The Katha Sarit Sagara or Ocean of the Streams of Story Part 27

Then the king Taravarman, being highly pleased with the virtues of Mahipala, gave him his daughter Bandhumati. Then that king, after giving him the half of the kingdom, being pleased with him, laid the whole burden of the kingdom upon him, as he had no other son. And Mahipala, after he had obtained the kingdom, acknowledged his father, and gave him a position next to his, and so lived in happiness.

One day his father Chandrasvamin said to him, "Come, let us go to our own country to bring your mother. For if she hears that you are the occupant of a throne, having been long afflicted, she might think, 'How comes it that my son has forgotten me,' and might curse you in her anger. But one who is cursed by his father and mother does not long enjoy prosperity. In proof of this hear this tale of what happened long ago to the merchant's son."

Story of Chakra. [777]

In the city of Dhavala there was a merchant's son, named Chakra. He went on a trading voyage to Svarnadvipa against the will of his parents. There he gained great wealth in five years, and in order to return embarked on the sea in a s.h.i.+p laden with jewels. And when his voyage was very nearly at an end, the sea rose up against him, troubled with a great wind, and with clouds and rain. And the huge billows broke his vessel, as if angry because he had come against the wish of his parents. Some of the pa.s.sengers were whelmed in the waves, others were eaten by sea-monsters. But Chakra, as his allotted term of life had not run out, was carried to the sh.o.r.e and flung up there by the waves. While he was lying there in a state of exhaustion, he saw as if in a dream, a man of black and terrible appearance come to him, with a noose in his hand. Chakra was caught in the noose by that man, who took him up and dragged him a long distance to a court presided over by a man on a throne. By the order of the occupant of the throne, the merchant's son was carried off by that noose-bearer, and flung into a cell of iron.

In that cell Chakra saw a man being tortured by means of an iron wheel [778] on his head, that revolved incessantly. And Chakra asked him,--"Who are you, by what crime did you incur this, and how do you manage to continue alive?" And the man answered--"I am a merchant's son named Khadga, and because I did not obey the commands of my parents, they were angry and in wrath laid this curse upon me: [779] 'Because, wicked son, you torture us like a hot wheel placed on the head, therefore such shall be your punishment.' When they had said this they ceased, and as I wept, they said to me, 'Weep not, your punishment shall only last for one month.' When I heard that, I spent the day in grief, and at night when I was in bed, I saw, as if in a dream, a terrible man come. He took me off and thrust me by force into this iron cell, and he placed on my head this burning and ever-revolving wheel. This was my parents' curse, hence I do not die. And the month is at an end to-day; still I am not set free." When Khadga said that, Chakra in pity answered him--"I too did not obey my parents, for I went abroad to get wealth against their will, and they p.r.o.nounced against me the curse that my wealth, when acquired, should perish. So I lost in the sea my whole wealth, that I had acquired in a foreign island. My case is the same as yours. So what is the use of my life? Place this wheel on my head. Let your curse, Khadga, depart." When Chakra said this, a voice was heard in the air "Khadga, thou art released, so place this wheel on the head of Chakra." When Khadga heard this, he placed the wheel on the head of Chakra, and was conveyed by some invisible being to his parents' house.

There he remained without disobeying again the orders of his parents: but Chakra put that wheel upon his head, and then spake thus--"May other sinners also on the earth be released from the result of their sins; until all sins are cancelled, may this wheel revolve on my head." When the resolute Chakra said this, the G.o.ds in heaven, being pleased, rained flowers and thus addressed him: "Bravo! Bravo! man of n.o.ble spirit, this compa.s.sion has cancelled thy sin, go; thou shalt possess inexhaustible wealth." When the G.o.ds said this, that iron wheel fell from the head of Chakra, and disappeared somewhere. Then a Vidyadhara youth descended from heaven, and gave him a valuable treasure of jewels, sent by Indra pleased with his self-abnegation, and taking Chakra in his arms, carried him to his city named Dhavala, and departed as he had come. Then Chakra delighted his relations by his arrival at the house of his parents, and, after telling his adventures, remained there without falling away from virtue.

When Chandrasvamin had told this story, he said again to Mahipala, "Such evil fruits does opposition to one's parents produce, my son, but devotion to them is a wis.h.i.+ng-cow of plenty: in ill.u.s.tration of this hear the following tale."

Story of the hermit and the faithful wife.

There was in old time a hermit of great austerity, who roamed in the forest. And one day a hen-crow, as he was sitting under the shade of a tree, dropped dirt upon him, so he looked at the crow with angry eyes. And the crow, as soon as he looked at it, was reduced to ashes; and so the hermit conceived a vain-glorious confidence in the might of his austerities.

Once on a time, in a certain city, the hermit entered the house of a Brahman, and asked his wife for alms. And that wife, who was devoted to her husband, answered him, "Wait a little, I am attending upon my husband." Then he looked at her with an angry look, and she laughed at him and said, "Remember, [780] I am not a crow." When the hermit heard that, he sat down in a state of astonishment, and remained wondering how she could possibly have come to know of the fate of the crow. Then, after she had attended upon her husband in the oblation to the fire and in other rites, the virtuous woman brought alms, and approached that hermit. Then the hermit joined his hands in the att.i.tude of supplication, and said to that virtuous woman: "How did you come to know of my adventure with the crow in the forest; tell me first, and then I will receive your alms?" When the hermit said this, that wife, who adored her husband, said, "I know of no virtue other than devotion to my husband, accordingly by his favour I have such power of discernment. But go and visit a man here who lives by selling flesh, whose name is Dharmavyadha, from him thou shalt learn the secret of blessedness free from the consciousness of self." The hermit, thus addressed by the all-knowing faithful wife, took the portion of a guest, and after bowing before her, departed.

Story of Dharmavyadha the righteous seller of flesh. [781]

The next day he went in search of that Dharmavyadha, and approached him, as he was selling flesh in his shop. And as soon as Dharmavyadha saw the hermit, he said, "Have you been sent here, Brahman, by that faithful wife?" When the hermit heard that, he said to Dharmavyadha in his astonishment,--"How come you to have such knowledge, being a seller of flesh?" When the hermit said this, Dharmavyadha answered him--"I am devoted to my father and mother, that is my only object in life. I bathe after I have provided them with the requisites for bathing, I eat after I have fed them, I lie down after I have seen them to bed; thus it comes to pa.s.s that I have such knowledge. And being engaged in the duties of my profession, I sell only for my subsistence the flesh of deer and other animals slain by others, not from desire of wealth. And I and that faithful wife do not indulge self-consciousness, the impediment of knowledge, so the knowledge of both of us is free from hindrance. Therefore do you, observing the vow of a hermit, perform your own duties, without giving way to self-consciousness, with a view to acquiring purity, in order that you may quickly attain the supreme brightness." When he had been thus instructed by Dharmavyadha, he went to his house and observed his practice, and afterwards he returned satisfied to the forest. And by his advice he became perfected, and the faithful wife and Dharmavyadha also attained perfection by such performance of their duties.

"Such is the power of those who are devoted to husband or father and mother. So come, visit that mother who longs for a sight of you." When thus addressed by his father Chandrasvamin, Mahipala promised to go to his native land to please his mother. And he disclosed that of his own accord to Anantasvamin his spiritual father, and when he took upon him the burden of his kingdom, the king set out with his natural father by night. And at last he reached his own country, and refreshed his mother Devamati with a sight of him, as the spring refreshes the female cuckoo. And Mahipala stayed there some time with his mother, being welcomed by his relations, together with his father who related their adventures.

In the meanwhile in Tarapura the princess, his wife Bandhumati, who was sleeping within the house, woke up at the close of night. And discovering that her husband had gone somewhere, she was distressed at her lonely state, and could not find solace in the palace, the garden, or any other place. But she remained weeping, shedding tears that seemed to double her necklace, intent on lamentation only, desiring relief by death. But the minister Anantasvamin came and comforted her with hope-inspiring words, saying, "Before your husband went, he said to me, 'I am going away on some business and I will quickly return,'

so do not weep, my daughter." Then she recovered self-control, though with difficulty. Then she remained continually honouring with gifts excellent Brahmans, that came from a foreign country, in order to obtain news of her husband. And she asked a poor Brahman, named Sangamadatta, who came for a gift, for tidings of her husband, having told him his name and the signs by which to recognize him. Then the Brahman said, "I have never beheld a man of that kind; but, queen, you must not give way to excessive anxiety on this account. Doers of righteous actions eventually obtain reunion with loved ones, and in proof of that I will tell you a wonder which I saw, listen."

Story of the treacherous Pasupata ascetic.

As I was wandering round all the holy places, I came to the Manasa lake on the Himalayas, and in it I saw, as in a mirror, [782] a house composed of jewels, and from that building there came out suddenly a man with a sword in his hand, and he ascended the bank of the lake, accompanied by a troop of celestial females. There he amused himself with the females in a garden in the recreation of drinking, and I was looking on from a distance un.o.bserved, full of interest in the spectacle. In the meanwhile a man of prepossessing appearance came there from somewhere or other. And when he met me, I told him what I had seen. And with much interest I pointed out to him that man from a distance, and when he beheld him he told me his own story in the following words:

Story of the king Tribhuvana.

I am a king named Tribhuvana in the city of Tribhuvana. There a certain Pasupata ascetic for a long time paid me court. And being asked the reason by me, he at once asked me to be his ally in obtaining a sword concealed in a cavern, and I agreed to that. Then the Pasupata ascetic went with me at night, and having by means of a burnt-offering and other rites discovered an opening in the earth, the ascetic said to me, "Hero! enter thou first, and after thou hast obtained the sword, come out, and cause me also to enter; make a compact with me to do this." When he said this, I made that compact with him, and quickly entered the opening, and found a palace of jewels. And the chief of the Asura maidens who dwelt there came out from the palace, and out of love led me in, and there gave me a sword. She said, "Keep this sword which confers the power of flying in the air, and bestows all magical faculties." Then I remained there with her. But I remembered my compact, and going out with the sword in my hand, I introduced that ascetic into the palace of the Asuras by that opening. There I dwelt with the first Asura lady who was surrounded by her attendants, and he dwelt with the second. One day when I was stupefied with drinking, the ascetic treacherously took away from my side the sword, and grasped it in his own hand. When he had it in his grasp, he possessed great power, and with his hand he seized me and flung me out of the cavern. Then I searched for him for twelve years at the mouths of caverns, hoping that some time I might find him outside. And this very day the scoundrel has presented himself to my eyes, sporting with that very Asura lady who belongs to me.

While the king Tribhuvana was relating this to me, O queen, that ascetic, stupefied with drink, went to sleep. And while he was asleep, the king went and took the sword from his side, and by its operation he recovered celestial might. Then the hero woke up that ascetic with a kick, and reproached the unfortunate man, but did not kill him. And then he entered the palace with the Asura lady and her attendants, recovered again like his own magic power. But the ascetic was much grieved at having lost his magic power. For the ungrateful, though long successful, are sure to fail at last.

"Having seen this with my own eyes, I have now arrived here in the course of my wanderings; so be a.s.sured, queen, that you shall eventually be reunited to your beloved, like Tribhuvana, for the righteous does not sink." When Bandhumati heard that from the Brahman, she was highly delighted, and made him successful by giving him much wealth.

And the next day a distinguished Brahman came there from a distant land, and Bandhumati eagerly asked him for tidings of her husband, telling his name and the tokens by which he might be recognized. Then that Brahman said to her: "Queen, I have not seen your husband anywhere, but I, who have to-day come to your house, am named not without reason, the Brahman Sumanas, [783] so you will quickly have your wishes satisfied, thus my heart tells me. And reunions do take place, even of the long separated. In proof of thus I will tell you the following tale; listen, queen."

Story of Nala and Damayanti.

Of old time there lived a king named Nala, whose beauty, I fancy, so surpa.s.sed that of the G.o.d of Love, that in disgust he offered his body as a burnt-offering in the fire of the eye of the enraged Siva. He had no wife, and when he made enquiries, he heard that Damayanti, the daughter of Bhima the king of Vidarbha, would make him a suitable wife. And Bhima, searching through the world, found that there was no king except Nala fit to marry his daughter.

In the meanwhile Damayanti went down into a tank in her own city, to amuse herself in the water. There the girl saw a swan that had fed on blue and white lotuses, and by a trick she threw over it her robe and made it a prisoner in sport. But the celestial swan, when captured, said to her in accents that she could understand: "Princess, I will do you a good turn, let me go. There is a king of the name of Nala, whom even the nymphs of heaven bear on their hearts, like a necklace strung with threads of merit. [784] You are a wife fitted for him and he is a husband suited for you, so I will be an amba.s.sador of Love to bring like to like." When she heard that, she thought that the celestial swan was a polished speaker, and so she let him go, saying--"So be it."--And she said, "I will not choose any husband but Nala," having her mind captivated by that prince, who had entered by the channel of her ear.

And the swan departed thence, and quickly repaired to a tank resorted to by Nala, when bent on sporting in the water. And Nala, seeing that the swan was beautiful, took it captive out of curiosity by throwing his robe over it in sport. Then the swan said--"Set me free, O king, for I have come to benefit you; listen, I will tell you. There is in Vidarbha one Damayanti, the daughter of king Bhima, the Tilottama of the earth, to be desired even by G.o.ds. And she has chosen you as her future husband, having fallen in love with you on account of my description of your virtues; and I have come here to tell you. Nala was at the same time pierced with the words of that excellent swan, that were brightened by the splendid object they had in view, [785]

and with the sharp arrows of the G.o.d of the flowery shafts. And he said to that swan, "I am fortunate, best of birds, in that I have been selected by her, as if by the incarnate fulfilment of my wishes." When the swan had been thus addressed by him and let go, it went and related the whole occurrence to Damayanti, as it took place, and then went whither it would.

Now Damayanti was longing for Nala; so, by way of a device to obtain him, she sent her mother to ask her father to appoint for her the ceremony of the Svayamvara. And her father Bhima consented, and sent messengers to all the kings on the earth, to invite them to the Svayamvara. And all the kings, when they had received the summons, set out for Vidarbha, and Nala went also eagerly, mounted on his chariot.

And in the meanwhile, Indra and the other Lokapalas heard from the hermit Narada of the Svayamvara of Damayanti, and of her love for Nala. And of them Indra, the Wind, the G.o.d of Fire, Yama and Varuna, longing for Damayanti, deliberated together, and went to Nala, and they found Nala setting off on the journey, and when he prostrated himself before them, they said to him "Go, Nala, and tell Damayanti this from us--'Choose one of us five; what is the use of choosing Nala who is a mortal? Mortals are subject to death, but the G.o.ds are undying.' And by our favour, thou shalt enter where she is, unperceived by the others." Nala said "So be it," and consented to do the errand of the G.o.ds. And he entered the apartments of Damayanti without being seen, and delivered that command of the G.o.ds, exactly as it was given. But when the virtuous woman heard that, she said "Suppose the G.o.ds are such, nevertheless Nala shall be my husband, I have no need of G.o.ds." When Nala had heard her utter this n.o.ble sentiment, and had revealed himself, he went and told it, exactly as it was said, to Indra and the others; and they, pleased with him, gave him a boon, saying, "We are thy servants from this time forth, and will repair to thee as soon as thought of, truthful man."

Then Nala went delighted to Vidarbha, and Indra and the other G.o.ds a.s.sumed the form of Nala, with intent to deceive Damayanti. And they went to the court of Bhima, a.s.suming the attributes of mortals, and, when the Svayamvara began, they sat near Nala. Then Damayanti came, and leaving the kings who were being proclaimed one by one by her brother, gradually reached Nala. And when she saw six Nalas, all possessing shadows and the power of winking, [786] she thought in her perplexity, while her brother stood amazed, "Surely these five guardians of the world have produced this illusion to deceive me, but I think that Nala is the sixth here, and so I cannot go in any other direction." When the virtuous one had thus reflected, she stood facing the sun, with mind fixed on Nala alone, and spoke thus--"O guardians of the world, if even in sleep I have never fixed my heart on any but Nala, on account of that loyal conduct of mine shew me your real forms. And to a maiden any other men than her lover previously chosen are strangers, and she is to them the wife of another, so how comes this delusion upon you?" When the five, with Indra at their head, heard that, they a.s.sumed their own forms, and the sixth, the true Nala, preserved his true form. The princess in her delight cast upon the king her eye, beautiful as a blown blue lotus, and the garland of election. And a rain of flowers fell from heaven. Then king Bhima performed the marriage ceremony of her and Nala. And the kings and the G.o.ds, Indra and the others, returned by the way that they came, after due honour had been done to them by the king of Vidarbha.

But Indra and his companions saw on the way Kali and Dvapara, [787]

and knowing that they had come for Damayanti, they said to them, "It is of no use your going to Vidarbha; we come thence; and the Svayamvara has taken place; Damayanti has chosen king Nala. When the wicked Kali and Dvapara heard that, they exclaimed in wrath, "Since she has chosen that mortal in preference to G.o.ds like thyself, we will certainly separate that couple." After making this vow they turned round and departed thence. And Nala remained seven days in the house of his father-in-law, and then departed, a successful man, for Nishada, with his wife Damayanti. There their love was greater than that of Siva and Parvati. Parvati truly is half of Siva, but Damayanti was Nala's self. And in due time Damayanti brought forth to Nala a son named Indrasena, and after that a daughter named Indrasena.

And in the meanwhile Kali, who was resolved on effecting what he had promised, was seeking an occasion against Nala, who lived according to the Sastras. Then, one day, Nala lost his senses from drunkenness, and went to sleep without saying the evening prayer and without was.h.i.+ng his feet. After Kali had obtained this opportunity, for which he had been watching day and night, he entered into the body of Nala. When Kali had entered his body, king Nala abandoned righteous practices and acted as he pleased. The king played dice, he loved female slaves, he spoke untruths, he slept in the day, he kept awake at night, he became angry without cause, he took wealth unjustly, he despised the good, and he honoured the bad.

Moreover Dvapara entered into his brother Pushkara, having obtained an opportunity, and made him depart from the true path. And one day Nala saw, in the house of his younger brother Pushkara, a fine white bull, named Danta. And Pushkara would not give the bull to his elder brother, though he wanted it and asked for it, because his respect for him had been taken away by Dvapara. And he said to him, "If you desire this bull, then win it from me at once at play." When Nala heard that challenge, in his infatuation he accepted it, and then those two brothers began to play against each other. Pushkara staked the bull, Nala staked elephants and other things, and Pushkara continually won, Nala as continually lost. In two or three days Nala had lost his army and his treasure, but he still refused to desist from gambling, though entreated to desist, for he was distracted by Kali. Damayanti, thinking that the kingdom was lost, put her children in a splendid chariot, and sent them to the house of her father. In the mean-while Nala lost his whole kingdom; then the hypocritical Pushkara said, "Since you have lost everything else, now stake Damayanti on the game against that bull of mine."

This windy speech of Pushkara's, like a strong blast, made Nala blaze like fire; but he did not say anything unbecoming, nor did he stake his wife. Then Pushkara said to him, "If you will not stake your wife, then leave this country of mine with her." When Nala heard this, he left that country with Damayanti, and the king's officers saw him as far as the frontier. Alas! when Kali reduced Nala to such a state, say, what will be the lot of other mortals, who are like worms compared with him? Curse on this gambling, the livelihood of Kali and Dvapara, without law, without natural affection, such a cause of misfortunes even to royal sages.

So Nala, having been deprived of his sovereignty by his brother, started to go to another land with Damayanti, and as he was journeying along, he reached the centre of a forest, exhausted with hunger. There, as he was resting with his wife, whose soft feet were pierced with darbha gra.s.s, on the bank of a river, he saw two swans arrive. And he threw his upper garment over them, to capture them for food, and those two swans flew away with it. And Nala heard a voice from heaven,--"These are those two dice in the form of swans, they have descended and flown off with your garment also." Then the king sat down despondent, with only one garment on, and providently shewed to Damayanti the way to her father's house; saying, "This is the way to Vidarbha, my beloved, to your father's house, this is the way to the country of the Angas, and this is the way to Kosala." When Damayanti heard this, she was terrified, thinking to herself--"Why does my husband tell me the way, as if he meant to abandon me?" Then the couple fed on roots and fruits, and when night came on, lay down both of them, wearied, in the wood, on a bed of kusa gra.s.s. And Damayanti, worn out with the journey, gradually dropt off to sleep, but Nala, desiring to depart, kept awake, deluded by Kali. So he rose up with one garment, deserting that Damayanti, and departed thence, after cutting off half her upper garment and putting it on. But Damayanti woke up at the end of the night, and when she did not see in the forest her husband, who had deserted her and gone, she thought for some time, and then lamented as follows: "Alas, my husband, great of heart, merciful even to your enemy! You that used to love me so well, what has made you cruel to me? And how will you be able to go alone on foot through the forests, and who will attend on you to remove your weariness? How will the dust defile on the journey your feet, that used to be stained with the pollen of the flowers in the garlands worn on the heads of kings! How will your body, that could not endure to be anointed with the powder of yellow sandal-wood, endure the heat of the sun in the middle of the day? What do I care for my young son? What for my daughter? What for myself? May the G.o.ds, if I am chaste, procure good fortune for you alone!" Thus Damayanti lamented, in her loneliness, and then set out by the path, which her husband had shewn her beforehand. And with difficulty she crossed the woods, forests, rivers, and rocks, and never did she depart from her devotion to her husband in, any point. And the might of her chast.i.ty preserved her on the way, [788]

so that the hunter, who, after delivering her from the serpent, fell in love with her for a moment, was reduced to ashes. Then she joined a caravan of merchants, which she met on the way, and with them she reached the city of a king named Subahu. There the daughter of the king saw her from her palace, and pleased with her beauty, had her brought and gave her as a present to her mother. Then she remained in attendance on the queen, respected by her, and when questioned, she answered only--"My husband has abandoned me."

And in the meanwhile her father Bhima, having heard the tidings of Nala's misfortune, sent trustworthy men in every direction, to make search for the royal couple. And one of them, his minister named Suvena, as he was wandering about disguised as a Brahman, reached that palace of Subahu. There he saw Damayanti, who always examined guests, and she saw with sorrow her father's minister. And having recognized one another, they wept together so violently, that Subahu's queen heard it. And the queen had them summoned, and asked them the truth of the matter, and then she found out that the lady was Damayanti, the daughter of her sister. Then she informed her husband, and after shewing her honour, she sent her to the house of her father with Suvena and an army. There Damayanti remained, reunited with her two children, enquiring under her father's guidance for news of her husband. And her father sent out spies to look for her husband, who was distinguished by preternatural skill in cooking and driving. And king Bhima commanded the spies to say; "Moon, where have you hid yourself so cruelly, deserting your young bride asleep in the forest, dear as a cl.u.s.ter of white lotuses, having taken a piece of her robe?" [789] This he told them to utter wherever they suspected the presence of Nala.

And in the meanwhile king Nala travelled a long way at night in that forest, clothed with the half-garment, and at last he saw a jungle-fire. And he heard some one exclaim--"Great-hearted one, take me away from the neighbourhood of this fire, in order that I, being helpless, may not be burned up by it." [790] When Nala heard this, he looked round, and beheld a snake coiled up near the fire, having his head encircled with the rays of the jewels of his crest, [791] as if seized on the head by the jungle-fire, with terrible flaming weapons in its hand. He went up to it, and in compa.s.sion put it on his shoulder, and carried it a long distance, and when he wished to put it down, the snake said to him--"Carry me ten steps further, counting them as you go." Then Nala advanced, counting the steps, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven--listen, snake--eight, nine, ten, and when he said ten (dasa), [792] the snake took him at his word, and bit him in the front of the forehead, as he lay on his shoulder. That made the king small in the arms, deformed and black. Then the king took down the snake from his shoulder, and said to him--"Who art thou, and what kind of a return for my kindness is this which thou hast made?" When the snake heard this speech of Nala's, he answered him,--"King, know that I am a king of the snakes named Karkotaka, and I gave you the bite for your good; that you will come to learn; when great ones wish to live concealed, a deformed appearance of body furthers their plans. Receive also from me this pair of garments, named the 'fire-bleached,' [793] you need only put them on and you will recover your true form." When Karkotaka had said this, and had departed after giving those garments, Nala left that wood, and in course of time reached the city of Kosala.

And going by the name of Hrasvabahu, he took service as a cook in the family of king Rituparna, the sovereign of Kosala. And he acquired renown by making dishes of exquisite flavour, and by his skill in chariot-driving. And while Nala was living there, under the name of Hrasvabahu, it happened that once upon a time one of the spies of the king of Vidarbha came there. And the spy heard men there saying,--"In this place there is a new cook, of the name of Hrasvabahu, equal to Nala in his own special art and also in the art of driving." The spy suspected that the cook was Nala himself, and hearing that he was in the judgment-hall of the king, he went there and repeated the following arya verse, taught him by his master, "Moon, where have you hid yourself so cruelly, deserting your young bride asleep in the forest, dear as a cl.u.s.ter of white lotuses, having taken a piece of her robe?" The people present in the judgment-hall, when they heard that, thought that his words were those of a madman, but Nala, who stood there disguised as a cook, answered him, "What cruelty was there in the moon's becoming invisible to the lotus-cl.u.s.ter, when it reached and entered another region, after one part of the heaven [794] had become exhausted?"

When the spy heard this, he surmised that the supposed cook was really Nala transformed by misfortune, and he departed thence, and when he reached Vidarbha, he told king Bhima and his queen and Damayanti all that he had heard and seen.

Then Damayanti, of her own accord, said to her father, "Without doubt that man is my husband disguised as a cook. So let this amusing artifice be employed to bring him here. Let a messenger be sent to king Rituparna, and the moment he arrives let him say to that king, 'Nala has gone off somewhere or other, no tidings are heard of him; accordingly to-morrow morning Damayanti will again make her Svayamvara; so come quickly to Vidarbha this very day;' and the moment the king hears his speech, he will certainly come here in one day, together with that husband of mine who is skilled in chariot-driving." Having thus debated with her father, Damayanti sent off that very moment a messenger to the city of Kosala with exactly this message. He went and told it, as it was given him to Rituparna, and the king thereupon, being excited, said affectionately to his attendant Nala, who was disguised as a cook: "Hrasvabahu, you said--'I possess skill in chariot-driving.' So take me this very day to Vidarbha if you have sufficient endurance." When Nala heard that, he said, "Good! I will take you there," and thereupon he yoked swift horses, and made ready the splendid chariot. He said to himself; "Damayanti has spread this report of a Svayamvara in order to recover me, otherwise, I know, she would not have behaved in this way even in her dreams. So I will go there and see what happens." With such reflections he brought to Rituparna the chariot ready. And as soon as the king had mounted it, Nala proceeded to drive on that chariot with a speed exceeding even that of Garuda. Then Rituparna dropped his garment, and wished to stop the chariot in order to recover it, but Nala said to him,--"King, where is that garment of yours? Why the chariot has in this moment left it many yojanas behind." When Rituparna heard this, he said:--"Well, give me this skill in chariot-driving, and I will give you my skill in dice, so that the dice shall obey your command and you shall acquire skill in numbers. And now look; I will give you a proof of the truth of what I say. You see this tree in front of us; I will tell you the number of its leaves and fruits, and then do you count them for yourself and see." When he had said this, he told him the number of the leaves and fruits on that tree, and Nala counted them and found them exactly as many as he had said. Then Nala gave to Rituparna his skill in driving, and Rituparna gave to Nala his skill in dice and numbers.

And Nala tested that skill on another tree, and found the number of leaves and fruits to be exactly what he had guessed. And while he was rejoicing, a black man issued from his body, and he asked him who he was. Then he said, "I am Kali; when you were chosen by Damayanti, I entered your body out of jealousy, so you lost your fortune at play. And when Karkotaka bit you in the forest, you were not consumed, but I was burnt, as you see, being in your body. For to whom is a treacherous injury done to another likely to be beneficial? So I depart, my friend, for I have opportunities against others." After saying this, Kali vanished from his sight, and Nala at once became well-disposed as before, and recovered his former splendour. And he returned and remounted the chariot; and in the course of the same day he drove king Rituparna into Vidarbha, so rapidly did he get over the ground, and there the king was ridiculed by the people, who asked the cause of his coming; and he put up near the palace.

And when he arrived, Damayanti knew of it, having heard the wonderful noise of the chariot, and she inly rejoiced, as she suspected that Nala had come too. And she sent her own maid to find out the truth, and she enquired into it, and came back and said to her mistress, who was longing for her beloved lord; "Queen, I have enquired into the matter; this king of Kosala heard a false report of your Svayamvara and has come here, and he has been driven here in one day by Hrasvabahu his charioteer and cook, who is famous for his skill in managing chariots. And I went into the kitchen and saw that cook. And he is black and deformed, but possesses wonderful powers. It is miraculous that water gushed up in his pots and pans, without being put in, and wood burst into flames of its own accord, without having been lighted, [795] and various cates were produced in a moment. After I had seen this great miracle, I came back here." When Damayanti heard this from the maid, she reflected--"This cook, whom the fire and the water obey, and who knows the secret of chariot-driving, can be no other than my husband, and I suspect he has become changed and deformed on account of separation from me, but I will test him." When she had formed this resolve, she sent, by way of stratagem, her two children with that same maid, to shew them to him. And Nala, when he had seen his children and taken them on his knees after a long separation, wept silently with a flood of tears. And he said to the maid--"I have two children like these in the house of their maternal grandfather, I have been moved to sorrow by recollecting them." The maid returned with the children and told all to Damayanti, and then she conceived much hope.

And early the next day she gave her maid this order; "Go and tell that cook of Rituparna's from me; 'I hear that there is no cook like you in the world, so come and prepare curry for me to-day.'" When the maid communicated to Nala this politic request, he got leave from Rituparna and came to Damayanti. And she said, "Tell me the truth; are you the king Nala disguised as a cook? I am drowned in a sea of anxiety, and you must to-day bring me safe to sh.o.r.e." When Nala heard that, he was full of joy, love, grief and shame, and with downcast face, he spoke, in a voice faltering from tears, this speech suited to the occasion,--"I am in truth that wicked Nala, hard as adamant, who in his madness behaved like fire in afflicting you." When he said this, Damayanti asked him--"If it is so, how did you become deformed?" Then Nala told her the whole of his adventures, from his making friends with Karkotaka to the departure of Kali from him. And immediately he put on the pair of garments called the "fire-bleached," given him by Karkotaka, and recovered on the spot his own original shape.

When Damayanti saw that Nala had resumed his own charming form, the lotus of her face quickly expanded, and she quenched, as it were, with the waters of her eyes the forest-fire of her grief, and attained indescribable unequalled happiness. And Bhima, the king of Vidarbha, quickly heard that intelligence from his joyful attendants, and coming there he welcomed Nala, who showed him becoming respect, and he made his city full of rejoicing. Then king Rituparna was welcomed with the observance of all outward courtesy and every hospitable rite [796] by king Bhima, who in his heart could not help laughing, and after he had in return honoured Nala, he returned to Kosala. Then Nala lived there happily with his wife, describing to his father-in-law his outburst of wickedness due to the influence of Kali. And in a few days he returned to Nishada with the troops of his father-in-law, and he humbled his younger brother Pushkara, beating him by his knowledge of dice, but, righteous as he was, he gave him a share of the kingdom again, after Dvapara had left his body, and glad at having recovered Damayanti, he enjoyed his kingdom lawfully.