The Katha Sarit Sagara or Ocean of the Streams of Story Part 4

and immediately went and told him. Then the man thought a little and said to her; "I am a Brahman named Lohajangha [164]; I have no wealth; then what business have I in the house of Rupinika which is only to be entered by the rich." The maid said,--"My mistress does not desire wealth from you,"--whereupon Lohajangha consented to do as she wished. When she heard that from the maid, Rupinika went home in a state of excitement, and remained with her eyes fixed on the path by which he would come. And soon Lohajangha came to her house, while the kuttini Makaradanshtra looked at him, and wondered where he came from. Rupinika, for her part, when she saw him, rose up to meet him herself with the utmost respect, and clinging to his neck in her joy, led him to her own private apartments. Then she was captivated with Lohajangha's wealth of accomplishments, and considered that she had been only born to love him. So she avoided the society of other men, and that young fellow lived with her in her house in great comfort. Rupinika's mother, Makaradanshtra, who had trained up many hetaerae, was annoyed when she saw this, and said to her in private; "My daughter, why do you a.s.sociate with a poor man? Hetaerae of good taste embrace a corpse in preference to a poor man. What business has a hetaera like you with affection? How have you come to forget that great principle? The light of a red [165] sunset lasts but a short time, and so does the splendour of a hetaera who gives way to affection. A hetaera, like an actress, should exhibit an a.s.sumed affection in order to get wealth; so forsake this pauper, do not ruin yourself." When she heard this speech of her mother's, Rupinika said in a rage, "Do not talk in this way, for I love him more than my life. And as for wealth, I have plenty, what do I want with more? So you must not speak to me again, mother, in this way." When she heard this, Makaradanshtra was in a rage, and she remained thinking over some device for getting rid of this Lohajangha. Then she saw coming along the road a certain Rajput, who had spent all his wealth, surrounded by retainers with swords in their hands. So she went up to him quickly and taking him aside, said--"My house is beset by a certain poor lover. So come there yourself to-day, and take such order with him that he shall depart from my house, and do you possess my daughter." "Agreed," said the Rajput, and entered that house. At that precise moment Rupinika was in the temple, and Lohajangha meanwhile was absent somewhere, and suspecting nothing, he returned to the house a moment afterwards. Immediately the retainers of the Rajput ran upon him, and gave him severe kicks and blows on all his limbs, and then they threw him into a ditch full of all kinds of impurities, and Lohajangha with difficulty escaped from it. Then Rupinika returned to the house, and when she heard what had taken place, she was distracted with grief, so the Rajput, seeing that, returned as he came.

Lohajangha, after suffering this brutal outrage by the machinations of the kuttini, set out for some holy place of pilgrimage, in order to leave his life there, now that he was separated from his beloved. As he was going along in the wild country, [166] with his heart burning with anger against the kuttini, and his skin with the heat of the summer, he longed for shade. Not being able to find a tree, he lighted on the body of an elephant, which had been stripped of all its flesh [167] by jackals making their way into it by the hind-quarters; accordingly Lohajangha being worn out crept into this carcase, which was a mere sh.e.l.l, as only the skin remained, and went to sleep in it, as it was kept cool by the breeze which freely entered. Then suddenly clouds arose from all sides, and began to pour down a pelting shower of rain; that rain made the elephant's skin contract so that no aperture was left, and immediately a copious inundation came that way, and carrying off the elephant's hide swept it into the Ganges; so eventually the inundation bore it into the sea. And there a bird of the race of Garuda saw that hide, and supposing it to be carrion, took it to the other side of the sea; there it tore open the elephant's hide with its claws, and, seeing that there was a man inside it, fled away. But Lohajangha was awaked by the bird's pecking and scratching, and came out through the aperture made by its beak. And finding that he was on the other side of the sea, he was astonished, and looked upon the whole thing as a day-dream; then he saw there to his terror two horrible Rakshasas, and those two for their part contemplated him from a distance with feelings of fear. Remembering how they were defeated by Rama, and seeing that Lohajangha was also a man who had crossed the sea, they were once more alarmed in their hearts. So, after they had deliberated together, one of them went off immediately and told the whole occurrence to king Vibhishana; king Vibhishana too, as he had seen the prowess of Rama, being terrified at the arrival of a man, said to that Rakshasa; "Go, my good friend, and tell that man from me in a friendly manner, that he is to do me the favour of coming to my palace." The Rakshasa said, "I will do so," and timidly approached Lohajangha, and told him that request of his sovereign's. Lohajangha for his part accepted that invitation with unruffled calm, and went to Lanka with that Rakshasa and his companion. And when he arrived in Lanka, he was astonished at beholding numerous splendid edifices of gold, and entering the king's palace, he saw Vibhishana. The king welcomed the Brahman who blessed him in return, and then Vibhishana said, "Brahman, how did you manage to reach this country?" Then the cunning Lohajangha said to Vibhishana--"I am a Brahman of the name of Lohajangha residing in Mathura; and I, Lohajangha being afflicted at my poverty, went to the temple of the G.o.d, and remaining fasting, for a long time performed austerities in the presence of Narayana. [168] Then the adorable Hari*

commanded me in a dream, saying, 'Go thou to Vibhishana, for he is a faithful wors.h.i.+pper of mine, and he will give thee wealth.' Then, I said, 'Vibhishana is where I cannot reach him'--but the lord continued, 'To-day shalt thou see that Vibhishana.' So the lord spake to me, and immediately I woke up and found myself upon this side of the sea. I know no more." When Vibhishana heard this from Lohajangha, reflecting that Lanka was a difficult place to reach, he thought to himself--"Of a truth this man possesses divine power." And he said to that Brahman,--"Remain here, I will give you wealth." Then he committed him to the care of the man-slaying Rakshasas as an inviolable deposit; and sent some of his subjects to a mountain in his kingdom called Swarnamula, and brought from it a young bird belonging to the race of Garuda; and he gave it to that Lohajangha, (who had to take a long journey to Mathura,) to ride upon, in order that he might in the meanwhile break it in. Lohajangha for his part mounted on its back, and riding about on it in Lanka, rested there for some time, being hospitably entertained by Vibhishana.

One day he asked the king of the Rakshasas, feeling curiosity on the point, why the whole ground of Lanka was made of wood; and Vibhishana when he heard that, explained the circ.u.mstance to him, saying, "Brahman, if you take any interest in this matter, listen, I will explain it to you. Long ago Garuda the son of Kasyapa, wis.h.i.+ng to redeem his mother from her slavery to the snakes, to whom she had been subjected in accordance with an agreement, [169] and preparing to obtain from the G.o.ds the nectar which was the price of her ransom, wanted to eat something which would increase his strength, and so he went to his father, who being importuned said to him, "My son, in the sea there is a huge elephant, and a huge tortoise. They have a.s.sumed their present forms in consequence of a curse: go and eat them." Then Garuda went and brought them both to eat, and then perched on a bough of the great wis.h.i.+ng-tree of paradise. And when that bough suddenly broke with his weight, he held it up with his beak, out of regard to the Balakhilyas [170] who were engaged in austerities underneath it. Then Garuda, afraid that the bough would crush mankind, if he let it fall at random, by the advice of his father brought the bough to this uninhabited part of the earth, and let it drop. Lanka was built on the top of that bough, therefore the ground here is of wood." When he heard this from Vibhishana, Lohajangha was perfectly satisfied.

Then Vibhishana gave to Lohajangha many valuable jewels, as he desired to set out for Mathura. And out of his devotion to the G.o.d Vishnu, who dwells at Mathura, he entrusted to the care of Lohajangha a lotus, a club, a sh.e.l.l, and a discus all of gold, to be offered to the G.o.d; Lohajangha took all these, and mounted the bird given to him by Vibhishana, that could accomplish a hundred thousand yojanas, [171]

and rising up into the air in Lanka, he crossed the sea and without any difficulty arrived at Mathura. And there he descended from the air in an empty convent outside the town, and deposited there his abundant treasure, and tied up that bird. And then he went into the market and sold one of his jewels, and bought garments and scented unguents, and also food. And he ate the food in that convent where he was, and gave some to his bird; and he adorned himself with the garments, unguents, flowers and other decorations. And when night came, he mounted that same bird and went to the house of Rupinika, bearing in his hand the sh.e.l.l, discus and mace; then he hovered over it in the air, knowing the place well, and made a low deep sound, to attract the attention of his beloved, who was alone. But Rupinika, as soon as she heard that sound, came out, and saw hovering in the air by night a being like Narayana, gleaming with jewels. He said to her, "I am Hari come hither for thy sake;" whereupon she bowed with her face to the earth and said--"May the G.o.d have mercy upon me!" Then Lohajangha descended and tied up his bird, and entered the private apartments of his beloved hand in hand with her. And after remaining there a short time, he came out, and mounting the bird as before, went off through the air. [172]

In the morning Rupinika remained observing an obstinate silence, thinking to herself--"I am the wife of the G.o.d Vishnu, I must cease to converse with mortals." And then her mother Makaradanshtra said to her,--"Why do you behave in this way, my daughter?" And after she had been perseveringly questioned by her mother, she caused to be put up a curtain between herself and her parent, and told her what had taken place in the night, which was the cause of her silence. When the kuttini heard that, she felt doubt on the subject, but soon after at night she saw that very Lohajangha mounted on the bird, and in the morning Makaradanshtra came secretly to Rupinika, who still remained behind the curtain, and inclining herself humbly, preferred to her this request; "Through the favour of the G.o.d, thou, my daughter, hast obtained here on earth the rank of a G.o.ddess, and I am thy mother in this world, therefore grant me a reward for giving thee birth; entreat the G.o.d that, old as I am, with this very body I may enter Paradise; do me this favour." Rupinika consented and requested that very boon from Lohajangha, who came again at night disguised as Vishnu. Then Lohajangha, who was personating the G.o.d, said to that beloved of his--"Thy mother is a wicked woman, it would not be fitting to take her openly to Paradise, but on the morning of the eleventh day the door of heaven is opened, and many of the Ganas, Siva's companions, enter into it before any one else is admitted. Among them I will introduce this mother of thine, if she a.s.sume their appearance. So, shave her head with a razor, in such a manner that five locks shall be left, put a necklace of sculls round her neck, and stripping off her clothes, paint one side of her body with lamp-black, and the other with red lead, [173] for when she has in this way been made to resemble a Gana, I shall find it an easy matter to get her into heaven." When he had said this, Lohajangha remained a short time, and then departed. And in the morning Rupinika attired her mother as he had directed; and then she remained with her mind entirely fixed on Paradise. So, when night came, Lohajangha appeared again, and Rupinika handed over her mother to him. Then he mounted on the bird, and took the kuttini with him naked, and transformed as he had directed, and he flew up rapidly with her into the air. While he was in the air, he beheld a lofty stone pillar in front of a temple, with a discus on its summit. So he placed her on the top of the pillar, with the discus as her only support, [174] and there she hung like a banner to blazon forth his revenge for his ill-usage. He said to her--"Remain here a moment while I bless the earth with my approach," and vanished from her sight. Then beholding a number of people in front of the temple, who had come there to spend the night in devout vigils before the festive procession, he called aloud from the air--"Hear, ye people, this very day there shall fall upon you here the all-destroying G.o.ddess of Pestilence, therefore fly to Hari for protection." When they heard this voice from the air, all the inhabitants of Mathura who were there, being terrified, implored the protection of the G.o.d, and remained devoutly muttering prayers to ward off calamity. Lohajangha, for his part, descended from the air, and encouraged them to pray, and after changing that dress of his, came and stood among the people, without being observed. The kuttini thought, as she sat upon the top of the pillar,--"the G.o.d has not come as yet, and I have not reached heaven." At last feeling it impossible to remain up there any longer, she cried out in her fear, so that the people below heard; "Alas! I am falling, I am falling." Hearing that, the people in front of the G.o.d's temple were beside themselves, fearing that the destroying G.o.ddess was falling upon them, even as had been foretold, and said, "O G.o.ddess, do not fall, do not fall." So those people of Mathura, young and old, spent that night in perpetual dread that the destroying G.o.ddess would fall upon them, but at last it came to an end; and then beholding that kuttini upon the pillar in the state described, [175] the citizens and the king recognized her at once; all the people thereupon forgot their alarm, and burst out laughing, and Rupinika herself at last arrived having heard of the occurrence. And when she saw it, she was abashed, and with the help of the people, who were there, she managed to get that mother of hers down from the top of the pillar immediately: then that kuttini was asked by all the people there, who were filled with curiosity, to tell them the whole story, and she did so. Thereupon the king, the Brahmans, and the merchants, thinking that that laughable incident must have been brought about by a sorcerer or some person of that description, made a proclamation, that whoever had made a fool of the kuttini, who had deceived innumerable lovers, was to shew himself, and he would receive a turban of honour on the spot. When he heard that, Lohajangha made himself known to those present, and being questioned, he related the whole story from its commencement. And he offered to the G.o.d the discus, sh.e.l.l, club, and lotus of gold, the present which Vibhishana had sent, and which aroused the astonishment of the people. Then all the people of Mathura, being pleased, immediately invested him with a turban of honour, and by the command of the king, made that Rupinika a free woman. And then Lohajangha, having wreaked upon the kuttini his wrath caused by her ill-usage of him, lived in great comfort in Mathura with that beloved of his, being very well off by means of the large stock of jewels which he brought from Lanka.

Hearing this tale from the mouth of the transformed Vasantaka, Vasavadatta who was sitting at the side of the fettered king of Vatsa, felt extreme delight in her heart.

CHAPTER XIII.

As time went on, Vasavadatta began to feel a great affection for the king of Vatsa, and to take part with him against her father. Then Yaugandharayana again came in to see the king of Vatsa, making himself invisible to all the others, who were there. And he gave him the following information in private in the presence of Vasantaka only; "King, you were made captive by king Chandamahasena by means of an artifice. And he wishes to give you his daughter, and set you at liberty, treating you with all honour; so let us carry off his daughter and escape. For in this way we shall have revenged ourselves upon the haughty monarch, and we shall not be thought lightly of in the world for want of prowess. Now the king has given that daughter of his, Vasavadatta, a female elephant called Bhadravati. And no other elephant but Nadagiri is swift enough to catch her up, and he will not fight when he sees her. The driver of this elephant is a man here called ashadhaka, and him I have won over to our side by giving him much wealth. So you must mount that elephant with Vasavadatta, fully armed, and start from this place secretly by night. And you must have the superintendent of the royal elephants here made drunk with wine, in order that he may not perceive what is about to take place, [176] for he understands every sign that elephants give. I, for my part, will first repair to your ally Pulindaka in order that he may be prepared to guard the road by which you escape." When he had said this, Yaugandharayana departed. So the king of Vatsa stored up all his instructions in his heart; and soon Vasavadatta came to him. Then he made all kinds of confidential speeches to her, and at last told her what Yaugandharayana had said to him. She consented to the proposal, and made up her mind to start, and causing the elephant driver ashadhaka to be summoned, she prepared his mind for the attempt, and on the pretext of wors.h.i.+pping the G.o.ds, she gave the superintendent of the elephants, with all the elephant drivers, a supply of spirits, and made them drunk. Then in the evening, which was disturbed with the echoing roar of clouds, [177] ashadhaka brought that female elephant ready harnessed, but she, while she was being harnessed, uttered a cry, which was heard by the superintendent of the elephants, who was skilled in elephants' language; and he faltered out in a voice indistinct from excessive intoxication,--"the female elephant says, she is going sixty-three yojanas to-day." But his mind in his drunken state was not capable of reasoning, and the elephant-drivers, who were also intoxicated, did not even hear what he said. Then the king of Vatsa broke his chains by means of the charms, which Yaugandharayana had given him, and took that lute of his, and Vasavadatta of her own accord brought him his weapons, and then he mounted the female elephant with Vasantaka. And then Vasavadatta mounted the same elephant with her friend and confidante Kanchanamala; then the king of Vatsa went out from Ujjayini with five persons in all, including himself and the elephant-driver, by a path which the infuriated elephant clove through the rampart.

And the king attacked and slew the two warriors who guarded that point, the Rajputs Virabahu and Talabhata. Then the monarch set out rapidly on his journey in high spirits, mounted on the female elephant, together with his beloved, ashadhaka holding the elephant-hook; in the meanwhile in Ujjayini the city-patrol beheld those guards of the rampart lying dead, and in consternation reported the news to the king at night. Chandamahasena enquired into the matter, and found out at last that the king of Vatsa had escaped, taking Vasavadatta with him. Then the alarm spread through the city, and one of his sons named Palaka mounted Nadagiri and pursued the king of Vatsa. The king of Vatsa for his part, combated him with arrows as he advanced, and Nadagiri, seeing that female elephant, would not attack her. Then Palaka, who was ready to listen to reason, was induced to desist from the pursuit by his brother Gopalaka, who had his father's interests at heart; then the king of Vatsa boldly continued his journey, and as he journeyed, the night gradually came to an end. So by the middle of the day the king had reached the Vindhya forest, and his elephant having journeyed sixty-three yojanas, was thirsty. So the king and his wife dismounted, and the female elephant having drunk water, owing to its being bad, fell dead on the spot. Then the king of Vatsa and Vasavadatta, in their despair, heard this voice coming from the air--"I, O king, am a female Vidyadhara named Mayavati, and for this long time I have been a female elephant in consequence of a curse; and to-day, O lord of Vatsa, I have done you a good turn, and I will do another to your son that is to be: and this queen of yours Vasavadatta is not a mere mortal; she is a G.o.ddess for a certain cause incarnate on the earth." Then the king regained his spirits, and sent on Vasantaka to the plateau of the Vindhya hills to announce his arrival to his ally Pulindaka; and as he was himself journeying along slowly on foot with his beloved, he was surrounded by brigands, who sprang out from an ambuscade. And the king, with only his bow to help him, slew one hundred and five of them before the eyes of Vasavadatta. And immediately the king's ally Pulindaka came up, together with Yaugandharayana, Vasantaka shewing them the way. The king of the Bheels ordered the surviving brigands [178] to desist, and after prostrating himself before the king of Vatsa, conducted him with his beloved to his own village. The king rested there that night with Vasavadatta, whose foot had been cut with a blade of forest gra.s.s, and early in the morning the general Rumanvat reached him, who had before been summoned by Yaugandharayana, who sent a messenger to him. And the whole army came with him, filling the land as far as the eye could reach, so that the Vindhya forest appeared to be besieged. So that king of Vatsa entered into the encampment of his army, and remained in that wild region to wait for news from Ujjayini. And, while he was there, a merchant came from Ujjayini, a friend of Yaugandharayana's, and when he had arrived reported these tidings, "The king Chandamahasena is pleased to have thee for a son-in-law, and he has sent his warder to thee. The warder is on the way, but he has stopped short of this place, however, I came secretly on in front of him, as fast as I could, to bring your Highness information."

When he heard this, the king of Vatsa rejoiced, and told it all to Vasavadatta, and she was exceedingly delighted. Then Vasavadatta, having abandoned her own relations, and being anxious for the ceremony of marriage, was at the same time bashful and impatient: then she said, in order to divert her thoughts, to Vasantaka who was in attendance--"Tell me some story." Then the sagacious Vasantaka told that fair-eyed one the following tale in order to increase her affection for her husband.

Story of Devasmita.

There is a city in the world famous under the name of Tamralipta, and in that city there was a very rich merchant named Dhanadatta. And he, being childless, a.s.sembled many Brahmans and said to them with due respect; "Take such steps as will procure me a son soon." Then those Brahmans said to him: "This is not at all difficult, for Brahmans can accomplish all things in this world by means of ceremonies in accordance with the scriptures. To give you an instance there was in old time a king who had no sons, and he had a hundred and five wives in his harem. And by means of a sacrifice to procure a son, there was born to him a son named Jantu, who was like the rising of the new moon to the eyes of his wives. Once on a time an ant bit the boy on the thigh as he was crawling about on his knees, so that he was very unhappy and sobbed loudly. Thereupon the whole harem was full of confused lamentation, and the king himself shrieked out 'My son! my son!' like a common man. The boy was soon comforted, the ant having been removed, and the king blamed the misfortune of his only having one son as the cause of all his grief. And he asked the Brahmans in his affliction if there was any expedient by which he might obtain a large number of children. They answered him,--'O king, there is one expedient open to you; you must slay this son and offer up all his flesh in the fire. By smelling the smell of that sacrifice all thy wives will obtain sons.' When he heard that, the king had the whole ceremony performed as they directed; and he obtained as many sons as he had wives. So we can obtain a son for you also by a burnt-offering." When they had said this to Dhanadatta, the Brahmans, after a sacrificial fee had been promised them, performed a sacrifice: then a son was born to that merchant. That son was called Guhasena, and he gradually grew up to man's estate. Then his father Dhanadatta began to look out for a wife for him.

Then his father went with that son of his to another country, on the pretence of traffic, but really to get a daughter-in-law, there he asked an excellent merchant of the name of Dharmagupta to give him his daughter named Devasmita for his son Guhasena. But Dharmagupta, who was tenderly attached to his daughter, did not approve of that connexion, reflecting that the city of Tamralipta was very far off. But when Devasmita beheld that Guhasena, her mind was immediately attracted by his virtues, and she was set on abandoning her relations, and so she made an a.s.signation with him by means of a confidante, and went away from that country at night with her beloved and his father. When they reached Tamralipta they were married, and the minds of the young couple were firmly knit together by the bond of mutual love. Then Guhasena's father died, and he himself was urged by his relations to go to the country of Kataha [179] for the purpose of trafficking; but his wife Devasmita was too jealous to approve of that expedition, fearing exceedingly that he would be attracted by some other lady. Then, as his wife did not approve of it, and his relations kept inciting him to it, Guhasena, whose mind was firmly set on doing his duty, was bewildered. Then he went and performed a vow in the temple of the G.o.d, observing a rigid fast, trusting that the G.o.d would shew him some way out of his difficulty. And his wife Devasmita also performed a vow with him; then Siva was pleased to appear to that couple in a dream; and giving them two red lotuses the G.o.d said to them,--"take each, of you one of these lotuses in your hand. And if either of you shall be unfaithful during your separation, the lotus in the hand of the other shall fade, but not otherwise [180]." After hearing this, the two woke up, and each beheld in the hand of the other a red lotus, and it seemed as if they had got one another's hearts. Then Guhasena set out, lotus in hand, but Devasmita remained in the house with her eyes fixed upon her flower. Guhasena for his part quickly reached the country of Kataha, and began to buy and sell jewels there. And four young merchants in that country, seeing that that unfading lotus was ever in his hand, were greatly astonished. Accordingly they got him to their house by an artifice, and made him drink a great deal of wine, and then asked him the history of the lotus, and he being intoxicated told them the whole story. Then those four young merchants, knowing that Guhasena would take a long time to complete his sales and purchases of jewels and other wares, planned together, like rascals as they were, the seduction of his wife out of curiosity, and eager to accomplish it set out quickly for Tamralipta without their departure being noticed. There they cast about for some instrument, and at last had recourse to a female ascetic of the name of Yogakarandika, who lived in a sanctuary of Buddha; and they said to her in an affectionate manner, "Reverend madam, if our object is accomplished by your help, we will give you much wealth." She answered them; "No doubt, you young men desire some woman in this city, so tell me all about it, I will procure you the object of your desire, but I have no wish for money; I have a pupil of distinguished ability named Siddhikari; owing to her kindness I have obtained untold wealth." The young merchants asked--"How have you obtained untold wealth by the a.s.sistance of a pupil?" Being asked this question, the female ascetic said,--"If you feel any curiosity about the matter, listen, my sons, I will tell you the whole story."

Story of the cunning Siddhikari.

Long ago a certain merchant came here from the north; while he was dwelling here, my pupil went and obtained, with a treacherous object, the position of a serving-maid in his house, having first altered her appearance, and after she had gained the confidence of that merchant, she stole all his h.o.a.rd of gold from his house, and went off secretly in the morning twilight. And as she went out from the city moving rapidly through fear, a certain Domba [181] with his drum in his hand, saw her, and pursued her at full speed with the intention of robbing her. When she had reached the foot of a Nyagrodha tree, she saw that he had come up with her, and so the cunning Siddhikari said this to him in a plaintive manner, "I have had a jealous quarrel with my husband, and I have left his house to die, therefore my good man, make a noose for me to hang myself with." Then the Domba thought, "Let her hang herself, why should I be guilty of her death, especially as she is a woman," and so he fastened a noose for her to the tree. Then Siddhikari, feigning ignorance, said to the Domba, "How is the noose slipped round the neck? shew me, I entreat you." Then the Domba placed the drum under his feet, and saying,--"This is the way we do the trick"--he fastened the noose round his own throat; Siddhikari for her part smashed the drum to atoms with a kick, and that Domba hung till he was dead. [182] At that moment the merchant arrived in search of her, and beheld from a distance Siddhikari, who had stolen from him untold treasures, at the foot of the tree. She too saw him coming, and climbed up the tree without being noticed, and remained there on a bough, having her body concealed by the dense foliage. When the merchant came up with his servants, he saw the Domba hanging by his neck, but Siddhikari was nowhere to be seen. Immediately one of his servants said "I wonder whether she has got up this tree,"

and proceeded to ascend it himself. Then Siddhikari said--"I have always loved you, and now you have climbed up where I am, so all this wealth is at your disposal, handsome man, come and embrace me." So she embraced the merchant's servant, and as she was kissing his mouth, she bit off the fool's tongue. He, overcome with the pain, fell from that tree, spitting blood from his mouth, uttering some indistinct syllables, which sounded like Lalalla. When he saw that, the merchant was terrified, and supposing that his servant had been seized by a demon, he fled from that place, and went to his own house with his attendants. Then Siddhikari the female ascetic, equally frightened, descended from the top of the tree, and brought home with her all that wealth. Such a person is my pupil, distinguished for her great discernment, and it is in this way, my sons, that I have obtained wealth by her kindness.

When she had said this to the young merchants, the female ascetic shewed to them her pupil who happened to come in at that moment; and said to them, "Now, my sons, tell me the real state of affairs--what woman do you desire? I will quickly procure her for you." When they heard that they said, "procure us an interview with the wife of the merchant Guhasena named Devasmita." When she heard that, the ascetic undertook to manage that business for them, and she gave those young merchants her own house to reside in. Then she gratified the servants at Guhasena's house with gifts of sweetmeats and other things, and afterwards entered it with her pupil. Then, as she approached the private rooms of Devasmita, a b.i.t.c.h, that was fastened there with a chain, would not let her come near, but opposed her entrance in the most determined way. Then Devasmita seeing her, of her own accord sent a maid, and had her brought in, thinking to herself, "What can this person be come for?" After she had entered, the wicked ascetic gave Devasmita her blessing, and, treating the virtuous woman with affected respect, said to her--"I have always had a desire to see you, but to-day I saw you in a dream, therefore I have come to visit you with impatient eagerness; and my mind is afflicted at beholding you separated from your husband, for beauty and youth are wasted when one is deprived of the society of one's beloved." With this and many other speeches of the same kind she tried to gain the confidence of the virtuous woman in a short interview, and then taking leave of her she returned to her own house. On the second day she took with her a piece of meat full of pepper dust, and went again to the house of Devasmita, and there she gave that piece of meat to the b.i.t.c.h at the door, and the b.i.t.c.h gobbled it up, pepper and all. Then owing to the pepper dust, the tears flowed in profusion from the animal's eyes, and her nose began to run. And the cunning ascetic immediately went into the apartment of Devasmita, who received her hospitably, and began to cry. When Devasmita asked her why she shed tears, she said with affected reluctance: "My friend, look at this b.i.t.c.h weeping outside here. This creature recognized me to-day as having been its companion in a former birth, and began to weep; for that reason my tears gushed through pity." When she heard that, and saw that b.i.t.c.h outside apparently weeping, Devasmita thought for a moment to herself, "What can be the meaning of this wonderful sight?" Then the ascetic said to her, "My daughter, in a former birth, I and that b.i.t.c.h were the two wives of a certain Brahman. And our husband frequently went about to other countries on emba.s.sies by order of the king. Now while he was away from home, I lived with other men at my pleasure, and so did not cheat the elements, of which I was composed, and my senses, of their lawful enjoyment. For considerate treatment of the elements and senses is held to be the highest duty. Therefore I have been born in this birth with a recollection of my former existence. But she, in her former life, through ignorance, confined all her attention to the preservation of her character, therefore she has been degraded and born again as one of the canine race, however, she too remembers her former birth." The wise Devasmita said to herself, "This is a novel conception of duty; no doubt this woman has laid a treacherous snare for me"; and so she said to her, "Reverend lady, for this long time I have been ignorant of this duty, so procure me an interview with some charming man."--Then the ascetic said--"There are residing here some young merchants that have come from another country, so I will bring them to you." When she had said this, the ascetic returned home delighted, and Devasmita of her own accord said to her maids: "No doubt those scoundrelly young merchants, whoever they may be, have seen that unfading lotus in the hand of my husband, and have on some occasion or other, when he was drinking wine, asked him out of curiosity to tell the whole story of it, and have now come here from that island to seduce me, and this wicked ascetic is employed by them. So bring quickly some wine mixed with Datura, [183] and when you have brought it, have a dog's foot of iron made as quickly as possible." When Devasmita had given these orders, the maids executed them faithfully, and one of the maids, by her orders, dressed herself up to resemble her mistress. The ascetic for her part chose out of the party of four merchants, (each of whom in his eagerness said--"let me go first"--) one individual, and brought him with her. And concealing him in the dress of her pupil, she introduced him in the evening into the house of Devasmita, and coming out, disappeared. Then that maid, who was disguised as Devasmita, courteously persuaded the young merchant to drink some of that wine drugged with Datura. That liquor, [184] like his own immodesty, robbed him of his senses, and then the maids took away his clothes and other equipments and left him stark naked; then they branded him on the forehead with the mark of a dog's foot, and during the night took him and pushed him into a ditch full of filth. Then he recovered consciousness in the last watch of the night, and found himself plunged in a ditch, as it were the h.e.l.l Avichi a.s.signed to him by his sins. Then he got up and washed himself and went to the house of the female ascetic, in a state of nature, feeling with his fingers the mark on his forehead. And when he got there, he told his friends that he had been robbed on the way, in order that he might not be the only person made ridiculous. And the next morning he sat with a cloth wrapped round his branded forehead, giving as an excuse that he had a headache from keeping awake so long, and drinking too much. In the same way the next young merchant was maltreated, when he got to the house of Devasmita, and when he returned home naked, he said, "I put on my ornaments there, and as I was coming out I was plundered by robbers." In the morning he also, on the plea of a headache, put a wrapper on to cover his branded forehead.

In the same way all the four young merchants suffered in turns branding and other humiliating treatment, though they concealed the fact. And they went away from the place, without revealing to the female Buddhist ascetic the ill-treatment they had experienced, hoping that she would suffer in a similar way. On the next day the ascetic went with her disciple to the house of Devasmita, much delighted at having accomplished what she undertook to do. Then Devasmita received her courteously, and made her drink wine drugged with Datura, offered as a sign of grat.i.tude. When she and her disciple were intoxicated with it, that chaste wife cut off their ears and noses, and flung them also into a filthy pool. And being distressed by the thought that perhaps these young merchants might go and slay her husband, she told the whole circ.u.mstance to her mother-in-law. Then her mother-in-law said to her,--"My daughter, you have acted n.o.bly, but possibly some misfortune may happen to my son in consequence of what you have done." Then Devasmita said--I will deliver him even as Saktimati in old time delivered her husband by her wisdom. Her mother-in-law asked; "How did Saktimati deliver her husband? tell me, my daughter." Then Devasmita related the following story:

Story of Saktimati.

In our country, within the city, there is the shrine of a powerful Yaksha named Manibhadra, established by our ancestors. The people there come and make pet.i.tions at this shrine, offering various gifts, in order to obtain various blessings. Whenever a man is found at night with another man's wife, he is placed with her within the inner chamber of the Yaksha's temple. And in the morning he is taken away from thence with the woman to the king's court, and his behaviour being made known, he is punished; such is the custom. Once on a time in that city a merchant, of the name of Samudradatta, was found by a city-guard in the company of another man's wife. So he took him and placed him with the woman in that temple of the Yaksha, fastening the door firmly. And immediately the wise and devoted wife of that merchant, whose name was Saktimati, came to hear of the occurrence; then that resolute woman, disguising herself, went confidently at night to the temple of the Yaksha, accompanied by her friends, taking with her offerings for the G.o.d. When she arrived there, the priest whose business it was to eat the offerings, through desire for a fee, opened the door and let her enter, informing the magistrate of what he had done. And she, when she got inside, saw her husband looking sheepish, with a woman, and she made the woman put on her own dress, and told her to go out. So that woman went out in her dress by night, and got off, but Saktimati remained in the temple with her husband. And when the king's officers came in the morning to examine the merchant, he was seen by all to be in the company of his own wife. [185] When he heard that, the king dismissed the merchant from the temple of the Yaksha, as it were from the mouth of death, and punished the chief magistrate. So Saktimati in old time delivered her husband by her wisdom, and in the same way I will go and save my husband by my discretion.

So the wise Devasmita said in secret to her mother-in-law, and, in company with her maids, she put on the dress of a merchant. Then she embarked on a s.h.i.+p, on the pretence of a mercantile expedition, and came to the country of Kataha where her husband was. And when she arrived there, she saw that husband of hers, Guhasena, in the midst of a circle of merchants, like consolation in external bodily form. He seeing her afar off in the dress of a man, [186]

as it were, drank her in with his eyes, and thought to himself, "Who may this merchant be that looks so like my beloved wife"? So Devasmita went and represented to the king that she had a pet.i.tion to make, and asked him to a.s.semble all his subjects. Then the king full of curiosity a.s.sembled all the citizens, and said to that lady disguised as a merchant, "What is your pet.i.tion?" Then Devasmita said--There are residing here in your midst four slaves of mine who have escaped, let the king make them over to me. Then the king said to her, "All the citizens are present here, so look at every one in order to recognise him, and take those slaves of yours." Then she seized upon the four young merchants, whom she had before treated in such a humiliating way in her house, and who had wrappers bound round their heads. Then the merchants, who were there, flew in a pa.s.sion, and said to her, "These are the sons of distinguished merchants, how then can they be your slaves?" Then she answered them, "If you do not believe what I say, examine their foreheads which I marked with a dog's foot." They consented, and removing the head-wrappers of these four, they all beheld the dog's foot on their foreheads. Then all the merchants were abashed, and the king, being astonished, himself asked Devasmita what all this meant. She told the whole story, and all the people burst out laughing, and the king said to the lady,--"They are your slaves by the best of t.i.tles." Then the other merchants paid a large sum of money to that chaste wife, to redeem those four from slavery, and a fine to the king's treasury. Devasmita received that money, and recovered her husband, and being honoured by all good men, returned then to her own city Tamralipta, and she was never afterwards separated from her beloved.

"Thus, O queen, women of good family ever wors.h.i.+p their husbands with chaste and resolute behaviour, [187] and never think of any other man, for to virtuous wives the husband is the highest deity." When Vasavadatta on the journey heard this n.o.ble story from the mouth of Vasantaka, she got over the feeling of shame at having recently left her father's house, and her mind, which was previously attached by strong affection to her husband, became so fixed upon him as to be entirely devoted to his service.

NOTE ON CHAPTER XIII.

With regard to the incident of the b.i.t.c.h and the pepper in the story of Devasmita see the note in the 1st volume of Wilson's Essays on Sanskrit Literature. He says: "This incident with a very different and much less moral denouement is one of the stories in the Disciplina Clericalis, a collection of stories professedly derived from the Arabian fabulists and compiled by Petrus Alfonsus a converted Jew, who flourished about 1106 and was G.o.dson to Alfonso I, king of Arragon. In the a.n.a.lysis prepared by Mr. Douce, this story is the 12th, and is ent.i.tled "Stratagem of an old woman in favour of a young gallant." She persuades his mistress who had rejected his addresses that her little dog was formerly a woman, and so transformed in consequence of her cruelty to her lover. (Ellis's Metrical Romances, I, 130.) This story was introduced into Europe, therefore, much about the time at which it was enrolled among the contents of the Vrihat Katha in Cashmir. The metempsychosis is so much more obvious an explanation of the change of forms, that it renders it probable the story was originally Hindu. It was soon copied in Europe, and occurs in Le Grand as La vieille qui seduisit la jeune fille. III. 148 [ed. III. Vol. IV. 50]. The parallel is very close and the old woman gives "une chienne a manger des choses fortement saupoudrees de seneve qui lai picotait le palais et les narines et l'animal larmoyait beaucoup." She then shows her to the young woman and tells her the b.i.t.c.h was her daughter. "Son malheur fut d'avoir le coeur dur; un jeune homme l'aimait, elle le rebuta. Le malheureux apres avoir tout tente pour l' attendrir, desespere de sa durete en prit tant de chagrin qu'il tomba malade et mourut. Dieu l'a bien venge; voyez en quel etat pour la punir il a reduit ma pauvre fille, et comment elle pleure sa faute." The lesson was not thrown away. The story occurs also in the Gesta Romanorum as "The Old Woman and her Dog" [in Bohn's edition it is Tale XXVIII], and it also finds a place where we should little have expected to find it, in the Promptuarium of John Herolt of Basil, an ample repository of examples for composing sermons: the compiler a Dominican friar, professing to imitate his patron saint, who always abundabat exemplis in his discourses." [In Bohn's edition we are told that it appears in an English garb amongst a translation of aesop's Fables published in 1658.] Dr. Rost refers us to Th. Wright, Latin Stories, London, 1842, p. 218. Loiseleur Deslongchamps Essai sur les Fables Indiennes, Paris, 1838, p. 106 ff. F. H. Von der Hagen, Gesammtabenteuer, 1850 I, cxii. ff and Gra.s.se, I. 1, 374 ff. In Gonzenbach'a Sicilianische Marchen, No. 55, Vol. I, p. 359, Epomata plays some young men much the same trick as Devasmita, and they try in much the same way to conceal their disgrace. The story is the second in my copy of the Suka Saptati.

CHAPTER XIV.

Accordingly while the king of Vatsa was remaining in that Vindhya forest, the warder of king Chandamahasena came to him. And when he arrived, he did obeisance to the king and spoke as follows: The king Chandamahasena sends you this message. You did rightly in carrying off Vasavadatta yourself, for I had brought you to my court with this very object; and the reason I did not myself give her to you, while you were a prisoner, was, that I feared, if I did so, you might not be well disposed towards me. Now, O king, I ask you to wait a little, in order that the marriage of my daughter may not be performed without due ceremonies. For my son Gopalaka will soon arrive in your court, and he will celebrate with appropriate ceremonies the marriage of that sister of his. This message the warder brought to the king of Vatsa, and said various things to Vasavadatta. Then the king of Vatsa, being pleased, determined on going to Kausambi with Vasavadatta, who was also in high spirits. He told his ally Pulindaka, and that warder in the service of his father-in-law to await, where they were, the arrival of Gopalaka, and then to come with him to Kausambi. Then the great king set out early the next day for his own city with the queen Vasavadatta, followed by huge elephants raining streams of ichor, that seemed like moving peaks of the Vindhya range accompanying him out of affection; he was, as it were, praised by the earth, that outdid the compositions of his minstrels, while it rang with the hoofs of his horses and the tramplings of his soldiers; and by means of the towering clouds of dust from his army, that ascended to heaven, he made Indra fear that the mountains were sporting with unshorn wings. [188] Then the king reached his country in two or three days, and rested one night in a palace belonging to Rumanvat; and on the next day, accompanied by his beloved, he enjoyed after a long absence the great delight of entering Kausambi, the people of which were eagerly looking with uplifted faces for his approach. And then that city was resplendent as a wife, her lord having returned after a long absence, beginning her adornment and auspicious bathing vicariously by means of her women; and there the citizens, their sorrow now at an end, beheld the king of Vatsa accompanied by his bride, as peac.o.c.ks behold a cloud accompanied by lightning; [189] and the wives of the citizens standing on the tops of the palaces, filled the heaven with their faces, that had the appearance of golden lotuses blooming in the heavenly Ganges. Then the king of Vatsa entered his royal palace with Vasavadatta, who seemed like a second G.o.ddess of royal fortune; and that palace then shone as if it had just awaked from sleep, full of kings who had come to shew their devotion, festive with songs of minstrels. [190]

Not long after came Gopalaka the brother of Vasavadatta, bringing with him the warder and Pulindaka; the king went to meet him, and Vasavadatta received him with her eyes expanded with delight, as if he were a second spirit of joy. While she was looking at this brother, a tear dimmed her eyes lest she should be ashamed; and then she, being encouraged by him with the words of her father's message, considered that her object in life was attained, now that she was reunited to her own relations. Then, on the next day, Gopalaka, with the utmost eagerness, set about the high festival of her marriage with the king of Vatsa, carefully observing all prescribed ceremonies. Then the king of Vatsa received the hand of Vasavadatta, like a beautiful shoot lately budded on the creeper of love. She too, with her eyes closed through the great joy of touching her beloved's hand, having her limbs bathed in perspiration accompanied with trembling, covered all over with extreme horripilation, appeared at that moment as if struck by the G.o.d of the flowery bow with the arrow of bewilderment, the weapon of wind, and the water weapon in quick succession; [191] when she walked round the fire keeping it to the right, her eyes being red with the smoke, she had her first taste, so to speak, of the sweetness of wine and honey. [192] Then by means of the jewels brought by Gopalaka, and the gifts of the kings, the monarch of Vatsa became a real king of kings. [193] That bride and bridegroom, after their marriage had been celebrated, first exhibited themselves to the eyes of the people, and then entered their private apartments. Then the king of Vatsa, on the day so auspicious to himself invested Gopalaka and Pulindaka with turbans of honour and other distinctions, and he commissioned Yaugandharayana and Rumanvat to confer appropriate distinctions on the kings who had come to visit him, and on the citizens. Then Yaugandharayana said to Rumanvat; "The king has given us a difficult commission, for men's feelings are hard to discover. And even a child will certainly do mischief if not pleased; to ill.u.s.trate this point listen to the tale of the child Vinashtaka, my friend."

Story of the clever deformed child.

Once on a time there was a certain Brahman named Rudrasarman, and he, when he became a householder, had two wives, and one of his wives gave birth to a son and died; and then the Brahman entrusted that son to the care of his step-mother; and when he grew to a tolerable stature, she gave him coa.r.s.e food; the consequence was, the boy became pale, and got a swollen stomach. Then Rudrasarman said to that second wife, "How comes it that you have neglected this child of mine that has lost its mother?" She said to her husband, "Though I take affectionate care of him, he is nevertheless the strange object you see; what am I to do with him?" Whereupon the Brahman thought, "No doubt it is the child's nature to be like this." For who sees through the deceitfulness of the speeches of women uttered with affected simplicity? Then that child began to go by the name of Balavinashtaka [194] in his father's house, because they said this child (bala) is deformed (vinashta.) Then Balavinashtaka thought to himself--"This step-mother of mine is always ill-treating me, therefore I had better be revenged on her in some way"--for though the boy was only a little more than five years old, he was clever enough. Then he said secretly to his father when he returned from the king's court, with half suppressed voice--"Papa, I have two Papas." So the boy said every day, and his father suspecting that his wife had a paramour, would not even touch her. She for her part thought--"Why is my husband angry without my being guilty; I wonder whether Balavinashtaka has been at any tricks?" So she washed Balavinashtaka with careful kindness, and gave him dainty food, and taking him on her lap, asked him the following question: "My son why have you incensed your father Rudrasarman against me?" When he heard that, the boy said to his step-mother, "I will do more harm to you than that, if you do not immediately cease ill-treating me. You take good care of your own children; why do you perpetually torment me?" When she heard that, she bowed before him, and said with a solemn oath, "I will not do so any more; so reconcile my husband to me." Then the child said to her--"Well, when my father comes home, let one of your maids shew him a mirror, and leave the rest to me." She said, "Very well," and by her orders a maid shewed a mirror to her husband as soon as he returned home. Thereupon the child pointing out the reflection of his father in the mirror, said, "There is my second father." When he heard that, Rudrasarman dismissed his suspicions and was immediately reconciled to his wife, whom he had blamed without cause.

"Thus even a child may do mischief if it is annoyed, and therefore we must carefully conciliate all this retinue." Saying this, Yaugandharayana with the help of Rumanvat, carefully honoured all the people on this the king of Vatsa's great day of rejoicing. [195]

And they gratified all the kings so successfully that each one of them thought, "These two men are devoted to me alone." And the king honoured those two ministers and Vasantaka with garments, unguents, and ornaments bestowed with his own hand, and he also gave them grants of villages. Then the king of Vatsa, having celebrated the great festival of his marriage, considered all his wishes gratified, now that he was linked to Vasavadatta. Their mutual love, having blossomed after a long time of expectation, was so great, owing to the strength of their pa.s.sion, that their hearts continually resembled those of the sorrowing Chakravakas, when the night, during which they are separated, comes to an end. And as the familiarity of the couple increased, their love seemed to be ever renewed. Then Gopalaka, being ordered by his father to return to get married himself, went away, after having been entreated by the king of Vatsa to return quickly.

In course of time the king of Vatsa became faithless, and secretly loved an attendant of the harem named Virachita, with whom he had previously had an intrigue. One day he made a mistake and addressed the queen by her name, thereupon he had to conciliate her by clinging to her feet, and bathed in her tears he was anointed [196] a fortunate king. Moreover he married a princess of the name of Bandhumati, whom Gopalaka had captured by the might of his arm, and sent as a present to the queen; and whom she concealed, changing her name to Manjulika; who seemed like another Lakshmi issuing from the sea of beauty. Her the king saw, when he was in the company of Vasantaka, and secretly married her by the Gandharva ceremony in a summer-house. And that proceeding of his was beheld by Vasavadatta, who was in concealment, and she was angry, and had Vasantaka put in fetters. Then the king had recourse to the good offices of a female ascetic, a friend of the queen's, who had come with her from her father's court, of the name of Sankrityanani. She appeased the queen's anger, and got Bandhumati presented to the king by the obedient queen, for tender is the heart of virtuous wives. Then the queen released Vasantaka from imprisonment; he came into the presence of the queen and said to her with a laugh, "Bandhumati did you an injury, but what did I do to you? You are angry with adders [197] and you kill water-snakes." Then the queen, out of curiosity, asked him to explain that metaphor, and he continued as follows:

Story of Ruru.

Once on a time a hermit's son of the name of Ruru, wandering about at will, saw a maiden of wonderful beauty, the daughter of a heavenly nymph named Menaka by a Vidyadhara, and brought up by a hermit of the name of Sthulakesa in his hermitage. That lady, whose name was Prishadvara, so captivated the mind of that Ruru when he saw her, that he went and begged the hermit to give her to him in marriage. Sthulakesa for his part betrothed the maiden to him, and when the wedding was nigh at hand, suddenly an adder bit her. Then the heart of Ruru was full of despair, but he heard this voice in the heaven--"O Brahman raise to life with the gift of half thy own life, [198] this maiden, whose allotted term is at an end." When he heard that, Ruru gave her the half of his own life, as he had been directed; by means of that she revived, and Ruru married her. Thenceforward he was incensed with the whole race of serpents, and whenever he saw a serpent he killed it, thinking to himself as he killed each one--"This may have bitten my wife." One day a water snake said to him with human voice, as he was about to slay it, "You are incensed against adders, Brahman, but why do you slay water-snakes? An adder bit your wife, and adders are a distinct species from water-snakes; all adders are venomous, water-snakes are not venomous." When he heard that, he said in answer to the water-snake,--"My friend, who are you?" The water-snake said, "Brahman, I am a hermit fallen from my high estate by a curse, and this curse was appointed to last till I held converse with you." When he had said this he disappeared, and after that Ruru did not kill water-snakes. So I said this to you metaphorically, "My queen, you are angry with adders and you kill water-snakes." When he had uttered this speech, full of pleasing wit, Vasantaka ceased, and Vasavadatta sitting at the side of her husband was pleased with him. Such soft and sweet tales in which Vasantaka displayed various ingenuity, did the loving Udayana, king of Vatsa, continually make use of to conciliate his angry wife, while he sat at her feet. That happy king's tongue was ever exclusively employed in tasting the flavour of wine, and his ear was ever delighting in the sweet sounds of the lute, and his eye was ever riveted on the face of his beloved.

NOTE TO CHAPTER XIV.

The practice of walking round an object of reverence with the right hand towards it, which is one of the ceremonies mentioned in our author's account of Vasavadatta's marriage, has been exhaustively discussed by Dr. Samuel Fergusson in his paper--"On the Ceremonial turn called Desiul," published in the Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy for March 1877. (Vol. I. Ser. II. No. 12.) He shews it to have existed among the ancient Romans as well as the Celts. One of the most striking of his quotations is from the Curculio of Plautus (I. 1. 69.) Phaedromus says--Quo me vortam nescio. Palinurus jestingly replies--Si deos salutas dextrovorsum censeo. Cp. also the following pa.s.sage of Valerius Flaceus (Argon VIII. 243).

Inde ubi sacrificas c.u.m conjuge venit ad aras aesonides, unaque adeunt pariterque precari Incipiunt. Ignem Pollux undamque jugalem Praetulit ut dextrum pariter vertantur in orbem.