The Katha Sarit Sagara or Ocean of the Streams of Story Part 69

I am a Brahman named Nagasvamin, from a city called Kundina. When my father went to heaven, I went to Pataliputra, and repaired to a teacher named Jayadatta, to acquire learning. But in spite of all the teaching that I got, I was so stupid that I did not manage to learn a single syllable; so all the pupils there made game of me. Then, being the victim of contempt, I set out on a pilgrimage to the shrine of the G.o.ddess Durga in the Vindhya mountains; and when I had got halfway I came across a city named Vakrolaka.

I went into that city to beg; and in one house the mistress gave me with my alms a red lotus. I took it, and went on to another house, and there the mistress said to me, when she saw me, "Alas! a witch has secured possession of you. See! she has given you a man's hand, [552] which she has pa.s.sed off on you for a red lotus." When I heard that, I looked myself, and lo! it was no lotus, but a human hand. I flung it away, and fell at her feet, and said, "Mother, devise some expedient for me, that I may live." When she heard this she said, "Go! in a village of the name of Karabha, three yojanas distant from this place, there is a Brahman of the name of Devaraks.h.i.+ta. He has in his house a splendid brown cow, an incarnation of Surabhi; she will protect you during this night, if you repair to her for refuge."

When she said this, I ran full of fear, and reached, at the close of the day, the house of that Brahman in the village of Karabha. When I had entered, I beheld that brown cow, and I wors.h.i.+pped her and said, "Being terrified, G.o.ddess, I have come to you for protection." And just then, night having set in, that witch came there through the air with other witches, threatening me, longing for my flesh and blood. When the brown cow saw that, she placed me between her hoofs, and defended me, fighting against those witches all the livelong night. In the morning they went away, and the cow said to me with an articulate voice, "My son, I shall not be able to protect you the next night. So go on further; at a distance of five yojanas from this place there is a mighty Pasupata ascetic named Bhutisiva, dwelling in a temple of Siva in a forest. He possesses supernatural knowledge, and he will protect you for this one night, if you take refuge with him."

When I heard that, I bowed before her, and set out from that place; and I soon reached that Bhutisiva, and took refuge with him. And at night those very same witches came there also in the very same way. Then that Bhutisiva made me enter the inner apartment of his house, [553] and taking up a position at the door, trident in hand, kept off the witches. Next morning, Bhutisiva, having conquered them, gave me food, and said to me, "Brahman, I shall not be able to protect you any longer; but in a village named Sandhyavasa, at a distance of ten yojanas from this place, there is a Brahman named Vasumati: go to him: and if you manage to get through this third night, you will escape altogether."

When he said this to me, I bowed before him, and set out from that place. But on account of the length of the journey that I had to make, the sun set before I had reached my destination. And when night had set in, the witches pursued after me and caught me. And they seized me and went off with me through the air much pleased. But thereupon some other witches of great power flew past them in front. And suddenly there arose between the two parties a tumultuous fight. And in the confusion I escaped from the hands of my captors, and fell to the ground in a very desolate part of the country. [554]

And there I saw a certain great palace, which seemed to say to me with its open door, "Come in." So I fled into it bewildered with fear, and I beheld a lady of wonderful beauty, surrounded with a hundred ladies-in-waiting, gleaming with brightness, like a protecting herb [555] that s.h.i.+nes in the night, made by the Creator out of pity for me. I immediately recovered my spirits and questioned her, and she said to me, "I am a Yaks.h.i.+ni named Sumitra, and I am thus here owing to a curse. And in order that my curse may come to an end, I have been directed to marry a mortal: so marry me, as you have unexpectedly arrived here; fear not." When she had said this, she quickly gave orders to her servants; and she provided me, to my great delight, with baths and unguents, food and drink, and garments. Strange was the contrast between the terror caused by those witches and the happiness that immediately followed! Even fate itself cannot comprehend the principle that makes men fall into happiness or misery.

Then I remained there in happiness with that Yaks.h.i.+ni during those days; but at last one day she said to me of her own accord, "Brahman, my curse is at an end; so I must leave this place at once. However, by my favour you shall have divine insight; and, though an ascetic, you shall have all enjoyments at your command, and be free from fear. But as long as you are here, do not visit the middle block of buildings of this palace of mine." When she had said this, she disappeared; and thereupon, I, out of curiosity, went up to the middle block of buildings, and there I saw a horse. I went up to the horse, and he flung me from him with a kick; and immediately I found myself in this temple of Siva. [556]

Since that time I have remained here, and I have gradually acquired supernatural powers. Accordingly, though I am a mortal, I possess knowledge of the three times. In the same way do all men in this world find successes beset with difficulties. So do you remain in this place; Siva will bestow on you the success that you desire.

When that wise being had told me all this, I conceived hopes of recovering you, and I remained there some days in his hermitage. And to-day, my lord, Siva in a dream informed me of your success, and some heavenly nymph seized me up, and brought me here. This is the history of my adventures.

When Gomukha had said this, he stopped, and then Marubhuti began to tell his tale in the presence of Naravahanadatta.

Marubhuti's account of his adventures.

When I was flung away on that occasion by Manasavega, some divinity took me up in her hands, and placing me in a distant forest, disappeared. Then I wandered about afflicted and anxious to obtain some means of committing suicide, when I saw a certain hermitage encircled with a river. I entered it, and beheld an ascetic with matted hair sitting on a slab of rock, and I bowed before him and went up to him. He said to me, "Who are you, and how did you reach this uninhabited land?" Thereupon, I told him my whole story. Then he understood and said to me, "Do not slay yourself now! You shall learn here the truth about your master, and afterwards you shall do what is fitting."

In accordance with this advice of his I remained there, eager for tidings of you, my liege: and while I was there, some heavenly nymphs came to bathe in the river. Then the hermit said to me, "Go quickly and carry off the clothes of one of those nymphs bathing there; [557]

and then you will learn tidings of your master." When I heard that, I did as he advised me, and that nymph, whose garments I had taken, followed me, with her bathing-dress dripping with moisture, [558]

and with her arms crossed in front of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s.

That hermit said to her, "If you tell us tidings of Naravahanadatta, you may have back your two garments." Then she said, "Naravahanadatta is at present on mount Kailasa, engaged in wors.h.i.+pping Siva, and in a few days he will be the emperor of the Vidyadharas."

After she had said this, that heavenly nymph became, in virtue of a curse, the wife of that ascetic, having made acquaintance with him by conversing with him. [559] So the ascetic lived with that Vidyadhari, and on account of her prophecy I conceived the hope of being reunited with you and I went on living there. And in a few days the heavenly nymph became pregnant, and brought forth a child, and she said to the ascetic, "My curse has been brought to an end by living with you. [560]

If you desire to see any more of me, cook this child of mine with rice and eat it; then you will be reunited to me." When she had said this, she went away, and that ascetic cooked her child with rice, and ate it: and then he flew up into the air and followed her.

At first I was unwilling to eat of that dish, though he urged me to do so; but seeing that eating of it bestowed supernatural powers, I took two grains of rice from the cooking-vessel, and ate them. That produced in me the effect that wherever I spat, gold [561] was immediately produced. Then I roamed about relieved from my poverty, and at last I reached a town. There I lived in the house of a hetaera, and, thanks to the gold I was able to produce, indulged in the most lavish expenditure; but the kuttani, eager to discover my secret, treacherously gave me an emetic. That made me vomit, and in the process the two grains of rice, that I had previously eaten, came out of my mouth, looking like two glittering rubies. And no sooner had they come out, than the kuttani snapped them up, and swallowed them. So I lost my power of producing gold, of which the kuttani thus deprived me.

I thought to myself, "Siva still retains his crescent and Vishnu his kaustubha jewel; but I know what would be the result, if those two deities were to fall into the clutches of a kuttani. [562] But such is this world, full of marvels, full of frauds; who can fathom it, or the sea, at any time?" With such sad reflections in my bosom I went despondent to a temple of Durga, to propitiate the G.o.ddess with asceticism, in order to recover you. And after I had fasted for three nights, the G.o.ddess gave me this command in a dream, "Thy master has obtained all he desires: go, and behold him;" upon hearing this I woke up; and this very morning some G.o.ddess carried me to your feet; this, prince, is the story of my adventures.

When Marubhuti had said this, Naravahanadatta and his courtiers laughed at him for having been tricked by a kuttani.

Harisikha's account of his adventures.

Then Harisikha said;--On that occasion when I was seized by my enemy, some divinity saved me and deposited me in Ujjayini. There I was so unhappy that I conceived the design of abandoning the body; so at nightfall I went into the cemetery and proceeded to construct a pyre with the logs there. I lighted it and began to wors.h.i.+p the fire, and while I was thus engaged, a prince of the demons, named Talajangha, came up to me, and said to me, "Why do you enter the fire? Your master is alive, and you shall be united with him, now that he has obtained the supernatural powers he desired." With these words, the demon, though naturally cruel, lovingly dissuaded me from death; even some stones melt when fate is propitious. Then I went and remained for a long time performing asceticism in front of the G.o.d; and some divinity has to-day brought me to your side, my liege.

Thus Harisikha told his tale, and the others in their turn told theirs, and then, at the suggestion of Amitagati, king Naravahanadatta incited the venerable Dhanavati, adored by the Vidyadharas, to bestow all the sciences on those ministers of his also. Then all his ministers also became Vidyadharas; and Dhanavati said, "Now conquer your enemies;"

so on a fortunate day the hero gave orders that the imperial troops should march out towards the city of Gaurimunda, called Govindakuta.

Then the army of the Vidyadharas mounted up into the sky, obscuring the sun, looking like a rising of Rahu out of due time chilling to the foe. And Naravahanadatta himself ascended the pericarp of the lotus-chariot, and placed his wives on the filaments, and his friends on the leaves, and preceded by Chandasinha and the others, set out through the air to conquer his enemies. And when he had completed half his journey, he came to the palace of Dhanavati which was called Matangapura, and he stayed there that day, and she did the honours of the house to him. And while he was there, he sent an amba.s.sador to challenge to the combat the Vidyadhara princes Gaurimunda and Manasavega.

The next day he deposited his wives in Matangapura, and went with the Vidyadhara kings to Govindakuta. There Gaurimunda and Manasavega came out to fight with them, and Chandasinha and his colleagues met them face to face. When the battle began, brave warriors fell like trees marked out for the axe, and torrents of blood flowed on the mountain Govindakuta. The combat, eager to devour the lives of heroes, yawned like a demon of destruction, with tongues in the form of flexible swords greedily licking up blood. [563] That great feast of slaughter, terrible with the rhythmic clapping of hands on the part of Vetalas drunk with blood and flesh, and covered with palpitating corpses for dancers, gave great delight to the demons.

Then Manasavega met Naravahanadatta face to face in the conflict, and the prince himself rushed on him in wrath. And having rushed on him, that emperor seized the villain by the hair, and at once cut off his head with his sword. When Gaurimunda saw that, he too sprang forward in a fury, and Naravahanadatta dragged him along by the hair, for the power of his science left him as soon as he saw the prince, and flung him on the ground, and seizing his legs whirled him round in the air, and dashed him to pieces on a rock. In this way he slew Gaurimunda and Manasavega; and the rest of their army, being terrified, [564] took to flight. And a rain of flowers fell into the lap of that emperor, and all the G.o.ds in heaven exclaimed, "Bravo! Bravo!" Then Naravahanadatta, with all those kings that followed him, entered the palace of Gaurimunda; and immediately the chiefs of the Vidyadharas, who were connected with Gaurimunda's party, came and submitted humbly to his sway.

Then Dhanavati came up to that sovereign in the midst of the rejoicings on account of his having taken possession of his kingdom after slaying all his enemies, and said to him, "My liege, Gaurimunda has left a daughter named Ihatmatika, the belle of the three worlds; you should marry that maiden." When she said this to the king, he immediately sent for the girl, and married her, and pa.s.sed the day very happily in her society.

The next morning he sent Vegavati and Prabhavati, and had Madanamanchuka brought by them from the town of Manasavega. When brought, she looked upon that hero in his prosperity, who had destroyed the darkness of his enemies, with face expanded and wet with tears of joy; and at the end of her night of separation she enjoyed indescribable happiness, like a lotus-bed, the open flowers of which are wet with dew. Then he bestowed on her all the sciences, and having pined for her long, he exulted in the society of his beloved, who had thus in a moment attained the rank of a Vidyadhari. And in the garden of Gaurimunda's city he spent those days with his wives in the joys of a banquet. And then he sent Prabhavati, and had Bhagirathayasas also brought there, and bestowed on her the sciences.

And one day, as the emperor was sitting in his hall of audience, two Vidyadharas came and said to him with due respect, "Your majesty, we went hence, by the orders of Dhanavati, to the northern division of the land of the Vidyadharas, to find out the movements of Mandaradeva. And there we, being ourselves invisible, saw that king of the Vidyadharas in his hall of audience, and he happened to be saying with regard to your Highness, 'I hear, that Naravahanadatta has obtained the sovereignty over the Vidyadharas, and has slain Gaurimunda and the rest of his opponents; so it will not do for me to overlook that enemy; on the contrary, I must nip him in the bud.' When we heard that speech of his, we came here to tell you."

When the a.s.sembly of Naravahanadatta's partizans heard this from the spies, they were all beside themselves with anger, and appeared like a lotus-bed smitten by the wind. The arms of Chitrangada, frequently waved and extended, seemed with the tinkling of their bracelets to be demanding the signal for combat. The necklace of Amitagati, rising up on his breast, as he sighed with anger, seemed to say again and again, "Rouse thyself, rouse thyself, hero." Pingalagandhara, striking the ground with his hand so that it resounded, seemed to be going through a prelude introductory to the crus.h.i.+ng of his enemies. A frown took its seat upon the face of Vayupatha, looking like a bow strung by Fate for the destruction of his foes. Chandasinha, angrily pressing one hand against the other, seemed to say, "Even thus will I pulverize my enemies." The arm of Sagaradatta, struck by his hand, produced a sound that rang through the air, and seemed to challenge that foe. But Naravahanadatta, though angry, was no whit disturbed; for imperturbability is the characteristic sign of the greatness of great ones.

Then he resolved to march forth to conquer his enemy, after obtaining the jewels essential to an emperor of the Vidyadharas. So the emperor mounted a chariot, with his wives and his ministers, and set out from that Govindakuta. And all his partizans, the kings of the Gandharvas and the chiefs of the Vidyadharas, accompanied by their armies, marched along with him, encircling him, as the planets do the moon. Then Naravahanadatta reached the Himalayas, preceded by Dhanavati, and found there a large lake. With its white lotuses like lofty umbrellas and its soaring swans like waving chowries, it seemed to have brought a present fit for a sovereign. With its lofty waves flung up towards him like beckoning hands at no great distance, it seemed to summon him again and again to take the bath which should ensure him supreme sovereignty. Then Vayupatha said to the king, "My emperor, you must go down and bathe in this lake;" so he went down to bathe in it. And a heavenly voice said, "None but an emperor can ever succeed in bathing in this lake, so now you may consider the imperial dignity secured to you."

When the emperor heard that, he was delighted, and he sported in the water of that lake with his wives, as Varuna does in the sea. He took pleasure in watching them with the moist garments clinging to their bodies, with the fastenings of their hair loosened, and their eyes reddened by the was.h.i.+ng into them of antimony. The rows of birds, flying up with loud cries from that lake, appeared like the girdles of its presiding nymphs advancing to meet him. And the lotuses, eclipsed by the beauty of the lotus-like faces of his wives, plunged beneath the waves as if ashamed. And after bathing, Naravahanadatta, with his attendants, spent that day on the bank of that lake.

There the successful prince, with his wives and ministers, spent his time in jocose conversation, and next morning he set forth thence in his chariot with his army. And as he was going along, he reached the city of Vayupatha, which lay in his way; and he stayed there a day to please him. There he fell in love with a maiden, that he came across in a garden, the sister of Vayupatha, by name Vayuvegayasas. She, while amusing herself in a garden on the bank of the Hemabaluka [565]

river, saw him arrive, and though in love with him, disappeared at once. Then Naravahanadatta, supposing that she had turned her back on him for some reason other than the real one, returned with downcast face to his quarters. There the queens found out the adventure that had befallen the king by means of Marubhuti who was with him, (for Gomukha was too clever for them to try him,) and then they made all kinds of jokes at the king's expense, while Gomukha stood by ashamed at the indiscretion of Marubhuti.

Then Gomukha, seeing the king out of countenance, consoled him, and, in order to ascertain the real sentiments of Vayuvegayasas, went to her city. There Vayupatha saw him suddenly arrived as if to take a look at the city, and he lovingly entertained him, and taking him aside, said to him, "I have an unmarried sister named Vayuvegayasas, and holy seers have prophesied that she is destined to be the wife of an emperor. So I am desirous of giving her as a present to the emperor Naravahanadatta; pray do your best to bring about the accomplishment of my wish. And with this very object in view I was preparing to come to you." When the minister Gomukha had been thus addressed by Vayupatha, he said to him; "Although this prince of ours set out primarily with the object of conquering his enemies, still you have only to make the request, and I will arrange this matter for you." With these words Gomukha took leave of him, and going back informed Naravahanadatta that he had gained his object without any solicitation.

And the next day Vayupatha came in person and requested the favour, and the sagacious Gomukha said to the king, "My prince, you must not refuse the request of Vayupatha; he is your faithful ally; your majesty should do whatever he asks." Then the king consented to do it; and Vayupatha himself brought his younger sister, and bestowed her on the emperor against her will. And while the marriage was being performed, she exclaimed, "Ye guardians of the world, I am being bestowed in marriage by my brother by force, and against my will, so I have not committed any sin thereby." When she said this, all the females belonging to Vayupatha's household made such a noise that no outsiders heard what she said. But the king was put out of countenance by her speech, so Gomukha was anxious to find some means of ascertaining its import, and he roamed hither and thither with that object.

And after he had roamed about awhile, he saw in a certain retired spot four Vidyadhara maidens preparing to enter the fire at the same time. And when he asked them the cause, those fair ones told him how Vayuvegayasas had broken her solemn agreement. Then Gomukha went and told it to king Naravahanadatta in the presence of all there, exactly as he had seen and heard. When the king heard it, he smiled, but Vayuvegayasas said, "Arise, my husband, let us two quickly go and save these maidens; afterwards I will tell you the reason of this act of theirs." When she said this to the king, he went with her and with all his followers to the spot where the tragedy was to take place.

And he saw those maidens with a blazing fire in front of them; and Vayuvegayasas, after dragging them away from it, said to the king, "This first here is Kalika, the daughter of the lord of Kalakuta, and this second is Vidyutpunja, the daughter of Vidyutpunja; and this third is Matangini, the daughter of Mandara; and this fourth is Padmaprabha the daughter of Mahadanshtra; and I am the fifth; all we five, when we saw you performing asceticism in the domain of the Siddhas, were bewildered with love, and we made the following mutual agreement, 'We will all five [566] at the same time take this prince as our dear husband, and no one of us must surrender herself to him alone; if any one of us marries him separately, the others shall enter the fire to bring down vengeance on her who has been guilty of such treachery to friends.' It was out of respect for this agreement that I did not wish to marry you separately; indeed I did not even to-day give myself to you; you, my husband, and the guardians of the world can bear testimony as to whether even now I have broken this agreement willingly. So now, my husband, marry also those friends of mine; and you, my friends, must not let any other lot befall you." [567]

When she said this, those maidens, who had escaped from death, rejoiced and embraced one another; and the king was delighted in his heart. And the fathers of the ladies, hearing what had taken place, came there immediately, and bestowed their daughters on Naravahanadatta. And those chiefs of the Vidyadharas, headed by the lord of Kalakuta, [568] agreed to accept the sovereignty of their son-in-law. Thus Naravahanadatta obtained at one stroke the daughters of five great Vidyadharas, and gained great importance thereby.

And the prince remained there some days with those wives, and then his Commander-in-Chief Harisikha said, "Why, my liege, though you are versed in the approved treatises on the subject, do you act contrary to policy? What means this devotion on your part to the pleasures of love, when it is time to fight? This raising of an expedition to conquer Mandaradeva, and this your dallying for so many days with your wives, are things wholly incompatible." When Harisikha said this, the great king answered him, "Your reproof is just, but I am not acting for my own pleasure in all this; this allying of myself with wives involves the acquisition of friends; and is so the most efficacious method at present of crus.h.i.+ng the foe; this is why I have had recourse to it. So let these my troops now advance to the conquest of the enemy!"

When the king had given this order, his father-in-law Mandara said to him, "King, that Mandaradeva lives in a distant and difficult country, and he will be hard for you to overcome until you have achieved all the distinctive jewels of an emperor. For he is protected by the cave, called the cave of Trisirsha, [569] which forms the approach to his kingdom, and the entrance of which is guarded by the great champion Devamaya. But that cave can be forced by an emperor who has obtained the jewels. And the sandal-wood tree, which is one of the jewels of an emperor, is in this country, so quickly gain possession of it, in order that you may attain the ends you have in view. For no one who is not an emperor ever gets near that tree."

Having heard this from Mandara, Naravahanadatta set out at night, fasting and observing a strict vow, for that sandal-wood tree. As the hero went along, very terrible portents arose to bewilder him, but he was not terrified at them, and so he reached the foot of that mighty tree. And when he saw that sandal-wood tree surrounded with a lofty platform made of precious jewels, he climbed up to it with ladders and adored it. The tree then said to him with bodiless voice, "Emperor, thou hast won me the sandal-wood tree, and when thou thinkest on me, I will appear to thee, so leave this place at present, and go to Govindakuta; thus thou wilt win the other jewels also; and then thou wilt easily conquer Mandaradeva." On hearing this, Naravahanadatta, the mighty sovereign of the Vidyadharas, said, "I will do so," and being now completely successful, he wors.h.i.+pped that heavenly tree, [570] and went delighted through the air to his own camp.

There he spent that night; and the next morning in the hall of audience he related at full length, in the presence of all, his night's adventure by which he had won the sandal-wood tree. And when they heard it, his wives, and the ministers who had grown up with him from infancy, and those Vidyadharas who were devoted to him, namely, Vayupatha and the other chiefs with their forces, and the Gandharvas, headed by Chitrangada, were delighted at this sudden attainment of great success, and praised his heroism remarkable for its uninterrupted flow of courage, enterprise, and firmness. And after deliberating with them, the king, determined to overthrow the pride of Mandaradeva, set out in a heavenly chariot for the mountain of Govindakuta, in order to obtain the other jewels spoken of by the sandal-wood tree.

BOOK XV.

CHAPTER CIX.