The Katha Sarit Sagara or Ocean of the Streams of Story Part 7

When they heard from the mouth of the king of Vatsa this varied tale [277] full of marvellous incident, all his ministers sitting by his side and his two wives experienced excessive delight.

CHAPTER XIX.

Then Yaugandharayana said to the king of Vatsa; "King, it is known that you possess the favour of destiny, as well as courage; and I also have taken some trouble about the right course of policy to be pursued in this matter: therefore carry out as soon as possible your plan of conquering the regions." When his chief minister had said this to him, the king of Vatsa answered,--"Admitting that this is true, nevertheless the accomplishment of auspicious undertakings is always attended with difficulties, accordingly I will with this object propitiate Siva by austerities, for without his favour, how can I obtain what I desire?" When they heard that, his ministers approved of his performing austerities, as the chiefs of the monkeys did in the case of Rama, when he was intent upon building a bridge over the ocean. And after the king had fasted for three nights, engaged in austerities with the queens and the ministers, Siva said to him in a dream--"I am satisfied with thee, therefore rise up, thou shalt obtain an unimpeded triumph, and shalt soon have a son who shall be king of all the Vidyadharas." Then the king woke up, with all his fatigue removed by the favour of Siva, like the new moon increased by the rays of the sun. And in the morning he delighted his ministers by telling them that dream, and the two queens, tender as flowers, who were worn out by the fasting they had endured to fulfil the vow. And they were refreshed by the description of his dream, well worthy of being drunk in with the ears, and its effect was like that of medicine, [278] for it restored their strength. The king obtained by his austerities a power equal to that of his ancestors, and his wives obtained the saintly renown of matrons devoted to their husband. But on the morrow when the feast at the end of the fast was celebrated, and the citizens were beside themselves with joy, Yaugandharayana thus addressed the king--"You are fortunate, O king, in that the holy G.o.d Siva is so well disposed towards you, so proceed now to conquer your enemies, and then enjoy the prosperity won by your arm. For when prosperity is acquired by a king's own virtues, it remains fixed in his family, for blessings acquired by the virtues of the owners are never lost. And for this reason it was that that treasure long buried in the ground, which had been acc.u.mulated by your ancestors and then lost, was recovered by you. Moreover with reference to this matter hear the following tale:"

Story of Devadasa.

Long ago there was in the city of Pataliputra a certain merchant's son, sprung from a rich family, and his name was Devadasa. And he married a wife from the city of Paundravardhana, the daughter of some rich merchant. When his father died, Devadasa became in course of time addicted to vice, and lost all his wealth at play. And then his wife's father came and took away to his own house in Paundravardhana his daughter, who was distressed by poverty and the other hards.h.i.+ps of her lot. Gradually the husband began to be afflicted by his misfortunes, and wis.h.i.+ng to be set up in his business, he came to Paundravardhana to ask his father-in-law to lend him the capital which he required. And having arrived in the evening at the city of Paundravardhana, seeing that he was begrimed with dust, and in tattered garments, he thought to himself, "How can I enter my father-in-law's house in this state? In truth for a proud man death is preferable to exhibiting poverty before one's relations." Thus reflecting, he went into the market-place, and remained outside a certain shop during the night, crouching with contracted body, like the lotus which is folded at night. And immediately he saw a certain young merchant open the door of that shop and enter it. And a moment after he saw a woman come with noiseless step to that same place, and rapidly enter. And while he fixed his eyes on the interior of the shop in which a light was burning, he recognized in that woman his own wife. Then Devadasa seeing that wife of his repairing to another man, and bolting the door, being smitten with the thunderbolt of grief, thought to himself; "A man deprived of wealth loses even his own body, how then can he hope to retain the affections of a woman? For women have fickleness implanted in their nature by an invariable law, like the flashes of lightning. So here I have an instance of the misfortunes which befall men who fall into the sea of vice, and of the behaviour of an independent woman who lives in her father's house." Thus he reflected as he stood outside, and he seemed to himself to hear his wife confidentially conversing with her lover. So he applied his ear to the door, and that wicked woman was at the moment saying in secret to the merchant, her paramour; "Listen; as I am so fond of you, I will to-day tell you a secret; my husband long ago had a great-grandfather named Viravarman; in the courtyard of his house he secretly buried in the ground four jars of gold, one jar in each of the four corners. And he then informed one of his wives of that fact, and his wife at the time of her death told her daughter-in-law, she told it to her daughter-in-law who was my mother-in-law, and my mother-in-law told it to me. So this is an oral tradition in my husband's family, descending through the mothers-in-law. But I did not tell it to my husband though he is poor, for he is odious to me as being addicted to gambling, but you are above all dear to me. So go to my husband's town and buy the house from him with money, and after you have obtained that gold, come here and live happily with me." When the merchant, her paramour, heard this from that treacherous woman, he was much pleased with her, thinking that he had obtained a treasure without any trouble. Devadasa for his part, who was outside, bore henceforth the hope of wealth, so to speak, riveted in his heart with those piercing words of his wicked wife. So he went thence quickly to the city of Pataliputra, and after reaching his house, he took that treasure and appropriated it. Then that merchant, who was in secret the paramour of his wife, arrived in that country, on pretence of trading, but in reality eager to obtain the treasure. So he bought that house from Devadasa, who made it over to him for a large sum of money. Then Devadasa set up another home, and cunningly brought back that wife of his from the house of his father-in-law. When this had been done, that wicked merchant, who was the lover of his wife, not having obtained the treasure, came and said to him; "This house of yours is old, and I do not like it. So give me back my money, and take back your own house." Thus he demanded, and Devadasa refused, and being engaged in a violent altercation, they both went before the king. In his presence Devadasa poured forth the whole story of his wife, painful to him as venom concealed in his breast. Then the king had his wife summoned, and after ascertaining the truth of the case, he punished that adulterous merchant with the loss of all his property; Devadasa for his part cut off the nose of that wicked wife, and married another, and then lived happily in his native city on the treasure he had obtained.

"Thus treasure obtained by virtuous methods is continued to a man's posterity, but treasure of another kind is as easily melted away as a flake of snow when the rain begins to fall. Therefore a man should endeavour to obtain wealth by lawful methods, but a king especially, since wealth is the root of the tree of empire. So honour all your ministers according to custom in order that you may obtain success, and then accomplish the conquest of the regions, so as to gain opulence in addition to virtue. For out of regard to the fact that you are allied by marriage with your two powerful fathers-in-law, few kings will oppose you, most will join you. However, this king of Benares named Brahmadatta is always your enemy, therefore conquer him first; when he is conquered, conquer the eastern quarter, and gradually all the quarters, and exalt the glory of the race of Pandu gleaming white like a lotus." When his chief minister said this to him, the king of Vatsa consented, eager for conquest, and ordered his subjects to prepare for the expedition; and he gave the sovereignty of the country of Videha to his brother-in-law Gopalaka, by way of reward for his a.s.sistance, thereby shewing his knowledge of policy; and he gave to Sinhavarman the brother of Padmavati, who came to his a.s.sistance with his forces, the land of Chedi, treating him with great respect; and the monarch summoned Pulindaka the friendly king of the Bhillas, [279] who filled the quarters with his hordes, as the rainy season fills them with clouds; and while the preparation for the expedition was going on in the great king's territories, a strange anxiety was produced in the heart of his enemies; but Yaugandharayana first sent spies to Benares to find out the proceedings of king Brahmadatta; then on an auspicious day, being cheered with omens portending victory, the king of Vatsa first marched against Brahmadatta in the Eastern quarter, having mounted [280] a tall victorious elephant, with a lofty umbrella on its back, as a furious lion ascends a mountain with one tree in full bloom on it. And his expedition was facilitated [281] by the autumn which arrived as a harbinger of good fortune, and shewed him an easy path, across rivers flowing with diminished volume, and he filled the face of the land with his shouting forces, so as to produce the appearance of a sudden rainy season without clouds; and then the cardinal points resounding with the echoes of the roaring of his host, seemed to be telling one another their fears of his coming, and his horses, collecting the brightness of the sun on their golden trappings, moved along followed, as it were, by the fire pleased with the purification of his army. [282]

And his elephants with their ears like white chowries, and with streams of ichor flowing from their temples reddened by being mixed with vermilion, appeared, as he marched along, like the sons of the mountains, streaked with white clouds of autumn, and pouring down streams of water coloured with red mineral, sent by the parent hills, in their fear, to join his expedition. And the dust from the earth concealed the brightness of the sun, as if thinking that the king could not endure the effulgent splendour of rivals. And the two queens followed the king step by step on the way, like the G.o.ddess of Fame, and the Fortune of Victory, attracted by his politic virtues. [283]

The silk of his host's banners, tossed to and fro in the wind, seemed to say to his enemies,--"Bend in submission, or flee." Thus he marched, beholding the districts full of blown white lotuses, like the uplifted hoods of the serpent Sesha [284] terrified with fear of the destruction of the world. In the meanwhile those spies, commissioned by Yaugandharayana, a.s.suming the vows of scull-bearing wors.h.i.+ppers of Siva, reached the city of Benares. And one of them, who was acquainted with the art of juggling, exhibiting his skill, a.s.sumed the part of teacher, and the others pa.s.sed themselves off as his pupils. And they celebrated that pretended teacher, who subsisted on alms, from place to place, saying, "This master of ours is acquainted with past, present, and future." Whatever that sage predicted, in the way of fires and so on, to those who came to consult him about the future, his pupils took care to bring about secretly; so he became famous. He gained complete ascendancy over the mind of a certain Rajput courtier there, a favourite of the king's, who was won over by this mean skill of the teacher's. And when the war with the king of Vatsa came on, the king Brahmadatta began to consult him by the agency of the Rajput, so that he learnt the secrets of the government. Then the minister of Brahmadatta, Yogakarandaka, laid snares in the path of the king of Vatsa as he advanced. He tainted, by means of poison and other deleterious substances, the trees, flowering creepers, water and gra.s.s all along the line of march. And he sent poison-damsels [285] as dancing girls among the enemy's host, and he also despatched nocturnal a.s.sa.s.sins into their midst. But that spy, who had a.s.sumed the character of a prophet, found all this out, and then quickly informed Yaugandharayana of it by means of his companions. Yaugandharayana for his part, when he found it out, purified at every step along the line of march the poisoned gra.s.s, water, and so on, by means of corrective antidotes, and forbade in the camp the society of strange women, and with the help of Rumanvat he captured and put to death those a.s.sa.s.sins. When he heard of that, Brahmadatta having found all his stratagems fail, came to the conclusion that the king of Vatsa, who filled with his forces the whole country, was hard to overcome. After deliberating and sending an amba.s.sador, he came in person to the king of Vatsa who was encamped near, placing his clasped hands upon his head in token of submission.

The king of Vatsa for his part, when the king of Benares came to him, bringing a present, received him with respect and kindness, for heroes love submission. He being thus subdued, that mighty king went on pacifying the East, making the yielding bend, but extirpating the obstinate, as the wind treats the trees, until he reached the Eastern ocean, rolling with quivering waves, as it were, trembling with terror on account of the Ganges having been conquered. On its extreme sh.o.r.e he set up a pillar of victory, [286] looking like the king of the serpents emerging from the world below to crave immunity for Patala. Then the people of Kalinga [287] submitted and paid tribute, and acted as the king's guides, so that the renown of that renowned one ascended the mountain of Mahendra. Having conquered a forest of kings by means of his elephants, which seemed like the peaks of the Vindhya come to him terrified at the conquest of Mahendra, he went to the southern quarter. There he made his enemies cease their threatening murmurs and take to the mountains, strengthless [288] and pale, treating them as the season of autumn treats the clouds. The Kaveri being crossed by him in his victorious onset, and the glory of the king of the Chola [289] race being surpa.s.sed, were befouled at the same time. He no longer allowed the Muralas [290] to exalt their heads, for they were completely beaten down by tributes imposed on them. Though his elephants drank the waters of the G.o.davari divided into seven streams, they seemed to discharge them again seven-fold in the form of ichor. Then the king crossed the Reva and reached Ujjayini, and entered the city, being made by king Chandamahasena to precede him. And there he became the target of the amorous sidelong glances of the ladies of Malava, who s.h.i.+ne with twofold beauty by loosening their braided hair and wearing garlands, and he remained there in great comfort, hospitably entertained by his father-in-law, so that he even forgot the long-regretted enjoyments of his native land. And Vasavadatta was continually at her parents'

side, remembering her childhood, seeming despondent even in her happiness. The king Chandamahasena was as much delighted at meeting Padmavati, as he was at meeting again his own daughter. But after he had rested some days, the delighted king of Vatsa, reinforced by the troops of his father-in-law, marched towards the western region; his curved sword [291] was surely the smoke of the fire of his valour, since it dimmed with gus.h.i.+ng tears the eyes of the women of Lata; the mountain of Mandara, when its woods were broken through by his elephants, seemed to tremble lest he should root it up to churn the sea. [292] Surely he was a splendid luminary excelling the sun and other orbs, since in his victorious career he enjoyed a glorious rising even in the western quarter. Then he went to Alaka, distinguished by the presence of Kuvera, displaying its beauties before him, that is to say, to the quarter made lovely by the smile of Kailasa, and having subdued the king of Sindh, at the head of his cavalry he destroyed the Mlechchhas as Rama destroyed the Rakshasas at the head of the army of monkeys; the cavalry squadrons of the Turushkas [293] were broken on the ma.s.ses of his elephants, as the waves of the agitated sea on the woods that line the sea-sh.o.r.e. The august hero received the tribute of his foes, and cut off the head of the wicked king of the Parasikas [294] as Vishnu did that of Rahu. [295] His glory, after he had inflicted a defeat on the Hunas [296], made the four quarters resound, and poured down the Himalaya like a second Ganges. When the hosts of the monarch, whose enemies were still from fear, were shouting, a hostile answer was heard only in the hollows of the rocks. It is not strange that then the king of Kamarupa, [297] bending before him with head deprived of the umbrella, was without shade and also without brightness. Then that sovereign returned, followed by elephants presented by the king of Kamarupa, resembling moving rocks made over to him by the mountains by way of tribute. Having thus conquered the earth, the king of Vatsa with his attendants reached the city of the king of Magadha the father of Padmavati. But the king of Magadha, when he arrived with the queens, was as joyous as the G.o.d of love when the moon illuminates the night. Vasavadatta, who had lived with him before without being recognised, was now made known to him, and he considered her deserving of the highest regard.

Then that victorious king of Vatsa, having been honoured by the king of Magadha with his whole city, followed by the minds of all the people which pursued him out of affection, having swallowed the surface of the earth with his mighty army, returned to Lavanaka in his own dominions.

CHAPTER XX.

Then the king of Vatsa, while encamped in Lavanaka to rest his army, said in secret to Yaugandharayana, "Through your sagacity I have conquered all the kings upon the earth, and they being won over by politic devices will not conspire against me. But this king of Benares, Brahmadatta, is an ill-conditioned fellow, and he alone, I think, will plot against me; what confidence can be reposed in the wicked-minded?" Then Yaugandharayana, being spoken to in this strain by the king, answered, "O king, Brahmadatta will not plot against you again, for when he was conquered and submitted, you shewed him great consideration; and what sensible man will injure one who treats him well? Whoever does, will find that it turns out unfortunately for himself, and on this point, listen to what I am going to say; I will tell you a tale."

Story of Phalabhuti.

There was once on a time in the land of Padma an excellent Brahman of high renown, named Agnidatta, who lived on a grant of land given by the king. He had born to him two sons, the elder named Somadatta, and the second Vaisvanaradatta. The elder of them was of fine person, but ignorant, and ill-conducted, but the second was sagacious, well-conducted, and fond of study. And those two after they were married, and their father had died, divided that royal grant and the rest of his possessions between them, each taking half; and the younger of the two was honoured by the king, but the elder Somadatta, who was of unsteady character, remained a husbandman. One day a Brahman, who had been a friend of his father's, seeing him engaged in conversation with some Sudras, thus addressed him, "Though you are the son of Agnidatta, you behave like a Sudra, you blockhead, and you are not ashamed, though you see your own brother in favour with the king." Somadatta, when he heard that, flew into a pa.s.sion, and forgetting the respect due to the old man, ran upon him, and gave him a kick. Then the Brahman, enraged on account of the kick, immediately called on some other Brahmans to bear witness to it, and went and complained to the king. The king sent out soldiers to take Somadatta prisoner, but they, when they went out, were slain by his friends, who had taken up arms. Then the king sent out a second force, and captured Somadatta, and blinded by wrath ordered him to be impaled. Then that Brahman, as he was being lifted on to the stake, suddenly fell to the ground, as if he were flung down by somebody. And those executioners, when preparing to lift him on again, became blind, for the fates protect one who is destined to be prosperous. The king, as soon as he heard of the occurrence, was pleased, and being entreated by the younger brother, spared the life of Somadatta; then Somadatta, having escaped death, desired to go to another land with his wife on account of the insulting treatment of the king, and when his relations in a body disapproved of his departure, he determined to live without the half of the king's grant, which he resigned; then, finding no other means of support, he desired to practise husbandry, and went to the forest on a lucky day to find a piece of ground suitable for it. There he found a promising piece of ground, from which it seemed likely that an abundant crop could be produced, and in the middle of it he saw an Asvattha tree of great size. Desiring ground fit for cultivation, and seeing that tree to be cool like the rainy season, as it kept off the rays of the sun with its auspicious thick shade, he was much delighted. He said, "I am a faithful votary of that being, whoever he may be, that presides over this tree," and walking round the tree so as to keep it on his right, he bowed before it. [298] Then he yoked a pair of bullocks, and recited a prayer for success, and after making an oblation to that tree, he began to plough there. And he remained under that tree night and day, and his wife always brought him his meals there. And in course of time, when the corn was ripe that piece of ground was, as fate would have it, unexpectedly plundered by the troops of a hostile kingdom. Then the hostile force having departed, the courageous man, though his corn was destroyed, comforted his weeping wife, gave her the little that remained, and after making an offering as before, remained in the same place, under the same tree. For that is the character of resolute men, that their perseverance is increased by misfortune. Then one night, when he was sleepless from anxiety and alone, a voice came out from that Asvattha tree, "O Somadatta, I am pleased with thee, therefore go to the kingdom of a king named adityaprabha in the land of Srikantha; continually repeat at the door of that king, (after reciting the form of words used at the evening oblation to Agni,) the following sentence--'I am Phalabhuti by name, a Brahman, hear what I say: he who does good will obtain good, and he who does evil, will obtain evil;'--by repeating this there thou shalt attain great prosperity; and now learn from me the form of words used at the evening oblation to Agni; I am a Yaksha." Having said this, and having immediately taught him by his power the form of words used in the evening oblation, the voice in the tree ceased. And the next morning the wise Somadatta set out with his wife, having received the name of Phalabhuti by imposition of the Yaksha, and after crossing various forests uneven and labyrinthine as his own calamities, [299]

he reached the land of Srikantha. There he recited at the king's door the form of words used at the evening oblation, and then he announced, as he had been directed, his name as Phalabhuti, and uttered the following speech which excited the curiosity of the people, "The doer of good will obtain good, but the doer of evil, evil." And after he had said this frequently, the king adityaprabha, being full of curiosity, caused Phalabhuti to be brought into the palace, and he entered, and over and over again repeated that same speech in the presence of the king. That made the king and all his courtiers laugh. And the king and his chiefs gave him garments and ornaments, and also villages, for the amus.e.m.e.nt of great men is not without fruit; and so Phalabhuti, having been originally poor, immediately obtained by the favour of the Guhyaka [300] wealth bestowed by the king; and by continually reciting the words mentioned above, he became a special favourite of the monarch for the regal mind loves diversion. And gradually he attained to a position of love and respect in the palace, in the kingdom, and in the female apartments, as being beloved by the king. One day that king adityaprabha returned from hunting in the forest, and quickly entered his harem; his suspicions were aroused by the confusion of the warders, and when he entered, he saw the queen named Kuvalayavali engaged in wors.h.i.+pping the G.o.ds, stark naked, [301] with her hair standing on end, and her eyes half-closed, with a large patch of red lead upon her forehead, with her lips trembling in muttering charms, in the midst of a great circle [302] strewed with various coloured powders, after offering a horrible oblation of blood, spirits, and human flesh. She for her part, when the king entered, in her confusion seized her garments, and when questioned by him immediately answered, after craving pardon for what she had done, "I have gone through this ceremony in order that you might obtain prosperity, and now, my lord, listen to the way in which I learnt these rites, and the secret of my magic skill."

Story of Kuvalayavali and the witch Kalaratri.

Long ago, when I was living in my father's house, I was thus addressed, while enjoying myself in the garden during the spring festival, by my friends who met me there; "There is in this pleasure-garden an image of Ganesa, the G.o.d of G.o.ds, in the middle of an arbour made of trees, and that image grants boons, and its power has been tested. Approach with devout faith that granter of pet.i.tions, and wors.h.i.+p him, in order that you may soon obtain without difficulty a suitable husband." When I heard that, I asked my friends in my ignorance; "What! do maidens obtain husbands by wors.h.i.+pping Ganesa?" Then they answered me; "Why do you ask such a question? Without wors.h.i.+pping him no one obtains any success in this world; and in proof of it we will give you an instance of his power, listen." Saying this, my friends told me the following tale:

Story of the birth of Kartikeya.

Long ago, when Indra oppressed by Taraka was desirous or obtaining a son from Siva to act as general of the G.o.ds, and the G.o.d of love had been consumed, [303] Gauri by performing austerities sought and gained as a husband the three-eyed G.o.d, who was engaged in a very long and terrible course of mortification. Then she desired the obtaining of a son, and the return to life of the G.o.d of love, but she did not remember to wors.h.i.+p Ganesa in order to gain her end. So, when his beloved asked that her desire should be granted, Siva said to her, "My dear G.o.ddess, the G.o.d of love was born long ago from the mind of Brahma, and no sooner was he born than he said in his insolence, 'Whom shall I make mad? (kan darpayami).' So Brahma called him Kandarpa, and said to him, 'Since thou art very confident, my son, avoid attacking Siva only, lest thou receive death from him.' Though the Creator gave him this warning, the ill-disposed G.o.d came to trouble my austerities, therefore he was burnt up by me, and he cannot be created again with his body. [304] But I will create by my power a son from you, for I do not require the might of love in order to have offspring as mortals do." While the G.o.d, whose ensign is a bull, [305] was saying this to Parvati, Brahma accompanied by Indra appeared before him; and when he had been praised by them, and entreated to bring about the destruction of the Asura Taraka, Siva consented to beget on the G.o.ddess a son of his body. And, at their entreaty, he consented that the G.o.d of love should be born without body in the minds of animate creatures, to prevent the destruction of created beings. And he gave permission to love to influence his own mind; pleased with that, the Creator went away and Parvati was delighted. But when, after the lapse of hundreds of years, there appeared no hope of Parvati having any offspring, the G.o.d by the order of Brahma called to mind Agni; Agni for his part, the moment they called him to mind, thinking that the foe of the G.o.d of love was irresistible, and afraid to interfere, fled from the G.o.ds and entered the water; but the frogs being burned by his heat told the G.o.ds, who were searching for him, that he was in the water; then Agni by his curse immediately made the speech of the frogs thenceforth inarticulate, and again disappearing fled to a place of refuge. There the G.o.ds found him, concealed in the trunk of a tree, in the form of a snail, for he was betrayed by the elephants and parrots, and he appeared to them. And after making by a curse the tongues of the parrots and the elephants incapable of clear utterance, he promised to do what the G.o.ds requested, having been praised by them. So he went to Siva, and after inclining humbly before him, through fear of being cursed, he informed him of the commission the G.o.ds had given him. Siva thereupon deposited the embryo in the fire. Then the G.o.ddess distracted with anger and grief, said, "I have not obtained a son from you after all," and Siva said to her; "An obstacle has arisen in this matter, because you neglected to wors.h.i.+p Ganesa, the lord of obstacles; therefore adore him now in order that a child may be born to us of the fire." When thus addressed by Siva, the G.o.ddess wors.h.i.+pped Ganesa, and the fire became pregnant with that germ of Siva. Then, bearing that embryo of Siva, the fire shone even in the day as if the sun had entered into it. And then it discharged into the Ganges the germ difficult to bear, and the Ganges, by the order of Siva, placed it in a sacrificial cavity on mount Meru. [306] There that germ was watched by the Ganas, Siva's attendants, and after a thousand years had developed it, it became a boy with six faces. Then, drinking milk with his six mouths from the b.r.e.a.s.t.s of the six Krittikas [307] appointed by Gauri to nurse him, the boy grew big in a few days. In the meanwhile, the king of the G.o.ds, overcome by the Asura Taraka, fled to the difficult peaks of mount Meru, abandoning the field of battle. And the G.o.ds together with the Ris.h.i.+s went to the six-mouthed Kartikeya for protection, and he, defending the G.o.ds, remained surrounded by them. When Indra heard that, he was troubled, considering that his kingdom was taken from him, and being jealous he went and made war upon Kartikeya. But from the body of Kartikeya, when struck by the thunderbolt of Indra, there sprang two sons called Sakha and Visakha, both of incomparable might. Then Siva came to his offspring Kartikeya, who exceeded Indra in might, and forbade him and his two sons to fight, and rebuked him in the following words: "Thou wast born in order that thou mightest slay Taraka and protect the realm of Indra, therefore do thy own duty." Then Indra was delighted and immediately bowed before him, and commenced the ceremony of consecrating by ablutions Kartikeya as general of his forces. But when he himself lifted the pitcher for that purpose, his arm became stiff, wherefore he was despondent, but Siva said to him; "Thou didst not wors.h.i.+p the elephant-faced G.o.d, when thou desiredst a general; it was for this reason that thou hast met with this obstacle, therefore adore him now." Indra, when he heard that, did so, and his arm was set free, and he duly performed the joyful ceremony of consecrating the general. And not long after, the general slew the Asura Taraka, and the G.o.ds rejoiced at having accomplished their object, and Gauri at having obtained a son. So, princess, you see even the G.o.ds are not successful without honouring Ganesa, therefore adore him when you desire a blessing.

After hearing this from my companions I went, my husband, and wors.h.i.+pped an image of Ganesa, that stood in a lonely part of the garden, and after I had finished the wors.h.i.+p, I suddenly saw that those companions of mine had flown up by their own power and were disporting themselves in the fields of the air; when I saw that, out of curiosity I called them and made them come down from the heaven, and when I asked them about the nature of their magic power, they immediately gave me this answer; "These are the magic powers of witches' spells, and they are due to the eating of human flesh, and our teacher in this is a Brahman woman known by the name of Kalaratri." When my companions said this to me, I being desirous of acquiring the power of a woman that can fly in the air, but afraid of eating human flesh, was for a time in a state of hesitation; then eager to possess that power, I said to those friends of mine, "Cause me also to be instructed in this science." And immediately they went and brought, in accordance with my request, Kalaratri, who was of repulsive appearance. Her eyebrows met, [308] she had dull eyes, a depressed flat nose, large cheeks, widely parted lips, projecting teeth, a long neck, pendulous b.r.e.a.s.t.s, a large belly, and broad expanded feet. She appeared as if the creator had made her as a specimen of his skill in producing ugliness. When I fell at her feet, after bathing and wors.h.i.+pping Ganesa, she made me take off my clothes and perform, standing in a circle, a horrible ceremony in honour of Siva in his terrific form, and after she had sprinkled me with water, she gave me various spells known to her, and human flesh to eat that had been offered in sacrifice to the G.o.ds; so, after I had eaten man's flesh and had received the various spells, I immediately flew up, naked as I was, into the heaven with my friends, and after I had amused myself, I descended from the heaven by command of my teacher, and I, the princess, went to my own apartments. Thus even in my girlhood I became one of the society of witches, and in our meetings we devoured the bodies of many men.

Story of Sundaraka.

But listen, king, to a story which is a digression from my main tale. That Kalaratri had for husband a Brahman of the name of Vishnusvamin, and he, being an instructor in that country, taught many pupils who came from different lands, as he was skilful in the exposition of the Vedas. And among his pupils he had one young man of the name of Sundaraka, the beauty of whose person was set off by his excellent character; one day the teacher's wife Kalaratri being love-sick secretly courted him, her husband having gone away to some place or other. Truly Love makes great sport with ugly people as his laughing-stocks, in that she, not considering her own appearance, fell in love with Sundaraka. But he, though tempted, detested with his whole soul the crime; however women may misbehave, the mind of the good is not to be shaken. Then, he having departed, Kalaratri in a rage tore her own body with bites and scratches, and she remained weeping, [309] with dress and locks disordered, until the teacher Vishnusvamin entered the house. And when he had entered, she said to him,--"Look, my Lord, to this state has Sundaraka reduced me, endeavouring to gain possession of me by force." As soon as the teacher heard that, he was inflamed with anger, for confidence in women robs even wise men of their power of reflection; and when Sundaraka returned home at night, he ran upon him, and he and his pupils kicked him, and struck him with fists, and sticks; moreover when he was senseless with the blows, he ordered his pupils to fling him out in the road by night, without regard to his safety, and they did so. Then Sundaraka was gradually restored to consciousness by the cool night breeze, and seeing himself thus outraged he reflected, "Alas! the instigation of a woman troubles the minds even of those men whose souls are not under the dominion of pa.s.sion, as a storm disturbs the repose of lakes which are not reached by dust. [310] This is why that teacher of mine in the excess of his anger, though old and wise, was so inconsiderate as to treat me so cruelly. But the fact is, l.u.s.t and wrath are appointed in the dispensation of fate, from the very birth even of wise Brahmans, to be the two bolts on the door of their salvation. [311] For were not the sages long ago angry with Siva in the devadaru-wood, being afraid that their wives would go astray? And they did not know that he was a G.o.d, as he had a.s.sumed the appearance of a Buddhist mendicant, with the intention of shewing Uma that even Ris.h.i.+s do not possess self-restraint. But after they had cursed him, they discovered that he was the ruling G.o.d, that shakes the three worlds, and they fled to him for protection. So it appears that even hermits injure others, when beguiled by the six faults that are enemies of man, [312] l.u.s.t, wrath, and their crew, much more so Brahmans learned in the Vedas." Thinking thus, Sundaraka from fear of robbers during the night, climbed up and took shelter in a neighbouring cow-house. And while he was crouching un.o.bserved in a corner of that cow-house, Kalaratri came into it with a drawn sword in her hand, [313] terrible from the hissing she uttered, with wind and flames issuing from her mouth and eyes, accompanied by a crowd of witches. Then the terrified Sundaraka, beholding Kalaratri arriving in such a guise, called to mind the spells that drive away Rakshasas, and bewildered by these spells Kalaratri did not see him crouching secretly in a corner, with his limbs drawn together from fear. Then Kalaratri with her friends recited the spells that enable witches to fly, and they flew up into the air, cow-house and all.

And Sundaraka heard the spell and remembered it; [314] but Kalaratri with the cow-house quickly flew through the air to Ujjayini: there she made it descend by a spell in a garden of herbs, and went and sported in the cemetery among the witches: and immediately Sundaraka being hungry went down into the garden of herbs, and made a meal on some roots which he dug up, and after he had allayed the pangs of hunger, and returned as before to the cow-house, Kalaratri came back in the middle of the night from her meeting. Then she got up into the cow-house, and, just as before, she flew through the air with her pupils by the power of her magic, and returned home in the night. And after she had replaced the cow-house, which she made use of as a vehicle, in its original situation, and had dismissed those followers of hers, she entered her sleeping apartment. And Sundaraka, having thus pa.s.sed through that night, astonished at the troubles he had undergone, in the morning left the cow-house and went to his friends; there he related what had happened to him, and, though desirous of going to some other country, he was comforted by those friends and took up his abode among them, and leaving the dwelling of his teacher, and taking his meals in the almshouse for Brahmans, he lived there enjoying himself at will in the society of his friends. One day Kalaratri, having gone out to buy some necessaries for her house, saw Sundaraka in the market. And being once more love-sick, she went up to him and said to him a second time--"Sundaraka, shew me affection even now, for my life depends on you." When she said this to him, the virtuous Sundaraka said to her, "Do not speak thus, it is not right; you are my mother, as being the wife of my teacher." Then Kalaratri said; "If you know what is right, then grant me my life, for what righteousness is greater than the saving of life?" Then Sundaraka said--"Mother, do not entertain this wish, for what righteousness can there be in approaching the bed of my preceptor." Thus repulsed by him, and threatening him in her wrath, she went home, after tearing her upper garment with her own hand, and shewing the garment to her husband, she said to him, "Look, Sundaraka ran upon me, and tore this garment of mine in this fas.h.i.+on;" so her husband went in his anger and stopped Sundaraka's supply of food at the almshouse, by saying that he was a felon who deserved death. Then Sundaraka in disgust, being desirous of leaving that country, and knowing the spell for flying up into the air which he had learnt in the cow-house, but being conscious that he had forgotten, after hearing it, the spell for descending from the sky, which he had been taught there also, again went in the night to that deserted cow-house, and while he was there, Kalaratri came as before, and flying up in the cow-house in the same way as on the former occasion, travelled through the air to Ujjayini, and having made the cow-house descend by a spell in the garden of herbs, went again to the cemetery to perform her nightly ceremonies.

And Sundaraka heard that spell again, but failed again to retain it; for how can magic practices be thoroughly learnt without explanation by a teacher? Then he ate some roots there, and put some others in the cow-house to take away with him, and remained there as before; then Kalaratri came, and climbing up into the cow-house, flew through the air by night, and stopping the vehicle, entered her house. In the morning Sundaraka also left that house, and taking the roots with him he went to the market in order to procure money with which to purchase food. And while he was selling them there, some servants of the king's, who were natives of Malava, took them away without paying for them, seeing that they were the produce of their own country. Then he began to remonstrate angrily, so they manacled him, and took him before the king on a charge of throwing stones at them, and his friends followed him. Those villains said to the king--"This man, when we asked him how he managed continually to bring roots from Malava and sell them in Ujjayini, would not give us any answer, on the contrary he threw stones at us."

When the king heard this, he asked him about that marvel, [315] then his friends said--"If he is placed on the palace with us, he will explain the whole wonder, but not otherwise." The king consented, and Sundaraka was placed on the palace, whereupon by the help of the spell he suddenly flew up into the heaven with the palace. And travelling on it with his friends, he gradually reached Prayaga, [316] and being now weary he saw a certain king bathing there, and after stopping the palace there, he plunged from the heaven into the Ganges, and, beheld with wonder by all, he approached that king. The king inclining before him, said to him, "Who art thou, and why hast thou descended from heaven?" Sundaraka answered, "I am an attendant of the G.o.d Siva, named Murajaka, and by his command I have come to thee desiring human pleasures." When the king heard this, he supposed it was true, and gave him a city, rich in corn, filled with jewels, with women and all the insignia of rank. Then Sundaraka entered that city and flew up into the heaven with his followers, and for a long time roamed about at will, free from poverty. Lying on a golden bed, and fanned with chowries by beautiful women, he enjoyed happiness like that of Indra. Then once on a time a Siddha, that roamed in the air, with whom he had struck up a friends.h.i.+p, gave him a spell for descending from the air, and Sundaraka, having become possessed of this spell enabling him to come down to earth, descended from the sky-path in his own city of Kanyakubja. Then the king hearing that he had come down from heaven, possessed of full prosperity, with a city, went in person to meet him out of curiosity, and Sundaraka, when recognized and questioned, knowing what to say on all occasions, informed the king of all his own adventures brought about by Kalaratri. Then the king sent for Kalaratri and questioned her, and she fearlessly confessed her improper conduct, and the king was angry and made up his mind to cut off her ears, but she, when seized, disappeared before the eyes of all the spectators. Then the king forbade her to live in his kingdom, and Sundaraka having been honourably treated by him returned to the air.

Having said this to her husband the king adityaprabha, the queen Kuvalayavali went on to say; "King, such magic powers, produced by the spells of witches, do exist, and this thing happened in my father's kingdom, and it is famous in the world, and, as I told you at first, I am a pupil of Kalaratri's, but because I am devoted to my husband, I possess greater power even than she did. And to-day you saw me just at the time when I had performed ceremonies to ensure your welfare, and was endeavouring to attract by a spell a man to offer as a victim. So do you enter now into our practice, and set your foot on the head of all kings, conquering them by magic power. When he heard this proposal, the king at first rejected it, saying, "What propriety is there in a king's connecting himself with the eating of human flesh, the practice of witches?" But when the queen was bent on committing suicide, he consented, for how can men who are attracted by the objects of pa.s.sion remain in the good path? Then she made him enter into the circle previously consecrated, and said to the king, after he had taken an oath; "I attempted to draw hither as a victim that Brahman named Phalabhuti, who is so intimate with you, but the drawing him hither is a difficult task, so it is the best way to initiate some cook in our rites, that he may himself slay him and cook him. And you must not feel any compunction about it, because by eating a sacrificial offering of his flesh, after the ceremonies are complete, the enchantment will be perfect, for he is a Brahman of the highest caste." When his beloved said this to him, the king, though afraid of the sin, a second time consented. Alas! terrible is compliance with women! Then that royal couple had the cook summoned, whose name was Sahasika, and after encouraging him, and initiating him, they both said to him,--"Whoever comes to you to-morrow morning and says--'The king and queen will eat together to-day, so get some food ready quickly,' him you must slay, and make for us secretly a savoury dish of his flesh." When the cook heard this, he consented, and went to his own house. And the next morning, when Phalabhuti arrived, the king said to him, "Go and tell the cook Sahasika in the kitchen, 'the king together with the queen will eat to-day a savoury mess, therefore prepare as soon as possible a splendid dish.'" Phalabhuti said, "I will do so" and went out. When he was outside, the prince whose name was Chandraprabha, came to him, and said--"Have made for me this very day with this gold a pair of earrings, like those you had made before for my n.o.ble father." When the prince said this, Phalabhuti, in order to please him, went that moment, as he was commissioned, to get the earrings made, and the prince readily went with the king's message, which Phalabhuti told him, alone to the kitchen; when he got there and told the king's message, the cook Sahasika, true to his agreement, immediately killed him with a knife, and made a dish of his flesh, which the king and queen, after performing their ceremonies, ate, not knowing the truth; [317] and after spending that night in remorse, the next morning the king saw Phalabhuti arrive with the earrings in his hand.

So, being bewildered, he questioned him about the earrings immediately; and when Phalabhuti had told him his story, the king fell on the earth, and cried out; "Alas my son!" blaming the queen and himself, and when his ministers questioned him, he told them the whole story, and repeated what Phalabhuti had said every day--"'The doer of good will obtain good, and the doer of evil, evil.' Often the harm that one wishes to do to another, recoils on one's self, as a ball thrown against a wall rebounding frequently; thus we, wicked ones, desiring to slay a Brahman, have brought about our own son's death, and devoured his flesh." After the king had said this and informed his ministers, who stood with their faces fixed on the earth, of the whole transaction, and after he had anointed that very Phalabhuti as king in his place, he made a distribution of alms and then, having no son, entered the fire with his wife to purify himself from guilt, though already consumed by the fire of remorse: and Phalabhuti, having obtained the royal dignity, ruled the earth; thus good or evil done by a man is made to return upon himself.

Having related the above tale in the presence of the king of Vatsa, Yaugandharayana again said to that king; "If Brahmadatta therefore were to plot against you, O great king, who, after conquering him, treated him kindly, he ought to be slain." When the chief minister had said this to him, the king of Vatsa approved of it, and rising up went to perform the duties of the day, and the day following he set out from Lavanaka to go to his own city Kausambi, having accomplished his objects in effecting the conquest of the regions; in course of time the lord of earth accompanied by his retinue reached his own city, which seemed to be dancing with delight, imitating with banners uplifted the taper arms [318] of the dancing girl. So he entered the city, producing, at every step, in the lotus-garden composed of the eyes of the women of the city, the effect of the rising of a breeze. And the king entered his palace, sung by minstrels, praised by bards, and wors.h.i.+pped by kings. Then the monarch of Vatsa laid his commands on the kings of every land, who bowed before him, and triumphantly ascended that throne, the heirloom of his race, which he had found long ago in the deposit of treasure. And the heaven was filled with the combined high and deep echoes of the sound of the drums, which accompanied the auspicious ceremonies on that occasion, like simultaneous shouts of applause uttered by the guardians of the world, each in his several quarter, being delighted with the prime minister of the king of Vatsa. Then the monarch, who was free from avarice, distributed to the Brahmans all kinds of wealth acquired by the conquest of the world, and after great festivities, satisfied the desires of the company of kings and of his own ministers. Then in that city filled with the noise of drums resembling the thunder of the clouds, while the king was raining benefits on the fields [319]

according to each man's desert, the people, expecting great fruit in the form of corn, kept high festival in every house. Having thus conquered the world, that victorious king devolved on Rumanvat and Yaugandharayana the burden of his realm, and lived at ease there with Vasavadatta and Padmavati. So he, being praised by excellent bards, seated between those two queens as if they were the G.o.ddesses of Fame and Fortune, enjoyed the rising of the moon white as his own glory, and continually drank wine as he had swallowed the might of his foes.

BOOK IV.

CHAPTER XXI.

Victory to the conqueror of obstacles, [320] who marks with a line like the parting of the hair, the princ.i.p.al mountains [321] by the mighty fanning of his ear-flaps, pointing out, as it were, a path of success!

Then Udayana, the king of Vatsa, remaining in Kausambi, enjoyed the conquered earth which was under one umbrella; and the happy monarch devolved the care of his empire upon Yaugandharayana and Rumanvat, and addicted himself to pleasure only in the society of Vasantaka. Himself playing on the lute, in the company of the queen Vasavadatta and Padmavati, he was engaged in a perpetual concert. While the notes of his lyre were married to the soft sweet song of the queens, the rapid movement of his executing finger alone indicated the difference of the sounds. And while the roof of the palace was white with moonlight as with his own glory, he drank wine in plenteous streams as he had swallowed the pride of his enemies [322]; beautiful women brought him, as he sat retired, in vessels of gold, wine flaming with rosy glow, [323] as it were the water of his appointment as ruler in the empire of love; he divided between the two queens the cordial liquor red, delicious, and pellucid, in which danced the reflection of their faces; as he did his own heart, impa.s.sioned, enraptured and transparent, in which the same image was found; his eyes were never sated with resting on the faces of those queens, which had the eyebrows arched, and blushed with the rosy hue of love, though envy and anger were far from them; the scene of his banquet, filled with many crystal goblets of wine, gleamed like a lake of white lotuses tinged red with the rising sun. And occasionally, accompanied by huntsmen, clad in a vest dark green as the palasa tree, he ranged, bow and arrows in hand, the forest full of wild beasts, which was of the same colour as himself. He slew with arrows herds of wild boars besmeared with mud, as the sun disperses with its dense rays the ma.s.ses of darkness; when he ran towards them, the antelopes fleeing in terror, seemed like the sidelong glances of the quarters previously conquered [324] by him.

And when he slew the buffaloes, the ground, red with blood, looked like a bed of red lotuses, come to thank him humbly for delivering it from the goring of their horns. When the lions too were transfixed by his javelins falling in their open mouths, and their lives issued from them with a suppressed roar, he was delighted. In that wood he employed dogs in the ravines, and nets in the glades; this was the method of his pursuit of the chase in which he relied only upon his own resources. While he was thus engaged in his pleasant enjoyments, one day the hermit Narada came to him as he was in the hall of audience, diffusing a halo with the radiance of his body, like the sun, the orb of heaven, descending therefrom out of love for the Solar dynasty. The king welcomed him, inclining before him again and again, and the sage stood a moment as if pleased, and said to that king, "Listen, O king, I will tell you a story in few words; you had an ancestor once, a king of the name of Pandu; he like you had two n.o.ble wives; one wife of the mighty prince was named Kunti and the other Madri. That Pandu conquered this sea-engirdled earth, and was very prosperous, and being addicted to the vice of hunting he went one day to the forest. There he let fly an arrow and slew a hermit of the name of Arindama, who was sporting with his wife in the form of a deer. [325] That hermit abandoned that deer-form, and with his breath struggling in his throat cursed that Pandu, who in his despair had flung away his bow; 'Since I have been slain while sporting at will by thee, inconsiderate one, thou also shalt die in the embraces of thy wife.' Having been thus cursed, Pandu, through fear of its effect, abandoned the desire of enjoyment, and accompanied by his wives lived in a tranquil grove of ascetic quietism. While he was there, one day impelled by that curse, he suddenly approached his beloved Madri, and died. So you may rest a.s.sured that the occupation called hunting is a madness of kings, for other kings have been done to death by it, even as the various deer they have slain. For how can hunting produce benign results, since the genius of hunting is like a female Rakshasa, roaring horribly, intent on raw flesh, defiled with dust, with upstanding hair and lances for teeth. Therefore give up that useless exertion, the sport of hunting; wild elephants and their slayers are exposed to the same risk of losing their lives. And you, who are ordained for prosperity, are dear to me on account of my friends.h.i.+p with your ancestors, so hear how you are to have a son who is to be a portion of the G.o.d of love. Long ago, when Rati wors.h.i.+pped Siva with praises in order to effect the restoration of Kama's body, Siva being pleased told her this secret in few words; 'This Gauri, [326] desiring a son, shall descend to earth with a part of herself, and after propitiating me, shall give birth to an incarnation of Kama.' Accordingly, king, the G.o.ddess has been born in the form of this Vasavadatta, daughter of Chandamahasena, and she has become your queen. So she, having propitiated Siva, shall give birth to a son who shall be a portion of Kama, and shall become the emperor of all the Vidyadharas." By this speech the Ris.h.i.+ Narada, whose words command respect, gave back to the king the earth which he had offered him as a present, and then disappeared. When he had departed, the king of Vatsa in company with Vasavadatta, in whom had arisen the desire of obtaining a son, spent the day in thinking about it.

The next day the chief warder called Nityodita, came to the lord of Vatsa while he was in the hall of a.s.sembly, and said to him; "A certain distressed Brahman woman, accompanied by two children, is standing at the door, O king, desiring to see your Highness." When the king heard this, he permitted her to enter, and so that Brahman woman entered, thin, pale, and begrimed, distressed by the tearing of her clothes and wounding of her self-respect, carrying in her bosom two children looking like Misery and Poverty. After she had made the proper obeisance, she said to the king, "I am a Brahman woman of good caste, reduced to such poverty; as fate would have it, I gave birth to these two boys at the same time, and I have no milk for them, O king, without food. Therefore I have come in my misery and helplessness for protection to the king, who is kind to all who fly to him for protection; now, my lord the king must determine what my lot is to be." When the king heard that, he was filled with pity, and said to the warder, "Take this woman and commend her to the queen Vasavadatta." Then that woman was conducted into the presence of the queen by that warder, as it were by her own good actions marching in front of her. The queen, when she heard from that warder that the Brahman woman who had come had been sent by the king, felt all the more confidence in her. And when she saw that the woman, though poor, had two children, she thought, "This is exceedingly unfair dealing on the part of the Creator! Alas! he grudges a son to me who am rich, and shews affection to one who is poor! I have not yet one son, but this woman has these twins." Thus reflecting, the queen, who was herself desiring a bath, gave orders to her servants to provide the Brahman woman with a bath and other restoratives. After she had been provided with a bath, and had had clothes given her, and had been supplied by them with agreeable food, that Brahman woman was refreshed like the heated earth bedewed with rain. And as soon as she had been refreshed, the queen Vasavadatta, in order to test her by conversation, artfully said to her, "O Brahman lady, tell us some tale," when she heard that, she agreed and began to tell this story.