The Katha Sarit Sagara or Ocean of the Streams of Story Part 45

Continuation of the adventures of Bhimaparakrama.

So, having received useful admonition, I left that forest and went to the city of Ujjayini, for which I knew you were making, to find you. When I did not find you there, I entered the house of a certain woman to lodge, as I was worn out, and gave her money for food. She gave me a bed, and being tired I slept for some time, but then I woke up, and out of curiosity I remained quiet, and watched her, and while I was watching, the woman took a handful of barley, and sowed it all about inside the house, her lip trembling all the time with muttering spells. Those grains of barley immediately sprang up, and produced ears, and ripened, and she cut them down, and parched them, and ground them, and made them into barley-meal. And she sprinkled the barley-meal with water, and put it in a bra.s.s pot, and, after arranging her house as it was before, she went out quickly to bathe.

Then, as I saw that she was a witch, I took the liberty of rising up quickly; and taking that meal out of the bra.s.s pot, I transferred it to the meal-bin, and I took as much barley-meal out of the meal-bin, and placed it in the bra.s.s vessel, taking care not to mix the two kinds. Then I went back again to bed, and the woman came in, and roused me up, and gave me that meal from the bra.s.s pot to eat, and she ate some herself, taking what she ate from the meal-bin, and so she ate the charmed meal, not knowing that I had exchanged the two kinds. The moment she had eaten that barley-meal, she became a she-goat; then I took her and sold her by way of revenge to a butcher. [201]

Then the butcher's wife came up to me and said angrily, "You have deceived this friend of mine--you shall reap the fruit of this." When I had been thus threatened by her, I went secretly out of the town, and being weary I lay down under a banyan-tree, and went to sleep. And while I was in that state, that wicked witch, the butcher's wife, came and fastened a thread on my neck. Then the wicked woman departed, and immediately I woke up, and when I began to examine myself, lo! I had turned into a peac.o.c.k, though I still retained my intelligence. [202]

Then I wandered about for some days much distressed, and one day I was caught alive by a certain fowler. He brought me here and gave me to this Chandaketu, the princ.i.p.al warder of the king of the Bhillas, by way of a complimentary present. The warder, for his part, immediately made me over to his wife, and she put me in this house as a pet bird. And to-day, my prince, you have been guided here by fate, and have loosened the thread round my neck, and so I have recovered my human shape.

"So let us leave this place quickly, for this warder always murders next morning [203] the companions of his midnight rambles, for fear his secrets should be disclosed. And to-day he has brought you here, after you have been a witness of his nightly adventures, so fasten, my prince, on your neck this thread prepared by the witch, and turn yourself into a peac.o.c.k, and go out by this small window; then I will stretch out my hand and loosen the thread from your neck, which you must put up to me, and I will fasten it on my own neck and go out quickly in the same way. Then you must loosen the thread round my neck, and we shall both recover our former condition. But it is impossible to go out by the door which is fastened from outside."

When the sagacious Bhimaparakrama had said this, Mrigankadatta agreed to his proposal and so escaped from the house with him; and he returned to his lodging where his other two friends were; there he and his friends all spent the night pleasantly in describing to one another all their adventures.

And in the morning Mayavatu, the Bhilla king, the head of that town, came to Mrigankadatta, and after asking him whether he had spent the night pleasantly, he said to amuse him, "Come, let us play dice." Then Mrigankadatta's friend Srutadhi, observing that the Bhilla had come with his warder, said to him, "Why should you play dice? Have you forgotten? To-day we are to see the dance of the warder's peac.o.c.k, which was talked about yesterday." When the Savara king heard that, he remembered, and out of curiosity sent the warder to fetch the peac.o.c.k. And the warder remembered the wounds he had inflicted, and thought to himself, "Why did I in my carelessness forget to put to death that thief, who witnessed my secret nightly expedition, though I placed him in the peac.o.c.k's house? So I will go quickly, and do both the businesses." And thereupon he went quickly home.

But when he reached his own palace and looked into the house where the peac.o.c.k was, he could not find either the thief or the peac.o.c.k. Then terrified and despondent he returned and said to his sovereign; "My lord, that peac.o.c.k has been taken away in the night by a thief." Then Srutadhi said smiling, "The man who took away your peac.o.c.k is renowned as a clever thief." And when Mayavatu saw them all smiling, and looking at one another, he asked with the utmost eagerness what it all meant. Then Mrigankadatta told the Savara king all his adventures with the warder; how he met him in the night, and how the warder entered the queen's apartment as a paramour, and how he drew his knife in a quarrel; how he himself went to the house of the warder, and how he set Bhimaparakrama free from his peac.o.c.k transformation, and how he escaped thence.

Then Mayavatu, after hearing that, and seeing that the maid in the harem had a knife-wound in the hand, and that when that thread was replaced for a moment on the neck of Bhimaparakrama, he again became a peac.o.c.k, put his warder to death at once as a violator of his harem. But he spared the life of that unchaste queen, on the intercession of Mrigankadatta, and renouncing her society, banished her to a distance from his court. And Mrigankadatta, though eager to win Sasankavati, remained some more days in the Pulinda's town, treated with great consideration by him, looking for the arrival of the rest of his friends and his re-union with them.

CHAPTER LXXII.

While Mrigankadatta was thus residing in the palace of Mayavatu, the king of the Bhillas, accompanied by Vimalabuddhi and his other friends, one day the general of the Bhilla sovereign came to him in a state of great excitement, and said to him in the presence of Mrigankadatta; "As by your Majesty's orders I was searching for a man to offer as a victim to Durga, I found one so valiant that he destroyed five hundred of your best warriors, and I have brought him here disabled by many wounds." When the Pulinda chief heard that, he said to the general, "Bring him quickly in here, and shew him to me." Then he was brought in, and all beheld him smeared with the blood that flowed from his wounds, begrimed with the dust of battle, bound with cords, and reeling, like a mad elephant tied up that is stained with the fluid that flows from his temples mixed with the vermilion painting on his cheek. Then Mrigankadatta recognised him as his minister Gunakara, and ran and threw his arms round his neck, weeping. Then the king of the Bhillas, hearing from Mrigankadatta's friends that it was Gunakara, bowed before him, and comforted him as he was clinging to the feet of his master, and brought him into his palace, and gave him a bath, and bandaged his wounds, and supplied him attentively with wholesome food and drink, such as was recommended by the physicians. Then Mrigankadatta, after his minister had been somewhat restored, said to him; "Tell me, my friend, what adventures have you had?" Then Gunakara said in the hearing of all, "Hear, prince, I will tell you my story."

The adventures of Gunakara after his separation from the prince.

At that time when I was separated from you by the curse of the Naga, I was so bewildered that I was conscious of nothing, but went on roaming through that far-extending wilderness. At last I recovered consciousness and thought in my grief, "Alas! this is a terrible dispensation of unruly destiny. How will Mrigankadatta, who would suffer even in a palace, exist in this desert of burning sand? And how will his companions exist? Thus reflecting frequently in my mind, I happened, as I was roaming about, to come upon the abode of Durga. And I entered her temple, in which were offered day and night many and various living creatures, and which therefore resembled the palace of the G.o.d of Death. After I had wors.h.i.+pped the G.o.ddess there, I saw the corpse of a man who had offered himself, and who held in his hand a sword that had pierced his throat. When I saw that, I also, on account of my grief at being separated from you, determined to propitiate the G.o.ddess by the sacrifice of myself. So I ran and seized his sword. But at that moment some compa.s.sionate female ascetic, after forbidding me from a distance by a prohibitive shake of the head, came up to me, and dissuaded me from death, and after asking me my story said to me; "Do not act so, the re-union even of the dead has been seen in this world, much more of the living. Hear this story in ill.u.s.tration of it."

Story of king Vinitamati who became a holy man.

There is a celebrated city on the earth, of the name of Ahichchhatra, [204] in it there dwelt of old time a mighty king, of the name of Udayatunga. And he had a n.o.ble warder named Kamalamati. This warder had a matchless son named Vinitamati. The lotus, in spite of its threads, and the bow, in spite of its string, could not be compared to that youth who possessed a string of good qualities, for the first was hollow and the second crooked. One day, as he was on a platform on the top of a palace white with plaster, he saw the moon rising in the beginning of the night, like a splendid ear-ornament on the darkness of the eastern quarter, made of a shoot from the wis.h.i.+ng-tree of love. And Vinitamati, seeing the world gradually illuminated with its numerous rays, felt his heart leap within him, and said to himself, "Ha! the ways are seen to be lighted up by the moonlight, as if whitened with plaster, so why should I not go there and roam about? Accordingly he went out with his bow and arrows, and roamed about, and after he had gone only a cos, he suddenly heard a noise of weeping. He went in the direction of the sound and saw a certain maiden of heavenly appearance weeping, as she reclined at the foot of a tree. And he said to her, "Fair one, who are you? And why do you make the moon of your countenance like the moon when flecked with spots, by staining it with tears?" When he said this to her, she answered, "Great-souled one, I am the daughter of a king of the snakes named Gandhamalin, and my name is Vijayavati. Once on a time my father fled from battle, and was thus cursed by Vasuki--'Wicked one, you shall be conquered and become the slave of your enemy.' In consequence of that curse, my father was conquered by his enemy, a Yaksha named Kalajihva, and made his servant, and forced to carry a load of flowers for him. Grieved thereat, I tried for his sake to propitiate Gauri with asceticism, and the holy G.o.ddess appeared to me in visible form, and said this to me, 'Listen, my child; there is in the Manasa lake a great and heavenly lotus of crystal expanded into a thousand leaves. Its rays are scattered abroad when it is touched by the sun-beams, and it gleams like the many-crested head of Sesha, yellow with the rays of jewels. Once on a time Kuvera beheld it, and conceived a desire for that lotus, and after he had bathed in the Manasa lake, he began to wors.h.i.+p Vishnu in order to obtain it. And at that time the Yakshas, his followers, were playing in the water, in the shapes of Brahmany ducks and geese, and other aquatic creatures. And it happened that the elder brother of your enemy Kalajihva, a Yaksha named Vidyujjiva, was playing with his beloved in the form of a Brahmany drake, and while flapping his wings, he struck and upset the argha vessel held in the extremity of Kuvera's hand. Then the G.o.d of wealth was enraged, and by a curse made Vidyujjiva and his wife Brahmany ducks [205]

on this very Manasa lake. And Kalajihva, now that his elder brother is so transformed and is unhappy at night on account of the absence of his beloved, a.s.sumes out of affection her form every night to console him, and remains there in the day in his own natural form, accompanied by your father Gandhamalin, whom he has made a slave. So send there, my daughter, the brave and enterprising Vinitamati, of the town of Ahichchhatra, the son of the warder, and take this sword [206]

and this horse, for with these that hero will conquer that Yaksha, and will set your father at liberty. And whatever man becomes the possessor of this excellent sword, will conquer all his enemies and become a king on the earth.' After saying this, the G.o.ddess gave me the sword and horse, and disappeared. So I have come here to-day in due course to excite you to the enterprise, and seeing you going out at night with the favour of the G.o.ddess, I brought you here by an artifice, having caused you to hear a sound of weeping. So accomplish for me that desire of mine, n.o.ble sir!" When Vinitamati was thus entreated by her, he immediately consented.

Then the snake-maiden went at once and brought that swift white horse, that looked like the concentrated rays of the moon, rus.h.i.+ng forth into the extreme points of the earth to slay the darkness, and that splendid sword, equal in brightness to the starlight sky, appearing like a glance of the G.o.ddess of Fortune in search of a hero, and gave them both to Vinitamati. And he set out with the sword, after mounting that horse with the maiden, and thanks to its speed he reached that very lake Manasa. The lotus-clumps of the lake were shaken by the wind, and it seemed by the plaintive cries of its Brahmany ducks to forbid his approach out of pity for Kalajihva. And seeing Gandhamalin there in the custody of some Yakshas, he wounded those miserable creatures with his sword and dispersed them, in order to set him at liberty. When Kalajihva saw that, he abandoned the form of a Brahmany duck and rose from the middle of the lake, roaring like a cloud of the rainy season. In the course of the fight Kalajihva soared up into the air, and Vinitamati, with his horse, soared up after him, and seized him by the hair. And when he was on the point of cutting off his head with his sword, the Yaksha, speaking in a plaintive voice, implored his protection. And being spared, he gave him his own ring, that possessed the power of averting all the calamities called iti, [207] and with all marks of deference he released Gandhamalin from slavery, and Gandhamalin, in his delight, gave Vinitamati his daughter Vijayavati, and returned home. Then Vinitamati, being the possessor of a splendid sword, ring, horse, and maiden, returned home as soon as the day broke. There his father welcomed him and questioned him, and was delighted at the account of his exploits, and so was his sovereign, and then he married that Naga maiden. [208]

And one day his father Kamalamati said in secret to the youth, who was happy in the possession of these four priceless things, and of many accomplishments; "The king Udayatunga here has a daughter named Udayavati, well taught in all the sciences, and he has publicly announced that he will give her to the first Brahman or Kshatriya who conquers her in argument. And by her wonderful skill in argument she has silenced all other disputants, as by her beauty, which is the theme of the world's wonder, she has put to shame the nymphs of heaven. You are a distinguished hero, you are a disputant of the Kshatriya caste; why do you remain silent? Conquer her in argument, and marry her." [209] When Vinitamati's father said this to him, he answered,--"My father, how can men like me contend with weak women? Nevertheless, I will obey this order of yours." When the bold youth said this, his father went to the king, and said to him,--"Vinitamati will dispute with the princess to-morrow." And the king approved the proposal, and Kamalamati returned home, and informed his son Vinitamati of his consent.

The next morning the king, like a swan, took up his position in the midst of the lotus-bed of the a.s.sembly of learned men, and the disputant Vinitamati entered the hall, resplendent like the sun, and being gazed on by the eyes of all the accomplished men who were a.s.sembled there, that were turned towards him, he, as it were, animated the lotus-bed with circling bees. And soon after the princess Udayavati came there slowly, like the bow of the G.o.d of love bent with the string of excellence; adorned with splendid sweetly-tinkling ornaments, that seemed, as it were, to intimate her first objection before it was uttered. [210] A pure streak of the moon in a clear heaven would give some idea of her appearance when she was seated on her emerald throne. Then she made her first objection, stringing on the threads of her glittering teeth a chain of elegant words like jewels. But Vinitamati proved that her objection was based upon premisses logically untenable, and he soon silenced the fair one, refuting her point by point. Then the learned audience commended him, and the princess, though beaten in argument, considered that she had triumphed, as she had gained an excellent husband. And Udayatunga bestowed on Vinitamati his daughter, whom he had won in the arguing match. And the king loaded Vinitamati with jewels, and he lived united to the daughter of a snake and the daughter of a king.

Once on a time, when he was engaged in gambling, and was being beaten by other gamblers, and much distressed in mind thereat, a Brahman came and asked him for food with great importunity.

He was annoyed at that, and whispered in the ear of his servant, and caused to be presented to the Brahman a vessel full of sand wrapped up in a cloth. The simple-minded Brahman thought, on account of its weight, that it must be full of gold, and went to a solitary place and opened [211] it. And seeing that it was full of sand, he flung it down on the earth, and saying to himself, "The man has deceived me," he went home despondent. But Vinitamati thought no more of the matter, and left the gambling, and remained at home with his wives in great comfort.

And in course of time, the king Udayatunga became unable to bear the burden of the empire, as his vigour in negotiations and military operations was relaxed by old age. [212] Then, as he had no son, he appointed his son-in-law Vinitamati his successor, and went to the Ganges to lay down his body. And as soon as Vinitamati obtained the government, he conquered the ten cardinal points by the virtue of his horse and his sword. And, by the might of his calamity-averting ring, his kingdom was free from sickness and famine, like that of Rama.

Now, once on a time, there came to that king from a foreign country a mendicant, named Ratnachandramati, who was among other disputants like the lion among elephants. The king, who was fond of accomplished men, entertained him, and the mendicant challenged him to dispute on the following terms, which he uttered in the form of a verse; "If thou art vanquished, O king, thou must adopt the law of Buddha; if I am vanquished, I will abandon the rags of a Buddhist mendicant, and listen to the teaching of the Brahmans." The king accepted this challenge, and argued with the mendicant for seven days, and on the eighth day the mendicant conquered that king, who in the dispute with Udayavati had conquered the "Hammer of Shavelings." Then faith arose in the breast of the king, and he adopted the Bauddha law taught by that mendicant, which is rich in the merit of benefiting all creatures; and becoming devoted to the wors.h.i.+p of Jina, he built monasteries and alms-houses for Buddhist mendicants, Brahmans, and other sectaries, and all men generally.

And being subdued in spirit by the practice of that law, he asked that mendicant to teach him the rule for the discipline leading to the rank of a Bodhisattva, a rule which involves benefits to all. And the mendicant said to him; "King, the great discipline of a Bodhisattva is to be performed by those who are free from sin, and by no others. Now you are not tainted with any sin which is palpable, and therefore visible to men like myself, but find out by the following method, if you have any minute sin, and so destroy it." With these words the mendicant taught him a charm [213] for producing dreams, and the king, after having had a dream, said to the mendicant in the morning, "Teacher, I fancied in my dream last night that I went to the other world, and being hungry I asked for some food. And then some men with maces in their hands said to me, 'Eat, O king, these numerous grains of hot sand earned by you, which you gave long ago to the hungry Brahman, when he came to beg of you. If you give away ten crores of gold, you will be liberated from this guilt.' When the men with maces had said this to me, I woke up, and lo! the night had come to an end."

When the king had related his dream, he gave away, by order of the mendicant, ten crores of gold as an atonement for his sin, and again employed the charm for producing dreams. And again he had that dream, and in the morning when he got up, he related it, and said; "Last night also those mace-bearers in the other world gave me sand to eat, when I was hungry, and then I said to them,--'Why should I eat this sand, though I have bestowed alms?' Then they said to me--'Your gift was of no avail, for among the gold coins was one belonging to a Brahman;'

when I heard this I woke up." Having told his dream in these words, the king gave away another ten crores of gold to beggars.

And again, when the night came, he used that charm for producing dreams, and again he had a dream, and next morning when he got up, he related it in the following words; "Last night too those men in the other world gave me sand to eat in my dream, and when I questioned them, they said this to me, 'King, that gift of yours also is of no avail, for to-day a Brahman has been robbed and murdered in a forest in your country by bandits, and you did not protect him, so your gift is of no avail on account of your not protecting your subjects; so give to-day double the gift of yesterday.' When I heard this I woke up." After the king had related his dream to his spiritual guide in these words, he gave double his former gift.

Then he said to the mendicant, "Teacher, how can men like myself obey in this world a law which admits of so many infractions."

When the mendicant heard that, he said, "Wise men should not allow such a little thing to damp their ardour in the keeping of the law of righteousness. The G.o.ds themselves protect firm men, endowed with perseverance, that swerve not from their duty, and they bring their wishes to fulfilment. Have you not heard the story of the adorable Bodhisattva in his former birth as a boar? Listen, I will tell it you."

Story of the Holy Boar.

Long ago there dwelt in a cavern in the Vindhya mountains a wise boar, who was an incarnation of a portion of a Buddha, together with his friend a monkey. He was a benefactor of all creatures, and he remained always in the society of that friend, honouring guests, and so he spent the time in occupations suited to him. But once on a time there came on a storm lasting for five days, which was terrible, in that it hindered with its unintermitting rainfall the movements of all living creatures. On the fifth day, as the boar was lying asleep with the monkey at night, there came to the door of the cave a lion with his mate and his cub. Then the lion said to his mate, "During this long period of bad weather we shall certainly die of hunger from not obtaining any animal to eat." The lioness answered, "It is clear that hunger will prevent all of us from surviving, so you two had better eat me and so save your lives. For you are my lord and master, and this son of ours is our very life; you will easily get another mate like me, so ensure the welfare of you two by devouring me."

Now, as chance would have it, that n.o.ble boar woke up and heard the conversation of the lion and his mate. And he was delighted, and thought to himself, "The idea of my receiving such guests on such a night in such a storm! Ah! to-day my merit in a former state of existence has brought forth fruit. So let me satiate these guests with this body that perishes in a moment, while I have a chance of doing so." Having thus reflected, the boar rose up, and went out, and said to the lion with an affectionate voice; "My good friend, do not despond. For here I am ready to be eaten by you and your mate and your cub: so eat me." When the boar said this, the lion was delighted and said to his mate, "Let this cub eat first, then I will eat, and you shall eat after me." She agreed, and first the cub ate some of the flesh of the boar, and then the lion himself began to eat. And while he was eating, the n.o.ble boar said to him, "Drink my blood quickly, before it sinks into the ground, and satisfy your hunger with my flesh, and let your mate eat the rest." While the boar was saying this, the lion gradually devoured his flesh until nothing but bones was left, but still the virtuous boar did not die, for his life remained in him, as if to see what would be the end of his endurance. And in the meanwhile the lioness, exhausted with hunger, died in the cave, and the lion went off somewhere or other with his cub, and the night came to an end. At this juncture his friend the monkey woke up, and went out, and seeing the boar reduced to such a condition, said to him in the utmost excitement, "Who reduced you to such a state? Tell me, my friend, if you can." Thereupon the heroic boar told him the whole story. Then the monkey prostrated himself at his feet, and said to him with tears,--"You must be a portion of some divinity, since you have thus rescued yourself from this animal nature: so tell me any wish that you may have, and I will endeavour to fulfil it for you." When the monkey said this to the boar, the boar answered; "Friend, the only wish that I have is one difficult for even Destiny to fulfil. For my heart longs that I may recover my body as before, and that this unfortunate lioness that died of hunger before my eyes, may return to life, and satiate her hunger by devouring me."

While the boar was saying this, the G.o.d of Justice appeared in bodily form, and stroking him with his hand, turned him into a chief of sages possessing a celestial body. And he said to him; "It was I that a.s.sumed the form of this lion, and lioness, and cub, and produced this whole illusion, because I wished to conquer thee who art exclusively intent on benefiting thy fellow-creatures; but thou, possessing perfect goodness, gavest thy life for others, and so hast triumphed over me the G.o.d of Justice, and gained this rank of a chief of sages." The sage, hearing this, and seeing the G.o.d of Justice standing in front of him, said, "Holy lord, this rank of chief of sages, even though attained, gives me no pleasure, since my friend this monkey has not as yet thrown off his animal nature." When the G.o.d of Justice heard this, he turned the monkey also into a sage. Of a truth a.s.sociation with the great produces great benefit. Then the G.o.d of Justice and the dead lioness disappeared.

"So you see, king, that it is easy for those, who in the strength of goodness do not relax their efforts after virtue, and are aided by G.o.ds, to attain the ends which they desire." When the generous king Vinitamati had heard this tale from the Buddhist mendicant, he again used, when the night came, that charm for obtaining a dream. And after he had had a dream, he told it the next morning to the mendicant: "I remember, a certain divine hermit said to me in my dream 'Son, you are now free from sin, enter on the discipline for obtaining the rank of a Bodhisattva.' And having heard that speech I woke up this morning with a mind at ease." When the king had said this to the mendicant, who was his spiritual guide, he took upon himself, with his permission, that difficult vow on an auspicious day; and then he remained continually showering favours on suitors, and yet his wealth proved inexhaustible, for prosperity is the result of virtue.

One day a Brahman suitor came and said to him: "King, I am a Brahman, an inhabitant of the city of Pataliputra. There a Brahman-Rakshasa has occupied my sacrificial fire-chamber and seized my son, and no expedient, which I can make use of, is of any avail against him. So I have come here to pet.i.tion you, who are the wis.h.i.+ng-tree of suppliants; give me that ring of yours that removes all noxious things, in order that I may have success." When the Brahman made this request to the king, he gave him without reluctance the ring he had obtained from Kalajihva. And when the Brahman departed with it, the fame of the king's Bodhisattva-vow was spread abroad throughout the world.

Afterwards there came to him one day another guest, a prince named Indukalasa, from the northern region. The self-denying king, who knew that the prince was of high lineage, shewed him respect, and asked him what he desired. The prince answered, "You are celebrated on earth as the wis.h.i.+ng-stone of all suitors, you would not send away disappointed a man who even asked you for your life. Now I have come to you as a suppliant, because I have been conquered and turned out of my father's kingdom by my brother, whose name is Kanakakalasa. So give me, hero, your excellent sword and horse, in order that by their virtue I may conquer the pretender and obtain my kingdom." When king Vinitamati heard that, be gave that prince his horse, and his sword, though they were the two talismanic jewels that protected his kingdom, and so unshaken was his self-denial that he never hesitated for a moment, though his ministers heaved sighs with downcast faces. So the prince, having obtained the horse and sword, went and conquered his brother by their aid, and got possession of his kingdom.

But his brother Kanakakalasa, who was deprived of the kingdom he had seized, came to the capital of that king Vinitamati; and there he was preparing in his grief to enter the fire, but Vinitamati, hearing of it, said to his ministers; "This good man has been reduced to this state by my fault, so I will do him the justice, which I owe him, by giving him my kingdom. Of what use is this kingdom to me, unless it is employed to benefit my fellow-creatures? As I have no children, let this man be my son and inherit my kingdom." After saying this, the king summoned Kanakakalasa, and in spite of the opposition of his ministers gave him the kingdom.

And after he had given away the kingdom, he immediately left the city with unwavering mind, accompanied by his two wives. And his subjects, when they saw it, followed him distracted, bedewing the ground with their tears, and uttering such laments as these, "Alas! the nectar-rayed moon had become full so as to refresh the world, and now a cloud has suddenly descended and hid it from our eyes. Our king, the wis.h.i.+ng-tree of his subjects, had begun to satisfy the desires of all living creatures, when lo! he is removed somewhere or other by fate." Then Vinitamati at last prevailed on them to return, and with unshaken resolution went on his way, with his wives, to the forest, without a carriage.

And in course of time he reached a desert without water or tree, with sands heated by the sun, which appeared as if created by Destiny to test his firmness. Being thirsty and exhausted with the fatigue of the long journey, he reclined for a moment in a spot in this desert, and both he and his two wives were overtaken by sleep. When he woke up and looked about him, he beheld there a great and wonderful garden produced by the surpa.s.sing excellence of his own virtue. It had in it tanks full of cool pure water adorned with blooming lotuses, it was carpeted with dark green gra.s.s, its trees bent with the weight of their fruit, it had broad, high, smooth slabs of rock in shady places, in fact it seemed like Nandana drawn down from heaven by the power of the king's generosity. The king looked again and again, and was wondering whether it could be a dream, or a delusion, or a favour bestowed on him by the G.o.ds, when suddenly he heard a speech uttered in the air by two Siddhas, who were roaming through the sky in the shape of a pair of swans, "King, why should you wonder thus at the efficacy of your own virtue? So dwell at your ease in this garden of perennial fruits and flowers." When king Vinitamati heard this speech of the Siddhas, he remained in that garden with mind at ease, practising austerities, together with his wives.

And one day, when he was on a slab of rock, he beheld near him a certain man about to commit suicide by hanging himself. He went to him immediately, and with kindly words talked him over, and prevailed on him not to destroy himself, and asked him the reason of his wis.h.i.+ng to do so. Then the man said, "Listen, I will tell you the whole story from the beginning. I am the son of Nagasura, Somasura by name, of the race of Soma. It was said by those versed in the study of astrology, that my nativity prognosticated that I should be a thief, so my father, afraid that that would come to pa.s.s, instructed me diligently in the law. Though I studied the law, I was led by a.s.sociation with bad companions to take to a career of thieving. For who is able to alter the actions of a man in his previous births?

"Then I was one day caught among some thieves by the police, and taken to the place of impalement, in order to be put to death. At that moment a great elephant belonging to the king, which had gone mad, and broken its fastening, and was killing people in all directions, came to that very place. The executioners, alarmed at the elephant, left me and fled somewhere or other, and I escaped in that confusion and made off. But I heard from people that my father had died on hearing that I was being led off to execution, and that my mother had followed him. Then I was distracted with sorrow, and as I was wandering about despondent, intent on self-destruction, I happened to reach in course of time this great uninhabited wood. No sooner had I entered it, than a celestial nymph suddenly revealed herself to me, and approached me, and consoling me said to me; 'My son, this retreat, which you have come to, belongs to the royal sage Vinitamati, so your sin is destroyed, and from him you shall learn wisdom.' After saying this, she disappeared; and I wandered about in search of that royal sage, but not being able to find him, I was on the point of abandoning the body, out of disappointment, when I was seen by you."

When Somasura had said this, that royal sage took him to his own hut, and made himself known to him, and honoured him as a guest; and after he had taken food, the kingly hermit, among many pious discourses, told him, as he listened submissively, the following tale, with the object of dissuading him from ignorance.

Story of Devabhuti.