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[M] (Main story line continued) THEN, the next day, as 狈补谤补惫腻丑补苍补诲补迟迟补 was sitting in the apartments of 础濒补峁卥腻谤补惫补迟墨, a servant of 惭补谤耻产丑奴迟颈鈥檚, the brother of Sauvidalla, the guard of the prince鈥檚 harem, came and said to him in the presence of all his ministers:

鈥淜ing, I have attended on 惭补谤耻产丑奴迟颈 for two years; he has given food and clothing to me and my wife, but he will not give me the fifty 诲墨苍腻谤蝉 a year which he promised me in addition. And when I asked him for it he gave me a kick. So I am sitting in 诲丑补谤苍腻 [see notes on 诲丑补谤苍腻] against him at your Highness鈥檚 door. If your Highness does not give judgment in this case I shall enter the fire. What more can I say? For you are my sovereign.鈥�

When he had said this he stopped, and 惭补谤耻产丑奴迟颈 said:

鈥淚 must give him the 诲墨苍腻谤蝉, but I have not got the money at present.鈥�

When he said this all the ministers laughed at him, and 狈补谤补惫腻丑补苍补诲补迟迟补 said to the minister 惭补谤耻产丑奴迟颈:

鈥淲hat are you thinking about, you fool? Your intentions are not over-creditable.^[1] Rise up, give him the hundred 诲墨苍腻谤蝉 without delay.鈥�

When 惭补谤耻产丑奴迟颈 heard this speech of his sovereign鈥檚 he was ashamed, and immediately brought that hundred 诲墨苍腻谤蝉 and gave it to him.

Then Gomukha said:

鈥湶巡拱�耻产丑奴迟�� is not to be blamed, because the works of the Creator鈥檚 hand have varying moods of mind. Have you not heard the story of King 颁颈谤补诲腻迟峁� and his servant, named 笔谤补蝉补峁単补?

 

73. Story of 颁颈谤补诲腻迟峁�

In old time there was a king named 颁颈谤补诲腻迟峁�, sovereign of Cirapura. Though he was an excellent man, his followers were extremely wicked. And that king had a servant, named 笔谤补蝉补峁単补, who had come from another country, and was accompanied by two friends. And five years passed while he was performing his duties, but the king gave him nothing, not even when an occasion was presented by a feast or something of the kind. And owing to the wickedness of the courtiers he never obtained an opportunity of representing his case to the king, though his friends were continually instigating him to do so.

Now one day the king鈥檚 infant son died, and when he was grieved at it all his servants came and crowded round him. And among them the servant named 笔谤补蝉补峁単补, out of pure sorrow, said to the king as follows, though his two friends tried to prevent him:

鈥淲e have been your servants, your Highness, for a long time, and you have never given us anything; nevertheless we have remained here because we had hopes from your son; for we thought that, although you have never given us anything, your son would certainly give us something. If Fate has carried him off, what is the use of remaining here now? We will immediately take our departure.鈥�

Thus he exclaimed, and fell at the feet of the king, and went out with his two friends.

The king reflected:

鈥淎h I though these men had fixed their hopes on my son, they have been faithful servants to me, so I must not abandon them.鈥�

Thereupon he immediately had 笔谤补蝉补峁単补 and his companions summoned, and loaded them so with wealth that poverty did not again lay hold on them.

 

[M] (Main story line continued)

鈥淪o you see, men have various dispositions; for that king did not give at the proper season, but did give in the unseasonable hour of calamity.鈥�

When Gomukha, skilful in story-telling, had said this, he went on, at the instigation of the son of the sovereign of Vatsa, to tell the following tale:鈥�

 

74. Story of King 碍补苍补办补惫补谤峁�a and 惭补诲补苍补蝉耻苍诲补谤墨

There was in old time on the banks of the Ganges an excellent city named Kanakapura, the people of which were purified in the water of the river, and which was a delightful place on account of its good government. In this city the only imprisonment seen was the committing to paper of the words of poets, the only kind of defeat was the curling in the locks of the women, the only contest was the struggle of getting the corn into the granary.^[2]

In that city there dwelt in old time a glorious king, named 碍补苍补办补惫补谤峁�a, who was born to 笔谤颈测补诲补谤艣补苍补, the son of 痴腻蝉耻办颈, king of the snakes, by the Princess 驰补艣辞诲丑补谤腻. Though he bore the weight of the whole earth, he was adorned with innumerable virtues; he longed for glory, not for wealth; he feared sin, not his enemy. He was dull in slandering his neighbour, but not in the holy treatises; there was restraint in the high-souled hero鈥檚 wrath, not in his favour; he was resolute-minded; he was niggardly in curses, not in gifts; he ruled the whole world; and such was his extraordinary beauty that all women, the moment they saw him, were distracted with the pain of love.

Once on a time, in an autumn that was characterised by heat, that maddened elephants, that was attended by flocks of swans, and delighted the subjects with rejoicings,^[3] he entered a picture gallery which was cooled by winds that blew laden with the scent of lotuses.

There he observed and praised the display of pictures, and in the meanwhile there entered the warder, who said to the king:

鈥淵our Majesty, an unequalled painter has arrived here from 鲍箩箩补测颈苍墨, boasting himself to be matchless in the art of painting. His name is Roladeva, and he has to-day set up a notice at the palace gate to the above effect.鈥�

When the king heard that, he felt respect for him, and ordered him to be introduced, and the warder immediately went and brought him in. The painter entered, and beheld the King 碍补苍补办补惫补谤峁�a amusing himself in private with looking at pictures, reclining his body on the lap of beautiful women, and taking in carelessly crooked fingers the prepared betel.

And the painter Roladeva made obeisance to the king, who received him politely, and sitting down said slowly to him:

鈥淥 King, I put up a notice principally through the desire of beholding your feet, not out of pride in my skill, so you must excuse this deed of mine. And you must tell me what form I am to represent on canvas. Let not the trouble I took in learning this accomplishment be thrown away, O King.鈥�

When the painter said this to the king, he replied:

鈥淭eacher, paint anything you will; let us give our eyes a treat. What doubt can there be about your skill?鈥�

When the king said this, his courtiers exclaimed:

鈥淧aint the king. What is the use of painting others, ugly in comparison with him?鈥�

When the painter heard this he was pleased, and painted the king, with aquiline nose, with almond-shaped fiery eye, with broad forehead, with curly black hair, with ample breast, glorious with the scars of wounds inflicted by arrows and other weapons, with handsome arms resembling the trunks of the elephants that support the quarters, with waist capable of being spanned with the hand, as if it had been a present from the lion-whelps conquered by his might, and with thighs like the post for fastening the elephant of youth, and with beautiful feet, like the shoots of the 补艣辞办补.

And all, when they beheld that life-like likeness of the king, applauded that painter, and said to him:

鈥淲e do not like to see the king alone on the picture-panel, so paint on it one of those queens by his side, carefully choosing one that will be a worthy pendant to him. Let the feast of our eyes be complete.鈥�

When they said this, the painter looked at the picture and said:

鈥淭hough there are many of these queens, there is none among them like the king, and I believe there is no woman on the earth a match for him in beauty, except one princess. Listen, I will tell you about her.

鈥泪苍 Vidarbha there is a prosperous town named 碍耻峁囜笉颈苍补, and in it there is a king of the name of 顿别惫补艣补办迟颈. And he has a queen named 础苍补苍迟补惫补迟墨, dearer to him than life, and by her there was born to him a daughter named 惭补诲补苍补蝉耻苍诲补谤墨. How could one like me presume to describe her beauty with this one single tongue, but so much will I say: When the Creator had made her, through delight in her he conceived a desire to make another like her, but he will not be able to do it even in the course of yugas. That princess, alone on the earth, is a match for this king in shape, beauty and refinement, in age and birth. For I, when I was there, was once summoned by her by the mouth of a maid, and I went to her private apartments. There I beheld her, freshly anointed with sandal unguent, having a necklace of lotus-fibres, tossing on a bed of lotuses, being fanned by her ladies-in-waiting with the wind of plantain leaves, pale and emaciated, exhibiting the signs of love鈥檚 fever. And in these words was she dissuading her ladies occupied in fanning her:

鈥極 my friends, away with this sandal unguent, and these breezes wafted by plantain leaves; for these, though cool, scorch up unhappy me.鈥�

鈥淎nd when I saw her in this state I was troubled to divine the reason, and after doing obeisance I sat down in front of her. And she said: 鈥楾eacher, paint such a form as this on canvas and give it me.鈥� And then she made me paint a certain very handsome youth, slowly tracing out the form on the ground with trembling, nectar-distilling hand,^[4] to guide me. And when I had so painted that handsome youth I said to myself:

鈥楽he has made me paint the God of Love in visible form; but, as I see that the flowery bow is not represented in his hand, I know that it cannot be the God of Love; it must be some extraordinarily handsome young man like him. And her outburst of love-sickness has to do with him. So I must depart hence, for this king, her father, 顿别惫补艣补办迟颈, is severe in his justice, and if he heard of this proceeding of mine he would not overlook it.鈥�

Thus reflecting, I did obeisance to that Princess 惭补诲补苍补蝉耻苍诲补谤墨, and departed, honoured by her.

鈥淏ut when I was there, O King, I heard from her attendants, as they talked freely together, that she had fallen in love with you from hearing of you only.^[5] So I have secretly taken a picture of that princess on a sheet of canvas, and have come here quickly to your feet. And when I beheld your Majesty鈥檚 appearance my doubt was at an end, for it was clearly your Majesty that the princess caused to be painted by my hand. And as it is not possible to paint her twice, such as she is, I will not represent her in the picture as standing at your side, though she is equal to you in beauty.鈥�

When Roladeva said this, the king said to him:

鈥淭hen show her as she is represented on the canvas you have brought with you.鈥�

Then the painter looked out a piece of canvas which was in a bag, and showed the king 惭补诲补苍补蝉耻苍诲补谤墨 in a painting. And the King 碍补苍补办补惫补谤峁�a, seeing that even in a painting she was wonderfully beautiful, immediately became enamoured of her. And he loaded that painter with much gold, and taking the picture of his beloved retired into his private apartments. There he remained with his mind fixed on her alone, abandoning all occupations, and his eyes were never satisfied with gazing on her beauty. It seemed as if the God of Love was jealous of his good looks, for now that he had obtained an opportunity he tormented him, smiting him with his arrows and robbing him of his self-control. And the love-pain, which he had inflicted on women enamoured of his handsome shape, was now visited on that king a hundredfold.

And in the course of some days, being pale and emaciated, he told to his confidential ministers, who questioned him, the thought of his heart. And after deliberating with them he sent to the King 顿别惫补艣补办迟颈, as ambassador, to ask for the hand of his daughter, a trustworthy Br膩hman of good birth, named 厂补峁単补尘补蝉惫腻尘颈苍, who was skilled in affairs, knew times and seasons, and could speak in a sweet and lofty style. That 厂补峁単补尘补蝉惫腻尘颈苍 went to Vidarbha with a great retinue and entered the city of 碍耻峁囜笉颈苍补. And there he had a formal interview with the King 顿别惫补艣补办迟颈, and on behalf of his master asked for the hand of his daughter.

And 顿别惫补艣补办迟颈 reflected:

鈥淚 must give away this daughter of mine to someone, and this King 碍补苍补办补惫补谤峁�a has been described as my equal, and he asks for her, so I will give her to him.鈥�

Accordingly he granted the prayer of 厂补峁単补尘补蝉惫腻尘颈苍, and the king displayed to the ambassador the astonishing elegance in the dance of his daughter 惭补诲补苍补蝉耻苍诲补谤墨. Then the king sent away, after honouring him and promising to give his daughter, that 厂补峁単补尘补蝉惫腻尘颈苍, who was charmed with his sight of her.

And he sent with him a counter-ambassador to say:

鈥淔ix an auspicious moment and come here for the marriage.鈥�

And 厂补峁単补尘补蝉惫腻尘颈苍 returned, accompanied by the counter-ambassador, and told the King 碍补苍补办补惫补谤峁�a that his object was effected. Then the king ascertained a favourable moment, and honoured that ambassador, and heard from him over and over again how 惭补诲补苍补蝉耻苍诲补谤墨 was in love with him.

And then the King 碍补苍补办补惫补谤峁�a set out for the city of 碍耻峁囜笉颈苍补, in order to marry her, with mind at ease on account of his own irresistible valour, mounted on the horse 础艣墨办补濒补,^[6] and he smote the 艢补惫补谤补蝉 that inhabited the border forests, and took the lives of living creatures, like lions and other wild beasts. And he reached Vidarbha, and entered that city of 碍耻峁囜笉颈苍补 with King 顿别惫补艣补办迟颈, who came out to meet him. Then he entered the king鈥檚 palace, in which preparations had been made for the marriage, robbing the ladies of the city of the feast which he had given to their eyes. And there he rested a day with his retinue, pleased at the noble reception which King 顿别惫补艣补办迟颈 gave him. And on the next day 顿别惫补艣补办迟颈 gave him his daughter 惭补诲补苍补蝉耻苍诲补谤墨, together with all his wealth, retaining only his kingdom.

And King 碍补苍补办补惫补谤峁�a , after he had remained there seven days, returned to his own city with his recently married bride. And when he arrived with his beloved, giving joy to the world, like the moon with the moonlight, that city was full of rejoicing. Then that Queen 惭补诲补苍补蝉耻苍诲补谤墨 was dearer than life to that king, though he had many wives, as 搁耻办尘颈峁嚹� is to 痴颈峁ａ箛耻. And the wedded couple remained fastened together by their eyes with lovely eyelashes, which were fixed on one another鈥檚 faces, resembling the arrows of love.

And in the meanwhile arrived the lion of spring, with a train of expanding filaments for mane, tearing to pieces the elephant of female coyness. And the garden made ready blossoming mango-plants, by way of bows for the God of Love, with rows of bees clinging to them by way of bow-string. And the wind from the Malaya mountain blew, swaying the love-kindled hearts of the wives of men travelling in foreign lands, as it swayed the suburban groves.

And the sweetly speaking cuckoos seemed to say to men:

鈥淭he brimming of the streams, the flowers of the trees, the digits of the moon wane and return again, but not the youth of men.^[7] Fling aside coyness and quarrelling, and sport with your beloved ones.鈥�

And at that time King 碍补苍补办补惫补谤峁�a went with all his wives to a spring garden to amuse himself. And he eclipsed the beauty of the 补艣辞办补s with the red robes of his attendants, and with the songs of his lovely ladies the song of the cuckoos and bees. There the king, though all his wives were with him, amused himself with 惭补诲补苍补蝉耻苍诲补谤墨 in picking flowers and other diversions. And after roaming there a long time the king entered the 骋辞诲腻惫补谤墨 with his wives to bathe, and began the water-game. His ladies surpassed the lotuses with their faces, with their eyes the blue water-lilies, with their breasts the couples of Brahmany ducks, with their hips the sandbanks, and when they troubled the bosom of the stream it showed frowns of anger, in the form of curling waves. Then the mind of 碍补苍补办补惫补谤峁�a took pleasure in them, while they displayed the contours of their limbs in the splashing-game. And in the ardour of the game he splashed one queen with water from his palms on her breast.

When 惭补诲补苍补蝉耻苍诲补谤墨 saw it she was jealous, and got angry with him, and in an outburst of indignation said to him:

鈥淗ow long are you going to trouble the river?鈥�

And going out of the water she took her other clothes and rushed off in a passion to her own palace, telling her ladies of that fault of her lover鈥檚. Then 碍补苍补办补惫补谤峁�a, seeing her state of mind, stopped his water-game and went off to her apartments. Even the parrots in the cages warned him off in wrath when he approached, and entering he saw within the queen, afflicted with wrath, with her downcast lotus-like face supported on the palm of her left hand, with teardrops falling like transparent pearls.

And she was repeating, with accents charming on account of her broken speech, in a voice interrupted with sobs, showing her gleaming teeth, this fragment of a Prakrit song:

鈥淚f you cannot endure separation, you must cheerfully abandon anger. If you can in your heart endure separation, then you must increase your wrath. Perceiving this clearly, remain pledged to one or the other; if you can take your stand on both, you will fall between two stools.鈥�

And when the king saw her in this state, lovely even in tears, he approached her bashfully and timidly. And embracing her, though she kept her face averted, he set himself to propitiate her with respectful words, tender with love. And when her retinue signified her scorn with ambiguous hints, he fell at her feet, blaming himself as an offender. Then she clung to the neck of the king, and was reconciled to him, bedewing him with the tears that flowed on account of that very annoyance. And he, delighted, spent the day with his beloved, whose anger had been exchanged for good-will, and slept there at night.

But in the night he saw in a dream his necklace suddenly taken from his neck, and his crest-jewel snatched from his head, by a deformed woman. Then he saw a 痴别迟腻濒补, with a body made up of the limbs of many animals, and when the 痴别迟腻濒补 wrestled with him he hurled him to earth. And when the king sat on the 痴别迟腻濒补鈥檚 back the demon flew up with him through the air, like a bird, and threw him into the sea. Then, after he had with difficulty struggled to the shore, he saw that the necklace was replaced on his neck, and the crest-jewel on his head.

When the king had seen this he woke up, and in the morning he asked a Buddhist mendicant, who had come to visit him as an old friend, the meaning of the dream.

And the mendicant answered clearly:

鈥淚 do not wish to say what is unpleasant, but how can I help telling you when I am asked? The fact that you saw your necklace and crest-jewel taken away means that you will be separated from your wife and from your son. And the fact that, after you had escaped from the sea, you found them again, means that you will be reunited with them, when your calamity comes to an end.鈥�

Then the king said:

鈥淚 have not a son as yet; let him be born first.鈥�

Then the king heard from a reciter of the 搁腻尘腻测补峁嘺, who visited his palace, how King 顿补艣补谤补迟丑补 endured hardship to obtain a son; and so there arose in his mind anxiety about obtaining a son, and the mendicant having departed, the King 碍补苍补办补惫补谤峁�a spent that day in despondency.

And at night, as he was lying alone and sleepless upon his bed, he saw a woman enter without opening the door. She was modest and gentle of appearance, and when the king bowed before her she gave him her blessing, and said to him:

鈥淪on, know that I am the daughter of 痴腻蝉耻办颈, the king of the snakes, and the elder sister of thy father, 搁补迟苍补辫谤补产丑腻 by name. I always dwell near thee, invisible, to protect thee, but to-day, seeing thee despondent, I have displayed to thee my real form. I cannot bear to behold thy sorrow, so tell me the cause.鈥�

When the king had been thus addressed by his father鈥檚 sister, he said to her:

鈥淚 am fortunate, mother, in that you show me such condescension. But know that my anxiety is caused by the fact that no son is born to me. How can people like myself help desiring that, which even heroic saints of old days, like 顿补艣补谤补迟丑补 and others, desired for the sake of obtaining Svarga.鈥�

When the 狈腻驳墨^[8] 搁补迟苍补辫谤补产丑腻 heard this speech of that king, she said to her brother鈥檚 son:

鈥淢y son, I will tell thee an admirable expedient; carry it out. Go and propitiate 碍腻谤迟迟颈办别测补 with a view to obtain a son. I will enter thy body, and by my power thou shalt support the rain of 碍腻谤迟迟颈办别测补 falling on thy head to impede thee, difficult to endure. And after thou hast overcome a host of other impediments thou shalt obtain thy wish.鈥�

When the 狈腻驳墨 had said this she disappeared, and the king spent the night in bliss.

The next morning he committed his realm to the care of his ministers, and went, desiring a son, to visit the sole of 碍腻谤迟迟颈办别测补鈥檚 foot. There he performed a severe penance to propitiate that lord, having power given him by the 狈腻驳墨 that entered his body. Then the rain of 碍耻尘腻谤补^[9] fell on his head like thunderbolts, and continued without ceasing. But he endured it by means of the 狈腻驳墨 that had entered his body. Then 碍腻谤迟迟颈办别测补 sent 骋补峁噀艣补 to impede him still further. And 骋补峁噀艣补 created in that rain a very poisonous and exceedingly terrible serpent, but the king did not fear it. Then 骋补峁噀艣补, invincible^[10] even by gods, came in visible form and began to give him bites on the breast.

Then King 碍补苍补办补惫补谤峁�a, thinking that he was a foe hard to subdue, proceeded, after he had endured that ordeal, to propitiate 骋补峁噀艣补 with praises.

鈥淗onour to thee, O god of the projecting belly, adorned with the elephant鈥檚 ornament, whose body is like a swelling pitcher containing success in all affairs! Victory to thee, O elephant-faced one, that makest even 叠谤补丑尘腻 afraid, shaking the lotus, which is his throne, with thy trunk flung up in sport! Even the gods, the Asuras and the chief hermits do not succeed unless thou art pleased, the only refuge of the world, O thou beloved of 艢颈惫补! The chief of the gods praise thee by thy sixty-eight sin-destroying names, calling thee the pitcher-bellied, the basket-eared one,^[11] the chief of the 骋补峁嘺蝉, the furious mast elephant, Yama the noose-handed, the Sun, 痴颈峁ａ箛耻 and 艢颈惫补. With these names to the number of sixty-eight, corresponding to so many parts of the body, do they praise thee. And when one remembers thee and praises thee, O lord, fear produced by the battle-field, by the king鈥檚 court, by gambling, by thieves, by fire, by wild beasts and other harms, departs.鈥�

With these laudatory verses, and with many others of the same kind, King 碍补苍补办补惫补谤峁�a honoured that king of impediments. And the conqueror of impediments said: 鈥淚 will not throw an impediment in thy way; obtain a son,鈥� and disappeared then and there from the eyes of that king.

Then 碍腻谤迟迟颈办别测补 said to that king, who had endured the rain:

鈥淩esolute man, I am pleased with thee, so crave a boon.鈥�

Then the king, delighted, said to the god:

鈥淟et a son be born to me by thy favour.鈥�

Then the god said:

鈥淭hou shalt have a son, the incarnation of one of my 骋补峁嘺蝉, and his name shall be 贬颈谤补峁噛补惫补谤峁�a on the earth.鈥�

And then the rider on the peacock summoned him to enter his inmost shrine, in order to show him special favour.^[12] Thereupon the 狈腻驳墨 left his body invisibly, for females do not enter the house of 碍腻谤迟迟颈办别测补 through dread of a curse. Then King 碍补苍补办补惫补谤峁�a entered the sanctifying temple of that god, armed only with his human excellence. When the god saw that he was deprived of the excellence he formerly had, because he was no longer inhabited by the 狈腻驳墨, he reflected: 鈥淲hat can this mean?鈥�

And 碍腻谤迟迟颈办别测补, perceiving by his divine meditation that that king had performed a very difficult vow by the secret help of the 狈腻驳墨, thus cursed him in his wrath:

鈥淪ince thou didst make use of deceit, intractable man, thou shalt be separated from thy son, as soon as he is born, and from thy queen.鈥�

When the king heard this curse, terrible as a thunderstroke, he was not amazed, but, being a mighty poet, praised that god with hymns. Then the six-faced god, pleased with his well-turned language, said to him:

鈥淜ing, I am pleased with thy hymns; I appoint thee this end of thy curse: thou shalt be separated from thy wife and son for one year, but after thou hast been saved from three great dangers thou shalt come to an end of the separation.鈥�

When the six-faced god had said this, he ceased to speak, and the king, satisfied with the nectar of his favour, bowed before him and went to his own city.

Then, in course of time, he had a son born to him by Queen 惭补诲补苍补蝉耻苍诲补谤墨, as the nectar-stream is born of the light of the cold-rayed moon. When the king and queen saw the face of that son, being filled with great delight, they were not able to contain themselves.^[13] And at that time the king made a feast, and showered riches, and made his name of 碍补苍补办补惫补谤峁�a^[14] a literal fact on the earth.

When five nights had passed, while guard was being kept in the lying-in house, on the sixth night a cloud suddenly came there. It swelled, and gradually covered the whole sky, as a neglected enemy overruns the kingdom of a careless king. Then the mast elephant of the wind began to rush, showering drops of rain like drops of ichor, and rooting up trees. At that moment a terrible woman, sword in hand, opened the door, though it was bolted, and entered that lying-in chamber. She took that babe from the queen as she was nursing it and ran out, having bewildered the attendants.

And then the queen, distracted, and exclaiming, 鈥淎las, a 搁腻办峁�a蝉墨 has carried off my child!鈥� pursued that woman, though it was dark. And the woman rushed on and plunged into a tank with the child, and the queen, pursuing her, plunged in also, eager to recover her offspring. Immediately the cloud disappeared, and the night came to an end, and the lamentation of the attendants was heard in the lying-in chamber.

Then the King 碍补苍补办补惫补谤峁�a, hearing it, came to the lying-in chamber, and seeing it empty of his son and wife, was distracted.

After he had recovered consciousness he began to lament:

鈥淎las, my queen! Alas, my infant son!鈥�

And then he called to mind that the curse was to end in a year. And he exclaimed:

鈥淗辞濒测 Skanda, how could you give to ill-starred me a boon joined with a curse, like nectar mixed with poison? Alas! how shall I be able to pass a year, long as a thousand years, without the Queen 惭补诲补苍补蝉耻苍诲补谤墨, whom I value more than my life?鈥�

And the king, though exhorted by the ministers, who knew the circumstances, did not recover his composure, which had departed with his queen.

And in course of time he left his city, distracted with a paroxysm of love, and wandered through the Vindhya forest in a state of bewilderment. There, as he gazed on the eyes of the young does, he remembered the beauty of the eyes of his beloved, and the bushy tails of the 肠补尘补谤墨蝉^[15] reminded him of the loveliness of her luxuriant hair, and when he marked the gait of the female elephant he called to mind the languid grace of her gait, so that the fire of his love broke out into a fiercer flame. And wandering about, exhausted with thirst and heat, he reached the foot of the Vindhya mountains, and, after drinking the water of a stream, he sat down at the foot of a tree.

In the meanwhile a long-maned lion came out of a cavern of the Vindhya hills, uttering a roar which resembled a loud demoniac laugh, and rushed towards him to slay him. At that very moment a certain 痴颈诲测腻诲丑补谤补 descended rapidly from heaven and cleft that lion in two with a sword-stroke.

And that sky-goer, coming near, said to the king:

鈥淜ing 碍补苍补办补惫补谤峁�a, how have you come to this region?鈥�

When the king heard it, he recovered his memory, and said to him:

鈥淗ow do you know me, who am tossed with the wind of separation?鈥�

Then the 痴颈诲测腻诲丑补谤补 said:

鈥淚, when in old time I was a religious mendicant, of the name of Bandhumitra, dwelt in your city. Then you helped me in my rites, when I respectfully asked you to do so, and so I obtained the rank of a 痴颈诲测腻诲丑补谤补, by making a goblin my servant. Thus I recognised you, and being desirous to confer on you a benefit, by way of recompense, I have slain this lion which I saw on the point of killing you. And my name has now become Bandhuprabha.鈥�

When the 痴颈诲测腻诲丑补谤补 said this, the king conceived an affection for him, and said:

鈥淎h! I remember; and this friendship has been nobly acted up to by you, so tell me when I shall be reunited with my wife and son.鈥�

When the 痴颈诲测腻诲丑补谤补 Bandhuprabha heard that, he perceived it by his divine knowledge, and said to the king:

鈥淏y a pilgrimage to the shrine of 顿耻谤驳腻, in the Vindhya hills, you will recover your wife and son, so go you to prosperity and I will return to my own world.鈥�

When he had said this he departed, and King 碍补苍补办补惫补谤峁�a, having recovered his self-command, went to visit that shrine of 顿耻谤驳腻.

As he was going along, a great and furious wild elephant, stretching out its trunk and shaking its head, charged him in the path. When the king saw that, he fled by a way full of holes, so that the elephant, pursuing him, fell into a chasm and was killed. Then the king, fatigued with toil and exertion, slowly going along, reached a great lake, full of lotuses with straight upstanding stalks. There the king bathed, drank the water of the lake, and ate the fibres of the lotuses, and lying tired at the foot of a tree was for a moment overpowered by sleep. And some 艢补惫补谤补蝉, returning that way from hunting, saw that king with auspicious marks lying asleep. And they immediately bound him and took him to their King 惭耻办迟腻辫丑补濒补, in order that he might serve as a victim.

The King of the 艢补惫补谤补蝉, for his part, seeing that the king was a suitable victim, took him to the temple of 顿耻谤驳腻 to offer him up. And when the king saw the goddess he bowed before her, and by her mercy and the favour of Skanda his bonds fell off. When the King of the 艢补惫补谤补蝉 saw that miracle he knew that it was a mark of the goddess鈥檚 favour towards him, and he spared his life. So 碍补苍补办补惫补谤峁�a escaped the third danger, and accomplished the year of his curse.

And in the meanwhile the 狈腻驳墨, the aunt of the king, came there, bringing the Queen 惭补诲补苍补蝉耻苍诲补谤墨 with her son, and said to the king:

鈥淥 King, when I heard the curse of 碍腻谤迟迟颈办别测补 I took these away by an artifice to my own dwelling and preserved them there. Therefore, 碍补苍补办补惫补谤峁�a, receive here your wife and son, and enjoy this empire of the earth, for now your curse is at an end.鈥�

When the 狈腻驳墨 had said this to the king, who bowed before her, she disappeared, and the king looked upon the arrival of his wife and child as a dream. Then the grief of separation of the king and queen, who had so long been forced to live apart, trickled away in their tears of joy. Then 惭耻办迟腻辫丑补濒补, the King of the 艢补惫补谤补蝉, fell at the feet of the King 碍补苍补办补惫补谤峁�a, on finding that he was his master, the lord of the whole earth. And after he had propitiated him, and persuaded him to visit his town, he furnished his wife and child with all kinds of luxuries, such as it was in his power to give.

Then the king, remaining there, summoned by messengers his father-in-law 顿别惫补艣补办迟颈 and his army^[16] from his own city. Then he sent on in front of him his beloved wife 惭补诲补苍补蝉耻苍诲补谤墨, mounted on a female elephant, and his son, who 碍腻谤迟迟颈办别测补 said was to be called 贬颈谤补峁噛补惫补谤峁�a, and went with his father-in-law towards his father-in-law鈥檚 house.^[17] And in a few days he reached the residence of his father-in-law, a hermitage^[18] in the country of Vidarbha, and after that his wealthy city of 碍耻峁囜笉颈苍补, and there he remained some time with his wife and son, and his army, being entertained by his father-in-law. And setting out thence he at last reached his own town of Kanaka-pura, where he was, as it were, drunk in by the eyes of the wives of the citizens, long desirous of beholding him again. And with his son and 惭补诲补苍补蝉耻苍诲补谤墨 he entered the palace, like an embodied feast, accompanied with joy and splendour. And there he gave 惭补诲补苍补蝉耻苍诲补谤墨 a turban of honour, and made her his head wife, and he honoured his subjects with gifts on this day of triumph.^[19] And then King 碍补苍补办补惫补谤峁�a ruled this circle of the earth, four-limited by the sea, without opponents, in perpetual happiness, with his wife and son, without experiencing again the grief of separation.

 

[M] (Main story line continued) When the Prince 狈补谤补惫腻丑补苍补诲补迟迟补 heard this magnificent tale from his head minister Gomukha, in the company of the fair 础濒补峁卥腻谤补惫补迟墨, he was exceedingly delighted.

Footnotes and references:

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[1]:

In the D. text we read 尘奴谤办丑补产丑腻惫补岣� as a single word, and Speyer (op. cit., p. 123) would translate the line with both sentences as interrogations: 鈥淚s your stupidity [still] such? Does your wit not exceed it?鈥濃�攏. m. p.

[2]:

The puns here defy translation.

[3]:

Here the Sanskrit text has 鈥渁nd so resembled himself.鈥� Each of the Sanskrit compounds may be taken in another sense. The 鈥渉eat鈥� is valour; the 鈥渟wans鈥� subject kings; the sight of the king delighted his subjects, and he possessed furious elephants.

[4]:

The D. text reads 诲丑峁泃补惫补谤迟颈苍腻 instead of 补尘峁泃补-惫补谤迟颈苍腻, meaning a pencil-holding hand.鈥拢.尘.辫.

[5]:

See Vol. I, p. l28n¹.鈥拢.尘.辫.

[6]:

The Sanskrit College MS. reads 础艣墨办补濒补hay膩r奴岣峢a岣�.

[7]:

Cf. the Lament of Moschos for Bion, i, 99-104.

[8]:

I.e. female snake, somewhat of the nature of the Echidna of our boyhood:

鈥溼讥渭喂蟽蠀 渭峤参� 谓蠉渭蠁畏谓 峒懳晃刮合幭�喂未伪 魏伪位位喂蟺维蟻峥兾课�
峒ノ嘉瓜兿� 未鈥櫸贬綎蟿蔚 蟺苇位蠅蟻慰谓 峤勏單刮�, 未蔚喂谓蠈谓 蟿蔚 渭苇纬伪谓 蟿蔚.鈥�

Hesiod, Theog., 298.

[9]:

Cf. the following passage which Wirt Sykes (British Goblins, p. 385) quotes from 鈥淭he Mabinogion鈥�:

鈥淭ake a bowl and throw a bowlful of water on the slab,鈥� says the black giant of the wood to Sir Kai,

鈥渁nd thou wilt hear a mighty peal of thunder, so that thou wilt think that heaven and earth are trembling with its fury. With the thunder will come a shower so severe that it will be hardly possible for thee to endure and live. And the shower will be of hailstones; and after the shower the weather will become fair, but every leaf that was upon the tree will have been carried away by the shower.鈥�

Cf. Prym and Socin, Syrische M盲rchen, p. 116, and Gaal, M盲rchen der Magyaren, pp. 101, 102.

[10]:

I read with the Sanskrit College MS. 补箩补测测补岣�.

[11]:

B枚htlingk conjectures 艣奴谤辫补 for 蝉奴谤测补; 艣奴谤辫补 is a winnowing-basket.

[12]:

This is the sense, but 脓辫蝉耻谤 cannot be right; the Sanskrit College MS. reads 别肠肠丑耻峁�. Perhaps 别肠肠丑耻岣� will do.

[13]:

I read 迟补诲腻 for 辫补诲腻, a conjecture of Babu S.C. Mookerjea鈥檚. The Sanskrit College MS. reads aty膩nandabh峁泃e yuktam n膩vartet膩m yad膩tmani.鈥斺�擳he D. text has aty膩nandasamayukte n膩vartet膩峁� 迟补诲腻tmani.鈥拢.尘.辫.

[14]:

I.e. showerer of riches.

[15]:

For a note on the chowrie, or fly-whisk, see Vol. III, pp. 84n¹, 85n.

[16]:

The MS. in the Sanskrit College reads svasainyam, which saves the metre.

[17]:

艢惫补蝉耻谤补惫别艣尘补惫补谤迟尘腻艣谤颈迟补蝉 is the reading of the MS. in the library of the Sanskrit College.

[18]:

An error has crept in here. 膧艣谤补尘补尘 should read 腻艣谤颈迟补尘 of the D. text. Thus we get over the strange statement that 顿别惫补艣补办迟颈 resided in a hermitage. The sense is then that Kanakavarsha reached 碍耻峁囜笉颈苍补, the capital of his father-in-law situated in Vidarbha, and stayed there for some days. See Speyer, op. cit., p. 124.鈥拢.尘.辫.

[19]:

I read 尘腻苍颈迟补辫谤补办峁泃颈岣�, following the MS. in the Sanskrit College.