Chapter
LXXVIII.
(Vetála
.)
Then king
Trivikramasena again went at night to that aśoka-tree in the cemetery: and he
fearlessly took that Vetála that was in the corpse, though it uttered a
horrible laugh, and placed it on his shoulder, and set out in silence. And as
he was going along, the Vetála, that was on his shoulder, said to him again,
“King, why do you take all this trouble for the sake of this wicked mendicant?
In truth you show no discrimination in taking all this fruitless labour. So
hear from me this story to amuse you on the way.”
Story
of Víravara.
There is a
city on the earth rightly named Śobhávatí. In it there lived a king of great
valour, called Śúdraka. The fire of that victorious king’s might was
perpetually fanned by the wind of the chowries waved by the captured wives of
his enemies. I ween that the earth was so glorious during the reign of that
king, owing to the uninterrupted practice of righteousness that prevailed, that
she forgot all her other sovereigns, even Ráma.
Once on a
time a Bráhman, of the name of Víravara, came from Málava to take service under
that king who loved heroes. His wife’s name was Dharmavatí, his son was
Sattvavara, and his daughter was Víravatí. These three composed his family; and
his attendants were another three, at his side a dagger, a sword in one hand,
and a splendid shield in the other. Although he had so small a retinue, he
demanded from the king five hundred dínárs a day by way of salary. And king
Śúdraka, perceiving that his appearance indicated great courage, gave him the
salary he desired. But he felt curious to know whether, as his retinue was so
small, he employed so many gold coins to feed his vices, or lavished them on
some worthy object. So he had him secretly dogged by spies, in order to
discover his mode of life. And it turned out that every day Víravara had an
interview with the king in the morning, and stood at his palace-gate in the
middle of the day, sword in hand; and then he went home and put into the hand
of his wife a hundred dínárs of his salary for food, and with a hundred he
bought clothes, unguents and betel; and after bathing, he set apart a hundred
for the worship of Vishṇu and Śiva; and he gave two hundred by way of charity
to poor Bráhmans. This was the distribution which he made of the five hundred
every day. Then he fed the sacrificial fire with clarified butter and performed
other ceremonies, and took food, and then he again went and kept guard at the
gate of the palace alone at night, sword in hand. When the king Śúdraka heard
from his spies, that Víravara always followed this righteous custom, he
rejoiced in his heart; and he ordered those spies, who had dogged his path, to
desist; and he considered him worthy of especial honour as a distinguished
hero.
Then in
course of time, after Víravara had easily tided through the hot weather, when
the rays of the sun were exceedingly powerful, the monsoon came roaring,
bearing a brandished sword of lightning, as if out of envy against Víravara,
and smiting with rain-drops. And though at that time a terrible bank of clouds
poured down rain day and night, Víravara remained motionless, as before, at the
gate of the palace. And king Śúdraka, having beheld him in the day from the top
of his palace, again went up to it at night, to find out whether he was there
or not; and he cried out from it,—“Who waits there at the palace-gate?” When
Víravara heard that, he answered, “I am here, your Majesty.” Then king Śúdraka thought
to himself, “Ah! Víravara is a man of intrepid courage and devotedly attached
to me. So I must certainly promote him to an important post.” After the king
had said this to himself, he came down from the roof of his palace, and
entering his private apartments, went to bed.
And the
next evening, when a cloud was violently raining with a heavy downfall, and
black darkness was spread abroad, obscuring the heaven, the king once more
ascended the roof of the palace to satisfy his curiosity, and being alone, he
cried out in a clear voice, “Who waits there at the palace-gate?” Again
Víravara said, “I am here.” And while the king was lost in admiration at seeing
his courage, he suddenly heard a woman weeping in the distance, distracted with
despair, uttering only the piteous sound of wailing. When the king heard that,
pity arose in his mind, and he said to himself, “There is no oppressed person
in my kingdom, no poor or afflicted person; so who is this woman, that is thus
weeping alone at night?” Then he gave this order to Víravara, who was alone
below, “Listen, Víravara; there is some woman weeping in the distance; go and
find out who she is and why she is weeping.”
When
Víravara heard that, he said, “I will do so,” and set out thence with his
dagger in his belt, and his sword in his hand. He looked upon the world as a
Rákshasa black with fresh clouds, having the lightning flashing from them by
way of an eye, raining large drops of rain instead of stones. And king Śúdraka,
seeing him starting alone on such a night, and being penetrated with pity and
curiosity, came down from the top of the palace, and taking his sword, set out
close behind him, alone and unobserved. And Víravara went on persistently in
the direction of the weeping, and reached a tank outside the city, and saw
there that woman in the middle of the water uttering this lament, “Hero!
merciful man! Generous man! How can I live without you?” And Víravara, who was
followed by the king, said with astonishment, “Who are you, and why do you thus
weep?”—Then she answered him, “Dear Víravara, know that I am this earth, and
king Śúdraka is now my righteous lord, but on the third day from this his death
will take place, and whence shall I obtain such another lord? So I am grieved,
and bewail both him and myself.” When Víravara heard this, he said, like one
alarmed, “Is there then, goddess, any expedient to prevent the death of this
king, who is the protecting amulet of the world?”
When the
earth heard this, she answered, “There is one expedient for averting it, and
one which you alone can employ.” Then Víravara said,—“Then, goddess, tell it me
at once, in order that I may quickly put it in operation: otherwise what is the
use of my life?” When the earth heard this, she said,—“Who is as brave as you,
and as devoted to his master? So hear this method of bringing about his
welfare. If you offer up your child Sattvavara to this glorious goddess Chaṇḍí,
famous for her exceeding readiness to manifest herself to her votaries, to whom
the king has built a temple in the immediate vicinity of his palace, the king
will not die, but live another hundred years. And if you do it at once, his
safety will be ensured, but if not, he will assuredly have ceased to live on
the third day from this time.”
When the
goddess Earth said this to Víravara, he said, “Goddess, I will go, and do it
this very instant.” Then Earth said, “May success attend you!” and disappeared;
and the king, who was secretly following Víravara, heard all this.
Then
Víravara went quickly in the darkness to his own house, and king Śúdraka, out
of curiosity, followed him unobserved. There he woke up his wife Dharmavatí,
and told her how the goddess Earth had directed him to offer up his son for the
sake of the king. When she heard it, she said, “My lord, we must ensure the
prosperity of the king; so wake up this young boy of ours and tell it him
yourself.” Then Víravara woke up his young son Sattvavara, who was asleep, and
told him what had occurred, and said to him, “So, my son, the king will live if
you are offered up to the goddess Chaṇḍí, but if not, he will die on the third
day.” When Sattvavara heard it, though he was a mere child, he shewed a heroic
soul, and justified his name. He said “I shall have obtained all I desire, if
the sacrifice of my life saves that of the king, for so I shall have repaid him
for his food which I have eaten. So why should there be any delay? Take me and
offer me up immediately before the adorable goddess. Let me be the means of bringing
about the happiness of my lord.”
When
Sattvavara said this, Víravara answered, “Bravo! you are in truth my own son.”
And the king, who had followed them, and heard all this conversation from
outside, said to himself, “Ah! they are all equal in courage.”
Then
Víravara took his son Sattvavara on his shoulder, and his wife Dharmavatí took
their daughter Víravatí, and they both went that very night to the temple of
Chaṇḍí, and king Śúdraka followed them unobserved. Then Sattvavara was taken
down by his father from his shoulder, and placed in front of the idol, and the
boy, who was full of courage, bowed before the goddess, and said, “May the
sacrifice of my head ensure the life of king Śúdraka! May he rule unopposed,
goddess, for another hundred years!” When the boy Sattvavara said this,
Víravara exclaimed, “Bravo!” and drew his sword and cut off his son’s head, and
offered it to the goddess, saying, “May the sacrifice of my son save the king’s
life!”—Immediately a voice was heard from the air, “Bravo! Víravara! What man
is as devoted to his sovereign as thou, who, by the sacrifice of thy noble only
son, hast bestowed on this king Śúdraka life and a kingdom?” Then that young
girl Víravatí, the daughter of Víravara, came up, and embraced the head of her
slain brother, and weeping, blinded with excessive grief, she broke her heart
and so died. And the king saw and heard all this from his concealment.
Then
Víravara’s wife Dharmavatí said to him, “We have ensured the prosperity of the
king, so now I have something to say to you. Since my daughter, though a child
and knowing nothing, has died out of grief for her brother, and I have lost
these two children of mine, what is the use of life to me? Since I have been so
foolish as not to offer my own head long ago to the goddess for the welfare of
the king, give me leave to enter the fire with my children’s bodies.” When she
urged this request, Víravara said to her, “Do so, and may prosperity attend
you, for what pleasure could you find, noble woman, in continuing a life, that
would for you be full of nothing but grief for your children. But do not be
afflicted, because you did not sacrifice yourself. Would not I have sacrificed
myself, if the object could have been attained by the sacrifice of any victim
but our son? So wait until I have made a pyre for you with these pieces of
timber, collected to build the fence round the sanctuary of the goddess.”
When
Víravara had said this, he made a funeral pyre with the timber, and placed on
it the bodies of his two children, and lighted it with the flame of a lamp.
Then his virtuous wife Dharmavatí fell at his feet, and, after worshipping the
goddess Chaṇḍí, she addressed to her this prayer, “May my present husband be my
husband also in a future birth! And may the sacrifice of my life procure
prosperity for the king his master!” When the virtuous woman had said this, she
threw herself fearlessly into the burning pyre, from which the flames streamed
up like hair.
Then the
hero Víravara said to himself, “I have done what the king’s interests required,
as the celestial voice testified, and I have paid my debt to my master for his
food which I have eaten: so, as I am now left alone, why should I thus cling to
life? It does not look well for a man like me to nurse his own life only, after
sacrificing all his dear family, which it is his duty to maintain. So why
should I not gratify Durgá by sacrificing myself?” Having thus reflected, he
first approached the goddess with this hymn of praise:
“Hail to
thee, thou slayer of the Asura Mahisha, destroyer of the Dánava Ruru,
trident-bearing goddess! Hail to thee, best of mothers, that causest rejoicing
among the gods, and upholdest the three worlds! Hail thou whose feet are
worshipped by the whole earth, the refuge of those that are intent on final
beatitude! Hail thou that wearest the rays of the sun, and dispellest the
accumulated darkness of calamity! Hail to thee, Kálí, skull-bearing goddess,
wearer of skeletons! Hail, Śivá! Honour to thee! Be propitious now to king
Śúdraka on account of the sacrifice of my head!” After Víravara had praised the
goddess in these words, he cut off his head with a sudden stroke of his sword.
King
Śúdraka, who was a witness of all this from his place of concealment, was full
of bewilderment, sorrow, and astonishment, and said to himself, “This worthy
man and his family have performed for my sake a wonderful and difficult exploit
never seen or heard of anywhere else. Though the world is wide and various,
where could there be found a man so resolute as secretly to sacrifice his life
for his master, without proclaiming the fact abroad? And if I do not requite
this benefit, what is the use of my sovereignty, and of my protracting my life,
which would only be like that of an animal?”
When the
heroic king had thus reflected, he drew his sword from the sheath, and
approaching the goddess, prayed thus to her, “Be propitious to me now, goddess,
on account of this sacrifice of my head, and confer a boon on me, thy constant
votary. Let this Bráhman Víravara, whose acts are in accordance with his name,
and who sacrificed his life for my sake, be resuscitated with his family!”
After uttering this prayer, king Śúdraka was preparing to cut off his head with
his sword, but at that moment a voice was heard from the air, “Do not act
rashly; I am pleased with this courage of thine; let the Bráhman Víravara be
restored to life, together with his wife and his children!”—Having uttered so
much, the voice ceased, and Víravara rose up alive and unwounded, with his son,
his daughter, and his wife. When the king, who quickly concealed himself again,
saw that marvel, he was never tired of looking at them with an eye full of
tears of joy.
And
Víravara quickly awoke as if from sleep, and, beholding his children and wife
alive, and also himself, he was confused in mind. And he asked his wife and
children, addressing them severally by name, “How have you returned to life
after having been reduced to ashes? I too cut off my head: what is the meaning
of my being now alive? Is this a delusion, or the manifest favour of the
goddess?” When he said this, his wife and children answered him, “Our being
alive is due to a merciful interposition of the goddess, of which we were not
conscious.” Then Víravara came to the conclusion that it was so, and after worshipping
the goddess, he returned home with his wife and children, having accomplished
his object.
And after
he had left his son, wife, and daughter there, he returned that very night to
the palace-gate of the king, and stood there as before. King Śúdraka, for his
part, who had beheld all unobserved, again went up to the roof of his palace.
And he cried out from the roof, “Who is in attendance at the palace-gate?” Then
Víravara said, “I myself am in waiting here, your Majesty. And in accordance
with your orders I went in search of that woman, but she disappeared somewhere
as soon as seen, like a Rákshasí.” When the king heard the speech of that
Víravara, he was very much astonished, as he had himself seen what took place,
and he said to himself, “Indeed people of noble spirit are deep and
self-contained of soul as the sea, for when they have performed an unparalleled
exploit, they do not utter any description of it.” Thus reflecting, the king
silently descended from the roof of the palace, and entered his private
apartments, and there spent the rest of the night.
And the
next morning, Víravara came to present himself at the time of audience, and
then the delighted king related to the ministers all that Víravara had gone
through during the night, so that they were all, as it were, thunderstruck with
wonder. Then the king gave to Víravara and his son the sovereignty over the
provinces of Láṭa and Karṇáṭa, as a token of his regard. Then the two kings,
Víravara and Śúdraka, being equal in power, lived happily in the interchange of
mutual good offices.
When the
Vetála had told this exceedingly wonderful story, he went on to say to king
Trivikramasena, “So tell me, king, who was the bravest of all these, and if you
know and do not tell, the curse, which I before mentioned, shall descend upon
you.”
When the
king heard this, he answered the Vetála, “King Śúdraka was the greatest hero of
them all.” Then the Vetála said, “Was not Víravara greater, for his equal is
not found on this earth? And was not his wife braver, who, though a mother,
endured to witness with her own eyes the offering up of her son as a victim?
And was not his son Sattvavara braver, who, though a mere child, displayed such
preëminent courage? So why do you say that king Śúdraka was more heroic than
these?”
When the
Vetála said this, the king answered him, “Do not say so! Víravara was a man of
high birth, one in whose family it was a tradition that life, son, and wife
must be sacrificed to protect the sovereign. And his wife also was of good
birth, chaste, worshipping her husband only, and her chief duty was to follow
the path traced out for her by her husband. And Sattvavara was like them, being
their son; assuredly, such as are the threads, such is the web produced from
them. But Śúdraka excelled them all, because he was ready to lay down his life
for those servants, by the sacrifice of whose lives kings are wont to save
their own.”
When the
Vetála heard that speech from that king, he at once left his shoulder, and
returned invisibly to his former place by his supernatural power, but the king
resolutely set out on his former path in that cemetery at night to bring him
back again.
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