The Katha Sarit Sagara or Ocean of the Streams of Story Part 14

The story of king Prasenajit and the Brahman who lost his treasure.

There is a city named Sravasti, and in it there lived in old time a 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 story. In this way the miserly fellow gradually acc.u.mulated a thousand dinars, and, going to the forest, he dug a hole and buried it in the ground, [497] 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 Brahman 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 any mark 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 Brahman from his intention of committing suicide, 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 nagabala. [498] When the king heard that, he sent for the merchant, and said to him--"Tell me, who fetched you the nagabala?" 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 nagabala." When the king said this to him, the servant was frightened and confessed immediately, 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 meanwhile, 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 in such spots. So true is it, that intellect always obtains the supremacy, triumphing over valour, indeed in such cases what could courage accomplish? Accordingly, Yogesvara, you ought to bring it to pa.s.s by your wisdom, that some peccadillo be discovered in Kalingasena. And it is true that the G.o.ds and Asuras are in love with her. This explains your hearing 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 G.o.d 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 wore a bracelet and necklace of lotus fibres, she never obtained relief thereby, 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 Siva, 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 Siva pleased with his asceticism, he a.s.sumed 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-keepers, 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 changing his form, because his science was suspended during sleep. Then Yogesvara, full of delight, went and told what he had seen in a joyful mood to Yaugandharayana. 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, O king, and does not deserve to 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 enter my harem?" When the king said this, the wise Yaugandharayana answered him, "I will prove it to you by ocular testimony this very night, 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 G.o.ds? 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 Yaugandharayana 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 Padmavati, and thereupon he told her the whole story of Kalingasena. And the queen Vasavadatta 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 Yaugandharayana to the palace of Kalingasena. And entering unperceived, he beheld Madanavega in his proper form, sleeping by the side of the sleeping Kalingasena. And when the king was minded to slay that audacious one, the Vidyadhara prince was roused by his own magic knowledge, 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 Vidyadhara 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 att.i.tude. 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 minister?"--Yaugandharayana said to her--"Kalingasena, you have been married by some being, who beguiled you by a.s.suming 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 Sakuntala long ago was forgotten by Dushyanta?" [499] When the king was thus addressed by her, he said with downcast face, "In truth you were not married by me, for I never came here till this moment." 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 cl.u.s.ter 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 a.s.sumed 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 necklace 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 penance obtained a boon from Siva, which conferred on me the attainment of you. So, as you were in love with the king of Vatsa, I a.s.sumed 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 excellent 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 pa.s.sion she had left her father's house.

CHAPTER x.x.xIV.

Then the king of Vatsa, thinking on the peerless beauty of Kalingasena, 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 rejected 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 Kalingasena, she answered him, "I came to marry you, O king, but I was married by the Vidyadhara Madanavega at his will, for he a.s.sumed your shape. And he is my only husband, so why am I unchaste? But such are the misfortunes even of ordinary 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."

The story of king Indradatta.

There lived in old time in the land of Chedi 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 devotion was continually going to visit it, and all kinds of people were continually 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 G.o.d of Love. She was embraced on both her feet by the radiance of the two quivers of the five-arrowed G.o.d, [500] as if out of love, believing that with her he would conquer the world. [501] 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 chast.i.ty. 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 Kalingasena, after reflecting, desisted from his intention, and said to her--"Princess, dwell here at will with this husband of yours; I will not say anything to you, henceforth fear not." When the king had said this, he returned of his own accord to his house, and Madanavega, having heard the conversation, descended from heaven, and said--"My beloved, you have done well, if you had not acted thus, O fortunate one, good fortune would not have resulted, for I should not have tolerated your conduct." When the Vidyadhara had said this, he comforted her, and pa.s.sed 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 minister Yaugandharayana were at ease, having reaped the fruit of the wis.h.i.+ng-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 b.r.e.a.s.t.s, with extremities a little dark, appeared like the treasure-vessels of Love, marked with his seal of joy. [502]

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 Sakuntala in the hermitage of Kanva? And though you were formerly an Apsaras, you have now, G.o.ddess, become a mortal by the curse of Siva, inflicted on account of your disobedience. Thus it has come to pa.s.s that, though chaste, you have incurred the reproach of unchast.i.ty; 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 [503] gave the following order to Rati, the wife of the G.o.d 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. But because thou hast propitiated me, thou shalt also be born in the world of mortals, without being conceived in a mortal womb; and then thou shalt be reunited to thy husband, once more possessing a body." Having said this to Rati, Siva then gave this command to the Creator; [504]

"Kalingasena shall give birth to a son of divine origin. By thy power of illusion thou shalt remove her son, and subst.i.tute in his place this very Rati, who shall abandon her heavenly body, and be moulded by thee in the form of a mortal maiden." The Creator, in obedience to the order of Siva, [505] 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 subst.i.tuted 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 [506]

robbed them of l.u.s.tre, 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 G.o.d Siva, 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 consequence 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 Vasavadatta 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 G.o.d seems to have 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 unchast.i.ty 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 G.o.d of Love was consumed, Rati performed asceticism. And Siva granted to Rati, who wished to recover her husband, the following boon: 'Thou shalt a.s.sume 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 Rati by the order of Siva has to become incarnate in mortal form. And the midwife said to me to-day--'I inspected previously 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 G.o.ds have stolen the real child of Kalingasena and subst.i.tuted this daughter not born in the ordinary way, who is no other than Rati, ordained beforehand to be the wife of your son, who is an incarnation of Kama, O king. To ill.u.s.trate this, hear the following story concerning a Yaksha."

Story of the Yaksha Virupaksha.

The G.o.d of wealth had for servant a Yaksha, named Virupaksha, who had been appointed chief guardian of lacs of treasure. [507] 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 was 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 circ.u.mstance to Virupaksha. And Virupaksha in his wrath gave the following command to the Yaksha--"Go and slay immediately those mean treasure-hunters." Then the Yaksha went and slew by his power those Brahmans, who were digging for treasure, before they had attained their object. Then the G.o.d of wealth came to hear of it, and being angry he said to Virupaksha, "Why did you, evil one, recklessly order the slaughter of a Brahman? What will not poor people, who are struggling for a livelihood, [508] 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 G.o.d 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 Yaks.h.i.+ni his wife implored the lord of wealth, "O G.o.d, 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 virtuous 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 separation 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 Vasavadatta, 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 Madanamanchuka, because she was the daughter of Madanavega, 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, [509] and turned his mind to the solemnization 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 utensils, 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 celestial wreaths. As if in emulation of the thunder of the drums of the G.o.ds, 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 Marubhuti the son of Yaugandharayana, and then Harisikha the son of Rumanvat 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, and to the office of domestic chaplains the two sons of Pingalika, Vaisvanara and Santisoma, 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 t.i.tle of poor on account of the acc.u.mulation 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 [510] 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, resembling offerings of blue lotuses, parched grain and water-lilies. And after visiting the G.o.ds wors.h.i.+pped in that city, being praised by heralds and minstrels, he entered his palace with his ministers. Then Kalingasena gave him, to begin with, celestial viands and drinks far exceeding what his own magnificence could supply, and she presented to him and his ministers, friends and servants, beautiful robes and heavenly ornaments, for she was overpowered with love for her son-in-law. So the day pa.s.sed 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-knowing Nadakuvara, thus addressed that n.o.ble lady, his wife--"Dear one, Kalingasena 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 instant his wife Somaprabha. And when she arrived, her friend Kalingasena threw her arms around her neck, having missed her so long, and Somaprabha, after asking after her health, said to her--"You have been married by a Vidyadhara of great power, and your daughter is an incarnation of Rati by the favour of Siva, 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 G.o.ds; 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 was told me, my friend, by my wise husband, so you must not be anxious; you will enjoy every prosperity. And I will now make 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, looking 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, [511] 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 G.o.ds. 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 a.s.sembly-hall of Yudhishthira, and the city of Indra: he has 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 Kalingasena 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 G.o.d 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 your son: we shall now go and enter into him." Having said this they disappeared, and the king of Vatsa entered his house astonished. There he told it to the queen Vasavadatta and to the circle of his ministers, and they rejoiced at that favour of the deity. Then Vasavadatta, by 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," whereupon 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 Madanamanchuka, the daughter of Kalingasena, dancing. As fast as she became perfect in accomplishments, [512] 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 reciting 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. [513] 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 Madanamanchuka 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. [514] In these amus.e.m.e.nts pa.s.sed during childhood the days of Naravahanadatta, 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 Gomukha 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 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, [515] slays her husband like a female snake."

Story of Satrughna and his wicked wife.

For instance, in a certain village there was a certain man named Satrughna, 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 wors.h.i.+pped the snakes in that grove of snakes, [516] and went back to his palace with his retinue.

While he was there, he desired one day to prove his ministers, Gomukha 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 for subduing other enemies, for how can a man, who has not conquered himself, being helpless, conquer others? Then he should procure ministers, who, among other good qualities, possess 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 with respect to fear, avarice, virtue and pa.s.sion, by ingenious artifices, and then he 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 into the conduct of each of them by means of spies. Thus he should look at business with unhooded eye, and by rooting up opponents, [517] 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, [518] (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. [519] Thus a king acquires prosperity, and as long as he carefully considers his own realm and that of his rival, he is victorious but never vanquished. But an ignorant monarch, blind with pa.s.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 palisade. 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 chastis.e.m.e.nt, and know the difference of men's characters, for in this way he will acquire his subjects' love and become thereby a vessel of prosperity."

Story of king Surasena and his ministers.

In old time a king named Surasena, 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 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.

Story of Harisinha.

And there was a king named Harisinha, of 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 and his fellows ceased. Naravahanadatta, approving that speech of theirs, though he knew that heroic action is to be thought upon, [520] still placed his reliance upon destiny whose power surpa.s.ses 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 reached her palace and was seated on a throne, Kalingasena, after performing the usual courtesies, said with astonishment to Gomukha, [521] "Before the prince Naravahanadatta 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 origin, this is known to me well. So give me this daughter of yours in marriage, for the connexion is a suitable one.' When he said this, I suddenly burst out laughing, and said to him, 'Naravahanadatta has been appointed her husband by the G.o.ds, and he is to be the emperor of all you Vidyadharas.' 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 Siva has made arrangements to ensure the safety of this prince, by commissioning 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 pa.s.s 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 fixed 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 b.r.e.a.s.t.s like cl.u.s.ters of mandaras, with body delicate as the sirisha, like a matchless arrow, composed of five flowers, appointed by the G.o.d of love for the conquest of the world.

The next day Kalingasena went in person, and proffered her pet.i.tion to the king for the marriage of her daughter. The king of Vatsa dismissed 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 excellent woman is unchaste? And we must certainly consider the people: did not Ramabhadra long ago desert queen Sita, though she was chaste, on account of the slander of the mult.i.tude? Was not Amba, 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-Rakshasa." While they were debating with one another in this style, the voice of Siva was heard from heaven to the following effect: "The G.o.d 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 kalpa of the G.o.ds, after conquering his enemies by my favour." After saying this the voice ceased.