Long ago there lived in the city of Pataliputra a merchant named, not without cause, Dhanapalita, [469] 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.

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 Kirtisena 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 forbade the female slaves to attend on her. And making an agreement with 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.'" [470]

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 pa.s.sage underground with that iron instrument, until by good luck she rose up in her own private apartment. And she was able to see that 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." Reflecting 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, [471] 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 hates 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 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 surrounded 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 G.o.ds themselves preserve in misfortune good women exclusively devoted to their husbands, and of unfailing 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 telling 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 c.h.i.n.k in the door of her retreat a terrible Rakshasi approaching, accompanied by her young sons. She was terrified, thinking to herself--"Lo! I shall be devoured by this Rakshasi after escaping all my other misfortunes"--and in the meanwhile the Rakshasi ascended that tree. And her sons ascended after her, and immediately said to that Rakshasi, [472]--"Mother, give us something to eat." Then the Rakshasi said to her children,--"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, they gave me no portion; then grieved thereat I appealed to Siva in his terrific form and asked him for food. And the G.o.d asked me my name and lineage, and then said to me--'Terrible one, thou art of high birth as belonging to the race of Khara and Dushana; [473] 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 un.o.bserved. And in course of time it gave birth to many others inside 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, eat his flesh; for by eating it, you will, thanks to your magic power, remain satiated for six months!' In these words Siva 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 children, 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 b.u.t.ter 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 communicate 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 Rakshasi 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, Samudrasena, 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 Vasudatta, 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 difficulty, to get through the night: 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 compa.s.sion by seeing her delicate beauty, and that she had accomplished a long journey, and then she approached him, and said--"What country is this, please 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 circ.u.mstances exactly as they were, he immediately commended 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, O king; to-morrow I will take away your disease; do not be impatient." Having said this, she rubbed cow's b.u.t.ter 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 G.o.d 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 Rakshasi. And after getting the centipedes into the pitcher, she comforted the king by fomenting him with milk and melted b.u.t.ter. The king having gradually recovered, and being free from disease, everybody there was astonished at beholding those creatures in the pitcher. And the king, on beholding these harmful insects that had been extracted from his head, was terrified, puzzled and delighted, and considered himself born again. And he made high feast, and honoured Kirtisena, who did not care for half the kingdom, with villages, elephants, horses, and gold. And the queens and the ministers 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 [474] 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 moonstone, [475] on beholding the moon of her countenance.

Then, Kirtisena having thus revealed herself, and her husband remaining 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 affliction for the sake of her husband, has surpa.s.sed even queen Sita, who shared the hardships of Rama. So she is henceforth my sister in the faith, as well as the saviour of my life." When the king said that, Kirtisena 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 Devasena the villages and other presents, and being pleased gave him a turban of honour. Then Devasena, having his purse suddenly filled with stores of wealth, part of which was given by the king, and part acquired by his own trading, avoiding 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 preserving in misfortunes the treasure of their virtue, and protected by the great power of their goodness, procure good fortune for their husbands and themselves. 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 Asura 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 x.x.x.

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 Madanavega, 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 peac.o.c.k feathers of the conjuror Cupid, was much troubled. He reflected--"Away with the Vidyadhara beauties! Not even the Apsarases deserve to be mentioned in presence of the surpa.s.sing loveliness of this mortal lady. So if she will not consent to become my wife, what is the profit of my life? But how can I a.s.sociate with a mortal lady, being a Vidyadhara?" Thereupon he called to mind the science named Prajnapti, and that science, appearing 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 off delighted and distracted with love; and averse from all other things, reflected in his palace; "It is not fitting for me to carry her off by force; for the possession of women by force is, according to a curse, fated to bring me death. So in order to obtain her, I must propitiate Siva by asceticism, for happiness is procurable by asceticism, and no other expedient presents itself." 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 Kalingasena, 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 Vasavadatta, 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 Somaprabha, and repair to him to choose him as her husband. So, before her marriage takes place, a.s.sume the form of the impatient king of Vatsa, and go and make her your wife by the Gandharva ceremony. In this way, fair sir, you will obtain Kalingasena." Having received this command from Siva, Madanavega 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. Amba.s.sadors have been sent here by many kings to ask me in marriage. And they, after an interview with my father, have always. .h.i.therto been dismissed by him as they came. But now the king of the name of Prasenajit, who lives in Sravasti, has sent a messenger, and he alone has been received with honourable distinction by my father. And that course has been recommended by my mother, so I conjecture, the king, my suitor, has been approved of by my father and mother, as of sufficiently n.o.ble lineage. For he is born in that family, in which were born Amba and Ambalika, 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 Prasenajit in the city of Sravasti." When Somaprabha heard this from Kalingasena, 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, n.o.ble 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 he is an old man; who cares about his high lineage, as he 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 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 Kalingasena 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 Pariks.h.i.t, the head of the race of Bharata, and from him sprang Janamejaya, who performed the snake-sacrifice. His son was Satanika who settled in Kausambi, and he was slain in a war between the G.o.ds and Asuras after slaying many giants. His son was king Sahasranika, 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 G.o.ds then and there gave him the name of Udayana, uttering from heaven this bodiless 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.'

"Sahasranika, for his part, who had been informed of the real state of the case by Matali, and had fixed 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 Savara 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 Savara 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 Kausambi, and appointed his son crown-prince, pleased with the excellence of his qualities; and he gave him the sons of his ministers, Yaugandharayana 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 Udayana, 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 G.o.ds gave him the name of Udayana, because he was born on the mountain of the sunrise, and in this world even the G.o.d 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 Vasavadatta, the daughter of Chandamahasena. And she selected him herself, deserting her relations in the ardour of her pa.s.sion, and so sparing the blushes of Usha, Sakuntala and other maidens. And a son has been born to him by her, called Naravahanadatta, who is appointed by the G.o.ds 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 Somaprabha said this, Kalingasena, being in love with the king of Vatsa, answered 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 possess magic power, are my refuge." Somaprabha then said to her--"The whole matter depends on destiny; in proof of it hear the following tale."

Story of Tejasvati.

Once on a time there lived in Ujjayini a king named Vikramasena, and he had a daughter named Tejasvati, matchless in beauty. And she disapproved of every king who sued for her hand. But one day, while she 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 a.s.signation, saying, "Await, good sir, the arrival of the princess at night in this 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 somewhere 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 pa.s.s 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 pa.s.sion, 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 presence of the king. There he told his sorrow on account of his kingdom having been taken away, and other insults, and the king agreed to a.s.sist 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 fable of the crow and the palm, [476] 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 ill.u.s.trate this, I will tell you the following tale: listen!"

Story of the Brahman Harisarman.

There was a certain Brahman in a certain village, named Harisarman. [477] He was poor and foolish and in evil ease for want of employment, and he had very many children, that he might reap the fruit of his misdeeds 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 householder 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 poverty and stupidity that I am treated with such disrespect here: so I will display by means of an artifice an a.s.sumed knowledge, in order that I may become an object of respect to this Sthuladatta, and when you get an opportunity, 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 morning 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 off the horse, the wife of Harisarman came and said to him--"My husband is a wise man, skilled 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 propitiated the Brahman with these words--"I forgot you, forgive me"--and asked him to tell him who had taken away their horse? Then Harisarman 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 concealed 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 wealth consisting of gold and jewels was carried off by a thief from the palace of the king. As the thief was not known, the king quickly summoned Harisarman on account of his reputation for supernatural knowledge. 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 carefully guarded. And he was despondent about his pretended knowledge. [478] Now in that palace there was a maid named Jihva, [479] who, with the a.s.sistance 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 a.s.sumption 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 discovered 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 quant.i.ty 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, as if in sport, a thing that cannot be accomplished, for in this matter when calamity was near, success has unexpectedly been attained by me. While I was blaming my tongue (jihva), the thief Jihva suddenly flung herself at my feet. Secret crimes I see, manifest themselves by means of fear." In these reflections he pa.s.sed 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 pleased and proceeded to give him villages. But the minister, named Devajnanin, whispered in the king's ear, "How can a man possess such knowledge unattainable by men, without having studied treatises; so 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 Harisarman 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, lamenting his hard 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 villages 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 minister, the king Vikramasena gave his daughter to that prince as if she were the G.o.ddess 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, began to feel in a less degree the fear of her relations and the warnings of modesty. Then, the sun, the great lamp of the three worlds, being about to set, Somaprabha the daughter of the Asura Maya, having with difficulty taken leave, until her morning return, of her friend, whose mind was fixed upon her proposed attempt, went through the air to her own home.

Note on the story of Harisarman.

The story of Harisarman resembles closely that of Doctor Allwissend in Grimm's Tales. It is shown by Benfey to exist in various forms in many countries. It is found in the Siddhikur, the Mongolian form of the Sanskrit Vetalapanchavinsati. In this form of the story the incident of the frog in the pot is omitted, and the other incidents 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 choosing 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 Lithuanian 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 finding of a stolen treasure which is the second in the Indian story, but his second is a miraculous cure which is in accordance with the Siddikur. 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 Siddikur does. In the third exploit of the cottager in the Lithuanian tale, which corresponds to the second in the Indian, the treasure has 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 unus 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 Facetiae (Lx.x.xVI ed. Cracov. 1592, p. 59). Here a doctor boasts a wonder-working pill. A man who has lost his a.s.s takes one of these pills. It conducts him to a bed of reeds where he finds his a.s.s. (The article from which I have taken these parallels is found in Benfey's Orient und Occident, Vol. I, p. 371 and ff.)

CHAPTER x.x.xI.

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, Somaprabha 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 distance 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 moment without you: was not Aniruddha brought to Usha by Chitralekha? And though you know it, hear from my mouth that story."

Story of Usha and Aniruddha.

The Asura Bana had a daughter, 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 Gandharva form of 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 remembered 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 Chitralekha, who questioned her. And Chitralekha, 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 G.o.ddess Gauri, what doubt can we allege in this matter? But how are you to search for your lover as he is not to be recognised by any token? I will sketch for you the whole world, G.o.ds, Asuras, and men, in case you may be able to recognise him; [480] and 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 Aniruddha 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 mountain [481] 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. [482]

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. [483]

"Thus Chitralekha united Usha with her lover in one day, but I consider you, my friend, far more powerful than her. So bring me the king of Vatsa here, do not delay." When Somaprabha heard this from Kalingasena, 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 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 Sravasti, and beheld from a distance the king Prasenajit white with age, who had gone out to hunt, distinguished by a chouri 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 un.o.bserved in this garden, do not, my friend, send go-betweens backwards and forwards. To-morrow I will come and devise some expedient for your meeting: 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 after 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 b.r.e.a.s.t.s 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, Kalingasena by name, having heard that you are most handsome, 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 Maya, the wife of Nadakuvara. I have been sent by her to inform you; do you receive her; let there be union of you two 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 minister Yaugandharayana, he said to him, "The daughter of king Kalingadatta, 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: [484] "Kalingasena is certainly famed for beauty in the three worlds, there is no other like her; even the G.o.ds 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 pa.s.sion 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, Yaugandharayana said to the king of Vatsa, "O king, you are fortunate in that this Kalingasena 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." When 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 a.s.signed 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 G.o.ds, he fell in love with Sachi, [485] and she was saved by the preceptor of the G.o.ds [486], 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 Brahman, uttered with an angry roar, and Indra regained the sovereignty of the G.o.ds. 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--"n.o.ble 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 contrary 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, O 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 Yaugandharayana admonished the queen, and, as she received his counsels with respect, he departed thence. [487] 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 Kalingasena 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.

CHAPTER x.x.xII.