Prince of men, O grant thy pity--grant it, lord of men, to me; 'Mercy is the chief of duties,'--oft from thine own lips I've heard.

Thus as ye are ever speaking--should there any one reply, Mark him well, lest he be Nala--who he is, and where he dwells.

He who to this speech hath listened--and hath thus his answer made, Be his words, O best of Brahmins--treasured and brought home to me, Lest he haply should discover--that by my command ye speak, That again ye may approach him--do ye this without delay.

Whether he be of the wealthy--whether of the poor he be; Be he covetous of riches--learn ye all he would desire."

Thus addressed, went forth the Brahmins--to the realms on every side, Seeking out the royal Nala--in his dark concealed distress.

They through royal cities, hamlets--pastoral dwellings, hermits' cells, Nala every-where went seeking--yet those Brahmins found him not.

All in every part went speaking--in the language they were taught; In the words of Damayanti--spake they in the ears of men.

BOOK XVIII.

Long the time that pa.s.sed, a Brahmin--wise Parnada was his name, Home returning to the city--thus to Bhima's daughter spake: "Damayanti! royal Nala--as I sought Nishadha's king, Came I to Ayodhya's city--the Bhangasuri's abode.

Stood before me, eager listening--to the words thou bad'st us speak, He, the prosperous Rituparna--all excelling! such his name.

Thus as spake I, answered nothing--Rituparna, king of men; Nor of all that full a.s.semblage--more than once addressed by me.

By the king dismissed, when sate I--in a solitary place, One of Rituparna's household--Vahuca, his name, drew near, Charioteer of that great raja--with short arms and all deformed, Skilled to drive the rapid chariot--skilled the viands to prepare.

He, when much he'd groaned in anguish--and had wept again, again, First his courteous salutation--made, then spake in words like these: Even in the extreme of misery--n.o.ble women still preserve, Over their ownselves the mastery--by their virtues winning heaven; Of their faithless lords abandoned--anger feel not even then.

In the breastplate of their virtue--n.o.ble women live unharmed.

By the wretched, by the senseless--by the lost to every joy, She by such a lord forsaken--yet to anger will not yield.

Against him his sustenance seeking--of his robe by birds despoiled, Him consumed with utmost misery--still no wrath the dark-hued feels; Treated well, or ill entreated--when her husband she beholds, Spoiled of bliss, bereft of kingdom--famine-wasted, worn with woe.

Having heard the stranger's language--hither hasted I to come.

Thou hast heard, be thine the judgment--to the king relate thou all."

To Parnada having listened--with her eyes o'erflowed with tears, Secretly went Damayanti--and her mother thus addressed: "Let not what I speak to Bhima--O my mother, be made known-- In thy presence to Sudeva--best of Brahmins, I would speak.

Let not this my secret counsel--to king Bhima be disclosed; This the object we must compa.s.s--if thy daughter thou wouldst please, As myself was to my kindred--swiftly by Sudeva brought, With the same good fortune swiftly--may Sudeva part from hence, Home to bring the royal Nala--mother, to Ayodhya's town."

Resting from his toil, Parnada--of the Brahmin race the best, Did the daughter of Vidarbha--honour, and with wealth reward.

"Brahmin! home if come my Nala--richer guerdon will I give; Much hast thou achieved, and wisely--so as none but thou has done.

That again with my lost husband--n.o.blest Brahmin, I may meet."

Thus addressed, his grateful homage--and his benedictions paid, Having thus achieved his mission--home the wise Parnada went.

Then accosting good Sudeva--Damayanti thus began, And before her mother's presence--in her pain and grief she spake: "Go, Sudeva, to the city--where Ayodhya's raja dwells, Speak thou thus to Rituparna--Come, as of thine own accord.

Once again her Swayembara--does king Bhima's daughter hold; Damayanti, thither hasten--all the kings and sons of kings; Closely now the time is reckoned--when to-morrow's dawn appears; If that thou would'st win the Princess--speed thou, tamer of thy foes.

When the sun is in his rising--she a second lord will choose: Whether lives or is not living--royal Nala, no one knows."

Thus, as he received his mission--hastening to the king, he spake, To the royal Rituparna--spake Sudeva, in these words.

BOOK XIX.

Hearing thus Sudeva's language--Rituparna, king of men With a gentle voice and blandly--thus to Vahuca began.

"Where the princess Damayanti--doth her Swayembara hold In one day to far Vidarbha--Vahuca, I fain would go."

In these words the unknown Nala--by his royal lord addressed All his heart was torn with anguish--thus the lofty-minded thought-- "Can she speak thus, Damayanti--thus with sorrow frantic act?

Is't a stratagem thus subtly--for my sake devised and plann'd?

To desire this deed unholy[118]--is that holy princess driven Wrong'd by me, her basest husband--miserable, mind-estranged!

Fickle is the heart of woman--grievous too is my offence!

Hence she thus might act ign.o.bly--in her exile, reft of friends, Soul-disturbed by her great sorrow--in the excess of her despair.

No! she could not thus have acted--she with n.o.ble offspring blest.

Where the truth, and where the falsehood--setting forth, I best shall judge, I the will of Rituparna--for mine own sake, will obey."

Thus within his mind revolving--Vahuca, his wretched mind, With his folded hands addressed he--Rituparna, king of men: "I thy mandate will accomplish--I will go, O king of men, In a single day, O raja--to Vidarbha's royal town."

Vahuca of all the coursers--did a close inspection make Entering in the royal stable--by Bhangasuri's command.

Ever urged by Rituparna--Vahuca, in horses skilled, Long within himself debating--which the fleetest steeds to choose, He approached four slender coursers--fit, and powerful for the road, Blending mighty strength with fleetness--high in courage and in blood; Free from all the well-known vices--broad of nostril--large of jaw; With the ten good marks distinguished[119]--born in Sindhu[120]--fleet as wind.

As he gazed upon those coursers--spoke the king, almost in wrath: "Is then thus fulfilled our mandate?--think not to deceive us so.

How will these my coursers bear us--slight in strength and slightly breathed-- How can such a way be travelled--and so long, by steeds like these?"--

VAHUCA _spake_.

"Two on th' head, one on the forehead--two and two on either flank-- Two, behold, the chest discloses--and upon the crupper one-- These the horses to Vidharba--that will bear us, doubt not thou; Yet, if others thou preferest--speak, and I will yoke them straight."

RITUPARNA _spake_.

"In the knowledge thou of horses--Vahuca, hast matchless skill; Whichso'er thou think'st the fittest--harness thou without delay."

Then those four excelling horses--n.o.bly bred--of courage high, In their harness to the chariot--did the skilful Nala yoke.-- To the chariot yoked, as mounted--in his eager haste the king To the earth those best of horses--bowed their knees and stooped them down.

Then the n.o.blest of all heroes--Nala, with a soothing voice, Spake unto those horses, gifted--both with fleetness and with strength.

Up the reins when he had gathered--he the charioteer bade mount, First, Varshneya, skilled in driving--at full speed then set he forth.

Urged by Vahuca, those coursers--to the utmost of their speed, All at once in th' air sprung upward--as the driver to unseat.

Then, as he beheld those horses--bearing him as fleet as wind, Did the monarch of Ayodhya--in his silent wonder sit.

When the rattling of the chariot--when the guiding of the reins, When of Vahuca the science--saw he, thus Varshneya thought: "Is it Matali,[121] the chariot--of the king of heaven that drives?

Lo, in Vahuca each virtue--of that G.o.dlike charioteer!

Is it Salihotra skilful--in the race, the strength of steeds, That hath ta'en a human body--thus all-glorious to behold?

Is't, or can it be, king Nala--conqueror of his foemen's realms?

Is the lord of men before us?"--thus within himself he thought.

"If the skill possessed by Nala--Vahuca possesseth too, Lo, of Vahuca the knowledge--and of Nala equal seems; And of Vahuca and Nala--thus alike the age should be.

If 'tis not the n.o.ble Nala--it is one of equal skill.

Mighty ones, disguised, are wandering--in the precincts of this earth.

They, divine by inborn nature--but in earthly forms concealed.

His deformity of body--that my judgment still confounds; Yet that proof alone is wanting--what shall then my judgment be?

In their age they still are equal--though unlike that form misshaped, Nala gifted with all virtues--Vahuca I needs must deem."

Thus the charioteer Varshneya--sate debating in his mind; Much, and much again he pondered--in the silence of his thought.

But the royal Rituparna--Vahuca's surpa.s.sing skill, With the charioteer Varshneya--sate admiring, and rejoiced.

In the guiding of the coursers--his attentive hand he watched, Wondered at his skill, consummate--in consummate joy himself.

BOOK XX.

Over rivers, over mountains--through the forests, over lakes, Fleetly pa.s.sed they, rapid gliding--like a bird along the air.

As the chariot swiftly travelled--lo, Bhangasuri the king Saw his upper garment fallen--from the lofty chariot seat; Though in urgent haste, no sooner--he his fallen mantle saw, Than the king exclaimed to Nala--"Pause, and let us take it up: Check, an instant, mighty-minded!--check thy fiery-footed steeds, While Varshneya, swift dismounting--bears me back my fallen robe."

Nala answered, "Far behind us--doth thy fallen garment lie; Ten miles,[122] lo, it lies behind us--turn we not, to gain it, back."

Answered thus by n.o.ble Nala--then Bhangasuri the king, Bowed with fruit, within the forest--saw a tall Vibhitak[123] tree: Gazing on that tree, the raja--spake to Vahuca in haste, "Now, O charioteer, in numbers, thou shalt see my pa.s.sing skill.

Each one knows not every science--none there is that all things knows: Perfect skill in every knowledge--in one mind there may not be.

On yon tree are leaves how many?--Vahuca, how many fruit?

Say, how many are there fallen?--one above a hundred, there.

One leaf is there 'bove a hundred--and one fruit, O Vahuca!