Chapter XXIII.
Then
Vásavadattá on the next day said to the king of Vatsa in private, while he was
surrounded by his ministers;—“My husband, ever since I have been pregnant with
this child, the difficult duty of taking care of it afflicts my heart; and last
night, after thinking over it long, I fell asleep with difficulty, and I am
persuaded I saw a certain man come in my dream, glorious with a shape
distinguished by matted auburn locks and a trident-bearing hand; and he
approaching me, said as if moved by compassion,—‘My daughter, you need not feel
at all anxious about the child with which you are pregnant, I will protect it,
for I gave it to you. And hear something more, which I will tell you to make
you confide in me; a certain woman waits to make a petition to you to-morrow,
she will come dragging her husband with her as a prisoner, reviling him,
accompanied by five sons, begirt with many relations: and she is a wicked woman
who desires by the help of her relations to get that husband of hers put to
death, and all that she will say will be false. And you, my daughter, must
beforehand inform the king of Vatsa about this matter, in order that that good
man may be freed from that wicked wife.’ This command that august one gave and
vanished, and I immediately woke up, and lo! the morning had come.” When the
queen had said that, all spoke of the favour of Śiva, and were astonished,
their minds eagerly expecting the fulfilment of the dream; when lo! at that
very moment the chief warder entered, and suddenly said to the king of Vatsa,
who was compassionate to the afflicted, “O king, a certain woman has come to
make a representation, accompanied by her relations, bringing with her five
sons, reviling her helpless husband.” When the king heard that, being astonished
at the way it tallied with the queen’s dream, he commanded the warder to bring
her into his presence. And the queen Vásavadattá felt the greatest delight,
having become certain that she would obtain a good son, on account of the truth
of the dream. Then that woman entered by the command of the warder, accompanied
by her husband, looked at with curiosity by all, who had their faces turned
towards the door. Then, having entered, she assumed an expression of misery,
and making a bow according to rule, she addressed the king in council
accompanied by the queen: “This man, though he is my husband, does not give to
me, helpless woman that I am, food, raiment, and other necessaries, and yet I
am free from blame with respect to him.”
When she
had said this, her husband pleaded—“King, this woman speaks falsely, supported
by her relations, for she wishes me to be put to death. For I have given her
supplies beforehand to last till the end of the year, and other relations of
hers, who are impartial, are prepared to witness the truth of this for me.”
When he had said this to the king, the king of his own accord answered: “The
trident-bearing god himself has given evidence in this case, appearing to the
queen in a dream. What need have we of more witnesses? This woman with her
relations must be punished.” When the king had delivered this judgment, the
discreet Yaugandharáyaṇa said, “Nevertheless, king, we must do what is right in
accordance with the evidence of witnesses, otherwise the people, not knowing of
the dream, would in no wise believe in the justice of our proceedings.” When
the king heard that, he consented and had the witnesses summoned that moment,
and they, being asked, deposed that that woman was speaking falsely. Then the
king banished her, as she was plotting against one well known to be a good
husband, from his territory, with her relations and her sons. And with heart
melting from pity he discharged her good husband, after giving him much
treasure sufficient for another marriage. And in connexion with the whole
affair the king remarked,—“An evil wife, of wildly cruel nature, tears her
still living husband like a she-wolf, when he has fallen into the pit of
calamity; but an affectionate, noble, and magnanimous wife averts sorrow as the
shade of the wayside-tree averts heat, and is acquired by a man’s special
merits.” Then Vasantaka, who was a clever story-teller, being at the king’s
side, said to him à propos of this: “Moreover, king, hatred and affection are
commonly produced in living beings in this world owing to their continually
recalling the impressions of a past state of existence, and in proof of this,
hear the story which I am about to tell.”
Story of
Sinhaparákrama.
There was a
king in Benares named Vikramachaṇḍa, and he had a favourite follower named
Sinhaparákrama; who was wonderfully successful in all battles and in all
gambling contests. And he had a wife very deformed both in body and mind,
called by a name, which expressed her nature, Kalahakárí. This brave man
continually obtained much money both from the king and from gambling, and, as
soon as he got it, he gave it all to his wife. But the shrewish woman, backed
by her three sons begotten by him, could not in spite of this remain one moment
without a quarrel. She continually worried him by yelling out these words at
him with her sons—“You are always eating and drinking away from home, and you
never give us anything.” And though he was forever trying to propitiate her
with meat, drink, and raiment, she tortured him day and night like an
interminable thirst. Then, at last, Sinhaparákrama vexed with indignation on
that account, left his house, and went on a pilgrimage to the goddess Durgá
that dwells in the Vindhya hills. While he was fasting, the goddess said to him
in a dream: “Rise up, my son, go to thy own city of Benares; there is an
enormous nyagrodha tree, by digging round its root thou wilt at once obtain a
treasure. And in the treasure thou wilt find a dish of emerald, bright as a
sword-blade, looking like a piece of the sky fallen down to earth; casting thy
eyes on that, thou wilt see, as it were, reflected inside, the previous
existence of every individual, in whatever case thou mayest wish to know it. By
means of that thou wilt learn the previous birth of thy wife and of thyself,
and having learned the truth wilt dwell there in happiness free from grief.”
Having thus been addressed by the goddess, Sinhaparákrama woke up and broke his
fast, and went in the morning to Benares; and after he had reached the city, he
found at the root of the nyagrodha tree a treasure, and in it he discovered a
large emerald dish, and, eager to learn the truth, he saw in that dish that in
a previous birth his wife had been a terrible she-bear, and himself a lion. And
so recognising that the hatred between himself and his wife was irremediable
owing to the influence of bitter enmity in a previous birth, he abandoned grief
and bewilderment. Then Sinhaparákrama examined many maidens by means of the
dish, and discovering that they had belonged to alien races in a previous
birth, he avoided them, but after he had discovered one, who had been a lioness
in a previous birth and so was a suitable match for him, he married her as his
second wife, and her name was Sinhaśrí. And after assigning to that Kalahakárí
one village only as her portion, he lived, delighted with the acquisition of
treasure, in the society of his new wife. Thus, O king, wives and others are
friendly or hostile to men in this world by virtue of impressions in a previous
state of existence.
When the
king of Vatsa had heard this wonderful story from Vasantaka, he was exceedingly
delighted and so was the queen Vásavadattá. And the king was never weary day or
night of contemplating the moon-like face of the pregnant queen. And as days
went on, there were born to all of his ministers in due course sons with
auspicious marks, who heralded approaching good fortune. First there was born
to Yaugandharáyaṇa, the chief minister, a son Marubhúti by name. Then Rumaṇvat
had a son called Hariśikha, and to Vasantaka there was born a son named
Tapantaka. And to the head-warder called Nityodita, whose other title was
Ityaka,4 there was born a son named Gomukha. And after they were born a great
feast took place, and during it a bodiless voice was heard from heaven—“These
ministers shall crush the race of the enemies of the son of the king of Vatsa
here, the future universal emperor. And as days went by, the time drew near for
the birth of the child, with which the queen Vásavadattá was destined to
present the king of Vatsa, and she repaired to the ornamented lying-in-chamber,
which was prepared by matrons having sons, and the windows of which were
covered with arka and śamí plants. The room was hung with various weapons,
rendered auspicious by being mixed with the gleam of jewel-lamps, shedding a
blaze able to protect the child; and secured by conjurers who went through
innumerable charms and spells and other incantations, so that it became a
fortress of the matrons hard for calamity to storm, and there she brought forth
in good time a prince of lovely aspect, as the heaven brings forth the moon
from which stream pure nectarous rays. The child, when born, not only
irradiated that room, but the heart also of that mother from which the darkness
of grief had departed; then, as the delight of the inmates of the harem was
gradually extended, the king heard of the birth of a son from the people who
were admitted to it; the reason he did not give his kingdom in his delight to
the person, who announced it, was, that he was afraid of committing an
impropriety, not that he was avaricious. And so the king, suddenly coming to
the harem with longing mind, beheld his son, and his hope bore fruit after a long
delay. The child had a long red lower lip like a leaf, beautiful flowing hair
like wool, and his whole face was like the lotus, which the goddess of the
Fortune of empire carries for her delight. He was marked on his soft feet with
umbrellas and chowries, as if the Fortunes of other kings had beforehand
abandoned their badges in his favour, out of fear. Then, while the king shed
with tearful eye, that swelled with the pressure of the fulness of the weight
of his joy, drops that seemed to be drops of paternal affection, and the
ministers with Yaugandharáyaṇa at their head rejoiced, a voice was heard from
heaven at that time to the following effect:
“King, this
son that is born to thee is an incarnation of Káma, and know that his name is
Naraváhanadatta; and he will soon become emperor of the kings of the
Vidyádharas, and maintain that position unwearied for a kalpa of the gods.”
When so much had been said, the voice stopped, and immediately a rain of
flowers fell from heaven, and the sounds of the celestial drums went forth.
Then the king, excessively delighted, made a great feast, which was rendered
all the more solemn from the gods having begun it. The sound of cymbals floated
in the air rising from temples, as if to tell all the Vidyádharas of the birth
of their king: and red banners, flying in the wind on the tops of the palaces,
seemed with their splendour to fling red dye to one another. On earth beautiful
women assembled and danced everywhere, as if they were the nymphs of heaven
glad that the god of love had been born with a body. And the whole city
appeared equally splendid with new dresses and ornaments bestowed by the
rejoicing king. For while that rich king rained riches upon his dependants,
nothing but the treasury was empty. And the ladies belonging to the families of
the neighbouring chieftains came in from all sides, with auspicious prayers,
versed in the good custom, accompanied by dancing girls, bringing with them
splendid presents, escorted by various excellent guards, attended with the
sound of musical instruments, like all the cardinal points in bodily form.
Every movement there was of the nature of a dance, every word uttered was
attended with full vessels, every action was of the nature of munificence, the
city resounded with musical instruments, the people were adorned with red
powder, and the earth was covered with bards,—all these things were so in that
city which was all full of festivity. Thus the great feast was carried on with
increasing magnificence for many days, and did not come to an end before the
wishes of the citizens were fully satisfied. And as days went on, that infant
prince grew like the new moon, and his father bestowed on him with appropriate
formalities the name of Naraváhanadatta, which had been previously assigned him
by the heavenly voice. His father was delighted when he saw him make his first
two or three tottering steps, in which gleamed the sheen of his smooth fair
toe-nails, and when he heard him utter his first two or three indistinct words,
shewing his teeth which looked like buds. Then the excellent ministers brought
to the infant prince their infant sons, who delighted the heart of the king,
and commended them to him. First Yaugandharáyaṇa brought Marubhúti, and then
Rumaṇvat Hariśikha, and then the head-warder named Ityaka brought Gomukha, and
Vasantaka his son named Tapantaka. And the domestic chaplain Śántikara
presented the two twin sons of Pingaliká, his nephews Śántisoma and Vaiśvánara.
And at that moment there fell from heaven a rain of flowers from the gods,
which a shout of joy made all the more auspicious, and the king rejoiced with
the queens, having bestowed presents on that company of ministers’ sons. And
that prince Naraváhanadatta was always surrounded by those six ministers’ sons
devoted to him alone, who commanded respect even in their boyhood, as if with
the six political measures that are the cause of great prosperity. The days of
the lord of Vatsa passed in great happiness, while he gazed affectionately on
his son with his smiling lotus-like face, going from lap to lap of the kings
whose minds were lovingly attached to him, and making in his mirth a charming
indistinct playful prattling.
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