushpadanta, and wait there :
so you had better go now." When he heard this and knew the meaning of
the sign, the youtli forgot his grief. Then he went into that temple and
remained there. The princess on her part also went there, giving as an
excuse that it was the eighth clay of the month, and then entered the inner
shrine in order to present herself alone before the god ; then she touched
her lover who was behind the panel of the door, and he suddenly springing
up threw his arms round her neck. She exrlaimed, " this is strange ; how
did you guess the meaning of that sign of mine '?" He replied, " it was my
preceptor that found it out, not I." Then the princess flew into a passion
and said, " Let me go, you arc a dolt," and immediately rushed out of the
temple, fearing that her secret would be discovered. Devadatta on his part
went away, and thinking in solitude.on his beloved, who was no sooner seen
* Cp. the 1st story iii the Wtulu ruuchuvinsiti, Chapter ~o of this work.
15
than lost to his eyes, was in such a ^t;ite that the taper u[ his life was well
nigh melted away in the lire of bereavement. S'iva, who had been lx:fore
propitiated by him, commanded an attendant of his, of the name of Pan-
chasikha, to procure for him the desire of his heart. That excellent Gana
thereupon came, and consoled him, and caused him to assume the dress of
a woman, and he himself wore the semblance of an aged Brahman. Then that
worthy Gana went with him to king Susarman the father of that bright-
eyed one, and said to him ; " My son has been sent away somewhere, I go
to seek him : accordingly I deposit with thee this daughter-in-law of mine,
keep her safely, O king." Hearing that, king Susarman afraid of a Brah-
man's curse, took the young man and placed him in his daughter's guarded
seraglio, supposing him to be a woman. Then after the departure of Pancha-
siklia, the Brahman dwelt in woman's clothes in the seraglio of his beloved,
and became her trusted confidante. Once on a time the princess was full
of regretful longing at night, so he discovered himself to her and secretly
married her by the Gandharva form of marriage. And when she became
pregnant, that excellent Gana came on his thinking of him only, and car-
ried him away at night without its being perceived. Then he quickly rent
off from the young man his woman's dress, and in the morning Panchasikha
resumed the semblance of .a Brahman ; and going with the young man to
the king Susarman he said ; " O king, I have this day found my son : so
give me back my daughter-in-law." Then the king, supposing that she had
fled somewhere at night, alarmed at the prospect of being cursed by the
Brahman, said this to his ministers. " This is no Brahman, this is some god
come to deceive me, for such things often happen in this world.
So in former times there was
Story of king bivi.
a king named S'ivi, self-denying,
compassionate, generous, resolute, the protector of all creatures ; and in
order to beguile him Indra assumed the shape of a hawk, and swiftly pur-
sued Dharma,* who by magic had transformed himself into a dove. The
dove in terror went and took refuge in the bosom of S'ivi. Then the hawk
addressed the king with a human voice ; ' 0 king, this is my natural food,
surrender the dove to me, for I am hungry. Know that my death will
immediately follow if you refuse my prayer ; in that case where Avill be
your righteousness ?' Then S'ivi said to the god, — ' this creature has lli-d to
me for protection, and I cannot abandon it, therefore I will give you an
equal weight of some other kind of flesh.' The hawk said, ' if this be so, then
give me your own flesh.' The king, delighted, consented to do so. But as fast
as he cut off his flesh and threw it on the scale, the dove seemed to weij.'h
more and more in the balance. Then the king threw his whole body on
to the scale, and thereupon a celestial voice was heard, ' Well done ! this
* The god of justice.
46
is equal in weight to the dove.' Then Indra and Dharma abandoned the
form of hawk and dove, and being highly pleased restored the body of king
S'ivi whole as before, and, after bestowing on him many other blessings,
they both disappeared. In the same way this Brahman is some god that
has come to prove me."*
Having said this to his ministers, that king Susarman of his own
motion said to that excellent Gana that had assumed the form of a Brah-
man, prostrating himself before him in fear, <; Spare me ; that daughter-
in-law of thine was carried off last night. She has been taken somewhere
or other by magic arts, though guarded night and day." Then the Gana,
who had assumed the Brahman's semblance, pretending to be with difficul-
ty won over to pity him, said, " If this be so, king, give thy daughter in
marriage to my son." When he heard this, the king afraid of being cursed,
gave his own daughter to Devadatta : then Panchasikha departed. Then
Devadatta having recovered his beloved, and that in an open manner,
flourished in the power and splendour of his father-in-law who had no son
but him. And in course of time Susarman anointed the son of his dau^h-
O
ter by Devadatta, Mahidhara by name, as successor in his room, and retired
to the forest. Then having seen the prosperity of his sou, Devadatta consi-
dered that he had attained all his objects, and he too with the princess
retired to the forest. There he again propitiated Siva, and having laid
aside his mortal body, by the special favour of the god he attained the
position of a Gana. Because he did not understand the sign given by the
ilower dropped from the tooth of his beloved, therefore he became known
bv the name of Pushpadanta in the assembly of the Ganas. And his wife
became a door-keeper in the house of the goddess, under the name of Jay;i :
this is how he came to be called Pushpadauta : now hear the origin of my
name.
Long ago I was a son of that same Brahman called Govindadatta the
father of Devadatta, and my name was Somadatta. I left my home indig-
nant for the same reason as Devadatta, and I performed austerities on the
Himalaya continually .striving to propitiate S'iva with offerings of many
garlands. The god of the moony crest, being pleased, revealed himself to
me in the same way as he did to my brother, and I chose the privilege of
attending upon him as a Gana, not being desirous of lower pleasures. The
husband of the daughter of the mountain, that mighty god, thus addressed
* Benfey < his story as Buddhistic in its origin. In the " Memoires Sur
les Contrees Occidentals trndnits du Sanscrit pur HioucnThsang ct du Chinois par
Stanislas Julien" we arc expressly told that Gautama Buddha gave his flesh ;
as Sivi in a furmer state of < It is told of many other person-.
I'IIIK •hiitantra, Vol. I, p. 388, cp. also Campbell's West Highland Tales, p. 23'J, Vol. I,
TuluXVI.
4-7
me ; " Because I have been worshipped by thco with garlands of flowers
growing in trackless forest-regions, brought with thy own hand, therefore
thou shalt be one of my Ganas, and shalt bear the name of M&lyaT&n."
Then I cast off my mortal frame, and immediately attained the holy state
of an attendant on the god. And so my name of Malyav;in was bestowed
upon me by him who wears the burden of the matted locks,* as a mark of
his special favour. And I, that very Malyavtin, have once more, O Kana-
bhuti, been degraded to the state of a mortal, as thou seest, owing to the
curse of the daughter of the mountain, therefore do thou now tell me the
tale told by S'iva, in order that the state of curse of both of us may cease.
Note to Chapter VII.
" Rakshasas, Yakshas, and Pi&tchas have no power in the day, being
dazed with the brightness of the sun therefore they delight in the night."
Farmer commenting on Hamlet, Act I, Sc. I, 150, quotes the follow-
ing lines of Prudentius Ad Gallicinium. Ferunt vagantes dsernonas,
Lsetos tenebris noctium, Gallo canente exterritos, Sparsim timere et cedere.
Hoc esse signum prascii Norunt repromissae spei, Qua nos soporis liberi
Speramus adventum Dei. Douce quotes from another hymn said to have
been composed by Saint Ambrose and formerly used iu the Salisbury
service. Prreco diei jam sonat, Noctis profundse pervigil ; Nocturna lux
viantibus, A nocte noctem segregans. Hoc excitatus Lucifer Solvit polurn
caligine ; Hoc omnis errorum cohors Viam nocendi deserit. Gallo canente
spes redit &c.
CHAPTER VIII.
In accordance with this request of Gunadhyathat heavenly tale con.-ist-
ing of seven stories was told by Kanabhuti in his own language, and Guna-
dhya for his part using the same Paisacha language threw them into seven
hundred thousand couplets in seven years ; and that great poet, for fear that
the Vidyadharas should steal his composition, wrote it with his own blood
in the forest, not possessing ink. And so the Vidhyudharas, Siddhas
and other demigods came to hear it, and the heaven above where Kiiiia-
bhuti was reciting, was, as it were, continually covered with a canopy. And
Kanabhuti, when he had seen that great tale composed by Gunudhyu, was
released from his curse and went to his own place. There were also other
Pisiichas that accompanied him in his wanderings : they too all of them
attained heaven, having heard that heavenly tale. Then that great poet
* /. c., S'ivu.
48
Gunadhya began to reflect, " I must make this Great Tale* of mine cur-
rent on the earth, for that is the condition that the goddess mentioned
when she revealed how my curse would end. Then how shall I make it
current ? To whom shall I give it ?" Then his two disciples that had
followed him, one of whom was called Gunadeva, and the other Nandidcva
said to him, " The glorious Satavahana alone is a fit person to give this
poem to, for being a man of taste he will diffuse the poem far and wide, as
the wind diffuses the perfume of the flower." " So be it," said Gumiclhya,
and gave the book to those two accomplished disciples and sent them to that
king with it ; and went himself to that same Pratishthana, but remained
outside the city in the garden planted by the goddess, where he arranged
that they should meet him. And his disciples went and showed the poem
to king Satavahana, telling him at the same time that it was the work of
Gunadhya. When he heard that Paisacha language and saw that they had
the appearance of Pisachas, that king, led astray by pride of learning, said
with a sneer, " The seven hundred thousand couplets are a weighty autho-
rity, but the Paisacha language is barbarous, and the letters are written in
blood ; away with this Paisacha tale." Then the two pupils took the book,
and returned by the way which they came, and told the whole circumstance
to Gunadhya. Gunadhya for his part, when he heard it, was immediately
overcome with sorrow; who indeed is not inly grieved when scorned by a com-
petent authority ? Then he went with his disciples to a craggy hill at no great
distance, in an unfrequented but pleasant spot, and first prepared a conse-
crated fire cavity. Then he took the leaves one by one, and after he had
read them aloud to the beasts and birds, he flung them into the fire while
his disciples looked on with tearful eyes. But he reserved one story, con-
sisting of one hundred thousand couplets, containing the history of Kara-
vahanadatta, for the sake of his two disciples, as they particularly fancied
it. And while he was reading out and burning that heavenly tale, all the
deer, boars, buffaloes and other wild animals, came there, leaving the pas-
turage, and formed a circle around him, listening with tears in their eyes,
unable to quit the spnt.f
In the meanwhile king Satavahana fell sick. And the physicians said
that his illness was due to eating meat wanting in nutritive qualities. And
when the cooks were scolded for it, they said — " The hunters bring in to us
ilesh of this kind." And when the hunters were taken to task, they said, —
"On a hill not very far from here there is a Brahman reading, who throws
into the fire every leaf as soon as he has read it ; so all the animals go
there and listen without e\er irra/ing, they never wander anywhere else,
consequently this Ilesh of theirs is wanting in nutritive properties on ac-
« Vrihat Kutha.
| Compare the .-4'jry of Orpheus.
•10
count of their going without food." When ho heard this speech of the
hunters he made them shew him the way, and out of curiosity went in
person to see Gunadhya, and he beheld him owing to his forest life over-
spread with matted locks, that looked like the smoke of the fire of his curse,
that was almost extinguished.
Then the king recognized him as he stood in the midst of the weeping
animals, and after he had respectfully saluted him, he asked him for an
explanation of all the circumstances. That wise Brahman then related to
the king in the language of the demons his own history as Pu.shpadanta,
giving an account of the curse and all the circumstances which originated
the descent of the tale to earth. Then the king, discovering that he was
an incarnation of a Gana, bowed at his feet, and asked him for that celcst ial
tale that had issued from the mouth of S'iva. Then Gunadhya said to that
king Satavahana ; " O king I have burnt six tales containing six hundred
thousand couplets ; but here is one tale consisting of a hundred thousand
couplets, take that :* and these two pupils of mine shall explain it to you."
So spake Gunadhya and took leave of the king, and then by strength of
devotion laid aside his earthly body, and released from the curse ascended
to his own heavenly home. Then the king took that tale which Gunadhya
had given, called Vrihat Katha, containing the adventures of Naravahana-
datta, and went to his own city. And there he bestowed on Gunadeva and
Nandideva, the pupils of the poet who composed that tale, lands, gold, gar-
ments, beasts of burden, palaces, and treasures. And having recovered the
sense of that tale with their help, Satavahana composed the book named
Kathapitha, in order to shew how the tale came to be first made known in
the Paisacha language. Now that tale was so full of various interest, that
men were so taken up with it as to forget the tales of the gods, and
after producing that effect in the city it attained uninterrupted renown in
the three worlds.
* It is unnecessary to remind the reader of the story of the Sibyl.
BOOK II.
CALLED KATHA'MUKHA.
This ncctarous tale sprang in old time from the mouth of S'iva, set in
motion by his love for the daughter of the Himalaya, as the nectar of im-
mortality sprang from the sea, when churned by the mountain Mumlarn.
Those who drink eagerly the nectar of this tale, have all impediments re-
moved and gain prosperity, and by the favour of S'iva attain, while living
upon earth, the high rank of gods.
CHAPTER IX.
May the water of S'iva's sweat, fresh from the embrace of Gauri,*
which the god of love when afraid of the fire of S'iva's eye, employs as his
aqueous weapon, protect you.
Listen to the following tale of the Vidyadharas, which the excellent
Gana Pushpadanta heard on mount Kailasa from the god of the matted
locks, and which Kanabhuti heard on the earth from the same Pushpadanta
after he had become Vararuchi, and which Gunadhya heard from Kanabhu-
ti, and Satavahana heard from Gunadhya.
,. , „ . There is a land famous under
Story of Udayana Icing of v atsa.
the name of Vatsa, that appears as
if it had been made by the Creator as an earthly rival to dash the pride of
heaven. In the centre of it is a great city named Kausambi, the favourite
dwelling-place of the goddess of prosperity ; the ear-ornament, so to si
of the earth. In it dwelt a king named S'atanika, sprung from the Panda-
va family, he was the son of Janamejaya, and the grandson of king Parik-
shit, who was the great-grandson of Abhimanyu. The first progenitor of
his race was Arjuna, the might of whose strong arms was tested in a strug-
gle with the mighty arms of S'iva ;f his wife was the earth, and also Vish-
* I. r.. !>'
t I believe this refers to Arjuna's combat with the god when lie had assumed tb-
form of a Kirata or mountaineer. S'iva is In re rail d Trimiran, the enemy or dertroyat
of Tripura. Dr. Broekhaus renders it quite dul'uvntly.
52
numati his queen ; the first produced jewels, but the second did not produce
a son. Once on a time, as that king was roaming about in his passion for
the chase, he made acquaintance in the forest with the hermit S'andilya.
That worthy sage finding out that the king desired a son, came to Kau-
sambi and administered to his queen an artfully prepared oblation*
consecrated with mystic verses. Then he had a son born to him called
Sahasranika. And his father was adorned by him as excellence is by
modesty. Then in course of time Statanika made that son crown-prince
and though he still enjoyed kingly pleasures, ceased to trouble himself
about the cares of government. Then a war arose between the gods and
Asuras, and Indra sent Matali as a messenger to that king begging for
aid. Then he committed his son and his kingdom to the care of his princi-
pal minister, who was called Yogandhara, and his Commander-in-chief, whose
name was Supratika, and went to Indra with Matali to slay the Asuras in
fight. That king, having slain many Asuras, of whom Yamadanshtra was
the chief, under the eyes of Indra, met death in that very battle. The
king's body was brought back by Matali, and the queen burnt herself with
it, and the royal dignity descended to his son Sahasranika. Wonderful to
say, when that king ascended his father's throne, the heads of the kings
on every side of his dominions were bent down with the weight. Then
Indra sent Matali, and brought to heaven that Sabasranika, as being the
son of his friend, that he might be present at the great feast which he was
holding to celebrate his victory over his foes. There the king saw the
gods, attended by their fair ones, sporting in the garden of Nandana, and
desiring for himself a suitable wife, fell into low spirits. Then Indra,
perceiving this desire of his, said to him ; " King, away with despondency,
this desire of thine shall be accomplished. For there has been born upon
the earth one, who was long ago ordained a suitable match for thee. For
listen to the following history, which I now proceed to relate to thec.
" Long ago I went to the court of Brahma in order to visit him, and a
certain Yasu named Yidlmma followed me. "While we were then.-, an
Apsarasf named Alambusha came to see Brahma, and her robe was blown
aside by the wind. And the Vasu, when he beheld her, was overpowered by
love, and the Apsaras too hud her eyes immediately attracted by his form.
The lotus-sprung god,* when he beheld that, looked me full in the f';uv,
and 1, knowing his moaning, in wrath cursed those two, 'Be born, you two,
shameless creatures, into the world of mortals, and there become man and
* Composed of rice, milk, sugar and spires.
t Certain female divinities who reside in the sky and aro the wives of th.
dharvas. lUunier Williams, *. v.
J Brahuia. He euuTges from a lotus growing from tin navel
wife.' That Vasu has been born as thou, Sahasranika, the son of S'atanika,
an ornament to the race of the moon. And that Apsaras too has been born
in Ayodhya as the daughter of king Kritavarman, Mrigavati by name, she
shall be thy wife." By these words of Indra the ilame of love was fanned
in the passionate* heart of the king and burst out into full blaze ; as a
fire when fanned by the wind. Indra then dismissed the king from heaven
with all due honour in his own chariot, and he set out with Matalif for
his capital. But as he was starting, the Apsaras Tilottamii said to
him out "of affection, " King I have somewhat to say to thee, wait a mo-
ment." But he, thinking on Mrigavati, went off without hearing what
she said, then Tilottama in her rage cursed him ; " King, thou shalt be
separated for fourteen years from her who has so engrossed thy mind that
thou dost not hear my speech." Now Matali heard that curse, but the
king, yearning for his beloved, did not. In the chariot he went to Kau-
sainbi but in spirit he went to Ayodhya. Then the king told with longing
heart, all that he had heard from Indra with reference to Mrigavati, to his
ministers, Yogandhara and the others : and not being able to endure delay,
he sent an ambassador to Ayodhya to ask her father Kritavarman
for the hand of that maiden. And Kritavarman having heard from
the ambassador his commission, told in his joy the queen Kalavati,
and then she said to him — " King we ought certainly to give Mriga-
vati to Sahasranika, and, I remember, a certain Brahman told me this very
thing in a dream" ; then in his delight the king showed to the ambassador
Mrigavati's wonderful skill in dancing, singing, and other accomplishments,
and her matchless beauty ; so the king Kritavarman gave to Sahasranika
that daughter of his who was unequalled as a mine of graceful arts, and
who shone like an incarnation of the moon ; that marriage of Sahasranika
and Mrigavati was one in which the good qualities of either party supple-
mented those of the other, and might be compared to the union of learning
and intelligence.
Not long after sons were born to the king's ministers ; Yogandhara
had a son born to him named Yaugandliar;iy;iua ; and Supratika had a son
born to him named Ilumanvat. And to the king's master of the revels was
born a son named Vasantaka. Then in a few days Mrigavati l>tvanu-
slightly pale and promised to bear a child to king Sahasranika. And then
she asked the king, who was never tired of looking at her, to gratify her
longing by filling a tank full of blood for her to bathe in. Accordingly
the king, who was a righteous man, in order to gratify her dcsitv. had a
tank tilled with the juice of lac and other red extracts, so that it seemed
to be full of blood. And while she was bathing in that lake, and cover, .1
* In the word sttxw/u' there is probably a pun ; snrha meaning love, and also oil.
f The charioteer of Iiidru.
54
\vith red dye, a bird of the race of Garuda* suddenly pounced upon her
and carried her off thinking she was raw flesh. As soon as she Avas carried
away in some unknown direction by the bird, the king became distracted,
and his self-command forsook him as if in order to go in search of her.
His heart was so attached to his beloved that it was in very truth carried
off by that bird, and thus he fell senseless upon the earth. As soon as he
had recovered his senses, Ma/tali, who had discovered all by his divine power,
descended through the air and came where the king was. He consoled the
king, and told him the curse of Tilottama with its destined end, as he had
heard it long ago, and then he took his departure. Then the king tormen-
ted with grief lamented on this wise ; " Alas my beloved, that wicked
Tilottama has accomplished her desire." But having learned the facts
about the curse, and having received advice from his ministers, he managed,
though with difficulty, to retain his life through hope of a future reunion.
But that bird, which had carried off Mrigavati, as soon as it found out
that she was alive, abandoned her, and as fate would have it, left her on the
mountain where the sun rises. And when the bird let her drop and de-
parted, the queen, distracted with grief and fear, saw that she was left
unprotected on the slope of a trackless mountain. While she was weeping
in the forest, alone, with one garment only to cover her, an enormous ser-
pent rose up and prepared to swallow her. Then she, for whom prosperity
was reserved in the future, was delivered by some heavenly hero that came
down and slew the serpent, and disappeared almost as soon as he was seen.
Thereupon she, longing for death, flung herself down in front of a wild
elephant, but even he spared her as if out of compassion. Wonderful was
it that even a wild beast did not slay her when she fell in his way ! Or
rather it was not to be wondered at. What cannot the will of S'iva effect ?
Then the girl tardy with the weight of her womb, desiring to hurl
herself down from a precipice, and thinking upon that lord of hers,
•wept aloud ; and a hermit's son, who had wandered there in search of roots
and fruits, hearing that, came up, and found her looking like the in-
* This is the Roc or Rokh of Arabian romance, agreeing in the multiplicity of
individuals as well as their propensity for raw flesh.
(See Sindhad's Voyages ed. Langles, p. 149.) The latter characteristic, to the snh.
version of all poetical fancies, has acquired, it may be supposed, for the Adjutant (Ardea
Argila) the name of (rartida. A irnndervogel is the property of all people, and thu
Garuda of the Hindoos is represented by the Eorosh of the /cud, Simoorgh of the Per-
sians, the Anka of the Arabs, the Kerkes of the Turks, the Kirni of the .lapam
sacred dragon of the Chinese, the Griffin of Chivalry, the Phoenix of classical fable,
the wise and ancient bird that sits upon the ash Yggdrasil of the Kdda, and according
to Faber with all the rest is a miflrepieeentation of the holy cherubim that guard' I
gate of Paradise. Some writers have even traced the twelve knights of the round table
to the twelve Koes of Persian story. (Wilson's Essays. Vol. I, pp. 192, 193, note.)
carnation of sorrow. And he, after questioning the queen about her
adventures, and comforting her as well as he could, with a heart melted
with compassion led her off to the hermitage of Jamadagni. There she
heheld Jamadagni, looking like the incarnation of comfort, whose brightness
so illumined the eastern mountain that it seemed as if the rising sun ever
rested on it. When she fell at his feet, that hermit who was kind to all
that came to him for help, and possessed heavenly insight, said to her
who was tortured with the pain of separation ; " Here there shall be
born to thee, my daughter, a son that shall uphold the family of his father,
and thou shalt be reunited to thy husband, therefore weep not." When
that virtuous woman heard that speech of the hermit's, she took up
her abode in that hermitage, and entertained hope of a reunion with
her beloved. And some days al'ter, the blameless one gave birth to a
charmingly beautiful son, as association with the good produces good
manners. At that moment a voice was heard from heaven ; " an august
king of great renown has been born, Udayana by name, and his son shall
be monarch of all the Vidyadharas." That voice restored to the heart of
Mrigavati joy which she had long forgotten. Gradually that boy grew up
to size and strength in that grove of asceticism, accompanied by his own
excellent qualities as playmates. And the heroic child had the sacraments
appropriate to a member of the warrior-caste performed for him by Jama-
dagni, and was instructed by him in the sciences, and the practice of arche-
ry. And out of love for him Mrigavati drew off from her own wrist, and
placed on his, a bracelet marked with the name of Sahasranika. Then that
Udayana roaming about once upon a time in pursuit of deer, beheld in the
forest a snake that had been forcibly captured by a S'avara.* And he,
feeling pity for the beautiful snake, said to that S'avara, " Let go this
snake to please me." Then that S'avara said, " My lord, this is my liveli-
hood, for I am a poor man, and I always maintain myself by exhibiting
dancing snakes. The snake I previously had having died, I searched
through this great wood, and, finding this one, overpowered him by charms
and captured him." When he heard this, the generous Udayana gave that
S'avara the bracelet which his mother had bestowed on him, and persuaded
him to set the snake at liberty. The S'avara took the bracelet and depart-
ed, and then the snake being pleased with Udayana bowed before him and
said as follows, " I am the eldest brother of Yasuki,f called Vasunemi :
receive from me, whom thou hast preserved, this lute, sweet in the sound-
ing of its strings, divided according to the division of the quarter-tones ;
* A wild mountaineer. Dr. Biihler observes that the names of these tribes are
,.Ty vaguely in JSanskut story-books.
t Sovereign of the snakes.
50
and betel leaf, together with the art of weaving unfading garlands, and
adorning the forehead with marks that never become indistinct." Then
Udayana furnished with all these, and dismissed by the snake, returned to
the hermitage of Jamadagni, raining nectar, so to speak, into the eyes of his
mother.
In the meanwhile that S'avara who had lighted on this forest, and
while roaming about in it had obtained the bracelet from. Udayana by the
will of fate, was caught attempting to sell this ornament marked with the
king's name in the market, and was arrested by the police, and brought
up in court before the king. Then king Sahasranika himself asked him
in sorrow whence he had obtained the bracelet. Then that S'avara told
him the whole story of his obtaining possession of the bracelet, beginning
with his capture of the snake upon the eastern mountain. Hearing that
from the S'avara, and beholding that bracelet of his beloved, king Sahasra-
nika ascended the swing of doubt.
Then a divine voice from heaven delighted the king who was tortured
with the fire of separation, as the rain-drops delight the peacock when
afflicted with the heat, uttering these words — " Thy curse is at an end, O
king, and that wife of thine Mrigavati is residing in the hermitage of
Jamadagni together with thy son." Then that day at last came to an end,
though made long by anxious expectatiou, and on the morrow that king
Sahasranika, making the S'avara show him the way, set out with his army
for that hermitage on the eastern mountain, in order quickly to recover his
beloved wife.
CHAPTER X.
After he had gone a long distance the king encamped that day in a
certain forest on the border of a lake. He went to bed weary, and in the
evening he said to Sangataka a story-teller who had come to him on account
of the pleasure he took in his service ; " Tell me some tale that will glad-
don my heart, for I am longing for the joy of beholding the lotus-face of
Mrigavati." Then Sangataka said, King why do you grieve without cause ?
The union with your queen, which will mark the termination of your curse,
is nigh at hand. Human beings experience many unions and separations :
and I will tell you a story to illustrate this ; listen, my lord !
Once on a time there lived in
Story of&ridaita and MrigdnkaiDati.
the country of Malava a Brahman
named Yujnasoma. And that good man had two sons born to him, beloved
by men. One of them was known as Kulunemi and the second was named
57
Vigatabhaya. Now, when their fatlier had gone to heaven, those two bro-
thers, having passed through the age o£ childhood, went to the city of
Fatal iputra to acquire learning. And when they had completed their
studies, their teacher Devasarman gave them his own two daughters, like
another couple of sciences incarnate in bodily form.
Then seeing that the householders around him were rich, K.ilanemi
through envy made a vow and propitiated the goddess of Fortune with burnt-
offerings. And the goddess being satisfied appeared in bodily form and
said to him — " Thou shalt obtain great wealth and a son who shall rule the
earth ; but at last thou shalt be put to death like a robber, because thou
hast offered flesh in the fire with impure motives." When she had said this,
the goddess disappeared ; and Kalanemi in course of time became very rich ;
moreover after some days a son was born to him. So the father, whose
desires were now accomplished, called that son S'ridatta,* because he had
been obtained by the favour of the goddess of Fortune. In course of time
S'ridatta grew up, and though a Brahman, became matchless upon earth in
the use of weapons, and in boxing and wrestling.
Then Kalanemi's brother Vigatabhaya went to a foreign land, having
become desirous of visiting places of pilgrimage, through sorrow for his
wife, who died of the bite of a snake.
Moreover the king of the land, Yallabhasakti, who appreciated good
qualities, made S'ridatta the companion of his son Vikramasakti. So he
had to live with a haughty prince, as the impetuous Bhima lived in his
youth with Duryodhana. Then two Kshatriyas, natives of Avanti, Bahu-
salin and Vajramushti became friends of that Brahman's. And some other
nien from the Deccan, sons of ministers, having been conquered by him in
wrestling, resorted to him out of spontaneous friendship, as they knew how
to value merit. Mahabala and Vyaghrabhata and also Upendrabala and a
man named Nishthuraka became his friends. One day, as years rolled on,
S'ridatta, being in attendance on the prince, went with him and those friends
to sport on the bank of the Ganges ; then the prince's own servants made
him king, and at the same time S'ridatta was chosen king by his friends.
This made the prince angry, and in over-weening confidence he at once
challenged that Brahman hero to fight. Then being conquered by him in
wrestling, and so disgraced, he made up his mind that this rising hero should
be put to death. But S'ridatta found out that intention of the prince's,
and withdrew in alarm with those friends of his from his presence. And
as lie was going along, he saw in the middle of the Ganges a woman 1
dragged under by the stream, looking like the goddess of Fortune in the
middle of the sea. And then he plunged in to pull her out of the water,
leaving Bahusalin and his five other friends on the bank. Then that woman,
* /. e., given by Fortune.
8
58
though he seized her by the hair, sank deep in the water ; and he dived as
deep in order to follow her. And after he had dived a long way, he sud-
denly saw a splendid temple of S'iva, but no water and no woman.* After
beholding that wonderful sight, being wearied out he paid his adorations to
the god with the bull-blazoned banner, and spent that night in a beautiful
garden attached to the temple. And in the morning that lady was seen
by him having come to worship the god S'iva, like the incarnate splendour
of beauty attended by all womanly perfections. And after she had wor-
shipped the god, the moon-faced one departed to her own house, and SVi-
datta for his part followed her. And he saw that palace of hers resembling
the city of the gods, which the haughty beauty entered hurriedly in a
contemptuous manner. And without deigning to address him, the graceful
lady sat down on a sofa in the inner part of the house, waited upon by
thousands of women. And SVidatta also took a seat near her ; then sud-
denly that virtuous lady began to weep. The tear-drops fell in an unceas-
ing shower on her bosom, and that moment pity entered into the heart of
SVidatta. And then he said to her, " Who art thou, and what is thy
sorrow ? Tell me, fair one, for I am able to remove it." Then she said
reluctantly, " We are the thousand granddaughters of Balif the king of
the Daityas, and I am the eldest of all, and my name is Vidyutprabha.
That grandfather of ours was carried off by Vishnu to long imprisonment,
and the same hero slew our father in a wrestling-match. And after he had
slain him, he excluded us from our own city, and he placed a lion in it to
prevent us from entering. The lion occupies that place, and grief our
hearts. It is a Yaksha that was made a lion by the curse of Kuvera, and
long ago it was predicted that the Yaksha's curse should end when he was
conquered by some mortal ; so Vishnu deigned to inform us on our humbly
asking him how we might be enabled to enter our city. Therefore subdue
that lion our enemy ; it was for that reason, O hero, that I enticed you
hither. And when you have overcome him you will obtain from him a
sword named Mriganka, by the virtue of which you shall conquer the world
and become a king." When he heard that, S'ridatta agreed to undertake
the adventure, and after that day had passed, on the morrow he took those
Daitya maidens with him as guides, and went to that city, and there he
overcame in wrestling that haughty lion. He being freed from his curse
• Cp. the story of Sattvasfla, which is the seventh tale in the Vctala Panchavin.
s'ati, and will be found in Chapter 81 of this work. Cp. also the story of S'aktidevu in
Book V. ch. 26, and Ealston's remarks on it in his Russian Folk-Tales, p. 99.
t Vishnu assumed the form of a dwarf and appeared before liuli, and uskod for as
much land as he could stcj> ovi-r. On Bali's granting it, Vishnu dilating himself, in
tis o :-! qis deprived him of heaven and earth, but left the lower regions still in his douii-
59
assumed a human form, and out of gratitude gave his sword to the man
who had put an end to his curse, and then disappeared together with tho
burden of the sorrow of the great Asura's daughter. Then that S'ridatta,
together with the Daitya's daughter, who was accompanied by her younger
sisters, entered that splendid city which looked like the serpent Ananta*
having emerged from the earth. And that Daitya maiden gave him a ring
that destroyed the effect of poison. Then that young man remaining there
fell in love with her. And she cunningly said to him, " Bathe in this tank,
and when you dive in, take with you this swordf to keep off the danger of
. crocodiles." He consented, and diving into the tank, rose upon that very
bank of the Ganges from which he first plunged in. Then he, seeing the
ring and the sword, felt astonishment at having emerged from the lower
regions, and despondency at having been tricked by the Asura maid. Then
he went towards his own house to look for his friends, and as he was going
he saw on the way his friend Nishthuraka. Nishthuraka came up to him
and saluted him, and quickly took him aside into a lonely place, and when
asked by him for news of his relations, gave him this answer ; " On that
occasion when you plunged into the Ganges we searched for you many days,
and out of grief we were preparing to cut off our heads, but a voice from
heaven forbade th»t attempt of ours saying, ' My sons, do no rash act,
your friend shall return alive.' And then we were returning into the pre-
sence of your father, when on the way a man hurriedly advanced to meet
us and said this — ' You must not enter this city at present, for the king
of it Vallabhasakti is dead, and the ministers have with one accord con-
ferred the royal dignity on Vikramasakti ; now the day after he was made
king he went to the house of Kalanemi, and full of wrath asked him where
his son S'ridatta was, and he replied — ' I do not know.' Then the king in a
rage, supposing he had concealed his son, had him put to death by impale-
ment as a thief. When his wife saw that, her heart broke. Men of
cruel deeds must always pile one evil action upon another in long succes-
sion ; and so Vikramasakti is searching for S'ridatta to slay him, and you
are his friends, therefore leave this place.' When the man had given us this
warning, Bahusalin and his four companions being grieved went by common
consent to their own home in Ujjayini. And they left me here in conceal-
ment, my friend, for your sake. So come, let us go to that very place to
meet our friends." Having heard this from Nishthuraka, and having be-
wailed his parents, S'ridatta cast many a look at his sword, as if reposing
in that his hope of vengeance ; then the hero, biding his time, set out
accompanied by Nishthuraka for that city of Ujjayini in order to meet his
friends.
* sln<nita, endless, or infinite, is a name of tho thousand-headed serpent Scsha.
f Reading khadyiun for tho khudyc of Dr. Brockhaus's text.
60
And as he was relating to his friend his adventures from the time of
his plunging into the stream, S'ridatta beheld a woman weeping in the
road ; when she said, " I am a woman going to Ujjayini and I have lost
my way," S'ridatta out of pity made her journey along with him. He and
Nishthuraka, together with that woman, whom he kept with him out of
compassion, halted that day in a certain deserted town. There he suddenly
woke up in the night and beheld that the woman had slain Nishthuraka,
and was devouring his flesh with the utmost delight. Then he rose up
drawing his sword Mriganka, and that woman assumed her own terrible
form, that of a Rakshasi,* and he seized that night-wanderer by her hair,
to slay her. That moment she assumed a heavenly shape and said to him,
" Slay me not, mighty hero, let me go, I am not a Rakshasi ; the hermit
Visvamitra imposed this condition on me by a curse. For once when he
was performing austerities from a desire to attain the position of the god
of wealth, I was sent by the god to impede him. Then finding that I was
not able to seduce him with my alluring form, being abashed, I assumed in
order to terrify him a formidable shape. When he saw this, that hermit
laid on me a curse suitable to my offence, exclaiming — ' Wicked one, be-
come a Rakshasi and slay men.' And he appointed that my curse should
end when you took hold of my hair ; accordingly I assumed this detestable
condition of a Rakshasi, and I have devoured all the inhabitants of this
town ; now to-day after a long time yoikhave brought my curse to an end
in the manner foretold ; therefore receive now some boon." When he heard
that speech of hers, S'ridatta said respectfully, " Mother grant that my
friend may be restored to life. What need have I of any other boon ?" " So
be it," said she, and after granting the boon disappeared. Arid Nishthuraka
rose up again alive without a scratch on his body. Then S'ridatta set out
the next morning with him, delighted and astonished, and at last reached
Ujjayini. There he revived by his appearance the spirits of his friends, who
were anxiously expecting him, as the arrival of the cloud revives the pea-
cocks. And after he had told all the wonders of his adventures, IJuhusa-
lin went through the usual formalities of hospitality, taking him to his o\vn
home. There S'ridatta was taken care of by the parents of Bahusulin, and
lived with his friends as comfortably as if he were in his own ho"
Once on a time, when the great feast of spring-tidef bad arrived, he
went with his friends to behold some festal rejoicings in a garden. There
he beheld a maiden, the daughter of king Jjimbaki, who had come to see
the show, looking like the goddess of ilu- Splendour of Spring present in
bodily form. She, by name Mrigankavati, that moment p I into
bis heart, as if through the openings left. 1>\ in.- expansion of his eye. Her
* I'Vinalo demon. The JJukshusas are often c ill da " Hv
f Or more literally of the mouth Cluut.ni, i. < ., March- Aju-il.
passionate look too, indicative of the beginning of love, fixed on him, went
and returned like a confidante. When she entered a thicket of trees, S'ri-
datta not beholding her, suddenly felt his heart so empty that he did not
know where he was. His friend Bahusalin, who thoroughly understood
the language of gestures, said to him, "My friend, I know your heart, do
not deny your passion, therefore, come, let us go to that part of the garden
where the king's daughter is." He consented and went near her accom-
panied by his friend. That moment a cry was heard there, which gave
great pain to the heart of S'ridatta, " Alas the princess has been bitten by
a snake!" Bahusalin then went and said to the chamberlain — " My friend
here possesses a ring that counteracts the effects of poison, and also healing
spells." Immediately the chamberlain came, and bowing at his feet, quick-
ly led S'ridatta to the princess. He placed the ring on her finger, and then
muttered his spells so that she revived. Then all the attendants were de-
lurhted, and loud in praise of S'ridatta, and the king Bimbaki hearing the
circumstances came to the place. Accordingly S'ridatta returned with his
friends to the house of Bahusalin without taking back the ring. And all
the gold and other presents, which the delighted king sent to him there,
lie handed over to the father of Bahusalin. Then, thinking upon that fair
one, he was so much afflicted, that his friends became utterly bewildered as
to what to do with him. Then a dear friend of the princess, Bhavanika
by name, came to him on pretencefof returning the ring ; and said to him,
" That friend of mine, illustrious Sir, has made up her mind, that either
you must save her life by becoming her husband, or she will be married to
her grave." When Bhavanika had said this, S'ridatta and Bahusalin and
the others quickly put their heads together and came to the following reso-
lution, " We will carry off this princess secretly by a stratagem, and will
go unperceived from here to Mathura and live there." The plan having
been thoroughly talked over, and the conspirators having agreed with one ano-
ther what each was to do in order to carry it out, Bhavanika then depart •(!.
And the next day Bahusalin, accompanied by three of his friends, went to
IMathura on pretext of trafficking, and as he went he posted in concealment
at intervals swift horses for the conveyance of the princess. But S'ridat-
ta then brought at eventide a woman with her daughter into the palace of
the princess, after making them both drink spirits, and then l>li;lvanik;i. on
pretence of lighting up the palace, set tire to it, and secretly conveyed the
princess out of it ; and that moment S'ridatta, who was remaining out
received her, and sent her on to Bahusalin, who had started in the mornii i:,
and directed two of his friends to attend on her and also llhdvani:,
that drunken woman and her daughter were burnt in the palace of the prin-
cess, and people supposed that the princess had been burnt with her friend.
62
But S'lidatta took care to show himself in the morning:, as before, in the
city ; then on the second night, taking with him his sword Mriganka, he
started to follow his beloved, who had set out before him. And in his
eagerness he accomplished a great distance that night, and when the morn-
ing watch* had passed, he reached the "Vindhya forest. There he first
beheld unlucky omens, and afterwards he saw all those friends of his to-
gether with Bhavanika lying in the road gashed with wounds. And when he
came up all distracted, they said to him, " We were robbed to-day by a
large troop of horsemen that set upon us. And after we were reduced to
this, state, one of the horsemen threw the terrified princess on his horse and
carried her off. So before she has been carried to a great distance, go in
this direction, do not remain near us, she is certainly of more importance
than we." Being urged on with these words by his friends, S'ridatta rapidly
followed after the princess, but could not help frequently turning round to
look at them. And after he had gone a considerable distance, he caught
up that troop of cavalry, and he saw a young man of the warrior caste in
the midst of it. And he beheld that princess held by him upon his horse.
So he slowly approached that young warrior ; and when soft words would
not induce him to let the princess go, he hurled him from his horse with a
blow of his foot, and dashed him to pieces on a rock. And after he had
slain him, he mounted on his horse and slew a great number of the other
horsemen who charged him in anger. Ajid then those who remained alive,
seeing that the might which the hero displayed was more than human, fled
away in terror; and S'ridatta mounted on the horse with the princess Mri-
gankavati and set out to find those friends of his. And after lie had gone a
little way, he and his wife got off the horse which had been severely wound-
ed in the fight, and soon after it fell down and died. And then his beloved
Mfig&nkavati, exhausted with fear and exertion, became very thirsty. And
leaving her there, he roamed a long distance hither and thither, and while
he was looking for water the sun set. Then he discovered that, though he
hud found water, he had lost his way, and he passed that night in the wood
roaming about, moaning aloud like a Chakravaka.f And in the morning
he reached that place, which was easy to recognise by the carcass of tlio
horse. And nowhere there did he behold his beloved princess. Then in hid
distraction lie placed his sword Mriganka. on the ground, and climbed to
the top of a tree, in order to cast his eye in all directions for her. That
very moment a certain S'avnra chieftain passed that way ; and he came up
and took the sword from the foot of the tree. Beholdin that S'avara
• At nine o'clock in
t Alias C;is;irc;i, commonly callc d the I'-rahmany thick. The male lias to ]K,
i'juiruUd from its female : ii \v> an lu trust tin; unanimous testimony of Hindu
poets,
63
chieftain, S'ridatta came down from the top of the tree, and in great grief
asked him for news of his beloved. The S'avara chieftain said — " Leave this
place and come to my village ; I have no doubt she whom you seek has
gone there ; and I shall come there and return you this sword." When the
S'avara chieftain urged him to go with these words, S'ridatta, being hiins'-lt'
all eagerness, went to that village with the chief's men. And there those
men said to him, — " Sleep off your fatigue," — and when he reached the
house of the chief of the village, being tired he went to sleep in an instant.
And when he woke up he saw his two feet fastened with fetters, like the
two efforts he had made in order to obtain his beloved, which failed to reach
their object. Then he remained there weeping for his darling, who, like the
course of destiny, had for a moment brought him joy, and the next moment
blasted his hopes.
One day a serving maid .of the name of Mochanika came to him and
said, — Illustrious Sir, unwittingly you have come hither to your death ?
For the S'avara chieftain has gone somewhither to accomplish certain weighty
affairs, and when he returns, he will offer you to Chandika.* For with
that object he decoyed you here by a stratagem from this slope of the wild
Vindhya hill, and immediately threw you into the chains in which you now
are. And it is because you are intended to be offered as a victim to the
goddess, that you are continually served with garments and food.
But I know of only one expedient for delivering you, if you agree to it.
This S'avara chieftain has a daughter named Sundari, and she having seen
you is becoming exceedingly love-sick ; marry her who is my friend, then
you will obtain deliverance. f When she said this to him, S'ridatta consent-
ed, desiring to be set at liberty, and secretly made that S'undari his wife by
the Gandharva form of marriage. And every night she removed his chains
and in a short time Sundari became pregnant. Then her mother, having
heard the whole story from the mouth of Mochanika, out of love for her
son-in-law S'ridatta, went and of her own accord said to him — " My son,
S'richanda the father of Sundari is a wrathful man, and will show thee no
mercy. Therefore depart, but thou must not forget Sundari." When his
mother-in-law had said this, she set him at liberty, and S'ridatta departed
after telling Sundari that the sword, which was in her father's possession,
really belonged to himself.
So he again entered full of anxiety that forest, in which he had before
wandered about, in order again to search for traces of Mri^avati. And
having seen an auspicious omen he came to that same place, where that
* A name of Durga. Cp. Prescott's account of the human sacrifices in Mexico.
Vol. I pp. 62, 63.
t This incident reminds us of the fifth talc iu Wright's Gcsta liomanorum.
64
horse of his died before, and whence his wife was carried off. And there
lie saw near* him a hunter coming towards him, and when lie saw him he
asked him for news of that gazelle-eyed lady. Then the hunter asked him
" Are you S'ridatta?" and he sighing replied " I am that unfortunate man."
Then that hunter said, " Listen, friend, I have somewhat to tell you. I saw
that wife of yours wandering hither and thither lamenting your ahsenee,
and having asked her her story, and consoled her, moved with compassion I
took her out of this wood to my own village. But when I saw the young
Pulindasf there, I was afraid, and I took her to a village named Nagasthala
near Mathura. And then I placed her in the house of an old Brahman named
'Visvadatta commending her with all due respect to his care. And thence
I came here having learnt your name from her lips. Therefore you had
better go quickly to Nagasthala to search for her." When the hunter
had told him this, S'ridatta quickly set out, and he reached Nagasthala in
the evening of the second day. Then he entered the house of Visvadatta
and when he saw him said, " Give me my wife who was placed here by the
hunter." Yisvadatfca when he heard that, answered him, "I have a friend in
Mathura a Brahman, dear to all virtuous men, the spiritual preceptor and
minister of the king S'urasena. In his care I placed your wife. For this
village is an out-of-the-way place and would not afford her protection. So
go to that city to-morrow morning, but to-day rest here." When Visvadatta
said this, he spent that night there, and .the next morning he set off, and
reached Mathura on the second day. Being weary and dusty with the
long journey, he bathed outside that city in the pellucid water of a lake.
And he drew out of the middle of the lake a garment placed there by
some robbers, not suspecting any harm. But in one corner of the garment,
which was knotted up, a necklace was concealed. J Then S'ridatta took
that garment, and in his eagerness to meet his wife did not notice the neck-
lace, and so entered the city of Mathura. Then the city police recognized the
garment, and (hiding the necklace, arrested S'ridatta as a thief, and carried
him off, and brought him before the chief magistrate exactly as he was
found, with the garment in his possession ; by him he was handed up to
the king, and the king ordered him to be put to death.
Then, .-is lie was being led oft' to the place of execution with the drum
being beaten behind him,§ his wife Mrig&nkavati saw him in the di>tance.
She. went in a state of the utmost distraction and said to the chief minis-
ter, in whose house she was residing, u Yonder is my husband being led off
* Or it may moan '• i'mm a <lM;m<v," as Dr. Brockhaus taL
t l'n/i>if/n, juiiiii' of
£ A common way of CUITV iii£ numry in liulia at the ]uvs<-i»t day.
§ Comnaiv tliu lu.st Sivut.' of the Toy Curt in the 1st volume of Wilson's Hindu
Theatre.
65
to execution." Then that minister went and ordered the executioners to
desist, and, by making a representation to the king, got .S'ridatta pardoned,
and had him brought to his house. And when S'ridatta reached his house,
and saw that minister, he recognised him and fell at his feet, exclaiming,
" What ! is this my uncle Vigatabhaya, who long ago went to a foreign
country, and do I now by good luck find him established in the position of
a minister ?" He too recognised to his astonishment S'ridatta as his brother's
son, and embraced him, and questioned him about alibis adventures. Then
S'ridatta related to his uncle his whole history beginning with the execution
of his father. And he, after weeping, said to his nephew in private, " Do
not despond, my son, for I once brought a female Yaksha into subjection,
by means of magic ; and she gave me, though I have no son, five thousand
horses and seventy millions of gold pieces : and all that wealth is at your
disposal." After telling him this, his uncle brought him his beloved, and he,
having obtained wealth, married her on the spot. And then he remained
there in joy, united with that beloved Mrigankavati as a bed of white
lotuses* with the night. But even when his happiness was at its full,
anxiety for Bahusalin and his companions clouded his heart, as a spot of
darkness does the full moon. Now one day his uncle said secretly to
S'ridatta : " my son, the king S'urasena has a maiden daughter, and in ac-
cordance with his orders I have to take her to the land of Avanti to give
her away in marriage ; so I will take her away on that very pretext, and
marry her to you. Then, when you have got possession of the force that
follows her, with mine already at your disposal, you will soon gain the
kingdom that was promised you by the goddess S'ri." Having resolved on
this, and having taken that maiden, S'ridatta and his uncle set out with their
army and their attendants. But as soon as they had reached the Yindhya
forest, before they were aware of the danger, a large army of brigands set
upon them showering arrows. After routing S'ridatta' s force, and seizing
all the wealth, they bound S'ridatta himself, who had fainted from his
wounds, and carried him off to their village. And they took him to the
awful temple of Durga, in order to offer him up in sacrifice, and, as it were,
summoned Death with the sound of their gongs. There Sundari saw him,
one of his wives, the daughter of the chief of the village, who had come
with her young son to visit the shrine of the goddess. Full of joy s-ho
ordered the brigands, who were between her and her husband, to stand aside,
and then S'ridatta entered her palare with her. Immediately Sridatta
obtained the sovereignty of that village, which Sundari's father, having
HO son, bequeathed to her when he went to heaven. !.itt.i
recovered his wife and his sword Mriganka, and also his uncle and
* The esculent white lotus (Sanskrit kumuda) expands its petals ut night, and
closes them iu the daytime.
9
66
his followers, who had been overpowered by the robbers. And, while he was
in that town, he married the daughter of S'urasena, and became a great king
there. And from that place he sent ambassadors to his two fathers-in-law,
to Bimbaki, and king S'urasena. And they, being very fond of their daugh-
ters, gladly recognised him as a connection, and came to him accompanied
by the whole of their armies. And his friends Bahusalin and the others, who
had been separated from him, when they heard what had happened, came
to him with their wounds healed and in good health. Then the hero
marched, united with his fathers-in-law, and made that Vikramasakti, who
had put his father to death, a burnt-offering in the flame of his wrath.
And then S'ridatta, having gained dominion over the sea-encircled earth, and
deliverance from the sorrow of separation, joyed in the society of Mrigan-
kavati. Even so, my king, do men of firm resolution cross the calamitous
sea of separation and obtain prosperity.
After hearing this tale from Sangataka, the king Sahasranika, though
longing for the sight of his beloved one, managed to get through that night
on the journey. Then, engrossed with his desire, sending his thoughts on
before, in the morning Sahasranika set out to meet his darling. And in a
few days he reached that peaceful hermitage of Jamadagni, in which even
the deer laid aside their wantonness. And there he beheld with reverence
that Jamadagni, the sight of whom was sanctifying, like the incarnate form
of penance, who received him hospitably. And the hermit handed over to
him that queen Mrigavati with her son, regained by the king after long
separation, like tranquillity accompanied with joy. And that sight which
the husband and wife obtained of one another, now that the curse had
ceased, rained, as it were, nectar into their eyes, which were filled with tears
of joy. And the king embracing that son Udayana, whom he now beheld
for the first time, could with difficulty let him go, as he was, so to speak,
riveted to his body with his own hairs that stood erect from joy.* Then
king Sahasranika took his queen Mrigavati with Udayana, and, bidding
adieu to Jamadagni, set out from that tranquil hermitage for his own city,
and even the deer followed him as far as the border of ths hermitage with
tearful eyes. Beguiling the way by listening to the adventures of his beloved
wife during the period of separation, and by relating his own, he at length
reached the city of Kausambi, in which triumphal arches were erected and
banners displayed. And he entered that city in company with his wife
and child, being, so to speak, devoured! by the eyes of the citizens, that hail
the fringe of their lashes elevated. And immediately the king appointed
his son Udayana crown-prince, being incited to it by his excellent qualities.
* In Sanskrit poetry horripilation is often said to bo produced by joy. I have
her the words "from joy" in order to make the meaning clear.
t Literally drunk in.
f57
And he assigned to him as advisers the sons of his own ministers, Vusantaka
and Rinnan vat and Yaugandharayana. Then a rain of flowers fell, and a
celestial voice was heard — " By the help of these excellent ministers, the
prince shall obtain dominion over the whole earth." Then the king
devolved on his son the cares of empire, and enjoyed in the society of Mri-
gavati the long-desired pleasures of the world. At last the desire of earthly
enjoyment, beholding suddenly that old age, the harbinger of composure
had readied the root of the lung's ear,* became enraged and fled far from
him. Then that king Sahasranika established in his throne his excellent
son Udayana,f whom the subjects loved so well, to ensure the world's pros,
perity, and accompanied by his ministers, and his beloved wife, ascended the
Himalaya to prepare for the last great journey.
CHAPTER XL
Then Udayana took the kingdom of Vatsa, which his father had be-
queathed to him, and, establishing himself in Kausambi, ruled his subjects
well. But gradually he began to devolve the cares of empire upon his
ministers, Yaugandharayana and others, and gave himself up entirely to
pleasures. He was continually engaged in the chase, and day and night
he played on the melodious lute which VasukiJ gave him long ago ; and he
subdued evermore infuriated wild elephants, overpowered by the fascinating
spell of its strings' dulcet sound, and, taming them, brought them home.
That king of Vatsa drank wine adorned by the reflection of the moon-faces
of fair women, and at the same time robbed his minister's faces of their
cheerful hue.§ Only one anxiety had he to bear, he kept thinking, " No-
where is a wife found equal to me in birth and personal appearance, the
maiden named Yasavadatta alone has a liking for me, but how is she to be
obtained ?" Chandamahasena also in Ujjayini thought ; " There is no suit-
able husband to be found for my daughter in the world, except one Udayana
by name, and he has ever been my enemy. Then how can I make him my
* Alluding to his grey hairs. In all eastern stories tho appi'aramv of the first
grey hair is a momentous epoch. The point of the whole passage consists in the 1'aet
that jard, old age, is feminine in form.
t There is a pun between the name of the king Udayana and prosperity (itdaya).
J Not VYisuki, but his eldest brother.
§ Ch hdi/d means "colour ;" ho drank their colour, /.<•., madr them pair. It also
means "reflection in the wine."
68
son-in-law and my submissive ally ? There is only one device which can
effect it. He wanders about alone in the forest capturing elephants, for he
is a king addicted to the vice of hunting ; I will make use of this failing
of his to entrap him and bring him here by a stratagem : and, as he is
acquainted with music, I will make this daughter of mine his pupil, and
then his eye will without doubt be charmed with her, and he will certainly
became my son-in-law, and my obedient ally. No other artifice seems appli-
cable in this case for making him submissive to my will." Having thus
reflected, he went to the temple of Durga, in order that his scheme
might be blessed with success, and, after worship and praise, offered a prayer
to the goddess. And there he heard a bodiless voice saying, " This desire
of thine, O king, shall shortly be accomplished." Then he returned satisfied,
and deliberated over that very matter with the minister Buddhadatta*
saying — " That prince is elated with pride, he is free from avarice, his sub-
jects are attached to him, and he is of great power, therefore he cannot be
reached by any of the four usual expedients beginning with negotiation,
nevertheless let negotiation be tried first.f Having thus deliberated, the
king gave this order to an ambassador, " Go and give the king of Yatsa
this message from me ; ' My daughter desires to be thy pupil in music,
if thou love us, come here and teach her.' " When sent off by the king
with this message, the ambassador went and repeated it to the king of
Vatsa in Kausambi exactly as it was delivered ; and the king of Vatsa,
after hearing this uncourteous message from the ambassador, repeated it in
private to the minister Yaugandharayana, saying " Why did that monarch
send me that insolent message ? What can be the villain's object in making
such a proposal ?" When the king asked him this question, the great
minister Yaugandharayana, who was stern to his master for his good, thus
answered him ; " Your reputation for vice J has shot up in the earth like
a creeper, and this, O king, is its biting bitter fruit. For that king Chanda-
mahasena, thinking that you are the slave of your passions, intends to
ensnare you by means of his beautiful daughter, throw you into prison,
and so make you his unresisting instrument. Therefore abandon kingly
* t. «., given by Buddha.
•f The four Upayas or means of success arc sdman, negotiation, which his pride
would render futil ', <l<ut«, giving, which appeals to avarice, bhedu, sowing dissension,
which would he useless where a king is beloved by his subjects, and danciti, open force,
of no use in the case of a powerful king like Udayana.
;£ The chief vices of kings denounced by Hindu writers on statecraft are : llunt_
ing, gambling, sleeping in the day, calumny, addiction to women, drinking spirits,
dancing, singing, and instrumental music, idle roaming, Iheso proceed from the love of
pleasure, others proceed from anger, »j'r., lal'-bnu-in^, violence, insidious injury, en\y>
detraction, unjust seizure of property, abuse, assault. See Monier Williams s. v,
G9
vices, for kings that fall into them are easily captured by their enemies,
even as elephants are taken in pits." When his minister had said this to
him, the resolute king of Vatsa sent in return an ambassador to Chanda-
mahasena with the following reply, " If thy daughter desires to become
my pupil, then send her here." When he had sent this reply, that king of
Vatsa said to his ministers — "I will march and bring Chandamaha
here in chains." When he heard that, the head minister Yaugandharayana
said — " That is not a fitting thing to do, my king, nor is it in thy power
to do it. For (Jhandamahasena is a mighty monarch, and not to be sub-
dued by thee. And in proof of this, hear his whole history, which I now
proceed to relate to thee."
There is in this land a city named
Story of king Chandamahasena. .. . ,
Ujjayini, the ornament of the earth,
that, so to speak, laughs to scorn with its palaces of enamelled white-
ness* Amaravati, the city of the gods. In that city dwells S'iva
himself, the lord of existence, under the form of Mahakala,f when
he desists from the kingly vice of absenting himself on the heights
of mount Kailasa. In that city lived a king named Maheudravarman,
best of monarchs, and he had a son like himself, named Jayasena. Then to
that Jayasena was born a son named Mahasena, matchless in strength of
arm, an elephant among monarchs. And that king, while cherishing his
realm, reflected, "I have not a sword worthy of me, nor a wife of good
family." Thus reflecting that monarch went to the temple of Durga, and
there he remained without food, propitiating for a long time the goddess.
Then he cut off pieces of his own flesh, and offered a burnt-offering with
them, whereupon the goddess Durga being pleased appeared in visible shape,
and said to him, " I am pleased with thee, -receive from me this excellent
sword, by means of its magic power thou shalt be invincible to all thy
enemies. Moreover thou shalt soon obtain as a wife Anguravati, the daugh-
ter of the Asura Angaraka, the most beautiful maiden in the three worlds.
And since thou didst here perform this very cruel penance, therefore thy
name shall be Chandamahasena." Having said this and given him the
sword, the goddess disappeared. But in the king there appeared joy at the
fulfilment of his desire. He now possessed, 0 king, two jewels, his sword
and a furious elephant named Nadagiri, which were to him what the
thunderbolt and Airavana are to Indra. Then that king, delighting in the
power of these two, one day went to a great forest to hunt; and there he
* Sudhdilhauta may mean " white us plaster," but more probably hero " whiteiie.t
with plaster" like the houses in the European quarter of the " City of p..
t A linga of S'iva in Ujjayini. S'iva is here compared to an earthly monarch sub-
ject to the vyasana of roaming. I take it, the poet means, Ujjayini is abater place
than Kailasa.
70
beheld an enormous and terrible wild boar ; like the darkness of the night
suddenly condensed into a solid mass in the day time. That boar was not
wounded by the king's arrows, in spite of their sharpness, but after breaking
the king's chariot* fled and entered a cavern. The king, leaving that car
of his, in revengeful pursuit of the boar, entered into that cavern with only
his bow to aid him. And after he had gone a long distance, he beheld a
great and splendid capital, and astonished he sat down inside the city on
the bank of a lake. While there, he beheld a maiden moving along, sur-
rounded by hundreds of women, like the arrow of love that cleaves the
armour of self-restraint. She slowly approached the king, bathing him, so
to speak, again and again in a look, that rained in showers the nectar of
love.f She said, " who art thou, illustrious sir, and for what reason hast thou
entered our home on this occasion ?" The king, being thus questioned by her,
told her the whole truth; hearing which, she let fall from her eyes a pas-
sionate flood of tears, and from her heart all self-control. The king said,
"Who art thou, and why dost thou weep?" When he asked her this question,
she, being a prisoner to love at his will, answered him, " The boar that entered
here is the Daitya Angaraka by name. And I am his daughter, 0 king, and
my name is Angaravati. And he is of adamantine frame, and has carried
off these hundred princesses from the palaces of kings and appointed them to
attend on me. Moreover this great Asura has become a Kakshasa owing to
a curse, but to-day as he was exhausted with thirst and fatigue, even when he
found you, he spared you. At present he has put off the form of a boar and
is resting in his own proper shape, but when he wakes up from his sleep, he will
•without fail do you an injury. It is for this reason that I see no hope of
a happy issue for you, and so these tear-drops fall from my eyes like my
vital spirits boiled with the fire of grief." When he heard this speech of
Angaravati's the king said to her, — " If you love me, do this which I ask you.
When your father awakes, go and weep in front of him, and then he will
certainly ask you the cause of your agitation ; then you must say — If some
one were to slay thee, what would become of me ? J This is the cause of
* Dr. Brockhaus translates it — Stiirzte den Wmjen di's K<'»tiys ton. Can
mean horses, like >//">/i/> <'/(,•/•>"< Achilli? If so, dhatya would mean, having killed.
f HUSH means nectar, and indeed any liquid, and also emotion, passion. The pun
is of course most intentional in the original.
J Cp. the story of Ohime in the " Sicilianischo Marchen" collected by Laura von
Gonzenbach \\h<Te .Maruzza asks Ohime how it would he possible to kill him. So in
Indian Fairy Tales, collected l>y .Miss Stokes, Iliralal Lasa persuadis Suualiri Uani to
ask his father where he kept his soul. Some interesting remarks on this* subject will
be found in the notes to this tale (Indian Fairy Tales, p. 2GO.) See also No. I, in
Campbell's Tales of the \VrMern Highlands, and Dr. Kcmhold Holder's remarks in
Orient and Occident, Vol. II, p. 100. Cp. also lial-ston's liussiaii Folk-Tales, pp. 80, 81
and 136.
71
my grief. If you do this, there will be a happy issue both for you and
ine." When the king said this to her, she promised him that she would
do what he wished. And that Asura maiden, apprehending misfortune,
placed the king in concealment, and went near her sleeping father. Then
the Daitya woke up, and she began to weep. And then he said to her,
" Why do you weep, my daughter ?" She with affected grief said to him, " If
some one were to slay tliee, what would become of me ?" Then he burst out
laughing and said ; — " Who could possibly slay me, my daughter, for I am
cased in adamant all over, only in my left hand is there an unguarded place,
but that is protected by the bow." In these words the Daitya consoled his
daughter, and all this was heard by the king in his concealment. Imme-
diately afterwards the Diinava rose up and took his bath, and proceeded in
devout silence to worship the god S'iva ; at that moment the king appeared
with his bow bent, and rushing up impetuously towards the Daitya, chal-
lenged him to light. He, without interrupting his devout silence, lifted his
left hand towards the king and made a sign that he must wait fora moment.
The king for his part, being very quick of hand, immediately smote him
with an arrow in that hand which was his vital part. And that great Asura
Angaraka, being pierced in a vital spot, immediately uttered a terrible cry
and fell on the ground, and exclaimed, as his life departed, — " If that man,
who has slain me when thirsty, does not offer water to my manes every
year, then his five ministers shall perish." After he had said this, that
Daitya died, and the king, taking his daughter Angaravat£ as a prize,
returned to Ujjayini. There the king Chandamahasena married that
Daitya maiden, and two sons were born to him, the first named Gopalaka,
and the second Palaka ; and when they were born, he held a feast in honour
of Indra on their account. Then Indra, being pleased, said to that king
in a dream, " By my favour thou shalt obtain a matchless daughter."
Then in course of time a graceful daughter was born to that king, like a
second and more wonderful shape of the moon made by the Creator. And
on that occasion a voice was heard from heaven ; — " She shall give birth
to a son, who shall be a very incarnation of the god of love, and king of
the Vidyadharas." Then the king gave that daughter the name of Yasava-
datta, because she was given by Indra being pleased with him. And that
maiden still remains unmarried in the house of her father, like the goddess
of prosperity in the hollow cavity of the ocean before it was churned.
That king Chandamahasena cannot indeed be conquered by you, 0 king, in
the first place because he is so powerful, and in the next place because his
realm is situated in a difficult country. Moreover he is ever longing to give
you that daughter of his in marriage, but being a proud monarch, he il
the triumph of himself and his adherents. But, 1 think, you must certainly
marry that Yasavadattii. When he heard this, that king of Yatsa imme-
diately lost his heart to Vasavadatta.
CHAPTER XII.
In the meanwhile the ambassador, sent by the king of Vatsa in answer
to Chandamahasena's embassy, went and told that monarch his master's
reply. Chandamahasena for his part, on hearing it, began to reflect — " It
is certain that that proud king of Vatsa will not come here. And I can-
not send my daughter to his court, such conduct would be unbecoming ; so I
must capture him by some stratagem and bring him here as a prisoner."
Having thus reflected and deliberated with his ministers, the king had
made a large artificial elephant like his own, and, after filling it with con-
cealed warriors, he placed it in the- Vindhya forest. There the scouts kept
in his pay by the king of Vatsa, who was passionately fond of the sport of
elephant-catching, discerned it from a distance ;* and they came with speed
and informed the king of Vatsa in these words : " O king, we have seen a
single elephant roaming in the Vindhya forest, such that nowhere else in
this wide world is his equal to be found, filling the sky with his stature,
like a moving peak of the Vindhya range."
Then the king rejoiced on hearing this report from the scouts, and he
gave them a hundred thousand gold pieces by way of reward. The king
spent that night in thinking ; " If 1 obtain that mighty elephant, a fit match
for Nadagiri, then that Chandamaha.sena will certainly be in my power,
and then he will of his own accord give me his daughter Vasavadatta." So
in the morning 'he started for the Vindhya forest, making these scouts
shew him the way, disregarding, in his ardent desire to capture the elephant,
the advice of his ministers. He did not pay any attention to the fact, that
the astrologers said, that the position of the heavenly bodies at the moment
of his departure portended the acquisition of a maiden together with im-
prisonment. When the king of Vatsa reached the Vindhya forest, lie
made his troops halt at a distance through fear of alarming that elephant,
and accompanied by the scouts only, holding in his hand his melodious
lute, he entered that great forest boundless as his own kingly vice. The
king saw on the southern slope of the Yindhya range that elephant looking
like a real one, pointed out to him by his scouts from a distance. He
slowly approached it, alone, playing on his lute, thinking how lie should
bind it, and singing in melodious tones. As his mind was fixed on his
* They would not go near for fear of disturbing it. Wild elephants arc timid, so
Him- IB maze probability in this sl.n-y, than in that of the Trojan horse. Kvm now
scouts who mink down a wild beast in India, almost lose their heads with excitement.
music, and the shades of evening were setting in, that king did not per-
ceive that the supposed wild elephant \vas an artificial one. The elephant
too for its part, lifting up its ears and Happing them, as if through delight
in the music, kept advancing and then retiring, and so drew the king to a
great distance. And then, suddenly issuing from that artificial elephant, a
body of soldiers in full armour surrounded that king of Vatsa. When he
beheld them, the king in a rage drew his hunting knife, but while he was
lighting with those in front of him, he was seized by others coming up
behind. And those warriors with the help of others, who appeared at a
concerted signal, carried that king of Vatsa into the presence of Chamla-
rnahasena. Chandamahasena for his part came out to meet him with the-
utmost respect, and entered with him the city of Ujjayini. Then the newly
arrived king of Vatsa was beheld by the citizens, like the moon, pleasing to
the eyes, though spotted with humiliation. Then all the citizens, suspect-
ing that he was to be put to death, through, regard for his virtues assembled
and determined to commit suicide.* Then the king Chandamahasena put
a stop to the agitation of the citizens, by informing them that he did not
intend to put the monarch of Vatsa to death, but to win him over. So
the king made over his daughter Vasavadatta on the spot to the king oE
Vatsa, to be taught music, and said to him — " Prince, teach this lady music ;
iu this way you will obtain a happy issue to your adventure, do not despond."
But when he beheld that fair lady, the mind of the king -of Vatsa was so
steeped in love that he put out of sight his anger : and her heart and mind
turned towards him together ; her eye was then averted through modesty,
but her mind not at all. So the king of Vatsa dwelt in the concert-room
of Chandamahasena's palace, teaching Vasavadatta to sing, with his eyes
ever fixed on her. In his lap was his lute, in his throat the quarter-tone of
vocal music, and in front of him stood Vasavadatta delighting his heart.
And that princess Vasavadatta was devoted in her attentions to him, re-
sembling the goddess of Fortune in that she was firmly attached to him,
and did not leave him though he was a captive.
In the meanwhile the men who had accompanied the king returned to
Kausambi, and the country, hearing of the captivity of the monarch, was
thrown into a state of great excitement. Then the enraged subjects, out of
love for the king of Vatsa, wanted to make a generalf assault on rjjayini.
Hut llumanvat checked the impetuous fury of the subjects by telling them
that Chandamah;iseua was not to be overcome by force, for he was a mighty
monarch, and besides that an assault was not advisable, for it might en-
danger the safety of the king -of Vatsa ; but their object must l>e attained
by policy. Then the calm and resolute Yaugamlharayana, seeing that the
* /. f., they sat in Dliarna outside tho door of tin; |i;'.'
f IVrlinjis \\v slimilil ivail x.imn, lining on*' word.
10
74
country was loyal, and would not swerve from its allegiance, said to
Kumanvat and the others; "All of you must remain here, ever on the alert ;
you must guard this country, and when a fit occasion comes you must
display your prowess ; but I will go accompanied by Vasantaka only,
and will without fail accomplish by my wisdom the deliverance of the king
and bring him home. For he is a truly firm and resolute man whose wis-
dom shines forth in adversity, as the lightning flash is especially brilliant
during pelting rain. I know spells for breaking through walls, and for
rending fetters, and receipts for becoming invisible, serviceable at need."
Having said this, and entrusted to Kumanvat the care of the subjects,
Yaugandharayana set out from Kausambi with Vasantaka. And with him
he entered the Vindhya forest, full of life* like his wisdom, intricate and
trackless as his policy. Then he visited the palace of the king of the
Pulindas, Pulindaka by name, who dwelt on a peak of the Vindhya range,
and was an ally of the king of Vatsa. He first placed him, with a large
force at his heels, in readiness to protect the king of Vatsa when he return-
ed that way, and then he went on accompanied by Vasantaka and at last
arrived at the burning-ground of Mahakala in Ujjayini, which was densely
tenanted by vampiresf that smelt of carrion, and hovered hither and thither,
black as night, rivalling the smoke-wreaths of the funeral pyres. And
there a Brahman- Rakshasa of the name of Yogesvara immediately came up
to him, delighted to see him, and admitted him into his friendship ; then,
Yaugandharayana by means of a charm, which he taught him, suddenly
altered his shape. That charm immediately made him deformed, hunch-
backed, and old, and besides gave him the appearance of a madman, so that
he produced loud laughter in those who beheld him. And in the same way
Yaugandharayana, by means of that very charm, gave Vasantaka a body
full of outstanding veins, with a large stomach, and an ugly mouth with
projecting teeth ; then he sent Vasantaka on in front to the gate of the
king's palace, and entered Ujjayini with such an appearance as I have de-
scribed. There he, singing and dancing, surrounded by Brahman boys,
1. -In/Id with curiosity by all, made his way to the king's palace. And there
be excited by that behaviour the curiosity of the king's wives, and was afc
» Sattva, when applied to the forest, means animal, when applied to wisdom, it
means excellence.
•f Vetdla is especinlh • us- d of a goblin that tenants dead bodies. See Colonel IJ.
Burton's Tales of Vikranu'ulitya and the Yampiiv. They will be found in the 12th
book of this work. In thf Vth Chapter of Ilalston's Russian Folk-Tales will be found
much interesting information with iv^ard to th>' Slavonic superstitions about Ya7i.
They resemble very closely thus,' uitlu 1 1 Indus. See especially p. 311. "At •
roads, or in the neighbourhood of cemeteries, an animated corpse of this description
often lurks, watching for some unwary traveller whom it may be able to flay and cat."
75
last heard of by Vasavadattd. She quickly sent a maid and had him
brought to the concert-room. For youth is twin-brother to mirth. And
when Yaugandharayana came there and beheld the king of Vatsa in fetters,
though he had assumed the appearance of a madman, he could not help
shedding tears. And he made a sign to the king of Vatsa, who quickly
recognized him, though he had come in disguise. Then Yaugandharayana
by means of his magic power made himself invisible to Vasavadatta and
her maids. So the king alone saw him, and they all said with astonish-
ment, " that maniac has suddenly escaped somewhere or other." Then the
. king of Vatsa hearing them say that, and seeing Yaugandharayana in front
of him, understood that this was due to magic, and cunningly said to
Vasavadatta ; " Go my good girl, and bring the requisites for the worship
of Sarasvati." When she heard that, she said, "So I will," and went out
with her companions. Then Yaugandharayana approached the king and
communicated to him, according to the prescribed form, spells for breaking
chains ; and at the same time he furnished him with other charms for
winning the heart of Vasavadatta, which were attached to the strings of
the lute ; and informed him that Vasantaka had come there and was stand-
ing outside the door in a changed form, and recommended him to have that
Brahman summoned to him ; at the same time he said — " When this lady
Vasavadatta shall come to repose confidence in you, then you must do what
I tell you, at the present remain quiet." Having said this, Yaugandhara-
yana quickly went out, and immediately Vasavadatta entered with the
requisites for the worship of Sarasvati. Then the ' king said to her,
" There is a Brahman standing outside the door, let him be brought in to
celebrate this ceremony in honour of Sarasvati, in order that he may obtain
a sacrificial fee." Vasavadatta consented, and had Vasantaka, who wore a
deformed shapet summoned from the door into the music-hall. And when
he was brought and saw the king of Vatsa, he wept for sorrow, and then
the king said to him, in order that the secret might not be discovered,
" 0 Brahman, I will remove all this deformity of thine produced by sickness ;
do not weep, remain here near me." And then Vasantaka said — " It is a
great condescension on thy part, O king." And the king seeing how he
was deformed could not keep his countenance. And when he saw that,
Vnsantaka guessed what was in the king's mind, and laughed so that the
deformity of his distorted face was increased ; and thereupon Vasavadatta,
beholding him grinning like a doll, burst out laughing also, and was much
delighted ; then the young lady asked Vasantaka in fun the following ques-
tion : " Brahman, what science are you familiar with, tell us ?" So he said,
" Princess, I am an adept at telling tales." Then she said " Come, tell me
a tale." Then in order to please that princess, Vasantaka told the following
tale, which was charming by its comic humour and variety.
:u
There is in this country a cit v
'*«• , ,, ,. , ., , . ,,' , ",.
named Matliura, the birthplace or
Krishna, in it there was a liciara known hy the name of Riipinikii ; she
had 1'or a mother an old I'-uttini named Makaradanshtra, who seemed a
lump of poison in the eyes of the young men attracted by her daughter's
charms. One day Rupinika went at the time of worship to the temple to
perform her duty,* and beheld from a distance a young man. When she
saw that handsome young fellow, he made such an impression upon her
heart, that all her mother's instructions vanished from it. Then she said
to her maid, " Go and tell this man from me, that he is to come to my house
to-day." The maid said, " So I will," and immediately went and told him.
Then the man thought a little and said to her ; " I am a Brahman named
Lohajangha ; I have no wealth ; then what business have I in the house of
Rupinika which is only to be entered by the rich." The maid said, — " My
mistress does not desire wealth from you," — whereupon Lohajangha con-
sented to do as she wished. When she heard that from the maid, Rupinika
went home in a state of excitement, and remained with her eyes iixed on
the path by which he would come. And soon Lohajangha came to her
house, while the kuttini Makaradanshtra looked at him, and wondered
where he came from. Rupinika, for her part, when she saw him, rose up to
meet him herself with the utmost respect, and clinging to his neck in her
joy, led him to her own private apartments. Then she was captivated with
Loliajangha's wealth of accomplishments, and considered that she had lv.ru
only born to love Mm. So she avoided the society of other men, and that
young fellow lived with her in her house in great comfort. Rupinika's
mother, Makaradanshtra, who had trained up many hetccrce, was annoyed
when she saw this, and said to her in private ; " My daughter, why do you
associate with a poor man ? Hetcerce of good taste embrace a corpse in
preference to a poor man. What business has a lietcera like you with
affection ? How have you come to forget that great principle ? The
light of a redf sunset lasts but a short time, and so does the splendour of
a Itctccra who gives way to affection. A hctcera, like an actress, should exhibit
an assumed affection in order to get wealth ; so forsake this pauper, do not
ruin yourself." When she heard this speech of her mother's, Ifiipinika said
in a rage, "Do not talk in this way, for I love him more than my life.
And as for wealth, I have plenty, what do I want with more? So you
must not speak to me again, mother, in this way." When she heard this,
Makaradanshtr.i was in a rage, and she remained thinking over some device
for getting rid of this Lohajangha. Then she saw coining along the road a
certain Rajput, who had spent all his wealth, surrounded by retainers with
* SlU'll pro]ilr dunce ill tc7ll]ilrs I liclii'Vr.
t lidyiiii m. ;tiis all' vtioiKitu and ulsso red.
77
swords in their hands. So she went up to him quickly an.) him
aside, said — " My houso is heset by a certain poor lover. So Come tl
yourself to-day, and take such order with him that ho shall depart from
my house, and do you possess my daughter." "Agreed," said the Rajput,
and entered that house. At that precise moment Kupinika was in t he-
temple, and Lohajanglni meanwhile was absent somewhere, and suspecting
nothing, lie returned to the house a moment afterwards. Immediately the
retainers of the Rajput ran upon him, and gave him severe kicks and blows
on all his limbs, and then they threw him into a ditch full of all kinds of
impurities, and Lohnjangha with difficulty escaped from it. Then Riipini-
ka returned to the house, and when she heard what had taken place, she
was distracted with grief, so the Rajput, seeing that, returned as he came.
Lohajangha, after suffering this brutal outrage by the machinations of
the kuttini, set out for some holy place of pilgrimage, in order to leave his
life there, now that he was separated from his beloved. As he was going
along in the wild country,* with his heart burning with anger against the
Jcuttini, and his skin with the heat of the summer, he longed for shade.
Not being able to find a tree, he lighted on the body of an elephant, which
had been stripped of all its fleshf by jackals making their way into it by
the hind-quarters ; accordingly Lohajangha being worn out crept into this
carcase, which was a mere shell, as only the skin remained, and went to
sleep in it, as it was kept cool by the breeze which freely entered. Then
suddenly clouds arose from all sides, and began to pour down a pelting
shower of rain ; that rain made the elephant's skin contract so that no
aperture was left, and immediately a copious inundation came that way,
and carrying off the elephant's hide swept it into the Ganges ; so eventual-
ly the inundation bore it into the sea. And there a bird of the race of
Garuda saw that hide, and supposing it to be carrion, took it to the other
side of the sea ; there it tore open the elephant's hide with its claws, and,
seeing that there was a man inside it, fled away. But Lohajangha was
awaked by the bird's pecking and scratching, and came out through the
aperture made by its beak. And finding that he was on the other side of
the sea, he was astonished, and looked upon the whole thing as a dav-dream;
then he saw there to his terror two horrible Rakshasas, and those two for
their part contemplated him from a distance with feelings of fear. Remem-
* Atavf is generally translated " forest." I believe the English word " forest" doee
not necessarily imply trees, but it is perhaps bettor to avoid it here.
t For tho vritam of the text I read kritntn. Cp. this incident with Joseph'*
adventure in the 6th story of the Sicilianisehe Marchon. He is sown up in a 1:
skin, and carried by ravens to the top of a high mountain. Tin TO he stamps ami
finds a wooden trap-door under his feet. In the notes l>r. Ivohlcr refers to t;
Campbell No. 11, the Story of Siudbud and other parallels,
78
bering how they were defeated by llama, and seeing that Lohajangha was
also a man who had crossed the sea, they were once more alarmed in their
hearts. So, after they had deliberated together, one of them went off
immediately and told the whole occurrence to king Vibhishana; king Vibhi-
shana too, as he had seen the prowess of Kama, being terrified at the
arrival of a man, said to that Rakshasa; "Go, my good friend, and tell that
man from me in a friendly manner, that he is to do me the favour of com-
ing to my palace." The Rakshasa said, "I will do so," and timidly approached
Lohajangha, and told him that request of his sovereign's. Lohajangha for
his part accepted that invitation with unruffled calm, and went to Lanka
with that Rakshasa and his companion. And when he arrived in Lanka, he
was astonished at beholding numerous splendid edifices of gold, and enter-
ing the king's palace, he saw Vibhishana. The king welcomed the Brahman,
who blessed him in return, and then Vibhishana said, " Brahman, how did
you manage to reach this country ?" Then the cunning Lohajangha said
to Vibhishana — " I am a Brahman of the name of Lohajangha residing
in Mathura ; and I, Lohajangha being afflicted at my poverty, went to the
temple of the god, and remaining fasting, for a long time performed
austerities in the presence of Narayana.* Then the adorable Hari* com-
manded me in a dream, saying, ' Go thou to Vibhishana, for he is a faith-
ful worshipper of mine, and he will give thee wealth.' Then, I said,
' Vibhishana is where I cannot reach him' — but the lord continued,
' To-day shalt thou see that Vibhishana.' So the lord spake to me, and
immediately I woke up and found myself upon this side of the sea. I
know no more." When Vibhishana heard this from Lohajangha, reflecting
that Lanka was a difficult place to reach, he thought to himself — " Of a
truth this man possesses divine power." And he said to that Brahman, —
" Remain here, I will give you wealth." Then he committed him to the care
of the man-slaying Rakshasas as an inviolable deposit ; and sent some of
his subjects to a mountain in his kingdom called Swarnamula, and brought
from it a young bird belonging to the race of Garuda ; and he gave it to
that Lohajangha, (who had to take a long journey to Mathura,) to ride upon,
in order that he might in the meanwhile break it in. Lohajangha for his
part mounted on its back, and riding about on it in Lanka, rested there
for some time, being hospitably entertained by Vibhishana.
One day he asked the king of the Rakshasas, feeling curiosity on the
point, why the whole ground of Lanka was made of wood ; and Vibhishana
when he heard that, explained the circumstance to him, saying, " Brahman,
if you take any interest in this matter, listen, I will explain it to you.
Long ago Garuda the son of Kasyapa, wishing to redeem his mother from
her slavery to the snakes, to whom she had been subjected in accordance
* Names of Vishnu, who become iucuruatu in the hero Kfishna.
70
with an agreement,* and preparing to obtain from the gods the nectar
which was the price of her ransom, wanted to eat something which would
increase his strength, and so he went to his father, who being importuned
said to him, " My son, in the sea there is a huge elephant, and a huge tor-
toise. They have assumed their present forms in consequence of a curse :
go and eat them." Then Garuda went and brought them both to eat, and
then perched on a bough of the great wishing-tree of paradise. And
when that bough suddenly broke with his weight, he held it up with his
beak, out of regard to the Balakhilyasf who were engaged in austerities
underneath it. Then Garuda, afraid that the bough would crush mankind,
if he let it fall at random, by the advice of his father brought the bough
to this uninhabited part of the earth, and let it drop. Lanka was built on
the top of that bough, therefore the ground here is of wood." When he
heard this from Vibhishana, Lohajangha was perfectly satisfied.
Then Vibhishana gave to Lohajangha many valuable jewels, as he
desired to set out for Mathura. And out of his devotion to the god Vish-
nu, who dwells at Mathura, he entrusted to the care of Lohajangha a lotus,
a club, a shell, and a discus all of gold, to be offered to the god ; Lohajan-
gha took all these, and mounted the bird given to him by Vibhishana, that
could accomplish a hundred thousand yojanas,^ and rising up into the air
in Lanka, he crossed the sea and without any difficulty arrived at Mathura.
And there he descended from the air in an empty convent outside the town,
and deposited there his abundant treasure, and tied up that bird. And then
he went into the market and sold one of his jewels, and bought garments
and scented unguents, and also food. And he ate the food in that convent
where he was, and gave some to his bird ; and he adorned himself with the
garments, unguents, flowers and other decorations. And when night came,
he mounted that same bird and went to the house of Rupinika, bearing in
his hand the shell, discus and mace ; then he hovered over it in the air,
knowing the place well, and made a low deep sound, to attract the atten-
tion of his beloved, who was alone. But Rupinika, as soon as she heard
that sound, came out, and saw hovering in the air by night a being like
K;ir:iyana, gleaming with jewels. He said to her, "I am Hari come hither
for thy sake ;" whereupon she bowed with her face to the earth and said —
* Sec Chapter 22 II. 181 and ff. Kasynpa's two wives disputed about the colour
of the sun's horses. They agnvtl that whichever was in the wrong should become a
slave to the other. Kadrii, the mother of the snakes, won by getting her children to
darken the horses. So Uariula's mother Vinata became a slave.
f Divine personages of the size of a thumb ; sixty thousand were produced from
Brahma's body and surrounded the chariot of the sun.
I A yojana is probably 9 miles, some say 2-J, some 4 or 5. See Monier Williams
so
" May the god have mercy upon me !" Then Lohajangha descended and
tied up his bird, and entered the private apartments of his beloved hand in
hand with her. And after remaining there a short time, he came out, and
mounting the bird as before, went off through the air.* In the morning
Rupinika remained observing an obstinate silence, thinking to herself — <: I
am the wife of the god Vishnu, I must cease to converse with mortals."
And then her mother Makaradanshtra said to her, — " Why do you behave
in this way, my daughter ?" And after she had been perseveringly question-
ed by her mother, she caused to be put up a curtain between herself and
her parent, and told her what had taken place in the night, which was the
cause of her silence. When the kuttini heard that, she felt doubt on the
subject, but soon after at night she saw that very Lohajangha mounted on
the bird, and in the morning Makaradanshtra came secretly to Rupinika,
who still remained behind the curtain, and inclining herself humbly, pre-
ferred to her this request ; " Through the favour of the god, thou, my
daughter, hast obtained here on earth the rank of a goddess, and I am thy
mother in this world, therefore grant me a reward for giving thee birth ;
entreat the god that, old as I am, with this very body I may enter Paradise ;
do me this favour." Rupinika consented and requested that very boon from
Lohajangha, who came again at night disguised as Vishnu. Then Lohajan-
gha, who was personating the god, said to-that beloved of his — " Thy mother
is a wicked woman, it would not be fitting to take her openly to Paradise,
but on the morning of the eleventh day the door of heaven is opened, and
many of the Ganas, Suva's companions, enter into it before any one else is
admitted. Among them I will introduce this mother of thine, if she assume
their appearance. So, shave her head with a razor, in such a manner that
five locks shall be left, put a necklace of sculls round her neck, and strip-
ping off her clothes, paint one side of her body with lamp-black, and the
other with red lead,f for when she has in this way been made to resemble
a Gana, I shall find it an easy matter to get her into heaven." When he
had said this, Lohajangha remained a short time, and then departed. And
in the morning Rupinika attired her mother as lie had directed ; and then
she remained with her mind entirely fixed on Paradise. So, when night
came, Lohajangha appeared again, and Rupinika handed over her mother to
* Compare the 5th story in the first book of the Panchatuntra, in Benfey's transla-
tion.
Benfey shews that this story found its way into Mahometan collections, such as the
Thousand and one Nights, and the Thousand and one Days, as also into the Decameruno
of Boccaccio, and other European story-hooks, Vol. I, p. 159, and ft'.
The story, as given in tho Panchatantra, reminds us of the Squire's Talc in riiauecr.
t Thus she represented the Arddhun;iri>vara, or s'iva half male, and half female,
which compound figure is to be painted in this manner.
81
him. Then he mounted on the bird, and tooi*the kuttini with him naked,
and transformed as he had directed, and he flew up rapidly with her into
the air. While he was in the air, he beheld a lofty stone pillar in front of
a temple, with a discus on its summit. So he placed her on the top of the
pillar, with the discus as her only support,* and there she hung like a
banner to blazon forth his revenge for his ill-usage. He said to her — " Re-
main here a moment while I bless the earth with my approach," and vanish,
ed from her sight. Then beholding a number of people in front of the
temple, who had come there to spend the night in devout vigils before the
festive procession, he called aloud from the air — " Hear, ye people, this very
day there shall fall upon you here the all-destroying goddess of Pestilence,
therefore fly to Hari for protection." When they heard this voice from
the air, all the inhabitants of Mathura who were there, being terrified,
implored the protection of the god, and remained devoutly muttering
prayers to ward off calamity. Lohajangha, for his part, descended from the
air, and encouraged them to pray, and after changing that dress of his, came
and stood among the people, without being observed. The Tcuttini thought,
as she sat upon the top of the pillar, — " the god has not come as yet, and I
have not reached heaven." At last feeling it impossible to remain up there
any longer, she cried out in her fear, so that the people below heard ;
" Alas ! I am falling, I am falling." Hearing that, the people in front of
the god's temple were beside themselves, fearing that the destroying goddess
was falling upon them, even as had been foretold, and said, " O goddess, do
not fall, do not fall." So those people of Mathura, young and old, spent
that night in perpetual dread that the destroying goddess would fall upon
them, but at last it came to an end ; and then beholding that kuttini upon
the pillar in the state described,f the citizens and the king recognized her
at once ; all the people thereupon forgot their alarm, and burst out laugh-
ing, and Rupinika herself at last arrived having heard of the occurrence.
And when she saw it, she was abashed, and with the help of the people,
who were there, she managed to get that mother of hers down from the top
of the pillar immediately : then that kuttini was asked by all the people
there, who were filled with curiosity, to tell them the whole story, and she
* She held on to it by her hands.
t Wilson remarks that this presents some analogy to the story in the Decamorone
(Nov. 7 Gior. 8) of the scholar and the widow " la quale egli con un suo consiglio, di
mezzo Luglio, ignuda, tutto un di fa stare in su una torre." It also hears some resem-
blance to the story of the Master Thief in Thorpe's Yule-tide Stories, page 272. Tho
Master thief persuades the priest that he will take him to heaven. He thus induces
him to get into a sack, and then he throws him into the goose-house, and when th.
geese peck him, tells him that he is in purgatory. The story is Norwegian. See also
Sir G. W. Cox's Mythology of the Aryan Nations, Vol. 1. p. 1-7.
11
82
did so. Thereupon the king, the Brahmans, and the merchants, thinking
that that laughable incident must have been brought about by a sorcerer or
some person of that description, made a proclamation, that whoever had
made a fool of the Tcuttini, who had deceived innumerable lovers, was to shew
himself, and he would receive a turban of honour on the spot. When he
heard that, Lohajangha made himself known to those present, and being
questioned, he related the whole story from its commencement. And he
offered to the god the discus, shell, club, and lotus of gold, the present
which Vibhishana had sent, and which aroused the astonishment of the
people. Then all the people of Mathura, being pleased, immediately
invested him with a turban of honour, and by the command of the king,
made that Rupinika a free woman. And then Lohajangha, having wreaked
upon the Tcuttini his wrath caused by her ill-usage of him, lived in great
comfort in Mathura with that beloved of his, being very well off by means
of the large stock of jewels which he brought from Lanka.
Hearing this tale from the mouth of the transformed Vasantaka, Vasa-
vadatta who was sitting at the side of the fettered king of Vatsa, felt
extreme delight in her heart.
CHAPTER XIII.
As time went on, Vasavadatta began to feel a great affection for the
king of Vatsa, and to take part with him against her father. Then Yau-
gandharayana again came in to see the king of Vatsa, making himself
invisible to all the others, who were there. And he gave him the following
information in private in the presence of Vasantaka only ; " King, you were
made captive by king Chandamahasena by means of an artifice. And he
wishes to give you his daughter, and set you at liberty, treating you with
all honour ; so let us carry off his daughter and escape. For in this way
we shall have revenged ourselves upon the haughty monarch, and we shall
not be thought lightly of in the world for want of prowess. Now the king
has given that daughter of his, Vasavadatta, a female elephant called Bha-
dravati. And no other elephant but Nadagiri is swift enough to catch her
up, and he will not fight when he sees her. The driver of this elephant is
a man here called A'shadhaka, and him I have won over to our side by
giving him much wealth. So you must mount that elephant with Vasava-
datta, fully armed, and start from this place secretly by night. And you
must have the superintendent of the royal elephants here made drunk with
wine, in order that he may not perceive what is about to take place, for he
83
understands every sign that elephants give. I, for my part, will first repair
to your ally Pulindaka in order that he may be prepared to guard the road
by which you escape." When he had said this, Yaugandharayana departed.
So the king of Vatsa stored up all his instructions in his heart ; and soon
Vasavadatta came to him. Then he made all kinds of confidential speeches
to her, and at last told her what Yaugandharayana had said to him. She
consented to the proposal, and made up her mind to start, and causing the
elephant driver A'shadhaka to be summoned, she prepared his mind for the
attempt, and on the pretext of worshipping the gods, she gave the superin-
tendent of the elephants, with all the elephant drivers, a supply of spirits,
and made them drunk. Then in the evening, which was disturbed with the
echoing roar of clouds,* A'shadhaka brought that female elephant ready
harnessed, but she, while she was being harnessed, uttered a cry, which was
heard by the superintendent of the elephants, who was skilled in elephants'
language ; and he faltered out in a voice indistinct from excessive intoxica-
tion,— " the female elephant says, she is going sixty-three yojanas to-day."
But his mind in his drunken state was not capable of reasoning, and the
elephant-drivers, who were also intoxicated, did not even hear what he said.
Then the king of Vatsa broke his chains by means of the charms, which
Yaugandharayana had given him, and took that lute of his, and Vasava-
datta of her own accord brought him his weapons, and then he mounted the
female elephant with Vasantaka. And then Vasavadatta mounted the same
elephant with her friend and confidante Kanchanamala ; then the king of
Vatsa went out from Ujjayini with five persons in all, including himself and
the elephant-driver, by a path which the infuriated elephant clove through
the rampart.
And the king attacked and slew the two warriors who guarded that
point, the Kajputs Virabahu and Talabhata. Then the monarch set out
rapidly on his journey in high spirits, mounted on the female elephant,
together with his beloved, A'shadhaka holding the elephant-hook ; in the
meanwhile in Ujjayini the city-patrol beheld those guards of the rampart
lying dead, and in consternation reported the news to the king at night.
Chandamahasena enquired into the matter, and found out at last that the
king of Vatsa had escaped, taking Vasavadatta with him. Then the alarm
spread through the city, and one of his sons named Palaka mounted Nada-
giri and pursued the king of Vatsa. The king of Vatsa for his part, com-
bated him with arrows as he advanced, and Nadagiri, seeing that female
elephant, would not attack her. Then Palaka, who was ready to listen to
reason, was induced to desist from the pursuit by his brother Gopalaka,
who had his father's interests at heart ; then the king of Vatsa boldly con-
* TijpVoj'Tes VVKTO. xeifJ-epiov SSan ical b.vep.<? «ol S/u 'afff\rivov Qyfffav, Thucyd.
III. 22.
S4
tinued his journey, and as he journeyed, the night gradually came to an
end. So by the middle of the day the king had reached the Vindhya forest,
and his elephant having journeyed sixty-three yojanas, was thirsty. So the
king and his wife dismounted, and the female elephant having drunk water,
owing to its being bad, fell dead on the spot. Then the king of Vatsa and
Vasavadatta, in their despair, heard this voice coming from the air — " I, 0
king, am a female Vidyadhara named Mayavati, and for this long time I
have been a female elephant in consequence of a curse ; and to-day, 0 lord
of Vatsa, I have done you a good turn, and I will do another to your son
that is to be : and this queen of yours Vasavadatta is not a mere mortal ;
she is a goddess for a certain cause incarnate on the earth." Then the king
regained his spirits, and sent on Vasantaka to the plateau of the Vindhya
hills to announce his arrival to bis ally Pulindaka ; and as he was himself
journeying along slowly on foot with his beloved, he was surrounded by
brigands, who sprang out from an ambuscade. And the king, with only his
bow to help him, slew one hundred and five of them before the eyes of
Vasavadatta. And immediately the king's ally Pulindaka came up, toge-
ther with Yaugandharayana, Vasantaka shewing them the way. The king
•of the Bheels ordered the surviving brigands* to desist, and after prostra-
ting himself before the king of Vatsa, conducted him with his beloved to
his own village. The king rested there that night with Vasavadatta, whose
foot had been cut with a blade of forest grass, and early in the morning the
general Eumanvat reached him, who had before been summoned by Yaugan-
dharayana, who sent a messenger to him. And the whole army came with
him, filling the land as far as the eye could reach, so that the Vindhya
forest appeared to be besieged. So that king of Vatsa entered into the
encampment of his array, and remained in that wild region to wait for
news from Ujjayini. And, while he was there, a merchant came from
Ujjayini, a friend of Yaugandharayana's, and when he had arrived reported
these tidings, " The king Chandamahasena is pleased to have thee for a
son-in-law, and he has sent his warder to thee. The warder is on the way,
but he has stopped short of this place, however, I came secretly on in front
of him, as fast as I could, to bring your Highness information."
When he heard this, the king of Vatsa rejoiced, and told it all to
Vasavadatta, and she was exceedingly delighted. Then Vasavadatta, having
abandoned her own relations, and being anxious for the ceremony of mar-
riage, was at the same time bashful and impatient : then she said, in order
* The word dasyu here means savage, barbarian. These wild mountain tribes
called indiscriminately Savaras, Pulindas, Bhillas &c., seem to have been addicted to
cattle-lifting and brigandage. So the word dasyu comes to mean robber. Even the
•virtuous S'avuru prince1 described in the story of Jimiitavahana plunders a caravan.
85
to divert her thoughts, to Vasantaka who was in attendance — " Tell me some
story." Then the sagacious Vasantaka told that fair-eyed one the follow -
ing tale in order to increase her affection for her husband.
There is a city in the world
Story of Devasmita. J
famous under the name or Tamralip-
ta, and in that city there was a very rich merchant named Dhanadatta.
And he, being childless, assembled many Brahmans and said to them with
due respect; "Take such steps as will procure me a son soon." Then those
Brahmans said to him: "This is not at all difficult, for Brahmans can
accomplish all things in this world by means of ceremonies in accordance
with the scriptures. To give you an instance there was in old time a king
who had no sons, and he had a hundred and five wives in his harem. And
by means of a sacrifice to procure a son, there was born to him a son named
Jantu, who was like the rising of the new moon to the eyes of his wives.
Once on a time an ant bit the boy on the thigh as he was crawling about
on his knees, so that he was very unhappy and sobbed loudly. Thereupon
the whole harem was full of confused lamentation, and the king himself
shrieked out ' My son ! my son !' like a common man. The boy was soon
comforted, the ant having been removed, and the king blamed the misfor-
tune of his only having one son as the cause of all his grief. And he asked
the Brahmans in his afiliction if there was any expedient by which he might
obtain a large number of children. They answered him, — ' 0 king, there
is one expedient open to you ; you must slay this son and offer up all his
flesh in the fire. By smelling the smell of that sacrifice all thy wives will
obtain sons.' When he heard that, the king had the whole ceremony per-
formed as they directed ; and he obtained as many sons as he had wives.
So we can obtain a son for you also by a burnt-offering." When they liad
said this to Dhanadatta, the Brahmans, after a sacrificial fee had been pro-
mised them, performed a sacrifice : then a son was born to that merchant.
That son was called Guhasena, and he gradually grew up to man's estate.
Then his father Dhanadatta began to look out for a wife for him.
Then his father went with that son of his to another country, on the
pretence of traffic, but really to get a daughter-in-law, there he asked an
excellent merchant of the name of Dharmagupta to give him his daughter
named Devasmita for his son Guhasena. But Dharmagupta, who was
tenderly attached to his daughter, did not approve of that connexion, reflect-
ing that the city of Tamralipta was very far off. But when Devasmita
beheld that Guhasena, her mind was immediately attracted by his virtues,
and she was set on abandoning her relations, and so she made an assigna-
tion with him by means of a confidante, and went away from that country
at night with her beloved and his father. When they reached Tamralipta
they were married, and the minds of the young couple were firaily knit
together by the bond of mutual love. Then Guhasena's father died, and
he himself was urged by his relations to go to the country of Kataha*
for the purpose of trafficking ; but his wife Devasmita was too jealous to
approve of that expedition, fearing exceedingly that he would be attracted
by some other lady. Then, as his wife did not approve of it, and his rela-
tions kept inciting him to it, Guhasena, whose mind was firmly set on doing
his duty, was bewildered. Then he went and performed a vow in the tem-
ple of the god, observing a rigid fast, trusting that the god would shew
him some way out of his difficulty. And his wife Devasmita also perform-
ed a vow with him ; then S'iva was pleased to appear to that couple in a
dream ; and giving them two red lotuses the god said to them, — " take each
of you one of these lotuses in your hand. And if either of you shall be
unfaithful during your separation, the lotus in the hand of the other shall
fade, but not other wisef." After hearing this, the two woke up, and each
* Cathay?
t Compare the rose garland in the story of the Wright's Chaste Wife ; edited for
the early English Text Society by Frederick J. Furnivall, especially lines 58 and ff.
" Wete thou wele withowtyn fable
" Alle the whyle thy wife is stable
" The chaplett wolle holde hewe ;
" And yf thy wyfe use putry
" Or tolle eny man to lye her by
Then wolle yt change hewe,
And by the garland thou may see,
Fekylle or fals yf that sche be,
Or elles yf she be true.
See also note in Wilson's Essays on Sanskrit Literature, Vol. I, p. 218. He tells
us that in Perce Forest the lily of the Katha Sarit Sagara is represented by a rose. In
Amadis de Gaul it is a garland which blooms on the head of her that is faithful, and
fades on the brow of the inconstant. In Les Contes a rire, it is also a flower. In
Ariosto, the test applied to both male and female is a cup, the wine of which is spilled
by the unfaithful lover. This fiction also occurs in the romances of Tristan, Perceval
and La Morte d 'Arthur, and is well known by La Fontaine's version, La Coupe En-
chantee. In la Lai du Corn, it is a drinking-horn. Spenser has derived his girdle of
Florimel from these sources or more immediately from the Fabliau, Le Manteau mal
taille or Le Court Mantel, an English version of which is published in Percy's Re-
liques, the Boy and the Mantel (Vol. III.) In the Gesta Romanorum (c. 69) the test is
the whimsical one of a shirt, which will neither require washing nor mending as long as
the wearer is constant. (Not the wearer only but the wearer and his wife). Davenant
has substituted an emerald for a flower.
The bridal stone,
And much renowned, because it clristrin-s.s loves,
And will, when worn by the neglected wife,
Shew when her absent lord disloyal proves
By faintness and a pale decay of life.
beheld in the hand of the other a red lotus, and it seemed as if they had
got one another's hearts. Then Guhasena set out, lotus in hand, but
Devasmita remained in the house with her eyes fixed upon her flower-
Guhasena for his part quickly reached the country of Katuha, and began
to buy and sell jewels there. And four young merchants in that country,
seeing that that unfading lotus was ever in his hand, were greatly astonished.
Accordingly they got him to their house by an artifice, and made him drink
a great deal of wine, and then asked him the history of the lotus, and he
being intoxicated told them the whole story. Then those four young mer-
chants, knowing that Guhasena would take a long time to complete his
sales and purchases of jewels and other wares, planned together, like rascals
as they were, the seduction of his wife out of curiosity, and eager to accom-
plish it set out quickly for Tamralipta without their departure being noticed.
There they cast about for some instrument, and at last had recourse to a
female ascetic of the name of Yogakarandika, who lived in a sanctuary of
Buddha ; and they said to her in an affectionate manner, " Reverend
madam, if our object is accomplished by your help, we will give you much
wealth." She answered them ; " No doubt, you young men desire some
woman in this city, so tell me all about it, I will procure you the object of
your desire, but I have no wish for money ; I have a pupil of distinguished
ability named Siddhikari ; owing to her kindness I have obtained untold
wealth." The young merchants asked — " How have you obtained untold
wealth by the assistance of a pupil ?" Being asked this question, the female
ascetic said, — •" If you feel any curiosity about the matter, listen, my sons,
I will tell you the whole story."
Long ago a certain merchant
story of tlie cunning Siddhikari.
came here from the north ; while
he was dwelling here, my pupil went and obtained, with a treache-
rous object, the position of a serving-maid in his house, having first
altered her appearance, and after she had gained the confidence of that
merchant, she stole all his hoard of gold from his house, and went off secret-
ly in the morning twilight. And as she went out from the city moving
rapidly through fear, a certain Domba* with his drum in his hand, saw her,
and pursued her at full speed with the intention of robbing her. When she
had reached the foot of a Nyagrodha tree, she saw that he had come up
with her, and so the cunning Siddhikari said this to him in a plaintive
manner, " I have had a jealous quarrel with my husband, and I have left
I may remark that there is a certain resemblance inthisstoryto that of Shakespr.u, '.-
Cymbeline, which is founded on the 9th Story of the 2nd day in the Decamerone, and to
the 7th Story in Gonzcnbach's Sicilianische Marchen.
* A man of low caste now called Dom. They officiate as executioners.
his house to die, therefore my good man, make a noose for me to hang my-
self with." Then the Domba thought, "Let her hang herself, why should
I be guilty of her death, especially as she is a woman," and so he fastened a
noose for her to the tree. Then Siddhikari, feigning ignorance, said to the
Domba, "How is the noose slipped round the neck? shew me, I entreat you."
Then the Domba placed the drum under his feet, and saying, — " This is the
way we do the trick" — he fastened the noose round his own throat ; Sid-
dhikari for her part smashed the drum to atoms with a kick, and that
Domba hung till he was dead.* At that moment the merchant arrived in
search of her, and beheld from a distance Siddhikari, who had stolen from.
him untold treasures, at the foot of the tree. Slje too saw him coming,
and climbed up the tree without being noticed, and remained there on a
bough, having her body concealed by the dense foliage. When the mer-
chant came up with his servants, he saw the Domba hanging by his neck,
but Siddhikari was nowhere to be seen. Immediately one of his servants
said " I wonder whether she has got up this tree," and proceeded to ascend
it himself. Then Siddhikari said — " I have always loved you, and now you
have climbed up where I am, so all this wealth is at your disposal, hand-
some man, come and embrace me." So she embraced the merchant's servant,
and as she was kissing his mouth, she bit off the fool's tongue. He, over-
come with the pain, fell from that tree, spitting blood from his mouth,
uttering some indistinct syllables, which sounded like Lalalla. When he
saw that, the merchant was terrified, and supposing that his servant had
been seized by a demon, he fled from that place, and went to his own house
with his attendants. Then Siddhikari the female ascetic, equally frighten-
ed, descended from the top of the tree, and brought home with her all that
wealth. Such a person is my pupil, distinguished for her great discern-
ment, and it is in this way, my sons, that I have obtained wealth by her
kindness.
When she had said this to the young merchants, the female ascetic
shewed to them her pupil who happened to come in at that moment ; and
said to them, "Now, my sons, tell me the real state of affairs — what woman
do you desire ? I will quickly procure her for you." When they heard that
they said, "procure us an interview with the wife of the merchant Guhasena
named Devasmita." When she heard that, the ascetic undertook to manage
that business for them, and she gave those young merchants her own house
to reside in. Then she gratified the servants at Guhasena's house with
gifts of sweetmeats and other things, and afterwards entered it with her
* Compare the way in which the widow's son, the shifty lad, treats Blade
in Campbell's Tales of the Western Highlands (Talo XVII d. Orient uud Occident.
Vol. II, p. 303.)
89
pupil. Then, as she approached the private rooms of Devasmita, a bitch,
that was fastened there with a chain, would not let her come near, hut opposed
her entrance in the most determined way. Then Devasmita seeing her,
of her own accord sent a maid, and had her brought in, thinking to herself,
" What can this person be come for ?" After she had entered, the wicked
ascetic gave Devasmita her blessing, and, treating the virtuous woman with
affected respect, said to her — " I have always had a desire to see you, but
to-day I saw you in a dream, therefore I have come to visit you with
impatient eagerness ; and my mind is afflicted at beholding you separated
from your hushand, for beauty and youth are wasted when one is deprived
of the society of one's beloved." With this and many other speeches of the
same kind she tried to gain the confidence of the virtuous woman in a short
interview, and then taking leave of her she returned to her own house. On
the second day she took with her a piece of meat full of pepper dust, and
went again to the house of Devasmita, and there she gave that piece of
meat to the bitch at the door, and the bitch gobbled it up, pepper and all.
Then owing to the pepper dust, the tears flowed in profusion from the
animal's eyes, and her nose began to run. And the cunning ascetic imme-
diately went into the apartment of Devasmita, who received her hospitably,
and began to cry. When Devasmita asked her why she shed tears, she
said with affected reluctance: " My friend, look at this bitch weeping out-
side here. This creature recognized me to-day as having been its com-
panion in a former birth, and began to weep ; for that reason my tears
gushed through pity." When she heard that, and saw that bitch outside
apparently weeping, Devasmita thought for a moment to herself, " What
can be the meaning of this wonderful sight ?" Then the ascetic said to her,
" My daughter, in a former birth, I and that bitch were the two wives of a
certain Brahman. And our husband frequently went about to other coun-
tries on embassies by order of the king. Now while he was away from
Lome, I lived with other men at my pleasure, and so did not cheat the
elements, of which I was composed, and my senses, of their lawful enjoy-
ment. For considerate treatment of the elements and senses is held to be
the highest duty. Therefore I have been born in this birth with a recol-
lection of my former existence. But she, in her former life, through
ignorance, confined all her attention to the preservation of her character,
therefore she has been degraded and born again a» one of the canine race,
however, she too remembers her former birth." The wise Devasmita said to
herself, " This is a novel conception of duty ; no doubt this woman has
laid a treacherous snare for me" ; and so she said to her, " Reverend lady>
for this long time I have been ignorant of this duty, so procure me an
interview with some charming man." — Then the ascetic said — "There are
residing here some young merchants that have come from another country,
12
90
so I will bring them to you." When she had said this, the ascetic returned
home delighted, and Devasmita of her own accord said to her maids : " No
doubt those scoundrelly young merchants, whoever they may be, have seen
that unfading lotus in the hand of my husband, and have on some occasion
or other, when he was drinking wine, asked him out of curiosity to tell the
whole story of it, and have now come here from that island to seduce me,
and this wicked ascetic is employed by them. So bring quickly some wine
mixed with Datura,* and when you have brought it, have a dog's foot of
iron made as quickly as possible." When Devasmita had given these orders,
the maids executed them faithfully, and one of the maids, by her orders,
dressed herself up to resemble her mistress. The ascetic for her part chose
out of the party of four merchants, (each of whom in his eagerness said — -
" let me go first" — ) one individual, and brought him with her. And con-
cealing him in the dress of her pupil, she introduced him in the evening into
the house of Devasmita, and coming out, disappeared. Then that maid,
who was disguised as Devasmita, courteously persuaded the young merchant
to drink some of that wine drugged with Datura. That liquor, f like his
own immodesty, robbed him of his senses, and then the maids took away
his clothes and other equipments and left him stark naked ; then they
branded him on the forehead with the mark of a dog's foot, and during the
night took him and pushed him into a ditch full of filth. Then he recover-
ed consciousness in the last watch of the night, and found himself plunged
in a ditch, as it were the hell Amclii assigned to him by his sins. Then he
got up and washed himself and went to the house of the female ascetic, in
a state of nature, feeling with his fingers the mark on his forehead. And
when he got there, he told his friends that he had been robbed on the way,
in order that he might not be the only person made ridiculous. And the
next morning he sat with a cloth wrapped round his branded forehead,
giving as an excuse that he had a headache from keeping awake so long,
and drinking too much. In the same way the next young merchant was
maltreated, when he got to the house of Devasmita, and when he returned
home naked, he said, " I put on my ornaments there, and as I was coming
out I was plundered by robbers." In the morning he also, on the plea of a
headache, put a wrapper on to cover his branded forehead.
In the same way all the four young merchants suffered in turns brand-
ing and other humiliating treatment, though they concealed the fact. And
they went away from the place, without revealing to the female Buddhist
ascetic the ill-treatment they had experienced, hoping that she would suffer
* Datura is still employed, I U'licvi >, to stujiify people whom it is thought desir-
able to i-"1>.
f 1 read ivu for the na of Dr. Broekhaus's
91
in a similar way. On the next day the ascetic went with her disciple to
the house of Devasmita, much delighted at having accomplished what she
undertook to do. Then Devasmita received her courteously, and made her
drink wine drugged with Datura, offered as a sign of gratitude. When she
and her disciple were intoxicated with it, that chaste wife cut off their ears
and noses, arid flung them also into a filthy pool. Arid being distressed by
the thought that perhaps these young merchants might go and slay her hus-
band, she told the whole circumstance to her mother-in-law. Then her
mother-in-law said to her, — " My daughter, you have acted nobly, but
.possibly some misfortune may happen to my son in consequence of what
you have done." Then Devasmita said — I will deliver him even as S'akti-
mati in old time delivered her husband by her wisdom. Her mother-in-law
asked ; "How did S'aktimati deliver her husband? tell me, my daughter."
Then Devasmita related the following story :
In our country, within the city,
Story of Salctimati. . /' J'
there is the shrine of a powerful
Yaksha named Manibhadra, established by our ancestors. The people there
come and make petitions at this shrine, offering various gifts, in order to
obtain various blessings. Whenever a man is found at night with
another man's wife, he is placed with her within the inner chamber of the
Yaksha's temple. And in the morning he is taken away from thence with
the woman to the king's court, and his behaviour being made known, he is
punished ; such is the custom. Once on a time in that city a merchant, of
the name of Samudradatta, was found by a city-guard in the company of
another man's wife. So he took him and placed him with the woman in
that temple of the Yaksha, fastening the door firmly. And immediately
the wise and devoted wife of that merchant, whose name was S'aktimati,
came to hear of the occurrence ; then that resolute woman, disguising her-
self, went confidently at night to the temple of the Yaksha, accompanied by
her friends, taking with her offerings for the god. When she arrived
there, the priest whose business it was to eat the offerings, through desire
for a fee, opened the door and let her enter, informing the magistrate of
what he had done. And she, when she got inside, saw her husband looking
sheepish, with a woman, and she made the woman put on her own dress,
and told her to go out. So that woman went out in her dress by night,
and got off, but S'aktimati remained in the temple -with her husband. And
when the king's officers came in the morning to examine the merchant, lu-
was seen by all to be in the company of his own wife.* When he heard
* A precisely similar story occurs in the Bahar Danish. The turn of tbe chief
incident, although not the same, is similar to that of Xov VII. Part 4 of P.undello's No-
vclle, or the Accorto Avvedimento di unit Fanttsca </ liberarc In paJrona e I' t
92
that, the king dismissed the merchant from the temple of the Yaksha, as
it were from the mouth of death, and punished the chief magistrate. So
S'aktimati in old time delivered her husband by her wisdom, and in the
same way I will go and save my husband by my discretion.
So the wise Devasmita said in secret to her mother-in-law, and, in com-
pany with her maids, she put on the dress of a merchant. Then she embark-
ed on a ship, on the pretence of a mercantile expedition, and came to the
country of Ka^aha where her husband was. And when she arrived there,
she saw that husband of hers, Guhasena, in the midst of a circle of mer-
chants, like consolation in external bodily form. He seeing her afar off in
the dress of a man,* as it were, drank her in with his eyes, and thought to
himself. " Who may this merchant be that looks so like my beloved wife"?
So Devasmita went and represented to the king that she had a petition to
make, and asked him to assemble all his subjects. Then the king full of
curiosity assembled all the citizens, and said to that lady disguised as a
merchant, "What is your petition ?" Then Devasmita said — There are resid-
ing here in your midst four slaves of mine who have escaped, let the king
make them over to me. Then the king said to her, " All the citizens are
present here, so look at every one in order to recognise him, and take those
slaves of yours." Then she seized upon the four young merchants, whom she
had before treated in such a humiliating way in her house, and who had
wrappers bound round their heads. Then the merchants, who were there,
flew in a passion, and said to her, " These are the sons of distinguished
merchants, how then can they be your slaves ?" Then she answered them,
" If you do not believe what I say, examine their foreheads which I marked
with a dog's foot." They consented, and removing the head-wrappers of
these four, they all beheld the dog's foot on their foreheads. Then all the
merchants were abashed, and the king, being astonished, himself asked Dev-
asmita what all this meant. She told the whole story, and all the people
burst out laughing, and the king said to the lady, — " They are your slaves by
the best of titles." Then the other merchants paid a large sum of money
to that chaste wife, to redeem those four from slavery, and a fine to the king's
treasury. Devasmita received that money, and recovered her husband, and
being honoured by all good men, returned then to her own city Tamralipta,
and she was never afterwards separated from her beloved.
" Thus, O queen, women of good family ever worship their husbands
with chaste and resolute behaviour,! and never think of any other man, for
di queUa de la morte. (Wilson's Essays, Vol. I, p. 224.) Cp. also the Mongolian version
of the story in Sagas from the Far East, p. 320.
* Cp. the story of the Chest in Campbell's Stories from the Western Highlands.
It is the first story in the 2nd volume and contains one- or two incidents which remind
us of this story. t I read
93
to virtuous wives the husband is the highest deity." When V&savadatta
on the journey heard this noble story from the mouth of Vasantaka, she
got over the feeling of shame at having recently left her father's house,
and her mind, which was previously attached by strong affection to her hus-
band, became so fixed upon him as to be entirely devoted to his service.
Note on Chapter XIII.
With regard to the incident of the bitch and the pepper in the story of Devasmita
see the note in the 1st volume of Wilson's Essays on Sanskrit Literature. He says :
•" This incident with a very different and much less moral denouement is one of the stories
in the Disciplina Clericalis, a collection of stories professedly derived from the Arabian
fabulists and compiled by Petrus Alfonsus a converted Jew, who flourished about 1106
and was godson to Alfonso I, king of Arragon. In the Analysis prepared by Mr.
Douce, this story is the 12th, and is entitled " Stratagem of an old woman in favour of
a young gallant." She persuades his mistress who had rejected his addresses that her
little dog was formerly a woman, and so transformed in consequence of her cruelty to
her lover. (Ellis's Metrical Romances, I, 130.) This story was introduced into
Europe, therefore, much about the time at which it was enrolled among the contents
of the Vrihat Katha in Cashmir. The metempsychosis is so much more obvious an ex-
planation of the change of forms, that it renders it probable the story was originally
Hindu. It was soon copied in Europe, and occurs in Le Grand as La vieille qui stduisit
lajeunejille. III. 148 [ed. III. Vol. IV. 50]. The parallel is very close and the old
woman gives " une chienne a manger des choses fortement saupoudrees de seneve qui lui pico-
tait le palais et Us narines et V animal larmoyait beaucoup." She then shows her to the
young woman and tells her the bitch was her daughter. "Son malheur fut d' 'avoir le
C02ur dur ; unjeune homme I'aimait, die le rebuta. Le malheureux apres avoir tout tente pour
I' attendrir, desespiire de sa durete en prit tant de chagrin qu'il tomba malade et mourut.
Dieu I' a bien venge ; voyez en quel etat pour la punir il a reduit ma pauvre Jille, et comment
ellepleure sa/atite." The lesson was not thrown away. The story occurs also in the
Gesta Eomanorum as " The Old Woman and her Dog" [in Bohn's edition it is Tale
XXVIII], and it also finds a place where we should little have expected to find it, in
the Promptuarium of John Herolt of Basil, an ample repository of examples for com-
posing sermons : the compiler a Dominican friar, professing to imitate his patron saint,
who always abundabat exemplis in his discourses." [In Bohn's edition we are told that
it appears in an English garb amongst a translation of JEsop's Fables published in
1658.] Dr. Host refers us to Th. Wright, Latin Stories, London, 1842, p. 218.
Loiseleur Dcslongchamps Essai sur les Fables Indiennes, Paris, 1838, p. 106 ff. F. II.
Von der Hagen, Gesammtabcuteuer 1850 I, cxii. ff and Griissc, 1. 1, 374 ff.
CHAPTER XIV.
Accordingly while the king of Vatsa was remaining in that Vinclhya
forest, the warder o£ king Chandamahasena came to him. And when he
arrived, he did oheisance to the king and spoke as follows: The king Chanda-
mahasena sends you this message. You did rightly in carrying off Vasava-
datta yourself, for I had brought you to my court with this very object ;
and the reason I did not myself give her to you, while you Avere a prisoner,
was, that I feared, if I did so, you might not be well disposed towards me.
Now, O king, I ask you to wait a little, in order that the marriage of my
daughter may not be performed without due ceremonies. For my son
Gopalaka will soon arrive in your court, and he will celebrate with appro-
priate ceremonies the marriage of that sister of his. This message the
warder brought to the king of Vatsa, and said various things to Yasava-
datta. Then the king of Vatsa, being pleased, determined on going to
Kausambi with Yasavadatta, who was also in high spirits. He told his
ally Pulindaka, and that warder in the service of his father-in-law to await,
where they were, the arrival of Gopalaka, and then to come with him to
Kausambi. Then the great king set out early the next day for his own
city with the queen Vasavadatta, followed by huge elephants raining
streams of ichor, that seemed like moving peaks of the Yindhya range
accompanying him out of affection ; he was, as it were, praised by the earth,
that outdid the compositions of his minstrels, while it rang with the hoofs of
his horses and the tramplings of his soldiers ; and by means of the tower-
ing clouds of dust from his army, that ascended to heaven, he made Indra
J'ear that the mountains were sporting with unshorn wings.* Then the
king reached his country in two or three days, and rested one night in a
palace belonging to Human vat ; and on the next day, accompanied by his
beloved, he enjoyed after a long absence the great delight of entering
Kausambi, the people of which were eagerly looking with uplifted i
for his approach. And then that city was resplendent as a . wil'e. her lord
having returned after a long abse .ning her adornment and auspi-
cious bathing vicariously by means of her women ; and there the citizens,
their sorrow now at an end, beheld the king of Yatsa accompanied by his
bride, as peacocks behold a cloud accompanied by lightning ;fand the wives of
the citizens standing on the tops of the palaces, filled the heaven with their
* Alluding to Indra'.- having cut tin1 wiii^s of the mountains,
f The i" •:il'<>\vl arc d. li-ht. d at tin- approach of the rainy season, when
row'' tonics to :in end.
faces, that bad the appearance of golden lotuses blooming in the heavenly
Ganges. Then the king of Vatsa entered bis royal palace with Vasava-
d;i!l;i, who seemed like a second goddess of royal fortune; and that
palace then shone as if it had just awaked from sleep, full of kings who
had come to shew their devotion, festive with songs of minstrels.* Not
long after came Gopuluka the brother of Vasavadatta,, bringing with him
the warder and Pulindaka ; the king went to meet him, and Vasavadattu
received him with her eyes expanded with delight, as if he were a second
spirit of joy. While she was looking at this brother, a tear dimmed her
lest she should be ashamed ; and then she, being encouraged by him
with the words of her father's message, considered that her object in life
was attained, now that she was reunited to her own relations. Then, on the
next day, Gopalaka, with the utmost eagerness, set about the high festival
of her marriage with the king of Vatsa, carefully observing all prescribed
ceremonies. Then the king of Vatsa received the hand of Vasavadatta,
like a beautiful shoot lately budded on the creeper of love. She too, with
her eyes closed through the great joy of touching her beloved's hand, having
her limbs bathed in perspiration accompanied with trembling, covered all
over with extreme horripilation, appeared at that moment as if struck by
the god of the flowery bow with the arrow of bewilderment, the weapon of
wind, and the water weapon in quick succession ;f when she walked round
the lire keeping it to the right, her eyes being red with the smoke, she had
her first taste, so to speak, of the sweetness of wine and honey. J Then by
means of the jewels brought by Gopalaka, and the gifts of the kings, the
monarch of Vatsa became a real king of kings. § That bride and bridegroom,
after their marriage had been celebrated, first exhibited themselves to the
of the people, and then entered their private apartments. Then the
king of Yatsa, on the day so auspicious to himself invested Gopalaka and
Pulindaka with turbans of honour and other distinctions, and he commis-
sioned Yaugandhardyana and Human vat to confer appropriate distinctions
on the kings who had come to visit him, and on the citizens. Then Yaugan-
dharayana said to Itumanvat; "The king has given us a difficult commission,
for men's feelings are hard to discover. And even a child will certainly do
mischief if not pleased ; to illustrate this point listen to the tale of the
child Vinashtaka, my friend."
* It is often the duty of thcso minstrels to wake the king with their s
t "\Vcipon.s \\vll known in Hindu mythology. See the 6th act of the I
Kama Charita.
J Sutnipdtaiii akiii'ot. she tested, so to speak. Cp. Taran^a_i. Si. 93. The fact
is, the smoke made JUT r\v,s as ml a.s if she had been drinking.
§ Or " liku Kuvera." There is a pun here.
96
Story of the clew deformed child. Onco °n a lime tll(?re was a cer'
tnin Brahman named Rudra&raan,
and he, when he became a householder, had two wives, and one of his wives
gave birth to a son and died ; and then the Brahman entrusted that son to
the care of his step-mother ; and when he grew to a tolerable stature, she
gave him. coarse food ; the consequence was, the boy became pale, and got a
swollen stomach. Then Rudrasarman said to that second wife, " How comes
it that you have neglected this child of mine that has lost its mother ?" She
said to her husband, " Though I take affectionate care of him, he is never-
theless the strange object you see ; what am I to do with him ?" Where-
upon the Brahman thought, " No doubt it is the child's nature to be like
this." For who sees through the deceitfulness of the speeches of women ut-
tered with affected simplicity ? Then that child began to go by the name of
Balavinashtaka* in his father's house, because they said this child (bala) is
deformed (vinashta.) Then Balavinashtaka thought to himself — "This
step-mother of mine is always ill-treating me, therefore I had better be
revenged on her in some way" — for though the boy was only a little more
than five years old, he was clever enough. Then he said secretly to his father
when he returned from the king's court, with half suppressed voice — " Papa,
I have two Papas." So the boy said every day, and his father suspecting
that his wife had a paramour, would not even touch her. She for her part
thought — " Why is my husband angry without my being guilty ; I wonder
whether Balavinashtaka has been at any tricks ?" So she washed Balavi-
nashtaka with careful kindness, and gave him dainty food, and taking him
on her lap, asked him the following question : " My son why have you
incensed your father Rudrasarman against me ?" When he heard that, the
boy said to his step-mother, " I will do more harm to you than that, if you
do not immediately cease ill-treating me. You take good care of your owu
children ; why do you perpetually torment me ?" When she heard that, she
bowed before him, and said with a solemn oath, " I will not do so any more ;
so reconcile my husband to me." Then the child said to her — " Well,
when my father comes home, let one of your maids shew him a
mirror, and leave the rest to me." She said, "Very well," and
by her orders a maid shewed a mirror to her husband as soon as he
returned home. Thereupon the child pointing out the reflection of his father
in the mirror, said, " There is my second father." When he heard that,
Rudrasarman dismissed his suspicions and was immediately reconciled to
his wife, whom he had blamed without cause.
" Thus even a child may do mischief if it is annoyed, and therefore we
must carefully conciliate all this retinue." Saying this, Yaugandharayana
with the help of Rumauvat, carefully honoured all the people on this the
* Yuuii'' Deformed.
97
king of Vatsa's great day of rejoicing. And they gratified all the kings so
successfully that each one of them thought, " These two men are devoted
to me alone." And the king honoured those two ministers and Vasantaka
with garments, unguents, and ornaments bestowed with his own hand, and
he also gave them grants of villages. Then the king of Vatsa, having cele-
brated the great festival of his marriage, considered all his wishes gratified,
now that he was linked to Vasavadatta. Their mutual love, having blos-
somed after a long time of expectation, was so great, owing to the strength
of their passion, that their hearts continually resembled those of the sorrow-
ing Chakravakas, when the night, during which they are separated, comes to
an end. And as the familiarity of the couple increased, their love seemed
to be ever renewed. Then Gopalaka, being ordered by his father to return
to get married himself, went away, after having been entreated by the king
of Vatsa to return quickly.
In course of time the king of Vatsa became faithless, and secretly loved
an attendant of the harem named Virachita, with whom he had previously
had an intrigue. One day he made a mistake and addressed the queen by
her name, thereupon he had to conciliate her by clinging to her feet, and
bathed in her tears he was anointed* a fortunate king. Moreover he mar-
ried a princess of the name of Bandhumati, whom Gopalaka had captured by
the might of his arm, and sent as a present to the queen; and whom she
concealed, changing her name to Manjulika; who seemed like another
Lakshmi issuing from the sea of beauty. Her the king saw, when he was
in the company of Vasantaka, and secretly married her by the Gandharva
ceremony in a summer-house. And that proceeding of his was beheld by
Vasavadatta, who was in concealment, and she was angry, and had Vasantaka
put in fetters. Then the king had recourse to the good offices of a female
ascetic, a friend of the queen's, who had come with her from her father's
court, of the name of Sankrityanani. She appeased the queen's anger, and
got Bandhumati presented to the king by the obedient queen, for tender is
the heart of virtuous wives. Then the queen released Vasantaka from
imprisonment ; he came into the presence of the queen and said to her with
a laugh, " Bandhumati did you an injury, but what did I do to you ? You
are angry with addersf and you kill water-snakes." Then the queen, out of
curiosity, asked him to explain that metaphor, and he continued as follows:
Once on a time a hermit's son
Story of Sum.
of the name of Ruru, wandering
about at will, saw a maiden of wonderful beauty, the daughter of a heavenly
nymph named Menaka by a Vidyadhara, and brought up by a hermit of
* It must bo remembered that a king among the Hindus was inaugurated with
water, not oil.
t The word " adders" must here do duty for all venomous kinds of serpents.
13
98
the name of Sthulakesa in his hermitage. That lady, whose name was
1'rishadvara, so captivated the mind of that Ruru when he saw her, that
lie went and begged the hermit to give him to her in marriage. Sthiilakesa
for his part betrothed the maiden to him, and when the wedding was nigh at
hand, suddenly an adder bit her. Then the heart of Ruru was full of
despair, but he heard this voice in the heaven — " 0 Brahman raise to life with
the gift of half thy own life.* this maiden, whose allotted term is at an end."
When he heard that, Ruru gave her the half of his own life, as he had been
directed; by means of that she revived, and Ruru married her. Thence-
forward he was incensed with the whole race of serpents, and whenever he
saw a serpent he killed it, thinking to himself as he killed each one — "This
may have bitten my wife." One day a water snake said to him with human
voice, as he was about to slay it, " You are incensed against adders, Brahman,
but why do you slay water-snakes ? An adder bit your wife, and adders are
a distinct species from water-snakes ; all adders are venomous, water-snakes
are not venomous." When he heard that, he said in answer to the water-
snake, — "My friend, who are you?" The water-snake said, "Brahman, I
am a hermit fallen from my high estate by a curse, and this curse was appointed
to last till I held converse with you." When he had said this he disappear-
ed, and after that Ruru did not kill water-snakes. So I said this to you
metaphorically, " My queen, you are angry with adders and you kill water-
snakes." When he had uttered this speech, full of pleasing wit, Vasantaka
ceased, and Vasavadatta sitting at the side of her husband was pleased with
him. Such soft and sweet tales in which Vasantaka displayed various in-
genuity, did the loving Udayana, king of Vatsa, continually make use of to
conciliate his angry wife, while he sat at her feet. That happy king's
tongue was ever exclusively employed in tasting the flavour of wine, and
his car was ever delighting in the sweet sounds of the lute, and his eye was
ever riveted on the face of his beloved.
Note to Chapter XIV.
The practice of walking round an object of reverence with the right hand towards
it, which is one of the ceremonies mentioned in our author's account of Yasavadatla's
marriage, has been exhaustively discussed by Dr. Samuel Fergusson in his paper — "On
the Ceremonial turn called Desiul," published in the Proerrdings of Hie lioyal Irish
Academ y for March 1877. (Vol. I. Ser. II. No. 12.) He shews it t«> have existed
among the ancient Romans as well as the Celts. One of the most striking of his quota-
tions is from the Curculio of Plautus (1.1.69.) PhaMlromiis says— Quo
lust-ill. Palinurus jestingly replies /,« t/f.i-/rnr. to. ('p. also the
following passage of Valerius Flaeeus (Argon VIII. 243).
* A similar story is found in the IVth book of the Punehatantra, F.-ible 5. where
1',,-nfev e,,nipares the story of Yiiv:iti ami his sou I'uru. lieiiley I'aiiehalanlra I. -I'M.
99
Inde ubi sacrificaa cum conjuge venit ad area
jEsoiiiikx, tiiimjue adeunt pariterque preeari
Inclpiuid. Ignem Pollux undamque jugalem
Prcetulit ut dextrum pariter vertantur in orbern.
The above passage forms a striking comment upon our text. Cp. also Plutarch in
this life of Camillus Tavra. tlirwv, KaBbvep for] Pco/xaiois efloy, tir(v£au.fvots KO.} fpo<TKw-
l)ffa<riv, e'wl 8e|i& t£f\irTeiv, fa-pd\Tf) ire/>i<rrp6^>rf|U6>'os. It is possible that the following
passage in Lucretius alludes to the same practice —
Nee pietas ulla est velatum stepe v'
<ier ad lapidem atque omtics accederead aras.
Dr. Fergusson is of opinion that this movement was a symbol of the cosmical
rotation, an imitation of the apparent course of the sun in the heavens. Cp. Hyginus
Fable CCV. Arge venatrix, cum cervum sequeretur, cervo dixisse fertur : Tit licet Soli*
cut-sum sequaris, tamen te consequar. Sol, iratus, in cervam earn contertit. He quotes, to
prove that the practice existed among the ancient Celts, Athenaeus IV, p. 142, who
adduces from Posidonius the following statement " T6vs 6foi>s irpocrKvvovffiv ^iri Seftct
<rTpe$6fj.fvoi." The above quotations are but a few scraps from the full feast of Dr.
Fergusson's paper. See also the remarks of the Rev. S. Beal in the Indian Antiquary
for March 1880, p. 67.
B 0 0 K I I I.
CHAPTER XV.
Honour to that conqueror of obstacles whose favour, I ween, even the
Creator* implored, in order that he might accomplish the creation of the
world without let or hindrance.
That five-arrowed god of love conquers the world, at whose command
even Siva trembles, when he is being embraced by his beloved.
Thus having obtained Vasavadatta, that king of Vatsa gradually be-
came most exclusively devoted to the pleasure of her society. But his
prime minister Yaugandharayana, and his general Rumanvat, upheld day
and night the burden of his empire. And once upon a time the minister
Yaugandharayana, full of anxiety, brought Eumanvat to his house at night
and said to him as follows : " This lord of Vatsa is sprung from the Fandava
race, and the whole earth is his by hereditary descent, as also the city named
of the elephant. f All these this king has abandoned not being desirous
of making conquests, and his kingdom has so become confined to this one
small corner of the earth. For he certainly remains devoted to women,
wine and hunting, and he has delegated to us all the duty of thinking about
his kingdom. So we by our own intelligence must take such steps, as that
he shall obtain the empire of the whole earth, which is his hereditary right.
For, if we do this, we shall have exhibited devotion to his cause, and per-
formed our duty as ministers ; for every thing is accomplished by intellect,
and in proof of this listen to the following tale :"
Once on a time there was a
Story of the clever physician.
king named Mahasena, and he
attacked by another king far superior to him in power. Then the king's
ministers met together, and in order to prevent the ruin of his interests,
Mahasena was persuaded by them to pay tribute to that enemy. And
after he bad paid tribute, that haughty king was exceedingly afflicted, think-
* I read dhdtd for dhdtrd. f »'. «• Hastinapura.
102
ing to himself, " Why have I made submission to my enemy ?" And his sorrow
on that account caused an abscess to form in his vitals, and he was so pul-
led down by the abscess that at last he was at the point of death. Then a
certain wise physician considering that that case could not be cured by
medicine, said falsely to that king ; " O king, your wife is dead." When he
heard that, the king suddenly fell on the ground, and owing to the exces-
sive violence of his grief, the abscess burst of itself. And so the king
recovered from his disease, and long enjoyed in the society of that queen
the pleasures he desired, and conquered his enemies in his turn.*
" So, as that physician did his king a good turn by his wisdom, let us
also do our king a good turn, let us gain for him the empire of the earth.
And in this undertaking our only adversary is Pradyota, the king of Ma-
gadha ; for he is a foe in the rear that is always attacking us behind. So
we must ask for our sovereign that pearl of princesses, his daughter, -named
Padmavati. And by our cleverness we will conceal Vasavadatta, somewhere,
and setting fire to her house, we will give out everywhere that the queen is
burnt. For in no other case will the king of Magadha give his daughter
to our sovereign, for when I requested him to do so on a former occasion,
he answered — ' I will not give my daughter, whom I love more than my-
self, to the king of Vatsa, for he is passionately attached to his wife
Vasavadatta.' Moreover, as long as the queen is alive, the king of Vatsa
will not marry any one else ; but if a report is once spread that the queen
is burnt, all will succeed. And when Padmavati is secured, the king of
Magadha will be our marriage connection, and will not attack us in the
rear, but will become our ally. Then we will march to conquer the eastern
quarter, and the others in due succession, so we shall obtain for the king of
Vatsa all this earth. And if we only exert ourselves, this king will obtain
the dominion of the earth, for long ago a divine voice predicted this."
When Human vat heard this speech from the great minister Yaugandhard-
yana, he feared that the plan would cover them with ridicule, and so he
said to him — " Deception practised for the sake of Padmavati might some day
be to the ruin of us both ;" in proof of this, listen to the following tale :
On the bank of the Ganges there
,s/o>-y of the hypocritical ascetic.
is a city named Makamnka ; in that
city long ago there was a certain ascetic who observed a vow of silence,
and he lived on alms, and surrounded by numerous other holy h-i^ars,
dwelt in a monastery within the precincts of a god's temple where he had
* Hero Wilson observes: The circumgtancee here related are not without analo-
gies in fact. It i§ not inarveUous ^therefore that we may trace them in fiction. Tho
point of the story is tl. iliat <>f the " IVu.x Anglais a Paris," a Fabliau, and of
" TIM' I'miiiic a IVxtivmitr <l"i to niii ' " v| gprOBft mlrn \"\ant MUI man' <]i;i Lai.-:.
servants qu'ullo recouvru la saute" <>l Xavanv.(llc]>tamcron. Xouvellr 71).
103
taken up his abode. Once, wben be entered a certain merchant's bouse to bog,
bo saw a beautiful maiden coining out with alms in her hand, and the rascal
seeing that she was wonderfully beautiful was smitten with love and exclaim-
ed "Ah! Ah! Alas!" And that merchant overheard him. Then taking
the alms he had received, he departed to his own house ; and then the mer-
chant went there and said to him in his astonishment, — " Why did you to-day
suddenly break your vow of silence and say what you did?" When lie heard
that, the ascetic said to the merchant — " This daughter of yours has inauspi-
cious marks ; when she marries, you will undoubtedly perish, wife, sons,
and all. So, when I saw her, I was afflicted, for you are my devoted adhe-
rent ; and thus it was on your account that I broke silence and said what
I did. So place this daughter of yours by night in a basket, on the top of
which there must be a light, and set her adrift on the Ganges." The mer-
chant said, " So I will," and went away, and at night he did all he had been
directed to do out of pure fear. The timid are ever unreflecting. The
hermit for his part said at that time to his own pupils, " Go to the Ganges,
and when you see a basket floating along with a light on the top of it,
bring it here secretly, but you must not open it, even if you hear a noise
inside." They said, " We will do so," and off they went ; but before they
reached the Ganges, strange to say, a certain prince went into the river to
bathe. He seeing that basket, which the merchant had thrown in, by the
help of the light on it, got his servants to fetch it for him, and immediate-
ly opened it out of curiosity. And in it he saw that heart-enchanting girl,
and he married her on the spot by the Gandharva ceremony of marriage.
And he set the basket adrift on the Ganges, exactly as it was before, put-
ting a lamp on the top of it, and placing a fierce monkey inside it. The
prince having departed with that pearl of maidens, the pupils of the hermit
came there in the course of their search, and saw that basket, and took it
up and carried it to the hermit. Then he being delighted, said to them, " I
will take this upstairs and perform incantations with it alone, but you must
lie in silence this night." When he had said this, the ascetic took the basket
to the top of the monastery, and opened it, eager to behold the merchant's
daughter. And then a monkey of terrible appearance sprang out of it,*
and rushed upon the ascetic, like his own immoral conduct incarnate in
bodily form. The monkey in its fury immediately tore off with its teeth
the nose of the wicked ascetic, and his ears with its claws, as if it had been
a skilful executioner ; and in that state the ascetic ran downstairs, and
when his pupils beheld him, they could with diliiculty suppress their laugh-
ter. And early next morning everybody heard the story, and laughed
heartily, but the merchant was delighted, and his daughter also, as she had
* Cp. Sagas from the far East. Tale XI, pp. 123, 124. Here the crime' contemp-
lated is murder, and the ape is represented by a tiger.
104
obtained a good husband. And even as tbe ascetic made himself ridiculous,
so too may we possibly become a laughing-stock, if we employ deceit, and
fail after all. For the separation of the king from Vasavadatta involves
many disadvantages. When Rumanvat had said this to Yaugandharayana,
the latter answered ; " In no other way can we conduct our enterprise suc-
cessfully, and if we do not undertake the enterprise, it is certain that with
this self-indulgent king we shall lose even what territory we have got ; and
the reputation which we have acquired for statesmanship will be tarnished,
and we shall cease to be spoken of as men who shew loyalty to their
sovereign. For when a king is one who depends on himself for success,
his ministers are considered merely the instruments of his wisdom ; and in
the case of such monarchs you would not have much to do with their suc-
cess or failures. But when a king depends on his ministers for success, it
is their wisdom that achieves his ends, and if they are wanting in enter-
prise, he must bid a long farewell to all hope of greatness.* But if you
fear the queen's father Chandamahasena, I must tell you that he and his
son and the queen also will do whatever I bid them." When Yaugandhara-
yana, most resolute among the resolute, had said this, Rumanvat, whose heart
dreaded some fatal blunder, again said to him ; " Even a discerning prince is
afflicted by the pain of being separated from a beloved woman, much more
will this king of Vatsa be. In proof of what I say, listen to the following
tale :"
f TT 'j- 'j. Once on a time there was a king
Story of Unmadnn.T
named Devasena, best of wise men,
and the city of S'ravasti was his capital. And in that city there was a
wealthy merchant, and to him there was born a daughter of unparalleled
beauty. And that daughter became known by the name of Unmadini,
because every one, who beheld her beauty, became mad. Her father the
merchant thought, " I must not give this daughter of mine to any one with-
out telling the king, or he may be angry." So he went and said to the king
Devasena, " King, I have a daughter who is a very pearl, take her if she
finds favour in your eyes." When he heard that, the king sent some Brah-
mans, his confidential ministers, saying to them, " Go and' see if that maiden
possesses the auspicious marks or not." The ministers said, " We will do so"
and went. But when they beheld that merchant's daughter, Unmadini,
love was suddenly produced in their souls, and they became utterly
bewildered. When they recovered their senses, the Brahmans said to one
another : " If the king marries this maiden, he will think only of her, and
will neglect the affairs of the State, and everything will go to rack and
* Literally a handful of water, such as is offered to the Manes, is offered to For-
tune. It is all over with his chance of attaining glory,
t Cp. Sicilianische Marchen, Vol. I, p. 220.
105
ruin ; so what is the good of her ?" Accordingly they went and told the
king, what was not true, that the maiden had inauspicious marks. Then
the merchant gave that Uumadini, whom the king had refused, and who in
her heart felt a proud resentment at it, to the king's commander-in-chief.
When she was in the house of her husband, she ascended one day to the
roof, and exhibited herself to the king, who she knew would pass that way.
And the moment the king beheld her, resembling a world-bewildering drug
employed by the god of love, distraction seemed to be produced within
him. When he returned to his palace, and discovered that it was the same
lady he had previously rejected, he was full of regret, and fell violently ill
with fever ; the commander-in-chief, the husband of the lady, came to him
and earnestly entreated him to take her, saying, " She is a slave, she is not
the lawful wife of another, or if it seem fit, I will repudiate her in the
temple, then my lord can take her for his own." But the king said to him
" I will not take unto myself another man's wife, and if you repudiate her,
your righteousness will be at end, and you will deserve punishment at my
hands." When they heard that, the other ministers remained silent, and
the king was gradually consumed by love's burning fever, and so died. So
that king perished, though of firm soul, being deprived of Unmadini ; but
what will become of the lord of Vatsa without Vasavadatta ? When Yau-
gandharayana heard this from Kumanvat, he answered ; " Affliction is
bravely endured by kings who have their eyes firmly fixed on their duty.
Did not Kama when commissioned by the gods, who were obliged to resort
to that contrivance, to kill Havana, endure the pain of separation from
queen Sita ? When he heard this, Rumanvat said in answer — " Such as
Kama are gods, their souls can endure all things. But the thing is intoler-
able to men ; in proof whereof listen to the following tale.
There is on this earth a great
Story of the loving couple who died of . ^ ^ -^ ^^ Mathura.
separation. J
In it there lived a certain young
merchant, called Illaka. And he had a dear wife whose mind was devoted
to him alone. Once on a time, while he was dwelling with her, the young
merchant determined to go to another country on account of the exigencies
of his affairs. And that wife of his wished to go with him. For when
women are passionately attached to any one, they cannot endure to be
separated from him. And then that young merchant set out, having offered
the usual preliminary prayer for success in his undertaking, and did not
take with him that wife of his, though she had dressed herself for the
journey. She looking after him, when he had started, with tears in her
eyes, stood supporting herself against the panel of the door of the court-
yard. Then, he being out of sight, she was no longer able to endure her
grief ; but she was too timid to follow him. So her breath left her body.
106
And as soon as the young merchant came to know of that, he returned and
to his horror found that dear wife of his a corpse, with pale though lovely
complexion, set off by her waving locks, like the spirit of beauty that
tenants the moon fallen down to the earth in the day during her sleep.*
So he took her in his arms and wept over her, and immediately the vital
spirits left his body, which was on fire with the flame of grief, as if they
were afraid to remain. So that married couple perished by mutual separa-
tion, and therefore we must take care that the king is not separated from
the queen." When he had said this, Rumanvat ceased, with his mind full of
apprehension, but the wise Yaugandharayana, that ocean of calm resolution
answered him ; " I have arranged the whole plan, and the affairs of kings
often require such steps to be taken, in proof of it, hear the following tale :"
There lived long ago in Ujiayini
Story of Punyasena.
a king named Punyasena, and once
on a time a powerful sovereign came and attacked him. Then his
resolute ministers, seeing that that king was hard to conquer, spread every-
where a false report that their own sovereign Punyasena was dead ; and
they placed him in concealment, and burnt some other man's corpse with
all the ceremonies appropriate to a king, and they proposed to the hostile
king through an ambassador that, as they had now no king, he should come
and be their king. The hostile monarch was pleased and consented, and
then the ministers assembled accompanied by soldiers, and proceeded to
storm his camp. And the enemy's army being destroyed, Punyasena's
ministers brought him out of concealment, and having recovered their
power put that hostile king to death.
" Such necessities will arise in monarch's affairs, therefore let us reso-
lutely accomplish this business of the king's by spreading a report of the
queen's having been burnt." When he heard this from Yaugandharayana,
who had made up his mind, Eurnanvat said ; " If this is resolved upon, let
us send for Gopalaka the queen's respected brother, and let us take all our
measures duly, after consultation with him." Then Yaugandhuniyana said
" So be it," and llumaiivat allowed himself to be guided, in determining
what was to be done, by the confidence which he placed in his colleague.
The next day, these dexterous ministers sent off a messenger of their own to
bring Gopalaka, on the pretext that his relations longed to see him. And
as he had only departed before on account of urgent business, Gopalaka
came at the request of the messenger, seeming like an incarnate festival.
And the very day he came, Yaugandharayaiia took him by night to his own
house together with limuanvat, and there he told him of that daring
scheme which he wished to undertake, all of which he had before deliberat-
ed about together with that llumanvat ; and Gopalaka desiring the good
* In the original it is intended to compare the locks to the spots in the moon.
107
of the king of Vatsa consented to the scheme though he knew it would
bring sorrow to his sister, for the mind of good men is ever fixed upon
duty. Then Rumanvat again said, — " All this is well planned, but when
the king of Vatsa hears that his wife is burnt, he will be inclined to yield
up his breath, and how is he to be prevented from doing so ? This is a
matter which ought to be considered. For though all the usual politic
expedients may advantageously be employed, the principal element of sound
state-craft is the averting of misfortune." Then Yaugandharayana who
had reflected on everything that was to be done, said, " There need be no
. anxiety about this, for the queen is a princess, the younger sister of Gopa-
laka, and dearer to him than his life, and when the king of Vatsa sees
how little afflicted Gopalaka is, he will think to himself, ' Perhaps the
queen may be alive after all,1 and so will be able to control his feelings.
Moreover he is of heroic disposition, and the marriage of Padmavati will
be quickly got through, and then we can soon bring the queen out of con-
cealment." Then Yaugandharayana, and Gopalaka, and Rumanvat having
made up their minds to this, deliberated as follows : " Let us adopt the
artifice of going to Lavanaka with the king and queen, for that district is a
border-district near the kingdom of Magadha. And because it contains
admirable hunting-grounds, it will tempt the king to absent himself from
the palace, so we can set the women's apartments there on fire and carry out
the plan* on which we have determined. And by an artifice we will take
the queen and leave her in the palace of Padmavati, in order that Padma-
vati herself may be a witness to the queen's virtuous behaviour in a state
of concealment." Having thus deliberated together during the night, they
all, with Yaugandharayana at their head, entered the king's palace on the
next day. Then Rumanvat made the following representation to the king,
" O king, it is a long time since we have gone to Lavanaka, and it is a very
delightful place, moreover you will find capital hunting-grounds there, and
grass for the horses can easily be obtained. And the king of Magadha,
being so near, afflicts all that district. So let us go there for the sake of
defending it, as well as for our own enjoyment." And the king, when he
heard this, having his mind always set on enjoyment, determined to go to
Lavanaka together with Vasavadatta. The next day, the journey having
been decided on, and the auspicious hour having been fixed by the astrolo-
gers, suddenly the hermit Narada came to visit the monarch.
He illuminated the region with his splendour, as he descended from the
midst of heaven, and gave a feast to the eyes of all spectators, seeming as if
he were the moon come down out of affection towards his own descendants. t
After accepting the usual hospitable attentions, the hermit graciously guvo
* Reading yad hi.
t The moon was the progenitor of the Paiulavu race.
108
to the king, who bowed humbly before him, a garland from the Parijata*
tree. And he congratulated the queen, by whom he was politely received,
promising her that she should have a son, who should be a portion of
Cupidf and king of all the Vidyadharas. And then he said to the king of
"Vatsa, while Yaugandharayana was standing by, " 0 king, the sight of
your wife Vasavadatta has strangely brought something to my recollection.
In old time you had for ancestors Yudhishthira and his brothers. And those
five had one wife between them, Draupadi by name. And she, like Vasa-
vadatta, was matchless in beauty. Then, fearing that her beauty would
do mischief, I said to them, you must avoid jealousy, for that is the seed of
calamities ; in proof of it, listen to the following tale, which I will relate to
you.
There were two brothers, Asuras
Story of Sunda and Upasunda.
by race, Sunda and Upasunda, hard
to overcome, inasmuch as they surpassed the three worlds in valour. And
Brahma, wishing to destroy them, gave an order to Visvakarman,J and had
constructed a heavenly woman named Tilottama, in order to behold whose
beauty even S'iva truly became four-faced, so as to look four ways at once,
while she was devoutly circumambulating him. She, by the order of Brah-
ma, went to Sunda and Upasunda, while they were in the garden of Kailasa,
in order to seduce them. And both those two Asuras distracted with love,
seized the fair one at the same time by both her arms, the moment they saw
her near them. And as they were dragging her off in mutual opposition,
they soon came to blows, and both of them were destroyed. To whom is not
the attractive object called woman the cause of misfortune ? And you,
though many, have one love, Draupadi, therefore you must without fail
avoid quarrelling about her. And by my advice always observe this rule
with respect to her. When she is with the eldest, she must be considered a
mother by the younger, and when she is with the youngest, she must be
considered a daughter-in-law by the eldest. Your ancestors, 0 king, accep-
ted that speech of mine with unanimous consent, having their minds fixed
on salutary counsels. And they were my friends, and it is through love for
them that I have come to visit you here, king of Vatsa, therefore I give
you this advice. Do you follow the counsel of your ministers, as they
followed mine, and in a short time you will gain great success. For some
time you will suffer grief, but you must not be too much distressed about
it, for it will end in happiness." After the hermit Niirada, so clever in
indirectly intimating future prosperity, had said this duly to the king of
Vatsa, he immediately disappeared. And then Yaugandharayana and all
* One of the five trees of Paradise,
f Kumti the Hindu C'upid.
} Thu architect or artist of the gods.
109
the other ministers, auguring from the speech of that great hermit that the
scheme they had in view was about to succeed, became exceedingly zealous
about carrying it into effect.
CHAPTEE XVI.
Then Yaugandharayana and the other ministers managed to conduct
the king of Vatsa with his beloved, by the above-mentioned stratagem, to
Lavanaka. The king arrived at that place, which, by the roar of the host
echoing through it, seemed, as it were, to proclaim that the ministers' object
would be successfully attained. And the king of Magadha, when he heard
that the lord of Vatsa had arrived there with a large following, trembled,
anticipating attack. But he being wise, sent an ambassador to Yaugandha-
rayana, and that excellent minister well-versed in his duties, received him
gladly. The king of Vatsa for his part, while staying in that place, ranged
every day the wide-extended forest for the sake of sport. One day, the
king having gone to hunt, the wise Yaugandharayana accompanied by
Gopalaka, having arranged what was to be done, and taking with him also
Rumanvat and Vasantaka, went secretly to the queen Vasavadatta, who
bowed at their approach. There he used various representations to per-
suade her to assist in furthering the king's interests, though she had been
previously informed of the whole affair by her brother. And she agreed
to the proposal, though it inflicted on her the pain of separation. What
indeed is there which women of good family, who are attached to their
husbands, will not endure ? Thereupon the skilful Yaugandharayana made
her assume the appearance of a Brahman woman, having given her a charm,
which enabled her to change her shape. And he made Vasantaka one-eyed
and like a Brahman boy, and as for himself, he in the same way assumed
the appearance of an old Brahman. Then that mighty-minded one took
the queen, after she had assumed that appearance, and accompanied by
Vasantaka, set out leisurely for the town of Magadha. And so Vasavadatta
left her house, and went in bodily presence along the road, though she
wandered in spirit to her husband. Then Human vat burnt her pavilion
with fire, and exclaimed aloud — "Alas! alas! The queen and Vasantaka
are burnt." And so in that place there rose to heaven at the same time
flames and lamentation ; the flames gradually subsided, not so the sound of
weeping. Then Yaugandharayana with Vasavadatt;i ami Vasantaka reached
the city of the king of Magadha, and seeing the princess Padmavati in the
garden, he went up to her with those two, though the guards tried to prevent
110
him. And Padmavati, when she saw the queen Vasavadatta in the dress
of a Brahman woman, fell in love with her at first sight. The princess
ordered the guards to desist from their opposition, and had Yaugandhara-
yana, who was disguised as a Brahman, conducted into her presence. And
she addressed to him this question, " Great Brahman, who is this girl you have
with you, and why are you come ?" And he answered her, " Princess, this
is my daughter A'vantika by name, and her husband, being addicted to
vice,* has deserted her and fled somewhere or other. So I will leave her
in your care, illustrious lady, while I go and find her husband, and brin°-
him back, which will be in a short time. And let this one-eyed boy, her
brother, remain here near her, in order that she may not be grieved at
having to remain alone." He said this to the princess, and she granted
his request, and, taking leave of the queen, the good minister quickly return-
ed to Lavanaka. Then Padmavati took with her Vasavadatta, who was
passing under the name of A'vantika, and Vasantaka who accompanied her
in the form of a one-eyed boy ; and shewing her excellent disposition by
her kind reception and affectionate treatment of them, entered her '
splendidly- adorned palace ; and there Vasavadatta, seeing Sita in the history
of Kama represented upon the painted walls, was enabled to bear her own
sorrow. And Padmavati perceived that Vasavadatta was a person of very
high rank, by her shape, her delicate softness, the graceful manner in which
she sat down, and ate, and also by the smell of her body, which was fra-
grant as the blue lotus, and so she entertained her with luxurious comfort
to her heart's content, even such as she enjoyed herself. And she thought
to herself, " Surely she is some distinguished person remaining here in con-
cealment ; did not Draupadi remain concealed in the palace of the king of
Virata ?" Then Vasavadatta, out of regard for the princess made for her
unfading garlands and forehead- streaks, as the king of Vatsa had previous-
ly taught her ; and Padmavati's mother, seeing her adorned with them,
asked her privately who had made those garlands and streaks. Then
Padmavati said to her, " There is dwelling here in my house a certain lady of
the name of A'vantika, she made all these for me." When her mother heard
that, she said to her, then, my daughter, she is not a woman, she is some
goddess, since she possesses such knowledge ; gods and also hermits remain
in the houses of good people for the sake of deluding them, and in proof of
this listen to the following anecdote.
Story of Kunti. TherG WaS °nC° a khlS lia™d
Kuntibhoga ; and a hermit of the
name of Durvasas, who was exceedingly fond of deluding people, came and
stayed in his palace. Ho commissioned his own daughter Kunti to attend
* This is literally true. The king was addicted to the vyasana or vice of hunt-
ing.
Ill
upon the hermit, and she diligently waited upon him. And one day he,
wishing to prove her, said to her, " Cook boiled rice with milk and sugar
quickly, while I bathe, and then I will come and eat it." The sage said this,
and bathed quickly, and then he came to eat it, and Kunti brought him
the vessel full of that food ; and then the hermit, knowing that it was al-
most red-hot with the heated rice, and seeing that she could not hold it in her
hands,* cast a look at the back of Kunti and she perceiving what was pass-
ing in the hermit's mind, placed the vessel on her back ; then he ate to
his heart's content while Kunti's back was being burnt, and because,
•though she was terribly burnt, she stood without being at all discomposed,
the hermit was much pleased with her conduct, and after he had eaten
granted her a boon.
" So the hermit remained there, and in the same way this A'vantika, who
is now staying in your palace, is some distinguished person, therefore endea-
vour to conciliate her." When she heard this from the mouth of her mother,
Padmavati showed the utmost consideration for Vasavadatta, who was living
disguised in her palace. And Vasavadatta for her part, being separated
from her lord, remained there pale with bereavement, like a lotus in the
night. f But the various boyish grimaces, which Vasantaka exhibited,!
again and again called a smile into her face.
In the meanwhile the king of Vatsa, who had wandered away into
very distant hunting-grounds, returned late in the evening to Lavanaka.
And there he saw the women's apartments reduced to ashes by fire, and
heard from his ministers that the queen was burnt with Vasantaka. And
when he heard it, he fell on the ground, and he was robbed of his senses by
unconsciousness, that seemed to desire to remove the painful sense of grief.
But in a moment he came to himself and was burnt with sorrow in his
heart, as if penetrated with the fire that strove to consume § the image of
the queen imprinted there. Then overpowered with sorrow he lamented, and
thought of nothing but suicide ; but a moment after he began to reflect,
calling to mind the following prediction — " From this queen shall be born
a son who shall reign over all the Vidyadharas. This is what the hermit
Narada told me, and it cannot be false. Moreover that same hermit
warned me that I should have sorrow for some time. And the affliction of
Gopalaka seems to be but slight. Besides I cannot detect any excessive
grief in Yaugandharayana and the other ministers, therefore I suspect the
queen may possibly be alive. But the ministers may in this matter have
* I read Jiastagraltdyogydm for the dhastagraliayoyyam of Dr. Brockhaus.
t The flower closes when the sun *>
J To keep up his character us a Brahman boy.
§ I read ddhaishind.
112
employed a certain amount of politic artifice, therefore I may some day be
re-united with the queen. So I see an end to this affliction." Thus reflect-
ing and being exhorted by his ministers, the king established in his heart
self-control. And Gopalaka sent off a private messenger immediately,
without any one's knowing of it, to his sister, to comfort her, with an exact
report of the state of affairs. Such being the situation in Lavanaka, the
spies of the king of Magadha who were there, went off to him and told him
all. The king who was ever ready to seize the opportune moment, when
he heard this, was once more anxious to give to the king of Vatsa his
daughter Padmavati, who had before been asked in marriage by his minis-
ters. Then he communicated his wishes with respect to this matter to the
king of Vatsa, and also to Yaugandharayana. And by the advice of Yau-
gandharayana, the king of Vatsa .accepted that proposal, thinking to him-
self that perhaps this was the very reason why the queen had been concealed.
Then Yaugandharayana quickly ascertained an auspicious moment, and sent
to the sovereign of Magadha an ambassador with an answer to his proposal
which ran as follows : " Thy desire is approved by us, so on the seventh day
from this, the king of Vatsa will arrive at thy court to marry Padmavati,
in order that he may quickly forget Vasavadatta." This was the message
which the great minister sent to that king. And that ambassador conveyed
it to the king of Magadha, who received him joyfully. Then the lord of
Magadha made such preparations for the joyful occasion of the marriage,
as were in accordance with his love for his daughter, his own desire, and
his wealth ; and Padmavati was delighted at hearing that she had obtained
the bridegroom she desired, but, when Vasavadatta heard that news, she
was depressed in spirit. That intelligence, when it reached her ear, changed
the colour of her face, and assisted the transformation effected by her dis-
guise. But Vasantaka said, " In this way an enemy will be turned into a
friend, and your husband will not be alienated from you." This speech of
Vasantaka's consoled her like a confidante, and enabled her to bear up. Then
the discreet lady again prepared for Padmavati unfading garlands and
forehead-streaks, both of heavenly beauty, as her marriage was now nigh,
at hand ; and when the seventh day from that arrived, the monarch of
Vatsa actually came there with his troops, accompanied by his ministers,
to marry her. How could he in his state of bereavement have ever thought
of undertaking such a thing, if he had not hoped in that way to recover
the queen ? And the king of Magadha immediately came with great de-
lio-ht to meet him, (who was a feast to the eyes of the king's subjects,) as
the sea advances to meet the rising moon. Then the monarch of Vatsa
entered the city of the king of Magadha, and at the same time great joy
entered the minds of the citizens on every side. There the women beheld
him fascinating* the mind, though his frame was attenuated from be-
* This applies also to the god of love who bewilders the mind.
113
reavement, looking like the god of love, deprived of his wife Eati.
Then the king of Vatsa entered the palace of the lord of Magadha,
and proceeded to the chamber prepared for the marriage ceremony,
which was full of women whose hushands were still alive. In that
chamber he beheld Padmavati adorned for the wedding, surpassing
with the full moon of her face the circle of the full moon. And seeing
that she had garlands and forehead-streaks such as he himself only could
make, the king could not help wondering where she got them. Then he
ascended the raised -platform of the altar, and his taking her hand there
was a commencement of his taking the tribute* of the whole earth. The
smoke of the altar dimmed his eyes with tears, as supposing that he could
not bear to witness the ceremony, since he loved Vasavadatta so much.
Then the face of Padmavati, reddened with circumambulating the fire,
appeared as if full of anger on account of her perceiving what was passing
in her husband's mind. When the ceremony of marriage was completed,
the king of Vatsa let the hand of Padmavati quit his, but he never even
for a moment allowed the image of Vasavadatta to be absent from his
heart. Then the king of Magadha gave him jewels in such abundance,
that the earth seemed to be deprived of her gems, they all having been
extracted. And Yaugandharayana, calling the fire to witness on that
occasion, made the king of Magadtia undertake never to injure his master.
So that festive scene proceeded, with the distribution of garments and
ornaments, with the songs of excellent minstrels, and the dancing of danc-
ing-girls. In the meanwhile Vasavadatta remained unobserved, hoping for
the glory of her husband, appearingf to be asleep, like the beauty of the
moon in the day. Then the king of Vatsa went to the women's apart-
ments, and the skilful Yaugandharayana, being afraid that he would see
the queen, and that so the whole secret would be divulged, said to the
sovereign of Magadha, " Prince, this ve/y day the king of Vatsa will set
forth from thy house." The king of Magadha consented to it, and then the
minister made the very same announcement to the king of Vatsa, and he
also approved of it.
Then the king of Vatsa set out from that place, after his attendants
had eaten and drunk, together with his ministers, escorting his bride Pad-
mavati. And Vasavadatta, ascending a comfortable carriage sent by Pad-
mavati, with its great horses also put at her disposal by her, went secretly
in the rear of the army, making the transformed Vasantaka precede her.
At last the king of Vatsa reached Lavanaka, and entered his own house,
together with his bride, but thought all the time only of the queen Vasava-
datta. The queen also arrived and entered the house of Gopalaka at night,
* Kara moans hand, and alao tribute. f I read ii\i i'or eva,
15
114
making the chamberlains wait round it. There she saw her brother Gopa-
laka, who shewed her great attention, and she embraced his neck weeping,
while his eyes filled with tears ; and at that moment arrived Yaugandhara-
yana, true to his previous agreement, together with Rumanvat, and the
queen shewed him all due courtesy. And while he was engaged in dispell-
ing the queen's grief caused by the great effort she had made, and her
separation from her husband, those chamberlains repaired to Padmavati,
and said, " Queen, A'vantika has arrived, but she has in a strange way dis-
missed us, and gone to the house of prince Gopalaka." When Padmavati
heard that representation from her chamberlains, she was alarmed and in
the presence of the king of Vatsa answered them, " G-o and say to A'vantika,
' The queen says — You are a deposit in my hands, so what business have
you where you are ? Come where I am.' " When they heard that, they de-
parted and the king asked Padmavati in private who made for her the
unfading garlands and forehead-streaks. Then she said, " It is all the
product of the great artistic skill of the lady named A'vantika who was
deposited in my house by a certain Brahman." No sooner did the king hear
that, then he went off to the house of Gopalaka, thinking that surely
Yusavadatta would be there. And he entered the house, at the door of
which eunuchs were standing,* and within which were the queen, Gopalaka,
the two ministers, and Vasantaka. There he saw Vasavadatta returned
from banishment, like the orb of the moon freed from its eclipse. Then
he fell on the earth delirious with the poison of grief, and trembling was
produced in the heart of Vasavadatta. Then she too fell on the earth with
limbs pale from separation, and lamented aloud, blaming her own conduct.
And that couple, afflicted with grief, lamented so that even the face of
Yaugandharayana was washed with tears. And then Padmavati too heard
that wailing, which seemed so little suited to the occasion, and came in a
state of bewilderment to the place whence it proceeded. And gradually
finding out the truth with respect to the king and Vasavadatta, she was
reduced to the same state, for good women are affectionate and tender-heart-
ed. And Vasavadatta frequently exclaimed with tears, " What profit is
there in my life that causes only sorrow to my husband ?" Then the calm
Yaugandharayana said to the king of Vatsa : " King, I have done all this in
order to make you universal emperor, by marrying you to the daughter of
the sovereign of Magadha. and the queen is not in the slightest degree to
blame ; moreover this, her rival wife, is witness to her good behaviour during
her'absence from you." Thereupon Padmavati, whose mind was free from
jealousy, said, " I am ready to enter the fire on the spot to prove her inno-
cence." And the king said, " 1 am in fault, as it was for my sake that the
queen endured this great afllu-tion." And Vasuvadalta having firmly resolv-
* Re&dingtaddvd>-aiit/nttimu/i<UttiniHt as one word.
115
ed, said, " I must enter the fire to clear from suspicion the mind of the
king." Then the wise Yaugandharayana, best of right-acting men, rinsed
his mouth, with his face towards the east, and spoke a blameless speech ;
" If I have been a benefactor to this king, and if the queen is free from stain,
speak, ye guardians of the world; if it is not so, I will part from my body."
Thus he spoke and ceased, and this heavenly utterance was heard : " Happy
art thou, 0 king, that hast for minister Yaugandharayana, and for wife
Vasavadatta, who in a former birth was a goddess; not the slightest blame
attaches to her." Having uttered this, the Voice ceased. All who were
present, when they heard that sound, which resounded though all the
regions, delightful as the deep thunder-roar at the first coming of the rain-
clouds, having endured affliction for a long time, lifted up their hands
and plainly imitated peafowl in their joy. Moreover the king of Vatsa
and Gopalaka praised that proceeding of Yaugandharayana's, and the for-
mer already considered that the whole earth was subject to him. Then
that king possessing those two wives, whose affection was every day
increased by living with him, like joy and tranquillity come to visit him in
bodily form, was in a state of supreme felicity.
CHAPTER XVII.
The next day, the king of Vatsa, sitting in private with Vasavadatta
and Padmavati, engaged in a festive banquet, sent for Yaugandharayana,
Gopalaka, Rumanvat and Vasantaka, and had much confidential conversa-
tion with them. Then the king, in the hearing of them all, told the
following tale with reference to the subject of his separation from his
beloved.
Once on a time there was a king
Story of Urrau. ,
of the name or rururavas, who was
a devoted worshipper of Vishnu ; he traversed heaven as well as earth with-
out opposition, and one day, as he was sauntering in Nandana, the garden
of the gods, a certain Apsaras of the name of Urvasi, who was a second
stupifying weapon* in the hands of Love, cast an eye upon him. The
moment she beheld him, the sight so completely robbed her of her senses,
that she alarmed the timid minds of Rumblui and her other friends. The
king too, when he saw that torrent of the nectar of beauty, was quite
faint with thirst, because he could not obtain possession of her. Theu
* This, with the water weapon, and that of whirlwind, is mentioned iu the Kainu-
yaiia and tno Uttara llama (Jliaritu.
116
Vishnu, who knoweth all, dwelling in the sea of milk, gave the following
command to Narada, an excellent hermit, who came to visit him — "0 Divine
sage,* the king Pururavas, at present abiding in the garden of Nandana,
having had his mind captivated by Urvasi, remains incapable of bearing
the pain of separation from his love. Therefore go, O hermit, and inform-
ing Indra as from me, cause that Urvasi to be quickly given to the king."
Having received this order from Vishnu, Narada undertook to execute it,
and going to Pururavas who was in the state described, roused him from
his lethargy and said to him ; — " Rise up, O king, for thy sake I am sent
here by Vishnu, for that god does not neglect the sufferings of those who
are uufeignedly devoted to him." With these words, the hermit Narada
cheered up Pururavas, and then went with him into the presence of the king
of the gods.
Then he communicated the order of Vishnu to Indra, who received it
with reverent mind, and so the hermit caused Urvasi to be given to Puru-
ravas. That gift of Urvasi deprived the inhabitants of heaven of life, but
it was to Urvasi herself an elixir to restore her to life. Then Puniravas
returned with her to the earth, exhibiting to the eyes of mortals the
wonderful spectacle of a heavenly bride. Thenceforth those two, Urvasi
and that king, remained, so to speak, fastened together by the leash of gaz-
ing on one another, so that they were unable to separate. One day Puru-
ravas went to heaven, invited by Indra to assist him, as a war had arisen
between him and the Danavas. In that war the king of the Asuras, named
May.idhara, was slain, and accordingly Indra held a great feast, at which
all the nymphs of heaven displayed their skill. And on that occasion Pu-
ruravas, when he saw the nymph Rambha performing a dramatic dance
called cliftlita,^ with the teacher Tumburu standing by her, laughed. Then
Jlambhsi said to him sarcastically — " I suppose, mortal, you know this
heavenly dance, do you not ?" Pururavas answered, " From associating with
Urvasi, I knew dances which even your teacher Tumburu does not know."
"When Tumburu heard that, he laid this curse on him in his wrath, "Ma vest
thou be separated from Urvasi until thou propitiate Krishna." When he
heard that curse, Pururavas went and told Urvasi what had happened to
him, which was terrible as "a thunderbolt from the blue." Immediately
some Gandharvas swooped down, without the king's seeing them, and carried
off Urvasi, whither he knew not. Then Pururavas, knowing that the cala-
mity was due to that curse, went and performed penance to appease Yislnm
in the hermitage of LJadarika.
But I'rvasi, ivniaining in the country of the Gandharvas, afllicted at
her separation, was as void of sense as if she had been dead, asleep, or a
* Or Devarshi, belonging to the hi^hi-st cl.-iss of Hishis or patriarchal saints,
f This dance is mentioned in li •>( the
117
mere picture. She kept herself alive with hoping for the end of the curse,
but it is wonderful that she did not lose her hold on life, while she remain-
ed like the female ohdkravdka during the night, the appointed time of her
separation from the male bird. And Pururavas propitiated Vishnu by
that penance, and, owing to Vishnu's having been gratified, the Gandharvas
surrendered Urvasi to him. So that king, re-united to the nymph whom
he had recovered at the termination of the curse, enjoyed heavenly plea-
sures, though living upon earth.
The king stopped speaking, and Vasavadatta felt an emotion of shame
at having endured separation, when she heard of the attachment of Urvasi
to her husband.
Then Yaugandharayana, seeing that the queen was abashed at having
been indirectly reproved by her husband, said, in order to make him feel in
his turn, — " King, listen to this tale, if you have not already heard it.
There is on this earth a city of
Story of Vihitasena. . ,
the name or limira, the dwelling ot
the goddess of Prosperity ; in it there was a famous king named Vihitasena;
he had a wife named Tejovati, a very goddess upon earth. That king was
ever hanging on her neck, devoted to her embraces, and could not even,
bear that his body should be for a short time scratched with the coat of
mail. And once there came upon the king a lingering fever with diminish-
ing intensity ; and the physicians forbad him to continue in the queen's
society. But when he was excluded from the society of the queen, there
was engendered in his heart a disease not to be reached by medicine or treat-
ment. The physicians told the ministers in private that the disease might
relieve itself by fear or the stroke of some affliction. The ministers reflect-
ed— " How can we produce fear in that brave king, who did not tremble
when an enormous snake once fell on his back, who was not confused when
a hostile army penetrated into his harem ? It is useless thinking of devices
to produce fear ; what are we ministers, to do with the king ?" Thus the
ministers reflected, and after deliberating with the queen, concealed her, and
said to the king, " The queen is dead." While the king was tortured with
that exceeding grief, in his agitation that disease in his heart relieved it-
self.* When the king had got over the pain of the illness, the ministers
restored to him that great queen, who seemed like a second gift of ease,
and the king valued her highly as the saviour of his life, and was too wise
to bear anger against her afterwards for concealing herself.
For it is care for a husband's interests that entitles a king's wife to
the name of queen; by mere compliance with a husband's whims the name
* Literally broke. The vyddhi or disease must have been of the nature of an
abscess.
118
of queen is not obtained. And discharging the duty of minister means un-
divided attention to the burden of the king's affairs, but the compliance
with a king's passing fancies is the characteristic of a mere courtier. Ac-
cordingly we made this effort in order to come to terms with your enemy,
the king of Magadha, and with a view to your conquering the whole earth.
So it is not the case that the queen, who, through love for you, endured
intolerable separation, has done you a wrong ; on the contrary she has con-
ferred on you a great benefit." When the king of Vatsa heard this true
speech of his prime-minister's, he thought that he himself was in the wrong,
and was quite satisfied.
And he said ; "I know this well enough, that the queen, like Policy in-
carnate in bodily form, acting under your inspiration, has bestowed upon
me the dominion of the earth. But that unbecoming speech, which I utter-
ed, was due to excessive affection ; how can people whose minds are blinded
with love bring themselves to deliberate calmly ?*" With such conversation
that king of Vatsa brought the day and the queen's eclipse of shame to an
end. On the next day a messenger sent by the king of Magadha, who had
discovered the real state of the case, came to the sovereign of Vatsa, and said
to him as from his master ; " We have been deceived by thy ministers,
therefore take such steps as that the world may not henceforth be to us a
place of misery." When he heard that, the king shewed all honour to the
messenger, and sent him to Padmavati to take his answer from her. She,
for her part, being altogether devoted to Vasavadatta. had an interview with
the ambassador in her presence. For humility is an unfailing character-
istic of good women. The ambassador delivered her father's message —
'• 31 v daughter, you have been married by an artifice, and your husband is
attached to another, thus it has come to pass that I reap in misery the fruit
of being the father of a daughter." But Padmavati thus answered him,
Say to my father from me here — " What need of grief ? For my husband
is very indulgent to me, and the queen Vasavadatta is my affectionate sis-
ter, so my father must not be angry with my husband, unless he wishes to
break his own plighted faith and my heart at the same time." When this
becoming answer had been given by Padmavati, the queen Vasavadatta
hospitably entertained the ambassador and then sent him away. When
the ambassador had departed, Padmavati remained somewhat depr<
with regret, calling to mind her father's house. Then Vasavadatta onl
Vasantaka to amuse her, and he came near, and with that object proceeded
to tell the following tale :
There is a city, the ornament of
the earth, called IVitaliputra. and in it
there was a great merchant named Dharmagupta. He had a wife named
• Amarc ct sjt) > concolitur. (Publius Syrus.)
119
Chandraprabha, and she once on a time became pregnant, and brought forth
a daughter beautiful in all her limbs. That girl, the moment she was born,
illuminated the chamber with her beauty, spoke distinctly,* and got up
and sat down. Then Dharmagupta, seeing that the women in the lying-in-
chamber were astonished and terrified, went there himself in a state of
alarm. And immediately he asked that girl in secret, bowing before her
humbly, — " Adorable one, who art thou, that art thus become incarnate in my
family ?" She answered him, " Thou must not give me in marriage to any
one ; as long as I remain in thy house, father, I am a blessing to thee ;
what profit is there in enquiring further ?" When she said this to him,
Dharmagupta was frightened, and he concealed her in his house giving out
abroad that she was dead. Then that girl, whose name was Somaprabha
gradually grew up with human body, but celestial splendour of beauty.
And one day a young merchant, of the name of Guhachandra, beheld her, as
she was standing upon the top of her palace, looking on with delight at the
celebration of the spring-festival ; she clung like a creeper of love round
his heart, so that he was, as it were, faint, and witb difficulty got home to
his house. There he was tortured with the pain of love, and when his pa-
rents persistently importuned him to tell them the cause of his distress, he
informed them by the mouth of a friend. Then his father, whose name was
Guhasena, out of love for his son, went to the house of Dharmagupta, to
ask him to give his daughter in marriage to Guhachandra. Then Dharma-
gupta put off Guhasena when he made the request, desiring to obtain a
daughter-in-law, and said to him, " The fact is, my daughter is out of her
mind." Considering that he meant by that to refuse to give his daughter,
Guhasena returned home, and there he beheld his son prostrated by the
fever of love, and thus reflected, " I will persuade the king to move in this
matter, for I have before this conferred an obligation on him, and he will
cause that maiden to be given to my son, who is at the point of death."
Having thus determined, the merchant went and presented to the king a
splendid jewel, and made known to him his desire. The king, for his part,
being well-disposed towards him, commissioned the head of the police to
assist him, with whom he went to the house of Dharmagupta ; and sur-
rounded it on all sides with policemen, f so that Dharmagupta's throat
was choked with tears, as he expected utter ruin. Then Somaprabha said to
Dharmagupta — " Give me in marriage, my father, let not calamity befall
you on my account, but I must never be treated as a wife by my husband,
* Licbrecht in an essay on some modern Greek songs (Zur Volkskundo, p. 211)
gives numerous stories of children who spoke shortly after birth. It appears to have
been generally considered an evil omen. Cp. the Romance of Merlin. (Dunlop's His-
tory of Fiction, p. 146.)
f More literally ; blockaded his house with policemen, and his throat with tears.
120
and this agreement you must make in express terms with my future father-
in-law." When his daughter had said this to him. Dharmagupta agreed to
give her in marriage, after stipulating that she should not be treated as a
wife ; and Guhasena with inward laughter agreed to the condition, thinking
to himself, " Only let my son be once married." Then Guhachandra, the
son of Guhasena, went to his own house, taking with him his bride
Somaprabha. And in the evening his father said to him, " My son,
treat her as a wife, for who abstains from the society of his own
wife ?" When she heard that, the bride Somaprabha looked angrily at her
father-in-law, and whirled round her threatening fore-finger, as it were the
decree of death. When he saw that finger of his daughter-in-law, the
breath of that merchant immediately left him, and fear came upon all
besides. But Guhachandra, when his father was dead, thought to himself,
" The goddess of death has entered into my house as a wife." And thenceforth
he avoided the society of that wife, though she remained in his house, and
so observed a vow difficult as that of standing on the edge of a sword.
And being inly consumed by that grief, losing his taste for all enjoyment,
he made a vow and feasted Brahmans every day. And that wife of his, of
heavenly beauty, observing strict silence, used always to give a fee to those
Brahmans after they had eaten. One day an aged Brahman, who had come
to be fed, beheld her exciting the wonder of the world by her dower of beau-
ty ; then the Brahman full of curiosity secretly asked Guhachandra ; " Tell
me who this young wife of yours is." Then Guhachandra, being importuned
by that Brahman, told him with afflicted mind her whole story. When he
heard it, the excellent Brahman, full of compassion, gave him a charm for
appeasing the fire, in order that he might obtain his desire. Accordingly,
while Guhachandra was in secret muttering that charm, there appeared to
him a Brahman from the midst of the fire. And that god of fire in the
shape of a Brahman, said to him, as he lay prostrate at his feet, " To-day I
will eat in thy house, and I will remain there during the night. And after
I have shewn thee the truth with respect to thy wife, I will accomplish
thy desire." When he had said this to Guhachandra, the Brahman entered
his house. There he ate like the other Brahmans, and lay down at night
near Guhachandra for one watch of the night only, such was his unweary-
ing zeal. And at this period of the night, Somaprabha, the wife of Guha-
chandra, went out from the house of her husband, all the inmates of which
were asleep. At that moment that Brahman woke up Guhachandra, and
said to him, " Come, see what thy wife is doing."
And by magic power lu> gave Guhachandra and himself the shape of
bees,* and going out he sncwed him that wife of his, who had issued from
* So in the XXIst of Miss Stokes's Indian Fairy Talcs tho/«£/r changes the king's
sou into a fly. (']). ;ilso Veckenatedt's Wend a, p. 127.
121
the house. And that fair one went a long distance outside the city, and
the Brahman with Guhachandra followed her. Thereupon Guhachandra
saw before him a Nyagrodha* tree of wide extent, beautiful with its shady
stem, and under it he heard a heavenly sound of singing, sweet with strains
floating on tlie air, accompanied with the music of the lyre and the flute.
And on the trunk of the tree he saw a heavenly maiden, like his wife in
appearance, seated on a splendid throne, eclipsing by her beauty the moon-
beam, fanned with white chowries, like the goddess presiding over the
treasure of all the moon's beauty. And then Guhachandra saw his wife
ascend that very tree and sit down beside that lady, occupying half of her
throne. While he was contemplating those two heavenly maidens of equal
beauty sitting together, it seemed to him as if that night were lighted by
three moons. f
Then he, full of curiosity thought, for a moment, " Can this be sleep or
delusion ? But away with both these suppositions ! This is the expanding
of the blossom from the bud of association with the wise, which springs
on the tree of right conduct, and this blossom gives promise of the appropri-
ate fruit." While he was thus reflecting at his leisure, those two celestial
maidens, after eating food suited for such as they were, drank heavenly wine.
Then the wife of Guhachandra said to the second heavenly maiden, " To-
day some glorious Brahman has arrived in our house, for which reason, my
sister, my heart is alarmed and I must go." In these words she took leaVe
of that other heavenly maiden and descended from the tree. When Guha-
chandra and the Brahman saw that, they returned in front of her, still pre-
serving the form of bees, and arrived in the house by night before she did,
and afterwards arrived that heavenly maiden, the wife of Guhachandra, and
she entered the house without being observed. Then that Brahman of his
own accord said to Guhachandra ; " You have had ocular proof that your wife
is divine and not human, and you have to-day seen her sister who is also
divine ; and how do you suppose that a heavenly nymph can desire the
society of a man ? So I will give you a charm to be written up over her
door, and I will also teach you an artifice to be employed outside the house,
which must increase the force of the charm. A fire burns even without
being fanned, but much more when a strong current of air is brought to
bear on it ; in the same way a charm will produce the desired effect unaided,
but much more readily when assisted by an artifice." When he had said this,
* Ficus Indica. Such a tree is said to have sheltered an army. Its branches take
root and form a natural cloister. Cp. Milton's Paradise Lost, Book IX, line.
andff.
t For tfee illuminating power of female beauty, see Note 3 to the 1st Tale in
Stokes's Collection, where parallels are cited from tho folk-lore of Jim-ope atid Asia.
1G
the excellent Brahman gave a charm to Guhachanclra, and instructed him
in the artifice, and then vanished in the dawn. Guhachandra for his part
wrote it up over the door of his wife's apartment, and in the evening had
recourse to the following stratagem calculated to excite her affection. He
dressed himself splendidly and went and conversed with a certain lietoEra
before her eyes. When she saw this, the heavenly maiden being jealous,
called to him with voice set free by the charm, and asked him who that
woman was ? He answered her falsely ; " She is a hetasra who has taken a
fancy to me, and I shall go and pay her a visit to-day." Then she looked at
him askance with wrinkled brows, and lifting up her veil with her left hand,
said to him, "Ah ! I see : this is why you are dressed so grandly, do not
go to her, what have you to do with her ? Visit me, for I am your wife."
"When he had been thus implored by her, agitated with excitement, as if she
were possessed, though that evil demon which held her had been expelled
by the charm, he was in a state of ecstatic joy, and he immediately entered
into her chamber with her, and enjoyed, though a mortal, celestial happiness
not conceived of in imagination. Having thus obtained her as a loving
wife, conciliated by the magic power of the charm, who abandoned for him
her celestial rank, Guhachandra lived happily ever after.
" Thus heavenly nymphs, who have been cast down by some curse, live
as wives in the houses of righteous men, as a reward for their good deeds,
such as acts of devotion and charity. For the honouring of gods and
Brahmans is considered the wishing-cow* of the good. For what is not
obtained by that ? All the other politic expedients, known as conciliation
and so on, are mere adjuncts. f But evil actions are the chief cause of even
heavenly beings, born in a very lofty station, falling from their high estate ;
as a hurricane is the cause of the falling of blossoms." When he had said this
to the princess, Vasantaka continued ; " Hear moreover what happened to
Ahalya."
Once upon a time there was a
Story of Ahalya.
great hermit named Gautama, who
knew the past, the present, and the future. And he had a wife named
Ahalya, who in beauty surpassed the nymphs of heaven. One day Indra, in
love with her beauty, tempted her in secret, for the mind of rulers, blinded
with power, runs towards unlawful objects.
And she in her folly encouraged that husband of S'achi, being the .-lave
of her passions ; but the hermit Gautama found out the intrigue by his
superhuman power, and arrived upon the scene. And Indra immediately
* Kdmadhenu means a cow granting all il h a cow is said to have bo-
:-hta.
f Conciliation, l>ril»-n. sowing disfl nsion, and \v;u.
L23
assumed, out of fear, the form of a cat. Then Gautama said to Ahalya ;
" Who is here ?" She answered her husband ambiguously in the Prakrit
dialect, — "Here forsooth is a cat," so managing to preserve verbal truth.*
Thou Gautama said, laughing, " It is quite true that your lover is here, — and
he inflicted on her a curse, but ordained that it should terminate because
she had shewed some regard for truth." The curge ran as follows ; " Woman
of bad character, take for a long time the nature of a stone, until thou be-
hold Kama wandering in the forest." And Gautama at the same time
inflicted on the god Indra the following curse; "A thousand pictures of
that which thou hast desired shall be upon thy body, but when thou shalt
behold Tilottama, a heavenly nymph, whom Visvakarman shall make, they
shall turn into a thousand eyes." When he had pronounced this curse, the
hermit returned to his austerities according to his desire, but Ahalya for
her part assumed the awful condition of a stone. And Indra immediately
had his body covered with repulsive marks ; for to whom, is not immorality
a cause of humiliation ?
" So true is it that every man's evil actions always bear fruit in himself,
for whatever seed a man sows, of that he reaps the fruit. Therefore per-
sons of noble character never desire that, which is disagreeable to their
neighbours, for this is the invariable observance of the good, prescribed by
divine law. And you two were sister goddesses in a former birth, but you
have been degraded in consequence of a curse, and accordingly your hearts
are free from strife and bent on doing one another good turns." When
they heard this from Vasantaka, Vasavadatta and Padmavati dismissed from
their hearts even the smallest remnants of mutual jealousy. But the queen
Yfisavadatta made her husband equally the property of both, and acted as
kindly to Padmavati as if she were herself, desiring her welfare.
When the king of Magadha heard of that so great generosity of hers
from the messengers sent by Padmavati, he was much pleased. So on the
next day the minister Yaugandharayana came up to the king of Vatsa
in the presence of the queen, the others also standing by, and said, " Why
do we not go now to Kausambf, my prince, in order to begin our enter-
prise, for we know that there is nothing to be feared from the king of
Magadha, even though he has been deceived ? For he has been completely
gained over by means of the negotiation termed ' Giving of a daughter' : and
how could he make war and so abandon his daughter whom he loves more
than life? He must keep his word; moreover he has not been deceived by
you ; I did it all myself ; and it does not displease him ; indeed I have
learned from my spies that he will not act in a hostile way, and it was tVr
this very purpose that we remained here for these days." While \augan-
dharayana, who had accomplished the task he had in hand, was speaking
* Tho Prakrit word majjao means "a '.if ni.l .i!.-> •• my lover."
124
thus, a messenger belonging to the king of Magadha arrived there, and en-
tered into the palace immediately, being announced by the warder, and after
he had done obeisance, he sat down and said to the king of Yatsa ; " The
king of Magadha is delighted with the intelligence sent by the queen Pad-
mavati, and he now sends this message to your Highness — ' What need is
there of many words ? \ have heard all, and I am pleased with thee.
Therefore do the thing for the sake of which this beginning has been made ;
we submit ourselv,-*.' ' The king of Vatsa joyfully received this clear speech
of the messenger's, resembling the blossom of the tree of policy planted by
Yaugandharayana. Then he brought Padmavati with the queen, and, after
he had bestowed a present upon the messenger, he dismissed him with
honour. Then a messenger from Chandamahasena also arrived, and, after
entering, he bowed before the king, according to custom, and said to him,
" 0 king, his majesty Chandamahasena, who understands the secrets of policy,
has learnt the state of thy affairs and delighted sends this message — ' Your
majesty's excellence is plainly declared by this one fact, that you have
Yaugandharayana for your minister, what need of further speeches ? Blessed
too is Yasavadatta, wrho, through devotion to you, has done a deed which
makes us exalt our head for ever among the good, moreover Padmavati is
not separated from Vasavadatta in my regard, for they two have one heart ;
therefore quickly exert yourself.' "
When the king of Vatsa heard this speech of his father-in-law's mes-
senger, joy suddenly arose in his heart, and his exceeding warmth of affec-
tion for the queen was increased, and also the great respect which he felt
for his excellent minister. Then the king, together with the queens, enter-
tained the messenger according to the laws of due hospitality, in joyful
excitement of mind, and sent him away pleased ; and as he was bent on
commencing his enterprise, he determined, after deliberating with his
ministers, on returning to Kausambi.
CHAFTEI! XVIII.
So on the next day the king of Vatsa set out from Lavanaka for Kau-
£amhi, accompanied by his wives and his ministers, and as he advanced, shouts
broke forth from his forces, that tilled the plains like the waters of the
ocean overflowing out of due time. An image would be furnished of that
king advancing on his mighty elephant, if the sun were to journey in the
heaven accompanied bv ru mountain. That king, shaded with his
white umbrella, shewed as if waited upon by the moon, delighted at having
]25
outdone the splendour of the sun. While he towered resplendent above
them all, the chiefs circled around him, like the planets* in their orbits
around the polar star. And those queens, mounted on a female elephant
that followed his, shone like the earth-goddess and the goddess of Fortune
accompanying him out of affection in visible shape. The earth, that lay in
his path, dinted with the edges of the hoofs of the troops of his prancing
steeds, seemed to bear the prints of loving nails, as if it had been enjoyed
by the king. In this style progressing, the king of Vatsa, being continu-
ally praised by his minstrels, reached in a few days the city of Kausambi,
in which the people kept holiday. The city was resplendent on that occa-
sion, her lordf having returned from sojourning abroad. She was clothed
in the red silk of banners, round windows were her expanded eyes, the full
pitchers in the space in front of the gates were her two swelling breasts, the
joyous shouts of the crowd were her cheerful conversation, and white
palaces her smile. J So, accompanied by his two wives, the king entered
the city, and the ladies of the town were much delighted at beholding him.
The heaven was filled with hundreds of faces of fair ones standing on char-
ming palaces, as if with the soldiers of the moon§ that was surpassed in
beauty by the faces of the queens, having come to pay their respects. And
other women established at the windows, looking with unwinking eyes,||
seemed like heavenly nymphs in aerial chariots, that had come there out of
curiosity. Other women, with their long-lashed eyes closely applied to the
lattice of the windows, made, so to speak, cages of arrows to confine love.
The eager eye of one woman expanded with desire to behold the king, came,
so to speak, to the side of her ear*|[, that did not perceive him, in order to in-
form it. The rapidly heaving breasts of another, who had run up hastily,
seemed to want to leap out of her bodice with ardour to behold him. The
necklace of another lady was broken with her excitement, and the pearl-beads
seemed like tear-drops of joy falling from her heart. Some women, behold-
ing Vasavadatta and remembering the former report of her having been
burned, said as if with anxiety ; " If the fire were to do her an injury at
Lavanaka, then the sun might as well diffuse over the world darkness
which is alien to his nature." Another lady beholding Padmavati said to
her companion; " i am glad to see that the queen is'not put to shame by
• Cp. Schiller's "Der Graf von Habsburg," lines 9— 12.
t The word pati here means king and husband.
J A smile is always white according to the Hindu poetic canons.
§ The countenance of the fair ones were like moons. „
|| There should be a mark of elision before mmishekahandh.
IF The eyes of Hindu ladies are said to roach to their ears. I read laddkhydtnm
for taddkhydtim with a MS. in the Sanskrit college, kindly lent me by the Librarian
•with the consent of the Principal.
126
her fellow-wife, who seems like her friend." And others beholding those
two queens, and throwing over them garlands of eyes expanded with joy so
as to resemble blue lotuses, said to one another ; " Surely S'iva and Vishnu
have not beheld the beauty of these two, otherwise how could they regard
with much respect their consorts Uma and S'rf ?" In this way feasting the
eyes of the population, the king of Vatsa with the queens entered his own
palace, after performing auspicious ceremonies. Such as is the splendour
of a lotus-pool in windy weather, or of the sea when the moon is rising,
such was at that period the wonderful splendour of the king's palace. And
in a moment it was filled with the presents, which the feudatories offered to
procure good luck, and which foreshadowed the coming in of offerings from
innumerable kings. And so the king of Vatsa, after honouring the chiefs,
entered with great festivity the inner apartments, at the same time finding
his way to the heart of every one present. And there he remained between
the two queens, like the god of Love between liati and Priti,* and spent
the rest of the day in drinking and other enjoyments.
The next day, when he was sitting in the hall of assembly accompanied
by his ministers, a certain Brahman came and cried out at the door ; " Pro-
tection for the Brahmans ! 0 king ! certain wicked herdsmen have cut off
my son's foot in the forest without any reason." When he heard that, the
king immediately had two or three herdsmen seized and brought before
him, and proceeded to question them. Then they gave the following
answer; "O king, being herdsmen we roam in the wilderness, and there we
have among us a herdsman named Devasena, and he sits in a certain place
in the forest on a stone seat, and says to us 'I am your king' and gives us
orders. And not a man among us disobeys his orders. Thus, O king, that
herdsman rules supreme in the wood. Now to-day the son of this Brahman
came that way, and did not do obeisanceto ttie herdsman king, and when we by
the order of the king said to him — 'Depart not without doing thy rever-
ence'— the young fellow pushed us aside, and went off laughing in spite of
the admonition. Then the herdsman king commanded us to punish the
contumacious boy by cutting off his foot. So we, 0 king, ran after him,
and cut off his foot ; what man of our humble degree is able
to disobey the command of a ruler r" When the herdsmen had made this
representation to the king, the wise Yaugandhar&yana, after thinking it
. said to him in private ; " Certainly that place must contain treasure,
on the strength of which a mere herdsman has such influence.f So let us
* Love ar. \.i the Hindu Cupid.
t Bo the mouse in the Panchatantara p CHi-n-
I'aiirhiit-.mtra. Vol. I. 1. II. ]>. ITS.) , - found also in tho
Gl«t I thifl work. from the Fur 1, 7 and 203.
go there." When his minister hud said this to him, the king made t!
herdsmen show him the way, and went to that place in the forest with his
soldiers and his attendants.
And while, after the ground had been examined, peasants were digging
there, a Yaksha in stature like a mountain rose up from beneath it, and
said, " O king, this treasure, which I have so long guarded, belongs to thee,
as having been buried by thy forefathers, therefore take possession of it."
After he had said this to the king and accepted his worship, the Yakslia
disappeared, and a great treasure was displayed in the excavation. And
from it was extracted a valuable throne studded with jewels,* for in the
time of prosperity a long series of happy and fortunate events takes
place. The Lord of Vatsa took away the whole treasure from the spot in
high glee, and after chastising those herdsmen returned to his own city.
There the people saw that golden throne brought by the king, which seem-
ed with the streams of rays issuing from its blood-red jewels to foretellf
the king's forceful conquest of all the regions, and which with its pearls
fixed on the end of projecting silver spikes seemed to show its teeth as if
laughing again and again when it considered the astonishing intellect of
the king's ministers ;J and they expressed their joy in a charming manner,
by striking drums of rejoicing so that they sent forth their glad sounds.
The ministers too rejoiced exceedingly, making certain of the king's
triumph ; for prosperous events happening at the very commencement of
an enterprise portend its final success. Then the sky was filled with Hags
resembling flashes of lightning, and the king like a cloud rained gold on his
dependants. And this day having been spent in feasting, on the morrow
Yaugandhaniyana, wishing to know the mind of the king of Vatsa, said to
him ; " 0 king, ascend and adorn that great throne, which thou hast obtain-
ed by inheritance from thy ancestors." But the king said, " Surely it is only
after conquering all the regions that I can gain glory by ascending that
throne, which those famous ancestors of mine mounted after conquering
the earth. Not till I have subdued this widely-gemmed earth bounded by
the main, will I ascend the great jewelled throne of my ancestors." Saying
this, the king did not mount the throne as yet. For men of high birth
possess genuine loftiness of spirit. Thereupon Yaugandharayana being de-
lighted said to him in private ; " Bravo \ my king \ So make first an attempt
to conquer the eastern region." When he heard that, the king eagerly asked
his minister ; " When there are other cardinal points, why do kings lirst
march towards the East ?" When Yaugandharayana heard this, he said to him
* Cp. Sagas from the Far East, p. 263.
f I road (lars'nyiit.
J Sati is a misprint for matt, Lohtlinijk and Kuth sv.
128
again ; " The North, 0 king, though rich, is defiled by intercourse with bar-
barians, and the West is not honoured as being the cause of the setting of
the sun and other heavenly bodies ; and the South is seen to be neighboured
by Eakshasas and inhabited by the god of death ; but in the eastern quar-
ter the sun rises, over the East presides Indra, and towards the East flows
the Ganges, therefore the East is preferred. Moreover among the coun-
tries situated between the Vindhya and Himalaya mountains, the country
laved by the waters of the Ganges is considered most excellent. Therefore
monarch s who desire success march first towards the East, and dwell more-
over in the land visited by the river of the gods.* For your ancestors al»o
conquered the regions by beginning with the East, and made their dwelling
in Hastinapura on the banks of the Ganges ; but S'atanika repaired to
Ivausambi on account of its delightful situation, seeing that empire depend-
ed upon valour, and situation had nothing to do with it." When he had
said this Yaugandharayana stopped speaking ; and the king out of his great
' regard for heroic exploits said ; " It is true that dwelling in any prescribed
country is not the cause of empire in this world, for to men of brave dis-
position their own valour is the only cause of success. For a brave man by
himself without any support obtains prosperity ; have you never heard a
propos of this the tale of the brave man ?" Having said this, the lord of
Vatsa on the entreaty of his ministers again began to speak, and related in
the presence of the queens the following wonderful story.
In the city of Ujjayini, which is
Story of VidiishaJca.
celebrated throughout the earth,
there was in former days a king named Adityasena. He was a treasure-
house of valour, and on account of his sole supremacy, his war chariot, like
that of the sun.f was not impeded anywhere. When his lofty umbrella,
gleaming white like snow, illuminated the firmament, other kings free from
heat depressed theirs. He was the receptacle of the jewels produced
over the surface of the whole earth, as the sea is the receptacle of waters.
Once on a time, he was encamped with his army on the banks of the
Ganges, where he had come for some reason or other. There a certain
rich merchant of the country, named Gunavartman, came to the king
bringing a gem of maidens as a present, and sent this message by the
mouth of the warder. This maiden, though the gem of the three worlds,
has been born in my house, and I cannot give her to any one else, only
your Highness is fit to be the husband of such a girl. Then Gunavartman
* i. e. the Ganges).
t In Sanskrit pratdpa the word translated " valour," also means heat, and chakra
may refer to the wheels of the chariot and the orb of the sun, so that there is a pun all
through.
129
entered and shewed his daughter to the king. The king, when he beheld
that maiden, Tejasvati by name, illuminating with her brightness the quar-
ters of the heavens,like the flame of the rays from, the jewels in the temple
of the god of Love, was all enveloped with the radiance of her beauty and
fell in love with her, and, as if heated with the fire of passion, began to dis-
solve in drops of sweat. So he at once accepted her, who was fit for the
rank of head queen, and being highly delighted made Gunavartman equal
to himself in honour. Then, having married his dear Tejasvati, the king
thought all his objects in life accomplished, and went with her to Ujjayini.
There the king fixed his gaze so exclusively on her face, that he could not
see the affairs of his kingdom, though they were of great importance. And
his ear being, so to speak, riveted on her musical discourse could not be
attracted by the cries of his distressed subjects. The king entered into his
harem for a long time and never left it, but the fever of fear left the hearts
of his enemies. And after some time there was born to the king, by the
queen Tejasvati, a girl welcomed by all, and there arose in his heart the
desire of conquest, which was equally welcome to his subjects. That
girl of exceeding beauty, who made the three worlds seem worthless as
stubble, excited in him joy, and desire of conquest excited his valour. Then
that king A'dityasena set out one day from Ujjayini to attack a certain
contumacious chieftain ; and he made that queen Tejasvati go with him
mounted on an elephant, as if she were the protecting goddess of the host.
And he mounted an admirable horse, that in spirit and fury resembled a
torrent,* tall like a moving mountain, with a curl on its breast, and a
girth. It seemed to imitate with its feet raised as high as its mouth, the
going of Garuda wbich it had seen in the heaven, rivalling its own swift-
ness, and it lifted up its head and seemed with fearless eye to measure the
earth, as if thinking, " what shall be the limit of my speed ?" And after
the king had gone a little way, he came to a level piece of ground, and put
his horse to its utmost speed to shew it off to Tejasvati. That horse, on
being struck with his heel, went off rapidly, like an arrow impelled from a
catapult, in some unknown direction, so that it became invisible to the eyes
of men. ' The soldiers, when they saw that take place, were bewildered, and
horsemen galloped in a thousand directions after the king, who was run
away with by his horse, but could not overtake him. Thereupon the
ministers with the soldiers, fearing some calamity, in their anxiety took
with them the weeping queen and returned to Ujjayini ; there they remain-
ed with gates closed and ramparts guarded, seeking for news of the king,
having cheered up the citizens.
In the meanwhile the king was carried by the horse in an instant to
the impassable forest of the Vindhya hills, haunted by terrible lious. Then
* More literally, a torrent of pride and kicking.
17
130
the horse happened to stand still, and the king was immediately distracted
with bewilderment, as the great forest made it impossible for him to know
whereabouts he was. Seeing no other way out of his difficulties, the king,
who knew what the horse had been in a former birth, got down from his
saddle, and prostrating himself before the excellent horse, said to him : " Thou
art a god ; a creature like thee should not commit treason against his lord ;
so I look upon thee as my protector, take me by a pleasant path." When
the horse heard that, he was full of regret, remembering his former birth,
and mentally acceded to the king's request, for excellent horses are divine
beings. Then the king mounted again, and the horse set out by a road
bordered with clear cool lakes, that took away the fatigue of the journey ;
and by evening the splendid horse had taken the king another hundred
yojanas and brought him near Ujjayini. As the sun beholding his horses,
though seven in number, excelled by this courser's speed, had sunk, as it
were through shame, into the ravines of the western mountain, and as the
darkness was diffused abroad, the wise horse seeing that the gates of Ujja-
yini were closed, and that the burning-place outside the gates was terrible
at that time, carried the king for shelter to a concealed monastery of
Brahmans, that was situated in a lonely place outside the walls. And the
king A'dityasena seeing that that monastery was a fit place to spend the
night in, as his horse was tired, attempted to enter it. But the Brahmans,
who dwelt there, opposed his entrance, saying that he must be some keeper
of a cemetery* or some thief. And out they poured in quarrelsome mood,
with savage gestures, for Brahmans who live by chanting the Sanaa Veda,
are the home of timidity, boorishness, and ill-temper. While they were
clamouring, a virtuous Bniiunan named Vidushaka, the bravest of the brave,
came out from that monastery. He was a young man distinguished for
strength of arm, who had propitiated the fire by his austerities, and obtain-
ed a splendid sword from that divinity, which he had only to think of, and
it came to him. That resolute youth Yidushaka seeing that king of dis-
tinguished bearing, who had arrived by night, thought to himself that he
was some god in disguise. And the well-disposed youth pushed away all
those other Brahmans, and bowing humbly before the king, caused him to
enter the monastery. And when he hud rested, and had the dust of the
journey washed off by female slaves, Yidushaka prepared for him suitable,
food. And he took the saddle oii' that excellent horse of his, and relieved
its fatigue by giving it grass and other fodder. And after he had made a
bed for the wearied king, lie said to him, — "My lord, 1 will guard your per-
son, so sleep in peace" — and while the king slept, that Bruhman kept watch
the whole night at the door with the sword of the Fire god in his hand, that
came to him on his thinking of it.
* Tin' k< •• i» T "l';i l'umiu;,r "i luirial-frn'uml would
131
And on the morrow early, Vidushaka, without receiving any orders, of
his own accord saddled the horse for the king, as soon as he awoke. The
king for his part took leave of him, and mounting his horse entered the
city of Ujjayini, beheld afar off by the people bewildered with joy. And
the moment he entered, his subjects approached him with a confused hum
of delight at his return. The king accompanied by his ministers entered
the palace, and great anxiety left the breast of the queen Tejasvati. Imme-
diately grief seemed to be swept away from the city by the rows of silken
flags displayed out of joy, which waved in the wind ; and the queen made
high festival until the end of the day, until such time as the people of the
city and the sun were red as vermilion.* And the next day the king
A'dityasena had Vidushaka summoned from the monastery with all the other
Brahman s. And as soon as he had made known what took place in the
night, he gave his benefactor Vidushaka a thousand villages. And the
grateful king also gave that Brahman an umbrella and an elephant and
appointed him his domestic chaplain, so that he was beheld with great
interest by the people. So Vidushaka then became equal to a chieftain, for
how can a benefit conferred on great persons fail of bearing fruit ? And the
noble-minded Vidushaka shared all those villages, which he had received
from the king, with the Brahmans who lived in the monastery. And he
remained in the court of the king in attendance upon him, enjoying toge-
ther with the other Brahmans the income of those villages. But as time
went on, those other Brahmans began striving each of them to be chief, and
made no account of Vidushaka, being intoxicated with the pride of wealth.
Dwelling in separate parties, seven in one place, with their mutual rivalries
they oppressed the villages like malignant planets. Vidushaka regarded
their excesses with scornful indifference, for men of firm mind rightly treat
with contempt men of little soul. Once upon a time a Brahman of the
name of Chakradhara, who was naturally stern, seeing them engaged in
wrangling, came up to them. Chakradhara, though he was one-eyed, was
keen-sighted enough in deciding what was right in other men's affairs, and
though a hunchback, was straightforward enough in speech. He said to
them — " While you were living by begging, you obtained this windfall, you
rascals, then why do you ruin the villages with your mutual intolerance ?
It is all the fault of Vidushaka who has permitted you to act thus ; so you
may be certain that in a short time you will again have to roam about
begging. For a situation, in which there is no head, and every one has to
shift for himself by his own wits as chance directs, is better than one of
disunion under many heads, in which all affairs go to rack and ruin. So
take my advice and appoint one firm man as your head, if you desire un-
* Probably the people sprinkled one another with red powder as at tho II, :
val.
132
shaken prosperity, which can only be ensured by a capable governor." On
hearing that, every one of them desired the headship for himself ; thereupon
Chakradhara after reflection again said to those fools ; " As you are so
addicted to mutual rivalry I propose to you a basis of agreement. In the
neighbouring cemetery three robbers have been executed by impalement ;
whoever is daring enough to cut off the noses of those three by night and
to bring them here, he shall be your head, for courage merits command.*"
When Chakradhara made this proposal to the Brahmans, Vidiishaka, who
was standing near, said to them ; " Do this, what is there to be afraid of ?"
Then the Brahmans said to him ; " We are not bold enough to do it, let
whoever is able, doit, and we will abide by the agreement." Then Vidusha-
ka said, " Well, I will do it, I will cut off the noses of those robbers by
night and bring them from the cemetery." Then those fools, thinking the
task a difficult one, said to him ; " If you do this you shall be our lord, we
make this agreement." When they had pronounced this agreement, and
night had set in, Vidushaka took leave of those Brahmans and went to the
cemetery. So the hero entered the cemetery awful as his own undertaking,
with the sword of the Fire-god, that came with a thought, as his only
companion. And in the middle of that cemetery where the cries of vul-
tures and jackals were swelled by the screams of witches, and the flames of
the funeral pyres were reinforced by the fires in the mouths of the fire-
breathing demons, he beheld those impaled men with their faces turned up,
as if through fear of having their noses cut off. And when he approached
them, those three being tenanted by demons struck him with their fistsf ;
and he for his part slashed them in return with his sword, for fear has not
learned to bestir herself in the breast of the resolute. Accordingly the
corpses ceased to be convulsed with demons, and then the successful hero
cut off their noses and brought them away, binding them up in his garment.
And as he was returning, he beheld in that cemetery a religious mendicant
sitting on a corpse muttering charms, and through curiosity to have the
amusement of seeing what he was doing, he stood concealed behind that
mendicant. In a moment the corpse under the mendicant gave forth a
hissing sound, and flames issued from its mouth, and from its navel mustard-
seeds. And then the mendicant took the mustard-seeds, and rising up
struck the corpse with the flat of his hand, and the corpse, which was
* So in Grimm's Miirchen von einem der auszog das Fiirchten zu lernen the youth is
recommended to sit under the gallows where seven men have been executed. Cp. also
the story of "The Shroud" in Ralston's Russian Folk -Tales, p. 307.
t Cp. Ralston's account of the Vampire as represented in the Skazkas. " It is
as a vitalized corpse that the visitor from the other world comes to trouble mankind,
often subject to human appetites, constantly endowed with more than human strength
and malignity." — Ralston's Russian Folk-Tales, p. 306.
133
tenanted by a mighty demon, stood up, and then that mendicant mounted
on its shoulder, and began to depart at a rapid rate, and Vidushaka
silently followed him unobserved, and after he had gone a short
distance Vidushaka saw an empty temple with an image of Durga in it.
Then the mendicant got down from the shoulder of the demon, and entered
the inner shrine of the temple, while the demon fell flat on the earth. But
Vidushaka was present also, contriving to watch the mendicant, unperceived
by him. The mendicant worshipped the goddess there and offered the fol-
lowing prayer; "If thou art pleased with me, 0 goddess, grant me the
desired boon. If not I will propitiate thee with the sacrifice of myself."
When the mendicant, intoxicated with the success of his powerful spells,
said this, a voice coming from the inner shrine thus addressed the mendi-
cant ; " Bring here the maiden daughter of king A'dityasena, and offer her
as a sacrifice, then thou shalt obtain thy desire." When the mendicant
heard this, he went out, and striking once more with his hand the demon,*
who hissed at the blow, made him stand upright. And mounting on the
shoulder of the demon, from whose mouth issued flames of fire, he flew
away through the air to bring the princess. Vidushaka seeing all this from
his place of concealment thought to himself; "What! shall he slay the
king's daughter while I am alive ? I will remain here until the scoundrel
returns." Having formed this resolve, Vidushaka remained there in conceal-
ment. But the mendicant entered the female apartments of the palace
through the window, and found the king's daughter asleep, as it was night.
And he returned, all clothed in darkness, through the air, bringing with him
the princess who illuminated with her beauty the region, as Eahu carries
off a digit of the moon. And bearing along with him that princess who
exclaimed in her grief — " Alas! my father ! Alas! my mother" — he descended
from the sky in that very temple of the goddess. And then, dismissing
the demon, he entered with that pearl of maidens into the inner shrine of
the goddess, and while he was preparing to slay the princess there, Vidu-
shaka came in with his sword drawn. He said to the mendicant, " Villain !
do you wish to smite a jasmine flower with a thunder-bolt, in that you
desire to employ a weapon against this tender form ?" And then he seized
the trembling mendicant by the hair, and cut off his head. And he con-
soled the princess distracted with fear, who clung to him closely as she
began to recognise him. And then the hero thought ; " How can I manage
during the night to convey this princess from this place to the harem?"
Then a voice from the air addressed him ; " Hear this O Vidushaka ! the
mendicant, whom thou hast slain, had in his power a great demon and some
grains of mustard-seed. Thence arose his desire to be ruler of the earth
and marry the daughters of kings, and so the fool has this day been baffled.
* /. e., the corpse tenanted by the Vetala or demon.
134
Therefore tliou hero, take those mustard-seeds, in order that for this night
only thou mayest be enabled to travel through the air." Thus the aerial
voice addressed the delighted Vidushaka ; for even the gods often take such
a hero under their protection. Then he took in his hand those grains of
mustard-seed from the corner of the mendicant's robe, and the princess in
his arms. And while he was setting out from that temple of the goddess,
another voice sounded in the air ; " Thou must return to this very temple
of the goddess at the end of a month, thou must not forget this, O hero !"
When he heard this, Vidushaka said " I will do so," — and by the favour of
the goddess he immediately flew up into the air bearing with him the
princess. And ilying through the air he quickly placed that princess in
her private apartments, and said to her after she had recovered her spirits ;
" To-morrow morning I shall not be able to fly through the air, and so all
men will see me going out, so I must depart now." When he said this to
her, the maiden being alarmed, answered him ; " When you are gone, this
breath of mine will leave my body overcome with fear. Therefore do not
depart, great-souled hero ; once more save my life, for the good make it
their business from their birth to carry out every task they have under-
taken." When the brave Vidushaka heard that, he reflected, " If I go, and
leave this maiden, she may possibly die of fear ; and then what kind of
loyalty to my sovereign shall I have exhibited ? Thinking thus he remain-
ed all night in those female apartments, and he gradually dropped off to
sleep wearied with toil and watching. But the princess in her terror passed
that night without sleeping : and even when the morning came she did not
wake up the sleeping Vidushaka, as her mind was made tender by love,
and she said to herself ; " Let him rest a little longer." Then the servants
of the harem came in and saw him, and in a state of consternation they
went and told the king. The king for his part sent the warder to discover
the truth, and he entering beheld Vidushaka there. And he heard the
whole story from the mouth of the princess, and went and repeated it all
to the king. And the king knowing the excellent character of Vidushaka,
was immediately bewildered, wondering what it could mean. And he had
Vidushaka brought from his daughter's apartment, escorted all the way by
her soul, which followed him out of affection. And when he arrived, the
king asked him what had taken place, and Vidushaka told him the whole
story from the beginning, and shewed him the noses of the robbers fastened
up in the end of his garment, and the mustard-seeds which had been in the
possession of the mendicant, different from those found on earth. The
high-minded monarch suspected that Vidushaka's story was true from these
circumstances, so he had all the 15r;ihma.ns of the monastery brought before
him, together with Ohakradhttft, and asked about the original cause of the
whole matter. And he went in person to the cemetery and saw those men
195
with their noses cut off, and that hase mendicant with his neck severed, and
then he reposed complete confidence in, and was much pleased with, the
skilful and successful Vidushaka, who had saved his daughter's life. And
he gave him his own daughter on the spot ; what do generous men with-
hold when pleased with their benefactors ? Surely the goddess of Pros-
perity,* out of love for the lotus, dwelt in the hand of the princess, since
Vidushaka obtained great good fortune after he had received it in the
marriage ceremony. Then Vidushaka enjoying a distinguished reputation,
and engaged in attending upon the sovereign, lived with that beloved wife
in the palace of king A'dityasena. Then as days went on, once upon a time
the princess impelled by some supernatural power said at night to Vidu-
shaka ; " My lord, you remember that when you were in the temple of the
goddess a divine voice said to you, ' Come here at the end of a month.'
To-day is the last day of the month, and you have forgotten it." When his
beloved said this to him, Vidushaka was delighted, and recalled it to mind,
and said to his wife — " Well remembered on thy part, fair one ! But I had
forgotten it. And then he embraced her by way of reward." And then,
while she was asleep, he left the women's apartments by night, and in high
spirits he went armed with his sword to the temple of the goddess ; then
he exclaimed outside, " I Vidushaka am arrived :" and he heard this speech
uttered by some one inside — " Come in, Vidushaka." Thereupon he entered
and beheld a heavenly palace, and inside it a lady of heavenly beauty with
a heavenly retinue, dispelling with her brightness the darkness, like a night
set on fire, looking as if she were the medicine to restore to life the god of
love consumed with the fire of the wrath of S'iva. He wondering what it
could all mean, was joyfully received by her in person with a welcome full
of affection and great respect. And when he had sat down and had gained
confidence from seeing her affection, he became eager to understand the
real nature of the adventure, and she said to him ; " I am a maiden of the
Vidyadhara race, of high descent, and my name is Bhadni, and as I was
roaming about at my will I saw you here on that occasion. And as my
mind was attracted by your virtues, I uttered at that time that voice which
seemed to come from some one invisible, in order that you might return.
And to-day I bewildered the princess by employing my magic skill, so that
under my impulse she revived your remembrance of this matter, and for
your sake I am here, and so, handsome hero, I surrender myself to you ;
marry me." The noble Vidushaka, when the Vidyadhari Bluulra addi
* Lakshmf or Sri the goddess of Prosperity appeared after the churning of the
DCean witha lotus in her hand. According to another story she is said te. have a].,
at the creation floating mi the • \p:m'l>-'l |e:lv, - ,<[' a lotus-ltawer. The hand of a lud\ i>
often compared to a lotus.
136
him in this style, agreed that moment, and married her by the Gandharva
ceremony. Then he remained in that very place, having obtained celestial
joys, the fruits of his own valour, living with that beloved wife.
Meanwhile the princess woke up when the night came to an end, and
not seeing her husband, was immediately plunged in despair. So she got
up and went with tottering steps to her mother, all trembling, with her
eyes flooded with gushing tears. And she told her mother that her hus-
band had gone away somewhere in the night, and was full of self-reproach,
fearing that she had been guilty of some fault. Then her mother was dis-
tracted owing to her love for her daughter, and so in course of time the
king heard of it, and came there, and fell into a state of the utmost anxiety.
When his daughter said to him — " I know my husband has gone to the
temple of the goddess outside the cemetery" — the king went there in person.
But he was not able to find Vidushaka there in spite of all his searching,
for he was concealed by virtue of the magic science of the Vidyadhari.
Then the king returned, and his daughter in despair determined to leave
the body, but while she was thus minded, some wise man came to her and
said this to her ; " Do not fear any misfortune, for that husband of thine
is living in the enjoyment of heavenly felicity, and will return to thee
shortly." When she heard that, the princess retained her life, which was
kept in her by the hope of her husband's return, that had taken deep root
in her heart.
Then, while Vidushaka was living there, a certain friend of his beloved,
named Yogesvari, came to Bhadra, and said to her in secret — " My
friend, the Vidyadharas are angry with you because you live with a
man, and they seek to do you an injury, therefore leave this place. There
is a city called Karkotaka on the shore of the eastern sea, and beyond that
there is a sanctifying stream named S'itoda, and after you cross that, there
is a great mountain named Udaya,* the land of the Siddhas,f which the
Vidyadharas may not invade ; go there immediately, and do not be anxious
about the beloved mortal whom you leave here, for before you start you
can tell all this to him, so that he shall be able afterwards to journey there
\\illi speed." When her friend said this to her, Bhadra was overcome with
fear, and though attached to Vidushaka, she consented to do as her friend
advised. So she told her scheme to Vidushaka, and providently gave him
her ring, and then disappeared at the close of the night. And Vidushaka
immediately found himself in the empty temple of the goddess, in which
he had been before, and no Bhadra and no palace. Remembering the delu-
sion produced by 15h;ulni's magic skill, and beholding the ring, Vidushaka
was overpowered by a paroxysm of despair and wonder. Ami remembering
* /. e., rising ; the eastern mountain behind which the sun is Mipjinscd to rise.
t /. «., semi- divine beings supposed to bo of great purity and holiness.
137
her speech as if it were a dream, he reflected, — " Before she left, she assigned
as a place of meeting the mountain of the sun-rising; so I must quickly go
there to find her : but if I am seen by the people in this state, the king
will not let me go : so I will employ a stratagem in this matter, in order
that I may accomplish my object." So reflecting, the wise man assumed
another appearance, and went out from that temple with tattered clothes,
begrimed with dust, exclaiming, "Ah Bhadra! Ah Bhadra !" And imme-
diately the people, who lived in that place, beholding him, raised a shout ;
"Here is Vidushaka found !" And the king hearing of it came out from his
palace in person, and seeing Vidushaka in such a state, conducting himself
like a madman, he laid hold on him and took him back to his palace. When
he was there, whatever his servants and connexions, who were full of affec-
tion, said to him, he answered only by exclaiming. " All Bhadra ! Ah Bhadra !"
And when he was anointed with unguents prescribed by the physicians, he
immediately defiled his body with much cinder-dust ; and the food which
the princess out of lovo offered to him with her own hands, he instantly
threw down and trampled under foot. And in this condition Vidushaka
remained there some days, without taking interest in anything, tearing his
own clothes, and playing the madman. And A'dityaaeoa thought to him-
self ; " His condition is past cure, so what is the use of torturing him ? He
may perhaps die, and then I should be guilty of the death of a Brahman,
whereas if he roams about at his will, he may possibly recover in course of
time." So he let him go. Then the hero Vidushaka, being allowed to roam
where he liked, set out the next day at his leisure to find Bhadra, taking
with him the ring. And as he journeyed on day by day towards the East,
he at last reached a city named Paundravardhana, which lay in his way as
he travelled on ; there he entered the house of a certain aged Brahman
woman, saying to her — " Mother, I wish to stop here one night." And she
gave him a lodging and entertained him, and shortly after, she approached
him, full of inward sorrow, and said to him — " My son, I hereby give thee
all this house, therefore receive it, since I cannot now live any longer." He,
astonished, said to her — " Why do you speak thus ?" Then she said — "Lis-
ten, I will tell you the whole story," and so continued as follows — " My son,
in this city there is a king named Devas'_>n;\, and to him there was born one
daughter, the ornament of the earth. The affectionate king said — 'I have
with, difficulty obtained this one daughter', — so he gave her the name of
Duhkalabdhika.
" In course of time when she had grown up, the king gave her in mar-
riage to the king of Kaehchhapa, whom he had brought to his own palace.
The king of Kaehchhapa entered at night the private apartment-; of his
bride, and died the very first time he entered them. Tlu-:i t'i.- king much
distressed, again gave his daughter in marriage to another king; he also
18
138'
perished in the same way* : and when through fear of the same fate other
kit'gs did not wish to marry her, the king gave this order to his
general — ' You must bring a man in turn from every single house in this
country, so that one shall bo supplied every day, and he must be a Brahman,
or a Kshatriya. And after you have brought the man, you must cause him
to enter by night into the apartment of my daughter ; let us see how many
will perish in this way, and how long it will go on. Whoever escapes shall
afterwards become her husband ; for it is impossible to bar the course of
fate, whose dispensations are mysterious.' The general, having received this
order from the king, brings a man every day turn about from every house
in this city, and in this way hundreds of men have met their death in the
apartment of the princess. Now I, whose merits in a former life must have
been deficient, have one son here ; his turn has to-day arrived to go to the
palace to meet his death ; and I being deprived of him must to-morrow
enter the fire. Therefore, while I am still alive, I give to you, a worthy
object, all my house with my own hand, in order that my lot may not again be
imfortunate in my next birth." When she had said this, the resolute Vidu-
shaka answered ; " If this is the whole matter, do not be despondent, mother,
I will go there to-day, let your only son live. And do not feel any com-
miseration with regard to me, so as to say to yourself — ' Why should I be
the cause of this man's death ?' — for owing to the magical power which I
possess I run no risk by going there." When Vidushaka had said this, that
Brahman woman said to him, " Then you must be soms god come here as
a reward for my virtue, so cause me, my son, to recover life, and yourself
to gain felicity." When she had expressed her approval of his project in
these words, he went in the evening to the apartment of the princess, toge-
ther with a servant appointed by the general to conduct him. There he
beheld the princess Hushed with the pride of youth, like a creeper weighed
down with the burden of its abundant llowers that had not yet been gather-
ed. Accordingly, when night came, the princess went to her bed, and
Vidushaka remained awake in her apartment, holding in his hand the sword
of the Fire-god, which came to him with a thought, saying to himself, " I
will find out who it is that slays men here." And when people weiv all
•p, lie saw a terrible R&kshasa coming from the side of the apartment
where the entrance was, having first opened the door ; and the Il;ik
standing at the entrance stretched forward into the room an arm. which
had been the swift wand of Death to hundreds of men. Hut Vidushaka in
wrath springing forward, cut off suddenly the arm of the Kakshasa with one
stroke of his sword. f And the Jlaksluisa immediately lied away through
* Coill]i:in> the Apurrvjilril linuk ni'Ttiliit.
t Elalston in his Bussian L'ulk-Talrs. ji. 1270, <•(>].• incident with, one in a.
Polish story, and iu the Kussian story ul' the Witch Curl. ILL Luth the arm of the
destroyer is cut off.
139
fear of his exceeding valour, with the loss of one arm, never again to return.
When the princess awoke, she saw the severed arm lying there, and she
was terrified, delighted and astonished at the same time. And in the morn-
ing the king Devasena saw the arm of the Kakshasa, which had fallen down
after it was cut off, lying at the door of his daughter's apartments ; in this
way Vidushaka, as if to say '• Henceforth no other men must enter here" —
fastened the door as it were with a long bar.* Accordingly the delighted
king gave to Vidushaka, who possessed this divine power, his daughter and
much wealth ; and Vidiishaka dwelt there some days with this fair one, as
if with prosperity incarnate in bodily form. But one day he left the prin-
while asleep, and set out at night in haste to find his Bhadra. And
the princess in the morning was afflicted at not seeing him, but she was
comforted by her father with the hope of his return. Vidushaka journey-
ing on day by day, at last reached the city of Tamralipta not far from the
eastern sea. There he joined himself to a certain merchant, named 'Skan-
dhadusa who desired to cross the sea. In his company, embarking on a
ship laden with much wealth belonging to the merchant, he set out on the
ocean path. Then that ship was stopped suddenly when it had reached the
middle of the ocean, as if it were held by something. And when it did not
move, though the sea was propitiated with jewels, that merchant Skandha-
dtisa being grieved, said this : " Whosoever releases this ship of mine which
is detained, to him I will give half of my own wealth and my daughter."
The resolute-souled Vidushaka, when he heard that, said, " I will descend
into the water of the sea and search it, and I will set free in a moment
this ship of yours which is stopped : but you must support me by ropes
fastened round my body. And the moment the ship is set free, you must
draw me up out of the midst of the sea by the supporting ropes." The
merchant welcomed his speech with a promise to do what he asked, and
the steersmen bound ropes under his armpits. Supported in that way
Vidushaka descended in the sea ; a brave man never desponds when the
moment for action has arrived. So taking in his hand the sword of the
Fire-god, that came to him with a thought, the hero descended into the
midst of the sea under the ship. And there he saw a giant asleep, and he
saw that the ship was stopped by his leg. So he immediately cut oft' his
leg with his sword, and at once the ship moved on freed from its impedi-
ment. When the wicked merchant saw that, he cut the ropes, by which
Vidushaka was supported, through desire to save the wealth he had promis-
ed him ; and went, swiftly to the other shore of the ocean vast as his own
avarice, in the ship which had thus been set free. Vidushaka for his part,
being in the midst of the sea with the supporting ropes cut, rose to the
* I read iva; tho arm was the lon^ bur, and tkc whole j . of the
rhetorical figure culled utprekthd*
HO
surface, and seeing how matters stood he calmly reflected for a moment ;
' Why did the merchant do this ? Surely in this case the proverb is appli-
cable ; ' Ungrateful men blinded by desire of gain cannot see a benefit.'
Well, it is now high time for me to display intrepidity, for if courage fails,
even a small calamity cannot be overcome." Thus he reflected on that occa-
sion, and then he got astride on the leg which he had cut off from the giant
sleeping in the water, and by its help he crossed the sea, as if with a boat,
paddling with his hands, for even destiny takes the part of men of distin-
guished valour. Then a voice from heaven addressed that mighty hero,
who had come across the ocean, as Hanuman did for the sake of llama* ;
" Bravo, Vidushaka ! Bravo ! who except thee is a man of valour ? I am
pleased with this courage of thine : therefore hear this. Thou hast reached
a desolate coast here, but from this thou shalt arrive in seven days at the
city of Karkotaka ; then thou shalt pluck up fresh spirits, and journeying
quickly from that place, thou shalt obtain thy desire. But I am. the Fire,
the consumer of the oblations to gods and the spirits of deceased ancestors,
whom thou didst before propitiate : and owing to my favour thou shalt
feel neither hunger nor thirst, — therefore go prosperously and confidently ;"
having thus spoken, the voice ceased. And Vidii.shaka, when he heard that,
bowed, adoring the Fire-god, and set forth in high spirits, and on the seventh
day lie reached the city of Karkotaka. And there he entered a monastery,
inhabited by many noble Brahmans from various lands!, who were noted
for hospitality. It was a wealthy foundation of the king of that place
A'ryavarman, and had annexed to it beautiful temples all made of gold.
There all of the Brahmans welcomed him, and one Brahman took the guest
to his chamber, and provided him with a bath, with food and with clothing.
And while he was living in the monastery, he heard this proclamation being
made by beat of drum in the evening ; " Whatever Brahman or Kshatriya
wishes to-morrow morning to marry the Icing's daughter, let him spend a
night in her chamber." When he heard that, he suspected the real reason,
and being always fond of daring adventures, he desired immediately to go to
the apartment of the princess. Thereupon the Brahmans of the m< mastery
said to him, — "Brahman, do not be guilty of rashness. The apartment of
the princess is not rightly so called, rather is it the open mouth of death,f
for wluever enters it at night does not escape alive, and many daring men
have thus met their death there." In spite of what these Brahmans told
him, Vidushaka would not take their advice,! but went to the palace of the
king with his servants. There the king A'ryavurman, when he saw him,
• There is probably a pun here. JRdmdrtham may mean " for the sake of a fair
one."
t I read iia tad for tatra with n ]US. in (In- Sanskrit College.
J Here there is a pun on Anangu, u name of the Hindu Cupid.
1 II
welcomed him in person, and at night he entered the apartment of the
king's daughter, looking like the sun entering the fire. And he beheld that
princess who seemed by her appearance to be attached to him, for she look-
ed at him with tearful eye, and a sad look expressive of the grief produced
by utter despair. And he remained awake there all night gazing intently,
holding in his hand the sword of the Fire-god that carne to him with a
thought. And suddenly he beheld at the entrance a very terrible Ilakshasa,
extending his left hand because his right had been cut off. And when he
saw him, he said to himself ; " Here is that very li;ikshasa, whose arm
I cut off in the city of Paundravardhana. So I will not strike at his arm
again, lest he should escape me and depart as before, and for this reason it
is better for me to kill him." Thus reflecting, Vidushaka ran forward and
seized his hair, and was preparing to cut off his head, when suddenly the
Raksliasa in extreme terror said to him ; " Do not slay me, you are brave,
therefore shew mercy." Vidiishaka let him go and said, " Who are you, and
what are you about here ?" Then the Ilakshasa, bsing thus questioned by
the hero, continued — " My name is Yamadanshtra, and I had two daughters,
this is one, and she who lives in Paundravardhana is another. And S'iva
favoured me by laying on me this command ; ' Thou must save the two
princesses from marrying any one who is not a hero.' While thus engaged
I first had an arm cut off at Paundravanlhana, and now I have been con-
quered by you here, so this duty of mine is accomplished." When Vidusha-
ka heard this, he laughed, and said to him in reply ; " It was I that cut off
your arm there in Paunclravardhana." The Eakshasa answered " Then you
must be a portion of some divinity, not a mere man, I think it was for
your sake that S'iva did me the honour of laying that command upon me.
So henceforth I consider you my friend, and when you call me to mind I
will appear to you to ensure your success even in difficulties." In these
words the Ilakshasa Yamadanshtra out of friendship chose him as a sworn,
brother, and when Vidushaka accepted his proposal, disappeared. Vidiisha-
ka, for his part, was commended for his valour by the princess, and spent
the night there in high spirits ; and in the morning the king hearing of
the incident and highly pleased, gave him his daughter as the conspicuous
banner of his valour together with much wealth. Vidushaka lived there
some nights with her, as if with the goddess of prosperity, bound so firmly
by his virtue* that she could not move a step. But one night he went off
of his own accord from that place, longing for his beloved lihadni, for who
that has tasted heavenly joys, can take pleasure in any other ? And after
he had left the town, he called to mind that Jlakshasa, and said to him,
who appeared the moment he called him to mind, and made him a bow, —
" My friend, 1 must go to the land of the Siddhas on the Kastorn mountain
* Here there is a pun. The word yuya also means i
142
for the sake of the Vidyadhari named Bhadra, so do you take me there."
The Rakshasa said — " Very good" — so he ascended his shoulder, and travelled
in that night over sixty yojanas of difficult country ; and in the morning
he crossed the S'itoda a river that cannot be crossed by mortals, and with-
out effort reached the border of the land of the Siddhas. The liakshasa
said to him ; " Here is the blessed mountain, called the mountain of the
rising sun, in front of you, but I cannot set foot upon it as it is the home
of the Siddhas." Then the liakshasa being dismissed by him departed, and
there Vidushaka beheld a delightful lake, and he sat down on the bank of
that lake beautiful with the faces of full-blown lotuses, which, as it were,
uttered a welcome to him with the hum of roaming bees. And there he
saw unmistakeable footsteps as of women, seeming to say to him, this is
the path to the house of your beloved. While he was thinking to him-
self— " Mortals cannot set foot on this mountain, therefore I had better
stop here a moment, and see whose footsteps these are" — there came to the
lake to draw water many beautiful women with golden pitchers in their
bands. So he asked the women, after they had filled their pitchers with
water, in a courteous manner ; " For whom are you taking this water ?" And
those women said to him — " Excellent Sir, a Vidyadhari of the name of
Bhadra is dwelling on this mountain, this water is for her to bathe in."
Wonderful to say ! Providence seeming to be pleased with resolute men,
who attempt mighty enterprises, makes all things subserve their ends. For
one of these women suddenly said to Vidushaka ; " Noble sir, please lift this
pitcher on to my shoulder." He consented and when he lifted the pitcher
on to her shoulder, the discreet man put into it the jewelled ring he had
before received from Bhadra,* and then he sat do\vn again on the bank of
that lake, while those women went with the water to the house of Bhadra.
And while they were pouring over Bhadra the water of ablution, her ring
fell into her lap. When Bhadra saw it, she recognized it and asked those
friends of hers whether they had seen any stranger about. And they gave
her this answer ; " We saw a young mortal on the banks of the lake, and he
lifted this pitcher for us." Then Bhadra said " Go and make him bathe and
adorn himself, and quickly bring him here, for he is my hushand who
has arrived in this country." When Bhadra had said this, her companions
went and told Vidushaka the state of the ca.se, and after lie had bat hod
brought him into her presence. And when he arrived, he saw after long
separation Bhadra who was eagerly expecting him, like the ripe blooming
* Cp. the way in which Torello informs his wife of hi* presenee in J'.o
Decameron Xth day Nov. IX. Thr nov. 1> of tin- Xtli day must he derived fr»m Indian,
and probahly Huddlii , There i- a I'.uddhistie vein in all of them. A
striking parallel to the "uh N<>v.-l of the Xth day -will he found further on in this work.
Cp. also, for the incident of the ring, Thorpe's Yulelido (Stories, p. 1G7.
143
fruit of the tree of hi? own valour in visible form : she for her part rose up
when she saw Lim, and offering him the arglia* so to speak, by sprinkling
him with her tears of joy, she fastened her twining arms round his neck
like a garland. When they embraced one another, the long accumulated
all't'ctionf seemed to ooze from their limbs in the form of sweat, owing to
excessive pressure. Then they sat down, and never satisfied with gazing
at one another, they both, as it were, endured tbe agony of longing multi-
plied a hundred-fold. Bhadra then said to Vidushaka ; " How did you
come to this land ?" And he thereupon gave her this answer ; " Sup-
ported by affection for thee, I came here enduring many risks to
my life, what else can I say, fair one ? When she heard that, see-
ing that his love was excessive, as it caused him to disregard his
own life, Bhadra said to him who through affection had endured the utmost,
" My busband, I care not for my friends, nor my magic powers ; you are my
life, and I am your slave, my lord, bought by you with your virtues." Then
Vidushnka said, " Then come with me to live in Uj jayini, my beloved, leaving
all this heavenly joy." Bhadra immediately accepted his proposal, and gave
up all her magic gifts, (which departed from her the moment she formed
that resolution,) with no more regret than if they had been straw. Then
Vidushaka rested with her there during that night, being waited on by her
friend Yogesvari, and in the morning the successful hero descended with
her from the mountain of the sun-rise, and again called to mind the Rak-
shasa Yamadanshtra ; the Rakshasa came the moment he was thought of,
and Vidushaka told him the direction of the journey he had to take, and
then ascended his shoulder, having previously placed Bhadra there. She
too endured patiently to be placed on the shoulder of a very loathsome
Kakshasa ; what will not women do when mastered by affection ? So Vidu-
shaka, mounted on the Rakshasa, set out with his beloved, and again reached
the city of Karkotaka ; and there men beheld him with fear inspired by
the sight of the Rakshasa ; and when he saw king A'ryavarman, he demand-
ed from him his daughter ; and after receiving that princess surrendered
by her father, whom he had won with his arm, he set forth from that city
in the same style, mounted on the Rakshasa. And after he had gone some
distance, he found that wicked merchant on the shore of the sea. who long ago
cut the ropes when he had been thrown into the sea. And he took, together
with his wealth, his daughter, whom he had before won as a reward for
setting free the ship in the sea. And he considered the depriving that
villain of his wealth as equivalent to putting him to death, for grovelling
souls often value their hoards more than their life. Then mounted on the
* An oblation to gods or venerable men of rice, diirvu grass, flowers. A:e., with
water, or of water only in a small boat-shaped vessel.
t Sm/tit means oil, and also affeetiuu.
II!
Rakshasa as on a chariot, taking with him that daughter of the merchant, he
flew up into the heaven with the princess and Bhadra, and journeying throuo-h
the air, he crossed the ocean, which like his valour was full of boisterous
impetuosity, exhibiting it to his fair ones.* And he again reached the city
of Paundravardhana, beheld witli astonishment by all as he rode on a Rak-
shasa. There he greeted his wife, the daughter of Devasena, who had long
desired his arrival, whom he had won by the defeat of the Rakshasa ; and
though her father tried to detain him, yet longing for his native land, he
took her also with him, and set out for Ujjayini. And owing to the speed
of the Rakshasa, he soon reached that cit}', which appeared like his satisfac-
tion at beholding his home, exhibited in visible form. Tliere Vidushaka
•was seen by the people, perched on the top of that huge Rakshasa, whose
vast frame was illuminated by the beauty of his wives seated on his shoul-
der, as the moonf rising over the eastern mountain with gleaming herbs on.
its summit. The people being astonished and terrified, his father-in-law
the king A'dityasena came to hear of it, and went out from tha city.
But Vidushaka, when he saw him, quickly descended from the Rakshasa,
and after prostrating himself approached the king ; the king too welcomed
him. Then Vidushaka caused all his wives to come down from the shoulder
of the Rakshasa, and released him to wander where he would. And after
that Rakshasa had departed, Vidushaka accompanied by his wives entered
the king's palace together with the king his father-in-law. There he de-
lighted by his arrival that first wife of his, the daughter of that king, who
suffered a long regret for his absence. And when the king said to him ;
" How did you obtain these wives, and who is that Rakshasa ?" he told him
the whole story. Then that king pleased with his son-in-law's valour, and
knowing what it was expedient to do, gave him half his kingdom ; and
immediately Vidushaka, though a Brahman, became a monarch, with a lofty
white umbrella and cliowries waving on both sides of him. And then the
cit}r of Ujjayini was joyful, full of the sound of festive drums and music,
littering shouts of delight. Thus he obtained the mighty rank of a king,
and gradually conquered the whole earth, so that his foot was worshipped
by all kings, and with Bhadra for his consort he long lived in happiness
with those wives of his, who were content, having abandoned jealousy. Thus
resolute men when fortune favours them, lind their own valour a great and
successful stupefying charm that forcibly draws towards them prosperity.
* Sattva when applied to the ocean probably means " mon • the whole
compound would mean "in which was conspicuous the fury of gambling mon>:
The pun defies translation.
f I read a The "Rukshasa is compared to the mountain, Vidushaka to the
moon, his wives to the gleaming herbs.
145
When they heard from the mouth of the king of Vatsa this varied
tale* full of marvellous incident, all his ministers sitting by his side and
his two wives experienced excessive delight.
CHAPTER XIX.
Then Yaugandharayana said to the king of Vatsa ; " King, it is known
that you possess the favour of destiny, as well as courage ; and I also have
taken some trouble about the right course of policy to be pursued in this
matter : therefore carry out as soon as possible your plan of conquering the
regions." "When his chief minister had said this to him, the king of Vatsa
answered, — " Admitting that this is true, nevertheless the accomplishment
of auspicious undertakings is always attended with difficulties, accordingly
I will with this object propitiate S'iva by 'austerities, for without his favour,
how can I obtain what I desire ?" When they heard that, his ministers
approved of his performing austerities, as the chiefs of the monkeys did in
the case of Rama, when he was intent upon building a bridge over the ocean.
And after the king had fasted for three nights, engaged in austerities with
the queens and the ministers, S'iva said to him in a dream — " I am satisfied
witli thee, therefore rise up, thou shalt obtain an unimpeded triumph, and
shalt soon have a son who shall be king of all the Vidyadharas." Then
the king woke up, with all his fatigue removed by the favour of S'iva, like
the new moon increased by the rays of the sun. And in the morning he
delighted his ministers by telling them that dream, and the two queens,
tender as flowers, who were worn out by the fasting they had endured to
fulfil the vow. And they were refreshed by the description of his dream,
well worthy of being drunk in with the ears, and its effect was like that of
medicine,t for it restored their strength. The king obtained by his
austerities a power equal to that of his ancestors, and his wives obtained
the saintly renown of matrons devoted to their husband. But on the
morrow when the feast at the end of the fast was celebrated, and the citizens
were beside themselves with joy, Yaugandharayaua thus addressed the king
* Thorpe in his Yule-tide Stories remarks that the story of Vidushaka somewhat
resembles in its ground-plot tho tale of the Beautiful Palaco Ivist of the Sun and North
of the Earth. With the latter he also compares the story of S'aktivega in tho 5th book
of the Katha Sarit Sagara. (See tho table of contents of Thorpe's Yule-tide S:
p. xi.) Cp. also Sicilianischo Miuuhcn, Vol. II, p. I, and for tho cutting off of tho
giant's arm, p. 50.
f Perhaps we should read sviidcaushad/ta = sweet medicine.
19
146
— " You are fortunate, 0 king, in that the holy god S'iva is so well disposed
towards you, so proceed now to conquer your enemies, and then enjoy the
prosperity won by your arm. For when prosperity is acquired by a king's
own virtues, it remains fixed in his family, for blessings acquired by
the virtues of the owners are never lost. And for this reason it was that that
treasure long buried in the ground, which had been accumulated by your
ancestors and then lost, was recovered by you. Moreover with reference
to this matter hear the following tale :"
Long ago there was in the city
Story of Devadasa. » *
ot Patahputra a certain merchant s
son, sprung from a rich family, and his name was Devadasa. And he mar-
ried a wife from the city of Paundravardhana, the daughter of some rich
merchant. When his father died, Devadasa became in course of time addic-
ted to vice, and lost all his wealth at play. And then his wife's father came
and took away to his own house in Paundravardhana his daughter, who was
distressed by poverty and the other hardships of her lot. Gradually the
Jiusband began to be afflicted by his misfortunes, and wishing to be set up
in his business, he came to Paundravardhana to ask his father-in-law to
lend him the capital which he required. And having arrived in the evening
at the city of Paundravardhana, seeing that he was begrimed with dust,
and in tattered garments, he thought to himself, " How can I enter my
father-in-law's house in this state ? In truth for a proud man death is
preferable to exhibiting poverty before one's relations." Thus reflecting,
he went into the market-place, and remained outside a certain shop during
the night, crouching with contracted body, like the lotus which is folded at
night. And immediately he saw a certain young merchant open the door
of that shop and enter it. And a moment after he saw a woman come with
noiseless step to that same place, and rapidly enter. And while he fixed
his eyes on the interior of the shop in which a light was burning, he recog-
nized in that woman his own wife. Then Devadasa seeing that wife of
his repairing to another man, and bolting the door, being smitten with the
thunderbolt of grief, thought to himself ; " A man deprived of wealth
loses even his own body, how then can he hope to retain the affections of
a woman ? For women have fickleness implanted in their nature by an
invariable law, like the flashes of lightning. So here I have an instance o£
the misfortunes which befall men who fall into the sea of vice, and of the
behaviour of an independent woman who lives in her father's house." Thus
he reflected as he stood outside, and he seemed to himself to hear his wife
confidentially conversing with her lover. So he applied his ear to the door,
and that wicked woman was at the moment saying in secret to the mer-
chant, her paramour ; " Listen ; as I am so fond of you, I will to-day toll
you a secret ; my husband long ago had a great-grandfather named Viravar-
147
man ; in the courtyard of his house he secretly buried in the ground four
jars of gold, one jar in each of the four corners. And he then informed
one of his wives of that fact, and his wife at the time of her death told her
daughter-in-law, she told it to her daughter-in-law who was my mother-in-
law, and my mother-in-law told it to me. So this is an oral tradition in
my husband's family, descending through the mothers-in-law. But I did not
tell it to my husband though he is poor, for he is odious to me as being
addicted to gambling, but you are above all dear to me. So go to my hus-
band's town and buy the house from him with money, and after you have
obtained that gold, come here and live happily with me." When the mer-
chant, her paramour, heard this from that treacherous woman, he was much,
pleased with her, thinking that he had obtained a treasure without any
trouble. Devadasa for his part, who was outside, bore henceforth the hope
of wealth, so to speak, riveted in his heart with those piercing words of his
wicked wife. So he went thence quickly to the city of Pataliputra, and
after reaching his house, he took that treasure and appropriated it. Then
that merchant, who was in secret the paramour of his wife, arrived in that
country, on pretence of trading, but in reality eager to obtain the treasure.
So he bought that house from Devadasa, who made it over to him for a
large sum of money. Then Devadasa set up another home, and cunningly
brought back that wife of his from the house of his father-in-law. When
this had been done, that wicked merchant, who was the lover of his wife, not
having obtained the treasure, came and said to him ; "This house of yours
is old, and I do not like it. So give me back my money, and take back
your own house." Thus he demanded, and Devadasa refused, and being
engaged in a violent altercation, they both, went before the king. In his
presence Devadasa poured forth the whole story of his wife, painful to him
as venom concealed in his breast. Then the king had his wife summoned,
and after ascertaining the truth of the case, he punished that adulterous
merchant with the loss of all his property ; Devadasa for his part cut off
the nose of that wicked wife, and married another, and then lived happily
in his native city on the treasure he had obtained.
" Thus treasure obtained by virtuous methods is continued to a man's
posterity, but treasure of another kind is as easily melted away as a flake of
snow when the rain begins to fall. Therefore a man should endeavour to
obtain wealth by lawful methods, but a king especially, since wealth is the
root of the tree of empire. So honour all your ministers according to
custom in order that you may obtain success, and then accomplish the con-
quest of the regions, so as to gain opulence in addition to virtue. For out
of regard to the fact that you are allied by marriage with your two power-
ful fathers-in-law, few kings will oppose you, most will join you. However,
this king of Benares named Brahmadatta is always your enemy, therefore
148
conquer him first ; when he is conquered, conquer the eastern quarter, and
gradually all the quarters, and exalt the glory of the race of Pandu gleam-
ing white like a lotus." When his chief minister said this to him, the king
of Vatsa consented, eager for conquest, and ordered his subjects to prepare
for the expedition ; and he gave the sovereignty of the country of Videha
to his brother-in-law Gopalaka, by way of reward for his assistance, thereby
shewing his knowledge of policy ; and he gave to Sinhavarman the brother
of Padmavati, who came to his assistance with his forces, the land of
Chedi, treating him with great respect ; and the monarch summoned Pulin-
daka the friendly king of the Bhillas,* who filled the quarters with his
hordes, as the rainy season fills them with clouds ; and while the prepara-
tion for the expedition was going on in the great king's territories, a
strange anxiety was produced in the heart of his enemies ; but Yaugandha-
rayana first sent spies to Benares to find out the proceedings of king Brah-
madatta ; then on an auspicious day, being cheered with omens portending
victory, the king of Vatsa first marched against Brahmadatta in the Eastern
quarter, having mountedf a tall victorious elephant, with a lofty umbrella
on its back, as a furious lion ascends a mountain with one tree in full bloom
on it. And his expedition was facilitated J by the autumn which arrived as
a harbinger of good fortune, and shewed him an easy path, across rivers
flowing with diminished volume, and he filled the face of the land with his
shouting forces, so as to produce the appearance of a sudden rainy season
without clouds ; and then the cardinal points resounding with the echoes
of the roaring of his host, seemed to be telling one another their fears of
his coming, and his horses, collecting the brightness of the sun on their
golden trappings, moved along followed, as it were, by the fire pleased with
the purification of his army.§
And his elephants with their ears like white clioicries, and with streams
of ichor flowing from their temples reddened by being mixed with vermi-
lion, appeared, as he marched along, like the sons of the mountains, streaked
with white clouds of autumn, and pouring down streams of water coloured
with red mineral, sent by the parent hills, in their fear, to join his expedi-
tion. And the dust from the earth concealed the brightness of the sun,
as if thinking that the king could not endure the effulgent splendour of
rivals. And the two queens followed the king step by step on the \vav,
like the goddess of Fame, and the Fortune of Victory, attracted by his
* I. y., Bheels.
t I road drudhah.
J A MS. in the Sanskrit College reads samlharah for the sampadah of Dr. Brock-
haus's text.
§ Luftratio exereitus ; waving lights formed part of the ceremony.
149
politic virtues.* The silk of his host's banners, tossed to and fro in the
wind, seemed to say to his enemies, — " Bend in submission, or flee." Thus
be marched, beholding the districts full of blown white lotuses, like the up-
lifted hoods of the serpent S'eshaf terrified with fear of the destruction of
the world. In the meanwhile those spies, commissioned by Yaugandhara-
yana, assuming the vows of scull-bearing worshippers of Siva, reached the
city of Benares. And one of them, who was acquainted with the art of jug-
gling, exhibiting his skill, assumed the part of teacher, and the others passed
themselves off as his pupils. And they celebrated that pretended teacher,
who subsisted on alms, from place to place, saying, " This master of ours
is acquainted with past, present, and future." Whatever that sage pre-
dicted, in the way of fires and so on, to those who came to consult him about
the future, his pupils took care to bring about secretly ; so he became
famous. He gained complete ascendancy over the mind of a certain Raj-
put courtier there, a favourite of the king's, who was won over by this
mean skill of the teacher's. And when the war with the king of Vatsa
came on, the king Brahmadatta began to consult him by the agency of the
Rajput, so that he learnt the secrets of the government. Then the minis-
ter of Brahmadatta, Yogakarandaka, laid snares in the path of the king of
Vatsa as he advanced. He tainted, by means of poison and other delete-
rious substances, the trees, flowering creepers, water and grass all along the
line of march. And he sent poison-damsels;]; as dancing girls among the
enemy's host, and he also despatched nocturnal assassins into their midst.
But that spy, who had assumed the character of a prophet, found all this
out, and then quickly informed Yaugandharayana of it by means of his
companions. Yaugandharayana for his part, when he found it out, purified
at every step along the line of march the poisoned grass, water, and so on,
by means of corrective antidotes, and forbade in the camp the society of
strange women, and with the help of Rumanvat he captured and put to
death those assassins. When he heard of that, Brahmadatta having found
all his stratagems fail, came to the conclusion that the king of Vatsa, who
filled with his forces the whole country, was hard to overcome. After deli-
berating and sending an ambassador, he came in person to the king of
Vatsa who was encamped near, placing his clasped hands upon his head in
token of submission.
* It also means " drawing cords."
t He is sometimes represented as bearing the entire world on one of his heads.
J One of these poison-damsels is represented as having been employed against
Chandragupta in the Mudru liak--liasa. Compare the Xlth tale in the Gesta Romano-
rum, where an Indian queen sends one to Alexander the Great. Aristotle frustrates
the stratagem.
150
The king of Vatsa for his part, when the king of Benares came to
him, bringing a present, received him with respect and kindness, for heroes
love submission. He being thus subdued, that mighty king went on
pacifying the East, making the yielding bend, but extirpating the obstinate,
as the wind treats the trees, until he reached the Eastern ocean, rolling:
/ 7 O
with quivering waves, as it were, trembling with terror on account of the
Ganges having been conquered. On its extreme shore he set up a pillar of
victory,* looking like the king of the serpents emerging from the world
below to crave immunity for Patala. Then the people of Kalingaf sub-
mitted and paid tribute, and acted as the king's guides, so that the renown
of that renowned one ascended the mountain of Mahendra. Having con-
quered a forest of kings by means of his elephants, which seemed like the
peaks of the Vindhya come to him terrified at the conquest of Mahendra,
he went to the southern quarter. There he made his enemies cease their
threatening murmurs and take to the mountains, strengthlessj and pale,
treating them as the season of autumn, treats the clouds. The Kaveri
being crossed by him in his victorious onset, and the glory of the king of
the Chola§ race being surpassed, were befouled at the same time. He no
longer allowed the ]VIuralas|| to exalt their heads, for they were completely
beaten down by tributes imposed on them. Though his elephants drank
the waters of the Godavari divided into seven streams, they seemed to
discharge them again seven-fold in the form of ichor. Then the king cross-
ed the Eeva and reached Ujjayini, and entered the city, being made by king
Chandamahasena to precede him. And there he became the target of the
amorous sidelong glances of the ladies of Malava, who shine with twofold
beauty by loosening their braided hair and wearing garlands, and he remain-
ed there in great comfort, hospitably entertained by his father-in-law, so
* Jayastambha. "Wilson remarks that the erection of these columns is often alluded
to by Hindu writers, and explains the character of the solitary columns which are some-
times met with, as the Lat at Delhi, the pillars at Allahabad, Buddal, &c.
t Kalinga is usually described as extending from Orissa to Dravida or below
Madras, the coast of the Northern Circars. It appears, however, to be sometimes the
Delta of the Ganges. It was known to the ancients as Regio Calingarum, and is fami-
liar to the natives of the Eastern Archipelago by the name of Kling. Wilson.
t The clouds are nihsdra void of substance, as being no longer heavy with rain.
The thunder ceases in the autumn.
§ Chola was the sovereignty of the western part of the Peninsula on the Carnatic,
extending southwards to Tanjore where it was bounded by the Paudyan kingdom. It
appears to have been the regio Soretanum of Ptolemy and the Chola mandala or
district furnishes the modern appellation of the Coromandcl Coast. — Wilson, Essays,
p. 241 note.
|| Murala is another name fur Kerala now Malabar (Hall.) Wilson identities it
with the Curula of Ptolemy.
151
that he even forgot the long-regretted enjoyments of his native land. And
Vasavadatta was continually at her parents' side, remembering her child-
hood, seeming despondent even in her happiness. The king Chandamaha-
sena was as much delighted at meeting Padmavati, as he was at meeting
again his own daughter. But after he had rested some days, the delighted
king of Vatsa, reinforced hy the troops of his father-in-law, marched to-
wards the western region ; his curved sword* was surely the smoke of the
fire of his valour, since it dimmed with gushing tears the eyes of the
women of Lata ; the mountain of Mandara, when its woods were broken
through by his elephants, seemed to tremble lest he should root it up to
churn the sea.f Surely he was a splendid luminary excelling the sun and
other orbs, since in his victorious career he enjoyed a glorious rising even
in the western quarter. Then he went to Alaka, distinguished by the
presence of Kuvera, displaying its beauties before him, that is to say, to
the quarter made lovely by the smile of Kailasa, and having subdued the
king of Sindh, at the head of his cavalry he destroyed the Mlechchhas as
Raina destroyed the Kakshasas at the head of the army of monkeys ; the
cavalry squadrons of the TurushkasJ were broken on the masses of his
elephants, as the waves of the agitated sea on the woods that line the sea-
shore. The august hero received the tribute of his foes, and cut off the
head of the wicked king of the Parasikas§ as Vishnu did that of Kahu.||
His glory, after he had inflicted a defeat on the Hunas^f, made the four
quarters resound, and poured down the Himalaya like a second Ganges.
When the hosts of the monarch, whose enemies were still from fear, were
shouting, a hostile answer was heard only in the hollows of the rocks. It
is not strange that then the king of Kamarupa,** bending before him with
head deprived of the umbrella, was without shade and also without bright-
ness. Then that sovereign returned, followed by elephants presented by
the king of Kamarupa, resembling moving rocks made over to him by the
mountains by way of tribute. Having thus conquered the earth, the king
of Vatsa with his attendants reached the city of the king of Magadha the
father of Padmavati. But the king of Magadha, when he arrived with the
queens, was as joyous as the god of love when the moon illuminates the
night. Vasavadatta, who had lived with him before without being recog-
* Or perhaps more literally " creeper- like sword."
t It had been employed for this purpose by the gods and Asunis. Lata = tho
Larice of Ptolemy. ( Wilson.)
% Turks, the Indo-scythso of the ancients. ( Wilson.)
§ Persians.
|| A Daitya or demon. His head swallows the sun and moon.
H Perhaps tho Huns.
** Tho western portion of Assam. (Wilson.)
152
nised, was now made known to him, and lie considered her deserving of the
highest regard.
Then that victoi'ious king of Vatsa, having been honoured by the king
of Magadha with his whole city, followed by the minds of all the people
which pursued him out of affection, having swallowed the surface of the
earth ,vith his mighty army, returned to Lavanaka in his own dominions.
CHAPTEE XX.
Then the king of Vatsa, while encamped in Lavanaka to rest his army,
said in secret to Yaugandharayana, " Through your sagacity I have con-
quered all the kings upon the earth, and they being won over by politic
devices will not conspire against me. But this king of Benares, Brahma-
datta, is an ill-conditioned fellow, and he alone, I think, will plot against
me ; what confidence can be reposed in the wicked-minded ?" Then Yaugan-
dharayana, being spoken to in this strain by the king, answered, " O king,
Brahmadatta will not plot against you again, for when he was conquered
and submitted, you shewed him great consideration ; and what sensible man
will injure one who treats him well ? Whoever does, will find that it turns
out unfortunately for himself, and on this point, listen to what I am going
to say ; I will tell you a tale."
There was once on a time in the
Story of Phalaohuti.
land of Padma an excellent Brah-
man of high renown, named Agnidatta, who lived on a grant of land given
by the king. He had born to him two sons, the elder named Somadatta,
and the second Vaisvanaradatta. The elder of them was of fine person, but
ignorant, and ill-conducted, but the second was sagacious, well-con-
ducted, and fond of study. And those two after they were married,
and their father had died, divided that royal grant and the rest of
his possessions between them, each taking half ; and the younger of
the two was honoured by the king, but the elder Somadatta, who was
of unsteady character, remained a husbandman. One day a Brah-
man, who had been a friend of his lather's, seeing him engaged in conversa-
tion with some Sfudras, thus addressed him, " Though you are the son of
Agnidatta, you behave like a S'udra, you blockhead, and you are not asham-
ed, though you see your own brother in favour with the king." Somadatta,
when he heard that, Hew into a passion, and forgetting the respect due to
the old man, ran upon him, and gave him a kick. Then the Uralnnan,
enraged on account of the kick, immediately called on some other Bruhmans
158
to bear witness to it, and went and complained to the king. The king sent
out soldiers to take Somadatta prisoner, but they, when they went out, were
slain by his friends, who had taken up arms. Then the king sent out a
second force, and captured Somadatta, and blinded by wrath ordered him to
be impaled. Then that Brahman, as he was being lifted on to the stake,
suddenly fell to the ground, as if he were flung down by somebody. And
those executioners, when preparing to lift him on again, became blind, for
the fates protect one who is destined to be prosperous. The king, as soon
as he heard of the occurrence, was pleased, and being entreated by the
younger brother, spared the life of Somadatta ; then Somadatta, having
escaped death, desired to go to another land with his wife on account of the
insulting treatment of the king, and when his relations in a body disapproved
of his departure, he determined to live without the half of the king's grant,
which he resigned ; then, finding no other means of support, he desired to
practise husbandry, and went to the forest on a lucky day to find a piece of
ground suitable for it. There he found a promising piece of ground, from
which it seemed likely that an abundant crop could be produced, and ia
the middle of it he saw an Asvattha tree of great size. Desiring ground
fit for cultivation, and seeing that tree to be cool like the rainy season, as
it kept off the rays of the sun with its auspicious thick shade, he was much
delighted. He said, " I am a faithful votary of that being, whoever he may
be, that presides over this tree," and walking round the tree so as to ksep it
on his right, he bowed before it. Then he yoked a pair of bullocks, and
recited a prayer for success, and after making an oblation to that tree, he
began to plough there. And he remained under that tree night and day,
and his wife always brought him his meals there. And in course of time,
when the corn was ripe that piece of ground was, as fate would have it,
unexpectedly plundered by the troops of a hostile kingdom. Then the hos-
tile force having departed, the courageous man, though his corn was
destroyed, comforted his weeping wife, gave her the little that remained,
and after making an offering as before, remained in the same place,
tinder the same tree. Tor that is the character of resolute men, that
their perseverance is increased by misfortune. Then one night, when he
was sleepless from anxiety and alone, a voice came out from that
Asvattha tree, " 0 Somadatta, I am pleased with thee, therefore go to the
kingdom of a king named A'dityaprabha in the land of S'rikantha ; conti-
nually repeat at the door of that king, (after reciting the form of words
used at the evening oblation to Agni,) the following sentence — ' I am Phala-
bluiti by name, a Brahman, hear what I say : he who doas good will obtain
good, and he who does evil, will obtain evil ;' — by repeating this there thou
shalt attain great prosperity ; and now learn from me the form of words
20
l :> I-
used at the evening oblation to Agni ; lama Yaksha." Having said this,
and having immediately taught him by his power the form of words used
in the evening oblation, the voice in the tree ceased. And the next morning
the wise Somadatta set out with his wife, having received the name of
Phalabhiiti by imposition of the Yaksha, and after crossing various forests
uneven and labyrinthine as his own calamities,* he reached the land of
S'rikantha. There he recited at the king's door the form of words used at
the evening oblation, and then he announced, as he had been directed, his
name as Phalabhiiti, and uttered the following speech which excited the
curiosity of the people, " The doer of good will obtain good, but the doer
of evil, evil." And after he had said this frequently, the king A'ditya-
prabha, being full of curiosity, caused Phalabhiiti to be brought into the
palace, and he entered, and over and over again repeated that same speech in
the presence of the king. That made the king and all his courtiers laui^h.
And the king and his chiefs gave him garments and ornaments, and also
villages, for the amusement of great men is not without fruit ; and so
Phalabhiiti, having been originally poor, immediately obtained by the favour
of the Guhyakaf wealth bestowed by the king ; and by continually reciting
the words mentioned above, he became a special favourite of the monarch
for the regal mind loves diversion. And gradually he attained to a
position of love and respect in the palace, in the kingdom, and in the
female apartments, as being beloved by the king. One day that king
A'dityaprabha returned from hunting in the forest, and quickly entered his
harem ; his suspicions were aroused by the confusion of the warders, and
when he entered, he saw the queen named Kuvalayavali engaged in wor-
shipping the gods, stark naked, J with her hair standing on end, and her
eyes half-closed, with a large patch of red lead upon her forehead, with her
lips trembling in muttering charms, in the midst of a great circle § strewed
with various coloured powders, after offering a horrible oblation of blood,
spirits, and human flesh. She for her part, when the king entered, in her
confusion seized her garments, and when questioned by him immediately
answered, after craving pardon for what she had done, '; I have gone through
this ceremony in order that you might obtain prosperity, and now, my lord,
* I here read durdasah for the durdarsdh of Dr. Brockhaus' text. It must be a
misprint. A MS. in tin San-krit College reads durdas'dh.
f The Guhyakas are demi-gods, attendants upon Kuvcra and guardians of his
wealth.
\ Literally — having the cardinal points as her only garment.
§ For the circle cp. Jinny VI. I 'art II. Act I, Sc. IV, line 25 and Henry V.
Act V, Sc. 2, line 420. " If you would mnjmv. you must make a cirri, •." fcW also
Ralston' s Russian Folk-Tak.-, p. Tt±. \\i -hi unit's Wendisdu' Sa-. n, pp. i><>2, 30'2,
303.
Ijsten to the way in which I learnt these rites, and the secret of my magic
skill."
Story of Euvalaydvali and the witch Long ago, when I was living in
Edlardtri. tny father's house, I was thus ad-
dressed, while enjoying myself in the garden during the spring festival, by
my friends who met me there ; " There is in this pleasure-garden an ima^e
of Ganesa, the god of gods, in the middle of an arbour made of trees, and
that image grants boons, and its power has been tested. Approach with
devout faith that granter of petitions, and worship him, in order that you
may soon obtain without difficulty a suitable husband." When I heard that
I asked my friends in my ignorance ; " What ! do maidens obtain husbands
by worshipping Ganesa ?" Then they answered me ; " Why do you ask
such a question ? Without worshipping him no one obtains any success
in this world ; and in proof of it we will' give you an instance of his power,
listen." Saying this, my friends told me the following tale:
Long ago, when Indra oppressed
Story of the birth of Kdrtikeya. . m , . .
by laraka was desirous or obtaining
a son from S'iva to act as general of the gods, and the god of love had been
consumed,* Gauri by performing austerities sought and gained as a husband
the three-eyed god, who was engaged in a very long and terrible course of
mortification. Then she desired the obtaining of a son, and the return to
life of the god of love, but she did not remember to worship Ganesa in
order to gain her end. So, when his beloved asked that her desire should be
granted, S'iva said to her, " My dear goddess, the god of love was born long
ago from the mind of Brahma, and no sooner was he born than he said in
his insolence, 'Whom shall I make mad? (kan darpayami) .' So Brahma
called him Kandarpa, and said to him, 'Since thou art very confident, my son,
avoid attacking S'iva only, lest thou receive death from him.' Though
the Creator gave him this warning, the ill-disposed god came to trouble my
austerities, therefore he was burnt up by me, and he cannot be created attain
with his body.f But I will create by my power a son from you, for I do
not require the might of love in order to have offspring as mortals do."
While the god, whose ensign is a bull, J was saying this to Parvati, Brahma
accompanied by Indra appeared before him ; and when he had been praised
by them, and entreated to bring about the destruction of the AsuraTuraka,
S'iva consented to beget on the goddess a son of his body. And. at their
entreaty, he consented that the god of love shpuld be born without body in
* i. e. by the fire of S'iva's eye.
t Perhaps we ought to read sadehaisi/a. I find this reading in a MS. 1.
the librarian of the Sanskrit College with lh<; kind prniii.-<.>ii'n <>!' tie
i t. e. S'iva.
156
the minds of animate creatures, to prevent the destruction of created beings,
And he gave permission to love to influence his own mind ; pleased with
that, the Creator went away and Parvati was delighted. But when, after
the lapse of hundreds of years, there appeared no hope of Parvati having
any offspring, the god by the order of Brahma called to mind Agni ;
Agni for his part, the moment they called him to mind, thinking that the
foe of the god of love was irresistible, and afraid to interfere, fled from the
gods and entered the water ; but the frogs being burned by his heat told
the gods, who were searching for him, that he was in the water ; then Agni
by his curse immediately made the speech of the frogs thenceforth inarticulate,
and again disappearing fled to a place of refuge. There the gods found
him. concealed in the trunk of a tree, in the form of a snail, for he was betrayed
by the elephants and parrots, and he appeared to them. And after making
by a curse the tongues of the parrots and the elephants incapable of clear
utterance, he promised to do what the gods requested, having been praised
by them. So he went to S'iva, and after inclining humbly before him,
through fear of being cursed, he informed him of the commission the gods
had given him. S'iva thereupon deposited the embryo in the fire. Then
the goddess distracted with anger and grief, said, " I have not obtained a son
from you after all," and S'iva said to her ; "An obstacle has arisen in this
matter, because you neglected to worship Ganesa, the lord of obst.
therefore adore him now in order that a child may be born to us of the fire."
"When thus addressed by S'iva, the goddess worshipped Ganesa, and the fire
became pregnant with that germ of S'iva. Then, bearing that embryo of
S'iva, the fire shone even in the day as if the sun had entered into it. And
then it discharged into the Ganges the germ difficult to bear, and the
Ganges, by the order of S'iva, placed it in a sacrificial cavity on mount
Meru.* There that germ was watched by the Ganas, Siva's attend
and after a thousand years had developed it, it became a boy with six f
Then, drinking milk with his six mouths from the breasts of the six Kritti-
k;isf appointed by Gauri to nurse him, the boy grew big in a few days. In
the meanwhile, the king of the gods, overcome by the Asura Taruka, lied to
the difficult peaks of mount Meru, abandoning the field of battle. And the
gods together with the llishis went to the six-mouthed Kartikeva fur pro-
tection, and he, defending the gods, remained surrounded by them. When
Indra heard that, he was troubled, considering that his kingdom was taken
from him, and being jealous he went and made war upon K.irtikeya. But
* In this wild 1 milling one in the first book of th<' IMm:iy:mn, I have
omitted some details I'm- reasons which will Lo obvious to those who read it in the ori-
ginal.
f 1. 1. tl. los.
157
from the body of Kartikeya, when struck by the thunderbolt of Indra, there
sprang two sons called S'akha and Yisaklia, botli of incomparable
might. Then Siva, came to his offspring Kartikeya, who exceeded
Indra in might, and forbade him and his two sons to fight, and rebuk-
ed him in the following words : " Thou wast born in order that thou
mightest slay Taraka and protect the realm of Indra, therefore do thy
own duty." Then Indra was delighted and immediately bowed
before him, and commenced the ceremony of consecrating by ablu-
tions Kartikeya as general of his forces. But when he himself lift-
ed the pitcher for that purpose, his arm became stiff, wherefore he
was despondent, but S'iva said to him ; " Thou didst not worship the
elephant-faced god, when thou desiredst a general ; it was for this reason
that thou hast met with this obstacle, therefore adore him now." Indra,
when he heard that, did so, and his arm was set free, and he duly performed
the joyful ceremony of consecrating the general. And not long after, the
general slew the Asura Taraka, and the gods rejoiced at having accom-
plished their object, and Gauri at having obtained a son. So, princess, you
see even the gods are not successful without honouring Ganesa, therefore
adore him when you desire a blessing.
After hearing this from my companions I went, my husband, and
worshipped an image of Ganesa, that stood in a lonely part of the garden,
and after I had finished the worship, I suddenly saw that those companions
of mine had flown up by their own power and were disporting themselves
in the fields of the air ; when I saw that, out of curiosity I called them
and made them come down from the heaven, and when I asked them about
the nature of their magic power, they immediately gave me this answer ;
" These are the magic powers of witches' spells, and they are due to the eating
of human flesh, and our teacher in this is a Brahman woman known by the
name of. Kalaratri." When my companions said this to me, I being desir-
ous of acquiring the power of a woman that can fly in the air, but afraid of
eating human Hush, was for a time in a state of hesitation ; then eager to
possess that power, I said to those friends of mine, " Cause me also to be
instructed in this science." And immediately they went and brought, in
accordance with my request, Kalar.-itri, who was of repulsive appearance.
Her eyebrows met,* she had dull eyes, a depressed flat nose, large ch<
widely parted lips, projecting teeth, a long neck, pendulous breasts, a large
belly, and broad expanded feet. She appeared as if the creator had made
her as a specimen of his skill in producing ugliness. When I fell at her
* Mr. Tylor (in his Primitive Culture, Vol. II, p. 176) speakim* of Sla\
superstitions, says, " A man whose eyebrows meet as if his soul were taking flight to
enter some other body, may be marked by this si^u cither us a were-wolf or a vampire."
158
feet, after bathing and worshipping Ganesa, she made me take off my clothes
and perform, standing in a circle, a horrible ceremony in honour of S'iva in
his terrific form, and after she had sprinkled me with water, she gave me
various spells known to her, and human flesh to eat that had been offered
in sacrifice to the gods ; so, after I had eaten man's flesh and had received
the various spells, I immediately flew up, naked as I was, into the heaven
with my friends, and after I had amused myself, I descended from the
heaven by command of my teacher, and I, the princess, went to my own
apartments. Thus even in my girlhood I became one of the society of
witches, and in our meetings we devoured the bodies of many men.
But listen, king, to a story which
Story of StunJaraJca. j • • ,. "
is a digression from my main tale.
That Kalaratri had for husband a Brahman of the name of Vishnusvamin,
and he, being an instructor in that country, taught many pupils who came
from different lands, as he was skilful in the exposition of the Vedas. And
among his pupils he had one young man of the name of Sundaraka, the
beauty of whose person was set off by his excellent character ; one day the
teacher's wife Kalaratri being love-sick secretly courted him, her husband
having gone away to some place or other. Truly Love makes great sport
with ugly people as his laughing-stocks, in that she, not considering her
own appearance, fell in love with Sundaraka. But he, though tempted,
detested with his whole soul the crime ; however women may misbehave,
the mind of the good is not to be shaken. Then, he having departed,
Kalaratri in a rage tore her own body with bites and scratches, and she
remained weeping,* with dress and locks disordered, until the teacher
Vishnusvamin entered the house. And when he had entered, she said to
him, — " Look, my Lord, to this state has Sundaraka reduced me, endeavour-
ing to gain possession of me by force." As soon as the teacher heard
that, he was inflamed with anger, for confidence in women robs even wise
men of their power of reflection ; and when Sundaraka returned home at
night, lie ran upon him, and he and his pupils kicked him, and struck him
with lists, and sticks ; moreover when he was senseles* with the blows, he
ordered his pupils to. fling him out in the road by night, without regard to
his safety, and they did so. Then Sundaraka was gradually restored to
consciousness by (he cool night breeze, and seeing himself thus outraged he
reflected, " Alas ! the instigation of a woman troubles tin- minds even of those
men whose souls are not under the dominion of passion, as a storm disturbs
the repose of lakes which are not reached by clust.f This is why that
teacher of mine in the excess of his anger, though old and wise, was so in-
* I rcinl • •'
f rajas in Sanskrit mi'iin* ilu.-l and also passion.
159
considerate as to treat me so cruelly. But the fact is, lust and wrath are
appointed in the dispensation of fate, from the very birth even of wiseBnih-
inans, to be the two bolts on the door of their salvation.* For were not the
sages long ago angry with Siva in the devaddru-wooA, being afraid that
their wives would go astray ? And they did not know that he was a god,
as he had assumed the appearance of a Buddhist mendicant, with the inten-
tion of shewing Um;i that even Rishis do not possess self-restraint. But
after they had cursed him, they discovered that he was the ruling god, that
shakes the three worlds, and they fled to him for protection. So it appears
that even hermits injure others, when beguiled by the six faults that are
enemies of man,f lust, wrath, and their crew, much more so Brahmans
learned in the Vedas." Thinking thus, Sundaraka from fear of robbers
during the night, climbed up and took shelter in a neighbouring cow-
house. And while he was crouching unobserved in a corner of that cow-
house, Kalaratri came into it with a drawn sword in her hand, terrible
from the hissing she uttered, with wind and flames issuing from her
mouth and eyes, accompanied by a crowd of witches. Then the terrified
Sundaraka, beholding Kalaratri arriving in such a guise, called to mind
the spells that drive away Hakshasas, and bewildered by these spells
Kalaratri did not see him crouching secretly in a corner, with his limbs
drawn together from fear. Then Kalaratri with her friends recited the
spells that enable witches to fly, and they flew up into the air, cow-house
and all.
And Sundaraka heard the spell and remembered it ;J but Kalaratri
with the cow-house quickly flew through the air to Ujjayinf : there she
made it descend by a spell in a garden of herbs, and went and spor-
ted in the cemetery among the witches : and immediately Sundaraka being
hungry went down into the garden of herbs, and made a meal on some
roots which he dug up, and after he had allayed the pangs of hunger, and
returned as before to the cow-house, Kalaratri came back in the middle of
the night from her meeting. Then she got up into the cow-house, and,
just as before, she flew through the air with her pupils by the power of her
magic, and returned home in the night. And after she had replaced the
cow-house, which she made use of as a vehicle, in its original situation, and
had dismissed those followers of hers, she entered her sleeping apartment.
And Sundaraka, having thus passed through that night, astonished at the
* i. e. immunity from future births.
t t. e. desire, wrath, covetousness, bewilderment, pride and envy.
% See Weckenstedt's Wendische Sagen, p. 289, where a young man over!
with similar iViiults.
160
troubles he had undergone, in the morning left the cow-house and went to
his friends ; there he related what had happened to him, and, though desir-
ous of going to some other country, he was comforted by those friends and
took up bis abode among them, and leaving the dwelling of his teacher, and
taking his meals in the almshouse for Brahmans, he lived there enjoying
himself at will in the society of his friends. One day Kalaratri, having
gone out to buy some necessaries for her house, saw Sundaraka in the mar-
ket. And being once more love-sick, she went up to him and said to him
a second time — " Sundaraka, shew me affection even now. for my life de-
pends on you." When she said this to him, the virtuous Sundaraka said
to her, " Do not speak thus, it is not right ; you are my mother, as
being the wife of my teacher." Then Kalaratri said; "If you know
what is right, then grant me my life, for what righteousness is greater
than the saving of life ?" Then Sundaraka said — " Mother, do not en-
tertain this wish, for what righteousness can there be in approaching
the bed of my preceptor." Thus repulsed by him, and threatening him
in her wrath, she went home, after tearing her upper garment with her
own hand, and shewing the garment to her husband, she said to him,
" Look, Sundaraka ran upon me, and tore this garment of mine in this
fashion ;" so her husband went in his anger and stopped Sundaraka's sup-
ply of food at the almshouse, by saying that he was a felon who deserved
death. Then Sundaraka in disgu.°>t, being desirous of leaving that country,
and knowing the spell for flying up into the air which he had learnt in the
cow-house, but being conscious that he had forgotten, after hearing it, the
spell for descending from the sky, which he had been taught there also,
a^ain went in the night to that deserted cow-house, and while he was there,
Kalaratri came as before, and flying up in the cow-house in the same way
as on the former occasion, travelled through the air to Ujjayini, and having
made the cow-house descend by a spell in the garden of herbs, went again
to the cemetery to perform her nightly ceremonies.
And Sundaraka heard that spell again, but failed again to retain it;
for how can magic practices be thoroughly learnt without explanation by a
teacher? Then he ate some roots there, and put some others in the cow-
house to take away with him, and remained there as before ; then Kalaratri
came, and climbing up into the cow-house, flew through the air by night,
and stopping the vehicle, entered her house. In the morning Sundaraka
also left that house, and taking the roots with him he went to the market
in order to procure money with which to purchase food. And while he
was selling them there, some servants of the king's, who were natives of
Malava, took them away without paying for them, seeing that they
the produce of their own country. Then he began to remonstrate angrily,
so they manacled him, and took him before the king on a charge of throwing
161
stones at them, and his friends followed him. Those villains said to the
king—" This man, when we asked him how he managed continually to
bring roots from Malava and sell them in Ujjayini, would not give us any
answer, on the contrary he threw stones at us."
When the king heard this, he asked him about that marvel,* then his
friends said — " If he is placed on the palace with us, he will explain the
•whole wonder, but not otherwise." The king consented, and Sundaraka
was placed on the palace, whereupon by the help of the spell he suddenly
flew up into the heaven with the palace. _ And travelling on it with his
friends, he gradually reached Prayaga,f and being now weary he saw a cer-
tain king bathing there, and after stopping the palace there, he plunged
from the heaven into the Ganges, and, beheld with wonder by all, he
approached that king. The king inclining before him, said to him, " Who
art thou, and why hastthou descended from heaven ?" Sundaraka answered,
" I am an attendant of the god S'iva, named Murajaka, and by his command
I have come to thee desiring human pleasures." When the king heard this,
he supposed it was true, and gave him a city, rich in corn, filled with jewels,
witli women and all the insignia of rank. Then Sundaraka entered that
city and flew up into the heaven with his followers, and for a long time
roamed about at will, free from poverty. L}ring on a golden bed, and fan-
ned with cliowries by beautiful women, he enjoyed happiness like that of
Indra. Then once on a time a Siddha, that roamed in the air, with whom he
had struck up a friendship, gave him a spell for descending from the air,
and Sundaraka, having become possessed of this spell enabling him to come
down to earth, descended from the sky-path in his own city of Kanya-
kubja. Then the king hearing that he had come down from heaven, pos-
sessed of full prosperity, with a city, went in person to meet him out of
curiosity, and Sundaraka, when recognized and questioned, knowing what to
say on all occasions, informed the king of all his own adventures brought
about by Kalaratri. Then the king sent for Kalaratri and questioned her,
and she fearlessly confessed her improper conduct, and the king was angry
and made up his mind to cut off her ears, but she, when seized, disappeared
before the eyes of all the spectators. Then the king forbade her to live in
his kingdom, and Suudaraka having been honourably treated by him return-
ed to the air.
Having said this to her husband the king Adityaprabha, the queen
Kuvalaydvali went on to say; "King, such magic powers, produced
by the spells of witches, do exist, and this thing happened in my
father's kingdom, and it is famous in the world, and, as 1 told you at first,
I am a pupil of Kalaratri's, but because I am devoted to my husband, I
* I read tan tail.
t Called more usually by Engli \lluhubuJ.
possess greater power even than she did. And to-day you saw me just at
the time when I had performed ceremonies to ensure your welfare, and was
endeavouring to attract by a spell a man to offer as a victim. So do you
enter now into our practice, and set your foot on the head of all kings,
conquering them by magic power. When he heard this proposal, the king
at iirst rejected it, saying, " What propriety is there in a king's connect-
ing himself with the eating of human flesh, the practice of witches ?" But
when the queen was bent on committing suicide, he consented, for how can
men who are attracted by the objects of passion remain in the good path ?
Then she made him enter into the circle previously consecrated, and said to
the king, after he had taken an oath ; " I attempted to draw hither as a vic-
tim. that Brahman named Phalabhuti, who is so intimate with you, but
the drawing him hither is a difficult task, so it is the best way to initiate
some cook in our rites, that he may himself slay him and cook him. And
you must'not feel any compunction about it, because by eating a sacrificial
offering of his flesh, after the ceremonies are complete, the enchantment
will be perfect, for he is a Brahman of the highest caste." When his belov-
ed said this to him, the king, though afraid of the sin, a second time con-
sented. Alas ! terrible is compliance with women ! Then that royal couple
had the cook summoned, whose name was Sahasika, and after encouraging
him, and initiating him, they both said to him, — " Whoever comes to you
to-morrow morning and says — ' The king and queen will eat together to-day,
so get some food ready quickly,' him you must slay, and make for us
secretly a savoury dish of his flesh." When the cook heard this, he consent-
ed, and went to his own house. And the next morning, when Phalabhuti
arrived, the king said to him, " Go and tell the cook Sahasika in the kitchen,
' the king together with the queen will eat to-day a savoury mess, therefore
pr-pare as soon as possible a splendid dish.' " Phalabhuti said, " I will dost)"
and went out. AVhenhc was outside, the prince whose name was Chandra*
prabha, came to him, and said — " Have made for me this very day with this
gold a pair of earrings, like those you had made before for my noble father."
When the prince said this, Phalabhuti, in order to please him, went that
moment, as lie was commissioned, to get the earrings made, and the prince
readily went with the kini;-" which Phalabhuti told him, alone to
the kitchen ; when he got there and told the king's message, the rook
Sahasika, true to his agreement, immediately killed him with a knife, and
made a dish of his flush, which the king and q >. -forming i
ceremonies, ate, not knowing the truth ;* and ai'u>r spending that night in
'nds one of Schiller's ballad
(Henley Paj Vol. I. ]'. 320.)
The stor\ in in Schiller's l>all;id is identical with the story of Ful^rnti-
us which is found mine English < e --ta ii'i'inanovmii, * uumanorum, In-
188
remorse, the next morning the king saw Phalabhuti arrive with the ear-
rings in his hand.
So, being bewildered, he questioned him about the earrings immediate-
ly ; and when Phalabhuti had told him his story, the king tell on the earth,
and cried out ; " Alas my son !" blaming the queen and himself, and when
his ministers questioned him, he told them the whole story, and repeated
what Phalabhuti had said every day — " ' The doer of good will obtain good,
and the doer of evil, evil.' Often the harm that one wishes to do to another,
recoils on one's self, as a ball thrown against a wall rebounding frequently ;
thus we, wicked ones, desiring to slay a Brahman, have brought about our
own son's death, and devoured his flesh." After the king had said this and
informed his ministers, who stood with their faces fixed on the earth, of
the whole transaction, and after he had anointed that very Phalabhuti as
king in his place, he made a distribution of alms and then, having no son,
entered the fire with his wife to purify himself from guilt, though already
consumed by the tire of remorse : and Phalabhuti, having obtained the
royal dignity, ruled the earth ; thus good or evil done by a man is made to
return upon himself.
Having related the above tale in the presence of the king of Vatsa,
Yaugandharavana again said to that king ; " If Brahmadatta therefore were
to plot against you, O great king, who, after conquering him, treated him.
kindly, he ought to be slain." When the chief minister had said this to
him, the king of Vatsa approved of it, and rising up went to perform the
duties of the day, and the day following he set out from Lavanaka to go to
his own city Kausambi, having accomplished his objects in effecting the
conquest of the regions ; in course of time the lord of earth accompanied
by his retinue reached his own city, which seemed to be dancing with de-
light, imitating with banners uplifted the taper arms* of the dancing girl.
So he entered the city, producing, at every step, in the lotus-garden com-
posed of the eyes of the women of the city, the effect of the rising of a
breeze. And the king entered his palace, sung by minstrels, praised by
bards, and worshipped by kings. Then the monarch of Vatsa laid his com-
mands on the kings of every land, who bowed before him, and triumphant-
ly ascended that throne, the heirloom of his race, which he had found long
troduction, page 1. Douce says that the story is found in Scott's Talcs from the Arabic
and Persian, p. 53 and in the Contes devots or Miracles of the Virgin. (Le Grand,
Fahliaux, v. 7-1.) Mr. Collier states upon the authority of M. 1'. :t Schiller
founded his ballad upon an Alsatian tradition which he heard at Manui:
also the 80th of the Sicilianischo Marchen which ends with the.-*: words, '• H'cr gute*
t/uil. irinl I//'/'. s rrh.it Hi- a."
* Literally creeper-like.
164
ago in the deposit of treasure. And the heaven was filled with the com-
bined high and deep echoes of the sound of the drums, which accompanied
the auspicious ceremonies on that occasion, like simultaneous shouts of
applause uttered by the guardians of the world, each in his several quarter,
being delighted with the prime minister of the king of Vatsa. Then the
monarch, who was free from avarice, distributed to the Brahmans all kinds
of wealth acquired by the conquest of the world, and after great festivities,
satisfied the desires of the company of kings and of his own ministers.
Then in that city filled with the noise of drums resembling the thunder of
the clouds, while the king was raining benefits on the fields* according to
each man's desert, the people, expecting great fruit in the form of corn, kept
high festival in every house. Having thus conquered the world, that vic-
torious king devolved on Kumanvat and Yaugaudharayana the burden of
his realm, and lived at ease there with Vasavadatta and Padmiivati. So
he, being praised by excellent bards, seated between those two queens as if
they were the goddesses of Fame and Fortune, enjoyed the rising of the
moon white as his own glory, and continually drank wine as he had swal-
lowed the might of his foes.
* There is a double meaning here; kafietra moans fit recipients as well as field.
The king no doubt distributed corn.
BOOK IV.
CHAPTER XXI.
Victory to the conqueror of obstacles,* who marks with a line like the
pnrting of the hair, the principal mountains! by the mighty fanning of
his ear-flaps, pointing out, as it were, a path of success !
Then Udayana, the king of Vatsa, remaining in Kausambi, enjoyed the
conquered earth which was under one umbrella ; and the happy monarch
devolved the care of his empire upon Yaugandharayana and Kumanvat, and
addicted himself to» pleasure only in the society of Vasantaka. Himself
playing on the lute, in the company of the queen Vasavadatta and Padma-
vati, he was engaged in a perpetual concert. While the notes of his lyre
were married to the soft sweet song of the queens, the rapid movement of
his executing finger alone indicated the difference of the sounds. And
while the roof of the palace was white with moonlight as with his own
glory, he drank wine in plenteous streams as he had swallowed the pride of
his enemiesj ; beautiful women brought him, as he sat retired, in vessels of
gold, wine flaming with rosy glo\v,§ as it were the water of his appoint-
ment as ruler in the empire of love ; he divided between the two queens
the cordial liquor red, delicious, and pellucid, in which danced the reflection
of their faces ; as he did his own heart, impassioned, enraptured and trans-
parent, in which the same image was found ; his eyes were never sated with
resting on the faces of those queens, which had the eyebrows arched, and
blushed with the rosy hue of love, though envy and anger were far from
them ; the scene of his banquet, tilled with many crystal goblets of win.-,
* i. e. the god Gancsa, who has an elephant's head.
t Seven principal mountains arc supposed to exist in eneh Yarsha or division of a
continent.
| There is a reference here to the nintia or ichor which exud- - h"iu ;i
temples when in rut.
§ raija also means passion.
166
gleamed like a lake of white lotuses tinged red with the rising sun. And
occasionally, accompanied by huntsmen, clad in a vest dark given as the
puldsa tree, he ranged, bow and arrows in hand, the forest full of wild b.
which was of the same colour as himself. He slew Avith arrows herds of
wild boars besmeared with mud, as the sun disperses with its dense rays
the masses of darkness ; when lie ran towards them, the antelopes fleeing
in terror, seemed like the sidelong glances of the quarters previously con-
quered* b}r him.
And when he slew the buffaloes, the ground, red with blood, looked
like a bed of red lotuses, come to thank him humbly for delivering it from
the goring of their horns. When the lions too were transfixed by his
javelins falling in their open mouths, and their lives issued from them with
a suppressed roar, he was delighted. In that wood he employed dogs in
the ravines, and nets in the glades; this was the method of his pursuit of
the chase in which he relied only upon his own resources. "While he was
thus engaged in his pleasant enjoyments, one day the hermit Narada came
to him as he was in the hall of audience, diffusing a halo with the radiance
of his body, like the sun, the orb of heaven, descending therefrom out of
love for the Solar dynasty. The king welcomed him, inclining before him
again and again, and the sage stood a moment as if pleased, and said to that
king, " Listen, 0 king, I will tell you a story in few words ; you had an
ancestor once, a king of the name of P;indu; he like you had two noble
wives ; one wife of the mighty prince was named Kunti and the other
!M;idri That Pandu conquered this sea-engirdled earth, and was very
prosperous, and being addicted to the vice of hunting he went one day to
the forest. There he let fly an arrow and slew a hermit of the name of
Arindama, who was sporting with his wife in the form of a deer.f That
hermit abandoned that deer-form, and with his breath struggling in his
throat cursed that Pandu, who in his despair had flung away his b iw ;
' Since I have been slain while sporting at will by thee, inconsiderate one,
thou also shalt die in the embraces of thy wife.' Having been thus cur
MI, through fear of its effect, abandoned the desire of enjoyment, and
accompanied by his wives lived in a tranquil grove of ascetic qnir,
While he was there, one day impelled by that curse, he suddenly approach-
ed his beloved M;idri, and died. So you may r I that the occupa-
tion called hunting is a madness of kings, for other kings have been done
to death by it, even as the various deer they have slain. For how can
* Tli •!)(•< ivod of as womon.
f In ih" XYIII'.h tal teRomanorum Julian is led into trouble by purro-
ing (i doer. The animul turns round and xiy.s to him, "Thou who i>iir.suc.»t me so
!y shalt be the destruction of thy parents."
.
hunting produce benign results, since the genius of hunting is like a female
Kakshasa, roaring horribly, intent on raw flesh, defiled with dust, with
upstanding hair and lances for teeth. Therefore give up that useless
exertion, the sport of hunting ; wild elephants and their slayers are exposed
to the same risk of losing their lives. And you, who are ordained for pros-
perity, are dear to me on account of my friendship with your ancestors, so
hear how you are to have a son who is to be a portion of the god of love.
Long ago, when Kati worshipped S'iva with praises in order to effect the
restoration of Kama's body, S'iva being pleased told her this secret in few
words ; 'This Gauri,* desiring a son, shall descend to earth with a part of
herself, and after propitiating me, shall give birth to an incarnation of
Kama.' Accordingly, king, the goddess has been born in the form of this
Yasavadatta, daughter of Chandamahasena, and she has become your queen.
So she, having propitiated S'iva, shall give birth to a son who shall be a
portion of Kama, and shall become the emperor of all the Vidyadharas."
By this speech the Rishi Narada, whose words command respect, gave back
to the king the earth which he had offered him as a present, and then dis-
appeared. When he had departed, the king of Vatsa in company with
Yasavadatta, in whom had arisen the desire of obtaining a son, spent the
day in thinking about it.
The next day the chief warder called Nityodita, came to the lord of
Vatsa while he was in the hall of assembly, and said to him ; " A certain
distressed Brahman woman, accompanied by two children, is standing at
the door, 0 king, desiring to see your Highness." When the king heard
this, he permitted her to enter, and so that Brahman woman entered, thin,
pale, and begrimed, distressed by the tearing of her clothes and wound-
ing of her self-respect, carrying in her bosom two children looking like
Misery and Poverty. After she had made the proper obeisance, she said to
the king, " I am a Brahman woman of good caste, reduced to such poverty ;
as fate would have it, I gave birth to these two boys at the same time, and
I have no milk for them, 0 king, without food. Therefore I have come in
my misery and helplessness for protection to the king, who is kind to all
who fly to him for protection ; now, my lord the king must determine what
my lot is .to be." When the king hoard that, he was filled with pity, and
sai.l to the warder, " Take this woman and commend her to the queen
Yasavadatta." Then that woman was conducted into the presence of the
queen by that warder, as it were by her own good actions marching in
front of her. The queen, when she heard from that warder that the
Brahman woman who had come had been sent by the king, felt all the
more confidence in her. And when she saw that the woman, though
had two children, she thought, "This is exceedingly unfair dealing on the part
* /. tj. Uiad and 1'urvuti. Kama = the ^uJ of love.
168
of the Creator! Alas! he grudges a son to me who am rich, and shews affec-
tion to one who is poor ! I have not yet one son, but this woman has these
twins." Thus reflecting, the queen, who was herself desiring a bath, gave
orders to her servants to provide the Brahman Woman with a bath and other
restoratives. After she had been provided with a bath, and had had clothes
given her, and had been supplied by them with agreeable food, that Brah-
man woman was refreshed like the heated earth bedewed with rain. And
as soon as she had been refreshed, the queen Vasavadatta, in order to test
her by conversation, artfully said to her, " O Brahman lady, tell us some
tale," when she heard that, she agreed and began to tell this story.
In old time there was a certain
Story of Devadatta. ,. , ,. ,, „ T
petty monarch or tne name of Jaya-
datta and there was born to him a son, named Devadatta. And that wise king
wishing to marry his son who was grown up, thus reflected — " The prosperi-
ty of kings is very unstable, being like a hcteera to be enjoyed by force,
but the prosperity of merchants is like a woman of good family, it is steady
and does not fly to another man. Therefore I will take a wife to my son
from a merchant's family, in order that misfortune may not overtake his
throne, though it is surrounded with many relations." Having formed this
resolve, that king sought for his son the daughter of a merchant in Patali-
putra named Vasudatta. Vasudaita, for his part, eager for such a distin-
guished alliance, gave that daughter of his to the prince, though, he dwelt
in a remote foreign land.
And he loaded his son-in-law with wealth to such an extent that he no
longer felt much respect for his father's magni licence. Then king Java-
datta dwelt happily with that son of his who had obtained the daughter of
that rich merchant. Now one day the merchant Vasudatta came, full of
desire to see his daughter, to the palace of his connexion by marriage, and
took away his daughter to his own home. Shortly after the king .Java-
datta suddenly wont to heaven, and that kingdom was seized by his relations
who rose in rebellion ; through fear of them his son Devadatta was secretly
taken away by his mother during the night to another country. Then
that mother distressed in soul said to the prince — " Our feudal lord is the
emperor who rules the eastern region, repair to him, my son, he will pro-
cure you the kingdom." When his mother said this to him, the prince
answered her ; " Who will respect me it' 1 go there without attemlan
When she heard that, his mother went on to say, " Go to the house of vour
father-in-law, and get money there and so procure followers, and then r.
to the emperor." Jli.'ing urged in (lies- words by his mother, the prince,
though full of shame, slowly plodded on and reached his father- in-]
house in the evening, but he could not bear to enter at such an unseason-
able hour, for he was afraid of shedding tears, being bereaved of his father,
160
and having lost his worldly splendour, besides shame withheld him. So he
remained in the veramldi of an alms house near, and at night he suddenly
beheld a woman descending with a rope from his father-in-law's lions.-, and
immediately he recognized her as his wife, for she was so resplendent with
jewels that she looked like a meteor fallen from the clouds, and he was
much grieved thereat, but she, though she saw him, did not recognise him,
as he was emaciated and begrimed, and asked him who he was ; when he
heard that, he answered, "I am a traveller ;" then the merchant's daughter
entered the alms-house, and the prince followed her secretly to watch
There she advanced towards a certain man, and he towards her, and asking
her why she had come so late, he bestowed several kicks on her.* Then
the passion of the wicked woman was doubled, and she appeased him and
remained with him on the most affectionate terms. When he saw that,
the discreet prince reflected ; "This is not the time for me to shew anger, for
I have other affairs in hand, and how could I employ against these two
contemptible creatures, this wife of mine and the man who has done me this
wrong, this sword which is to be used against my foes ? Or what quarrel
have I with this adulteress, for this is the work of malignant destiny, that
showers calamities upon me, shewing skill in the game of testing my firmness?
It is my marriage with a woman below me in rank that is in fault, not the
woman herself ; how can a female crow leave the male crow to take pleasure
in a cuckoo ?" Thus reflecting, he allowed that wife of his to remain in the
society of her paramour ; for in the minds of heroes possessed with an
ardent desire of victory, of what importance is woman, valueless as ;i
straw ? But at the moment when his wife ardently embraced her paramour,
there fell from her ear an ornament thickly studded with valuable jewels.
And she did not observe this, but at the end of her interview taking leave
of her paramour, returned hurriedly to her house as she came. And that
unlawful lover also departed somewhere or other. Then the prince saw
that jewelled ornament and took it up ; it flashed with many jewel-gleams,
dispelling the gathering darkness of despondency, and seemed like a hand-
lain]) obtained by him to assist him in searching for his lost prosperity.
The prince immediately perceived that it was very valuable, and went off,
having obtained all he required, to Kanyakubja ; there he pledged that orna-
ment for a hundred thousand gold pieces, and alter buying horses and
elephants went into the presence of the emperor. And with the tr.
which he gave him, he marched and slew his enemies in fight, and :
his father's kingdom, and his mother applauded his success. Then lie
redeemed from pawn that ornament, and sent it to his father-in-law to re-
veal that unsuspected secret ; his father-in-law, when he saw that ear-ring of
* Cp. Lane's Ar:il>i;;n Nu:ht>. Vol. I, p. 90; also an incident in Gill and Sunnubar,
(Liebrecht y.ur \\>lkskundr, p. 1-1 -t)
170
his daughter's, which had come to him in such a way, was confounded and
shewed it to her : she looked upon it, lost long ago like her own virtue,
and when she heard that it had been sent by her husband, she was distracted
and called to mind the whole circumstance : " This is the very ornament
which I let fall in the alms-house the night I saw that unknown traveller
standing there ; so that must undoubtedly have been my husband come to
test my virtue, but I did not recognize him, and he picked up this orna-
ment." While the merchant's daughter was going through this train of
reflection, her heart, afflicted by the misfortune of her unchastity having
been discovered, in its agony, broke. Then her father artfully questioned a
maid of hers who knew all her secrets, and found out the truth, and so
ceased to mourn for his daughter ; as for the prince, after he recovered the
kingdom, he obtained as wife the daughter of the emperor won by his vir-
tues, and enjoyed the highest prosperity.
So you see that the hearts of women are hard as adamant in daring
sin, but are soft as a flower when the tremor of fear falls upon them. But
there are some few women born in good families, that, having hearts virtu-
ous* and of transparent purity, become like pearls the ornaments of the
earth. And the fortune of kings is ever bounding away like a doe, but the
wise know how to bind it by the tether of firmness, as you see in my story ;
therefore those who desire good fortune must not abandon their virtue even in
calamity, and of this principle my present circumstances are an illustration,
for I preserved my character, O queen, even in this calamity, and that has
borne me fruit in the shape of the good fortune of beholding you.
Having heard thistale from the mouth of that Brahman woman, the queen
Vasavadatta, feeling respect for her, immediately thought, — " Surely this
Brahman woman must be of good family, for the indirect way in which she
alluded to her own virtue and her boldness in speech prove that she is of
gentle birth, and this is the reason why she shewed such tact in entering the
king's court of justice," — having gone through these reflections, the queen
again said to the Brahman woman : " Whose wife arc YOU, or what is the
history of your life ? Tell me." When she heard that, the Bra iman
woman again began to speak —
Queen, there was a certain
Story of Pinqalikd. _ , . . , ,. , . , .
Brahman in the country or Malava,
named Agnidatta, the home of Fortune and of Learning, who willingly im-
poverished himself to help suppliants, and in course of time there were born
to him two sons like himself ; the eldest was railed S'ankanulatta and the
othrr SYmtikara ; of these two, oh glorious one, SYmtikara suddenly left his
father's house in quest of learning, while he was still a boy. and went. I
know not whither, and the other son his elder brother married me, who am
* Here there is a pun, suvritta meaning also well-rounded.
171
the daughter of Yajnadatta who collected wealth for the sake of sacri-
fice only. In course of time the father of my husband, who was named Agni-
datta, being old, went to the next world and his wife followed him,* and my
husband left me, when I was pregnant, to go to holy places, and through
sorrow for his loss abandoned the body in tin- purified by the godde.-s Sara.s-
vati ; and when that fact was told us by those who accompanied him in his
pilgrimage, I was not permitted to follow him by 1113- relations, as I was
pregnant. Then, while my grief was fresh, brigands suddenly swooped down
on us and plundered my house and all the royal grant ; immediately I fled
with three Brahman women from that place, for fear that I might be out-
raged, taking with me very few garments. And, as the whole kingdom
was ravaged, I went to a distant land accompanied by them, and remained
there a month only supporting myself by menial drudgery. And then
hearing from people that the king of Vatsa was the refuge of the helpless,
I came here with the three Brahman women, with no other travelling pro-
vision than my virtue ; and as soon as I arrived I gave birth at the same
time to two boys. Thus, though I have the friendly assistance of these three
Brahman women, I have suffered bereavement, banishment, poverty, and
now comes this birth of twins ;' Alas ! Providence has opened to me the door
of calamity. Accordingly, reflecting that 1 had no other means of main-
taining these children, I laid aside shame, the ornament of women, and en-
tering into the king's court I made a petition to him. Who is able to
endure the sight of the misery of youthful offspring ? And in conse-
quence of his order, I have come into your august presence, and my
calamities have turned back, as if ordered away from your door. This is
my history: as for my name, it is Pingalika, because from my childhood
my eyes have been reddened by the smoke of the burnt-offerings. And
that brother-in-law of mine S'antikara dwells in a foreign land, but in what
land he is now living, I have not as yet discovered.
When the Brahman woman had told her history in these words, the
queen came to the conclusion that she was a lady of high birth, and after
reflecting, said this to her with an affectionate manner : " There is dwelling
here a foreign Brahman of the name of S'antikara, and he is our domestic
chaplain ; I am certain he will turn out to be your brother-in-law." After
saying this to the eager Brahman lady, the queen allowed that night to
pass, and the next morning sent for S'antikara and asked him about his de-
scent. And when he had told her his descent, she, ascertaining that the two
accounts tallied completely, shewed him that Bralnnun lady, and said to
],;,„ — « Here is your brother's wife." And when they recognised one another,
and he had heard of the death of his relations, he took the Brahman lady
the wife of his brother to his own house. There he mourned exceedingly,
* t. e. burnt hersolt' with his body.
172
as was natural, for the death of his parents and his brother, and comforted
the lady who was accompanied by her two children ; and the queen Vasa-
vadatta settled that the Brahman lady's two young sons should be the
domestic chaplains of her future son, and the queen also gave the eldest
the name of S'antisoma. and the next of Vaisvanara, and she bestowed on
them much wealth. The people of this world are like a blind man, being
led to the place of recompense by their own actions, going before them,*
and their courage is merely an instrument. Then those two children, and
their mother and S'antikara remained united there, having obtained wealth.
Then once upon a time, as days went on, the queen Vasavadatta
beheld from her palace a certain woman of the caste of potters coming with
five sons, bringing plates, and she said to the Brahman lady Pingalika, who
;t her side ; ''Observe, my friend : this woman has five sons, and I have
not even one as yet, to such an extent is such a one the possessor of merit,
while such a one as myself is not."
Then Pingalika said, " Queen, these numerous sons are people who
have committed many sins in a previous existence, and are born to poor
people in order that they may suffer for them, but the son that shall be
born to such a one as you, must have been in*a former life a very virtuous
person. Therefore do not be impatient, you will soon obtain a son such as
you deserve." Though Pingalika said this to her, Vasavadatta, being
eager for the birth of a son, remained with her mind overpowered by
anxiety about it. At that moment the king of Vatsa came and perceiving
what was in her heart said — " Queen, Narada said that you should obtain a
son by propitiating S'iva, therefore we must continually propitiate Siva,
that granter of boons " Upon that, the queen quickly determined upon
performing a vow, and when she had taken a vow, the king and his minis-
and the whole kingdom also took avow to propitiate S'iva; and after
the royal couple had fasted for three nights, that Lord was so pleased that
he himself appeared to them and commanded them in a dream, — " Itise
up ; from you shall spring a son who shall be a portion of the god of love,
and owing to my favour shall be king of all the Vidyadharas." When the
god, whose crest is the moon, had said this and disappeared, that couple
woke up, and immediately felt unfeigned joy at having obtained their boon,
and considered that they had gained their object. And in the morning
the king and queen rose up, and after delighting the subjects with the ;
of the nectarous story of their dream, kept high festival with their relations
and servants, and broke in this manner the fast of their vow. After some
days had -rtain man with matted locks came and gave the queen
•vadatta a fruit in her dream. Then the, king of Vatsa rejoiced with
the queen, who informed him of that clear dream, and lie was congratulated
* rurt,gailt m> in a previous life," and also " going before."
173
by his ministers, and supposing that the god of the moon-crest had given
her a sou under the form of a fruit, he considered the fulfilment of his wish
to be not far off.
CHAPTER XXII.
Then, in a short time, Vasavadattd became pregnant with a child,
glorious inasmuch as it was an incarnation of the god of Love, and it was
a feast to the eyes of the king of Vatsa. She shone with a face, the eyes
of which rolled, and which was of palish hue, as if with the moon come to
visit her out of affection for the god of Love conceived in her. When she
was sitting down, the two images of her form, reflected in the sides of the
jewelled couch, seemed like Rati and Priti come there out of regard for
their husband.* Her ladies-in-waiting attended upon her like the Sciences
that grant desires, come in bodily form to shew their respect for the future
king of the Vidyadharasf conceived in her. At that time she had breasts
with points dark like a folded bud, resembling pitchers intended for the
inaugural sprinkling^ of her unborn son. When she lay down on a com-
fortable couch in the middle of the palace, which gleamed with pavement
composed of translucent, flashing, .lustrous jewels, she appeared as if she
were being propitiated by the waters, that had come there trembling,
through fear of being conquered by her future son, with heaps of jewels on
every side. Her image reflected from the gems in the middle of the
chariot, appeared like the Fortune of the Vidyaharas coming in the heaven
to offer her adoration. And she felt a longing for stories of great magi-
cians provided with incantations' by means of spells, introduced appropriately
in conversation. Vidyadhara ladies, beginning melodious songs, waited
upon her when in her dream she rose high up in the sky, and when she
woke up, she desired to enjoy in reality the amusement of sporting in the
air, which would give the pleasure of looking down upon the earth. And
Yaugandharayana gratified that longing of the queen's by employing spells,
machines, juggling, and such like contrivances. So she roamed through
the air by means of those various contrivances, which furnished a wonderful
spectacle to the upturned eyes of the citizens' wives. But once on a time,
* I read with a MS. in tho Sanskrit College pafisiiefiad for pratisnehdd. The two
wives of the god of Love came out of love to their husband, who was conceived in
vadatta.
t Vidyddhara — moans literally " magical-knowledge-holder."
J The ceremony of coronation.
174
when she was in her palace, there arose in her heart a desire to hear the
glorious tales of the Vidyadharas ; then Yaugandharayana, being entreated
by that queen, told her this tale while all were listening.
There is a great mountain
Story of Jimutavahana. , TT. , „ .
named Himavat, the rather or the
mother of the world,* who is not only the chief of hills, but the spiritual
preceptor of S'lva, and on that great mountain, the home of the Vidyadliaras,
dwelt the lord of the Vidyadliaras, the king Jimutaketu. And in his
house there was a wishing-tree. which had come down to him from his an-
cestors, called by a name which expressed its nature, The Giver of Desires.
And one day the king Jimutaketu approached that wishing-tree in his
garden, which was of divine nature, and supplicated it; "We always obtain
from you all you desire, therefore give me, O god, who am now childless, a
virtuous son." Then the wishing-tree said, — "King, there shall be born to
thee a son who shall remember his past birth, who shall be a hero in
giving, and kind to all creatures." When he heard that, the king was de-
lighted, and bowed before that tree, and then he went and delighted his queen
with the news : accordingly in a short time a son was born to him, and his
father called the son Jimutavahana. Then that Jimutavahana, who was of
great goodness, grew up step by step with the growth of his innate compas-
sion for all creatures. And in course of time, when he was made Crown-
Prince, he being full of compassion for the world said in secret to his father,
who was pleased by his attentions — " I know, 0 father, that in this world all
things perish in an instant, but the pure glory of the great alone endures
till the end of a Kalpa.f If it is acquired by benefiting others, what
other wealth can be, like it, valued by high-minded men more than life.
And as for prosperity, if it be not used to benefit others, it is like lightning
which for a moment pains the eye, and flickering disappears somewhere or
other. So, if this wishing-tree, which we possess, and which grants all
desires, is employed for the benefit of others, we shall have reaped from it
all the fruit it can give. So let me take such steps as that by its riches the
whole multitude of men in need may be rescued from poverty." This peti-
tion JinuUavahana made to his father, and having obtained his permission*
he went and said to that wishing-tree, "O god, thou always givest us
the desired fruit, therefore fulfil to-day this one wish of ours. O my friend,
relieve this whole world from its poverty, success to thee, thou art be-
stowed on the world that desires wealth !" The wishing-tree being address-
ed in this style by that self-denying one, showered niueli gold on the earth,
and all the people rejoired ; what other compassionate incarnation of a Bo-
dhisattva except the glorious .liiuutavaliana would be able to dispose even of
* A>iil>il;<i, i. »/., IMrvati tlir wife of S'iva.
t A period of 432 million years of mortals.
175
a wish ing- tree in favour of the needy ? For this reason every region of
the earth* became devoted to Jimutavahana, and his stainless fame was
spread on high.
Then the relations of Jfmutaketu, seeing that his throne was firmly
established by the glory of his son, were envious, and became hostile to
him. And they thought it would be easy to conquer that place, which
possessed the excellent wishing-tree that was employed for bestowing
gifts, on account of its not being strong : then they assembled and deter-
mined on war, and thereupon the self-denying Jimutavahana said to his
father, — "As this body of ours is like a bubble in the water, for the sake of
what do we desire prosperity, which flickers like a candle exposed to the
wind ? And what wise man desires to attain prosperity by the slaughter of
others ? Accordingly, my father, I ought not to fight with my relations.
But I must leave my kingdom and go to some forest or other ; let these
miserable wretches be, let us not slay the members of our own family."
When Jimutavahana had said this, his father Jimutaketu formed a resolu-
tion and said to him ; " I too must go, my son, for what desire for rule can
I, who am old, have, when you, though young, out of compassion abandon
your realm as if it were so much grass ?" In these words his father express-
ed his acquiescence in the project of Jimutavahana, who then, with his father
and his father's wife, went to the Malaya mountain. There he remained
in a hermitage, the dwelling of the Siddhas, where the brooks were hidden
by the sandal-wood trees, and devoted himself to taking care of his father.
There he struck up a friendship with the self-denying son of Visvavasu, the
chief prince of the Siddhas, whose name was Mitravasu. And once on a
time the all-knowing Jimutavahana beheld in a lonely place Mitravasu's
maiden sister, who had been his beloved in a former birth. And the mu-
tual gaze of those two young people was like the catching in a frail net of
the deer of the mind.f
Then one day Mitravasu came up suddenly to Jimutavahana, who
deserved the respect of the three worlds, with a pleased expression, and
said to him, " I have a younger sister, the maiden called Malaya vati ; I give
her to you, do not refuse to gratify my wish." When Jimutavahana heard
that, he said to him, "0 prince, she was my wife in a former birth, and in
that life you became my friend, and were like a second heart to me. I am
one who remembers the former state of existence, I recollect all that hap-
pened in my previous birth." When he said this, Mitravasu said to him,
" then tell me this story of your former birth, for I feel curiosity about it."
When he heard this from Mitravasu, the benevolent Jimiitavahaua told
him the tale of his former birth as follows :
* More literally the cardinal and intermediate points,
f Reading manomrigi, the deer of the mind.
176
Story of Jtmutavdhana's adventures in Thus it is; formerly I was a
a former birth. sky-roaming Vidyadhara, and once
on a time I was passing over a peak of the Himalaya. And then S'iva, who
was below, sporting with Gauri, being angry at my passing above him, curs-
ed me, saying, " Descend into a mortal womb, and after obtaining a Vidya-
dhari for your wife, and appointing your son in your place, you shall
remember your former birth, and again be born as a Vidyadhara." Having
pronounced when this curse should end, S'iva ceased and disappeared ; and
soon after I was born upon earth in a family of merchants. And I grew
up as the son of a rich merchant in a city named Vallabhi, and my name
was Vasudatta. And in course of time, when I became a young man, I had
a retinue given me by my father, and went by his orders to another land to
traffic. As I -was going along, robbers fell upon me in a forest, and after
taking all my property, led me in chains to a temple of Durga in their
village, terrible with a long waving banner of red silk like the tongue of
Death eager to devour the lives of animals. There they brought me into
the presence of their chief named Pulindaka, who was engaged in wor-
shipping the goddess, in order that I might serve as a victim. He, though
he was a S'avara,* the moment he saw me, felt his heart melt with pity
for me ; an apparently causeless affectionate movement of the heart is a
sign of friendship in a former birth. Then that S'avara king, having saved
me from slaughter, was about to complete the rite by the sacrifice of him-
self, when a heavenly voiee said to him — " Do not act thus, I am pleased
•with thee, crave a boon of me," — thereupon he was delighted, and said — " 0
goddess, thou art pleased ; what other blessing can I need, nevertheles- 1
ask so much — may I have friendship with this merchant's son in another
birth also." The voice said — " So be it," and then ceased, and then tha •
vara gave me much wealth, and sent me back to my own home. And then,
as I had returned from foreign travel and from the jaws of death, in
when he heard the whole occurrence, made a great feast in my honour.
And in course of time I saw there that very same S'avara chief, whom the
king had ordered to be brought before him as a prisoner for plundering a
caravan. I told my father of it immediately, and making a pel it ion to the
king, 1 saved him from capital punishment by the payment of a hundred
thousand gold-pieces. And having in this way repaid the benefit, which he
conferred upon me by saving my life, J brought him to my house, and en-
tertained him honourably for a long time with all loving attention. And
then, after this hospitable entertainment, 1 dismissed hhu, and lie went to
his own village fixing upon me a heart tender with al'hvl ion. Then, while
he thought about a present for me that mi^ht be worthy of my return for
his previous kindness, he came to the conclusion that the pearls and musk
* Member of a savngv tril>< .
177
and treasures of that kind, which were at his disposal, were not valuable
enough. Thereupon he took his bow and went off to the Himalaya to
shoot elephants, in order to obtain a surpassingly splendid necklace* for
me. And while he was roaming about there, he reached a great lake with
a temple upon its shore, being welcomed by its lotuses, which were as devo-
ted to their friendf as he was to me. And suspecting that the wild
elephants would come there to drink water, he remained in concealment
with his bow, in order to kill them. In the meanwhile he saw a young lady
of wonderful beauty come riding upon a lion to worship Siva, whose temple
stood on the shore of the lake ; looking like a second daughter of the king
t>f the snowy mountains, devoted to the service of Siva while in her girl-
hood. And the S'avara, when he saw her, being overpowered with wonder,
reflected — " Who can this be ? If she is a mortal woman, why does she ride
upon a lion ? On the other hand, if she is divine, how can she be seen by
such as me ? So she must certainly be the incarnate development of the
merits of my eyes in a former birth. If I could only marry my friend to
her, then I should have bestowed upon him a new and wonderful recom-
pense. So I had better first approach her to question her." Thus reflect-
ing, my friend the S'avara advanced to meet her. In the meanwhile she
dismounted from the lion, that lay down in the shade, and advancing began
to pick the lotuses of the lake. And seeing the S'avara, who was a
stranger, coming towards her and bowing, out of a hospitable feeling she
gratified him with a welcome. And she said to him — " Who are you, and
why have you come to this inaccessible land?" Thereupon the S'avara
answered her, " I am a prince of the Savaras, who regard the feet of Bhavuni
as my only refuge, and I am come to this wood to get pearls from the heads
of elephants. But when I beheld you just now, O goddess, I called to
mind my own friend that saved my life, the son of a merchant prince, the
auspicious Yasudutta. For he, Ofair one, is, like you, matchless for beauty
and youth, a very fount of nectar to the eyes of this world. Happy is
that maiden in the world, whose braceleted hand is taken in this life by
that treasure-house of friendship, generosity, compassion, and patience. And
if this beautiful form of yours is not linked to such a man, then I cannot
help grieving that K;ima bears the bow in vain." By these words of the
king of the hunters the mind of the maiden was suddenly carried away,
as if by the syllables of the god of Love's bewildering spell. And prompt-
<<1 l>y love, she said to that S'avara, "Where is that friend of yours?
Bring him here and shew him to me." When he heard that, he said — '• I
will do so," and that moment the S'avara took leave of her and sot out ou
his journey in high spirits, considering his object attained. And after he
» /. e. of tho pearls in the heads of the elephants,
t /. e. the sun.
23
178
had reached his village, he took with him pearls and musk, a weight suf-
ficient for hundreds of heavily-laden porters, and came to our house. There
he was honoured by all the inmates, and entering it, he offered to my
father that present, which was worth much gold. And after that day and
that night had been spent in feasting, he related to me in private the story
of his interview with the maiden from the very commencement. And he
said to me, who was all excitement, " Come, let us go there," and so the
S'avara carried me off at night just as he pleased. And in the morning niv
father found that I had gone off somewhere with the S'avara prince, but
feeling perfect confidence in his affection, he remained master of his feel-
ings. But I was conducted in course of time by that S'avara, who travelled
fast, to the Himalaya, and he tended me carefully throughout the journey.
And one evening we reached that lake, and bathed, and we remained
that one night in the wood eating sweet fruits. That mountain wood, in
which the creepers strewed the ground with flowers, and which was charm-
ing with the hum of bees, full of balmy gales, and with beautiful gleaming
herbs for lamps, was like the chamber of Rati to repose in during the
night for us two, who drank the water of the lake. Then, the next day
that maiden came there, and at every step my mind, full of strange long-
ings, flew to meet her, and her arrival was heralded by this my right eye,
throbbing as if through eagerness to behold her.* And that maid with
lovely eyebrows was beheld by me, on the back of a knotty-maned lion, like
a digit of the moon resting in the lap of an autumn cloud ; and I cannot
describe how my heart felt at that time while I gazed on her, being full o£
tumultuous emotions of astonishment, longing, and fear ; then that maiden
dismounted from the lion, and gathered flowers, and after bathing in the
lake, worshipped S'iva who dwelt in the temple on its banks. f And when the
worship was ended, that S'avara, my friend, advanced towards her and an-
nouncing him self, bo wed, and said to her who received him courteously ; "God-
dess, 1 have brought that friend of mine as a suitable bridegroom for you :
if you think proper, I will shew him to you this moment." When she
heard that, she said, " Shew him," and that S'avara came and took me near her
and shewed me to her. She looked at me askance with an eye that shed
love, and being overcome by Cupid's taking possession of her soul, said to
that chieftain of the S'avaras ; " This friend of yours is not a man, surely he
is some god come here to deceive me to-day : how could a mortal have such
a handsome shape ?" When I heard that> I said myself to remove all doubt
from her mind : " Fair one, I am in very truth a mortal, what is the use of
employing fraud against one so honest as yourself, lady? For I am the son
of a merchant named Mahadhanu that dwells in Vallablii, and I was gained
* Throbbing of the riu;lit >-y>- in men portends union with the beloved,
f No doubt by offering the flowers which she hud gathered.
175)
by my father by the blessing of Sfiva. For ho, when performing austerities
to please the god of the moony crest, in order that he might obtain a son,
was thus commanded by the god in a dream being pleased with him; 'llise
up, there shall spring from thee a great-hearted son, and this is a great
secret, what is the use of setting it forth at length?' After hearing this,
he woke up, and in course of time I was born to him as a son, and I am
known by the name of Vasudatta. And long ago, when I went to a foreign
land, I obtained this Sfavara chieftain for a chosen friend, who shewed
himself a true helper in misfortune. This is a brief statement of the truth
about me." When I had said this I ceased ; and that maiden, with her face
cast down from modesty, said — " It is so ; to-day, I know, Sava being propi-
tiated deigned to tell me in a dream, after I had worshipped him, — ' To-mor-
row morning thou shalt obtain a husband :' — so you are my husband, and
this friend of yours is ray brother." When she had delighted me by this
nectar-like speech, she ceased ; and after I had deliberated with her, I
determined to go to my own house with my friend, in order that the mar-
riage might be solemnized in due form. Then that fair one summoned by
a sign of her own that lion, on which she rode, and said to me, " Mount it,
my husband," then I, by the advice of my friend, mounted the lion, and
taking that beloved one in my arms, I set out thence for my home, having
obtained all my objects, riding on the lion with my beloved, guided by
that friend. And living on the flesh of the deer that he killed with his
arrows, we all reached in course of time the city of Vallabhi. Then the
people, seeing me coining along with my beloved, riding on a lion, being
astonished, ran and told that fact quickly to my father. He too came to
meet me in his joy, and when lie saw me dismount from the lion and fall at
his feet, he welcomed me with astonishment.
And when he saw that incomparable beauty adore his feet, and per-
ceived that she was a fit wife for me, he could not contain himself for joy.
So he entered the house, and after asking us about the eircumstanees, ha
made a great feast, praising the friendship of the S'avara chieftain. And
the next day, by the appointment of the astrologers, I married that excellent
maiden, and all my friends and relations assembled to witness our wedding.
And that lion, on which my wife had ridden, having witnessed the marriage,
suddenly before the eyes of all, assumed the form of a man. Then all the by-
standers were bewildered thinking — " What can this mean ?" But he, assum-
ing heavenly garments ami ornaments, thus addressed me: " I am a Yidva-
dhara named Chitrangada, and this maiden is my daughter Manovati by name,
dearer to me than life. I used to wander continually through the forest with
her in my arms, and one day I reached the Ganges, on the banks of which arc
many ascetic groves. And as 1 was going along in the middle of the river, lor
fear of disturbing the ascetics, my garland by accident fell into its wai
180
Then the hermit Narada, who was under the water, suddenly rose up, and
angry because the garland had fallen upon his back, cursed me in the
following words : ' On account of this insolence, depart, wicked one, thou
shalt become a lion, and repairing to the Himalaya, shalt carry this daughter
upon thy back. And when thy daughter shall be taken in marriage by a
mortal, then after witnessing the ceremony, thou shalt be freed from this
curse.' After being cursed in these words by the hermit, I became a lion,
and dwelt on the Himalaya carrying about this daughter of mine, who is
devoted to the worship of S'iva. And you know well the sequel of the
story, how by the exertions of the S'avara chieftain this highly auspicious
event has been brought about. So I shall now depart ; good luck to you
all ! I have now reached the termination of that curse." Having said this,
that Vidyadhara immediately flew up into the sky. Then my father,
overwhelmed with astonishment at the marvel, delighted at the eligible
connection, and finding that his friends and relations were overjoyed, made
a great feast. And there was not a single person who did not say witli
astonishment, reflecting again and again on that noble behaviour of the
S'avara chieftain — " Who can imagine the actions of sincere friends, who
are not even satisfied when they have bestowed on their sworn brothers the
gift of life ?" The king of the land too, hearing of that occurrence, was
exceedingly pleased with the affection which the S'avara prince had shown
me, -ind finding he was pleased, my father gave him a present of jewels, and
so induced him immediately to bestow on the S'avara a vast forest territory.
Then I remained there in happiness, considering myself to have attained
all that heart could wish, in having Manovati for a wife, and the S'avara
prince for a friend. And that S'avara chieftain generally lived in my house
finding that he took less pleasure in dwelling in his own country than he
formerly did. And the time of us two friends, of him and me, was spent
in continually conferring benefits upon one another without our ever being
satisfied. And not long after I had a son born to me by Manovati, who
seemed like the heart-joy of the whole family in external visible form ;
and being called Hiranyadatta he gradually grew up, and after having
instructed, he was married. Then my father having witnessed that,
considering that the object of his life had been accomplished, being
old, went to the Ganges with his wife to leave the body. Then I was
aiHicted by my father's death, but having been at last persuaded by my
relations to control my feelings, I consented to uphold the burden of the
family. And at that time on the one hand the sight of the beautiful face
of Manovati, and on the other the society of the S'avara prince delighted
me. Accordingly those days of mine passed, joyous from the goodness of
son, charming from the excellence of my wife, happy from the society
of my friend.
LSI
Then, in course of time, I became well-stricken in years, and old age
seized me by the chin, as it were out of love giving me this wholesome re-
proach— " Why are you remaining in the house so long as this, my son ?"
Then disgust with the world was suddenly produced in my breast, and long-
ing for the forest I appointed my son in my stead. And with my wife I
went to the mountain of Kalinjara, together with the king of the S'avaras,
who abandoned his kingdom out of love to me. And when I arrived there,
I at once remembered that I had been a Vidyadhara in a former state of
existence, and that the curse I had received from S'iva had come to an end.
And I immediately told my wife Manovati of that, and my friend the
king of the S'avaras, as I was desirous of leaving this mortal body. I
said — " May I have this wife and this friend in a future birth, and may
I remember this birth," and then I meditated on S'iva in my heart, and
flung myself from that hill side, and so suddenly quitted the body together
with that wife and friend. And so I have been now born, as you see, in
this Vidyadhara family, under the name of Jimutavahana, with a power
of recollecting my former existence. And you, that prince of the
S'avaras, have been also born again by the favour of S'iva, as Mitravasu
the son of Visvavasu the king of the Siddhas. And, my friend, that
A'idyadhara lady, my wife Manovati, has been again born as your sister
Malayavati by name. So your sister is my former wife, and you were my
friend in a former state of existence, therefore it is quite proper that I
should marry her. But first go and tell this to my parents, for if the
matter is referred to them, your desire will be successfully accomplished.
When Mitnivasu heard this from Jimutavahana, he was pleased, and he
went and told all that to the parents of Jimutavahana. And when they
received his proposal gladly, he was pleased, and went and told that same
matter to his own parents. And they were delighted at the accomplish-
ment of their desire, and so the prince quickly prepared for the marriage
of his sister. Then Jimutavahana, honoured by the king^ of the Siddhas,
received according to usage the hand of Malayavati. And there was a
great festival, iu which the heavenly minstrels bustled about, the dense
crowd of the Siddhas assembled, and which was enlivened by bounding
Yiuyadharas. Then Jinu'itavahana was married, and remained on that
Malaya mountain 'with his wife in very great prosperity. And once on a
time he went with his brother-in-law Mitnivasu to behold the woods on
the shore of the sea. And there he saw a young man come in an ag'r
state, sending away his mother, who kept exclaiming •' Alas ! my -
And another man, who seemed to be a soldier, following him, conducted
him to a broad and hi^h slab of rock and left him there. Jimuta-
vahana said to him : " Who are you ? What are you about to do, and
182
why does your mother weep for you ?" Then the man told him his
story.
" Long ago Kadru and Vinata, the two wives of Kas'yapa,.had a dispute
in the course of a conversation which they were carrying on. The former
said that the Sun's horses were black, the latter that they were white, and
they made an agreement that the one that was wrong should become a
slave to the other.* Then Kadru, bent on winning, actually induced her
sons, the snakes, to defile the horses of the Sun by spitting venom over
them ; and shewing them to Vinata in that condition, she conquered her
by a trick and made her her slave : terrible is the spite of women against
each other ! When Garuda the son of Vinata heard of that, he came and
tried to induce Kadru by fair means to release Vinata from her slavery ;
then the snakes, the sons of Kadru, reflecting, said this to him ; " O Garuda,
the gods have began to churn the sea of milk, bring the nectar thence and
give it to us as a substitute, and then take your mother away with you,
for you are the chief of heroes.' When Garuda heard that, he went to the
sea of milk, and displayed his great might in order to obtain the nectar.
Then the god Vishnu pleased with his might deigned to say to him, ' I
am pleased with thee, choose some boon.' Then Garuda, angry because his
mother was made a slave, asked as a boon from Vishnu — ' May the snakes
become my food.' Vishnu consented, and when Garuda had obtained the
nectar by his own valour, he was thus addressed by Indrawhohad heard the
whole story : ' King of birds, you must take steps to prevent the foolish
snakes from consuming the nectar, and to enable me to take it away from
them again.' When Garuda heard that, he agreed to do it, and elated by
the boon of Vishnu, he went to the snakes with the vessel containing the
nectar.
And he said from a distance to those foolish snakes, who were terrified
on account of the boon granted to him, " Here is the nectar brought by me,
release my mother and take it ; if you are afraid, I will put it for you on a bed
of Darbha grass. When I have procured my mother's release, I will go ;
take the nectar thence." The snakes consented, and then he put the vessel of
nectar on a pure bed of Kusa grass,f and they let his mother go. So
Garuda depart I'd, having thus released his mother from slavery; but while
the snakes were unsuspectingly taking the nectar, Inilra suddenly swooped
down, and bewildering them by his power, carried off the vessel of nectar
from the bed of Kusa grass. Then the snakes in despair lieked that bed of
Darbha grass, thinking there might be a drop of spilt nectar on it ; the
effect was that their tongues were split, and they became double-tongued
* Like tlie t.wo physicians in (irstu Komanorum, LXXY1.
f A peculiarly sum.'d kind ul'Durblm grass.
LSI
fur nothing. What Imt ridicule can ever be the portion of the over-greedy ?
Tlien the snakes did not obtain the nectar of immortality, and their enemy
C inula, on the strength of Vishnu's boon, began to swoop down and" devour
them. And this he did again and again. And while he was thus attacking
them, the snakes* in Patala were dead with fear, the females miscarried, and
the whole serpent race was well-nigh destroyed. And Vasuki the king of
the snakes, seeing him there every day, considered that the serpent world
was ruined at one blow : then, after reflecting, he preferred a petition to
that Garucla of irresistible might, and made this agreement with him — " I
will send you every day one snake to eat, O king of birds, on the hill that
rises out of the sand of the sea. But you must not act so foolishly as to
enter Patala, for by the destruction of the serpent world your own object
will be baffled." When Vasuki said this to him, Garucla consented, and
began to eat every day in this place one snake sent by him : and in this way
innumerable serpents have met their death here. But I am a snake called
S'ankachuda,t and it is my turn to-day : for that reason I have to-day, by
the command of the king of the snakes, in order to furnish a meal to Garucla,
come to this rock of execution, and to be lamented by my mother."
When Jimutavahana heard this speech of S'ankachuda's, he was griev-
ed, and felt sorrow in his heart and said to him, " Alas ! Vasuki exercises
his kingly power in a very cowardly fashion, in that with his own hand he
conducts his subjects to serve as food for his enemy. Why did he not
first offer himself to Garucla ? To think of this effeminate creature choos-
ing to witness the destruction of his race ! And how great a sin does Garu-
da, though the son of Kasyapa, commit ! How great folly do even great ones
commit for the sake of the body only ! So I will to-day deliver you alone
from Garucla by surrendering my body. Do not be despondent, my friend."
When S'ankachuda heard this, he out of his firm patience said to him, — " This
be far from thee, 0 great-hearted one, do not say so again. The destruc-
tion of a jewel for the sake of a piece of glass is never becoming. And I
will never incur the reproach of having disgraced my race." In these words
the good snake S'ankachuda tried to dissuade Jimutavahana, and thinking
that the time of Garuda's arrival would come in a moment, he went to
worship in his last hour an image of S'iva under the name of Gokarna, that
* Rdjila is a striped snake, said to be the same as the dundubha a nou-venomous
species.
f Thc,rcmarks which Ralston makes (Russian Folk-tales, page 65) with regard to
the snake as represented in Russian stories, are applicable to the Naga of Hindu super-
stition; "Sometimes ho retains throughout tho story an exclusively reptilian < .•;.
ter, sometimes he is of a mixed nature, paitly serpent and partly man." The v
described in Weckenstedt's Wendischo Sagen, (pp. 402 — 409,) resemble in some points
the snakes which we hear so much of in the present work.
184
stood on the shore of the sea. And when lie was gone, Jimutavahana, that
treasure-house of compassion, considered that he had. gained an opportunity
of offering himself up to save the snake's life. Thereupon he quickly dis-
missed Mitravasu to his own house on the pretext of some business, artfully
pretending that he himself had forgotten it. And immediately the earth
near him trembled, being shaken by the wind of the wings of the approach-
ing Garuda, as if through astonishment at his valour. That made Jimuta-
vahana think that the enemy of the snakes was approaching, and full of
compassion for others he ascended the stone of execution. And in a
moment Garuda swooped down, darkening the heaven with his shadow, and
carried off that great-hearted one, striking him with his beak. He shed
drops of blood, and his crest-jewel dropped off torn out by Garuda, who
took him away and began to eat him on the peak of the mountain. At
that moment a rain of flowers fell from heaven, and Garuda was astonished
when he saw it, wondering what it could mean.
In the meanwhile S'ankachiula came there, having worshipped Gokarna,
and saw the rock of execution sprinkled with many drops of blood ; then
he thought — " Alas ! surely that great-hearted one has offered himself for
me, so 1 wonder where Garuda has taken him in this short time. I must
search for him quickly, perhaps I may find him." Accordingly the good
snake went following up the track of the blood. And in the meanwhile
Garuda, seeing that Jimutavahana was pleased, left off eating and thought
with wonder : " This must be some one else, other than I ought to have taken,
for though I am eating him, he is not at all miserable, on the contrary the
resolute one rejoices." While Garuda was thinking this, Jimutavahana,
though in such a state, said to him in order to attain his object : " O king
of birds, in my body also there is flesh and blood ; then why have you
suddenly stopped eating, though your hunger is not appeased?" When he
heard that, that king of birds, being overpowered with astonishment, said
to him — "Noble one, you are not a snake, tell me who you are." Jimuta-
vahana was ju-^t answering him, " I am a snake,* so eat me, complete what
you have begun, for men of resolution never leave unfinished an under-
taking they have begun," when S'ankachiida arrived and cried out from a-
far, " Stop, stop, Garuda, he is not a snake, I a'n the snake meant for you,
so let him go, alas ! how have you suddenly come to make this mista
On hearing that, the king of birds was excessively bewildered, and .Jimuta-
vahana \\ I at not having accomplished his desire. Then Garuda,
learning, in the course of their conversation! with one another, that he had
* The word itdga, wliirh meanfl Miuki-. may uLso me:ui, as Dr. Brockhaus explains it,
a mountain' •/« <'i mountain.
f I oonjirtmv /•>•"//,'«/</ for l,-nu>i!nl. 1 •<. krandat we musl suppose that
the king oi the YuKadharu* \vept lit < 'I'-su-ritiiv \\.is frustrated.
begun to devour by mistake the king of the Vidyadharas, was much
grieved. He began to reflect, "Alas ! in my cruelty I have incurred sin.
In truth those who follow evil courses easily contract guilt. But this great-
hearted one who has given his life for another, and despising* the world,
which is altogether under the dominion of illusion, come to face me, de-
serves praise." Thinking thus, he was about to enter the fire to purify
himself from guilt, when Jimutavahana said to him : " King of birds, why
do you despond ? If you are really afraid of guilt, then you must deter-
mine never a-'uiii to eat these snakes : and you must repent of eating all
those previously devoured, for this is the only remedy available in this case,
it was idle for you ever to think of any other." Thus Jimutavahana, full of
compassion for creatures, said to Garuda, and he was pleased and accepted the
advice of that king, as if he had been his spiritual preceptor, determining to
do what he recommended ; and he went to bring nectar from heaven to restore
to life rapidly that wounded prince, and the other snakes, whose bones only
remained. Then the goddess Gauri, pleased with Jimutavahana's wife's
devotion to her, came in person and rained nectar on him : by that his
limbs were reproduced with increased beauty, and the sound of the drums
of the rejoicing gods was heard at the same time. Then, on his rising up
safe and sound, Garuda brought the nectar of immortality! from heaven,
and sprinkled it along the whole shore of the sea. That made all the
snakes there rise up alive, and then that forest along the shore of the sea,
crowded with the numerous tribe of snakes, appeared like PatalaJ come
to behold Jimutavahana, having lost its previous dread of Garuda. Then
Jimutavdhana's relations congratulated him, having seen that he was glori-
ous with unwounded body and undying fame. And his wife rejoiced with
her relations, and his parents also. Who would not joy at pain ending in
happiness ? And with his permission S'ankachuda departed to Ilasutala.§
and without it his glory, of its own accord, spread through the three worlds.
Then, by virtue of the favour of the daughter of the Himalaya all his
relations, Matanga and others, who were long hostile to him, came to
Garuda, before whom the troops of gods were inclining out of love, an I
timidly approaching the glory of the Vidyadhara race, prostrated themsehv-
* I read ndlmk for nilah.
t In 1h<! Sicilian stories of the Riirnorn. von Gonzonhnrh an ointment dors duty
for the (imrita, cp. for one instance out of many, pap;e 145 of that work. K :ilst<>n re-
marks that in Euro])' ;]•< ra\vn is connected with the \Vafcrof Life. See
his exhaustive account of this cycle (,f M<.nes on pauvs 231 and i>:!2 nf his Kalian Kolk-
lales. See also Veekenstedt's Womlisehr Sa-< n. p. -'I,"., and lh. rttffj \vlii.-h
011 jriov 227.
J The home <•! ihc .-<
§ Here equivalent to l':i!
24
186
at his feet. And being entreated by them, the benevolent Jimutavahana went
from that Malaya mountain to his own home, the slope of the Himalaya.
There, accompanied by his parents and Mitravasu and Malayavati, the
resolute one long enjoyed the honour of emperor of the Vidyiidharas.
Thus a course of fortunate events always of its own accord follows the
footsteps of all those, whose exploits arouse the admiration of the three
worlds. When the queen Vasavadatta heard this story from the mouth of
Yaugandhaniyana, she rejoiced, as she was eager to hear of the splendour
of her unborn son. Then, in the society of her husband, she spent that
day in conversation about her son, who was to be the future king of the
Vidy&dharas, which was suggested by that story, for she placed unfailing
reliance upon the promise of the favouring gods.
CHAPTER XXIII.
Then Yasavadatta on the next day said to the king of Vatsa in private,
while he was surrounded by his ministers ; — " My husband, ever since I
have been pregnant with this child, the difficult duty of taking care of it
afflicts my heart ; and last night, after thinking over it long, I fell asleep
with difficulty, and I am persuaded I saw a certain man come in my dream,
glorious with a shape distinguished by matted auburn locks and a trident-
bearing hand ; and he approaching me, said as if moved by compassion, —
'My daughter, you need not feel at all anxious about the child with which
you are pregnant, I will protect it, for I gave it to you. And hear some-
thing more, which I will tell you to make you confide in me ; a certain
woman waits to make a petition to you to-morrow, she will come dragging
her husband with her as a prisoner, reviling him, accompanied by five sons,
begirt with many relations : and she is a wicked woman who desires by
the help of her relations to get that husband of hers put to death, and all
that she will say will be false. And you, my daughter, must beforehand
inform the king of Vatsa about this matter, in order that that good man
may be freed from that wicked wife.' This command that august one
gave and vanished, and ] immediately woke up, and lo ! the morning had
come." When the queen had said that, all spoke of the favour of Siva,
and were astonished, their minds eagerly expecting the fulfilment of the
dream ; when lo ! at that very moment the chief warder entered, and
suddenly said to the king of Vatsa, who was compassionate to the alHu-ted,
"O king, a certain woman has come to make a representation, accompanied
by her relations, bringing with her live sons, reviling her helpless husband."
When the king heard that, being astonished at the way it tallied with the
queen's dream, he commanded the warder to bring her into his presence.
And the queen Vasavadatta felt the greatest delight, having become certain
that she would obtain a good son, on account of the truth of the dream.
Then that woman entered by the command of the warder, accompanied by
her husband, looked at with curiosity by all, who had their faces turned
towards the door. Then, having entered, she assumed an expression of
misery, and making a bow according to rule, she addressed the king in
council accompanied by the queen : " This man, though he is my husband,
does not give to me, helpless woman that I am, food, raiment, and
other necessaries, and yet I am free from blame with respect to him."
When she had said this, her husband pleaded — " King, this woman
speaks falsely, supported by her relations, for she wishes me to be put to
death. For I have given her supplies beforehand to last till the end of
the year, and other relations of hers, who are impartial, are prepared to
witness the truth of this for me." When he had said this to the king, the
king of his own accord answered : " The trident-bearing god himself has
given evidence in this case, appearing to the queen in a dream. What need
have we of more witnesses ? This woman with her relations must be punish-
ed." When the king had delivered this judgment, the discreet Yaugandha-
ravana said, "Nevertheless, king, we must do what is right in accordance with
the evidence of witnesses, otherwise the people, not knowing of the dream,
would in no wise believe in the justice of our proceedings." When
the king heard that, he consented and had the witnesses summoned
that moment, and they, being asked, deposed that that woman was speaking
falsely. Then the king banished her, as she was plotting against one well
known to be a good husband, from his territory, with her relations and her
sons. And with heart melting from pity he discharged her good husband,
after giving him much treasure sufficient for another marriage. And in
connexion with the whole affair the king remarked, — " An evil wife, of
wildly* cruel nature, tears her still living husband like a she-wolf, when he
has fallen into the pit of calamity; but an affectionate, noble, and magnani-
mous wife averts sorrow as the shadef of the wayside-tree averts heat, and is
acquired by a man's special merits." Then Vasantaka, who was a clever
story-teller, being at the king's side, said to him apropos of this : "More-
over, king, hatred and affection are commonly produced in living beings in
this world owing to their continually recalling the impressions of a past
state of existence, and in proof of this, hear the story which I am about to
tell."
* Here there is a pun : dkitlu may also mean " by descent.
t Kulind may mean falling on the earth, iv I'm ing to the shade of the tree. Mdr-
gasihd means " in the right path" when applied to the wife.
183
There was a king in Benares
Story of Sinhaparakrama. , , r-, 111
named Vikramaehanda, and he had
favourite follower named Sinhaparakrama ; who was wonderfully suc<
ful in all battles and in all gambling contests. And he had a wife very
deformed both in body and mind, called by a name, which expressed her
nature, Kalahakari.* This brave man continually obtained much money
both from the king and from gambling, and, as soon as he got it, he gave it
all to his wife. But the shrewish woman, backed by her three sons b«
ten by him, could not in spite of this remain one moment without a quar-
rel. She continually worried him by yelling out these words at him with
her sons — " You are always eating and drinking away from home, and you
i;ivo us anything." And though he was for ever trying to propitiate
her with meat, drink, and raiment, she tortured him day and night like an
interminable thirst. Then, at last, Sinhaparakrama vexed with indignation
on that account, left his house, and went on a pilgrimage to the go<
Durga that dwells in the Vindhya hills. While he was fasting, the goddess
said to him in a dream : " Eise up, my son, go to thy own city of Bena-
res ; there is an enormous nyagrodha tree, by digging round its root
thou wilt at once obtain a treasure. And in the treasure thou wilt find a
dish of emerald, bright as a sword-blade, looking like a piece of the sky
fallen down to earth ; casting thy eyes on that, thou wilt see, as it were,
led inside, the previous existence of every individual, in whatever case
thou mayest wish to know it. By means of that thou wilt learn the pre-
vious birth of thy wife and of thyself, and having learned the truth wilt
dwell there in happiness free fromgrief." Having thus been addressed by the
goddess, Sinhaparakrama woke up and broke his fast, and went in the
morning to Benares ; and after he had reached the city, he found at the
root of the nya</rodha tree a treasure, and in it he discovered a large
dd dish, and, eager to learn the truth, he saw in that dish that in a
previous birth his wife had been a terrible she-bear, and himself a lion.
And so recognising that the hatred between himself and his wife was
irremediable owing to the influence of bitter enmity in a previous birth, he
abandoned grief and bewilderment. Then Sihhaparakrama examined many
maidens by means of the dish, and discovering that they had belonged to
alien racea i" a previous birth, he avoided them, but after he had discovered
one, who had been a lioness in a previous birth and so was a suitable match
for him, he married her as his second wife, and her name was Sinhasri. And
alter assigning to that Kalalsakari one village only as her portion, he lived,
delighted with the acquisition of treasure, in the society of his new
Thus, O king, wives and others are friendly or hostile to men in this world
by virtue of impressions in a previous state of existence.
* 1. - . M;i>iiiiu Contentious. Her husband's name means " of lion-like might."
189
When the kiiiLr <>F Yatsa had heard this wonderful story from V,
taka, he was exceedingly delighted ;ind so was the queen Y ;!>;;•> And
the king was never weary day or night of contemplating the moon-like face
of the pregnant queen. And as days went on, there were born to all oi
ministers in due course sons with auspicious marks, who heralded approaching
good fortune. First there was horn to Yaugandhar;iyana, the chief minis-
ter, a son Marubhiiti by name. Then Human vat had a son called Hari-
sikha, and to Yasantaka there was born a son named Tapan taka. And to the
head-warder called Xityodita, whose other title was Ityaka,* there was born
a son named Gomukha. And after they were born a great feast took place,
and during it a bodiless voice was heard from heaven — " These ministers
shall crush the race of the enemies of the son of the king of Yatsa here,
the future universal emperor. And as days went by, the time drew near
for the birth of the child, with which the queen Vasavadatta was destined
to present the king of Vatsa, and she repaired to the ornamented lying-in-
chamber, which was prepared by matrons having sons, and the windows of
which were covered with iirka and sami plants. The room was hung with
various weapons, rendered auspicious by being mixed with the gleam of
jewel-lamps, shedding a blazef able to protect the child ; and secured by
conjurers who went through innumerable charms and spells and other in-
cantations, so that it became a fortress of the matrons hard for calamity
to storm, and there she brought forth in good time a prince of lovely as-
pect, as the heaven brings forth the moon from which stream pure necta-
rous rays. The child, when born, not only irradiated that room, but the
heart also of that mother from Avhich the darkness of grief had departed ;
then, as the delight of the inmates of the harem was gradually extended,
the king heard of the birth of a son from the people who were admitted to
it ; the reason he did not give his kingdom in his delight to the person,
who announced it, was, that he was afraid of committing an impropriety,
not that he was avaricious. And so the king, suddenly coming to the
harem with longing mind, beheld his son, and his hope bore fruit after a
long delay. The child had a long red lower lip like a leaf, beautiful How-
ing hair like wool, and his whole face was like the lotus, which the goddess
of the Fortune of empire carries for her delight. He was marked on his
soft feet with umbrellas and cJiotories, as if the Fortunes of other kings
had beforehand abandoned their badges in his favour, out of fear. Then,
while the king shed with tearful eye, that swelled with the pressure of the
fulness of the weight of his joy, drops that seemed to be drops of paternal
* I read (jil'tcr IJiihtlinpk ami Until) lli/akd^mra. feW Chapter 34. a' 1. 115.
f 2V<a=also means might, courage.
190
affection,* and the ministers with Yaugandbarayana at their head rejoiced,
a voice was heard from heaven at that time to the following effect :
" King, this son that is. horn to thee is an incarnation of Kama,f and
know that his name is Naravahanadatta ; and he will soon become emperor
of the kings of the Vidyadharas, and maintain that position unwearied for
a kalpa of the gods."J When so much had heen said, the voice stopped,
and immediately a rain of flowers fell from heaven, and the sounds of the
celestial drums went forth. Then the king, excessively delighted, made a
great feast, which was rendered all the more solemn from the gods having
begun it. The sound of cymbals floated in the air rising from temples,
as if to tell all the Vidyadharas of the birth of their king : and red banners,
flying in the wind on the tops of the palaces, seemed with their splendour
to fling red dye to one another. On earth beautiful women assembled
and danced everywhere, as if they were the nymphs of heaven glad that the
god of love had been born with a body.§ And the whole city appeared
equally splendid with new dresses and ornaments bestowed by the rejoicing
king. For while that rich king rained riches upon his dependants, nothing
but the treasury was empty. And the ladies belonging to the families of
the neighbouring chieftains came in from all sides, with auspicious prayers,
versed in the good custom, || accompanied by dancing girls, bringing with
them splendid presents, escorted by various excellent guards, attended with
the sound of musical instruments, like all the cardinal points in bodily
form. Every movement there was of the nature of a dance, every word
uttered was attended with full vessels,^ every action was of the nature of
munificence, the city resounded with musical instruments, the people were
adorned with red powder, and the earth was covered with bards, — all these
things were so in that city which was all full of festivity. Thus the great
feast was carried on with increasing magnificence for many days, and did not
come to an end before the wishes of the citizens were fully satisfied. And
as days went on, that infant prince grew like the new moon, and his father
bestowed on him with appropriate formalities the name of Naravahanadatta,
* Sneha which moans love, also means oil. This is a fruitful source of puns in
Sanskrit.
t The Hindu Cupid.
J Infinitely longer than a mortal kalpa. A mortal kalpa lasts 432 million
years.
§ He is often called Ananga, the bodiless, as his body was consumed by the firo
of S'iva's eye.
|| Or virtuous and generous.
U It is still the custom to give presents of vessels filled with rice and coins. Emp-
ty vessels arc inauspicious, and even now if a Bengali on going out of his housa
meets a person carrying nn empty pitcher, he turns back, aud waits a minute or two.
191
which had been previously assigned him by the heavenly voice. His father
\v;is delighted when he saw him make his first two or three tottering steps,
in which gleamed the sheen of his smooth fair toe-nails, and when he heard
him utter his first two or three indistinct words, shewing his teeth which
looked like buds. Then the excellent ministers brought to the infant
prince their infant sons, who delighted the heart of the king, and com-
mended them to him. First Yaugandharayana brought Marubhuti, and
then Human vat Harisikha, and then the head-warder named Ityaka brought
Gomukha, and Vasantaka his son named Tapantaka. And the domestic
chaplain S'antikara presented the two twin sons of Pingalika, his nephews
S'antisoma and Vaisvanara. And at that moment there fell from heaven
a rain of flowers from the gods, which a shout of joy made all the more
auspicious, and the king rejoiced with the queens, having bestowed presents
on that company of ministers' sons. And that prince Naravahanadatta
was always surrounded by those six ministers' sons devoted to him alone
who commanded respect even in their boyhood,* as if with the six poli-
tical measures that are the cause of great prosperity. The days of the
lord of Vatsa passed in great happiness, while he gazed affectionately on
his son with his smiling lotus-like face, going from lap to lap of the kings
whose minds were lovingly attached to him, and making in his mirth a
charming indistinct playful prattling.
* Peace, war, march, halt, stratagem and recourse to the protection of a mightier
king.
BOOK V.
CHAPTEK XXIV.
May Ganes*a, painting the earth with mosaic by means of the particles
of reft lead flying from his trunk whirled round in his madness,* and so, as
it were, burning up obstacles with the flames of his might, protect you.
Thus the king of Vatsa and his queen remained en gaged in bringing
up their only son Naravahanadatta, and once on a time the minister Yaug-
andharayana, seeing the king anxious about taking care of him, said to him
as he was alone, — " King, you must never feel any anxiety now about the
prince Naravahanadatta, for he has been created by the adorable god S'iva
in your house as the future emperor over the kings of the Vidyadharas ;
and by their divine power the kings of the Vidyadharas have found this
out, and meaning mischief have become troubled, unable in their hearts to
endure it ; and knowing this, the god with the moon-crest has appointed
a prince of the Ganas,t Stambhaka by name, to protect him. And he re-
mains here invisible, protecting this son of yours, and Narada coming
swiftly informed me of this." While the minister was uttering these
words, there descended from the midst of the air a divine man wearing a
diadem and a bracelet, and armed with a sword. He bowed, and then the
king of Vatsa, after welcoming him, immediately asked him with curiosity :
" Who are you, and what is your errand here ?" He said, " I was once a
mortal, but I have now become a king of the Vidy;idhuras, named S'akti
and I have many enemies. I have found out by my power that your son is
destined to be our emperor, and I have come to see him, O king." When
S'aktivega, over-awed at the sight of his future emperor, had said this, the
king of Vatsa was pleased and again asked him in his astonishment, " How
can the rank of a Vidy&dhara be attained, and of what nature is it, and
how did you obtain it? Tell me this, my friend." When he 1.
speech of the king's, that Vidyudhara S'aktivega courteously bowing, an-
swered him thus, "0 king, resolute souls having propitiated Siva either
* The elephant-headed god has his trunk minted with rod load like a tun.
pliant, and is also liable to Income >n<m(.
f Followers and attendants upon S'iva.
25
194
in this or in a former birth, obtain by his favour the rank of Yidyadhara.
And that rank, denoted by the insignia of supernatural knowledge, of
sword, garland and so on, is of various kinds, but listen ! I will tell you how
I obtained it. Having said this, S'aktivegatold the following story, relating
to himself, in the presence of the queen Vasavadatta.
Story o/S'aklivega king of the 7 id yd- There lived long ago in a city
dharas. called Yardhamana,* the ornament
of the earth, a king the terror of his foes, called Paropakarin. And this
exalted monarch possessed a queen of the name of Kanakaprabha,t as the
cloud holds the lightning, but she had not the fickleness of the lightning.
And in course of time there was born to him by that queen a daughter,
who seemed to have been formed by the Creator to dash Lakshmi's pride
in her beauty. And that moon of the eyes of the world was gradually
reared to womanhood by her father, who gave her the name of Kanakarekha
suggested by her mother's name Kanakaprabha. Once on a time, when she
had grown up, the king, her father, said to the queen Kanakaprabha, who
came to him in secret : "A grown up daughter cannot be kept in one's house,
accordingly Kanakarekha troubles my heart with anxiety about a suitable
marriage for her. For a maiden of good family, who does not obtain a
proper position, is like a song out of tune ; when heard of by the ears even
of one unconnected with her, she causes distress. But a daughter, who
through folly is made over to one not suitable, is like learning imparted to
one not fit to receive it, and cannot tend to glory or merit but only to
regret. So I am very anxious as to what king I must give this daughter
of mine to, and who will be a fit match for her." When Kanakaprabha
heard this, she laughed and said, — " You say this, but your daughter does
not wish to be married ; for to-day when she was playing with a doll and
making believe it was a child, I said to her in fun, ' My daughter, when shall
I see you married ?' When she heard that, she answered me reproachfully :
' Do not say so, you must not marry me to any one ; and my separation from
you is not appointed, I do well enough as a maiden, but if I am married,
know that I shall be a corpse ; there is a certain reason for this.' A-
lias said this to me I have come to you, O king, in a state of dist-
for, as she has refused to be married, what xise is there in deliberating about
a bridegroom ?" When the king heard this from the queen, he was be-
wildered, and going to the private apartments of the princess he said to
his daughter : " When the maidens of the gods and Asuras practise austerities
in order to obtain a husband, why, my daughter, do you refuse to take <>:
When the princess Kanakarekha heard this speech of her father's, she fixed
her eyes on the ground and said, Father, I do not desire to be married at
at, so what object has my father in it, and why does he insist
* The modern Lurdwaii. f /, c. Gold-gleam.
195
upon it ?" That king Paropakarin, when his daughter addressed him
in that way, being the discreetest of men, thus answered her : " How
can sin be avoided unless a daughter is given in marriage ? And indepen-
dence is not fit for a maiden who ought to be in dependence on
relations ? For a daughter in truth is born for the sake of another
and is kept for him. The house of her father is not a fit place for
her except in childhood. For if a daughter reaches puberty unmarried,
her relations go to hell, and she is an outcast, and her bridegroom is called
the husband of an outcast." When her father said this to her, the princess
Kanakarekha immediately uttered a speech that was in her mind, " Father,
if this is so, then whatever Brahman or Kshatriya has succeeded in seeing
the city called the Golden City, to him I must be given, and he shall be my
husband, and if none such is found, you must not unjustly reproach me."
When his daughter said that to him, that king reflected : *' It is a good
thing at any rate that she has agreed to be married on a certain condition,
and no doubt she is some goddess born in my house for a special reason,
for else how comes she to know so much though she is a child ?" Such were
the king's reflections at that time : so he said to his daughter, " I will do
as you wish," and then he rose up and did his day's work. And on the next
day, as he was sitting in the hall of audience, he said to his courtiers,
" lias any one among you seen the city called the Golden City ? Whoever
has seen it, if he be a Brahman or a Kshatriya, I will give him my daughter
Kanakarekha., and make him crown-prince." And they all, looking at one
another's faces, said, " We have not even heard of it, much less have we
seen it. Then the king summoned the warder and said to him, " Go and
cause a proclamation to be circulated in the whole of this town with the
beating of drums, and find out if any one has really seen that city." When
the warder received this order, he said, " I will do so," and went out ; and
after he had gone out, he immediately gave orders to the police, and caused
a drum to be beaten all round the city, thus arousing curiosity to hear the
proclamation, which ran as follows : '• Whatever Brahman or Kshatriya
youth has seen the city called the Golden City, let him speak, and the king
will give him his daughter and the rank of crown-prince." Such was the
astounding announcement proclaimed all about the town after the drum
had been beaten. And the citizens raid, after hearing that proclamation:
" What is this Golden City that is to-day proclaimed in our town, which lias
never been heard of or seen even by those among us who are old ?" But not
a single one among them said, " I have seen it."
And in the meanwhile a Brahman living in that town, S'aktideva by
name, the son of Baladeva, heard that proclamation ; that youth, being
addicted to vice, had been rapidly stripped of his wealth at the gaming-
table, and he reflected, being excited by hearing oi' the giving in marriage
196
of the king's daughter : •' As I have lost all my wealth by gambling, I
cannot now enter the houne of my father, nor even the house of a hetcera,
so, as I have no resource, it is better for me to assert falsely to those who
are making the proclamation by beat of drum, that I have seen bhat city.
Who will discover that I know nothing about it, for who has ever seen it ?
And in this way I may perhaps marry the princess." Thus reflecting Sfakti-
deva went to the police, and said falsely, " I have seen that city." They
immediately said to him, " Bravo ! then come with us to the king's
warder." So he went with them to the warder. And in the same
way he falsely asserted to him that he had seen that city, and
he welcomed him kindly, and took him to the king. And without
wavering he maintained the very same story in the presence of the king :
what indeed is difficult for a blackleg to do who is ruined by play ? Then
the king, in order to ascertain the truth, sent that Brahman to liis daughter
Kanakarekha, and when she heard of the matter from the mouth of the
warder, and the Brahman came near, she asked him : " Have you seen that
Golden City ?" Then he answered her, " Yes, that city was seen by me
when I was roaming through the earth in quest of knowledge."* She
next asked him, " By what road did you go there, and what is it like '?"
That Brahman then went on to say : " From this place I went to a town
called Harapura, and from that I next came to the city of Benares ; and
from Benares in a few days to the city of Paunclravardhana, thence I went to
that city called the Golden City, and I saw it, a place of enjoyment for
those who act aright, like the city of Indra, the glory of which is made for
the delight of gods.f And having acquired learning there, I returned
here after some time ; such is the path by which I went, and such is that
city." After that fraudulent Brahman S'aktideva had made up this story,
the princess said with a laugh ; — <: Great Brahman, you have indeed seen
that city, but tell me, tell me again by what path you went." When S'akti-
deva heard that, he again displayed his effrontery, and then the princess
had him put out by her servants. And immediately after putting him out,
she went to her father, and her father asked her : "Did that Brahman speak
the truth ?" — And then the princess said to her father : " Though you are
a king you act without due consideration ; do you not know that ris_
deceive honest people ? For that Brahman simply wants to impose on me
with a falsehood, but the liar has never seen the golden city. And all
kinds of deceptions are practised on the earth by rogues ; for listen to the
* For an account of the wanderjakre of young Brahman students, sco Dr. Biihlor'a
introduction to tli ' .<kailevavharita.
t More literally — Those whose eyes do not wink. The epithet also means "worthy
of being regarded with unwinking eyes." No doubt thiri ambiguity is intended.
L9f
story of S'iva and Ma.lliava, wliieh I will tell you." Having*said this, the
princess told the following tale :
There is an excellent city right-
Story of S'iva and Mddhava. , j T> j. •
ly named llatnapura,* and m it
there were two rogues named S'iva and Mddhava. Surrounding themselves
with many other rogues, they contrived for a long time to rob, by making
use of trickery, all the rich men in the town. And one day those two deli-
berated together and said — " We have managed by this time to plunder this
town thoroughly ; so let us now go and live in the city of Ujjayini ; there
we hear that there is a very rich man named S'ankarasvamin, who is chap-
lain to the king. If we cheat him out of his money we may thereby enjoy
the charms of the ladies of Mulava. He is spoken of by Brahmans as a
miser, because he withholdsf half their usual fee with a frowning face,
though he possesses treasure enough to fill seven vessels ; and that Brah-
mau has a pearl of a daughter spoken of as matchless, we will manage to
get her too out of him along with the money." Having thus determined,
and having arranged beforehand what part each was to play, the two rogues
Siva and Madhava went out of that town. At last they reached Ujjayini, and
Madhava, with his attendants, disguised as a Ilajput, remained in a certain
village outside the town. But S'iva, who was expert in every kind of de-
ception, having assumed perfectly the disguise of a religious ascetic, first
entered that town alone. There he took up his quarters in a hut on the
banks of the Sipni, in which he placed, so that they could be seen, clay,
darllia grass, a vessel for begging, and a deer-skin. And in the morning
he anointed his body with thick clay, as if testing beforehand his destined
smearing with the mud of the hell Avichi. And plunging in the water
of the river, he remained a long time with his head downward, as if rehears-
ing beforehand his future descent to hell, the result of his evil actions.
And when he rose up from his bath, he remained a long time looking up
towards the sun, as if shewing that he deserved to be impaled. Then he
went into the presence of the god and making rings of Kusa grass,J and
muttering prayers, he remained sitting in the posture called Padmasana,§
with a hypocritical cunning face, and from time to time he made an offer-
ing to Vishnu, having gathered white nowers, even as he took captive the
* /. e. the city of jewels.
t -4/*/.-fl«rf/Mifltrauslati d "granting" by Monicr Williams and the Petersburg lexico-
graphers.
| These are worn on the fingers when offerings are mado.
§ A particular posture in religious meditation, sitting with the thighs crossed*
with one hand resting on (he lol't thigh, the other hold up with the thumb upon tho
heart, and the ryes directed to the tip of the noso.
198
simple hearts of the good by his villainy ; and having made his offering he
again pretended to betake himself to muttering his prayers, and prolonged
his meditations as if fixing his attention on wicked ways. And the next
day, clothed in the skin of a black antelope, he wandered about the city
in quest of alms, like one of his own deceitful leers intended to beguile it,
and observing a strict silence he took three handfuls of rice from Brah-
mans' houses, still equipped with stick and deer- skin, and divided the food
into three parts like the three divisions of the day, and part he gave to the
crows, and part to his guest, and with the third part he filled his maw ;
and he remained for a long time hypocritically telling his beads, as if he
were counting his sins at the same time, and muttering prayers ; and in the
night he remained alone in his hut, thinking over the weak points of his
fellow-men, even the smallest ; and by thus performing every day a difficult
pretended penance he gained complete ascendancy over the minds of the
citizens in every quarter. And all the people became devoted to him, and
a report spread among them in every direction that S'iva was an exceeding-
ly self-denying hermit.
And in the meanwhile his accomplice, the other rogue Madhava, having
heard from his emissaries how he was getting on, entered that city ; and tak-
ing up his abode there in a distant temple, he went to the bank of the Sipra to
bathe, disguised as a llujput, and after bathing, as he was returning with his
retinue, he saw S'iva praying in front of the god, and with great veneration
he fell at his feet, and said before all the people, " There is no other such
ascetic in the world, for he has been often seen by me going round from
one holy place to another." But S'iva, though he saw him, kept his neck
immoveable out of cunning, and remained in the same position as before, and
Madhava returned to his own lodging. And at night those two met
together and ate and drank, and deliberated over the rest of their pro-
gramme, what they must do next. And in the last watch of the night S'iva
went back leisurely to his hut. And in the morning Madhava said to one
of his gang, " Take these two garments and give them as a present to the do-
mestic chaplain of the king here, who is called S'ankarasv;iinin, and say to
him respectfully: ' Then- is a llajput come from the Deccan of the name
of Madhava, who has been oppressed by his relations, and he brings with
him much inherited wealth ; he is accompanied by some other Rajpiits like
himself, and he wishes to enter into the service of your king here, and he
has sent me to visit you, 0 treasure-house of glory.' " The rogn •, \\ ln> was
sent off by Madhava with this message, went to the house of that chaplain
with the present, in his hand, and after approaching him, and giving him.
the present at a favourable moment, he delivered to him in private Ma.iha-
TO'fl as lie had been ordered ; he. for his part, out of his greed lor
presents, believed it all, anticipating other favours in the future, for a bribe
100
is the sovereign specific for attracting the covetous. The rogue then came
back, and on the next day Madhava. having obtained a favourable opportu-
nity, went in person to visit that chaplain, accompanied by attendants, who
hypocritically assumed the appearance of men desiring service,* passing
themselves off as Rajput*, distinguished by the maces they carried ; he
had himself announced by an attendant preceding him, and thus he ap-
proached the family priest, who received him with welcomes which ex-
pressed his delight at his arrival. Then Madhava remained eng.
in conversation with him for some time, and at last being dism:
. by him, returned to his own house. On the next day he sent another
couple of garments as a present, and again approached that chaplain and
said to him, " I indeed wish to enter into service to please my retainers,
for that reason I have repaired to you, but I possess wealth." When the
chaplain heard that, he hoped to get something out of him, and he promis-
ed Madhava to procure for him what he desired, and he immediately went
and petitioned the king on this account, and, out of respect for the chap-
lain, the king consented to do what he asked. And on the next day the
family priest took Madhava and his retinue, and presented them to the
king with all due respect. The king too, when he saw that Madhava re-
sembled a Eajpiit in appearance, received him graciously and appointed him
a salary. Then Madhava remained there in attendance upon the king, and
every night he met S'iva to deliberate with him. And the chaplain en-
treated him to live with him in his house, out of avarice, as he was intent
on presents.
Then Madhava with his followers repaired to the house of the chap-
lain ; this settlement was tbe cause of the chaplain's ruin, as that of the mouse
in the trunk of the tree was the cause of its ruin. And he deposited a safe in
the strong room of the chaplain, after filling it with ornaments made of
false gems. And from time to time he opened the box and by cunningly
half-shewing some of the jewels, he captivated the mind of the chaplain as
that of a cow is captivated by grass. And when he had gained in this
way the confidence of the chaplain, he made his body emaciated by taking
little food, and falsely pretended that he was ill. And after a lew days
had passed, that prince of rogues said with weak voice to that chaplain,
who was at his bedside ; " My condition is miserable in this body, so bring,
good Unihman, some distinguished man of your caste, in order that I may
bestow my wealth upon him for my happiness here and heivat'U'r, for, life
being unstable, what care can a wise man have for riches ?" That chaplain,
* Edrpalika may mean a pilgrim, but it scorns to bo used m tin- K. S. S. to im an a
kind of dependant on a king or great man, usually a t'or< i-n< r. > -38, 63, and
81 of this work.
200
who was devoted to presents, when addressed in this way, said, " I will do
so," and Madhava fell at his feet. Then whatever Brahman the chaplain
brought, Madhava refused to receive, pretending that he wanted a more
distinguished one. One of the rogues in attendance upon Madhava, when
he saw this, said — " Probably an ordinary Brahman does not please him. So
it will be better now to find out whether the strict ascetic on the banks of
Sipra named S'iva pleases him or not ?" When Madhava heard that, he said
plaintively to that chaplain : " Yes, be kind, and bring him, for -there is no
other Brahman like him."
The chaplain, thus entreated, went near S'iva, and beheld him immove-
able, pretending to be engaged in meditation. And then he walked round
him, keeping him on his right hand, and sat down in front of him : and
immediately the rascal slowly opened his eyes. Then the family priest,
bending before him, said with bowed head, — " My Lord, it' it will not make
you angry, I will prefer a petition to you. There is dwelling here a very
rich Eajput from the Deccan, named Madhava, and he, being ill, is desirous
of giving away his whole property : if you consent, he will give you that
treasure which glitters with many ornaments made out of priceless gems."
When S'iva heard that, he slowly broke silence, and said, — " O Brahman, since
I live on alms, and observe perpetual chastity, of what use are riches to
me ? Then that chaplain went on to say to him, " Do not say that, great
Brahman, do you not know the due order of the periods in the life of a
Brahman ?* By marrying a wife, and performing in his house offerings to
the Manes, sacrifices to the gods and hospitality to guests, he uses his pro-
perty to obtain the three objects of life ;f the stage of the householder is
the most useful of all." Then S'iva said, " How can I take a wife, for I will
not marry a woman from any low family ?" When the covetous chaplain
heard that, he thought that he would be able to enjoy his wealth at will,
and, catching at the opportunity, he said to him : " I have an unmarried
daughter named Vinayasvdnrini, and she is very beautiful, I will bestow
her in marriage on you. And I will keep for you all the wealth which
you receive as a donation from Madhava, so enter on the duties of a house-
holder. When S'iva heard this, having got the very thing he wanted, he
said, " Brahman, if your heart is set on this.J I will do what you say.
But I am an ascetic who knows nothing about gold and jewels -. 1 shall act
as you advise ; do as you think best." When the chaplain heard that
speech of S'iva's, he was delighted, and the fool said, "Agreed" — and con-
* First ho should bo a BraJnnachdrin or unmarried ivliijioiis siuJrnt, nrxt a Gri-
hastha or h ;iii!-lioiv(, lastly ;i BliiL'slin in- In
f »'. e. virtue, \w -urc; ilJiunna, nrtlia, k(im<i.
J Graha, also means planet, »'. e. inauspicious planet. S'iva tells tlu- truth L
80]
ducted S'iva to his house. And when he had introduced there that inaus-
picious guest named Siva,* he tuld Madhava what he had done and was
applauded by him. And immediately he gave S'iva his daughter, who had
been can-fully brought up, and in giving her he seemed to be giving a
his own prosperity lost by his folly. And on the third day after his man
he took him to Madhava who was pretending to be ill, to receive his pr.
And Ma'lhava rose up and fell at his feet and said what was quite true, " I
adore thee whose asceticism is incomprehensible. "f " And in accordance with
the prescribed form he bestowed on S'iva that box of ornaments made of many
. sham jewels, which was brought from the chaplain's treasury. S'iva for
his part, after receiving it, gave it into the hand of the chaplain, saying,
'•J know nothing about this, but you do." And that priest immediately
took it, saying, " I undertook to do this long ago, why should you trouble
yourself about it ?" Then S'iva gave them his blessing, and went to his
wife's private apartments, and the chaplain took the box and put it in his
strong room. Madhava for his part gradually desisted from feigning sick-
ness, affecting to feel better the next day, and said that his disease had been
cured by virtue of his great gift. And he praised the chaplain when he came
near, saying to him, " It was by your aiding me in an act of faith that I
tided over this calamity." And he openly struck up a friendship with
S'iva, asserting that it was due to the might of Siva's holiness that his life
had been saved. S'iva, for his part, after some days said to the chaplain:
" How long am I to feast in your house in this style ? Why do you
not take from me those jewels for some fixed sum of money ? If they are
valuable, give me a fair price for them." "When the priest heard that,
thinking that the jewels were of incalculable value, he consented, and
gave to S'iva as purchase-money his whole living. And he made S'iva
sign a receipt for the sum with his own hand, and he himself too signed a
receipt for the jewels, thinking that that treasure far exceeded his own
wealth in value. And they separated, taking one another's receipts, and
the chaplain lived in one place, while S'iva kept house in another. And
then S'iva and Madhava dwelt together and remained there leading a verv
pleasant life consuming the chaplain's wealth. And as time went on,
thai chaplain, being in need of cash, went to the town to sell one of the
ornaments in the baxar.
Then the merchants, who were connoisseurs in jewels, said after
examining it, " ILa! the man who m sham jewels was a clever
fellow, whoever he was. For this ornament is composed of j
glass and quartz coloured with various colours and fastened to^.-tiicr with
brass, and there are no gems or gold in it." When the c-haplain heaixl \
* »'. e. the auspicious or friendly one.
t Tlifiv is pi-okiMy a <l»uMr DH aniug iu the word " incoini'i
2G
202
he went in his agitation and brought all the ornaments from his house, and
showed them to the merchants. When they saw them, they said that all
of them were composed of sham jewels in the same way ; but the chaplain,
when he heard that, was, so to speak, thunderstruck. And immediately
the fool went off and said to S'iva, " Take back your ornaments and give me
back my own wealth." But S'iva answered him, " How can I possibly have
retained your wealth till now? Why it has all in course of time been
consumed in my house." Then the chaplain and S'iva fell into an altercation,
and went, both of them, before the king, at whose side Madhava was stand-
ing. And the chaplain made this representation to the king : " S'iva has
consumed all my substance, taking advantage of my not knowing that a
great treasure, which he deposited in my house,* was composed of skilfully
coloured pieces of glass and quartz fastened together with brass." Then
S'iva said, " King, from my childhood I have been a hermit, and I was
persuaded by that man's earnest petition to accept a donation, and when
I took it, though inexperienced in the ways of the world, I said to him.
' I am no connoisseur in jewels and things of that kind, and I rely upon
you,' and he consented saying, ' I will be your warrant in the matter.'
Andlaccepted all the donation and deposited it in his hand. Then he bought
the whole from me at his own price, and we hold from one another mutual
receipts ; and now it i* in the king's power to grant me help in my sorest
need." S'iva having thus finished his speech, Madhava said, " Do not
his, you are honourable, but what fault have I committed in the matter?
I never received anything either from you or from Siva ; I had some
wealth inherited from my father, which I uad long deposited elsewhere ;
then I brought that wealth and presented it to a Brahman. If the gold
is not real gold, and the jewels are not real jewels, then let us suppose that I
have reaped fruit from giving away brass, quartz, and glass. But the fact
that I was persuaded with sincere heart that I was giving somethir
clear from this, that 1 rccoVered from a very dangerous illness." When
i this to him without any alteration in the expression of his
. the king laughed and all his ministers, and they were highly <
And those present in court said, laughing in their sleeves, " X,
Mudhava nor S'iva has done anything unfair." Thereupon that chaplain
departed with downcast countenance, having lost his wealth. For of
what calamities is not the blinding of the mind with excessive greed the
cause? And so those two rogues 6'iva and Madhava long remained there,
liappv in having obtained the favour of the delighted king.
''Thus do rogues spread the webs of their tongue with hundreds of
intricate threads, like fishermen upon dry land, living by the net. So
may be certain, my !;n •••,-. that thi> Brahman is a casein point. By falsely
» i ought to read flatted for ttitni.
rting that he has seen the City of Gold, he wishes to deceive you, and
to obtain me for a wife. So do not be in a hurry to get me married ; I shall
remain unmarried at present, and we will see what will happen." When the
king Paropakarin heard thisfromhis daughter Kanakarekha, he thus answer-
ed her: " When a girl is grown up, it is not expedient that she should remain
long unmarried, for wicked people envious of good qualities, falsely impute
sin. And people are particularly fond of blackening the character of one
distinguished ; to illustrate this, listen to the story of Harasvamin which
I am about to tell you."
There is a city on the banks of
btory oj Jfarasvamin.
the Ganges named Kusumapura,* and
in it there was an ascetic who visited holy places, named Harasvamin. He
was a Brahman living by begging; and constructing a hut on the banks of
the Ganges, he became, on account of his surprisingly rigid asceticism, the
object of the people's respect. f And one day a wicked man among the
inhabitants, who could not tolerate his virtue, seeing him from a distance
going out to beg, said, "Do you know what a hypocritical ascetic that is ?
It is he that has eaten up all the children in this town." When a second
there who was like him, heard this, he said, " It is true, I also have hoard
people saying this." And a third confirming it said, " Such is the fact."
The chain of villains' conversation binds reproach on the good. And in
this way the report spread from ear to ear, and gained general credence in
the city. And all the citizens kept their children by force in their houses,
saying, " Harasvamin carries off all the children and eats them." And
then the Brahmans in that town, afraid that their offspring would be
destroyed, assembled and deliberated about his banishment from the city.
And as they did not dare to tell him face to face, for fear he might perhaps
eat them up in his rage, they sent messengers to him. And those messen-
gers went and said to him from a distance ; " The Brahmans command you
to depart from this city." Then in his astonishment he asked them " Wl
And they went on to say ; " You eat every child as soon as you see it."
When Harasvamin heard that, he went near those Brahmans, in order to re-
assure them, and the people fled before him for fear. And the Brahma;:
soon as they saw him, were terrified and went up to the top of their monas-
tery. People who are deluded by reports are not, as a rule, capable of dis-
crimination. Then Harasvamin standing below called all the Urahii
who were above, one by one, by name, and said to them, " What delusion is
* The city of flowers, i. ij. lYituliputm.
t IVrhaps wo on-lit to iv-nl i/nijuu tor duditu. This I find ia the reading of an
lit MS. mth.' S.mskiii <'ulli'-v, lor the loan of which I am deeply i
tli.- Principal Olid the Librarian.
204
this, Br&hmatM ? Wliy do you not ascertain with one another how many
children I have cute1.!, and \vlii )se. and how many of each man's children.''
When they heard that, the Brahmans began to compare notes among them-
selves, and found that all of them had all their children left alive. And in
course of time other citizens, appointed to investigate the matter, admitted
that all their children were living. And merchants and Brahmans and all
said, " Alas in our folly we have belied a holy man ; the children of all of us
are alive ; so whose children can he have eaten ?" Harasvamin, being thus
completely exonerated, prepared to leave that city, for his mind was seized
with disgust at the slanderous report got up against him by wicked men.
For what pleasure can a wise man take in a wicked place, the inhabitants
of which are wanting in discrimination ? Then the Brahmans and mer-
chants, prostrating themselves at his feet, entreated him to stay there, and
he at last, though with reluctance, consented to do so.
" In this way evil men often impute crime falsely to good men, allowing
their malicious garrulity full play on beholding their virtuous behaviour.
Much more, if they obtain a slight glimpse of any opportunity for attack-
ing them, do they pour copious showers of oil on the fire thus kindled.
Therefore if you wish, my daughter, to draw the arrow from my heart, you
must not, while this fresh youth of yours is developing, remain unmarried
to please yourself, and so incur the ready reproach of evil men." Such was
the advice which the princess Kanakarekha frequently received from her
father the king, but she, being firmly resolved, again and again answered
him : " Therefore quickly search for a Brahman or Kshatriya who has
seen that City of Gold and give me to him, for this is the condition I have
named." When the king heard that, reflecting that his daughter, who
remembered her former birth, had completely made up her mind, and seeing
no other way of obtaining for her the husband she desired, he issued another
order to the effect that henceforth the proclamation by beat of drum was to
take place every day in t1% city, in order to lind out whether any of the new-
comers had seen the Golden City. And once more it was proclaimed in
quarter of the city every day, after the drum had been beaten, — " If any
Brahman or Kshatriya has seen the Golden City, let him speak ; the king
will give him his own daughter, together with the rank of Crown-prince."
But no one was found who had obtained a sight of the Golden City.
205
CHA1TKU XXV.
In the meanwhile the young Brahman S'aktivega, in very low spirits,
having been rejected with contempt by the princess he longed for, said to
himself; " To-day by asserting falsely that I had seen the Golden City, I
certainly incurred contempt, but I did not obtain that princess. So I must
roam through the earth to find it, until I have either seen that city or
lost my life. For of what use is my life, unless I can return having seen
that city, and obtain the princess as the prize of the achievement ?" Having
thus taken a vow, that Brahman set out from the city of Vardhamana,
directing his course toward the southern quarter, and as he journeyed, he at
last reached the great forest of the Vindhya range, and entered it, which
was difficult and long as his own undertaking. And that forest, so to speak,
fanned, with the soft leaves of its trees shaken by the wind, him, who was
heated by the multitudinous rays of the sun ; and through grief at being
overrun with many robbers, it made its cry heard day and night in the shrill
screams of animals which were being slain in it by lions and other noisome
beasts. And it seemed, by the unchecked rays of heat flashed upward from
its wild deserts, to endeavour to conquer the fierce brightness of the sun :
in it, though there was no accumulation of water, calamity was to be easilv
purchased :* and its space seemed ever to extend before the traveller as
fast as he crossed it. In the course of many days he accomplished a long
journey through this forest, and beheld in it a great lake of cold pure water
in a lonely spot : which seemed to lord it over all lakes, with its lotuses
like lofty umbrellas, and its swans like gleaming white chowries. In the
water of that lake he performed the customary ablutions, and on its north-
ern shore he beheld a hermitage with beautiful fruit-bearing trees : and he
saw an old hermit named Suryatapas sitting at the foot of an Asvattha tnv,
surrounded by ascetics, adorned with a rosary, the beads of which
by their number seemed to be the knots that marked the centuries of his
life,f and which rested against the extremity of his ear that was white
with age. And he approached that hermit with a bow, and the hermit wel-
comed him with hospitable greetings. And the hermit, after entertaining
him with fruits and other delicacies, asked him, " Whence have you come,
and whither are you going? Tell me, good sir." And S'aktideva inclining
respectfully, said to that hermit, — " I have come, venerable sir, from the
* Probably a poor pun.
t <;/'. TTttara Kama Cbaritu (Yidyasagara's edition) Act III, p. S-. tin' spc.rh of
the rivtT-ijoddtJsis Tiuuuau.
•206
city of Vardham&na, and I have undertaken to go to the Golden City in
accordance with a vow. But I do not know where that city lies ; tell me
venerable sir, if you know." The hermit answered, " My son, I have
lived eight hundred years in this hermitage, and I have never even heard of
that city." S'aktideva when he heard this from the hermit, was cast down,
and said again — " Then my wanderings through the earth will end hy my
dvin01 here." Then that hermit, having gradually elicited the whole story
said to him, " If you are firmly resolved, then do what I tell you. Three
yojanas from here there is a country named Kampilya, and in it is a moun-
tain named Uttara, and on it there is a hermitage. There dwells my noble
elder brother named Dirghatapas ;* go to him, he being old may perhaps
know of that city." When S'aktideva heard that, hope arose in his breast,
and having spent the night there he quickly set out in the morning from
that place. And wearied with the laborious journey through difficult forest
country, he at last reached that region of Kampilya and ascended that
mountain Uttara ; and there he beheld that hermit Dirghatapas in a her-
mitage, and he was delighted and approached him with a bow : and the
hermit received him hospitably : and S'aktideva said to him, " I am on my
way to the City of Gold spoken of by the king's daughter : but I do not
know, venerable sir, where that city is. However I am bound to find it,
so I have been sent to you by the sage Suryatapas in order that I may dis-
cover where it lies." When he had said this, the hermit answered him,
" Though I am so old, my son, I have never heard of that city till to-day ; I
have made acquaintance with various travellers from foreign lands, and I
have never heard any one speak of it ; much less have I seen it. But I am
sure it must be in some distant foreign island, and I can tell you an expedient
to help you in this matter ; there is in the midst of the ocean an island named
Utsthala, and in it there is a rich king of the Nishadasf named Satyavrata. He
goes to and fro among all the other islands, and he may have seen or
heard of that city. Therefore first go to the city named Yitankapura
situated on the border of the sea. And from that place go with some mer-
chant in a ship to the island where that Nishada dwells, in order that
may attain your object." When S'aktideva heard this from the hermit, he
immediately followed his advice, and taking leave of him set out from the her-
* In the story of the Beautiful Palace East of the Sun and North of tin- Ivir'h,
(Thorpe, Yule-tido Stories, p. 158) an old woman sends the youth, who is in qn
the palace, to her old sister, who again re f era him to an older .sister dwelling in a
ruinous cottage on a mountain. In Signora von Gon/.i nkich's Sieili : : • ii.-n,
p. 86, the prince is sent by one u KhiMrdlcr" to his brother, and this hrotln-i- sends him
to an older brother and lie again t
|i. Ki'J. Compare also the .-: ;n ut' HI liasra in Lan.-'s Arabian Nights.
t Wild aboriginal tribes not belonging to the Aryan i
207
mitage. And after accomplishing many Icos and crossing many lands, he
reached the city of Vitankajmra, the ornament of the- sea-shore. The;
sought out a merchant named Samudradatta, who traded with the island of
I'tsthala, and struck up a friendship with him. And he went on hoard his ship
with him, and having food for the voyage fully supplied by his kindness, he set
out on the ocean-path. Then, when they had but a short distance to travel,
there arose a black .ploud with rumbling thunder, resembling a roaring
IJakshasa, with flickering lightning to represent his lolling tongue. And a
furious hurricane began to blow like Destiny herself, whirling up light
objects and hurling down heavy.* And from the sea, lashed by the wind,
great waves rose aloft like the mountains equipped with wings, f indignant
that their asylum had been attacked. And that vessel rose on high one
moment, and the next moment plunged below, as if exhibiting how rich
men are first elevated and then cast down. And the next moment that
ship, shrilly laden with the cries of the merchants, burst and split asunder
as if with the weight. And the ship being broken, that merchant its
owner fell into the sea, but floating through it on a plank he at last reached
another vessel. But as S'aktideva fell, a large fish, opening its mouth and
neck, swallowed him without injuring any of his limbs. And as that fish
was roaming at will in the midst of the sea, it happened to pass near
the island of Utsthala; and by chance some servants of that king of
the fishermen Satyavrata, who were engaged in the pursuit of small fish, came
there and caught it. And those fishermen, proud of their prize, immediately
dragged it along to shew to their king, for it was of enormous size. He too,
out of curiosity, seeing that it was of such extraordinary size, ordered his
servants to cut it open ; and when it was cut open, S'aktideva came out
alive from its belly, having endured a second wonderful imprisonment in
the womb. J Then the fisher-king Satyavrata, when he saw that young man
come out and bestow his blessing on him, was astonished, and asked him,
" Who are you, and how did this lot of dwelling in the belly of the fish befall
you? What means this exceedingly .strange fate that you have suffered."
When S'aktideva heard this, he answered that king of the fishermen : "I
am a Brahman of the name of S'aktideva from the city of Vardhaniana ;
* Destiny often elevates the worthless, and hurls down men of worth.
t The usual story is that Indra cut off the wings of all except Muiruika the son of
Himavat by Mena. He took nfbge in the sea. Here it is represented that more es-
caped. So in Bhartrihari Xiti S'ataka st. 76 (Bombay edition).
J For Saktideva's imprisonment in the belly of the fish rp. Chapter 74 of this
work, Indian Fairy Tales l>y Miss Stokes, X... XiV, and Lncian's Yera Ili~
I. In this tale tile (ish swallows a ship. The civw disn v, ;• countries in Hi,
inside, cstal'li.sh a "scientific frontier," and purstu a policy of Annexation. Seo also
Lane's, Arabian Niyhts, Vol. Ill, p. 104.
208
and I am bound to visit the City of Gold, and because I do not know where
it is, I have for a long time wandered far over the earth ; then I gat1
from a speech of Dirghatapas' that it was probably in an island, so I set
out to find Satyavrata the king of the fishermen, who lives in the island of
Utsthala, in order to learn its whereabouts, but on the way I suffered
shipwreck, and so having been whelmed in the sea and swallowed by a fish,
I have been brought here now." When S'aktideva had said this, Satyavrata
said to him : " I am in truth Satyavrata, and this is the very island vou
were seeking ; but though I have seen many islands, I have never seen the
city you desire to find, but I have heard of it as situated in one of the
distant islands. Having said this, and perceiving that S'aktideva was cast
down, Satyavrata out of kindness for his guest went on to say: " Brahman, do
not be despondent ; remain here this night, and to-morrow morning I will
devise some expedient to enable you to attain your object." The Brahman
was thus consoled by the king, and sent off to a monastery of Brahmans,
where guests were readily entertained. There Satyavrata was supplied
with food by a Brahman named Vishnudatta, an inmate of the monastery,
and entered into conversation with him. And in the course of that con.
versation, being questioned by him, he told him in a few words his country,
his family, and his whole history. When Vishnudatta heard that, he immedi-
ately embraced him, and said in a voice indistinct from the syllables being
choked with tears of joy: " Bravo ! you are the son of my maternal uncle
and a fellow-countryman of mine. But I long ago in my childhood left
that country to come here. So stop here awhile, and soon the stream of
merchants and pilots that come here from other islands will accomplish
your wish." Having told him his descent in these words, Vishnudatta waited
upon S'aktideva with all becoming attentions. And S'aktideva, forgetting
the toil of the journey, obtained delight, for the meeting a relation in a
foreign land is like a fountain of nectar in the desert. And he considered
that the accomplishment of his object was near at hand, for good luek,
befalling one by the way indicates success in an undertaking. So lie
,ed at night sleepless upon his bed, with his mind fixed upon the
attainment of his desire, and Vishnudatta, who was by his side, iu order to
encourage and delight him at the same time, related to him the following
tale :
Formerly there was a great Brah-
Story of Aiokadatta and 7 ijai/ailatta.* • °
man named Govindasvamm, living on
a great royal grant of land on the banks of the \ aniuiia. And in eourse
of time tin iv were born to that virtuous Brahman two sons like him
Asokadatta and Vijayadatta. While they were living there, there ar.
» Of. Grimm's Marchen, Xo. 60, 8icilianisi.hr Minimi. Nos. ".!' .UK! JO. with
Dr. Kohl' ,
209
terrible famine in that land, and so Govindasv;imin said to his wife ; " This
land is ruined by famine, and I cannot bear to behold the misery of my
friends and relations. For who gives anything to anybody ? So let us at
any rate give away to our friends and relations what little food we pu
and leave this country. And let us go with our family to Benares to live
there." When he said this to his wife, she consented, and he gave away his
food, and set out from that place with his wife, sons, and servants. For
men of noble soul cannot bear to witness the miseries of their relatives.
And on the road he beheld a skull-bearing S'aiva ascetic, white with ashes,
and with matted hair, like the god S'iva himself with his half-moon. The
Brahman approached that wise man with a bow, and out of love for his.
sous, asked him about their destiny, whether it should be good or bad, and
that Yogi answered him : " The future destiny of your sons is auspicious,
but you shall be separated, Brahman, from this younger one Vijayadatta,
and finally by the might of the second Asokadatta you shall be reunited to
him." Govindasvamin, when that wise man said this to him, took leave of
him and departed overpowered with joy, grief, and wonder ; and after reach-
ing Benares he spent the day there in a temple of Durga outside the town,
engaged in worshipping the goddess and such like occupations. And iu
the evening he encamped outside that temple under a tree, with his family,
in the company of pilgrims who had come from other countries. And at night,
while all were asleep, wearied with their long journey, stretched out on
strcnvn leaves, and such other beds as travellers have to put up with, his
younger son Vijayadatta, who was awake, was suddenly seized with a
cold ague-fit ; that ague quickly made him tremble, and caused his hair
to stand on end, as if it had been the fear of his approaching separation
from his relations. And oppressed with the cold he woke up his father,
ar.d said to him : " A terrible ague afllicts me here now, father, so bring
fuel and light me a fire to keep off the cold, in no other way can I obtain
ivlicf or get through the night." When Govindasvamin heard him say
this, he was distressed at his suffering, and said to him ; " Whence can
I procure lire now my son ?" Then his son said ; '• AVhy surely we may
B66 a fire burning near us on this side, and it is very large, so why should
I not go there and warm my body ? So take me by the hand, for I
have a shivering fit, and lead me there." Thus entreated bv his son tho
Brahman went on to say : " This is a cemetery,* and the fire is that of a
funeral pyre, so how can you go to a place terrible from the presence of
goblins and other spirits, for you are only a child ?" When the IT
Vijayadatta heard that speech of his affectionate father's, he laughed
and said in his confidence. " What can the wretched goblins and other
evil ones do to me ? Am I a weakling ? So take me there without
* If such u word can be applied to a place \\heiv bodies arc burnt.
27
210
fear." When be said this so persistently, his father led him there, and the
boy warming his body approached the pyre, which seemed to bear on itself
the presiding deity of the Rakshasas in visible form, with the smoke of
the flames for dishevelled hair, devouring the flesh of men. The boy at
once encouraged his father* and asked him what the round thing was
that he saw inside the pyre. And his father standing at his side, answered
him, " This, my son, is the skull of a man which is burning in the pyre."
Then the boy in his recklessness struck the skull with a piece of wood
lighted at the top, and clove it. The brains spouted up from it and entered
his mouth, like the initiation into the practices of the Rakshasas, bestowed
upon him by the funeral flame. And by tasting them that boy became a
Rakshasa, with hair standing on end, with sword that he had drawn from
the flame, terrible with projecting tusks : so he seized the skull and drink-
ing the brains from it, he licked it with tongue restlessly quivering like
the flames of fire that clung to the bone. Then he flung aside the skull,
and lifting his sword he attempted to slay his own father Govindasvamin.
But at that moment a voice came out from the cemetery, " Kapalasphota,f
thou god, thou oughtest not to slay thy father, come here." When the
boy heard that, having obtained the title of Kapalasphota and become a
Rakshasa, he let his father alone, and disappeared ; and his father departed
exclaiming aloud, " Alas my son ! Alas my virtuous son ! Alas Yijaya-
datta!" And he returned to the temple of Durga ; and in the morning
he told his wife and his eldest son Asokadatta what had taken place. Then
that unfortunate man together with them suffered an attack of the fire
of grief, terrible like the falling of lightning from a cloud, so that the
other people, who were sojourning in Benares, and had come to visit the
shrine of the goddess, came up to him and sympathised heartily with his
sorrow. In the meanwhile a great merchant, who had come to worship the
goddess, named Samudradatta, beheld Govindasvamin in that state. The
good man approached him and comforted him, and immediately took him
and his family home to his own house. And there he provided him with a
bath and other luxuries, for this is the innate tendency of the great, to
have mercy upon the wretched. Govindasvamin also and his wife recovered
their self-command, having heard J the speech of the great S'aiva ascetic,
hoping to be re-united to their son. And thenceforth he lived in that city
of Benares, in the house of that rich merchant, having been asked by him
• SamdSvasya, the reading of a BIS. in the Sanskrit College, would perhaps give
a better sense.
f /. c. skull-cleaver.
J Perhaps we ought to read wtrilod for tfrnttd, " iJuiU'inK-ring, culling to
mind."
211
to do so. And there his other son Asokadatta grew up to be a young man,
and after studying the sciences learnt boxing and wrestling. And gradually
he attained such eminence in these arts, that he was not surpassed by any
champion on the earth. And once on a time there was a great gathering
of wrestlers at an idol procession, and a great and famous wrestler came from
the Deccan. He conquered all the other wrestlers of the king of Benares,
who was called Pratapamukuta, before his eyes. Then the king had Asoka-
datta quickly summoned from the house of that excellent merchant, and
ordered him to contend with that wrestler. That wrestler began the com-
bat by catching the arm of Asokadatta with his hand, but As'okadatta seized
his arm, and hurled him to the ground. Then the field of combat, as it
were, pleased, applauded the victor with the resounding noise produced by
the fall of that champion wrestler. And the king being gratified, loaded
Asokadatta with jewels, and having seen his might, he made him his own
personal attendant. So he became a favourite of the king's, and in time
attained great prosperity, for to one who possesses heroic qualities, a king
who appreciates merit is a perfect treasure-house. Once on a time, that
king went on the fourteenth day of the month away from his capital, to
worship the god S'iva in a splendid temple in a distant town. After he
had paid his devotions, he was returning by night near the cemetery
when he heard this utterance issue from it : " O king, the chief magistrate
out of private malice proclaimed that I deserved death, and it is now the
third clay since I was impaled, and even now my life will not leave my
body, though I am innocent, so I am exceedingly thirsty ; 0 king, order
water to be given me." When the king heard it, out of pity he said to his
personal attendant Asokadatta, " Send that man some water." Then Asoka-
datta said, " Who would go there at night ? So I had better go
myself." Accordingly he took the water, and set off. After the king had
proceeded on his way to his capital, the hero entered that cemetery, the
interior of which was difficult to penetrate, as it was filled with dense dark-
ness within ; in it there were awful evening oblations offered with tho
human flesh scattered about by the jackals ; in places the cemetery was
lighted up by the flaming beacons of the blazing funeral pyres, and in it
the Vetalas made terrible music with the clapping of their hands, so that
it seemed as if it were the palace of black night. Then he cried aloud,
'• Who asked the king for water ?" And he hoard from one quarter an answer,
" I asked for it." Following the voice he went to a funeral pyre near, and
beheld a man impaled on the top of a stake, and underneath it he saw a
woman that he had never seen before, weeping, adorned with beautiful
ornaments, lovely in every limb ; like the night adorned with the ra
the moon, now that the moon itself had set, its splendour Irivinj; waned
in the dark fortnight, come to worship the funeral pyre. Ho a.skod the
212
woman : " Who are you, mother, and why are you standing weeping here ?"
She answered him, " I am the ill-fated wife of him who is here impaled, and
I am waiting here with the firm intention of ascending the funeral pyre
with him. And I am waiting some time for his life to leave his body, for
though it is the third day of his impalement, his breath does not depart.
And he often asks for that water which I have brought here, but I cannot
reach his mouth, my friend, as the stake is high." When he heard that
speech of hers, the mighty hero said to her : " But here is water in my hand
sent to him by the king, so place your foot on my back and lift it to his
mouth, for the mere touching of another man in sore need does not dis-
grace a woman." When she heard that, she consented, and taking the
water she climbed up so as to plant her two feet on the back of Asokadatta,
who bent down at the foot of the stake. Soon after, as drops of blood
unexpectedly began to fall upon the earth and on his back, the hero lifted
up his face and looked. Then he saw that woman cutting off slice after
slice of that impaled man's flesh with a knife, and eating it.*
Then, perceiving that she was some horrible demon, f he dragged her
down in a rage, and took hold of her by her foot with its tinkling anklets
in order to dash her to pieces on the earth. She, for her part, dragged
away from him that foot, and by her deluding power quickly flew up into
the heaven, and became invisible. And the jewelled anklet, which had fallen
from her foot, while she was dragging it away, remained in one of
Asokadatta' s hands. Then he, reflecting that she had disappeared after
shewing herself mild at first, and evil-working in the middle, and at the
end horror-striking by assuming a terrible form, like association with wicked
men, — and seeing that heavenly anklet in his hand, was astonished,
grieved and delighted at the same time ; and then he left that cemetery,
taking the anklet with him, and went to his own house, and in the morn-
ing, after bathing, to the palace of the king.
And when the king said — " Did you give the water to the man who
was impaled," he said he had done so, and gave him that anklet ; and when
the king of his own accord asked him where it came from, he told that
king his wonderful and terrible night-adventure. And then the king, per-
ceiving that his courage was superior to that of all men, though he was
* So in Signora Von Gonzcnbach's Sicilian Stories, p. 66, a lovely woman opens
with a knifo the veins of the sleeping prince and drinks his blood. See also Veulcen-
stedt's Wcndische Sagon, p. 354. Ralston in his Eussian Folk-Talcs, p. 17, compares
this part of the story with a Russian story and that of Sidi Noman in the " Thousand
and One Nighta," he refers also to Lane's Translation, vol. I, p. 32.
t One is tempted to read vikritdin for vikritim, but vikriti is translated by the
rHcrsburg lexicographers as Gespenstcrschcinnntj . Vikritdm would incuii transformed
nto a Kukthasi.
213
before pleased with his other excellent qualities, was now more exceedingly
delighted ; and he took that anklet in his joy and gave it with his own
hand to the queen, and described to her the way in which he had obtained
it. And she, hearing the story and beholding that heavenly jewelled anklet,
rejoiced in her heart and was continually engaged in extolling Asokadatfca.
Then the king said to her : " Queen, in birth, in learning, in truthfulness
and beauty Asokadatta is great among the great ; and I think it would be
a good thing if he were to become the husband of our lovely daughter
Madanalekha ; in a bridegroom, these qualities are to be looked for, not for-
tune that vanishes in a moment, so I will give my daughter to this excel-
lent hero." When she heard that speech of her husband's, that queen
approving the proposal said, " It is quite fitting, for the youth will be an ap-
propriate match for her, and her heart has been captivated by him, for she
saw him in a spring-garden, and for some days her mind has been in a state
of vacancy and she neither hears nor sees ; I heard of it from her confidante,
and, after spending an anxious night, towards morning I fell asleep, and I
remember I was thus addressed by some heavenly woman in a dream,
' My child, thou must not give this thy daughter Madanalekha to any one
but Asokadatta, for she is his wife acquired by him in a former birth.'
And when I heard it, I woke up, and in the morning I want myself on the
strength of the dream and consoled my daughter. And now, my husband
has of his own accord proposed the marriage to me. Let her therefore be
united to him, as a spring-creeper to its stalk." When the king's beloved
wife said this to him, he was pleased, and he made festal rejoicings, and
summoning Asokadatta gave that daughter to him. And the union of
those two, the daughter of the king, and the son of the great Brahman, was
such that each enhanced the other's glory, like the union of prosperity
and modesty. And once upon a time the queen said to the king, with
reference to the anklet brought by Asokadatta : " My husband, this anklet
by itself does not look well, so let another be made like it." When the
king heard that, he gave an order to the goldsmiths and other craftsmen
of the kind, to make a second anklet like that. But they, after examining
it said ; — " It is impossible, O king, to make another like it, for the work is
heavenly, not human. There are not many jewels of this kind upon the
earth, so let another be sought for where this was obtained." When the
king and the queen heard this, they were despondent, and Asokadatta who
was there, on seeing that, immediately said, " I myself will bring you a fel-
low to that anklet." And having made this promise he could not give up tho
project on which he was resolved, although the king, terrified at his tern
endeavoured to dissuade him out of affection. And taking tho anklet he
went again on the fourteenth night of the black fortnight to the cemetery
where he had first obtained it ; and after he had entered that cemetery which
214
was full of Kakshasas as it was of trees, besmirched with the copious smoke
of the funeral pyres, and with men hanging from their trunks* which
were weighed down and surrounded with nooses, he did not at first see that
woman that he had seen before, but he thought of an admirable device for ob-
taining that bracelet, which was nothing else than the selling of human flesh. f
So he pulled down a corpse from the noose by which it was suspended on
the tree, and he wandered about in the cemetery, crying aloud — " Human
flesh for sale, buy, buy !" And immediately a woman called to him from a
distance, saying, " Courageous man, bring the human flesh and come along
with me." When he heard that, he advanced following that woman, and be-
held at no great distance under a tree a lady of heavenly appearance, surround-
ed with women, sitting on a throne, glittering with jewelled ornaments, whom
he would never have expected to find in such a place, any more than to find
a lotus in a desert. And having been led up by that woman, he
approached the lady seated as has been described, and said, " Here
I am, I sell human flesh, buy, buy !" And then the lady of heaven-
ly appearance said to him, " Courageous hero, for what price will you
sell the flesh ?" Then the hero, with the corpse hanging over his
shoulder and back, said to her, shewing her at the same time that single
jewelled anklet which was in his hand, " I will give this flesh to whoever
will give me a second anklet like this one ; if you have got a second like it,
take the flesh." When she heard that, she said to him, " I have a second
like it, for this very single anklet was taken by you from me. I am that
very woman who was seen by you near the impaled man, but you do not
recognise me now, because I have assumed another shape. So what is the
use of flesh ? If you do what I tell you, I will give you my second anklet,
which matches the one in your hand." When she said this to the hero, he
consented and said, " I will immediately do whatever you say." Then she
told him her whole desire from the beginning : " There is, good sir, a city
named Trighanta on a peak of the Himalayas. In it there lived a heroic
prince of the Eakshasas named Lambajihva. I am his wife, Vidyuchchhiklul
by name, and I can change my form at will. And as fate would have it,
that husband of mine, after the birth of my daughter, was slain in battle
fighting in front of the king Kapalasphota ; then that king being pl<\i>t\l
gave me his own city, and I have lived with my daughter in great comfort
on its proceeds up to the present time. And that daughter of mine has
by this time grown up to fresh womanhood, and I have great anxiety
in my mind as to how to obtain for her a brave husband. Then being here
on the fourteenth night of the lunar fortnight, and seeing you coming
* SJcandha wlu-n applied to the Rakshasas means shoulder.
t Literally u'tvat. H,-sh. " limit" seems to give the idea of unlawfulness, as iu tho
Greek futya Zpyov.
215
along this way with the king, I thought — ' This good-looking yonth is a
hero and a fit match for my daughter. So why should I not devise some
stratagem for obtaining him ?' Thus I determined, and imitating the voice
of an impaled person, I asked for water, and brought you into the middle
of that cemetery by a trick. And there I exhibited my delusive power in
assuming a false shape and other characteristics, and saying what was false
I imposed upon you there, though only for a moment. And I artfully left
one of my anklets there to attract you again, like a binding chain to draw
you, and then I came away. And to-day I have obtained you by that very
expedient, so come to my house ; marry my daughter and receive the other
anklet." When the Rakshasi said this to him, the hero consented, and by
means of her magic power he went with her through the air to her city.
And he saw that city built of gold on a peak of the Himalayas, like the
orb of the sun fixed in one spot, being weary with the toil of wandering
through the heavens. There he married that daughter of the prince of
the Rakshasas, by name Vidyutprabha, like the success of his own daring
incarnate in bodily form. And Asokadatta dwelt with that loved one
some time in that city, enjoying great comfort by means of his mother-in-
law's wealth. Then he said to his mother-in-law, " Give me that anklet,
for I must now go to the city of Benares, for I myself long ago promised
the king that I would bring a second anklet, that would vie with the first
one so distinguished for its unparalleled beauty." The mother-in-law, having
been thus entreated by her son-in-law, gave him that second anklet of hers,
and in addition a golden lotus.
Then he left that city with the anklet and the lotus, after promising
to return, and his mother-in-law by the power of her magic knowledge
carried him once more through the air to the cemetery. And then she
stopped under the tree and said to him, " I always come here on the four-
teenth night of the black fortnight, and whenever you come here on that*
night, you will find me here under the banyan-tree." When Asokadatta
heard this, he agreed to come there on that night, and took leave of that
Rakshasi, and went first to his father's house. And just as he was gladdening
by his unexpected arrival his parents, who were grieved by such an absence of
his, which doubled their grief for their separation from their younger son, the
king his father-in-law, who had heard of his arrival, came in. The king in-
dulged in a long outburst of joy, embracing him who bent before him, with
limbs the hairs of which stood on end like thorns, as if terrified at touching
one so dariug.f Then Asokadatta entered with him the palace of the king,
* Reading tasijdn for tasman.
t Soniudevu no doubt menus that the hairs on the king's body stood on end with
joy-
216
like joy incarnate in bodily form, and he gave to the king those two anklets
matched together, which so to speak praised his valour with their tinkling,
and he bestowed on that king the beautiful golden lotus, as it were the
lotus, with which the presiding Fortune of the Kakshasas' treasure plays,
torn, from her hand ; then being questioned out of curiosity by the king
and queen he told the story of his exploits, which poured nectar into their
ears. The king then exclaimed — " Is glittering glory, which astonishes
the mind by the description of wonderful exploits, ever obtained without
a man's bringing himself to display boldness ?" Thus the king spake on
that occasion, and he and the queen, who had obtained the pair of anklets,
considered their object in life attained, now that they had such a son-in-law.
And then that palace, resounding with festal instruments, appeared as if
it were chanting the virtues of Asokadatta. And on the next day the king
dedicated the golden lotus in a temple made by himself, placing it upon a
beautiful silver vessel; and the two together, the vessel and the lotus, gleam-
ed white and red like the glory of the king and the might* of Asokadatta.
And beholding them thus, the king, a devout worshipper of S'iva, with eyes
expanded with joy, spoke inspired with the rapture of adoration, " Ah ! this
lofty vessel appears, with this lotus upon it, like S'iva white with ashes, with
his auburn matted locks. If I had a second golden lotus like it, I would
place it in this second silver vessel." When Asokadatta heard this
speech of the king's, he said, "I, king, will bring you a second golden lotus ;"
when the king heard that, he answered him, "I have ho need of another
lotus, a truce to your temerity !" Then as days went on, Asokadatta
being desirous of bringing a golden lotus, the fourteenth day of the
black fortnight returned ; and that evening the sun, the golden lotus of the
sky-lake, went to the mountain of setting, as if out of fear, knowing
his desire for a golden lotus ; and when the shades of night, brown as
smoke, began immediately to spread everywhere like Ilukshasas, proud of
having swallowed the red clouds of evening as if they were raw ilcsh, and
the mouth of night, like that of an awful female goblin, began to yawn,
shining and terrible as (a mala, full of flickering names, f Asokadatta of
his own accord left the palace where the princess was asleep, and again
went to that cemetery. There he beheld at the foot of that banyan-tree his
mother-in-law the l{;ikshasi, who had again come, and who received him
with a courteous welcome, and with her the youth went again to her home,
the peak of the Himalayas, where his wife was anxiously awaiting him.
And after he had remained some- time with his wife, he said to his mother-
in-law, " Give mo a second golden lotus from somewhere or other." When
* According to the- canons of Hindu rhetoric i*lury is uhv.iys while.
1 Night u compared to a female goblin, (Rdkshtaf). Those civutmvs hv,
mouths.
217
she heard that, she said to him, " Whence can I procure another golden
lotus? But th -iv i> :i lake here belonging to our king Kapalasphofa,
where golden lotuses of this kind grow on all sides. From that lake he
gave that one lotus to iny husband as a token of affection." When she said
tliis, he answered her, " Then take me to that hike, in order that I m;iy my-
self take a golden lotus from it." She then attempted to dissuade him
saying, " It is impossible ; for the lake is guarded by terrible llaksha.-
but nevertheless he would not desist from his importunity." Then at last his
mother-in-law was with much dilHculty induced to take bim there, and he
beheld from afar that heavenly lake on the plateau of a lofty mountain,
covered with dense and tall-stalked lotuses of gleaming gold, as if from
continually facing the sun's rays they had drunk them in, and so become
interpenetrated with them.
So he went there and began to gather the lotuses, and while he was
thus engaged, the terrible Itakshasas, who guarded it, endeavoured to pre-
vent him from doing so. And being armed he killed some of them, but
the others fled and told their king Kapalasphota,* and when that king of
the Rakshasas heard of it, he was enraged and came there himself, and saw
Asokadatta with the lotuses he had carried off. And in his astonishment
he exclaimed as he recognised his brother : " What ! is this my brother
Asokadatta come here ?" Then he flung away his weapon, and with his
eyes washed with tears of joy, he quickly ran and fell at his feet, and said
to him : " I am Yijayadatta, your younger brother, we are both the sons of
that excellent Brahman Govindasvamin. And by the appointment of des-
tiny, I became a llakshasa such as you see, and have continued such for
this long time, and I am called Kapalasphota from niy cleaving the skull
on the funeral pyre."
But now from seeing you I have remembered my former Brahman
nature, and that R;ikshasa nature of mine, th.it clouded my mind with de-
lusion, has left me." When Yijayadatta said this, Asokadatta embraced
him, and so to speak, washed with copious tears of joy his body defiled by the
lldkshasa nature. And while he was thus engaged, there descended from
heaven by divine command the spiritual guide of the Yidyadharas, named
Kausika. And he approaching these two brothers, said, " You and your
family are all Vidyadharas, who have been reduced to this state by a curse,
and now the curse of all of you has terminated. So receive these sciences,
which belong to you, and which you must share with your relations. And
return to your own proper dwelling taking with you your relations."
Having said this, the spiritual guide, after bestowing the sciences on them,
ascended to heaven.
And they, having become Vidyadhnvas, awoke from tln-ir lonir <!••
* Cp. Su-iliauisL-hu 3J.arub.en collected by Laura Von Gonzeubueh. Yal. I, p. iGO.
28
218
and went through the air to that peak of the Himalayas, taking with them
the golden lotuses, and there Asokadatta repaired to his wife the daughter
of the king of the liakshasas, and then her curse came to an end, and she
became a Vidyadhari. And those two brothers went in a moment with
that fair-eyed one to Benares, travelling through the air. And there they
visited their parents, who were scorched with the fire of separation, and re-
freshed them by pouring upon them the revivifying nectar of their own
appearance. And those two, who, without changing the body, had gone
through such wonderful transformations, produced joy not only in their
parents, but in the people at large. And when Vija3radatta's father, after so
long a separation, folded him in a close embrace, he filled full not only his
arms, but also his desire. Then the king Pratapamukuta, the father-in-law
of Asokadatta, hearing of it, came there in higli delight ; and Asokadatta,
being kindly received by the king, entered with his relations the king's
palace, in which his beloved was anxiously awaiting him, and which was in a
state of festal rejoicing. And he gave many golden lotuses to that king,
and the king was delighted at getting more than he had asked for. Then
Vijayadatta's father Govindasvamin, full of wonder and curiosity, said to
him in the presence of all : " Tell me, my son, what sort of adventures you
had, after you had become a Kakshasa in the cemetery during the night."
Then Vijayadatta said to him — " My father, when in my reckless frivolity I
had cloven the burning skull on the funeral pyre, as fate would have it, I
immediately, as you saw, became a Rakshasa by its brains having entered
my mouth, being bewildered with delusion. Then I was summoned \>y the
other Bakshasas, who gave me the name of Kapalasphota, and I joined
them. And then I was led by them to their sovereign the king of the lx;ik-
shasas, and he, when he saw me, was pleased with me and appointed me
commander-in-chief. And once on a time that king of the Rakshasas went
in his infatuation to attack the Gandharvas, and was there slain in battle
by his foes. And then his subjects accepted my rule, so I dwelt in his
city and ruled those Bakshasas, and while I was there, I suddenly beheld
that elder brother of mine Asokadatta, who had come for golden lotuses,
and the sight of him put a stop to that Kakshasa nature in me. "What
follows, how we were released from the power of the eurse, and tip
recovered our sciences,* all this my elder brother will relate to you."
When Vijayadatta had told this story, Asokadatta began to tell his from
the beginning : "Long ago \ve were Vidyadhtiras, and from the heaven we
beheld the daughters of the hermits bathing in the (langes near the hermit-
age of (};ilava,t and then we fell suddenly in love with them, and they re-
* Magical scicnr 's. in virtue of which they wore Vid\ • " ^-holders.
t A son or pupil ol Visvainitru.
219
turned our affection ; all this took place in secret, but their relations, who
possessed heavenly insight, found it out and cursed us in their anger :
' May you two wicked ones be born both of you to a mortal woman, and
then you shall be separated in a marvellous manner, but when the second
of you shall behold the first arrived in a distant land, inaccessible to man,
and shall recogni.se him, then you shall have your magic knowledge restored
to you by the spiritual preceptor of the Vidyadharas, and you shall again
become Vidyadharas, released from the curse and re-united to your friends.'
Having been cursed in this way by those hermits, we were both born
here in this land, and you know the whole story of our separation,
and now by going to the city of the king of the Rakshasas, by virtue
of my mother in-law's magic power, to fetch the golden lotuses, I
have found this younger brother of mine. And in that very place we
obtained the sciences from our preceptor Prajnaptikausika, and suddenly
becoming Vidyadharas we have quickly arrived here." Thus Asokadatta
spoke, and then that hero of various adventures, delighted at having
escaped the darkness of the curse, bestowed on his parents and his be-
loved, the daughter of the king, his own wonderful sciences of many kinds,
so that their minds were suddenly awakened, and they became Vidyadharas.
Then the happy hero took leave of the king, and with his brother, his
parents, and his two wives, ilew up, and quiekly reached through the air
the palace of his emperor. There he beheld him, and received his orders,
and so did his brother, and he bore henceforth the name of Asokavega, and
his brother of Vijayavega. And both, the brothers, having become noble
Vidyadhara youths, went, accompanied by their relations, to the splendid
mountain named Govindakuta, which now became their home. And Pratapa-
mukuta the king of Benares, overpowered by wonder, placed one of the
golden lotuses in the second vessel in his temple, and offered to S'iva the
other golden lotuses presented by Asokadatta, and delighted with the honour
of his connexion, considered his family highly fortunate.
" Thus divine persons become incarnate for some reason, and are born in
this world of men, and possessing their native virtue and courage, attain suc-
cesses which it is hard to win. So I am persuaded that you, 0 sea of com-
are some portion of a divinity, and will attain success as you desire ; daring
in achievements hard to accomplish even by the great, generally indicates a
sur- passingly excellent nature. Moreover the princess Kanakarekha, whom
you love, must surely he a heavenly being, otherwise being a mere child how
could she desire a husband that has seen the Golden City r" Having
heard in secret this long and interesting story from Vishnudatta. S'aktideva,
J3tiui*.>p in his heart to behold the Golden City, and supporting himself with
resolute patience, managed to get through the night.
220
CHAPTER XXVI.
The next morning, while S'aktideva was dwelling in the monastery in
the island of Utsthala, Satyavrata, the king of the fishermen, came to him,
and said to him in accordance with the promise which he had made before,
" Brahman, I have thought of a device for accomplishing your wish ; there
is a fair isle in the middle of the sea named Ratnakuta, and in it there is
a temple of the adorable Vishnu founded by the Ocean, and on the twelfth
day of the white fortnight of A'shadha there is a festival there with a
procession, and people come there diligently from all the islands to offer
worship. It is possible that some one there might know about the Golden
City, so come let us go there, for that day is near." When Satyavrata made
this proposal, S'aktideva consented gladly, and took with him the provisions
for the journey furnished by Vishnudatta. Then he went on board the
ship brought by Satyavrata, and quickly set out with him on the ocean-
path, and as he was going with Satyavrata on the home of marvels* in
which the monsters resembled islands, he asked the king, who was steering
the ship, " What is this enormous object which is seen in the sea far off
in this direction, looking like a huge mountain equipped with wings rising
at will out of the sea ?" Then Satyavrata said : " Brahman, this is a banyan-
tree, f underneath it they say that there is a gigantic whirlpool, the mouth of
•ibmarine fire. And we must take care in passing this way to avoid
that spot, for those who once enter that whirlpool never return again."
While Satyavrata was thus speaking, the ship began to be carried in that
very direction by the force of the wind ;J when Satyavrata saw this, he
again said to S'aktideva : " Brahman, it is clear that the time of our destruc-
tion has now arrived, for see, this ship suddenly drifts § in that direction.
And now I cannot anyhow prevent it, so we are certain to be cast into that
dr-p whirlpool, as into the mouth of death, by the sea which draws us on
as if it were mighty fate, the result of our deeds. And it grieves me not
for myself, for whose body is continuing? But it grieves me to think that
your desire has not been accomplished in spite of all your toils, so while I
back this ship for a moment, quickly climb on to the boughs of this
banyan-tree, perhaps some expedient may piv.-vnt itself for .saving the life of
one of such noble form, for who can calculate the caprices of fate or the waves
* /. e. the Oc!
t Compare the tptvfbs futyas <f>fa\ouri rtdij^us in the Odyssey, I'.i><>k XII., 103.
J The metre of this lino is incurn •<•[, Thm> ia :i supiTtluous syll;il'!<
wo ought to rea<. '<tli, 1>y the cum-nt.
{ I think we ought to read adhah,
221
of the sea ?" While the heroic Satyavrata was saying this, the ship drew near
the tree ; at that moment S'aktideva made a leap in his terror, and caught
a broad branch of that marine banyan-tree,* but Satyavrata's body and
ship, which he offered for another, were swept down into the whirlpool, aud
he entered the mouth of the submarine fire. But S'aktideva, though he had
escaped to the bough of that tree, which filled the regions with its branches,
was full of despair and reflected — " I have not beheld that Golden City, and
I am perishing in an uninhabited place, moreover I have also brought about
the death of that king of the fishermen. Or rather who can resist the
O
awful goddess of Destiny, that ever places her foot upon the heads of all
men ?f While the H nil i man youth was thus revolving thoughts suited to
the occasion on the trunk of the tree, the day came to an end. And in the
evening he saw many enormous birds, of the nature of vultures, coming
into that banyan-tree from all quarters, filling the sides of heaven with
their cries, and the waves of the sea, that was lashed by the wind of
their broad wings, appeared as if running to meet them out of affection
produced by long acquaintance.
Then he, concealed by the dense leaves, overheard the conversation of
those birds perched on the branches, which was carried on in human lan-
guage. One described some distant island, another a mountain, another a
distant region as the place where he had gone to roam during the day, but
an old bird among them said, " I went to-day to the Golden City to disport
myself, and to-morrow morning I shall go there again to feed at my ease,
for what is the use of my talcing a long and fatiguing journey ?" S'akti-
deva's sorrow was removed by that speech of the bird's, which resembled a
sudden shower of nectar, and he thought to himself, " Bravo ! that city
does exist, and now I have an instrument for reaching it, this gigantic bird
given me as a means of conveyance." Thinking thus, S'aktideva slowly
advanced and hid himself among the back-feathers of that bird while it was
asleep, and next morning, when the other birds went off in different directions,
that vulture exhibiting a strange partiality to the Brahman like destiny. ;£
carrying S'aktideva unseen on his back where he had climbed up, went
immediately to the Golden City to feed again. § Then the bird alighted in
* Cp. Odyssey XII., 432 avr&p iyh ictn\ fj.aKpbv tpivebv tyoa' &tp9eh
T$ irpofftyvs ^x^W &s vvKTfpis. See also Lane's Arabian
Nights, Vol. Ill, p. 7.
t AAX '&pa yyt KO.T avtipuv Kpdara Babtt. Iliad XIX, v. 93.
J fid-tltt'/idti' ills. i meant (lappm:;- of wings. So there is probably a pun here.
§ So in the Swedish talc " The Beautiful I'aLuv Ka<t of the Sun and North of tho
Earth," tho Plurnix carries the youth on his back to the Palace. 1'.
Arabian Xights. Xi^lit 77. S, • l.ano, Vol. Ill, p. 17 and compare the Halt-yon in
Lueian's Vera Historia, Book II. 40, (Taut-hint/ edition,) whose ne>t is s,-\vn miles in
circumference, und whose t-yg is probably tho prototype of that in the Arabian J\
222
a garden, and S'aktideva got down from its back unobserved and left it, but
while he was roaming about there, he saw two women engaged in gathering
flowers ; he approached them slowly, who were astonished at his appearance,
and lie asked them, " What place is this, good ladies, and who are you ?"
And they said to him ; " Friend, this is a city called the Golden City, a seat
of the Vidyadharas, and in it there dwells a Vidyadhari, named Chandra-
prabha, and know that we are the gardeners in her garden, and we are
gathering these flowers for her." Then the Brahman said ; " Obtain for me
an interview with your mistress here." When they heard this, they consented,
and the two women conducted the young man to the palace in their city.
When he reached it, he saw that it was glittering with pillars of precious
stones, and had walls of gold,* as it were the very rendezvous of prosperity.
And all the attendants , when they saw him arrived there, went and told
Chandraprabha the marvellous tidings of the arrival of a mortal ; then she
gave a command to the warder, and immediately had the Brahman brought
into the palace and conducted into her presence ; when he entered, he
beheld her there giving a feast to his eyes, like the Creator's ability to
create marvels, represented in bodily form. And she rose from her jewelled
couch, while he was still far off, and honoured him with a welcome herself,
overpowered by beholding him. And when he had taken a seat, she asked
him, " Auspicious sir, who are you, that have come here in such guise, and how
did you reach this land inaccessible to men r" When Chandraprabha in her
curiosity asked him this question, S'aktideva told her his country and his
birth and his name, and he related to her how he had come in order to obtain
the princess Kanakarekha as the reward of beholding the Golden City.
When Chandraprabha heard that, she thought a little and heaved a deep
sigh, and said to S'aktideva in private ; " Listen, I am now about to tell you
something, fortunate sir. There is in this land a king of the Yidyadharas
named S'asikhanda, and xve four daughters were born to him in due course ;
I am the oldest Chandraprabha, and the next is Chandrarekha, and the
third is S'asirekha and the fourth S'asiprabha. We gradually grew np to
womanhood in our father's house, and once upon a time those thnv sisters
of mine went together to the shore of the Ganges to bathe, while I was
detained at home by illness ; then they began to play in the water, and in
the insolence of youth they sprinkled with water a hermit named Agrya-
tapas, while he was in the stream. That hermit in his wrath cursed those
girls, who had carried their merriment too far, saying : — " You wicked maid-
ens, lie born all of you in the world of mortals." When our father hoard that,
he went and pacified the great hermit, and the hermit told how the curse of
each of them severally should end, and appointed to each of them in her
mortal condition the power of remembering her former existence, supple-
mented with divine insight. Then, they having left their bodies and gone
* We should read
to the world of men, my father bestowed on me this city, and in his grief
went to the forest, but while I was dwelling here, the goddess Durga
informed me in ;i dream that a mortal should become my husband. For this
reason, though my father has recommended to me many Vidyadhara suitors,
I have rejected them all and remained unmarried up to this day. But now
I am subdued by your wonderful arrival and by your handsome form, and
I give myself to you ; so I will go on the approaching fourteenth day of
the lunar fortnight to the great mountain called Rishabha to entreat my
father for your sake, for all the most excellent Vidyadharas assemble there
from all quarters on that day to worship the god S'iva, and my father
comes there too, and after I have obtained his permission, I will return
here quickly ; then marry me. Now rise up."
Having said this, Chandraprabha supplied S'aktideva with various kinds
of luxuries suited to Vidyadharas, and while he remained there, he was as
much refreshed, as one heated by a forest conflagration would be by bathing
in a lake of nectar. And when the fourteenth day had arrived, Chandra-
prabha said to him: " To-day I go to entreat my father's permission to
marry you, and all my attendants will go with me. But you must not be
grieved at being left alone for two days, moreover, while you remain alone
in this palace, you must by no means ascend the middle terrace." When
Chandraprabha had said this to that young Brahman, she set out on her
journey leaving her heart with him, and escorted on her way by his. And
S'aktideva, remaining there alone, wandered from one magnificent part of
the palace to another, to delight his mind ; and then he felt a curiosity to
know why that daughter of the Vidyadhara had forbidden him to ascend
the roof of the palace, and so he ascended that middle terrace of the palace,
for men are generally inclined to do that which is forbidden : and when he
had ascended it, he saw three concealed pavilions, and he entered one of
them, the door of which was open, and when he had entered it he saw a cer-
tain woman lying on a magnificently jewelled sofa, on which there was a
mattress placed, whose body was hidden by a sheet. But when he lifted
up the sheet and looked, he beheld lying dead in that guise that beautiful
maiden, the daughter of king Paropakarin ; and when he saw her there, he
thought, " What is this great wonder ? Is she sleeping a sleep from which
there is no awaking, or is it a complete delusion on my part ? That woman,
for whose sake I have travelled to this foreign land, is lying here without
breath, though she is alive in my own country, and she still retains her
beauty unimpaired, so I may be certain that this is all a magic show, which
the Creator for some reason or other exhibits to beguile me." Thinking
thus, he proceeded to enter in succession those other two pavilions,
and ho beheld within them in the same way two other maidens ; then
he went in his astonishment out of the palace, and sitting down he
224
remained looking at a very beautiful lake below it, and on its bank
he beheld a horse with a jewelled saddle ; so he descended immediately from
where he was, and out of curiosity approached its side ; and seeing
that it had no rider on it, he tried to. mount it, and that horse
struck him with its heel and flung him into the lake. And after he had
sunk beneath the surface of the. lake,;he quickly rose up to his astonishment
from the middle of a garden-lake in his own city of Vardhamana ; and he
saw himself suddenly standing in the water of a lake in his own native city,
like the kumuda plants, miserable without the light of the moon.* He re-
flected " How different is this city of Vardhamana from that city of the
Vidyadharas ! Alas ! what is this great display of marvellous delusion ? Alas !
I, ill-fated wretch, am wonderfully deceived by some strange power ; or
rather, who on this earth knows what is the nature of destiny ?" Thus reflect-
ing S'aktideva rose from the midst of the kke, and went in a state of
wonder to his own father's house. There he made a false representation,
giving as an excuse for his absence that he had been himself going about
with a drum, and being gladly welcomed by his father he remained with his
delighted relations ; and on the second day he went outside his house, and
heard again these words being proclaimed in the city by beat of drum, — •
" Let whoever, being a Brahman or a Kshatriya, has really seen the Golden
City, say so : the king will give him his daughter, and make him crown-
prince." Then S'aktideva hearing that, having successfully accomplished
the task, again went and said to those who were proclaiming this by beat
of drum, — " I have seen that city." And they took him before that king,
and the king recognising him, supposed that he was again saying what was
untrue, as he had done before. But he said — " If I say what is false, and
if I have not really seen that city, I desire now to be punished with
death ; let the princess herself examine me." When he said this, the king
went and had his daughter summoned by his servants. She, when she saw
that Brahman, whom she had seen before, again said to the king ; " My
father, he will tell us some falsehood again." Then S'aktideva said to
her, — " Princess, whether I speak truly or falsely, be pleased to explain
this point which excites my curiosity. How is it that I saw you lying
* Or Chandraprabha, whose name means " light of the moon." The for"
chamber will at once remind the reader of Porrault' s La B.irlir llleue. Tht> lake inci-
dent is exactly similar to one in Chapter 81 of this work and to that of Kandarpaketq
in the Hit' i;:;M<>uV Ku — iau Folk-tales page 99. ![<• r fersto tlii-:-!<>iy and
compares it with that of tho Third liojal Mendicant, Lane I, 160-173, and gives i
European equivalents. Si-.- al.-.> Y. rkvn.4.-ilt's YVYiulis.-h" ya^vii. p. lM-1. Many jvirnllrls
wfll be found in the not.- to Grimm's Mo-rchen, Mus. 3 and -10 ; to which
. in his exhaustive nuto.
225
dead on a sofa in the golden city, and yet see you here alive ?" When the
princess Kanakarekha had been asked this question by S'aktideva, and fur-
nished with this token of his truth, she said in the presence of her father:
" It is true that this groat-hearted one has seen that city, and in a short
time he will be my husband, when I return to dwell there. And there he
will marry my other three sisters ; and he will govern as king the Vi
dharas in that city. But I must to-day enter rny own body and that city,
for I have been born here in your house owing to the curse of a hermit,
who moreover appointed that my curse should end in the following way,
' When you shall be wearing a human form, and a man, having beheld your
body in the Golden City, shall reveal the truth, then you shall be freed
from your curse, and that man shall become your husband.' And though.
I am in a human body I remember my origin, and I possess supernatural
knowledge, so I will now depart to my own. Vidyadhara home, to a happy
fortune." Saying this the princess left her body, and vanished, and a con-
fused cry arose in the palace. And S'aktideva, who had now lost both the
maidens, thinking over the two beloved ones whom he had gained by various
difficult toils, and who yet were not gained, and not only grieved but blam-
ing himself, with his desires not accomplished, left the king's palace* and
in a moment went through the following train of thought : " Kanakarekha
said that I should attain my desire ; so why do I despond, for success
depends upon courage ? I will again go to the Golden City by the same
path, and destiny will without doubt again provide me with a means of
getting there." Thus reflecting S'aktideva set out from that city, for
resolute men who have once undertaken a project do not turn back without
accomplishing their object. And journeying on, he again reached after a
Ipng time that city named Vitankapura, situated on the shore of the sea.
And there he saw the merchant coining to meet him, with whom he origin-
ally went to sea, and whose ship was wrecked there. He thought, " Can this
be Samudradatta, and how can he have escaped after falling into the sea ?
But how can it be otherwise ? I myself am a strange illustration of its pos-
sibility." While he approached the merchant thinking thus, the merchant re-
cognised him, and embraced him in his delight, and he took him to his own
house and after entertaining him, asked him — " When the ship foundered,
how did you escape from the sea?" S'aktideva then told him his whole history,
how, after being swallowed by a fish, he first reached the island of I'tsthula,
and then he asked the good merchant in his turn : " Tell me ;ilso how you
es-Mpud from the sea." Then the merchant said, " After I fell into the sea
that time, I remained Heating for three days supported on a plunk. Then
a .-hip suddenly came that way, and I, crying out, was deserifd l>y those in
her, and taken on board her. And when I got on board, I saw my own
father who had gone Lo a distant isluud long before, aud wus now returning
29
226
after a long absence. My father, when he saw me, recognised me, and
embracing me asked my story with tears, and I told it him as follows — •
'My father, you bad been away for a long time and had not returned,
and so I set about trading myself, thinking it was my proper employ-
ment ; then on my way to a distant island my ship was wrecked, and
I was plunged in the sea, and you have found me and rescued me.'
When I had said this to him, my father asked me reproachfully —
'Why do you run such risks ? For I possess wealth, my son, and I am
engaged in acquiring it, see, I have brought you back this ship full of gold.'
Thus spoke my father to me, and comforting me took me home in that
very ship to my own dwelling in Vitankapura." When S'aktideva had hoard
this account from the merchant, and had rested that night, he said to him
on the next day — " Great merchant, I must once more go to the island of
Utsthala, so tell me how I can get there now." The merchant said to
him — " Some agents of mine are preparing to go there to-day, so go on
board the ship, and set out with them." Thereupon the Brahman set out
with the merchant's agents to go to that island of Utsthala, and by
chance the sons of the king of the fishermen saw him there, and when
they were near him, they recognised him and said, — " Brahman, you
went with our father to search here and there for the Golden City,
and how is it that you have come back here to-day alone ?" Then
S'aktideva said, "Your father, when out at sea, fell into the mouth of
the submarine fire, his ship having been dragged down by the current."
When those sons of the fisher-king heard that, they were angry and said
to their servants — " Bind this wicked man, for he has murdered our father.
Otherwise how could it have happened that, when two men were in the
same ship, one should have fallen into the mouth of the submarine fire, and
the other escaped it. So we must to-morrow morning sacrifice our father's
murderer in front of the goddess Durga, treating him as a victim."
Having said this to their servants, those sons of the fisher-king bound
S'aktideva, and took him off to the awful temple of Durga, the belly of which
was enlarged, as if it continually swallowed many lives, and which was like
the mouth of death devouring tamdla with projecting teeth. There S'akti-
deva remained bound during the night in fear for his life, and he thus
]>r;i yed to the goddess Durga, — " Adorable one, grantor of boons, thou didst
deliver the world with thy form which was like the orl> of the rising sun,
:'.]<] icaring as if it had drunk its lill of the blood gush! i'rom tho
throat of the giant Ruru ;* therefore deliver me, thy constant votary, who
lia\e come a long distance out of desire to obtain my beloved, but am now
fallen without cause into the power of my enemies." Thus he pray*
* Tho Uuiiin-im uru a rl;i-s of domona or giants. Ruru was a Daaava slain by
Durga.
227
the goddess, and \vitli difficulty went off to sleep, and in the night he saw a
woman come out of the inner cell of the temple ; that woman of heavenly
beauty came up to him, and said with a compassionate manner, " Do not
iVar. S'aktideva, no harm shall happen to you. The sons of that fisher-
king have a sister named Vindumati, that maiden shall see you in the
morning and claim you for a husband, and you must agree to that, she will
bring about your deliverance : and she is not of the fisher-caste : for she
is a celestial female degraded in consequence of a curse." When he heard
this, he woke up, and in the morning that fisher-maiden came to the temple,
a shower of nectar to his eyes. And announcing herself, she came up to
him and said in her eagerness, " I will have you released from this prison,
therefore do what I desire. For I have refused all these suitors approved
of by my brothers, but the moment I saw you, love arose in my soul,
therefore marry me." When Vindumati, the daughter of the fisher-king,
said this to him, S'aktideva remembering his dream, accepted her proposal
gladly ; she procured his release, and he married that fair one, whose wish
was gratified by her brothers receiving the command to do so from Durga,
in a dream. And he lived there with that heavenly creature that had
assumed a human form, obtained solely by his merits in a former life, as if
with happy success. And one day, as he was standing upon the roof of his
palaee, he saw a Chandala coming along with a load of cow's flesh, and he
said to his beloved — " Look, slender one ! how can this evildoer eat the
flesh of cows, those animals that are the object of veneration to the three
worlds ?" Then Vindumati, hearing that, said to her husband ; " The wicked-
ness of this act is inconceivable, what can we say in palliation of it. I
have been born in this race of fishermen for a very small offence owing to
the might of cows, but what can atone for this man's sin ?" When she
said this, S'aktideva said to her ; — " That is wonderful : tell me, my beloved,
who you are, and how you came to be born in a family of fishermen." When
he asked this with much importunity, she said to him, " I will tell you,
though it is a secret, if you promise to do what I ask you." He affirmed
with an oath ; " Yes, 1 will do what you ask me."
She then told him first what she desired him to do; " In this island y»u
will soon marry another wife, and she, my husband, will soon became ]
nant, and iu the eighth month of her pregnancy you must cut her op-v
take out the child, and you must feel no compunction about it." Thus she
said, and he was astonished, exclaiming, " What can this mean ?" and he was
full of horror, but that daughter of the fisher-king went on to - iy, " 1'1'is
request of mine you must perform for a certain reason ; now hear who I
am, and how I came to be born in a family oL' fishermen. I. iu a
former birth I was a certain Vidyjidhari, and now 1 have fallen into tho
228
world of men in consequence of a curse. For when I was a Vidyadhari, I
bit asunder some strings with my teeth and fastened them to lyres, and it
is owing to that that I have been born here in the house of a fisherman.
So, if such a degradation is brought about by touching the mouth with the
dry sinew of a cow, much more terrible must be the result of eating cow's
flesh !" While she was saying this, one of her brothers rushed in in a state
of perturbation, and said to S'aktideva, " Rise up, an enormous boar has
appeared from somewhere or other, and after slaying innumerable persons
is coming this way in its pride, towards us." When S'aktideva heard that,
he descended from his palace, and mounting a horse, spear in hand,* he
g:\lloped to meet the boar, and struck it the moment he saw it, but when
the hero attacked him the boar fled, and managed, though wounded, to
enter a cavern : and S'aktideva entered there in pursuit of him, and imme-
diately beheld a great garden-shrubbery with a house. And when he was
there, he beheld a maiden of very wonderful beauty, coming in a state of
agitation to meet him, as if it were the goddess of the wood advancing to
receive him out of love.
And he asked her, — " Auspicious lady, who are you, and why are you
perturbed?" — Hearing that, the lovely one thus answered him ; " There is
a king of the name of Chandavikrama, lord of the southern region. 1 am
his daughter, auspicious sir, a maiden named Vindurekha. But a wicked
Daitya, with flaming eyes, carried me off by treachery from my father's
house to-day, and brought me here. And he, desiring flesh, assumed the
form of a boar, and sallied out, but while he was still hungry, he was pierced
with a spear to-day by some hero ; and as soon as he was pierced, he came
in here and died. And I rushed out and escaped without being outraged
by him." Then S'aktideva said to her, " Then why all this perturbation ?
For I slew that boar with a spear, princess." Then she said, " Tell me
•who you are," and he answered her " I am a Brahman named S'aktideva."
Then she said to him, " You must accordingly become my husband," and
the hero consenting went out of the cavern with her. And when lie
arrived at home, he told it to his wife Vindumati, and with her consent
he married that princess Vindurekha. So, while S'aktideva was living there
with his two wives, one of his wives Vindurekha became pregnant ; and in
the eighth month of her pregnancy, the first wife Vindumati came up to
him of her own accord and said to him, " Hero, remember what you pro-
mised me ; this is the eighth month of the pregnancy of your second \
so go and cut her open and bring the child here, for you c;mnot act contrary
to your own word of honour." When she suid this to S'.-iktideva. he was
bewildered by affection and compassion; but being bound by his promise
* In S'loka 172 b. I conjecture S'aktihasto for ti'aktulcio, us we ivad in 8'1. 181 b.
that the boar was wounded with a tfakti.
229
he remained for a short time unable to give an answer ; at last he depnrted
in a state of agitation and went to Vindurekha ; and she seeing him come
with troubled air, said to him, " Husband, why are you despondent to-'lay ?
Surely I know ; you have been commissioned by Vindumati to take out
the child with which I am pregnant ; and that you must certainly do, for
there is a certain object in view, and there is no cruelty in it, so do not
feel compunction ; in proof of it, hear the following story of Devadatta."
Lnnsr ago there lived in the city of
Story of Devadatta.
Kambuka a Brahman named Handatta ;
and the son of that auspicious man, who was named Devadatta, though he
studied in his boyhood, was, as a young man, exclusively addict;-d to the
vice of gaining. As he had lost his clothes and everything by gambling,
he was not able to return to his father's house, so he entered once on a time
an empty temple. And there he saw alone a great ascetic, named J41ap4da,
who had attained many objects by magic, and he was muttering spells in a
corner. So he went up to him slowly and bowed before him, and the ascetic,
abandoning his hubit of not speaking to any one, greeted him with a wel-
come ; and after he had remained there a moment, the ascetic, seeing his
trouble, asked him the cause, and he told him of his affliction produced by
the loss of his wealth, which had been dissipated in gambling. Then the
ascetic said to Devadatta ; " My child, there is not wealth enough in the
whole world to satisfy gamblers ; but if you desire to escape from your
calamity, do what I tell you, for I have made preparations to attain the
rank of a Vidyadhara ; so help me to accomplish this, 0 man of fortunate
destiny,* you have only to obey my orders and then your calamities will be at
an cad." When the ascetic said this to him, Devadatta promised to obey
him, and immediately took up his residence with him. And the next day
the ascetic went into a corner of the cemetery and performed worship by
night under a banyan-tree, and offered rice boiled in milk, and flung por-
tions of the oblation towards the four cardinal points, after worshipping
them, and said to the Brahman who was in attendance on him ; " You
must worship here in this style every day, and say ' Vidyutprablui, accept
this worship.' And then 1 am certain that we shall both attain our
ends ;" having said this the ascetic went with him to his own house.
Then Devadatta, consenting, went every day and duly performed worship
at the foot of that tree, according to his instructions. And one day, at the
end of his worship, the tree suddenly clave open, and a heavenly nymph,
came out of it before his eyes, and said, " My good sir, my mi
summons you to come to her." And then she introduced him into the
middle of that tree. When he entered it, he beheld a heavenly palace
made of jewels, and a beautiful lady within it reclining upon a sofa.
* Literally, having uuspicious marks.
230
And he immediately thought — " This may he the success of our
enterprise incarnate in bodily form," but while he was thinking thus, that
beautiful lady, receiving him graciously, rose with limbs on which the orna-
ments rang as if to welcome him, and seated him on her own sofa. And
she said to him, " Illustrious sir, I am the maiden daughter of a king
of the Yakshas, named Ratnavarsha, and I am known by the name of
Vidyutprabha ; and this great ascetic Jalapada was endeavouring to gain
my favour, to him I will give the attainment of his ends, but you are the
lord of my life. So, as you see my affection, marry me." When she said
this, Devadatta consented, and did so. And he remained there some time,
but when she became pregnant, he went to the great ascetic with the in-
tention of returning, and in a state of terror lie told him all that had hap-
pened, and the ascetic, desiring his own success, said to him, " My good sir,
you have acted quite rightly, but go and cut open that Yakshi and
taking out the embryo, bring it quickly here." The ascetic said this to
him, and then reminded him of his previous promise, and being dismissed
by him, the Brahman returned to his beloved, and while he stood there des-
pondent with reflecting on what he had to do, the Yakshi Vidyutprabha of
her own accord said to him ; — " My husband, why are you cast down '? I
know, Jalapada has ordered you to cut me open, so cut me open and take
out this child, and if you refuse, I will do it myself, for there is an object
in it." Though she said this to him, the Brahman could not bring him-
self to do it, then she cut herself open and took out the child, and flung it
down before him and saicl, " Take this, which will enable him who consumes
it, to obtain the rank of a Vidyadhara. But I, though properly a Vidyadhari,
have been born as a Yakshi owing to a curse, and this is the appointed end
of rny curse, strange as it is, for I remember my former existence. Now I
depart to my proper home, but' we two shall meet again in that place."
Saying this Vidyutprabha vanished from his eyes. And Devadatta took
the child with sorrowful mind, and went to that ascetic Jalapada, and gave.
it to him, as that which would ensure the success of his incantations, for
good men do not even in calamity give way to selfishness. The great
ascetic divided the child's flesh, and sent Devadatta to the wood to worship
Durga in her terrific form. And when the Brahman came back after pr
ting an oblation, he saw that the ascetic had made away with all the flesh.
And while he said — "What, have you consumed it all?" the treacherous Jala-
pada, having become a Yidyadhara, ascended to heaven. When he hail
flown up, with sword blue as the sky, adorned with necklace and br;i
Devadatta reflected, '' Alas ! how 1 have been deceived by this evil-minded
one! Or rather on whom does not excessive compliance entail misfortune ?
So how can 1 revenge myself on him for this ill turn, and how can 1 reach
231
him who has become a Vkl yadhara ? Well! I have no other resource in this
matter except propitiating a Vetala."* After he had made up his mind to
do this, he went at night to the cemetery. There he summoned at the foot
of a tree a Vettila into the body of a man, and after worshipping him, he
made an oblation of human flesh to him. And as that Vetala was not
sati.stied, and would not wait for him to bring more, he prepared to cut off
his own flesh in order to gratify him. And immediately that Vetala said
to that brave man ; — " I am pleased with this courage of yours, do not act
recklessly. So, my good sir, what desire have you for me to accomplish
for you ?" When the Vetala said this, the hero answered him ; " Take mo
to the dwelling-place of the Vidyadharas, where is the ascetic Jalapada, who
deceives those that repose confidence in him, in order that I may
punish him." The Vetala consented, and placing him on his shoulder, car-
ried him through the air in a moment to the dwelling of the Vidyadharas ;
and there he saw Jalapada in a palace, seated on a jewelled throne, elated
at being a king among the Vidyadharas, endeavouring by various speeches
to induce that Vidyutprabha.f who had obtained the rank of a Vidyadhari, to
marry him in spite of her reluctance. And the moment that the young
man saw him, he attacked him with the help of the Vetala, being to the
eyes of the delighted Vidyutprablui, what the moon, the repository of nectar,
is to the partridges. J And Jalapada beholding him suddenly arrived in
this way, dropped his sword in his fright, and fell from his throne on the
floor. But Devadatta, though he had obtained his sword, did not slay him,
for the great-hearted feel pity even for their enemies when they are terri-
fied.
And when the Vetala wanted to kill him, he dissuaded him, and said,
" Of what use will it be to us to kill this miserable heretic ? So take him
and place him in his own house on earth, it is better that this wicked skull-
hearing ascetic should remain there." At the vei*y moment that Devadatta
was saying this, the goddess Durga descended from heaven and appeaivd
to him, and said to him who bent before her, " My son, I am satisfied with
thee now, on account of this incomparable courage of thine ; so I give
thee on the spot the rank of king of the Vidyadharas." Having said this,
she bestowed the magic sciences§ on him, and immediately disappeared.
And the Vetala immediately took Jalapada, whose splendour fell from him,
and placed him on earth; (wickedness does not long ensure success;) and
Devadatta accompanied by Vidyutprablui, having obtained that sovereignty
of the Vidyadharas, flourished in his kingdom.
* A spirit that enters dead bodies.
f I read yidyvtprabkdm for Vidgddhatim. But perhaps it is unnecessary.
% The Chakoru is said to subsist upon moonbeams.
§ So making him u Vidyadliuru or "uuujic-kiiu \vUJgo-holder."
232
Having told this story to her husband S'aktidcva, the softly-speaking
Yindurekha again said to him with eagerness ; " Such necessities do arise, so
cut out this child of mine as Vindumati told you, without remorse." When
Yindurekha said this, S'aktideva was afraid of doing wrong, but a voice
sounded from heaven at this juncture, " O S'aktideva, take out this child
•without fear, and seize it by the neck with your hand, then it will turn into
a sword." Having heard this divine voice, he cut her open ; and quickly
taking out the child, he seized it by the throat with his hand ; and no soon-
er did he seize it, than it became a sword in his hand ; like the long hair of
Good Fortune seized by him with an abiding grasp. Then that Brahman.
quickly became a Yidyadhara, and Yindurekha that moment disappeared.
And when he saw that, he went, as he was, to his second wife Yindumati,
and told her the whole story. She said to him, " My lord, we are three
sisters, the daughter of a king of the Vidyadharas, who have been banished
from Kanakapuri in consequence of a curse. The first was Kanakareklui,
the termination of whose curse you beheld in the city of Vardhamana ;
and she has gone to that city of hers, her proper home. For such was
the strange end of her curse, according to the dispensation of fate, and
I am the third sister, and now my curse is at an end. And this very day
I must go to that city of mine, my beloved, for there our Vidyadhara bodies
remain. And my elder sister, Chandraprabha, is dwelling there ; so you
also must come there quickly by virtue of the magic power of your sword.
And you shall rule in that city, after obtaining all four of us as wives,
bestowed upon you by our father who has retired to the forest, and others
in addition to us."
Thus Yindumati declared the truth about herself, and S'aktideva
consenting, went again to the City of Gold, this time through the air,
together with that Yindumati. And when he arrived, he again saw those
three darlings of his bending before him, Kanakarcklui and the others,
after entering with their souls, as was fitting, those heavenly female bodies,
which he saw on a former occasion extended lifeless on the couches in \
three pavilions. And he saw that fourth sister there, Chandruprabha, who
had performed auspicious ceremonies, and was drinking in his form with an
eye rendered eager by seeing him after so long an absence. Jlis arrival
was joyfully hailed by the servants, who were occupied in their several
duties, as well as by the ladies, and when he entered the private apartm
that Chandrapabha said to him — " Noble sir, here is that princess KanaLire-
kha, who was seen by you in the city of Vardhamana, my .-i.-ter ealled
rhandrarekhd. And here is that daughter of the fisher king, Vindumati,
whom you first married in the island of Utsthala, my sister S 'a-uvUia. And
here is m\ youngest sister S'a>ipr:ibh:i, the princess who alter that uas
brought there by the Danava. and then became your wife. So now come,
233
successful hero, with us into the presence of our father, and quickly marry
us all, when bestowed upon you by him."
When Chandraprabh& had swiftly and boldly uttered this decree of
Cupid, S'aktideva went with those four to the recesses of the wood to meet
their father, and their father, the king of the Vidyadharas, having been
informed of the facts by all his daughters who bowed at his feet, and also
moved by a divine voice, with delighted soul gave them all at once to
S'aktideva Immediately after that, he bestowed on S'aktideva his opulent
realm in the City of Gold, and all his magic sciences, and he gave the
successful hero his name, by which he was henceforth known among his
Vidyadharas. And he said to him ; " No one else shall conquer thee, but
from the mighty lord of Vatsa there shall spring a universal emperor, who
shall reign among you here under the title of Naravahanadatta and be thy
superior, to him alone wilt thou have to submit." With these words the
mighty lord of the Vidyadharas, named S'asikhandapada, dismissed his son-in-
law from the wood where he was practising asceticism, after entertaining him
kindly, that he might go with his wives to his own capital. Then that
S'aktivega, having become a king, entered the City of Gold, that glory of the
Vidyadhara world, proceeding thither with his wives. Living in that city,
the palaces of which gleamed with fabric of gold, which seemed on account
of its great height to be the condensed rays of the sun falling in brightness,
be enjoyed exceeding happiness with those fair-eyed wives, in charming
gardens, the lakes of which had steps made out of jewels.
Having thus related his wonderful history, the eloquent S'aktivega
went on to say to the king of Vatsa, " Know me, O lord of Vatsa, ornament
of the lunar race, to be that very S'aktideva come here, full of desire to
behold the two feet of your son who is just born, and is destined to be our
new emperor. Thus I have obtained, though originally a man, the rank of
sovereign among the Vidyadharas by the favour of Siva : and now, O king,
I return to my own home ; I have seen our future lord ; may you enjoy
unfailing felicity."
After iinishing his tale, S'aktivega said this with clasped hands, and
receiving permission to depart, Immediately flew up into the sky like the
moon in brightness, and then the king of Vatsa in the company of his
wives, surrounded by his ministers, and with his young son, enjoyed, in his
own capital a state of indescribable felicity.
30
BOOK VI.
CHAPTER XXVII.
May the god with the face of an elephant,* who appears, with his
head bowed down and then raised, to be continually threatening the hosts
of obstacles, protect you.
I adore the god of Love, pierced with the showers of whose arrows even
the body of S!iva seems to bristle with dense thorns, when embraced by Urna.
Now hear the heavenly adventures which Naravahanadatta, speaking of
himself in the third person, told from the very beginning, after he had
obtained the sovereignty of the Vidyadharas, and had been questioned about
the story of his life on some occasion or other by the seven Rishis and their
wives.
Then that Naravahanadatta being carefully brought up by his father,
passed his eighth year. The prince lived at that time with the sons of the
ministers, being instructed in sciences, and sporting in gardens. And the
queen Vasavadatta and Padmavati also on account of their exceeding
affection were devoted to him day and night. He was distinguished by a
body which was sprung from a noble stock, and bent under the weight of
his growing virtues, and gradually tilled out, as also by a bow which was
made of a good bamboo, which bent as the string rose, and slowly arched
itself into a crescent, f And his father the king of Vatsa spent his time
in wishes for his marriage and other happiness, delightful because so soon
to bear fruit. Now hear what happened at this point of the story.
Story of the merchant' s8on in Taksha- There was once a city named
TakshasilaJ on the banks of the
Vitasta, the reflection of whose long line of palaces gleamed in the wat'Ts
of the river, as if it were the capital of the lower regions come to gaze at its
splendour. In it there dwelt a king named Kalingadatta, a distingui-
* /. e. Ganesa who is invoked to remove obstacles.
t This is an elaborate pun in the original. (?«n« = string and virtue; vanfa = iticu
and bamboo.
I The Taxiln of the Greek writers. The Vitasta ia the Hydaapee of the (.
now called J helum.
236
Buddhist, all whose subjects were devoted to the great Buddha the bride-
groom of Tara.* His city shone with splendid Buddhist temples densely
crowded together, as if with the horns of pride elevated because it had no
rival upon earth. He not only cherished his subjects like a father, but also
himself taught them knowledge like a spiritual guide. Moreover there
was in that city a certain rich Buddhist merchant called Vitastadatta, who
was exclusively devoted to the honouring of Buddhist mendicants. And
he had a son, a young man named Ratnadatta. And he was always express-
ing his detestation of his father, calling him an impious man. And
when his father said to him, " Son, why do you blame me ?" — the merchant's
son answered with bitter scorn, " My father, you abandon the religion of
the three Vedas and cultivate irreligion. For you neglect the Brahmans
and are always honouring S'ramnnas.f What have you to do with that
Buddhist discipline, which all kinds of low-caste men resort to, to grati-
fy their desire to have a convent to dwell in, released from bathing and
other strict ordinances, loving to feed whenever it is convenient,^ reject-
ing the Brahmanical lock and other prescribed methods of doing the hair,
quite at ease with only a rag round their loins ?" When the merchant heard
that he said — " Religion is not confined to one form ; a transcendent religion
is a different thing from a religion that embraces the whole world. People
say that Brahmanism too consists in avoiding passion and other sins, in
truth, and compassion to creatures, not in quarrelling causelessly with
one's relations. § Moreover you ought not to blame generally that school
which I follow, which extends security to all creatures, on account of the
fault of an individual. Nobody questions the propriety of conferring
benefits, and my beneficence consists simply in giving security to crea-
tures. So, if I take exceeding pleasure in this system, the principal charac-
teristic of which is abstinence from injuring any creature, and which brings
liberation, wherein am I irreligious in doing so?" When his father said this
to him, that merchant's son obstinately refused to admit it, and only blamed
his father all the more. Then his father, in disgust, went and reported the
* Monier Williams says that Tara was the Wife of the Buddha Amoghasiddha.
Benfey (Orient uiul (Jccidunt, Vol. I, p. 373) says she was a well known Buddhist saint.
The passage might perhaps mean " The Buddha adorned with most brilliant
It has been suggested to me that Taravara may mean S'iva, and that the ]>;tss,i;;v
means that the Saiva and Buuddha religions were both professed in the city of Taksha-
Sila.
t /. e. Buddhist ascetics.
J A MS. in the Sanskrit College reads suJcdla for svaknla : the meaning is much
the sain".
§ A MS. in the Sanskrit College reads nigrahah=* blaming one's relations without
cause.
237
whole matter to the king Kalingadatta, who superintended the religion of
his people. The king, for his part, summoned on some pretext the mer-
chant's son into his judgement-hall, and feigning an anger he did not feel,
said to the executioner, " I have heard that this merchant's son is wicked
and addicted to horrible crimes, so slay him without mercy as a corrupter of
the realm." When the king had said this, the father interceded, and then
the king appointed that the execution should be put off for two months,
in order that he might learn virtue, and entrusted the merchant's son to
the custody of his father, to be brought again into his presence at the end
of that time. The merchant's son, when he had been taken home to his
father's house, was distracted with fear, and kept thinking, " What crime
can I have committed against the king ?" and pondering over his causeless
execution which was to take place at the end of two months : and so he
could get no sleep day or night, and was exhausted by taking less than his
usual food at all times. Then, the reprieve of two months having expired,
that merchant's son was again taken, thin and pale, into the presence of
the king. And the king seeing him in such a depressed state said to him —
" Why have you become so thin ? Did I order you not to eat ?" When
the merchant's son heard that, he said to the king — " I forgot myself for
fear, much more my food. Ever since I heard your majesty order my
execution, I have been thinking every day of death slowly advancing."
When the merchant's son &aid this, the king said to him, " I have by an.
artifice made you teach yourself what the fear of death is.* Such must
be the fear which every living creature entertains of death, and tell me what
higher piety can there be than the benefit of preserving creatures from
that ? So I shewed you this in order that you might acquire religion and
the desire of salvation, f for a wise man being afraid of death strives to
attain salvation. Therefore you must not blame your father who follows
this religion." When the merchant's son heard this, he bowed and said to
the king — " Your majesty has made me a blessed man by teaching me
religion, and now a desire for salvation has arisen in me, teach me that also,
my lord." When the king heard that, as it was a feast in the city, he
gave a vessel full of oil into the hand of the merchant's son and said to
him, " Take this vessel in your hand and walk all round this city, and
you must avoid spilling a single drop of it, my son ; if you spill one drop
of it, these men will immediately cut you down."J Having said this, the
king dismissed the merchant's son to walk round the city, ordering men
with drawn swords to follow him. The merchant's son, in his fear, took
care to avoid spilling a drop of oil, and having perambulated that city with
* Cp. Ralston's Russian Folk-Tales, p. 122.
t Mokshti is the soul's final release from further transmigrations.
J Cp. Gesta Romanorum CXLIII (Bohn's Edition).
238
much difficulty, returned into the presence of the king. The king, -when he
saw that he had brought the oil without spilling it, said to him : " Did you
see any one to-day, as you went along in your perambulation of the city ?"
When the merchant's son heard that, he clasped his hands, and said to the
king — " In truth, my lord, I neither saw nor heard any thing, for at the
time when I was perambulating the city I had my undivided attention
fixed on avoiding spilling a drop of oil, lest the swords should descend
upon me." When the merchant's son said this, the king said to him ;
" Because your whole soul was intent on looking at the oil, you saw nothing.
So practise religious contemplation with the same undivided attention.
For a man, who with intent concentration averts his attention from all
outward operations, has intuition of the truth, and after that intuition he
is not entangled again in the meshes of works. Thus I have given you in
a compendious form instruction in the doctrine of salvation." Thus the king
spoke and dismissed him, and the merchant's son fell at his feet and went
home rejoicing to his father's house, having attained all his objects. This
Kalingadatta, who superintended in this way the religion of his subjects,
had a wife named Taradatta, of equal birth with the king, who being
politic and and well-conducted, was such an ornament to the' king as lan-
guage is to a poet, Who delights in numerous illustrations. She was meri-
torious for her bright qualities and was inseparable from that beloved king,
being to him what the moonlight is to the moon, the receptacle of nectar.
The king lived happily there with that queen, and passed his days like Indra
with S'achi in heaven.
At this point of my tale Indra,
Story of the Apsaras Siirabhidattd. r , i i j
for some cause or other, had a great
feast in heaven. All the Apsarases assembled there to dance, except one
beautiful Apsaras named Surabhidatta, who was not to be seen there. Then
Indra by his divine power of insight perceived her associating in secret
with a certain Vidyadhara in Nandana. When Indra saw it, wrath
arose in his bosom, and he thought — " Ah ! these two, blinded with love,
are both wicked : the Apsaras, because forgetting us she acts in a
wilful manner, the Vidyadhara, because he enters the domain of the gods
and commits improprieties. Or rather, what fault is that miserable
Yidviidhara guilty of? For she has enticed him here, ensnaring him
with her beauty. A lovely one will sweep away with the sea of her
beauty, flowing between the lofty banks of her breasts, even one who
can restrain his pashms. Was not even Siva disturbed long ago when he
beheld Tilottama, whom the Creator made by taking an atom from all the
noblest beings ?* And did not Visvamitra leave hi< asceticism when hu be-
* A kin '1 of Pandora.
239
held Menakii ? And did not Yayati cotne to old age for love of 8'anni.shta ?
So this young Vidyadhara has committed no crime in allowing himself to
be allured by an Apsaras with her beauty, which is able to bewilder the
three worlds.* But this heavenly nymph i.s in fault, wicked creature, void
of virtue, who has deserted the gods, and introduced this fellow into N;m-
dana." Thus reflecting, the lover of Ahalyaf spared the Vidyadhara youth,
but cursed that Apsaras in the following words : " Wicked one, take upon
thyself a mortal nature, but after thou hast obtained a daughter not
sprung from the womb, and hast accomplished the object of the gods, thou
shalt return to this heaven."
In the meanwhile Taradatta, the consort of that king in the city of
Takshasila, reached the period favourable for procreation. And Surabhi-
datta, the Apsaras who had been degraded from heaven by the curse of In-
dra, was conceived in her, giving beauty to her whole body. Then Taradat-
ta beheld in a dream a flame descending from heaven and entering into her
womb ; and in the morning she described with astonishment her dream to
her husband, the king Kaliugadatta ; and he being pleased said to her, —
" Queen, heavenly beings owing to a curse fall into human births, so I am
persuaded that this is some divine being conceived in you. For beings,
bound by various works, good and evil, are ever revolving in the state of
mundane existence in these three worlds, to receive fruits blessed and misera-
ble." When the queen was thus addressed by the king, she took the oppor-
tunity of saying to him ; " It is true, actions, good arid bad, have a wonder-
ful power, producing the perception of joy and sorrow, J and in proof of it I
will tell you this illustration, listen to me."
Story of king Dharmadatta and his There once lived a king named
wife Ndyas'ri. Dharmadatta, the lord of Kosala ; he
had a queen named Nagasri, who was devoted to her husband and was
called Arundhati on the earth, as, like her, she was the chief of virtuous
women. And in course of time, O slayer of your enemies, I was born as
the daughter of that king by that queen ; then, while I was a mere child,
that mother of mine suddenly remembered her former birth and said to her
husband; '' O king, I have suddenly to-day remembered my former birth ;
it is disagreable to me not to tell it, but if I do tell it, it will cause my
death, because they say that, if a person suddenly remembers his or her former
birth and tells it, it surely brings death. Therefore, king, I feel excessively
despondent." When his queen said this to him, the king answered her ;
* Compare the argument in the Eunuchus of Terence (III. 5.36 & ff) which shock-
ed St. Augustine so much (Confessions I. 16).
t Et tonantem Jovem et adulterantem.
% I separate balavad from blwgaddyi.
210
" My beloved, I, like you, have suddenly remembered iny former birth ;
therefore tell me yours, and I will toll you mine, let what will be, be ; for
who can alter the decree of fate." When thus urged by her husband,
the queen said to him, " If you press the matter, king, then I will tell
you, listen.
" In my former birth I was a well-conducted female slave in this very
land, in the house of a certain Brahman named Madhava. And in that
birth I had a husband named Devadasa, an excellent hired servant in the
house of a certain merchant. And so we two dwelled there, having built a
house that suited us, living on the cooked rice brought from the houses of
our respective masters. A water vessel and a pitcher, a broom and a brazi-
er, and I and my husband, formed three couples. We lived happy and con-
tented in our house into which the demon of quarrelling never entered,
eating the little food that remained over after we had made offerings to
the gods, the manes and guests.
" And any clothes which either of us had over, we gave to some poor
person or other. Then there arose a grievous famine in our country, and
owing to that the allowance-t>f food, which we had to receive every day,
began to come to us in small quantities. Then our bodies became atten-
uated by hunger, and we began to despond in mind, when once on a time
at meal-time there arrived a weary Brahman guest. To him we both gave
all our own food, as much as we had, though we were in danger of our lives.
When the Brahman had eaten and departed, my husband's breath left him,
as if angry that he respected a guest more than it. And then I heaped
up in honour of my husband a suitable pyre, and ascended it, and so laid
down the load of my own calamity. Then I was born in a royal family,
and I became your queen, for the tree of good deeds produces to the
righteous inconceivably glorious fruit." When his queen said this to him,
the king Dharmadatta said — " Come, my beloved, I am that husband of thine
in a former birth ; I was that very Devadasa the merchant's servant, for
I have remembered this moment this former existence of mine." Having
said this, and mentioned the tokens of his own identity, the king, despondent
and yet glad, suddenly went with his queen to heaven.
" In this way my parents went to another world, and my mother's sister
brought me to her own house to rear me, and while I was unmarried, there
came there a certain Brahman guest, and my mother's sister ordered me to
wait on him. And 1 diligently strove to please him as Kunti to please
Durvasas, and owing to a boon conferred by him, I obtained you, a
virtuous husband. Thus good fortune is the result of virtue, owing to
which my parents were both born at the same time in royal families, and
al-'o ivmemb'Tril their former birth.'' Having heard this speeeh of the
queen Turudatta, the king Kalingadatta, who was exclusively devoted to
2 11
righteousness, answered her, " It is true, a trifling act of righteousness
duly performed will bring much fruit, and in proof of this, O queen, hear
the ancient tale of the seven Brahmans."
Story of the seven Brahmans who de- ^ong ao°> in a cit7 called Kun-
vowed a cow in time of famine. jina, a certain Brahman teacher had
for pupils seven sons of Brahmans. Then that teacher, under pressure of
famine, sent those pupils to ask his father-in-law, who was rich in cows,
to give him one. And those pupils of his went, with their bellies pinched
by hunger, to his father-in-law, who dwelt in another land, and asked him,
as their teacher had ordered them, for a cow. He gave them one cow to
support them, but the miserly fellow did not give them food, though they
were hungry. Then they took the cow, and as they were returning and
had accomplished half the journey, being excessively pained by hunger,
they fell exhausted on the earth. They said — " Our teacher's house is
far off, and we are afflicted by calamity far from home, and food is hard to
obtain everywhere, so it is all over with our lives. And in the same way
this cow is certain to die in this wilderness without water, wood, or human
beings, and our teacher will not derive even the smallest advantage from it.
So let us support our lives with its flesh, and quickly restore our teacher
and his family with what remains over : for it is a time of sore distress."
Having thus deliberated, those seven students treated that cow as a victim,
and sacrificed it on the spot according to the system prescribed in the sacred
treatises. After sacrificing to the gods and manes, and eating its flesh
according to the prescribed method, they went and took what remained
of it to their teacher. They bowed before him, and told him all that they
had done, to the letter, and he was pleased with them, because they told
the truth, though they had committed a fault. And after seven days they
died of famine, but because they told the truth on that occasion, they were
born again with the power of remembering their former birth.
" Thus even a small germ of merit, watered with the water of holy
aspiration, bears fruit to men in general, as a seed to cultivators, but
the same corrupted by the water of impure aspiration bears fruit in the
form of misfortune, and a propos of this I will tell you another tale,
listen !"
Story of the two ascetics, one a Brdh- Once on a time two men remain-
man the other a Chanddla. e(J for the same length of time fast-
ing on the banks of the Ganges, one a Brahman and the other a Chandala.
Of those two, the Brahman being overpowered with hunger, and seeing
some Nishadas* come that way bringing fish and eating them, thus reflect-
ed in his folly — " O happy in the world are these fishermen, sons of female
* The name of certain aboriginal tribes described as hunters, fishermen, robbers ic.
31
slaves though they bo, for they eat to their fill of the fresh meat of fish !"
But the other, who was a Charulala, thought, the moment he saw those
fishermen, " Out on these destroyers of life, and devourers of raw flesh !
So why should I stand here and behold their faces ?" Saying this to him-
self, he closed his eyes and remained buried in his own thoughts. And in
course of time those two, the Brahman and the Chandala, died of starvation ;
the Brahman was eaten by dogs on the bank, the Chandala rotted in the
water of the Ganges. So that Brahman, not having disciplined his spirit,
was born in the family of a fisherman, but owing to the virtue of the holy
place, he remembered his former existence. As for that Chandala, who
possessed self-control, and whose mind was not marred by passion, he was
born as a king in a palace on that very bank of the Ganges, and recollected
his former birth. And of those two, who were born with a remembrance
of their former existence, the one suffered misery being a fisherman, the
other being a king enjoyed happiness.
" Such is the root of the tree of virtue ; according to the purity or im-
purity of a man's heart is without doubt the fruit which he receives."
Having said this to the queen Taradatta, king Kalingadatta again said
to her in the course of conversation, — " Moreover actions which are really
distinguished by great courage produce fruit, since prosperity follows on.
courage ; and to illustrate this I will tell the following wonderful tale.
Listen !"
Story of king Vikramarinha and the There is in Avanti a city named
two Brdhmans. Ujjayini. famous in the world, which
is the dwelling-place of Siva,* and which gleams with its white palaces as
if with the peaks of Kailasa, come thither in the ardour of their devotion to
the god. This vast city, profound as the sea, having a splendid emperor for
its water, had hundreds of armies entering it, as hundreds of rivers flow
into the sea, and was the refuge of allied kings, as the sea is of mountains
that retain their wings, f In that city there was a king who had the name
of Vikramasinha,J a name that thoroughly expressed his character, for his
enemies were like deer and never met him in fight. And he, because he
could never find any enemy to face him, became disgusted with weapons
and the might of his arm, and was inwardly grieved as he never obtained
the joy of battle. Then his minister Amaragupta, who discovered his
* In the original Mahakala, an epithet of Siva in his character as the destroying
deity.
t Generally only one mountain named Mainaka is said to have fled into the sea,
and retained its wings when Indra clipped those of the ethers. The passage is of
course an elahorate pun.
j t. c. lion of valour.
243
longing, said to him incidentally in the course of conversation — " King, it
is not hard for kings to incur guilt, it' through pride in their strong arms,
and confidence in their skill in the use of weapons, they even long for
enemies ; in this way 13ana in old time, through pride in his thousand arms,
propitiated S'iva and asked for an enemy that was a match for him in fight,
until at last his prayer was actually granted, and Vishnu became his enemy,
and cut off his innumerable arms in battle. So you must not shew dis-
satisfaction because you do not obtain an opportunity of fighting, and a
terrible enemy must never be desired. If you want to shew here your skill
in weapons and your strength, shew it in the forest an appropriate field for
it, and in hunting. And since kings are not generally exposed to fatigue,
hunting is approved to give them exercise and excitement, but warlike
expeditions are not recommended. Moreover the malignant wild animals
desire that the earth should be depopulated, for this reason the king should
slay them ; on this ground too hunting is approved. But wild animals
should not be too unremittingly pursued, for it was owing to the vice of
exclusive devotion to hunting that former kings, Pandu and others, met
destruction." When the wise minister Amaragupta said this to him, the
king Vikramasinha approved the advice saying — " I will do so." And the
next day the king went out of the city to hunt, to a district beset with
horses, footmen and dogs, and where all the quarters were filled with the
pitching of various nets, and he made the heaven resound with the shouts
of joyous huntsmen. And as he was going out on the back of an elephant,
he saw two men sitting together in private in an empty temple outside the
walls. And the king, as he beheld them from afar, supposed that they were
only deliberating together over something at their leisure, and passed on to
the forest where his hunting was to be. There he was delighted with the
drawn swords, and with the old tigers, and the roaring of lions, and the scenery,
and the elephants. He strewed that ground with pearls fallen from the
nails of elephant-shying lions whom he killed, resembling the seeds of his
prowess. The deer leaping sideways, being oblique- goers,* went obliquely
across his path; his straight-flying arrow easily transfixing them first, reached
afterwards the mark of delight. And after the king had long enjoyed the
sport of hunting, he returned, as his servants were weary, with slack
bowstring to the city of Ujjayini. There he saw those two men, whom
he had seen as he was going out, who had remained the whole time in the
temple occupied in the same way. He thought to himself — " "\Vlio aro
these, and why do they deliberate so long ? Surely they must be spies,
having a long talk over secrets." So he sent his warder, and had those men
* f. c. aiiimuK hoi-i/ontal £.><-r.>. The pun drlics translation, the word I have
translated arrow is literally "the
244
captured and brought into his presence, and then thrown into prison.
And the next day he had them brought into his judgement-hall, and asked
them — " Who are you and why did you deliberate together so long ?"
When the king in person asked them this, they entreated him to spare
their lives, and one of these young men began to say ; " Hear, 0 king, I
•will now tell the whole story as it happened.
" There lived a Brahman, of the name of Karabhaka, in this very city
of yours. I, whom you see here, am the son of that learned student of
the Vedas, born by his propitiating the god of fire in order to obtain a
heroic son. And, when my father went to heaven, and his wife followed
him,* I being a mere boy, though 1 had learned the sciences, abandoned the
course of life suited to my caste, because I was friendless. And I set
myself to practise gaming and the use of arms ; what boy does not
become self-willed if he is not kept in order by some superior ? And,
having passed my childhood in this way, I acquired overweening confidence
in my prowess, and went one day to the forest to practise archery. And
while I was thus engaged, a bride came out of the city in a covered palan-
keen, surrounded by many attendants of the bridegroom. And suddenly
an elephant, that had broken its chain, came from some quarter or other
at that very moment, and attacked that bride in its fury. And through
fear of that elephant, all those cowardly attendants and her husband with
them deserted the bride, and iled in all directions. When I saw that, I
immediately said to myself in my excitement, — ' What ! have these miser-
able wretches left this unfortunate woman alone ? So I must defend this
unprotected 4ady from this elephant. For what is the use of life or
courage, unless employed to succour the unfortunate ?' Thus reflecting
I raised a shout and ran towards that huge elephant ; and the elephant,
abandoning the woman, charged down upon me. Then I, before the eyes
of that terrified woman, shouted and ran, and so drew off that elephant to
a distance, at last I got hold of a bough of a tree thickly covered with
leaves, which had been broken oft', and covering myself with it, I went into
the middle of the tree ; and placing the bough in front of me, I escaped
by a dexterous oblique movement, while the elephant trampled the bough
to pieces. Then I quickly went to that lady, who remained terrified there,
and asked her whether she had escaped without injury. She, when she saw
me, said with afiiicted and yet joyful manner ; ' How can I be said to be
uninjured, now that I have been bestowed on this coward, who has deserted
me in such straits, and fled somewhere or other ; but so far at any rate I
am uninjured, that I again behold you unharmed. So my husband is
nothing to me ; you henceforth are my husband, by whom regardless of
your life, I have been delivered from the jaws of death. And here I see
* »'. e. by burning herself upon the funeral pyre.
my husband coming with his servants, so follow us slowly ; for when we
get an opportunity, you and T will elope somewhere together.' When she
said this, I consented. I ought to have thought — ' Though this woman
is beautiful, and flings herself at my head, yet she is the wife of another ;
what have I to do with her ?' But this is the course of calm self-
restraint, not of ardent youth. And in a moment her husband came up and
greeted her, and she proceeded to continue her journey with him and his
servants. And I, without being detected, followed her through her long
journey, being secretly supplied with provisions for the journey by her, though
I passed for some one unconnected with her. And she, throughout the
journey, falsely asserted that she suffered pain in her limbs, from a strain
produced by falling in her terror at the elephant, and so avoided even touch-
ing her husband. A passionate woman, like a female snake, terrible from the
condensed venom she accumulates within, will never, if injured, neglect to
wreak her vengeance. And in course of time we reached the city of Loha-
nagara, where was the house of the husband of that woman, who lived by
trading. And we all remained during that day in a temple outside the
walls. And there I met my friend this second Brahman. And though
we had never met before, we felt a confidence in one another at lir^t sight ;
the heart of creatures recognises friendships formed in a previous birth.
Then I told him all my secret. When he heard it, he said to me of big
own accord ; ' Keep the matter quiet, I know of a device by which you
can attain the object, for which you came here ; I know here the sister of
this lady's husband. She is ready to fly from this place with me, and take
her wealth with her. So with her help I will accomplish your object for
you.'
" When the Brahman had said this to me, he departed, and secretly
informed the merchant's wife's sister-in-law of the whole matter. And on
the next day the sister-in-law, according to arrangement, came with her
brother's wife and introduced her into the temple. And while we wore
there, she made my friend at that very time, which was the middle. of the
day. put on the dress of her brother's wife. And she took him so disguised
into the city, and went into the house in which her brother lived, after
arranging what \ve were to do. But I left the temple, and fleeing with the
merchant's wife dressed as a man, reached at last this city of Ujjayini.
And her sister-in-law at night fled with my friend from that house, in which
there had been a feast, and so the people were in a drunken sleep.
"And then he came with her by stealthy journeys to this city ; so we
met here. In this way we tsvo have obtained our two wives in the bloom
of youth, the sister-in-law and her brother's wife, who bestowed them-
on us out of affection. Consequently, king, we are afraid to dwell any-
where ; for whose mind is at ease after performing deeds of reckless tome-
246
rity ? So the king saw us yesterday from a distance, while we were
debating about a place to dwell in, and how we should subsist. And your
majesty, seeing us, had us brought and thrown into prison on the suspicion
of being thieves, and to-day we have been questioned about our history,
and I have just told it ; now it is for your highness to dispose of us at
pleasure." When one of them had said this, the king Vikramasinha said to
those two Brahmans, — " I am satisfied, do not be afraid, remain in this
city, and I will give you abundance of wealth." When the king had said
this, he gave them as much to live on as they wished, and they lived happi-
ly in his court accompanied by their wives.
" Thus prosperity dwells for men even in questionable deeds, if they
are the outcome of great courage, and thus kings, being satisfied, take
pleasure in giving to discreet men who are rich in daring. And
thus this whole created world with the gods and demons will always
reap various fruits, corresponding exactly to their own stock of deeds
good or bad, performed in this or in a former birth. So rest assured, queen,
that the flame which was seen by you falling from heaven in your dream,
and apparently entering your womb, is some creature of divine origin, that
owing to some influence of its works has been conceived in you." The
pregnant queen Taradatta, when she heard this from the mouth of her own
husband Kalingadatta, was exceedingly delighted.
CHAPTER XXVIII.
Then the queen Taradatta, the consort of king Kalingadatta in Taksha-
sila, slowly became oppressed with the burden of her unborn child. A nd
she, now that her delivery was near, being pale of countenance, with tremu-
lous eyeballs,* resembled the East in which the pale streak of the young
moon is about to rise. And there was soon born from her a daughter
excelling all others, like a specimen of the Creator's power to produce all
beauty. The lights kept burning to protect the child against evil spirits,
blazing with oil,f were eclipsed by her beauty, and darkened, as if through
grief that a son of equal beauty had not been born instead. And her
father Kalingadatta, when he saw her born, beautiful though she was,
• The word tdrakd means also a star. So hero we have one of those puna in
•which our author delights.
t Also full of uiTuetion. This is a common pun.
247
was filled with despondency at the disappointment of his hope to obtain
a son like her. Though he divined that she was of heavenly origin, he was
grieved because he longed for a son. For a son, being embodied joy, is far
superior to a daughter, that is but a lump of grief. Then in his affliction,
the king went out of his palace to divert his mind, and he entered a mon-
astery full of many images of Buddha. In a certain part of the monas-
tery, he heard this speech being uttered by a begging hermit, who was
a religious preacher, as he sat in the midst of his hearers.
" They say that the bestowal of wealth in this world is great asceticism ;
a man who gives wealth ia said to give life, for life depends on wealth.
And Buddha, with mind full of pity, offered up himself for another, as if
he were worthless straw, much more should one offer up sordid pelf. And
it was by such resolute asceticism, that Buddha, having got rid of desire,
and obtained heavenly insight, attained the rank of a Buddha. Therefore
a wise man should do what is beneficial to other beings, by abstaining from
selfish aspirations even so far as to sacrifice his own body, in order that he
may obtain perfect insight."
Thus, long ago, there were born
Story of the seven princesses.
in succession to a certain king named
Krita seven very beautiful princesses, and even while they were still youth-
ful they abandoned, in disgust with life, the house of their father, and went
to the cemetery, and when they were asked why they did it, they said to
their retinue — " This world is unreal, and in it this body, and such delights
as union with the beloved are the baseless fabric of a dream ; only the good
of others in this revolving world is pronounced to be real ; so let us with
these bodies of ours do good to our fellow creatures, let us fling these
bodies, while they are alive, to the eaters of raw flesh* in the cemetery ;
what is the use of them, lovely though they be ?"
Story of the prince who tore out his For there lived in old time
own eye. a certain prince who was disgusted
with the world, and he, though young and handsome, adopted the life of
a wandering hermit. Once on a time that beggar entered the house of a
certain merchant, and was beheld by his young wife with his eyes long as
the leaf of a lotus. She, with heart captivated by the beauty of his eyes
said to him, " How came such a handsome man as you to undertake such
a severe vow as this ? Happy is the woman who is gazed upon with this
eye of yours !" When the begging hermit was thus addressed by the lady,
he tore out one eye, and holding it in his hand, said, " Mother, behold this
eye, such as it is ; take the loathsome mass of flesh and blood, if it pleases
* Beasts of prey, or possibly Rakshasas.
243
you.* And the other is like it ; say, what is there attractive in these ?"
When he said this to the merchant's wife, and she saw the eye, she was
despondent, and said, " Alas ! I, unhappy wretch that I am, have done an
evil deed, in that I have become the cause of the tearing out of your eye !"
When the beggar heard that, he said, — " Mother, do not be grieved, for
you have done me a benefit ; hear the following example, to prove the
truth of what I say."
Story of the ascetic who conquered There lived long ago, in a cer-
anger. tain beautiful garden on the banks
of the Ganges, a hermit animated by the desire of experiencing all asceticism.
And while he was engaged in mortifying the flesh, it happened that a
certain king came there to amuse himself with the women of his harem.
And after he had amused himself, he fell asleep under the influence of his
potations, and while he was in this state, his queens left him out of thought-
lessness and roamed about in the garden. And beholding in a corner of
the garden that hermit engaged in meditation, they stood round him out of
curiosity, wondering what on earth he could be. And as they remained
there a long time, that king woke up, and not seeing his wives at his side,
wandered all round the garden. And then he saw the queens standing all
round the hermit, and being enraged, he slashed the hermit with his sword
out of jealousy. What crime will not sovereign power, jealousy, cruelty,
drunkenness, and indiscretion cause separately, much more deadly are they
when combined, like five fires, f Then the king departed, and though the
hermit's limbs were gashed, he remained free from wrath ; whereupon a
* Compare the translation of the life of St. Brigit by Whitley Stokes, (Three
Middle Irish Homilies, p. 65.)
" Shortly after that came a certain nobleman unto Dubthach to ask for his
daughter in marriage. Dubthach and his sons were willing, but Brigit refused. Said
a brother of her brethren named Beccan unto her : ' Idle is the fair eye that is in thy
head not to be on a pillow near a husband.' ' The son of the Virgin knoweth' said
Brigit, ' it is not lively for us if it brings- harm upon us.' Then Brigit put her finger
under her eye and drew it out of her head till it was on her cheek; and she said:
<Lo, here is thy delightful eye, O Beccan.' Then his eye burst forthwith. When
Dubthach and his brethren saw that, they promised that she should never be told to go
to a husband. Then she put her palm to her eye and it was whole at once. But
Beccan' s eye was not whole till his death."
That the biographers of Christian saints were largely indebted to Buddhist
hagiology, has been shewn by Liebrecht in his Essay on the sources of Barlaam ami
Josaphat, (Zur Volkskunde, p. 441.) In Mr. Stokes's book, p. 34, will also be found a
reference to the practice of shewing reverence by walking round persons or things
keeping the right hand towards them. This is pointed out by Mr. Stokes in his 1'r
as an interesting link between Ireland and India.
t They are compared to tho five aacred fires.
:> Mi
certain deity appeared and said to him, — " Great-souled one, if you approve
I will slay by my power that wicked man who did this to you in a pas-
sion." When the hermit heard that, he said, " 0 goddess, say not so,
for he is my helper in virtue, not a harmer of me. For by his favour
I have attained the grace of patience ; to whom could I have shown patience,
0 goddess, if he had not acted thus towards me ? What anger does the
wise man shew for the sake of this perishing body ? To shew patience
equally with regard to what is agreeable and disagreeable is to have attained
the rank of Brahma." When the hermit said this to the deity, she was pleased,
and after healing the wounds in his limbs, &he disappeared.
" In the same way as that ting was considered a benefactor by the
hermit, you, my mother, have increased my asceticism by causing me to
tear out my eye." Thus spake the self-subduing hermit to the merchant's
wife, who bowed before him, and being regardless of his body, lovely though
it was. he passed on to perfection.
" Therefore, though our youth be very charming, why should we cling to
this perishable body ? But the only thing which, in the eye of the wise
man, it is good for, is to benefit one's fellow-creatures. So we will
lay down our bodies to benefit living creatures in this cemetery, the natural
home of happiness." Having said this to their attendants, those seven
princesses did so, and obtained therefrom the highest beatitude.
" Thus you see that the wise have no selfish affection even for their own
bodies, much less for such worthless things* as son, wife, and servants."
When the king Kalingadatta had heard these and other such things
from the religious teacher in the monastery, having spent the day there, he
returned to his palace. And when he was there, he was again afflicted with
grief on account of the birth of a daughter to him, and a certain Brahman,
who had .grown old in his house, said to him — " King, why do you despond
on account of the birth of a pearl of maidens ? Daughters are better e\vn
than sons, and produce happiness in this world and the next. Why do
kings care so much about those sons that hanker after their kingdom, and eat
up their fathers like crabs ? But kings like Kuntibhoja and others, by the
virtues of daughters like Kunti and others, have escaped harm from -
like the terrible Durvasas. And how can one obtain from a son the same
fruit in the next world, as one obtains from the marriage of a daugl:
Moreover I now proceed to tell the tale of Sulochanu, listen to it."
There was a vouns; king named
Story of Sulochana and Sushena. „ . ,. .. _. ..
Sushena on the mountain or Cliitra-
kuta, who was created like another god of love by the Creator to spite >
He made at the foot of that great mountain a heavenly L,rarden, which was
calculated to make the gods avvrs,. -l(> dwelling in the garden of Nandana,
* LitiTJillv til" wul'tlllc.-s >tni\v-ln-;ip . ...
32
250
And in the middle of it he made a lake with full-blown lotuses, like a new
productive bed for the lotuses with which the goddess of Fortune plays.
This lake had steps leading down into it made of splendid gems, and
the king used to linger on its bank without a bride, because there were no
eligible matches for him. Once on a time Rambha, a fair one of heaven,
came that way, wandering at will through the air from the palace of Indra.
She beheld the king roaming in that garden like an incarnation of the
Spring in the midst of a garden of full-blown flowers. She said — " Can this
be the moon, that has swooped down from heaven in pursuit of the goddess
of Fortune fallen into a cluster of lotuses of the lake ? But that cannot
be, for this hero's fortune in the shape of beauty never passes away.*
Surely this must be the god of the flowery arrows come to the garden in
quest of flowers. But where has Eati, his companion, gone ?" Thus Rambha
described him in her eagerness, and descending from heaven in human form,
she approached that king. And when the king suddenly beheld her advanc-
ing towards him, he was astonished and reflected — " Who can this be of
incredible beauty ? She cannot surely be a human being, since her feet do
not touch the dust, and her eye does not wink, therefore she must be some
divine person. But I must not ask her who she is, for she might fly from
me. Divine beings, who visit men for some cause or other, are generally
impatient of having their secrets revealed." While such thoughts were
passing in the monarch's mind, she began a conversation with him, which
led in due course to his throwing his arms round her neck then and there.
And he sported long there with this Apsaras, so that she forgot heaven ;
love is more charming than one's native home. And the land of that king
was filled with heaps of gold, by means of the Yakshinis, friends of hers,
who transformed themselves into trees, as the heaven is filled with the
peaks of Meru. And in course of time that excellent Apsaras became
pregnant, and bore to king Sushena an incomparably beautiful daughter,
and no sooner had she given her birth, than she said to the king — " 0 king,
such has been my curse, and it is now at an end ; for I am Rambha, a
heavenly nymph that fell in love with you on beholding you : and as I have
given birth to a child, I must immediately leave you and depart. For such is
the law that governs us heavenly beings ; therefore take care of this
daughter ; when she is married, we shall again be united in heaven. " When
the Apsaras Rambha had said this, she departed, sorely against her will,
and through grief at it, the king was bent on abandoning life. But his
ministers said to him, "Did Visvarnitra, though despondent, abandon life
•when Menaka had departed after giving birth to Sakuntala ?" When the
king had been plied by them with such arguments, he took the right view
of the matter, and slowly recovered his self-command, taking to his heart
* Here there is a pun on the two meanings of Sri.
251
the daughter who was destined to be the cause of their re-union. And that
daughter, lovely in all her limbs, her father, who was devoted to her, named
Sulochana, on account of the exceeding beauty of her eyes.
In time she grew up to womanhood, and a young hermit, named Vatsa,
the descendant of Kasyapa, as he was roaming about at will, beheld her in
a garden. He, though he was all compact of asceticism, the moment he
beheld that princess, felt the emotion of love, and he said to himself then
and there ; "Oh! exceedingly wonderful is the beauty of this maiden! If
I do not obtain her as a wife, what other fruit of my asceticism can I
obtain ?" While thinking thus, the young hermit was beheld by Sulochana,
and he seemed to her all glorious with brightness, like fire free from smoke.
When she saw him with his rosary and water vessel, she fell in love also
and thought — " Who can this be that looks so self-restrained and yet so
lovely ?" And coming towards him as if to select him for her husband, she
threw over his body the garland* of the blue lotuses of her eyes, and
bowed before that hermit. And he, with mind overpowered by the decree of
Cupid, hard for gods and Asuras to evade, pronounced on her the following
blessing — " Obtain a husband." Then the excellent hermit was thus address-
ed by that lady, whose modesty was stolen away by love for his exceeding
beauty, and who spoke with downcast face — " If this is your desire, and
if this is not jesting talk, then, Brahman, ask the king, my father, who has
power to dispose of me." Then the hermit, after hearing of her descent
from her attendants, went and asked the king Sushena, her father, for her
hand. He, for his part, when he saw that the young hermit was eminent
both in beauty and asceticism, entertained him, and said to him — " Reverend
sir, this daughter is mine by the nymph Rambha, and by my daughter's
marriage I am to be re-united with her in heaven ; so Rambha told me when
she was returning to the sky ; consider, auspicious sir, how that is to be
accomplished." When the hermit heard that, he thought for a moment —
" Did not the hermit Ruru, when Pramadvara the daughter of Menaka was
bitten by a snake, give her the half of his life, and make her his wife ?
Was not the Chandala Trisanku carried to heaven by Visvamitra ? So
why should not I do the same by expending my asceticism upon it ? Having
thus reflected, the hermit said — " There is no difficulty in it," and exclaim-
ed— " Hearken ye gods, may this king mount with his body to heaven to
obtain possession of Rambha by virtue of part of my asceticism." Thus
the hermit spoke in the hearing of the court, and a distinct answer was heard
from heaven — " So be it." Then the king gave his daughter Sulochara to
the hermit Vatsa, the descendant of Kasyapa, and ascended to heaven. There
* In the Svayamvara the maiden threw a garland over the neck of the favoured
suitor.
252
he obtained a divine nature, and lived happily with that Kambha of god-
like dignity, appointed his wife by Indra.
" Thus, O king, Sushena obtained all his ends by means of a daughter.
For such daughters become incarnate in the houses of such as you. And
this daughter is surely some heavenly nymph, fallen from her high estate
owing to a curse, and born in your house, so do not grieve, monarch, on
account of her birth." When king Kalingadatta had heard this tale from
the Brahman that had grown old in his bouse, he left off being distressed,
and was comforted. And he gave to his dear young daughter, who gave
pleasure to his eyes, as if she had been a digit of the moon, the name of
Kalingasena. And the princess KalingasenS grew up in the house of her
father amongst her companions. And she sported in the palaces, and in
the palace-gardens, like a wave of the sea of infancy that is full of the
passion* for amusement.
Once on a time the daughter of the Asura Maya, named Somaprabha,
as she was journeying through the sky, saw her on the roof of a palace
engaged in play. And Somaprabha, while in the sky, beheld her lovely
enough to bewilder with her beauty the mind even of a hermit, and feeling
affection for her, reflected — " Who is this ? Can she be the form of the
moon ? If so, how is it that she gleams in the day ? But if she is Eati,
where is Kama ? Therefore I conclude that she is a mortal maiden.
" She must be some celestial nymph that has descended into a king's
palace in consequence of a curse ; and I am persuaded I was certainly a
friend of her's in a former life. For my mind's being full of exceeding
affection for her, tells me so. Therefore it is fitting that I should again
select her as my chosen friend." Thus reflecting Somaprabha descended
invisible from heaven, in order not to frighten that maiden ; and she
assumed the appearance of a mortal maiden to inspire confidence, and
slowly approached that Kalingasena. Then Kalingasena, on beholding her,
reflected — " Bravo ! here is a princess of wonderful beauty come to visit
me of her own accord ! she is a suitable friend for me." So she rose up
politely and embraced that Somaprabha. And making her take a seat, she
asked her immediately her descent and name. And Somaprabha said to
her ; "Be patient, I will tell you all." Then in the course of their conver-
sation they swore friendship to each other with plighted hands. Then.
Som.iprabh.-i said — " My friend, you are a king's daughter, and it is hard to
keep up friendship with the children of kings. For they fly into an
immoderate passion on account of a small fault. Hear, with regard to
this point, the story of the prince and the merchant's son which I am about
to tell you."
* Masa also means water.
253
St,,r>i ol '///, r,-i>ice mid the merchant's In the city of Pushkaniviiti
ton who saved his life* there was a king named Giidhasena,
and to him there was born one son. That prince was overbearing, and
whatever he did, right or wrong, his father acquiesced in, because he was
an only son. And once upon a time, as he was roaming about in a garden,
he saw the son of a merchant, named Brahmadatta, who resembled him—If
in wealth and beauty. And the moment he saw him, he selected him for
his special friend, and those two, the prince and the merchant's son, imme-
diately became like one another in all things. f And soon they were not
able to live without seeing one another, for intimacy in a former birth,
quickly knits friendship. The prince never tasted food that was not first
prepared for that merchant's son.
Once on a time the prince set out for Ahichchhatra in order to be mar-
ried, having first decided on his friend's marriage. And, as he was journeying
with his troops, in the society of that friend, mounted on an elephant, he
reached the bank of the Ikshuvati, and encamped there. There he had a
wine-party, when the moon arose ; and after he had gone to bed, he began
to tell a story at the solicitation of his nurse. When he had begun his
story, being tired and intoxicated he was overcome by sleep, and his nurse
also, but the merchant's son kept awake out of love for him. And when
the others were asleep, the merchant's son, who was awake, heard in the
air what seemed to be the voices of women engaged in conversation. The first
said — " This wretch has gone to sleep without telling his tale, therefore I
pronounce this curse on him. To-morrow morning he shall see a necklace,
and if he take hold of it, it shall cling to his neck, and that moment cause his
death." Then the first voice ceased, and the second went on : " And if
he escape that peril, he shall see a mango-tree, and if he eat the fruit of
* This story is compared by Benfoy (Orient und Occident, Vol I, p. 374) with
the story of the faithful servant Viravara in the Hitopadela, which is also found in the
Vetalapanchnvni- :iti. (see chapter 78 of this work.) Viravara, according to the account
in the Vetalapanchuvinsati, hears the weeping of a woman. He finds it is the king's
fortune deserting him. He accordingly offers up his son, and finally slays himself.
The king is about to do the same when the goddess Durga restores the dead to life.
The story of " Der Treue Johannes" will at once occur to readers of Grimm's tales.
According to Benfey, it is also found in the Pentamerone of Basile. The form of the
tale in our text is very similar to that in Grimm. (See Benfey's Panchatantra,
Vol. I, p. 416.) The story of the faithful Viravara occurs twice in this collection,
in chapter 53, and also in chapter 78. Sir G. Cox (in his Aryan Mythology, Vol. I
p. 148), compares the German story with one in Miss Froro's Old DC.-, -m I'.iys, the
5th in that collection. Other parallels will be found in the notes in Grimm's third
volume.
t The same idea is found in Midsummer Night's Dream, Act III, Sc. 2, begin-
ning, " We, Hermia, like two artificial gods ice."
it, he shall then and there lose his life." Having uttered this, that voice
also ceased, and then the third said — " If he escape this also, then, if he
enter a house to be married, it shall fall on him and slay him." Having
said so much, that voice also ceased, and the fourth said, " If he escape
this also, when he enters that night into his private apartments, he shall
sneeze a hundred times ; and if some one there does not a hundred times say
to him, ' God bless you,' he shall fall into the grasp of death. And if the
person, who has heard ail this, shall inform him of it in order to save his
life, he also shall die," having said this, the voice ceased.* And the
merchant's son having heard all this, terrible as a thunderstroke, being
agitated on account of his affection for the prince, reflected — " Beshrew
this tale that was begun, and not finished, for divinities have come invisible
to hear it, and are cursing him out of disappointed curiosity. And if this
prince dies, what good will my life do to me ? So I must by some artifice
deliver my friend whom I value as my life. And I must not tell him what
has taken place, lest 1 too should suffer." Having thus reflected, the mer-
chant's son got through the night with difficulty.
And in the morning the prince set out with him on his journey, and
he saw a necklace in front of him, and wished to lay hold of it. Then the
merchant's son said, " Do not take the necklace, my friend, it is an illusion,
else why do not these soldiers see it ?" When the prince heard that, he let
the necklace alone, but going on further he saw a mango-tree, and he felt a
desire to eat its fruit. But he was dissuaded by the merchant's son, as
before. He felt much annoyed in his heart, and travelling on slowly he
reached his father-in-law's palace. And he was about to enter a building
there for the purpose of being married, but just as his friend had persuad-
ed him not to do so, the house fell down. So he escaped this danger by a
hair's breadth, and then he felt some confidence in his friend's prescience.
Then the prince and his wife entered at night another building. But the
merchant's son slipped in there unobserved. And the prince, when he
went to bed, sneezed a hundred times, but the merchant's son underneath it
said a hundred times — " God bless you" — and then the merchant's son,
having accomplished his object, of his own accord left the house in high
spirits. But the prince, who was with his wife, saw him going out, and
through jealousy, forgetting his love for him, he flew into a passion and
said to the sentinels at his gate : " This designing wretch has entered my
* Cp. Ralston's Russian Folk-Tales, pp. 69 and 71, for the three dangers. The
custom of saying " God bless you,'' or equivalent words, when a man sinvzos, is
shewn by Tylor (Primitive Culture, Vol. I, pp. 88-94) to exist in many parts of the
world. Ho quotes many passages from clas.-i.ul literature relating to it. " Even the
emperoi Tiberius, that saddest oi nieu, exacted this observance."
255
private apartments when I wished to be alone, so keep him in durance for
the present, and he shall be executed in the morning." When the guards
heard that, they put him under arrest, and he spent the night in confine-
ment, but as he was being led off to execution in the morning, he said to
them — " First take me into the presence of the prince, in order that I
may tell him a certain reason, which I had for my conduct ; and then put
me to death." When he said this to the guards, they went and informed
the prince, and on their information and the advice of his ministers, the
prince ordered him to be brought before him. When he was brought, he
told the prince the whole story, and he believed it to be true, for the fall of
the house carried conviction to his mind. So the prince was satisfied, and
countermanded the order for his friend's execution, and he returned with
him to his own city, a married man. And there his friend the merchant's
son married, and lived in happiness, his virtues being praised by all men.
" Thus the children of kings break loose from restraint and slaying their
guides, disregard benefits, like infuriated elephants And what friendship
can there be with those Vetulas, who take people's lives by way of a joke.
Therefore, my princess, never abandon your friendship with me."
When Kalingasena heard this story in the palace from the mouth of
Somaprabha, she answered her affectionate friend, — " Those of whom you
speak are considered Pisachas, not the children of kings, and I will tell
you a story of the evil importunity of Pisachas, listen !"
Story of the Brahman and the ^ong ag° there was a Brahman
Pisacha. dwelling on a royal grant, which was
called Yajnasthala. He once upon a time, being poor, went to the forest to
bring home wood. There, a piece of wood being clef t with the axe, fell, a-
chance would have it, upon his leg, and piercing it, entered deep into it. And
as the blood flowed from him, he fainted, and he was beheld in that condition
by a man who recognised him, and taking him up carried him home.
There his distracted wife washed off the blood, and consoling him, placed
a plaster upon the wound. And then his wound, though tended day In-
day, not only did not heal, but formed an ulcer. Then the man, afflicted
with his ulcerated wound, poverty-stricken, and at the point of death, wa-
thus advised in secret by a Brahman friend, who came to him; " A friend of
mine, named Yajnadatta, -was long very poor, but he gained the aid of a
Pisacha by a charm, and so, having obtained wealth, lived in happi:
And he told me that charm, so do you gain, my friend, by means of it. the
aid of a Pisacha ; he will heal your wound." Having said this, lie told him
the form of words and described to him the ceremony as follows: " Ki-
up in the last watch of the night, and with dishevelled hair and in.
and without rinsing your mouth, take two handl'iils <>| rice as lar^c a.-
256
can grasp with your two hands, and muttering the form of words go to a
place where four roads meet, and there place the two handfuls of rice, and
return in silence without looking behind you. Do so always until that
Pisacha appears, and himself says to you, ' I will put an end to your
ailment.' Then receive his aid gladly, and he will remove your complaint."
When his friend had said this to him, the Brahman did as he had been
directed. Then the Pisacha, being conciliated, brought heavenly herbs
from a lofty peak of the Himalayas and healed his wound. And then he
became obstinately persistent, and said to the Brahman, who was delighted
at being healed, " Give rne a second wound to cure, but if you will not, I will
do you an injury or destroy your body." When the Brahman heard that,
he was terrified, and immediately said to him to get rid of him — " I will
give you another wound within seven days." Whereupon the Pisacha left
him, but the Brahman felt hopeless about his life. But eventually he
baffled the Pisacha by the help of his daughter, and having got over the
disease, he lived in happiness.*
"Such are Pisachas, and some young princes are just like them, and,
though conciliated, produce misfortune, my friend, but they can be guard-
ed against by counsel. But princesses of good family have never been
heard to be such. So you must not expect any injury from associating
with me." When Somaprabha heard from the mouth of Kalingasena in
due course this sweet, entertaining, and amusing tale, she was delighted.
And she said to her — " My house is sixty yojanas distant hence, and the
day is passing away ; I have remained long, so now I must depart, fail-
one." Then, as the lord of day was slowly sinking to the eastern mountain,
she took leave of her friend who was eager for a second interview, and in
a moment flew up into the air, exciting the wonder of the spectators,
and rapidly returned to her own house. And, after beholding that wonder-
ful sight, Kalingasena entered into her house with much perplexity, and
reflected, " I do not know, indeed, whether my friend is a Siddha female,
or an Apsaras, or a Yidyadluiri. She is certainly a heavenly female that
travels through the upper air. And heavenly females associate with mortal
ones led by excessive love. Did not Arundhati live in friendship with the
daughter of king Prithu ? Did not Prithu by means of her friendship
bring Surahhi from heaven to earth. And did not he by consuming its
milk return to heaven though he had fallen from it. And were not tin
forth perfect cows horn upon earth ? So I am fortunate ; it is by
luck that 1 have obtained this heavenl creature as a friend ; and when she
* I have l)ocn ol)li^i-il 1" omit some portion of this story. " It \v:is," Wilson
mnnrk.s, ":I<T( ]• < i.iii"|" , :iiu.l i.-- lutri.-r'u liu- ^uin aa that >.'l • I.-
,i:ilil.- .1.- i'ajn li-il.-' "I K<»i
257
comes to-morrow I will dexterously ask her her descent and name."
Thinking such thoughts in her heart, Kalingasena spent that night there,
and Somaprabha spent the night in her own house being eager to behold
her again.
CHAPTER XXIX.
Then in the morning Somaprabha took with her a basket, in which she
had placed many excellent mechanical dolls of wood with magic properties
in order to amuse her friend, and travelling through the air she came again
to Kalingasena. And when Kalingasena saw her, she was full of tears of
joy, and rising up she threw her arms round her neck, and said to her, as
she sat by her side — " The dark night of three watches has this time
seemed to me to be of a hundred watches without the sight of the full
moon of your countenance. So, if you know, my friend, tell me of what
kind may have been my union with you in a former birth, of which this
present friendship is the result." When Somaprabha heard this, she said
to that princess : " Such knowledge I do not possess, for I do not remember
my former birth ; and hermits are not acquainted with this, but if any know,
they are perfectly acquainted with the highest truth, and they are the
original founders of the science by which it is attained." When she had
spoken thus, Kalingasena, being full of curiosity, again asked her in
private in a voice tender from love and confidence, " Tell me, friend, of
what divine father you have adorned the race by your birth, since you are
completely virtuous like a beautifully-rounded pearl.* And what, auspi-
cious one, is your name, that is nectar to the ears of the world. What is the
object of this basket ? And what thing is there in it ?" On hearing this
affectionate speech from Kalingasena, Somaprabha began to tell the whole
story in due course.
" There is a mighty Asura of the name of Maya, famous in the three
worlds. And he, abandoning the condition of an Asura, lied to S'iva as his
protector. And S'iva having promised him security-, he built the palace of
Indra. But the Daityas were, angry with him, allirming that he had be-
come a partisan of the gods. Through fear of them ho made in the Vin-
dhya mountains a very wonderful magic subterranean palace, which the
Asuras could not reach. My sister and I are the two daughters of that
Mava. My elder sister named Svayamprabha follows a vow of virginity,
and lives as a maiden in my father's house. But I, the younger daughter,
* Suvrittoyd means virtuous, and beautifully-round* tl.
33
258
named Somaprabha, have been bestowed in marriage on a son of Kuvera
named Nadakuvara, and my father has taught me innumerable magic
artifices, and as for this basket, I have brought it here to please you."
Having said this, Somaprabha opened the basket and shewed to her some very
interesting mechanical dolls constructed by her magic, made of wood. One
of them, on a pin in it being touched,* went through the air at her orders
and fetched a garland of flowers and quickly returned. Another in the
same way brought water at will ;f another danced, and another then con-
versed. With such very wonderful contrivances Somaprabha amused Kalin-
gasena for some time, and then she put that magic basket in a place of
security, and taking leave of her regretful friend, she went, being obedient
to her husband, through the air to her own palace. But Kalingasena was
so delighted that the sight of these wonders took away her appetite, and
she remained averse to all food. And when her mother perceived that, she
feared she was ill ; however a physician named A'nanda having examined the
child, told her mother that there was nothing the matter with her. He
said, " She has lost her appetite through delight at something, not from
disease ; for her countenance, which appears to be laughing, with eyes wide
open, indicates this." When she heard this report from the physician, the
girl's mother asked her the real cause of her joy ; and the girl told her.
Then her mother believed that she was delighted with the society of an
eligible friend, and congratulated her, and made her take her proper food.
Then the next day Somaprabha arrived, and having found out what
had taken place, she proceeded to say to Kalingasena in secret, " I told
my husband, who possesses supernatural knowledge, that I had formed a
friendship with you, and obtained from him, when he knew the facts,
permission to visit you every day. So you must now obtain permission
from your parents, in order that you may amuse yourself with me at will
without fear." When she had said this, Kalingasena took her by the hand,
and immediately went to her father and mother, and there introduced her
friend to her father, king Kaliugadatta, proclaiming her descent and name,
and in the same way she introduced her to her mother Taradatta, and they,
on beholding her, received her politely in accordance with their daughter's
account of her. And both those two, pleased with her appearance,
• Cp. Chaucer's Squire's Talc, line 316, " Ye moten trillo a pin, stant in his ore."
t This may remind the reader of the story of the pestle in Lucian's Philopseudes,
that was sent to fetch water. When the J'^yptian sorcerer was away, his pupil tried
to perform the trick. But he did not know the charm for stopping the water-carrying
process. Accordingly the house was flooded. In despair he chopped the pestle in two
with an axe. That made matters worse, for both halves set to work to bring water.
The story has boon versified 1>\ < i-ti" •, and the author of the Ingoldsby Legends.
259
hospitably received that beautiful wife of the distinguished Asura out of
love for their daughter, and said to her — " Dear girl, we entrust this
Kalingasena to your care, so amuse yourselves together as much as you
please." And Kalingasena and Somaprabha having gladly welcomed
this speech of theirs, went out together. And they went, in order to amuse
themselves, to a temple of Buddha built by the king. And they took there
that basket of magic toys. Then Somaprabha took a magic Yaksha, and
sent it on a commission from herself to bring the requisites for the wor-
ship of Buddha. That Yaksha went a long distance through the sky, and
brought a multitude of pearls, beautiful gems, and golden lotuses. Hav-
ing performed worship with these, Somaprabha exhibiting all kinds of
wonders, displayed the various Buddhas with their abodes. When the
king Kalingadatta heard of that, he came with the queen and beheld it,
and then asked Somaprabha about the magic performance. Then Soma-
prabha said, " King, these contrivances of magic machines, and so on,
were created in various ways by my father in old time. And even as this
vast machine, called the world, consists of five elements, so do all these
machines : I will describe them one by one. That machine, in which earth
predominates, shuts doors and things of the kind. Not even Indra would
be able to open what had been shut with it. The shapes produced by the
water-machine appear to be alive. But the machine in which fire pre-
dominates, pours forth flames. And the wind-machine performs actions, such
as going and coming. And the machine produced from ether utters distinct
language. All these I obtained from my father, but the wheel-machine,
which guards the water of immortality, my father knows and no one else."
While she was saying this, there arose the sound of conchs being blown in
the middle of the day, that seemed to confirm her words. Then she
entreated the king to give her the food that suited her, and taking Kalin-
gasena as a companion, by permission of the king she set out through the
air for her father's house in a magic chariot, to return to her elder sister.
And quickly reaching that palace, which was situated in the Vindhya
mountains, she conducted her to her sister Svayamprabha. There Kalinga-
sena saw that Svayamprabha with her head encircled with matted lock*,
with a long rosary, a nun clothed in a white garment, smiling like Parvati,
in whom love, the highest joy of earth, had undertaken a severe vow of
mortification. And Svayamprabha, when the princess, introduced by
Somaprabha, kneeled before her, received her hospitably and entertained
her with a meal of fruits. And Somaprabha said to the primvss : • My
friend, by eating these fruits, you will escape old age which otherwise
would destroy this beauty, as the nipping cold docs the lotus : and it was
with this object that I brought you here out of ailVrtiou.'' Tiu>n that
Kalingasena ate those fruits, and immediately her limbs seemed to be
2GO
bathed in the water of life. And roaming about there to amuse herself, she
sa\v the garden of the city, with tanks filled with golden lotuses, and trees
bearing fruit as sweet as nectar : the garden was full of birds of golden
and variegated plumage, and seemed to have pillars of bright gems ; it
conveyed the idea of walls where there was no partition, and where there
were partitions, of unobstructed space. Where there was water, it presented
the appearance of dry land, and where there was dry laud, it bore the
semblance of water. It resembled another and a wonderful world, created
by the delusive power of the Asura Maya. It had been entered formerly
by the monkeys searching for Sita, which, after a long time, were allowed to
come out by the favour of Svayamprabha. So Svayamprabha bade her
adieu, after she had been astonished with a full sight of her wonderful city,
and had obtained immunity from old age ; and Somaprabha making Kalinga-
sena ascend the chariot again, took her through the air to her own palace
in Takshasila. There Kalingasena told the whole story faithfully to her
parents, and they were exceedingly pleased.
And while those two friends spent their days in this way, Somaprabha
once upon a time said to Kalingasena : " As long as you are not married,
I can continue to be your friend, but after your marriage, how could I
enter the house of your husband ? For a friend's husband ought never to
be seen or recognised* ; **************
* * As for a mother-in-law she eats the flesh of a daughter-in-law as
a she-wolf does of a sheep. And a propos of this, hear the story of
Kirtisena which I am about to tell you."
M»ry of Kirtisend and her cruel Long ago there lived in the city
mother-in-law,-^ of Pataliputra a merchant named,
not without cause, Dhanapalita,| for he was the richest of the rich. And
there was born to him a daughter, named Kirtisena, who was incomparably
beautiful, and dearer to him than life. And he took his daughter to
Magadha and married her to a rich merchant, named Devasena. And
though Devasena was himself very virtuous, he had a wicked mother as
mistress in his house, for his father was dead. She, when she saw that her
. daughter-in-law Kirtisena was beloved by her husband, being inflamed with
anger, ill-treated her in her husband's absence. But Kirtisena was afraid
to let her husband know it, for the position of a bride in the power of a
treacherous mother-in-law is a difficult one.
* Here Dr. Brockhaus supposes a lino to bo omitted. The transition is some-
what abrupt.
t Cp. with the story of Kirtiscna' the substance of two modern Greek songa
given in Liebrcrht zur Volkskunde, p. 187.
+ ». e. Wealth-preserved.
261
Once upon a time her husband Devasena, instigated by his relations,
was preparing to go to the city of Vallabhi for the sake of trade. Then
that Kii-tisuiKi said to her husband, — " I have not told you for this long
time what I am now going to say : your mother ill-treats me though you
are here, but I do not know what she will do to me when you are in a
foreign country." When Devasena heard that, he was perplexed, and being
alarmed on account of his affection for his wife, he went and humbly said
to his mother — " Kirtisena is committed to your care, mother, now that
I am going to a foreign land ; you must not treat her unkindly, for she is
the daughter of a man of good family. When Devasena's mother heard
that, she summoned Kirtisena, and elevating her eyes, said to him then
and there, — " What have I done ? ask her. This is the way in which she
eggs you on, my son, trying to make mischief in the house, but both of
you are the same in my eyes." When the good merchant heard that, he
departed with his mind easy on her account. For who is not deceived by
the hypocritically affectionate speeches of a mother ? But Kirtisena stood
there silent, smiling in bewilderment, and the next day the merchant set
out for Vallabhi. Then, when Kirtisena began to suffer torture at being
separated from her husband, the merchant's mother gradually for-
bade the female slaves to attend on her. And making an agreement
witli a handmaid of her own, that worked in the house, she took Kirtisena
inside and secretly stripped her. And saying to her, " Wicked woman,
you rob me of my son," she pulled her hair, and with the help of her
servant, mangled her with kicks, bites, and scratches. And she threw her
into a cellar that was closed with a trap-door and strongly fastened, after first
taking out all the things that were in it previously. And the wretch put in it
every day half a plate of rice, in the evening, for the girl who was in such a
state. And she thought, " I will say in a few days ' she died of herself
during her husband's absence in a distant land, take her corpse away.' "*
Thus Kirtisena, who deserved all happiness, was thrown into a cellar by
that cruel mother-in-law, and while there she reflected with tears, " My
husband is rich, I was born in a good family, I am fortunately endowed and
virtuous, nevertheless I suffer such calamity, thanks to my mother-in-law.
And this is why relations lament the birth of a daughter, exposed to the
terrors of mother-in-law, and sister-in-law, marred with inauspiciousness
of every kind." While thus lamenting, Kirtisena suddenly found a small
shovel in that cellar, like a thorn extracted from her heart by the Creator.
So she dug a passage underground with that iron instrument, until by good
luck she rose up in her own private apartment. And she was able to see that
* Bohtlingk and Roth in their Dictionary explain tho passage as follows : imam,
ft. e., patimj vyutt/tdyya ijutd iti, she was unfaithful to her husband.
262
room by the light of a lamp that had been left there before, as if she were
lighted by her own undiminished virtue. And she took out of it her
clothes and her gold, and leaving it secretly at the close of the night, she
went out of the city. She reflected — " It is not fitting that I should go
to my father's house after acting thus ; what should I say there, and how
would people believe me ? So I must manage to repair to my husband by
means of my own ingenuity ; for a husband is the only refuge of virtuous
women in this world and the next." Keflecting thus, she bathed in the
water of a tank, and put on the splendid dress of a prince. Then she went
into the bazar and after exchanging some gold for money, she sojourned
that day in the house of a certain merchant.
The next day she struck up a friendship with a merchant named
Samudrasena who wished to go to Vallabhi. And wearing the splendid
dress of a prince, she set out for Vallabhi with the merchant and his servants
in order to catch up her husband who had set out beforehand. And she
said to that merchant, " I am oppressed by my clansmen,* so I will go with
you to my friends in Vallabhi."
Having heard that, the merchant's son waited upon her on the journey,
out of respect, thinking to himself that she was some distinguished prince
or other ; and that caravan preferred for its march the forest road, which
was much frequented by travellers, who avoided the other routes because of
the heavy duties they had to pay. In a few days they reached the entrance
of the forest, and while the caravan was encamped in the evening, a female
jackal, like a messenger of death, uttered a terrific howl. Thereupon the
merchants, who understood what that meant, became apprehensive of an
attack by bandits, and the guards on every side took their arms in hand ;
and the darkness began to advance like the vanguard of the bandits ; then
Kirtisena, in man's dress, beholding that, reflected, " Alas ! the deeds of
those who have sinned in a former life seem to propagate themselves with a
brood of evils ! Lo ! the calamity which my mother-in-law brought upon
me has borne fruit here also ! First I was engulphed by the wrath of my
mother-in-law as if by the mouth of death, then I entered the cellar like
a second prison of the womb. By good fortune, I escaped thence, being, as
it were, born a second time, and having come here, I have again run a risk
of my life. If I am slain here by bandits, my mother-in-law, who hairs
me, will surely say to my husband, ' She ran off somewhere being attached
to another man.' But if some one tears off my clothes and recognises me
* Gotraja, nearly equivalent to the Gentile of Roman law, and applied to kindred
of the same L' i in r.il family connected by ofl'erings of food ami water; limn- oin
to the Bandhu or cognate kindred. She represented that aho was a prince whose
clansmen wore trying to disinherit him.
263
for a woman, then again I run a risk of outrage, and death is better than
that. So I must deliver myself, and disregard this merchant my friend.
For good women must regard the duty of virtuous wives, not friends and
things of that kind." Thus she determined, and searching about, found a
hollow like a house in the middle of a tree, as it were, an opening made
for her by the earth out of pity. There she entered and covered her
body with leaves and such like things ; and remained supported by the hope
of reunion with her husband. Then, in the dead of night, a large force of
bandits suddenly fell upon the caravan with uplifted weapons, and surround-
ed it on all sides. And there followed a storm of fight, with howling
bandits for thunder-clouds, and the gleam of weapons for long-continued
lightning-flashes, and a rain of blood. At last the bandits, being more
powerful, slew the merchant-prince Samudrasena and his followers, and
went off with all his wealth.
In the meanwhile Kirtisena was listening to the tumult, and that she
was not forcibly robbed of breath is to be ascribed to fate only. Then the
night departed, and the keen-rayed sun arose, and she went out from that
hollow in the middle of the tree. Surely the gods themselves preserve in
misfortune good women exclusively devoted to their husbands, and of un-
failing virtue ; for not only did a lion beholding her in the lonely wood
spare her, but a hermit that had come from somewhere or other, when she
asked him for information, comforted her and gave her a drink of water
from his vessel, and then disappeared in some direction or other, after tell-
ing her the road to take. Then satisfied as if with nectar, free from
hunger and thirst, that woman, devoted to her husband, set out by the
road indicated by the hermit. Then she saw the sun mounted on the
western mountain, stretching forth his rays like fingers, as if saying — " Wait
patiently one night" — and so she entered an opening in the root of a
forest tree which looked like a house, and closed its mouth with
another tree. And in the evening she saw through the opening of
a chink in the door of her retreat a terrible Rakshasi approaching, accom-
panied by her young sons. She was terrified, thinking to herself — " Lo !
I shall be devoured by this llakshasi after escaping all my other mis-
fortunes"— and in the meanwhile the Utikshasi ascended that tree. And
her sons ascended after her, and immediately said to that Uiikshusi,* —
" Mother, give us something to eat." Then the llakshasi said to her chil-
dren,— " To-day, my children, I went to a great cemetery, but I did not
obtain any food, and though I entreated the congregation of witches.
* Cp. Thorpe's Yuletido Stories, p. 341, cited before on p. 25, also Sagas from the
Far East, p. 162. Tho Mongolian version supplies the connecting link between India
and Europe. In the Sagas from the Far East, the Eakshasas are replaced by crows.
204
gave me no portion ; then grieved thereat I appealed to S'iva in his terrific
form and asked him for food. And the god asked me my name and line-
age, and then said to me — ' Terrible one, thou art of high birth as belong-
ing to the race of Khara and Diishana ;* so go to the city of Vasudatta,
not far from here. In that city there lives a great king named Vasudatta
addicted to virtue ; he defends this whole forest, dwelling on its border, and
himself takes duties and chastises robbers. Now, one day, while the king was
sleeping in the forest, fatigued with hunting, a centipede quickly entered
his ear unobserved. And in course of time it gave birth to many others in-
side his head. That produced an illness which now dries up all his sinews.
And the physicians do not know what is the cause of his disease, but if
some one does not find out, he will die in a few days. When he is dead,
oat his flesh ; for by eating it, you will, thanks to your magic power,
remain satiated for six months !' In these words S'iva promised me a meal,
that is attended with uncertainty, and cannot be obtained for a long time,
so what must I do, my children ?" When the Rakshasi said this to her chil-
dren, they asked her, If the disease is discovered and removed, will that
king live, mother ? And tell us how such a disease can be cured in him ?"
When the children said this, the Rakshasi solemnly said to them, " If
the disease is discovered and removed, the king will certainly live. And
hear how his great disease may be taken away. First his head must be
anointed by rubbing warm butter on it, and then it must be placed for a
long time in the heat of the sun intensified by noonday. And a hollow
cane-tube must be inserted into the aperture of his ear, which must com-
municate with a hole in a plate, and this plate must be placed above a
pitcher of cool water. Accordingly the centipedes will be annoyed by heat
and perspiration, and will come out of his head, and will enter that cane-
tube from the aperture of the ear, and desiring coolness will fall into the
pitcher. In this way the king may be freed from that great disease."
Thus spake the Kakshasi to her sons on the tree, and then ceased ; and
Kirtisena, who was in the trunk of the tree, heard it. And hearing it, she
said to herself, " If ever I get safe away from here, I will go and employ
this artifice to save the life of that king. For he takes but small duties,
and dwells on the outskirts of this forest ; and so all the merchants come
this way because it is more convenient. This is what the merchant, Saniu-
(Irasfiia, who is gone to heaven, told me ; accordingly that husband of mine
will be sure to return by this very path. So I will go to the city of Vasu-
datta, which is on the borders of the forest, and I will deliver the king
from his sickness, and there await the arrival of my husband." Thus
reflecting, she managed, though with dillieulty. to get through the night:
* Names of Kakshasas mentioned in the Rdmdyana.
265
in the morning, the Rakshasas having disappeared, she went out from the
trunk of the tree.
Then she travelled along slowly in the dress of a man, and in the
afternoon she saw a good cowherd. He was moved to compassion by
seeing her delicate beauty, and that she had accomplished a long journey,
and then she approached him, and said — " What country is this, pi
tell me ?" The cowherd said — " This city in front of you is the city of
Vasudatta, belonging to the king Vasudatta : as for the king, he lies there
at the point of death with illness." When Kirtisena heard that, she said
to the cowherd, " If any one will conduct me into the presence of that
king, I know how to remove his disease." When the cowherd heard that,
he said, " I am going to that very city, so come with me, that I may
point it out to you." Kirtisena answered — " So be it," and immediately
that herdsman conducted her to the city of Vasudatta, wearing her male dress.
And telling the circumstances exactly as they were, he immediately com-
mended that lady with auspicious marks to the afflicted warder. And the
warder, having informed the king, by his orders introduced the blameless
lady into his presence. The king Vasudatta, though tortured with his
disease, was comforted the moment he beheld that lady of wonderful
beauty ; the soul is able to distinguish friends from enemies. And he said
to the lady who was disguised as a man, " Auspicious sir, if you remove
this disease, I will give you half my kingdom ; I remember a lady stripped
off from me in my dream a black blanket, so you will certainly remove
this my disease." When Kirtisena heard that, she said — " This day is
at an end, 0 king ; to-morrow I will take away your disease ; do not be
impatient." Having said this, she rubbed cow's butter on the king's head ;
that made sleep come to him, and the excessive pain disappeared. And
then all there praised Kirtisena, saying — " This is some god come to us
in the disguise of a physician, thanks to our merits in a previous state of
existence." And the queen waited on her with various attentions, and
appointed for her a house in which to rest at night, with female attendants.
Then on the next day, at noon, before the eyes of the ministers and ladies
of the harem, Kirtisena extracted from the head of that king, through,
the aperture of the ear, one hundred and fifty centipedes, by employing
the wonderful artifice previously described by the Eakshasi. And after
getting the centipedes into the pitcher, she comforted the king by foment-
ing him with milk and melted butter. The king having gradually recover-
ed, and being free from disease, everybody there was astonished at behold-
ing those creatures in the pitcher. And the king, on beholding these
harmful insects that had been extracted fro,iu his head, was terrified, pu/x.lod
and delighted, and considered himself born again. And IK- mado high
feast, and honoured Kirtisena, who did not caiv lor half tho kingdom,
84
266
with villages, elephants, horses, and gold. And the queens and the minis-
ters loaded her with gold and garments, saying that they ought to honour
the physician who had saved the life of their sovereign. But she deposited
for the present that wealth in the hand of the king, waiting for her
husband, and saying — " I am under a vow for a certain time."
So Kirtisena remained there some days in man's clothes, honoured by
all men, and in the meanwhile she heard from the people that her own
husband, the great merchant Devasena, had come that way from Vallabhi.
Then, as soon as she knew that that caravan had arrived in the city, she
went to it, and saw that husband of hers as a peahen beholds the new
cloud. And she fell at his feet, and her heart, weeping from the pain of
long separation, made her bestow on him the argha* with her tears of joy.
Her husband, for his part, after he had examined her, who was concealed by
her disguise, like the form of the moon invisible in the day on account of the
rays of the sun, recognised her. It was wonderful that the heart of
Devasena, who was handsome as the moon, did not dissolve like the moon-
stone, f on beholding the moon of her countenance.
Then, Kirtisena having thus revealed herself, and her husband remain-
ing in a state of wonder, marvelling what it could mean, and the company
of merchants being astonished, the king Vasudatta, hearing of it, came
there full of amazement. And Kirtisena, being questioned by him, told
in the presence of her husband her whole adventure, that was due to the
wickedness of her mother-in-law. And her husband Devasena, hearing it,
conceived an aversion to his mother, and was affected at the same time by
anger, forbearance, astonishment, and joy. And all the people present there,
having heard that wonderful adventure of Kirtisena, exclaimed joyfully —
" Chaste women, mounted on the chariot of conjugal affection, protected by
the armour of modesty, and armed with the weapon of intellect, are victorious
in the struggle." The king too said — " This lady, who has endured aflliction
for the sake of her husband, has surpassed even queen Sita, who shared the
hardships of J Jama. So she is henceforth my sister in the faith, as well as
the saviour of my life." When the king said that, KirtiseiKi answered
him — " O king, let your gift of affection which I deposited in your care,
consisting of villages, elephants, and horses, be made over to my husband."
"When she said this to the king, he bestowed on her husband l)evaseiia the
villages and other presents, and being pleased gave him a turban of honour.
Then Devasena, having his purse suddenly tilled with stores of wealth, part
of which was given by the king, and part acquired by his own trading, avoid-
* "Water is the principal ingredient of the offering called argha or ary/iya.
t This gem is formed l'n>m the nun^rLition of tin- rays nt the IIKKHI, and di-
the inlluence of ita light. There is of course ail elaborate pun in Cliandra-
207
ing his mother, and praising Kirtisena, remained dwelling in that town. And
Kirtisena having found a happy lot, from which her wicked mother-in-law
was removed, and having obtained glory by her unparalleled adventures,
dwelt there in the enjoyment of all luxury and power, like all the rich fruit of
her husband's good deeds incarnate in a body.
" Thus chaste women, enduring the dispensations of hostile fate, but pre-
serving in misfortunes the treasure of their virtue, and protected by the great
power of their goodness, procure good fortune for their husbands and them-
selves. And thus, O daughter of a king, many misfortunes befall wives,
inflicted by mothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, therefore I desire for you a
husband's house of such a kind, that in it there shall be no mother-in-law
and no cruel sister-in-law."
Hearing this delightful and marvellous story from the mouth of the
A sura princess Somaprabha, the mortal princess Kalingasena was highly
delighted Then the sun, seeing that these tales, the matter of which was
so various, had come to an end, proceeded to set, and Somaprabha, having
embraced the regretful Kalingasena, went to her own palace.
CHAPTER XXX.
Then Kalingasena out of love went to the top of a palace on the high
road, to follow with her eyes the course of Somaprabha, who had set out for
her own home, and by chance a young king of the Vidyadharas, named
]\I adanavega, travelling through the air, had a near view of her. The youth
beholding her, bewildering the three worlds with her beauty, like the bunch
of peacock feathers of the conjuror Cupid, was much troubled. He reflec-
ted— •" Away with the Vidyadhara beauties ! Not even the Apsarases
deserve to be mentioned in presence of the surpassing loveliness of this
mortal lady. So if she will not consent to become my wife, what is the
proQt of my life ? But how can 1 associate with a mortal lad\>, being a
Vidyadhara r"' Thereupon he called to mind the science named Prujnupti,
and that science, appealing in bodily form, thus addressed him, " She is
not really a mortal woman, she is an Apsaras, degraded in consequence of a
curse, and born in the house of the august king Kalingadatta." When the
Vidyadhara had been thus informed by the science, he went oil' delighted
and distracted with love ; and averse from all other things, rdlected in liis
palace ; " It is not fitting for me to carry her off by force ; for the pt>
sion of women by force is, according to a curse, fa led to bring me death.
So in order to obtain her, 1 must propitiate S'iva by asceticism, for happi-
ness is procurable by asceticism, and no other expedient presents itself."
268
Thus he resolved, and the next day he went to the Rishabha mountain, and
standing on one foot, performed penance without taking food. Then the
husband of Ambika was soon won over by Madanavega's severe asceticism,
and appearing to him, thus enjoined him, " This maiden, named Kalinga-
sena, is famous for beauty on the earth, and she cannot find any husband
equal to her in the gift of loveliness. Only the king of Vatsa is a fitting
match for her, and he longs to possess her, but through fear of Vasava-
datta, does not dare to court her openly. And this princess, who is longing for
a handsome husband, will hear of the king of Vatsa from the mouth of Soma-
prabhd, and repair to him to choose him as her husband. So, before her
marriage takes place, assume the form of the impatient king of Vatsa, and
go and make her your wife by the Gandbarva ceremony. In this way, fair
sir, you will obtain Kalingasena." Having received this command from
S'iva, Mudanavega prostrated himself before him, and returned to his home
on the slope of the Kalakuta mountain.
Then Kalingasena went on enjoying herself in the city of Takshasila,
in the society of Somaprabha, who went every night to her own home, and
came back every morning to her friend, in her chariot that travelled through
the air : and one day she said to Somaprabha in private ; " My friend, you
must not tell any one what I tell you. Listen, and I will give you a reason
that makes me think the time of my marriage has arrived. Ambassadors
have been sent here by many kings to ask me in marriage. And they,
after an interview with my father, have always hitherto been dismissed by
him as they came. But now the king of the name of Prasenajit, who
lives in S'ravasti, has sent a messenger, and he alone has been received with
honourable distinction by my father And that course has been recom-
mended by my mother, so I conjecture, the king, my suitor, has been approv-
ed of by my father and mother, as of sufficiently noble lineage. For he
is born in that family, in which were born Amba and Ambalikii, the paternal
grandmothers of the Kurus and Pandus. So, my friend, it is clear that
they have now determined to bestow me in marriage on this king Prasena-
jit in the city of S'ravasti." When Somaprabha heard this f roui Kalinga-
sena, she suddenly shed from grief a copious shower of tears, creating, as
it were, a second necklace. And when her friend asked her the cause of
her tears, that daughter of the Asura Maya, who had seen all the terrestrial
world, said to her — " Of the desirable requisites in a suitor, youth, good
looks, noble birth, good disposition, and wealth, youth is of the greatest
importance ; high birth, and so on, are of subordinate importance. But
I have seen that king Prasenajit, and lie is an old man ; who eaves about
his high lineage, as ho is old, any more than about the birth of the jasmine-
flower ? You will be to be pitied when linked to him who is white as snow, as
the lotus-bed, when linked to the winter, and your face will be a withered
200
lotus. For this reason despondency has arisen in me, but I should be
delighted if 'Udayana, the king of Vatsa, were to become your husband,
O auspicious lady. For there is no king upon the earth equal to him
in form, beauty, lineage, daring and riches. If, fair one, you should be
married to that fitting mate, the display which the Creator has made in
your case of his power to create beauty, would have brought forth fruit."
By means of these speeches, artfully framed by Somaprabha, the mind of
Kalingasent'i was impelled as if by engines, and flew towards the king of
Vatsa. And then the princess asked the daughter of Maya, " Friend, how
is it that he is called the king of Vatsa ? In what race was he born ?
And whence was he named Udayana ? Tell me." Then Somaprabha said —
" Listen, friend, I will tell you that. There is a land, the ornament of the
earth, named Vatsa. In it there is a city named Kausambi, like a second
Amaravati ; and he is called the king of Vatsa because he rules there.
And hear his lineage, my friend, related by me. Arjuna of the Pandava
race had a son named Abhimanyu, and he, skilled in breaking the close rings
of the hostile army, destroyed the force of the Kauravas. From him there
sprang a king named Parikshit, the head of the race of Bharata, and from
him sprang Janamejaya, who performed the snake-sacrifice. His son was
S'atanika who settled in Kausambi, and he was slain in a war between
the gods and Asuras after slaying many giants. His son was king Sahasra-
nika, an object of praise to the world, to whom Indra sent his chariot, and
he went to heaven and returned thence. To him was born this Udayana
by the queen Mrigavati, the ornament of the race of the Moon, a king
that is a feast to the eyes of the world. Hear too the reason of his name.
That Mrigavati, the mother of this high-born king, being pregnant, felt a
desire to bathe in a lake of blood, and her husband, afraid of committing
sin, had a lake made of liquid lac and other coloured fluids in which she
plunged. Then a bird of the race of Garuda pounced upon her, thinking
she was raw flesh, and carried her off, and, as fate would have it, left her
alive on the mountain of the sunrise. And there the hermit Jamadagni
saw her, and comforted her, promising her reunion with her husband, and
she remained there in his hermitage. For such was the curse inflicted
upon her husband by Tilottama jealous on account of his neglecting her,
which caused him separation from his wife for a season. And in some days
she brought forth a son in the hermitage of Jamadagni on that very
mountain of the sunrise, as the sky brings forth the new moon. And
because he was born on the mountain of the sunrise, the gods then and
there gave him the name of Udayana, uttering from heaven this bo>!
voice — ' This Udayana, who is now born, shall be sovereign of the whole
earth, and there shall be born to him a son, who shall be emperor of all the
Vidyadharas.'
270
" Sahasramka, for his part, who had been informed of the real state of
the case by Matali, and had Hxed his hope on the termination of his curse,
with difficulty got through the time without that Mrigavati. But when
the curse had expired, the king obtained his token from a S'avara who, as
fate would have it, had come from the mountain of the sunrise. And
then he was informed of the truth by a voice that came from heaven,
and making that S'avara his guide, he went to the mountain of the sunrise.
There he found his wife Mrigavati like the success of his wishes, and her
son Udayana like the realm of fancy. With them he returned to Kau-
sambi, and appointed his son crown-prince, pleased with the excellence of
his qualities ; and he gave him the sons of his ministers, Yaugandharayaua
and others. When his son took the burden of the kingdom off his shoulders,
he enjoyed pleasures for a long time in the society of Mrigavati. And in time
the king established his son, that very Udayana, on the throne, and being old,
went with his wife and ministers on the long journey. So, Udayana has
obtained that kingdom that belonged to his father, and having conquered
all his enemies, rules the earth with the help of Yaugandharayana."
Having in these words quickly told her in confidence the story of Uda-
yana, she again said to her friend Kalingasena—" Thus that king is called
the king of Vatsa, fair one, because he rules in Vatsa, and since he comes of
the Pandava lineage, he is also descended from the race of the sun. And
the gods gave him the name of Udayana, because he was born on the mountain
of the sunrise, and in this world even the god of love is not a match
for him in beauty. He alone is a husband fit for you, most beautiful lady
of the three worlds, and he, being a lover of beauty, no doubt longs for
you, who are famous for it. But, my friend, his head-wife is Vtisavadatta,
the daughter of Chandamahasena. And she selected him herself, deserting her
relations in the ardour of her passion, and so sparing the blushes of Uslui,
S'akuntala and other maidens. And a son has been born to him by her,
called Naravahanadatta, who is appointed by the gods as the future emperor
of the Vidyadharas. So it is through fear of her that the king of Vatsa
does not send here to ask for your hand, but she has been seen by me, and
she does not vie with you in the gift of beauty." When her friend Soma-
prabha said this, Kalingasena, being in love with the king of Vatsa, answer.
ed her — " I know all this, but what can I do, as I am under the power of
my parents? But in this, you, who know all things and po^/ss ma^ic
power, are my refuge." So.'naprabha. then said to her — " Tlie whole ma
depends on destiny ; in proof of it hear the following tale."
Once on a time there lived in
Story of Tejasvati. T,.. . , . . , .,.,
Ujjaynu a king named \ ikramasena,
and he had a daughter named Tcjusvah, matchless in beauty. And sln«
disapproved of every king who sued for her haud. But one day, while she
271
was on the roof of her palace, she saw a man, and as fate would have it,
she felt a desire to meet him as he was very handsome, and she sent her
confidante to him, to communicate to him her desire. The confidante went
and entreated the man, who shrank from such an audacious step, and at last
with much difficulty she made him against his will agree to an assignation,
saying, " Await, good sir, the arrival of the princess at night in tlii.s
retired temple which you see here." After saying this, she took leave of
him, and went and told the princess Tejasvati, who for her part remained
watching the sun. But that man, though he had consented, fled some-
where else out of fear ; a frog is not capable of relishing the fibres of a
bed of red lotuses.
In the meanwhile a certain prince of high lineage came, as his father
was dead, to visit the king who had been his father's friend. And that
handsome young prince, named Somadatta, whose kingdom and wealth had
been taken by pretenders, arriving at night, entered by accident, to pass
the night there, that very temple in which the confidante of the princess
had arranged a meeting with the man. While he was there, the princess,
blind with passion, approached him, without distinguishing who he was,
and made him her self-chosen husband. The wise prince gladly received in
silence the bride offered him by fate, who foreshadowed his union with the
future Fortune of Royalty. And the princess soon perceived that he was
very charming, and considered that she had not been deceived by the Creator.
Immediately they conversed together, and the two separated according to
agreement ; the princess went to her own palace, while the king spent the
rest of the night there. In the morning the prince went and announced his
name by the mouth of the warder, and being recognised, entered into the pre-
sence of the king. There he told his sorrow on account of his kingdom hav-
ing been taken away, and other insults, and the king agreed to assist him in
overthrowing his enemies. And he determined to give him the daughter
he had long desired to give away, and then and there told his intention to
the ministers. Then the queen told the king his daughter's adventure,
having been informed of it before by herself, through the mouths of trusty
confidantes. Then the king was astonished at finding that calamity had
been averted and his desire attained by mere chance, as in the {'able of the
crow and the palm,* and thereupon one of the ministers said to the king,
" Fate watches to ensure the objects of auspicious persons, as good servants
of their masters, when the latter are not on the look-out. And to illustrate
this, I will tell you the following tale : listen !"
• This is well known in India now. A crow alighted on a palm-tree when just
about to fall, and so it appeared that his weight niailc it fall. For this and many other
hints I ain indebted to Pandit S. C. Mookerjea, of the Iliudu School.
272
There was a certain Brahman
Story of the Brahman Hartsarman.
in a certain village, named Harisar-
man.* He was poor and foolish and in evil case for want of employment,
and he had very many children, that he might reap the fruit of his mis-
deeds in a former life. He wandered about begging with his family, and
at last he reached a certain city, and entered the service of a rich house-
holder called Sthuladatta. He made his sons keepers of this householder's
cows and other possessions, and his wife a servant to him, and he himself
lived near his house, performing the duty of an attendant. One day there
was a feast on account of the marriage of the daughter of Sthuladatta,
largely attended by many friends of the bridegroom, and merry-makers.
And then Harisarman entertained a hope that he would be able to fill himself
up to' the throat with ghee and flesh and other dainties, together with his
family, in the house of his patron. While he was anxiously expecting that
occasion, no one thought of him. Then he was distressed at getting
nothing to eat, and he said to his wife at night ; " It is owing to my pover-
ty and stupidity that I am treated with such disrespect here : so I will dis-
play by means of an artifice an assumed knowledge, in order that I may
become an object of respect to this Sthuladatta, and when you get an oppor-
tunity, tell him that I possess supernatural knowledge." He said this to
her, and after turning the matter over in his mind, while people were asleep
he took away from the house of Sthuladatta a horse on which his son-in-
law rode. He placed it in concealment at some distance, and in the morn-
ing the friends of the bridegroom could not find the horse, though they
searched in every direction. Then, while Sthuladatta was distressed at the
evil omen, and searching for the thieves who had carried oft' the horse, the
wife of Harisarman came and said to him — " My husband is a wise man, skil-
led in astrology and sciences of that kind ; and he will procure for you
the horse ; why do you not ask him ?" When Sthuladatta heard that, he
called that Harisarman, who said, " Yesterday I was forgotten, but to-day,
now the horse is stolen, I am called to mind," and Sthuladatta then propi-
tiated the Brahman with these words — " I forgot you, forgive me" — and
asked him to tell him who had taken away their horss P Then Harisarmaii
drew all kinds of pretended diagrams and said, — " The horse has been
placed by thieves on the boundary line south from this place. It is con-
cealed there, and before it is carried off to a distance, as it will be at close
of day, quickly go and bring it." When they heard that, many men ran
and brought the horse quickly, praising the discernment of Harisarman.
Then Harisarman was honoured by all men as a sage, and dwelt there
in happiness, honoured by Sthuladatta. Then, as days went on, much
* I'M ni'.'y cdiisidcrs that this, as well ua " Iluripriyu," uicans " blockhead," Orient
und Occident, Vol. I, p. oj-i.
277
point him out to me among them, in order that I may bring him," Thus
spoke Chitralekha, and when Usha answered " By all means !" she painted
for her with coloured pencils the whole world in order. Thereupon Usha
exclaimed joyfully, " There he is," and pointed out with trembling finger
Aniruddha in Dvaravati of the race of Yadu. Then Chitralekha said — " My
friend, you are fortunate, in that you have obtained for a husband Anirud-
dha the grandson of the adorable Vishnu. But he lives sixty thousand
yojanas from here." When Usha heard that, she said to her, overpowered
by excessive longing, " Friend, if I cannot to-day repair to his bosom cool
as sandal wood, know that I am already dead, being burnt up with the
uncontrollable fire of love." When Chitralekha heard this, she consoled her
dear friend, and immediately flew up and went through the air to the city
of Dvaravati ; and she beheld it in the middle of the sea, producing with its
vast and lofty palaces an appearance as if the peaks of the churning moun-
tain* had again been flung into the ocean She found Aniruddha asleep
in that city at night, and woke him up, and told him that Usha had fallen
in love with him on account of having seen him in a dream. And she took
the prince, who was eager for the interview, looking exactly as he had
before appeared in Usha's dream, and returned from Dvaravati in a moment
by the might of her magic. And flying with him through the air, she
introduced that lover secretly into the private apartments of Usha, who
was awaiting him. When Usha beheld that Aniruddha arrived in bodily
form, resembling the moon, there was a movement in her limbs resembling
the tide of the sea.f Then she remained there with that sweet-heart who
had been given her by her friend, in perfect happiness, as if with Life
embodied in visible form. But her father Bana, when he heard it, was
angry ; however Aniruddha conquered him by his own valour and the might
of his grandfather. Then Usha and Aniruddha returned to Dvaravati
and became inseparable like Siva and Parvati.l
" Thus Chitralekha united Usha with her lover in one day, but I con-
sider you, my friend, far more powerful than her. So bring me the king
of Vatsa here, do not delay." When Somaprabha heard this from Kalinga-
sena, she said — " Chitralekha, a nymph of heaven, might take up a strange
man and bring him, but what can one like myself do in the matter, who
never touch any man but my husband ? So I will take you, my friend, to
the place where the king of Vatsa is, having first shewn you your suitor
* The mountain Mandara which served as a churning-stick at the churning of tne
ocean of milk.
f Vddta is evidently corrupt.
\ This is to bo understood literally of Sftva and Parvati, but metaphorically of
Usha and Auiruddha.
278
Prasenajit." When Somaprabha made this proposal to Kalingasena, she
consented, and immediately ascended with her the magic chariot prepared
by her, and setting out through the air with her treasures and her retinue,
she went off unknown to her parents. For women impelled by love regard
neither height nor depth in front of them, as a horse urged on by his rider
does not fear the keenest sword-edge.
First she came to SVavasti, and beheld from a distance the king Pra-
senajit white with age, who had gone out to hunt, distinguished by a
clwuri frequently waved, which seemed at a distance to repel her as
if saying — " Leave this old man." And Somaprabha pointed him out
with a scornful laugh, saying — " Look ! this is the man to whom
your father wishes to give you." Then she said to Somaprabha — " Old
age has chosen him for her own, what other female will choose him?"
" So take me away from here quickly, my friend, to the king of
Vatsa." Immediately Kalingasena went with her to the city of Kausambi
through the air. Then she beheld from a distance with eagerness that king
of Vatsa, pointed out by her friend in a garden, as the female partridge
beholds the nectar-rayed moon. With dilated eye, and hand placed on the
heart, she seemed to say " He has entered my soul by this path." Then she
exclaimed, " Friend, procure me a meeting here with the king of Vatsa this
very day ; for having seen him I am not able to wait a moment." But
when she said this, her friend Somaprabha answered her — " I have seen to-
day an unfavourable omen, so remain, my friend, this day quiet and unobser-
ved in this garden, do not, my friend, send go-betweens backwards and for-
wards. To-morrow I will come and devise some expedient for your meet-
ing : at present, O thou whose home is in my heart, I desire to return to the
home of my husband." Having said this, Somaprabha departed thence
alter leaving her there ; and the king of Vatsa, leaving the garden, entered
his palace. Then Kalingasena, remaining there, sent her chamberlain,
giving him her message explicitly, to the king of Vatsa ; and this she did,
though previously forbidden by her friend, who understood omens. Love,
when recently enthroned in the breasts of young women, is impatient of
all restraint. And the chamberlain went and announced himself by the
mouth of the warder, and immediately entering, thus addressed the king of
Vatsa — "O king, the daughter of Kalingadatta the king who rules over
Takshasila, Kalioga8en& by name, having heard that you an: most hand-
some, has come here to choose you for a husband, abandoning her relatives,
having accomplished the journey in a magic car that travels through the
air, together with her attendants; and she has been conducted here by her
confidante named Somaprabha, who travels invisible, the daughter of
the Asura Ma\a, the wife of Xadakuvara. 1 have been sent by her to
inform you j do you receive her ; let there be union of you two
279
as of the moonlight and the moon." When the king heard this from the
chamberlain, he welcomed him, saying — " I consent," and being delighted,
he honoured him with gold and garments. And summoning his chief minis-
ter Yaugandharayana, he said to him, " The daughter of king Kalinga-
datta, who is called Kalingasena, and whose beauty is famed on the earth,
has come of her own accord to choose me as a husband ; so tell me quickly,
when shall I marry her, for she is not to be rejected ?" The minister
Yaugandharayana, when the king of Vatsa said this to him, regarding
what would be best for his master in the long run, reflected for a moment
as follows :* " Kalingasena is certainly famed for beauty in the three worlds,
there is no other like her ; even the gods are in love with her. If this
king of Vatsa obtain her, he will abandon everything else, and then the
queen Vasavadatta will lose her life, and then the prince Naravahanadatta
will perish, and Padmavati out of love for him will find life hard to retain :
and then Chandamahasena and Pradyota, the fathers of the two queens, will
lose their lives or become hostile ; and thus utter ruin will follow. On the
other hand it will not do to forbid the match, since the vicious passion of this
king will increase if he is thwarted. So I will put off the time of his marriage
in order to attain a favourable issue." Having thus reflected, Yaugandhara-
yana said to the king of Vatsa, " 0 king, you are fortunate in that this Kali-
ngasena has of her own accord come to your house, and the king, her father,
has become your servant. So you must consult the astrologers, and marry
her in accordance with good custom at an auspicious time, for she is
the daughter of a great king. To-day give her a suitable palace to dwell in
by herself, and send her male and female slaves, and robes and ornaments."
AYhen his chief minister gave him this advice, the king of Vatsa approved
it, and with glad heart performed it all with special attention. Then
Kalingasena entered the palace assigned her for residence, and considering
her desire attained, was exceedingly delighted.
The wise Yaugandharayana, for his part, immediately left the king's
court, went to his own house, and reflected — " Often procrastination serves
to avert an inauspicious measure. For long ago, when Indra had fled on
account of having caused the death of a Brahman, and Nahusha obtained
the sovereignty over the gods, he fell in love with S'achi,t and she was
saved by the preceptor of the godsj, to whom she had fled for refuge.
For in order to gain time, he kept saying — ' She will come to you to-
day' or to-morrow,' — until Nahusha was destroyed by the curse of a Brah-
man, uttered with an angry roar, and Indra regained the sovereignty
* I road /rnni for eva.
t The wife of Indru.
J «'. e. Bfihaspati.
280
of the gods. In the same way I must keep putting off my master."
Having thus reflected, the minister secretly made an arrangement with
the astrologers that they were to fix a distant date.
Then the queen Vasavadatta found out what had taken place, and
summoned the prime-minister to her palace. When he entered and
bowed before her, the queen said to him, weeping — " Noble sir, you
said to me long ago, ' Queen, as long as I remain where I am, you
shall have no other rival but Padmavati,' and observe now, this Kalingasena,
is about to be married here : and she is beautiful, and my husband is
attached to her, so you have proved a prophet of falsehood and I am now
a dead woman." When the minister Yaugandharayana heard this, he said
to her — " Be composed, for how could this happen, queen, while I am alive ?
However, you must not oppose the king in this matter, but must on the con-
trary take refuge in self-restraint, and shew him all complaisance. The sick
man is not induced to place himself in the physician's hands by disagreeable
speeches, but he is by agreeable speeches, if the physician does his work
by a conciliatory method. If a man is dragged against the current, he
will never escape from the stream of a river, or from a vicious tendency,
but if he is carried with the current, he will escape from both. So when
the king comes into your presence, receive him with all attentions, without
anger, concealing your real feelings. Approve at present of his marrying
Kalingasena, saying that his kingdom will be made more powerful by her
father also becoming his ally. And if you do this, the king will perceive
that you possess in a high degree the virtue of magnanimity, and his love
and courtesy towards you will increase, and thinking that Kalingasena is
within his reach, he will not be impatient, for the desire of a man for any
object increases if he is restrained. And you must teach this lesson to
Padmavati also, 0 blameless one, and so that king may submit to our putting
him off in this matter. And after this, I ween, you will behold my skill
in stratagem. For the wise are tested in difficulty, even as heroes are
tested in fight. So, queen, do not be despondent." In these words Yaugan-
dharayana admonished the queen, and, as she received his counsels with
respect, he departed thence.* But the king of Vatsa, throughout that day,
neither in light nor darkness entered the private apartments of either of
the two queens, for his mind was eager for a new well-matched union with
Kalingasena, who had approached him in such an ardour of spontaneous
choice. And then the queen and the prime-minister and the king and
Kalinguen6 spent the night in wakefulness like that of a great feast, apart
in their respective houses, the second couple through impatience for a rare
delight, and the first through very profound anxiety.
• For san I should prefer sa which is read in a MS. lent me by the Principal of
Coliey.
273
wealth consisting of gold and jewels was carried off by a tliief from the
palace of the king. As the thief was not known, the king quickly sum-
moned Harisarman on account of his reputation for supernatural know-
ledge. And he, when summoned, tried to gain time, and said " I will tell
you to-morrow," and then he was placed in a chamber by the king, and care-
fully guarded. And he was despondent about his pretended knowledge.*
Now in that palace there was a maid named Jihva,f who, with the assis-
tance of her brother had carried off that wealth from the interior of the
palace : she, being alarmed at Harisarman's knowledge, went at night and
applied her ear to the door of that chamber in order to find out what he was
about. And Harisarman, who was alone inside, was at that very moment
blaming his own tongue, that had made a vain assumption of knowledge.
He said — " O Tongue, what is this that you have done, through desire of
enjoyment ? Ill-conducted one, endure now punishment in this place."
When Jihva heard this, she thought in her terror, that she had been disco-
vered by this wise man, and by an artifice she managed to get in where he was,
and falling at his feet, she said to that supposed sage ; — " Brahman, here
I am, that Jihva whom you have discovered to be the thief of the wealth,
and after I took it, I buried it in the earth in a garden behind the palace,
under a pomegranate tree. So spare me, and receive the small quantity
of gold which is in my possession. When Harisarman heard that, he said
to her proudly, " Depart, I know all this ; I know the past, present and
future : but I will not denounce you, being a miserable creature that has
implored my protection. But whatever gold is in your possession you
must give back to me." When he said this to the maid, she consented and
departed quickly. But Harisarman reflected in his astonishment ; " Fate,
if propitious, brings about, a& if in sport, a thing that cannot be accomplish-
ed, for in this matter when calamity was near, success has unexpectedlv
been attained by me. While I was blaming my tongue (jihvd), the thief
Jihva suddenly flung herself at my feet. Secret crimes I see, manifest
themselves by means of fear " In these reflections he passed the night
happily in the chamber. And in the morning he brought the king
by some skilful parade of pretended knowledge into the garden, and
led him up to the treasure, which was buried there and he said
that the thief had escaped with a part of it. Then the king was pleaded
and proceeded to give him villages. But the minister, named Deva-
jnanin, whispered in the king's ear, " How can a man possess such
knowledge unattainable by men, without having studied treatises ; so
* A MS. in the Sanskrit College roads jndnavijna, «'. e., the knowing one, the
astrologer.
f This word means tongue.
35
you may be certain that this is a specimen of the way he makes a dishonest
livelihood, by having a secret intelligence with thieves. So it will be better
to test him by some new artifice." Then the king of his own accord
brought a new covered pitcher into which he had thrown a frog, and said
to that Harisarman — " Brahman, if you can guess what there is in this
pitcher, I will do you great honour to-day." When the Brahman Harisar-
man heard that, he thought that his last hour had come, and he called to
mind the pet name of frog which his father had given him in his childhood
in sport, and impelled by the deity he apostrophized himself by it, lament-
ing his hai'd fate, and suddenly exclaimed there — " This is a fine pitcher for
you, frog, since suddenly it has become the swift destroyer of your
helpless self in this place."- The people there, when they heard that, made a
tumult of applause, because his speech chimed in so well with the object
presented to him, and murmured, — " Ah ! a great sage, he knows even
about the frog !" Then the king, thinking that this was all due to
knowledge of divination, was highly delighted, and gave Harisarman vil-
lages with gold, umbrella, and vehicles of all kinds. And immediately
Harisarman became like a feudal chief.
" Thus good objects are brought about by fate for those whose actions
in a former life have been good. Accordingly fate made that daughter of
yours, Tejasvati, approach Somadatta a man of equal birth, and kept away
one who was unsuited to her." Hearing this from the mouth of his minis-
ter, the king Vikramasena gave his daughter to that prince as if she were
the goddess of fortune. Then the prince went and overcame his enemies
by the help of his father-in-law's host, and being established in his own
kingdom, lived happily in the company of his wife.
" So true is it that all this happens by the special favour of fate ; who
on earth would be able to join you, lovely as you are, with the king of
Vatsa, though a suitable match for you, without the help of fate ? "What
can I do in this matter, friend Kalingasena ?" Kalingasena, hearing this
story in private from the mouth of Somaprabha, became eager in her soul
for union with the king of Vatsa, and, in her aspirations after him, be^an
to feel in a less degree the fear of her relations and the warnings of mod
Then, the Ban, the great lamp of the three worlds, being about to set, Soma-
prabha the daughter of the Asura Maya, having with difliculty taken leave,
until her morning return, of her friend, whose mind was fixed upon her pro-
posed attempt, went through the air to her own home.
Note on tlie story of Ifarisannan.
The story of Haris:irm;m resembles closely that of Doctor Allwissend in Grimm's
Tales. It is shown l>y !'•' nt'< -y 1<> rxi.4 in various (onus in TMMTIV countries. It is
found in the Siddhikiir, the Mongolian form of the Sanskrit Wtuhipunckiviusati. In
27.1
this form of the story the incident of the frog in the pot is omitted, and the other inci-
dents are considerably altered. Instead of the king's treasure we find a magic gem, on
which the prosperity of the country depends ; it is not stolen but lost by the king's
daughter. Instead of the horse we have the cure of a sick Khan who had been driven mad
by evil spirits. The folly of the man who represents the Brahman consists in his choos-
ing worthless presents for his reward. (The story is the IVth in Sagas from the Far
East.) Benfey considers the fullest form of the story to be that in Schleicher's Lithu-
anian Legends. In this form of the story we have the stealing of the horse. In
other points it resembles the Mongolian version. The Brahman is represented by a
poor cottager, who puts up over his door a notice saying that he is a Doctor, who
knows everything and can do everything. The third exploit of the cottager is the find-
ing of a stolen treasure which is the second in the Indian story, but his second is a mi-
raculous cure which is in accordance with the Siddikiir. The latter is probably a late
work ; and we may presume that the Mongols brought the Indian story to Europe, in a
form resembling that in the Katha Sarit Sagara more nearly than the form in the
Siddikiir does. In the third exploit of the cottager in the Lithuanian talc, which
coi responds to the second in the Indian, the treasure haa been stolen by three servants.
They listen outside while the Doctor is alone in his room. When the clock strikes
one, — he says, " We have one." When it strikes two, he says — " We have two."
When it strikes three, he says, — " We have now three." In their terror they go to
the doctor and beg him not to betray them. He is richly rewarded.
But after all, Grimm's form of the tale is nearest to the Sanskrit. The dish with
crabs in it, the contents of which the Doctor has to guess, makes him exclaim — " Ach
ich armer Krebs." This might almost have been translated from the Sanskrit ; it is
so similar in form. The guilty servants, who stole the gold are detected by the Doctor's
saying to his wife — " Margaret, that is the first" — meaning the first who waited at
table, and so on.
The story is also found in the Facetiae of Henricus Bebelius, 1506. Here a poor
charcoal-burner represents the Brahman. He asks three days to consider. The king
gives him a good dinner, and while the first thief is standing at the window, he exclaims
" Jam units accessit" meaning " one day is at an end." The next day the second thief
comes to listen. The charcoal-burner exclaims " Secundus accessit" and so with the
third, whereupon they all confess.
Benfey conceives himself to have found the incident of the horse in Poggii Facotiio
(LXXXYI ed. Cracov. 1592, p. 59). Here a doctor boasts a wonder-working pill.
A man who has lost his ass takes one of these pills. It conducts him to a bed of reeds
where he finds his ass. (The article from which I have taken those parallels is
found in Benfey 's Orient und Occident, Vol. I, p. 371 and ff.)
27G
CHAPTER XXXI.
The next morning Somaprabha arrived, and Kalingasena said to her
friend in her confidential conversation — " My father certainly wishes to
give me to Prasenajit, I heard this from my mother, and you have seen
that he is an old man. But you have described the king of Vatsa in such
a way in the course of conversation, that my mind has been captivated by
him entering in through the gate of my ear. So first shew me Prasenajit,
and then take me there, where the king of Vatsa is ; what do I care for
my father, or my mother?" When the impatient girl said this, Somapra-
bha answered her — " If you must go, then let us go in the chariot that
travels through the air. But you must take with you all your retinue, for,
as soon as you have seen the king of Vatsa, you will find it impossible to
return. And you will never see or think of your parents, and when you
have obtained your beloved, you will forget even me, as I shall be at a dis-
tance from you. For I shall never enter your husband's house, my friend."
When the princess heard that, she wept and said to her, — " Then bring that
king of Vatsa here, my friend, for I shall not be able to exist there a mo-
ment without you : was not Aniruddha brought to Usha by Chitralekha ?
And though you know it, hear from my mouth that story."
The Asura Bana had a daughter,
Story of Ushd and Aniruddha.
famous under the name of Usha.
And she propitiated Gauri, who granted her a boon in order that she might
obtain a husband, saying to her, " He to whom you shall be united in a
dream, shall be your husband." Then she saw in a dream a certain man
looking like a divine prince. She was married by him according to the
Gandharvaformof marriage, and after obtaining the joy of union with him,
she woke up at the close of night. When she did not see the husband she
had seen in her dream, but beheld the traces of his presence, she remem-
bered the boon of Gauri, and was full of disquietude, fear, and astonishment.
And being miserable without the husband whom she had seen in her dream,
she confessed all to her friend Chitralekh;i, who questioned her. And Chitra-
lekha, being acquainted with magic, thus addressed that Usha, who knew
not the name of her lover nor any sign whereby to recognise him, — " My
friend, this is the result of the boon of the goddess (Jauri, what doubt can
we allege in this matter ? But how are you to search for your lover as ho
is not to be recognised by any token? I will sketch for you the whole world,
gods, Asuras, and men, in ease you may be able to recognise him ;* and
* Cp. KuMun'h Ku^iau Folk-Talc*, p. 240.
281
CHAPTER XXXII.
Then the artful minister Yaugandharayana came the next morning to
the king of Vatsa, who was expecting him, and made the following repre-
sentation— " O king, why do you not immediately enquire about an auspi-
cious moment for celebrating the happy marriage of your highness with
Kalingasena, the daughter of Kalingadatta, the king of Takshasila ?"*
When the king heard that, he said — " The same desire is fixed in my
heart, for my mind cannot endure to remain a moment without her "
Having said this, the simple-hearted monarch gave orders to a warder,
who stood before him, and summoned the astrologers. When he question-
ed them, they, having had their cue previously given them by the prime
minister, said, " For the king there will be a favourable moment in
six months from this time."
When Yaugandharayana heard this, he pretended to be angry, and the
cunning fellow said to the king, " Out on these blockheads ! That astro-
loger, whom your highness previously honoured on the ground of his
cleverness, has not come to-day, ask him, and then do what is proper "
When he heard this speech of his minister's, the king of Vatsa immediately
summoned that very astrologer with mind in an agony of suspense. He
also stuck to his agreement, and in order to put off the day of the marriage
he named when asked, after some reflection, a moment six months off. Then
* Takshafili has been identified by General Cunningham with the ruins of an
ancient city ne;ir Shah-deri one mile to the north-east of Kala-ka-scrai. Mr. Grow-so has
pointed out to me that I made a mistake in stating (after Wilson) in a note on p. 5 of this
translation, that the precise site of Kausambi, the capital of the king of Vatsa, which Ka-
lingasona reached in one day in the magic chariot, has not been ascertained. lie
" It has been discovered by General Cunningham. The place is still called Kosam, and
is on the Yamuna, about 30 miles above Allahabad. The ruins consist of an iminenso
fortress, with earthen ramparts from 30 to 35 feet high, and bastions considerably higher,
forming a circuit of 23,100 feet, or exactly four miles and 3 furlongs. The parapets were
of brick and stone, some of the bricks measuring 19 in. x 12 \ x L'£, wliich is :i proof of
their great antiquity. In tho midst of these ruins is a largo stone monolith, similar to
those at Allahabad and Delhi, but without any inscription. Tho portion of the
above ground is 14 feet in length, and ion mad > at the base for a depth of
20 feet did not come to the end of it. Its total length probably exceeds -10 feet. There
wa-\ I believe, some talk of removing it to Allahabad and setting it up ; it was
found to be too expensive an undertaking." s'ravasti, which Kalinir • • ! on
tin' way from Takshasihi, has IK" n identified by General Conning! - ,»hot-
Mahct on the south bank of tho Rapti in Oudh.
3G
282
Yaugandharayana pretending to be distracted, said to the king — " Let your
majesty command what is to be done iu this matter !" The king, being im-
patient and longing for a favourable moment, said, after reflecting — " You
must ask Kalingasena, and see what she says." When Yaugandhara-
yana heard this, he took with him two astrologers and went into the pre-
sence of Kalingasena. She received him politely, and beholding her beauty,
he reflected — " If the king were to obtain her, he would abandon the whole
kingdom in his reckless passion." And he said to her, " I am come with
these astrologers to fix the moment of your marriage ; so let these servants
inform me of the particular star in the lunar mansions under which you
were born." When the astrologers heard the lunar mansion stated by her
attendants, they pretended to investigate the matter, and kept saying in
the course of their calculations, " It is not on this side, it must be after
that." At last, in accordance with their agreement with the minis-
ter, they named again that very moment at the end of six months. When
Kalingasena heard that distant date fixed, she was cast down in spirit,
but her chamberlain said, " You must first fix a favourable moment, so that
this couple may be happy all their lives, what matters it whether it be
near or far off ?" When they heard this speech of the chamberlain's, all
there immediately exclaimed — " Well said." And Yaugandharayana said,
" Yes, and if an inauspicious moment is appointed for us, the king
Kalingadatta, our proposed connexion, will be grieved." Then Kalingasen;i,
being helpless, said to them all — " Let it be as you appoint in your
wisdom" — and remained silent. And at once accepting that speech of
hers, Yaugandharayana took leave of her, and went with the astrologers into
the presence of the king. Then he told the proceedings to the king of
Vatsa, exactly as they had happened, and so having settled his mind by an
artifice, he went to his own house.
So having attained his object of putting off the marriage, in order to
complete the scheme he had in view, he called to mind his friend, the
Brahman-Rakshasa, named Yogesvara. He, according to his previous pro-
mise, when thought of, readily came to the minister, and bowed before him
and said — " Why am I called to mind ?" Then Yaugandharayana told him
the whole incident of Kalingasena which was tempting his master to vice.
and again said to him- — " I have managed to gain tiuu1, my friend ; in that
interval, do you, remaining concealed, observe by your skill the behaviour of
Kalingasena. For the Vidyadh.iras and other spirits are without doubt
secretly in love with her, since there is no other woman in the three worlds
equal to her in beauty. So, if she were to have an intrigue with some Sid-
dha or Yidyadhara, and you were to see it, it would be a fortunate thing.
And you must observe the divine lover, though lie come disguised, when lie
is asleep, for divine beings, when asleep, assume their own form. If in this
283
way we are able to discover any offence in her by means of your eyes, the
king will be disgusted with her, and will accomplish that object of ours."
"When the minister said this to him, the Brahman- Rakshasa answered,
" Why should I not by some artifice cause her to fall or slay her?" When
the great minister Yaugandharayana heard that, he said to him — " This
must not be done, for it would be a very wicked deed. And whoever goes
his own way without offending against the god of justice, finds that
that god comes to his assistance to enable him to attain his objects. So
you must discover in her, my friend, a fault self-caused, in order that
through your friendship the king's objects may be accomplished by me."
Having received this order from the excellent minister, the Brahman-
Rakshasa departed, and disguised by magic entered the house of Kalingasena.
In the meanwhile Somaprabha, her friend, the daughter of the Asura
Maya, went again into the presence of Kalingasena. And the daughter of
Maya, after asking her friend what had happened in the night, said to her
who had abandoned her relations, 'in the hearing of that Rakshasa — " I
came here in the forenoon after searching for you, but I remained con-
cealed at your side, seeing Yaugaudharayana. However I heard your con-
versation, and I understood the whole state of affairs. So why did you make
this attempt yesterday though you were forbidden to do so by me ? For
any business which is undertaken, my friend, without first counteracting
the evil omen, will end in calamity ; as a proof of this, hear the following
tale :"
Story of the Jirdhman's son Vishnudat- Long ago there lived in Antar-
ta and his seven foolish companions. yedi a Brahman named Vasudatta.
and he had a son born to him named Vishnudatta. That Vishnudatta,
after he reached the age of sixteen years, set out for the city of Vallabhi
in order to acquire learning. And there joined him seven other young
Brahmans his fellows, but those seven were fools, while he was wise and
sprung from a good family. After they had taken an oath not to desert
one another, Vishnudatta set out with them at night without the know-
ledge of his parents. And after he had set forth, he saw an evil omen pr -
seating itself in front of him, and he said to those friends of his who were
travelling with him, — " Ha ! Here is a bad omen ! it is advisable to turn
back now; we will set out again with good hope of success, when we have
auspicious omens with us." WliL'n those seven foolish companions heard
that, they said, " Do not entertain groundless fear, for we are not afraid of
the omen. If you are afraid, do not go,, but we will start this moment ;
to-morrow morning our relations will abandon us, when they hear of oui
proceedings." When those ignorant creatures said that, Vishnudatta set
out with them, urged on by his oath, but he first called to mind ILiri, the
dispeller of sin. And at the end of the night he saw another evil omen,
and again mentioned it, and he was rebuked by all those foolish friends
of his in the following words ; " This is our evil omen, you coward afraid
to travel, that you have been brought by us, since you shudder at a crow
at every step you take ; we require no other evil omen." Having reviled
him in these words, they continued their journey and Vishnudatta went
with them, as he could not help it, but kept silence, reflecting — " One ought
not to give advice to a fool bent on going his own crooked way, for it only
entails ridicule, being like the beautifying of ordure. A single wise man
fallen among many fools, like a lotus in the path of the waves, is surely
overwhelmed. So I must not henceforth give these men either good or
bad advice, but I must go on in silence ; destiny will educe prosperity."
Engaged in these reflections, Vishnudatta proceeded on the way with those
fools, and at the end of the day he reached a S'avara village. There he
wandered about in the night and reached a certain house inhabited by a
young woman, and asked the woman for a lodging there. She gave him a
room, and he entered it with his friends, and those seven in a moment went
to sleep. He alone remained awake, as he had entered a house belong-
ing to a savage. For the stupid sleep resolutely, how can the understand-
ing sleep ?
And in the meanwhile a certain young man secretly entered the inner
apartment of the house, and went into the presence of that woman. And
she remained in confidential conversation with him, and as fate would have
it, they both fell asleep. And Vishnudatta, perceiving it all through the
half-open door by the light of a candle, reflected despondently, " Alas !
have we entered the house of a profligate woman ? Surely this is her
paramour, and not the husband of her youth, for otherwise we should not
have this timid secret proceeding ; I saw at the first that she was of a
flighty disposition ; but we have entered here as mutual witnesses, for lack
of others." While he was thinking he heard outside a noise of men, and
he saw entering a young chief of the S'avaras with a sword, looking about
him, while his attendants remained in the sleeping apartment. "When the
said — " Who are you ?" Vishnudatta, supposing him to be the n
of the house, said in his terror — " We are travellers." But the S'avara
•ed, and seeing his wife in such a position, he cut off with his sword
the head of her sleeping paramour. But he did not punish or even wake
his wife ; but placing his sword on the ground he went to sleep on another
couch. Sc;cing that by the light of the candle, Vishnudatta reflected — " lie
did right not to kill his wife, but to kill the adulterer ; but that he should
re in confidence, after performing such a deed, is an art of sur
ing courage, characteristic of men of mighty minds." While Yishnudatta
was thus reflecting, that wicked woman awoke and beheld her paramour
285
slain, and that husband of hers asleep. So she rose up, and took on her
shoulder the body of her lover, and carrying his head in one hand, she went
out. And going outside quickly, she threw into an ash-heap the trunk
with the head, and came secretly back. And Vishnudatta going out beheld
it all from a distance, and again entering remained as he was, in the midst
of his sleeping companions. But the wicked woman came back, and enter-
ing the room, cut off with that very sword the head of her sleeping hus-
band. And going out she raised a cry so as to make all the servants hear,
" Alas ! I am ruined, my husband has been slain by these travellers." Then
the servants, hearing the cry, rushed forward and beholding their master
slain, ran upon Vishnudatta and his friends with uplifted weapons. And
when those others, his companions, rose up in terror, as they were about to
be slain, Vishnudatta said quickly — " Cease your attempt to slay Brahmans !
We did not do this deed ; this wicked woman herself did it, being in love
with another man. But I saw the whole affair from the very beginning,
through a half-open door ; and I went out and observed what she did, and if
you will have patience with me, I will tell you." Vishnudatta with these
words restrained the S'avaras, and told them the whole affair from the
beginning, and took them out and showed them the trunk with the head freshly
severed and thrown by the woman on that heap of refuse. Then the woman
confessed the truth by the paleness of her face, and all there reviled the
wanton, and said — " Whom will not a wicked woman kill, when won over by
another man, like a sword in an enemy's hand, since enticed by love she
commits reckless crime without being taught." Having said this, they
thereupon let Vishnudatta and his companions go ; and then the
seven companions praised Vishnudatta, saying, " You became to us, while we
were asleep at night, a protecting jewel-lamp, through your kindness we
escaped to-day from death produced by an evil omen." In these words they
praised Vishnudatta, and ceased henceforth their reviling, and after bowing
before him they set out in the morning on their errand, accompanied by
him.
Having told this story to Kalingasena in their mutual conversation,
Somaprabha again said to that friend of hers in Kausambi. — " Thus, my
friend, an evil omen presenting itself to people engaged in any undertaking,
if not counteracted by delay and other methods, produces misfortune.
And so people of dull intelligence, neglecting the advice of the wise, and
acting impetuously, are alllicted in the end. Accordingly you did not act
wisely in sending a messenger to the king of Vatsa, asking him to r^
you, when there was an inauspicious omen. May Fate grant you to be
married without any impediment, but you came from your house in an unlucky
moment, therefore your marriage is far off. And the gods too are in lovo
with you, so you must be on your guard against this. And you must think
286
of the minister Yauganclharayana, who is expert in politic wiles ; he, fear-
ing that the king may become engrossed in pleasure, may throw impedi-
ments in your way in this business ; or he may even bring a charge against
you after your marriage is celebrated : but no, being virtuous, he will not
bring a false accusation ; nevertheless, my friend, you must at all events be
on your guard against your rival wife, I will tell you a story illustrative of
this, listen."
There is in this land a city
named Ikshumati, and by the side
of it there runs a river called by the same name ; both were created by
Visvamitra. And near it there is a great forest, and in it a hermit of the
name of Mankanaka had made himself a hermitage and performed penance
with his heels upwards. And while he was performing austerities, he saw
an Apsaras of the name of Menaka coming through the air, with her
clothes floating on the breeze. Then his mind was bewildered by Cupid,
who had found his opportunity, and there was born to him a daughter
named Kadaligarbha,* beautiful in every limb. And since she was born in
the interior of a plantain, her father, the hermit Mankanaka, gave her the
name of Kadaligarbha. She grew up in his hermitage like Kripi the wife
of Drona, who was born to Gautama on his beholding Rambha. And once
on a time Dridhavarman, a king born in Madhyadesa.t who in the excite-
ment of the chase was carried away by his horse, entered that hermitage.
He beheld Kadaligarbha clothed in garments of bark, having her beauty
exceedingly set off by the dress appropriate to the daughter of an ascetic.
And she, when seen, captivated the heart of that king so completely,
that she left no room in it for the women of his harem. While thinking
to himself — " Shall I be able to obtain as a wife this daughter of some
hermit or other, as Dushyanta obtained S'akuntala the daughter of the
hermit Kanva ?" — the king beheld that hermit Mankanaka coming with
fuel and kusa-gr&ss. And leaving his horse, he approached him and wor-
shipped at his feet, and when questioned, discovered himself to that hermit.
Then the hermit gave the following order to Kadaligarbha — " My dear
child, prepare the ar(jliyu% for this king our guest." She said — " I will do
so" — and bowing, prepared the hospitable offering, and then the king said
to the hermit — " Whence did you obtain this maiden who is so beauti-
ful ?" — Then the hermit told the king the story of her birth, and her name
* Hero there is a slight omission in my translation.
t The country lying between the Himalayas on the north, the Yindhya moun-
tains on the south, Vina^um on the west and Prayaga (Allahabad) on the ea>t.
\ A respectful offering to goda or venerable men of rice, diu-j/rt-grass, iluwcrs &c.
with water.
287
Kadaligarblui, which indicated the manner of it, Then the king, consider-
ing the maiden born from the hermit's thinking on Menaka to be an
Apsaras, earnestly craved her hand of her father. And the sage gave him
that daughter named Kadaligarbha, for the actions of the sages of old
time, guided by divine insight, were without hesitation. And the nymphs
of heaven, discovering the fact by their divine power, came there out of
love for Menaka, and adorned her for the wedding. And on that very
occasion they put mustard-seeds into her hand and said to her, — " As you
are going along the path, sow them, in order that you may know it again.
If, daughter, at any time your husband should scorn you, and you should
wish to return here, then you will be able, as you c<5me along, to recognise
the path by these, which will have sprung up." When they had said this
to her, and her marriage had been celebrated, the king Dridhavarman
placed Kadaligarbha on his horse, and departed thence. His army came
up and escorted him, and in company with that bride of his, who sowed the
mustard-seeds all along the path, he reached his own palace. There he
became averse to the society of his other wives, and dwelt with that Kada-
ligarbha, after telling her story to his ministers.
Then his principal wife, being exceedingly afflicted, said to his minis-
ter in secret, after reminding him of the benefits she had conferred upon
him : " The king is now exclusively attached to his new wife and has de-
serted me, so take steps to make this rival of mine depart." When that
minister heard that, he said — " Queen, it is not appropriate for people like
me to destroy or banish their masters' wives. This is the business of the
wives of wandering religious mendicants, addicted to jugglery and such
practices, associating with men like themselves. For those hypocritical
female ascetics, creeping unforbidden into houses, skilled in deception, will
stick at no deed whatever." When he said this to her, the queen, as if
abashed, said to him in affected shame — " Then I will have nothing to do
with this proceeding disapproved of by the virtuous." But she laid up
his speech in her heart, and dismissing that minister, she summoned by the
mouth of her maid a certain wandering female ascetic. And she told her
all that desire of hers from the beginning, and promised to give her great
wealth if the business were successfully accomplished. And the wicked
female ascetic, from desire of gain, said to the afflicted queen — " Queen,
this is an easy matter, I will accomplish it for you, for I know very many
expedients of various kinds." Having thus consoled the queen, that female
ascetic departed ; and after reaching her house, she reflected as one afraid,
" Alas ! whom will not excessive desire of gain delude, since I rashly mado
such a promise before the queen ? But the fact is, I know no device of
the kind, and it is not possible to carry on any deception in the palace, as
I do in other places, for the authorities might perhaps find it out and
288
punish me. There may be one resource in this difficulty, for I have a
friend, a barber, and as be is skilled in devices of the kind, all may yet go
well, if he exert himself in the matter." After thu s reflecting, she went to
the barber, and told him all her plan that was to bring her prosperity.
Then the barber, who was old and cunning, reflected — " This is good luck,
that an opportunity of making something has now presented itself to me.
So we must not kill the king's new wife, but we must preserve her
alive, for her father has divine insight, and would reveal the whole transac-
tion. But by separating her from the king we will now batten upon the
queen, for great people become servants to a servant who shares their
criminal secrets. And in due time I will re-unite her to the king, and tell
him the whole story, in order that he and the sage's daughter may become
a source of subsistence to me. And thus I shall not have done anything
very wrong, and I shall have a livelihood for a long time." Having thus
reflected, the barber said to the hypocritical female ascetic — " Mother,
I will do all this, but it would not be proper to slay that new wife of the
king's by means of magic, for the king might some day find it out, and
then he would destroy us all : besides we should incur the sin of woman-
murder, and her father the sage would curse us. Therefore it is far better
that she should be separated from the king by means of our ingenuity, in
order that the queen may be happy, and we may obtain wealth And this
is an easy matter to me, for what can I not accomplish by force of intellect ?
Hear my ingenuity, I will relate a story which illustrates it."
Story of the Icing and the barlers This king Dridhavarman had
wife' an immoral father. And I was then
his servant, being engaged in the duties which belong to me. He, one
day, as he was roaming about here, cast eyes on my wife ; and as she was
young and beautiful, his mind became attached to her. And when he ask-
ed his attendants who she was, they said — " The barber's wife." He
thought — " What can the barber do ?" So the wicked king entered my
house, and after enjoying at will the society of my wife, departed. But,
as it happened, I was away from my house that day, being absent some-
where or other. And the next day, when I entered, I saw that my wife's
manner had altered, and when I asked her the reason, she told me tho
v.-holo story, being full of pride at what had occurred. And in that way tho
king went on puffing up my wife by continual visits, which I was powerless
to prevent. A prince distracted by unholy passion makes no distinction,
between what is lawful and what is illicit. The forest is like straw to a
sylvan fire fanned by the wind. So, not being in possession of any other
expedient for restraining my sovereign, I reduced myself with spare diet,
and took refuge in feigned sickness. And in this si ate I went into the
presence of that king to perform my duties, sighing deeply, pale and
289
emaciated. Then the king, seeing that I seemed to be ill, asked me mean-
ingly the following question — " Hola ! tell me why you have become thus ?'
And after he had questioned me persistently, I answered the king in pri-
vate, after imploring immunity from punishment — " King, my wife is a
witch. And when I am asleep she extracts my entrails and sucks them,
and then replaces them as before — This is how I have become lean. So how
can continual refreshment and eating nourish me ?" When I said this to the
king, he became anxious and reflected — " Can she really be a witch ? Why
was I captivated by her ? I wonder whether she will suck my entrails also,
since I am well nourished with food. So I will myself contrive to test her
this very night." Having thus reflected, the king caused food to be given,
me on the spot. Then I went home and shed tears in the presence of my
wife, and when she questioned me, I said to her — " My beloved, you must
not reveal to any one what I am about to tell you. Listen ! That king has
teeth as sharp as the edge of a thunderbolt, where teeth are not usually
found, and they broke my razor to-day while I was performing my duties.
And in this way I shall break a razor every time. So how am I to be con-
tinually procuring fresh razors ? This is why I weep, for the means of sup-
porting myself in my home are destroyed." When I had said this to my
wife, she made up her mind to investigate the marvel of the concealed
teeth while the king was asleep, since he was to visit her at night. But
she did not perceive that such a thing had never been seen since the world
was, and could not be true. Even clever women are deceived by the tales
of an impostor.
So the king came at night and visited my wife at will, and as if fa-
tigued, pretended to go to sleep, remembering what I had said. Then my
wife, thinking he was asleep, slowly stretched out her hand to find his con-
cealed teeth. And as soon as her hand reached him, the king exclaimed —
" A witch ! A witch !" and left the house in terror. Henceforth my wife,
having been abandoned by the king out of fear, became satisfied with me
and devoted to me exclusively. In this way I saved my wife on a former
occasion from the king by my intelligence.
Having told this story to the female ascetic, the barber went onto say —
" So, my good lady, this desire of yours must be accomplished by wisdom ;
and I will tell you, mother, how it is to be done, listen to me. Some old
servant of the harem must be won over to say to this king in secret every
day, ' Your wife Kadaligarbha is a witch.' For she, being a forest maiden,
has no attendants of her own, and what will not all alien servants do for gain,
being easily corrupted? Accordingly, when the king becomes apprehensive
on hearing what the old servant says, you must contrive to place at night
hands and feet and other limbs in the chamber of Kadaligarbha. Then
the king will see them in the morning, and concluding that what the old
37
290
man says is true, will be afraid of Kadaligarbha and deseri ber of bis own
accord. So the queen will be delighted at getting rid of a rival wife, and
entertain a favourable opinion of you, and we shall gain some advantage."
When the barber said this to the female ascetic, she consented and went
and told the whole matter to the king's bead queen. And the queen
carried out ber suggestions, and the king, who had been warned, saw the
bands and feet in the morning with his own eyes, and abandoned Kadali-
garbha, thinking ber to be wicked. So the female ascetic, together with
tbe barber, enjoyed to the full the presents which the queen secretly gave
to her, being pleased with her aid.
So Kadaligarbba, being abandoned by Dridbavarman, went out from
the palace, grieved because the king would be cursed. And sbe returned
to the hermitage of ber father by the same path by wbicb she came, which
sbe was able to recognise by the mustard-seeds she had sown, which had
sprung up.* Her father, the hermit Mankanaka, when he saw her suddenly
arrived there, remained for some time suspecting immorality on her part.
And then he perceived the whole occurrence by the power of contemplation,
and after lovingly comforting her, departed thence with her. And he went
and told the king, who bowed before him, the whole treacherous drama, which
the head queen had got up out of hatred for her rival. At that moment the
barber himself arrived, and related the whole occurrence to the king, and
then proceeded to say this to him ; " In this way, my sovereign, I sent
away the lady Kadaligarbha, and so delivered her from the danger of the
incantations which would have been practised against her, since I satisfied
the head queen by an artifice." When the king heard that, he saw that
the speech of the great hermit was certainly true, and he took back Kada-
ligarbha, recovering his confidence in her. And after respectfully accom-
panying the departing hermit, he rewarded the barber with wealth,
thinking that he was attached to bis person : kings are the appointed
prey of rogues. Then the king, being averse to the society of his queen,
lived in great comfort with Kadaligarbha.
" Many false accusations of this kind do rival wives bring, O Kalinga-
sena of irreproachable beauty. And you are a maiden, the auspicious
moment of whose marriage is fixed at a distant date, and even the gods,
whose goings transcend our thought, are in love with you. So do you
yourself preserve yourself now, as the one jewel of the world, dedi-
cated to tbe king of Vatsa only, from all assaults, for your own
* Cp. the 40th story in Grimm's Kinder-und Hausmiirchen, where the girl finds
her way by the peas and lentiles which had sprung up. See also the 2nd story in
Gonzenbach's SicilianiM-hi> .Mfadien. whore the girl scatters hran. The author of the
notes to Grimm's ilim-hcn im ntinns u story from Hesse in which the heroine scatters
ashes. See also the 49th of the Sieiluuiischu JMiuvheu.
291
excellence brings you enmity. I indeed, my friend, shall never return
to you, since you are now established in the palace of your husband : good
women do not visit the house of a friend's husband, 0 fair one ! besides
I have been forbidden by my own lord. And it is not possible for me to
come here secretly, induced by my affection for you, inasmuch as my
husband possesses divine insight and would find it out ; with difficulty in
truth did I obtain his permission to come here to-day. And since I can
be of no use to you now, my friend, I will return home, but if my husband
should give me permission, I will come here again, disregarding modesty."
Thus Somaprabha, the daughter of the Asura king, spake weeping to
Kalingasena, the daughter of the mortal king, whose face also was washed
with tears, and after embracing her, departed swiftly to her own palace, as
the day was passing away.
CHAPTER XXXIII.
Then the princess Kalingasena, who had deserted her own country and
relations, remembering her dear friend Somaprabha who had left her, and
finding the great festival of her marriage with the king of Vatsa delayed,
remained in Kausambi like a doe that had strayed from the forest.
And the king of Vatsa, feeling a little bitter against the astrologers,
who were so dexterous in deferring the marriage of Kalingasena, being
despondent with love-longing, went that day to divert his mind, to the
private apartments of Vasavadatta. There the queen, who had been
tutored beforehand by the excellent minister, let fall no sign of anger, but
sin-wed especial sedulity in honouring her husband with her usual atten-
tions. And the king, wondering how it was that, even though she knew
the episode of Kalingasena, the queen was not angry, being desirous of
knowing the cause, said to her ; "Do you know, queen, that a princess
named Kalingasena has come here to choose me for her husband ?" The
moment she heard it. she answered, without changing the hue of hi'r
' 9 O O
countenance, " I know it ; I am exceedingly delighted, for in her the
goddess of Fortune has come to our house ; for by gaining her you will
also get her father Kalingadatta under your influence, and the earth will
be more completely in your power. Now I am delighted on account of
his great power and your pleasure, and long ago did I know this circum-
stance with regard to you. So am I not fortunate, since I have such a
husband as you, whom princesses fall in love with, that are themselves sought
292
by other kings ?" When thus addressed by queen Vasavadatta, who had
been previously tutored by Yaugandharayana, the king rejoiced in his heart.
And after enjoying a drinking-bout with her, he slept that night in her
apartments, and waking up in the morning he reflected — " What, does the
magnanimous queen obey me so implicitly as even to acquiesce in having
Kalingasena for a rival ? But how could this same proud woman endure
her, since it was owing to the special favour of destiny that she did not
yield her breath, even when I married Padmavati ? So, if anything were
to happen to her, it would be utter ruin ; upon her hang the lives of my
son, my brother-in-law, my father-in-law, and Padmavati, and the welfare of
the kingdom ; what higher tribute can I pay her ? So how can I marry that
Kalingasena ?" Thus reflecting the king of Vatsa left her chamber at the
close of night, and the next day went to the palace of queen Padmavati.
She too, having been taught her lesson by Vasavadatta, shewed him atten-
tions after the very same fashion, and when questioned by him, gave a
similar answer. The next day the king, thinking over the sentiments and
speeches of the queens, which were completely in unison, commended them
to Yaugandharayana. And the minister Yaugandharayana, who knew how
to seize the right moment, seeing that the king was plunged in doubt, spake
slowly to him as follows — " I know well, the matter does not end where
you think, there is a terrible resolve here. For the queens spoke thus,
because they are steadfastly bent on surrendering their lives. Chaste
women, when their beloved is attached to another, or has gone to heaven,
become careless about all enjoyments, and determined to die, though their
intentions are inscrutable on account of the haughtiness of their character.
For matrons cannot endure the interruption of a deep affection ; and
in proof of this hear now, O king, this story of Srutasena."
There lived long ago in the
Tite story of Knitasena. . , .
Dekhan, in a city called Grokarua,
a king named S'rutasena, who was the ornament of his race, and possessed of
learning. And this king, though his prosperity was complete, had yet one
source of sorrow, that he had not as yet obtained a wife who was a suitable
match for him. And once on a time the king, while brooding over that
sorrow, began to talk about it, and was thus addressed by a Brahman, named
Agnisarman : " 1 have seen two wonders, 0 king, I will describe them to
vou : listen ! Having gone on a pilgrimage to all the sacred bathing-placed,
I reached that Panchatirthi, in which five Apsarasos were reduced to the
condition of crocodiles by the curse of a holy sage, and were rescued from
it l>y Arjuna, who had come there while going round the holy spots. There
I bathed in the blessed water, which possesses the power of enabling those
men, who bathe in it and fast for five nights, to become followers of Nani-
yuiia. And while 1 was departing, I beheld a cultivator in the middle of a
203
field, who had furrowed the earth with his plough, singing. That cultivator
was asked about the road by a certain wandering hermit, who had come that
way, but did not hear what he said, being wholly occupied with his song.
Then the hermit was angry with that cultivator, and began to talk in a
distracted manner ; and the cultivator, stopping his song, said to him —
' Alas ! though you are a hermit, you will not learn even a fraction of
virtue ; even I, though a fool, have discovered what is the highest essence of
virtue.' When he heard that, the hermit asked him out of curiosity —
' What have you discovered ?' And the cultivator answered him — ' Sit
here in the shade, and listen, while I tell you a tale.'
In this land there were three
Story of the three Brahman brothers.
Brahman brothers, Brahmadatta,
Somadatta, and Visvadatta of holy deeds. Of these the two eldest possess-
ed wives, but the youngest was unmarried ; he remained as their servant
without being angry, obeying their orders along with me ; for I was their
ploughman. And those elder brothers thought that he was soft, and devoid
of intellect, good, not swerving from the light path, simple, and unenter-
prising. Then, once on a time, the youngest brother Visvadatta was solicit-
ed by his two brothers' wives who fell in love with him, but he rejected
their advances as if each of them had been his mother. Then they both of
them went and said falsely to their own husbands, " This younger brother
of yours makes love to us in secret." This speech made those two elder
brothers cherish anger against him in their hearts, for men bewildered by
the speeches of wicked women, do not know the difference between truth
and falsehood. Then those brothers said once on a time to Visvadatta —
" Go and level that ant-hill in the middle of the field !" He said—" I
will" — and went and proceeded to dig up the ant-hill with his spade,
though I said to him, " Do not do it, a venomous snake lives there."
Though he heard what I said, he continued to dig at the ant-hill, exclaim-
ing— " Let what will happen, happen," for he would not disobey the order
of his two elder brothers, though they wished him ill. Then, while he
was digging it up, he got out of it a pitcher filled with gold, and not a veno-
mous snake, for virtue is an auxiliary to the good. So he took that pitcher
and gave it all to his elder brothers out of his constant affection for them,
though I tried to dissuade him. But they sent assassins, luring them with
a portion of that gold, and had his hands and feet cut off, in their desire
to seize his wealth. But he was free from anger, and in spite of that
treatment, did not wax wroth witli his brothers, and on account of that
virtue of his, his hands and feet grew again.
' After beholding that, I renounced from that time all anger, but you,
though you are a hermit, have not even now renounced anger. The. man
who is free from anger has gained heaven, behold now a proof of this.'
After saying this, the husbandman left his body and ascended to heaven.
" This is one wonder which I have seen, hear a second, O king ;"
After saying this to king S'rutasena, the Brahman continued, " Then,
as I was roaming about on the shore of the sea to visit sacred places,
I reached the realm of king Vasantasena. There, as I was about to enter
an almshouse where cooked food is distributed by the king, the Brah-
mans said to me, — ' Brahman, advance not in that direction, for there the
king's daughter is present, she is called Vidyuddyota, and if even a hermit
beholds her, he is pierced by the arrow of love, and becoming distracted
ceases to live.' Then I answered them — ' This is not wonderful to me,
for I continually behold king S'rutasena, who is a second god of
love. When he leaves his palace on an expedition, or for some other
purpose, women of good family are removed by guards from any place
whence they may possibly see him, for fear they should infringe chastity.'
When I said this, they knew I was a subject of your Majesty's, and the
superintendent of the house of entertainment and the king's chaplain
took me into the presence of the king, that I might share the feast. There
I saw that princess Vidyuddyota, looking like the incarnation of the magic
art with which the god of love bewilders the world. After a long time
I mastered my confusion at beholding her, and reflected — ' If this lady
were to become the wife of our sovereign, he would forget his kingdom.
Nevertheless I must tell this tale to my master, otherwise there might
take place the incident of Devasena and Unmadini.'
, ,, . „. , ,. . Once on a time, in the realm of
Ihe story oj Devasena and Unmadini.
king Devasena, there was a mer-
chant's daughter, a maiden that bewildered the world with her beauty.
Her father told the king about her, but the king did not take her in
marriage, for the Brahmans, who wished to prevent his neglecting his
duties, told him she had inauspicious marks. So she was married to his
prime minister.* And once on a time she showed herself to the king at a
window. And the king, struck by her with a poisonous look from a distance,
as if she had been a female snake,f fainted again and again, enjoyed no
pleasure, and took no food. And the righteous king, though entreated
over and over again to marry her by the ministers, with her husband at
their head, refused to do so, and devoted to her, yielded up his breath.
" Accordingly I have come to-day and told you this wonderful tale,
thinking that if a similar distraction were to come upon you, I should be
guilty of conspiring against your life."
* This ia a reproduction of the story of Devasena and Unm&dini in the 3rd
book.
t Compare tho " death-darting eye of cockatrice" in Romeo and Juliet. See also
Schmidt's Shakespeare Dictionary under the word " basilisk."
295
When king S'rutasena heard from that Brahman this speech, which
was like the command of the god of love, he became ardently attached to
Vidyuddyota, so he immediately sent off the Brahman and took steps to
have her brought quickly and married her. Then the princess Vidyuddyota
became inseparable from the person of that king, as the daylight from the
orb of the sun.
Then a maiden of the name of Matridatta, the daughter of a very rich
merchant, intoxicated with the pride of her beauty, came to select that
king for her husband. Through fear of committing unrighteousness,
the king married that merchant's daughter ; then Vidyuddyota, coming to
hear of it, died of a broken heart. And the king came and beheld that
dearly loved wife lying dead, and took her up in his arms, and lamenting,
died on the spot. Thereupon Matridatta, the merchant's daughter, entered
the fire. And so the whole kingdom perished with the king.
" So you see, king, that the breaking off of long love is difficult to bear,
especially would it be so to the proud queen Vasavadatta. Accordingly, if
you were to marry this Kalingasena, the queen Vasavadatta would indubi-
tably quit her life, and queen Padmavati would do the same, for their life
is one. And then how would your son Naravahanadatta live ? And, I
know, the king's heart would not be able to bear any misfortune happening
to him. And so all this happiness would perish in a moment, 0 king.
But as for the dignified reserve, which the queens displayed in their speeches,
that sufficiently shews that their hearts are indifferent to all things, being
firmly resolved on suicide. So you must guard your own interests, for
even animals understand self-protection, much more wise men like yourself,
0 king." The king of Vatsa, when he heard this at length from the excel-
lent minister Yaugandharayana, having now become quite capable of wise
discrimination, said — " It is so ; there can be no doubt about it ; all this
fabric of my happiness would be overthrown. So what is the use of my
marrying Kalingasena ? Accordingly the astrologers did well in mentioning a
distant hour as auspicious for the marriage : and there cannot after all be
muc'h sin in abandoning one who had come to select me as her husband."
When Yaugandharayana heard this, he reflected with joy, " Our business haa
almost turned out according to our wishes. Will not that same great
plant of policy, watered with the streams of expedient, and nourished with
due time and place, truly bring forth fruit ?" Thus reflecting, and medi-
tating upon fitting time and place, the minister Yaugandharayana went
to his house, after taking a ceremonious farewell of the king.
The king too went to the queen NYisavadatta, who had assumed to
welcome him a manner which concealed her real feelings, and thus spoke to
her to console her : " Why do I speak ? you know well, 0 gazelle-eyed
296
one, that your love is my life, even as the water is of the lotus. Could I
bear even to mention the name of another woman ? But Kalingasena came
to my house of her own impetuous motion. And this is well known, that
llambha, who came to visit Arjuna of her own impetuous will, having been
rejected by him, as he was engaged in austerities, inflicted on him a curse which
made him a eunuch. That curse was endured by him to the end, living in
the house of the king of Virata in the garb of a eunuch, though he dis-
played miraculous valour. So I did not reject this Kalingasena when she
came, but I cannot bring myself to do anything without your wish." Having
comforted her in these words, and having perceived by the flush of wine which
rose to her cheek, as if it were her glowing passionate heart, that her cruel
design was a reality, the king of Vatsa spent that night with the queen
Vasavadatta, delighted at the transcendent ability of his prime minister.
And in the meanwhile that Brahman-Kakshasa, named Yogesvara, who
was a friend of Yaugandharayana's, and whom he had commissioned
beforehand to watch day and night the proceedings of Kalingasena, came
that very night of his own accord and said to the prime minister : " I
remain ever at Kalingasena' s house, either without it or within it, and I have
never seen man or god come there. But to-day I suddenly heard an indis-
tinct noise in the air, at the commencement of the night, as I was lying
hid near the roof of the palace. Then my magic science was set in motion
to ascertain the cause of the sound, but prevailed not ; so I pondered over
it, and came to this conclusion : ' This must certainly be the voice of some
being of divine power, enamoured of Kalingasena, who is roaming in the
sky. Since my science does not succeed, 1 must look for some opening,
for clever people who remain vigilant, find little difficulty in discovering
holes in their opponents' armour. And I know that the prime minister
said — " Divine beings are in love with her" — moreover I overheard her
friend Somaprabha saying the same. After arriving at this conclusion
I came here to make my report to you. This I have to ask you
by the way, so tell me so much I pray you. By my magic power I heard,
without being seen, what you said to the king, 'Even animals understand
self-protection.' Now tell me, sagacious man, if there is any instance of
this." — When Yogesvara asked him this question, Yaugandhaniyuna an-
swered. "There is, my friend, and to prove it, I will tell you this tale.
Listen !"
The tale of tlie ichneumon, the owl, the Once on a time there was a
cat, and the inouse. la,.ge banyan tree outside the city of
Yidisa. In that vast tree dwelt four creatures, an ichneumon, an owl, a
cat, and a mouse,* and their habitations were apart. The ichneumon and
* Benfey found this story in the Arabic Version of the Panchatantra and in all
the translations and reproductions of it. He finds it also in the Mahabharata, XII (III,
297
Ilie mouse dwelt in separate' holes in the root, tin.1 rat in a great hollow in
the middle of the tree: but the owl dwelt in a bower of creepers on the
top of it, wliieb was inaccessible to the others. Among these the mouse
was the natural prey of all three, three out of the four of the cat. The
mouse, the ichneumon, and the owl ranged for food during the night, tin-
two first through fear of the cat only, the owl partly because it was his
nature to do so. But the cat fearlessly wandered night and day through
the neighbouring barley-field, in order to catch the mouse, while the others
went there by stealth at a suitable time out of desire for food. One day
a certain hunter of the Chandala caste came there. He saw the track
of the cat entering that field, and having set nooses all round the Held in
order to compass its death, departed. So the cat came there at night to
slay the mouse, and entering the field was caught in one of the hunt t-r's
nooses. The mouse, for his part, came there secretly in search of food,
and seeing the cat caught in the noose, danced for joy. While it was
entering the field, the owl and ichneumon came from afar by the same
path, and seeing the cat fast in the noose, desired to capture the mouse.
And the mouse, beholding them afar off, was terrified and reflected — " It' 1
lly to the cat, which the owl and the ichneumon are afraid of, that enemy,
though fast in the noose, may slay me with one blow, but if I keep at a
distance from the cat, the owl and the ichneumon will be the death of me.
So being compassed about with enemies, where shall I go, what shall 1 do ?
Ah ! I will take refuge with the cat here, for it is in trouble, and may save
me to preserve its own life, as I shall be of use to gnaw through the
noose." Thus reflecting the mouse slowly approached the cat, and said to
it, " I am exceedingly grieved at your being caught, so I will gnaw
through your noose ; the upright come to love even their enemies by
dwelling in their neighbourhood. But I do not feel confidence in you, as
I do not know your intentions." When the cat heard that, he said
" Worthy mouse, be at rest, from this day forth you are my friend as
giving me life." The moment he heard this from the cat, he crept into
his bosom; when the owl and ichneumon saw that, they went away hope-
less. Then the cat, galled with the noose, said to the mouse, '• My friend,
the night is almost gone, so quickly gnaw through my bonds " The mouse
for its part, waiting for the arrival of the hunter, slowly nibbled the noose.
and protracted the business, making a continual munching with its teeth,
which was all pretence. Soon the night came to an end, and the hunter
came near ; then the mouse, at the request of the cat, quickly gnawed
oSO) si. 4930 and 11'. 1I< . xpivssrs his opinion that it formed a portion of the ori^nril
ranchatantia. Stv I'.rni'ey's I'unrhatantra, |>p. ."> 1 l-.MiO, (hunt mi'i ( trrnl, nt. Vol.
I. p. bbtf. The account in tin: iUalniltluuaia is vi y prolix.
38
298
through the noose which held it. So the cat's noose wan severed, and it
ran away, afraid of the hunter ; and the mouse, delivered from death, fled
into its hole. But when called again by the cat, it reposed no confidence
in him, but remarked, " The truth is, an enemy is occasionally made a
friend by circumstances, but does not remain such for ever."
" Thus the mouse, though an animal, saved its life from many foes, much
more ought the same thing to take place among men. You heard that
speech which I uttered to the king on that occasion, to the effect that by
wisdom he should guard his own interests by preserving the life of the
queen. And wisdom is in every exigency the best friend, not valour,
Yogesvara ; in illustration of this hear the following story."
The story of king Prasenajit and the There is a city named S'ra vasti,
Vrdhman who lost his treasure. an(J Jn ifc there ]ive(1 jn ol(j time ft
king of the name of Prasenajit, and one day a strange Brahman arrived in
that city. A merchant, thinking he was virtuous, because he lived on rice
in the husk, provided him a lodging there in the house of a Brahman.
There he was loaded by him every day with presents of unhusked rice and
other gifts, and gradually by other great merchants also, who came to hear his
etory. In this way the miserly fellow gradually accumulated a thousand
dinars, and, going to the forest, he dug a hole and buried it in the ground,* and
he went every day and examined the spot. Now one day he saw that the
hole, in which he had hidden his gold, had been re-opened, and that all the
gold had gone. When he saw that hole empty, his soul was smitten, and
not only was there a void in his heart, but the whole universe seemed to
him to be void also. And then he came crying to the Brahman, in whose
house he lived, and when questioned, he told him his whole story : and he
made up his mind to go to a holy bathing-place, and starve himself to
death. Then the merchant, who supplied him with food, hearing of it,
came there with others, and said to him, " Brahman, why do you long to
die for the loss of your wealth ? Wealth, like an unseasonable cloud,
suddenly comes and goes." Though plied by him with these and similar
arguments, he would not abandon his fixed determination to commit suicide,
for wealth is dearer to the miser than life itself. But when the Br&hman
was going to the holy place to commit suicide, the king Prasenajit himself,
having heard of it, came to him and asked him, " Brahman, do you know of
anymark by which you can recognize the place where you buried your dinars /"'
When the Brahman heard that, he said : " There is a small tree in the wood
there, I buried that wealth at its foot." When the king heard that, he
said, " I will find that wealth and give it back to you, or I will give it you
from my own treasury, do not commit suicide, Brahman." After saying
this, and so diverting the Br&hman from his intention of committing suicide,
* For iiihatya 1 conjecture nikhanya.
299
the king entrusted him to the care of the merchant, and retired to his
palace. There he pretended to have a headache, and sending out the door-
keeper, he summoned all the physicians in the city by proclamation with
beat of drum. And he took aside every single one of them and questioned
him privately in the following words : " What patients have you here, and
how many, and what medicine have you prescribed for each ?" And they
thereupon, one by one, answered all the king's questions. Then one among
the physicians, when his turn came to be questioned, said this, " The
merchant Matridatta has been out of sorts, O king, and this is the
second day, that I have prescribed for him nagabald* When the king
heard that, he sent for the merchant, and said to him — " Tell me,
who fetched you the nagabald ?" The merchant said — " My servant,
your highness." When the king got this answer from the merchant,
he quickly summoned the servant and said to him — " Give up that treasure
belonging to a Brahman, consisting of a store of dinars, which you found
when you were digging at the foot of a tree for ndgabald" When the
king said this to him, the servant was frightened and confessed immediate-
ly, and bringing those dinars left them there. So the king for his part
summoned the Brahman and gave him, who had been fasting in the mean-
while, his dinars, lost and found again, like a second soul external to his
body.
" Thus that king by his wisdom recovered for the Brahman his wealth,
which had been taken away from the root of the tree, knowing that that simple
grew iu such spots. So true is it, that intellect always obtains the supremacy,
triumphing over valour, indeed in such cases what could courage accom-
plish ? Accordingly, Yogesvara, you ought to bring it to pass by your
wisdom, that some peccadillo be discovered in Kalingasena. And it is true
that the gods and Asuras are in love with her. This explains your bearing
at night the sound of some being in the air. And if we could only obtain
some pretext, calamity would fall upon her, not on us ; the king would not
marry her, and yet we should not have dealt unrighteously with her."
When the Brahman-Rakshasa Yogesvara heard all this from the sagacious
Yaugandharayana, he was delighted and said to him — " Who except the
god Vrihaspati can match thee in policy ? This counsel of thine waters
with ambrosia the tree of empire. I, even I, will investigate with wisdom
and might the proceedings of Kalingasena." Having said this, Yogesvara
departed thence.
And at this time Kalingasena, while in her palace, was continually
afflicted by beholding the king of Vatsa roaming about in his palace and
its grounds. Thinking on him, she was inflamed with love, and though she
* The plant Uraria Lagopodioidea (Monier WilliamsJ.
300
wore a bracelet and necklace of lotus tibres, she never obtained relief there-
by, nor from sandal-ointment, or other remedies.
In the meanwhile the king of the Vidyadharas, named Madanavega,
who had seen her before, remained wounded by the arrow of ardent love.
Though he had performed a vow to obtain her, and had been granted a
boon by S'iva, still she was not easy to gain, because she was living in the
land of another, and attached to another, so the Vidyadhara prince was
wandering about at night in the air over her palace, in order to obtain an
opportunity. But, remembering the order of S'iva pleased with his asceti-
cism, he assumed one night by his skill the form of the king of Vatsa.
And in his shape he entered her palace, saluted with praises by the door-keep-
ers, who said — " Unable to bear delay, the king has come here without
the knowledge of his ministers." And Kalingasena, on beholding him, rose
up bewildered with agitation, though she was, so to speak, warned by her
ornaments which jingled out the sounds — " This is not the man." Then
she by degrees gained confidence in him, and Madanavega, wearing the
form of the king of Vatsa, made her his wife by the Gandharva rite. At
that moment Yogesvara entered, invisible by his magic, and, beholding the
incident, was cast down, supposing that he saw the king of Vatsa before
him. He went and told Yaugandharayana, who, on receiving his report, saw
by his skill that the king was in the society of Vasavadatta. So by the order
of the prime minister he returned delighted, to observe the shape of that
secret paramour of Kalingasena, when asleep. And so he went and beheld
that Madanavega asleep in his own form on the bed of the sleeping
Kalingasena, a heavenly being, the dustless lotus of whose foot was marked
with the umbrella and the banner ; and who had lost his power of chang-
ing his form, because his science was suspended during sleep. Then Yoges-
vara, full of delight, went and told what he had seen in a joyful mood to
Yangandharayana. He said — " One like me knows nothing, you know
everything by the eye of policy ; by your counsel this difficult result has
been attained for your king. What is the sky without the sun ? "What
is a tank without water ? What is a realm without counsel ? What is
speech without truth ?" When Yogesvara said this, Yaugandharayana
took leave of him, much pleased, and went in the morning to visit the
king of Vatsa. He approached him with the usual reverence, and in course
of conversation said to the king, who asked him what was to be done
about Kalingasena — "She is unchaste, 0 king, and does nut deserve U>
touch your hand. For she went of her own accord to visit Prasenajit.
When she saw that he was old, she was disgusted, and came to visit you
out of desire for your beauty, and now she even enjoys at her pleasure the
society of another person." When the king heard this, he said — " How
could a lady of birth and rank do such a deed ? Or who has power to
801
enter ray hurem r" When the king said this, the wise Yau^indhaniyaim
answered him, " 1 will prove it to you by ocular testimony this very nii^ht,
my sovereign. For the divine Siddhas and other beings of the kind are in
love with her. What can a man do against them ? And who here can
interfere with the movements of gods ? So come and see it with your own
eyes." When the minister said this, the king determined to go there with
him at night.
Then Yaugandhanivana came to the queen, and said — " To-day, O queen,
I have carried out what I promised, that the king should marry no other
wife except queen Padnuivati, and thereupon he told her the whole story of
Kalingasewi. And the queen Yasavadatta congratulated him, bowing low
and saying — " This is the fruit which I have reaped from following your
instructions."
Then, at night, when folk were asleep, the king of Vatsa went with
Yaugaiulhar.-iyana to the palace of Kalingasena. And entering unperceiv-
ed, he beljeld Madanavega in his proper form, sleeping by the side of the
sleeping Kalingasena. And when the king was minded to slay that au-
dacious one, the Vidyadhara prince was roused by his own magic know-
ledge, and when awake, he went out, and immediately flew up into the
heaven. And then Kalingasena awoke immediately. And seeing the bed
empty, she said, " How is this, that the king of Vatsa wakes up before me,
and departs, leaving me asleep ?" When Yaugandharayana heard that, he
said to the king of Vatsa — " Listen, she has been beguiled by that Vidya-
dhara wearing your form. He was found out by me by means of my magic
power, and now I have exhibited him before your eyes, but you cannot kill
him on account of his heavenly might." After saying this, he and the
king approached her, and Kalingasena, for her part, seeing them, stood in
a respectful attitude. But when she began to say to the king — " Where, O
king, did you go only a moment ago, so as to return with your minis-
ter r"" — Yaugandharayana said to her — " Kalingasena, you have been mar-
ried by some being, who beguiled you by assuming the shape of the king of
Vatsa, and not by this lord of mine."
When Kalingasena heard this, she was bewildered, and as if pierced
through the heart by an arrow, she said to the king of Vatsa with tear-
streaming eyes, — " Have you forgotten me, O king, after marrying me by
the Gandharva rite, as S'likuntala long ago was forgotten by Dushyanta?"*
When the king was thus addressed by her, he said with downcast t'aee, " I
truth you were not married by me, for I never came here till this moment."
* For similar instances of fonjvttinj* in European stories, see No* 13. 14. •~>i. .">.">
in the Sirilianisclie Marrhuii with Kuhler's notes, and his article in Orient uiul i Veidmt,
Vol. II, p. 103.
302
When the king of Vatsa had said this, the minister said to him — " Come
along" — and conducted him at will to the palace.
When the king had departed thence with his minister, that lady
Kalingasena, sojourning in a foreign country, like a doe that had strayed
from the herd, having deserted her relations, with her face robbed of its
painting by kissing, as a lotus is robbed of its leaves by cropping, having her
braided tresses disordered, even as a bed of lotuses trampled by an elephant
has its cluster of black bees dispersed ; now that her maidenhood was gone
for ever, not knowing what expedient to adopt or what course to pursue,
looked up to heaven and spake as follows — " Whoever that was that assumed
the shape of the king of Vatsa and married me, let him appear, for he is
the husband of my youth." When invoked in these words, that king of the
Vidyadharas descended from heaven, of divine shape, adorned with neck-
lace and bracelet. And when she asked him who he was, he answered
her ; — " I, fair one, am a prince of the Vidyadharas, named Madanavega.
And long ago I beheld you in your father's house, and by performing pen-
ance obtained a boon from S'iva, which conferred on me the attainment of
you. So, as you were in love with the king of Vatsa, I assumed his form,
and quickly married you by stealth, before your contract with him had
been celebrated." By the nectar of this speech of his, entering her ears,
the lotus of her heart was a little revived. Then Madanavega comforted
that fair one, and made her recover her composure, and bestowed on her a
heap of gold, and when she had conceived in her heart affection for her ex-
cellent husband, as being well suited to her, he flew up into the
heaven to return again. And Kalingasena, after obtaining permission
from Madanavega, consented to dwell patiently where she was, reflecting
that the heavenly home, the abode of her husband, could not be approached
by a mortal, and that through passion she had left her father's house.
CHAPTER XXXIV.
Then the king of Vatsa, thinking on the peerless beauty of Kalinga-
a, was one night seized with love, so he rose up and went sword in hand,
and entered her palace alone ; and she welcomed him and received him
politely. Then the king asked her to become his wife, but she re-
jected his addresses, saying, " You should regard me as the wife
of another." Whereupon he answered — " Since you are unchaste as having
resorted to three men, I shall not by approaching you incur the guilt of
adultery." When the king said this to Kalingasenn, she answered him,
,30.3
" I came to marry you, 0 king, but I was married by the Vidyadbara
Madanavega at bis will, for he assumed your shape. And he is my only
husband, so why am I unchaste ? But such are the misfortunes even of or-
dinary women who desert their relations, having their minds bewildered with
the love of lawless roaming, much more of princesses ? And this is the fruit
of my own folly in sending a messenger to you, though I had been warned
not to do so by my friend, who had seen an evil omen. So if you touch
me by force, I will abandon life, for what woman of good family will
injure her husband ? And to prove this I will tell you a tale — listen O
king."
There lived in old time in the
land of Ghedi a great king called
Indradatta, he founded for his glory a great temple at the holy bathing,
place of Papasodhana, desiring the body of good reputation, as he saw that
our mortal body is perishable. And the king in the ardour of his devo-
tion was continually going to visit it, and all kinds of people were continu-
ally coming there to bathe in the holy water. Now, one day the king
saw a merchant's wife, whose husband was travelling in foreign parts, who
had come there to bathe in the holy water ; she was steeped in the nectar
of pure beauty, and adorned with various charms, like a splendid moving
palace of the god of Love. She was embraced on both her feet by the
radiance of the two quivers of the five-arrowed god,* as if out of love,
believing that with her he would conquer the world, f The moment the
king saw her, she captivated his soul so entirely that, unable to restrain
himself, he found out her house and went there at night. And when he
solicited her, she said to him — " You are a protector of the helpless, you
ought not to touch another man's wife. And if you lay violent hands
on me, you will commit a great sin ; and I will die immediately, I will not
endure disgrace." Though she said this to him, the king still endeavoured
to use force to her, whereupon her heart broke in a moment through fear
of losing her chastity. When the king saw that, he was at once abashed,
and went back by the way that he came, and in a few days died out of
remorse for that crime.
Having told this tale, Kalingasena bowed in timid modesty, and
again said to the king of Vatsa — " Therefore, king, set not your heart
on wickedness that would rob me of breath ; since I have come here,
allow me to dwell here ; if not, I will depart to some other place." Then
the king of Vatsa, who knew what was right, hearing this from Kalinga-
sena, after reflecting, desisted from his intention, and said to her — " Princess,
* t. c. Kama the Hindu Cupid.
t This prob ubly menus in plain English that she wore glittering anklets,
here at will witli this husband of yours; I will not sav anything
to you, henceforth fear not." When the king had said this, he returned
of his own accord to his house, and Madanaveg a, having heard the conver-
sation, descended from heaven, and said — " My beloved, you have done well,
if you had not acted thus, 0 fortunate one, good fortune would not have
resulted, for I should not have tolerated your conduct." When the Viclya-
dhara had said this, he comforted her, and passed the night there, and
continued going to her house and returning again. And Kalingasena,
having a king of the Vidyadharas for her husband, remained there, blessed
even in her mortal state with the enjoyment of heavenly pleasures. As
for the king of Vatsa, he ceased to think about her, and remembering the
speech of his minister, he rejoiced, considering that he had saved his queens
and kingdom and also his son. And the queen Vasavadatta and the minis-
ter Yaugandharayana were at ease, having reaped the fruit of the wishing-
tree of policy.
Then, as days went on, Kalingasena had the lotus of her face a little
pale, and was pregnant, having longing produced in her. Her lofty breasts,
with extremities a little dark, appeared like the treasure-vessels of Love,
marked with his seal of joy. Then her husband Madanavega came to her
and said, " Kalingasena, we heavenly beings are subject to this law, that,
when a mortal child is conceived we must abandon it, and go afar. Did not
Menaka leave S'akuntala in the hermitage of Kanva ? And though you
were formerly an Apsaras, you have now, goddess, become a mortal by the
curse of S^iva, inflicted on account of your disobedience. Thus it has come
to pass that, though chaste, you have incurred the reproach of unchastity ;
so guard your offspring, I will go to my own place. And whenever you
think upon me, I will appear to you." Thus the prince of the Vidyadharas
spake to the weeping Kalingasena, and consoled her, and gave her a heap
of valuable jewels, and departed with his mind fixed on her, drawn away
by the law. Kalingasena, for her part, remained there ; supported by the
hope of offspring as by a friend, protected by the shade of the king of Vatsa's
arm.
In the meanwhile the husband of Ambika* gave the following order
to Rati, the wife of the god of Love, who had performed penance in order
to get back her husband with his body restored: " That husband of thine
who was formerly consumed, has been born in the palace of the king of
Vatsa, under the name of Naravahanadatta, conceived in a mortal womb on
account of disrespect shewn to me. Hut because thou hast propitiated me,
thtui slialt also be born in the world of mortals, without being conceived in a
mortal womb ; and then thou shalt be reunited to thy husband, otiee more
possessing a body.'' Having said this to Rat i, S'iva then L,;I\V t iiis cuiu-
305
mand to the Creator;* '' Kalingasena shall give birth to a son of divine
origin. By thy power of illusion thou shalt remove her son, and substitute
in his place this very Kati, who shall abandon her heavenly body, and IK;
moulded by thee in the form of a mortal maiden." The Creator, in obe-
dience to the order of Sfiva,f went down to earth, and when the appointed
time came, Kalingasena gave birth to a son. The Creator abstracted, by
his divine power of illusion, her son, the moment he was born, and sub-
stituted Rati, whom he had turned into a girl, in his place, without the
change being detected. And all present there saw that girl born, and she
seemed like the streak of the new moon suddenly rising in broad daylight,
for she illuminated with her splendour the lying-in chamber, and eclipsing
the long row of flames of the jewel-lamps £ robbed them of lustre, and made
them, as it were, abashed. Kalingasena, when she saw that incomparable
daughter born, in her delight made greater rejoicing, than she would have
made at the birth of a son.
Then the king of Vatsa, with his queen and his ministers, heard that
such a lovely daughter had been born to Kalingasena. And when the king
heard of it, he suddenly, under the impulsion of the god S'iva, said to the
queen Vasavadatta, in the presence of Yaugandharayana ; " I know, this
Kalingasena, is a heavenly nymph, who has fallen down to earth in con-
sequence of a curse, and this daughter born to her will also be heavenly,
and of wonderful beauty. So this girl, being equal in beauty to my son
Naravahanadatta, ought to be his head-queen." When the queen Vasava-
datta heard that, she said to the king — " Great king, why do you suddenly
say this now ? What similarity can there possibly be between this son of
yours, of pure descent by both lines, and the daughter of Kalingasena,
a girl whose mother is unchaste." When the king heard that, he reflected,
and said, " Truly, I do not say this of myself, but some god seems to have
* Prajapati.
t laterally — placing it upon his head.
| The superstitious custom of lighting ihvs, lamps &c., to protect children against
evil spirits is found in many countries. Liubrecht (Zur Volkskunde, p. 31,) refers
us to Brand's Popular Antiquities, edited by Hazlitt, Vol. II, p. 144, for the piwalciiro
of the practice in England. " Gregory mentions ' an ordinary superstition of the old
wives who dare not, trust a child in a cradle by itself alone without a candle. ' This
he attributes to their fear of the night-hag ;" (cp. Milton, P. L. II, 662 — 66.5). lie
cites authorities to prove that it exists in Germany, Scotland, and Sweden. In
latter country, it is considered dangerous to let the fire go out until the child is baptized,
for fear that the Trolls may sul istit ute a changeling in its place. The custom oxi-!>
also in the Malay Peninsula, and among the Tajiks in Bokhara. The Roman custom
of lighting a candle in the room of a lying-in woman, from which the go'lu< •>* < ' .m-
delifera derived her name (IVrtullian Adv. nation, 2, 11) is to be amounted for in fxu
same way. See also "Weckenstedt, Wendischc Sagcn, p. 140.
39
306
entered into me, and to be forcing me to speak. And I seem to hear a
voice uttering these words from heaven — ' This daughter of Kalingasena
is the appointed wife of Naravahanadatta.' Moreover, that Kalingasena
is a faithful wife, of good family ; and her reproach of unchastitv has
arisen from the influence of her actions in a former birth." When the
king had said this, the minister Yaugandharayana spoke — " We hear, king,
that when the god of Lovo was consumed, Kati performed asceticism.
And S'iva granted to Kati, who wished to recover her husband, the follow-
ing boon : ' Thou shalt assume the condition of a mortal, and be reunited
to thy husband, who has been born with a body in the world of mortals.'
Now, your son has long ago been declared by a heavenly voice to be an
incarnation of Kama, and Kati by the order of S'iva has to become incarnate
in mortal form. And the midwife said to me to-day — ' I inspected previ-
ously the fetus when contained in the uterus, and then I saw one quite
different from what has now appeared. Having beheld this marvel I have
come here to tell you.' This is what that woman told me, and now this
inspiration has come to you. So I am persuaded that the gods have stolen
the real child of Kalingasena and substituted this daughter not born in the
ordinary way, who is no other than Kati, ordained beforehand to be the
wife of your son, who is an incarnation of Kama, O king. To illustrate
this, hear the following story concerning a Yaksha."
The god of wealth had for ser-
Storii of the TaJcsha Virupaksha. -\- i \_ i -IT- ' 'i i
vant a laksha, named Virupaksha,
who had been appointed chief guardian of lacs of treasure.* And he
delegated a certain Yaksha to guard a treasure lying outside the town of
Mathura, posted there like an immovable pillar of marble. And once on a
time a certain Brahman, a votary of Pasupati, who made it his business
to exhume treasures, went there in search of hidden wealth. While he
was examining that place, with a candle made of human fat in his hand,
the candle fell from his grasp. By that sign he knew that treasure v, as
concealed there ; and he attempted to dig it up with the help of some
other Brahmans his friends. Then the Yaksha, who was told off to guard
that treasure, beholding that, came and related the whole circumstance to
Virupaksha. And Virupaksha in his wrath gave the following command
to the Yaksha — " Go and slay immediately those mean treasure-hum
Then the Yaksha went and slow by his power those Brahmans, who were
digging for treasure, before they had attained their object. Then the god
of wealth came to hear of it, and being angry he said to Yiriipaksha,
* For treasures and thr-ir guardians SOP VeckrnstrdtV W< • n, pp. 006—
874 and p. 394. For the candle of human ; y in ( >i i, ni und Oa-iduit, \
p. 383.
ADDENDUM TO FASCICULUS IV.
Add to note on page 306.
It appears from Henderson's Folk-lore of the Northern Counties, that in Europe
a candle of human fat is used with the Hand of Glory by robbers for the purpose of
preventing the inmates of a house from awaking. He gives several instances of its
use. The following will serve as a specimen : " On the night of the 3rd of January
1831, some Irish thieves attempted to commit a robbery on the estate of Mr. Napier of
Loughcrew, county Meath. They^entercd the house armed with a dead man's hand
with a lighted candle in it, believing in the superstitious notion that a candle placed
in a dead man's hand will not bo seen by any but those by whom ic is used, and also
that if a candle in a dead hand be introduced into a house, it will prevent those who
may be aske.p from awaking. The inmates however, were alarmed, and the robbera
fled, leaving the hand behind them." The composition of the candle ia evident from
the following extract from the Dictionnaire Infernal of Colin do Planey. " The Hand of
Glory is the hand of a man who has been hanged, and is prepared in the following
manner. "Wrap the hand in a piece of winding-sheet, drawing it tight to squeeze out
the little blood which may remain ; then place it in an earthen- ware vessel with
saltpetre, salt and long pepper all carefully and thoroughly powdered. Let it remain
a fortnight in this pickle till it is well dried, then expose it to the sun in the dog-days
till it is completely parched, or if the sun be not powerful enough, dry it in an oven
heated with vervain and fern. Next make a candle with the fat of a hanged man,
virgin wax, and Lapland sesame. The Hand of Glory is used to hold this candle
when it is lighted. Wherever one goes with this contrivance, those it approaches are
rendered as incapable of motion as though they were dead." Southey in Book V of
his Thalaba the Destroyer represents a hand and taper of this kind as used to lull
to sleep Zohak, the giant keeper of the caves of Babylon. (See the extracts from
Grose and Torquemada in the notes to Southey's poem. Dousterswivel in Sir Walter
Scott's Antiquary tells us that the monks used the Hand of Glory to conceal their
treasures. (Henderson's Folk-lore of the Northern Counties of England and the
Borders, p. 200 and ff.)
307
"Why did you, evil one, recklessly order the slaughter of a Br&hman ?
What will not poor people, who are struggling for a livelihood,* do out of
desire for gain ? But they must be prevented by being terrified with
various bug-bears, they must not be slain." When the god of Wealth had
said this, he cursed that Virupaksha as follows — " Be born as a mortal on
account of your wicked conduct." Then that Virupaksha, smitten with
the curse, was born on the earth as the son of a certain Brahman who lived
on a royal grant. Then the Yakshini his wife implored the lord of wealth,
" 0 god, send me whither my husband has gone ; be merciful to me, for I
cannot live without him." When the virtuous lady addressed this prayer
to him, Vaisravana said — " Thou shalt descend, without being born, into
the house of a female slave of that very Brahman, in whose house thy
husband is born. There thou shalt be united to that husband of thine,
and by thy power he shall surmount his curse and return to my service."
In accordance with this decree of Vaisravana, that \irtuous wife became a
mortal maiden, and fell at the door of that Brahman's female slave's house.
And the slave suddenly saw that maiden of marvellous beauty, and took her
and exhibited her to her master the Brahman. And the Brahman rejoiced,
and said to the female slave — " This is without doubt some heavenly maiden
not born in the ordinary way ; so my soul tells me. Bring here this girl
who has entered your house, for, I think, she deserves to be my son's wife."
Then in course of time that girl and the son of the Brahman, having grown
up, were smitten with ardent reciprocal affection at the sight of one
another. Then they were married by the Brahman ; and the couple,
though they did not remember their previous births, felt as if a long sepa-
ration had been brought to an end. Then at last the Yaksha died, and as
his wife burnt herself with his mortal body, his sins were wiped away by
her sufferings, and he regained his former rank.
" Thus, you see, heavenly beings, on account of certain causes, descend
from heaven to the earth, by the appointment of fate, and, because they are
free from sin, they are not born in the usual way. What does this girl's family
matter to you ? So this daughter of Kalingasena is, as I said, the wife
appointed for your son by destiny." When Yaugandharayana had said
this to the king of Vatsa and the queen Va savadatta, they both consented
in their hearts that it should be so. Then the prime minister returned to
his house, and the king, in the company of his wife, spent the day happily,
in drinking and other enjoyments.
Then, as time went on, that daughter of Kalingasena, who had lost her
recollection of her former state through illusion, gradually grew up, and
her dower of beauty grew with her ; and her mother and her attendants
gave her the name of Madanumauclmka, because she was the daughter of
* Thuro is probably a pun too oil varti, the wick of a lamp.
308
Madaoavega, saying, " Surely the beauty of all other lovely women has
fled to her ; else how could they have become ugly before her ?" And the
queen Vasavadatta, hearing she was beautiful, one day had her brought
into her presence out of curiosity. Then the king and Yaugandharayana
and his fellows beheld her clinging to the face of her nurse, as the candle-
flame clings to the wick. And there was no one present, who did not
think that she was an incarnation of Rati, when they beheld her matchless
body, which was like nectar to their eyes. And then the queen Vasavadatta
brought there her son Naravahanadatta, who was a feast to the eyes of
the world. He beheld, with the lotus of his face expanded, the gleaming
Madanamanchuka, as the bed of water-lilies beholds the young splendour
of the sun. The girl gazed with dilated countenance upon that gladdener
of the eyes, and could not gaze enough, as the female partridge can never
be sated with gazing on the moon. Henceforth these two children could
not remain apart even for a moment, being, as it were, fastened together
with the nooses of glances.
But, in course of time, the king of Vatsa came to the conclusion that
that marriage was made in heaven,* and turned his mind to the solemniza-
tion of the nuptials. When Kalingasena heard that, she rejoiced, and
fixed her affection upon Naravahanadatta out of love for her daughter's
future husband. And then the king of Vatsa, after deliberating with his
ministers, had made for his son a separate palace like his own. Then that
king, who could discern times and seasons, collected the necessary uten-
sils, and anointed his son as crown-prince, since it was apparent that he
possessed all praiseworthy qualities. First there fell on his head the water
of his father's tears, and then the water of holy bathing-places, purified
by Vaidik spells of mickle might. When the lotus of his face was washed
with the water of inauguration, wonderful to say, the faces of the cardinal
points became also clear. When his mothers threw on him the flowers of
the auspicious garlands, the heaven immediately shed a rain of many celes-
tial wreaths. As if in emulation of the thunder of the drums of the gods,
the echoes of the sound of the cymbals of rejoicing floated in the air.
Every one there bowed before him, as soon as he was inaugurated as crown-
prince ; then by that alone he was exalted, without his own power.
Then the king of Vatsa summoned the good sons of the ministers,
who were the playfellows of his son, and appointed them to their offices
as servants to the crown-prince. He appointed to the office of prime
minister Marubhiiti the son of Yaugandharayana, and then Harisikha the
son of Human vat to the office of commander-in- chief, and he appointed
Tapantaka the son of Vasantaka as the companion of his lighter hours,
and Gomukha the son of Ityaka to the duty of chamberlain and warder,
* Literally " made by the gods."
309
and to the office of domestic chaplains the two sons of Pingalika, Vaisva-
nara and S'antisoma, the nephews of the king's family priest. When these
men had been appointed by the king servants to his son, there was heard
from heaven a voice preceded by a rain of flowers : " These ministers shall
accomplish all things prosperously for the prince, and Gomukha shall be
his inseparable companion." When the heavenly voice had said this, the
delighted king of Vatsa honoured them all with clothes and ornaments ;
and while that king was showering wealth upon his dependents, none of
them could claim the title of poor on account of the accumulation of riches.
And the city was filled with dancing girls and minstrels, who seemed to be
invited by the rows of silken streamers fanned and agitated by the wind.
Then Kalingasena came to the feast of her future son-in-law, looking
like the Fortune of the Vidyadhara race which was to attend him, present
in bodily form. Then Vasavadatta and Padmavati and she danced, all three
of them, for joy, like the three powers* of a king united together. And
all the trees there seemed to dance, as their creepers waved in the wind, much
more did the creatures possessing sense.
Then the crown-prince Naravahanadatta, having been inaugurated in
his office, ascended an elephant of victory, and went forth. And he was
sprinkled by the city wives with their upcast eyes, blue, white and red, re-
sembling offerings of blue lotuses, parched grain and water-lilies. And
after visiting the gods worshipped in that city, being praised by heralds
and minstrels, he entered his palace with his ministers. Then Kalinga-
sena gave him, to begin with, celestial viands and drinks far exceeding what
his own magnificence could supply, and she presented to him and his minis-
ters, friends and servants, beautiful robes and heavenly ornaments, for she
was overpowered with love for her son-in-law. So the day passed in high
festivity for all these, the king of Vatsa and the others, charming as the
taste of nectar.
Then the night arrived, and Kalingasena pondering over her daughter's
marriage, called to mind her friend Somaprabha. No sooner had she called
to mind the daughter of the Asura Maya, than her husband, the much-know-
ing Nadakiivara, thus addressed that noble lady, his wife — " Dear one, Ka-
lingasena is now thinking on thee with longing, therefore go and make a
heavenly garden for her daughter." Having said this, and revealed the
future and the past history of that maiden, her husband dismissed that in-
stant his wife Somaprabha. And when she arrived, her friend Kalingasena
threw her arms around her neck, having missed her so long, and Sorea-
prabha, after asking after her health, said to her — " You have been married
* i. e. prabhutva, the majesty or pre-eminence of the king himself : mantra, the
power of good counsel ; utsdha energy.
310
by a Vidyadhara of great power, and your daughter is an incarnation of
i'ati by the favour of SI va, and she has been brought into the world as the
wife, in a previous state of existence, of an incarnation of Love, that has
taken his birth from the king of Vatsa. He shall be emperor of the
Vidyadharas for a kalpa of the gods ; and she shall be honoured above his
other wives. But you have descended into this world, being an Apsaras
degraded by the curse of Indra, and after you have brought your duties to
completion, you shall obtain deliverance from your curse. All this \vas
told me, my friend, by my wise husband, so you must not be anxious ; you
will enjoy every prosperity. And I will now mate here for your daughter
a heavenly garden, the like of which does not exist on earth, in heaven,
or in the nether regions." Having said this, Somaprabha made a heavenly
garden by her magic power, and taking leave of the regretful Kalingasena,
she departed. Then, at the dawn of day, people beheld that garden, look-
ing like the garden of Nandana suddenly fallen down from heaven to
earth. Then the king of Vatsa heard of it, and came there with his wives
and his ministers, and Naravahanadatta with his companions. And they
beheld that garden, the trees of which bore both flowers and fruits all the
year round,* with many jewelled pillars, walls, lawns, and tanks ; with birds
of the colour of gold, with heavenly perfumed breezes, like a second
Svarga descended to earth from the region of the gods. The lord of
Vatsa, when he saw that wonderful sight, asked Kalingasena, who was
intent on hospitality, what it was. And she thus answered the king in the
hearing of all : " There is a great Asura, Maya by name, an incarnation
of Visvakarman, who made the assembly-hall of Yudhisthira, and the city
of Indra : he lias a daughter, Somaprabha by name, who is a friend of mine.
She came here at night to visit me, and out of love made this heavenly
garden by her magic power, for the sake of my daughter." After saying
this, she told all the past and future fortunes of her daughter, which
Somaprabha had revealed to her, letting the king know that she had heard
them from her friend. Then all there, perceiving that the speech of Kalinga-
sena tallied with what they previously knew, dismissed their doubts and
were exceedingly delighted. And the king of Vatsa, with his wives and
his son, spent that day in the garden, being hospitably entertained by
Kalingasena.
The next day, the king went to visit a god in a temple, and he saw
many women well-clothed and with beautiful ornaments. And when he
asked them who they were, they said to him — " We are the sciences, and
these are the accomplishments ; and we are come here on account of y<>ur
son : we shall now go and enter into him." Having said this they disap-
• 1, and the king of Vatsa entered his house astonished. There he told
• Op. Udy.— v. VIL. 116; Spensur'a l-aery Qiivxur, 11J, 0, 4-'.
311
it to the queen Vasavadatt;i and to the circle of his ministers, and they
rejoiced at that favour of the deity. Then Vasavadatta, hy the direction
of the king, took up a lyre as soon as Naravahanadatta entered the room.
And while his mother was playing, Naravahanadatta said modestly to her,
" This lyre is out of tune." His father said, " Take it, and play on it," where-
upon he played upon the lyre so as to astonish even the Gandharvas. When
he was thus tested by his father in all the sciences and the accomplishments,
he became endowed with them all, and of himself knew all-knowledge. When
the king of Vatsa beheld his son endowed with all talents, he taught Mada-
namanchuka, the daughter of Kalingasena, dancing. As fast as she became
perfect in accomplishments,* the heart of the prince Naravahanadatta was
disturbed. So the sea is disturbed, as fast as the orb of the moon rounds
off its digits. And he delighted in beholding her singing and dancing,
accomplished in all the gestures of the body, so that she seemed to be re-
citing the decrees of Love. As for her, if she did not see for a moment that
nectar-like lover, the tears rose to her eyes, and she was like a bed of white
lotuses, wet with dew at the hour of dawn.f And Naravahanadatta, being
unable to live without continually beholding her face, came to that garden
of hers. There he remained, and Kalingasena out of affection did all she
could to please him, bringing her daughter to him. And Gomukha, who
saw into his master's heart, and wished to bring about his long stay there,
used to tell various tales to Kalingasena. The king was delighted by his
friend's penetrating his intentions, for seeing into one's lord's soul is the
surest way of winning him. And Naravahanadatta himself perfected Ma-
danamanchuka in dancing and other accomplishments, giving her lessons
in a concert-hall that stood in the garden, and while his beloved danced,
he played on all instruments so as to put to the blush the most skilful
minstrels. And he conquered also various professors that came from all
quarters, and were skilful in managing elephants, horses, and chariots, in the
use of hand-to-hand and missile weapons, in painting and modelling. £ In
these amusements passed during childhood the days of Naraviihnnadatta,
who was the chosen bridegroom of Science.
Now, once on a time the prince, with his ministers, and accompanied
by his beloved, went on a pilgrimage to a garden called Nagavana. There
a certain merchant's wife fell in love with Gomukha, and being repulsed,
tried to kill him by offering to him a poisoned drink. But Goihuklui came
to hear of it from the lips of her confidante, and did not take that drink,
but broke out into the following denunciation of women: "Alas! the
* The pun here lies in the word A-a/a, which means ''accompli.- ,.1 ;il.-..
a sixteenth of the moon's <li;iimtrr.
f This lotus is a friend of th<' moon's and bewails its absence.
J Or perhaps books.
312
Creator first created recklessness, and then women in imitation of it ; by
nature nothing is too bad for them to do. Surely this being, they call
woman, is created of nectar and poison, for, when she is attached to one, she
is nectar, and when estranged she is indeed poison. Who can see through
a woman, with loving face secretly planning crime ? A wicked woman is
like a lotus-bed with its flowers expanded, and an alligator concealed in it.
But now and then there falls from heaven, urging on a host of virtues, a
good woman that brings praise to her husband, like the pure light of the
sun. But another, of evil augury, attached to strangers, not free from
inordinate desires, wicked, bearing the poison of aversion,* slays her husband
like a female snake."
Story of 8'utmykna and his wicked, For instance, in a certain village
wife- there was a certain man named
S'atrughna, and his wife was unchaste. He once saw in the evening his
wife in the society of her lover, and he slew that lover of hers, when he
was in the house, with the sword. And he remained at the door waiting
for the night, keeping his wife inside, and at night-fall a traveller came
there to ask for a lodging. He gave him refuge, and artfully carried away
with his help the corpse of that adulterer at night, and went with it to the
forest. And there, while he was throwing that corpse into a well, the mouth
of which was overgrown with plants, his wife came behind him, and pushed
him in also.
" What reckless crime of this kind will not a wicked wife commit ?"
In these words Gomukha, though still a boy, denounced the conduct of
women.
Then Naravahanadatta himself worshipped the snakes in that grove
of snakes,f and went back to his palace with his retinue.
While he was there, he desired one day to prove his ministers, Gomu-
kha and the others, so he asked them, though he himself knew it well, for a
summary of the policy of princes. They consulted among themselves, and
said — " You know all things, nevertheless we will tell you this, now that
you ask us," and so they proceeded to relate the cream of political science.
"A king should first tame and mount the horses of the senses, and
should conquer those internal foes, love, anger, avarice and delusion, and
should subdue himself as a preparation tor subduing other enemies, for how
cnn a man, who has not conquered himself, being helpless, conquer others r1
Then he should procure ministers, who, among other good qu;iliti< •-
that of being natives of his own country, and a skilful family priest, knowing
the Atharva Veda, gifted with asceticism. He should test his ministers
* I read virdga-vishabJirid.
t i.<. N;'i-;i\an;i. l-'cr M ipcnt-\voi>hii) see Tylor's 1'iluiitive Cultmv, Vol. II,
1>1>. 'J 17 -220.
813
with respect to fear, avarice, virtue and passion, by ingenious artifices, and
then lie should appoint them to appropriate duties, discerning their hearts.
He should try their speech, when they are deliberating with one another on
affairs, to see if it is truthful, or inspired by malice, spoken out of affection,
or connected with selfish objects. He should be pleased with truth, but
should punish untruth as it deserves,, and he should continually inquire in-
to the conduct of each of them by means of spies. Thus he should look at
business with unhooded eye, and by rooting up opponents,* and acquiring
a treasure, a force, and the other means of success, should establish himself
firmly on the throne. Then, equipped with the three powers of courage,
kingly authority, and counsel, he should be eager to conquer the territory
of others, considering the difference between the power of himself and his
foe. He should continually take counsel with advisers, who should be
trusty, learned and wise, and should correct with his own intellect the ,
policy determined on by them, in all its details. Being versed in the
means of success, f (conciliation, bribery and the others,) he should attain for
himself security, and he should then employ the six proper courses, of which
alliance and war are the chief. J Thus a king acquires prosperity, and as
long as he carefully considers his own realm and that of his rival, he is vic-
torious but never vanquished. But an ignorant monarch, blind with pas-
sion and avarice, is plundered by wicked servants, who shew him the wrong
path, and leading him astray, fling him into pits. On account of these
rogues a servant of another kind is never admitted into the presence of the
king, as a husbandman cannot get at a crop of rice enclosed with a pali-
sade. For he is enslaved by those faithless servants, who penetrate into
his secrets ; and consequently Fortune in disgust flies from him, because
he does not know the difference between man and man. Therefore a king
should conquer himself, should inflict due chastisement, and know the dif-
ference of men's characters, for in this way he will acquire his subjects' love
and become thereby a vessel of prosperity."
Story of king S'urasena and his mini- In <>ld time a king named S'ura-
sters' sena, who relied implicitly upon his
servants, was enslaved and plundered by his ministers, who had formed a
coalition. Whoever was a faithful servant to the king, the ministers would
not give even a straw to, though the king wished to bestow a reward upon
him ; but if any man was a faithful servant to them, they themselves gave
* Literally thorns.
t The upciyas which are usually enumerated are four, viz. sowing dissension, iv
tion, bribery and open attack.
t The six gunas — peace, war, march, halt, stratagem and recourse to the protec-
tion of a mightier king.
40
314
him presents, and by their representations induced the king to give to him,
though he was undeserving. When the king saw that, he gradually came
to be aware of that coalition of rogues, and set those ministers at variance
with one another by a clever artifice. When they were estranged, and the
clique was broken up, and they began to inform against one another, the
king ruled the realm successfully, without being deceived by others.
And there was a king named
Story of Hansmha. . ,
Hansmha, or ordinary power but
versed in the true science of policy, who had surrounded himself with
devoted and wise ministers, possessed forts, and stores of wealth ; he made
his subjects devoted to him and conducted himself in such a way that,
though attacked by an emperor, he was not defeated.
" Thus discernment and reflection are the main things in governing a
kingdom ; what is of more importance ?" Having said this, each taking his
part, Gomukha p.nd his fellows ceased. Naravahanadatta, approving that
speech of theirs, though he knew that heroic action is to be thought upon,*
still placed his reliance upon destiny whose power surpasses all thought.
Then he rose up, and his ardour being kindled by delay, he went
with them to visit his beloved. Madanamanchuka ; when he had reach-
ed her palace and was seated on a throne, Kalingasena, after per-
forming the usual courtesies, said with astonishment to Gomukha,f
" Before the prince Naravahauadatta arrived, Madanamanchuka, being
impatient, went up to the top of the palace to watch him coming,
accompanied by me, and while we were there, a man descended from
heaven upon it, he was of divine appearance, wore a tiara, and a sword,
and said to me 'I am a king, a lord of the Vidyadharas named
Manasavega, and you are a heavenly nymph named Surabhidatta who by a
curse have fallen down to earth, and this your daughter is of heavenly ori-
gin, this is known to me well. So give me this daughter of yours in mar-
riage, for the connexion is a suitable one.' When he said this, I suddenly
burst out laughing, and said to him, ' Naravahanadatta has been appoint-
ed her husband by the gods, and he is to be the emperor of all you Vidya-
dharas.' When I said this to him, the Vidyadhara flew up into the sky,
like a sudden streak of lightning dazzling the eyes of my daughter."
When Gomukha heard that, he said, " The Vidyadharas found out that
the prince was to be their future lord, from a speech in the air, by which
the future birth of the prince was made known to the king in private, and
they immediately desired to do him a mischief. What self-willed one
would desire a mighty lord as his ruler and restrainer ? For which reason
• I read dbhyagat with a MS. in the Sanskrit College,
f I read vismitd with a .MS. in the Sanskrit College.
315
S'iva has made arrangements to ensure the safety of this prince, by commis-
sioning his attendants to wait on him in actual presence. I heard this
speech of Narada's being related by my father. So it comes to pass
that the Vidyadharas are now hostile to us." When Kalingasena heard
this, she was terrified at the thought of what had happened to herself,
and said, " Why does not the prince marry Madanamanchuka now, before
she is deceived, like me, by delusion ?" When Gomukha and the others
heard this from Kalingasena, they said, " Do you stir up the king of
Vatsa to this business." Then Naravahanadatta, with his heart lixed
on Madanamanchuka only, amused himself by looking at her in the garden
all that day, with her face like a full-blown lotus, with her eyes like
opening blue water-lilies, with lips lovely as the bandhuka, with breasts
like clusters of manddras, with body delicate as the s'irisha, like a match-
less arrow, composed of five flowers, appointed by the god of love for the
conquest of the world.
The next day Kalingasena went in person, and preferred her petition
to the king for the marriage of her daughter. The king of Vatsa dis-
missed her, and summoning his ministers, said to them in the presence of
the queen Vasavadatta, " Kalingasena is impatient for the marriage of her
daughter: so how are we to manage it, for the people think that that excel-
lent woman is unchaste ? And we must certainly consider the people : did
not Bamabhadra long ago desert queen Sita, though she was chaste, on
account of the sknder of the multitude ? Was not Arnba, though carried
off with great effort by Bhishma for the sake of his brother, reluctantly
abandoned, because she had previously chosen another husband ? In the
same way this Kalingasena, after spontaneously choosing me, was married by
Madanavega ; for this reason the people blame her. Therefore let this
Naravahanadatta himself marry by the Gandharva ceremony her daughter,
who will be a suitable wife for him." When the king of Vatsa said this,
Yaugandharayana answered, " My lord, how could Kalingasena consent to
this impropriety ? For I have often observed that she, as well as her
daughter, is a divine being, no ordinary woman, and this was told me by
my wise friend the Brahman-Riikshasa." While they were debating with
one another in this style, the voice of S'iva was heard from heaven to the
following effect : " The god of love, after having been consumed by the
fire of my eye, has been created again in the form of Naravahanadatta, and
having been pleased with the asceticism of Rati I have created her as his
wife in the form of Madanamanchuka. And dwelling with her, as his
head-wife, he shall exercise supreme sovereignty over the Vidyadharas for
a Tcalpa of the gods, after conquering his enemies by my favour." After
saying this the voice ceased.
When he heard this speech of the adorable S'iva, the king of
,316
with bis retinue, worshipped him, and joyfully made up his mind to celebrate
the marriage of his son. Then the king congratulated bis prime minister,
who had before discerned the truth, and summoned the astrologers, and
* O f
asked them what would be a favourable moment, and they, after being
honoured with presents, told him that a favourable moment would arrive
within a few days. Again those astrologers said to him — " Your son will
have to endure some separation for a short season from this wife of his ;
this we know, 0 lord of Vatsa, by our own scientific foresight." Then
the king proceeded to make the requisite preparations for the marriage of
his son, in a style suited to his own magnificence, so that not only his own
city, but the whole earth was made to tremble with the effort of it. Then,
the day of marriage having arrived, Kalingasena adorned her daughter, to
whom her father had sent his own heavenly ornaments, and Somaprabha
came in obedience to her husband's order. Then Madanamanchuka, adorn-
ed with a heavenly marriage thread, looked still more lovely ; is not
the moon truly beautiful, when accompanied by Kartika ? And
heavenly nymphs, by the order of S'iva, sang auspicious strains in her
honour : they were eclipsed by her beauty and remained hidden as if
ashamed, but the sound of their songs was heard. They sang the follow-
ing hymn in honour of Gauri, blended with the minstrelsy of the match-
less musicians of heaven, so as to make unequalled harmony — " Victory to
thee, O daughter of the mountain, that hast mercy on thy faithful votaries,
for thou hast thyself come to-day and blessed with success the asceticism
of Eati." Then Narav&hanadatta, resplendent with excellent marriage-
thread, entered the wedding-pavilion full of various musical instruments.
And the bride and bridegroom, after accomplishing the auspicious ceremony
of marriage, with intent care, so that no rite was left out, ascended the
altar-platform where a fire was burning, as if ascending the pure
flame of jewels on the heads of kings. If the moon and the sun were
to revolve at the same time round the mountain of gold,* there would be
an exact representation in the world of the appearance of those two, the
bride and the bridegroom, when circumambulating the fire, keeping it on
their right. Not only did the drums of the gods in the air drown the
cymbal-clang in honour of the marriage festival, but the rain of flowers
sent down by the gods overwhelmed the gilt grain thrown by the women.
Then also the generous Kalingasena honoured her son-in-law with heaps of
gold studded with jewels, so that the lord of Alaka was considered very
poor compared with him, and much more so all miserable earthly monarch*;.
* i. e. mount Sumeru. The moon being masculine in Sanskrit, th' words " form
of the moon" arc used in tin original, to satisfy the rrqiiin 'incuts of classical Hindu
Ulii.toric, according to which feminine things, cannot i • 1 to masculine.
317
And then the bride and bridegroom, now that the delightful ceremony of
marriage was accomplished in accordance with their long-cherished wishes,
entered the inner apartments crowded with women, adorned with pure and
variegated decoration, even as they penetrated the heart of the people full
of pure and various loyalty. Moreover, the city of the king of Vatsa was
quickly filled with kings, surrounded with splendid armies, who, though
their valour was worthy of the world's admiration, had bent in submission,
bringing in their hands valuable jewels by way of presents, as if with sub-
ject seas.* On that high day of festival, the king distributed gold with
such magnificence to his dependants, that the children in their mothers'
wombs were at any rate the only beings in his kingdom not made of gold.f
Then on account of the troops of excellent minstrels and dancing girls,
that came from all quarters of the world, with hymns, music, dances and
songs on all sides, the world seemed full of harmony. And at that festival
the city of Kausambi seemed itself to be dancing, for the pennons agitated
by the wind seemed like twining arms, and it was beautified with the
toilettes of the city matrons, as if with ornaments. And thus waxing in
mirth every day, that great festival continued for a long time, and all
friends, relations and people generally were delighted by it, and had their
wishes marvellously fulfilled. And that crown-prince Naravahanadatta,
accompanied by Madanamanchuka, enjoyed, though intent on glory, the
long-desired pleasures of this world.
* The sea is always spoken of as full of " inestimable stones, unvalued jewels."
There is a double meaning throughout. Sadvdhini, when applied to the sea, may mean
"beautiful rivers."
f Jdtarupd also means "having assumed a form," so that there is another pun
here. I read abhavan for abhavad, in accordance with a MS. lent mo from the Sanskrit
College.
BOOK VII.
CHAPTER XXXV.
May tbe head of Siva, studded with the nails of Gauri engaged in
playfully pulling his hair, and so appearing rich in many moons,* procure
you prosperity.
May the god of the elephant face,f who, stretching forth his trunk
wet with streaming ichor, curved at the extremity, seems to be bestowing
successes, protect you.
Thus the young son of the king of Vatsa, having married in Kau-
sambi Madanamanchuka, whom he loved as his life, remained living as he
chose, with his ministers Gomukha and others, having obtained his wish.
And once on a time, when the feast of spring had arrived, adorned
with the gushing notes of love-intoxicated cuckoos, in which the wind
from the Malaya mountain set in motion by force the dance of the creepers,
— the feast of spring delightful with the hum of bees, the prince went to
the garden with his ministers to amuse himself. After roaming about
there, his friend Tapantaka suddenly came with his eyes expanded with
delight, and stepping up to him, said — " Prince, I have seen not far from
here a wonderful maiden, who has descended from heaven and is standing
tinder an a£oka-iree, and that very maiden, who illumines the regions
with her beauty, advancing towards me with her friends, sent me here to
summon you." When Naravahana heard that, being eager to see her, he
went quickly with his ministers to the foot of the tree. He beheld there
that fair one, with her rolling eyes like bees, with her lips red like shoots,
beautiful with breasts firm as clusters, having her body yellow with the
* The cedille under the c of candra should be erased in Dr. Brockhaus's text,
t Ganesa, who bestows success or the reverse, and is invoked in all undertakings.
I read karan dundmbhasd.
320
dust of flowers, removing fatigue by her loveliness,* like the goddess of
the garden appearing in a visible shape suited to her deity. And the
prince approached the heavenly maiden, who bowed before him, and wel-
comed her, for his eyes were ravished with her beauty. Then his minister
Gomukha, after all had sat down, asked her, " Who are you, auspicious
one, and for what reason have you come here ?" "When she heard that,
she laid aside her modesty in obedience to the irresistible decree of Love,
and frequently stealing sidelong glances at the lotus of Naravahanadatta's
face with an eye that shed matchless affection, she began thus at length to
relate her own history.
There is a mountain-chain called
Story of Ratnaprabha.
Himavat, famous in the three worlds ;
it has many peaks, but one of its peaks is the mount of Siva which
is garlanded with the brightness of glittering jewels, and flashes with
gleaming snow, and like the expanse of the heaven, cannot be measured.
Its plateaux are the home of magic powers and of magic herbs, which dispel
old age, death, and fear, and are to be obtained by the favour of Siva.
With its peaks yellow with the brightness of the bodies of many Vidyadha-
ras, it transcends the glory of the peaks of Sumeru itself, the mighty hill
of the immortals.
On it there is a golden city called Kanchanasringa, which gleams re-
fulgent with brightness, like the palace of the Sun. It extends many
yojanas, and in it there lives a king of the Yidyadharas named Hemapra-
bha, who is a firm votary of the husband of Uma. And though he has
many wives, he has only one queen, whom he loves dearlj', named Alankarapra-
bha, as dear to him as liohini to the moon. With her the virtuous king
used to rise up in the morning and bathe, and worship duly Siva and his
wife Gauri, and then he would descend to the world of men, and give to
poor Brahmans every day a thousand gold-pieces mixed with jewels. And
then he returned from earth and attended to his kingly duties justly, and
then he ate and drank, abiding by his vow like a hermit. While days
elapsed in this way, melancholy arose once in the bosom of the king, caused
by his childlessness, but suggested by a passing occasion. And his beloved
queen Alankaraprabha, seeing that he was in very low spirits, asked him
the cause of his sadness. Then the king said to her — " I have all prosperi-
ty, but the one grief of childlessness afflicts me, O queen. And this melan-
choly has arisen in my breast on the occasion of calling to mind a tale,
which I heard long ago, of a virtuous man who had no son." Then the
queen said to him, " Of what nature was that tale ?" When asked this
question, the king told her the tale briefly in the following words ;
* The word also means " shade."
Story of SatlcaMla and the tico !,;.<- In tlie town of Chitrakuta there
*ttre*t was a king named Brahmanavara,
rightly named, for he was devoted to honouring Brahmans. He had a
victorious servant named Sattvasila who devoted himself exclusively to war,
and every month Sattvasila received a hundred gold-pieces from that king.
But as he was munificent, that gold was not enough for him, especially as
his childlessness made the pleasure of giving the sole pleasure to which he
was addicted. Sattvasila was continually reflecting — " The Disposer has
not given me a son to gladden me, but he has given me the vice of genero-
sity, and that too without wealth. It is better to be produced in the world
as an old barren tree or a stone, than as a poor man altogether abandoned
to the vice of giving away money. But once on a time Sattvasila, while
wandering in a garden, happened by luck to find a treasure : and with the
help of his servants he quickly brought home that hoard, which gleamed
with much gold and glittered with priceless stones. Out of that he pro-
vided himself with pleasures, and gave wealth to Brahmans, slaves, and
friends, and thus the virtuous man spent his life. Meanwhile his relations,
beholding this, guessed the secret, and went to the king's palace, and of
their own accord informed the king that Sattvasila had found a treasure.
Then Sattvasila was summoned by the king, and by order of the door-keeper
remained standing for a moment in a lonely part of the king's courtyard.
There, as he was scratching the earth with the hilt of a lildvajra* that was in
his hand, he found another large treasure in a copper vessel. It appeared like
his own heart, displayed openly for him by Destiny pleased with his virtue, in
order that he might propitiate the king with it. So he covered it up again
with earth as it was before, and when summoned by the door-keeper, enter-
ed the king's presence. When he had made his bow there, the king him-
self said, " I have come to learn that you have obtained a treasure, so
surrender it to me." And Sattvasila for his part answered him then and
there, " O king, tell me : shall I give you the first treasure I found, or
the one I found to-day." The king said to him — " Give the one recently
found." And thereupon Sattvasila went to a corner of the king's court-
yard, and gave him up the treasure. Then the king, being pleased with
the treasure, dismissed Sattvasila with these words — " Enjoy the first-found
treasure as you please." So Sattvasila returned to his house. There he
remained increasing the propriety of his name with gifts and enjoyments,
and so managing to dispel somehow or other the melancholy caused bv the
allUction of childlessness.
" Such is the story of Sattvasila, which I heard long ago, and because
I have recalled it to mind, I remain sorrowful through thinking over the
* I have no idea what this word lilurujnt means. Jt is Irunslatrd l>y
and Roth — tin fit- tin Dvitnirkcil 9Ut»ektnd*t ll'trkztmj.
41
fact that I have no son." When the queen Alankaraprabha was thus ad-
dressed by her husband Hemaprabha, the king of the Vidyadharaa, she
answered him, " It is true : Fortune does assist the brave in this way ; did
not Sattvasila, when in difficulties, obtain a second treasure ? So you too
will obtain your desire by the power of your courage, as an example of the
truth of this, hear the story of Vikramatunga."
There is a city called Patali-
Story of the brave Jcinci Vikramatunga. . , ,. . , . ,
putra, the ornament of the earth,
filled with various beautiful jewels, the colours of which are so disposed as
to form a perfect scale of colour. In that city there dwelt long ago a
brave king, named Vikramatunga, who in giving* never turned his back on
a suppliant, nor in fighting on an enemy. That king one day entered the
forest to hunt, and saw there a Brahman offering a sacrifice with vilwt
fruits. When he saw him, he was desirous to question him, but avoided
going near him, and went off to a great distance with his army in his ardour
for the chase. For a long time he sported with deer and lions, that rose up
and fell slain by his hand, as if with foes, and then he returned and beheld
the Brahman still intent on his sacrifice as before, and going up to him he
bowed before him, and asked him his name and the advantage he hoped to
derive from offering the vilva fruits. Then the Brahman blessed the king
and said to him, " I am a Brahman named Nagasarman, and hear the fruit
I hope from my sacrifice. When the god of Fire is pleased with this vilva
sacrifice, then vilva fruits of gold will come out of the fire-cavity. Then
the god of Fire will appear in bodily form and grant me a boon ; and so I
have spent much time in offering vilva fruits. But so little is my merit
that even now the god of Fire is not propitiated." When he said this, that
king of resolute valour answered him — " Then give me one vilva fruit that
I may offer it, and I will to-day, 0 Brahman, render the god of Fire propi-
tious to you." Then the Brahman said to the king, " How will you,
unchastened and impure, propitiate that god of Fire, who is not satisfied
with me, who remain thus faithful to my vow, and am chastened ?" When
the Brahman said this to him, the king said to him again, " Never mind, give
me a vilva fruit, and in a moment you shall behold a wonder." Then the
Brahman, full of curiosity, gave a vilva fruit to the king, and he then and
there meditated with soul of firm valour — " If thou art not satisiied with this
rilrn fruit, 0 god of Fire, then 1 will offer thee my own head," and thereupon
offered the fruit. And the seven-rayed god appeared from the sacrilieial
eavity, bringing the king a golden rilra fruit as the fruit of his tree of valour.
And the Fire-god, present in visible form, said to that king — " I am pleased
* Possibly there is a pun hc-ro : riant*, -iviiiu. :<ls.. m.-;tn> rutting.
f The fruit of the J5el, well-known to A n-1"- Indians.
with thy courage, so receive a boon, 0 king." When the magnanimous
king heard that, he bowed before him and said — " Grant this Brahman his
wish. What other boon do I require?" On hearing this speech of the
king's, the Fire-god was much pleased and said to him — " O king, this Brah-
man shall become a great lord of wealth, and thou also by my favour
shalt have the prosperity of thy treasury ever undiminished." When the
Fire-god had, in these words, bestowed the boon, the Brahman asked him
this question ; " Thou hast appeared swiftly to a king that acts according
to his own will, but not to me that am under vows : why is this, O revered
one ?" Then the Fire-god, the giver of boons, answered — " If I had not
granted him an interview, this king of fierce courage would have offered
his head in sacrifice to me. In this world successes quickly befall those of
fierce spirit, but they come slowly, 0 Brahman, to those of dull spirit like
thee." Thus spake the god of Fire, and vanished, and the Brahman N;iga-
sarman took leave of the king and in course of time became very rich.
But the king Vikramatunga, whose courage had been thus seen by his
dependents, returned amid their plaudits to his town of Pataliputra.
When the king was dwelling there, the warder S'atrunjaya entered
suddenly one day, and said secretly to him ; " There is standing at the door,
O king, a Brahman lad, who says his name is Dattasarman, he wishes to
make a representation to you in private." The king gave the order to intro-
duce him, and the lad was introduced, and after blessing the king, he
bowed before him, and sat down. And he made this representation — " King,
by a certain device of powder I know how to make always excellent gold
out of copper. For that device was shewn me by my spiritual teacher,
and I saw with my own eyes that he made gold by that device." When
the lad said this, the king ordered copper to be brought, and when it was
melted, the lad threw the powder upon it. But while the powder was
being thrown, an invisible Yaksha carried it off, and the king alone saw him,
having propitiated the god of Fire. And that copper did not turn into
gold, as the powder did not reach it ; thrice did the lad make the attempt
and thrice his labour was in vain. Then the king, first of brave men, took
the powder from the desponding lad, and himself threw it on the melted
copper ; when he threw the powder, the Yaksha did not intercept it, but
went away smiling. Accordingly the copper became gold by contact with
that powder. Then the boy, astonished, asked the king for an explanation,
and the king told him the incident of the Yaksha, just as he had seen it.
And having learned in this way the device of the powder from that lad,
the king made him marry a wife, and gave him all he wished, and having
his treasury prosperously filled by means of the gold prodm-i-d by that
device, he himself enjoyed great happiness together with his wives, and made
Br&hmans rich.
:J:i I
" Thus you see that the Lord grants their desires to men of fierce
courage, seeming to be either terrified or pleased by them. And who,
O king, is of more firm valour or more generous than you ? So S'iva, when
propitiated by you, will certainly give you a son ; do not sorrow." The
king Hemaprabha, when he heard this noble speech from the mouth of
queen Alankaraprabha, believed it and was pleased. And he considered
that his own heart, radiant with cheerfulness, indicated that he would
certainly obtain a son by propitiating S'iva. The next day after this,
he and his wife bathed and worshipped S'iva, and he gave 90 millions of
gold-pieces to the Brahmans, and without taking food he went through
ascetic practices in front of S'iva, determined that he would either leave the
body or propitiate the god, and continuing in asceticism, he praised the
giver of boons, the husband of the daughter of the mountain,* that
lightly gave away the sea of milk to his votary TJpamanyu, saying,
" Honour to thee, O husband of Gauri, who art the cause of the creation,
preservation, and destruction of the world, who dost assume the eight
special forms of ether and the rest.f Honour to thee, who sleepest on
the ever-expanded lotus of the heart, that art S'ambhu, the swan dwelling
in the pure Manasa lake.J Honour to thee, the exceeding marvellous
Moon, of divine brightness, pure, of watery substance, to be beheld by
those whose sins are put away ; to thee whose beloved is half thy body,§
and who nevertheless art supremely chaste. Honour to thee who didsfc
create the world by a wish, and art thyself the world."
When the king had praised S'iva in these words and fasted for three
nights, the god appeared to him in a dream, and spake as follows : " Rise
up, 0 king, there shall be born to thee a heroic son that shall uphold thy
race. And thou shalt also obtain by the favour of Gauri, a glorious
daughter who is destined to be the queen of that treasure-house of glory,
Naraviihanadatta, your future emperor." When S'iva had said this, he
disappeared, and Hemaprabha woke up, delighted, at the close of night.
And by telling his dream he gladdened his wife Alankaraprabha, who had
been told the same by Gauri in a dream, and dwelt on the agreement of
the two visions. And then the king rose up and bathed and worshipped
S'iva, and after giving gifts, broke his fast, and kept high festival.
Then, after some days had passed, the queen Alankaraprablm became
pregnant by that king, and delighted her beloved by her face redolent of
* Parvati or Durga, the wife of Siva.
t The others are the Sun, Fire, Water, Earth, Air, the Moon and the officiating
Brahman. For the latter is sometimes substituted pasfupati or lord of animals.
I Possibly it also means "the swan of the temple of the mind."
{ An allusion to the Arddhanansu form of S'iva.
t'y, with wildly rolling eyes, so that it resembled a pale lotus with bees
hovering round it. Then she gave birth in due time to a son, (whose noble
lineage was proclaimed by the elevated longings of her pregnancy,) as the
sky gives birth to the orb of day. As soon as he was born, the lying-in
chamber was illuminated by his might, and so was made red as vermilion.
And his father gave to that infant, that brought terror to the families of
his enemies, the name of Vajraprabha, that had been appointed for him by
a divine voice. Then the boy grew by degrees, being filled with accom-
plishments, and causing the exultation of his family, as the new moon fills
out with digits,* and causes the sea to rise.
Then, not long after, the queen of that king Hemaprabha again
became pregnant. And when she was pregnant, she sat upon a golden
throne, and became truly the jewel of the harem, adding special lustre to
her settings. And in a chariot, in the shape of a beautiful lotus, manu-
factured by help of magic science, she roamed about in the sky, since her
pregnant longings assumed that form. But when the due time came, a
daughter was born to that queen, whose birth by the favour of Gauri was
a sufficient guarantee of her loveliness. And this voice was then heard
from heaven — " She shall be the wife of Naravahanadatta" — which agreed
with the words of Siva's revelation. And the king was just as much
delighted at her birth as he was at that of his son, and gave her the name
of Ratnaprabha. And Ratnaprabha, adorned with her own science, grew
up in the house of her father, producing illumination in all the quarters of
the sky. Then the king made his son Vajraprabha, who had begun to
wear armour, take a wife, and appointed him crown-prince. And he devolved
on him the burden of the kingdom and remained at ease ; but still one
anxiety lingered in his heart, anxiety about the marriage of his daughter.
One day the king beheld that daughter, who was fit to be given away
in marriage, sitting near him, and said to the queen Alankaraprabha, who
was in his presence ; " Observe, queen, a daughter is a great misery in the
three worlds, even though she is the ornament of her family, a misery, alas !
even to the great. For this Ratnaprabha, though modest, learned, young
and beautiful, afflicts me because she has not obtained a husband." The
queen said to him — " She was proclaimed by the gods as the destined wife
of Naravahanadatta, our future emperor, why is she not given to him ?"
When the queen said this to him, the king answered : " In truth the
maiden is fortunate, that shall obtain him for a bridegroom. For he is an
incarnation of Kama upon earth, but he has not as yet attained his divine
nature : therefore I am now waiting for his attainment of superhuman
knowledge. "f While he was thus speaking, Ratnaprabha, by means of those
* Kola = digit of the moon and also accomplishment,
t The vidyd of the Vidyadhanis. 1 mid pratikshyate.
326
accents of her father, which entered her ear like the words of the bewilder-
ing spell of the god of love, became as if bewildered, as if possessed, as if
asleep, as if in a picture, and her heart was captivated by that bridegroom.
Then with difficulty she took a respectful leave of her parents, and went to
her own private apartments, and managed at length to get to sleep at the
end of the night. Then the goddess Gauri, being full of pity for her, gave
her this command in a dream ; " To-morrow, my daughter, is an auspicious
day ; so thou must go to the city of Kausambi and see thy future husband,
and thence thy father, 0 auspicious one, will himself bring thee and him
into this his city, and celebrate your marriage." So in the morning, when
she woke up, she told that dream to her mother. Then her mother gave
her leave to go, and she, knowing by her superhuman knowledge that her
bridegroom was in the garden, set out from her own city to visit him.
" Thou knowest, 0 my husband, that I am that Ratnaprabha, arrived
to-day in a moment, full of impatience, and you all know the sequel."
When he heard this speech of hers, that in sweetness exceeded nectar, and
beheld the body of the Vidyadhari that was ambrosia to the eyes, Narava-
hanadatta in his heart blamed the Creator, saying to himself — " Why did
he not make me all eye and ear ?" And he said to her — " Fortunate am I ;
my birth and life has obtained its fruit, in that I, 0 beautiful one, have
been thus visited by thee out of affection !" When they had thus exchanged
the protestations of new love, suddenly the army of the Vidyadharas was
beheld there in the heaven. Ratnaprabha said immediately, " Here is my
father come," and the king Hemaprabha descended from heaven with his
son. And with his son Vajraprabha he approached that Naravahanadatta,
who gave him a courteous welcome. And while they stood for a moment
paying one another the customary compliments, the king of Vatsa, who
had heard of it, came with his ministers. Aud then that Hemaprabha
told the king, after he had performed towards him the rites of hospitality,
the whole story exactly as it had been related by Ratnaprabha, and said,
" I knew by the power of my supernatural knowledge that my daughter
had come here, and I am aware of all that has happened in this place.*
* * # * #
For he will afterwards possess such an imperial chariot. Pray consent, and
then thou shalt behold in a short time thy son, the prince, returned here,
united to his wife Ratnaprabha." After he had addressed this prayer to the
king of Vatsa, and he had consented to his wish, that Hemaprabha, with
his son, prepared that chariot by his own magic skill, and made Naravahana-
datta ascend it, together with Ratnaprabha, whose face was cast down from
modesty, followed by Gomukha and the others, and Yaugandharu yaua, who
Here Professor Brockhaus supposes a hiatus.
was also deputed to accompany him by his father, and thus Hemaprabha
took him to his own capital, Kanchanas'ringaka.
And Naravahanadatta, when he reached that city of his father-in-law,
saw that it was all of gold, gleaming with golden ramparts, embraced, as it
were, on all sides with rays issuing out like shoots, and so stretching forth
innumerable arms in eagerness of love for that son-in-law. There the king
Hemaprabha, of high emprise, gave Ratnaprabha with due ceremonies to
him, as the sea gave Lakshmi to Vishnu. And he gave him glittering
heaps of jewels, gleaming like innumerable wedding fires lighted.* And in
the city of that festive prince, who was showering wealth, even the houses,
being draped with flags, appeared as if they had received changes of raiment.
And Naravahanadatta, having performed the auspicious ceremony of mar-
riage, remained there enjoying heavenly pleasures with Ratnaprabha. And he
amused himself by looking in her company at beautiful temples of the gods
in gardens and lakes, having ascended with her the heaven by the might of
her science.
So, after he had lived some days with his wife in the city of the king
of the Vidyadharas, the son of the king of Vatsa determined, in accordance
with the advice of Yaugandharayana, to return to his own city. Then his
mother-in-law performed for him the auspicious ceremonies previous to
starting, and his father-in-law again honoured him and his minister, and
then he set out with Hemaprabha and his son, accompanied by his beloved,
having again ascended that chariot. He soon arrived, like a stream of
nectar to the eyes of his mother, and entered his city with Hemaprabba
and his son and his own followers, bringing with him his wife, who made
the king of Vatsa rejoice exceedingly with delight at beholding her. The
king of Vatsa of exalted fortune, with Vasavadatta, welcomed that son,
who bowed at his feet with his wife, and honoured Hemaprabha his new
connexion, as well as his son, in a manner conformable to his own dignity.
Then, after that king of the Vidyadharas, Hemaprabha, had taken leave
of the lord of Vatsa and his family, and had flown up into the heaven and
gone to his own city, that Naravahanadatta, together with Ratnaprabha
;ind Madanamanchuka, spent that day in happiness surrounded by his
friends.
• Cp. this with the "jewel-lamps" on pp. 189 and 305, and the luminous car-
buncle in Gesta Romanorum, CVII. Sir Thomas Browne, in his Vulgar En IT.-,
Book II, chapter 5, says, " Whether a carbuncle doth flame in the dark, or shine like
a coal in the night, though generally agreed on by common believers, i* very much
questioned by many."
328
CHAPTER XXXVI.
When that Naravahanadatta had thus obtained a new and lovely bride
of the Vidyadhara race, and was the next day with her in her house, there
came in the morning to the door, to visit him, his ministers Gomukha and
others. They were stopped for a moment at the door by the female
warder, and announced within ; then they entered and were courteously re-
ceived, and Katnaprabha said to the warder, " The door must not again be
closed against the entrance of my husband's friends, for they are as dear to me
as my own body. And I do not think that this is the way to guard female
apartments." After she had addressed the female warder in these words,
she said in turn to her husband, " My husband, I am going to say some-
thing which occurs to me, so listen. I consider that the strict seclusion of
women is a mere social custom, or rather folly produced by jealousy. It is
of no use whatever. Women of good family are guarded by their own
virtue, as their only chamberlain. But even God himself can scarcely
guard the unchaste. Who can restrain a furious river and a passionate
woman ? And now listen, I will tell you a story."
Story of king Rahiddhipati and the There is here a great island in
white elephant S'vetaras'mi. the midst of the sea, named Itatna-
kuta. In it there lived in old times a king of great courage, a devoted
worshipper of Vishnu, rightly named Ratmidhipati.* That king, in order
to obtain the conquest of the earth, and all kings' daughters as his wives,
went through a severe penance, to propitiate Vishnu. The adorable one,
pleased with his penance, appeared in bodily form, and thus commanded
him — " Rise up, king, I am pleased with thee, so I tell thee this — listen !
There is in the land of Kalinga a Gandharva, who has become a white
elephant bjr the curse of a hermit, and is known by the name of SVeta-
rasmi. On account of the asceticism he performed in a former life, and on
account of his devotion to me, that elephant is supernaturally wise, and
possesses the power of flying through the sky, and of remembering his
former birth. And I have ^iven an order to that great elephant, in
accordance with which lie will come of himself through the air. and }•(•<•
thy beast of burden. That white elephant thou must mount, as the
vvielder of the thunderbolt mounts the elephant of the gods.f and whatever
king thou shalt travel through the air to visit, in fear shall bestow on thee,
who art of god-like presence, tribute in the form of a daughter, for I will
i. e. supreme lord of jewels.
i. /. a.s Indni mounts Aimviita.
3*9
myself command him to do so in a dream. Thus thou shalfc conquer the
whole earth, and all zenanas, and thou shalt obtain eighty thousand
princesses." When Vishnu had said this, he disappeared, and the king
broke his fast, and the next day he beheld that elephant, which had coma
to him through the air. And when the elephant had thus placed himself
at the king's disposal, he mounted him, as he had been bidden to do by
Vishnu, and in this manner he conquered the earth, and carried off the daugh-
ters of kings. And then the king dwelt there in Ratnakuta with those
wives, eighty thousand in number, amusing himself as he pleased. And in
order to propitiate SVetarasmi, that celestial elephant, he fed every day five
hundred Brahmans.
Now once on a time the king Ratnadhipati mounted that elephant,
and, after roaming through the other islands, returned to his own island.
And as he was descending from the sky, it came to pass that a bird of the
race of Garuda struck that excellent elephant with his beak. And the bird
fled, when the king struck him with the sharp elephant-hook, but the ele-
phant fell on the ground stunned by the blow of the bird's beak. The
king got off his back, but the elephant, though he recovered his senses,
was not able to rise up in spite of the efforts made to raise him, and ceased eat-
ing. For five days the elephant remained in the same place, where it had
fallen, and the king was grieved and took no food, and prayed as follows :
" Oh guardians of the world, teach me some remedy in this difficulty ;
otherwise I will cut off my own head and offer it to you." When he had said
this, he drew his sword and was preparing to cut off his head, when imme-
diately a bodiless voice thus addressed him from the sky — " 0 king do
nothing rash ; if some chaste woman touches this elephant with her hand, it
will rise up, but not otherwise." When the king heard that, he was glad,
and summoned his own carefully guarded chief queen, Amritalata. Wlien
the elephant did not rise up, though she touched it with her hand, the
king had all his other wives summoned. But though they all touched the
elephant in succession, he did not rise up ; the fact was, not one among
them was chaste. Then the king, having beheld all those eighty thousand
wives openly humiliated in the presence of men, being himself abaslvd,
summoned all the women of his capital, and made them touch the ele-
phant one after another. And when in spite of it the elephant did not
rise up, the king was ashamed, because there was not a single chaste
woman in his city.
And in the meanwhile a merchant named Harshagupta, who had
arrived from Tamralipti,* having heard of that event, came there full of
* The modern Tamluk. The district probably comprised the small but fertile
tract of country lying to the westward of tho llughli rivw, from Durdwan and Kulu.'t
42
330
curiosity. And in his train there came a servant of the name of S'ilavati,
•who was devoted to her husband ; when she saw what had taken place, she
said to him — " I will touch this elephant with my hand : and if I have not
even thought in my mind of any other man than my hushand, may it rise
up." No sooner had she said this, than she came up and touched the
elephant with her hand, whereupon it rose up in sound health and began
to eat.* But when the people saw the elephant SVetarasmi rise up, they
raised a shout and praised S'ilavati, saying — " Such are these chaste women,
few and far between, who, like Siva, are able to create, preserve and destroy
this world." The king Ratnadhipati also was pleased, and congratulated
the chaste S'ilavati, and loaded her with innumerable jewels, and he also
honoured her master, the merchant Harshagupta, and gave him a house
near his own palace. And he determined to avoid all communication
with his own wives, and ordered that henceforth they should have nothing
but food and raiment.
Then the king, after he had taken his food, sent for the chaste S'ila-
vati, and said to her at a private interview in the presence of Harshagupta,
" S'ilavati, if you have any maiden of your father's family, give her to me,
for I know she will certainly be like you." When the king said this to
her, S'ilavati answered — " I have a sister in Tamralipti narnqd Eajadatta ;
marry her, O king, if you wish, for she is of distinguished beauty." When
she said this to the king, he consented and said, " So be it," and having
determined on taking this step, he mounted, with S'ilavati and Harshagupta,
the elephant S'vetarasmi, that could fly though the air, and going in person
to Tamralipti, entered the house of that merchant Harshagupta. There he
asked the astrologers that very day, what would be a favourable time
for him to be married to Eajadatta, the sister of S'ilavati. And the
astrologers, having enquired under what stars both of them were born,
said, " A favourable conjuncture will come for you, 0 king, in three
months from this time. But if you marry Rajadatta in the present
position of the constellations, she will without fail prove unchaste."
Though the astrologers gave him this response, the king, being eager for
a charming wife, and impatient of dwelling long alone, thus reflected —
" Away with scruples ! I will marry Rajadatta here this very day. For
she is the sister of the blameless S'ilavati and will never prove unchaste.
And I will place her in that uninhabited island in the middle of thr
sea, where there is one empty palace, and in that inaccessible spot I will
on the north, to the banks of the Kosai river on the south. (Cunningham's Ancient
Geography of India, p. 604.)
* In the 115th tale of the Gesta Romanorum we read that two dusti
were able to lull to sleep and kill an elephant, that no one else eould approach.
331
surround her with a guard of women ; so bow can she become unchaste,
as she can never see men ?" Having formed this determination, the king
that very day rashly married that Rajadatta, whom S'ilavati bestowed upon,
him. And after he had married her, and had been received with the cus-
tomary rites by Harshagupta, he took that wife, and with her and S'ilavati,
he mounted SVetarasmi, and then in a moment went through the air to the
land of Ratnakuta, where the people were anxiously expecting him. And
he rewarded S'ilavati again so munificently, that she attained all her wishes,
having reaped the fruit of her vow of chastity. Then he mounted his new
wife Rajadatta on that same air-travelling elephant SVetarasmi, and con-
veyed her carefully, and placed her in the empty palace in the island in the
midst of the sea, inaccessible to man, with a retinue of women only. And
whatever article she required, he conveyed there through the air on that
elephant, so great was his distrust. And being devotedly attached to her,
he always spent the night there, but came to Ratnakiita in the day to trans-
act his regal duties. Now one morning the king, in order to counteract
an inauspicious dream, indulged with that Rajadatta in a drinking-bout
for good luck. And though his wife, being intoxicated with that banquet,
did not wish to let him go, he left her, and departed to Ratnakiita to trans-
act his business, for the royal dignity is an ever-exacting wife. There he
remained performing his duties with anxious mind, which seemed ever to
ask him, why he left his wife there in a state of intoxication ? And in the
meanwhile Rajadatta, remaining alone in that inaccessible place, the female
servants being occupied in culinary and other duties, saw a certain man
come in at the door, like Fate determined to baffle all expedients for guard-
ing her, and his arrival filled her with astonishment. And that intoxicated
woman asked him when he approached her, " Who are you, and how have
you come to this inaccessible place ?" Then that man, who had endured
many hardships, answered her —
Fair one, I am a merchant's
Story of Yavanasena. <• -»*- .1 ' -, ir
son or Mathura named xavanasena.
And when my father died, I was left helpless, and my relations took from
me my property, so I went to a foreign country, and resorted to the miser-
able condition of being servant to another man. Then I with difficulty
scraped together a little wealth by trading, and as I was going to another
land, I was plundered by robbers who met me on the way. Then I wander-
ed about as a beggar, and, with some other men like myself, I went to a
mine of jewels called Kanakakshetra. There I engaged to pay the king his
share, and after digging up the earth in a trench for a whole year, I did
not find a single jewel. So, while the other men my fellows were rejoicing
over the jewels they had found, smitten with grief I retired to the shore of
the sea, and began to collect fuel.
332
And while I was constructing with the fuel a funeral pyre, in order
that I might enter the flame, a certain merchant named Jivadatta happened
to come there ; that merciful man dissuaded me from suicide, and gave me
food, and as he was preparing to go in a ship to Svarnadvipa he took me
on board with him. Then, as we were sailing along in the midst of the
ocean, after five days had passed, we suddenly beheld a cloud. The cloud
discharged its rain in large drops, and that vessel was whirled round by
the wind like the head of a mast elephant. Immediately the ship sank,
but as fate would have it, I caught hold of a plank, just as I was sinking.
I mounted on it, and thereupon the thunder-cloud relaxed its fury, and,
conducted by destiny, I reached this country ; and have just landed in the
forest. And seeing this palace, I entered, and I beheld here thee, 0 auspi-
cious one, a rain of nectar to my eyes, dispelling pain.
When he had said this, Kajadatta maddened with love and wine, placed
him on a couch and embraced him. Where there are these five fires, femi-
nine nature, intoxication, privacy, the obtaining of a man, and absence of
restraint, what chance for the stubble of character ? So true is it, that a
woman maddened by the god of Love is incapable of discrimination ; since
this queen became enamoured of that loathsome castaway. In the mean-
\vliile the king Katnadhipati, being anxious, came swiftly from Batnakiita,
borne along on the sky-going elephant ; and entering his palace he beheld
his wife Rajadatta in the arms of that creature. When the king saw the
man, though he felt tempted to slay him, he slew him not, because he fell at
his feet, and uttered piteous supplications. And beholding his wife terri-
fied, and at the same time intoxicated, he reflected, " How can a woman
that is addicted to wine, the chief ally of lust, be chaste ? A lascivious
woQian cannot be restrained even by being guarded. Can one fetter a
whirlwind with one's arms ? This is the fruit of my not heeding the pre-
diction of the astrologers. To whom is not the scorning of wise words bitter
in its after-taste ? When I thought that she was the sister of Silavati, I
forgot that the Kalakuta poison was twin-born with the amrita* Or
rather who is able, even by doing the utmost of a man, to overcome the in-
calculable freaks of marvellously working Destiny." Thus reflecting, the
king was not wroth with any one, and spared the merchant's son, her para-
mour, after asking him the story of his life. The merchant's son, when
dismissed thence, seeing no other expedient, went out and beheld a ship
coming, far off in the sea. Then he again mounted that plank, and drift-
ing about in the sea, cried out, puffing and blowing, " Save me ! Save me !'
So a merchant, of the name of Krodhavarman, who was on that ship, drew
that merchant's son out of the water, and made him his companion.
Whatever deed is appointed by the Disposer to be the destruction of any
• Both were produced at the churning of the ocean.
333
man, dogs his stops whithersoever he runneth. For this fool, when on the
ship, was discovered by his deliverer secretly associating with his wife, and
thereupon was cast by him into the sea and perished.
In the meanwhile the king llatnadhipati caused the queen Rajadatta
with her retinue to mount SVetaras*mi, without allowing himself to be
an^ry, and he carried her to liatnakuta, and delivered her to S'ilavati, and
related that occurrence to her and his ministers. And he exclaimed,
" Alas ! How much pain have I endured, whose mind has been devoted to
these unsubstantial insipid enjoyments. Therefore I will go to the for-
est, and take Hari as my refuge, in order that I may never again be a
vessel of such woes." Thus he spake, and though his sorrowing ministers
and S'ilavati endeavoured to prevent him, he, being disgusted with the world,
would not abandon his intention. Then, being indifferent to enjoy-
ments, he first gave half of his treasure to the virtuous S'ilavati, and the
other half to the Brahmans, and then that king made over in the prescribed
form his kingdom to a Brahman of great excellence, named Papabhanjana.
And after he had given away his kingdom, he ordered S'vetarasmi to be
brought, with the object of retiring to a grove of asceticism, his subjects
looking on with tearful eyes. No sooner was the elephant brought, than it
left the body, and became a man of god-like appearance, adorned with
necklace and bracelet. When the king asked him who he was, and what
was the meaning of all this, he answered :
" We were two Gandharva brothers, living on the Malaya mountain :
I was called Somaprabha, and the eldest was Devaprabha. And my brother
had but one wife, but she was very dear to him. Her name was Kajavati.
One day he was wandering about with her in his arms, and happened to
arrive, with me in his company, at a place called the dwelling of the Siddhas.
There we both worshipped Vishnu in his temple, and began all of us to sing
before the adorable one. In the meanwhile a Siddha came there, and
stood regarding with fixed gaze llajavati, who was singing songs well worth
hearing. And my brother, who was jealous, said in his wrath to that
Siddha ; ' Why dost thou, although a Siddha, cast a longing look at
another's wife ?' Then the Siddha was moved with anger, and said to him
by way of a curse — ' Fool, I was looking at her out of interest in her
song, not out of desire. So fall thou, jealous one, into a mortal womb
together with her ; and then behold with thy own eyes thy wife in the
embraces of another.' When he had said this, I, being enraged at the
curse, struck him, out of childish recklessness, with a white toy elephant of
clay, that I had in my hand. Then he cursed me in the following words —
" Be born again on the earth as an elephant, like that with which you have
just struck me." Then being merciful, that Siddha allowed himself to be
propitiated by that brother of mine Devaprabha, and appointed for us both
38 1
the following termination of the curse ; " Though a mortal thou shalt
become, by the favour of Vishnu, the lord of an island, and shalt obtain
as thy servant this thy younger brother, who will have become an elephant,
a beast of burden fit for gods. Thou shalt obtain eighty thousand wives,
and thou shalt come to learn the unchastity of them all in the presence of
men. Then thou shalt marry this thy present wife, who will have become
a woman, and shalt see her with thy own eyes embracing another. Then
thou shalt become sick in thy heart of the world, and shalt bestow thy
realm on a Brahman, but when after doing this thou shalt set out to go to
a forest of ascetics, thy younger brother shall first be released from
his elephant nature, and thou also with thy wife shalt be delivered from
thy curse.' This was the termination of the curse appointed for us by
the Siddha, and we were accordingly born with different lots, on account
of the difference of our actions in that previous state, and lo ! the end of
our curse has now arrived." When Somaprabha had said this, that king
Eatnadhipati remembered his former birth, and said — " True ! I am that
very Devaprabha; and this Rajadatta, is my former wife Rajavati."
Having said this, he, together with his wife, abandoned the body. In a
moment they all became Gandharvas, and, in the sight of men, flew up
into the air, and went to their own home, the Malaya mountain. S'ilavati
too, through the nobleness of her character, obtained prosperity, and going
to the city of Tamralipti, remained in the practice of virtue.
" So true is it, that in no case can any one guard a woman by force in
this world, but the young woman of good family is ever protected by the
pure restraint of her own chastity. And thus the passion of jealousy is
merely a purposeless cause of suffering, annoying others, and so far from
being a protection to women, it rather excites in them excessive longing."
"When Naravahanadatta had heard this tale full of good sense related by
his wife, he and his ministers were highly pleased.
CHAPTER XXXVII.
Then Naravahanadatta's minister Gomukha said to him, by way of
capping the tale, which had been told by Ratnaprabha : " It is true that
chaste women are few and far between, but unchaste women are never to
be trusted j in illustration of this, hear the following story."
There is in this land a town of
tta' the name of Ujjayim, famous
throughout the world : in it there lived of old time a merchant's son, named
335
Nischayadatta. He was a gambler and had acquired money by gambling,
and every day tbe generous man used to batbe in the water of the Sipra,
and worship Mahakala:* his custom was first to give money to the Er;ih-
mans, the poor, and the helpless, and then to anoint himself and indulge
in food and betel.
Every day, when he had finished his bathing and his worship, he used to go
and anoint himself in a cemetery near the temple of Mahakala, with sandal-
wood and other things. And the young man placed the unguent on a stone
pillar that stood there, and so anointed himself every day alone, rubbin"1 his
back against it. In that way the pillar eventually became very smooth and
polished. Then there came that way a draughtsman with a sculptor ; the first,
seeing that the pillar was very smooth, drew on it a figure of Gauri, and the
sculptor with his chisel in pure sport carved it on the stone. Then, after
they had departed, a certain daughter of the Vidyadharas came there to
worship Mahakala, and saw that image of Gauri on the stone. From the
clearness of the image she inferred the proximity of the goddess, and,
after worshipping, she entered that stone pillar to rest. In the mean-
while Nischayadatta, the merchant's son, came there, and to his astonish-
ment beheld that figure of UmS carved on the stone. He first anointed his
limbs, and then placing the unguent on another part of the stone, began to
anoint his back by rubbing it against the stone. When the rolling-eyed
Vidyadhara maiden inside the pillar saw that, her heart being captivated
by his beauty, she reflected — " What ! has this handsome man no one to
anoint his back ? Then I will now rub his back for him." Thus the
Vidyadhari reflected, and, stretching forth her hand- from inside the pillar,
she anointed his back then and there out of affection. Immediately the
merchant's son felt the touch, and heard the jingling of the bracelet, and
caught hold of her hand with his. And the Vidyadhari, invisible as she
was, said to him from the pillar — " Noble sir, what harm have I done you ?
let go my hand." Then Nischayadatta answered her — " Appear before me,
and say who you are, then I will let go your hand." Then the Vidyadhari
affirmed with an oath — " I will appear before your eyes, and tell you all."
So he let go her hand. Then she came out visibly from the pillar, beautiful
in every limb, and sitting down, with her eyes fixed on his face, said to him,
" There is a city called Pushkaravatif on a peak of the Himalayas, in
it there lives a king named Vindhyapara. I am his maiden daughter, named
Anuragapara. I came to worship Mahakdla, and rested here to-day. And
thereupon you came here, and were beheld by me anointing your back on
* A famous linga of S'iva in Ujjiiyini.
t Perhaps the Pushkalavati described by General Cunningham in his Ancient
Geography of India, p. 49.
336
this pillar, resembling the stupefying weapon of the god of love. Then
first my heart was charmed with affection for you, and afterwards my hand
was smeared with your unguent, as I rubbed your back.* The sequel you
know. So I will now go to my father's house."
When she said this to the merchant's son, he answered — " Fair one,
I have not recovered my soul which you have taken captive ; how can you
thus depart, without letting go the soul which you have taken possession
of ?" When he said this to her, she was immediately overcome with love,
and said — " I will marry you, if you come to my city. It is not hard for
you to reach ; your endeavour will be sure to succeed. For nothing in this
world is difficult to the enterprising." Having said this, Anuragaparu
flew up into the air and departed ; and Nischayadatta returned home with
mind fixed upon her. Recollecting the hand that was protruded from the
pillar, like a shoot from the trunk of a tree, he thought — " Alas ! though
I seized her hand I did not win it for my own. Therefore I will go to the
city of Pushkaravati to visit her, and either I shall lose my life, or Fate will
come to my aid." So musing, he passed that day there in an agony of love,
and he set out from that place early the next morning, making for the north.
As he journeyed, three other merchants' sons, who were travelling towards
the north, associated themselves with him as companions. In company with
them he travelled through cities, villages, forests, and rivers, and at last
reached the northern region abounding in barbarians.
There he and his companions were found on the way by some T;ijikas,
who took them and sold them to another Tajika. He sent them in the care
of his servants as a present to a Turushka, named Muravara. Then those
servants took him and the other three, and hearing that Muravara was
dead, they delivered them to his son. The son of Muravara thought —
" These men have been sent me as a present by my father's friend, so I must
send them to him to-morrow by throwing them into his grave."f Accord-
ingly the Turuskha fettered Nischayadatta and his three friends with strong
chains, that they might be kept till the morning. Then, while they were
remaining in chains at night, Nischayadatta said to his three friends, the
merchant's sons, who were afflicted with dread of death — " What will you
gain by despondency ? Maintain steadfast resolution. For calamities
depart far away from the resolute, as if terrified at them. Think on the
peerless adorable Durga, that deliverer from calamity."
* There is a studied ambiguity in all these words, the usual play on affection and
oil being kept up. A marginal correction in a Sanskrit College MS. 1. nt to me, gives
liriilinimn. The text has rdnjitnm . sthdthaviin. The lattcris &voxniJii!i. P.roeKl'
text may be explained My hand full of my heart was steeped in ail', rtiun I'm- \ mi.
t For "fuiu ml human sacrifice for the service of the dead," see Tylur's Primitive
Culture, pp. 413—422.
337
Thus encouraging them, he devoutly worshipped that goddess Durga:
" Hail to thee, 0 goddess ! I worship thy feet that are stained with a red dye,
as if it were the clotted gore of the trampled Asura clinging to them.
Thou, as the all-ruling power of Siva, dost govern the three worlds, and
inspired by thee they live and move. Thou didst deliver the worlds, O
slayer of the Asura Mahisha. Deliver me that crave thy protection,
O thou cherisher of thy votaries." In these and similar words he
and his companions duly worshipped the goddess, and then they all fell
asleep, being weary. And the goddess Durga in a dream commanded Nis-
chayadatta and his companions — " Rise up, my children, depart, for your
'fetters are loosed." Then they woke up at night, and saw that their fet-
ters had fallen off of themselves, and after relating to one another their
dream, they departed thence delighted. And after they had gone a long
journey, the night came to an end, and then those merchant's sons,
who had gone through such terrors, said to Nischayadatta ; " Enough of
this quarter of the world infested with barbarians ! We will go to the Deccan,
friend, but do you do as you desire." — When they said this to him, he dis-
missed them to go where they would, and set out alone vigorously on his
journey, making towards that very northern quarter, drawn by the noose of
love for Anuragapara, flinging aside fear. As he went along, he fell in, in
course of time, with four Pasupata ascetics, and reached and crossed the
river Vitasta. And after crossing it, he took food, and as the sun was
kissing the western mountain, he entered with them a forest that lay in
their path. And there some woodmen, that met them, said to them:
" Whither are you going, now that the day is over. There is no village in.
front of you : but there is an empty temple of S'iva in this wood. Who-
ever remains there during the night inside or outside, falls a prey to a Yak-
shini, who bewilders him, making horns grow on his forehead, and then
treats him as a victim, and devours him." Those four Pasupata ascetics,
who were travelling together, though they heard this, said to Nischayadat-
ta, " Come along ! what can that miserable Yakshini do to us ? For we
have remained many nights in various cemeteries." When they said this,
he went with them, and finding an empty temple of S'iva, he entered it
with 'them to pass the night there. In the court of that temple the bold
Nischayadatta and the Pasupata ascetics quickly made a great circle with
ashes, and entering into it, they lighted a fire with fuel, and all remained
there, muttering a charm to protect themselves.
Then at night there came there dancing the Yakshini S'ringotpaclini,*
playing from afar on her lute of bones, and when she came near, she fixed
her eye on one of the four Pasupata ascetics, and recited a charm, as she
* »'. f. Producer of horns.
43
338
danced outside the circle. That charm produced horns on him,* and be-
wildered he rose up, and danced till he fell into the blazing fire. And when he
had fallen, the Yakshini dragged him half -burnt out of the fire, and de-
voured him with delight. Then she fixed her eye on the second Pasupata
ascetic, and in the same way recited the horn-producing charm and danced.
The second one also had horns produced by that charm, and was made to
dance, and falling into the fire, was dragged out and devoured before the
eyes of the others. In this way the Yakshini maddened one after another
at night the four ascetics, and after horns had been produced on them, de-
voured them. But while she was devouring the fourth, it came to pass
that, being intoxicated with flesh and blood, she laid her lute down on the
ground. Thereupon the bold Nischayadatta rose up quickly, and seized
the lute, and began to play on it, and dancing round with a laugh, to
recite that horn-producing charm, which he had learnt from hearing it
often, fixing at the same time his eye on the face of the Yakshini. By
the operation of the charm she was confused, and dreading death, as horns
were just about to sprout on her forehead, she flung herself prostrate,
and thus entreated him ; " Valiant man, do not slay me, a helpless woman.
I now implore your protection, stop the recital of the charm, and the
accompanying movements. Spare me ! I know all your story, and will
bring about your wish ; I will carry you to the place, where Anuragapara
is." The bold Nischayadatta, when thus confidingly addressed by her,
consented, and stopped the recital of the charm, and the accompanying
movements. Then, at the request of the Yakshini, he mounted on her back,
and being carried by her through the air, he went to find his beloved, f
And when the night came to an end, they had reached a mountain
wood ; there the Guhyaki bowing thus addressed Nischayadatta ; " Now
that the sun has risen, I have no power to go up wards, J so spend this day
in this charming wood, my lord ; eat sweet fruits and drink the clear
water of the brooks. I go to my own place, and I will return at the -ap-
proach of night ; and then I will take you to the city of Pushkaravati,
* Cp. the 31st talc in Signora von Gonzenbach's Sicilianische Marchen, (p. 209)
where the black figs produce horns. There is also in the same story a pipe that compels
all that hear its sound to dance. See Dr. Reinhold Kohler's notes on the tale : also
Grimm's No. 110 and his notes in his third volume. Cp. also Veckenstedt's Wendische
Sagen, p. 65. See also Ralston' s Russian Folk-Tales, p. 283 : Bernhard Schmidt's
Gricchische Marchen, No. 20, and Liebrecht, Zur Volkskunde, p. 484.
t Cp. Grimm's Marchen, No. 193. The parallel between Grimm's story and that
of Vidushaka in Chapter 18 is still more striking.
J This idea, which is met with so frequently in this work, is found in China also.
See Giles's Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio, Vol. I, p. 177, where Miss Li, who
is a devil, hears the cock crow and vanishes.
sag
the crown of the Himalayas, and into the presence of Anuragapara."
Having said this, the Yakshini with his permission set him down from
her shoulder, and departed to return again according to her promise.
When she had gone, Nischayadatta beheld a deep lake, transparent
and cool, but tainted with poison, lit up by the sun, that stretching forth the
fingers of its rays, revealed it as an example illustrative of the nature of
the heart of a passionate woman. He knew by the smell that it was tayit-
ed with poison, and left it, after necessary ablutions, and being afflicted
with thirst he roamed all over that heavenly mountain in search of water.
And as he was wandering about, he saw on a lofty place what seemed to be
two rubies glittering, and he dug up the ground there.
And after he had removed the earth, he saw there the head of a
living monkey, and his eyes like two rubies. While he was indulging his
wonder, thinking what this could be, that monkey thus addressed him with
human voice ; " I am a man, a Brahman transformed into a monkey, release
me, and then I will tell you all my story, excellent sir." As soon as he
heard this, he removed the earth, marvelling, and drew the ape out of the
ground. When Nischayadatta had drawn out the ape, it fell at his feet,
and continued, — " You have given me life by rescuing me from calamity.
So come, since you are weary, take fruit and water, and by your favour
I also will break my long fast. Having said this, the liberated monkey
took him to the bank of a mountain-torrent some distance off, where there
were delicious fruits, and shady trees. There he bathed and took fruit
and water, and coming back, he said to the monkey who had broken his
fast — " Tell me how you have become a monkey, being really a man."
Then that monkey said, " Listen, I will tell you now."
In the city of Varanasi there is
Start/ of So»iasvd»iin. ,, . -r, ,, , ~.
an excellent Brahman named Chan-
drasvamin, I am his son by his virtuous wife, my friend. And my father gave
me the name of Somasvamin. In course of time it came to pass that I
mounted the fierce elephant of love, which infatuation makes uncontrollable.
When I was at this stage of my life, the youthful Bandhudatta, the
daughter of the merchant SVigarbha, an inhabitant of that city, and the
wife of the great merchant of Mathura Varahadatta, who was dwelling in
her father's house, beheld me one day, as she was looking out of the
window. She was enamoured of me on beholding me, and after enquiring
my name, she sent a confidential female friend to me, desiring an interview,
Her friend came up secretly to me who was blind with love, and, after
telling her friend's desire, took me to her house. There she placed me,
and then went and brought secretly Bandhudatta, whose eagerness mad •
her disregard shame. And no sooner was she brought, than she threw her
arms round my neck, for excessive love in women is your only hero for
340
daring. Thus every day Bandhudatta came at will from her father's house,
and sported with me in the house of her female friend.
Now one day the great merchant, her husband, came from Mathura
to take her back to his own house, as she had been long absent. Then
Bandhudatta, as her father ordered her to go, and her husband was eager
to take her away, secretly made a second request to her friend. She said
" I am certainly going to be taken by my husband to the city of Mathura, and
I cannot live there separated from Somasvainin. So tell me what resource
there is left to me in this matter." When she said this, her friend Sukha-
saya, who was a witch, answered her, " I know two spells ;* by reciting one
of them a man can be in a moment made an ape, if a string is fastened
round his neck, and by the second, if the string is loosed, he will imme-
diately become a man again ; and while he is an ape his intelligence is not
diminished. So if you like, fair one, you can keep your lover Somasvamin •
for I will turn him into an ape on the spot, then take him with you to
Mathura as a pet animal. And I will shew you how to use the two spells, so
that you can turn him, when near you, into the shape of a monkey, and when
you are in a secret place, make him once more a beloved man." When her
friend had told her this, Bandhudatta consented, and sending for me in secret,
told me that matter in the most loving tone. I consented, and immediately
Sukhasaya fastened a thread on my neck and recited the spell, and made
me a young monkey. And in that shape Bandhudatta brought and shewed
me to her husband, and she said — " A friend of mine gave me this animal
to play with." And he was delighted when he saw me in her arms as a
plaything, and I, though a monkey, retained my intelligence, and the
power of articulate speech. And I remained there, saying to myself with
inward laughter — " Wonderful are the actions of women." For whom
does not love beguile ? The next day Bandhudatta, having been taught
that spell by her friend, set out from her father's house to go to Mathura
with her husband. And the husband of Bandhudatta, wishing to please her,
had me carried on the back of one of his servants during the journey. So
the servant and I and the rest went along, and in two or three days reached
a wood, that lay in our way, which was perilous from abounding in monkc-vs.
Then the monkeys, beholding me, attacked me in troops on all sides,
quickly calling to one another with shrill cries. And the irrepressible apes
came and began to bite that merchant's servant, on whose back I was
sitting. He was terrified at that, and flung me off his back on to the
ground, and fled for fear, so the monkeys got hold of me then and there.
* Cp. Weckenstedt's Wendische Sagon, pp. 256 and 394. See also No. CXXIX
in Giles's Strange Stories from a Chinese SStudio, Vol. II, p. 265, the title of which
is " Making of Animals."
341
And Bandhudatta, out of love for me, and her husband and his servants,
attacked the apes with stones and sticks, but were not able to get the
better of them. Then those monkeys, as if enraged with my evil actions,
pulled off with their teeth and nails every hair from every one of my limbs,
as I lay there bewildered. At last, by the virtue of the string on my
neck, and by thinking on Siva, I managed to recover my strength, and
getting loose from them, I ran away. And entering into the depths of
the wood, I got out of their sight, and gradually, roaming from forest
to forest, I reached this wood. And while I was wandering about here in
the rainy season, blind with the darkness of grief, saying to myself, " How
is it that even in this life adultery has produced for thee the fruit of trans-
formation into the shape of a monkey, and thou hast lost Bandhu-
datta?" Destiny, not yet sated with tormenting me, inflicted on me another
•woe, for a female elephant suddenly came upon me, and seizing me with
her trunk flung me into the mud of an ant-hill that had been saturated
with rain. I know it must have been some divinity instigated by Destiny,
for, though I exerted myself to the utmost, I could not get out of that
mud. And while it was drying up,* not only did I not die, but knowledge
was produced in me, while I thought continually upon S'iva. And all the
while I never felt hunger nor thirst, my friend, until to-day you drew me
out of this trap of dry mud. And though I have gained knowledge, I do
not even now possess power sufficient to set myself free from this monkey
nature. But when some witch unties the thread on my neck, reciting at
the same time the appropriate spell, then I shall once more become a man.
"This is my story, but tell me now, my friend, how you came to
this inaccessible wood, and why." When Nischayadatta was thus reques-
ted by the Brahman Somasvamin, he told him his story, how he came
from Ujjayini on account of a Vidyadhari, and how he was conveyed at
night by a Yakshini, whom he had subdued by his presence of mind. Then
the wise Somasvamin, who wore the form of a monkey, having heard that
wonderful story, went on to say ; " You, like myself, have suffered great
woe for the sake of a female. But females, like prosperous circumstances,
are never faithful to any one in this world. Like the evening, they dis-
play a short-lived glow of passion, their hearts are crooked like the chan-
nels of rivers, like snakes they are not to be relied on, like lightning they
are fickle. So, that Anuragapara, though she may be enamoured of you for a
time, when she finds a paramour of her own race, will be disgusted with you,
who are only a mortal. So desist now from this effort for the sake of a
female, which you will find like the fruit of the Colocynth, bitter in its
* Pandit S'yama Charana Mukhopaclhyaya conjectures ds'oxhyaindnc. This I
adopt unhesitatingly.
542
after-taste. Do not go, my friend, to Pushkaravati, the city of the Vidya-
dharas, but ascend the back of the Yakshinl and return to your owa
Ujjayini. Do what I tell you, my friend ; formerly in my passion I did
not heed the voice of a friend, and I am suffering for it at this very
moment. For when I was in love with Bandhudatta, a Brahman named
Bhavasarman, who was a very dear friend of mine, said this to me in order
to dissuade me ; — ' Do not put yourself in the power of a female, the heart
of a female is a tangled maze ; in proof of it I will tell you what happened
to me — listen !'"
In this very country, in the city
Story of Bhavas'arman.
of Varanasi, there lived a young and
beautiful Brahman woman named Somada, who was unchaste and secretly a
•witch. And as destiny would have it, I had secret interviews with her,
and in the course of our intimacy my love for her increased. One day I wil-
fully struck her in the fury of jealousy, and the cruel woman bore it
patiently, concealing her anger for the time. The next day she fastened
a string round my neck, as if in loving sport, and I was immediately turn-
ed into a domesticated ox. Then I, thus transformed into an ox, was sold
by her, on receiving the required price, to a man who lived by keeping
domesticated camels. When he placed a load upon me, a witch there,
named Bandhamochanika, beholding me sore burdened, was filled with
pity.* She knew by her supernatural knowledge that I had been made an
animal by Somada, and when my proprietor was not looking, she loosed
the string from my neck. So I returned to the form of a man, and
that master of mine immediately looked round, and thinking that I had
escaped, wandered all about the country in search of me. And as I was
going away from that place with Bandhamochini, it happened that Somada
came that way and beheld me at a distance. She, burning with rage, said
to Bandhamochini, who possessed supernatural knowledge, — " Why did you
deliver this villain from his bestial transformation ? Curses on you ! wick-
ed woman, you shall reap the fruit of this evil deed. To-morrow morning
I will slay you, together with this villain." When she had gone after
saying this, that skilful sorceress Bandhamochini, in order to repel her
assault, gave me the following instructions — " She will come to-morrow
morning in the form of a black mare to slay me, and I shall then assume
the form of a bay mare. And when we have begun to fight, you must
come behind this Somada, sword in hand, and resolutely strike her. In this
way we will slay her ; so come to-morrow morning to my house." After
saying this, she pointed out to me her house. When she had entered it,
• Cp. Sagas from the Far East, p. 35. This story very closely resembles that of
Sidi Noman in the Arabian Nights, and the Goldm Ass <>t A
348
I wont homo, having endured more than one birth in this very life. And
in the morning I went to the house of Bandhamochini, sword in hand.
Then Somada caine there, in the form of a black mare.* And Bandha-
mochini, for her part, assumed the form of a bay mare ; and then they
fought with their teeth and heels, biting and kicking. Then I struck that
vile witch Somada a blow with my sword, and she was slain by Bandha-
mochini. Then I was freed from fear, and having escaped the calamity
of bestial transformation, I never again allowed my mind to entertain the
idea of associating with wicked women. Women generally have these
three faults, terrible to the three worlds, flightiness, recklessness, and a love
for the congregation of witches. So why do you run after Bandhudatta,
who is a friend of witches ? Since she does not love her husband, how is
it possible that she can love you ?
" Though my friend Bhavasarman gave me this advice, I did not do
what he told me ; and so I am reduced to this state. So I give you this
counsel ; do not suffer hardship to win Anuragapara, for when she obtains
a lover of her own race, she will of a surety desert you. A woman ever
desires fresh men, as a female humble bee wanders from flower to flower ;
so you will suffer regret some day, like me, my friend." This speech of
Somasvamin, who had been transformed into a monkey, did not penetrate
the heart of Nischayadatta, for it was full of passion. And he said to
that monkey ; " She will not be unfaithful to me, for she is born of the
pure race of the Vidyadharas." Whilst they were thus conversing, the
sun, red with the hues of evening, went to the mountain of setting, as
if wishing to please Nischayadatta. Then the night arrived, as the har-
binger of the Yakshini S'ringotpadini, and she herself came soon after-
wards. And Nischayadatta mounted on her back, and went off to go to
his beloved, taking leave of the ape, who begged that he might ever be
remembered by him. And at midnight he reached that oity of Pushkara-
vati, which was situated on the Himalayas, and belonged to the king of the
Vidyadharas, the father of Anuragapara. At that very moment Anuraga-
para, having known by her power of his arrival, came out from that city
to meet him. Then the Yakshini put down Nischayadatta from her
shoulder, and pointing out to him Anuragapara, said — " Here comes your
beloved, like a second moon giving a feast to your eyes in the night,
so now I will depart," and bowing before him, she went her way.
Then Anuragapara, full of the excitement produced by expectation, went
up to her beloved, and welcomed him with embraces and other signs of
* Compare Lane's Arabian Nights, Vol. I, pp. 156, 157, also Campbell's Tales from
the Western Highlands, Vol. II, p. 422, and Sagas from the Far East, p. 4. This part
of the story comes under Mr. Baring-Gould's Magical Conflict root. (See his Story
Radicals in the appendix to Henderson's Folklore of the Northern Cuiuitk-s.)
•'] 14
love. He too embraced her, and now that he Lad obtained the joy of
meeting her after enduring many hardships, he could not be contained in
his own body, and as it were entered hers. So Anuragapara was made his
wife by the Gandharva ceremony of marriage, and she immediately by her
magic skill created a city. In that city, which was outside the metropolis,
he dwelt with her, without her parents suspecting it, as their eyes were
blinded by her skill. And when, on her questioning him, he told her those
strange and painful adventures of his journey, she respected him much, and
bestowed on him all the enjoyments that heart could wish.
Then Nischayadatta told that Vidyadhari the strange story of Somas-
vamin, who had been transformed into a monkey, and said to her, " If
this friend of mine could by any endeavour on your part be freed from his
monkey condition, then my beloved, you would have done a good deed."
When he told her this, Anuragapara said to him — " This is in the way of
witches' spells, but it is not our province. Nevertheless I will accomplish
this desire of yours, by asking a friend of mine, a skilful witch named
JBhadrarupa. When the merchant's son heard that, he was delighted,
and said to that beloved of his — " So come and see my friend, let us go to
visit him." She consented, and the next day, carried in her lap, Nischaya-
datta went through the air to the wood, which was the residence of his
friend. When he saw his friend there in monkey form, he went up to him
with his wife, who bowed before him, and asked after his welfare. And
the monkey Somasvamin welcomed him, saying — " It is well with me to-day,
in that I have beheld you united to Anuragapara," and he gave his
blessing to Nischayadatta's wife. Then all three sat down on a charming
slab of rock there, and held a conversation* about his story, the various
adventures of that ape, previously discussed by Nischayadatta with his
beloved. Then Nischayadatta took leave of that monkey, and went to the
house of his belowd, flying up into the air, carried by her in her arms.
And the next day he again said to that Anuragapara, " Come, let us
go for a moment to visit that ape our friend ;" then she said to him — " Go
to-day yourself, receive from me the science of flying up, and also that of
descending." When she had said this to him, he took those two sciences,
and flew through the air to his friend the ape. And as he remained long
conversing with him, Anuragapara went out of the house into the garden.
While she was seated there, a certain Vidyadhara youth, who was wander-
ing at will through the air, came there. The Vidyadhara, knowing by his
art that she was a Vidy;idhari who had a mortal husband, the moment he
beheld her, was overpowered with a paroxysm of love, and approached her.
And she, with face bent on the ground, beheld that he was handsome and
* I adopt kfitnm the reading of a MS. lent mo from the Sanskrit College. I
should put a comma after aldpam, as that word is used in the masculine.
attractive, and slowly asked him out of curiosity, who he was and whence
he came. Then he answered her, " Know, fair one, that I am a Vidyadhara,
by name liagabhanjana, distinguished for my knowledge of the sciences of
the Vidyadbaras. The moment I beheld you, O gazelle-eyed one, I was
suddenly overpowered by love, and made your slave, so cease to honour,
O goddess, a mortal, whose abode is the earth, and favour me, your equal,
before your father 6nds out your intrigue." When he said this, the fickle-
hearted one, looking timidly at him with a sidelong glance, thought — " Here
is a fit match for me." When he had thus ascertained her wishes, he
made her his wife : when two are of one mind, what more does secret
love require ?
Then Nischayadatta arrived from the presence of Somasvamin, after
that Vidhyadhara had departed. And when he came, Anuragapara, having
lost her love for him, did not embrace him, giving as an excuse that she
had a headache. But the simple-minded man, bewildered by love, not see-
ing through her excuse, thought that her pain was due to illness and spent
the day in that belief. But the next day, he again went in low spirits to
see his friend the ape, flying through the air by the force of the two scien-
ces he possessed. When he had gone, Anuragapara's Vidyadhara lover re-
turned to her, having spent a sleepless night without her. And embracing
round the neck her, who was eager for his arrival owing to having been
separated during the night, he was at length overcome by sleep. She by
the power of her science concealed her lover, who lay asleep in her lap, and
weary with having kept awake all night, went to sleep herself. In the
meanwhile Nischayadatta came to the ape, and his friend, welcoming him,
asked him — " Why do I seem to see you in low spirits to-day ? Tell me."
Then Nischayadatta said to that ape, " Anuragapara is exceedingly ill, my
friend ; for that reason I am grieved, for she is dearer to me than life."
Then that ape, who possessed supernatural knowledge, said to him — " Go,
take her in your arms asleep as she is, and flying through the air by the
help of the science she bestowed, bring her to me, in order that I may this
very day shew you a great marvel." When Nischayadatta heard this, he
went through the air and lightly took up that sleeping fair, but he did not
see that Vidyadhara, who was asleep in her lap, and had been previously
made invisible by the power of her science. And flying up into the air,
he quickly brought Anuragapara to that ape. That ape, who possessed
divine insight, immediately shewed him a charm, by which he was able to
behold the Vidyadhara clinging to her neck. When he saw this, he
exclaimed — " Alas ! what does this mean ?" And the ape, who was able to
discern the truth, told him the whole story. Then Nischayadatta fell into
a passion, and the Vidyadhara, who was the lover of his wife, woke up, and
flying up into the air, disappeared. Then Anuragapani woke up, and see-
44
346
ing that her secret was revealed, stood with face cast down through shame.
Then Nischayadatta said to her with eyes gushing with tears — " Wicked
female, how could you thus deceive me who reposed confidence in you ?
Although a device is known in this world for fixing that exceedingly fickle
metal quicksilver, no expedient is known for fixing the heart of a woman."'
While he was saying this, Anuragapara, at a loss for an answer, and weep-
ing, slowly soared up into the air, and went to her own home.
Then Nischayadatta's friend, the ape, said to him — " That you are
grieved is the fruit of the fierce fire of passion, in that you ran after this
fair one, though I tried to dissuade you. For what reliance can be placed
on fickle fortunes and fickle women ? So cease your regret. Be patient
now. For even the Disposer himself cannot o'erstep destiny." When
Kischayadatta heard this speech from the ape, he flung aside that delusion
of grief, and abandoning passion, fled to S^iva as his refuge. Then, as he
was remaining in that wood with his friend the ape, it happened that a
female hermit of the name of Mokshada came near him. She seeing him
bowing before her, proceeded to ask him — " How comes this strange thing
to pass that, though a man, you have struck up a friendship with this ape ?"
Then he related to her his own melancholy story and afterwards the sad
tale of his friend, and thereupon thus said to her ; " If you, reverend
lady, know any incantation or spell by which it can be done, immediate-
ly release this excellent Brahman, my friend, from his ape-transforma-
tion." When she heard that, she consented, and employing a spell, she
loosed the string from his neck, and Somasvamin abandoned that monkey
form and became a man as before. Then she disappeared like lightning,
clothed with celestial brightness, and in time Nischayadatta and the
Brahman Somasvamin, having performed many austerities, attained final
beatitude.
" Thus fair ones, naturally fickle, bring about a series of evil actions
which produce true discernment, and aversion to the world. But here and
there you will find a virtuous one among them, who adorns a glorious fami-
ly, as the streak of the moon the broad sky."
When Xaraviihanadatta, accompanied by Ratnaprabha, heard this won-
derful tale from the mouth of Gomukha, he was highly pleased.
CHAPTER XXXVIII.
Then Marubhuti, perceiving that Naravjihanadatta was pleased with
the talc of (Jomukha, in order to rival him, said, " Women are generally
3 17
fickle, but not always, for even keloercB are seen to be rich in good qualities,
much more others; in proof of this, king, hear this famous tale."
Story of king Vikramdditya and the There was in Pataliputra a king
Jieiara. named Vikramaditya ; he had two
cherished friends the king Hayapati,* and the king Gajapati,f who had
large armies of horse and elephants. And that proud sovereign had a
mighty enemy named Narasinha£ the lord of Pratishthana, a king who
had a large force of infantry. Being angry with that enemy, and puffed
upon account of the power of his allies, Vikramaditya rashly mad* th is
vow — " I will so completely conquer that king, the lord of men, that the
heralds and bards shall proclaim him at the door as my slave." Having
made this vow, he summoned those allies, Hayapati and Gajapati, and accom-
panied with a large force, shaking the earth with elephants and ho
marched with them to make a fierce attack on the lord of men, Narasinha.
When he arrived near Pratishthana, Narasinha, the lord of men, put
on his armour and went out to meet him. Then there took place between
the two kings a battle that excited wonder, in which footmen fought with
elephants and horses. And at last the army of Vikramaditj-a was routed
by the forces of Narasinha, the lord of men, which contained many crores
of footmen. And Vikramaditya, being routed, fled to his city Pataliputra,
and his two allies fled to their own countries. And Narasinha, the lord of
men, entered his own city Pratishthana, accompanied by heralds who praised
his might.
Then Vikramaditya, not having gained his end, thought — " Well ! as
that enemy is not to be conquered by arms, I will conquer him by policy ;
let some blame me if they like, but let not my oath be made void." Thus
reflecting, he entrusted his kingdom to suitable ministers, and secretly went
out of the city with one chief minister, named Buddhivara, and with
five hundred well-born and brave Rajputs and in the disguise of a candidate
for service, § went to Pratishthana, the city of his enemy. There he
entered the splendid mansion of a beautiful lietcera named Madanam;il,i,
that resembled the palace of a king. It seemed to invite him with the
silk of its banners, hoisted on the pinnacles of high ramparts, the points of
which waved to and fro in the soft breeze. It was guarded at the principal
entrance, the east door, day and night, by twenty thousand footmen,
equipped with all kinds of weapons. At each of the other three doors, look-
ing towards the other cardinal points, it was defended by ten thousand
* I. e, lord of horses.
t /. e. lord of elephants.
% I. c. Man-lion.
§ Kiti-^atika ; for the use of this word sec chapters lil, C<j and 81 of this work.
348
warriors ever on the qui vive. In such guise the king entered, proclaimed
by the warders, the enclosure of the palace, which was divided into seven
zones. In one zone it was adorned with many long lines of horses. In
another the path was impeded by dense troops of elephants. In another
it was surrounded with an imposing array of dense weapons. In another
it was resplendent with many treasure-houses, that gleamed with the flash
of jewels. In another a circle was always formed by a dense crowd of
attendants. In another it was full of the noise of many bards reciting
aloudf, and in another resounding with the sound of drums beaten in concert.
Beholding all these sights the king at last reached, with his retinue, the
splendid edifice in which Madanamala dwelt. She having heard with great
interest from her attendants that, as he passed through the zones, the
horses and other creatures were cured of their wounds,* thought that he
must be some great one in disguise, and so she went to meet him, and
bowed before him with love and curiosity, and bringing him in, seated him
on a throne fit for a king. The king's heart was ravished by her beauty,
gracefulness and courtesy, and he saluted her without revealing who he was.
Then Madanamala honoured that king with costly baths, flowers, perfumes,
garments and ornaments. And she gave daily subsistence to those followers
of his, and feasted him and his minister with all kinds of viands. And
she spent the day with him in drinking, and other diversions, and surrender-
ed herself to him, having fallen in love with him at first sight. Vikrama-
ditya, being thus entertained by her, day by day, continued, though in
disguise, to live in a style suited to an emperor. And whatever and how-
muchsoever wealth he was in the habit of giving to suppliants, Madana-
mala gladly furnished him with from her own store. And she thought
her body and wealth well employed, while enjoyed by him, and she
remained averse to gain and to other men. For out of love to him she
even kept off by stratagems Narasinha, the king of that land, who came
there being enamoured of her.
While the king was being waited on in this fashion by Madanamala,
he one day said in secret to his minister Buddhivara, who accompanied him,
" A hettera desires wealth, and not even if she feels love, does she become
attached without it, for when Providence framed suitors, he bestowed greed
on these women. But this Madanamala, though her wealth is being con-
sumed by me, through her great love is not estranged from me, on tin-
contrary she delights in me. So how can I now make her a recompense,
in order that my vow may in course of time be fully accomplished ?" When
* I follow sakutam the reading of the MS in the Sanskrit College. So tin
wounds of Sir Urre of Hungary were healed, as soon as they wero handled by the
valiant Sir Launcelot (La Mort d' Arthure, Vol. Ill, p. 270).
319
the minister Buddhivara heard this, he said to the king ; " If this be so,
give her some of those priceless jewels which the mendicant Prapancha-
buddhi gave you." When the king heard that, he answered him, " If I
were to give them all to her, I should not have made her a recompense
worth speaking of ; but I can free myself from obligation in another way,
which is connected also with the story of that mendicant." When the
minister heard this, he said — " King, why did that mendicant court you ?
Tell me his story." When his minister Buddhivara preferred this request,
the king said, "Listen : I will tell you his story."
Story of king Vikramdditya and the Long, ago a mendicant named
treacherous mendicant. Prapanchabuddhi used to enter my
hall of audience in Pataliputra every day and give me a box. For a whole
year I gave these boxes, just as they were, unopened into the hand of my
treasurer. One day, one of those boxes presented by the mendicant by
chance fell from my hand on to the ground, and burst open. And a great
jewel fell out of it, glittering like fire, and it appeared as if it were the
mendicant's heart which I had not discerned before, revealed by him.
When I saw that, I took it, and I had those other boxes brought which he
had presented to me, and opened them, and took a jewel out of every one
of them. Then in astonishment I asked Prapanchabuddhi — " Why do you
court me with such splendid jewels ?" Then that mendicant took me aside,
and said to me — " On the fourteenth day of the black fortnight now
approaching I have to perform a certain incantation at night-fall, in a
cemetery outside this town. I desire you, my hero, to come and take
part in that enterprise, for success is easily obtained, when the obstacles
to it are swept away by the aid of a hero." When the mendicant said
this to me, I agreed. So he went off delighted, and in a few days
the fourteenth night of the black fortnight came, and I remembered
the speech of that ascetic.* Then I performed my daily observances,
and waited for the night, and after I had recited the evening prayer,
it happened that I rapidly fell asleep. Then the adorable Hari, who
is compassionate to his votaries, appeared to me in a dream, mounted
on Garuda, with his breast marked with a lotus, and thus command-
ed me — " My son, this Prapanchabuddhif is rightly named, for he will
inveigle you into the cemetery to take part in the incantation of the
circle, J and will offer you up as a victim. So do not do what ho
* Here the word S'raniana is used, which generally means — "Buddhist ascetic."
t /. e. deceitful -minded.
J Cp. the story of Phalabhuti in the 20th Taranga. I may here mention that
Liebrecht points out a striking parallel to the story of Fu!0entius, (with which I have
compared that of Phalabhuti,) in the Nugo; Curuilium of Giuiltcrus M;ipcs : (Zur
Volkskundo, p. 38).
350
tells you to do with the object of slaying you, but say to him — ' You do ifc
first, and when I have learned the way, I will do it.' Then, as he is shew-
ing you the way, take advantage of the opportunity, and slay him imme-
diately, and you will acquire the power that he desires to obtain." When
Vishnu had said this, he disappeared, and I woke up and thought — " By the
favour of Hari I have detected that magician, and this day I must slay him."
Having thus reflected, when the first watch of the night was gone, I went,
sword in hand, alone to that cemetery. There I beheld that mendicant,
who had performed the ceremony of the circle incantation, and when the
treacherous fellow saw me, he welcomed me, and said, " Kiug, close your
eyes, and fall at full length on the ground with your face downwards, and
in this way both of us will attain our ends." Then I answered him — " Do
it yourself first. Shew me how to do it, and, after I have learned, I will do
precisely as you do." When the mendicant heard that, like a fool, he fell
on the earth, and I cut off his head with a stroke of my sword. Then a
voice was heard from the air — " Bravo, king ! By offering up to-day this
rascally mendicant thou hast obtained the power of going through
the air, which he wished to obtain. I, the god of wealth, that move about
at will, am pleased with thy courage. So, ask me for another boon,
-whatever thou mayest desire." After saying this, he manifested himself, and
I, bowing before him, said, — " When I shall supplicate thee, adorable one,
thou shalt appear on my thinking of thee, and grant me a suitable boon."
The god of wealth said — " So be it" — and disappeared. And having
obtained magic power, I went back quickly to my own palace. Thus I
have told you my adventure, so by means of that boon of Kuvera I must
now recompense Madanamala. And you must now go back to Pataliputra,
taking with you my disguised Eajpiit retinue, and I, as soon as I have in a
novel way recompensed my beloved, will immediately go there, with the
intention of returning here." Having said this, and having performed his
daily duties, the king dismissed his minister with his retinue. He said,
" So be it" and departed, and the king spent that night with Madanamala,
anxious about his approaching separation. She too, embracing him
frequently, because her heart seemed to tell her that he was going to a
distance, did not sleep all that night.
In the morning the king, having performed all his necessary duties,
entered a chapel for the daily worship of the gods, on the pretence of
repeating prayers. And there the god of wealth appeared before him on
his thinking of him, and bowing before him the king craved that boon
formerly promised, in the following words — " 0 god, give me here to-day
in accordance with that boon, which you promised me, live great indestruc-
tible golden figures of men, such that, though their limbs may be continually
cut off for any desired use, those very limbs will gruw again, exactly as
851
before." The god of wealth said, " Even so ; be there unto thee five such
figures as thou desirest !" Having said this, he immediately disappeared.
And the king immediately beheld those five great golden figures of men
suddenly standing in the chapel ; then he went out delighted, and not
forgetting his promise, he flew up into the air and went to his city of
Pataliputra. There he was welcomed by his ministers, and the citizens
and his wives, and he remained engaged in his kingly duties, while his heart
was far away in Pratishthana. In the meanwhile, in Pratishthana, that
beloved of his entered that chapel to see her love, who had entered it long
before. And when she entered, she did not perceive that beloved king
anywhere, but she beheld five gigantic golden figures of men. When she
saw them, and did not find him, she reflected in her grief — " Surely that
love of mine was some Vidyadhara or Gandharva, who bestowed upon me
these men and flew away up to heaven.
" So what am I to do with these figures, which are all a mere burden,
now that I am deprived of him?" Thus reflecting she asked her servants
over and over again for news of him, and went out and roamed all about
her domain. And she found no satisfaction anywhere, either in the palaces,
the gardens, the chambers or other places, but she kept lamenting, grieved
at being separated from her lover, ready to abandon the body.
Her attendants tried to comfort her, saying, " Do not despair, mistress,
for he is some god roaming about at will, and when he pleases, he will
return to you, fair one." With such hope-inspiring words did they at
length so far console her that she made this vow — " If in six months he
does not grant me to behold him, I will give away all my property and
enter the fire." With this promise she fortified herself, and remained
every day giving alms, thinking on that beloved of hers. And one day,
she cut off both the arms of one of those golden men, and gave them to
the Brahmans, being intent on charity only. And the next day she per-
ceived with astonishment that both arms had grown again, exactly as
they were before. Then she proceeded to cut off the arms of the others,
to give them away, and the arms of all of them grew again as they were
before. Then she saw that they were indestructible, and every day she
cut off the arms of the figures and gave them to studious Brahmans, accord-
ing to the number of the Vedas they had read.
And in a few days a Brahman, named Sangramadatta, having heard
the fame of her bounty, which was spread abroad in every direction, came from
Pataliputra. He being poor, but acquainted with four Vedas, and endowed
with virtues, entered into her presence desiring a gift, being announced by the
door-keepers. She gave him as many arms of the golden figures as he
knew Vedas, after bowing before him with limbs emaciated with her vow
and pale with separation from her beloved. Then the Brahman, having
352
heard from her sorrow- stricken attendants the whole of her story, ending in
that very terrihle vow, was delighted, but at the same time despondent,
and loading two camels with those golden arms went to his native city,
Pataliputra. Then that Brahman, thinking that his gold would not he safe
there, unless guarded by the king, entered the king's presence and said to
him, while he was sitting in the hall of judgment ; " Here I am, O great
king, a Brahman who am an inhabitant of thy town. I, being poor, and
desiring wealth, went to the southern clime, and arrived at a city named
Pratishthana, belonging to king Narasinha. There, being desirous of a
donation, I went to the house of Madanamala, a lietasra of distinguished
fame. For "with her there lived long some divine being, who departed
somewhere or other, after giving her five indestructible figures of men.
Then the high-spirited woman became afflicted at his departure, and con-
sidering life to be poison-agony, and the body, that fruitless accumulation
of delusion, to be merely a punishment for thieving, lost her patience, and
being with difficulty consoled by her attendants made this vow — •" If in
the space of sis months he does not visit me, I must enter the fire, my
soul being smitten by adversity." Having made this vow she, being
resolved on death, and desiring to perform good actions, gives away every
day very large gifts. And I beheld her, king, with tottering feet, conspicu-
ous for the beauty of her person, though it was thin from fasting ; with hand
moistened with the *vater of giving, surrounded with maids like clustering
bees, sorely afflicted, looking like the incarnation of the mast condition of
the elephant of love.* And I think that lover who deserts her, and causes
by his absence that fair one to abandon the body, deserves blame, indeed
deserves death. She to-day gave to me, who know the four Vedas, four
golden arms of human figures, according to right usage, proportioning her
gift to the number of my Vedas. So I wish to purify my house with
sacrifice, and to follow a life of religion here ; therefore let the king grant
me protection."
The king Vikramaditya, hearing this tidings of his beloved from the
mouth of the Brahman, had his mind suddenly turned towards her. And
he commanded his door-keeper to do what the Brahman wished, and think-
ing how constant was the affection of his mistress, who valued her life as
stubble, and in his impatience supposing that she would be able to assist
him in accomplishing his vow, and remembering that the time fixed for her
abandoning the body had almost arrived, he quickly committed his king-
dom to the care of his ministers, and flying through the air reached Pra-
* Here there is an elaborate pun — kara means hand and also proboscis — idna giving
and the ichor that exudes from the temples of a mast elephant. '* Surround, d with
clustering bees" may also mean, " surrounded with handmaids whose consolations
worried her."
8B8
tislitbaua, and entered the house of his beloved. There he beheld his
beloved, with raiment pellucid like the moonlight, having given her wealth
away to Pandits,* attenuated like a digit of the moon at the time of its
change. Madanamala, for her part, on beholding him arrived unexpectedly,
the quintessence of n,ectar to her eyes, was for a moment like one amazed.
Then she embraced him, and threw round his neck the noose of her arms,
as if fearing that he would escape again. And she said to him with a
voice, the accents of which were choked with tears, " Cruel one, why did
you depart and forsake my innocent self ?" The king said, " Come, I will
tell you in private," and went inside with her, welcomed by her atten-
dants. There he revealed to her who he was, and described his circum-
stances, • how he came there to conquer king Narasinha by an artifice, and
how, after slaying Prapanchabuddhi, he acquired the power of flying in the
air, and how he was enabled to reward her by a boon that he obtained from
the lord of wealth, and how, hearing tidings of her from a Brahman, he
had returned there. Having told the whole story beginning with the sub-
ject of his vow, he again said to her — " So my beloved, that king Nara-
sinha, being very mighty, is not to be conquered by armies, and he contended
with me in single combat, but I did not slay him, for I possess the power
of flying in the air, and he can only go on the earth, for who, that is a
true Kshatriya, would desire to conquer in an unfair combat ? The object
of my vow is, that that king may be announced by the heralds as waiting
at the door ; do you assist me in that."
When the hetoera heard this, she said, " I am honoured by your
request," and summoning her heralds she said to them — •" When the king
Narasinha shall come to my house, you must stand near the door with
attentive eyes, and while he is entering, you must say again and again —
" King, prince Narasinha is loyal and devoted to thee." And when he looks
up and asks — " Who is here ?" — you must immediately say to him — •
" Vikramaditya is here." After giving them these orders, she dismissed
them, and then she said to the female warder — " You must not pi'event king
Narasinha from entering here." After issuing these orders, Madanamala
remained in a state of supreme felicity, having regained the lord of her lii'e,
and gave away her wealth fearlessly.
Then king Narasinha, having heard of that profuse liberality of hers,
which was due to her possession of the golden figures, though he had given
her up, came to visit her house. And while he entered, not being forbid-
den by the warder, all the heralds shouted in a loud voice, beginning at the
outer door, " King, prince Narasinha is submissive and devoted." When,
that sovereign heard that, he was angry and alarmed, and when he asked
who was there, and found out that king Vikramaditya was there, he waited
* The word vibudha also means gods — and the gods feed on the uioon.
45
Sf54
a moment and went through the following reflections ; " So this king has
forced his way into my kingdom, and carried out the vow he made long ago,
that I should be announced at his door. In truth this king is a man of
might, since he has thus beaten me to-day. And I must not slay him by
force, since he has come alone to a house in my dominions. So I had better
enter now." Having thus reflected, king Narasinha entered, announced
by all the heralds. And king Vikramaditya, on beholding him enter
with a smile on his face, rose up also with smiling countenance and
embraced him. Then those two kings sat down and enquired after one
another's welfare, while Madanamala stood by their side.
And in the course of conversation Narasinha asked Vikramaditya
where he had obtained those golden figures. Then Vikramaditya told
him the whole of that strange adventure of his, how he had slain the
base ascetic, and acquired the power of flying through the air, and how,
by virtue of the boon of the god of wealth, he had obtained five inde-
structible gigantic golden figures. Then king Narasinha chose that
king for his friend, discovering that he was of great might, that he possess-
ed the power of flying, and that he had a good heart. And having made
him his friend, he welcomed him with the prescribed rites of hospitality,
and taking him to his own palace, he entertained him with all the attentions
paid to himself. And king Vikramaditya, after having been thus hon-
oured, was dismissed by him, and returned to the house of MadanamaUi.
Then Vikramaditya, having accomplished his difficult vow by his courage
and intelligence, determined to go to his own city. And Madanamala,
being unable to remain separated from him, was eager to accompany him,
and with the intention of abandoning her native land, she bestowed her
dwelling upon the Brahmans. Then Vikramaditya, the moon of kings,
went with her, whose mind was exclusively fixed on him, to his own city
of Pataliputra, followed by her elephants, horses, and footmen. There he
remained in happiness, (accompanied by Madanamala, who had abandoned
her own country for his love,) having formed an alliance with king Xara-
sinha.
" Thus, king, even hetcerae are occasionally of noble character and
as faithful to kings as their own wives, much more then matrons of high
birth." On hearing this noble tale from the mouth of Marubhuti, the king
Naravahanadatta, and his new wife liatnaprabha sprung from the glorious
race of the Vidyadharas, were much delighted.
355
CHAPTER XXXIX.
When Marubhuti had told this story there, the commander-in-chief
Harisikha said in the presence of Naravahanadatta — " It is true, good
women value nothing more than their husbands, and in proof of it, listen
now to this still more wonderful tale."
Story of S'ringabhw and the daughter There is a city on the earth
of the Edkshasa. named Vardhamana, and in it there
dwelt a king named Virabhuja, chief of righteous men. And though he
had a hundred wives, one queen of the name of Gunavara was dearer to
him than his life. And in spite of his hundred wives, it happened, as Fate
would have it, that not one of them bore him a son. So he asked a
physician named SYutavardhana — " Is there any medicine able to bring
about the birth of a son ?" When the physician heard that, he said — " King,
I can prepare such a medicine,* but the king must procure for me a wild
goat." When he heard this speech of the physician's, the king gave an
order to the warder, and had a goat brought for him from the forest.
The physician handed over the goat to the king's cooks, and with its flesh
prepared a sovereign elixir for the queens. The king went off to worship
his god, after ordering the queens to assemble in one place. And ninety-
nine of those queens did assemble in one place, but the queen Gunavara
alone was not present there, for she was at that time near the king, who
was engaged in praying to his god. And when they had assembled, the
physician gave them the whole of the elixir to drink mixed with powder,
not perceiving the absence of Gunavara. Immediately the king returned
with his beloved, having performed his devotions, and perceiving that that
drug was completely finished, he said to the physician — " What ! did you
not keep any for Gunavara ? You have forgotten the principal object with
which this was undertaken." After saying this to the abashed physician,
the king said to the cooks — " Is there any of the flesh of that goat left ?"
The cooks said, " The horns only remain." Then the physician said,
" Bravo ! I can make an admirable elixir out of the centre of the horns."
After saying this, the physician had an elixir prepared from the fleshy
part of the horns, and gave it to queen Gunavara mixed with powder.
* Compare the lichi in the XVth of Miss Stokes's Indian Fairy Tales, and tho
payasa in the XVIth Sarga of the Eamayana. See also Sicilianische Marchen.
269, and Bernhard Schmidt's Griechische Marchen, pp. 104, 117 and 120. The begin-
ning of this tale bolongs to Mr. Baring-Gould's Gold-child root.
356
Then the ninety-nine wives of the king became pregnant, and all in time
brought forth sons. But the head queen Gunavara conceived last of all,
and afterwards gave birth to a son with more auspicious marks than the
sons of all the others. And as he was sprung from the juice of the fleshy
part of the horns, his father, the king, gave him the name of S'ringabhuja,
and rejoiced greatly at his birth. He grew up with those other brothers,
and though in age he was the youngest of all, he was superior to all in
good qualities. And in course of time that prince became like the god of
Love in beauty, and like Arjuna in his skill in archery, and like Bhima
in strength. Accordingly the other queens, seeing that queen Guna-
vara, now that she had this son, was more than ever dear to king Virabhu-
ja, became jealous of her.
Then an evil-minded queen among them, named Ayasolekha, deliber-
ated with all the others and entered into a conspiracy ; and when the king
came home one day, she exhibited an assumed sadness in her face. The
king asked her the reason, and she said with apparent reluctance — " My
husband, why do you endure patiently the disgrace of your house ? you
avert disgrace from others, why do you not avert it from yourself ? You
know the young superintendent of the women's apartments named Surak-
shita ; your queen Gunavara is secretly devoted to him. Since no man but
he can penetrate into the women's apartments, which are strictly watched
by guards, she associates with him. And this is a well-known subject of
gossip in the whole harem." When she said this to the king, he pondered and
reflected ; and went and asked the other queens one after another in private,
and they were faithful to their treacherous plot, and told him thu same
story. Then that wise king conquered his anger, and reflected — " This
accusation against these two is improbable, and yet such is the gossip. So
I must not without reflecting reveal the matter to any one ; but they must
by an artifice be separated now, to enable me to see the termination of the
whole matter." Having determined on this, next day he summoned Surak-
shita, the superintendent of the womens' apartments, into his judgment-
hall, and with assumed anger, said to him — " I have learned, villain, that
you have slain a Brahman, so I cannot endure to see your face until you
have made a pilgrimage to holy places." When he heard that, he was
amazed and began to murmur — " How can I have slain a Brahman, my
sovereign ?" But the king went on to say ; " Do not attempt to brazen it
out, but go to Kasmir to wash away your sin, (whore are those holy
iields, Vijayakhctra, and Nandikshetra the purifying, and the kshetrn* of
the Boar,) the land which was hallowed by Vishnu the bow-handed god,
where the stream of the Ganges bears the name of Vitastii, where is the
* Kshetra, lu-r ••• m< :iiis " a holy field" or sacred spot.
357
Famous Mandapakshetra, and where is Uttaramanasa ; when your sin has
been washed away by a pilgrimage to these holy places, you shall behold
my face again, but not till then."
"With this speech the king Virabhuja dismissed the helpless Surakshita,
sending him to a distance on the pretence of a pilgrimage to holy places.
Then the king went into the presence of that queen Gunavara, full of love
and anger and sober reflection. Then she, seeing that his mind was
troubled, asked him anxiously, " My husband, why are you seized to-day
with a sudden fit of despondency ?" When the king heard that, he gave
her this feigned answer — " To-day, queen, a great astrologer came to me
and said — ' King, you must place the queen Gunavara for some time in a
dungeon, and you must yourself live a life of chastity, otherwise your
kingdom will certainly be overthrown, and she will surely die.' Hav-
ing said this, the astrologer departed ; hence my present despondency."
When the king said this, the queen Gunavara, who was devoted to her
husband, distracted with fear and love, said to him — " Why do you not cast
me this very day into a dungeon, my husband ? I am highly favoured, if I
can benefit you even at the sacrifice of my life. Let me die, but let not
my lord have misfortune. For a husband is the chief refuge of wives in
this world and in the next." Having heard this speech of hers, the king
said to himself -with tears in his eyes ; " I think there is no guilt in her,
nor in that Surakshita, for I saw that the colour of his face did not change,
and he seemed •without fear. Alas ! nevertheless I must ascertain the
truth of that rumour." After reflecting thus, the king in his grief said to
the queen — " Then it is best that a dungeon should be made here, queen !"
She replied — "Very good" — so the king had a dungeon easy of access
made in the women's apartments, and placed the queen in it. And he
comforted her son S'ringabhuja, (who was in despair and asked the reason,)
by telling him exactly what he told the queen. And she, for her part,
thought the dungeon heaven, because it was all for the king's good. For
good women have no pleasure of their own ; to them their husbands'
pleasure is pleasure.*
When this had been done, that other wife of the king's, named Ayaso-
lekha, said of her own accord to her son, who was named Nirvasabhuja, — " So,
our enemy Gunavara has been thrown into a dungeon, and it would be a good
thing if her son were banished from this country. So, my boy, devise a
scheme with the help of your other brothers by which S'ringabhuja may
be quickly banished from the country." Having been addressed in this
language by his mother, the jealous Nirvasabhuja told his other brothers,
and continued to ponder over a scheme.
* This part of the story reminds one of the Clerk's Tale in Chaucer's CanU-rlmry
Talcs.
358
And one day, as the king's sons were practising with their weapons of
war, they all saw an enormous crane in front of the palace. And while
they were looking with astonishment at that misshapen bird, a Buddhist
mendicant, who possessed supernatural knowledge, came that way and
said to them — " Princes, this is not a crane, it is a Rakshasa named
Agnislkha, who wanders about in an assumed shape destroying towns.
So pierce him with an arrow, that being smitten he may depart
hence." When they heard this speech of the mendicant's, the ninety-nine
elder brothers shot their arrows, but not one struck the crane. Then that
naked mendicant again said to them — " This younger brother of yours,
named S'ringabhuja, is able to strike this crane, so let him take a bow
suitable for the purpose." When Nirvasabhuja heard that, the treacherous
one remembered the injunction of his mother, an opportunity for carrying
out which had now arrived, and reflected — " This will be a means of getting
S'ringabhuja out of the country.* So let us give him the bow and arrow be-
longing to our father. If the crane is pierced and goes off with our father's
golden arrow sticking in it, SVingabhuj a will folio wit, while we are searching
for the arrow. And when he does not find, in spite of his search, that Rakshasa
transformed into a crane, he will continue to roam about hither and thither,
he will not come back without the arrow." Thus reflecting, the treacherous
one gave to S'ringabhuja his father's bow with the arrow, in order that he
might smite the crane. The mighty prince took it and drew it, and pierced
that crane with the golden arrow, the notch of which was made of a jewel.
The crane, as soon as it was pierced, went off with the arrow sticking in
its body, and flying away departed with drops of blood falling from the
wound. Then the treacherous Nirvasabhuja and the other brothers, insti-
gated by his hints, said to the brave S'ringabhuja — " Give us back the
golden arrow that belongs to our father, otherwise we will abandon our
bodies before your eyes. Tor unless we produce it, our father will bani.sh
us from this country, and its fellow is not to be made or obtained." When
S'ringabhuja heard that, he said to those crafty ones — " Be of good cheer !
Do not be afraid — Abandon your terror ! I will go and slay that miserable
Rakshasa and bring back the arrow." Having said this, S'ringabhuja to°k
his own bow and arrows, and went in the same direction in which the
Rakshasa had gone, quickly following up the track of the drops of blood,
that had fallen on the ground. The other sons returned delighted to tlu-ir
mothers, and S'ringabhuja, as he went on step by step, at last reached a
distant forest. Seeking about in it, he found in the wood a great city,
like the fruit of his own tree of merit fallen to him in due time for enjoy -
* See Ralston's Russian Folk-Tales, p. 80 whore numerous parallels arc adduced.
Cp. also Gfoncenbach'fl Siciliunische Marchcn, Vol. I, p. 199.
359
ment. There he sat down at the root of a tree to rest, and as if in a
moment beheld a maiden of wonderful beauty coming there, appearing to
have been made by the Creator in some strange way of ambrosia and
poison ; since by her absence she deprived of life, and by her presence she
bestowed it. And when the maiden slowly approached him, and looked at
him with an eye raining love, the prince fell in love with her and said to
her — " Gazelle-eyed one, what is the name of this city, and to whom does it
belong? Who are you, and why have you come here? tell me." Then
the pearly-toothed maid turned her face sideways, and fixed her eye on the
ground, and spake to him with sweet and loving voice — " This city ia
Dhumapura, the home of all felicity ; in it lives a mighty Eakshasa by
name Agnisikha ; know that I am his matchless daughter, Riipasikha by
name, who have come here with mind captivated by your unparalleled
beauty. Now you you must tell me who you are, and why you have come
here." When she said this, he told her who he was, and of what king lie
was the son, and how he had come to Dhumapura for the sake of an arrow.
Then llupasikha, having heard the whole story, said — " There is no archer
like you in the three worlds, since you pierced even my father with a great
arrow, when he was in the form of a crane. And I took that golden arrow
for my own, by way of a plaything. But my father's wound was at once
healed by the minister Mahadanshtra, who excels all men in knowledge of
potent drugs for curing wounds. So I will go to my father, and after I
have explained the whole matter, I will quickly introduce you into his
presence, my husband ; so I call you, for my heart is now fully set upon
you."
Having said this, llupasikha left S'ringabhuja there, and immediately
went into the presence of her father Agnisikha, and said — " Father, there
has come here a wonderful prince named S'ringabhuja, matchless for gifts
of beauty, birth, character and age. I feel certain that he is not a man,
he is some portion of a god incarnate here below, so, if he does not be-
come my husband, I will certainly abandon my life." When she said this
to him, her father the Rakshasa said to her — " My daughter, men are our
appropriate food, nevertheless, if your heart is set upon it, let it be so ;
bring your prince here, and shew him to me." When llupasikha heard
that, she went to S'ringabhuja, and after telling him what she had done,
she took him into the presence of her father. He prostrated himself, and
Agnisikha, the father of the maiden, after saluting him courteously, said to
him — " Prince, I will give you my daughter Riipasikha, if you never
disobey my orders." When he said this, S'ringabhuja, bending low,
answered him — "Good! I will never disobey your orders." When S'ring?-
bhuja said this to him, Agnisikha was pleased and answered — " llise up ! Go
and bathe, and return here from the bath-room." After saying this to him,
360
he said to his daughter — " Go and bring all your sisters here quickly."
When Agnisikha had given these orders to S'ringabhuja and Rupasikha,
they both of them went out, after promising to obey them.
Then the wise Rupasikha said to S'ringabhuja — " My husband, I have a
hundred sisters, who are princesses, and we are all exactly alike, with
similar ornaments and dresses, and all of us have similar necklaces upon
our necks. So our father will assemble us in one place, and in order to
bewilder you, will say ' Choose your own love out of the midst of these.'
For I know that such is his treacherous intention, otherwise why is he
assembling all of us here. So when we are assembled, I will put my neck-
lace on my head instead of my neck, by that sign you will recognise me ;
then throw over my neck the garland of forest flowers. And this i'ather
of mine is somewhat silly, he has not a discerning intellect ; besides what
is the use against me of those powers which he possesses by being a Rak-
shasa ? So, whatever he says to entrap you, you must agree to, and must tell
it to me, and I shall know well enough what further steps to take." Hav-
ing said this, Rupasikha went to her sisters, and S 'riugabhuja, having
agreed to do what she said, went to bathe. Then Rupasikha came with her
sisters into the presence of her father, and S'ringabhuja returned, after he had
been washed by a female servant. Then Agnisikha gave a garland of forest
flowers to S'ringabhuja, saying, " Give this to that one of these ladies, who
is your own love." He took the garland and threw it round the neck of
Rupasikha,* who had previously placed the necklace on her head by way
of token. Then Agnisikha said to Rupasikha and S'ringabhuja, — " I will
celebrate your marriage ceremony to-morrow morning."
Having said this, he dismissed those two lovers and his other
daughters to their apartments, and in a short time he summoned S'ringa-
bhuja and said this to him ; " Take this yoke of oxen, and go outside
this town, and sow in the earth the hundred Tclidris\ of sesame-seed which
are piled there in a heap." When S'ringabhuja heard that, he was trou-
bled, and he went and told it to Rupasikha, and she answered him as
follows — " My husband, you need not be in the least despondent about
this, go there at once ; I will easily perform this by my magic power."
* Compare the story of " The Golden Lion" in Laura von Gonzenbach's Sici-
lianische Miirchen, Vol. II, p. 76, where the lady places a white cloth round her waist.
See Dr. Kbhler's note on the passage. Compare also the hint which Mr.->.Ti:i
to her lover in the Mermaid, Thorpe's Yule Tide Stories, p. 198, and the behaviour of
Singorra on page 214. Sec also " The Hasty Word," llulston's Russian Folk- 1
p. 368, and The " Water King and Vasilissa the Wise, p. 128 ; It's Wi-n-
discho Marchen, pp. 256 and 258, and Liebrecht, Zur Volkskunde, p. 408. The
washing of the hero by a chetiis quite llomeric, (Odyssey XIX, 386.)
t A khdri = about 3 bushels.
When he heard thia, the prinee went there, and, seeing the sesame-
in a heap, despondently began to plough the land and sow them, but
while he was beginning, lie saw the land ploughed and all the seeds sown
in due course by the might of his lady-love's magic power, and he was much
astonished.
So he went to Agnisikha, and told him that this task was accomplish-
ed ; then that treacherous Rukshasa again said to him — " I do not want
the seeds sown, go and pile them up again in a heap." When he heard that,
he again went and told Riipasikhd. She sent him to that field, and created
innumerable ants,* and by her magic power made them gather together
the sesame-seeds. When S'ringabhuja saw that, he went and told Agni-
sikha that the seeds had been piled up again in a heap.
Then the cunning but stupid Agnisikha said to him — " Only two
yojanas from this place, in a southerly direction, there is an empty temple of
S'iva in a wood. In it lives my dear brother Dhumasikha — go there at once,
and say this in front of the temple, ' Dhumasikha, I am sent by Agnisikha
as a messenger to invite you and your retinue : come quickly, for to-morrow
the ceremony of Rupasikha's marriage is to take place.' Having said this,
come back here to-day with speed, and to-morrow marry my daughter
Rupasikha." When S'ringabhuja was thus addressed by the rascal, he
said — " So be it" — and went and recounted the whole to Rupasikha. The
good girl gave him some earth, some water, some thorns, and some fire, and
her own fleet horse, and said to him — " Mount this horse and go to that
temple, and quickly repeat that invitation to Dhumasikha as it was told to
you, and then you must at once return on this horse at full gallop, and
you must often turn your head and look round ; and if you see Dhuma-
sikha coming after you, you must throw this earth behind you in his way ;
if in spite of that, Dhumasikha pursues you, you must in the same manner
fling the water behind you in his path ; if in spite of that he comes on,
you must in like manner throw these thorns in his way. If in spite of
* Compare the way in which Psycho separated the seeds in the Golden Ass of
Apuleius, Lib. VI. cap X, and the tasks in Grimm's Miirchen, Nos. 62, 186, and 193. A
similar incident is found hi a Danish Tale, Swend's Exploits, p. 353 of Thorpe's Yule-
Tide Stories. Before the king will allow Swend to marry the princess, he gives him a
task exactly resembling the oncin our text. Ho is told to separate seven barrels of wheat
and seven barrels of rye, which are lying in one heap. The ants do it for him, because
he had on a former occasion crumbled his bread for them. See also the story of tho
beautiful Cardia, Gonzenbach's Sicilianische Miirchen, p. 188. Tho hero has first t
a cellar full of beans ; this ho accomplishes by means of the king of the ravens, his
brother-in-law. Ho next disposes of a multitude of corpses by means of another
brother-in-law, the king of the wild boasts; he then start's a large number of matt i
with fcatlv.rs by the help of a third brothcr-in-luw, the king of the birds. See also
Miss Stokes' s Indian Fairy Tales, Talo XXII, and the note at tho cud of this chapter.
46
them be pursues, throw this fire in his way ; and if you do this, you will
return here without the Daitya ; so do not hesitate — go, you shall to-day
behold the power of my magic." — When she said this to him, S'ringabhuja
took the earth and the other things and said, " I will do so," and mount-
ing her horse went to the temple in the wood. There he saw an image
of S'iva, with one of Parvati on his left and one of Ganesa on his right,
and, after bowing before the Lord of the Universe,* he quickly addressed
to Dhuinasikha the form of invitation told him by Agnisikha, and iled
from the place at full speed, urging on his horse. And he soon turned
his head and looked round, and he beheld Dhumasikha coming after him.
And he quickly threw that earth behind him in his way, and the earth, so
flung, immediately produced a great mountain. When he saw that the
Rakshasa had, though with difficulty, climbed over that mountain, and was
coming on, the prince in the same way threw the water behind him. That
produced a great river in his path with rolling waves : the Rakshasa with
difficulty got across it and was coming on, when S'ringabhuja quickly
strewed those thorns behind him. They produced a dense thorny wood in
Dhumasikha's path. When the Rakshasa emerged from it, the prince threw
the fire behind him, which set on fire the path with the herbs and the trees.
When Dhumasikha saw that the fire was hard to cross, like Khandava,f he re-
turned home, tired and terrified. For on that occasion the Rakshasa was
so bewildered by the magic of Rupasikha that he went and returned on his
feet, he did not think of flying through the air.
Then S'ringabhuja returned to Dhumapura, free from fear, commend-
ing iu his heart that display of his love's magic power. He gave up the
horse to the delighted Rupasikha, and related his adventure, and then
went in to the presence of Agnisikha. He said, " I went and invited your
brother Dhumasikha." When he said this, Agnisikha being perplexed, said
to him — " If you really went there, mention some peculiarity of the place."
When the crafty Rakshasa said this to S'ringabhuja, he answered him —
" Listen, I will tell you a token : in that temple there is a figure of Parvati
on the left side of S'iva, and of Ganesa on his right." When Agnisikha
heard that, he was astonished and thought for a moment — " What ! did he
go there, and was my brother not able to devour him ? Then he cannot
be a mere man, he must be a god, so let him marry my daughter, as he is a
fitting match for her." After thus reflecting, he sent S'ringabhuja as a
successful suitor to Rupasikha, but he never suspected that there was a
traitor in his own family. So S'ringabhuja went, eager for his marriage,
and after eating and drinking with her, managed somehow to get through
* i. e. Siva.
t A forest in Kiiruksln trn sacred to Indra and burnt by Agni tho god of fire with
the help of Arjuuii and Krishna.
3G3
the night. And the next morning Agnisikha gave to him Rupasikha with
all the magnificence appropriate to his magic power, according to due form,
in the presence of the fire. Little in common have Rakshasas' daughl'-rs
and princes, and strange the union of such ! Wonderful indeed are the
results of our deeds in a previous state of existence ! The prince, after
he had obtained that beloved daughter of the Rakshasa, seemed like a
swan who had got hold of a soft lotus, sprung from mud. And he remained
there with her, who was devoted to him alone, enjoying various dainty
delights provided by the magic power of the R&kshasa.
When some days had passed there, he said in secret to the Rakshasa's
daughter, " Come, my beloved, let us return to the city of Vardhamana.
For that is my capital city, and I cannot endure to be banished from my
capital city by my enemies, for people like myself hold honour dear as life.
So leave for my sake the land of your birth, though it is hard to leave ;
inform your father, and bring that golden arrow in your hand." When
S'ringabhuja said this to Rupasikha, she answered — " I must immediately
obey your command. I care not for the land of my birth, nor for my
relatives, you are all those to me.* Good women have no other refuge
than their husbands. But it will never do to communicate our intention
to my father, for he would not let us go. So we must depart without that
hot-tempered father of mine knowing of it. And if he hears from the
attendants and comes after us, I will bewilder him by my knowledge, for
he is senseless and like an idiot." When he heard this speech of hers, ho
set out delighted on the next day, with her who gave him the half of her
kingdom, and filled a casket with priceless jewels, and brought that golden
arrow ; and they both mounted her splendid horse S'aravega,t having
deceived the attendants by representing that they were going for a pleasure
excursion in the park, and journeyed towards Vardhamana.
When the couple had gone a long distance, the Raksliasa Agnisiklia
found it out, and in wrath pursued after them through the air. And hear-
ing afar off the noise produced by the speed of his lliglit, Rupasikha said
to S'ringabhuja on the road, " My husband, my father has come to make
us turn back, so remain here without fear: see how I will deceive him.
For he shall neither see you nor the horse, since I shall conceal both by
my deluding power." After saying this, she got down from the horse and
assumed by her deluding power the form of a man. J And she said to a
woodcutter, who had come to the forest to cut wood — "A great R&kshasa
* "EicTop, Strap en' f*6t toot irar^p na.1 irorna jui')Tr)p
i)5e Kafflyvrrros, ffu 5« fio« flaAepbs irapaK JI'TTJS.
t /. f., like an arrow in SJM •. -<\.
J For this part of the story see Sicilkmi.S'vho Miiivlu'n, Nu 11, with Dr. Kohlcv's
note.
364
is coining here, so remain quiet for a moment." Then she continued to cut
wood with his axe. And S'ringabhuja looked on with a smile on his face.
In the meanwhile that foolish Rakshasa arrived there, and lighted down
from the air, on beholding his daughter in the shape of a woodcutter, and
asked her whether she had seen a man and woman pass that way. Then
his daughter, who had assumed the form of a man, said with great effort
as if tired, " We two have not seen any couple, as our eyes are fatigued
with toil, for we two woodcutters have been occupied here in cutting a great
quantity of wood to burn Agnisikha the king of the Rakshasas, who is dead."
When that silly Rakshasa heard that, he thought, " What ! am I dead ?
What then does that daughter matter to me ? I will go and ask my own
attendants at home whether I am dead or not."* Thus reflecting, Agni-
sikha went quickly home, and his daughter set out with her husband as
before, laughing as she went.
And soon the Rakshasa returned in high spirits, for he had asked his
attendants, who could not help laughing in their sleeves, whether he was
alive, and had learned that he was. Then Rupasikha, knowing from the
terrible noise that he was coming again, though "as yet far off, got down
from the horse and concealed her husband as before by her deluding power,
and taking letters from the hand of a letter-carrier, who was coming along
the road, she again assumed the form of a man.
And so the Rakshasa arrived as before, and asked his daughter, who
was disguised as a man — " Did you see a man and a woman on the road ?"
Then she, disguised as a man, answered him with a sigh, — " I beheld
no such person, for my mind was absorbed with my haste, for Agnisikha,
who was to-day mortally wounded in battle, and has only a little breath
left in his body, and is in his capital desiring to make over his kingdom,
has despatched me as a messenger to summon to his presence his brother
Dhumasikha, who is living an independent life." When Agnisikha heard
that, he said, " What ! am I mortally wounded by my enemies ?" And
in his perplexity he returned again home to get information on the point.
But it never occurred to him to say to himself — " Who is mortally
wounded ? Here I am safe and sound." Strange are the fools that tin
Creator produces, and wonderfully obscured with the quality of darkness
* Compare the story of " die klugo Else," the 34th in Grimm's Kinder-und Ha
murchen, where llv heroine has a doubt about her own identity and goes home to
her husband, and No. 59 in the same collection. Cp. also Campbell's Tales from
i Highlands, Vol. II, p. 375, where one man is persuaded that he is dead, ;u
that he is not himself, another that he is dressed when he is naked. See :;!.-. Hi,
numerous parallels given in Kalston's liussian Folk-Talcs, p. 64., Liebn.rht (Zur
Volkskunde, p, 12S) i ; in which a woman persuade^ her huslMiid, that
lead.
365
And wlieii ho arrived at home and found that the tale was false, he would not
expose himself again to the laughter of the people, tired of being imposed
upon, and forgetting his daughter. And llupasikha, after deluding him,
returned to her husband as before, for virtuous women know of no other
good than the good of their husbands. Then S'ringabhuja, mounted on
the wonderful horse, again proceeded rapidl}T with his wife towards the
city of Vardhamana. Then his father Virabhuja, having heard that he
was returning in company with her, went out much pleased to meet him.
The king, when he saw him adorned with that wife, like Krishna with
Bhama, considered that he had gained afresh the bliss of sovereign sway.
And when his son got down from his horse, and clung to his feet with his
beloved, he raised him up and embraced him, and with his eye, in which
stood the water of joyful tears, performed in noble wise the auspicious
ceremony that put an end to his own despondency, and then conducted
him into his palace, making high festival. And when he asked his son
where he had been, S'ringabhuja told him his whole history from the
beginning. And after summoning his brothers, Nirvasabhuja and all, into
his father's presence, he gave them the golden arrow. Then the king
Virabhuja, after what he had heard and seen, was displeased with those
other sons, and considered S'ringabhuja his only true son.
Then that wise king drew this true conclusion — " I suspect that, as
this son of mine out of spite was banished by these enemies, brothers only
in name, though he was all the while innocent, so his mother Gunavara,
whom I love so well, was falsely accused by their mothers, and was all the
•while innocent. So what is the use of delay ? I will find out the truth of
it immediately." After these reflections, the king spent that day in perform,
ing his duties, and went at night to sift his other wife Ayasolekha. She
was delighted to see him, and he made her drink a great quantity of wine, and
she in her sleep murmured out, while the king was awake — " If we had not
falsely slandered Gunavara, would the king ever have visited me here ?"*
When the king heard this speech of the wicked queen uttered in her sleep, he
felt he had attained certainty, and rose up in wrath and went out ; and
going to his own chamber, he had the eunuchs summoned, and said to them ;
" Take that Gunavara out of the dungeon, and after she has bathed bring
her quickly ; for the present moment was appointed by the astrologer as
the limit of her stay in the dungeon for the purpose of averting the evil
omens." When they heard that, they said, " So be it," and they went
and quickly brought the queen Gunavara into the presence of the king,
bathed and adorned. Then that wedded pair, happy in having crossed the
* Reading avadisfti/dma. I find that this is the reading of a MS. in the Sanskrit
College.
366
sea of separation, spent that night unsated with mutual embraces. Then
the king related to the queen with delight that adventure of S'ringa-
bhuja's, and told his son the circumstances of his mother's imprisonment
and release. In the meanwhile Ayasolekha, waking up, found out that the
king was gone, and guessing that he had entrapped her with his conver-
sation, fell into deep despondency. And in the morning the king Vira-
bhuja conducted his son S'ringabhuja, with his wife Rupasikha, into the
presence of Gunavara. He came, and was delighted to behold his mother
emerged from the dungeon, and with his new wife he worshipped the feet
of his parents. Gunavara, embracing her son, who had returned from his
journey, and her daughter-in-law, obtained in the way above related, went
from joy to joy. Then by the order of his father, S'ringabhuja related to
her at length his own adventure, and what Rupasikha did. . Then queen
Gunavara delighted, said to him, " My son, what has not that Rupasikha
done for you ? For she, a heroine of wonderful exploits, has given up and
sacrificed for you her life, her family, her native land, these three. She
must be some goddess, become incarnate for your sake by the appointment
of Destiny. For she has placed her foot on the head of all women that are
devoted to their husbands." When the queen had said this, the king ap-
plauded her speech, and so did Rupasikha with head modestly bent. Just
at that moment the superintendent of the womens' apartments, Surakshita,
who had been long ago slandered by that Ayasolekha, returned from
visiting all the holy bathing places. He was announced by the door-keep-
er, and bowed delighted at the king's foot, and then the king, who
now knew the facts, honoured him exceedingly. And by his mouth he
summoned the other queens who were wicked, and said to him — " Go !
fling all these into the dungeon." When the queen Gunavara heard that,
and the terrified women were thrown into the dungeon, she said out of
compassion to the king, clinging to his feet, " King, do not keep them for
a long time in the dungeon ! Have mercy, for I cannot bear to see them
terrified." By thus entreating the king she prevented their imprisonment,
for the only vengeance that the great make use of against their enemies
is compassion. Then those queens, dismissed by the king, went ashamed to
their houses, and would even have preferred to have been in the embrace
of death. And the king thought highly of the great-hearted Gunavara, and
considered, because he possessed that wife, that he must have accomplished
virtuous acts in a former state of existence. Then the king, determin-
ing to banish his other sons by an artifice, had them summoned, and spake to
them this feigned speech — " I have heard that you villains have slain a
Brahman traveller, so go and visit all the holy bathing-places in suceession,
do not remain here." When the sons heard that, they were not able to
persuade the king of the truth, for when a ruler is bent on violence, who
3G7
can convince him ? Then S'ringabhuja, beholding those brothers departing,
with his eyes full of tears produced by pity, thus addressed his father.
" Father, pity their one fault, have mercy upon them." Having said this,
In; fell at the feet of that king. And the king, thinking that that son was
able to bear the burden of sovereignty, being even in his youth like an
incarnation of Vishnu, full of glory and compassion, hiding his real sen-
timents and cherishing his anger against them, nevertheless did what S'ringa-
bhuja asked. And all those brothers considered their younger brother as
the saviour of their lives. And all the subjects, beholding the exceeding
virtue of S'ringabhuja, became attached to him.
Then the next day, his father, king Virabhuja, anointed as crown-
prince S'ringabhuja, who was the oldest in virtue of them all, though he
had elder brothers. And then S'ringabhuja, having been anointed and hav-
ing obtained the leave of his father, went with all his forces to conquer
the world. And having brought back the wealth of numerous kings, whom
he overcame by the might of his arm, he returned, having diffused the
splendour of his glory through all the earth. Then bearing the weight
of the realm with his submissive brothers, the successful prince S'ringa-
bhuja, giving pleasure to his parents, who remained in the enjoyment of
comfort free from anxiety, and bestowing gifts on Brahmans, dwelt at
ease with liupasikha as if with incarnate success.
"Thus virtuous women serve their husbands in every way, devoted to
them alone, like Gunavara and Kupasikha, the mother-in-law and daughter-
in-law."
When Naravahanadatta, in the society of Ratnaprabha, heard this
story from the lips of Harisikha, he was much delighted and exclaimed,
" Bravo !" Then he rose up, and quickly performed the religious ceremony
for the day, and went with his wife into the presence of his father, the
king of Vatsa, and after eating, and whiling away the afternoon with
singing and playing, he spent the night with his beloved in his own private
apartments.
Note on Chapter XXXIX.
In a Norwegian tale, called " The Widow's Son," page 295 of Thorpe's Yule-Tido
Stories, will be found an incident closely resembling the pursuit of Sringabhuja by
Dhumasikha. The widow's son has, contrary to the orders of a Troll, in whose
house he found himself, entered several chambers, in one of which he found a thorn-
whip, in another a huge stone, and a water-bottle. In the third he found a boiling
copper kettle, with which he scalded his finger, but the Troll cured it with a pot of
ointment. In the fourth room he found a black horse in a stall, with a trough of
burning embers at its head, and a basket of hay at its tail. The youth thought this
cruel, so he changed their position. The horse, to reward him, informed him that the
308
Troll on his return would certainly kill him, and then continued, " Lay the saddle
on me, put on the armotir, and take the whip of thorn, the stone, and the water-flask
and the pot of ointment, and then wo will set out." When the youth mounted the
horse, it set off at a rapid rate. After riding some time, the horse said — " I think I
hear a noise ; look round, can you sec anything ?" " A great many arc coming after
us, certainly a score at least," answered the youth. " Ah ! that ia the Troll," said
the horse, he is coming with all his companions." They travelled for a time until
their pursuers were gaining on them. " Throw now the thorn whip over your shoul-
der," said the horse, — " but throw it far away from me." The youth did so, and at
the same moment there sprang up a large thick wood of briars. The youth now
rode on a long way, while the Troll had to go home to fetch something wherewith to
hew a road through the wood. After some time the horse again said, " Look back,
can you see anything now ?" " Yes, a whole multitude of people" said the youth,
"like a church congregation." "That is the Troll, now he has got more with him,
throw out now the large stone, but throw it far from me." When the youth had done
what the horse desired, there arose a large stone mountain behind them. So the Troll
was obliged to go home after something with which to bore through the mountain :
and while he was thus employed, the youth rode on a considerable way. But now tho
horse bade him again look back ; he then saw a multitude like a whole army, they
were so bright, that they glittered in the sun. " Well that is tho Troll with all hia
friends," said the horse. " Now throw the water-bottle behind you, but take good
care to spill none on me." The youth did so, but notwithstanding his caution he hap-
pened to spill a drop on the horse's loins. Immediately there arose a vast lake, and
the spilling of a few drops caused the horse to stand far out in the water ; never! ] .
he at last swam to the shore. When tho Trolls came to the water, they lay down to
drink it all up, and they gulped and gulped it down till they burst. (Folk-lore de-
mons'experience great difficulty in crossing water.) " Now we are quit of them," said
the horse.
In Laura von Gonzenbach's Sicilianische Marchen, Vol. II, p. 57, we find a
similar incident. In the story of Fata Morgana, a prince, who carries off a bottle
filled with her perspiration, but imprudently wakes her by kissing her, is pursued
by her with two lions. Ho throws three pomegranates behind him: the first
produces a river of blood, the second a thorny mountain, the third a volcano. This ho
does by the advice of his horse, who is really Fata Morgana's brother transformed
by magic: see also Vol. I, p. 343; cp. also the 79th tale in Grimm's Kinder und
Hausmarchen (sixteenth edition in one volume) Die Wassernixe.
In Orient und Occident, Vol. II, p. 113, Dr. Reinhold Kiihlcr, in his remarks on
the West Highland Stories collected by J. F. Campbell, compares the story of Agni-
sikha with the second story in Campbell's collection, entitled : " Tho Battle of the Birds."
In this a king's son wishes to marry the youngest daughter of a giant. Tho giant
sets him three tasks to do; to clean out a stable, to thatch it with feathers, and to fetch
eggs from a magpie's nest in the top of a tree more than five hundred feet high. All
these tasks he accomplishes by the help of tho young lady herself. In the last task
she makes a ladder of her fingers for him to ascend the treo by, but in so doing she
loses her little finger. The giant requires the prince to choose his wife from among
three sisters similarly dressed. He recognizes her by tho loss of the litlL I i
When bed-time came, the giant's daughter told the prince that they must fly, or tho
giant would kill him. They mounted on the gray iilly in the stable. But before aturt-
309
ing the daughter cut an apple into nine shares : she put two at the head of the bed,
two at the foot, two at the door of the kitchen, two at the house-door, and one outside
the house. The giant awoke and called " Are you asleep ?" several times, and the
shares answered " No." At last he went and found the bed empty and cold, and
pursued the fugitive couple. At the break of day the giant's daughter felt her father's
breath burning her back. She told the prince to put his hand in the horse's ear, and
fling what he found behind him. Ho found a sprig of sloe, flung it behind him, and
produced a wood twenty miles long. The giant had to go back for his axe and wood-
knife. In the middle of the day the prince finds in the ear of the filly a piece of
gray stone. This produces twenty miles of gray rock behind them. The giant has
to go back for his lever and mattock. The next thing, that the prince finds and
flings behind him, is a bladder of water. This produces a fresh- water loch twenty
miles broad. In it the giant is happily drowned. The rest of the story has no bear-
ing upon the tale of S'ringabhuja. Kohler compares a story in William Carleton's
stories of the Irish peasantry. Here there is a sprig, a pebble and a drop of water
producing a wood, a rock and a lake. He compares also a Norwegian story, Ash-
bjornsen, No. 46, and some Swedish stories collected by Hylten Cavallius and
G. Stephens. The three tasks are very different in the different forms of the tale.
The ladder of fingers is only found is the Celtic form.
It is only in the Gaelic and Irish forms that the objects thrown behind to check
pursuit are found in the ear of the horse.
In the latter form of the story of the Mermaid, Thorpe's Yule-Tide Stories, p. 205,
we have the pursuit with much the same incidents as in our text. See also Kalston's
remarks on the story in our text at pp. 132 and 143 of his Eussian Folk-Tales. Cp.
also Veckenstedt's Wendische Sagen, p. 216. An Indian parallel will be found in
Miss Frere's Old Deccan Days, pp. 62 and 63. A Modern Greek one in Bernhard
Schmidt's Griechische Marchen, pp. 76-79.
CHAPTEE XL.
Then, tbe next morning, when Naravahanadatta was in Ratnaprabha's
house, Gomukha and the others came to him. But Marubhuti, being a
little sluggish with intoxication produced by drinking spirits, approached
slowly, decorated with flowers, and anointed with unguents. Then
Gomukha, with face amused at his novel conception of statesman-like
behaviour, out of fun ridiculed him by imitating his stammering utterance
and staggering gait, and said to him, " How comes it that you, though
the son of Yaugandhaniyana, do not know policy, that you drink spirits
in the morning, and come drunk into the presence of the prince ? When the
intoxicated Marubhuti heard this, be said to him in his anger, " This
should be said to me by the prince or some superior. But, tell me, who are
you that you take upon you to instruct me', you son of Ityakar" When
47
370
he snid this, Gomukha replied to him smiling, " Do princes reprove with their
own mouths an ill-behaved servant ? Undoubtedly their attendants must
remind him of what is proper. And it is true that I am the son of Ityaka,
but you are an ox of ministers,* your sluggishness alone would show it ;
the only fault is that you have no horns." When Gomukha said this to him
Marubhuti answered, " You too, Gomukha, have much of the ox-nature
about you ; but you are clearly of mixed breed, for you are not properly
domesticated." When all laughed at hearing this, Gomukha said, " This
Marubhuti is literally a jewel, for who can introduce the thread of virtuef
into that which cannot be pierced even by a thousand efforts ? But a
jewel of a man is a different kind of thing, for that is easily penetrated ;
as an illustration listen to the story of the bridge of sand."
There lived in Pratisthana a
Story of Tapodatta. •
Brahman or the name or Tapodatta.
He, though his father kept worrying him, would not learn the sciences in
his boyhood. Subsequently he found himself censured by all, and being
filled with regret, he went to the bank of the Ganges, in order to perform
asceticism for the acquisition of knowledge. There he betook himself to
severe mortification of the flesh, and while he was thus engaged, Indra,
who had beheld him with astonishment, came to him to prevent him, dis-
guised as a Brahman. And when he had come near him, he kept taking
grains of sand from the bank, and throwing them into the billowy water of
the Ganges. When Tapodatta saw that, he broke his silence, and asked
him out of curiosity — " Brahman, why do you do this unceasingly ?" And
Indra, disguised as a Brahman, when he had been persistently questioned
by him, said, " I am making a bridge over the Ganges for man and beast
to cross by." Then Tapodatta said, " You fool, is it possible to make a
bridge over the Ganges with sand, which will be carried away at some
future time by the current ?" When Indra, disguised as a Brahman, heard
that, he said to him — " If you know this truth, why do you attempt to
acquire knowledge by vows and fasting, without reading or hearing lectures ?
The horn of a hare % may really exist, and the sky may be adorned with paint-
ing, and writing may be performed without letters, if learning may be
acquired without study. If it could be so acquired, no one in this world
would study at all." When Indra, disguised as a Brahman, had said this
to Tapodatta, Tapodatta reflected, and thinking that he had spoken truth,
put a stop to his self-mortification, and went home.
* I. e. a great or distinguished minister. " Bull" is more literal than " ox," but
does not suit the English idiom so well. Gomukha means Ox-face,
f Guna means virtue ami ;ilso u thread.
J I read rupam for rupyuin.
371
" So, you sec, a wise man is easily made to listen to reason, but the
foolish JVlarubhuti cannot be induced to listen to reason, but when you
admonish him, he flies into a passion." When Goraukha said this, Hari-
sikha said before the company — " It is true, 0 king, that the wise are easily
induced to listen to reason."
For instance, there lived of old
story of Virupararman.
time in Benares a certain excellent
Brahman, named Virupasarman, who was deformed and poor. And he,
being despondent about his misshapen form and his poverty, went to the
grove of ascetics there, and began to practise severe mortification of the
flesh, through desire for beauty and wealth. Then the king of the gods*
assumed the vile shape of a deformed jackal with a diseased body, and
went and stood in front of him. When he saw that unfortunatef creature
with its body covered with flies, Virupasarman slowly reflected in his
mind, — " Such creatures are born into the world on account of actions done
in a former life, so is it a small thing for me that I was not made thus by
the Creator? Who can overstep the lot prescribed by destiny ?" When
Virupasarman perceived this, he brought his self -mortification to an end and
went home.
" So true is it, 0 king, that a wise man is instructed with little effort,
but one, whose mind is void of discernment, is not instructed even with
great exertion." Thus spoke Harisikha, and Gomukha assented, but Maru-
bhuti, who was drunk and did not understand a joke, said in great anger,
" There is power in the speech of Gomukha, but there is no might in the
arms of men like you. A garrulous, quarrelsome, effeminate person makes
heroes blush." When Marubhuti said this, being eager for a fight, king
Naravahanadatta, with a smile on his face, himself tried to appease him, and
after dismissing him to his house, the king, who loved the friends of his
youth, performed the duties of the day, and so spent it in great comfort.
And the next day, when all these ministers came, and among them Maru-
bhuti bowed down witli shame, his beloved Ratnaprabha spake thus to the
prince : " You, my husband, are very fortunate in that you have these
pure-hearted ministers bound to you by the fetters of a love dating from
early childhood, and they are happy in possessing such an affectionate
master ; you have been gained by one another through actions in a former
state of existence ; of that there can be no doubt." When the queen said
this, Tapantaka the son of Vasantaka, the companion in amusements of
Naravahauadatta, remarked — " It is true ; our master has been gained by
our actions in a former life. For every thing depends upon the power of
actions in a former life — Hear in illustration of it the following talc."
* I e. Indra.
f Literally "Laving no auspicious marks.''
372
dwelfc in a < named
Story of ki«g nfaat'fa and the
physician Tarurjachandra. Vilasapura, the home of S'iva, a king
rightly named Vilasasila.* He had a queen named Kamalaprabha, whom
he valued as his life, and he long remained with her addicted to pleasure
only. Then in course of time there came upon the king old age, the thief
of beauty, and when he beheld it, he was sorely grieved. He thought to
himself — " How can I shew to the queen my face marred with grey hairs
like a snow-smitten lotus ? Alas ! it is better that I should die." Busied
with reflections like these, the king summoned into his hall of audience a
physician named Tarunachandraf and thus spake to him respectfully —
" My good man, because you are clever and devoted to me, I ask you
whether there is any artifice by which this old age can be averted. When
Tarunachandra, who was rightly named as being only of the magnitude of
one digit, and desiring to become a full moon, heard that, the cunning fel-
low reflected — " I must make my profit out of this blockhead of a king,
and I shall soon discover the means of doing it." Having thus reflected,
the physician said to the king : " If you will remain in an underground
chamber alone, O king, for eight months, and take this medicine, I engage
to remove your old age." When the king heard this, he had such an
underground chamber prepared, for fools intent on objects of sense cannot
endure reflection. But the ministers used arguments like the following
with him — " 0 king, by the goodness and asceticism and self-denial of
men of old time, and by the virtue of the age, elixirs were produced. But
these forest remedies^ which we hear of now, O king, owing to the want
of proper materials, produce the opposite effect to that which is intended,
and this is quite in accordance with the treatises ; for rogues do in this
way make sport with fools. Does time past ever return, 0 king ?" — Still
these arguments did not penetrate into his soul, for it was encased in the
thick armour of violent sensual desire. And in accordance with the advice
of that physician, he entered that underground chamber alone, excluding
the numerous retinue that usually waits upon a king. And alone with
one servant belonging to that physician, he made himself a slave to the
taking of drugs and the rest of the treatment. And the king remained
there in that dark subterranean den, which seemed as if it were the over-
flowing, through abundance, of the ignorance of his heart. And after the
king had spent six months in that underground chamber, that wicked
physician, seeing that his senility had increased, brought a certain young
* I. e. Fond of enjoyment.
t /. e. " New moon."
J I suppose this must moan "prepared of the flesh of wild goats." A MS. in the
Sanscrit College reads ratnyditi " pleasant."
373
man who resembled him in appearance, with whom he had agreed that he
would make him king. Then he dug a tunnel into that underground
chamber from a distance, and after killing the king in his sleep, he brought
his corpse out by the underground passage, and threw it into a dark well.
All this was done at night. And by the same tunnel he introduced that
young man into the underground chamber, and closed that tunnel. What
audacious wickedness will not a low fellow, who is held in check by no
restraints, commit, when he gets a favourable chance of practising upon
fools ? Then, the next day, the physician said to all the subjects, — " This
king has been made young again by me in six months, and in two months
his form will be changed again — So show yourselves to him now at a little
distance." Thus he spake, and brought them all to the door of the under-
ground chamber, and shewed them to the young man, telling him at the
same time their names and occupations. By this artifice he kept instruc-
ting that young man in the underground chamber in the names of all the
subjects every day for two months, not excepting even the inhabitants of
the harem.
And when a fitting time came, he brought the young man, after he
had been well fed,* out of the subterranean chamber, saying, " This king
has become young again," And then the young man was surrounded
by the delighted subjects, who exclaimed " This is our own king restored
by drugs." Then the young man, having thus obtained the kingdom,
bathed, and performed with much pleasure by the help of his ministers
the kingly duties. And from that time forth he lived in much felicity,
transacting regal business, and sporting with the ladies of the harem, hav-
ing obtained the name of Ajara.f And all the subjects considered that
he was their former king transformed by drugs, not guessing the truth,
and not suspecting the proceedings of the physician. And king Ajara,
having gained over the subjects and the queen Kamalaprabha by kind
treatment, enjoyed the royal fortune together with his friends. Then he
summoned a friend called Bheshajachandra and another called Padma-
darsana, and made both of them like himself, satisfying them with gifts
of elephants, horses, and villages. And he honoured the physician
Tarunachandra on account of the advancement he had conferred on him,
but he did not repose confidence in him because his soul had, fallen from
truth and virtue.
And once on a time the physician of his own motion said to the king,
" Why do you make me of no account and act independently ? llu\v
you forgotten the occasion on which I made you king ?" When king
* Phtshta is a mistake for pus/ita, see Bohtlingk and lloth a. v.
t /. e. free from old age.
374
Ajara heard that, he said to the physician, " Ha ! you are a fool : what man
does anything for any one, or gives anything to any one ? My friend, it
is our deeds in a former state of existence that give and do. Therefore
do not boast yourself, for this elevation I attained by asceticism : and I
will soon shew you this by ocular proof." When he said this to the
physician, the latter reflected as one terrified — " This man is not to be
intimidated and speaks like a resolute sage. It is better to overawe
that master, the secret of whose character is instability, but that cannot
be done with this man, so I must submit to him. In the meanwhile let
me wait and see what he will shew me so manifestly." Thus reflecting,
the physician said, " It is true," and held his peace.
And the next day king Ajara went out to roam about and amuse
himself with his friends, waited on by Tarunachandra and others. And
as he was strolling, he reached the bank of a river, and in it he saw five
golden lotuses come floating down the current. And he made his servants
bring them, and taking them and looking at them, he said to the physician
Tarunachandra, who was standing near him, " Go up along the bank of
this river, and look for the place where these lotuses are produced : and
when you have seen it, return, for I feel great curiosity about these won-
derful lotuses, and you are my skilful friend." When he was thus com-
missioned by the king, the physician, not being able to help himself, said,
" So be it," and went the way he was ordered. And the king returned to
his capital, but the physician travelled on, and in course of time reached
a temple of Siva that stood on the bank of that river. And in front of it,
on the shore of a holy bathing-place in that stream, he beheld a great
banyan-tree, and a man's skeleton suspended on it. And while, fatigued
•with his journey, he was resting after bathing and worshipping the god,
a cloud came there and rained. And from that human skeleton, hanging
on the branches of the banyan-tree, when rained upon by the cloud, there
fell drops of water.* And when they fell into the water of the bathing-
place in that river, the physician observed that those golden lotuses, were
immediately produced from them. The physician said to himself, " Ha !
what is this wonder ? Whom can I ask in the uninhabited wood ? Or
rather who knows the creation of Destiny that is full of so many marvels ?
I have behpld this mine of golden lotuses ; so I will throw this human
skeleton into the sacred water. Let right be done, and let golden lotuses grow
from its back." After these reflections, he flung the skeleton down from
the top of that tree : and after spending the day there, the physician
set out the next day for his own country, having accomplished the object
for which he was sent. And in a few days he reached \ 'ildsapura, and
went, emaciated and soiled with his journey, to the court of king
* This reminds one of Story XII in the Gtsta Romunorum.
375
Ajara. The door-keeper announced him, and he went in and prostrated
himself at the feet of the king ; the king asked him how he was, and
while he was relating his adventure, the king put every one else out of
the hall, and himself said ; " So you have seen, my friend, the place where
the golden lotuses are produced, that most holy sanctuary of Siva ; and
you saw there a skeleton on a banyan-tree ; know that that is my former
body. I hung there in old time by my feet ; and in that way performed
asceticism, until I dried up my body and abandoned it. And owing to
the nobility of my penance, from the drops of rain-water, that fall from
that skeleton of mine, are produced golden lotuses. And in that you
threw my skeleton into the water of that holy bathing-place, you did what
was right, for you were my friend in a former birth. And this Bheshaja-
chandra and this Padmadars'ana, they also were friends, who associated
with me in a former birth. So it is owing to the might of that asceticism,
my friend, that recollection of my former birth, and knowledge and empire
have been bestowed on me. By an artifice I have given you ocular proof
of this, and you have described it with a token, telling how you flung
down the skeleton ; so you must not boast to me, saying, that you gave
me the kingdom, and you must not allow your mind to be discontented,
for no one gives anything to any one without the help of actions in a
former life. From his birth a man eats the fruit of the tree of his former
actions." When the king said this to the physician, he saw that it was
true, and he remained satisfied with the king's service, and was never after-
wards discontented. And that noble-minded king Ajara, who remembered
his former birth, honoured the physician becomingly with gifts of wealth,
and lived comfortably with his wives and friends, enjoying the earth con-
quered by his policy, and originally obtained by his good actions, without
an opponent.
" Thus in this world all the good and bad fortune, that befalls all men
at all times, is earned by actions in a former life. For this reason I think
we must have earned you for our lord in a former birth, otherwise how
could you be so kind to us, while there are other men in existence ?" Then
Naravahanadatta, having heard in the company of his beloved from the
mouth of Tapantaka this strangely pleasing and entertaining tale, rose up
to bathe. And after he had bathed, he went into the presence of his
father the king of Vatsa, frequently raining nectar into the eyes of his
mother, and after taking food, he spent that day and that night in drinking
and other pleasures with his parents, and his wife, and his ministers.
376
CHAPTER XLI.
And the next day, as Naravahanadatta was in the apartments of Rat-
naprabha, talking over various subjects with his ministers, he suddenly
heard a sound, which appeared to be like that of a man weeping outside in
the court-yard of the palace. And when some one asked — " What is
that ?" — the female attendants came and said, " My lord, the chamberlain
Dharmagiri is weeping here. For a foolish friend of his came here just
now, and said that his brother, who went on a pilgrimage to holy places,
was dead in a foreign land. He, bewildered with grief, forgot that he
was in the court and began to lament, but he has been just now
taken outside by the servants and conducted to his own house." When
the prince heard this, he was grieved, and Ratnaprabha moved witli pity
said in a despondent tone — " Alas ! the grief which is produced by
the loss of dear relatives is hard to bear ! Why did not the Creator make
men exempt from old age and death ?" When Marubhuti heard this speech
of the queen's, he said ; " Queen, how can mortals ever attain this good for-
tune ? For listen to the following story, which I will tell you, bearing on
this question."
Stonjofking Chiraym and Us mini- In the city of Chirayus there
ster Nagarjuna. was in 0\& tlme a king, named Chira-
yus,* who was indeed long-lived, and the home of all good fortune. He
had a compassionate, generous and gifted minister, named Nagarjuna, who
was sprung from a portion of a Bodhisattva, who knew the use of all drugs,
and by making an elixir he rendered himself and that king free from old
age, and long-lived. One day an infant son of that minister Nagarjuna,
whom he loved more than any of his other children, died. He felt grief
on that account, and by the force of his asceticism and knowledge proceed-
ed to prepare out of certain ingredients the Water" of Immortality,f in
order to prevent mortals from dying. But while he was waiting for the
auspicious moment in which to infuse a particular drug, Indra found out
what was going on. And Indra, having consulted with the gods, said to
the two Asvins — " Go and give this message to Nagarjuna on the earth from
me — ' Why have you, though a minister, begun this revolutionary proceed-
ing of making the Water of Life ? Are you determined now to conquer the
Creator, who indeed created men subject to the law of death, since you
* /. e. long-lived.
t Sco the IVth chapter of Ralston' s Russian Folk -Talcs, Weckcnstcdt's Wendis-
cho Murckcn page 221, Bombard >3diuudt'd Uricchischc Miircliun p. 125.
propose to make men immortal by preparing the Water of Life ? If this
takes place, what difference will there be between gods and men ? And the
constitution of the universe will be broken up, because there will be no
sacrificer and no recipient of sacrifice. So by my advice discontinue this
preparation of the Water of Life, otherwise the gods will be angry, and will
certainly curse you. And your son, through grief for whom you are
engaged in this attempt, is now in Svarga.' ': With this message Indra
despatched the two Asvins. And they arrived at the house of Nagarjuna
and, after receiving the argliu,* told Nagarjuna, who was pleased with
their visit, the message of Indra, and informed him that his son was with
the gods in heaven. Then Nagarjuna, being despondent, thought ; " Never
mind the gods, but if I do not obey the command of Indra, these Asvins
will inflict a curse on me. So let this Water of Life go, I have not accom-
plished my desire ; however my son, on account of my good deeds in a for-
mer life, has gone to the abode of bliss." Having thus reflected, Nagar-
juna said to these two gods, the Asvins, " I obey the command of Indra, I
will desist from making the Water of Life. If you two had not come, I
should have completed the preparation of the Water of Life in five days,
and freed this whole earth from old age and death." When Nagarjuna had
said this, he buried by their advice the Water of Life, which was almost com-
pleted, in the earth before their eyes. Then the Asvins took leave of him,
and went and told Indra in heaven that their errand was accomplished, and
the king of gods rejoiced.
And in the meanwhile Nagarjuna's master, the king Chirayus, anointed
his son Jivahara crown-prince. And when he was anointed, his mother,
the queen Dhanapara, on his coming in great delight to salute her, said to
him, as soon as she saw him, " Why do you rejoice without cause, my
son, at having obtained this dignity of crown-prince, for this is not a step
to the attainment of the kingly dignity, not even by the help of asce-
ticism ? For many crown-princes, sons of your father, have died, and not
one of them has obtained the throne, they have all inherited disappoint-
ment. For Nagarjuna has given this king an elixir, by the help of which
he is now in the eighth century of his age. And who knows how many
more centuries will pass over the head of this king, who makes his short-
lived sons crown-princes." When her son heard that, he was despondent,
and she went on to say to him, " If you desire the throne, adopt this
expedient. This minister Nagarjuna every day, after he has performed
the day's devotions, gives gifts at the time of taking food, and makes this
proclamation ; ' Who is a suppliant ? Who wants anything ? To whom
can I give anything, and \vhat ?' At that moment go to him and a
' Give mo your head,' — Then he, being a truthful man, will have his head
* "Water, rice, durva grass, &c. ofl'cred to
48
378
cut off, and out of sorrow for his death this king will die, or retire to the
forest ; then you will obtain the crown ; there is no other expedient avail-
able in this matter." When he heard this speech from his mother, the
prince was delighted, and he consented, and determined to carry her advice
into effect, for the lust of sovereign sway is cruel, and overcomes one's
affection for one's friends. Then that prince went, the next day, of his
own accord to the house of that Nagarjuna, at the time when he took his
food. And when the minister cried out, " Who requires anything, and
what does he require ?" he entered and asked him for his head. The
minister said, " This is strange, my son ; what can you do with this head
of mine ? For it is only an agglomeration of flesh, bone and hair. To
what use can you put it ? Nevertheless, if it is of any use to you, cut
it off, and take it." With these words he offered his neck to him. But
it had been so hardened by the elixir that, though he struck at it for a
long time, he could not cut it, but broke many swords over it. In the
meanwhile the king, hearing of it, arrived, and asked him not to give away
his head, but Nagarjuna said to him : " I can remember my former births,
and I have given away my head ninety-nine times in my various births.
This, my lord, will be the hundredth time of my giving away my head.
So do not say anything against it, for no suppliant ever leaves my pre-
sence disappointed. So I will now present your son with my head ; for
this delay was made by me only in order to behold your face." Thus he
spoke, and embraced that king, and brought a powder out of his closet,
with which he smeared the sword of that prince. Then the prince cut off
the head of the minister Nagarjuna with a blow of that sword, as a man
cuts a lotus from its stalk. Then a great cry of wailing was raised, and the
king was on the point of giving up his own life, when a bodiless voice
sounded from the heaven in these words — " Do not do what you ought
not, king. You should not lament your friend Nagarjuna, for he will not
be born again, but has attained the condition of a Buddha." When king
Chirayus heard this, he gave up the idea of suicide, but bestowed great gifts,
and out of grief left his throne, and went to the forest. There in time
he obtained by asceticism eternal bliss. Then his son Jivahara obtained
his kingdom, and soon after his accession he allowed dissension to ari*e
in his realm, and was slain by the sons of Nagarjuna remembering their
father's murder. Then through sorrow for him his mother's heart broke.
How can prosperity befall those who walk in the path trodden by the
ignoble ? And a son of that king Chirayus, born to him by another wife,
named S'atayus, was placed on his throne by his chief ministers.
" Thus, as the gods would not permit Nagarjuna to carry out the task
of destroying death, which he had undertaken, he became subject to death.
Therefore it is true. that this world of living beings was appointed by the
379
Creator unstable, and full of grief hard to ward off, and even with hun-
dreds of efforts it is impossible for any one to do anything here, which tho
Creator does not wish him to do." When Marubhuti had told this story,
he ceased speaking, and Naravahanadatta rose up with his ministers and
performed his daily duties.
CHAPTER XLII.
Then, early the next day, Naravahanadatta went off to the forest for the
purpose of hunting, surrounded with elephants, in the company of his
father and his friends ; but before going he comforted his beloved Ratna-
prabha, who was anxious about him, by saying that he would quickly
return.
Then the scene of the chase became like a garden adorned with lovely
creepers for his delight, for in it the pearls that dropped from the claws of
the lions, that had cleft the foreheads of elephants, and now fell asleep in,
death, were sown like seeds ; and the teeth of the tigers that were cut out
by the crescent-headed arrows were like buds, and the flowing blood of the
deer seemed like shoots, and the wild boars, in which stuck, the arrows
adorned with heron feathers, seemed like clusters, and the fallen bodies
of S'arabhas* shewed like fruit, and the arrows falling with deep hum
appeared like bees. Gradually the prince became wearied, and desisted
from the chase, and went on horseback to another wood with Gomukha,
who was also riding. There he began to play at ball, and while he was
thus engaged, a certain female ascetic came that way. Then the ball
slipped from his hand and fell on her head ; whereupon the female ascetic
laughed a little, and said to him — " If your insolence is so great now, what
will it be if you ever obtain Karpiirika for a wife."f When Narava-
hanadatta heard this, he dismounted from his horse, and prostrating himself
at the feet of that female ascetic, said to her — " I did not see you, and my
ball fell on your head by chance — Reverend one, be propitiated, and par-
don that fault of mine." When the female ascetic heard that, she said,
" My son, I am not angry with you," and being victorious over her wrath
she comforted him with blessings. And then, thinking that the wise
truthful ascetic was well disposed to him, Naravahanadatta respectfully
asked her — " Who, reverend lady, is this Karpiirika spoken of by you ?
Condescend to inform me, if you are pleased with me, for I am curious
* Fabulous animals with eight feet.
t Cp. Sicilianischo Miirchen, Vol. I, p. 74.
380
on this head." When he said this, bending before her, the female ascetic
said to him : " There is on the other side of the sea a city named Karpura-
sambhava ;* in it there is a king rightly, named Karpiiraka, he has a
daughter, a lovely maiden, named Karpurika, who appears like a second
Lakshmi, deposited in security there by the ocean, having seen that the
first Lakshmi had been carried away by the gods after the churning.
And she, as she hates men, does not desire to be married, but she will
desire it, if at all, when she sees you. So go there, my son, and you shall
win that fair one ; nevertheless, while you are going there, you will suffer
great hardship in the forest. But you must not be perplexed at that,
for all shall end well." When the ascetic had said this, she flew up into
the air and disappeared. Then Naravahanadatta, drawn on by the com-
mand of Love uttered through her voice, said to his attendant Gomukha,
" Come, let us go to Karpurika in the city of Karpurasambhava, for I can-
not remain a moment without beholding her." When Gomukha heard
that, he said — " King, desist from your rashness. Consider how far off
you are from the sea and from that city, and whether the journey is worth,
taking for the sake of that maiden ? Why, on merely hearing her name,
do you abandon celestial wives, and alone run after a mere woman who is
enveloped in doubt, owing to your not knowing what her intention is."
When Gomukha said this to him, the son of the king of Vatsa said, " The
speech of that holy ascetic cannot be false. So I must certainly go to find
that princess." Having said this, he set out thence on horseback that very
moment. And Gomukha followed him silently, though it was against his
wish : when a lord does not act on the advice of his servants, their only
course is to follow him.
In the meanwhile the king of Vatsa, having finished his hunting, re-
turned to his city, thinking that that son of his was returning among his
own armed followers. And the prince's followers returned with Marubhu-
ti and the others to the city, supposing that the prince was with the armed
followers of his father. When they arrived, the king of Vatsa and the
others searched for him, and finding that he had not returned, they all
went to the house of Ratnaprabha. She at first was grieved at that news,
but she called up a supernatural science and was told by it tidings of her
husband, and said to her distressed father-in-law ; " My husband hoard the
princess Karpurika mentioned by a female ascetic in the forest, and in
order to obtain her he has gone to the city of Karpurasambhava. And lie
\\ ill soon have accomplished his object, and will return here with Gomukha.
So dismiss anxiety, for this I have learned from a science. By these words
she comforted the king of Vatsa and his retinue." And sho despatched
* I. e. Camphor-produced. In tlio Arabian-Nights the Camphor islands are
mentioned. Sec Lanu's Translation, Vul. I, page <3ii.
381
another science to wait on her husband during his journey, and dispel his
fatigue ; for good women who desire their husband's happiness do not
account of jealousy.
In the meanwhile Naravahanadatta performed a long journey on
horseback in that forest, accompanied by Gomukha. Then a maiden
suddenly came up to him in his path and said to him, " I am a
science sent by Ratnaprabha, named Mayavati, I will guard you on
the path without being seen, so proceed now without fear." Having
said this, the incarnate science disappeared, as he gazed at it. By
virtue of it, Naravdhanadatta continued his journey with his thirst
and hunger appeased, praising his beloved Ratnaprabha. And in
the evening he reached a wood with a pure lake in it, and with Gomukha
he bathed, and took a meal of delicious fruit and water. And at night he
tied up the two horses underneath a large tree, after supplying them with
grass, and he and his minister climbed up into it to sleep. While repos-
ing on a broad bough of the tree, he was woke up by the neighings of the
terrified horses, and saw a lion that had come close underneath. When
he saw it, he wished* to get down for the sake of the horses, but Gomu-
kha said to him — " Alas ! you are neglecting the safety of your person,
and acting without counsel ; for kings the first duty is the preservation
of their persons, and counsel is the foundation of rule. How can you
desire to contend with wild beasts armed with teeth and claws. For it
was to avoid these that we just now got up into this tree. When the king
had been restrained from descending by these words of Gomukha's, seein°-
the lion killing the horse, he immediately threw his sword at it from the
tree, and succeeded in wounding it with the weapon which was buried in
its body. The mighty lion, though pierced with the sword, after killing
that horse, slew the other also. Then the son of the king of Vatsa took
Gomukha's sword from him, and throwing it, cut the lion in half in the
middle. And descending he recovered his sword from the body of the lion,
and ascending again to his sleeping place, he passed the night there in the
tree. In the morning Naravahanadatta got down, and set out to find Kar-
purika, accompanied by Gomukha. Then Gomukha, beholding him travel-
ling on foot, as the lion had slain his horse, in order to amuse him on the
way said ; " Listen, king, I will relate you this story, which is particularly
appropriate on the present occasion."
Story of kitty Pa.-itydgasena, his wicked There is in this world a city
wife and his two sons. nametl Iravati, which sur]
Alaka ;f in it there dwelt a king named Parityagasena. And he had two
* I find that a MS. in the Sanskrit College reads avutieirs/itim. This is olmou.-ly
tho right reading.
t The city of Kuvera the god of wealth.
382
beloved queens, whom he valued as his life. One was the daughter of his
own minister and her name was Adikhasangama, and the other was of royal
race, and was called Kavyalankara. And with those two the king propitiated
Durga to ohtain a son, and performed penance without food, sleeping on dar-
Iha grass. Then Bhavani, who is kind to her votaries, pleased with his pen-
ance, appeared to him in a dream and gave him two heavenly fruits, and
thus commanded him : " Else up and give your two wives these two fruits
to eat, and then, king, you will have born to you two heroic sons."
Having said this, Gauri disappeared, and the king woke up in the morning
and rose delighted at beholding those fruits in his hand. And by describ-
ing that* dream of his he delighted his wives, and bathed and worshipped
the consort of S'iva, and broke his fast. And at night he first visited that
wife of his Adhikasangama, and gave her qpe of the fruits, and she imme-
diately ate it. Then the king spent the night in her pavilion, out of respect
for her father, who was his own prime minister. And he placed near the
head of his bed the second fruit, which was intended for the other queen.
While the king was asleep, the queen Adhikasangama rose up, and desiring
for herself two similar sons, she took from his head and ate that second
fruit also. For women are naturally envious of their rivals. And in the
morning, when the king rose up and was looking for that fruit, she said —
" I ate that second fruit also." Then the king went away despondent, and
after spending the day, he went at night to the apartments of the second
queen. And when she asked for that other fruit, he said to her — " While
I was asleep, your fellow-wife treacherously devoured it." Then the queen
Kavyalankura, not having obtained that fruit, which was to enable her to
give birth to a son, remained silently grieved.
In the course of some days that queen Adhikhasangama become preg-
nant, and in due time gave birth to twin sons. And the king Parityaga-
sena rejoiced and made a great feast, since his desire was fulfilled by their
birth. And the king gave the name of Indivarasena to the elder of the
two, who was of wonderful beauty and had eyes like a blue lotus. And he
gave to the younger the name of Anichchhasena, because his mother ate
the second fruit against his wish. Then Kavyalankara, the second wife of
that king, on beholding this, was angry, and reflected — " Alas ! I have been
cheated by this rival wife out of having children ; so I must without fail
revenge myself on her ; I must destroy these sons of hers by my cunning."
Having thus reflected, she remained thinking over a means of doing this.
And as fast as those two princes grew, the tree of enmity grew in her
heart.
And in course of time those two princes, having attained manhood,
and being mighty of arm, and desirous of conquest, said to their father —
" We have attained manhood and we have been trained in the use of weapons,
383
So Low can we remain here endowed to no profit with these mighty arms P Out
on the arms and the youth of a Kshatriya that longs not for victory ! So let
us go now, father, and conquer the regions." When the king Parity aga-
sena heard this request of his sons, he was pleased and consented, and
made arrangements for their expedition. And he said to them, " If ever you
are in difficulties, you must think upon the goddess Durga the remover of
sorrows, for she gave you to me." Then the king sent forth those two
sons on their expedition, accompanied by his troops and feudal chiefs,
after their mother had performed the auspicious ceremonies to ensure them
success. And he sent after them his own sagacious prime minister, their
maternal grandfather, whose name was Prathamasangama. Then those
two mighty princely brothers, with their army, first marched in due
t order to the eastern quarter, anjj. subdued it. Then these two irresistible
heroes of approved might, to whom many kings had joined themselves,
went to the southern quarter to conquer it. And their parents rejoiced
on hearing these tidings of them, but their second mother was consumed
with the fire of concealed hate. The treacherous queen then got the fol-
lowing false despatch written in the king's name to the chiefs in the
princes' camp, by means of the secretary for foreign affairs, whom she had
bribed with heaps of treasure — " My two sons, having subdued the earth
by the might of their arms, have formed the intention of killing me and
seizing my kingdom ; so if you are loyal to me, you must without hesita-
tion put to death both those sons of mine." — This letter Kavyalankdnl
sent off secretly by a courier. And the courier went secretly to the camp
of those two princes, and gave that letter to the chiefs. And they all,
after reading it, reflecting that the policy of kings is very cruel, and consi-
dering that that command of their master must not be disobeyed, met and
deliberated in the night, and as they saw no way out of the difficulty,
determined to kill those two princes, though they had been fascinated by
their virtues. But their maternal grandfather, the minister, who was with
them, heard of it from a friend that he had among the chiefs, and after
informing the princes of the state of affairs, he thereupon mounted them
on swift horses, and conveyed them away safely out of the camp.
The two princes, when conveyed away by the minister at night, travel-
led along with him, and entered the Vindhya forest out of ignorance of
the true road. Then, after the night had passed, as they slowly proceed-
ed on their way, about noon their horses died, overcome with exiv
thirst. And that aged maternal grandfather of theirs, Whose palate was
dry with hunger and thirst, died exhausted with the heat before the eyes
of those two, who were also weary. Then those afflicted brothers exclaim-
ed in their sorrow — " AYhy has our father reduced to this state us who arc
innocent, and fulfilled the desire of that wicked second mother of ours ?" —
In the midst of their lamentation they thought upon the goddess Ambika,*
whom their father had long ago pointed out to them as their natural pro-
tectress. That moment, by force of thinking on that kind protectress,
their hunger, thirst and fatigue left them, and they were strong. Then
they were comforted by faith in her, and without feeling the fatigue of
the journey, they went to visit that goddess who dwells in the Vindhya
forest. And when those two brothers had arrived there, they began
a course of fasting and asceticism to propitiate her. In the mean-
while those chiefs in the camp assembled together in a band, and went
with the intention of doing the princes a mischief ; but they could not find
them, though they searched everywhere. They said — " The princes have
escaped somewhere with their maternal grandfather," and fearing that the
whole thing would come out, they went in affright to the king Parityaga-
sena. And shewing him the letters, they told him the whole story. He,
when he heard it, was agitated and said to them in his anger ; " I did ' not
send this letter, this is some deception. And how comes it that you did
not know, you foolish creatures, that I should not be likely to put to death
two sons obtained by severe austerities ? They have been put to death as
far as you are concerned, but they were saved by their own merits, and
their maternal grandfather has exhibited a specimen of his statesmanship."
He said this to the chiefs, and though the secretary who wrote the trea-
cherous letter fled, the king quickly had him brought back by his royal
power, and after thoroughly investigating the whole matter, punished him as
he deserved. And he threw into a dungeon his wicked wife Kavyulankura?
who was guilty of such a crime as trying to slay his sons. For how can
an evil deed audaciously done, the end of which is not considered through
the mind being blinded with excessive hate, help bringing ruin ? And as
for those chiefs, who had set out with his two sons and returned, the king
dismissed them, and appointed others in their place. And with their
mother he continued to seek for tidings of those sons, plunged in grief,
devoted to righteousness, thinking upon Durga.
In the meanwhile that goddess, who has her shrine in the Vindhya
mountains, was pleased with the asceticism of the prince Indivarasena
and his younger brother. And she gave Indivarasena a sword in a dream, and
appearing to him, thus addressed him — " By the power of this sword thou
shalt conquer enemies hard to overcome, and whatever thou shalt think of
thou shalt obtain, and by means of it you shall both gain the success you
desire." When the goddess had said that, she disappeared, and Indivarasen;i,
waiving up, beheld that sword in his hand. Then he comforted his younger
brother by shewing him that sword, and describing to him his dream, and
in the morning he and his brother broke their fast on wild fruits. Then
* The mother, i. c., Durga.
he worshipped that goddess, and having his fatigue removed by her favour,
he departed rejoicing, with the sword in his hand, in the company of his
brother. And after he had travelled a long distance, he found a great and
splendid city, looking like the peak of Meru on account of its golden
houses. There he beheld a terrible Rakshasa standing at the gate of the
high street, and the hero asked him what was the name of the town, and
who was its king. That Kakshasa said — " This city is called S'ailapura,
and it is possessed by our lord Yamadanshtra, the slayer of his foes, king
of the Rakshasas." When the Rakshasa said this, Indivarasena attempted
to enter, in order to slay Yamadanshtra, but the Rakshasa at the door tried
to prevent him, upon which the mighty Indivarasena killed him, cutting off
his head with one stroke of his sword. After slaying him, the hero entered
the royal palace, and beheld inside it the Rakshasa Yamadanshtra sitting
on his throne, having a mouth terrible with tusks, with a lovely woman
at his left hand, and a virgin of heavenly beauty on his right hand.
And when Indivarasena saw him, he went with the sword given him by
Durga in his hand, and challenged him to fight, and the Rakshasa drew
his sword and stood up to resist him. And in the course of the fight Indi-
varasena frequently cut off the Rakshasa's head, but it grew again.* Seeing
that magic power of his, and having had a sign made to him by the virgin
at the Rakshasa's side, who had fallen in love with him at first sight,
the prince, after cutting off the head of the Rakshasa, being quick of hand,
again cut it in two with a stroke of his sword. Then the Rakshasa's magic
was baffled by contrary magic, and his head did not grow again, and the
Rakshasa died of the wound.
When he was slain, the lovely woman and the princess were delighted,
and the prince with his younger brother sat down, and asked them the follow-
ing questions : " Why did this Rakshasa live in such a city as this, guarded
by one warder only, and who are you two, and why do you rejoice at his
being slain ?" When they heard this, the virgin was the one that an-
swered, and she spoke as follows : " In this city of S'ailapura there lived
a king of the name of Virabhuja, and this is his wife Madanadanshtra,
and this Rakshasa came and devoured him by the help of his magic
power. And he ate up his attendants, but he did not eat this Madana-
danshtra, whom alone he spared because she was beautiful, but he made
her his wife. Then he became disgusted with this city though beautiful,
and building in it houses of gold, he remained here sporting with Mada-
nadanshtra, having dismissed his retinue. And I am the younger sister
of this Rakshasa, and unmarried, but the moment I saw you, I fell in love
with you. Accordingly she is glad at his having been slain, and so also am I ;
so marry me here now, my husband, since love makes me offer myself to you."
* See Ralston's remarks on this story in liis Russian Folk-Tales, p. 71.
49
386
When Khadgadanshtra said this, Indivarasena married her then and
there by the Gandharva form of marriage. And he remained in that very
city, having everything brought to him, on his thinking of it, by the virtue
of the sword of Durga, married and accompanied by his younger brother.
And once on a time he made a chariot that would fly through the air, pro-
duced by thought through the virtue of his sword, that resembled in its
powers the philosopher's stone, and placed in it his heroic younger brother
Anichchhasena, and sent him off from his retreat to bear tidings of him to
his parents. Anichchhasena, for his part, travelled quickly through the air
in that chariot, and reached Iravati that city of his father. There he re-
freshed his grief -worn parents with the sight of him. as the moon refreshes
the partridges when exhausted with severe heat. And he approached them,
and fell at their feet, and was embraced by them, and when they questioned
him, he dispelled their apprehensions with good news of his brother. And
he told in their presence the whole adventure of himself and his brother,
which in the beginning was sad, but in the end was happy. And there he
heard the treacherous device, which his wicked second mother had out of
enmity contrived for his destruction. Then Anichchhasena remained there
in tranquillity, in the company of his delighted father and his mother,
honoured by the subjects. But after some days had passed, his fears were
aroused by a threatening dream, and he yearned to see his brother again,
and said to his father ; " I will depart, and by telling my brother Indivara-
sena that you are anxiously awaiting him, I will bring him back ; give me
leave to depart, my father." When his father heard that, being anxious
for the sight of his son, he and his wife gave Anichchhasena leave to de-
part, and he immediately mounted his chariot, and reached through the air
that city of S'ailapura. And when he arrived there, he entered the palace
of that brother of his. He saw there his elder brother lying senseless in
the presence of Khadgadanshtra, and Madanadanshtra, who were weeping.
In his perplexity he asked, " What does this mean ?" And then Khad-
gadanshtra said with her eyes fixed on the ground, though the other
blamed her for it ; " When you were away, your brother one day, on my
going to bathe, had a secret intrigue with this Madanadanshtni. And I,
on returning from bathing, found him with her, and I abused him. Then
he tried to propitiate me, but I, being exceedingly bewildered by unforgiving
jealousy, that seemed to have possessed me, thought thus with mysL-lf, ' Ah !
without taking me into account, he favours another ; I believe he shews
this insolence confiding in the magic properties of his sword, so I will hide
this weapon of his.' After thus reflecting, in my folly I thrust his swonl
into the fire at night, while ho was asleep. The consequence was that his
sword was dimmed and he was reduced to this state. And I am gi\
for this myself and upbraided by Madunadaushtra. So you have come- here
."S7
now when both our minds are blinded with grief, and we have resolved on
death. So take this sword and kill me with it, since I have proved true to
the customs of my race and acted cruelly." When Anichchhasena was
thus entreated by his brother's wife, he thought that he ought not to slay
her on account of her repentance, but prepared to cut off his own head.
But at that moment, he heard the following voice come from the air — " Do
not act thus, prince, your brother is not dead, but he has been struck sense-
less by Durga, who is angry at his not having taken sufficient care of the
sword, and you must not impute guilt to Khadgadanshtra, for this circum-
stance is the consequence of your all having been born into this world on
account of a curse. And they were both of them your brother's wives in
a former life. So propitiate Durga in order to gain your object." Ac-
cordingly Anichchhasena gave up his intention of slaying himself. But
he mounted that chariot, and took that fire-dimmed sword, and went to
propitiate the soles of the feet of Durga, the dweller in the Vindhya range.
There he fasted, and was about to propitiate the goddess with the offering
of his head, when he heard this voice from heaven — " Do not be rash, my
son, go ; thy elder brother shall live, and the sword shall become pure from
stain, for I am pleased with thy devotion." When Anichchhasena heard this
speech of the goddess, he immediately saw that the sword in his hand had
recovered its brightness, and he walked round the goddess, keeping his
right hand towards her ; and ascending his swift magic car, as if it were
his own desire,* he returned in a state of anxious expectation to that S'aila-
pura. There he saw that his elder brother had just risen up, having sud-
denly regained consciousness, and weeping he seized his feet, and his elder
brother threw his arms round his neck. And both the wives of Indivara-
sena fell at the feet of Anichchhasena and said — " You have saved the life
of our husband." Then he told the whole story to his brother Indivara-
sena who questioned him, and he, when he heard it, was not angry with
Khadgadanshtra, but was pleased with his brother.f
And he heard from the lips of his brother that his parents were
eager to see him, and of the fraud of his second mother, that had brought
about his separation from them ; then he took the sword which his brother
* The word literally means chariot of the mind. There is a pun here.
t This resembles the German story of the two brothers as given in Cox's Aryan
Mythology, Vol. I, p. 162. See also Gonzenbach's Sicilianische Miirchen, Nos. 39 and
40, with Dr. Kbhler's note. Ho there refers us to his own remarks on the 4th of
Campbell's West Highland Tales in Orient und Occident, Vol. II, p. 118, and to
Grimm, Nos. 60 and 85, Hahn No. 22, Widter-Wolf, No. 8, Vernalekeu, No. 3">.
In Grimm's No. 60, we have a magic sword, and the temporary death of one of the
brothers is indicated by the dimming of one side of a knife. This story resembles
Grimm's more closely, than that of Asokadulta und Vijayadutta in ch. 25.
388
banded to him, and mounted a large chariot, which came to him the mo-
ment he thought of it, owing to the virtue of the sword, and with his
golden palaces, and his two wives, and his younger brother Indivarasena,
returned to his own city Iravati. There he alighted from the air, beheld
with wonder by the subjects, and entered the palace, and went with his
attendants into the presence of the king. And in that condition he beheld
his father and his mother, and fell at their feet with his eyes bathed in
streaming tears. And they, the moment they beheld their son, embraced
him and his younger brother, and having their bodies, as it were, bathed
in nectar, they were relieved from their sorrow. And when their daughters-
in-law, those two wives of Indivarasena, of heavenly beauty, fell at their
feet, they looked on them with delight and welcomed them. And the
parents, learning in course of conversation, that they were said by a divine
voice to have been appointed in a previous life as his wives, were
exceedingly delighted. And they rejoiced with astonishment at the power
of their son, which enabled him to travel through the air, and bring golden
palaces and do other things of this kind. Then Indivarasena remained,
with those two wives and his attendants, in the society of his parents, caus-
ing delight to the subjects. And once on a time he took leave of his father,
king Parityagasena, and went forth again to conquer the four quarters,
accompanied by his younger brother. And the mighty-armed hero con-
quered the whole earth by the virtue of his sword, and came back bringing
with him the gold, elephants, horses and jewels of conquered kings. And
he reached his capital, followed out of fear by the conquered earth in the
form of the army of dust, that his forces raised. And he entered the
palace, where his father advanced to meet him, and he and his brother de-
lighted their mother Adhikasangama by their return. And after he had
honoured the kings, Indivarasena spent that day in pleasure, accompanied
by his wives and his followers. And on the next day the prince made over
the earth to his father by way of tribute from the kings, and suddenly
recollected his former birth. Then, like one waking up from sleep, he said
to his father — " Father, I remember my former birth ; listen, I will tell
you all about it. There is a city on the plateau of the Himalayas named
Muktapura; in it there lives a king named Muktasena, a king of the Yidya-
dharas. And by a queen named Kambuvati he had born to him in course
of time two virtuous sons, Padmasena and Riipasena. Then a maiden, named
A'dityaprabha, the daughter of a chief of the Vidy&dharas, of her own accord,
out of love, chose Padmasena for her husband. Hearing of that, a Vulyu-
dhara maiden, of the name of Chandra vati, became love-sick also, and came and
chose him for her husband. Then Padmasena, having two wives, was con-
tinually worried by that wife Adityaprablui, who was jealous of her rival.
And so Padmaseua over and over again importuned his father Muktasena
389
to the following effect ; ' I cannot endure every day the ill-temper of my
wife, who is blind with jealousy, let me retire to a wood of ascetics to put
an end to this misery. Therefore, father, give me permission.' His father,
annoyed at his persistence, cursed him and his wives, saying ; ' What need is
there of your going to a wood of ascetics ? Fall into the world of mortals.
There this quarrelsome wife of yours, Adityaprabha, shall be born in the
race of Rakshasas, and become your wife again. And this second, Chandra-
vati, who is virtuous and attached to you, her husband, shall be the wife of
a king, and the paramour of a Rakshasa, and shall obtain you as her be-
loved. And since this Rupasena has been observed by me to follow you
his elder brother with affection, he shall be your brother also in that world.
There too you shall endure some affliction caused by your wives.' Thus
he spoke and ceased, and appointed this as the termination of the curse ;
' When you, being a prince, shall conquer the earth and give it to your
father, then you and they shall remember your former birth, and be freed
from your curse.' When Padmasena had been thus addressed by his own
father, he went with those others to the world of mortals. I am that very
Padmasena, born here as your son, Indivarasena by name, and I have done
what I was appointed to do. And the other Viclyadhara prince, Rupasena,
has been born as Aniehchhasena my younger brother. And as for my
wives Adityaprabha* and Chandravati, know that they have been born
here as these two, Khadgadanshtra and Madanadanshtra. And now we
have reached that appointed end of our curse. So let us go, father, to our
own Vidyadhara home." Having said this, he together with his brother
and his wives, who remembered their former existence, abandoned the
human and assumed the Vidyadhara form. And having worshipped the
feet of his father, and taken his two wives in his arms, he went with his
younger brother through the air to his own city Muktapura. There the wise
prince, gladly welcomed by his father Muktasena, a joy to the eyes of his
mother, accompanied by his brother Rupasena, lived with his Adityaprabha,
who did not again display jealousy, and with Chandravati in happiness.
The minister Gomukha, having told this delightful tale on the road,
again said to Naravahanadatta ; " Thus the great must endure great pains
and gain great glory, but others have little pain and little glory. But you,
protected by the might of the science of queen Ratnaprabha, shall without
difficulty gain that princess Karpurika."
When Naravahanadatta heard this from the lips of the eloquent
Gomukha, he set out on the path with him, insensible to fatigue. And as
he travelled, he came in the evening to a pellucid lake, the lotuses on which
were in full bloom, and which was full of an abundant supply of cold water,
delicious as nectar. Its banks were adorned with pomegranate trees,
* /. e., brightness of the suii. Chuiulruvuti incuus uioonliko. •
390
bread-fruit trees, and rows of mango-trees, and on it the swans sang
sweetly. They bathed in it, and devoutly worshipped the beloved* of the
daughter of Himalaya and refreshed themselves with various fragrant,
sweet-tasting, delightful fruits, and then the son of the king of Vatsa and
his friend spent the night on the bank of the lake, sleeping on a bed strewn
with soft young shoots.
CHAPTER XLIII.
The next morning, Naravahanadatta rose up from the bank of that
lake,f and setting out on his journey, said to his minister Gomukha ; " My
friend, I remember, a certain princess of heavenly beauty, dressed in white
garments, came to me towards the end of last night in a dream, and said
this to me — ' Lay aside your anxiety, dear one, for you will quickly reach
a large and wonderful town situated in a forest, on the shore of the sea.
And after resting there, you shall with ease find that town Karpurasam-
bhava, and then win that princess Karptirika.' Having said this, she dis-
appeared, and I immediately woke up." When he said that, Gomukha was
delighted and said to him — " King, you are favoured by the gods ; what is
difficult to you ? So your enterprise will certainly succeed without dif-
ficulty." When Gomukha had said this, Naravahanadatta hastened along
the path with him. And in course of time he reached a city of vast
extent on the shore of the sea, furnished with lofty mansions resembling
the peaks of mountains, with streets, and arches, adorned with a palace all
golden like mount Meru, looking like a second Earth. He entered that city
by the market- street, and beheld that all the population, merchants, womem
and citizens were wooden automata, that moved as if they were alive, but
were recognised as lifeless by their want of speech. This aroused astonish-
ment in his mind. And in due course he arrived with Gomukha near the
king's palace, and saw that all the horses and elephants there were of the
same material ; and with his minister he entered, full of wonder, that palace,
which was resplendent with seven ranges of golden buildings. There he saw
a majestic man sitting on a jewelled throne, surrounded by warders and
women, who were also wooden automata, the only living being there, who
produced motion in those dull material things, like the soul presiding over
» I. c. S'i%-,i the beloved of Parvuti.
f I i at fur
391
the sonses. He, for his part, seeing that that hero Naravahanadatta was
of noble form, rose up arid welcomed him, and made him sit down on his
own seat, and sitting in front of him, he thus questioned him, " Who
are you ; how and why have you come to this uninhabited land with one
companion ?" Then Naravahanadatta told his own story from the begin-
ning, and asked that hero, who was prostrating himself before him, — " Who
are you, my good sir, and what is this wonderful city of yours ? Tell me."
That man, when he heard that, began t;o tell his own story.
Story of the two brothers Prdnadhara, There is a city named Kunchl
and litijyadluira. possessed of great excellences,*
which, like a girdle, well adorns the earth-bride. In it there was a famous
king of the name of Bahubala, who won fortune by the might of his arm,
and imprisoned her in his treasury, though she is a gadding dame. We
were two brothers in his kingdom, carpenters by trade, skilful in making
ingenious automata of wood and other materials, such as Mayaf first
invented. My elder brother was by name Pranadhara, and he was infatuat-
ed with love for a fickle dame, and I, my lord, am named Rajyadhara, and I
was ever devoted to him. That brother of mine consumed all my father's
property and his own, and some portion of what I had acquired, which
melted by affection I made over to him. Then he, being much infatuated
about the lady, out of desire to steal wealth for her sake, made a couple of
swans of wood with mechanism and strings attached to them. That pair
of swans was sent out at night by pulling the strings, and entering by
means of the mechanical contrivance into the king's treasury through a
window, they took from it with their beaks jewels placed in a basket, and
returned to the house of my brother. And my elder brother sold the jewels
and spent the money so acquired with his paramour, and in that way he
robbed the king's treasury every night, and though I tried to prevent him,
he would not give up that improper proceeding, for who, when blinded by
passion, distinguishes between right and wrong ? And then the keeper of
the treasury, as the king's treasure-house was plundered night after night
without the bolt being moved, though there were no mice in it, for several
days in succession enquired into the matter, without saying anything, out
of fear, and then being exceedingly vexed, went and told the whole matter
plainly to the king. Then the king posted him and some other guards
in the treasure-house at night, with orders to keep awake in order
to find out the truth of it. Those guards went into the treasure-house
at midnight, and while there, saw my brother's two swans entering there
* Here there is a pun, as the words may also be construed " woven of excellent
threads."
t Maya was the architect of tho Daityas. According to some Maya — Ptolemaios.
392
by the window, impelled by strings. The swans moved round by means
of their mechanism and took the jewels, then the guards cut the strings,
and took the swans to shew the king in the morning. And then
my elder brother said in a state of bewilderment — " Brother, my two
swans have been seized by the guards of the treasury, for the strings have
become slack, and the pin of the mechanism has dropped. So we must
both of us leave this place immediately, for the king, when he hears of it
in the morning, will punish us as thieves. For we are both known to
be skilled in mechanical contrivances. And I have here a chariot with a
pneumatic contrivance, which quickly goes eight hundred yojanas, if you
press a spring. Let us go by means of it to-day to a distant foreign land,
though exile may be disagreeable ; for how can an evil deed, that is done in
despite of good advice, bring pleasure to any one ? This is the mature fruit
of my wickedness in not obeying your advice, which has extended to inno-
cent you, as well as to me." After saying this, my brother Pranadhara
immediately mounted with his family that chariot, that flew through the
air. Bnt though he urged me, I would not mount it, as it was laden with
many people, so he flew up in it to the sky and went off to some distant
place.
When that Pranadhara,* who was rightly named, had gone off some-
where, I, expecting that in the morning I singly should he exposed to dan-
ger at the hands of the king, mounted another chariot with a pneumatic
mechanism, which I had myself made, and quickly travelled two hundred
yojanas from that place. Then I again started that air-travelling chariot,
and went another two hundred yojanas. Then I left my chariot, terrified
at finding that I was near the sea, and travelling on my feet, reached in
course of time this city which was empty. And out of curiosity I entered
this palace, which was filled with garments, ornaments, and couches and alj
the other conveniences fit for a king. And in the evening I bathed in the
water of the garden-lake, and ate fruits, and going to the r<jjyal bed reflected
alone at night — " What am I to do in this uninhabited spot ? So to-morrow
I will go hence to some place or other, for I no longer need fear danger
from king Bahubala." When I had thus reflected, I went to sleep, and
towards the end of night a hero of divine appearance, mounted on a peacock,
thus addressed me in a dream ; " You must live here, good sir, you must
not depart elsewhere, and at the time of meals you must go up to the
middle court of the palace, and wait there." Thus he spoke, and dis-
appeared, and I woke up and reflected — " Undoubtedly this heavenly place
has been made by Kartikeya, and he has favoured me with this dream on
account of my merits in a former life. I have turned up here because I am
to be huppy dwelling in this town/" I conceived this hope and rose up}
* I. e. holding life.
393
and said the prayer for the day, and at the time of eating I went up
to the middle court, and while I was waiting there, golden dishes were
placed in front of me, and there fell into them from heaven food consisting
of ghee, milk, rice, hoiled rice and other things ;* and any other kinds
of food that I thought of, came to me as fast as I thought of them.
After eating all this, I felt comforted by the favour of the god. So, my
lord, I took up my abode in this city, with kingly luxuries coming to me
'every day as fast as I wished for them. But I do not obtain wives and
retinue by thinking of them, so I made all these people of wood. Though
I am a carpenter, since I have come here I enjoy alone all the pleasures of a
king by the power of Destiny, and my name is Rajyadhara. f
" So repose, now, a day in this god-built town, and I will attend upon
you to the best of my ability." After saying this, Eajyadhara led off
with him Naravahanadatta and Gomukha to the city garden, there the
prince bathed in the water of the lake and offered lotuses to Siva, and
was conducted to the feasting- place in the middle court, and there
he and his minister enjoyed viands which were placed before them by
Eajyadhara, who stood in front of them, to whom they came as soon as
he thought of them. Then the eating-ground was swept by some unseen
hand, and after they had taken betel, they drank wine and remained in
great felicity. And after Rajyadhara had eaten, the prince retired to a
gorgeous couch, astonished at the wonderful nature of the town, which
resembled the philosopher's stone. And when he could not sleep, on
account of his recently conceived longing for Karpurika, Rajyadhara, who
was also in bed, asked her story, and then said to him — " Why do you not
sleep, auspicious sir ? You will obtain your desired love. For a fair woman,
like Fortune, of her own accord chooses a man of high courage. I have
had ocular proof of this, so hear the story ; I will relate it to you."
Story of Arthalobha and his beautiful That king of Kanchi, Bahubala,
whom I mentioned to you, had a rich
door-keeper, rightly named Arthalobha. J He had a beautiful wife named
Jlanapara. That Arthalobha, being by profession a merchant, and on
account of his avarice distrusting his servants, appointed that wife of his
to look after his business in preference to them. She, though she did not like
it, being obedient to him, made bargains with merchants and captivated all
men by her sweet form and speech. And Arthalobha, seeing that all the
* Cp. the Metamorphoses (Golden Ass) of Apuleius, Lib. V, cap. III. Visoque-
statim semirotundo suggestu propter instrumentum coenatorum, rata rofeotui siu>
moduin, libens accumbit. Et illico vini nectarei eduliumquo variorum fercula cojuosa,
nullo serviente, sed tantum spiritu quodain impuLsa, subiiiiimtriiiitur.
t /. £., holding or possessing a kingdom.
J /. e., greed of wealth.
50
39-1
sales of elephants, horses, jewels, and garments that she made, brought in
a profit, rejoiced exceedingly. And once on a time there came there from
a distant foreign land a merchant, named Sukhadhana, having a large stock
of horses and other commodities. The moment Arthalobha heard that he
had come, he said to his wife — " My dear, a merchant named Sukhadhatia
has arrived from a foreign land, he has brought twenty thousand horses, and
innumerable pairs of excellent garments made in China, so please, go
and purchase from him five thousand horses and ten thousand pairs of
garments, in order that with the thousands of horses I already possess and
those other five, I may pay a visit to the king, and carry on my commerce.
"When commissioned in these words by that villain Arthalobha, Manapara
went to Sukhadhana ; whose eyes were captivated by her beauty, and who
welcomed her gladly. And she demanded from him for a price those horses
and garments. The merchant, overpowered with love, took her aside and
said to her — " I will not give you one horse or garment for money, but if
you will remain one night with me, I will give you five hundred horses and
five thousand garments." After saying this, he solicited that fair one with
even a larger amount ; who does not fall in love with women, who are
allowed to go about without restraint ? Then she answered him — " I will
ask my husband about this, for I know he will send me here out of ex-
cessive cupidity.*" After saying this, she went home, and told her husband
Avhat the merchant Sukhadhana had said to her secretly. And that wicked
covetous husband Arthalobha said to her ; " My dear, if you obtain live
hundred horses and five thousand pairs of garments for one night, what is
the harm in it. So goto him now; you shall return quickly in the morn-
ing." When Manapara, heard this speech of her mean-spirited husband's,
she began to debate in her heart, and thus reflected — " Out on this base
spiritless husband of mine that sells his honour ! By continually medi-
tating on gain he has become all made up of the desire of gain. It is
better that the generous man, who buys me for one night with hundreds of
horses and thousands of pieces of China silk, should be my husband."
Thus reflecting, she took leave of her base husband, saying ; " It is not my
fault," and went to the house of that Sukhadhana. And he, when he saw
that she had come, after questioning her and hearing the whole story from
her, was astonished, and considered himself fortunate in obtaining her.
And he sent off immediately to her husband Arthalobha the horses and
garments that were to purchase her, as agreed upon. And he remained
that night with her, having all his wishes attained, for she seemed like
the fortune which was the fruit of his own wealth, incarnate in bodily
form, at last obtained by him. And in the morning the base Arthalobha
* Cp. Die Sieben Wcisen Meister c. 18, (Simrock's Duutschc Volk^lmcher, Vol.
XII, p. 185).
sent, in his shamelossness, servants to summon her, whereupon Manapara
said to them, " How can I again return to be the wife of that man who
sold me to another ? I am not as shameless as he is. Tell me 'yourselves
if this would be becoming now. So depart, the man that bought me is
my husband." When the servants were thus addressed by her, they went
and repeated her words to Arthalobha with downcast faces. The mean
fellow, wlion he heard it, wanted to recover her by force ; then a friend of
the name of Harabala said to him ; " You cannot recover her from that
Sukhadhana, for he is a hero, and I do not behold in you manliness corre-
sponding to his. For he is moved to heroism by a woman that loves him
on account of his generosity, and he is mighty, and surrounded with other
mighty men that have come with him. But you have been deserted by
your wife, who separated from you because you sold her out of meanness,
and scorn makes you timid, and being reproached you have become
effeminate. Moreover you are not mighty, and you are not surrounded by
mighty friends, so how can you possibly be capable of vanquishing that
rival ? And the king will be angry with you, when he hears of your crime
of selling your wife ; so keep quiet, and do not make a ridiculous blunder."
Though his friend tried to dissuade him with these words, Arthalobha
went and beset, in his anger, the house of Sukhadhana with his retainers.
While he was thus engaged, Sukhadhana sallied out with his friends and
retainers, and in a moment easily defeated the whole of Arthalobha's force.
Then Arthalobha fled, and went into the presence of the king. And
concealing his own wicked conduct, he said to the king, — " O king, the
merchant Sukhadhana has carried off my wife by force." And the king, in
his rage, wished to arrest that Sukhadhana. Then a minister of the name
of Sandhana said to the king — " In any case, my lord, you cannot arrest him,
for when his force is increased by that of the eleven friends who have come
with him, he will be found to have more than a hundred thousand excellent
horses. And you have not discovered the truth about the matter, for his
conduct will turn out to be not altogether without cause. So you had
better send a messenger, and ask what it is that this fellow here is chattering
about." When king Bahubala heard this, he sent a messenger to Sukha-
dhana to ask about the matter. The messenger went, and asked about the
matter by the king's order, and thereupon Manapara told him her story.
When Bahubala heard that wonderful tale, he came to the house of
Sukhadhana to behold the beauty of Manapara, being filled with excessive
curiosity. There he beheld, while Sukhadhana bent before him, Manapara,
who with the wealth of her beauty would astonish even the Creator. She
prostrated herself at his feet, and he questioned her, and heard from her
own mouth how the whole thing happened, Arthalobha being present and
listening. When he heard it, he thought it was true, because Arthalobha
398
was speechless, and he asked that fair one what was to be done now.
Then she said decidedly, " How can I return to that spiritless avaricious
man, who sold me to another man without the excuse of distress ?" When
the king heard this, he said, " AVell said," and then Arthalobha bewildered
with desire, wrath, and shame, exclaimed, — " King, let him and me fight
with our own retainers, without any auxiliary forces ; then let it be seen
who is spirited and who is spiritless." When Sukhadhana heard this, he
said — " Then let us fight in single combat, what need is there of
retainers ? Manapara shall be the prize of the victor." When the king
heard this, he said, " Good ! so let it be !" Then, before the eyes of Mana-
para and the king, they both entered the lists mounted. And in the course
of the combat, Sukhadhana laid Arthalobha on the plain, by his horse's
rearing on account of a lance-wound. Then Arthalobha fell three times
more on the earth, on account of his horse being killed, but Sukhadhana,
who was a fair fighter, restrained himself and would not slay him. But
the fifth time Arthalobha's horse fell upon him, and bruised him, and he was
carried off by his servants motionless. Then Sukhadhaua was cheered by
all the spectators with shouts of applause, and the king Bahubala honoured
him as he deserved. And he immediately bestowed a gift of honour upon
the lady, and he confiscated the property of Arthalobha, which had been
acquired by unlawful means ; and appointing another to his office, he de-
parted pleased to his palace. For good men derive satisfaction from
breaking off their connection with the bad. And Sukhadhana, having
maintained his claim by force, remained enjoying himself in the society
of Manapara his loving wife.
" Thus wives and wealth leave the mean-spirited man, and of their
own accord come to the high-spirited man from every quarter. So dismiss
anxiety ! Go to sleep ! in a short time, my lord, you will obtain that prin-
cess Karpiirika." When Naravahanadatta heard that sound advice of
Eajyadhara's, he and Gomukha went off to sleep.
And in the morning, Avhile the prince was waiting awhile after his
meal, the wise Gomukha addressed Rajyadhara as follows : " Make such
an ingenious chariot for my master, as that he shall be able by means of it
to reach the city of Karpurasambhava, and obtain his beloved." When
thus supplicated, that carpenter offered Naravahanadatta the chariot with a
pneumatic contrivance, that he had made before. He ascended that sky-
travelling chariot, swift as thought, together with Gomukha, and civ
the deep, the home of monsters, that agitated its waves as if exulting to
behold his valour, and reached the city of Karpurasambhava on its shore.
There the chariot descended from the sky, and he and Gomukha left it,
and out of curiosity wandered about inside the town. And by questioning
the people he found out that he had indeed without doubt reached tho
397
desired city, and delighted he went to the neighbourhood of the palace.
There he found a splendid house occupied by an old woman, and he entered
it to stay there, and she received him with respect. And eager to hit upon
an artifice, he immediately asked that woman, " Noble lady, what is the
name of the king here, and what children has he ? And tell us of their
appearance, for we are foreigners." When he said this to the old woman,
she, seeing that he was of excessively noble form, answered — " Listen, illus-
trious sir, I will tell you all. In this city of Karpurasambhava there is a
king named Karpuraka. And he, having no children, performed penance,
with his wife Buddhikari, fasting, in honour of S'iva, in order to obtain off-
spring. After he had fasted for three nights, the god S'iva commanded
him in a dream — ' Rise up, a daughter shall be born to you, who shall be
superior to a son, and whose husband shall obtain the sovereignty of the
Vidyadharas.' After receiving this order from S'iva, the king woke up in
the morning ; and, after communicating this dream to his wife Buddhikari,
he rose up and went off delighted, and with his queen broke his fast. And
then in a short time that queen conceived by the king, and when the period
was completed, she brought forth a daughter beautiful in all her limbs. She
surpassed in splendour the lights in the lying-in chamber,* and they, as it
were, heaved sighs by discharging lamp-black. And her father made
great rejoicings, and gave her the name of Karpurika, which is his own
name made feminine. And gradually that moonlight of the eyes of the
people, the princess Karpurika, has grown up, and is now in the full bloom
of youth. And her father, the king here, desires to have her married, but
the haughty girl detests men, and will not consent. And when my daugh-
ter, who is her friend, put this question to her ' My dear, why do you not
desire marriage, the only fruit of a daughter's birth?' she answered,
' My dear, I remember my former birth, and the cause is something which,
happened then ; hear it."
Story of the princess Karpurika in her On the shore of the ocean there
lirth as a swan. is a great sandal- wood tree. Near
it there is a lake adorned with full-blown lotuses. I was a female swan
on that lake on account of my actions in a previous birth. Once on a
time, out of fear of the sea, I made a nest in that sandal- wood tree with my
husband, who was a male swan. When I was dwelling in that nest, I had male
offspring born to me, and suddenly a great wave of the sea came and carried
them off. When the flood carried away my children, out of grief I wept
and took no food ; and remained in front of a liny a of S'iva on the shore
of the sea. Then that male swan, my husband, came to me and said —
" Rise up, why do you lament your children that are dead, we shall ijfet
other ones.f As long as life is preserved, everything can be obtained."
* See note on page 305.
t Cp. Herodotus III. 119 ; Antigone, vv. 909—912.
398
His speech pierced my heart like an arrow, and I reflected — "Alas!
males are thus wickedly regardless of their youthful offspring, and show no
affection to, or compassion for their females, though they are attached to
them. So of what comfort is this husband to me ? Of what use is thia
body that brings only pain ?" Thus reflecting, I prostrated myself before
S'iva, and devoutly placed him in my heart, and then in front of his sym-
bol, before the eyes of the swan, my husband, I uttered this prayer ;
" May I become in the next birth a princess remembering my former
state," — and thereupon I flung myself into the sea. Consequently, I have
been born in this life such as you see. And because I remember the cruel-
ty of that husband in a former birth, my mind does not feel inclined to
any suitor. So I do not desire to be married ; the rest is in the hands of
Destiny. " This is what the princess said then in private to my daughter,
and that daughter of mine came and told it to me."
" So, my son, I have told you what you asked me. And that princess
is undoubtedly destined to be your wife. For she was long ago designated
by the god S'iva as the wife of the future emperor of the Vidyadharas.
And I see that you are marked with all the distinguishing signs of an
emperor, such as the peculiar freckle, and other marks. Perhaps you are
some distinguished person brought here by Providence for that very
purpose. Itise up, for the present we will see what there is in my house
in the way of provision." After the old lady had told him this, she
brought him food, and he and Gomukha spent the night there. And in
the morning, the prince deliberated in private with Gomukha as to the
steps to be taken, and then he assumed the dress of a Pasupata ascetic,
and accompanied by Gomukha, he went to the king's gate, and roamed
about in front of it, crying out again and again — " Ah my female swan !
Ah my female swan !" And the people gazed at him. . And when the
maids beheld him thus employed, they went in astonishment and said to
the princess Karpurika ; " Your Highness ! we have seen at the royal
gate a Pasupata ascetic who, though he has a fellow, is unfellowed in
beauty,* and he continually utters these words, ' Ah my female swan !
Ah my female swan !' which bewilders the minds of the women." When
the princess heard this, she, as having been a swan in a former birth, was
filled with curiosity, and had him, just as he was, conducted by her maids
into her presence. And she saw that he was adorned with inlinite beauty,
like a new god of Love that had taken a vow to propitiate S'iva. And she
said to him, when he looked at her with an eye expanded by curiosity,
" What is this that you are continually saying, ' Ah ! my female swan ! Ah !
my female swan ?' " Though she said this to him, he went on to say —
"Ah! my female swan !" Then his companion Gomukha answered her;
" I will explain this in a few words, listen, Your Highness.
* A more pun.
399
" In a former birth be was a swan on account of his actions in an
anterior state of existence. Then he built himself a nest in a sandal-wood
tree, on the bank of a great lake near the shore of the sea, and lived there
with his female. And as it happened, their offspring in that nest were
swept away by a wave, and his female, distracted with grief, threw herself
into the sea. Then he, being grieved at separation from her, and disgusted
with his bird-nature, desirous of leaving that body, made a pious wish in
his heart — ' May I be in a future life a prince remembering my former
state, and may this virtuous female swan be my wife, remembering her
former existence also.' Then he thought on Siva, and scorched with the
fire of grief, flung that body into the water of the sea. So he has been
now born, my fair lady, as Naravahanadatta, the son of the king of Vatsa
in Kausambi, with the power of recollecting his former existence. When
he was born, a voice said distinctly from heaven ; ' This prince shall be the
emperor of all the kings of the Yidyadharas.' In course of time, when
he had become crown-prince, he was married by his father to the goddess
Madanamanchuka of heavenly appearance, who had been born for a certain
reason as a woman. And then the daughter of a king of the Vidyadharas
named Hemaprabha, the maiden Katnaprabha, came of her own accord,
and chose him for a husband. Nevertheless, thinking on that female
swan, he does not enjoy tranquillity ; and he told this to me, who have
been his servant from my childhood. Then, while he was out hunting, it
happened that he and I had a meeting in the forest with a holy female
hermit. And in the course of conversation she said to him with favour-
ing condescension — ' Owing to the effect of his actions the god of Love,
my son, became a swan. And a heavenly female, that had fallen' through
a curse, became his dear wife, when he was dwelling, as a swan, in a sandal-
wood tree on the bank of the sea. But she threw herself into the sea,
through grief at her offspring having been carried away by the tide, and
then the male swan flung himself into the sea also. He has now by the
favour of S'iva been born as yourself, the son of the king of Vatsa, and
you know of that former birth of yours, my son, for you remember your
former existence. And that female swan has been now born in Karpiira-
sambhava, a city on the shore of the sea, as a princess, Karpiirika by name.
Therefore, go there, my son, and win her to wife.' When the holy female
hermit had said this, she flew up into the sky and disappeared. And this
lord of mine, having heard this information, immediately set out with me
to come here. And being attracted by love for you, he risked his life, and
after traversing a hundred difh'culties, he reached the shore of the sea.
There we had an interview with the carpenter, named Kajyadhara, who
dwells in liemapura, and who gave us an ingenious chariot. We have
mounted on this terrible machine, as if it were our courage having taken
400
shape,* and have crossed the perilous gulf of the sea, and arrived at this town.
For this reason, queen, my master wandered about, exclaiming, ' Ah my
female swan !' until he came into your presence. Now, from the pleasing
sight of the noble moon of your countenance, he enjoys the removal of the
darkness caused by the presence of innumerable woes. Now, honour your
noble guest with the blue lotus garland of your look." When Karpurika
heard this feigned speech of Gomukha's, she thought it was true, relying on
the fact that it harmonized with her own recollections. And she melted in her
soul with love, and she thought, " After all this husband of mine was attached
to me, and my despondency was causeless." And she said — " I am in truth
that very female swan, and I am fortunate in that my husband has for my
sake endured suffering in two births. So now I am your slave, overcome
by love ;" and saying this, she honoured Naravahanadatta with baths and
other hospitalities. Then she informed her father of all this by the mouth
of her attendants, and he, the moment he heard it, came to her. Then the
king thought himself fortunate, having seen that his daughter had conceiv-
ed a desire to be married, and that an appropriate suitor for her had at
length arrived in Naravahauadatta, who was marked with all the signs of a
great emperor. And he gave, with all due honour, his daughter Karpurika
to Naravahanadatta according to the prescribed form. And he gave to
that son-in-law of his, at every circumambulation from left to right of the
sacred fire, thirty millions of gold-pieces, and as many lumps of camphor,
the heaps of which appeared like the peaks of Meru and Kailasa that had
witnessed the marriage of Parvati, come to behold his magnificence.
Moreover the king Karpuraka, who had attained his wish, gave Naravahana-
datta a hundred millions of excellent garments and three hundred female slaves
well adorned. And Naravahanadatta, after his marriage, remained with that
Karpurika, as if with affection incarnate in bodily form. Whose mind was
not delighted at the union of that couple, which resembled the marriage of
the spring-creeper and the spring-festival ?
And on the next day Naravahanadatta, who had attained his object,
said to his beloved Karpurika, " Come, let us go to Kausambi." Then she
answered him — " If it is to be so, why should we not go there immediately
in this chariot of yours that flies through the air ? If it is too small, I will
furnish another large one, for there is living here a mechanic who makes
ingenious chariots, who has come from a foreign land, Pranadhara by name ;
I will cause him quickly to make such a chariot." After saying this, she
called the warder that kept the door, and said to him — " Go and order that
chariot-maker Pranadhara to prepare a large chariot, that will travel
through the air, for us to start in." Then the queen K:irpurik;i,
having dismissed the warder, informed her father by the mouth of a slave
* I rc;tJ with a MS. iu the .Sanskrit College— b/uii/tult; hd miu-la tea siihase.
401
of her desire to depart. And while the king, on hearing it, was coming
thither, Nai'avahanadatta thus reflected ; " This Pranadbara is certainly the
brother of Rajyadhara, whom he described as having run away from his
native land through fear of his king." While he was thus thinking, the king
quickly arrived, and that mechanic Pranadhara came with the warder, and
said — " I have ready-made a very large chariot, which will easily carry at this
instant thousands of men." When the mechanic said this, Naravahana-
datta said " Bravo !" and asked him courteously ; " Are you the elder
brother of Rajyadhara, skilled in various very great mechanical contri-
vances ?" And Pranadhara answered him, bowing before him — " I am
that very brother of his, but how does Your Highness know about us ?"
Then Naraviihanadatta told him what Rajyadhara had told him, and how
he had seen him. Then Pranadhara joyfully brought him the chariot, and
he mounted it with Gomukha, after having been politely dismissed by his
father-in-law the king, and after bidding farewell to him ; but first he
placed in it the slaves, camphor and gold. And he took with him Prana-
dhara, whom the king permitted to depart, and that head-warder, and his
recently married wife Karpurika ; and his mother-in-law uttered a solemn
prayer for a blessing on his journey, and from those stores of splendid
garments he bestowed gifts on the Brahmans ; and he said to Pranadhara —
" First let us go to Rajyadhara on the shore of the sea, and then home."
Then the chariot was driven on by Pranadhara, and the king and his wife
flew up into the air quickly by means of it, as if by his accomplished wish.*
In a moment be crossed the sea, and reached again that city of Hemapura
on its shore, the abode of that Rajyadhara. There Rajyadhara bowed
before him, delighted at beholding his brother, and as he had no female
slaves, the prince honoured him with the gift of some, at which he greatly
reioiced. And after taking leave of Rajyadhara, whose tears flowed fast,
as he could hardly bear to part from his elder brother, the prince reached
Kausambi in that same chariot. Then the people, on beholding the prince
unexpectedly descend from heaven, riding in that splendid chariot, followed
by bis retainers, and accompanied by his new bride, were much astonished.
And his father, the king of Vatsa, having gathered from the exultations of
the citizens that his son had arrived, was delighted, and went out to meet
him, accompanied by the queen, the ministers, his daughter-in-law, and
other persons. And the king, beholding that son prostrate at his feet with
his wife, received him gladly, and thought that the fact, that he was to be
the future emperor of the aerial spirits, was clearly revealed by his coming in
a flying chariot. His mother Y;isavadatt;i, with Padimivati, embraced him,
and she shed a tear, which dropped like the knot of pain loosened by seeing
him. And his wife Ratnaprabha, was delighted, and Madunamanchuka
* " Wish" is literally " chariot of the mind," so here there is a pun.
51
402
also, and their jealousy being overcome by love for him, they embraced his
feet, and won his heart at the same time. And the prince delighted his
father's ministers, headed by Yaugandharayana, and his own, headed by
Marubhuti, when they bowed before him, by rewarding them as they
severally deserved. And they all, with the king of Vatsa at their head,
welcomed that new wife Karpurika, who bowed becomingly before them,
like the goddess of Fortune arrived surrounded by a hundred immortal
nymphs, even the sister-shape of Amrita,* openly brought by her husband,
having crossed the sea adorned with its shore as a garment with a beautiful
fringe. And the king of Vatsa honoured that warder of her father's,
giving him many crores of gold-pieces, garments and lumps of cam-
phor, which had been brought in the chariot. And the king then honoured
Pranadhara as the benefactor of his son Naravahanadatta, who had point-
ed him out as the maker of the chariot. And then the king honoured
Gomukha, and asked him joyfully, " How did you obtain this princess ?
And how did you start from this place ?" And then Gomukha deftly told
the king of Vatsa, with his wives and ministers, in private, the whole adven-
ture, as it took place, beginning with their going to the forest to hunt, - -
how they met the female hermit, and how they crossed the sea by means of the
chariot provided by Rajyadhara, and how Karpurika was obtained with her
female attendants, though she was averse to marriage, and how they
returned by the way by which they went, in a chariot which they obtained
by finding Pranadhara. Then all of them, shaking their heads in astonish-
ment and joy, said — " To think of the concurrence of all these circum-
stances, the chase, and the female ascetic, the carpenter liajyadhara skilled
in mechanical contrivances found on the shore of the sea, the crossing the
ocean in the chariot that he made, and that another maker of these cha-
riots should have previously reached the other side of the ocean ! The truth
is, Destiny takes trouble to provide the fortunate with the means of
obtaining prosperous success." Then all respectfully commended
Gomukha for his devotion to his lord. And they praised queen Batnapra-
bha, who by her knowledge protected her lord on his journey, for she pro-
duced general satisfaction by acting like a woman devoted to her husband.
Then Naravahanadatta, having made his party of air-travellers forget the
fatigues of their journey, entered his palace with his father, and mother, his
wives and other relations. Then his treasury was filled with heaps of gold
by the friends and relations who came to see him, and whom he honoured,
and he loaded Pniuadhara and his father-in-law's warder with wealth.
And Pranadhara, immediately after he had taken food, respectfully add
ed this petition to him — " Prince, king Karpurika gave us the following
* Both Sri and the Amrita came out of the sea when it was churned.
kiilcna seems to Le corrupt.
403
order — ' You must come back quickly as soon as my daughter has reached her
husband's palace, in order that I may have early news of her arrival.' So
we must certainly go there quickly this very moment ; give us a letter
from Karpurika to the king written with her own hand. For otherwise
the heart of the king, which is attached to his daughter, will not take com-
fort. For he, never having mounted an air-chariot, fears that we may
have fallen from it. So give me the letter, and permit this head-warder,
who is desirous of ascending the chariot, to depart with me. But I will
return here, crown-prince, and will bring my family, for I cannot abandon
the two ambrosial lotuses of your feet." When Pranadhara said this firm-
ly, the son of the king of Vatsa immediately made Karpurika sit down to
write that letter. It ran as follows, " My father, you must not feel
anxious about me, since I share the happiness and possess the love of a good
husband ; was the goddess Lakshmi an object of anxiety to the ocean after
she had betaken herself to the Supreme Bridegroom ?" When she had
written the above letter with her own hand, and given it, the son of the
king of Vatsa dismissed the warder and Pranadhara with honour. And they
ascended the chariot, and produced astonishment in the minds of all, as
they were seen going through the air, and crossing the sea they went to
the city of Karpurasambhava. There they delighted the king Karpiiraka
by reading out his daughter's letter, which told that she had reached her
husband's palace. The next day Priinadhara took leave of the king, and
alter visiting Rajyadhara, repaired with his family into the presence of
Naravahanadatta. Naravahanadatta, when he had returned thus quickly
after accomplishing his mission, gave him a dwelling near his palace and
an ample allowance. And he amused himself, and his wives, by going about
in the flying chariots made by him, as if rehearsing future journeyings in
the skies as emperor of the Vidyadharas.
Thus, having delighted his friends, followers and wives, and obtained
a third wife Karpurika in addition to JElatnaprabha and Madanamanchuka,
the son of the king of Vatsa spent those days in happiness.
BOOK VIII.
CHAPTER XLIV.
Victory to the elephant-headed god,* who, reddening the sky with the
vermilion dye shaken off by the wind of his flapping ears, seems to create
sunset, even when it is not due.
Thus Naravahanadatta, the son of the king of Vatsa, dwelt happily in
his father's house, after he had won those wives. And one day, when he
was in his father's assembly-hall, he saw a man of heavenly appearance
come there, descending from heaven. And after he and his father had
welcomed the man, who bowed before him, he immediately asked him,
" Who are you and why have you come ?" Then he answered — " There is a
city in this earth on the ridge of Himavat, called Vajrakuta,f and rightly so
called, as being all made of diamond. There I dwelt, as a king of the
Vidyadharas named Vajraprabha, and my name too was rightly given me,
because my body is framed of diamond. And I received this command
from S'iva, (who was pleased with my austerities,) " If thou remain-
est loyal at the appointed time to the emperor created by me, thou
shalt become by my favour invincible to thy enemies." Accordingly I have
come here without delay to pay my respects to my sovereign : for I have
already perceived by means of my science that the son of the king of Vatsa,
(who is born of a portion of the god of Love, and appointed by the god who
wears a digit of the moon,) though a mortal, shall be sole emperor over both
divisions of our territoiy. J And though, by the favour of S'iva, a prince of the
name of S'uryaprabha was ruler over us for a kalpa of the gods, still he was
only lord in the southern division, but in the northern division a prince called
S'rutasarman was emperor ; but your majesty, being destined for great good
fortune, shall -be sole emperor here over the wanderers of the air, and your
dominion shall endure for a kalpa"
* i. e., Ganesa.
t *'. e., Diamond-peak.
J For ulhayavedyeka the Petersburg lexicographers read ubhayavedyardha. I have
followed this reading.
406
When the Vidyadhara said this, Naravahanadatta, in the presence of
the king of Vatsa, said to him again out of curiosity : " How did Suryaprabha,
being a man, obtain of old time the sovereignty over the Vidyadharas ?
Tell us." Then in private, that is to say, in the presence of the queens
and ministers, the king Vajraprabha began to tell that tale.
Story of Suryaprabha, and how he Of old there was in the country
attained sovereignty over the Vidyddharas. Of the people of Madra a town
named S'akala ;* Chandraprabha, the son of Angaraprabha, was king of
it, whose name expressed his nature, as he delighted the whole world, but
he was like fire in that he scorched his enemies. By his wife, named Kirti-
mati, there was born to that king a son, whose future glory was indicated
by his exceedingly auspicious marks. And when he was born, a clear voice
sounded from heaven, which rained nectar into the ears of king Chandra-
prabha, " This king, now born, named Suryaprabha, is appointed by S'iva
as the future emperor over the kings of the Vidyadharas. Then that
prince Suryaprabha grew up in the house of his father, who was distin-
guished by the delightful favour of the enemy of Pura,f and he being very
clever, gradually acquired, while still a child, all knowledge and all the accom-
plishments by sitting at the feet of a teacher ; and then, when he was six-
teen years old, and captivated the subjects by his virtues, his father Chan-
draprabha appointed him crown-prince, and he gave him the sons of his
own ministers, many in number, Bhasa, Prabhasa, Siddhartha, Prahasta
and others. And while he was bearing with them the burden of a crown-
prince's duty, one day a great Asura of the name of Maya came there,
and Maya went up in the assembly-hall to king Chandraprabha, who
welcomed him, and said to him in the presence of Suryaprabha, " King,
this son of yours, Suryaprabha, has been appointed as the future emperor
of the kings of the Vidyadharas by S'iva ; so why does he not acquire the
magic sciences that will put him in possession of the dignity ? For this reason I
am sent here by the god S'iva. Permit me to take him, and teach him the
right method of employing the sciences, which will be the cause of his
obtaining the sovereignty of the Vidyadharas. For he has a rival in this
business, a lord of the sky-goers named S'rutasarman ; he too has been
appointed by S'iva. But this prince, after acquiring the power of the
sciences, shall conquer him with our help, and become emperor over the
lords of the Vidyadharas." When Maya said this, king Chandraprabha
said — " We are fortunate ; let this auspicious one be taken by you
wherever you wish." Then Maya took leave of the king, and quickly carried
off to Patala Suryaprabha and his ministers, whom the king permitted to de-
* Identified by General Cunningham with tho Sangala of Alexander. (Ancient
Geography of India, p. 179 & ft'.)
f i. c., S'iva.
407
part. There he taught the prince ascetic practices of such a kind, that by
means of them the prince and his ministers quickly acquired the sciences.
And he taught him also the art of providing himself with magic chariots,
so that he acquired a chariot named Bhiitasana. Then Maya brought
Suryaprabba, mounted on that chariot, with his ministers, having acquired
the sciences, back to his own city from Patala. And after he had led him
into the presence of his parents, he said to him, " Now I depart, enjoy here
all the enjoyments given by your magic knowledge until I return." After
saying this, the Asura Maya departed, after having been duly honoured,
and king Chandraprabha rejoiced in his son's having acquired the sciences.
Then Suryaprabha, by virtue of the sciences, was continually roaming
through many countries in his chariot, with his ministers, to amuse himself.
And wherever any princess beheld him, she was immediately bewildered
by love, and chose him for her husband. The first was the virgin daughter
of the king of Tamralipti, who was called Virabhata ; her name was
Madanasemi, and she was the first beauty of the world. The second was
Chandrikavati the daughter of Subhata, the emperor of the western border,
who had been carried off by the Siddhas and left somewhere else. And
the third was the famous daughter of Kumbhira, the king of the city of
Kanchi, Varunasena by name, remarkable for her beauty. And the fourth
was the daughter of king Paurava, sovereign of Lavanaka, Suloehana by
name, with lovely eyes. And the fifth was the daughter of king Suroha,
the lord of the land of China, Vidyunmala with charming limbs, yellow
as gold. And the sixth was the daughter of king Kantisena, ruler in the
land of S'rikantha, surpassing in beauty the Apsarases. And the seventh
was Parapushta, the daughter of king Janamejaya, the lord of the city of
Kausambi, a sweet-voiced maid. And though the relations of these
maidens, who were carried off by a surprise, found out what had happened,
still, as the prince was confident in the might of his supernatural science,
they were pliant as canes. These wives also acquired the sciences, and
Suryaprabha associated with them all at the same time, taking many bodies
by his magic skill. Then he amused himself, in the company of these
wives, and of the ministers Prahasta and others, with roaming in the air,
with concerts, drinking-parties and other amusements. Possessing heaven-
ly skill in painting, he drew the Vidyadhara females, and in that way,
and by making sportive sarcastic speeches, he enraged those charmers,
and he was amused at their faces, furrowed with frowns, and with reddened
eyes, and at their speeches, the syllables of which faltered on their trem-
bling lips. And that prince went with his wives to Tiimralipti, and roam-
ing through the air sported in the gardens with Mudanasen:i And having
left his wives there, he went in the chariot Bhutiisana, and accompanied ly
Prahasta only, visited the city called Yajraratra. There lie curried off the
408
daughter"*of king Bambha before bis eyes, Taravali by name, who was
enamoured of him, and burning with the fire of love. And he came back
to Tainralipti, and there carried off again another maiden princess, by name
Vilasini. And when her haughty brother Sahasrayudha was annoyed at
it, he paralyzed him by his supernatural power. And he also stupefied
Sahasrayudha's mother's brother, who came with him, and all his retainers,
and made his head shorn of hair, because he wished to carry off his beloved
ones. But though he was angry, he spared to slay them both, because
they were his wife's relatives, but he taunted them, who were downcast
on account of the overthrow of their pride, and let them go. Then Siirya-
prabha, surrounded by nine wives, having been summoned by his father,
returned in bis chariot to his city S'akala.
And then king Virabhata sent from Tamralipti an ambassador to Surya-
prabha's father, king Chandraprabha, and gave him the following message to
deliver — " Your son has carried off my two daughters, but let that be, for he
is a desirable husband for them, as he is a master of supernatural sciences,
but, if you love us, come here now, in order that we may make a friendship
based upon the due performance of marriage rites and hospitality." There-
upon king Chandraprabha rewarded the messenger, and determined that he
would quickly start for that place on the morrow. But he sent Prahastn,
as an ambassador to Virabhata, in order to make sure of his sincerity, and
gave him Bhutasana to travel in. Prahasta went quickly and had an inter-
view with king Virabhata, and questioned him about the business, and was
informed and highly honoured by him,* and promised him, who smiled
graciously, that his masters would come early next morning, and then he
returned in a moment to Chandraprabha through the air. And he told
that king that Virabhata was ready to receive him. The king, for his
part, being pleased, shewed honour to that minister of his son's. Then
king Chandraprabha with queen Kirtimati, and Suryaprabha with Vilasini
and Madanasena, mounted that chariot Bhutasana, and went off early next
day with retinue and ministers. In one watch only of the day they reach-
ed Tamralipti, being beheld, as they passed through the air, by the people
with eyes the lashes of which were upraised through wonder. And descending
from the sky, they entered the city side by side with king Virabhata, who
came out to meet them ; the beautiful streets of the town were irrigated
at every step with sandal-wood water, and seemed to be strewed with blue
lotuses by means of the sidelong glances of the city ladies. There Vira-
bhata honoured his connexion and his son-in-law, and duly performed the
marriage ceremony of bis daughters. And king Virabhata gave at the
marriage-altar of those daughters, a thousand loads of pure gold, and a
hundred camels laden witli burdens of ornaments made ol' jewels ; and live
* I read bodhitah.
409
hundred camels laden with loads of various garments, and fifty thousand
horses, and five thousand elephants, and a thousand lovely women adorned
with beaut}' and jewels. And moreover he gratified his son-in-law Siirya-
prabha and his parents with valuable jewels and territories. And he duly
honoured his ministers, Prahasta and others, and he made a feast at which
all the people of the city rejoiced. And Suryaprabha remained there in
the company of his parents, and his beloved wives, enjoying delights,
consisting of various dainties, wines, and music.
In the meanwhile an ambassador arrived from Rambha in Vajraratra,
and in the hall of assembly delivered this message from his master : " The
crown-prince Suryaprabha, confiding in the might of his sciences, has insulted
us by carrying off our daughter. But to-day we have come to know, that
he has undertaken to be reconciled to king Virabhata, whose misfortune is
the same as ours. If in the same way you agree to be reconciled to us,
come here also quickly, if not, we will in this matter salve our honour by
death." When king Chandraprabha heard that, he honoured the ambas-
sador, and said to him, " Go to that Rambha and give him this message from
me : ' Why do you afflict yourself without cause ? For Siiryaprabha is now
appointed by S'iva the future emperor of the Vidyadharas ; and inspired sages
have declared that your daughter and others are to be his wives. So your
daughter has attained her proper place, but you being stern were not asked
for her. So be appeased, you are our friend, we will come to your resi-
dence also.' " When Prahasta received this message from the king, he
went through the air, and in a single watch he reached Vajraratra.
There he told his message to Rambha, and having been gladly received by
him, he returned as he came, and reported it to king Chandraprabha. Then
Chandraprabha sent his minister Prabhasa, and had king Rainbha's daughter
Tanivali conducted to him from S'akala. Then he departed in the air-chariot
with Suryaprabha, being dismissed with great honour by king Virabhata
and all others. And he reached Vajraratra, which was full of people
awaiting his arrival, and was met by Rambha, and entered his palace.
There Rambha, having performed the great feast of the marriage ceremony,
gave his daughter countless stores of gold, elephants, horses, jewels, and
other valuables. And he gratified so lavishly his son-in-law Siiryaprabba,
that he forgot all his own luxuries. And while they were remaining there
delighted with feasts, an ambassador came from the city of Kanchi to Ram-
bha. Rambha having heard his message, said to king Chandraprabha—
" King, the lord of Kanchi, named Kumbhira, is my elder brother ; he has
to-day sent me a trustworthy messenger to speak this speech ; ' Suryaprabha
first carried off my daughter, then yours. And now you have made friend-
ship with him and his father, as I hear, so bring about my friendship also
with them. Let them come to my house, that I may with my own hand
52 N
4-10
give my daughter Varunasena to Siiryaprabha.' So grant this request of
my brother's." When Rambha made this request, Chandraprabha granted
it, and sent Prahasta and had Varunasena brought quickly from the city
of S'akala to her father Kumbhira. And the next day, he and Siiryaprabha
and Rambha, and Virabhata and all, with their attendants, went to the
city of Kanchi. And after they had been met by Kumbhira, they entered
the city of Kanchi, as it were the girdle of the earth, full of many jewels
and adorned with excellences.* There Kumbhira bestowed his daughter
on Siiryaprabha with the usual ceremonies, and gave much wealth to the
young couple.
And when the marriage had taken place, Prahasta, after taking food,
said to Chandraprabha, who was all joyfulness, in the presence of all,
" King, in the country of S'rikantha I had an interview with the king of that
land ; there king Kantisena whom I thus happened to see, said to me — ' Let
Siiryaprabha come to my house with that daughter of mine, whom he has
carried off, I will perform the ceremony for him according to rule. If he
refuses, I will abandon the body, distracted by love for my daughter.'
This is what he then said to me, and I have now mentioned it on the
proper occasion." When Prahasta said this, king Chandraprabha answered,
" Go then, take Kantimati to him, we will go there also." When the king
said this to him, Prahasta went off that moment through the air, and did as
he had commanded. And next morning Chandraprabha and all, with Kum-
bhira, went to the land of S'rikantha in the air-travelling chariot. There
king Kantisena came to meet them, and making them enter his palace,
performed the auspicious ceremony of his daughter's marriage. Then he
gave to Kantimati and Siiryaprabha an endless quantity of jewels, which
excited the wonder of the kings.
While they were all remaining there, enjoying all kinds of pleasures, a
messenger came from Kausambi and said — " King Janamejaya sends this
message to your honours, ' My daughter, of the name of Parapushta. lias
been carried off by some one lately. And I have found out to-day, that
she has come into the power of Suryaprabha, so let him come with her
to my house without fear. I will perform the marriage ceremony accord-
ing to rule, and so dismiss him with his wife, otherwise you will be my
enemies, and I shall be yours.' " Having thus delivered his master's
message, the ambassador remained silent : then king Chandraprabha said to
them apart — " How can we go to the house of that king who sends such
haughty messages ?" When the king's minister named Siddhartha heard
that, he said, " Do not entertain wrong notions, king, for he is justified in
* Kt'i,n7,i w.m* girdle, mina excellence and thread. The last clauso might be
translated — iiiado of tlr,
Ml
using such language. For that king is very generous, learned and sprung of
a noble race, a hero, one who has offered the Asvamedha sacriBce, ever uncon-
quered by others. How can he have spoken anything unbecoming in speaking
according to facts ? And as for the enmity which he threatens, he does
that now on account of Indra. So you must go to his house, for he is a
king faithful to his engagements. Nevertheless send some one to find out
his intentions." When they heard this speech of Siddhartha's, they all
approved it. Then king Chandraprabha sent Prahasta to sound Janame-
jaya, and honoured his messenger. And Prahasta went, and after making
an agreement with the king of Kausambi, brought a letter from him, and
satisfied Chandraprabha. The king quickly sent that Prahasta, and had
Parapushta conducted from S'akala to Janamejaya. Then Chandraprabha
and the other kings, preceded by Suryaprabha,* with Kantisena, went to
Kausambi in the chariot. There the king Janamejaya courteously honoured
his son-in-law, and his connexion and all the others, by advancing to meet
them, and other ceremonies. And after he had performed the ceremony of
the marriage-rite, he gave five thousand elephants and one hundred thou-
sand excellent horses, and also five thousand camels laden with full burdens
of jewels, gold, precious apparel, camphor and aloes- wood. And he made such
a feast, that even the realm of Pluto was exclusively engaged in dancing
and music, a feast in which excellent Brahmans were honoured, and all
kings gratified.
And in the meanwhile the heaven there suddenly became red, as if in-
dicating that it would soon be dyed crimson with blood. And the sky
suddenly became full of confused hurtling noises, as if terrified at behold-
ing a hostile army coming in the air. And a mighty wind immediately
began to blow, as if exciting the inhabitants of earth to war against the
wanderers of the air. And immediately a great Vidyadhara army was seen
in the air, illuminating with brightness the circle of the horizon, loud-
shouting, impetuous. And in the midst of it Suryaprabha and the others
beheld with astonishment a very handsome heavenly youth. And at that
moment the herald of the Vidyadharas proclaimed with a loud voice in
front of that youth, whose name was Damodara : " Victory to the crown-
prince Damodara son of king A'shadha ! O mortal, dweller on the earth,
Suryaprabha, fall at his feet. And do homage, 0 Janamejaya ; why have
you given your daughter to an undeserver ? Propitiate, both of you, this
god at once, otherwise he will not be appeased." When Suryaprabha
heard this, and saw that army, he was wroth, and seizing his sword and
shield, he flew up into the heaven by his science. And all his ministers
flew up after him, with their weapons in their hands, Prahasta, and Prabha-
* I read Siiryaprabha for Suryachandra.
4,12
sa. and Bhasa, and Siddhartha, and Prajnadhya, and Sarvadamana, and Vita-
bbiti and S'ubhankara. And tbe Vidyadharas fought a great figbt witb them.
And on one side Suryaprabha, and on the other Damodara advanced, not
slaying their enemies with their swords, but receiving their weapons on
their shields. Those men, few in number, and those air-roamers, a hundred
thousand in number, found equality in battle, fighting with one another.
And all sword-blades there flashed red with blood, falling on the heads of
heroes, like the glances of the god of death. And the Vidyadharas fell on the
earth with their heads and their bodies, in front of Chandraprabha, as if
imploring protection cut of fear. Suryaprabha shone in the world with the
glory of the Vidyadharas which he had seen. The sky was red with blood,
as if with vermilion shed abroad. And Suryaprabha at last reached, and
^fought face to face with Damodara, who was armed with a sword and a
shield. And as he fought, he broke through his enemy's guard by a skilful
management of his weapons, and laid him on the earth, having cleft his
shield with his sword. And while he was preparing to cut off the head of
his struggling foe, Vishnu came and made a threatening sound in the sky.
Then Suryaprabha, having heard that sound, and having beheld Hari,
prostrated himself, and out of respect for the god spared to slay Damodara.
Hari carried him off somewhere as his votary, and saved him from death, for
the adorable one delivers in this world and the next his faithful followers.
And the troops of Damodara fled in different directions. Suryaprabha, for
his part, descended from heaven to his father's side. And his father Chan-
draprabha welcomed him, on his returning unwounded with his ministers, and
the other kings praised him, now that his valour had been seen.
And while they were all engaged in joyfully talking over the combat,
another ambassador, belonging to Subhata, arrived there. And he came
and delivered a letter in the presence of Cbandraprabha ; and Siddhartha,
opening it, read it out in the assembly : It ran as follows, " The august king
Chandraprabha, the pearl-jewel of a noble race, is thus respectfully solicited
by king Subhata in the Concan. We have learnt that our daughter, who was
carried off by some being in the night, has come into the hands of thy son,
and we rejoice thereat. Make an effort, thou and thy son Suryaprabha,
to come with her to our house, without raising any objection, in order
that we may behold our daughter, returned as it were from the other world,
and perform for her at once the ceremony required for marriage." When this
letter was read by Siddhartha, the king Chandraprabha, consenting, welcomed
the messenger and rejoiced. And he quickly sent Prahasta to the western
border, and had Subhata's daughter Chandrikiivati conducted into her father's
presence. And the next morning they all went, with Stiryaprabha in front,
and in company with Janainejaya, in the chariot to the western border.
There king Subhata, pleased at recovering his daughter, shewed them
H8
much honour, and celebrated his daughter's marriage festival. And he bes-
towed on Chandrikavati jewels and other gifts in such liberal profusion, that
Virabhata and the others were ashamed at what they had given. Then,
while Suryaprabha was remaining there in the house of his father-in-law,
there came from Lavanaka also an ambassador belonging to king Paurava.
He delivered to Chandraprabha this message from his master, " My
daughter Sulochana has been carried off by the fortunate prince Suryaprabha :
that does not grieve me ; but why should he not be brought with her to
my house, in order that we may perform the marriage ceremony ?" When
king Chandraprabha heard that, he honoured the messenger in his joy, and
had Sulochana escorted by Prahasta into the presence of her father. Then
they, Subhata and all, in the company of Suryaprabha, went to Lavanaka
in the chariot, that came as soon as it was thought of. There Paurava
performed the joyful marriage ceremony, and bestowed jewels liberally on
Suryaprabha and Sulochana, and honoured the kings also. And while they
were remaining there in delight, entertained by the king, Suroha, the
king of China, also sent an ambassador. That king, like the others, re-
quested by the mouth of the ambassador that,. as his daughter had been
carried off, they would come with her to his palace.
Then king Chandraprabha was delighted, and he had the king of
China's daughter, Vidyunmala, also conducted by Prahasta to her father's
house. And on the next day Chandraprabha and all went, including
Paurava, together with Suryaprabha and his retinue, to the land of China.
There the king came out to meet them, and led them into his own treasure-
chamber, and there performed the marriage ceremony of his daughter.
And he gave to Vidyunmala and Suryaprabha an immense quantity of
gold, elephants, horses, jewels and silk garments. And being invited by
Suroha, Chandraprabha and the others continued there for some days in
various enjoyments. And Suryaprabha, who was in the prime of youth,
was adorned by that Vidyunmala,* as the rainy season, when the clouds
abound, is adorned by the lightning-garland.
Thus Suryaprabha and his relatives, accompanied by his various
charmers, enjoyed delights here and there in the houses of his fathers-in-
law. Then he took counsel with Siddhartha and his other ministers, and
dismissed one by one to their own lands Virabhata and the other kings,
with numbers of horses, and then took leave of that king Suroha,
and accompanied by his daughter, with his own parents and followers
ascended that chariot Bhutasana, and went triumphant to his own city of
S'akala. In that city great rejoicing took place on account of his arrival ;
in one place there was the occupation of dancing, in another the delight of
music ; in one place the amusement of drinking, in another the toilet-rites
* Vidyunmala means " garland of lightning."
of fair-eyed ladies ; in another the voice of bards loud in the praise of him
who had obtained what he desired. Then he had brought his other wives,
who had remained in their fathers' houses, and with the stores of elephants
and horses bestowed by their fathers, that were brought with them, and with
the innumerable camels bowed down with burdens full of various jewels, he
displayed in sport the wealth obtained by the conquest of the world, and
aroused the wonder of his subjects.
Then S'akala, inhabited by that fortunate one, appeared glorious, as if
the chiefs of the gods, of the followers of Kuvera, and of the snakes,
had made in it many deposits of much wealth. Then Suryaprabha dwelt
there with Madanasena, enjoying the pleasures he desired, happy in that
all blessings were fully bestowed upon him, in the society of his parents,
with his ministers, accompanied by his other wives, expecting every day
Maya, who had made a promise to return.
CHAPTER XLV.
Then, one day, when king Chandraprabha was in the hall of assembly,
and Suryaprabha was there accompanied by all his ministers, they called to
mind Maya d propos of a remark made by Siddhartha, and suddenly the
earth cleft open in the middle of the assembly. Then first a loud-sound-
ing fragrant breeze ascended from the aperture in the earth, and after-
wards the Asura Maya rose up from it, looking like a mountain in the
night, for his hair gleamed upon his black lofty head like the potent herbs
upon the mountain peaks, and his crimson robe resembled the flowing
streams of cinnabar. And the king of the Danavas, after having been
duly honoured by king Chandraprabha, spake from his seat on a jewelled
throne — " You have enjoyed these delights of earth, and now it is time for
you to enjoy others ; set yourselves now to prepare for acquiring them.
Send out ambassadors, and collect your subordinate kings, and your friends
and connexions ; then we will unite with Sumeru, prince of the Vidva-
dharas, and we will conquer S'rutasarman, and win the sovereignty of the
sky-goers. And Sumeru is our ally, considering us as friends, for he received
at the outset a command from S'iva, to support Suryaprabha and give him
his own daughter. When the Asura Maya said this, Chamlniprabha .sent, a-
ambassadors to all the kings, Prahasta and the other ministers that travel-
led through the air ; and, by the advice of Maya, Suryaprabha communica-
ted the magic sciences to all his wives and ministers, on whom they had
not been bestowed already.
115
And while they were thus engaged, the hermit Xaiada arrived,
descending from the sky, illuminating the whole horizon with brightness.
And after he had received the argha, he sat down and said to Chandra-
prablia, " I am sent here by Indra, and he sends this message to your High-
ness— ' I have learned that, by the instigation of S'iva, you purpose, with the
assistance of the Asura Maya, being all of you deluded by ignorance, to obtain
for this Suryaprabha, of mortal frame, the great dignity of emperor of all the
chiefs of the Vidyadharas: that is improper, for I have conferred it on
S'rutasarman, and besides it is the hereditary right of that moon of the sea
of the Vidyadhara race. And as for what you are doing in a spirit of
opposition to me, and contrary to what is right, it will certainly result in
your destruction. Moreover, before, when your Highness was offering a
sacrifice to Rudra, I told you first to offer an Asvamedha sacrifice, but you
did not do it. So the haughty enterprise you are engaged in, without regard
to the gods, relying upon S'iva alone, will not turn out to your happiness.' "
When Narada had delivered in these words the message of Indra, Maya
laughed and said to him ; " Great hermit, the king of gods has not spoken
well. For what he says about the fact of Suryaprabha being a mortal is
beside the point ; for who was not aware of that fact, when he met Damo-
dara in fight ? For mortals who possess courage can obtain all powers.
Did not Nahusha and others of old time obtain the dignity of Indra ? And
as for his saying that he bestowed the empire on S'rutasarman, and that it
is his hereditary right, that also is absurd, for where S'iva is the giver, who
has any authority ? Besides, did not he himself take away the sovereignty
of the gods from Hiranyaksha, though it descended to him as the elder ?
And as for his other remark about opposition, and our acting contrary to
what is right, that is false, for he violently puts himself in opposition to
us out of selfish motives, and wherein, pray, are we acting contrary to what
is right, for we are only striving to conquer our rival, we are not carryin<*
off a hermit's wife, we are not killing Bralimans ? And what he says about
the necessity of first performing an Asvamedha sacrifice, and about con-
tempt of the gods, is untrue, for when sacrifice to S'iva has been performed,
what need is there of other sacrifices ?* And when S'iva the god of gods is
worshipped, what god is not worshipped ? And as for his remark that exclu-
sive attention to Rudraf is not becoming, I answer — Of what importance
are 'the hosts of the other gods, where S'iva is in arms ? When the sun
has risen, do the other luminaries give light ? So you must tell all this to
the king of the gods, O hermit, and we shall continue to carry out what
* Alluding to Indra's slaying the demon Vritra, who was regarded us a Brahman,
and to his conduct with Ahalya.
f 1. q. S'iva.
116
we are engaged in, let him do what he can." When the rislii Narada had
been thus addressed by the Asura Maya, he said " I will do so," and took
back to the king of the gods that answer to his message. When that her-
mit had departed, the Asura Maya thus spake to king Chandraprabha, who
was apprehensive on account of the message of Indra, " You must not be
afraid of Indra ; even if he is on the side of S'rutasarman in fight, with
the hosts of the gods, out of hostility to us, still we Daityas and Danavas
are countless in number, and under the leadership of Prahlada we are
ranged together on your side. And if the destroyer of Tripura* favours us
and is active on our side, what other miserable creature in the three worlds
has any power ? So set about this expedition, heroes." When Maya said
this, all those there were pleased, and considered that it was as he said.
Then in accordance with the messages carried by the ambassadors, in
course of time all the kings, Virabhata and the others, assembled there, and
all the other friends and relatives of Chandraprabha. When these kings with
their armies had been duly honoured, the Asura Maya again said to Chan-
draprabha, " Perform to-night, O king, a great sacrifice in honour of S'iva ;
afterwards you shall do all as I direct." When he heard this speech of
Maya's, king Chandraprabha immediately had preparations made for a sacrifice
to S'iva. Then he went to the forest at night, and under the instructions
of Maya, himself performed devoutly a sacrifice to Rudra. And while the
king was engaged in the fire-offering, there suddenly appeared there
Nandin the prince of the host of Bhiitas. He was honoured duly by the
delighted king, and said — " The god S'iva himself sends this command by
me, ' Through my favour thou ueedst not fear even a hundred Indras ;
Suryaprabha shall become emperor of the sky-goers.' " After he had deli-
vered this message, Nandin received a portion of the offering and dis-
appeared with the hosts of Bhiitas. Then Chandraprabha became con-
fident in the future elevation of his son, and after completing the sacrifice,
at the end of the fire-offering, re-entered the city with Maya.
And the next morning, when king Chandraprabha was sitting in secret
conclave together with the queen, his son, the kings and his ministers, the
Asura Maya said to him — " Listen, king, I will to-day tell you a secret
long guarded; you are a Danava, Sunitha by name, my mighty son, and
Sttryaprabha is your younger brother, named Sumuiulika ; after you v.
slain in the war of the gods, you were born here as father and son. That
Danava body of yours has been preserved by me skilfully embalmed with
heavenly drugs and ghee. Therefore you must enter a cavern and visit
Patsila, and then return to your own body by a charm which J will teach
you. And when you have entered that body, you will be so much superior
in spirit and strength, that you will conquer in fight the wanderers of the
* 1. 1., a'iva.
417
air. But Suryaprabha, who is an incarnation of Sumundika, with this
same beautiful body which he now possesses, shall soon become lord of the sky-
goers. When king Chandraprabha heard this from Maya, he was delight-
ed and agreed to it, but Siddhartha said this — " O excellent Danava, what
ground of confidence have we, if this doubt should arise, ' Why has the
king entered another body, has he then died ?' And moreover will he for.
get us when he enters another body, like a man gone to the other world ?
Who is he, and who are we ?" When the Asura Maya heard this speech of
Siddhartha's, he answered — " You yourselves must come and see him witli
your own eyes entering another body, of his own free will, by the employ-
ment of a charm. And hear the reason why he will not forget you. A
man, who does not die of his own free will, and is born in another womb,
does not remember anything, as his memory is destroyed by old age and
other afflictions, but whoever of his own free will enters another body,
penetrating by the employment of magic the internal organ and the senses,
without his mind and intellect being impaired, and passes, as it were, from
one house to another, that prince among Yogins has supernatural know-
ledge and remembers all. So do not feel doubtful ; so far from there being
any reason for it, this king will obtain a great divine body free from old
age and sickness. Moreover you are all Danavas, and by merely entering
Kasatala,* and drinking nectar, you will obtain divine bodies free from
sickness." When the ministers heard this speech of Maya's, they all said,
" So be it," and consented to his proposal, abandoning their apprehensions
out of the confidence they reposed in him. And by his advice, Chandra-
prabha, with all the kings, went on the next day to the confluence of the
Chandrabhaga and the Airavati.f There Chandraprabha left the kings
outside, and committed to their care the wives of Suryaprabha, and then
he entered in company with Suryaprabha, the queen, and the ministers
with Siddhartha at their head, an opening in the water pointed out by
Maya, and after entering he travelled a long distance, and beheld a heaven-
ly temple, and entered it with all of them.
And in the meanwhile the Vidyadharas descended with troops on those
kings, who were remaining there outside the opening ; and paralyzing the
kings by supernatural arts, they carried off the wives of Suryaprabha, and
immediately a voice was heard from the sky — "Wicked S'rutasarman, if
you touch these wives of the emperor, you shall immediately perish with
your host. So guard them respectfully, treating them like your mother ;
there is a reason for my not immediately slaying you and setting them
free ; so let them remain as they are at present." And when the kings,
A7irabhata and the others, saw them carried off, they prepared to die by lighting
* One of the seven under-worlds.
f /. 1- Accsiucs und Hydraotes.
53
with one another. But a voice from heaven forbade their attempt, saying,
" No harm will befall these daughters of yours, you shall obtain them
again, so you must not act rashly, prosperity befall you !" So the kings
remained waiting there. In the meantime Chandraprabha was in the
temple in Patala surrounded by all his companions, and there Maya said to
him, " King, listen attentively to this wonderful thing ; I will shew you
the supernatural art of entering another body." He said this, and recited
the Sankhya and the Yoga doctrine with its secrets, and taught him the
magic art of entering another body ; and that chief of Yogins said — " This
is the famous supernatural power, and the independence of knowledge, the
dominion over matter that is characterized by lightness and the other mys-
tic properties. The chief of the gods, possessing this power, do not long for
liberation ; in order to obtain this power others endure the hardship of mut-
tering prayers and performing asceticism. Men of lofty soul do not love
the pleasures of heaven even when attained. And listen, I will tell you a
story in illustration of this."
In a former Kalpa* there was
story of the Brahman Kala. . ,
a certain Brahman, of the name of
Kala. He went to the holy bathing-place Pushkara and muttered prayers
day and night. While he was muttering, two myriads of years of the
gods passed away. Then there appeared a great light inseparable from
his head, which, streaming forth in the firmament like ten thousand suns,f
impeded the movement of the Siddhas and others there, and set the three
worlds on fire. Then Brahma, Indra and the other gods came to him and said
— " Brahman, these worlds are on fire with your brightness. Receive what-
ever boon you desire." He answered them — " Let me have no other pleasure
than muttering prayers, this is my boon, I choose nothing else." When
they importuned him, that mutterer of prayers went far off and remained
on the north side of the Himalayas, muttering prayers. When this extra-
ordinary brightness of his gradually became intolerable even there, Indra
sent heavenly nymphs to tempt him. That self-restrained man did not
care a straw about them, when they endeavoured to seduce him. Then the
gods sent him Death as plenipotentiary. He came to him and said —
" Brahman, mortals do not live so long, so abandon your life ; do not break
the law of nature." When the Brahman heard this, he said — " If the
limit of my life is attained, why do you not take me ? What are you
waiting for ? But I will not of myself abandon my life, 0 thou god with
* I. «., a day of Brahma consisting of 1000 yugas.
+ Cp. the halo or aureole round the heads of Christian saints, the circle of rays and
nimbus round the head of Greek divinities, and the beam that came out of Churl.
's mouth and illumined his head. (Grimm's Teutonic Mythology, translated 1>\
Stallybrass, p. 323.)
419
the noose in hand; indeed, if I were wilfully to abandon my life, I should
be a self-murderer." When he said this, and Death found that he could
not take him on account of his power, he turned away from him and return-
ed as he came. Then Indra repenting seized that Kala,* who had con-
quered Time the destroyer, in his arms, and took him up to heaven by force.
There he remained averse to the sensual enjoyments of the place, and he
did not cease from muttering prayers, so the gods made him descend
again, and he returned to the Himalayas. And while all the gods were
trying to induce him there to take a boon, the king Ikshvaku came that
way. When he heard how affairs stood, he said to that mutterer of
prayers, " If you will not receive a boon from the gods, receive one from
me." When the mutterer of prayers heard that, he laughed, and said to the
king — " Are you able to grant me a boon, when I will not receive one even
from the gods ?" Thus he spoke, and Ikshvaku answered the Brahman —
" If I am not able to grant you a boon, you can grant me one ; so grant
me a boon." Then the mutterer said — " Choose whatever you desire, and
I will grant it." When the king heard this, he reflected in his mind :
" The appointed order is that I should give, and that he should receive ;
this is an inversion of the due order, that I should receive what he gives."
Whilst the king was delaying, as he pondered over this difficulty, two
Bnihmans came there disputing ; when they saw the king they appealed
to him for a decision. The first said, " This Brahman gave me a cow with
a sacrificial fee : why will he not receive it from my hand, when I offer
to give it back to him ?" Then the other said, " I did not receive it first,
and I did not ask for it, then why does he wish to make me receive it by
force ?" When the king heard this, he said — " This complainant is not
in the right ; why, after receiving the cow, do you try to compel the man,
who gave it, to take it back from you ?" When the king said this, Indra,
having found his opportunity, said to him — " King, if you hold this view
of what is right, then, after you have asked the Brahman, who mutters
prayers, for a boon, why do you not take it from him when it is granted ?"
Then the king, being at a loss for an answer, said to that muttering "Brah-
man— " Revered sir, give me the fruit of half your muttering as a boon."
Then the muttering Brahman said — " Very well, receive the fruit of half
my muttering," and so he gave the king a boon. By means of that boon
the king obtained access to all the worlds, and that muttering Brahman
obtained the world of the gods called S'ivas.f There he remained for many
Icalpas, and then returned to earth, and by mystic contemplation obtained
independence, and gained everlasting supernatural power.
* Kdla means Time, Fate, Death.
t I divide sn tfiv&khydndm and take sa to be the demonstrative pronoun.
4:20
" Thus this supernatural power is desired by wise men, who are averse
to heaven and such low enjoyments ; and you have obtained it, 0 king, so,
being independent, enter your own body." When Maya said this to king
Chandraprabha, after communicating to him the doctrine of mystic con-
templation giving supernatural power,* he and his wife and his son and
his ministers rejoiced exceedingly.
Then the king, with his son and companions, was led by Maya to a
second under-world, and made to enter a splendid city. And there they
saw a gigantic hero, reclining at full length upon a beautiful couch, as if
asleep, anointed with potent herbs and ghee, awful from the ghastly trans-
formation of his features, surrounded by the daughters of the kings of the
Daityas, with their lotus-faces full of melancholy. Then Maya said to
Chandraprabha : — "This is your body, surrounded by your former brides,
enter it." — The king had recourse to the magic contemplation taught by
Maya, and entered the body of that hero, abandoning his own frame. t
Then the hero yawned slowly, opened his eyes, and rose up from the bed,
as if awaking out of sleep. Then a shout arose from the delighted Asura
brides, " Happy are we, that our husband, the god Sunitha, is to-day restored
to life." But Siiryaprabha and the others were immediately despondent, be-
holding the body of Chandraprabha lying lifeless. But Chandraprabha-
Sunitha, appearing as if risen from a refreshing sleep, saw Maya, and falling
at his feet honoured his father. That father too embraced him and asked
him in the presence of all, — " Do you remember both your lives, my son ?"
He said ; " I do remember them," and related what had happened to
him in his life as Chandraprabha, and also what had happened to him in his
life as Sunitha, and he comforted one by one Siiryaprabha and. the others,
and also his queens, mentioning each by name, and also the Danava ladies,
his wives in his first life. And he preserved the body, which he had as
Chandraprabha, carefully laid by, embalmed by means of drugs and ghee,
saying, " It may possibly be useful to me." Then Siiryaprabha and the
others, tranquil now that they had gained confidence, bowed before him, and
joyfully congratulated him.
Then Maya, having conducted all of them in high delight out of that city,
led them to another city adorned with gold and jewels. When they enter-
* I. e. the Yoga system.
t This superstition appears to be prevalent in China. See Giles's Strange Stories
from a Chinese Studio, Vol. I, p. 23, and other passages. It was no doubt carried there
by the same wave of Buddhism that carried there many similar notions connected with
the transmigration of souls, for instance the belief that children are born able to a
and that this is very inauspicious. (Cp. Giles's Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio,
Vol. I, p. 184 with the story of Dharmagupta and Chandraprabha in the 17th chapter
of this work.) The existence of this latter belief in Europe is probably to be ascribed
to the influence of Buddhism.
421
ed it, they beheld a lake of the appearance of beryl, filled with nectar, and
they all sat down on the bank of it. And they drank that nectarous draught
there, more excellent than the water of life, in curiously ornamented cups
formed of jewels, which were brought to them by the wives of Sunitha.
And by that draught they all rose up, as from a sleep of intoxication, and
became possessed of divine bodies, and of great strength and courage.
Then the Asura Maya said to Chandraprabha-Sunitha, " Come, my
son, let us go, and see your mother after so long a separation." And
Sunitha said " So be it," and prepared to go conducted by Maya, and so pro-
ceeded to the fourth under-world with Suryaprabha and the others. There
they beheld curious cities made of various metals, and at last they all
reached a city built entirely of gold. There, on a pillar composed of jewels
adorned with every luxury, they beheld that mother of Sunitha, the wife of
Maya, by name Lilavati, surpassing in beauty the nymphs of heaven,
surrounded with Asura maidens, and adorned with all ornaments. The
moment she beheld that Sunitha, she rose up in a state of excitement, and
Sunitha, after saluting her, fell at her feet. Then she embraced with gush-
ing tears the son, whom she once more held in her arms after so long an
interval, and again praised her husband Maya, who was the cause of her re-
gaining him. Then Maya said — " Queen, your other son Sumundika has
been born again as the son of your son, and here he is, Suryaprabha by
name. He has been appointed by the god S'iva the future emperor of the
Vidyadharas, and is destined to rule over them in the body which he now
possesses." When Suryaprabha heard this, and saw her look at him with
an eye of longing affection, he and his ministers fell at her feet. And
Lilavati gave him her blessing, and said to him — " My darling, you do not
require the body of Sumundika, in this you are sufficiently glorious."
When his sons were thus triumphant, Maya called to mind his daughter
Mandodari, and Vibhishana, and when called to mind, they came. And
Vibhishana, welcomed with triumphant rejoicings, said to him — " O prince
of the Danavas, if you will listen to my advice, I will give it you. You
are among the Danavas singularly virtuous and prosperous, so you ought
not to take up a causeless enmity against the gods. For you will gain
nothing but death from your hostility to them. For Asuras have been
slain in battle by the gods, but not gods by Asuras." When Maya heard
this, he said — " We are not forcing on war, but if Indra violently makes
war on us, tell me, how can we remain passive ? And as for those Asuras
who were slain by the gods, they were reckless, but did the gods slay Bali
and others who were not infatuated ?" That king of the Rakshasas having,
with his wife Mandodari, been addressed with these and similar speeches by
Maya, took leave of him, and went to his own dwelling.
Then Sunitha, with Suryaprabha and the others, was conducted to the
423
third under-world to visit king Bali. In that world, which surpassed even
heaven, they all beheld Bali, adorned with chain and tiara, surrounded
with Daityas and Danavas. Sunitha and his companions fell at his feet
in due order, and he honoured them with appropriate welcome. And Bali
was delighted with the tidings related by Maya, and he quickly had
summoned Prahlada and the other Danavas. Sunitha and the others
honoured them also by falling at their feet, and they, being full of joy,
congratulated them, as they bent before them. Then Bali said, " Sunitha
became Chandraprabha on the earth, and now is restored to life for us by
regaining his body. And we have also gained Suryaprabha, who is an
incarnation of Sumundika. And he has been appointed by Siva the future
emperor of the Yidyadharas : and by the power of the sacrifice offered by
Chandraprabha my bonds have been relaxed. So without doubt we have
gained prosperity by recovering these." When S'ukra, the spiritual adviser
of the Danavas, heard this speech of Bali's, he said, " In truth those who act
according to right never fail of prosperity in any matter ; so act accord-
ing to right, and do on this occasion also what I bid you." When the
Danavas, the princes of the seven under-worlds, who were assembled
there, heard that, they agreed to it and bound themselves so to act. And
Bali made a feast there, out of joy at the recovery of Sunitha.
In the meanwhile the hermit Narada arrived there again, and after
taking the argha, he sat down, and said to those Danavas, " I have been
sent here by Indra, and he in truth says this to you, ' I am exceedingly
delighted at the fact that Sunitha has come back to life ; so you must not
take up a causeless enmity against me, and you must not fight against my
ally S'rutasarman.' " When the hermit had thus delivered Indra's mes-
sage, Prahlada said to him, " Of course Indra is pleased that Sunitha has
come back to life, how could it be otherwise ? But we at any rate are not
taking up causeless hostility. This very day we all took an engagement that
we would not do so, in the presence of our spiritual adviser. But if Indra
makes himself a partizan* of S'rutasarman, and violently opposes us, how
are we to be blamed for it ? For Suryaprabha's ally, S'iva, the god of
gods, has long ago appointed him, because he propitiated him first. So
what have we to do with this matter which has been settled by the lord
S'iva? It is clear that this, which Indra says, is without cause, and not
right." When Prahlada, the king of the Danavas said this to Narada, he
blamed Indra by expressing his agreement with it, and disappeared. When
he had gone, Usanasf said to the kings of the Daiiavas — "Indra is evi-
dently determined to oppose us in this matter. But, as S'iva has decidedly
girded up his loins to shew us favour, what is his power, or what will his
* Here I read fl'fMfcwtotM'MpaivtafMMt
f Usunas here means S'ukra. the spiritual guide of the Asuras.
423
reliance upon Vishnu do ?" The Danavas heard and approved this speech
of S'ukra's, and taking leave of Bali and Prahlada, went to their own
homes. Then Prahlada went to the fourth under-world, his habitation, and
king Bali, rising up from the assembly, retired within. And Maya and
Sunitha and the others, Suryaprabha and all, bowed before Bali, and went
to their own habitations. After they had eaten and drunk there suf-
ficiently, Lilavati, the mother of Sunitha, came to him and said, " My son,
you know that these wives of yours are the daughters of mighty ones,
Tejasvati being the daughter of the god of wealth, Mangalavati of Tum-
buru ; and as for Kirtivnati, that wife that you married in your existence
as Chandraprabha, her you know to be the daughter of the Vasu Prabhava,
so you must look upon these three with an equal eye, my son." After
saying this, she commended to him his three principal wives. Then, that
night, Sunitha entered his sleeping apartment with the eldest, Tejasvati.
But Suryaprabha, in another chamber, with his ministers, reclined on a
couch without any of his wives that night. And the goddess of sleep did
not come to him, who remained continually alone, saying to herself, " What
is the use of this unloving man, who leaves his wives outside ?" And she
would not approach Prahasta out of jealousy, as he was so exclusively
in love with the cares of his official duties, but the other ministers around
Suryaprabha went to sleep comfortably. In the meanwhile Suryaprabha
and Prahasta beheld an incomparable maiden entering, accompanied by a
female friend. She was so beautiful that Providence seemed, after creat-
ing her, to have placed her in the lower regions in order that the nymphs of
heaven, also his creation, might not be eclipsed by her. And while Suryaprabha
was debating who she might be, she approached each of his friends, one by
one, and looked at them ; and as they did not possess the distinguishing marks
of emperors, she left them, and seeing that Suryaprabha possessed them, she
approached him, who was lying in the midst of them ; and she said to her friend
— " Here he is, my friend ; so touch him on the feet, wake him up with those
hands of yours cool as water." When her friend heard that, she did so>
and Suryaprabha ceased to feign sleep, and opened his eyes, and beholding
those maidens, he said — " Who are you, and why do you come here ?"
When the friend of the lady heard that, she said to him — " Listen, king,
in the second under-world there is a victorious king named Amila, a chief-
tain of the Daityas, the son of Hiranyaksha ; this is his daughter Kalavati
whom he loves more than life. Her father came back to-day from the court
of Bali, and said — ' I am fortunate in that I have to-day beheld Sunitha
once more restored to life ; and I have also seen the young man Suryaprabha,
an incarnation of Sumundika, who has been brought into the world by
S'iva as the future emperor of the Vidyj'ulharas. So I will now oi
congratulatory tribute to Sunitha, 1 will give my daughter Kalavati to
4-21
Suryaprabha, for site cannot be given to Sunitha because she belongs to the
same family ; but Suryaprabha is his son in his birth as a king, not in his
birth as an Asura, and any honour paid to his son will be paid to him.'
When my friend heard this speech of her father's, her mind being
attracted by your virtues, she came here out of a curiosity to see you." When
that friend of the lady's said this, Suryaprabha pretended to be asleep in
order to discover the real object of her wish. The maiden slowly approached
the sleepless Prahasta, and after telling him all by the mouth of her friend,
went out. And Prahasta advanced towards Suryaprabha and said — " King,
are you awake or not ?" And he, opening his eyes, said to him, " My
friend, I am awake, for how could I sleep to-day being alone ? But I will
tell you a strange fact ; listen, for what can I hide from you ? I saw a
moment ago a maiden enter here with her friend ; her equal is not beheld
in these three worlds. And she departed in a moment, taking my heart
with her. So look for her at once, for she must be somewhere hereabout."
When Suryaprabha said this to him, Prahasta went out, and seeing the
maiden there with her friend, he said to her — " I, to please you, have again
woke up my master here, so you, to please me, must once more grant him an
interview. Behold once more his form that gives satisfaction to your eyes,*
and let him, who was overpowered by you as soon as he saw you, behold you
again. For when he woke up, he said to me speaking of you, ' Bring
her from some place or other, and shew her to me, otherwise I cannot
survive.' Then I came to you, so come and behold him yourself." When
she was thus addressed by Prahasta, she hesitated to go in boldly, owing
to the modesty natural to a maiden, and reflected, and then Prahasta, seizing
her hand, led her into the presence of Suryaprabha. And Suryaprabha,
when he saw that Kalavati had come near him, said — " Fair one, was this
right of you to come in to-day and steal away my heart, as you did, when
I was asleep ? So, thief, I will not leave you unpunished to-day." When
her sly friend heard this, she said to him ; " Since her father knew of it
before, and determined to assign this thief to you for punishment, who can
forbid you to punish her. Why do you not inflict on her to your heart's
content the punishment due for thieving?" When Suryaprabha heard
that, he wanted to embrace her, but Kalavati being modest, said, " Do not,
my husband, I am a maiden." Then Prahasta said to her ; " Do not
hesitate, my queen, for the Giindharva marriage is the best of all marri
in the world." When Prahasta had said this, he went out with all the
rest, and Suryaprabba that very moment made Kalavati, the maiden of the
under-world, his wife.
* I read pasydsya rupam. This gives a better sense. It is partly supported l>y a
MS. in the Sanskrit College. The same MS. injthc next line reads team tu paxyati
chaikopi — I read (ram tit pasyatH cfittiufw'pi.
425
And when the night came to an end, Kalavati went to her own dwelling,
and Suryaprabha went to Sunitha and Maya. They all assembled and went
into the presence of Prahlada, and he, seated in the hall of audience, after
honouring them appropriately, said to Maya : " We must do something to
please Sunitha on this day of rejoicing, so let us all feast together."
Maya said — " Let us do so, what harm is there in this ?" And then Prah-
lada invited by means of messengers the chiefs of the Asuras, and they
came there in order from all the under- worlds. First came king Bali accom-
panied by innumerable great Asuras. Close behind him came Amila and
the brave Duraroha and Sumaya, and Tantukachchha, and Vikataksha and
Prakampana, and Dhumaketu and Mahamaya, and the other lords of the
Asuras ; each of these came accompanied by a thousand feudal chiefs.
The hall of audience was filled with the heroes who saluted one another, and
after they had sat down in order of rank, Prahlada honoured them all.
And when the time of eating arrived, they all, with Maya and the
others, after bathing in the Ganges, went to a great hall to dine. It
was a hundred yojanas wide, and had a pavement of gold and jewels, and
•was adorned with jewelled pillars, and full of curiously wrought jewelled
vessels. There the Asuras, in the company of Prahlada, and with Sunitha
and Maya, and with Suryaprabha accompanied by his ministers, ate
heavenly food of various kinds, containing all the six flavours, solid, liquid,
and sweetmeats, and then drank the best of wine. And after they had
eaten and drunk, they all went to another hall, which was made of jewels,
and beheld the skilful dance of the Daitya and Danava maidens. On that
occasion Suryaprabha beheld the daughter of Prahlada, named Mahallika,
who came forward to dance by order of her father. She illuminated the
world with her beauty, rained nectar into his eyes, and seemed like the
moon-goddess* come to the under-world out of curiosity. She had her
forehead ornamented with a patch, beautiful anklets on her feet, and a
smiling face, and seemed as if all made of dancing by the Creator. With
her curling hair, her pointed teeth, and her breasts that filled up the whole
of her chest, she seemed as it were to be creating a new style of dance.
And that fair one, the moment she was beheld by Smyaprabha, forcibly
robbed him of his heart, though it was claimed by others. Then she also
beheld him from a distance, sitting among the Asura princes, like a second
god of Love made by the Creator, when the first god of love had been burnt
up by S'iva. And when she saw him, her mind was so absorbed in him,
that her skill in the expression of sentiments by gesture forsook her, as if
in anger at beholding her want of modesty. And the spectators beheld the
emotion of those two, and brought the spectacle to an end, saying, " The prin-
* Lit. " the shape of tho moon" ; put for the moon, hecausc the author is
speaking of a woman. See Bohtlingk and Roth s. v.
54
426
cess is tired." Then Mahallika was dismissed by her father, looking askance1
at Suryaprabha, and after she had bowed before the princes of the Daityas,
she went home. And the princes of the Daityas went to their respective
houses, and Suryaprabha too went to his dwelling at the close of day.
And when the night came, Kalavati again came to visit him, and he
slept secretly within with her, with all his followers sleeping outside. In
the meanwhile Mahallika also came there, eager to see him, accompanied
by two confidantes. Then a minister of Suryaprabha's, named Prajna-
dhya, who happened at that moment to have his eyes forsaken by sleep,
paw her attempting to enter. And he, recognising her, rose up and said —
" Princess, remain here a moment until I enter and come out again."
She alarmed, said — " Why are we stopped, and why are you outside ?"
Prajnadhya again said to her — " Why do you enter in this sudden way
•when a man is sleeping at his ease ? Besides, my lord sleeps alone to-night
on account of a vow." Then the daughter of Prahlada, being ashamed,
said, " So be it, enter," and Prajnadhya went inside. Seeing that Kalavati
was asleep, he woke up Suryaprabha and himself told him that Mahallika
had arrived. And Suryaprabha, hearing of it, gently rose up, and went
out, and beholding Mahallika with two others, he said — " This person has
been supremely blessed by your arrival, let this place be blessed also, take a
seat." When Mahallika heard this, she sat down with her friends, and
Suryaprabha also sat down, with Prajnadhya by his side. And when he sat
down, he said — " Fair one, although you shewed contempt for me by
seeming to look on others in- the assembly with respect, nevertheless, O
rolling-eyed one, my eyes were blessed as soon as they beheld your dancing
as well as your beauty." When Suryaprabha said this, the daughter of
Prahlada answered him — " This is not my fault, noble sir,* he is in fault,
who made me ashamed in the hall of assembly by putting me beside my
part in the pantomime." When Suryaprabha heard this, he laughed and
said — " I am conquered." And then that prince seized her hand with his,
and it perspired and trembled, as if afraid of the rough seizure. And she
said — " Let me go, noble sir, I am a maiden under my father's control," —
then Prajnadhya said to that daughter of the chief of the Asuras, " Is not
there not such a thing as the Gandharva marriage of maidens ? And your
father, who has seen your heart, will not give you to another, moreover
he will certainly do some honour to this prince here ; so away with timi-
dity ! Let not such a meeting be thrown away !" While Prajnadhya was
saying this to Mahallika, Kalavati woke up within. And not seeing
Suryaprabha on the bed, after waiting a long time, she was
terrified and apprehensive and went out. And seeing her lover in
the company of Mahallika, she was angry and ashamed and terrified.
Mahallika too, when she saw her, was terrified and angry and ashamed,
• I. e. uryaputra, used by i\ wife in addressing a husband.
127
und Suryaprabha stood motionless like a painted picture. Kalavati came
to his side, thinking — " Now that I have been seen, how can I escape,
shall I display shame or jealousy ? And she said with a spiteful intonation
to Mahallikii — " How are you, my friend, how comes it that you have come
here at night ?" Then Mahallika said — " This is my house ; as you have
arrived here from another mansion of the under-world, you are to-day my
guest here." When Kalavati heard that, she laughed and said — " Yes, it
is clearly the case that you entertain with appropriate hospitality every
guest, as soon as he arrives here." When Kalavati said this, Mahallika
answered — " When I spoke to you kindly, why do you answer in such an
unkind and spiteful way, shameless girl ? Am I like you ? Did I, with-
out being bestowed in marriage by my parents, come from a distance, and in
a strange place sleep in the bed of a strange man alone at night ? I came to
see my father's guest, as he was going away, in accordance with the duty of
hospitality, a moment ago, accompanied by two female friends. When
this minister entered, after first reproaching me, I guessed the real state of
the case ; you have now of yourself revealed it." When thus addressed by
Mahallika, Kalavati departed, looking askance at her beloved with an eye
red with anger. Then Mahallika too said to Suryaprabha in wrath, " Now
I will depart, man of many favourites," and went away. And Surya-
prabha remained in heartless despondency, as was reasonable, for his heart,
devoted to his loved ones, went with them.
Then he woke up his minister Prabhasa, and sent him to discover
what Kalavati had done, after she had separated from him in anger ; and in
the meanvrhile he sent Prahasta to find out about Mahallika, and he
remained with Prajnadhya awaiting their report. Then Prabhasa returned
from investigating the proceedings of Kalavati, and being questioned, he
said as follows : " From this place I went to the private apartment of
Kalavati in the second under- world, concealing myself by my science. And
outside it I heard the conversation of two maids. The one said, ' My
friend, why is Kalavati distressed to-day ?' Then the second said — ' My
friend, hear the reason. There is at present in the fourth under-world au
incarnation of Sumundika, named Suryaprabha, who in beauty surpasses
the god of Love ; she went secretly and gave herself to him. And when,
she had repaired to him to-day of her own accord at night-fall, Mahallika,
the daughter of Prahhida, chose to come there too. Our mistress had a jealous
quarrel with her, and was in consequence preparing to slay herself, when
she was seen by her sister Sukhavati and saved. And then she went inside,
and flinging herself down on a bed, she remained with that sister, who \
despondent when she had learnt by enquiry what had taken place.' When
I had heard this conversation of the two maids, I entered the apartment, and
beheld Kulavati and Sukhuvati, who resembled one another exactly."
428
While Prabhasa was saying this to Suryaprabha in private, Prahasta
also came there, and being questioned, he said as follows — " When I arrived
from this place at the private apartment of Mahallika, she entered despon-
dent with her two intimate friends. And I entered also invisible by the
employment of magic science, and I saw there twelve friends like her ; and
they sat round Mahallika, who reclined on a sofa ornamented with splendid
jewels ; and then one said to her, ' My friend, why do you seem to be
suddenly cast down to-day ? What is the meaning of this despondency
when your marriage is about to come off ?' When the daughter of Pra-
hlada heard that, she answered her friend pensively, ' What marriage for me ?
To whom am I betrothed ? Who told you ?' When she said that, they all
exclaimed, ' Surely your marriage will take place to-morrow, and you are
betrothed, my friend, to Suryaprabha. And your mother, the queen, told us
to-day when you were not present, and ordered us to decorate you for the
marriage ceremony. So you are fortunate, in that you will have Suryapra-
bha for a husband, through admiration for whose beauty the ladies of this
place cannot sleep at night. But this is a source of despondency to us —
What a gulf there will now be between you and us ! When you have
obtained him for a husband, you will forget us.' When Mahallika heard
this from their mouth, she said, ' Has he been seen by you, and is your
heart attached to him ?' When they heard that, they said to her — ' We saw
him from the top of the palace, and what woman is there that a sight of
him would not captivate ?' Then she said, ' Then I will persuade my
father to cause all of you to be given to him.* So we shall live together,
and not be separated.' When she said this, the maidens were shocked, and
said to her, ' Kind friend, do not do so. It would not be proper, and would
make us ashamed.' When they said this, the daughter of the king of the
Asuras answered them, ' Why is it not proper ? I am not to be his only
wife : all the Daityas and Danavas will give him their daughters, and there
are other princesses on the earth whom he has married, and he will also
rnarry many Vidyadhara maidens. What harm can it do to me that you
should be married among these ? So far from it, we shall live happily in
mutual friendship ; but what intercourse can I hold with those others who
will be my enemies ? And why should you have any shame about the
matter ? I will arrange it all.' While these ladies were thus conversing,
with hearts devoted to you, I came out at my leisure and repaired to your
presence." When Suryaprabha had heard this from the mouth of Prahasta,
he passed that night in happiness, though he remained sleepless in his
bed.
In the morning he went to the court of Prahlada, the king of the
Asuras, with Sunitha and Maya and his ministers, to visit him. Then
* A MS. in the Sanskrit College roads asau where Brockhaus reads amur.
429
Prahlada said to Sunitha after showing him respect — " I will give to this
Suryaprabha my daughter Mahallika, for I must shew him some hospitable
entertainment which will be agreeable to you." Sunitha received with joy
this speech of Prahlada' s. Then Prahlada made Suryaprabha ascend an
altar-platform, in the middle of which a fire was burning, and which was
adorned with lofty jewelled pillars illuminated by the brightness of the flame,
and there gave him his daughter, with splendour worthy of the imperial
throne of the Asuras. And he gave to his daughter and her bridegroom
heaps of valuable jewels, obtained by his triumph over the gods, resembling
the summit of mount Meru. And then Mahallika boldly said to Prahlada —
" Father, give me also those twelve companions whom I love." But he
answered her — " Daughter, they belong to my brother, for they were taken
captive by him, and I have no right to give them away." And Surya-
prabha, after the marriage feast was ended, entered at night the bridal
chamber with Mahallika.
And the next morning, when Prahlada had gone to the hall of assembly
with his followers, Amila, the king of the Danavas, said to Prahlada and the
others — " To-day you must all come to my house, for I intend to entertain
there this Suryaprabha, and I will give him my daughter Kalavati, if you
approve." This speech of his they all approved, saying, " So be it." Then
they all went in a moment to the second under-world, where he dwelt, with
Suryaprabha, Maya and others. There Amila gave by the usual ceremony
to Suryaprabha his daughter, who had previously given herself. Suryapra-
bha went through the marriage ceremony in the house of Prahlada, and sur-
rounded by the Asuras who had feasted, spent the day in tasting the enjoy-
ments which they provided for him.
On the next day, Duraroha, a prince of the Asuras, invited and
conducted them all to his own under- world, the fifth. There, by way of
hospitality, he gave to Suryaprabha his own daughter Kumudavatf, as the
others had done, in the prescribed manner. There Suryaprabha spent the
day in enjoyment with all these united. And at night he entered the
apartment of Kumudavati. There he spent that night in the society of
that lovely and loving woman, the beauty of the three worlds.
And the next morning, Tantukachchha invited and conducted him,
surrounded with his companions, headed by Prahlada, to his palace in the
seventh under- world. There that king of the Asuras gave him his daughter
Manovati, adorned with splendid jewels, bright as molten gold. There
Suryaprabha spent a highly agreeable day, and passed the night in the
society of Manovati.
And the next day, Sumiiya, a prince of the Asuras, after presenting an
invitation, conducted him with all his friends to his under- world, the sixth ;
there he too gave him his daughter by name Subhadra, with body black as a
430
stalk of dnrla grass, like a female incarnation of the god of Love ; and
Suryaprabha spent that day with that black maiden, whose face was like
a, full moon.
And the next day, king Bali, followed by the Asuras, in the same way
led that Siiryaprabha to his own under- world, the third. There he gave
him his own daughter named Sundari, with complexion lovely as a young
shoot, and resembling a cluster of mddhavi flowers. Siiryaprabha then spent
that day with that pearl of women in heavenly enjoyment and splendour.
The next day, Maya also in the same way re-conducted the prince, who
was in the fourth under-world, to his own palace, which possessed curiously
adorned jewelled terraces, was constructed by his own magic power, and
on account of its refulgent splendour seemed to be new every moment.
There he gave him his own daughter, named Sumaya, whose beauty was the
wonder of the world, who seemed to be his own power incarnate, and he
did not think that she ought to be withheld from him on account of his
being a mere mortal. The fortunate Suryaprabha remained there with her.
Then the prince divided his body by his magic science, and lived at the
same time with all those Asura ladies, but with his real body he lived
principally with his best beloved Mahallika, the daughter of the Asura
Prahlada.
And one night, when he was happy in her presence, he asked the noble
Mahallika in the course of conversation — " My dear, those two female
friends, who came with you, where are they ? I never see them. Who
are they, and where have they gone ?" Then Mahallika said — " You have
done well to remind me. My female friends are not two only, but twelve
in number, and my father's brother carried them off from Indra's heaven.
The first is named Amritaprabha, the second Kesini, these are the auspi-
ciously marked daughters of the hermit Parvata. And the third is Kalindi,
and the fourth Bhadraka, and the fifth is the noble Kamala with beautiful
eyes. These three are the daughters of the great hermit Devala. The
sixth is named Saudamini and the seventh Ujjvala, these are both of them
daughters of the Gandharva Haha. The eighth is by name Pivara, the
daughter of the Gandharva Huhu. And the ninth is by name Anjanika,
the daughter of the mighty Kala. And the tenth is Kesanivali, sprung
from the Gana Pingala. And the eleventh is Malini by name, the daugh-
ter of Kambala, and the twelfth is Mandaramalu. the daughter of a Va.su.
They are all heavenly nymphs, born from Apsarases, and, when I was mar-
ried, they were taken to the first under-world, and I must bestow them on
you, in order that I may be always with them. And this I promised them,
for I love them. I spoke too to my father, but he refused to give them,
out of regard for his brother." When Suryaprabha heard this, he said to
her with a downcast expression — '' My beloved, you are very magnanimous,
431
but how can I do this ?" When Suryaprabha said this to her, Mahallika
said in anger — " In my presence you marry others, but my friends you do
not desire, separated from whom I shall not be happy even for one moment."
When she said this to him, Suryaprabha was pleased and consented to do
it. Then that daughter of Prahlada immediately took him to the first
under-world and gave him those twelve maidens. Then Suryaprabha
married those heavenly nymphs in order, commencing with Amritaprabha.
And after asking Mahallika's leave, he had them taken by Prabhasa to the
fourth under- world and concealed there. And Suryaprabha himself went
there secretly with Mahallika, but he went to the hall of Prahlada, as
before, to take his meals.
There the king of the Asuras said to Sunitha and Maya — " Go all
of you to visit the two goddesses Diti and Danu." They said " So be it,"
and immediately Maya, Sunitha and Suryaprabha left the lower world,
accompanied by the Asuras in order of precedence, and ascended the chariot
Bhutasana, which came to them on being thought of, and repaired to the
hermitage of Kasyapa situated on a ridge of mount Sumeru. There
they were announced by hermits who shewed them all courtesy, and after
entering they beheld in due order Diti and Danu together, and bowed their
heads at their feet. And those two mothers of the Asuras cast a favour-
able look upon them and their followers, and after shedding tears and
kissing them joyfully upon their heads,* and bestowing their blessing
upon them, said to Maya : " Our eyes are to-day blessed, having seen this
thy son Sunitha restored to life, and we consider thee one whose merits
have procured him good fortune. And beholding with heart-felt satisfac-
tion this prosperous Sumundika, born again in the character of Surya-
prabha, possessed of heavenly beauty and of extraordinary virtue, destined
to be successful and glorious, abounding in unmistakeable marks of future
greatness, we openly adore him here with our bodies. Therefore rise up
quickly, darlings, and visit Prajupati here, our husband ; from beholding
him you shall obtain success in your objects, and his advice will be helpful
to you in your affairs." When Maya and the others received this order
from the goddesses, they went as they were commanded, and beheld the
hermit Kasyapa in a heavenly hermitage. He was like pure molten gold
in appearance, full of brightness, the refuge of the gods, wearing matted
locks yellow as flame, irresistible as fire. And approaching, they fell at
his feet with their followers, in order ; then the hermit gave them the
customary blessing, and after making them sit down, out of delight at their
* The Petersburg lexicographers remark that sampadad is " u-ohl foMcrhaft." A
MS. in the Sanskrit College has sddardd. But this seems improbable with x<i,?<ire in the
line above. Babu Syaum Charan Hukhopailhyaya conjectures sammaddd which I
have adopted.
432
arrival said to them — " I am exceedingly glad that I have beheld all you
my sons ; thou art to be praised, Maya, who, without diverging from the
good path, art a treasure-house of all sciences ; and thou art fortunate,
Sunitha, who hast recovered thy life though lost, and thou, 0 Suryaprabha,
art fortunate, who art destined to be the king of the sky-goers. So you
must all continue now in the path of righteousness, and hearken to my
word, by means of which you will obtain the highest fortune, and taste
perpetual joys, and by which you will not again be conquered by your
enemies ; for it was those Asuras, that transgressed law, that became a prey
for the discus of the vanquisher of Mura. And those Asuras, Sunitha,
that were slain by the gods, are incarnate again as human heroes. He who
was thy younger brother Sumundika, has been born indeed now as Surya-
prabha. And the other Asuras, who were your companions, have been
born as his friends ; for instance, the great Asura, named S'ambara, has been
born as his minister Prahasta. And the Asura, named Tris"iras, has been
born as his minister named Siddhartha. And the Danava, named Vatapi, is
now his minister Prajnadhya. And the Danava, named Uluka, is now his
companion named S'ubhankara, and his present friend Vitabhiti was in a
former birth a foe of the gods, named Kala. And this Bhasa, his minister,
is an incarnation of a Daitya by name Vishaparvan, and his minister
Prabhasa is an incarnation of a Daitya named Prabala. He was a great-
hearted Daitya with a frame composed of jewels, who, when asked
by the gods, though they were his enemies, hewed his body to pieces,
and so passed into another state of existence, and from that body
of his all the jewels in the world have originated. The goddess Durga
was so pleased at that, that she granted him a boon accompanied by
another body, by virtue of which he has now been born as Prabhasa,
mighty, and hard to be overcome by his enemies. And those Dana-
vas, who formerly existed under the names of Sunda and Upasunda, have
been born as his ministers Sarvadamana and Bhayankara. And the two
Asuras, who used to be called Vikataksha and Hayagriva, have been born
as his two ministers here, Sthirabuddhi and Mahabuddhi. And the others
connected with him, these fathers-in-law, ministers and friends of his, are
also incarnations of Asuras, who have often vanquished Indra and his crew.
So your party has again gradually acquired strength. Be of good cour-
age ; if you do not depart from the right, you shall obtain the highest
prosperity." While the rishi Ka£yapa was saying this, all his wives, the
daughters of Daksha, headed by Aditi, arrived at the time of the mid-day
sacrifice. When they had given their blessing to Maya and the others, who
bowed before them, and had performed their husband's orders for the day,
Indra also canie there with the Lokapalas* to visit the sage. And Indra,
* The eight Lokapalas or guardians of the world.
433
after saluting the feet of Ka£yapa and his wives and after having been
saluted by Maya and the others, looking angrily at Stiryaprabha, said to
Maya, — " This is the boy, I suppose, that is desirous of becoming emperor
of the Vidyadharas ; how is he satisfied with so very little, and why does he
not desire the throne of heaven ?" When Maya heard this, he said, " The
throne of heaven was decreed to you by S'iva, and to him was appointed
the sovereignty of the sky-goers."* When Indra heard this, he said with an
angry laugh — " This would be but a small matter for this comely shape of a
youth who is furnished with such auspicious marks." Then Maya answered
him — " If S'rutasarman deserves the sovereignty of the Vidyadharas, then
surely this shape of his deserves the throne of heaven." When Maya said
this, Indra was angry, and rose and uplifted his thunderbolt, and then the
hermit Kasyapa made a threatening noise of anger. And Diti and the
other wives became enraged, and their faces were red with anger, and they
loudly cried, " Shame !" Then Indra, afraid of being cursed, withdrew his
weapon, and sat down with bowed head. Then Indra fell at the feet of
that hermit Kasyapa, the sire of gods and Asuras, who was surrounded by
his wives, and after striving to appease him, made the following represen-
tation with hands folded in supplication : " 0 reverend one, this Suryapra-
bha is attempting to take away from S'rutasarman the sovereignty of the
Vidyadharas, which I bestowed on him. And Maya is exerting himself in
every way to procure it for Suryaprabha." When Prajapati heard that,
he said, seated with Diti and Danu, — " Thou lovest S'rutasarman, O Indra,
but S'iva loves Suryaprabha, and his love cannot be fruitless, and he long
ago ordered Maya to do what he has done. So, what is all this outcry
that thou art making against Maya, what offence has he committed herein ?
For he is one who abides in the path of right, wise, discreet, submissive to
his spiritual superior. The fire of my wrath would have reduced thee to
ashes, if thou hadst committed that sin, and thou hast no power against
him ; dost thou not recognise his might ?" When that hermit with his
wives said that, Indra was abashed with shame and fear, and Aditi said —
" What is that S'rutasarman like ? Let him be brought here and shown to
us." When Indra heard this, he sent Matali,f and had brought there imme-
diately that S'rutasarman, the prince of the sky-goers. The wives of Kas-
yapa, when they had seen that S'rutasarman, who prostrated himself, looked at
Suryaprabha and said to the hermit Kasyapa — " Which of these two is the
richer in beauty and in auspicious marks ?" Then that chief of hermits said,
" S'rutasarman is not even equal to his minister Prabhasa, much less is he
equal to that incomparable one. For this Suryaprabha is furnished with
various heavenly marks of such excellence, that, if he were to make the at-
tempt, he would find even the throne of Indra easy to obtain." When
* /. v. the Vidyadkuras. f His charioteer.
55
434
they heard that speech of Kasyapa's, all there approved it, and said —
" So it is." Then the hermit gave Maya a boon in the hearing of great
Indra — " Because, my son, thou didst remain undaunted, even when Indra
lifted up his weapon to strike, therefore thou shalt remain unharmed by
the plagues of sickness and old age, which are strong as the thunderbolt.
Moreover these two magnanimous sons of thine, who resemble thee, shall
always be invincible by all their enemies. And this son of mine Suvasakumara,
resembling in splendour the autumn moon, shall come when thou thinkest of
him, and assist thee in the night of calamity. When the hermit had thus
spoken, his wives and the risfiis and the Lokapalas in the same way gave
boons to them, to Maya and the rest, in the assembly. Then Aditi said to
Indra — " Desist, Indra, from thy improper conduct, conciliate Maya, for
thou hast seen to-day the fruit of discreet conduct, in that he has obtained
boons from me." When Indra heard that, he seized Maya by the hand and
propitiated him, and Srutasarman, eclipsed "by Suryaprabha, was like the
moon in the day. Then the king of the gods immediately prostrated him-
self before Kasyapa his spiritual guide, and returned as he came, accom-
panied by all the Lokapalas ; and Maya and the others, by the order of
that excellent hermii, departed from his hermitage to meet success in their
proposed undertaking.
CHAPTER XLVI.
Then Maya and Sunitha and Suryaprabha, all of them, left that hermi-
tage of Kasyapa, and reached the junction of the Chandrabhaga and
Airavati, where the kings, the friends and connexions of Suryaprabha, were
.awaiting him. And the kings who were there, when they saw Suryaprabha
arrived, rose up weeping in despair, eager to die. Suryaprabha, thinking
that their grief arose from not seeing Chandraprabha, told them the whole
occurrence as it happened. Then, as they still remained despondent, he
questioned them, and they reluctantly related how his wives had been carried
off by S'rutasarman. And they also told him how they were preparing to
commit suicide through grief at that outrage, when they were forbidden
by a heavenly voice. Then Suryaprabha in wrath made this vow — " Even
if Brahma and all the other gods protect S'rutasarman, I will certainly
overthrow him, a villain who carries off the wives of others, addicted to
treacherous insolence." And having made this vow, he appointed a
moment fixed by the astrologers on the seventh day, for marching to his
overthrow. Then Maya, perceiving that he was determined, and had
435
made up his mind to conquer his enemy, again confirmed him with his
speech, and said to him — " If you really have made up your mind,
then I will tell you this ; it was I that on that occasion carried off your
wives by magic, and I placed them in the under-world, thinking that thus
you would set about your victorious expedition in an impetuous manner,
for a fire does not of itself burn so fiercely, as it does when fanned by a
breeze. So come, let us go to the under-world ; I will shew you those
wives of yours." When they heard that speech of Maya's, they all rejoic-
ed, and they entered again by the same opening as before, and went to the
fourth under-world, Majra leading the way. There Maya brought those
wives of Siiryaprabha's out of a dwelling-house, and delivered them over
to him. Then Suryaprabha, after receiving those wives, and the others, the
daughters of the Asuras, went by the advice of Maya to visit Prahlada.
He, having heard from Maya that Suryaprabha had obtained boons, and
being desirous of proving him, took up his weapon, and said with feigned
anger as he bowed before him, — " I have heard, wicked one, that you have
carried off the twelve maidens captured by my brother, so, I will slay you
now ; behold me." When. Suryaprabha heard that, he said to him, with-
out changing countenance,—" My body is at your disposal ; punish me, for
I have acted improperly." When he said this, Prahlada laughed and said
to him — " As far as I have tested you, you have not a drop of pride in
you. Choose a boon, I am pleased with you." When Suryaprabha heard
this, he consented, and chose as his boon devotion to his superiors and to
S'iva. Then, all being satisfied, Prahlada gave to Suryaprabha a second
daughter of his, named Yamini, and that prince of the Asuras gave him
two of his sons as allies. Then Suryaprabha went with all the rest into
the presence of Amila. He too was pleased on hearing that he had
obtained the boons, and gave him Sukhavati his second daughter, and two
of his sons to help him. Then Suryaprabha remained there during those
days, accompanied by his wives, inducing other kings of the Asuras to make
common cause with him. And he heard, in the company of Maya and the
others, that the three wives of Sunitha and his own wives, the daughters
of the kings, had all become pregnant, and when asked what they lon^i-d
for, they all said, to see that great battle, and the Asura Maya rejoiced at
it, perceiving that the Asuras, who were slain in old time, had been con-
ceived again in them — " This," said he, " is the cause of their desire."
So six days passed, but on the seventh Suryaprabha and the others,
with their wives and all, set out from the under-world. Delusive portents,
which their rivals displayed to impede them, were dissipated by Suvasa-
kuinara, who came when thought of. Then they anointed Katnaprabha,
the son of Chandraprabha, king of the earth, and ascended the t.'h;iri<>t Jjhii-
tasana,* and went all of them, by the. advice of Maya, to a wood of asco-
* I
436
tics on the bank of the eastern Ganges, the dwelling of Sumeru the king;
of the Vidyadharas. There Sumeru received them with all honour, as they
had come on a friendly visit, having been told the whole story by Maya,
and remembering the previous command of S'iva. And while Chandrapra-
bha and the others were in that place, they summoned each of them all
their own forces, and also their relations and friends. First came those
princes, the sons of the fathers-in-law of Suryaprabha, who had acquired
from Maya the required sciences, eager for the fray. They were sixteen
in number, headed by Haribhata, and each was followed by a force consist-
ing of a myriad of chariots, and two myriads of footmen. After them
came the Daityas and Danavas true to their agreement, brothers-in-lavr,
fathers-in-law, friends and other connexions of Suryaprabha.
Hrishtaroman, and Mahamaya, and Sinhadanshtra and Prakampana,
and Tantukachchha and Duraroha, and Sumaya, and Vajrapanjara, and
Dhiimaketu, and Pramathana, and the Danava Yikataksha, and many
others came from as low down as the seventh under- world. One came
with seven myriads of chariots, another with eight, another with six, and
another with three, and the least powerful of all with one myriad. One
brought three hundred thousand footmen, another two hundred thousand,
another one hundred thousand, and the pettiest potentate of all fifty thou-
sand. And each brought a corresponding number of horses and elephants.
And another innumerable host came belonging to Maya and Sunitha. And
Siiryaprabha's own countless army also arrived, and those of Vasudatta and
the other kings, and that of Sumeru.
Then the Asura Maya addressed this question to the hermit Suvasa-
kumara, who came to him when thought of, in the presence of Suryaprabha
and the others — " Reverend sir, we cannot review this army here because it
is scattered ; so tell me where we could get a view of the whole army at
once extended in long array." The hermit answered — " Not more than a
yojana from here there is a place called Kalapagrama ; go there and behold
it drawn up in line." When the hermit said that, all the princes wont
with him and Sumeru to Kalapagrama. There they made the armies of the
Asuras and the kings take up their positions, and going to an elevated spot
they reviewed them separately. Then Sumeru said — " S'rutasarman has
the larger force, for he has under him a hundred and one chiefs of the
Vidyadharas. And every single one of those chiefs is lord of two and thirty
kings. Never mind ! I will draw away some and make them join you. So
let us go in the morning to the place named Valmika. For to-morrow
is the eighth lunar clay of the black fortnight of Phalguna, which is
a high day. And on that day there is produced there a *u,';i to slu-w the
future emperor, and for that reason the Yidyadharas are going thero in a
great hurry on that day.
437
When Sumeru gave that opinion with regard to the army, they spent
that day in accordance with the law, and went on the morrow to Valmika
in chariots with their army. There they encamped with shouting forces
on the southern plateau of the llim.-ilayas, and beheld many Vidyadhara
kings that had arrived. And those Vidyadharas had lighted fires there in
fire-cavities, and were engaged in sacrificing, and some were occupied with
muttering prayers. Then, where Suryaprabha made a fire-cavity, the
fire burst forth of itself, owing to the power of his magic science. When
Sumeru saw it, he was pleased, but envy arose in the breasts of the Vuly;i-
dharas at the sight ; then one said to him — " For shame, Sumeru ! why
do you abandon your rank as a Vidyadhara, and follow this inhabitant of
earth named Suryaprabha ?" When Sumeru heard this, he angrily rebuked
him. And when Suryaprabha asked his name, he said — " There is a
Vidyadhara of the name of Bhima, and Brahma loved his wife at will ;
from this connexion he sprang. Since he sprang from Brahma in a
secret way, he is called Brahmagupta. Hence he speaks in a style charac-
teristic of his birth."
After saying this, Sumeru also made a fire-cavity. And in it Surya-
prabha sacrificed with him to the god of Fire. And in a moment there
suddenly rose from the hole in the ground an enormous and terrible
serpent. In his arrogance, that chief of the Vidyadharas, named Brahma-
gupta, by whom Sumeru was blamed, ran to seize it. That serpent there-
upon sent forth a hissing wind from its mouth, which carried Brahmagupta
a hundred feet, and flung him down with such violence that he fell like a
withered leaf. Then a chief of the Vidyadharas, named Tejahprabha, ran
to seize it; he was flung away by it in the same manner. Then a lord of
the Vidyadharas, named Dushtadamana, approached it; he was hurled back
like the others by that blast from its mouth. Then a prince of the sky-goers,
named Virupasakti, approached it ; he too was flung away as easilv as a
blade of grass by that breath. Then two kings, named Angaraka and
Vijrimbhaka, ran towards it together ; and it flung them to a distance with
its breath. Thus all the princes of the Vidyadharas were flung away one
after another, and rose up with difficulty, with their limbs bruised with
stones. Then SVutasarman, in his pride, went forward to seize the serpent ;
but it hurled him back with the blast of its breath like the others. He
fell at a short distance, and rose up again, and ran again towards it ; when
it carried him a greater distance with its breath, and flung him to earth.
Then S'rutasarman rose up abashed, with bruised limbs, and Sumeru sent
Suryaprabha to lay hold of the serpent. And then the Vid yadharas ridiculed
him, saying, " Look ! he too is trying to catch the snake I <> ! these men,
thoughtless as monkey?, imitate whatever they see another doing." Kveu
while they were mocking him, Suryaprabha went and sci/ed the
438
whose mouth was quiet, and dragged it out of the hole. But that moment
the serpent became a priceless quiver, and a rain of flowers fell from the
sky on his head. And a heavenly voice sounded aloud — " Suryaprabha, thine
is this imperishable quiver equal to a magic power, so take it." Then the
Vidyadharas were cast down, Suryaprabha seized the quiver, and Maya and
Sunitha and Sumeru were delighted.
Then S'rutasarman departed, accompanied by the host of the Vidya-
dharas, and his ambassador came to Suryaprabha and said ; " The august
lord S'rutasarman thus commands — ' Give me that quiver, if you value your
life.' " Then Suryaprabha said ; " Ambassador, go and tell him this —
' Your own body shall become a quiver, bristling all over with my
arrows.' " When the ambassador heard this speech, he turned and went
away, and all laughed at that furious message of S'rutasarman's*, and
Sumeru, joyfully embracing Suryaprabha, said to him — " I am delighted
that that speech of S'iva's has without doubt been fulfilled, for now that
you have acquired this excellent quiver, you have practically acquired
sovereign empire ; so come and obtain now a splendid bow with calm intre-
pidity.
When they heard Sumeru say this, and he himself led the way, they
all, Suryaprabha and the others, went to the mountain Hemakuta. And on
the north side of it they reached a beautiful lake named Manasa, which
seemed to have been the first assay of the Creator's skill when making the
sea, which eclipsed with its full-blown golden lotuses shaken by the wind,
the faces of the heavenly nymphs sporting in the water. And while they
were contemplating the beauty of the lake, S'rutasarman and all the others
came there. And then Suryaprabha made a sacrifice with lotuses and ghee,
and immediately a terrible cloud rose up from that lake. That cloud filled
the heaven, and poured down a great rain, and among the rain-drops fell
from the cloud a black serpent. By the order of Sumeru, Suryaprabha
rose up, and seized that serpent with a firm grasp, though it resisted, there-
upon it became a bow. When it became a bow, a second snake fell from
the cloud, through fear of the fiery poison of which all the sky-goers lied.
That serpent too, when seized by Suryaprabha, like the first, became a
bowstring, and the cloud quickly disappeared. And after a rain of flowers,
a voice was heard from heaven, — " Suryaprabha, you have won this bow
Amitabala and this string which cannot be cut, so take these priceless
treasures." And Suryaprabha took that excellent bow with the string.
S'rutasarman, for his part, went despondent to his wood of ascetics, and
Suryaprabha, and Maya and the others were delighted.
Then they asked Sumeru about the origin of the bow, and he said —
* Reading rubhasokti for nabhasokti. Perhaps sidd/ii/nitam in si. 78, a, should bo
aiddham idmn.
439
" Here there is a great and marvellous wood of bamboo canes ; whatever
bamboos are cut from it and thrown into this lake, become great and
wonderful bows ; and these bows have been acquired by several of the gods
before yourself, and by Asuras and Gandharvas, and distinguished Vidya-
dharas. They have various names, but the bows appropriated to emperors
are all called Amitabala, and were in old time deposited in the lake by the
gods. And they are obtained, through the favour of S'iva, with these exer-
tions, by certain men of virtuous conduct destined to be emperors. Hence
it comes that Suryaprabha has to-day procured this great bow, and these
companions of his shall procure bows suited to them. For they, being
heroes who have acquired the sciences, are appropriate recipients for them,
for they are still procured by worthy men, as is right."
When the companions of Suryaprabha, Prabhiisa and the others, heard
this speech of Sumeru's, they went to the bamboo-grove, and after defeating
the king Chanclradatta, who guarded it, they brought the bamboos, and
threw them into the lake. And these heroic men, by fasting on the bank
of the lake, and muttering prayers, and sacrificing, obtained bows in sevea
days. When they returned and told their adventure, Suryaprabha return-
ed with them and Maya and the others to that wood of ascetics, in which
Sumeru dwelt. Then Sumeru said to him : " It is strange that your
friends have conquered Chandradatta, the king of the bamboo-wood>
though he is invincible. He possesses a science called the bewildering
science, for that reason he is hard to conquer. Surely he must have been
keeping it to use against a more important enemy. For this reason he did
not employ it against these companions of yours on the present occasion,
for it only can succeed once in his hands, not repeatedly. For he employed
it once against his spiritual preceptor to try its force, thereupon he laid
upon him this curse. So this matter should be thought upon, for the
might of sciences is hard to overcome, and for that reason you should con-
sult the revered Maya. What can I say in his presence ? Of what avail is
a candle in the face of the sun ?" When Sumeru had said this to Siirya.
prabha, Maya said; " Sumeru has told you the truth in few words, listen to
this which I now say — From undeveloped matter there spring in this world
various powers, and subordinate powers. Among them the sound expressed
by Anusvara arises from the power of breathing, and becomes a spell of
force in magic sciences, when accompanied with the doctrine of the highest
truth. And of those sciences which deal with spells, and which are acquired
by supernatural knowledge, or austerity, or the holy command of holy men,
the power is hard to resist. So, my son, you have obtained all the sciences,
except two, in which you are deficient, namely, the science of bewildering,
and that of counteracting. But Yiijuavalkya knows them, therefore go
and ask him to bestow them on you. When thus advised by Maya, Surya-
prabha went into the presence of that ris/ti.
440
That hermit made him dwell for seven days in the serpent-lake, and
ordered him to perform austerities for three days in the midst of the tire.
And he gave him the bewildering power when he had endured for seven da}rs
the hite of the snakes, and the counteracting power when he had resisted
for three days the force of the fire.* And when he had obtained these
sciences, that hermit ordered him again to enter the fire-cavity, and he
consented and did it. And immediately there was bestowed on Siirya-
prabha a chariot in the form of a white lotus, that moved at the will of the
possessor, and travelled through the air, which was furnished with a hun-
dred and eight wings, and the same number of dwellings, and constructed
of precious jewels of various kinds. And a voice from heaven addressed
that resolute one, — " You have obtained this chariot suitable for an emperor,
and you must place your wives in all these dwellings, in order that they
may be safe from your enemies." Then he, bending low, addressed this peti-
tion to his preceptor Yajnavalkya — " Tell me what fee I am to pay." The
hermit answered him — " Kemember me at the time when you are anoint-
ed emperor, this in itself will be sufficient fee ; in the mea nwhile go to
your army." Then he bowed before that hermit, and ascended that chariot,
and went to his army, that was encamped in the place where Sumeru dwelt.
There he told his story, and Maya and the others, with Sunitha and Sumeru,
congratulated him, now that he hud obtained a magic chariot.
Then Sunitha called to mind that Suvusakumara, and he came and
said to Maya and the others, with the kings ; " Suryaprabha has obtained
a chariot and all the magic sciences ; so why do you even now remain
indifferent about conquering your enemies ?" When Maya heard that, he said,
" Reverend sir, you have spoken rightly, but first let an ambassador be
sent, and let policy be employed." When Maya said this, the hermit's son
said — " So be it ! What harm can this do ? Let this Prahasta be sent. He
is discerning, eloquent, and understands the nature of business and occa-
sions, and he is stem and enduring, he possesses all the qualities of an am-
bassador." All approved this speech of his, and after giving Prahasta
instructions, they sent him off as ambassador to S'rutasarmau.
When he had gone, Suryaprabha said to all his followers, — " Hear the
strange wonderful vision that I have had — I remember, I saw toward
the end of last night, that we were all carried away by a great
stream of water, and while we were swept away, we kept dancing, we did
not sink at all. Then that stream was turned back by a contrary breeze.
Then a certain man of fiery brightness drew us out, and threw us into
the fire, and we were not burned by the fire. Then a cloud rained a stream
of blood, and that blood filled the whole sky, then my sleep came to an
* In the MS. lent me from the Sanskrit College I find sodhdhidaitiasya and visod-
Ill
fiul with the night." When he said this, Suvasakumara said to him,
" This dream indicates success preceded by a struggle. The stream of
water is battle, it is due to valour that you did not sink but danced, and
were carried along by the water ; the wind, that turned back the water for
you, is some saviour to whom men resort for protection ; and the man of
liery brightness, who drew you out of it, is S'iva in bodily form. And that
he threw you into the fire, means that you are cast into a great war ; and
that the clouds arose, that means the returning again of fear ; and the
rain of a stream of blood, that means the destroying of fear, and the filling
of all the quarters with blood, that means great success for you. Now
dreams are of many kinds,* the rich-sensed, the true-sensed, and the
senseless. A dream which quickly reveals its meaning, is called rich-
sensed, a dream in which a propitious god gives a command, is called
true-sensed, and one which is brought about by deep meditation and
anxiety, they call senseless. For a man under the influence of sleep, with
mind bewildered by the quality of passion and withdrawn from outward
objects, sees a dream on account of various causes. And it depends upon
the time, when it is seen, whether it is fulfilled soon or late, but this kind
of dream which is seen at the end of the night is quickly fulfilled. f When
Suryaprabha and his companions heard this from the hermit's son, they
were much pleased, and rising up they performed the duties of the day.
In the meanwhile Prahasta returned from the court of S'rutasarman,
and, when asked by Maya and the others, he described his adventures.
" I went rapidly hence to the city named Trikutapataka, situated on the
mountain Trikiita, built of gold. And being introduced by the door-
keeper, I entered, and beheld S'rutasarman surrounded by various Vidya-
dhara kings, by his father Trikutasena, and also by Vikramasakti and
Durandhara and other heroes, Damodara among them. And sitting down,
I said to S'rutasarman, ' I am sent to visit you by the august Suryapra-
bha •. and he commissioned me to give you this command. By the favour
of S'iva I have obtained precious sciences, and wives and allies. So come
and join my army, together with those chiefs of the sky-goers ; I am the
slayer of those that oppose, but the saviour of those that bend. And as
for your carrying off from her relations the maiden Kainachudamani, the
daughter of Sunitha, who ought not to be approached, set her at liberty,
for that is a deed of shame.' When I said this they all exclaimed in
wrath, — ' AVho is he that sends us this haughty command ? Let him
give commands to mortals, but who is he compared with Vidyadharas ?
* Reading aneko dhaiiydrtho.
t Cp. Odyssey 4. 841 Sis &i tvapyts uvetpov tireo-ffVTO vvicrbs a/uoXyrf?, where some sup-
pose ano\ybs to menu the four hours before daybreak.
5G
Since be assumes such airs, though he is a miserable mortal, he should be
destroyed.'
" When I heard that, I said, ' What, what ? Who is he ? Listen, he has
been created by Sftva as your future emperor. If he is a mortal, then
mortals have attained divinity, and the Vidyadharas have seen the valour
of that mortal ; moreover, if he comes here, we shall soon see which party
will be destroyed.' When I said this in wrath, that assembly was disturb-
ed. And S'rutasarman and Dhurandhara rushed forward to slay me.
And I said to them — ' Come now, let me see your valour !' Then Damo-
dara rose up, and restrained them, exclaiming ' Peace ! an ambassador and
a Brahman must not be slain.' Then Vikramasakti said to me — ' Depart,
ambassador, for we, like your master, are all created by S'iva. So let him
come, and we will see whether we are able to entertain him or not.' When
he said this in a haughty manner, I laughed and said, ' The swans utter their
cries in the lotus-bower and enjoy themselves much, until they see the
cloud that comes darkening the heaven.' After saying this I rose up in a
contemptuous manner, left the court, and came here." When Maya and
others heard this from Prahasta, they were pleased. And they all, Siirya-
prabha and the rest, determined on preparing for battle, and made Prabhasa,
the impetuous in war, their general. And receiving the command from
Suvasakumara, they all prepared that day with strict vows to consecrate
themselves for the combat.*
And at night, Siiryaprabha, as he was lying sleepless, saw a wonderful
and beautiful maiden enter the chamber, in which he was occupying a soil-
tary couch in accordance with his vow. She came boldly up to him, who
pretended to be asleep, with his ministers sleeping round him, and said to
her confidante, who was with her ; " If he possesses such glorious beauty,
when he is asleep, and all the graceful motion of his body is still,
what must it be, my friend, when he is awake ? So let be ! we must
not wake him up. I have gratified the curiosity of my eyes. Why
should I fix my heart too fondly on him ? For he will have a battle
with Srutasarman, and who can say what will befall either party in it ?
For the feast of battle is for consuming the lives of heroes. And
should he not be fortunate, we shall have to take some other resolve. f
And how could one like me captivate the soul of a man who, when roaming
in the air, beheld Kamachudainani ?" When she said this, her confidante
answered, " Why do you say this? Why, fair one, is it your duty not to
allow your heart to attach itself to him ? Why should not he, the sight of
whom captivated the heart of Kuinachiidamani, captivate the heart of any
* I road cha rayadflulutydm,
f The MS. in the (Sanskrit (.'ullcjjr ivads tutrusyustu iivam tdrat ; let him suc-
ceed ill the battle.
443
other lady, were she even Arundhati in bodily presence? And do you not
know that he will prosper in fight by the force of science ? And when he is
emperor, you, and Kamachudamani, and Suprabha of the same family, are
to be his wives, so say the holy sages, and in -these very days he has mar-
ried Suprabha. So, how can he be unsuccessful in fight ? For the predic-
tions of the sages are never falsified. And will you not captivate the heart
of the man, whose heart was captivated by Suprabha ? For you, blameless
one, exceed her in beauty. And if you hesitate through regard for your re-
lations, that is not right, for good women have no relations but their hus-
band." That excellent maiden, when she heard this speech of her con-
fidante's, said — " You have spoken truth, my friend, I need no other rela-
tions. And I know my husband will conquer in fight by his science. He
has obtained jewels and sciences, but my mind is grieved because up to the
present time he has not obtained the virtuous herbs. Now they are all in
a cave of the mountain Chandrapada. But they are to be obtained by an
emperor possessing virtue. So, if he were to go there and procure those
mighty drugs, it would be well, for his great struggle is nigh at hand, even
to-morrow." When Suryaprabha heard this, he flung off all his feigned
sleep, and rising up, said respectfully to that maiden — " Lovely-eyed one,
you have shewn great favour to me, so I will go there, tell me who you are."
When the maiden heard that, she was abashed with shame, and silent, think-
ing that he had heard all, but her friend said — " This is a maiden named
Vihisini, the daughter of Sumeru, the prince of the Vidyadharas, who was
desirous of beholding you." When her friend said this, Vilasini said to
her, "Come, let us go now," and went out of the room.
Then Suryaprabha woke up his ministers, Brabhasa and the rest, and
told them of that method of procuring the drugs, which the lady spoke of.
And he sent Prabhasa, a fit person to accomplish that, to tell it to Sunitha
and Sumeru and Maya. And when they came and approved of it, Surya-
prabha, accompanied by his ministers, went with them in the night to the
mountain Chandrapada. And as they were gradually advancing, the Yak-
shas, Guhyakas, and Kumbhandas, being alarmed, rose up to bar their way,
armed with numerous weapons. Some of them Suryaprabha and his friends
bewildered with weapons, some they paralysed by science, and at last they
reached that mountain Chandrapada. When they reached the mouth of
the cavern in that mountain, the Ganas of S'iva prevented them from en-
tering, assuming strange deformed countenances. Then Suvasakumara
said to Suryaprabha and the others, " We must not fight with these, for
the revered god S'iva might be angry. Let us praise that giver of boons by
his eight thousand names, and that will make the Guiv.is* favourably dis-
posed to us." Then they all agreed, and praised S'iva ; and the lianas,
* /. e. attendants of S'iva.
ill
pleased at hearing their master praised, said to them ; " We abandon this
cave to you, take its potent simples. But Suryaprabha must not enter it
himself ; let Prabhasa enter it, for it will he easy for him to enter." They
all said " So be it," and acceded to the advice of the Ganas. Then that cave,
as soon as Prabhasa entered it, though before enveloped in darkness, became
irradiated with light. And four very terrible Rakshasas, who were servants
there, rose up, and bending before him, said to him " Enter." Then Pra-
bhasa entered, and collected those seven divine herbs, and coming out, gave
them all to Suryaprabha. And that moment a voice was heard from heaven,
saying, " Suryaprabha, of great power are these seven drugs which you have
obtained to-day." When Suryaprabha and the others heard that, they
were delighted, and quickly returned to the dwelling of Sutneru to greet
their army. Then Sunitha asked that Suvasakumara; " Hermit, why
was Prabhasa allowed by the Ganas to enter the cave, and not Surya-
prabha, and why was he also welcomed by the servants ?" When the hermit
heard that, he said in the hearing of all, " Listen, I will explain this —
Prabhasa is a great benefactor to Suryaprabha, being a second self to him,
there is no difference between them. Moreover, no one is equal in might
and courage to Prabhasa, and this cave belongs to him on account of his
good deeds in a former life, and listen, I will tell you what sort of a person
he was in a former existence."
In old times there was an ex-
Story of the generous Danava JS amticni.
cellent Danava named Namuchi, who
was devoted to charity and very brave, and did not refuse to give anything
to anybody that asked, even if he were his enemy. He practised
asceticism as a drinker of smoke for ten thousand years, and obtained as a
favour from Brahma, that he should be proof against iron, stone, and wood.
Then he frequently conquered Indra and made him flee, so the risJii
Kasyapa entreated him, and made him make peace with the gods. Then
the gods and Asuras, as their enmity was at an end, deliberated together,
and went to the ocean of milk, and churned it with the mountain Mandara.
And as Vishnu and the other gods received Lakshmi and other things as
their shares, so Namuchi gained the horse Uchchhaihsravas ; and the other
gods and Asuras received other various shares, appointed by Brahma, of the
things that rose from the sea, when churned. And the amrita at last
came up at the end of the churning, and the gods stole it, so a quarrel
again took place between them and the Asuras. Then, as fast as the gods
killed an Asura in their light with them, the horse Uchchhaihsravas
immediately restored him to life by smelling him. The consequence was
that the gods found it impossible to conquer the Daityas and Danavas.
Then Yrihaspati said in sec-rot to Indra, who \\as in despair : "Tin.
only one expedient left, adopt it without delay ; go to Xamuchi yourself,
and ask him for that excellent horse, for he will certainly give it to you,
though you are his enemy, sooner than mar the glory of open-handedness,
which he has been accumulating since his birth." When the preceptor of the
gods said that to him, great Indra went with the gods and craved as a boon
that horse Uchchaihsnivas from Xumuclii. Then the great-hearted Namuchi
reflected, " I never turn back a suppliant, so I will not turn back Indra ; and
how can I, as long us I am Namuchi, refuse to give him the horse? If the
glory of generosity, which I have long been acquiring in the worlds, were to
wither, what would be the rise to me of prosperity, or life ?" According-
ly he gave the horse to Indra, although S'ukra warned him not to do it.
Then Indra, after he had given the horse, lulled him to security, and as
he could not be slain by any other weapon, killed him with foam of the
Ganges, in which he had placed a thunderbolt. Alas ! terrible in the
world is the thirst for enjoyment, carried away by which even gods do not
shrink from unbecoming and infamous conduct. When Danu, the mother
of Namuchi, heard this, being afflicted with grief, she made by virtue of
her asceticism a solemn resolve for the allaying of her sorrow, " May that
mighty Namuchi be again born in my womb, and may he again become
invincible by the gods in battle." Then he was again conceived in
her womb, and born as an Asura composed all of jewels, named Prabala on
account of his strength. Then he performed asceticism, and satisfying
supplicants even with his life, became successful, and as prince of the
Danavas conquered ludra a hundred times. Then the gods took counsel
together, and came to him, and said to him : " By all means give us your
body for a human sacrifice."* When, he heard that, he gave them his own
* The word, which I have translated " human sacrifice," is purushamedha. For
the prevalence of human sacrifices among all nations of antiquity see Grimm's Teu-
tonic Mythology, translated by Stallybrass, Vol. I, p. 44 and ff; see also Tylor'a
Primitive Culture, Vol. II, p. 246, 353, 361, 365. Dr. Rajendralala Mitra. Ku
Bahadur, in an essay in the Journal of the Asiatic Society for 1876. entitled " Human
Sacrifices in India," traces the history of the practice in India, and incidentally among
the principal nations of antiquity. The following is his own summary of his
conclusions with respect to the practice in India. (1) That, looking to the history of
human civilization, and the rituals of the Hindus, there is nothing to justify the
belief that in ancient times the Hindus were incapable of sacrificing human 1>
to their gods. (2) That the S'uual.iM'jiha hymns of the Kig Veda Sanhita most
probably refer to a human sacrifice. (3) That the Aitarcya Brahma ua refers to an
in l iial, and not a typical human sacrifice. (4) That the Purushamedlia originally requir-
ed the actual sacrifice of men. (o) That the S'atapatha Brahmana sanctions human
sacrifice in some cases, but makes the Pnroahamedha emblematic. (G) That the
Taittiriya Brahmana enjoins the sacrifice of a man at the Horse sacrifice. (7) That
the Puranas recognise human sacrifices to Chandika but prohibit the I'uiushimu dh
(8) That the Tantrus enjoin human sacrifices to ChamlikYi, and require tluit, when
446
body, although they were his enemies ; noble men do not turn their backs
on a suppliant, but bestow on him even their lives. Then that Danava
Prabala was cut to pieces by the gods, and he has been again born in the
world of men with the body of Prabhasa.
" So Prabhasa was first Namuchi, and then he was Prabala, and then he
became Prabhasa, therefore on account of his merit he is hard for his enemies
to conquer. And that cave of herbs, which belonged to that Prabala, is for
that reason the property of Prabhasa, and is at his command with its servants.
And below it there is in Patala* the mansion of Prabala, and in it there aro
his twelve head- wives beautifully adorned, and various jewels, and many kinds
of weapons, and a wishing-stone, and a hundred thousand warriors, and also
horses. This all belongs to Prabhasa, and was acquired by him in a former
life. Such a hero is Prabhasa ; in him nothing is wonderful." When they
heard this from the hermit's son, Suryaprabha and his followers, with Maya
and Prabhasa, went immediately to that cavern belonging to Prabhasa,
that led down to Patala, for the purpose of securing the jewels. Prabluisa
alone went in by that entrance, and secured his former wives, and the
wishing-stone, and the horses, and the Asura warriors, and coming out
again with all his wealth, he gave great satisfaction to Suryaprabha. Then
that Suryaprabha, having quickly obtained what he wished, returned to his
own camp with Maya and Sunitha and Prabhasa, followed by Sumeru and
the other kings and the ministers. There, after the Asuras and kings and
others had gone to their own quarters, he again was consecrated for the
fight, restraining his passions, and spent the rest of the night on a bed of
Jcusa grass.
CHAPTER XLVII.
Early the next morning, Suryaprabha set out from the hermitage of
Sumeru with his forces to conquer S'rutasarman. And arriving near the
human victims are not available, an effigy of a human being should be sacrificed to
her. Of the sacrifices to Chandika wo have enough and to spare in the Katli 11 (Nirit
Sagara. Strange to say, it appears that human sacrifices were offered in Greece on
Mount Lykaion in Arcadia even in the time of Pausanias. Dim traditions with
respect to the custom are still found among the inhabitants of that region, (Bernhard
Schmidt, Griechische Marchon, p. 27).
* Cp. chapter 45. In chapter 73 will be found another instance of a " rifted
rock whose entrance leads to hell." Cp. Ike Hercules Fiux-us of Seneca, v. GG2 & II'.
417
mountain of Trikiita bis dwelling-place, be encamped, driving away the
enemies' army with bis own force, which was established there. And while
he was encamped there witb Sumeru, Maya, and others, and was in the hall
of council, an ambassador came from the lord of Trikuta. And when he
came, he said to Sumeru the Vidyadhara prince ; " The king, the father of
S'rutasarman, sends you this message. ' We have never entertained you, as you
were far off ; now you have arrived in our territory with guests, so now we
will shew you appropriate hospitality.' " When Sumeru beard this scoffing-
ly ambiguous message, he said in answer : " Bravo ! you will not get
another guest such a fit object of hospitality as we are. Hospitality will
not bear its fruit in the next world, its fruit is in this. So here we
are, entertain us." When Sumeru said this, .the ambassador returned
to his master as he came.
Then Suryaprabha and the others, established upon an elevated
place, surveyed their armies encamped separately. Then Sunitha said to
his father-in-law the Asura Maya: "Explain to me the arrangement
of the warriors in our army." Then that all-knowing prince of the
Danavas said, " I will do so, listen ;" and pointing them out with his
finger, he began to say — "These kings Subahu, Nirghata, Musbtika,
and Gohara, and Pralamba, and Pramatha, and Kankata, and Pingala,
and Vasudatta and others, are considered half -power warriors.* And
Ankurin, and Suvisala, and Dandin, and Bhushana, and Somila, and
Unmattaka, and Devasarman, and Pitrisarman, and Kumaraka, and Hari-
datta and others are all full-power warriors. And Prakampana, and Dar-
pita, and Kumbhira, and Matripalita, and Mahabhata, and Virasvamin, and
Suradhara, and Bhandira, and Sinhadatta and Gunavarman, with Kitaka
and Bhima and Bhayankara, these are all warriors of double power.
And Virochana, and Virasena, and Yajnasena, and Khujjara, and In-
dravarman, and S'evaraka, and Krurakarman, and Nirasaka, these princes
are of triple power, my son. And Susarman, and Bahusalin, and Visakha,
and Krodhana, and Prachanda. — these princes are warriors of fourfold
power. And Junjarin, and Virasarman, and Praviravara, and Supratijna
and Mararama, and Chandadanta, and Jalika, and the three, Sinhabhuta,
Vyaghrabhata, and S'atrubbata, these kings and princes are warriors
of fivefold power. But this prince Ugravarman is a warrior of sixfold
power. And the prince Yisoka, and Sutantu, and Sugama, and Xaivmlra-
sarman are considered warriors of sevenfold power. And this king
Sahasrayu is a great warrior. But this S'atanika is lord of a host of
great warriors. And Subhasa, Harsha, and Vimala, the companions of
Suryaprabha, Mahabuddhi and Achalabuddhi, Priyankara and S'ubhan-
* For a parallel to the absurdities that follow, see Campbell's West Highland
Tales, p. 202.
448
kara are great warriors, as also Yajnaruchi and Dharmaruchi. But
Visvaruchi, and Bhasa, and Siddhartha, these three ministers of Surya-
prabha, are chiefs of hosts of great warriors. And his ministers Prahasta
and Mahartha are leaders of hosts of transcendent warriors. And
Prajnadhya and Sthirabuddbi are leaders of hosts of hosts of warriors ;
and the Danava Sarvadamana, and Pramathana here, and Dhumaketu, and
Pravabana, and Yajrapanjara, and Kalachakra, and Marudvega are leaders of
warriors and transcendent warriors. Prakampana and Siuhanada are leaders
of hosts of leaders of hosts of warriors. And Mahamaya, and Karnbalika,
and Kalakampana here, and Prahrishtaroman, these four lords of the
Asuras, are kings over chiefs of hosts of transcendent warriors. And this
Prabhasa, the general of the army, who is equal to Suryaprabha, and this
son of Sumeru, Kunjarakutnara, these two are leaders of hosts of chiefs
of hosts of great warriors. Such heroes are there in our army, and others
besides, girt with their followers. There are more in the hostile army,
but S'iva being well disposed towards us, they will not be able to resist
our host.
While the Asura Maya was saying this to Sunitha, another ambassador
came from the father of S'rutasarman, and said thus to him ; " The king
of Trikiita sends this message to you ; ' This is a great feast for heroes —
the feast, which goes by the name of battle. This ground is narrow for it,
therefore let us leave it, and go to a place named Kalapagnima, where there
is a wide space.' " When Sunitba and the other chiefs with their soldiers
heard this, they agreed, and all of them went with Suryaprabha to Kalapa-
grama. And S'rutasarman and his partizans also, eager for battle, went to
that same place, surrounded with the hosts of the Vidyadharas. When
Suryaprabha and his chiefs saw elephants in the army of S'rutasarman,
they summoned their contingent of elephants, which was conveyed in the
chariot that ilew through the air. Then Damodara, that excellent Vidya-
dhara, drew up his army in the form of a large needle ; S'rutasarman
himself took up his position on the flank with his ministers, and Damodara
was in front, and other great warriors in other places. And Prabhtis;i, the
leader of Suryaprabha's army, arranged it in the form of a crescent ; he
himself was in the centre, and Kunjarakumara and Prahasta at the two
horns ; and Suryaprabha, and Sunitha and the other chiefs, all remained in
the rear. And Sumeru with Suvasakumara stood near him. Thereupon
the war-drums were beaten in both armies.
And in the meanwhile the hruven was filled with the gods, come to see
the battle, together with Indra, and the Lokapalas, and the Apsarases. And
S'iva, the lord of all, came there with Parvati, followed by deities, and the
Ganas, and demons, and the mothers.* And holy Brahma came accom-
* The personified energies of the principal deities, closely connected with Iho
panied by the Vedas incarnate in bodily form, beginning with the Gayatri,
and the S'astras and all the great Rishis. And the god Vishnu came,
riding on the king of birds, bearing his weapon the discus, accompanied by
goddesses, of whom the goddesses of Fortune, Glory, and Victory were the
chief. And Kasyapa came with his wives, and the Adityas and the Vasua,
and the chiefs of the Yakshas, Rakshasas and snakes, and also the Asuras
with Prahlada at their head. The sky was obscured with them, and
the battle of those two armies began, terrible with the clashing of weapons,
accompanied with loud shouts. The whole heaven was darkened by the
dense cloud of arrows, through which the flashes, made by the arrows strik-
ing against one another, played like lightning, and rivers of blood flowed,
swollen with the gore of many elephants and horses wounded with weapons,
in which the bodies of heroes moved like alligators. That battle gave
great delight to heroes, jackals, and goblins, that danced, waded, and shouted
in blood.
When the confused melee, in which countless soldiers fell, had abated,
Siiryaprabha, and the other chiefs, gradually began to perceive the distinc-
tion between their own army and that of the enemy, and heard in order
from Sumeru the names and lineage of the chiefs fighting in front of the
enemies' host. Then first took place a single combat between king Subahu
and a chief of the Vidyadharas, named Attahasa. Subahu fought a long
time, until Attahasa, after riddling him with arrows, cut off his head with a
crescent-headed shaft. When Mushtika saw that Subahu was slain, he
rushed forward in wrath ; he too fell smitten by Attahasa with an arrow in
the heart. When Mushtika was slain, a king named Pralamba in wrath
rushed on, and attacked Attahasa with showers of arrows, but Attahasa slew
his retainers, and striking the hero Pralamba with an arrow in a mortal
place, laid him low on the seat of his chariot. A king named Mohana,
when he saw Pralamba dead, engaged with Attahasa and smote him with
arrows. Then Attahasa cut his bow and slew his charioteer, and laid him
low, slain with a terrific blow. When the host of S'rutasarman saw that
the dexterous Attahasa had slain those four warriors, expecting the victory,
they shouted for joy. When Harsha, the companion of Suryaprabha, saw
that, he was wroth, and with his followers attacked Attahasa and his fol-
lowers ; and with shafts he repelled his shafts, and he slew his folio v.
and killed his charioteer, and two or three times cut his bow and his ban-
ner, and at last he cleft asunder his head with his amnvs, so that he fell
from his chariot on the earth, pouring forth a stream of blood. When
Attahasa was slain, there was such a panic in the battle, that in a moment
worship of the god S'iva. Professor Jacobi compares them with tho Greek godtl
called /uTjre'pes, to whom there wus a temple in tho Sicilian town of Engyion. (ludiuu
Antiquary, January 1880.)
" 57
450
*
only half the two armies remained. Horses, elephants and footmen fell
down there slain, and only the trunks of slaughtered men remained standing
in the van of battle.
Then a chief of the Vidyadharas, named Vikritadanshtra, angry at the
slaughter of Attahasa, showered arrows upon Harsha. But Harsha repelled
his arrows, struck down his chariot-horses, and his banner and his charioteer,
and cut off his head with, its trembling earrings. But when Vikritadanshtra
was killed, a Vidyadhara king, named Chakravala, in wrath attacked
Harsha ; he slew Harsha still fighting on, though fatigued with combat,
after his bow had been frequently cut asunder, and his other weapons
damaged. Angry at that, king Pramatha attacked him, and he too was
slain by that Chakravala in fight. In the same way four other distin-
guished kings, who attacked him one by one, were slain one after another by
that Chakravala, namely, Kankata, and Visala, and Prachanda and Ankurin.
When king Nirghata saw that, he was wroth, and attacked Chakravala, and
those two, Chakravala and Nirghata, fought for a long time, and at last
they broke one another's chariots to pieces, and so became infantry soldiers,
and the two, rushing furiously together, armed with sword and discus, cleft
with sword-strokes one another's heads, and fell dead on the earth. Then
the two armies were dispirited, seeing those two warriors dead, but never-
theless a king of the Vidyadharas, named Kalakampana, stepped forward to
the front of the fight. And a prince, named Prakampana, attacked him,
but he was in a moment struck down by that Kalakampana. When he was
struck down, five other warriors attacked Kalakampana, namely Jalika, and
Chandadatta, and Gopaka, and Somila, and Pitrisarman ; all these let fly
arrows at him at the same time. But Kalakampana deprived all five of
their chariots, and slew them at the same time, piercing the five with five
arrows in the heart. That made the Vidyadharas shout for joy, and the
men and Asuras despond. Then four other warriors rushed upon him at
the same time, Unmattaka and Prasasta, Vilambaka and Dliurandhara ;
Kalakampana slew them all easily, in the same way he killed six other
warriors that ran towards him, Tejika, and Geyika, and Vegila, and S'akhila,
and Bhadrankara and Dandin, great warriors with many followers. And again
he slew five others that met him in fight, Bhima, JJhisliana, Kumbhira,
Vikata, and Vilochana. And a king, named Sugana, when he saw the havoc
that Kalakampana had made in the battle, ran to meet him. Kalakampana
fought with him until both had their horses and charioteers killed, and
were compelled to abandon their chariots ; then Kalakampana, reduced to
light on foot, laid Sugana, who was also lighting on foot, low on the earth
with a sword-cut. Thou the sun, having beheld that surprising struggle of
Yidyadharas with men, went grieved to rest.* Not only did the field of
* For dva/iani 1 mid d/tavam.
I.-) I
battle become red, Glled with streaming blood, but the heaven also became
red, when evening set her foot-prints there. Then the corps •- and demons
began their evening dance, and both armies, stopping the battle, went to
their camps. In the army of S'rutasarman were slain that day three heroes,
but thirty-three distinguished heroes were slain in the army of Surya-
prabha.
Then Siiryaprabha, grieved at tbe slaughter of his kinsmen and
friends, spent that night apart from his wives. And eager for the fight, he
passed that night in various military discussions with his ministers, without
going to sleep. And his wives, grieved on account of the slaughter of their
relations, met together in one place that night, having come for the sake of
mutual condolence. But even on that melancholy occasion they indulged in.
miscellaneous conversation ; there is no occasion on which women are not
irrelevant in their talk. In the course of this conversation, one princess said —
" It is wonderful ! How comes it that to-night our husband has gone to sleep
without any of his wives ?" Hearing that, another said — " Our husband is
to-day grieved on account of the slaughter of his followers in battle, so how
can he take any pleasure in the society of women ?" Then another said,
" If he were to obtain a new beauty, be would that instant forget his
grief." Then another said — " Do not say so ; although he is devoted to
the fair sex, he would not behave in this way on such a sad occasion "
While they were thus speaking, one said with wonder ; " Tell me why
our husband is so devoted to women, that, though he has carried off
many wives, be is perpetually marrying new princesses and is never satis-
fied." One of the wives, a clever woman of the name of Manovati, said
when she heard this, — " Hear why kings have many loves. The good
qualities of lovely women are different, varying with their native land, their
beauty, their age, their gestures, and their accomplishments, no one woman
possesses all good qualities. The women of Karnata, of Lata, of Saurashtra
and Madhyadesa, please by tbe peculiar behaviour of their various countries.
Some fair ones captivate by their faces like an autumn moon, others by
their breasts full and firm like golden ewers, and others by their limbs,
charming from their beauty.' One has limbs yellow as gold, another is dark
like & priyanyit, another, being red and white, captivates the eyes as soon as
seen. One is of budding beauty, another of full-developed youth, another
is agreeable on account of her maturity, and distinguished by increasing
coquetry. One looks lovely when smiling, another is charming even in
anger, another charms with gait resembling that of an elephant, another
with swan-like motion. One, when she prattles, irrigates the ears with
nectar; another is naturally beautiful, when she looks at one with graeei'ul
contraction of the eyebrows. One charms by dancing, another pleases hy
siuging, and another fair one attracts by being able to play on the Ivre and
452
other instruments. One is distinguished for good temper, another is re-
markable for artfulness ; another enjoys good fortune from being able to
understand her husband's mind. But, to sum up, others possess other
particular merits ; so every lovely woman has some peculiar good point,
but of all the women in the three worlds none possesses all possible virtues.
So kings, having made up their minds to experience all kinds of fascinations,
though they have captured many wives for themselves, are for ever seizing
new ones.* But the truly noble never, under any circumstances, desire the
wives of others. So this is not our husband's fault, and we cannot be
jealous." When the head-wives of Suryaprabha, beginning with Madanasena,
had been addressed in this style by Manovati, they made one after another
remarks to the same effect. Then, in their merriment, they laid aside all
the ties of reserve, and began to tell one another all kinds of secrets. For
unfortunately there is nothing which women will not let out, when they
are met together in social intercourse, and their minds are interested in the
course of the conversation. At last that long conversation of theirs was
somehow or other brought to an end, and in course of time the night pass-
ed away, during which Suryaprabha was longing to conquer the host of his
enemies, for he was alone, intently waiting for the time when the darkness
should depart. f
CHAPTEE XLYIII.
The next morning, Suryaprabha and his party, and SVutasarman and
his supporters, again went to the field of battle armed, with their forces.
And again the gods and Asuras, with Indra, Brahma, Vishnu, and Rudra,
and with the Yakshas, snakes, and Gandharvas, came to see the fight.
Damodara drew up the troops of S'rutasarman in the form of a discus, and
Prabhasa drew up the troops of Suryaprabha in the form of a thunderbolt.
Then the battle of those two armies went on, deafening the horizon with
drums and the shouts of champions, and the sun hid himself in flights
of arrows, as if out of fear that the warriors smitten with weapons would
certainly pierce his disk. Then Prabhasa, by command of Suryaprabha,
broke the discus-arrangement of the enemy's host, hard for another to
* Labdhakakshydh is probably a misprint for baddhakakshydh.
t I read alltikdtiksha for abltikunlxlm which is found in Brockhaus's text. This is
supported by a MS. iii the Sanskrit College.
453
break, and entered alone. And Damodara himself came and defended that
opening in the line, and Prabhasa fought against him unaided. And
Suryaprabhn, seeing that he had entered alone, sent fifteen great warriors
to follow him, Prakampana, and Dhumraketu, and Kalakampana, and
Mahainayu, and Marudvega, and Prahasta, and Vajrapanjara, and Kala-
chakra, and Pramathana, and Sinhanada, and Kambala, and Vikataksha, and
Pravahana, and Kunjarakumaraka, and Prahrishtaroman the heroic Asura,
prince : all those great warriors rushed forward to the opening in the line ;
then Damodara exhibited his wonderful heroism, in that alone he fought
with those fifteen.
When Indra saw that, he said to the hermit Narada, who was at his
side, " Suryaprabha and the others of bis party are incarnations of Asuras,
but S'rutasarman is a portion of me, and all these Vidyadharas are portions
of the gods, so observe, hermit, this is a disguised fight between the gods and
Asuras. And observe, in it Vishnu is, as "ever, the ally of the gods, for
Damodara, who is a portion of him, is fighting here.
While Indra was saying this, fourteen great warriors came to assist
the general Damodara, — Brahmagupta and Vayubala, and Yamadanshtra,
and Suroshana, and lioshavaroha,and Atibala, and Tejahprabha, and Dhuran-
dhara, and Kuveradatta, and Varunasarman, and Kambalika, and the hero
Dushtadamana, and Dobana and A'rohana. And those fifteen heroes, joined
with Damodara, fighting in front of the line, kept off the followers of Su-
ryaprabba. Then single combats took place between them ; Prakampana
carried on a missile fight with Damodara, and Dhumraketu fought with
Brahmagupta, and Mahamaya fought with Atibala, the Danava Kalakampana
fought with Tejahprabha, and the great Asura Marudvega with Vayubala,
and Vajrapanjara fought with Yamadanshtra, and the heroic Asura Kala-
chakra with Suroshana ; Pramathana fought with Kuveradatta, and the
king of the Daityas, named Sinhanada, with Varunasarman. Pravahana
fought with Dushtadamana, and the Danava Prahrishtaroman fought with
Roshavaroha; and Vikataksha fought with Dhurandbara, Kambalika fought
with Kambalika, and Kunjarakumaraka with A'rohana, and Prahasta with
Dohana, who was also called Mahotpata.
When these pairs of warriors were thus fighting in the front of the
line, Sunitha said to Maya, " Alas ! observe, our heroic warriors, though
skilled in the use of many weapons, have been prevented by those
antagonists from entering the enemies' line ; but Prabhasa entered before
recklessly alone, so we do not know what will become of him there. When
Suvasakumara heard this, he said, " All the'gods, Asuras, and men in the three
worlds are not a match for this Prabhasa unaided, much less then are these
Vidyadharas. So why do you fear without reason, though you know this
well enough ?"
454-
While the hermit's son was saying this, the Vidyadhara Kalakampana
came to meet Prabhasa in fight. Then Prabhasa said to him, " Ha ! Ha !
you have rendered me a great service, so let me now see your valour here."
Saying this, Prabhasa let fly at him a succession of arrows, and Kala-
kampana in return showered sharp arrows upon him. Then that Vidya-
dhara and that man fought together with arrows and answering arrows,
making the worlds astonished. Then Prabhasa with a sharp arrow struck
down the banner of Kalakampana, with a second he killed his charioteer,
with four more his four horses, and with one more he cut his bow in half,
with two more he cut off his hands, with two more his arms, and with two
more his two ears, and with one sharp-edged arrow he cut off the head of his
foe, and thus displayed wonderful dexterity. Thus Prabhasa, as it were,
chastised Kalakampana, being angry with him because he had slain so
many heroes in his own army. And the men and Asuras, when they saw
that Vidyadhara chief slain, raised a shout, and the Vidyadharas immediate-
ly proclaimed their despondency.*
Then a king of the Vidyadharas, named Vidyutprabha, lord of the
hill of Kalanjara. in wrath attacked Prabhasa. When he was fighting
with Prabhasa, Prabhasa first cut asunder his banner, and then kept cut-
ting his bows in two, as fast as he took them up. Then the Vidyadhara,
being ashamed, by his delusive power flew up invisible into the sky, and
rained swords, clubs, and other weapons upon Prabhasa. Prabhasa, for his
part, swept away his succession of missiles with others, and by the illumi-
nating weapon made that Asura manifest, and then employing the weapon
of fire, he burned up Vidyutprabha with its blaze, and bringing him down
from the heaven, laid him dead on the earth.
When S'rutasarman saw this, he said to his warriors, " Observe, this
man has slain two chiefs of hosts of great warriors. Now why do you put
up with it ? Join together and slay him." When they heard that, eight
warriors in anger surrounded Prabhasa. One was a king of the Vidya-
dharas named Urdhvaroman, a lord of hosts of warriors, dwelling in the
great mountain named Vankataka. And the second warrior was a chief of
the Vidyadharas named Vikrosana, the king of the rock Dharanidhara.
And the third was the hero Indramalin, a prince of the Vidyadharas, lord
of a host of distinguished warriors, and his home was the mountain Lil;i.
And the fourth was an excellent Vidyadhara named king Kakandaka, a
chief of a host of warriors, and his dwelling was in the mountain .Malaya.
And the fifth was J)arpavaha by name, lord of the hill Xiketa, and the
sixth was Dhurtuvyuyana the lord of the mountain Anjana, and both these
Vidyadharas were chiefs of excellent warriors. And the seventh one,
whose chariot was drawn by asses, was named Vanihasv;imin, king of the
* The MS. in the Sanskrit College reads j«y»tt.
455
mount Kumucla, and he was chief of a host of great warriors. And the
eighth warrior was like him, Medhavara king of Dundhubhi. Prabhasa
repelled the numerous arrows, which these eight came and discharged, and
he pierced them all at the same time with arrows. And he slew the horse
of one, and of one the charioteer, and he cut in half the banner of one, and
he cleft the bow of another. But Medhavara he struck at the same time
with four arrows in the heart, and at once laid him dead on the earth. And
then he fought with the others, and cut off with an anjaliTca* the head of
l/rdhvaroman with its curled and plaited hair, and of the other six he kill-
ed the horses and charioteers, and at last laid themselves low, cutting off
their heads with crescent-headed arrows. And then a rain of flowers fell
on his head from heaven, encouraging the kings of the Asuras, and dis-
couraging the Vidyadharas. Then four more great warriors, armed with
bows, sent by S'rutasarman, surrounded Prabhasa ; one was named Kacha-
raka, the lord of the mountain Kuranda ; the second Dindimalin, whose
home was the hill of Panchaka, and the third was Vibhavasu, king of the
mountain Jayapura, the fourth was named Dhavala, the ruler of Bhumi-
tundika. Those excellent Vidyadharas, chiefs of hosts of great warriors,
let fly five hundred arrows at the same time at Prabhasa. But Prabhasa
easily disposed of all, one by one, each with eight arrows ; with one arrow
he cut down the banner, with one cleft the bow, with one he killed the
charioteer, with four the horses, and with one more he cut off the head of
the warrior, and then shouted triumphantly.
Then another four Vidyadharas, by the order of S'rutasarman, assembled
in fight against Prabhasa. The first was named Bhadrankara, dark as the
blue water-lily, sprung from Mercury in the housef of Visvavasu, but the
second was Niyantraka like the fire in brightness, sprung from Mars in
the house of Jambaka, and the third was called Kalakopa, very black in
hue, with tawny hair, sprung from Saturn in the house of Damodara.
And the fourth was Vikramasakti, like gold in brightness, sprung from the
planet Jupiter in the house of the Moon. The three first were lords of
hosts of lords of hosts of transcendent warriors, but the fourth was a great
hero surpassing the rest in valour. And those haughty chiefs attacked
Prabhasa with heavenly weapons. Prabhasa repelled their weapons with
the weapon of Narayana, and easily cut asunder the bow of each eight times ;
then he repelled the arrows and clubs which they hurled, and slaying their
horses and charioteers, deprived them all of their chariots. When S'ruta-
sarman saw that, he quickly sent other ten lords of the Vidyadharas,
* Possibly an arrow with a head resembling two hands joined.
t There is probably a pun here. Kshetra, besides its astrological sense, means
a wife on whom issue is begotten by some kinsman or duly appointed person, as iu
the Jewish law.
456
chiefs of lords of hosts of lords of hosts of warriors, two called Dama
and Niyama, who exactly resembled one another in appearance, two sons
born to the Asvins in the house of the lord of Ketumala, and Vikrama
and Sankrama, and Parakrama and A'krama, and Sammardana and Mardana,
and Pramardana and Vimardana, the eight similar sons of the Vasus born in
the house of Makaranda. And when they came, the previous assailants
mounted other chariots. Wonderful to say, though all those fourteen joined
together, and showered arrows on Prabhasa, he alone fought with them
fearlessly. Then, by the order of Siiryaprabha, Kunjarakumara and Pra-
hasta left the melee and flying up from the front of the line, weapons in
hand, white and black in hue, came to the aid of Prabhasa, like Rama and
Krishna over again. They, though fighting on foot, harassed Dama and
Niyama, by cutting asunder their bows and killing their charioteers. When,
they, in their fear, soared up to heaven, Kunjarakumara and Prahasta
soared up also, weapons in hand. When Suryaprabha saw that, he quickly
sent them his ministers Mahabuddhi and Achalabuddhi to act as charioteers.
Then Prahasta and Kunjarakumara discovered, by employing magic colly-
rium, those two sons of the Vidyadharas, Dama and Niyama, though they
had made themselves invisible by magic power, and riddled them so with
showers of arrows that they fled. And Prabhasa, fighting with the other
twelve, cleft all their bows asunder, though they kept continually taking
fresh ones. And Prahasta came and killed at the same time the charioteers
of all, and Kunjarakumara slew their horses. Then those twelve together,
being deprived of their chariots, and finding themselves smitten by three
heroes, fled out of the battle.
Then S'rutasarman, beside himself with grief, anger and shame, sent
two more Vidyadharas, captains of hosts of warriors and distinguished war-
riors ; one was called Chandragupta born in the house of the lord of tlie
great mountain Chandrakula, beautiful as a second moon, and the second
was his own minister named Narangama, of great splendour, born in the
house of the lord of the mountain Dhurandhara. They also, after dis-
charging a shower of arrows, were in a moment deprived of their chariots
by Prabhasa and his comrades, and disappeared.
Then the men and Asuras shouted for joy ; but thereupon S'rutasar-
man came himself, with four great warriors of mighty force, named
Mahaugha, Arohana, Utpata and Vet ra vat, the sons respectively of
Tvashtri,* Bhaga, Aryaman and Pushan, born in the houses of the four
» Tvashtri is the Vulcan of the Hindus. Bhaga is an Aditya iv^-.rded in the
> as bestowing m>;dlh, and juvsiding over niarriago, his Nakshatni is ti
IMiiUguni. Aryaman is ulso an Aditya ; Pushun, originally the sun, is in later times
an Aditya. The " canopy of arrows" reminds us oi'tiio .saying ol'Dieneces, llerodotus,
VII. 227, and of Milton, P. L., VI. 666.
457
Vidyadhara kings, Chitrapada and others, that ruled over mount Malaya.
And S'rutasarman himself, blinded with furious anger, was the fifth, and they
all fought against Prabhasa and his two companions. Then the host of
arrows, which they shot at one another, seemed like a canopy spread in the
sky by the Fortune of war in the full blaze of the sun. Then those other
Vidyadharas, who had been deprived of their chariots, and had fled from the
battle, came back into the fight.
Then Suryaprabha, seeing many of them assembled in fight, under the
leadership of S'rutasarman, sent other great warriors of his own to support
Prabhasa and his comrades, his own friends with Prajnadhya at their head,
and the princes of whom S'atanika and Virasena were the chief. They
flew through the air, and Suryaprabha sent the other warriors also through
the air in the chariot Bhutasana. When all those archers had gone chariot-
borne, the other Vidyadhara kings, who were on the side of S'rutasarman,
also came up. Then a fight took place between those Vidyadhara princes-
on the one side, and Prabhasa and his comrades on the other, in which
there was a great slaughter of soldiers. And in the single combats
between the two hosts, many warriors were slain on both sides, men,
Asuras, and Vidyadharas. Virasena slew Dhumralochana and his followers ;
but having been deprived of his chariot, he was in his turn killed by Hari-
sarman. Then the Vidyadhara hero Hiranyaksha was killed by Abhi-
manyu, but Abhimanyu and Haribhata were slain by Sunetra. And Sunetra
was killed by Prabhasa, who cut off his head. And Jvalamaliu and
Mahay u killed one another. But Kumbhiraka and Kirasaka fought with
their teeth, after their arms were cut off, and so did Kharva and the
mighty Susarman. And the three, S'atrubhata, Vyaghra-bhata, and Sinha-
bhata were slain by Pravahana, the Vidyadhara king. Pravahana was kill-
ed by the two warriors Suroha and Viroha, and those two were slain by
Sinhabala, the dweller in the cemetery. That very Sinhabala, whose
chariot was drawn by ghosts, and Kapilaka, and Chitrdpida the Vidyadhara
king, and Jagajjvara, and the hero Kantapati, and the mighty Suvarna,
and the two Vidyadhara kings Kamaghana and Krodhapati, and king
Baladeva and Viohitrapida, these ten were slain by the prince S'atanika.
When these heroes had been slain, S'rutasarman, beholding the slaughter
of the Vidyadharas, himself attacked S'atanika in his anger. Then a
terrible fight took place between those two, lasting to the close of the day,
and causing a great slaughter of soldiers, exciting the wonder even of the
gods, and it continued until hundreds of corpses, rising up all round, laid
hold of the demons as their partners, when the time arrived for the joyous
evening dance. At the close of day the Vidyadharas, depressed at the
great slaughter of their army, and grieved at the death of their friends,
58
458
and the men and Asuras having won the victory by sheer force stopped
the combat, and went each of them to their own camps.
At that time two Vidyadharas, chiefs of captains of bands of warriors,
who had deserted the cause of S'rutasarman, came, introduced by Sumeru,
and said to Suryaprabha, after bowing before him : " We are named Maha-
yana and Sumaya, and this Sinhabala was the third of us ; we had obtained
magic power by having the rule of a great cemetery, and were unassailable
by the other Vidyadharas. While we, such as you have heard, were once
taking our ease in a corner of the great cemetery, there came to us a good
witch named S'arabhanana, of great and godlike power, who is always well
disposed towards us. We bowed before her and asked her, ' Where have
you been, honoured lady, and what have you seen there strange ?' She
thereupon related this adventure."
Adventure of the witch S'arabhd- ' I went with the witches to visit
nana- my master, the god Mahakala,* and
while I was there, a king of the Vetalas came and reported : " See, O master,
the chiefs of the Vidyadharas have killed our commander-in-chief named
Agnika, and one named Tejahprabha is swiftly carrying off his lovely
daughter. But the holy sages have foretold that she shall be the wife of
the emperor of the Vidyadharas, so grant us a boon, and have her released
before he forcibly carries her off to a distance." When the god heard this
speech of the afflicted Vetala, he said to me — " Go and set her free," then
I went through the air and came up with the maiden. Tejahprabha said,
" I am carrying off the girl for our rightful emperor S'rutasarman,"
but I paralyzed him by my magic power, and bringing back the maiden,
gave her to my master. And he made her over to her own family. I in
truth went through this strange adventure. Then I remained there some
days, and after taking a reverent farewell of the god I came here.'
" When that witch S'arabhanana had said this, we said to her — ' Tell us,
who is to be the future emperor of the Vidyadharas ? You in truth know all.'
She said — ' Suryaprabha will certainly be.' Whereupon Sinhabala said to
us — ' This is untrue, for have not the gods and Indra girded up their loins
to support the cause of S'rutasarman ?' When the noble woman heard
that, she said to us — ' If you do not believe this, listen ; I tell you that
soon there will be war between Suryaprabha and S'rutasarman, and when
this Sinhabala shall be slain before your eyes by a man in battle, you will
recognise this token, and will know that this speech of mine is true.'
When that witch had said this, she departed, and those days passed away, and
now we have seen with our own eyes, that in truth this Sinhabala has been
slain. lielying upon that, we think that you are indeed appointed emperor
of all the Vidyadharas, and submitting ourselves to your rule, we have
* An epithet of S'iva in his character of the destroying deity.
459
repaired to your two lotus-like feet." When the Vidyadharas Mahayana
and Sumayaka said this, Suryaprabha, in concert with Maya and the rest,
received them into conlidence and honoured them, and they rejoiced.
When S'rutasarman heard that, he was in great consternation, but Indra
comforted him by a message, sending to him Visvavasu, and commissioning
him to say — " Be of good cheer ! To-morrow I will aid thee with all the
gods in the van of battle." This he said to him out of love, to comfort
him. And Suryaprabha, having been encouraged by beholding the break-
ing of his enemies' line, and having seen in the front of battle the slaughter
of his rival's partisans, again forwent the society of his charmers, and
entered his dwelling at night surrounded by his ministers.
CHAPTER XLIX.
Then Suryaprabha, lying on his couch at night, eager for battle, apart
from his wives, said to his minister Vitabhiti — " I cannot sleep, so tell me,
my friend, some strange story of courage and endurance, to amuse me
during the night." When Vitabhiti heard this request of Siiryaprabha's,
he answered — " I will obey your order," and he told this story.
Story of king Mahdsena and Ms virtu- There is a city Ujjayini, the
ous minister Gunas'arman. ornament of this earth, full of
numberless jewels of pellucid water. In that city there lived a king named
Mahasena, beloved by the virtuous, an unequalled treasury of accomplish-
ments, having the beauty both of the sun and moon. He had a wife
named Asokavati, whom he loved as his life, there was not another woman
in the three worlds equal to her in beauty. The king ruled his realm
with her for consort, and he had besides a friend, a Brahman named
Gunasarman, whom he respected and loved. And that Brahman was brave
and very handsome, and, though young, had thoroughly mastered the lore
of the Vedas, and knew the accomplishments, the Sastras, and the use of
weapons, and was always in attendance on the king.
And one day, as he was within the palace, a conversation arose about
dancing, and the king and queen said to Gunasarman, who was in atten-
dance,— " You know everything, there is no doubt about that ; so we have
a curiosity to see you dancing ; if you know how to dance, kindly exhibit
your skill." When Gunasarman heard this, he said with a smile on his
}':ic(> ; " I know how to dance, but dancing is a thing not becoming in the
king's court ; foolish dancing is generally ridiculous and is censured in the
460
S'astras. And far from me be shame here in the presence of the king and
queen." When Guna&arman said that, the king answered him, being urged
on to it by the queen out of curiosity — " This will not be like a dance on
the stage, or in such places, which would make a man feel ashamed, but merely
a private display of skill in the society of friends. And at present I am not
your king, I am your friend without ceremony, so rest assured that I will
not eat to-day, until I have seen your skill in dancing." When the king
pressed him in this style, the Brahman consented to do it. For how can
servants refuse the request of an importunate lord ? Then that Gunasar-
man danced so skilfully with his body, that the hearts of both the king
and queen danced for joy. And, at the end of it, the king gave him a lyre
to play upon, and the moment he tested its tones, he said to the king,
" This lyre is not in good order, so give me another one, there is a puppy
inside this, your Majesty, — I knew that by the indications of the twang-
ing of the strings." Saying this, Gunasarman let go the lyre from under
his arm. Then the king sprinkled it, and unscrewed and examined it, and
a puppy came out of it. Then king Mahasena praised Gunasarman's om-
niscience, and was much astonished, and had another lyre brought. He played
on that lyre which, like the Ganges that flows in three worlds,* was charm-
ing from its swift stream of music, f and purged the ear by its sound. Then
in presence of the king, who with his wife looked on astonished, he exhibited
in turn his skill in the nobler studies. Then the king said to him, " If
you are skilled in fighting, then shew me a specimen of the art of
binding the enemy's limbs with your own hands unarmed." The Brah-
man answered him — " King, take your weapons and strike at me, that
I may shew you a specimen of my skill." Then, as fast as the king took
a sword or other weapon and struck at him, Gunasarman, by that artifice of
fettering the limbs immediately disarmed him with ease, and frequently
fettered his hand and body, without receiving a wound. Then the king,
seeing that he was capable of aiding him in his political affairs, praised that
excellent Brahman of transcendent ability, and honoured him highly.
But queen Asokavati, having beheld again and again the beauty and
abilities of that Brahman, suddenly fell in love with him. She thought to
herself,' " If I cannot obtain him, of what use is my life to me." Then
she artfully said to the king — " Do me a kindness, my husband, and order
this Gunasarman to teach me to play on the lyre. For when I beheld to-day
his skill in playing on the lyre, I took a desperate fancy to the instrument."
When the king heard this, he said to Gunasarman — " By all means teach
* There arc three different styles of music called tdra, itddni, and muddra.
the word miirga contains a pun.
f OyJia means current and also quick time in music.
48!
the queen to play on the lyre." Then Gunasarman said, " I will do so, my
sovereign, we will begin the practising on an auspicious day." Then he
took leave of the king and went home. But he put off for many days
beginning to teach the queen the lyre, seeing the changed expression of the
queen, and afraid of some mischief.
One day he was standing near the king when he was eating, and when
the cook was giving him some condiment, he prevented him, saying, " Stop !
stop !" The king asked what this meant, then the discreet man said*
" This sauce is poisoned, and I detected it by certain indications. For when
the cook was giving you the sauce, he looked at my face, trembling with
fear, and with an eye that rolled apprehensively. , And we can at once
find out whether I am right ; let this sauce be given to some one
to eat, and I will counteract the effect of the poison." When he said this,
the king made the cook eat the sauce, and immediately after he had eaten
it, he became senseless. Then Gunasarman counteracted the effect of the
poison on the cook by a spell, and when the king asked the cook the truth
of the whole matter, he said this — " King, your enemy king Vikramasakti,
sovereign of Gauda, sent me here to give you poison. I introduced myself
to your majesty as a foreigner skilful in the culinary art, and entered your
kitchen. So to-day I have been discovered by that shrewd man in the act
of giving you poison in sauce ; your majesty knows what to do now."
When the cook said this, the king punished him, and being much pleased,
gave Gunasarman a thousand villages for saving his life.
And the next day, as the queen kept vigorously pressing him, the king
made Gunasarman begin to teach her the lyre. Then, while he was teach-
ing her the lyre, the queen Asokavati indulged in perpetual coquetry,
laughter, and mirth. One day, wounded with the arrow of love, she
scratched him with her nails frequently in secret, and said to the chaste
Gunasarman, who entreated her to desist, " It was yourself that I asked for,
handsome man, under the pretext of learning to play the lute, for I am
desperately in love with you, so consent to my wishes." When she said
this, Gunasarman answered her, " Do not talk so, for you are my master's
wife, and such a one as I am should not commit such treason, desist from
this reckless conduct." When Gunasarman said this, the queen continu-
ed, " Why do you possess in vain this beauty and skill in accomplish-
ments ? How can you look with a passionless eye on me who love you so
much ?" When Gunasarman heard this, he answered sarcastically, " You
are right. What is the use of that beauty and skill, which is not tarnished
with infamy by seducing the wife of another, and which does not in this
world and the next cause one to fall into the ocean of hell ?" When he
said this, the queen said to him, pretending to be angry, " I am determined
to die, if you do not do what I say, so being despised by you, I will slay
462
you before I die." Then Gunasarman said, " By all means let it be so.
For it is better to live for one moment, bound by the -bonds of righteousness,
than to live unrighteously for hundreds of crores of kalpas. And it is far
preferable for me to die without reproach, having done no wrong, than for
me to have done wrong, and to be put to death by the king, with reproach
attaching to my name." When the queen heard that, she went on to say to
him — "Do not commit treason against yourself, and me ; listen, I will tell you
something. The king does not neglect to do what I tell him, even if it is
impossible ; so I will ask him and get territories given to you, and I will
have all your servants made barons, so you will become a king, for you are
distinguished for good qualities. So what have you to fear ? Who can
overpower you and how ? So grant my wishes fearlessly, otherwise yon will
not live." When the king's wife said this, seeing that she was determined,
Gimasarman said to her artfully, in order to put her ofE for a moment, —
" If you are persistently set on this, then I will obey your command, but it
will not be advisable to do so immediately, for fear it should get abroad ;
wait for some days ; believe that what I say is true ; what object have I
in incurring your enmity which would ensure my destruction ?" Thus
Gunasarman comforted her with that hope, and agreed to her request, and
then departed with heart lightened.
Then, in the course of some days, king Mahasena went and surrounded
king Somaka in his treasure-city. And when the king of Gauda, Vikrama-
s"akti, knew that he had arrived there, he went and surrounded king
Mahasena ; then king Mahasena said to Gunasarman — " While we are
occupied in besieging one enemy we are besieged by another, so now how
are we to fight with two enemies, as we are unequal in force ? And how
long, being brave men, can we remain without fighting a battle ? So what
are we to do in this difficulty ?" When Gunasarman, who was at the side
of the king, was asked this question, he answered — " Be of good courage,
my sovereign ; I will devise a stratagem that will enable us to get out of
this situation, difficult as it is. He comforted the king with these words,
and put on his .eyes an ointment that rendered him invisible, and at night
went, without any one seeing him, to the camp of Vikramasakti. And he
entered into his presence, and woke him up while asleep, and said, '• Know,
O king, that I am come a messenger from the gods. Make peace with
king Mahasena and depart quickly, otherwise you will certainly lie destroyed
here with your army. And if you send an ambassador, he will agree to
your proposals of peace ; I have been sent by the holy Vishnu to tell you
this. For you are a votary of his, and he watches over the safety of his
votaries." When, king Vikramasakti heard this, bethought, "Certainly
this is true, if he were any other, how could he enter this carefully guarded
tent ? This is not what a mere mortal could accomplish." When the king had
463
gone through these reflections, he said — " I am fortunate in receiving such a,
command from the god, I will do what he bids me." When the king said
that, Gunasarman disappeared by the help of his magic collyrium, thus
conlirming the king's confidence in him, and went away. And he came
and told king Mahasena what he had done ; he threw his arms round his
neck, and hailed him as the preserver of his life and throne. And the next
morning Vikramasakti sent an ambassador to Mahasena, and after making
peace with him, returned home with his army. But Mahasena conquered
Somaka, and having obtained elephants and horses, returned to Ujjayini
a victor, thanks to Gunasarman. And while he was there, Gunasarman saved
him from a crocodile while bathing in the river, and from the poison of a
snake-bite while in his garden.
Then, after some days had passed, king Mahasena, having got together
an army, went to attack his enemy Vikramasakti. And that king, as soon
as he heard of his approach, marched out to meet him in fight, and a great
battle took place between the two. And in the course of it, the two kings
met in single combat, and disabled one another's chariots. Then, in their
fury, they rushed forward sword in hand, and king Mahasena through care-
lessness stumbled and fell on the earth. Then the king Vikramasakti tried
to strike him on the ground, but Gunasarman cut off his arm with a
discus, sword and all, and striking him again in the heart with an iron mace
laid him low. And king Mahasena rose up, and was pleased when he saw
his enemy dead, and said repeatedly to Gunasarman — " What am I to say ?
This is the fifth time that you have saved my life, heroic Brahman."
Then Mahasena conquered the army and kingdom of Vikramasakti, who
had been slain by Gunasarman, and after overcoming other kings by the
aid of Gunasarman, he returned to Ujjayini and dwelt there in happiness.
But queen Asokavati did not cease from importunately soliciting
Gunasarman day and night. But he would never consent to that crime ;
good men prefer death to immodest conduct. Then Asokavati, finding
out that he was resolved, one day out of enmity to him affected to be
unhappy, and remained with tearful countenance. Then Mahasena, coming
in, and seeing her in that condition, said — " What is this, my beloved ?
Who has offended you ? Tell me the name of the man whose life and
property I am to take by way of punishment ?" Then the unforgiving
queen said with affected reluctance to the king, who had thus addressed
her, " You have no power to punish the man who has injured me ; he is not a
man you can chastise, so what is the good of revealing the injury to no
purpose ?" When she said this, the king pressed her, and she said deceit-
fully— " My husband, if you are very anxious to know, listen, I will tell
you. Gunasarman, who pretends to be a loyal servant,* made an agreement
* ClthaldJtatah is a mistake for chltahidritah. See Bohtlingk and Roth, (s. v. han
with a). The MS. in thu Sanskrit College has chhalddatah.
464
with the king of Gauda, and in order to get money from him, undertook
to do you an injury. The wicked Brahman secretly sent his confidential
messenger to Gauda, to make the king hand over treasure and so on.
Then a confidential servant, seeing the king despondent, said to him —
' I will manage this affair for you, do not waste your wealth.' When the
king of Gauda heard this, he had that messenger of Gunasarmau's cast
into prison,*
• * * •
and the cook who was to administer the poison came here, carefully keep-
ing the secret. In the meanwhile Gunasarman's messenger escaped from
prison, and came here to him. And he, knowing the whole story, revealed
it all, and pointed out to Gunasarmanf that cook, who had entered into
our kitchen. Then that scoundrelly Brahman detected the cook in the
act of administering the poison, and denounced him to you, and so had
him put to death. Then the mother and the wife and the younger brother
of that cook came here to find out what had become of him, and the
sagacious Gunasarman, finding it out, put to death his wife and mother,
but his brother escaped somehow or other and entered my palace. While
he was imploring my protection and telling me the whole story, Guna-
sarman entered my apartment. When the brother of that cook saw
Gunasarman and heard his name, he went out and fled from my presence,
whither I know not. Gunasarman, for his part, when he saw him who had
been previously pointed out to him by his servants, was abashed and seemed
to be thinking over something. And I, wanting to know what it was,
said to him in private, ' Gunasarman, why do you seem to be altered
to-day ?' And he, being anxious to win me over to his side, as he was
afraid of the matter being revealed, said to me — ' Queen, I am consumed
with passion for you, so consent to my wishes, otherwise I cannot live ;
bestow on me life as a Brahman's fee.' When he had said this, as the
room was empty, he fell at my feet. Then I drew away my foot and rose
up in bewilderment, and he, rising up, embraced me, a weak woman, by
force. And my maid Pallavika came in at that very moment. The
instant he saw her, he fled out alarmed. If Pallavik;i had not come in,
the villain would certainly have outraged me.J This is the injury he has
done me to-day." When the queen had told this false tale, she stopped and
wept. For in the beginning wicked women sprang from Lying Speech.
And the moment the king heard it, he was all on lire with anger, for
* Here Brockhaus makes a hiatus.
t I read GunaGarmanah or Gunaxarmane.
I The old story of Hippolyte, the wife of Acastns, (the " Magnessa Hippoly 1
Horace,) and Pcleus, of Antea and Bellerophon, of Ph;i?dra and Hippolytus, of Fausta
and Crispus. See alw tfad begmning of the Sevea Wise Alu.sti.Ts, simrock's Uuutscho .
Volksbiicher, Vol. XII, pp. 1.28, 129.
hi.-)
reliance upon the words of women destroys the discrimination even of the
great. And he said to his dear wife, " Be comforted, fair one, I will
certainly punish that traitor with death. But he must be slain by artifice,
otherwise we might be disgraced, for it is well known that five times he
has saved my life. And we must not proclaim abroad his crime of offer-
ing violence to you." When the king said this to the queen, she answered —
" If that crime may not be published, may that other one of his be
published, that out of friendship for the king of Gauda he attempted
treason against his master ?" When she said this, he answered — " You
are quite right" — and so king Mahasena went to his hall of audience.
Then all the kings, and princes, and barons came to visit the king.
And in the meanwhile Gunasarman left his house to go to court, and on
the way he saw many unfavourable omens. There was a crow on his left
hand, a dog ran from the left to the right, a snake appeared on his right,
and his left arm and shoulder throbbed.* He thought to himself, " These
evil omens indicate calamity to me without doubt, so whatever happens to
me, I hope no misfortune may befall the king my master." With these
thoughts he entered the hall of audience, and prayed loyally that nothing
untoward might befall the palace. But when he bowed and took his seat,
the king did not salute him as before, but looked askance at him with an
eye glowing with anger. And when Gunasarman was alarmed as to
what it might mean, the king rose up from the seat of justice, and sat at
his side, and said to the astonished courtiers, " Hear what Gunasarman
has done to me ;f then Gunasarman said — " I am a servant, you are my
master, so how can our suit be equal, ascend your seat of judgment,
and afterwards give what order you like." When the resolute man
said this, the king, by the advice of the other ministers, ascended the
seat of judgment, and said again to his courtiers — " You know, that
I made this Gunasarman equal to myself, preferring him to my here-
ditary ministers. Now hear what treason he attempted to commit
against me, after making an agreement with the king of Gauda by
sending messengers to and fro." After saying this, the king related
to them all the fictitious account of the matter which Asokavati had given
* Cp. the English superstitions with regard to the raven, crow and magpie
(Henderson's Folk-lore of the Northern Counties, pp. 95 and 96, Hunt's Romances and
Drolls of the West of England, p. 429, Thisclton Dyer, English Folk-lore, pp. 80 and
81). See also Horace, Odes, III, 27. In Europe the throbbing or tingling of the left
ear indicates calamity, (Liebrecht, zur Volkskunde, p. 327, Hunt's Romances and Drolls
of the West of England, p. 430, Thiselton Dyer, English Folk-lore, p, 279).
t The Sanskrit College MS. n . for prdj)tuni "hear iny suit .
Gunasarman." This makes u far bettor
59
406
him. And the king also told to his confidential ministers, after dis-
missing the crowd, the lying tale of an attempt to outrage her, which she
had told against Gunasarman. Then Gunasarman said — " King, who told
you such a falsehood, who painted this aerial picture?" When the king
heard that, he said, " Villain, if it is not true, how did you know that the
poison was in the dish of rice ?" When Gunasarman said — " Everything
is known by wisdom," the other ministers, out of hatred to him, said,
" That is impossible." Then Gunasarman said, " King, you have no right
to speak thus without enquiring into the truth of the matter, and a king
devoid of discrimination is not approved of by those who understand
policy." When he repeated this over and over again, the king exclaimed
that he was an insolent wretch, and aimed a sword-cut at him. But he
avoided that blow by employing his trick of fence, and then the other
followers of the king struck at him. And he eluded their swords by his
artifices of fence, and baffled the exertions of them all. And he fettered
them, binding them with one another's hair, shewing wonderful skill in the
employment of his trick of disarming. And he made his way out by force
from that hall of assembly of the king, and he killed about a hundred war-
riors, who pursued him. Then he put on his eyes that ointment serving to
render him invisible, which he had in the corner of his garment, and imme-
diately left that country without being seen. And he made towards the
Dekhan, and as he was going along, he thus reflected on the way : " Surely
that foolish king was set on by that Asokavati. Alas ! women whose love
is slighted are worse than poison ! Alas ! kings who do not investigate the
truth are not to be served by the good !" While engaged in such reflections,
Gunasarman came at last to a village, there he saw a worthy Brahman
under a banyan-tree teaching his pupils. He went up to him and hailed
him. And the Brahman, after welcoming him, immediately asked him,
'• 0 Brahman, what recension of the Vedas do you recite, tell me." Then
Gunasarman answered that Brahman, — " Brahman, I recite twelve recen-
sions, two of the Samaveda, two of the Rigveda, seven of the Yajurveda,
and one of the Atharvaveda." Then the Brahman said — " You must be a
god," and he went on to say to Gunasarman, whose shape revealed his excel-
lence ; " Tell me, what country and what family did you adorn by being
born in them ? What is your name and how did you learn so much ?" When
Gunasarman heard this, he said to him :
Story of Adityatarman tU father of In the cit7 of Ujjayini there
Gunasarman. Nvas a Brahman's son named A'ditya-
sarman, and when he was a child, his father died, and his mother entered
the fire with her husband. Then A'dityasarman grew up in that city, in hia
uncle's house, reading the Vcdas, and the books of knowledge, and also the
treatises on accomplishments. And alter he had acquired knowledge, and
407
was engaged in a vow of muttering prayers, he struck up a friendship with
a certain wandering hermit. That wandering hermit went with his friend
Adityasurman, and performed a sacrifice in a cemetery to get a Yakshini
into his power. Then a heavenly maiden, beautifully adorned, appeared to
him in a chariot of gold, surrounded with beautiful maidens. She said to
him in a sweet voice, " Mendicant, I am a Yakshi named Vidyunmala, and
these others are Yakshinis. Take a suitable wife from my following
according to your pleasure. So much have you obtained by your employ-
ment of spells ; you have not discovered the perfect spell for obtaining
me ; so, as I am obtained by that only, do not take any further trouble to
no purpose." When the Yakshi said this to him, the mendicant consent-
ed, and chose one Yakshini from her retinue. Then Vidyunmala disappear-
ed, and Adityasarman asked that Yakshini, whom the hermit had obtained,
" Is there any Yakshini superior to Vidyunmala ?" When the Yakshini
heard that, she answered, " Yes, handsome man, there is. Vidyunmala,
Chandralekha, and Sulochana the third, are the best among the Yakshinis,
and among these Sulochana." After saying that, the Yakshini departed,
to return at the appointed time ; and the mendicant went with Adityasar-
man to his house. There the loving Yakshini every day visited the hermit
at the appointed time, and granted him all that he desired. One day
Adityasarman asked her this question by the mouth of that mendicant :
" Who knows the proper spell for attracting Sulochana ?" And the Yak-
shini sent him this message by the mouth of the mendicant — " There is a
place called Jambuvana in the south. There is a mendicant there, named
Vishnugupta, who has made his dwelling on the banks of the Veni ; he is
the best of Buddhist mendicants, and knows the spell at full length."
When Adityasarman learned this from the Yakshini, he went in all eager-
ness to that country, followed by the mendicant out of love. There he
duly searched for the Buddhist mendicant, and after he had approached
him, he served him devotedly for three years, and waited upon him con-
tinually. And by the help of that Yakshini, who was at the beck and call
of the first mendicant, his friend, he provided him with heavenly luxuries,
ministered seasonably. Then that Buddhist mendicant, being pleased, gave
to that Adityasarman the spell for obtaining Sulochana, which he desired,
together with the prescribed rites to accompany it. Then A'dityasarman.
having obtained that spell, and having duly employed it, went into a soli-
tary place and performed there the final sacrifice according to the pre-
scribed ritual, leaving no ceremony out. Then the Yakshini Snloehana ap-
peared to him in an air-chariot, with world-enchanting beauty, and said to
him, " Come ! come ! I have been won by you, but you must not make me your
wife for six months, great hero, if you wish to have by me a son, who will be a
favourite of fortune, marked with auspicious marks, .ill-knowing and invin-
468
cible." When she said tins, A'dityasarman consented, and she took him off
in her chariot to Alaka. And A'dityasarman remained there, looking at
her ever near him, with his suspense and douhts at an end, and performed
for six months a vow as difficult as standing on the edge of a sword. Then
the god of wealth, being pleased, himself gave that Sulochana to A'ditya-
sarman according to a heavenly ritual. I was born as that Brahman's son
by her, and I was named Gunasarman by my father on account of my good
qualities. Then in that very place I learned in succession the Vedas, the
sciences, and the accomplishments, from a prince of the Yakshas named
Manidara.
Then, once upon a time, it happened that Indra came to the god of
wealth, and all who sat there rose up when they saw him. But as Fate
would have it, A'dityasarmau my father was at that time thinking of
something else, and did not rise up in a hurry. Then Indra, being angry,
cursed him, and said — " Out, fool ! go to your own world of mortals, you
are out of place here." Then Sulochana fell at his feet, and propitiated
him, and Indra answered, " Then let him not go to the world of mortals
himself, but let this son of his go, for one's son is said to be a second self.
Let not my word have been spoken in vain." When Indra had said so
much, he was satisfied. Then my father took me and deposited me in
my uncle's house in Ujjayini. For what is ordained to be a man's lot must
be. There, as it happened, I struck up a friendship with the king of that
place. And listen, I will tell you what happened to me there afterwards.
After saying this, he described to him what happened from the very
beginning, and what Asokavati did, and what the king did, ending up with
his tight. And he went on to say to him — " Brahman, thus I have tied
away to go to a foreign land, and on my way, as I was journeying along,
I have seen you." When the Brahman heard that, he said to Gunasarman —
" And thus I have become fortunate by your visit, my lord. So now
come to my house, and know that I am Agnidatta by name, and this
village is my grant from the king ; be at ease here." After saying this,
Agnidatta made Gunasarman enter his splendid mansion, in which were
many cows, buffaloes, and horses. There he honoured that guest with bath
and unguents, and robes and ornaments, and with various kinds of food.
And he shewed him his daughter, Sundari by name, whose beauty was to be
desired even by the gods, on the pretence of getting him to inspect her
marks. And Gunasarman, for his part, seeing that she was unsurpassed in
beauty, said " She will have rival wives. She has a mole on her nose,
and consequently I assert that she must have a second one on her breast ; and
men say that such is the result of spots in these two localities." When he
«:iid tl.is, her brother, by command of her father, uncovered her breast, and
beheld there a mole.
Then Agnidatta said in astonishment to Guiiasannan, " You are all-
knowing, but these moles of hers portend good fortune to us. For wives
generally have many rivals when the husband is fortunate, a poor* man
would find it difficult to support one, much more to support many."
When Gunasarman heard this, he answered him — " It is as you say ; how
could ill fortune befall a shape with such auspicious marks ?" When he
had .said this, Agnidatta took occasion to ask him concerning the meaning
of moles and other marks ; and he told him what moles and other marks
portended on every single limb, both in men and women.f
Then Sundari, the moment she beheld Gunasarman, longed eagerly to
drink him in with her eyes, as the female partridge longs to drink the
moon. Then Agnidatta said in private to Gunasarman, " Illustrious one,
I give you this my daughter Sundari. Do not go to a foreign land, remain
at ease in my house." When Gunasarman heard this speech of his, he
said to him — " True, I should be happy enough to do so, but as I have
been on a false charge scorched with the fire of the king's contempt, it
does not please me. A lovely woman, the rising of the moon, and the
fifth note of a lute, these delight the happy but afflict the miserable.
And a wife, who falls in love of her own accord with a man, is sure to be
chaste, but if she is given away by her father against her will, she will be
like Asokavati. Moreover, the city of Ujjayini is near to this place, so
the king may perhaps hear of my whereabouts and oppress me. So I will
wander round to holy places, and will wash off the stains of sin contracted
ever since my birth, and will abandon this body, then I shall be at rest."
When he said this, Agnidatta answered him, smiling, " If even you show
so much infatuation, what are we to expect from others ? What annoyance
can you, a man of pure character, derive from the contempt of a fool ?
* Daridryo is probably a misprint for daridro.
f Cp. Thiselton Dyer's English Folk-lore, p. 280. He remarks : " A belief was
formerly current throughout the country in the significance of moles on the human
body. When one of these appeared on the upper side of the right temple above the
eye, to a woman it signified good and happy fortune by marriage. This supersti-
tion was especially believed in in Nottinghamshire, as we learn from the following
lines, which, says Mr. Briscoe, (author of ' Nottinghamshire Facts and Fictions') were
often repeated by a poor girl at Bunny : —
' I have a mole above my right eye,
And shall be a lady before I die.
As things may happen, as things may fall
Who knows but that I may be Lady of Bunny Hall ?'
The poor girl's hopes, it is stated, were ultimately realized, and she became
of Bunny Hall.'
170
Mud thrown at the heaven falls upon the head of the thrower. The
king will soon reap the fruit of his want of discrimination, for Fortune
does not long wait upon a man blind with infatuation and wanting in
discrimination. Besides, if you are disgusted with women from jour
experience of Asokavati, do you not feel respect for them on beholding a
good woman, for you know signs ? And even though Ujjayini be near
to this place where you now are, I will take steps to prevent any one's
knowing that you are here. But if you desire to make a pilgrimage to
sacred places, then I say — that is approved by the wise only for a man, who
cannot, according to the scriptures, attain happiness by performing the
actions enjoined by the Vedas ; but he who can acquire merit by offerings
to the gods, to the manes of deceased ancestors, and to the fire, by vows,
and muttering prayers, what is the use of his wandering about on pil-
grimages ? A pilgrim whose pillow is his arm, who sleeps upon the ground,
and lives on alms, and drinks only water, is not free from cares, even
though he has attained equality with hermits. And as for your desiring
to abandon the body,* in this also you are led astray, for in the next
world suicides suffer more severe pains than here. An unbecoming fault
and folly is not to be committed by one so young and wise : decide for
yourself : you must certainly do what I tell you. I will have made
for you here a spacious and beautiful subterranean dwelling ; marry
Sundari and live at ease in it." When he was thus diligently schooled
by Agnidatta, Gunasarman agreed to his proposal, and said to him,
" I accept your offer, for who would abandon a wife like Sundari ?f
But I will not marry this your daughter till I have accomplished
my ends. In the meanwhile I will propitiate some god with strict
asceticism, in order that I may be revenged on that ungrateful monarch."
When he said this, Agnidatta gladly consented, and Gunasarman rested
there in comfort during the night. And the next day Agnidatta had a
secret subterranean dwelling constructed for his comfort, called Patala-
vasati.J And while he was there, Gunasarman said in secret to Agnidatta:
" Tell me, what god, granting boons to his worshippers, shall I propitiate
here by performing vows, and what spell shall I use ?" When the brave
man said that, Agnidatta answered him, " I have a spell for propitiating
the god Svamikumara, which was told me by a teacher ; so with that propi-
tiate the general of the gods, the foe of Taraka, desiring whose birth the gods,
oppressed by their enemies, sent Kama to S'iva, (and he, after burning him
up, decreed that henceforth he should be born in the mind ;) whose origin
* I road df,hati/d(/am and rancJtasi.
t /. «'. " beautiful." There is a jinn In r. -.
J Pdtdla = Hades, i. e., the world below, ratati = dwelling.
171
they say was various, from S'iva, from the fire-cavity, from fire, from tlie
thicket of reeds and from the Krittikas ; and who, as soon as he was born,
made the whole world bend by his irresistible might, and slew the uncon-
quered Asura Taraka." Then Gunas"arman said, " Tell me that spell."
And A'gnidatta gave Gunasarman that spell. With it Gunasarman propi-
tiated Skanda in the subterranean dwelling, unremitting in his vow, wait-
ed upon by Sundari. Then the six-faced god appeared to him in visible
form, and said, " I am pleased with you, choose a boon, — *
* * # *
You shall possess an inexhaustible treasury and, after conquering
Mahasena, you shall, my son, advance irresistibly and rule the earth."
After giving him this great boon, Skanda disappeared, and Gunasarman
obtained inexhaustible treasure. Then the successful hero married, accord-
ing to the prescribed rites, with splendour suited to his greatness, the
daughter of the Brahman Agnidatta, who fell more in love with him every
day, like his future good fortune in affairs come to him in bodily form.
And then having collected, by virtue of his surpassing accumulation of
inexhaustible treasure, an army consisting of many horses, elephants and
foot-soldiers, he marched to Ujjayini, overrunning the earth with the forces
of all the kings that crowded to his banner out of gratitude for his gifts.
And after proclaiming there to the subjects that immodest conduct of
Asokavati, and after conquering the king Mahasena in battle, and depos-
ing him from the throne, he obtained the dominion of the earth. And
king Gunasarman married many daughters of kings, besides Sundari, and
his orders were obeyed even on the shores of the sea, and with Sundari as
his consort he long enjoyed pleasures to his heart's content.
" Thus king Mahasena, in old time, suddenly incurred calamity througli
being unable to discriminate the characters of men, being a man of dull
intellect, but the clear-headed Gunasarman, with the help of his own re-
solute character alone, obtained the highest prosperity."
After Suryaprabha had heard this chivalrous tale at night from the
mouth of his minister Vitabhiti, the royal hero, who was longing to tra-
verse the great sea of battle, gained great confidence, and gradually
dropped off to sleep.
* Here Brockhaus supposes a hiatus.
47-2
CHAPTER L.
Then Surjaprabha and his ministers rose up early in the morning, and
accompanied by all the troops of the Danavas and their allies, went to
the field of battle. And S'rutasarman came surrounded by all the forces
of the Vidyadharas; and all the gods, A suras, and others again came to
look on. Both armies adopted the crescent formation, then there took
place a battle between those two armies. The swift arrows,* winged with
feathers, clashing against one another and cutting one another in pieces, also
fought. The long sword-blades issued from the mouths of the scabbards,
and drinking blood, and waving to and fro, appeared like the tongues of
Death. The field of battle seemed like a lake, the full-blown lotuses of
which were the faces of heroes j on these the shower of discuses descended
like a flight of Brahmany ducks, and so ruined the kingly swans. The
combat appeared, with the severed heads of heroes flying up and down,
like a game of ball, with which Death was amusing himself. When the
arena of combat was cleared from the obscuring dust by the sprinkling
of bloody drops, there took place on it the single combats of furious
champions. There Siiryaprabha fought with S'rutasarman, and Prabhasa
fought with Damodara, and Siddhartha fought with Mahotpata, and
Prahasta with Brahmagupta, and Vitabhi with Sangama, and Prajnadhya
with Chandragupta, and Priyankara with Akrama, and Sarvadamana fought
with Atibala, and Kunjarakumaraka fought with Dhurandhara, and other
great champions fought with others respectively.
Then first Mahotpata silenced the arrows of Siddhartha with his arrows,
an'd after cleaving his bow, slew his horses and charioteer. Siddhartha,
though deprived of his chariot, charged him angrily, and with a large iron
mace broke in pieces his chariot and horses. Then Siddhartha fought on
foot with Mahotpata also on foot, and in a wrestling-bout hurled him to
the ground. But while he was trying to crush him, fchat Vidyadhara was
delivered by his father Bhaga, and flying up into the air left the battle-
field. And Prahasta and Brahmagupta destroyed one another's chariots,
and then fought witli swords, shewing various arts of fence ; and Prahu>iu
cleft his foe's shield in the course of their sword-play, and with a dexterous
sleight laid him low on the earth ; but when he was about to cut off his
head, as he lay on the ground, he was forbidden by his father Brahma
• S'avard should probably be farakd.
473
himself by a sign from a distance ; then all the Danavas laughed the gods
to scorn, saying, " You gods have come to save your sous, not to behold
the fray." In the meanwhile Vitabhaya, after cutting in two the bow of
Sankrama, and slaying his charioteer, slew him by piercing his heart with the
weapon of Kama. And Prajnadhyaj fighting on foot with Chandragupta,
sword to sword, after both their chariots had been destroyed, killed him by
cutting off his head. Then the Moon, angry at the death of his son, himself
came and fought with Prajnadhya, and the two combatants were evenly
matched. And Priyankara, who had lost his chariot, fighting with A'krama,
who had also had his chariot destroyed, cut him in two with one blow of
his sword. And Sarvadamana easily killed Atibala in fight, for when his
bow was cleft, he threw his elephant-hook and smote him in the heart.
Then Kunjarakumara in a contest, in which missiles were opposed by
answering missiles, frequently deprived Dhurandhara of his chariot, and
as frequently Vikramasakti brought him a chariot, and defended him in,
sore straits, repelling weapons with weapons ; then Kunjarakumara in
wrath rushed forward, and swiftly hurled a great rock on to the chariot of
Vikramasakti, and, when Vikramasakti retired with broken chariot, he
crushed Dhurandhara with that very stone.*
Then Suryaprabha, while fighting with S'rutasarman, being angry on
account of the slaughter of Virochana, killed Dama with one arrow.
Enraged at that, the two Asvins descended to the combat, but Sunitha
received them with showers of arrows, and a great fight took place between,
him and them. And Sthirabuddhi slew Parakrama in fight with a javelin,
and then fought with the eight Vasus enraged on account of his death. And
Prabhasa, seeing Bhasa deprived of his chariot, though himself engaged in
fighting with Damodara, killed Mardana with one arrow. The Danava Pra-
kampana killed Tejahprabha in a missile combat, and then fought with the
god of Fire enraged on account of his death. And when Dhumraketu had
slain Yamadanshtra in fight, he had a terrible combat with the enraged
Yama.f And Sinhadanshtra, having crushed Suroshana with a stone, fought
with Nirriti, J enraged on account of his death. Kalachakra also cut .Vayu-
bala in two with a discus, and then fought with Vayu§ inflamed with rage
thereat. And Mahamaya slew Kuveradatta, who deluded his foes by
assuming the forms of a snake, a mountain, and a tree, assuming himself
the forms of Garuda, of the thunderbolt, and of fire. Then Kuvera||
himself fought with him in wrath. In the same way all the gods fought,
* Here Brockhaus supposes a hiatus.
t The god of Death.
t t. e. Destruction (a goddess of death and corruption).
§ t. e. the god of the wind.
|| The god of wealth.
60
474
angry on account of the slaughter of their sons. And then various other
princes of the Vidyadharas were slain by various men and Danavas, darting
forward from time to time.
And in the meanwhile a conflict went on between Prabhasa and
Damodara, terrible from its unceasing exchange of missiles. Then Damo-
dara, though his bow was cleft asunder, and his charioteer slain, took
another bow and fought on, holding the reins in his own hands. And
when Brahma applauded him, Indra said to him, " Eevered one, why are
you pleased with one who is getting the worst of it ?" Then Brahma
answered him, — " How can I help being pleased with one, who fights for so
long with, this Prabhasa ? Who but Damodara, who is a portion of Hari,
would do this ? For all the gods would be a scant match for Prabhasa in
fight. For that Asura Namuchi, who was so hard for the gods to subdue,
and who was then born again as Prabala, one entire and perfect jewel, has
now been born as the invincible Prabhasa son of Bhasa, and Bhasa too was
in a former birth the great Asura Kalanemi, who afterwards became
Hiranyakasipu and then Kapinjala. And Suryaprabha is the Asura who
was called Sumundika. And the Asura who was before called Hiranyaksha
is now this Sunitha. And as for Prahasta and others, they are all Daityas
and Danavas ; and since the Asuras slain by you have been born again in
these forms, the other Asuras, Maya and others, have espoused their cause.
And see, Bali has come here to look on, for his bonds have been broken by
virtue of the great sacrifice to S'iva, duly performed by Suryaprabha and
the others, but keeping his promise faithfully, he remains content with the
realm of Patala until your allotted period of rule is at an end, and then he
will be Indra. These are now favoured by S'iva, so it is not now a time of
victory for you, make peace with your foes." While Brahma was saying
this to the king of the gods, Prabhasa sent forth the great weapon of S'iva.
When Vishnu saw that terrible all- destroy ing weapon let loose, he also sent
forth, out of regard for his son, his discus called Sudarsana. Then there
took place between those divine weapons, which had assumed visible shapes,
a struggle which made the three worlds dread a sudden destruction of all
creatures. Then Hari said to Prabhasa — " Recall your weapon and I will
recall mine," and Prabhasa answered him, — " My weapon cannot be
launched in vain, so let Damodara turn his back, and retire from the fight,
and then I will recall my weapon." When Prabhasa said that, Vishnu
answered — " Then do you also honour my discus, let not either of these
weapons be fruitless." When Vishnu said this, Prabhasa who possessed
tact, said " So be it, let this discus of thine destroy my chariot." Vishnu
agreed, and made Damodara retire from the ii^ht, and, Prabhasa with-
drew his weapon, and the discus fell on his chariot. Then he mounted ano-
ther chariot and went to Suryaprabha, and then Damodara, for his part, re-
paired to S'rutasarman.
475
And then the single combat between S'rutasarman, who was puffed up by
being a son of Indra, and Suryaprabha, became exceedingly fierce. Whatever
weapon S'rutasarman vigorously employed, Suryaprabha immediately repelled
with opposing weapons. And whatever delusion S'rutasarman employed,
wa3 overmastered by Suryaprabha with opposing delusion. Then S'ruta-
garman in fierce wrath sent forth the weapon of Brahma, and the mighty
Suryaprabha let loose the weapon of S'iva. That mighty weapon of S'iva
repelled the weapon of Brahma, and being irresistible, was overpowering
S'rutasarman, when Indra and the other Lokapalas, being indignant, sent
forth, their tremendous weapons beginning with thunderbolts. But the
weapon of S'iva conquered all those weapons, and blazed exceedingly, eager
to slay S'rutasarman. Then Suryaprabha praised that great weapon, and
entreated it not to kill S'rutasarman, but to take him prisoner and hand
him over to himself. Then all the gods speedily prepared for fight, and
the other Asuras also, who had come to look on, did the same, being eager
to conquer the gods. Then a Gana named Virabhadra, sent by S'iva, came
and delivered this order of his to Indra and the other gods : " You came
to look on, so what right have you to fight here ? Moreover, your over-
stepping the bounds of propriety will produce other bad results." When
the gods heard that, they said — " All of us have sons here that have been
slain, or are being slain, so how can we help fighting?* Love for one's
offspring is a feeling hard to lay aside, so we must certainly revenge our-
selves on their slayers to the utmost of our power ; what impropriety
is there in this ?" When the gods said this, Virabhadra departed, and
a great fight took place between the gods and the Asuras : Sunitha fought
with the two Asvins, and Prajnaclhya fought with the Moon, and Sthira-
buddhi with the Vasus, and Kalachakra with Vayu, and Prakampana with
Agni, and Sinhadanshtra with Nirriti, and Pramathana with Varuna, and
Dhumraketu with Yama, and then Mahamaya fought with the god of
wealth, and other Asurasf at the same time fought with other gods, with
missiles and opposing missiles. And finally, whatever mighty weapon
any god sent forth, S'iva immediately destroyed with an angry roar. But
the god of wealth, when his club was uplifted, was restrained by S'iva
in a conciliatory manner, while various other gods, their weapons having
been broken, fled from the field of battle. Then Indra himself, in wrath,
attacked Suryaprabha, and let fly a storm of arrows at him and various
other weapons. And Suryaprabha repelled those weapons with ease, and
kept striking Indra with hundreds of arrows drawn back to the ear. Then the
king of the gods, enraged, seized his thunderbolt, and S'iva made an angry noise
and destroyed that thunderbolt. Then Indra turned his back and lied,
* Cp. Homer's Iliad, Boole XV, 113—141.
t For anyonynix I ivu<l amjc nnyaii.
476
and Narayana himself, in wrath, attacked Prabhasa with sharp-edged*
arrows. And he fearlessly fought with him, opposing those and other
missiles with his own missiles, and when his horses were slain, and he was
deprived of his chariot, he ascended another, and still fought with that enemy
of the Daityas on equal terms. Then the god enraged sent forth his flaming
discus. And Prabhasa sent forth a heavenly sword, after consecrating it with
magic formulas. While those two weapons were contending, S'iva, seeing that
the sword was gradually being overpowered by the discus, made an angiy
roar. That caused the discus and sword to be both destroyed. Then
the Asuras rejoiced, and the gods were cast down, as Sdryaprabha had
obtained the victory, and S'rutasarman was taken prisoner. Then the gods
praised and propitiated S'iva, and the husband of Ambika, being pleased,
gave this command to the gods — " Ask any boon but that promised to
Suryaprabha ; who can set aside what has been once promised at a burnt-
sacrifice ?" The gods said — " But, Lord, let that also which we promised to
S'rutasarman be fulfilled, and let not our sons perish." Then they ceased,
and the Holy Lord thus commanded them, " When peace is made, let that
be so, and this is the condition of peace ; let S'rutasarman with all his
retinue do homage to Suryaprabha. Then we will issue a decree which
shall be for the weal of both." The gods acquiesced in this decision of
S'iva's, and made S'rutasarman do homage to Siiryaprabha. Then they
renounced their enmity and embraced one another, and the gods and
Asuras also laid aside their enmity and made peace with one another.
Then, in the hearing of the gods and Asuras, the holy S'iva said this to
Suryaprabha : " You must rule yourself in the southern k&H-vedi, but
the northern halt-vedi give to S'rutasarman. For you are destined, my son,
soon to receive the fourfold sovereignty of all the sky-goers, Kinnaras and
all. And when you receive this, as you will be in a distinguished position,
you must also give the southern kalt-vecli to S'rikunjarakumara." And as
for the heroes slain on both sides in the battle, let them all rise up alive
with unwounded limbs. After saying this, S'iva disappeared, and all those
heroes, who were slain in that battle, rose up unwounded, as if they had
awaked from sleep.
Then Suryaprabha, the tamer of his foes, intent on observing the
command of S'iva, went to a remote extensive plain, and sitting in full
court, himself made S'rutasarman, who came to him, sit down on half of
his throne. And his companions, headed by Prabhasa, and S'rutasurman's
companions, headed by ]);iinodara, sat at the side of the two princes. And
Sunitha and Maya, and the other Danavas, and the kings of the Vidya-
dliaras too sat on i order of precedence. Then the Daityas, who
wore kings of the seven Patiilas, headed by Prahladu, and the kings of the
* Or pcrhips — with arrows having ton million points.
477
Danavas came there out of joy. And Indra came with the Lokapalas, prece-
ded by Vrihaspati, and the Vidyadhara Sumeru with Suvasakumara. And
all the wives of Kasyapa came, headed by Danu, and the wives of Siirya-
prabha in the chariot Bhiitasana. When they had all sat down, after
shewing one another affection, and going through the prescribed courtesies,
a friend of Danu's, named Siddhi, spoke to them as from her : " 0 gods
and Asuras, the goddess Danu says this to you — ' Say, if you have ever felt
before the joy and satisfaction which we all feel in this friendly meeting ! so
you ought not to wage against one another war, which is terrible on account
of the sorrow it produces. Hiranyaksha and those other elder Asuras, who
waged it to obtain the empire of heaven, have passed away, and Indra is now
the eldest, so what cause is there for enmity ?
So let your mutual antagonism drop, and be happy, in order that I may
be pleased, and the prosperity of the worlds may be ensured.' " "When,
they had heard this address of the revered Danu, uttered by the mouth of
Siddhi, Vrihaspati, Indra having looked him in the face, said to her — " The
gods entertain no design against the Asuras, and are willing to be friends
with them, unless they display a treacherous animosity against the gods."
When the preceptor of the gods said this, Maya the king of the Danavas
said — " If the Asuras entertained any animosity, how could Namuchi have
given to Indra the horse Uehchhaihsravas that resuscitates the dead ?'
And how could Prabala have given his own body to the gods ? And how
could Bali have given the three worlds to Vishnu, and himself have gone
to prison ? Or how could Ayodeha have given his own body to Visva-
karman ? What more shall I say ? The Asuras are ever generous, and
if they are not treacherously injured, they cherish no animosity." When
the Asura Maya had said this, Siddhi made a speech, which induced the
gods and Asuras to make peace and embrace one another.
In the meanwhile a female warder, named Jaya, sent by Bhavani, came
there and was honoured by all, and she said to Sumeru, " I am sent by the god-
dess Durga to you, and she gives you this order — ' You have an unmarried
daughter named Kainachudamani ; give her quickly to Suryaprabha, for
she is a votary of mine.' " When Jaya said this to Sumeru, he bowed,
and answered her — " I will do as the goddess Durga commands me, for
this is a great favour to me, and this very thing was long ago enjoined on
me by the god S'iva." When Sumeru answered Jaya on this wise, she
said to Suryaprabha — " You must set Kamachudamani above all your
wives, and she must be respected by you more than all the others ; this is
the order given to you to-day by the goddess Gauri, being propitious to you.''
When Jaya had said this, she disappeared, after having been honoured by
Suryaprabha. And Sumeru quickly fixed upon an auspicious moment in that
same day for the marriage, and he had an altar made there, with pillars and
478
pavement of refulgent jewels, furnished with fire that seemed, as it were,
eclipsed by their rays. And he summoned there his daughter Kama-
chudamani, whose beauty was greedily drunk in by the eager eyes of gods
and Asuras. Her loveliness was like that of Uma, and no wonder, for
if Parvati was the daughter of Himalaya, she was the daughter of
Sumeru. Then he made her ascend the altar, fully adorned, resplendent
from the ceremony of the marriage-thread, and then Suryaprabha took the
lotus-hand of Kamachudamani, on which bracelets had been fastened by
Danu, and the other ladies. And when the first handful of parched grain*
was thrown into the fire, Jaya immediately came and gave her an imperishable
celestial garland sent by Bhavani, and then Sumeru bestowed priceless
jewels, and an excellent elephant of heavenly breed, descended from Aira-
vata. And at the second throwing of parched grain, Jaya bestowed a
necklace, of such a kind that, as long as it is upon a person's neck, hunger,
thirst and death cannot harm them ; and Sumeru gave twice as many jewels
as before, and a matchless horse descended from Uchchaihsravas. And at
the third throwing of grain, Jaya gave a single string of jewels, such that,
as long as it is on the neck, youth does not wither, and Sumeru gave a
heap of jewels three times as large as the first, and gave a heavenly pearl
that bestowed all kinds of magic powers upon its possessor.
Then the wedding being over, Sumeru said to all present ; " Gods,
Asuras, Vidyadharas, mothers of the gods, and all. To-day all of you
must eat in my house, you must do me this honour, I entreat you with
palms folded above my head." They all were inclined to refuse Sumeru's
invitation, but in the meanwhile Nandin arrived ; he said to them, who
bowed humbly before him, " S'iva commands you to feast in the house of
Sumeru, for he is the god's servant, and if you eat his food, you will be
satisfied for ever." All of them, when they heard this from Nandin,
agreed to it. Then there came there innumerable Ganas sent by S'iva,
under the leadership of Vinayaka, Mahakala, Virabhadra and others. They
prepared a place fit for dining, and caused the guests to sit down in order,
gods, Vidyadharas and men. And the divine beings Virabhadra, Mahakala,
Bhringin and others, ministered to them viands produced by Sumeru by
magic, and others supplied by the cow Kamadhenu ordered to do so by
S'iva, and they waited upon every single guest according to his rank, and then
there was a concert, charming on account of the dancing of heavenly nymphs,
and in which the bards of the Vidyadharas kept continually joining out of de-
light. And at the end of the feast, Nandin and the others gave them all
celestial garlands, robes, and ornaments. After they had thus honoured the
gods and others, all the chiefs of the Ganas, Nandin and the others, departed
with all the Ganas as they had come. Then all the gods and Asuras, and
• Cp. Thisclton Dyer's English Folk-lore, p. 203.
479
those mothers of theirs, and S'rutasarman and his followers took leave of
Sumeru, and went each to his own place. But Suryaprabha and his wife,
accompanied by all his former wives, went in the chariot first to that ascetic
grove of Sumeru. And he sent his companion Harsha to announce his
success to the kings and to his brother liatnaprabha. And at the close of
day he entered the private apartments of his wife Kamachudamani, in
which were splendid jewelled couches, and which were admirably built.
There he flattered her by saying to her, " Now other women dwell outside of
me, but you alone live in my heart." Then the night and his sleep gra-
dually came to an end.
And in the morning Suryaprabha got up, and went and paid com-
pliments to his head-wives, who were all together. And while they were
rejecting him, as being in love with a new wife, with playfully sarcastic,
sweet, affectionate, and bashful turns of speech, a Vidyadhara named
Sushena came, announced by the warder, and after doing homage, said to
that triumphant king — " Your highness, I have been sent here by all the
princes of the Vidyadharas, the lord of Trikuta and others, and they make
this representation to your highness — ' It is auspicious that your coronation
should take place on the third day at the mountain Rishabha, let this be
announced to all, and let the necessary preparations be made.' " When
Suryaprabha heard that, he answered the ambassador — " Go, and say to the
king of Trikuta and the other Vidyadharas from me — ' Let your honours
begin the preparations, and say yourselves what further is to be done ;
I for my part am ready. But I will announce the day to all, as is
fitting.' " Then Sushena departed, taking with him this answer. But
Suryaprabha sent off his friends Prabhasa and the others, one by one, to
invite all the gods, and the hermits, Yajnavalkya and others, and the kings,
and the Vidyadharas, and the Asuras to the great festival of his coronation.
He himself went alone to Kailasa the monarch of mountains, in order
to invite S'iva and Ambika. And as he was ascending that mountain, he saw
that it gleamed white as ashes, looking like a second S'iva to be adored by the
Siddhas, Rishis, and gods. After he had get more than half-way up it, and
had seen that further on it was hard to climb, he beheld on one side a coral
door. When he found that, though gifted with supernatural power, he
could not enter, he praised S'iva with intent mind. Then a man with an
elephant's face opened the door, and said — " Come ! enter ! the holy Ganesa
is satisfied with you." Then Suryaprabha entered, inly wondering, and
beheld the god seated on a broad slab of jyotirasa* with one tusk, and
an elephant's proboscis, in brightness like twelve suns, with pendent
stomach, with three eyes, with flaming axe and club, surrounded by many
Ganas with the faces of animals, and falling at his feet, he adored him.
* Probably some kind of sparkling gem.
480
The vanquisher of obstacles, being pleased, asked him the cause of his
coming, and said to him with an affectionate voice — " Ascend by this path."
Suryaprabha ascended by that path another five yojanas, and saw another
great door of ruby. And not being able to enter there either, he praised the
god S'iva by his thousand names with intent mind. Then the son of
Skanda, called Visakha, himself opened the door, proclaiming who he was,
and introduced the prince into the interior. And Suryaprabha, having
entered, beheld Skanda of the brightness of burning fire, accompanied by
his five sons like himself, S'ukha, Visakha and their brothers, surrounded
by inauspicious planets, and infant planets,* that submitted to him as soon
as he was born, and by ten millions of Ganes'as, prostrate at his feet.
That god Kartikeya also, being pleased, asked the cause of his coming, and
shewed him the path by which to ascend the mountain. In the same
manner he passed five other jewel-doors in succession, kept by Bhairava,
Mahakala, Virabhadra, Nandin, and Bhringin severally, each with his
attendants, and at last he reached on the top of the mountain an eighth
door of crystal. Then he praised S'iva, and he was introduced cour-
teously by one of the Kudras, and beheld that abode of S'iva that excelled
Svarga, in which blew winds of heavenly fragrance, in which the trees ever
bore fruit and flowers, f in which the Gandharvas had begun their concert,
which was all joyous with the dancing of Apsarases. Then, in one part of
it, Suryaprabha beheld with joy the great god S'iva, seated on a throne o£
crystal, three-eyed, trident in hand, in hue like unto pure crystal, with
yellow matted locks, with a lovely half-moon for crest, adored by the holy
daughter of the mountain, who was seated at his side. And he advanced,
and fell at the feet of him and the goddess Durga. Then the adorable
Hara placed his hand on his back, and made him. rise up, and sit down, and
asked him why he had come. And Suryaprabha answered the god, " My
coronation is nigh at hand, therefore I desire the Lord's presence at it."
Then S'iva said to him, " Why have you gone through so much toil and
hardship ? Why did you not think of me where you were, in order that I
might appear there. Be it so, I will be present." The god, who is kind to
his votaries, said this, and calling a certain Gana who stood near him, gave
him the following command : " Go and take this man to the Rishabha moun-
tain, in order that he may be crowned emperor, for that is the place appointed
for the grand coronation of emperors such as he is." When the Gana had
received this command from the holy god, he took in his lap with all res-
pect Suryaprabha, who had circumambulated S'iva. And he carried him and
placed him on the Rishabha mountain by his magic power that very
moment, and then disappeared. And when Suryaprabha arrived there, his
* Said to moan, planets or demons unfavourable to children.
t Cp. Odyssey VI I, 117.
481
companions came to him, and his wives with Kamachudamani at their head,
and the kings of the Vidyadharas, and the gods with Indra, and the Asuras
with Maya at their head, and S'rutas'arman, and Sumeru with Suvasa-
kumara. And Suryaprabha honoured them all in becoming fashion, and
when he told the story of his interview with S'iva, they congratulated him.
Then Prabhasa and the others brought the water of consecration with their
own hands, mixed with various herbs, in pitchers of jewels and gold, taking
it from male and female rivers, seas and holy bathing places. In the
meanwhile the holy S'iva came there, accompanied by Durga ; and the gods,
and Asuras and Vidyadharas, and kings, and great riskis adored his foot.
And while all the gods, and Danavas, and Vidyadharas uttered loud cries
of " Blessed be this day," the risk is made Suryaprabha sit on the throne,
and pouring all the waters over him, declared him emperor of the Vidya-
dharas. And the discreet Asura Maya joyfully fastened on his turban and
diadem. And the drum of the gods, preceded by the dancing of lovely
Apsarases, sounded joyfully in heaven, in unison with the cymbals of earth.
And that assembly of great risTiis poured the water of consecration over
Kainachudamani also, and made her the appropriate queen consort of
Suryaprabha. Then, the gods and Asuras having departed, Suryaprabha,
the emperor of the Vidyadharas, protracted his great coronation feast with
his relations, friends, and companions. And in a few days he gave to
Srutasarman that northern half vedi mentioned by S'iva, and having obtain-
ed his other beloved ones, he enjoyed for a long time, together with his
companions, the fortune of king of the Vidyadharas.
" Thus by virtue of the favour of S'iva, Suryaprabha, though a man,
obtained of yore the empire of the Vidyadharas."
Having told this story in the presence of the king of Vatsa, and having
bowed before Naravahanadatta, Vajraprabha, the king of the Vidyadharas,
ascended to heaven. And after he had gone, that hero, king Naravahana-
datta, together with his queen Madanamanchuka, remained in the house of
his father the king of Vatsa, waiting to obtain the rank of ^mperor of the
Vidyadharas.
BOOK IX.
CH AFTER LI.
We bow before that Ganesa before whom, when dancing, even the
mountains seem to bow, for they are made to stoop, owing to the earth being
bent by the weight of Nisumbha.
Thus Naravahanadatta, the son of the king of Vatsa, dwelt in
Kausambi in the palace of his father, having heard with astonishment of the
reign of the king of the Vidyadharas. And once on a time, having gone
out hunting, he dismissed his army, and entered a great forest, with
Gomukha as his only companion. There the throbbing of his right eye
indicated the approach of good fortune, and he soon heard the sound of
singing mixed with the notes of a heavenly lyre. After going a short dis-
tance to find whence the sound proceeded, he beheld a Svayambhu* temple
of Siva, and after tying up his horse, he entered it. And there he beheld a
heavenly maiden, surrounded by many other lovely maidens, praising Siva
with the harp. As soon as he saw her, with the effluent streams of her
loveliness she disturbed his heart, as the orb of- the moon disturbs the heart
of the sea. She too looked on him with impassioned, loving, and bashful
eye, and had her mind solely fixed on him, and forgot to pour forth her
notes. Then Gomukha, who read his master's soul, began to ask her
attendants — " Who is she, and whose daughter is she ?" But in the mean-
while a Vidyadhari of mature age, resembling her in feature, descended
from heaven, preceded by a gleam red as gold. And she came down, and
sat by the side of that maiden, and then the maiden rose up, and fell at her
feet. And that mature dame blessed that girl, saying, " Obtain without
impediment a husband, who shall be king of all the Vidyadharas." Then
Naravahanadatta came to that gentle-looking Vidyadhari, and bowed before
her, and after she had given him her blessing, he slowly said to her : " Who
is this maiden of thine, mother, tell me ?" then that Vidyadhari said to him
" Listen, I will tell you."
* {'. c., connected in tomo way with Buddha. See Bohtlingk and Roth s. v.
01
484
There is on the mountain-
Story of Alanlcararatt. .
heights or the rather or Gauri,* a
city named Srisundarapura, and in it there dwells a king of the Tidya-
dharas, named Alankarasila. That lofty-soulecl king had a wife named
Kanchanaprabha, and in course of time a son was born to the king by her.
And, when Uma announced to his father in a dream that he should be
devoted to religion, he named him Dharmasila. And in course of time
that son Dharmasila grew up to be a young man, and the king, having had
him taught the sciences, appointed him Crown-prince. Then Dharmasila,
when appointed Crown- prince, being exclusively devoted to virtue, and self-
controlled, delighted the subjects even more than did his father. Then the
queen Kanchanaprabha, the consort of king Alankarasila, became pregnant
again, and gave birth to a daughter. Then a heavenly voice proclaimed,
" This daughter shall be the wife of the emperor Naravahanadatta." Then,
her father gave her the name of Alankaravati, and the girl gradually grew
like a digit of the moon. And in course of time she attained mature youth,
and learned the sciences from her own father, and through devotion to the
god Siva, began to roam from temple to temple of his. In the meanwhile
that brother of hers, Dharmasila, who was saintly, though in the bloom of
youth, said in secret to his father Alankarasila — " My father, these enjoy-
ments, that, vanish in a moment, do not please me ; for what is there in
this world which is not distasteful at the last ? Have you not heard on this
point the saying of the hermit Vyasa ? ' All aggregations end in dis-
solution, all erections end in a fall, all unions end in separation, and life
ends in death.' So what pleasure can wise men take in these perishable
objects ? Moreover, neither enjoyments nor heaps of wealth accompany
one into the other world, but virtue is the only friend that never moves a
step from one's side. Therefore I will go to the forest, and perform a
severe penance, in order by it to attain everlasting supreme felicity."
When the king's son Dharmasila said this, his father Alankarasila was
perturbed, and answered him with tears in his eyes ; " My son, what is this
sudden delusion that has overtaken you while still a boy ? For good men
desire a life of retirement after they have enjoyed their youth. This is
the time for you to marry a wife, and rule your kingdom justly, and enjoy
pleasures, not to abandon the world." When Dharmasila heard this speech
of his father's, he answered : " There is no period for self-control or absence
of self-control fixed by age ; any one, even when a child, attains self-con-
trol, if favoured by the Lord, but no bad man attains self-control even
when old. And I take no pleasure in reigning, nor in marrying a wife ;
the object of my life is to propitiate S'iva by austerities." When the
prince said this, his father Alankarasila, seeing that he could not be turned
* »'. e., thu Himalaya.
485
from his purpose even by the greatest efforts, shed tears, and said ; " If
you, who are young, my son, display such freedom from passion, why
should not I, who am an old man ? I too will go to the forest." He said
this, and went to the world of men, and bestowed on Brahmans and the
poor a myriad loads of gold and jewels. And returning to his city, he said
to his wife Kanchanaprabha : " You must, if you wish to obey my com-
mands, remain here in your own city, and take care of this daughter of
ours, Alankaravati, and when a year has past, there will be on this very day
an auspicious moment for her marriage. And then I will give her in
marriage to Naravahanadatta, and that son-in-law of mine shall be an
emperor, and shall come to this city of ours." Having said this to his
wife, the king made her take an oath, and then made her return weeping
with her daughter, and himself went with his son to the forest. But his
wife Kanchanaprabha lived in her own city with her daughter ; what virtuous
•wife would disobey her husband's commands ? Then her daughter Alan-
karavati wandered about to many temples together with her mother, who
accompanied her out of affection. And one day the science named Praj-
napti said to her, " Go to the holy places in Kasmira named Svayambhu,
and there offer worship, for then you will obtain without difficulty for a
husband, Naravahanadatta, the sole emperor of all the Vidyadhara kings."
After hearing this from the science, she went with her mother to Kasmira
and worshipped S'iva in all the holy places, in Nandikshetra, in Maha-
devagiri, in Amaraparvata, in the mountains of Suresvari, and in Yijuya,
and Kapatesvara. After worshipping the husband of Parvati in these
and other holy places, that princess of the Vidyadharas and her mother
returned home.
Know, auspicious youth, that this is that very maiden Alankaravati,
and that I am her mother Kanchanaprabha. And to-day she came to this
temple of S'iva without telling me. Then I, perceiving it by the Prajnapti
science, came here, and I was told by the same science that you had come
here also. So marry this daughter of mine who has been ordained your wife
by the god. And to-morrow arrives the day of her marriage appointed by
her father, so return for this day, my son, to Kausambi your own city. And
we will go hence, but to-morrow the king Alankarasila will come from the
grove of asceticism, and himself give you this daughter of his.
When she said this, Alankaravati and Naravahanadatta were thrown
into a strange state of distraction, for their eyes were full of tears, since
their hearts could not bear that they should be separated from one another
even for a night, and they were like cliaJcravdkas when the end of the day
is near. When Kanchanaprabha saw them in such a state, she said :
" Why do you show such a want of self-restraint because you are to be
separated for one night. People, who possess liruuioss, endure for a long
486
time mutual separation to which no termination is assigned ; hear in proof
of this the tale of Ramabhadra and Sita."
, PA , Long ago king Da^aratha. the
Story of Rama and Stia.
sovereign of Ayodhya, had a son,
named Rama, the elder brother of Bharata, Satrughna and Lakshmana.
He was a partial incarnation of Vishnu for the overthrow of Havana,
and he had a wife named Sita, the daughter of Janaka, the lady of his
life. As fate would have it, his father handed over the kingdom to
Bharata, and sent Rama to the forest with Sita and Lakshmana. There
Havana carried off his heloved Sita by magic, and took her to the city of
Lanka, having slain Jatayus on the way. Then Rama, in his bereaved state,
made Sugriva his friend by killing Balin, and by sending Hanuman to
Lanka, obtained news of his wife. And he crossed the sea by building a
bridge over it, and slew Havana, and gave the sovereignty of Lanka to
Yibhishana and recovered Sita. Then he returned from the forest, and
while he was ruling his kingdom, that Bharata had made over to him, Sita
became pregnant in Ayodhya. And while the king was roaming through
the city at leisure, with a small retinue, to observe the actions of his sub-
jects, he beheld a certain man turning his wife, whom he held by the hand,
out of his house, and giving out that her fault was going to the house of
another man.* And king Rama heard the wife saying to her hus-
band,— " King Rama did not desert his wife, though she dwelt in the house
of the Hakshasa ; this fellow is superior to him, for he abandons me for
going to the house of a relation." So he went home afflicted ; and afraid of
the slander of the people, he abandoned Sita in the forest ; a man of repu-
tation prefers the sorrow of separation to ill-repute. And Sita, languid with
pregnancy, happened to reach the hermitage of Valmiki, and that rishi
comforted her, and made her take up her abode there. And the other
hermits there debated among themselves ; " Surely this Sita is guilty,
otherwise how could her husband have deserted her ? So, by beholding her,
everlasting pollution will attach to us ; but Valmiki does not expel her
from the hermitage out of pity, and he neutralizes by means of his asce-
ticism the pollution produced by beholding her, so come, let us go to some
other hermitage." When Valmiki perceived that, he said ; " Brahmans,
you need not have any misgivings about the matter, I have perceived her
by my meditation to be chaste. When even then they exhibited incredu-
lity, Sita said to them ; " Reverend sirs, test my purity by any means that
you know of, and if I turn out to be unchaste, let me be punished by
* This seems to agree with the story as told in the Bhagavata Parana. For
various forms of the Kama Irgmd, see the translation of the Uttara luluiu Charita l>y
M. Felix Neve.
487
having my head cut off." When the hermits heard that, they experienced
an emotion of pity, and they said to her, " There is a famous bathing-
place in this forest, called Tithibhasaras, for a certain chaste woman named
Tithibhi, being falsely accused by her husband, who suspected her of fami-
liarity with another man, in her helplessness invoked the goddess Earth and
the Lokapalas, and they produced it for her justification. There let the
wife of llama clear herself for our satisfaction." When they said that,
Sita, went with them to that lake. And the chaste woman said — " Mother
Earth, if my mind was never fixed even in a dream on any one besides my
husband, may I reach the other side of the lake," — and after saying this
she entered the lake, and the goddess Earth appeared, and, taking her in her
lap, carried her to the other side. Then all the hermits adored that chaste
woman, and enraged at Rama's having abandoned her, they desired to
curse him. But Sita, who was devoted to her husband, dissuaded them,
saying, — " Do not entertain an inauspicious thought against my husband,
I beg you to curse my wicked self." The hermits, pleased with that con-
duct of hers, gave her a blessing which enabled her to give birth to a son,
and she, while dwelling there, in good time did give birth to a son, and the
hermit Valmiki gave him the name of Lava.* One day she took the child
and went to bathe, and the hermit, seeing that it was not in the hut,
thought — " She is in the habit, when she goes to bathe, of leaving her
child behind her, so what has become of the child ? Surely it has been
carried off by a wild beast. I will create another, otherwise Sita, on return-
ing from bathing, will die of grief." Under this impression, the hermit
made a pure babe of kusa grass, resembling Lava, and placed him there, and
Sita came, and seeing it, said to the hermit, " I have my own boy, so
whence came this one, hermit ?" When the hermit Valmiki heard this, he
• f
told her exactly what had taken place, and said, " Blameless one, receive
this second son named Kusa, because I by my power created him out of
kusa grass." When he said this to her, Sita brought up those two sons
Kusa and Lava, for whom Valmiki performed the sacraments. And those
two young princes of the Kshatriya race, even when children, learned the use
of all heavenly weapons, and all sciences from the hermit Valmiki.
And one day they killed a deer belonging to the hermitage, and ate its
flesh, and made use of a linga, which Valmiki worshipped, as a plaything.
The hermit was offended thereby, but at Sita's intercession he appointed
for those youths the following expiatory penance : " Let this Lava go
* The story of Genovesa in Simrock's Deutsche Volksbiicher, Vol. I, p. 371, bears
a striking resemblance to that of Sita. The way in which Schmerzensreich and hia
father retire to the forest at the end of the story is quite Indian. In the Greek novel
of Hysminias and Hysmine the innocence of the heroine is tested by the fountain of
Diana (Scriptores Erytici, p. 595).
488
quickly and bring from the lake of Kuvera golden lotuses, and mnnddra*
flowers from his garden, then worship, both of you brothers, this linga with
those flowers ; in this way this crime of those two will be atoned for."
When Lava heard this, he went, though a boy, to Kailasa, and invaded that
lake and garden of Kuvera, and after killing the Yakshas, brought back the
lotuses and the flowers, and as he was returning, being tired, he rested in
the way under a tree. And in the meanwhile Lakshmana came that way,
seeking a man with auspicious marks for llama's human sacrifice, t He,
according to the custom of Kshatriyas, challenged Lava to fight, and para-
lyzed him by the stupefying weapon, and taking him prisoner, led him to
the city of Ayodhya. And in the meanwhile Yalmiki comforted Sita, who
was anxious about the return of Lava, and said to Kusa in his hermitage,
" Lakshmana has taken prisoner the child Lava and has carried him off to
Ayodhya ; go and deliver him from Lakshmana, after conquering him with
these weapons." When the sage said this, and gave to Kusa a heavenly
weapon, he went and with it attacked and besieged the sacrificial enclosure in
Ayodhya, and he conquered in fight Lakshmana, who advanced to repel him,
by the help of those heavenly weapons ; then Rama advanced to meet him ;
and when he could not, though exerting himself to the utmost, conquer
with weapons that Kusa, owing to the might of Yalmiki, he asked him who
he was, and why he came. Then Kusa said, " Lakshmana has taken my
elder brother prisoner and brought him here ; I have come here to set him
at liberty. We two are Kusa and Lava the sons of Rama, this is what our
mother, the daughter of Janaka, says." Thereupon he told her story.
Then Rama burst into tears, and summoned Lava and embraced both, say-
ing, " I am that same wicked Rama." Then the citizens assembled and
praised Sita, beholding those two heroic youth^, and Rama recognised them
as his sons. And then he summoned the queen Sita from the hermitage of
Yalmiki, and dwelt with her in happiness, transferring to his sons the
burden of the empire.
" Thus heroic souls endure separation for so long a time, and how can
you find it difficult to endure it for only one night ?" When Kanchana-
prabha had said this to her daughter Alanknravati, who was eager to be
married, and to Naravahauadatta, she departed through the air with the
» One of the five trees of Paradise. For the golden lotuses, see Chapter X X V.
In Ch. LII we find trees with trunks of gold and leaves and fruit of jewels. A similar
tree is found in the mediaeval romance of king Alexander. Dunlop compares the
golden vine carried away by Pompey. Liebrecht remarks that there was also a golden
vine over the gate of the temple at Jerusalem, and compan s the golden lotus miidt l>y
the Chinese emperor Tunghwan. He refers also to Huon of Bordeaux, Ysai
• and Grimm's Kindermarchen 130 and 133. (Ldebrecht's Dunlop, p. 18-i). See also
Milton's Paradise Lost, IV. 220 and 256.
f Sec pay
489
intention of returning again, and took her daughter with her : and Nara-
vuhanadatta, for his part, returned despondent to Kaus"ambi.
Then, as he could not sleep at night, Gomukha said to him to amuse
him — " Prince, hear this story of Prithvirupa, which I will relate to you."
Story of the handsome king Prithvi- . There is in the Dekhan a city
r"Pa- named Pratishthana, in it lived a
very handsome king, named Prithvirupa. Once on a time two discerning
Buddhist hermits came to him, and seeing that that king was very handsome,
they said to him, " King, we have travelled through the world, and we
have nowhere seen a man or woman equal to you in beauty, except the
daughter of king Rupadhara and queen Hemalata, in the isle of Muktipura,
Rupalata by name, and that maiden alone is a match for you, and you alone
are a match for her ; if you were to be united in marriage, it would be
well." With these words of the hermit, which entered by his ears, the
arrows of Love entered also and stuck in his heart. Then king Prithvi-
rupa, being full of longing, gave this order to his admirable painter,
Kumaridatta by name ; " Take with you my portrait, accurately painted
on canvas, and with these two mendicants go to the isle of Muktipura,
and there shew it by some artifice to the king Rupadhara and his daughter
Rupalata. Find out if that king will give me his daughter or not, and
take a likeness of Rupalata, and bring it back." When the king had said
this, he made the painter take his likeness on canvas, and sent him with
the mendicants to that island. And so the painter and the mendicants set
out, and in course of time reached a city named Putrapura on the shore
of the sea. There they embarked on a ship, and going across the sea, they
reached in five days that island of Muktipura. There the painter went
and held up at the gate of the palace a notice, to the effect that there was
no painter like him in the world. When the king Rupadhara heard of that,
he summoned him, and the painter entered the palace, and bowing, he said :
" 0 king, though I have travelled all over the earth, I have never seen my
match as a painter, so tell me, whom I am to paint of gods, mortals, and Asuras.''
When the king heard that, he summoned his daughter Riipalata into his pre-
sence, and gave him the following order : " Make a portrait of this daughter
of mine, and shew it me." Then the painter Kumaridatta made a portrait
of the princess on canvas and shewed it, and it was exactly like the original.
Then king Rupadhara was pleased, and thinking him clever, he asked that
painter, in his desire to obtain a son-in-law, " My good fellow, you have tra-
velled over the earth : so tell me if you have any where seen a woman or a man
equal to my daughter in beauty." When the king said this, the painter answer-
ed him, " I have nowhere in the world seen a woman or a man equal to her,
except a king in Pratishtluina, named Prithvirupa, who is a match for her;
if she were married to him, it would be well. Since he has not found a
490
princess equal in beauty, be remains, though in his fresh youth, without
a wife. And I, your majesty, having beheld that king, dear to the eyes,
took a faithful likeness of him, out of admiration of his beauty." When
the king heard that, he said : " Have you that portrait with you ?" And
the painter said, " I have," and showed the portrait. Thereupon the king
Rupadhara, beholding tbe beauty of that king Prithvidhara, found his
head whirl round with astonishment. And he said, " Fortunate are we to
have beheld that king even in a picture ; I felicitate those who behold him
in the flesh. When Rupalata heard this speech of her father's, and saw
the king in the picture, she was full of longing, and could neither hear nor
see anything else. Then the king Rupadhara, seeing that his daughter
was distracted with love, said to that painter Kumaridatta, " Your pictures
exactly correspond to the original, so that king Prithvirupa must be an
appropriate husband for my daughter. So take this portrait of my
daughter, and set off immediately, and shew my daughter to king Prithvi-
rupa ; and tell the whole incident as it took place, and if he pleases, let
him come here quickly, to marry her." Thus the king spake, and honoured
the painter with gifts, and sent him off with his ambassador, in the
company of the mendicants.
The painter, the ambassador, and the mendicants crossed the sea, and
all reached the court of Prithvirupa in Pratishthana. There they gave the
present to that king, and told him the whole transaction, as it took place,
and the message of Rupadhara. And then that painter Kumaridatta
shewed to that king his beloved Rupalata in a painting. As the king
gazed,* his eye was drowned in that sea of beauty her person, so that he
could not draw it out again. For the king, whose longing was excessive,
could not be satisfied with devouring her form, which poured f ortli a stream
of the nectar of beauty, as the partridge cannot be satisfied with devouring
the moonlight. And he said to the painter, " My friend, worthy of praise
is the Creator who made this beauty, and yourself who copied it. So I
accept the proposal of king Rupadhara ; I will go to the island of Mukti-
pura and marry his daughter." After saying this, the king honoured the
painter, the ambassador, and the hermits, and remained looking at the
picture.
And afflicted with the sorrow of absence, the king spent that day in
gardens and other places, and set out the next day on his expedition, after
ascertaining a favourable moment. And the king mounted the great
* Cp. the story of Seyf ul Mulk in the Persian Tales, and the Bahar-Danush, c.
35 (Dunlop, Vol. II, p. 208, Liebrecht's translation, p. 335) see also Dunlop's remarks
upon the Polcxandre of Gomberville. In this romance Abdelmelec, son of the emperor of
Morocco, falls in love with Alcidiana hy seeing her portrait (Vol. II, p. 276, Liebrecht's
ti.tnsl.ition, p 372.) A similar incident is found in the romance of Agosilaua of Colchos,
(Lic'brocLt's iJimlop, p. 1 J7.)
491
elephant Mangalaghata, and proceeded on his way with many horses and
elephants, with chiefs and Rajputs, and with the painter and the hermits,
together with the ambassador of Rupadhara, and in a few days he reached
the entrance of the Vindhya forest, and encamped there in the evening.
The next day, the king Prithvirupa mounted an elephant named S'atru-
mnrdana, and going on entered that forest. And as he was slowly proceeding,
he beheld his army, which was marching in front of him, suddenly fleeing.
And while he was perplexed as to what it could mean, a Rajput named
Nirbhaya, mounted on an elephant, came up and said to him, " King, a very
large army of Bhillas attacked us in front there ; in the fight that ensued
those Blu'llas slew with their arrows just fifty of our elephants, and a
thousand of our footmen, and three hundred horses; but our troops laid
low two thousand Bhillas, so that for ev ery single corpse seen in our host
two were seen in theirs. Then our forces were routed, galled with their
arrows, which resemble thunderbolts." When the king heard that, he
was angry, and advancing he slew the army of the Bhillas, as Arjuna slew
that of the Kauravas. Then the other bandits were slain by Nirbhaya and
his comrades,* and the king cut off with one crescent-headed arrow the head
of the commander of the Bhillas. The king's elephant S'atrumardana?
with the blood flowing from arrow -wounds, resembled a mountain of colly-
rium pouring forth streams coloured with cinnabar. Then his whole army,
that had been disperse d, returned, finding themselves victorious, and those
Bhillas, that had escaped slaughter, fled in all directions. And the king
Prithvirupa, having brought the fight to an end, had his might extolled by
the ambassador of Rupadhara, and being victorious, encamped in that very
forest district, on the bank of a lake, to recruit the strength of his wounded
troops.
And in the morning the king set out thence, and slowly advancing he
reached that city of Putrapura on the shore of the sea. There he rested
for a day, being entertained in becoming fashion by the king of that place,
named Udaracharita. And he crossed the sea in ships supplied by him,
and in eight clays reached the isle of Muktipura.
And the king Rupadhara, hearing of it, came to meet him delighted,
and the two kings met and embraced one another. Then the king Prithvi-
rupa entered his city with him, being, so to speak, drunk in by the eyes
of the ladies of the city. Then the queen Hemalata and the king
Rupadhara, seeing that he was a suitable husband for their daughter,
rejoiced. And that king Prithvirupa remained there, and Riipadhara
honoured him with entertainment in accordance with his own magnificence.
And the next day, the long-desiring Rupalata ascended the altar in an
* For the vidruteshu of Brockhaua's edition I read nihateshu, which I find in tlu
Sanskrit College MS.
(32
492
auspicious moment, and he with exultation received her hand in marriage.
And when they beheld one another's beauty, the expanded eye of each was
extended to the ear, as if to inform that organ that the report it had
heard before was true. When the parched grain was thrown, Rupadhara
gave jewels in such abundance to the happy couple, that men thought he
was a perfect mine of jewels. And after his daughter's marriage had taken
place, he honoured the painter and the two mendicants with dresses and
ornaments, and bestowed gifts on all the others. Then that king Prithvi-
rupa, remaining in that city with his attendants, enjoyed the best meat and
drink the isle could produce. The day was spent in singing and dancing,
and at night the eager king entered the private apartments of Rupalata, in
which jewelled couches were spread, which was adorned with jewelled pave-
ment, the circuit of which was propped on jewelled pillars, and which was
lit up with jewel-lamps. And in the morning he was woke up by the bards
and heralds reciting, and he rose up and remained as the moon in heaven.
Thus king Prithvirupa remained ten days in that island, amusing
himself with ever-fresh enjoyments furnished by his father-in-law. On the
eleventh day, the king, with the consent of the astrologers, set out with
Rupalata, after the auspicious ceremony had been performed for him. And
he was escorted by his father-in-law as far as the shore of the sea, and
accompanied by his retainers, he embarked on the ships with his wife. He
crossed the sea in eight days, and his army, that was encamped on the
shore, joined him, and the king Udaracharita came to meet him, and then
he went to Putrapura. There king Prithvirupa rested some days, and was
entertained by that king, and then he set out from that place. And he
mounted his beloved Rupalata on the elephant Jayamangala, and he him-
self mounted an elephant named Kalyiinagiri. And the king, proceeding
by continual stages, in due course reached his good city of Pratishthana,
where flags and banners were waving. Then, after beholding Riipalata,
the ladies of the city lost at once all pride in their own beauty, and gazed
on her with eyes unwinking from wonder. Then king Prithvirupa entered
his palace, making high festival, and he gave to that painter villages and
wealth, and he honoured those two hermits with wealth as they deserved,
and gave complimentary presents to the chiefs, ministers and Rajputs.
Then that king, having attained his object, enjoyed there this world's
happiness in the society of Rupalata.
After the minister Gomukha had told Naravahanadatta this tale with
the object of amusing him, he went on to say to the impatient prince, —
" Thus the resolute endure painful separation for a long time, but how is it
that you cannot endure it even for one night, 0 king ? For to-morrow
your Highness shall marry Alankaravati." When Gomukha had said this,
Marubhuti the sou of Yaugandharu) ana cauie up at that instant, and said,
493
" What stuff will you not prate, being ungalled, and never having felt the
agony of love ? A man possesses firmness and discernment and morality,
only so long as he does not come within the range of the arrows of Love.
Happy in the world are Sarasvati, Skanda, and Buddha, these three, who
have brushed off and flung away love, like a blade of grass clinging to the
skirt of the robe." When Marubhiiti said this, Naravahanadatta, perceiv-
ing that Gomukha was distressed, said in order to comfort him, — " What
Gomukha said to me was appropriate, and it was said to amuse me, for
what loving friend exults over one in the agony of separation ? One afflicted
by the pain of separation should be comforted by his friends to the best of
their ability, and the sequel should be left to the disposal of the five-arrowed
god." Talking in this style, and hearing various tales from his attendants,
Naravahanadatta somehow managed to get through that night. And when
morning came, he rose up and performed his necessary duties, and saw
Kanchanaprabha descending from heaven, accompanied by her husband
Alankarasila, and her son Dharmasila, and that Alankaravati her daughter ;
and they all descended from the chariot and came near him, and he wel-
comed them as was fitting, and they saluted him in like manner. And in
the meanwhile thousands of other Vidyadharas descended from heaven,
carrying loads of gold, jewels, and other valuables ; and after hearing of
this occurrence, the king of Vatsa came there with his ministers and his
queens, delighted at the advancement of his son. After the king of Vatsa
had performed the rites of hospitality duly, the king Alankarasila said to
him, bowing graciously, — " King, this is my daughter Alankaravati, and
when she was born, she was declared by a voice, that came from heaven, to
be destined to be the wife of this thy son Naravahanadatta, the future
emperor of all the Vidyadhara kings. So I will give her to him, for this
is a favourable moment for them ; for this reason I have come here with
all these." The king of Vatsa welcomed that speech of the Vidyadhara
sovereign's, saying, " It is a great favour that you do me." Then the ruler
of the Vidyadharas sprinkled with water, produced in the hollow of his hand
by virtue of his science, the ground of the courtyard. Immediately there was
produced there an altar of gold, covered with a heavenly cloth, and a pavilion,
not made with hands, for the preliminary ceremony, composed of various
jewels. Then the successful king Alankarasila said to Naravahanadatta —
"Kise up, the favourable moment has arrived — bathe." After he had bathed,
and had the marriage-thread put on, the king Alankarasila, being delighted,
gave him with all his heart his daughter, after bringing her to the altar in her
bridal dress. And when the grain was thrown into the fire, he and his
son gave to his daughter thousands of loads of jewels, gold, garments and
ornaments, and heavenly nymphs. And after the marriage was over, he
494
honoured them all, and then took his leave of them, and with his wife and
son departed, as he came, through the air. Then the king of Vatsa, seeing
his son destined to advancement, being honoured by the bending kings of
the Vidyadharas, was delighted, and prolonged that feast to a great length.
And Naravabanadatta, having obtained Alankaravati, charming on account
of her good conduct, and of noble virtues, like a skilful poet who has
obtained a style, charming on account of its excellent metre, and of splendid
merits, remained delighted with her.*
CHAPTER LIL
Then Naravahanadatta, the son of the king of Vatsa, being united to
Alankaravati his new wife, remained in the house of his father, pleased
with the heavenly dancing and singing of her maids, and enjoying banquets
with his ministers.
And one day his mother-in-law Kanchanaprabha, the mother of
Alankaravati, came to him and said, after he had hospitably entertained
her — " Come to our palace, behold that city of Sundarapura, and take
your delight in its gardens with Alankaravati." When he heard this, he
consented, and he informed his father, and by his advice took Vasantaka
with him, and with his wife and his minister, he ascended a splendid chariot
created by his mother-in-law by her science, and set out through the air,
and while in the chariot, he looked down from heaven, and beheld the earth
of the size of a mound, and the seas small as ditches, and in due course he
reached the Himalayas with his mother-in-law, wife, and attendants, and it
resounded with the songs of the Kinnaris, and was adorned with the com-
panies of heavenly nymphs. There he saw a great many wonderful sights,
and then he reached the city of Sundarapura. It was adorned with many
palaces of gold and jewels, and, thus, though it was on the Himalayas, it
made the beholder suppose that he was looking on the peaks of mount
Meru.f And he descended from the heaven, and getting out of the car-
* An elaborate pun. RasiJca also means " full of (poetical) flavour."
t Dim traditions of this mountain scorn to have penetrated to Greece and Eome.
Aristophanes (Acharnians v. 82) speaks of the king of Persia as engaged for 8 months
M xpvtruv op&v. Clark tells us that Bergler quotes Plautus, Stichus 24, Neque ille
mereat Persarum sibi montes qui csso perhibentur aurei. (Philological Journal, VIII.
p. 192.) See also Tor. Phormio I, 2, 18, Pers. Ill, 65. Naravahanadatta's journey
through the air may remind the reader of the air- voyage of Alexander in the Pseudo-
Callisthenos, II, 41. He sees a serpent below him, and a £\ws in the middle of it.
A divine being, whom he meets, tolls him, that these objects are the earth and the sea.
495
riage entered that city, which, as it were, danced with the waving silk of its
banners, in its joy at having once more a king. And he entered that
palace, with the auspicious ceremony performed for him by his mother-in-
la\v, accompanied by Alankaravati, and with his favourites and Vasantaka.
There the fortunate prince spent the day in his father-in-law's palace, in
enjoyments which were provided for him by the power of his mother-in-law.
And on the next day his mother-in-law Kanchanaprabha said to him ; " There
is in this city an image of the holy self-existent husband of Uma.* He, if
visited and worshipped, gives enjoyment and even salvation. Around it the
father of Alankaravati made a great garden, and brought down to it a holy
water, rightly named the Ganges-pool : go there to-day to worship the god
and to amuse yourselves." When his mother-in-law said this to him, Nara-
vahanadatta, accompanied by his wife Alankaravati, and followed by his
attendants, went to that garden of S'iva. It looked lovely with its golden-
trunked trees, which were charming with their branches of jewels, the clear
white flowers of which were clusters of pearls, and the shoots of which were
coral. f There he bathed in the Ganges-pool and worshipped S'iva, and
wandered round the tanks that were adorned with ladders of jewels and lotuses
of gold. And, accompanied by his attendants, he amused himself with
Alankaravati on their charming banks, and iu bowers of the wish-granting
creeper. And in those he delighted his soul with heavenly banquets and
concerts, and amusing jokes caused by the simplicity of Marubhuti. And so
Naravahanadatta dwelt a month there, amusing himself in gardens, thanks
to the resources of his rnother-in-law. Then that Kanchanaprabha bestow-
ed on him, his wife, and his ministers, garments and ornaments fit for gods,
and with his mother-in-law and his attendants, he returned in that same
chariot to Kausambi, accompanied by his wife, and he gladdened the eyes
of his parents.
There Alankaravati was thus addressed by her mother in the presence
of the king of Vatsa ; " You must never by jealous anger make your
husband unhappy, for the fruit of that fault, my daughter, is separation
that causes great affliction. Because I was jealous in old time and afflicted
my husband, I am now consumed with remorse, as he has gone to the forest."
After saying this, she embraced her daughter with eyes blinded with tears,
and Hying up into the air went to her own city.
Then, that day having come to an end, the next morning Naravaliana-
datta, having performed the appropriate duties, was sitting with his
ministers, when a woman rushed into the presence of Alankaravati and
said — " Queen, I am a woman in the utmost terror, protect me, protect me !
For there is a Brahman come to slay me, and he is standing outside ;
through fear of him I have fled and come in here to implore protection."
* /. e. S'iva. f See note on page 488.
496
The queen said, " Do not fear. Tell your tale. Who is he ? Why does
he wish to slay you ?" When thus questioned, the woman began to say : —
,. . , 7 ,, , My sovereign. I am the daughter
Story of Asokamala. J ...
of a Kshatnya in this city, named
Balasena, and my name is Asokamala. When I was a virgin, I was
demanded from my father by a rich Brahman named Hathasarman, who
was captivated by my beauty. And I said to my father ; "I do not like
this ugly grim-visaged man for a husband ; if you give me to him, I will
not remain in his house." Though Hathasarman heard that, he sat in
dliarna at the door of my father's house, until he gave me to him, being
afraid of causing the death of a Brahman. Then the Brahman married
me and carried me off reluctant, and I deserted him, and fled to another man,
the son of a Kshatriya. But that Hathasarman managed to crush him
by the power of his wealth, and then I went to another Kshatriya, who
was well off. Then this Brahman went at night and set his house on fire.
Then he abandoned me, and I went to a third Kshatriya, and this Brahman
burnt his house also at night. Then I was abandoned by him also, and
I became a fugitive, flying in terror, as the sheep flies from the jackal,
from that Hathasarman, who wishes to slay me, and follows me step by step.
In this very city I entered the service of the mighty Virasarman your
servant, a Rajput who protects the helpless. When the wicked Hatha-
sarman found that out, he was miserable at having no hope of recovering
me, and being afflicted with separation, he was reduced to skin and bone. But
the Rajput Virasarman, when disposed to imprison him for my protection,
was prevented by me, O queen. To-day it chanced that I went outside
the house, and Hathasarman, seeing me, drew his sword and rushed on me
to kill me, but I thereupon fled here, and the female warder, melted with
compassion, opened the door and let me enter, but he, I know, is waiting
for me outside.
When she said this, the king had the Brahman Hathasarman sum-
moned into his presence ; he looked at ASokainahi with an eye inflamed
with anger, his form was distorted, he held a sword in his hand, and the
joints of his limbs trembled with rage. The king said to him, " Wicked
Brahman, do you try to kill a woman, and for her sake set on fire your
neighbours' houses? Why are you so wicked?" When the Brahman
heard that, he said, " She is my lawful wife. She has left my protection
and gone elsewhere, how could I endure that?" When he said this,
Asokamala, in distress, exclaimed, " 0 guardians of the world, tell me this ;
did he not in your presence marry me and carry me off by force against
my own will? And did I not say at the time, ' J will not dwell in his
house?'" When she said this, a heavenly voice said, "The statement
of Asokamuhi is true. But she is not a woman : hear the truth about her.
497
There is a heroic king of the Vidyadharas named As"okakara. He had no
sons, and once on a time it happened that a daughter was born to him, and
she grew up in the house of her father, under the name of As*okamala.
And when she arrived at an adult age, and he, desiring to perpetuate his
race, offered her in marriage, she would not take any husband, through
exceeding pride in her own beauty. For that reason her father, vexed with
her obstinacy, denounced this curse on her ; ' Become a mortal, and in that
state thou shalt have the same name. And an ugly Brahman shall marry
thee by force ; thou shalt abandon him, and in thy fear resort to three
husbands in succession. Even then he shall persecute thee, and thou
shalt take refuge with a mighty Kshatriya as his slave, but even then the
Brahman shall not desist from persecuting thee. And he shall see thee,
and run after thee, with the object of killing thee, but thou shalt escape,
and entering the king's palace, shalt be delivered from this curse.'
Accordingly that very Vidyadhari, Asokamala, who was in old time
cursed by her father, has now been born as a woman under the same
name. And this appointed end of her curse has now arrived. She shall
now repair to her Vidyadhara home, and enter her own body which is there.
There she, remembering her curse, shall live happily with a Vidyadhara
prince, named Abhiruchita, who shall become her husband." When the
heavenly voice had said this, it ceased, and immediately that Asokanuila
fell dead on the ground. But the king and Alankaravati, when they saw
that, had their eyes suffused with tears, and so had their courtiers. But in
Hathasarman grief overpowered anger, and he wept, blinded with passion.
Then his eyes suddenly became expanded with joy. All of them thereupon
said to him, — " What does this mean ?" Then that Brahman said, " I
remember my former birth, and I will give an account of it, listen."
On the Himalayas there is a
Story of Sthulabhttja. -
splendid city, named Madanapura ;
in it dwelt a Vidyadhara prince, named Pralambabhuja. He had born to
him, my lord, a son named Sthiilabhuja, and he in course of time became a
handsome prince in the flower of youth. Then a king of the Vidyadharas
named Surabhivatsa, came with his daughter to the palace of that king
Pralambabhuja, and said to him : " I give this daughter of mine, called
Surabhidatta, to your son Sthiilabhuja ; let the accomplished youth marry
her now." When Pralambabhuja heard this, he approved it, and summon-
ing his son, he communicated the matter to him. Then his son Sthula-
bhuja, out of pride in his beauty, said to him, " I will not marry her, my
father, for she is not a first-class beauty." His father thereupon said to
him, " What does her plainness matter ? For she is of high lineage and
must be honoured on that account, and her father offered her to me for
you, and I have accepted her, so do not refuse." Although Sthulabhuja
498
was thus entreated a second time by his father, he would not consent to
marry her. Then his father, in his anger, denounced against him the follow-
ing curse — " On account of this your pride in your good looks, be born as a
man, and in that state you shall be ugly and with a large mouth. And
you shall acquire by force a wife named Asokamala, also fallen by a curse,
and she, not liking you, shall leave you, and you shall experience the grief
of separation. And as she shall be attached to another, you shall commit
for her sake arson and other crimes, being maddened with passion and
emaciated with grief." When Pralarnbabhuja had uttered this curse, that
virtuous Surabhidatta clung to his feet, weeping, and entreated him,
«c Pronounce a curse on me also, let our lot be the same, let not my husband
alone suffer calamity owing to my fault." When she said this, Pralamba-
bhuja was pleased, and, in order to comfort that virtuous woman, he ap-
pointed for her this end to his son's curse : " Whenever Asokamala shall be
released from her curse, then he shall remember his birth and be released
from this curse, and he shall regain his own body, and remembering his
curse, he shall be free from pride, and soon marry you ; then he shall live
with you in happiness." When the virtuous woman was thus addressed
by him, she managed to recover her self-composure.
" Know that I am that very Sthulabhuja, fallen here by a curse,
and I have experienced this great grief owing to the fault of pride. How
can proud men have happiness in a previous or in a present state of exist-
ence ? And that curse of mine is now at an end." After saving this,
Hathasarman abandoned that body, and became a Vidyadhara youth. And
he took by the might of his science the body of Asokamala, and flung it,
without its being seen, into the Ganges, out of compassion. And he
sprinkled immediately the chamber of Alankaravati all round with water
of the Ganges, brought by the might of his science, and after bending
before Naravahanadatta, his future lord, he flew up into the heaven to his
destined prosperity.
All being astonished, Gomukha told this story of Anangarati, which
was appropriate to the incident —
Story of Anangarati and her four There is on the earth a city,
suitors. rightly named S'urapura,* and in it
there lived a king named Mahavaraha, the destroyer of his foes. That
king had a daughter named Anangarati, born to him by his wife Padmarati,
owing to his having propitiated Gauri, and he had no other children. And
in course of time she attained womanhood, and proud of her beauty, she did
not wish to have any husband, though kings asked her in marriage. But
she said decidedly ; " I must be given to a man who is brave and handsome,
and knows some one splendid accomplishment.
* i. e. city of heroes. See Cunningham's Ancient Geography of India, p. 99.
499
Then there came from the Dekhan four heroes, who, having heard
tidings of her, were eager to obtain her, and they were furnished with the
qualities which she desired. They were announced by the warder and
introduced, and then king Mahavaraha asked them in the presence of
Anangarati ; " What are your names ? what is your descent, and what do
you know ?" When they heard this speech of the king's, one of them
said — " I am Panchaphuttika by name, a S'udra ; I possess a peculiar
talent ; I weave every day five pairs of garments, one of them I give to a
Brahman, and the second I offer to S'iva, and the third I wear myself, and
as for the fourth, if I had a wife, I would give it to her, and the fifth I
sell, and live upon the proceeds." Then the second said, " I atn a Vaisya
named Bhashajna ; I know the language of all beasts and birds.*
Then the third said, " I am a Kshatriya named Khadgadhara, and no
one surpasses me in fighting with the sword." And the fourth said, " I
am an excellent Brahman named Jivadatta : by means of the sciences
which I possess by the favour of Gauri, I can raise to life a dead woman. "f
When they had thus spoken, the S'udra, the Vaisya, and the Kshatriya
one after another praised their own beauty, courage and might, but the
Bnihman praised his might and valour, and said nothing about his
beauty.
Then king Mahavaraha said to his door-keeper — " Take all these now
and make them rest in your house." The door-keeper, when he heard the
order, took them to his house. Then the king said to his daughter Ananga-
rati, " My daughter, which of these four heroes do you prefer ?" When
* Cp. the properties of the magic ring given to Canace in the Squire's tale, and
Grimm's story of " Die drei Sprachen," (No. 33, Kindermarchen) . See also Tylor's
Primitive Culture, Vol. I, pp. 18, 423. In the Edda, Sigurd learns to understand the
language of birds by tasting the blood of Fufner. For other parallels see Liebrecht'3
Dunlop, p. 184, and note 248.
t Cp. the 77th chapter of this work, the second in the Vetala Panchavinsati, and
Ralston's exhaustive note, in his Russian Folk-tales, pp. 231, 232, 233. Cp. also Bern-
hard Schmidt's Griechische Marchen, p. 114, and Bartsch's Sagen, Marchen, und Gebrau-
cheaus Meklenburg, Vol. I, p. 486. The Pseudo-Callisthenes (Book II, c. 40) mentions
a fountain that restored to life a salt fish, and made one of Alexander's daughters
immortal. This is perhaps the passage that was in Dunlop's mind, when he said (page
129 of Liebrecht's translation) that such a fountain is described in the Greek romance
of Ismenias and Ismene, for which Liebrecht takes him to task. See the parallels
quoted by Dunlop and Liebrecht. Wheeler, in his Noted Names of Fiction, tells us
that there was a tradition current among the natives of Puerto Rico, that such a
fountain existed in the fabulous island of Bimini, said to belong to the Bahama group.
This was an object of eager and long-continued quest to the celehratvd Spanish navi-
gator, Juan Ponce de Leon. By Ismonias and Ismene Duiilop probably means
Hysuiinias and Hysuiine. See also Birliuger, A us Skhwabcn, i>. lb<3.
03
500
Anangarati heard that, she said to her father ; " Father, I do not like
any one of the four ; the first is a S'udra and a weaver, what is the use of
his good (jualities ? The second is a Vaisya, and what is the use of his
knowing the language of cattle, and so on ? How can I give myself to
them, when I am a Kshatriya woman ? The third indeed is a meritorious
Kshatriya, equal to me in birth, but he is a poor man and lives by service,
selling his life. As I am the daughter of a king, how can I become his
wife ? The fourth, the Brahman Jivadatta, I do not like ; he is ugly and
is addicted to unlawful arts, and, as he has deserted the Vedas, he has
fallen from his high position. You ought to punish him, why do you
offer to give me to him ? For you, my father, being a king, are the
upholder of the castes and the various stages of life. And a king, who
is a hero in upholding religion, is preferred to a king, who is only a hero
with the sword. A hero in religion will be the lord of a thousand heroes
with the sword." When his daughter had said this, the king dismissed her
to her own private apartments, and rose up to bathe and perform his other
duties.
And the next day, the four heroes went out from the house of the
door-keeper, and roamed about in the town out of curiosity. And at that
very time a vicious elephant, named Padmakabala, broke his fastening, and
in his fury rushed out from the elephant-stable, trampling down the citizens.
And that great elephant, when he saw the four heroes, rushed towards them
to slay them, and they too advanced towards him with uplifted weapons.
Then the one Kshatriya among them, named Khadgadhara, putting aside
the other three, alone attacked that elephant. And he cut off with one
blow the protended trunk of that roaring elephant, with as much e;ise as
if it had been a lotus-stalk. And after showing his agility by escaping
between his feet, he delivered a second blow on the back of that elephant.
And with the third he cut off both his feet. Then that elephant gave a
groan and fell down and died. All the people were astonished when they
beheld that valour of his, and king Mahavaraha was also amazed when
he heard of it.
The next day, the king went out to hunt, mounted on an elephant, and
the four heroes, with Khadgadhara at their head, accompanied him. There
the king with his army slew tigers, deer, and boars, and the lions rushed
out upon him in anger, hearing the trumpeting of the elephants. Then
that Khadgadhara cleft in twain, with one blow of his sharp sword, the
first lion that attacked them, and the second he seized with his left hand
by the foot, and dashing it on the earth, deprived it of life. And in the
same way Bhashajna, and Jivadatta, and Panchaphuttika, each dashed a
'•HTm to pieces on the earth. Thus in turn those heroes killed on foot
many tigers, and lions, and other animals, with ease, before the eyes of the
501
king. Then that king, being pleased and astonished, after he had finished
his hunting, entered his city, and those heroes went to the house of the
door-keeper. And the king entered the harem, and though tired, had his
daughter Anangarati quickly summoned. And after descrihing the valour
of those heroes, one by one, as he had seen it in the chase, he said to her
who was much astonished — " Even if Panchaphuttika and Bhashajna are
of inferior caste, and Jivadatta, though a Brahman, is ugly and addicted to
forbidden practices, what fault is there in the Kshatriya Khadgadhara,
who is handsome, and of noble stature, and is distinguished for strength and
valour ; who slew such an elephant, and who takes lions by the foot and
crushes them on the ground, and slays others with the sword ? And if it is
made a ground of reproach against him that he is poor and a servant, I will
immediately make him a lord to be served by others : so choose him for a
husband, if you please, my daughter." When Anangarati heard this from
her father, she said to him — " Well then, bring all those meu here, and ask
the astrologer, and let us see what he says." When she said this to him,
the king summoned those heroes, and in their presence he, accompanied by
his wives, said to the astrologer with his own mouth : " Find out with
which of these Anangarati has conformity of horoscope, and when a
favourable moment will arrive for her marriage." When the skilful astro-
loger heard that, he asked the stars under which they were born, and after
long considering the time, he said to that king — " If you will not be angry
with me, king, I will tell you plainly. Your daughter has no conformity
of lot with any one of them. And she will not be married on earth, for
she is a Vidyadhari fallen by a curse ; that curse of hers will be at an end
in three mouths. So let these wait here three months, and if she is not
gone to her own world then, the marriage shall take place." All those
heroes accepted the advice of that astrologer, and remained there for three
months.
When three months had passed, the king summoned into his presence
those heroes, and that astrologer, and Anangarati. And the king, when he
saw that his daughter had suddenly become exceedingly beautiful, rejoiced,
but the astrologer thought that the hour of her death had arrived. And
while the king was saying to the astrologer — " Now tell me what it is
proper to do, for those three months are gone," Anangarati called to mind
her former birth, and covering her face with her garment, .she abandoned
that human body. The king thought — " Why has she put herself in this
position ?" But when he himself uncovered her face, he saw that she was
dead, like a frost-smitten lotus-plant, for her eyes like bees had ceased to
revolve, the lotus-flower of her face was pale, and the sweet sound of her
voice had ceased, even as the sound of the swans departs. Then tho king
suddenly fell to earth motionless, smitten by the thunderbolt of grief tor
502
her, crushed by the extinction of his race.* And the queen Padmarati
also fell down to the earth in a swoon, and with her ornaments fallen from
her like flowers, appeared like a cluster of hlossoms broken by an elephant.
The attendants raised cries of lamentation, and those heroes were full
of grief, but the king, immediately recovering consciousness, said to that
Jivadatta, " In this matter those others have no power, but now it is your
opportunity ; you boasted that you could raise to life a dead woman ; if
you possess power by means of science, then recall my daughter to life ;
I will give her, when restored to life, to you as being a Brahman." When
Jivadatta heard this speech of the king's, he sprinkled that princess with
Avater, over which charms had been said, and chanted this Arya verse :
" O thou of the loud laugh, adorned with a garland of skulls, not to be
gazed on, Chamunda, the terrible goddess, assist me quickly." When, in
spite of this effort of Jivadatta' s, that maiden was not restored to life, he
was despondent, and said — " My science, though bestowed by the goddess
that dwells in the Vindhya range, has proved fruitless, so what is the use
to me of my life that has become an object of scorn ? " When he had said
this, he was preparing to cut off his head with a great sword, when a voice
came from the sky — " 0 Jivadatta, do not act rashly, listen now. This
noble Vidhyadhara maiden, named Anangaprabha, has been for so long a
time a mortal owing to the curse of her parents. She has now quitted this
human body, and has gone to her own world, and taken her own body. So
go and propitiate again the goddess that dwells in the Vindhya hills, and by
her favour you shall recover this noble Vidyadhara maiden. But as she is
enjoying heavenly bliss, neither you nor the king ought to mourn for her."
When the heavenly voice had told this true tale, it ceased. Then the king
performed his daughter's rites, and he and his wife ceased to mourn for her,
and those other three heroes returned as they had come.
But hope was kindled in the breast of Jivadatta, and he went and
propitiated with austerities the dweller in the Vindhya hills, and she said
to him in a dream :
" I am satisfied with thee, so rise up and listen to this that I am about
to tell thee."
Story of Anangaraii in a former birth There is a city on the Himalayas
wh n she was a Vidyddhari named Aitanga- named Virapura ; and in it there dwells
a sovereign of Vidyadharas named
Samara. He had a daughter, named Anangaprabha, born to him by his
queen Anangavati. When, in the pride of her youth and beauty, she refused
to have any husband, her parents, enraged at her persistence, cursed her —
* Here there is an elaborate pun. " King" may also mean " mountain," " race"
mny mean " wings," and the whole passage refers to ludra's clipping the wings of tho
mountains.
503
" Become a human being, and even in that state you shall not enjoy the
happiness of married life. When you are a maiden of sixteen years, you shall
abandon the body and come here. But an ugly mortal, who has become such
by a curse, on account of his falling in love with the daughter of a hermit,
and who possesses a magic sword, shall then become your husband, and he shall
carry you off against your will to the world of mortals. There you, being
unchaste, shall be separated from your husband. Because that husband in a
former life carried off the wives of eight other men, he shall endure sorrow
enough for eight births. And you, having become a mortal by the loss of
your supernatural science, shall endure in that one birth the sufferings of
eight births.* For to every one the association with the evil gives an evil
lot, but to women the union with an evil husband is equivalent to evil.
And having lost your memory of the past, you shall there take many
mortal husbands, because you obstinately persisted in detesting the husband
fitted for you. That Vidyadhara Madanaprabha, who, being equal in birth,
demanded you in marriage, shall become a mortal king and at last become
your husband. Then you shall be freed from your curse, and return to
your own world, and you shall obtain that suitable match, who shall have
returned to his Vidyadhara state." So that maiden Anangaprabha has become
Anangarati on the earth, and returning to her parents, has once more
become Anangaprabha.
" So go to Virapura and conquer in fight her father, though he is pos-
sessed of knowledge and protected by his high birth, and obtain that
maiden. Now take this sword, and as long as you hold it in your hand, you
will be able to travel through the air, and moreover you will be invincible."
Having said this, and having given the sword to him, the goddess vanished,
and he woke up, and beheld in Ids hand a heavenly sword. Then Jivadatta
rose up delighted and praised Durga, and all the exhaustion produced by
* Compare the remarkable passage which M. L^veque quotes from the works of
Empcdocles (Les Mythes etles Legendea do 1' Inde, p. 90).
"Ecrriv avdyKfis xp5?Mai 9*<*>v ^I'^fffJia. ira\atov,
alSiov, Tr\a.T(fffffi Ka.T«r<ppr)yi(Tfi.fi'oi' op/coiy,
e5re rts a.fj.Tr\aKir)<n <povcp </>iAa 71)10 fjirrjVTi
aipaffiv i) eiriopKov o/uapTTjo-oJ &ro/uo<rcrj7
SalfJLUi', o" Tf (naKpaiiavos AeAo^aaJ /Ji'oio,
rpls fjuv /j-vpias tapas airo fj.aKapuv a.\d\-r]ffdai,
<f>v6(j.ei'ui' irai'Toia 8i& xp6i>ov ftSfa Bv^riav,
apya.\tas Ptdroto /ji(Ta\\affffovTa. K(\fv9ovs.
I have adopted the readings of Uitter aiid Preller, in their Historia Philosophic,
in preference to those of M. Leveque. It is clear that Einpedocles supposed himself
to be a Vidyadhara fallen from heaven in consequence of a curse. As I observe^
in an article in the Calcutta Review of 1875, "The Bhagavad Gita and Christianity,"
his personality is decidedly Indian.
504
his penance was removed by the refreshment caused by the nectar of her
favour. And he flew up into the air with his sword in his hand, and after
roaming all round the Himalayas, he found that prince of the Vidyadharas
Samara in Virapura. He conquered him in fight, and then the king gave
him his daughter Anangaprabha, and he married her, and lived in heavenly
felicity. And after he had remained there some time, he said to his father-
in-law Samara and to his beloved Anangaprabha, " Let us two go to the world
of men, for I feel a longing for it, for one's native land is exceedingly dear
to living beings, even though it may be an inferior place."* When the
father-in-law heard that, he consented, but the far-seeing Anangaprabha was
with difficulty induced to consent ; then Jivadatta descended from heaven to
the world of mortals, taking that Anangaprabha in his arms. And Ananga-
prabha, beholding there a pleasant mountain, being wearied, said to him —
" Let us immediately rest here." Then he consented, and descending there
with her, he produced food and drink by the power of the various sciences."
Then Jivadatta, being impelled by fate, said to Anangaprabha — " Dear
one, sing some sweet song." When she heard that, she began to sing
devoutly the praise of S'iva, and with that sound of her singing the
Brahman was sent to sleep.
In the meanwhile a king, named Harivara, wearied out with hunting,
came that way in search of spring-water ; he was attracted by hearing the
sound of that singing, as deer are attracted, and, leaving his chariot, he
went there alone. The king first had happiness announced by omens, and
then he beheld that Anangaprabha like the real brightness of the god of
love. Then, as his heart was distracted with her song and her beauty,
the god of love cleft it at will with his arrows. Anangaprabha too,
seeing that he was handsome, came within the range of the god of the
flowery bow, and said to herself — " Who is this ? is he the god of love,
without his flowery bow ? Is he the incarnation of the favour of S'iva
towards me, he being pleased with my song ?" Then maddened witli love,
she asked him — " Who are you, and how have you come to this forest, tell
me." Then the king told her who he was, and why he had come ; then he
said to her, " Tell me, who are you, fair one ? And who is this, O lotus-
faced one, who is sleeping here ?" When he asked these questions, she
answered him briefly : " I am a Vidyadhari, and this is my husband, who
possesses a magic sword, and now I have fallen in love with you at first
sight. So come, let us quickly go to your city, before he awakes ; then
I will tell my story at length." When the king heard that, he agreed, and
felt as much delighted us if he had obtained the sovereignty of the three
worlds. And Anangaprabha, hurriedly thought in her heart, " 1 will take
this king in my arms, and quickly fly up to the heaven," but in the mcau-
* Cp. Odyssey JX. 27, 28.
505
while her knowledge was stripped from her by her treachery to her husband ;
and remembering her father's curse, she became at once despondent. When
the king saw that, he asked the cause, and then said to her — " This is not
the time for despondency ; your husband here may awake. And you
ought not to lament, my beloved, over this matter which depends on destiny.
For who can escape from the shadow of his own head, or the course of
destiny ? So come, let us depart." When the king Harivara said this, she
consented to his proposal, and he took her quickly up in his arms. Then
he went off quiekly thence, as delighted as if he had obtained a treasure,
and ascended his chariot, welcomed with joy by his servants. And he
reached his city in that chariot, which travelled swift as thought, accom-
panied by his beloved, and he aroused curiosity in his subjects. Then king
Harivara remained in heavenly enjoyments in that city, which was named
after him, in the society of that Anangaprabha. And Anangaprabha
remained there devotedly attached to him, forgetting all her supernatural
power, bewildered by the curse.
In the meanwhile Jivadatta woke up on the mountain, and saw that
not only Anangaprabha was gone, but his sword also. He thought " Where
is that Anangaprabha ? Alas ! Where is that sword ? Has she gone off
with it ? Or were they both carried off by some being ?" In his perplexity,
he made many surmises of this sort, and he searched that mountain for
three days, being consumed with the fire of love. Then he came down, and
wandered through the foiests for ten days, but did not find a trace of her
anywhere. He kept crying out — " Alas spiteful fortune, how did you
carry off, together with the magic power of the sword, my beloved Ananga-
prabha, both which you granted with difficulty ?" Thus employed he
wandered about without food, and at last reached a village, and there he
entered the opulent mansion of a Brahman. There the handsome and
well-dressed mistress of the house, Priyadatta by name, made him sit
down on a seat, and immediately gave this order to her maids — " Wash
quickly the feet of this Jivadatta, for to-day is the thirteenth day that he
has gone without food on account of his separation." When Jivadatta
heard that, he was astonished, and reflected in his own mind — " Can Ananga-
prabha have come here, or is this woman a witch ?" Thus he reflected,
and after his feet were washed, and he had eaten the food that she gave,
he humbly asked Priyadatta in his great grief — " Tell me one thing : how
do you know my history, blameless one ? And tell me another thing, where
are my sword and my beloved gone ?" When the devoted wife Priya-
datta heard that, she said — " No one but my husband has any place in my
heart even in a dream, my son, and I look on all other men as brothers,
and no guest leaves my house without entertainment ; by virtue of that
I know the past, the present and the future. And that Anangaprabha
506
of yours has been carried off by a king named Harivara, living in a town
named after him, who, as destiny would have it, came that way, while you
were asleep, attracted by her song. And you cannot recover her, for that
king is very powerful ; moreover that unchaste woman will in turn leave him
and go to another man. And the goddess Durga gave you that sword only
that you might obtain that lady ; having accomplished that, the weapon, in
virtue of its divine nature, has returned to the goddess, as the lady has
been carried off. Moreover, how have you forgotten what the goddess was
pleased to tell you, when she told the story of the curse of Anangaprablui ?
So why are you so distracted about an event, which was destined to take
place ? Abandon this chain of sins, which again and again produces
extreme sorrow. And of what profit can be to you now, my brother, that
wicked female, who is attached to another, and who has become a mortal,
having lost her science by her treachery against you ?" When that virtu-
ous woman said this to Jivadatta, he abandoned all passion for Auanga-
prabha, being disgusted with her fickleness, and thus answered the Brahman
lady — " Mother, my delusion has been brought to an end by this true
speech of thine ; whom does not association with persons of virtuous
conduct benefit ? This misfortune has befallen me in consequence of my
former crimes, so I will abandon jealousy, and go to holy places to wash them
out. What can I gain by taking up an enmity witli others on account of
Anangaprabha ? For one, who has conquered anger, conquers this whole
world." While he was saying this, the righteous husband of Priyadatta, who
was hospitable to guests,' returned to the house. The husband also wel-
comed him, and made him forget his grief, and then he rested, and taking
leave of them both, started on his pilgrimage to holy places.
Then, in course of time, he roamed round to all the holy bathing-
places on the earth, enduring many toils in difficult ways, living on roots
and fruits. And after visiting holy bathing-places, he went to the
shrine of the dweller in the Vindhya hills ; there he went through a
severe penance, without food, on a bed of Jcusa grass. And Auibika,
satisfied with his asceticism, said to him, appearing to him in bodily form —
" Jiise up, my son, for you four are four ganas of mine. Three are Pancha-
mula, Chaturvaktra, and Mahodararnukha, and thou art the fourth, last
in order, and thy name is Vikatavadana. You four once wont to the sand
of the Ganges to amuse yourselves, and saw there a hermit's daughter
bathing. She was called Chapalekha, the daughter of Kapilajata. And
she was solicited by all of you, distracted with love. When she said
' I am a maiden, go away all of you,' the three others remained quiet, but
thou didst forcibly seize her by the arm. And she cried out — ' Father, Father,
deliver me.' Then the hermit, who was near, came up in wrath. Then
thou didst let go her arm ; then ho immediately cursed you, saying — Wicked
507
ones, be born, all of you, as human beings.' Then you asked the hermit
that the curse might end, and he said — ' When the princess Anangarati
shall be demanded in marriage by you, and shall go to the Vidyadhara
world, then three of you shall be released from your curse. But when she
has become a Vidyadhari, then thou, Vikatavadana, shalt gain her, and lose
her again, and then thou shalt suffer great sorrow. But after propitiating
the goddess Durga for a long time, thou shalt be released from this curse.
This will happen to thee, because thou didst touch the hand of this Chapa-
lekha, and also because thou hast much guilt attaching to thee, on account
of having carried off the wives of others.' You four ganas of mine, whom
that hermit thus cursed, became four heroes in the Dekhan, Panchaphuttika,
and Bhashajna, and Khadgadhara, these three friends, and you the fourth
Jivadatta. Now the first three, when Anangarati returned to her own
place, came here, and by my favour were freed from their curse. And thou
hast propitiated me now, therefore thy curse is at an end. So take this
fiery meditation, and abandon this body ; and consume at once the guilt,
which it would take eight births to exhaust." When the goddess Durga
had said this, she gave him the meditation, and disappeared. And with that
meditation he burned up his wicked mortal body, and at last was freed
from the curse, and became once more an excellent gana. When even gods
have to endure so much suffering by associating with the wives of others,
what must be the result of it to inferior beings ?
In the meanwhile Anangaprabha became head-queen in Harivara, the
city of the king Harivara. And the king remained day and night with
his mind fixed on her, and entrusted the great burden of his kingdom to
his minister named Sumantra. And once on a time there came to that
king from Madhyadesa,* a fresh teacher of dancing, named Labdhavara.
The king, having seen his skill in music and dancing, honoured him, and
made him the instructor in dancing of the ladies of the harem. He
brought Anangaprabha to such excellence in dancing, that she was an
object of admiration even to her rival wives. And from associating with
the professor of dancing, and from the delight she took in his teaching,
she fell in love with him. And the professor of dancing, attracted by her
youth and beauty, gradually learnt a new strangef dance, thanks to the god
of Love. And once she approached the professor of dancing secretly in
the dancing-hall, and being desperately in love with him, said to him —
" I shall not be able to live for a moment without you, and the king
Harivara, when he hears of it, will not tolerate it, so come, let us depart
elsewhere, where the king will not find us out. You have wealth in. the
* Comprising the modern provinces of Allahabad, Agra, Delhi and Oude.
f For anrityata I should like to read anartyata.
64
508
form of gold, horses, and camels, given by the king, pleased with your
dancing, and I have ornaments. So let us quickly go and dwell where we
shall be secure." The professor of dancing was pleased with her proposal,
and consented to this. Then she put on the dress of a man, and went to
the house of the professor of dancing, accompanied by one female servant,
who was exceedingly devoted to her. Thence she started on horseback,
with that teacher of dancing, who placed his wealth on the back of a
camel. First she abandoned the splendour of the Vidyadharas, then of a
throne, and now she put herself under the shelter of a bard's fortune ;
alas ! fickle is the mind of women ! And so Anangaprabha went with the
teacher of dancing, and reached a distant city named Viyogapura. There
she dwelt in happiness with him, and the distinguished dancer thought that
by obtaining her his name of Labdhavara* had been justified.
And in the meanwhile king Harivara, finding out that his beloved
Anangaprabha had gone somewhere or other, was ready to abandon the body
out of grief. Then the minister Sumantra said to the king to comfort him,
" AVhy do you appear as if you do not understand the matter ? Consider it
yourself ? How, my sovereign, could you expect that a woman, who
deserted a husband, that had by means of his sword obtained the power of
a Vidyadhara, and repaired to you as soon as she saw you, would be faithful
even to you ? She has gone off with something that she has managed to
get, having no desire for anything good, as one to whom a blade of grass
is a sprout of jewels, falling in love at sight with a blade of grass. Cer-
tainly the teacher of dancing has gone off with her, for he is nowhere to
be seen. And I hear that they both were in the concert-hall in the morning.
So tell me, king ; why are you so persistent about her, though you know
all this ? The truth is, a fickle dame is like a sunset, momentarily aglow
for every one." When the minister said this to him, the king fell into a
musing, and thought — " Yes, that wise man has told me the truth. For
a fickle dame is like human life ; connexion with her is unstable, she
changes every moment, and is terrible, bringing disgust at the end. The
wise man never falls into the power of deep rivers or of women, both which
drown him who falls into their power, while they exhibit wanton sportf ulness.
Those men are truly masters of themselves, who are free from excitement
about pleasures, who are not puffed up in prosperity, and who are unshrink-
ing in dangers ; such men have conquered the world." After saying this,
king Harivara abandoned his grief by the advice of his minister, and
remained satisfied with the society of his own wives.
And after^ Anangaprabha had dwelt some time with the teacher of
dancing, in the city named Viyogapura, he, as fate would have it, struck up
an acquaintance with a young gambler named Sudarsana j then the gambler,
• f. «., one who baa obtained a prize.
509
before the eyes of Anangaprabha, soon stripped the teacher of danoing of
all his wealth. Then Anangaprabha deserted her husband, who was
stripped of all his fortune, as if in anger on that account, and threw
herself into the arms of Sudarsana. Then the teacher of dancing, having
lost his wife and his wealth, having no refuge, in disgust with the world,
matted his hair in a knot, and went to the banks of the Ganges to practise
mortification of the flesh. But Anangaprabha, who was ever taking new
paramours, remained with that gambler. But one night, her lord Sudarsana
was robbed of all that he had by some robbers, who entered his house in
the darkness. Then Sudarsana, seeing that Anangaprabha was uncomfort-
able and unhappy on account of their poverty, said to her : " Come and
let us borrow something from a rich friend of mine, named Hiranyagupta,
a distinguished merchant." After saying this, he, being deprived of his
senses by destiny, went with his wife, and asked that great merchant Hiranya-
gupta to lend him some money. And the merchant, when lie saw her,
immediately felt in love with her, and she also with him, the moment that
she beheld him. And the merchant said politely to Sudarsana — " To-morrow
I will give you gold, but dine here to-day." When Sudarsana heard
this, beholding the altered bearing of those two, he said — " I did not come
here to-day to dine." Then the great merchant said — " If this be the
case, at any rate let your wife dine here, my friend, for this is the first
time that she has visited my house." When Sudarsana was thus addressed
by him, he remained silent in spite of his cunning, and that merchant went
into his house with Anangaprabha. There lie indulged in drinking and other
pastimes with that fair one, unexpectedly thrown in his way, who was merry
with all the wantonness of wine. But Sudarsana, who was standing outside,
waiting for her to come out, had the following message brought to him
by the merchant's servants, in accordance with their master's orders :
" Your wife has dined and gone home : you must have failed to see her
going out. So what are you doing here so long ? Go home." He answered —
" She is within the house, she has not come out, and I will not depai't."
Thereupon the merchant's servants drove him away from the house with
kicks. Then Sudarsana went off, and sorrowfully reflected with himself :
" What ! has this merchant, though my friend, robbed me of my wife ?
Or rather, in this very birth the fruit of my sin has in such a form fallen
to my lot. For what I did to one, another has done to me. Why should
,1 then be angry with another, when my own deeds merit anger ? So I will
sever the chain of works, so that I may not be again humiliated."
Thus reflecting, the gambler abandoned his anger, and going to the hermit-
age of Badarika,* he proceeded to perform such austerities as would cut
the bonds of mundane existence.
* Badarinatha is a place sacred to Vishnu in tho Himalayas. The Badharinatha
510
And Anangaprabha, having obtained that exceedingly handsome mer-
chant for a dear husband, was as pleased as a bee that has lighted on a
flower. And in course of time she attained undisputed control over the
wealth, as well as over the heart of that opulent merchant, who was deeply
in love with her. But the king Virabahu, though he heard of the matchless
beauty residing there, did not carry her off, but remained strictly within,
the limits of virtue. And in course of time, the wealth of tbe merchant
began to diminish, on account of the expenditure of Anangaprabha ; for,
in a house presided over by an unchaste woman, Fortune pines as well as
virtuous women. Then the merchant Hiranyagupta got together wares,
and went off to an island named Suvarnabhumi to trade, and he took that
Anangaprabha with him, out of fear of being separated from her, and
journeying on his way, he at last reached the city of Sagarapura. There he
fell in with a chief of fishermen, a native of that place, Sagaravira by name,
whom he found in that city near the sea. He went with that sea-faring
man to the shore of the sea, and with his beloved embarked on a ship
which he provided. And after the merchant had travelled in anxiety for
some days over the sea, in that ship, accompanied by Sagaravira, one day
a terrible black cloud of doom appeared, with flashing eyes of lightning,
filling them with fear of destruction. Then that ship, smitten by a
mighty wind, with a violent shower of rain, began to sink in the waves.
That merchant Hiranyagupta, when the crew raised a cry of lamentation,
and the ship began to break up like his own hopes, fastened his cloak round
his loins, and looking at the face of Anangaprabha, exclaimed " Ah ! my
beloved, where art thou," and threw himself into the sea. And he oared
himself along with his arms, and, as luck would have it, he reached a
merchant-ship, and he caught hold of it, and climbed up into it.
But that Sagaravira tied together some planks with a cord, and quickly
placed Anangaprabha upon them. And he himself climbed up upon them,
and comforted that terrified woman, and went paddling along in the sea,
throwing aside the water with his arms. And as soon as the ship
had been broken to pieces, the clouds disappeared from the heaven, and
the sea was calm, like a good man whose wrath is appeased. But the mer-
chant Hiranyagupta, after climbing up into the ship, which was impelled
by the wind, as fate would have it, reached in five days the shore of the
peaks, in British Gurwhal, form a group of six summits, from 22,000 to 23,400 feet above
the sea. The town of Badarinatha ia 55 miles north-east of Srinagar, on the right
bank of the Vishnuganga, a feeder of the Alakananda. The temple is situated in the
highest part of the town, and below it a tank, supplied by a sulphureous thermal
spring, is frequented by thousands of pilgrims. The temple is 10,294 feet above the
sea. (Akbar, an Eastern Romance, by Dr. Van Limburg-Brouwer, with an intro-
duction by Clements Markham, p. 1, note.)
511
sea. Then he went on shore, grieved at the loss of his beloved, but he
reflected that the dispensations of Destiny were irremediable ; and he went
slowly home to his own city, and being of resolute soul, he recovered hia
self-command, and again acquired wealth, and lived in great comfort.
But Anangaprabha, seated on the plank, was piloted to the shore of
the sea in one day by Sagaravira. And there that chief of the fishermen,
consoling her, took her to his own palace in the city of Sagarapura. There
Anangaprabha, reflecting that that chief of the fishermen was a hero who
had saved her life, and was equal to a king in opulence, and in the prime
of youth and good looks, and obedient to her orders, made him her husband :
a woman who has lost her virtue does not distinguish between high and
low. Then she dwelt with that chief of fishermen, enjoying in his house
his wealth that he put at her disposal.
One day she saw from the roof of the palace a handsome Kshatriya
youth, named Vijayavarman, going along the high street of the town.
Falling in love with his good looks, she went up to him, and said — " Receive
me, who am in love with you, for my mind has been fascinated by the
sight of you." And he gladly welcomed that fairest woman of the three
worlds, who had fallen to him, as it were, from the sky, and took her home
to his house. But Sagaravira, finding that his beloved had gone somewhere
or other, abandoned all, and went to the river Ganges, intending to leave
the body by means of ascetic practices ; and no wonder that his grief was
great, for how could a man of servile caste ever have expected to obtain
such a Vidyadhari ? But Anangaprabha lived at ease in that very town
with Vijayavarman, free from restraint.
Then, one day the king of that place, named Sagaravarman, mounted
a female elephant and went out to roam round his city. And while the
king was looking at that well-built city named after him, he came along
the street where the house of Vijayavarman was. And Anangaprabha,
finding out that the king was coming that way, went up to the top of the
house, out of curiosity to behold him. And, the moment she saw the king,
she fell so desperately in love with him, that she insolently exclaimed to
the elephant-driver — " Mahout, I never in my life have ridden on an
elephant, so give me a ride on yours, and let me see how pleasant it is."
When the elephant-driver heard this, he looked at the face of the king, and
in the meanwhile the king beheld her, like the splendour of the moon
fallen from heaven. And the king, drinking her in with insatiate eye like
a partridge, having conceived the hope of gaining her, said to his elephant-
driver — " Take the elephant near and comply with her wish, and without
delay seat this moon-faced dame on the elephant." When the king said
this, the elephant-driver at once brought that elephant close under the
house. When Anangaprabha saw that the elephant had come near, she
512
immediately flung herself into the lap of the king Sagaravarman. How
came it that, though at first she was averse to a husband, she now showed
such an insatiable appetite for husbands ? Surely her father's curse made
her exhibit a great change of character. And she clasped the king round
the neck, as if afraid of falling, and he, when his limbs were irrigated with
the nectar of her touch, was much delighted. And the king quickly
carried off to his own palace her, who had surrendered herself by an artifice,
being desirous of beiug kissed. There he made that Vidyadhari enter his
harem, and after she had told him her story, he made her his principal wife.
And then that young Kshatriya, finding out that she had been carried off
by the king, came and attacked the king's servants outside the palace, and
there he left his corpse, not turning his back in fight, for brave men do not
submit to insult on account of a woman. And it seemed as if he was
carried off to the abode of the gods by the nymphs of heaven, saying —
" What have you to do with this contemptible woman ? Come to Nandana
and court us."
As for that Anangaprabha, when she had come into the possession of
the king Sagaravarman, she roamed no more, but remained faithful to him,
as rivers are at rest in the bosom of the sea. And owing to the force of
destiny, she thought herself fortunate in having obtained that husband,
and he thought that his life was complete by his having obtained her for a
wife.
And in some days Anangaprabha, the queen of that king Sagaravar-
man, became pregnant, and in due time gave birth to a son. And the king
made a great feast on account of the birth of a noble son, and gave the boy
the name of Samudravarman. And when that son attained his full stature,
and became a young man distinguished for might, the king appointed him
crown-prince. Then he brought to his court Kamalavati the daughter
of a certain king named Samaravarman, to be married to him. And when
that son Samudravarman was married, the king, being impressed by his
virtues, gave him his own kingdom. That brave son Samudravarman,
being thoroughly acquainted with the duties of Kshatriyas, when he had
obtained the kingdom, said to his father, bowing before him : " Father,
give me leave to depart ; I am setting out to conquer the regions. A
lord of earth, that is not intent on conquest, is to be blamed as much as
the effeminate husband of a woman. And in this world, only that fortune
of kings is righteous and glorious, which is acquired by one's own strength
after conquering the kingdoms. What is the use, father, of the sovereign-
ty of those kings, who hold it merely for the sake of oppressing the poor ?
They devour their own subjects, ravenous like cats."* When he had said
this, his father Sagaravarman replied, " Your rule, my boy, is young ; so for
* Prajd means subjects and also offspring.
513
the present secure that ; no demerit or disgrace attaches to one who rules
his subjects justly. And war is not meet for kings without considering
their power ; though, you my child, are a hero, and your army is numerous,
still you ought not to rely upon the fortune of victory, which is fickle in
fight." Though his father used these and similar arguments with him,
the brave Samudravarman at last, with great difficulty, induced him to con-
sent, and marched out to conquer the regions. And having conquered the
regions in due course, and reduced the kings under his sway, he returned to
his own city in possession of elephants, horses, gold, and other tributes.
And there he humbly honoured the feet of his delighted parents with
great jewels produced in various regions. And the glorious prince gave, by
their orders, to the Brahmans great gifts of elephants, horses, gold and
jewels. Then he showered gold in such profusion upon suppliants and ser-
vants, that the only thing in the country devoid of wealth was the word
poor, which had become without meaning.* The king Sagaravarman,
dwelling with Anangaprabha, when he beheld the glory of his son, con-
sidered that his objects in life had been accomplished.
And the king, after spending those days in feasting, said to his son
Samudravarman in the presence of the ministers — " I have accomplished,
my son, what I had to accomplish in this birth ; I have enjoyed the
pleasures of rule, I have not experienced defeat from my enemies, and I
have seen you in possession of sovereignty, what else does there remain
for me to obtain ? So I will retire to a holy bathing-place, while my
body retains strength. For see, old age whispers at the root of my ear —
' Since this body is perishable, why do you still remain in your house ?' "
Having said this, the king Sagaravarman, all whose ends were attained,
went, though his son was opposed to it, to Prayaga with his beloved.
And Samudravarman escorted his father there, and, after returning to his
own city, ruled it in accordance with the law.
And the king Sagaravarman, accompanied by his wife Anangaprabha,
propitiated the god S'iva in Prayaga with asceticism. And at the end of
the night, the god said to him in a dream — " I am pleased with this penance
of yourself and your wife, so hear this — This Anangaprabha and you, my
son, are both of the Vidyadhara race, and to-morrow the curse will expire,
and you will go to your own world." When the king heard that, he woke
up, and Anangaprabha too, who had seen a similar dream, and they told their
dreams to one another. And then Anangaprabha, delighted, said to the
king — « My husband, I have now remembered all the history of my former
birth ; I am the daughter of Samara, a prince of the Vidyadharas, in the
city of Virapura, and my name has always been Anangaprabha. And
* The word artha means wealth, and also meaning.
514
I came here owing to the curse of my father, having become a human
being by the loss of my science, and I forgot rny Vidyadhari nature. But
now I have recovered consciousness of it." While she was saying this,
her father Samara descended from heaven ; and after he had been respect-
fully welcomed by the king Sagaravarman, he said to that daughter Ananga-
prabha, who fell at his feet, " Come, daughter, receive these sciences, your
curse is at an end. For you have endured in one birth the sorrows of
eight births."* Saying this, he took her on his lap, and gave her back the
sciences ; then he said to the king Sagaravarman — " You are a prince of
the Vidyadharas, named Madanaprabha, and I am by name Samara, and
Anangaprabha is my daughter. And long ago, when she ought to have
been given in marriage, her hand was demanded by several suitors, but
being intoxicated by her beauty, she did not desire any husband. Then
she was asked in marriage by you, who were equal in merit, and very eager
to marry her, but as fate would have it, she would not then accept even
you. For that reason I cursed her, that she might go to the world of
mortals. And you, being passionately in love with her, fixed your heart
on S'iva the giver of boons, and wished intently that she might be your
•wife in the world of mortals, and then you abandoned your Vidyadhara
body by magic art. Then you became a man and she became your wife.
Now return to your own world linked together." When Samara said this
to Sagaravarman, he, remembering his birth, abandoned his body in the
water of Prayaga,f and immediately became Madanaprabha. And Ananga-
prabha was rekindled with the brightness]; of her recovered science, and
immediately becoming a Vidyadhari, gleamed with that very body, which
underwent a heavenly change. And then Madanaprabha, being delighted, and
Anangaprabha also, feeling great passion stir in both their hearts at the
sight of one another's heavenly bodies, and the auspicious Samara, king of
the sky-goers, all flew up into the air, and went together to that city of
the Vidyadharas, Vfrapura. And there Samara immediately gave, with due
rites, his daughter Anangaprabha to the Vidyadhara king, Madanaprabha.
And Madanaprabha went with that beloved, whose curse had been cancelled,
to his own city, and there he dwelt at ease.
" Thus divine beings fall by virtue of a curse, and owing to the con-
sequences of their own wickedness, are incarnate in the world of men,
and after reaping the fruit appropriate to their bad conduct, they again go
to their own home on account of previously acquired merit."
* The story of Anangaprabha may be the origin of the seventh Novel of the
II ml day in the Decameron of Boccacio.
t Praydga — Allahabad, the place of sacrifice KOT' Qoxw- Here the Granga and
Yamuna unite with the supposed subterranean Sarasvati.
515
When Naniv;ilian;idatta heard this tale from his minister Gomukha,
he and Alankaravati were delighted, and then he performed the duties of
the day.
CHAPTEK LI 1 1.
Then, on the next day, Naravahanadatta's friend Marubhiiti said to
him, when he was in the company of Alankaravati — " See, king, this
miserable dependent* of yours remains clothed with one garment of leather,
with matted hair, thin and dirty, and never leaves the royal gate, day or
night, in cold or heat ; so why do you not shew him favour at last ? For
it is better that a little should be given in time, than much when it is too
late ; so have mercy on him before he dies." When Gomukha heard this,
he said — " Marubhiiti speaks well, but you, king, are not the least in fault
in this matter ; for until a suitor's guilt, which stands in his way, is removed,
a king, even though disposed to give, cannot give ; but when a man's guilt
is effaced, a king gives, though strenuously dissuaded from doing so ; this
depends upon works in a previous state of existence. And d propos of
this, I will tell you, O king, the story of Lakshadatta the king, and Labdha-
datta the dependent ; listen."
Story of king Lakshadatta and his There was on the earth a city
dependent Labdhadatta.\ named Lakshapura. In it there lived
a king named Lakshadatta, chief of generous men. He never knew how to
give a petitioner less than a lac of coins, but he gave five lacs to any one
with whom he conversed. As for the man with whom he was pleased, he
lifted him out of poverty, for this reason his name was called Lakshadatta.
A certain dependent named Labdhadatta stood day and night at his gate,
with a piece of leather for his only loin-rag. He had matted hair, and he
never left the king's gate for a second, day or night, in cold, rain, or heat,
and the king saw him there. And, though he remained there long in
misery, the king did not give him anything, though he was generous and
compassionate.
* The word in the original is kdrpatika. Buhtlingk and Roth explain it in this
passage as " ein im Dienste eincs Fursten xttheHder Settler." It appears from Taranga
81, that a poor man became a Mrptfit* by tearing a karpttta, a ragged garment, in a
king's presence. The business of a kdrpatika seems to have been to do service without
gutting anything for it.
t Cp. the 1st Novel in the 10th Day of the Decameron and Ralston's Russian Foil-
Tales, p. 197.
CJ5
516
Ifaen, one day the king went to a forest to hunt, and his dependent
followed him with a staff in his hand. There, while the king seated on an
elephant, armed with, a bow, and followed by his army, slew tigers, bears,
and deer, with showers of arrows, his dependent, going in front of him, alone
on foot, slew with his staff many boars and deer. When the king saw
his bravery, he thought in his heart — " It is wonderful that this man should
be such a hero," but he did not give him anything. And the king, when
he had finished his hunting, returned home to his city, to enjoy himself,
but that dependent stood at his palace-gate as before. Once on a time,
Lakshadatta went out to conquer a neighbouring king of the same family,
and he had a terrible battle. And in the battle the dependent struck down
in front of him many enemies, with blows from the end of his strong staff
of acacia wood. And the king, after conquering his enemies, returned to
his own city, and though he had seen the valour of his dependent, he gave
him nothing. In this condition the dependent Labdhadatta remained, and
many years passed over his head, while he supported himself with difficulty.
And when the sixth year had come, king Lakshadatta happened to see
him one day, and feeling pity for him, reflected — " Though he has been
long afflicted, I have not as yet given him anything, so why should I not
give him something in a disguised form, and so find out whether the guilt
of this poor man has been effaced, or not, and whether even now Fortune
will grant him a sight of her, or not." Thus reflecting, the king deliberately
entered his treasury, and filled a citron with jewels, as if it were a casket.
And he held an assembly of all his subjects, having appointed a meeting
outside his palace, and there entered the assembly all his citizens, chiefs,
and ministers. And when the dependent entered among them, the king
said to him with an affectionate voice, " Come here ;" then the dependent,
on hearing this, was delighted, and coming near, he sat in front of the
king. Then the king said to him — " Utter some composition of your
own." Then the dependent recited the following A'rya verse — " Fortune
ever replenishes the full man, as all the streams replenish the sea, but she
never even comes within the range of the eyes of the poor." When the
king had heard this, and had made him recite it again, he was pleased, and
gave him the citron full of valuable jewels. And the people said, " This
king puts a stop to "the poverty of every one with whom he is pleased ; so
this dependent is to be pitied, since this very king, though pleased with him,
after summoning him politely, has given him nothing but this citron ; a
wishing-tree, in the case of ill-starred men, often becomes a /^/</s<;-tree."*
These were the words which all in the assembly said to one another in their
despondency, when they saw that, for they did not know the truth.
• There is a pun here. The word paldta also means " cruel, unmerciful."
517
But the dependent went out, with the citron in his hand, and when he
was in a state of despondency, a mendicant came before him. And that
mendicant, named Rajavandin, seeing that the citron was a fine one,
obtained it from that dependent by giving him a garment. And then the
mendicant entered the assembly, and gave that fruit to the king, and the
king, recognizing it, said to that hermit,* " Where, reverend sir, did you
procure this citron." Then he told the king that the dependent had given
it to him. Then the king was grieved and astonished, reflecting that his
guilt was not expiated even now. The king Lakshadatta took the citron,
rose up from the assembly, and performed the duties of the day. And the
dependent sold the garment, and after he had eaten and drunk, remained at
his usual post at the king's gate.
And on the second day the king held a general assembly, and every-
body appeared at it again, citizens and all. And the king, seeing that the
dependent had entered the assembly, called him as before, and made him sit
near him. And after making him again recite that very same A'rya verse,
being pleased, he gave him that very same citron with jewels concealed in it.
And all there thought with astonishment — " Ah ! this is the second time
that our master is pleased with him without his gaining by it. And the
dependent, in despondency, took the citron in his hand, and thinking that
the king's good will had again been barren of results, went out. At
that very moment a certain official met him, who was about to enter that
assembly, wishing to see the king. He, when he saw that citron, took a
fancy to it, and regarding the omen, procured it from the dependent by
giving him a pair of garments. And entering the king's court, he fell
at the feet of the sovereign, and first gave him the citron, and then another
present of his own. And when the king recognised the fruit, he asked
the official where he got it, and he replied — " From the dependent." And
the king, thinking in his heart that Fortune would not even now give the
dependent a sight of her, was exceedingly sad.f And he rose up from
the assembly with that citron, and the dependent went to the market with
the pair of garments he had got. And by selling one garment he pro-
cured meat and drink, and tearing the other in half he made two of it.
Then on the third day also the king held a general assembly, and all the
subjects entered, as before, and when the dependent entered, the king gave
him the same citron again, after calling him and making him recite the
A'rya verse. Then all were astonished, and the dependent went out, and
* The word used shews that he was probably a Buddhist mendicant.
t Cp. Miss Frerc's Old Deccan days, p. 171, and Giles's Strange Stories from a
Chinese Studio, p. 430, where the young lady says to Ma; " You have often askod me
for money, but on account of your weak luck I have hitherto refrained from giving
you any."
518
gave that citron to the king's mistress. And she, like a moving creeper of
the tree of the king's regard, gave him gold, which was, so to speak, the
flower, the harbinger of the fruit. The dependent sold it, and enjoyed
himself that day, and the king's mistress went into his presence. And she
gave him that citron, which was large and fine, and he, recognising it, asked
her whence she procured it. Then she said — " The dependent gave it me."
Hearing that, the king thought, " Fortune has not yet looked favourably
upon him ; his merit in a former life must have been slight, since he does not
know that my favour is never barren of results. And so these splendid
jewels come back to me again and again." Thus the king reflected, and
he took that citron, and put it away safely, and rose up and performed the
duties of the day. And on the fourth day the king held an assembly in the
same way, and it was filled with all his subjects, feudatories, ministers and all.
And the dependent came there again, and again the king made him sit in
front of him, and when he bowed before him, the king made him recite the
A'rya verse : and gave him the citron, and when the dependent had half
got hold of it, he suddenly let it go, and the citron fell on the ground and
broke in half. And as the joining of the citron, which kept it together,
was broken, there rolled out of it many valuable jewels, illuminating that
place of assembly. All the people, when they saw it, said, " Ah ! we were
deluded and mistaken, as we did not know the real state of the case, but
such is the nature of the king's favour." When the king heard that, he
said — " By this artifice I endeavoured to ascertain, whether Fortune would
now look on him or not. But for three days his guilt was not effaced ; now
it is effaced, and for that reason Fortune has now granted him a sight of
herself." After the king had said this, he gave the dependent those jewels,
and also villages, elephants, horses and gold, and made him a feudal chief.
And he rose up from that assembly, in which the people applauded, and went
to bathe ; and that dependent too, having obtained his ends, went to his own
dwelling.
So true is it that, until a servant's guilt is effaced, he cannot obtain
the favour of his master ; even by going through hundreds of hardships.
When Gomukha the prime-minister had told this tale, he again said
to his master Xaravahanadatta ; " So, king, I know that even now tin-
guilt of that dependent of yours is not expiated, since even now you are
not pleased with him." When the son of the king of Vatsa heard this
speech of Gomukha's, he said, " Ha ! good !" and he immediately gave to
his own dependent, who was named Karpatika, a number of villages, ele-
phants and horses, a crore of gold pieces, and excellent garments, and
ornaments. Then that dependent, who had attained prosperity, became
like a. king ; how can the attendance on a grateful king, who has excellent
courtiers, be void of fruit.
519
When Naravahanadatta was thus employed, there came one day, to
take service with him, a young Brahman from the Dekhan, named Pralam-
babahu. That hero said to the prince : " I have come to your feet, my
sovereign, attracted by your renown ; and I on foot will never leave your
company for a step, as long as you travel on the earth with elephants,
horses, and chariots ; but in the air I cannot go ; I say this because it is
rumoured that my lord will one day be emperor of the Vidyadharas. A
hundred gold pieces should be given to me every day as salary." When
that Brahman, who was really of incomparable might, said this, Narava-
hanadatta gave him this salary. And thereupon Gomukha said — " My
lord, kings have such servants : d propos of this, hear this story."
There is in this country a great
Story of the Brdhman Viravara.* , . ,. . ., . ,, '
and splendid city of the name of
Vikramapura. In it there lived long ago a king named Vikramatunga.
He was distinguished for statesmanship, and though his sword was sharp,
his rod of justice was not so : and he was always intent on righteousness,
but not on women, hunting, and so forth. And while he was king, the
only atoms of wickedness were the atoms of earth in the dust, the only de-
parture from virtue was the loosing of arrows from the string, the only
straying from justice was the wandering of sheep in the folds of the
keepers of cattle. f Once on a time a heroic and handsome Brahman,
from the country of Malava, named Viravara, came there to take service
under that king ; he had a wife named Dharmavati, a daughter named
Viravati, and a son named Sattvavara ; these three constituted his family .
and his attendants consisted of another three, at his hip a dagger, in one
hand a sword, and in the other a polished shield. Though he had such a
small following, he demanded from that king five hundred dinars every day
by way of salary. And the king gave him that salary, perceiving his
courage, and thinking to himself, " I will make trial of his excellence."
And the king set spies on him, to find out what this man, with only two
arms, would do with so many dinars. And Viravara, every day, gave his
wife a hundred of those din&rs for food and other purposes ; and with
another hundred he bought clothes, and garlands, and so on ; and he appoint-
ed a third hundred, after bathing, for the worship of Vishnu and Siva ;
and the remaining two hundred he gave to Brahmans, the poor and so on ;
and so he expended every day the whole five hundred. And he stood at
the palace-gate of the king for the first half of the day, and after he had
performed his daily prayers and other duties, he came back and remained there
* This story is found in the Hitopadesa, p. 89 of Johnson's translation,
t These two lines are an elaborate pun — leu = evil, and also earth, guna =
virtue, and also string, avichdra — injustice, also the movement of sheep.
520
at night also. The spies reported to the king continually that daily prac-
tice of his, and then the king, being satisfied, ordered those spies to desist
from observing him. And Viravara remained day and night at the gate of
the king's palace, sword in hand, excepting only the time set apart for
bathing and matters of that kind. Then there came a collection of clouds,
bellowing terribly, as if determined to conquer that Viravara, being impatient
of his valour. And then, though the cloud rained a terrible arrow-shower of
drops, Viravara stood like a column and did not leave the palace-gate. And
the king Vikramatunga, having beheld him from the palace in this position,
went up to the roof of the palace at night to try him again. And he
called out from above — " Who waits at the palace-gate?" And Viravara,
when he heard that, answered — " I am here." The king hearing this,
thought — " Surely this brave man deserves high rank, for he does not
leave the palace-gate, though such a cloud is raining." While engaged in
these reflections, the king heard a woman weeping bitterly in the distance ;
and he thought — " There is not an afflicted person in my dominions, so
why does she weep?" Thereupon he said to Viravara, " Hark, Viravara,
there is some woman weeping at some distance from this place, so go, and
find out who she is, and what is her sorrow." "When Viravara heard that, he
set out, brandishing his sword, with his dagger at his side. Then the king,
seeing that he had set out when such a cloud was blazing with lightning,
and when the interval between heaven and earth* was full of descending
drops of rain, being moved with curiosity and pity, came down from the
roof of his palace, and set out behind him, sword in hand, unobserved.
And Viravara, going in the direction of the wailing,f followed un-
perceived by the king, reached a lake outside the city. And he saw a
woman lamenting in the midst of it ; " Ah lord ! Ah merciful one ! Ah
hero ! How shall I exist abandoned by thee ?" He asked her ; " Who are
you, and what lord do you lament ?" Then she said ; " My son, know
that I am this earth. At present Vikramatunga is my righteous lord, and
his death will certainly take place on the third day from now. And how
shall I obtain such a lord again ? For with divine foresight I behold the
good and evil to come, as Suprabha, the son of a god, did, when in heaven."
For he. possessing divine {ore-
Story of Suprabha. . r . e
sight, foresaw that in seven days he
would fall from heaven on account of the exhaustion of his merits, and be
conceived in the body of a sow. Then that son of a god, reflecting on the
misery of dwelling in the body of a sow, regretted with himself those
heavenly enjoyments : " Alas for heaven ! Alas for the Apsarases ! Alas
for the arbours of Nandana ! Alas ! how shall I live iu the body of a sow,
* I follow tin- MS. in the Sanskrit (..'ollr^- whirh iv.-ids >•„,/,,/•,//,, Ihre.
t Here with the Sanskrit C'ollugo MS. I roud rutiitam for tho unmctrical krandit'ttn
521
and after that in the mire ?" When the king of the gods heard him
indulging in these lamentations, he came to him, and questioned him, 'and
that son of a god told him the cause of his grief. Then Indra said to
him, " Listen, there is a way out of this difficulty open to you. Have
recourse to S'iva as a protector, exclaiming ' Om ! Honour to S'iva !' If
you resort to him as a protector, you shall escape from your guilt and
obtain merit, so that you shall not be born in the body of a pig nor fall
from heaven." When the king of the gods said this to Suprabha, he
followed his advice, and exclaiming " Om ! Honour to S'iva !" he fled to
S'iva as an asylum. After remaining wholly intent on him for six days,
he not only by his favour escaped being sent into the body of a pig, but
went to an abode of bliss higher than Svarga. And on the seventh day,
when Indra, not seeing him in heaven, looked about, he found he had gone
to another and a superior world.
"As Suprabha lamented, beholding pollution impending, so I lament,
beholding the impending death of the king." When Earth said tin*,
Viravara answered her : — " If there is any expedient for rescuing this
king, as there was an expedient for rescuing Suprabha in accordance with
the advice of Indra, pray tell it me." When Earth was thus addressed by
Viravara, she answered him : " There is an expedient in this case, and it is
in your hands." When the Brahman Viravara heard this, he said joy-
fully—*
" Then tell me, goddess, quickly ; if my lord can be benefited by the
sacrifice of my life, or of my son or wife, my birth is not wasted." When
Viravara said this, Earth answered him — " There is here an image of Durga
near the palace ; if you offer to that image your son Sattvavara, then the
king will live, but there is no other expedient for saving his life." When
the resolute Viravara heard this speech of the goddess Earth, he said — " I
will go, lady, and do it immediately." And Earth said " What other man
is so devoted to his lord ? Go, and prosper." And the king, who followed
him, heard all.
Then Viravara went quickly to his house that night, and the king
followed him unobserved. There he woke up his wife Dharmavati and
told her, that, by the counsel of the goddess Earth, he must offer up his son
for the sake of the king. She, when she heard it, said — " We must
certainly do what is for the advantage of the king ; so wake up our son
and tell him." Then Vinivara woke up his son, and told him all that the
goddess Earth had told him, as being for the interest of the king, down to
the necessity of his own sacrifice When the child Sattvavara heard this,
he, being rightly named, said to his father, f " Am I not fortunate, my
* I read dhrishyan, i. e., rejoicing, from brisk.
t The word sattvavara here means " possessing pre-eminent virtue."
522
father, in that my life can profit the king ? I must requite him for his
food which I have eaten ; so take me and sacrifice me to the goddess for
his sake." When the boy Sattvavara said this, Viravara answered him
undismayed, " In truth you are my own son." When king Vikramatunga,
who was standing outside, heard this, he said to himself — " Ah ! the
members of this family are all equally brave."
Then Viravara took that son Sattvavara on his shoulder, and his wife
Dharmavati took his daughter Viravati on her back, and the two went to
the temple of Durga by night.
And the king Vikramatunga followed them, carefully concealing himself.
When they reached the temple, Sattvavara was put down by his father from
his shoulder, and, though he was a boy, being a store-house of courage, he
bowed before the goddess, and addressed this petition to her: "Goddess, may
our lord's life be saved by the offering of my head ! And may the king Vikra-
matunga rule the earth without an enemy to oppose him !" When the boy
said this, Viravara exclaimed, " Bravo ! my son!" And drawing his sword,
he cut off his son's head, and offered it to the goddess Durga, saying,
" May the king be prosperous !" Those who are devoted to their master
grudge them neither their sons' lives nor their own. Then a voice was
heard from heaven, saying, " Bravo, Viravara ! you have bestowed life on
your master by sacrificing even the life of your son." Then, while the
king was seeing and hearing with great astonishment all that went on, the
daughter of Viravara, named Viravati, who was a mere girl, came up to
the head of her slain brother, and embraced it, and kissed it, and crying
out "Alas! my brother!" died' of a broken heart. When Viravara's
wife, Dharmavati, saw that her daughter also was dead, in her grief she
clasped her hands together, and said to Viravara ; " We have now ensured
the prosperity of the king, so permit me to enter the fire with my two
dead children. Since my infant daughter, though too young to under-
stand anything, has died out of grief for her brother, what is the use
of my life, my two children being dead ?" When she spoke with this
settled purpose, Viravara said to her ; " Do so, what can I say against it ?
For, blameless one, there remains no happiness for you in a world, which
will be all filled for you with grief for your two children ; so wait a
moment while I prepare the funeral pyre." Having said this, he con-
structed a pyre with some wood, that was lying there to make the fence of
the enclosure of the goddess's temple, and put the corpses of his children
upon it, and lit a fire under it, so that it was enveloped in flames. Then
his virtuous wife, Dharmavati, fell at his feet, and exclaiming, " May you,
my husband, be my lord in my next birth, and may prosperity befall the
king !" she leapt into that burning pyre, with its hair of flame, as gladly as
into a cool lake. And king Vikramatunga, who was standing by unper-
523
ceived, remained fixed in thought as to how he could possibly recompense
them.
Then Viravara, of resolute soul, reflected — " I have accomplished my
duty to my master, for a divine voice was heard audibly, and so I have
requited him for the food which I have eaten, but now that I have lost all
the dear family I had to support,* it is not meet that I should live alone,
supporting myself only, so why should I not propitiate this goddess Durga by
offering up myself ?" Viravara, firm in virtue, having formed this deter-
mination, first approached with a hymn of praise that goddess Durga, the
granter of boons. " Honour to thee, O great goddess, that givest security to
thy votaries, rescue me plunged in the mire of the world, that appeal to thee
for protection. Thou art the principle of life in creatures, by thee this world
moves.. In the beginning of creation S'iva beheld thee self-produced, blazing
and illuminating the world with brightness hard to behold, like ten million
orbs of fiery suddenly-produced infant suns rising at once, filling the whole
horizon with the circle of thy arms, bearing a sword, a club, a bow, arrows
and a spear. And thou wast praised by that god S'iva in the following" words —
' Hail to thee Chandi, Chamunda, Mangala, Tripura, Jaya, Ekanansa, S'iva,
Durga, Narayani, Sarasvati, Bhadrakali, Mahalakshmi, Siddha, slayer of
Ruru. Thou art Gayatri, Maharajni, Revati, and the dweller in the
Vindhya hills ; thou art Uma and Katyayini, and the dweller in Kailasa,
the mountain of S'iva.' When Skandha, and Vasishtha, and Brahma, and
the others heard thee praised, under these and other titles, by S'iva well
skilled in praising, they also praised thee. And by praising thee, 0 ador-
able one, immortals, rishis, and men obtained, and do now obtain, boons
above their desire. So be favourable to me, 0 bestower of boons and do
thou also receive this tribute of the sacrifice of my body, and may
prosperity befall my lord the king !" After saying this, he was preparing
to cut off his own head,f but a bodiless voice was heard at that moment
from the air, " Do not act rashly, my son, for I am well-pleased with this
courage of thine, so crave from me the boon that thou dost desire." When
Viravara heard that, he said, " If thou art pleased, goddess, then may king
Vikramatunga live another hundred years. And may my wife and children
return to life." When he craved this boon, there again sounded from the
air the words "So be it!" And immediately the three, Dharmavati,
Sattvavara, and Viravati rose up with unwounded bodies. Then Viravara
was delighted, and took home to his house all those who had been thus
restored to life by the favour of the goddess, and returned to the king's
gate.
* In SI. 163 (a) I read mama for ma yd with the Sanskrit College MS.
t The story, as told in Chapter 78, is somewhat different from this.
66
524
But the king, having beheld all this with joy and astonishment, went
and again ascended the roof of his palace unobserved. And he cried out
from above — "Who is on guard at the palace -gate ?" When Viravara,
who was below, heard that, he answered — " I am here, and I went to dis-
cover that woman, but she vanished somewhere as soon as I saw her, like a
goddess." When king Vikramatunga heard this, as he had seen the whole
transaction, which was exceedingly wonderful, he reflected with himself
alone in the night : '•' Oh ! surely this man is an unheard of marvel of
heroism, to perform such an exceedingly meritorious action, and not to give
any account of it. The sea, though deep, and broad, and full of great
monsters,* does not vie with this man, who is firm even in the shock of a
mighty tempest. What return can I make to him, who secretly redeemed
my life this night by the sacrifice of his son and wife ?" Thus reflecting,
the king descended from the roof of the palace, and went into his private
apartments, and passed that night in smiling. And in the morning, when
Yiravara was present in the great assembly, he related his wonderful exploit
that niglit. Then all praised that Viravara, and the king conferred on him
and his son a turban of honour. And he gave him many domains, horses,
jewels, and elephants, and ten crores of gold pieces, and a salary sixty
times as great as before. And immediately the Brahman Viravara became
equal to a king, with a lofty umbrella, being prosperous, himself and his
family.
When the minister Gomukha had told this tale, he again said to
Naravahanadatta, summing up the subject — " Thus, king, do sovereigns, by
their merit in a previous life, sometimes fall in with exceptionally heroic
servants, who, in their nobility of soul, abandoning regard for their lives
and all other possessions for the sake of their master, conquer completely
the two worlds. And Pralambabahu, this lately arrived heroic Brahman
servant of yours, my king, is seen to be such, of settled virtue and
character, a man in whom the quality of goodness is ever on the increase."
When the noble-minded prince Naravahanadatta heard this from his minis-
ter, the mighty-minded Gomukha, he felt unsurpassed satisfaction in his
heart.
CHAPTEK LIV.
Thus Naravahanadatta dwelt in the house of his father the king of
Vatsa, being attended by his affectionate ministers, Gomukha and the others,
* There is a pun in this word mahasattva. It means noblo, good, virtuous, aud
also full of great monsters.
525
and amusing himself with his loving queen Alankaravati, whose jea-
lousy was removed by her great love, that refused to be hampered by
female pride. Then, once on a time, he went to a forest of wild beasts,
mounted on a chariot, with Gomukha seated behind him. And, with that
heroic Brahman Pralambabahu going in front of him, he indulged in silvan
sports, accompanied by his attendants. And though the horses of his chariot
galloped at the utmost of their speed, Pralambabahu outstripped their
swiftness, and still kept in front of them. The prince from his position on
the chariot killed lions, and tigers, and other wild beasts with arrows, but
Pralambabahu, going on foot, slew them with his sword. And Naravahana-
datta, as often as he beheld that Brahman, said in astonishment — What
courage, and what fleetness of foot he possesses !''
And the prince, being wearied at the end of his hunting, and overcome
with thirst, went in search of water, mounted on his chariot, with Gomukha
and his charioteer, and preceded by that champion Pralambabahu, and
in the course of his search he reached another great forest far distant.
There he came to a great and charming lake with full-blown golden lotuses,
looking like a second sky on earth, studded with many solar orbs. There he
bathed and drank water, and, after he and his companions had performed
their ablutions and other duties, he beheld at one end of the lake, at a dis-
tance, four men of heavenly appearance, dressed in heavenly garments,
adorned with heavenly ornaments, engaged in culling golden lotuses from
that lake. And out of curiosity he approached them, and when they
asked him who he was, he told them his descent, his name and his history.
And they, pleased at seeing him, told him their story when he asked
them ; " There is in the midst of the great sea a great, prosperous and splen-
did island, which is called the island of Narikela, and is renowned in the world
for its beauty.* And in it there are four mountains with splendid expanses
of land, named Maiuaka, Vrishabha, Chakra, and Balahaka, in those four
we four live. One of us is named liupasiddhi, and he possesses the power
of assuming various forms ; another is by name Pramanasiddhi, who can
measure the most minute as well as the largest things ; and the third is
Jnanasiddhi, who knows the past, the present, and the future ; and the
fourth is Devasiddhi, who possesses the power of calling down to his aid all
the deities. We have now gathered these golden lotuses, and are going to
offer them to the god, the husband of S'ri, in SVetadvipa. For we are all
of us devoted to him, and it is by his favour that we possess rule over
those mountains of ours, and prosperity accompanied with supernatural
* This reminds one of the description which Palladius gives of the happy island
of Taprobane. St. Ambrose in his version speaks of it as govermd by fuitr ki>.
sutnips. The fragment begins at the 7th chapter of the 3rd book of tho History of
the Pocudo-Cullisthcnes edited by Carolus Miiller.
526
power. So come, we will shew you the lord Hari in SVetadvipa ; we will
carry you through the air, friend, if you approve." When those sons of
gods said this, Naravahanadatta consented, and leaving Gomukha and the
others in that place, where they could obtain water, fruits and so on, he
went with them to SVetadvipa through the air, for Devasiddhi, one of the
four brothers, carried him in his lap. There he descended from heaven, and
beheld Vishnu, and approached him from a distance, introduced by those
four sons of gods. The god was reclining upon the snake S'esha, in front
of him sat Garuda, at his side was the daughter of the sea,* at his feet
was the Earth, he was waited upon by the discus, the conch, the club, and
the lotus, incarnate in bodily form, and the Gandharvas, with Narada at
their head, were piously chanting hymns in his honour, and the gods,
Siddhas, and Vidyadharas were bowing before him. To whom is not
association with the good a cause of exaltation ?
Then, after that Lord had been honoured by those sons of gods, and
praised byKasyapa and others, Naravahanadatta thus praised him with
folded hands, " All hail to thee, venerable one, the wishing-tree of thy
worshippers, whose body is encircled with the wish-granting creeper of
Lakshmi, who art the granter of all desires ; hail to thee, the divine swan,
dwelling in the Manasa-lake of the minds of the good,f ever soaring and
singing in the highest ether. Hail to thee, who dost transcend all, and
dwell within all, who hast a form transcending qualities, and whose shape is
the full aggregate of the six kingly measures ;J Brahma is the bee on the
lotus of thy navel, O Lord, humming with the soft sound of Veda-mur-
mur, though from him spring many verses ;§ thy foot is the earth, the
heaven is thy head, the cardinal points are thy ears, the sun and moon are
thy eyes ; thy belly is the egg of Brahma, the globe of the world ; thou
art hymned by the wise as the infinite soul. From thee, the home of
brightness, spring all these creatures, O Lord, as the host of sparks from
the blazing fire, and when the time of destruction comes, they again enter
thy essence, as at the end of the day a flock of birds enters the great tree in
which they dwell. Thou flashest forth, and Greatest these lords of the
world, who are parts of thee, as the ocean, disturbed with a continual
flow, creates waves. Though the world is thy form, thou art formless ;
though the world is thy handiwork, thou art free from the bondage of
* f. e. Lakshmi or S'ri.
t Hansa — means swan and also supreme soul, »'. e., Vishnu.
J War, peace, marching, encamping, dividing one's forces, seeking the alliance of
a more powerful king.
§ Or sects. The word used for "bee" means literally the six-footed. The
whole passage is full of douhle meanings, charana meaning foot, line, t. «., the fourth
part of a staiiaa, and also sect.
527
works ; though thou art the support of the world, thou art thyself without
support ; who is he that knows thy real nature ? The gods have obtained
various stages of prosperity by being looked upon by thee with a favour-
able eye ; so be propitious, and look upon me, thy suppliant, with an eye
melting with love."
When Naravahanadatta had in these words praised Vishnu, the god
looked upon him with a favourable eye, and said to Narada : " Go and
demand back from Indra in my name those lovely'Apsarases of mine, who
long ago sprang from the sea of milk, and whom I deposited in his hand,
and make them mount the chariot of Indra, and quickly bring them
here." When Narada received this command from Hari, he said " So
be it," and with Matali he brought the Apsarases from Indra in his
chariot, and then bowing he presented the Apsarases to Vishnu, and the
Holy one spake thus to the son of the king of Vatsa — " Naravahanadatta,
I give these Apsarases to thee, the future emperor of the kings of the
Vidyadharas. Thou art a fitting husband for them, and they are fitting
wives for thee, for thou hast been created by S'iva as an incarnation of the
god of Love." When Vishnu said that, the son of the king of Vatsa fell
at his feet, delighted at having obtained favour, and Vishnu thus command-
ed Matali, — " Let this Naravahanadatta, together with the Apsarases, be
taken back by thee to his palace, by whatever path he desires."
When the Holy one gave this command, Naravahanadatta, with the
Apsarases and those sons of gods who invited him, mounted the chariot
which was driven by Matali, and went to the island of Narikela, being
envied even by gods. There the successful hero, honoured by those four
sons of gods, Rupasiddhi and his brethren, and accompanied by Indra's
chariot, sported in succession on those four mountains on which they dwelt,
Mainaka, Vrishabha, and the others, that vied with heaven, in the company
of those Apsarases. And he roamed, full of joy, in the thickets of their
pleasure-grounds, the various splendid trees of which were in blossom on.
account of the arrival of the month of spring. And those sons of gods
said to him : " See ! these clusters on the trees seem to be regarding with
the expanded eyes of their open flowers their beloved spring that has
arrived. See ! the full-blown lotuses shield the lake, as if to prevent their
place of birth from being afflicted by the warmth of the sun's rays. See !
the bees, after resorting to a Karnikara splendid with blossoms, leave it
again, finding it destitute of perfume, as good men leave a rich man of
mean character. See ! a concert is being held in honour of spring, the king
of the seasons, with the songs of the Kinnaris, the notes of the cuckoos,
and the humming of bees." With such words those sons of gods shewed
Naravahanadatta the range of their pleasure-grounds. And the son of the
king of Vatsa amused himself also in their cities, beholding the merry-
528
makings of the citizens, who danced without restraint in honour of the
spring-festival. And he enjoyed with the Apsarases delights fitted for
gods ; wherever the virtuous go, their good fortunes precede them.
After remaining there for four days thus occupied, Naravahauadatta said
to those sons of gods his friends ; " I now wish to go to my own city, being
anxious to behold my father ;*( so come you also to that city and bless it
with a visit." When they heard that, they said : " We have seen you, the
choicest jewel in that town ; what more do we require ? But when you
have obtained the sciences of the Vidyadharas, you must not forget us."
With these words they dismissed him, and Naravahanadatta said to Matali)
who brought him the splendid chariot of Indra ; " Take me to the city of
Kausambi by a course leading past that lovely lake, on the bank of whioh I
left Gomukha and the others." Matali consented, and the prince ascended
the chariot with the Apsarases, and reached that lake, and saw Gomukha
and the others, and said to them, " Come quickly by your own way, I will
tell you all when I get home." Having said this, he went to Kausambi in
the chariot of Indra. There he descended from heaven, and dismissed
Matali after honouring him, and entered his own palace accompanied by
those Apsarases. And leaving them there, he went and prostrated himself
before the feet of his father, who was delighted at his arrival, and also of
Vasavadatta and Padmavati, and they welcomed him, and their eyes were
never satisfied with gazing on him. And in the meanwhile Gomukha came,
riding on the chariot, with the charioteer, and that Brahman Pralambabahu.
Then, being questioned by his father, Naravahanadatta related in the
presence of all his ministers his very wonderful adventures. And all said —
" God grants to that virtuous man, whom he wishes to favour, association
with good friends." When all said this, the king was pleased, and ordered
a festival for his son on account of the favour which Vishnu had shewed
towards him. And he and his wives saw those Apsarases his daughters-
in-law, obtained by the favour of Vishnu, whom Gomukha brought to fall at
his feet, Devarupa, and Devarati, and Devamala, and the fourth Devapriya,
whose names he enquired by the mouth of their maids. And the city of
Kausambi, making festival, appeared as if scattering red paint with its
waving scarlet banners, as much as to say: "What am I that Apsarases
should dwell in me ? Blessed am I that the prince Naravahanadatta has
made me a heavenly city upon earth." And Naravahanadatta, after he
had rejoiced the eyes of his father, visited his other wives, who were
anxiously awaiting him, and they, who had been emaciated by those four
days, as if they were four years, exulted, relating the various woes of their
separation. And Gomukha described the valour of Pralambabahu, while he
* Dariana uttukah should probably be rcud bore for the aake of the metre.
529
was protecting the horses during their sojourn in the forest, in killing lions
and other noxious beasts. Thus listening to pleasing unrestrained conver-
sation, and contemplating the beauty of his beloved ones, that was as
nectar to his eyes, and making flattering speeches, and drinking wine in
the company of his ministers, Naravahanadatta passed that time there in
happiness.
Once on a time, as he was in the apartments of Alankaravati with his
ministers, he heard a loud sound of drums outside. Then he said to his
general Harisikha : " What may be the cause of this sudden great noise of
drums outside ?" When Harisikha heard this, he went out, and entering again
immediately said to the prince, the son of the king of Vatsa ; "There is
in this town a merchant of the name of lludra, and he went to the island
of Suvarnadvipaon a mercantile expedition. As he was returning, the hoard
of wealth, that he had managed to acquire, was lost, being sunk in the sea
by his ship foundering. And he himself happened to escape from the sea
alive. And to-day is the sixth day since he arrived in misery at his own
house. After he had been living here for some days in distress, it happened
that he found a great treasure in his garden. And the king of Vatsa
heard of it from his relations, so the merchant came to-day and represented
the matter to the king ; saying — ' I have obtained four crores of gold
pieces with a multitude of valuable jewels, so, if the king commands me,
I will hand them over.' The king of Vatsa thereupon gave this command
to the merchant — ' Who that had any sense,* after seeing you in distress,
plundered by the sea, would plunder you again, now that you have been
supplied with wealth by the mercy of Providence. Go and enjoy at will
the wealth obtained from your own ground.' The merchant fell at the
king's feet full of joy, and it is this very man that is now returning to his
house, with his attendants beating drums." When Harisikha said this,
Naravahanadatta praised the justice of his father, and said in astonishment
to his ministers — " If Destiny sometimes takes away wealth, does she not
sometimes afterwards give it. She sports in a strange way with the raising
and depressing of men." When Gomukha heard that, he said — " Such
is the course of Destiny ! And in proof of this, hear the story of Samudra-
siira."
In old times there was a splendid
Story of the merchant Samuarasura. . . *
city, belonging to the king Harsha-
varman, called Harshapura, the citizens of which were made happy by good
government. In this city there was a great merchant, named Samudrasura :
he was of good family, just, of resolute courage, a lord of much wealth.
He was once compelled by his business to go to Suvarnadvipa, and reaching
the shore of the sea, he embarked on a ship. As he was travelling over the
* Hero there is a pun.
530
sea, when Ins journey was very nearly at an end, a terrible cloud arose and
a wind that agitated the deep. The wind tossed the ship about with the
violence of the waves, and it was struck by a sea-monster and split asunder ;
and then the merchant, girding up his loins, plunged into the sea. And
after the brave man had made some way by swimming, he found the corpse
of a man long dead, driven hither and thither by the wind. And he climbed
up on the corpse, and skilfully paddling himself along with his arms, he
was carried to Suvarnadvipa by a favourable wind. There he got off that
corpse on to the sand, and he perceived that it had a cloth tied round its
loins, with a knot in it. When he unfastened the cloth from its loins, and
examined it, he found inside it a necklace richly studded with jewels.
He saw that it was of inestimable value, and he bathed and remained in a
state of great felicity, thinking that the wealth he had lost in the sea was
but straw in comparison with it. Then he went on to a city called Kalasa-
pura, and with the bracelet in his hand, entered the enclosure of a great
temple. There he sat in the shade, and being exceedingly tired with his
exertions in the water, he slowly dropped off to sleep, bewildered by
Destiny. And while he was asleep, the policemen came and saw that
necklace in his hand exposed to view. They said — " Here is the necklace
stolen from the neck of the princess Chakrasena ; without doubt this is the
thief." And so they woke the merchant up and took him to the palace.
There the king himself questioned him, and he told him what had taken
place. The king held out the necklace, and said to the people present in
court, — " This man is speaking falsely ; he is a thief, look at this neck-
lace." And at that very moment a kite saw it glittering, and quickly
swooping down from heaven, carried off the necklace, and disappeared where
he could not be traced. Then the king, in his anger, commanded that the
merchant should be put to death, and he, in great grief, invoked the protec-
tion of Siva. Then a voice was heard from heaven — " Do not put this
man to death : he is a respectable merchant named Samudrasura from the
city of Harshapura, that has landed on your territory. The thief, who stole
the necklace, fled, beside himself with fear of the police, and falling into
the sea at night, perished. But this merchant here, when his ship founder-
ed, came upon the body of that thief, and climbing up on it, he crossed
the sea and came here. And then he found the necklace in the knot of the
cloth fastened round his loins ; he did not take it from your house. So
let go, king, this virtuous merchant, who is not a thief ; dismiss him with
honour." Having said this, the voice ceased. When the king heard this,
he was satisfied, and revoking the capital sentence passed on the merchant,
he honoured him with wealth, and let him go. And the merchant, having
obtained wealth, bought wares, and again crossed the terrible ocean in a ship,
in order to return to his own native land.
531
And after he had crossed the sea, he travelled with a caravan, and one
day, at evening time, he reached a wood. The caravan encamped in the
wood for the night, and while Samudrasura was awake, a powerful host of
bandits attacked it. While the bandits were massacring the members of
the caravan, Samudrasura left his wares and fled, and climbed up a banyan-
tree without being discovered. The host of bandits departed, after they
had carried off all the wealth, and the merchant spent that night there, per-
plexed with fear, and distracted with grief. In the morning he cast his
eye towards the top of the tree, and saw, as fate would have it, what
looked like the light of a lamp, trembling among the leaves. And in his
astonishment he climbed up the tree, and saw a kite's nest, in which there
was ajieap of glittering priceless jewelled ornaments. He took them all out
of it, and found among the ornaments that necklace, which he had found
in Svarnadvipa and the kite had carried off. He obtained from that nest
unlimited wealth, and, descending from the tree, he went off delighted,
and reached in course of time his own city of Harshapura. There the
merchant Samudrasura remained, enjoying himself to his heart's content
with his family, free from the desire of any other wealth.
" So you have that merchant's whelming in the sea, and that loss of
his wealth, and the finding of the necklace, and again the losing of it, and
his undeserved degradation to the position of a malefactor, and his
immediate obtaining of wealth from the satisfied king, and his return-
voyage over the sea, and his being stripped of all his wealth by falling in
with bandits on the journey, and at last his acquisition of wealth from the
top of a tree. So you see, prince, such is the various working of destiny,
but a virtuous man, though he may have endured sorrow, obtains joy at the
last." When Naravahanadatta heard this from Gomukha, he approved it,
and rising up, he performed his daily duties, such as bathing and the like.
And the next d.Ay, when he was in the hall of assembly, the heroic
prince Samaratunga, who had been his servant ever since he was a boy, came
and said to him — " Prince, my relation Sangr&marvarsha has ravaged my
territory, with the help of his four sons, Virajita and the others. So I will
go myself, and bring them all five here as prisoners. Let my lord know
this." After saying this he departed. And the son of the king of Vatsa,
knowing that he had but a small force, and that those others had large
forces, ordered his own army to follow him. But that proud man refused
to receive this accession to his force, and went and conquered those five
enemies in fight by the help of his own two arms only, and brought them
back prisoners. Naravahanadatta honoured and praised his follower, when
he came back victorious, and said — " How wonderful ! This man has con-
quered his five enemies, though with their forces they had overrun his
67
532
territory, and has done the deed of a hero, as a man conquers the senses,
when they have laid hold upon outward objects, and are powerful, and so
accomplishes emancipation, the work of the soul."* When Gomukha
heard that, he said — " If, prince, you have not heard the tale of king
Chainarabala, which is similar, listen, I will tell it."
There is a city named Hasti-
Story of king Chamarabdla. , , . . , , , , . , , .
napura, and in it there lived a king
named Chamarabdla, who possessed treasure, a fort, and an army. And he
had, as neighbours to his territory, several kings of the same family as
himself, the chief of whom was Samarabala, and they put their heads
together and reflected : " This king Chamarabala defeats us all, one by
one ; so we will join together and accomplish his overthrow." After
thus deliberating, those five kings' being anxious to march out against him
to conquer him, secretly asked an astrologer when a favourable moment
•would come. The astrologer, not seeing a favourable "moment, and not
seeing good omens, said — " There is no favourable moment for you this
year. Under whatever circumstances you set out on your expedition, you
will not be victorious. And why are you so eager for the undertaking, be-
holding his prosperity ? Enjoyment is after all the fruitf of prosperity, and
you have enjoyments in abundance. And now hear, if you have ftot heard
it before, the story of the two merchants."
There was in old time in this
Story of Yasovarman and the two fortunes.
country a city, named Kautukapura.
In it there lived a king, called Bahusuvarnaka,J rightly named. And he
had a young Kshatriya servant named Yasovarman. To that man the
king never gave anything, though he was generous by nature. Whenever
in his distress he asked the king, the king said to him, pointing to the sun,
" I wish to give to you, but this holy god will not permit me to give
to you. Tell me what I am to do." While he remained distressed,
watching for an opportunity, the time for an eclipse of the sun arrived.
Then Yasovarman, who had constantly served the king, went and said to
him, when he was engaged in giving many valuable presents : " Give me
something, my sovereign, while this sun, who will not permit you to give,
is in the grasp of his enemy." When the king, who had given many
presents, heard that, he laughed, and gave garments, gold, and other things
to him.
In course of time that wealth was consumed, and he, being afflicted, as
the king gave him nothing, and having lost his wife, went to the shrine of
* This passage is an elaborate pun throughout.
t I reu«l y>/<rf/«»» which I find in the Sanskrit College AIS. instead of param.
% ». e., possessor of much gold.
633
the goddess that dwells in the Vindhya hills.* He said — " What is the use
of this profitless body that ia dead even while alive ? I will abandon it
before the shrine of the goddess, or gain the desired boon." Resolved
on this course, he lay down on a bed of darbha grass in front of the
goddess, with his mind intent on her, and fasting he performed a severe
penance. And the goddess said to him in a dream, " I am pleased with
thee, my son ; tell me, shall I give thee the good fortune of wealth, or the
good fortune of enjoyment ?" When Yas"ovarman heard this, he answered
the goddess, " I do not precisely know the difference between these two
good fortunes." Then the goddess said to him : " Return to thy own coun-
try, and there go and examine into the good fortunes of the two merchants,
Arthavarman and Bhogavarman, and find out which of the two pleases
thee, and then come here and ask a like fortune for thyself." When Yaso-
yarman heard this, he woke up, and next morning he broke his fast, and
went to his own country of Kautukapura.
There he first went to the house of Arthavarman, f who had acquired
much wealth, in the form of gold, jewels, and other precious things, by his
business transactions. Seeing that prosperity of his, he approached him
with due politeness, and was welcomed by him, and invited to dinner.
Then he sat by the side of that Arthavarman, and ate food appropriate to
a guest, with meat-curry and ghee. But Arthavarman ate barley-meal, with
half a, pal of ghee and a little rice, and a small quantity of meat-curry.
Yasovarman said to the merchant out of curiosity — " Great merchant, why
do you eat so little ?" Thereupon the merchant gave him this answer :
" To-day out of regard for you I have eaten a little rice with meat-curry
and half a pal of ghee ; I have also eaten some barley-meal. But as a general
rule, I eat only a karsha of ghee and some barley-meal, I have a weak digestion,
and cannot digest more in my stomach." When Yasovarman heard that,
he turned the matter over in his mind, and formed an unfavourable opinion
of that prosperity of Arthavarman's, as being without fruit. Then, at
nightfall, that merchant Arthavarman again brought rice and milk for
Yasovarman to eat. And Yasovarman again ate of it to his fill, and then
Arthavarman drank one pula of milk. And in that same place Yasovarman
and Arthavarman both made their beds, and gradually fell asleep.
And at midnight Yasovarman suddenly saw in his sleep some men of
terrible appearance with clubs in their hands, entering the room. And they
* i. e., Durga. For inritajdtir I road mritajdiiir which is the reading of the MS.
in the Sanskrit College. In the nt'xt \\wj(cit,i should ^jicatd.
t Cp. the story of Dhanagupta and Upahhuktadliuiu, ll^nt'cy's Panchatunt;
II, p. 197. It is part of the fifth story, that of Sumiluku. 8to Bonfcy, Vol. I, p. 321 •
where he traces it to a Buddhist source.
534
exclaimed angrily — " Fie ! why have you taken to-day one Jcarsha more of
ghee than the small amount allowed to you, and eaten meat-curry, and
drunk a pala of milk ?" Then they dragged Arthavarman by his foot and
beat him with clubs. And they extracted from his stomach the karsha of
ghee, and the milk, flesh, and rice, which he had consumed above his allow-
ance. When Yasovarman had seen that, he woke up and looked about him,
and lo ! Arthavarman had woke up, and was seized with colic. Then Artha-
varman, crying out, and having his stomach rubbed by his servants, vomited
up all the food he had eaten above the proper allowance. After the mer-
chant's colic was allayed, Yasovarman said to himself: "Away with this
good fortune of wealth, which involves enjoyment of such an equivocal
kind ! This would be altogether neutralized by such misery of ill health."
In such internal reflections he passed that night.
And in the morning he took leave of Arthavarman, and went to the
house of that merchant Bhogavarman. There he approached him in due
form, and he received him with politeness, and invited him to dine with him
on that day. Now he did not perceive any wealth in the possession of
that merchant, but he saw that he had a nice house, and dresses, and orna-
ments. While Yasovarman was waiting there, the merchant Bhogavarman
proceeded to do his own special business. He took merchandise from one
man, and immediately handed it over to another, and without any capital
of his own, gained dinars by the transaction. And he quickly sent those
dinars by the hand of his servant to his wife, in order that she might procure
all kinds of food and drink. And immediately one of that merchant's
friend's, named Ichchhabharana, rushed in and said to him : " Our dinner
is ready, rise up and come to us, and let us eat, for all our other friends
Lave assembled and are waiting for you." He answered, " I shall not
come to-day, for I have a guest here." Thereupon his friend went on to
say to him, " Then let this guest come with you ; is he not our friend
also ? llise up quickly." Bhogavarman, being thus earnestly invited by
that friend, went with him, accompanied by Yasovarman, and ate excellent
food. And, after drinking wine, he returned, and again enjoyed all kinds of
viands and wines at his own house in the evening. And when night came
on, he asked his servants — " Have we enough wine left for the latter part
of the night or not?" When they replied, " No, master," the merchant
went to bed, exclaiming, " How are we to driuk water iu the latter part of
the night?"
Then Yasovarman, sleeping at his side, saw in a dream two or three men
enter, and some others bdiind them. And those who entered last, having
sticks in their hands, exclaimed angrily to those who entered first — *' You
LB ' Why did you not provide wine for Bhogavarman to drink in the
latter half of the uight ? Where have you been all this time?" Then
535
they beat them with strokes of their sticks. The men who were beaten
with sticks, said, " Pardon this single fault on our part." And then they
and the others went out of the room.
Then Yasovarman, having seen that sight, woke up and reflected,
" The good fortune of enjoyment of Bhogavarman, in which blessings
arrive unthought of, is preferable to the good fortune of wealth of Artha-
varman, which, though attended with opulence, is devoid of enjoyment.
In these reflections he spent the rest of the night.
And early the next morning Yasovarman took leave of that excellent
merchant, and again repaired to the feet of Durga, the goddess that dwells
in the Vindhya range. And he chose out of those two good fortunes
mentioned by the goddess, when she appeared to him on a former
occasion,* while he was engaged in austerities, the good fortune of enjoy-
ment, and the goddess granted it to him. Then Yasovarman returned
home and lived in happiness, thanks to the good fortune of enjoyment,
which, owing to the favour of the goddess, continually presented itself to
him unthought of.
" So a smaller fortune, accompanied with enjoyment, is to be preferred
to a great fortune, which, though great, is devoid of enjoyment and there-
fore useless. So why are you annoyed at the good fortune of king
Chamarabala, which is combined with meanness, and do not consider
your own fortune, which is rich in the power of giving and in enjoyment ?
So an attack on him by you is not advisable, and there is no aus-
picious moment for commencing the expedition, and I do not foresee vic-
tory to you." Though those five kings were thus warned by the astrologer,
they marched in their impatience against king Chamarabala.
And when king Chamarabala heard that they had reached the border, he
bathed in the morning, and worshipped Siva duly by his auspicious names
referring to sixty-eight excellent parts of the body,f — his names that
destroy sin and grant all desires. And then he heard a voice coming from
heaven, " King, fight without fear, thou shalt conquer thy enemies in
battle." Then king Chamarabala was delighted, and girded on his armour,
and accompanied by his army, marched out to fight with those foes. In
the army of his enemies there were thirty thousand elephants, and three
hundred thousand horses, and ten million foot-soldiers. And in his own
army there were twenty hundred thousand foot-soldiers, and ten thousand
elephants, and a hundred thousand horses. Then a great battle took place
between those two armies, and king Chamarabala, preceded by his
warder Vira,J who was rightly so named, entered that field of battle, as the
holy Vishnu, in the form of the great boar, entered the great ocean. And
* I read tapahstha-purva-drish^dyds one word.
t S'iva is invoked by a different name for each limb which he is asked to protect.
t Vira means hero.
536
though he had but a small army, he so grievously smote that great army
of his foes, that slain horses, elephants, and footmen lay in heaps. And
•when king Samarabala came across him in the battle, he rushed upon him,
and smote him with an iron spear, and drawing him towards him with a lasso,
made him prisoner. And then in the same way he smote the second king
Samarasura in the heart with an arrow, and drawing him towards him with
a noose, made him also prisoner. And his warder, named Vira, captured the
third king, named Samarajita, and brought him to him. And his general,
named Devabala, brought and presented to him the fourth king, named
Pratapachandra, wounded with an arrow: Then the fifth king Pratapa-
sena, beholding that, fell furiously upon king Chamarabala in the fight.
But he repelled his arrows with the multitude of his own, and pierced him
with three arrows in the forehead. And when he was bewildered with the
blows of the arrows, Chamarabala, like a second Destiny, flung a noose
round his neck, and dragging him along made him a captive. When those
five kings had in this way been taken prisoners in succession, as many of
their soldiers, as had escaped slaughter, fled, dispersing themselves in every
direction. And king Chamarabala captured an infinite mass of gold and
jewels, and many wives belonging to those kings. And among them, the
head queen of king Pratapasena, called Yasolekha, a lovely woman, fell
into his hands.
Then he entered his city, and gave turbans of honour to the warder
Vira and the general Devabala, and loaded them with jewels. And the
king made Yasolekha an inmate of his own harern, on the ground that she,
being the wife of Pratapasena, was captured according to the custom of
the Kshatriyas. And she, though flighty, submitted to him because he had
won her by the might of his arm ; in those abandoned to the intoxication
of love the impressions of virtue are evanescent. And after some days,
king Chamarabala, being solicited by the queen Yasolekha, let go those
five captive kings, Pratapasena and the others, after they had learnt
submission and done homage, and after honouring them, dismissed them to
their own kingdoms. And then king Chamarabala long ruled his own
wealthy kingdom, in which there were no opponents, and the enemies of
which had been conquered, and he sported with that Yasolekha, who sur-
passed in form and loveliness beautiful Apsarases, being, as it were, the ban-
ner that announced his victory over his foes.
" Thus a brave man, though unsupported, conquers in the front of battle
even many enemies coming against him in fight, distracted with hate, and
not considering the resources of themselves and their foe, and by his sur-
passing bravery puts a stop to the fever of their conceit and pride."
When Naravahanadatta had heard this instructive tale told by Go-
mukha, he praised it, and set about his daily duties of bathing and so on.
537
And he spent that night, which was devoted to the amusement of a concert,
in singing with his wives in such a ravishing way, that Sarasvati from her
seat iu heaven gave him and his beloved ones high commendation.
CHAPTER LV.
Then, the next day, as Naravahanadatta was sitting in the apartments
of Alankaravati, a servant of Marubhuti's, the brother of Sauvidalla the
guard of the prince's harem, came and said to him in the presence of all
his ministers — " King, I have attended on Marubhuti for two years ; he
has given food and clothing to me and my wife : but he will not give me
the lifty dinars a year, which he promised me in addition. And when I
asked him for it, he gave me a kick. So 1 am sitting in dharna against
him at your Highness's door. If your Highness does not give judgment
in this case, I shall enter the fire. What more can I say ? For you are
my sovereign." When he had said this, he stopped, and Marubhuti said —
" I must give him the dinars, but I have not got the money at present."
When he said this, all the ministers laughed at him, and Naravahanadatta
said to the minister Marubhuti : " What are you thinking about, you fool ?
Your intentions are not over-creditable. Bise up, give him the hundred
dinars without delay." When Marubhuti heard this speech of his sove-
reign's, he was ashamed, and immediately brought that hundred dinars and
gave it to him. Then Gomukha said — " Marubhuti is not to be blamed,
because the works of the Creator's hand have varying moods of mind.
Have you not heard the story of king Chiradatri, and his servant named
Prasanga?"
In old time there was a king
Story of Chiradatri. . . <
named Chiradatri, sovereign or Clura-
pura. Though he was an excellent man, his followers were extremely
wicked. And that king had a servant, named Prasanga, who had come from
another country, and was accompanied by two friends. And five years
passed, while he was performing his duties, but the king gave him nothing,
not even when an occasion was presented by a feast or something of the
kind. And owing to the wickedness of the courtiers, he never obtained an
opportunity of representing his case to the king, though his friends were
continually instigating him to do so.
Now one day the king's infant son died, and when he was grieved a5
it, all his servants came and crowded round him. And among them the
servant, named Prasanga, out of pure sorrow, said to the king as follows,
538
though his two friends tried to prevent him, " We have been your servants,
your Highness, for a long time, and you have never given us anything,
nevertheless we have remained here because we had hopes from your son ;
for we thought that, although you have never given us anything, your son
would certainly give us something. If Fate has carried him off, what is
the use of remaining here now ? We will immediately take our departure."
Thus he exclaimed, and fell at the feet of the king, and went out with his
two friends. The king reflected — " Ah ! though these men had fixed their
hopes on my son, they have been faithful servants to me, so I must not
abandon them." Thereupon he immediately had Prasanga and his com-
panions summoned, and loaded them so with wealth that poverty did not
again lay hold on them.
" So you see, men have various dispositions, for that king did not give
at the proper season, but did give in the unseasonable hour of calamity."
When Gomukha, skilful in story-telling, had said this, he went on, at the
instigation of the son of the sovereign of Vatsa, to tell the following tale :
Story of king Kanakavarsha and There was in old time on the
Madanasundarf. banks of the Ganges an excellent
city, named Kanakapura, the people of which were purified in the water
of the river ; and which was a delightful place on account of its good
government. In this city the only imprisonment seen was the committing
to paper of the words of poets, the only kind of defeat was the curling
in the locks of the women, the only contest was the struggle of getting
the corn into the granary.*
In that city there dwelt in old time a glorious king, named Kanaka-
varsha, who was born to Priyadarsana, the son of Yasuki, king of the
snakes, by the" princess Yas"odhara. Though he bore the weight of the
whole earth, he was adorned with innumerable virtues, he longed for glory,
not for wealth, he feared sin, not his enemy. He was dull in slandering his
neighbour, but not in the holy treatises ; there was restraint in the high-
souled hero's wrath, not in his favour ; he was resolute-minded ; he was
niggardly in curses, not in gifts ; he ruled the whole world ; and such was
his extraordinary beauty that all women, the moment they saw him, were
distracted with the pain of love.
Once on a time, in an autumn, that was characterized by heat, that
maddened elephants, that was attended by flocks of swans, and delighted
the subjects with rejoicings, f he entered a picture-palace which was cooled
* The puns here defy translation.
t Here the Sanskrit text has " and so resembled himself." Each of the Sanskrit
compounds may be taken in another sense. The " heat" is valour ; the " swans"
subject kings ; the sight of the king delighted his subjects, and he possessed furious
elephants.
539
by winds that blew laden with the scent of lotuses. There he observed and
praised the display of pictures, and in the meanwhile there entered the
warder, who said to the king —
" Your majesty, an unequalled painter has arrived here from Ujjayini,
boasting himself to be matchless in the art of painting. His name is
Roladeva, and he has to-day set up a notice at the palace gate to the above
effect." When the king hoard that, he felt respect for him, and ordered
him to be introduced, and the warder immediately went and brought him
in. The painter entered, and beheld the king Kanakavarsha amusing him-
self in private with looking at pictures, reclining his body on the lap of
beautiful women, and taking in carelessly crooked fingers the prepared
betel. And the painter Roladeva made obeisance to the king, who received
him politely, and sitting down said slowly to him — " O king, I put up a
notice principally through the desire of beholding your feet, not out of
pride in my skill, so you must excuse this deed of mine. And you must
tell me what form I am to represent on canvass, let not the trouble I took
in learning this accomplishment be thrown away, 0 king." When the
painter said this to the king, he replied, " Teacher, paint anything you
will, let us give our eyes a treat : what doubt can there be about your
skill ?"
When the king said this, his courtiers exclaimed — " Paint the king :
what is the use of painting others, ugly in comparison with him ?" When
the painter heard this, he was pleased, and painted the king, with aquiline
nose, with almond-shaped fiery eye, with broad forehead, with curly black
hair, with ample breast, glorious with the scars of wounds inflicted by
arrows and other weapons, with handsome arms resembling the trunks of
the elephants that support the quarters, with waist capable of being span-
ned with the hand, as if it had been a present from the lion-whelps conquer-
ed by his might, and with thighs like the post for fastening the elephant
of youth, and with beautiful feet, like the shoots of the asoka. And all,
when they beheld that life-like likeness of the king, applauded that painter,
and said to him ; " We do not like to see the king alone on the picture-
panel, so paint on it one of these queens by his side, carefully choosing
one, that will be a worthy pendant to him ; let the feast of our eyes be
complete."
When they said this, the painter looked at the picture and said,
" Though there are many of these queens, there is none among them like
the king, and I believe there is no woman on the earth a match for hiux in
beauty, except one princess — listen, I will tell you about her.
" In Vidarbha there is a prosperous town named Kundtna, and in it there
is a king of the name of Devasakti. And he has a queen named Anantavati,
dearer to him than life, and by her there was born to him a daughter
540
named Madanasundari. How could one like me presume to describe her
beauty with this one single tongue, but so much will I say. When the
Creator had made her, through delight in her he conceived a desire to
make another like her, but he will not be able to do it even in the course of
yugas. That princess, alone on the earth, is a match for this king in shape,
beauty and refinement, in age and birth. For I, when I was there, was
once summoned by her by the mouth of a maid, and I went to her private
apartments. There I beheld her, freshly anointed with sandal unguent,
having a necklace of lotus-fibres, tossing on a bed of lotuses, being fanned
by her ladies-in-waiting with the wind of plantain leaves, pale and emacia-
ted, exhibiting the signs of love's fever. And in these words was she dis-
suading her ladies occupied in fanning her, — ' O my friends, away with
this sandal unguent and these breezes wafted by plantain leaves ; for these,
though cool, scorch up unhappy me.' And when I saw her in this state, I
was troubled to divine the reason, and after doing obeisance, I sat down
in front of her. And she said, ' Teacher, paint such a form as this on
canvass and give it me.'
" And then she made me paint a certain very handsome youth, slowly
tracing out the form on the ground with trembling, nectar-distilling hand,
to guide me. And when I had so painted that handsome youth, I said to
myself — ' She has made me paint the god of Love in visible form ; but, as
I see that the flowery bow is not represented in his hand, I know that it
cannot be the god of Love, it must be some extraordinarily handsome
young man like him. And her outburst of love-sickness has to do with
him. So I must depart hence, for this king, her father Devasakti, is severe
in his justice, and if he heard of this proceeding of mine, he would not
overlook it.' Thus reflecting, I did obeisance to that princess Madana-
sundari, and departed, honoured by her.
" But when I was there, 0 king, I heard from her attendants, as they
talked freely together, that she had fallen in love with you from hearing
of you only. So I have secretly taken a picture of that princess on a
sheet of canvass, and have come here quickly to your feet. And when I
beheld your majesty's appearance, my doubt was at an end, for it was clearly
your majesty that the princess caused to be painted by my hand. And
as it is not possible to paint her twice, such as she is, I will not represent
her in the picture as standing at your side, though she is equal to you in
beauty."
When Roladeva said this, the king said to him — " Then shew her as
she is represented on the canvass you have brought with you." Then the
painter looked out a piece of canvass which was in a bag, and shewed the
king BfadanasopcUri in a painting. And the king Kanakavarsha, seeing
that even in a painting she was wonderfully beautiful, immediately be-
5-U
came enamoured of her. And he loaded that painter with much gold, and
taking the picture of his beloved, retired into his private apartments.
There he remained with his mind fixed on her alone, abandoning all occupa-
tions, and his eyes were never satisfied with gazing on her beauty. It
seemed as if the god of love was jealous of his good looks, for now that he
had obtained an opportunity, he tormented him, smiting him with his arrows
and robbing him of his self-control. And the love-pain, which he had in-
flicted on women enamoured of his handsome shape, was now visited on that
king a hundredfold.
And in the course of some days, being pale and emaciated, he told to
his confidential ministers, who questioned him, the thought of his heart.
And after deliberating with them, he sent to the king Devasakti, as ambas-
sador, to ask for the hand of his daughter, a trustworthy Brahman
of good birth, named Sangamasvamin, who was skilled in affairs, knew
times and seasons, and could speak in a sweet and lofty style. That
Sangamasvamin went to Vidarbha with a great retinue, and entered the
city of Kundina. And there he had a formal interview with the king
Devasakti, and on behalf of his master asked for the hand of his daughter.
And Devasakti reflected — " I must give away this daughter of mine to
some one, and this king Kanakavarsha has been described as my equal, and
he asks for her ; so I will give her to him." Accordingly he granted the
prayer of Sangamasvamin, and the king displayed to the ambassador the
astonishing elegance in the dance of his daughter Madanasundari. Then
the king sent away, after honouring him, and promising to give his
daughter, that Sangamasvamin, who was charmed with his sight of her.
And he sent with him a counter-ambassador to say, " Fix an auspicious
moment and come here for the marriage. And Sangamasvamin returned,
accompanied by the counter-ambassador, and told the king Kanaka-
varsha that his object was effected. Then the king ascertained a favour-
able moment, and honoured that ambassador, and heard from him over
and over again how Madanaoundaif was in love with him. And then the
king Kanakavarsha set out for the city of Kundina, in order to marry her,
with mind at ease on account of his own irresistible valour, mounted on
the horse Asikala,* and he smote the S'avaras that inhabited the border-
forests, and took the lives of living creatures, like lions and other wild
beasts. And he reached Vidarbha, and entered that city of Kundina, with
king Devasakti, who came out to meet him. Then he entered the king's
palace, in which preparations had been made for the marriage, robbing the
ladies of the city of the feast which he had given to their eyes. And there
he rested a day with his retinue, pleased at the noble reception which king
Devasakti gave him. And on the next day Devasakti gave him- his
* Tho Suiiskrit College MS. roads
542
daughter Madanasundari, together with all his wealth, retaining only his
kingdom.
And king Kanakavarsha, after he had remained there seven days,
returned to his own city with his recently-married bride. And when he
arrived with his beloved, giving joy to the world, like the moon with
the moonlight, that city was full of rejoicing. Then that queen Madana-
sundari was dearer than life to that king, though he had many wives, as
Rukniini is to Vishnu. And the wedded couple remained fastened together
by their eyes with lovely eyelashes, which were fixed on one another's faces,
resembling the arrows of love. And in the meanwhile arrived the lion of
spring, with a train of expanding filaments for mane, tearing to pieces the
elephant of female coyness. And the garden made ready blossoming
mango-plants, by way of bows for the god of Love, with rows of bees
clinging to them by way of bowstring. And the wind from the Malaya
mountain blew, swaying the love-kindled hearts of the wives of men
travelling in foreign lands, as it swayed the suburban groves. And the
sweetly-speaking cuckoos seemed to say to men, " The brimming of the
streams, the flowers of the trees, the digits of the moon wane and return
again, but not the youth of men.* Fling aside coyness and quarrelling,
and sport with your beloved ones."
And at that time king Kanakavarsha went with all his wives to a
spring-garden, to amuse himself. And he eclipsed the beauty of the asokas
with the red robes of his attendants, and with the songs of his lovely ladies
the song of the cuckoos and bees. There the king, though all his wives
were with him, amused himself with Madanasundari in picking flowers and
other diversions. And after roaming there a long time, the king entered
the Godavari with his wives to bathe, and began the water-game. His
ladies surpassed the lotuses with their faces, with their eyes the blue water-
lilies, with their breasts the couples of Brahmany ducks, with their hips the
sandbanks, and when they troubled the bosom of the stream, it showed
frowns of anger in the form of curling waves. Then the mind of
Kanakavarsha took pleasure in them, while they displayed the contours of
their limbs in the splashing-game. And in the ardour of the game, he
splashed one queen with water from his palms on her breast.
When Madanasundari saw it, she was jealous, and got angry with him,
and in an outburst of indignation said to him, " How long are you going
to trouble the river ?" And going out of the water, she took her other clothes
and rushed off in a passion to her own palace, telling her ladies of that fault
of her lover's. Then king Kanakavarsha, seeing her state of mind, stopped
his water-game, and went off to her apartments. Even the parrots in the
• Cp. The Lament of Moschos for Bion, 1. 99—104.
543
cages warned him off in wrath, whun he approached, and entering he saw
within the queen afflicted with wrath : with her downcast lotus-like face
supported on the palm of her left hand, with tear-drops falling like trans-
parent pearls. And she was repeating, with accents charming on account of
her broken speech, in a voice interrupted with sobs, shewing her gleaming
teeth, tins fragment of a Prakrit song . " If you cannot endure separation,
you must cheerfully abandon anger. If you can in your heart endure separa-
tion, then you must increase your wrath. Perceiving this clearly, remain
pledged to one or the other ; if you take your stand on both, you will fall
between two stools." And when the king saw her in this state, lovely even
in tears, he approached her bashfully and timidly. And embracing her,
though she kept her face averted, he set himself to propitiate her with
respectful words tender with love. And when her retinue signified her
scorn with ambiguous hints, he fell at her feet, blaming himself as an
offender. Then she clung to the neck of the king, and was reconciled to
him, bedewing him with the tears that flowed on account of that very
annoyance. And he, delighted, spent the day with his beloved, whose
anger had been exchanged for good-will, and slept there at night.
But in the night he saw in a dream his necklace suddenly taken
from his neck, and his crest-jewel snatched from his head, by a deformed
woman. Then he saw a Vetala, with a body made up of the limbs of
many animals, and when the Vetala wrestled with him, he hurled him to
earth. And when the king sat on the Vetala's back, the demon flew up
with him through the air, like a bird, and threw him into the sea. Then,
after he had with difficulty struggled to the shore, he saw that the neck-
lace was replaced on his neck, and the crest-jewel on his head. When the
king had seen this, he woke up, and in the morning he asked a Buddhist
mendicant, who had come to visit him as an old friend, the meaning of
the dream. And the mendicant answered clearly — " I do not wish to say
what is unpleasant, but how can I help telling you when 1 am asked ?
The fact that you saw your necklace and crest-je\vel taken away, means
that you will be separated from your wife and from your son. And the
fact that, after you had escaped from the sea, you found them again,
means that you will be reunited with them, when your calamity comes to
an end." Then the king said, " I have not a son as yet, let him be born
first." Then the king heard from a reciter of the Ramayana, who visited
his palace, how king Dasaratha endured hardship to obtain a son ;
and so there arose in his mind anxiety about obtaining a son, and the
mendicant having departed, the king Kanakavarsha spent that day in
despondency.
And at night, as he was lying alone and sleepless upon his bed, he saw
a woman enter without opening the door She was modest and gentle of
544
appearance, and, when the king bowed before her, she gave him her blessing
and said to him : " Son, know that I am the daughter of Vasuki the king
of the snakes, and the elder sister of thy father, liatnaprabha by name. I
always dwell near thee, invisible, to protect thee, but to-day, seeing thee
despondent, I have displayed to thee my real form. I cannot bear to be-
hold thy sorrow, so tell me the cause." When the king had been thus
addressed by his father's sister, he said to her : " I am fortunate, mother,
in that you shew me such condescension. But know that my anxiety is
caused by the fact that no son is born to me. How can people like my-
self help desiring that, which even heroic saints of old days, like Dasaratha
and others, desired for the sake of obtaining svarga." When the Nagi*
Katuaprabha heard this speech of that king, she said to her brother's son ;
" My son, I will tell thee an admirable expedient, carry it out. Go
and propitiate Kartikeya with a view to obtain a son. I will enter thy
body, and by my power thou shalt support the rain of Kartikeya falling on
thy head to impede thee, difficult to endure. And after thou hast overcome
a host of other impediments, thou shalt obtain thy wish." When the Nagi
had said this, she disappeared, and the king spent the night in bliss.
The next morning he committed his realm to the care of his ministers,
and went, desiring a son, to visit the sole of Kartikeya' s foot. There he
performed a severe penance to propitiate that lord, having power given
him by the Nagi that entered his body. Then the rain of Kumaraf fell
on his head like thunderbolts, and continued without ceasing. But he
endured it by means of the Nagi that had entered his body. Then Karti-
keya sent Ganesa to impede him still further. And Ganesa created in that
rain a very poisonous and exceedingly terrible serpent, but the king did not
fear it. Then Ganesa, invinciblej even by gods, came in visible form, and
began to give him bites on the breast. Then king Kanakavarsha, thinking
* /. e. Female snake, somewhat of the nature of the Echidna of our boyhood ;
ij/juo-v fitv vv/j.~p-i/jv e\iKtant5a Ka\\nrdpriov
VIUHTV S' S,vre irix<apov otyiv, otivov re fityav re.
Hesiod. Theog. 298.
t Cp. the following passage which Wirt Sikes (British Goblins, p. 385) quotes from
the Mabinogion. " Take the bowl and throw a bowlful of water on the slab," says the
black giant of the wood to Sir Kai, " and thou wilt hear a mi-hty pral of thunder, so
that thou wilt think that hoaven and earth are trembling with its fury. With the
thunder will come a shower so severe that it will be hardly possible for thee to endure
and live. And the shower will be of hailstones ; and after the shower the weather will
become fair, but every leaf that was upon the tree will have been carried away by the
shower."
J I read with the Sanskrit College MS. qjayyah.
545
that he was a foe hard to subdue, proceeded, after he had endured that
ordeal, to propitiate Ganes'a with praises.
" Honour to thee, O god of the projecting belly, adorned with the
elephant's ornament, whose body is like a swelling pitcher containing
success in all affairs ! Victory to thee, O elephant-faced one, that makest
even Brahma afraid, shaking the lotus, which is his throne, with thy trunk
flung up in sport ! Even the gods, the Asuras, and the chief hermits do
not succeed, unless thou art pleased, the only refuge of the world, O thou
beloved of S'iva ! The chief of the gods praise thee by thy sixty -eight sin-
destroying names, calling thee the pitcher-bellied, the basket-eared one,*
the chief of the Ganas, the furious mast elephant, Yama the noose -handed,
the Sun, Vishnu,- and S'iva. With these names to the number of sixty-
eight, corresponding to so many parts of the body, do they praise thee.
And when one remembers thee, and praises thee, O Lord, fear produced by
the battle-field, by the king's court, by gambling, by thieves, by fire, by
wild beasts, and other harms, departs." With these laudatory verses, and
with many others of the same kind, king Kanakavarsha honoured that
king of impediments. And the conqueror of impediments said, " I will not
throw an impediment in thy way, obtain a son," and disappeared then and
there from the eyes of that king.
Then Kartikeya said to that king, who had endured the rain ; " Ee-
solute man, I am pleased with thee, so crave thy boon." Then the king}
delighted, said to the god, " Let a son be born to me by thy favour."
Then the god said, " Thou shalt have a son, the incarnation of one of my
Ganas, and his name shall be Hiranyavarsha on the earth." And then the
rider on the peacock summoned him to enter his inmost shrine, in order to
shew him special favour.f Thereupon the Nagi left his body invisibly, for
females do not enter the house of Kartikeya through dread of a curse.
Then king Kanakavarsha entered the sanctifying temple of that god,
armed only with his human excellence. When the god saw that he was
deprived of the excellence he formerly had, because he was no longer in-
habited by the Nagi, he reflected — " What can this mean ?" And Kartikeya,
perceiving by his divine meditation, that that king had performed a very
difficult vow by the secret help of the Nagi, thus cursed him in his wrath:
" Since thou didst make use of deceit, intractable man, thou shalt be
separated from thy son, as soon as he is born, and from thy queen. When
the king heard this curse, terrible as a thunderstroke, he was not amazed, but
* Bohtlingk conjectures fu>-pa for (iirya ; iurpa is a winnowing-basket.
t This is the sense, but — tpsur cannot be right ; the Sanskrit College MS. reach —
echchhum. Perhaps — echchhuh will do.
546
being a mighty poet, praised that god with hymns. Then the six-faced
god, pleased with his well turned language, said to him ; " King, I am
pleased with thy hymns ; I appoint thee this end of thy curse ; thou shalt
be separated from thy wife and son for one year, but after thou hast been
saved from three great dangers, thou shalt come to an end of the separation."
AYhen the six-faced god had said this, he ceased to speak, and the king ,
satisfied with the nectar of his favour, bowed before him, and went to his
own city.
Then, in course of time, he had a son born to him by queen Mada-
nasundari, as the nectar-stream is born of the light of the cold- rayed
moon. When the king and queen saw the face of that son, being filled
with great delight, they were not able to contain themselves.* And at
that time the king made a feast, and showered riches, and made his name
of Kanakavarshat a literal fact on the earth.
When five nights had passed, while guard was being kept in the lying-
in-house, on the sixth night a cloud suddenly came there. It swelled, and
gradually covered the whole sky, as a neglected enemy overruns the king-
doin of a careless king. Then the mast elephant of the wind began to
rush, showering drops of rain like drops of ichor, and rooting up trees.
At that moment a terrible woman, sword in hand, opened the door, though
it was bolted, and entered that lying-in-chamber. She took that babe from
the queen as she was nursing it, and ran out, having bewildered the
attendants. And then the queen, distracted, and exclaiming, " Alas ! a
Itakshasi has carried off my child," pursued that woman, though it was dark.
And the woman rushed on and plunged into a tank with the child, and the
queen, pursuing her, plunged in also, eager to recover her offspring. Im-
mediately the cloud disappeared, and the night came to an end, and the
lamentation of the attendants was heard in the Ijdng-in-chamber. Then
the king Kanakavarsha, hearing it, came to the lying-in-chamber, and seeing
it empty of his son and wife, was distracted. After he had recovered
consciousness, he began to lament, " Alas, my queen ! Alas, my infant son !"
and then he called to mind that the curse was to end in a year. And he
exclaimed, " Holy Skanda, how could you give to ill-starred me a boon
joined with a curse, like nectar mixed with poison ? Alas ! how shall I be
able to pass a year, long as a thousand years, without the queen Madana-
sundari, whom I value more than my life?" And the king, though exhorted
by the ministers, who knew the circumstances, did not recover his composure,
which had departed with his queen.
* I read tadd for padd, a conjecture of Babu S. C. Mookorjca's. The Sanskrit
College MS. reads atyanandabhrite yuktam ndvartetdm yaddtmani.
t /. e. showerer of riches.
517
And in course of time lie left his city, distracted with a paroxysm of
love, and wandered through the Vin.lhya forest in a state of bewilderment.
There, as he gazed on the eyes of the young does, he remembered the
beauty of the eyes of his beloved, and the bushy tails of the chamaris
reminded him of the loveliness of her luxuriant hair, and when he marked
the gait of the female elephant, he called to mind the languid grace of her
gait, so that the fire of his love broke out into a fiercer flame. And
wandering about exhausted with thirst and heat, ho reached the foot of the
Vindhya mountains, and, after drinking the water of a stream, he sat down
at the foot of a tree. In the meanwhile a long-maned lion came out of a
cavern of the Vindhya hills, uttering a roar which resembled a loud demoniac
laugh, and rushed towards him to slay him. At that very moment a
certain Vidyadhara descended rapidly from heaven, and cleft that lion in
two with a sword-stroke. And that sky-goer, coming near, said to the
king, " King Kanakavarsha, how have you come to this region ?" When
the king heard it, he recovered his memory, and said to him, " How do you
know me, who am tossed with the wind of separation ?" Then the Vidya-
dhara said, " I, when in old time I was a religious mendicant, of the name
of Bandhumitra, dwelt in your city. Then you helped me in my rites,
when I respectfully asked you to do so, and so I obtained the rank of a
Vidyadhara, by making a goblin my servant. Thus I recognized you, and
being desirous to confer on you a benefits by way of recompense, I have
slain this lion which 1 saw on the point of killing you.
" And rny name has now become Bandhuprabha." When the Vidya-
dhara said this, the king conceived an affection for him, and said, " Ah !
I remember, and this friendship has been nobly acted up to by you, so
tell me when I shall be reunited with my wife and son." When the
Vidyadhara Bandhuprabha heard that, he perceived it by his divine know-
ledge, and said to the king — " By a pilgrimage to the shrine of Durga, in
the Vindhya hills, you will recover your wife and son, so go you to prosperity,
and I will return to my own world." When he had said this, he departed,
and king Kanakavarsha, having recovered his self-command, went to
visit that shrine of Durga.
As he was going along, a great and furious wild elephant, stretching out
its trunk, and shaking its head, charged him in the path. When the king
saw that, he iled by a way full of holes, so that the elephant, pursuing hiu),
fell into a chasm and was killed. Then the king, fatigued with toil and
exertion, slowly going along, reached a great lake full of lotuses with
straight upstanding stalks. There the king bathed, drank the water of the
lake, and ate the fibres of the lotuses, and lying tired at the foot of a tree,
was for a moment overpowered by sleep. And some S'avaras, returning
that way from hunting, saw that king with auspicious marks lying
69
548
asleep. And they immediately bound him, and took him to their king
Muktaphala, in order that he might serve as a victim. The king of the
S'avaras, for his part, seeing that the king was a suitable victim, took him
to the temple of Durga to offer him up. And when the king saw the
goddess, he bowed before her, and by her mercy and the favour of Skanda
his bonds fell off. When the king of the S'avaras saw that miracle, he
knew that it was a mark of the goddess's favour towards him, and he
spared his life. So Kanakavarsha escaped the third danger, and accom-
plished the year of his curse.
And in the meanwhile the Nagi, the aunt of the king, came there,
bringing the queen Madanasundari with her son, and said to the king — " O
king, when I heard the curse of Kartikeya, I took these away by an
artifice to my own dwelling, and preserved them there. Therefore, Kanaka-
varsha, receive here your wife and son, enjoy this empire of the earth, for
now your curse is at an end." When the Nagi had said this to the king,
who bowed before her, she disappeared, and the king looked upon the
arrival of his wife and child as a dream. Then the grief of separation of
the king and queen, who had so long been forced to live apart, trickled
away in their tears of joy. Then Muktaphala, the king of the S'avaras,
fell at the feet of the king Kanakavarsha, on finding that he was his
master, the lord of the whole earth. And after he had propitiated him,
and persuaded him to visit his town, he furnished his wife and child with
all kinds of luxuries, such as it was in his power to give. Then the king,
remaining there, summoned by messengers his father-in-law Devasakti and
his army* from his own city. Then he sent on in front of him his beloved
wife Madanasundari, mounted on a female elephant, and his son, who Kar-
tikeya said was to be called Hiranyavarsha, and went with his father-in-
law towards his father-in-law's house. f And in a few days he reached the
residence of his father-in-law, a hermitage in the country of Yidarbha, and
after that his wealthy city of Kundina, and there he remained some time
with his wife and son, and his army, being entertained by his father-in-law.
And setting out thence, he at last reached his own town of Kanakapura, where
he was, as it were, drunk in by the eyes of the wives of the citizens, long
desirous of beholding him again. And with his son and Madanasundari he
entered the palace, like an embodied feast, accompanied with joy and splen-
dour. And there he gave Madanasundari a turban of honour, and made her
his headwife, and he honoured his subjects with gifts on this day of triumph. J
* The MS. in the Sanskrit College reads svasaiityam which saves the metro.
f Sfvasuraveimavartmdtritas is the reading of the MS. in the lihrary of
College.
J I read mdmtaprakfitik, following the MS. in the Sanskrit College.
549
And then king Kanakavarsha ruled this circle of the earth, four-limit-
ed by the sea, without opponents, in perpetual happiness, with his wife
and son, without experiencing again the grief of separation.
When the prince Naravahanadatta heard this magnificent tale from
his head minister Gomukha, in the company of the fair Alankaravati, he
was exceedingly delighted.
CHAPTER LVI.
Then the prince Naravahanadatta, with his beloved by his Bide, being
much pleased at the tale of Gomukha, but seeing that Marubhuti was quite
put out, in order to pay him a compliment, said to him, attempting to con-
ciliate him ; " Marubhuti, why do you not tell a tale also ?" Then he said,
" Well, I will tell one," and with pleased soul began to relate the following
story.
Story of the Brahman Chandrasvdmin, There once lived in a town
his son MaMpdla, and his daughter Chan- called Devakamalapura, belonging to
the king Kamalavarman, an excel-
lent Brahman, named Chandrasvamin. And that wise man had a wife like
himself, distinguished for modesty, and she was a worthy match for Sarasvati
and Lakshmi. Ami to that Brahman was born a son with auspicious
marks, and when he was born, this voice was heard from heaven :
" Chandrasvamin, you must call your son Mahipala,* because he shall
be a king and long protect the earth." When Chandrasvamin heard this,
he made a feast and called that son Mahipala. And in course of time
Mahipala grew up, and was taught the science of missile and hand to hand
weapons, and was at the same time instructed in all knowledge. And in
the meanwhile his wife Devamati brought forth to Chandrasvamin another
child, a daughter, beautiful in all her limbs. And the brother and sister,
Mahipala and Chandravati, grew up together in their father's house.
Then a famine, caused by want of rain, sprang up in that country, the
corn having been scorched up by the rays of the sun. And owing to that,
the king began to play the bandit, leaving the right path, and taking
wealth from his subjects unlawfully. Then, as that land was going rapidly
to ruin, Chandrasvamin's wife said to her husband : " Come to my father's
house, let us leave this city, for our children will perish here some day or
other." When Chandrasvamin heard this, he said to his wife — " By no
means, for flight from one's own country in time of famine is a great sin.
* /. #. earth-protector, king.
550
So I will take these children and deposit them in your father's house, and
do you remain here ; I will return soon. She agreed, and then Chandra-
svamin left her in his house, and taking those two children, the boy Mahi-
pala and the girl Chandra vati, set out from that city for his father-in-law's
house. And in course of time, as he roamed on, he reached a great wilder-
ness, with sands heated hy the rays of the sun, and with but a few parched up
trees in it. And there he left his two children, who were exhausted with
thirst, and went to a great distance to look for water for them. Then
there met him a chief of the S'avaras, named Sinhadanshtra, with his follow-
ers, going somewhere or other for his own ends. The Bhilla saw him and
questioned him, and finding out that he was in search of water, said to his
followers, " Take him to some water," at the same time making a sign to
them. When they heard it, two or three of the S'avara king's followers,
perceiving his intention, took the innocent Chandrasvamin to the village,
and fettered him. And he, learning from them that he was fettered in order
to be offered as a victim, lamented for his two children that he had left in
the wild:
" Ah Mahipala ! Ah dear Chandravati ! why did I foolishly abandon
you in the wilderness and make you the prey of lions and tigers ? And I
have brought myself also into a position where I am sure to be slain by
bandits, and there is no escape for me." While he was thus lamenting in
his terror, he saw to his delight the sun. And exclaiming, " Ah ! I Avill
fling aside bewilderment and fly for refuge to my own lord," the JJrahman
began to praise the sun in the following verses — " Hail to thee, O Lord,
the brightness residing in the near and in the remote ether, that dispersest
the internal and external darkness. Thou art Vishnu pervading the three
worlds, thou art S'iva the treasure-house of blessings, thou art the supreme
lord of creatures, calling into activity the sleeping Universe. Thou
deposest thy brightness in fire and in the moon, out of pity, as it were, Buy-
ing, ' Let these two dull things shine,' and so thou dispellest the night.
When thou risest, the Rakshasas disperse, the Dasyus have no power, and
the virtuous rejoice.* So, thou matchless illuminator of the three worlds,
deliver me, who take refuge with thee. Disperse this darkness of my grief,
have mercy upon me." When the Brahman had devoutly praised the sun
with these and other similar hymns, a voice was heard from heaven —
" Chandrasvamin, I am pleased with thee, thou shalt not be put to death, and
by m}' favour thou shalt be reunited with thy wife and children." When
the divine voice had said this to Chamlrasvainin, he recovered his spirits, and
remained in a state of tranquillity, being supplied with bathing requisites
and food by the S'avaras.
• Compare for the idea Richard II. Act III, Sc. 2. lino 41 and/".
551
And in the meanwhile the boy Mahip.-'ila, left in the wilderness with
his sister, as hia father did not return, remained lamenting bitterly, suppos-
ing that some calamity had befallen him. And in this state he was beheld
by a great merchant, of the name of Sarthadhara, who came that way, and
the merchant asked him what had happened to him. And feeling compas-
sion, he consoled the boy, and observing that he had auspicious marks, he
took him and his sister to his own country. There that Mahipala lived in
the house of that merchant, who looked upon him with all the affection of
a father for his sou ; arid though a boy, he was occupied in the rites of the
sacred fire.
But one day the minister of the king Taravarman, who lived in the
city of Tarapura, the excellent Brahman Anantasvarnin, came that way
on business, with his elephants, horses and foot-soldiers, and entered the
house of that merchant, being a friend of his. After he had rested, he
saw the handsome boy Mahipala, engaged in muttering prayers and in
sacrificing to the fire, and asked his story ; then the Brahman minister,
finding that the boy was of his own caste, as he had no children, begged
the boy and his sister from the merchant. Then the merchant, who was a
Vaisya, gave him the children, and Anantasvamin went with them to
Tarapura. There Mahipala remained in the house of that minister, which
abounded in wealth on account of its master's knowledge, and was treated
by him as a son.
And in the meanwhile Sinhadansbtra, the king of the Bhillas, came
to Chandrasvainin, who was in captivity in that village, and said to him ;
" Brahman, I have been ordered in a dream by the Sun-god not to slay you
but to set you free, after doing you honour. So rise up, and go where you
please." After saying this, he let him go, giving him pearls and musk,
and supplying him with an escort througli the forest. And Chandra-
svamin, being thus set at liberty, not finding his son and his younger
sister in the wood, wandered in search of them, and as he wandered he
found a city named Jalapura on the shore of the sea, and entered as a
guest the house of a certain Brahman. There, after he had taken refresh-
ment, and then told his story, the Brahman, the master of the house, said
to him ; " A merchant named Kanakavarman came here some days ago ;
he found in the forest a Brahman boy with his sister, and he has gone off
with those two very handsome children to the great island of Xarikela, but
he did not tell his name." When Chandrasvamin heard that, he made up
his mind that those children were his, and he determined to go to that
beautiful island. And after he had spent the night, and looked about him,
he made acquaintance with a merchant, named Vif-hnuvannan, who was
about to go to the isle of Narikela. And with him he embarked in a ship,
and went across the sea to the island, out of love for his children. When
552
he began to enquire there, the merchants, who lived there, said to him ; " It
is true that a merchant named Kanakavarman did come here, with two beau-
tiful Brahman children, whom he found in a wood. But he has now gone
with them to the island of Kataha. When the Brahman heard that, he went
in a ship with the merchant Danavarman to the island of Kataha. There he
heard that the merchant Kanakavarman had gone from that island to an,
island named Karpura. In the same way he visited in turn the islands of
Karpura, Suvarna, and Sinhala with merchants, but he did not find the
merchant whom he was in search of. But from the people of Sinhala he
heard that that merchant Kanakavarman had gone to his own city, named
Cbitrakuta. Then Chandrasvamin went with a merchant, named Kotisvara,
to Chitrakuta, crossing the sea in his ship. And in that city he found the
merchant Kanakavarman, and longing for his children, he told him the
whole story. Then Kanakavarman, when he knew the cause of his grief,
showed him the children, whom he had found in the forest and brought
away. But when Chandrasvamin looked at those two children, he saw that
they were not his, but some other children. Then he, being afflicted with
tears and grief, lamented in desperate mood — " Alas ! though I have
wandered so far, I have not found my son or my daughter. Malignant
Providence, like a wicked master, has held out hopes to me but has not ful-
filled them, and has made me wander far and wide on a false surmise." While
he was indulging in such lamentations, he was at last, though with diffi-
culty, consoled by Kanakavarman, and exclaimed in his grief, " If I do not
find those children in a year, by wandering over the earth, 1 will abandon the
body by austerities on the bank of the river Ganges. When he said this,
a certain seer there said to him, " Go, you will recover your children by
the favour of Narayani. When he heard that, he was delighted, re-
membering the compassion shown him by the sun, and he departed from
that city, honoured by the merchants.
Then, searching the lands which were royal grants to Brahmans,
and the villages and the towns, he reached one evening a wood with
many tall trees in it. There he made a meal on fruits and water, and
climbed up into a tree to spend the night there, dreading the lions, and
tigers, and other noisome beasts. And being sleepless, he saw in the
night at the foot of the tree a great body of divine Mothers assembled, with
Narayani at their head ; waiting for the arrival of the god Bhairava,
having brought with them all kinds of presents suited to their resources.
And thereupon the Mothers asked Narayani why the god delayed, but she
laughed and gave no reason. And being persistently questioned by them,
she answered—" He has stopped to curse a Guhyaka who has incurred his
displeasure."* And on account of that business some delay has taken place
* Here I have omitted a short story.
653
about his arrival, but know that he will be here soon. While Narayanf
was saying this to the Mothers, there came there Bhairava* the lord of the
company of Mothers. And he, having been honoured with gifts by all
the Mothers, spent some time in dancing, and sported with the witches.
And while Chandrasvarnin was surveying that from the summit of a
tree, he saw a slave belonging to Narayani, and she saw him. And
as chance would have it, they fell in love with one another, and the god-
dess Narayani perceived their feelings. And when Bhairava had departed,
accompanied by the witches, she, lingering behind, summoned Chandra-
svamin who was on the tree. And when he came down, she said to him
and her slave : " Are you in love with one another ?" And they confessed
the truth, and said they were, and thereupon she dismissed her anger and said
to Chandrasvamin, " I am pleased with thee for confessing the truth, so I
will not curse thee, but I will give thee this slave, live in happiness." When
the Brahman heard this, he said — " Goddess, though my mind is fickle,
I hold it in check, I do not touch a strange woman. For this is the nature
of the mind, but bodily sin should be avoided." When that firm-souled
Brahman said this, the goddess said to him — " I am pleased with thee and
I give thee this boon : thou shalt quickly find thy children. And receive
from me this unfading lotus that destroys poison." When the goddess had
said this, she gave the Brahman Chaudrasvamin a lotus, and disappeared
from his eyes.
And he, having received the lotus, set out, at the end of the night, and
roaming along reached the city of Tarapura, where his son Mahipala and his
daughter were living in the house of that Brahman minister Anantasvamin.
There he went and recited at the door of that minister, in order to obtain
food, having heard that he was hospitable. And the minister, having been
informed by the door-keepers, had him introduced by them, and when he
saw that he was learned, invited him to dinner. And when he was invited,
having heard that there was a lake there, named Anantahrada, that washed
away sin, he went to bathe there. While he was returning after bath-
ing, the Brahman heard all round him in the city a cry of grief. And when
he asked the cause, the people said to him — " There is in this city a Brah-
man boy, of the name of Mahipala, who was found in the forest by the
• Ho seems to correspond to tho Junker Voland or Hcrr Urian of the "Walpurgis-
nacht ; (see Bayard Taylor's notes to hia translation of Goethe's Faust). See also,
for the assembly of witches and their uncanny president, Birliiiger, Aus Schwaben,
pp. 323 and 372. In Bartsch's Sagen &c. aus Meklenburg, pp. 11 — 44, will be
found the recorded confessions of many witches, who deposed to having danced with
the Teutonic Bhairava on the Blocksherg. The Mothers of the second part of Faust
probably come from Greece.
551
merchant Sarthadhara. The minister Anantasvamin, observing that he had
auspicious marks, with some difficulty begged him and his sister from
the merchant, and brought them both here. And being without a son, he
has adopted the boy, whose excellent qualities have endeared him to king
Taravarman and his people. To-day he has been bitten by a poisonous snake ;
hence the cry of grief in the city." When Chandrasvamin heard that, he
said to himself, " This must be my son," and reflecting thus, he went to
the house of that minister as fast as he could. There he saw his son
surrounded by all, and recognized him, and rejoiced, having in his hand
the lotus that was an antidote to snake-poison. And he put that lotus
to the nose of that Mahipala, and the moment he smelt it, he was free
from the effects of poison. And Mahipala rose up, and was as one who had
just awoka from sleep,* and all the people in the city, and the king rejoiced.
And Chandrasvamin was honoured with wealth by Anantasvamin, the
king, and the citizens, who said " This is some incarnation of the
divinity." And he remained in the house of the minister iu great comfort,
honoured by him, and he saw his son Mahipala and his daughter Chandra-
vatl. And the three, though they mutually recognized one another, said
nothing, for the wise have regard to what is expedient, and do not discover
themselves out of season.
Then the king Taravarman, being highly pleased with the virtues of
Mahipala, gave him his daughter Bandhumati. Then that king, after
giving him the half of the kingdom, being pleased with him, laid the whole
burden of the kingdom upon him, as he had no other son. And Mahi-
pala, after he had obtained the kingdom, acknowledged his father, and
gave him a position next to his, and so lived in happiness.
One day his father Chandrasvamin said to him, " Come, let us go to
our own country to bring your mother. For if she hears that you are the
occupant of a throne, having been long afflicted, she might think, ' How
comes it that my son has forgotten me,' and might curse you in her anger.
But one who is cursed by his father and mother does not long enjoy pros-
perity. In proof of this hear this tale of what happened long ago to the
merchant's sou."
In the city of Dhavala there
Story of Chakra* wag & merchant>8 son> named (Jhakra.
He went on a trading voyage to Svarnadvipa against the will of his paivnts.
There he gained great wealth in five years, and in order to return embarked
on the sea in a ship laden with jewels. And when his voyage was very nearly
at an end, the sea rose up against him, troubled with a great wind, and with
* Mukta for yukta, which is clearly a misprint.
t This story is identical with the story of "The merchant who struck his
mother," as given by tho liov. IS. Bo*! in tho Antiquary for September i860.
clouds and rain. And the huge billows broke his vessel, as if angry because
he had come against the wish of his parents. Some of the passengers were
whelmed in the waves, others were eaten by sea-monsters. But Chakra,
as his allotted term of life had not run out, was carried to the shore and
flung up there by the waves. While he was lying there in a state of ex-
haustion, he saw as if in a dream, a man of black and terrible appearance
come to him, with a noose in his hand. Chakra was caught in the noose
by that man, who took him up and dragged him a long distance to a court
presided over by a man on a throne. By the order of the occupant of tho
throne, the merchant's son was carried off by that noose-bearer, and flung
into a cell of iron.
In that cell Chakra saw a man being tortured by means of an iron
wheel* on his head, that revolved incessantly. And Chakra asked him,
— " Who are you, by what crime did you incur this, and how do you manage
to continue alive ?" And the man answered — " I am a merchant's son
named Khadga, and because I did not obey the commands of my parents,
they were angry and in wrath laid this curse upon me :f ' Because, wicked
son, you torture us like a hot wheel placed on the head, therefore such
shall be your punishment.' When they had said this they ceased, and as
I wept, they said to me, ' Weep not, your punishment shall only last for
one month.' When I heard that, I spent the day in grief, and at night
when I was in bed, I saw, as if in a dream, a terrible man come. He took
me off and thrust me by force into this iron cell, and he placed on my head
this burning and ever-revolving wheel. This was my parents' curse, hence
I do not die. And the month is at an end to-day ; still I am not set
free." When Khadga said that, Chakra in pity answered him — " I too
did not obey my parents, for I went abroad to get wealth against their will,
and they pronounced against me the curse that my wealth, when acquired,
should perish. So I lost in the sea my whole wealth, that I had acquired
in a foreign island. My- case is the same as yours. So what is the use of
my life ? Place this wheel on my head. Let your curse, Khadga, depart."
When Chakra said this, a voice was heard in the air " Khadga, thou art
released, so place this wheel on the head of Chakra." When Khadga
heard this, he placed the wheel on the head of Chakra, and was conveyed
by some invisible being to his parents' house.
* A similar transferable wheel is found in the Panchatantra, Vth Book, 3rd Story.
Benfey's Panchatantra, Vol. II, p. 331.
t Cp. Ralston's Russian Folk-Tales, p. 358. " Great stress is laid in the skazkas
and legends upon the terrible power of a parent's curse. Tho hasty word of a father
or mother will condemn even an innocent child to slavery among devils and when it is
once uttered, it is irrevocable." Throughout tho present work curses appear to be
irrevocable but susceptible of modification and limitation.
65
556
There lie remained without disobeying again the orders of his parents :
but Chakra put that wheel upon his head, and then spake thus — " May
other sinners also on the earth be released from the result of their sins ; until
all sins are cancelled, may this wheel revolve on my head." When the
resolute Chakra said this, the gods in heaven, being pleased, rained flowers
and thus addressed him : " Bravo ! Bravo ! man of noble spirit, this com-
passion has cancelled thy sin, go; thou shalt possess inexhaustible wealth."
When the gods said this, that iron wheel fell from the head of Chakra, and
disappeared somewhere. Then a Vidyadhara youth descended from heaven,
and gave him a valuable treasure of jewels, sent by Indra pleased with his
self-abnegation, and taking Chakra in his arms, carried him to his city
named Dhavala, and departed as he had come. Then Chakra delighted his
relations by his arrival at the house of his parents, and, after telling his
adventures, remained there without falling away from virtue.
When Chandrasvamin had told this story, he said again to Mahipala,
" Such evil fruits does opposition to one's parents produce, my son, but
devotion to them is a wishing-cow of plenty : in illustration of this hear
the following tale."
Story of the hermit and the faithful There was in old time a hermit
wife- of great austerity, who roamed in the
forest. And one day a hen-crow, as he was sitting under the shade of a
tree, dropped dirt upon him, so he looked at the crow with angry eyes.
And the crow, as soon as he looked at it, was reduced to ashes ; and so the
hermit conceived a vain-glorious confidence in the might of his austerities.
Once on a time, in a certain city, the hermit entered the house of a
Brahman, and asked his wife for alms. And that wife, who was devoted
to her husband, answered him, " Wait a little, I am attending upon my
husband." Then he looked at her with an angry look, and she laughed at
him and said, " Remember,* I am not a crow." When the hermit heard
that, he sat down in a state of astonishment, and remained wondering how
she could possibly have come to know of the fate of the crow. Then, after
she had attended upon her husband in the oblation to the fire and in other
rites, the virtuous woman brought alms, and approached that hermit.
Then the hermit joined his hands in the attitude of supplication, and said
to that virtuous woman : " How did you co-me to know of my adventure
with the crow in the forest ; tell me first, and then I will receive your
alms ?" When the hermit said this, that wife, who adored her husband,
said, " I know of no virtue other than devotion to my husband, accord-
ingly by his favour I have such power of discernment. But go and visit a
man here who lives by selling flesh, whose name is Dharmavyadha, from
him thou shalt learn the secret of blessedness free from the consciousness
* Perhaps we should read mrishyatam, forgive me, be patient.
557
of self." The hermit, thus addressed by the all-knowing faithful wife, took
the portion of a guest, and after bowing before her, departed.
Story of Dharmavyddha the rirjhteout The next day he went in search
teller ofjtesh* of fchat Dharmavyadha, and approach-
ed him, as he was selling flesh in his shop. And as soon as Dharmavyddha
saw the hermit, he said, " Have you been sent here, Brahman, by that
faithful wife ?" When the hermit heard that, he said to Dharmavya, Ilia in
his astonishment, — " How come you to have such knowledge, being a seller
of flesh ?" When the hermit said this, Dharinavyadha answered him — " I
am devoted to my father and mother, that is my only object in life. I
bathe after I have provided them with, the requisites for bathing, I eat after
I have fed them, I lie down after I have seen them to bed ; thus it comes
to pass that I have sucli knowledge. And being engaged in the duties of
my profession, I sell only for my subsistence the flesh of deer and other
animals slain by others, not from desire of wealth. And I and that faithful
wife do not indulge self-consciousness, the impediment of knowledge, so the
knowledge of both of us is free from hindrance. Therefore do you, observ-
ing the vow of a hermit, perform your own duties, without giving way to
self-consciousness, with a view to acquiring purity, in order that you may
quickly attain the supreme brightness." When he had been thus instructed
by Dharmavyadha, he went to his house and observed his practice, and
afterwards he returned satisfied to the forest. And by his advice he became
perfected, and the faithful wife and Dharmavyadha also attained perfection,
by such performance of their duties.
" Such is the power of those who are devoted to husband or father and
mother. So come, visit that mother who longs for a sight of you." When
thus addressed by his father Chandrasvamin, Mahipala promised to go to his
native land to please his mother. And he disclosed that of his own accord
to Anantasvamin his spiritual father, and when he took upon him the
burden of his kingdom, the king set out with his natural father by night.
And at last he reached his own country, and refreshed his mother Devamati
with a sight of him, as the spring refreshes the female cuckoo. And
Mahipala stayed there some time with his mother, being welcomed by
his relations, together with his father who related their adventures.
In the meanwhile in Tarapura the princess, his wife Bandhumati, who
was sleeping within the house, woke up at the close of night. And dis-
covering that her husband had gone somewhere, she was distressed at her
lonely state, and could not find solace in the palace, the garden, or uuv
other place. But she remained weeping, shedding tears that seemed to double
her necklace, intent on lamentation only, desiring relief by death. But t'.io
* This character is probably taken from the Muhubharata (see Dowson's Cl
Dictionary of Hindu Mythology, p. 90).
558
minister Anantasvamin came and comforted her with hope-inspiring
words, saying, " Before your husband went, he said to me, ' I am going
awav on some business and I will quickly return,' so do not weep, my
daughter." Then she recovered self-control, though with difficulty. Then
she remained continually honouring with gifts excellent Brahmans, that
came from a foreign country, in order to obtain news of her husband.
And she asked a poor Brahman, named Sangamadatta, who came for a
gift, for tidings of her husband, having told him his name and the signs by
which to recognize him. Then the Brahman said, " I have never beheld
a man of that kind ; but, queen, you must not give way to excessive
anxiety on this account. Doers of righteous actions eventually obtain
reunion with loved ones, and in proof of that I will tell you a wonder which
I saw, listen."
Story of the treacherous Patupata asce- As I was wandering round all
tic" the holy places, I came to the Manasa
lake on the Himalayas, and in it I saw, as in a mirror,* a house composed
of jewels, and from that building there came out suddenly a man with a
sword in his hand, and he ascended the bank of the lake, accompanied by a
troop of celestial females. There he amused himself with the females in a
garden in the recreation of drinking, and I was looking on from a distance
unobserved, full of interest in the spectacle. In the meanwhile a man of
prepossessing appearance came there from somewhere or other. And when
he met me, I told him what I had seen. And with much interest I point-
ed out to him that man from a distance, and when he beheld him he told
me his own story in the following words :
I am a named Tribhuvana
Story of the king Tribhuvana.
in the city of Tribhuvana. There
a certain Pasupata ascetic for a long time paid me court. And being asked
the reason by me, he at once asked me to be his ally in obtaining a sword
concealed in a cavern, and I agreed to that. Then the Pasupata ascetic
went with me at night, and having by means of a burnt-offering and other
rites discovered an opening in the earth, the ascetic said to me, " Hero !
enter thou first, and after thou hast obtained the sword, come out, and cause
me also to enter; make a compact with me to do this." When he said this,
I made that compact with him, and quickly entered the opening, and found a
palace of jewels. And the chief of the Asura maidens who dwelt there came
out from the palace, and out of love led me in, and there gave me a sword.
She said, " Keep this sword which confers the power of flying in the air, and
bestows all magical faculties." Then I remained there with her. But I
remembered my compact, and going out with the sword in my hand, I
introduced that ascetic into the palace of the Asuras by that opening.
* I liuvo followed the Sanskrit C'ullryv MS. which gives di
159
There I dwelt with the first Asura lady who was surrounded by her atten-
dants, and he dwelt with the second. One day when I was stupified with drink-
ing, the ascetic treacherously took away from my side the sword, and grasped
it in his own hand. When he had it in his grasp, he possessed great power,
and with his hand he seized me and flung me out of the cavern. Then I
searched for him for twelve years at the mouths of caverns, hoping that some
time I might find him outside. And this very day the scoundrel has presented
himself to my eyes, sporting with that very Asura lady who belongs to me.
While the king Tribhuvana was relating this to me, O qneen, that
ascetic, stupefied with drink, went to sleep. And while he was asleep, the
king went and took the sword from his side, and by its operation he
recovered celestial might. Then the hero woke up that ascetic with a kick,
and reproached the unfortunate man. but did not kill him. And then he
entered the palace with the Asura lady and her attendants, recovered again
like his own magic power. But the ascetic was much grieved at having
lost his magic power. For the ungrateful, though long successful, are
sure to fail at last.
" Having seen this with my own eyes, I have now arrived here in the
course of my wanderings ; so be assured, queen, that you shall eventually be
reunited to your beloved, like Tribhuvana, for the righteous does not sink."
When Bandl-mmati heard that from the Brahman, she was highly delighted,
and made him successful by giving him much wealth.
And the next day a distinguished Brahman came there from a distant
land, and Bandhumati eagerly asked him for tidings of her husband, tell-
ing his name and the tokens by which he might be recognized. Then that
Brahman said to her : " Queen, I have not seen your husband anywhere,
but I, who have to-day come to your house, am named not without reason,
the Brahman Sumanas,* so you will quickly have your wishes satisfied,
thus my heart tells me. And reunions do take place, even of the long
separated. In proof of thus I will tell you the following tale ; listen,
queen."
Of old time there lived a king
Story of Nala and Damayantt. , ,7 , , , T -
named Nala, whose beauty, I fancy,
so surpassed that of the god of Love, that in disgust he offered his body as
a burnt-offering in the fire of the eye of the enraged S'iva. He had no
wife, and when he made enquiries, he heard that Damayanti, the daughter
of Bhima the king of Yidarbha, would make him a suitable wife. And
Bhima, searching through the world, found that there was no king except
Kala fit to marry his daughter.
In the meanwhile Diimayanti went down into a tank in her own city,
to amuse herself in the water. There the girl saw a swan that had fed on
• /. e. Benevolent, and also satisfied at heart.
560
blue and white lotuses, and by a trick she threw over it her robe and made it
a prisoner in sport. But the celestial swan, when captured, said to her in
accents that she could understand : " Princess, I will do you a good turn,
let me go. There is a king of the name of Nala, whom even the nymphs
of heaven bear on their hearts, like a necklace strung with threads of merit.*
You are a wife fitted for him and he is a husband suited for you, so I will
be an ambassador of Love to bring like to like." When she heard that, she
thought that the celestial swan was a polished speaker, and so she let him
go, saying — " So be it" — And she said, " I will not choose any husband but
Nala," having her mind captivated by that prince, who had entered by the
channel of her ear.
And the swan departed thence, and quickly repaired to a tank resorted
to by Nala, when bent on sporting in the water. And Nala, seeing that the
swan was beautiful, took it captive out of curiosity by throwing his robe
over it in sport. Then the swan said — " Set me free, O king, for I have
come to benefit you ; listen, I will tell you. There is in Vidarbha one
Damayanti, the daughter of king Bhima, the Tilottama of the earth, to be
desired even by gods. And she has chosen you as her future husband,
having fallen in love with you on account of my description of your virtues ;
and I have come here to tell you. Nala was at the same time pierced
with the words of that excellent swan, that were brightened by the splendid
object they had in view,f and with the sharp arrows of the god of the
flowery shafts. And he said to that swan, " I am fortunate, bsst of birds,
in that I have been selected by her, as if by the incarnate fulfilment of my
•wishes." When the swan had been thus addressed by him and let go, it
went and related the whole occurrence to Dayamanti, as it took place, and
then went whither it would.
Now Damayanti was longing for Nala ; so, by way of a device to
obtain him, she sent her mother to ask her father to appoint for her the
ceremony of the Svayamvara. And her father Bhima consented, and sent
messengers to all the kings on the earth, to invite them to the Svayamvara.
And all the kings, when they had received the summons, set out for Vi-
darbha, and Nala went also eagerly, mounted on his chariot.
And in the meanwhile, Indra and the other Lokapalas heard from the
hermit Narada of the Svayamvara of Damayanti, and of her love for Nala.
And of them Indra, the Wind, the god of Fire, Yama and Varuna, longing
for Damayanti, deliberated together, and went to Nala, and they found
Nala setting off on the journey, and when he prostrated himself before
them, they said to him " Go, Nala, and tell Damayanti this from us —
' Choose one of us five ; what is the use of choosing Nala who is a mortal ?
• Sadguna means good quality, also " good thread."
f Tho I'pitheti' th'- arrows and HHMUS " liri^ht with oxwllont heads."
86]
Mortals are subject to death, but gods are undying.' And by our favour,
thou shalt enter where she is, unperceived by the others." Nala said " So
be it," and consented to do the errand of the gods. And he entered the
apartments of Damayanti without being seen, and delivered that command
of the gods, exactly as it was given. But when the virtuous woman heard
that, she said " Suppose the gods are such, nevertheless Nala shall be iny
husband, I have no need of gods." When Nala had heard her utter this
noble sentiment, and had revealed himself, he went and told it, exactly
as it was said, to Indra and the others; and they, pleased with him,
gave him a boon, saying, " We are thy servants from this time forth,
and will repair to thee as soon as thought of, truthful man.
Then Nala went delighted to Vidarbha, and Indra and the other gods
assumed the form of Nala, with intent to deceive Damayanti. And they
went to the court of Bhima, assuming the attributes of mortals, and,
when the Svayamvara began, they sat near Nala. Then Damayanti came,
and leaving the kings who were being proclaimed one by one by her
brother, gradually reached Nala. And when she saw six Nalas, all
possessing shadows and the power of winking,* she thought in her per-
plexity, while her brother stood amazed, " Surely these five guardians of the
world have produced this illusion to deceive me, but I think that Nala is
the sixth here, and so I cannot go in any other direction." When the virtu-
ous one had thus reflected, she stood facing the sun, with mind fixed
on Nala alone, and spoke thus — " O guardians of the world, if even in sleep
I have never fixed my heart on any but Nala, on account of that loyal
conduct of mine shew me your real forms. And to a maiden any other
men than her lover previously chosen are strangers, and she is to them the
wii'e of another, so how comes this delusion upon you ?" When the five,
with Indra at their head, heard that, they assumed their own forms, and
the sixth, the true Nala, preserved his true form. The princess in her de-
light cast upon the king her eye, beautiful as a blown blue lotus, and the
garland of election. And a rain of flowers fell from heaven. Then king
Bhima performed the marriage ceremony of her and Nala. And the kings
and the gods, Indra and the others, returned by the way that they came, after
due honour had been done to them by the king of Vidarbha.
But Indra and his companions saw on the way Kali and Dvapara,f and
* So in Heliodorus, Aethiopica, Lib. Ill, cap. XIII.
aAAct rois r' b(p6d\(Mis &v yvwffOitfv a.rtt>fS 8i6\ov jSAtVoirel «al rb &\fpapov 08 TOT'
fTTtpvovTCi. — In the third canto of the Purgatorio Danto is much troubled at finding that
Virgil, being a disembodied spirit, casts no shadow.
-f Kali is the side of the die marked with one point. Dvapara is tho side rn.-trk- >1
with two. They are personified here as demons of gambling. They are also tho
present, <'. (., the fourth and tho third Yugus or ago.-; of the world.
562
knowing that they had come for Damayanti, they said to them, " It is of no
use your going to Vidarbha ; we come thence ; and the Svayamvava has
taken place ; Damayanti has chosen king Nala. When the wicked Kali
and Dvapara heard that, they exclaimed in wrath, " Since she has chosen,
that mortal in preference to gods like thyself, we will certainly separate that
couple." After making this vow they turned round and departed thence.
And Nala remained seven days in the house of his father-in-law, and then
departed, a successful man, for Nishada, with his wife Damayanti. There
their love was greater than that of Siva and Parvati. Parvati truly is half
of Siva, but Damayanti was Nala's self. And in due time Damayanti
brought forth to Nala a son named Indrasena, and after that a daughter
named Indrasena.
And in the meanwhile Kali, who was resolved on effecting what he
had promised, was seeking an occasion against Nala, who lived according to
the S"astras. Then, one day, Nala lost his senses from drunkenness, and
went to sleep without saying the evening prayer and without washing his
feet. After Kali had obtained this opportunity, for which he had been
watching day and night, he entered into the body of Nala. When Kali
had entered his body, king Nala abandoned righteous practices and acted as
he pleased. The king played dice, he loved female slaves, he spoke
untruths, he slept in the day, he kept awake at night, he became angry
without cause, he took wealth unjustly, he despised the good, and he
honoured the bad.
Moreover Dvapara entered into his brother Pushkara, having obtained
an opportunity, and made him depart from the true path. And one day
Nala saw, in the house of his younger brother Pushkara, a fine white bull,
named Danta. And Pushkara would not give the bull to his elder brother,
though he wanted it and asked for it, because his respect for him had been
taken away by Dvapara. And he said to him, " If you desire this bull,
then win it from me at once at play." When Nala heard that challenge, in
his infatuation he accepted it, and then those two brothers began to play
against each other. Pushkara staked the bull, Nala staked elephants and
other things, and Pushkara continually won, Nala as continually lost.
In two or three days Nala had lost his army and his treasure, but he still
refused to desist from gambling, though entreated to desist, for he was
distracted by Kali. Damayanti, thinking that the kingdom was lost, puc
her children in a splendid chariot, and sent them to the house of her father.
In the mean-while Nala lost his whole kingdom; then the hypocritical
Pushkara said, " Since you have lost everything else, now stake Damayanti
on the game against that bull of mine."
This windy speech of Pushkara' s, like a strong blast, made Nala blaze
like fire; but he did not say any tiling unbecoming, nor did he stake his wife.
563
Then Pushkara said to him, " If you will not stake your wife, then leave
this country of mine with her." When Nala heard this, he left that
country with Damayanti, and the king's officers saw him as far as the
frontier. Alas ! when Kali reduced Nala to such a state, say, what will be
the lot of other mortals, who are like worms compared with him ? Curse on
this gambling, the livelihood of Kali and Dvapara, without law, without
natural affection, such a cause of misfortunes even to royal sages.
So Nala, having been deprived of his sovereignty by his brother,
started to go to another land with Damayanti, and as he was journeying
along, he reached the centre of a forest, exhausted with hunger. There,
as he was resting with his wife, whose soft feet were pierced with darbha
grass, on the bank of a river, he saw two swans arrive. And he threw his
upper garment over them, to capture them for food, and those two swans
lieu away with it. And Nala heard a voice from heaven, — " These are those
two dice in the form of swans, they have descended and flown off with your
garment also." Then the king sat down despondent, with only one garment
on, and providently shewed to Damayanti the way to her father's house ;
saying, " This is the way to Vidarbha, my beloved, to your father's
house, this is the way to the country of the Angas, and this is the way to
Kosala." When Damayanti heard this, she was terrified, thinking to
herself— '* Why does my husband tell me the way, as if he meant to
abandon me ?" Then the couple fed on roots and fruits, and when night
came on, lay down both of them, wearied, in the wood, on a bed of
Jcu£a grass. And Damayanti, worn out with the journey, gradually dropt
off to sleep, but Nala, desiring to depart, kept awake, deluded by Kali.
So he rose up with one garment, deserting that Damayanti, and departed
thence, after cutting off half her upper garment and putting it on.
But Damayanti woke up at the end of the night, and when she did not
see in the forest her husband, who had deserted her and gone, she
thought for some time, and then lamented as follows : " Alas, my husband,
great of heart, merciful even to your enemy ! You that used to love me
so' well, what has made you cruel to me ? And how will you be able to go
alone on foot through the forests, and who will attend on you to remove
your weariness ? How will the dust defile on the journey your feet, that
used to be stained with the pollen of the flowers in the garlands worn on
the heads of kings ! How will your body, that could not endure to be
anointed with the powder of yellow sandal-wood, endure the heat of the
sun in the middle of the day ? What do I care for my young son ? What
for my daughter? What for myself ? May the gods, if lam chasl.-. procure
good fortune for you alone !" Thus Damayanti lamented, in her loneliness.
and then set out by the path, which her husband had shewn her before-
hand. And with difficulty she crossed the woods, forests, rivers, and
71
564
rocks, and never did she depart from her devotion to her husband in,
any point. And the might of her chastity preserved her on the way,*
so that the hunter, who, after delivering her from the serpent, fell
in love with her for a moment, was reduced to ashes. Then she
joined a caravan of merchants, which she met on the way, and with them
she reached the city of a king named Subahu. There the daughter of the
king saw her from her palace, and pleased with her beauty, had her brought
and gave her as a present to her mother. Then she remained in attendance
on the queen, respected by her, and when questioned, she answered only —
" My husband has abandoned me."
And in the meanwhile her father Bhima, having heard the tidings of
Nala's misfortune, sent trustworthy men in every direction, to make search
for the royal couple. And one of them, his minister named Suvena, as
he was wandering about disguised as a Brahman, reached that palace of
Subahu. There he saw Damayanti, who always examined guests, and she
saw with sorrow her father's minister. And having recognized one another,
they wept together so violently, that Subahu's queen heard it. And the
queen had them summoned, and asked them the truth of the matter, and
then she found out that the lady was Damayanti, the daughter of her sister.
Then she informed her husband, and after shewing her honour, she sent
her to the house of her father with Suvena and an army. There Damayan-
ti remained, reunited with her two children, enquiring under her father's
guidance for news of her husband. And her father sent out spies to look
for her husband, who was distinguished by preternatural skill in cooking
and driving. And king Bhima commanded the spies to say ; " Moon,
where have you hid yourself so cruelly, deserting your young bride asleep
in the forest, dear as a cluster of white lotuses, having taken a piece of her
robe ?"f This he told them to utter wherever they suspected the presence
of Nala.
And in the meanwhile king Nala travelled a long way at night in that
forest, clothed with the half -garment, and at last he saw a jungle-fire. And
he heard some one exclaim — " Great-hearted one, take me away from the
neighbourhood of this fire, in order that I, being helpless, may not be burned
up by it." When Nala heard this, he looked round, and beheld a snake
coiled up near the fire, having his head encircled with the rays of the jewels
of his crest,J as if seized on the head by the jungle-fire, with terrible naming
• Cp. Milton's Comus, v. 421 and ff. The word " might" also means
This " fire" burnt up the hunter.
The'pun in the previous sentence cannot be rendered in English.
t Here there is a pun. Awbara also means the sky.
I For the jewels in the heads of reptiles see the long note in flenfVy's Panchatan-
tra, Vol. I, p. 214. The passage in "As you like it" will occur to every one.
565
weapons in its hand. He went up to it, and in compassion put it on his
shoulder, and carried it a long distance, and when he wished to put it
down, the snake said to him — " Carry me ten steps further, counting them,
as you go. Then Nala advanced, counting the steps, one, two, three, four,
five, six, seven — listen, snake — eight, nine, ten, and when he said ten (dasa),*
the snake took him at his word, and hit him in the front of the forehead, as
he lay on his shoulder. That made the king small in the arms, deformed
and black. Tlien the king took down the snake from his shoulder, and
said to him — " Who art thou, and what kind of a return for my
kindness is this which thou hast made ?" When the snake heard this
speech of Nala's, he answered him, — " King, know that I am a king oE the
snakes named Kaikotaka, and I gave you the bite for your good ; that
you will come to learn ; when great ones wish to live concealed, a deformed
appearance of body furthers their plans. Receive also from me this pair
of garments, named the ' fire-bleached,' you need only put them on and
you will recover your true form." When Karkotaka had said this, and
had departed after giving those garments, Nala left that wood, and in course
of time reached the city of Kosala.
And going by the name of Hrasvabahu, he took service as a cook in
the family of king Rituparna, the sovereign of Kosala. And he acquired
renown by making dishes of exquisite flavour, and by his skill in chariot-
driving. And while Nala was living there, under the name of Hrasvabahu,
it happened that once upon a time one of the spies of the king of Vidarbha
came there. And the spy heard men there saying, — " In this place there
is a new cook, of the name of Hrasvabahu, equal to Nala in his own special art
and also in the art of driving. The spy suspected that the cook was Nala
himself, and hearing that he was in the judgment-hall of the king, he went
there and repeated the following Arya verse, taught him by his master,
" Moon, where have you hid yourself so cruelly, deserting your young bride
asleep in the forest, dear as a cluster of white lotuses, having taken a piece
of her robe ?" The people present in the judgment-hall, when they heard
that, thought that his words were those of a madman, but Nala, who stood
there disguised as a cook, answered him, " What cruelty was there in the
moon's becoming invisible to the lotus-cluster, when it reached and entered
another region, after one part of the heavenf had become exhausted ?"
AVhenthe spy heard this, he surmised that the supposed cook was
really Nala transformed by misfortune, and he departed thence, and when
he reached Vidarbha, he told king Bhima and his queen and Damayauti all
that he had heard and seen.
• Da fa means "ten," and also "bite."
t Or robe. The pun is obvious.
566
Then Damayanti, of her own accord, said to her father, " Without
doubt that man is my husband disguised as a cook. So let this amusing
artifice be employed to bring him here. Let a messenger be sent to
king Rituparna, and the moment he arrives let him say to that king, ' Nala
has gone off somewhere or other, no tidings are heard of him ; accordingly
to-morrow morning Damayanti will again make her Svayamvara ; so come
quickly to Vidarbha this very day ;' and the moment the king hears his
speech, he will certainly come here in one day, together with that husband of
mine who is skilled in chariot-driving." Having thus debated with her father,
Damayanti sent off that very moment a messenger to the city of Kosala with
exactly this message. He went and told it, as it was given him to Rituparna,
and the king thereupon, being excited, said affectionately to his attendant
Nala, who was disguised as a cook : " Hrasvabahu, you said — ' I possess
skill in chariot-driving.' So take me this very day to Vidarbha if you have
sufficient endurance." When Nala heard that, he said, " Good ! I will
take you there," and thereupon he yoked swift horses, and made ready the
splendid chariot. He said to himself ; " Damayanti has spread this report
of a Svayamvara in order to recover me, otherwise, I know, she would not
have behaved in this way even in her dreams. So I will go there and see
what happens." With such reflections he brought to Rituparna the chariot
ready. And as soon as the king had mounted it, Nala proceeded to drive
on that chariot with a speed exceeding even that of Garuda. Then Ritu-
parna dropped his garment, and wished to stop the chariot in order to
recover it, but Nala said to him, — " King, where is that garment of yours ?
Why the chariot has in this moment left it many yojanas behind." When
Rituparna heard this, he said :— " Well, give me this skill in chariot-driving,
and I will give you my skill in dice, so that the dice shall obey your com-
mand and you shall acquire skill in numbers. And now look ; I will give
you a proof of the truth of what I say. You see this tree in front of us ;
I will tell you the number of its leaves and fruits, and then do you count
them for yourself and see." When he had said this, he told him the
number of the leaves and fruits on that tree, and Nala counted them
and found them exactly as many as he had said. Then Nala gave to
Rituparna his skill in driving, and Rituparna gave to Nala his skill in dice
and numbers.
And Nala tested that skill on another tree, and found the number of
leaves and fruits to be exactly what he had guessed. And while he was
rejoicing, a black man issued from his body, and he asked him who he was.
Then he said, " I am Kali ; when you were chosen by Damayanti, I entered
your body out of jealousy, so you lost your fortune at play. And when
K&rkotakabit you in the forest, you were not consumed, but I was burnt, as
you see, being in your body. For to whom is a treacherous injury done to
567
another likely to be beneficial ? So I depart, my friend, for I have oppor-
tunities against others." After saying this, Kali vanished from his sight,
and Nala at once became well-disposed as before, and recovered his former
splendour. And he returned and remounted the chariot ; and in the course
of the same day he drove king Rituparna into Vidarbha, so rapidly did he
get over the ground, and there the king was ridiculed by the people, who
asked the cause of his coining ; and he put up near the palace.
And when he arrived, Damayanti knew of it, having heard the wonder-
ful noise of the chariot, and she inly rejoiced, as she suspected that Nala
had come too. And she sent her own maid to find out the truth, and she
enquired into it, and came back and said to her mistress, who was longing
for her beloved lord ; " Queen, I have enquired into the matter ; this king
of Kosala heard a false report of your Svayamvara and has come here, and
he has been driven here in one day by Hrasvabahu his charioteer and cook,
who is famous for his skill in managing chariots. And I went into the
kitchen and saw that cook. And he is black and deformed, but possesses
wonderful powers. It is miraculous that water gushed up in his pots and
pans, without being put in, and wood burst into flames of its own accord,
without having been lighted,* and various cates were produced in a
moment. After 1 had seen this great miracle, I came back here." When
Damayanti heard this from the maid, she reflected — " This cook, whom the
fire and the water obey, and who knows the secret of chariot-driving, can
be no other than my husband, and I suspect lie has become changed and
deformed on account of separation from me, but I will test him." When
she had formed this resolve, she sent, by way of stratagem, her two children
•with that same maid, to shew them to him. And Nala, when he had seen
his children and taken them on his knees after a long separation, wept
silently with a flood of tears. And he said to the maid — " I have two
children like these in the house of their maternal grandfather, I have been
moved to sorrow by recollecting them." The maid returned with the
children and told all to Damayanti, and then she conceived much hope.
And early the next day she gave her maid this order ; " Go and tell
that cook of Rituparna's from me ; ' I hear that there is no cook like you
in the world, so come and prepare curry for me to-day.' " When the maid
* Cp. the 28th story in the 1st Part of Sicilianische Miirchen by Laura Gonzen-
bach, " Von der Tochter der Sonne." Here Lattughina says " Fire, bo lighted," and
immediately a clear fire burned upon tbe hearth. Then she said " Come along, pan,"
and a golden pan came and placed itself upon the fire. " Come along oil," and the
oil came and poured itself into the pan. In " The story of Shams ul din and his son,"
Hasan Badr ul din is discovered by his skill in cooking (Lane's Arabian Nights, Vol.
I, p. 266.) Do Gubernatis (Zoological Mythology, Vol. I, p. 158,) remarks that ser-
vice in the kitchen is especially dear to the young hero.
5G8
communicated to Nala this politic request, lie got leave from Rituparna
and came to Damayanti. And she said, " Tell me the truth ; are you the
king Nala disguised as a cook ? I am drowned in a sea of anxiety, and you
must to-day bring me safe to shore." When Nala heard that, he was full of
joy, love, grief and shame, and with downcast face, he spoke, in a voice
faltering from tears, this speech suited to the occasion, — " I am in truth
that wicked Nala, hard as adamant, who in his madness behaved like
fire in afflicting you." When he said this, Damayanti asked him — " If it
is so, how did you become deformed ?" Then Nala told her the whole of his
adventures, from his making friends with Karkotaka to the departure of
Kali from him. And immediately he put on the pair of garments called the
" fire-bleached," given him by Karkotaka, and recovered on the spot his owa
original shape.
When Damayanti saw that Nala had resumed his own charming form,
the lotus of her face quickly expanded, and she quenched, as it were, with
the waters of her eyes the forest-fire of her grief, and attained indescribable
unequalled happiness. And Bhima, the king of Vidarbha, quickly heard
that intelligence from his joyful attendants, and coming there he welcomed
Nala, who showed him becoming respect, and he made his city full of rejoicing.
Then king Rituparna was welcomed with the observance of all outward cour-
tesy and every hospitable rite* by king Bhima, who in his heart could not help
laughing, and after he had in return honoured Nala, he returned to Kosala.
Then Nala lived there happily with his wife, describing to his father-in-la\7
his outburst of wickedness due to the influence of Kali. And in a few
days he returned to Nishada with the troops of his father-in-law, and he
humbled his younger brother Pushkara, beating him by his knowledge of
dice, but. righteous as he was, he gave him a share of the kingdom again,
after Dvapara had left his body, and glad at having recovered Damayanti,
he enjoyed his kingdom lawfully.
When the Brahman Sumanas had told this story to the princess
Bandhumati in Tarapura, whose husband was away, he went on to say to
her — " Even thus, queen, do great ones, after enduring separation, enjoy
prosperity, and following the example of the sun, after suffering a decline,
they rise again. So you also, blameless one, shall soon recover your hus-
band returning from his absence ; use patient self-control, banish grief, and
console yourself with the approaching gratification of your wishes in the
return of your husband." When the virtuous Brahman had spoken these
appropriate words, she honoured him with much wealth, and taking refuge
in patience, she remained there awaiting her beloved. And in a few clays
her husband Mahipala returned, with his father, bringing that mother of
his from adistant land. And when he returned, furnishing a feast to all eyes,
* The Petersburg lexicographers think that samvritti should be sadvritti.
569
he gladdened Bandhumati, as the full moon gladdens the lovely water of
the ocean. Then Mahipala, on whom her father had already devolved the
burden of the kingdom, enjoyed as a king desired pleasures with her.
When prince Naravahanadatta, the son of the king of Vatsa, had
heard in the company of his wife, from the mouth of his, minister Maru-
bhuti, this matchless romantic story, pleasing on account of its picture of
affection, he was exceedingly pleased.
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