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163g. King Trivikramasena and the Mendicant

THEN King Trivikramasena went back again to that 艣颈峁兣沘辫腻 tree, and saw the 痴别迟腻濒补 in the corpse again hanging on it as before, and took him down, and, after showing much displeasure with him, set out again rapidly towards his goal. And as he was returning along his way, in silence as before, through the great cemetery by night, the 痴别迟腻濒补 on his shoulder said to him:

鈥淜ing, you have embarked on a toilsome undertaking, and I liked you from the moment I first saw you; so listen, I will tell you a tale to divert your mind.

 

163g (5). 厂辞尘补辫谤补产丑腻 and her Three Suitors ^[1]

In 鲍箩箩补测颈苍墨 there lived an excellent Br膩hman, the dear dependent and minister of King 笔耻峁噛补蝉别苍补, and his name was 贬补谤颈蝉惫腻尘颈苍. That householder had by his wife, who was his equal in birth, an excellent son like himself, 顿别惫补蝉惫腻尘颈苍 by name. And he also had born to him a daughter, famed for her matchless beauty, rightly named 厂辞尘补辫谤补产丑腻.^[2]

When the time came for that girl to be given away in marriage, as she was proud of her exceeding beauty, she made her mother give the following message to her father and brother:

鈥淚 am to be given away in marriage to a man possessed of heroism and knowledge, or magic power^[3]; you must not give me in marriage to any other, if you value my life.鈥�

When her father 贬补谤颈蝉惫腻尘颈苍 heard this, he was full of anxiety, trying to find for her a husband coming under one of these three categories. And while so engaged, he was sent as ambassador to King 笔耻峁噛补蝉别苍补 to negotiate a treaty with a king of the Deccan, who had come to invade him. And when he had accomplished the object for which he was sent, a noble Br膩hman, who had heard of the great beauty of his daughter, came and asked him for her hand.

贬补谤颈蝉惫腻尘颈苍 said to the Br膩hman suitor:

鈥淢y daughter will not have any husband who does not possess either valour, knowledge, or magic power; so tell me which of the three you possess.鈥�

When 贬补谤颈蝉惫腻尘颈苍 said this to the Br膩hman suitor, he answered:

鈥淚 possess magic power.鈥�

Thereupon 贬补谤颈蝉惫腻尘颈苍 rejoined:

鈥淭丑别n show me your magic power.鈥�

So that possessor of supernatural power immediately prepared by his skill a chariot that would fly through the air. And in a moment he took 贬补谤颈蝉惫腻尘颈苍 up in that magic chariot and showed him heaven and all the worlds. And he brought him back delighted to that very camp of the king of the Deccan, to which he had been sent on business. Then 贬补谤颈蝉惫腻尘颈苍 promised his daughter to that man possessed of magic power, and fixed the marriage for the seventh day from that time.

And in the meanwhile another Br膩hman in 鲍箩箩补测颈苍墨 came and asked 贬补谤颈蝉惫腻尘颈苍鈥檚 son 顿别惫补蝉惫腻尘颈苍 for the hand of his sister.

顿别惫补蝉惫腻尘颈苍 answered:

鈥淪he does not wish to have a husband who is not possessed of either knowledge, or magic power, or heroism.鈥�

Thereupon he declared himself to be a hero. And when the hero displayed his skill in the use of missiles and hand-to-hand weapons, 顿别惫补蝉惫腻尘颈苍 promised to give him his sister, who was younger than himself. And by the advice of the astrologers he told him, as his father had told the other suitor, that the marriage should take place on that very same seventh day, and this decision he came to without the knowledge of his mother.

At that very same time a third person came to his mother, the wife of 贬补谤颈蝉惫腻尘颈苍, and asked her privately for the hand of her daughter.

She said to him:

鈥淥ur daughter requires a husband who possesses either knowledge, or heroism, or magic power.鈥�

And he answered:

鈥淢other, I possess knowledge.鈥�

And she, after questioning him about the past and the future, promised to give the hand of her daughter to that possessor of supernatural knowledge on that same seventh day.

The next day 贬补谤颈蝉惫腻尘颈苍 returned home, and told his wife and his son the agreement he had made to give away his daughter in marriage; and they told him separately the promises that they had made, and that made him feel anxious, as three bridegrooms had been invited.

Then, on the wedding day, three bridegrooms arrived in 贬补谤颈蝉惫腻尘颈苍鈥檚 house鈥攖he man of knowledge, the man of magic power, and the man of valour. And at that moment a strange thing took place: the intended bride, the maiden 厂辞尘补辫谤补产丑腻, was found to have disappeared in some inexplicable manner, and, though searched for, was not found.

Then 贬补谤颈蝉惫腻尘颈苍 said eagerly to the possessor of knowledge:

鈥淢an of knowledge, now tell me quickly where my daughter is gone.鈥�

When the possessor of knowledge heard that, he said:

鈥淭丑别 搁腻办峁�a蝉补 顿丑奴尘谤补艣颈办丑补 has carried her off to his own habitation in the Vindhya 蹿辞谤别蝉迟.鈥�

When the man of knowledge said this to 贬补谤颈蝉惫腻尘颈苍, he was terrified, and said:

鈥淎las! alas! how are we to get her back, and how is she to be married?鈥�

When the possessor of magic power heard that, he said:

鈥淏e of good cheer! I will take you in a moment to the place where the possessor of knowledge says that she is.鈥�

After he had said this, he prepared, as before, a chariot that would fly through the air, provided with all kinds of weapons, and made 贬补谤颈蝉惫腻尘颈苍, and the man of knowledge, and the brave man get into it, and in a moment he carried them to the habitation of the 搁腻办峁�a蝉补 in the Vindhya forest, which had been described by the man of knowledge. The 搁腻办峁�a蝉补, when he saw what had happened, rushed out in a passion, and then the hero, who was put forward by 贬补谤颈蝉惫腻尘颈苍, challenged him to fight. Then a wonderful fight took place between that man and that 搁腻办峁�a蝉补, who were contending for a woman with various kinds of weapons, like 搁腻尘补 and 搁腻惫补峁嘺. And in a short time the hero cut off the head of that 搁腻办峁�a蝉补 with a crescent-headed arrow, though he was a doughty champion. When the 搁腻办峁�a蝉补 was slain, they carried off 厂辞尘补辫谤补产丑腻, whom they found in his house, and they all returned in the chariot of the suitor who possessed the magic power.

When they had reached 贬补谤颈蝉惫腻尘颈苍鈥檚 house, the marriage did not go forward, though the auspicious moment had arrived, but a great dispute arose between the man of knowledge, the man of magic power, and the man of valour.

The man of knowledge said:

鈥淚f I had not known where this maiden was, how could she have been discovered when concealed? So she ought to be given to me.鈥�

But the man of magic power said:

鈥淚f I had not made this chariot that can fly through the air, how could you all have gone and returned in a moment like gods? And how could you, without a chariot, have fought with a 搁腻办峁�a蝉补, who possessed a chariot? So you ought to give her to me, for I have secured by my skill this auspicious moment.鈥�

The brave man said:

鈥淚f I had not slain the 搁腻办峁�a蝉补 in fight, who would have brought this maiden back here in spite of all your exertions? So she must be given to me.鈥�

While they went on wrangling in this style, 贬补谤颈蝉惫腻尘颈苍 remained for a moment silent, being perplexed in mind.

 

163g. King Trivikramasena and the Mendicant

鈥淪o tell me, King, to whom she ought to have been given; and if you know鈥�, and do not say, your head shall split asunder.鈥�

When Trivikramasena heard this from the 痴别迟腻濒补, he abandoned his silence, and said to him:

鈥淪he ought to be given to the brave man; for he won her by the might of his arms, at the risk of his life, slaying that 搁腻办峁�a蝉补 in combat. But the man of knowledge and the man of magic power were appointed by the Creator to serve as his instruments: are not calculators and artificers always subordinate assistants to others?鈥�

When the 痴别迟腻濒补 heard this answer of the king鈥檚, he left his seat on the top of his shoulder and went, as before, to his own place; and the king again set out to find him, without being in the slightest degree discomposed.

Footnotes and references:

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[1]:

See Appendix, p. 273 et seq.鈥拢.尘.辫.

[2]:

I.e. moonlight.

[3]:

痴颈箩帽腻苍补 appears to have this meaning here. In the Pentamerone of Basile (Burton鈥檚 translation, vol. i, p. 241) a princess refuses to marry, unless a bridegroom can be found for her with a head and teeth of gold.