Chapter
LIV
Thus
Naraváhanadatta dwelt in the house of his father the king of Vatsa, being
attended by his affectionate ministers, Gomukha and the others, and amusing
himself with his loving queen Alankáravatí, whose jealousy was removed by her
great love, that refused to be hampered by female pride. Then, once on a time,
he went to a forest of wild beasts, mounted on a chariot, with Gomukha seated
behind him. And, with that heroic Bráhman Pralambabáhu going in front of him,
he indulged in silvan sports, accompanied by his attendants. And though the
horses of his chariot galloped at the utmost of their speed, Pralambabáhu
outstripped their swiftness, and still kept in front of them. The prince from
his position on the chariot killed lions, and tigers, and other wild beasts
with arrows, but Pralambabáhu, going on foot, slew them with his sword. And
Naraváhanadatta, as often as he beheld that Bráhman, said in astonishment—“What
courage, and what fleetness of foot he possesses!”
And the
prince, being wearied at the end of his hunting, and overcome with thirst, went
in search of water, mounted on his chariot, with Gomukha and his charioteer,
and preceded by that champion Pralambabáhu, and in the course of his search he
reached another great forest far distant. There he came to a great and charming
lake with full-blown golden lotuses, looking like a second sky on earth,
studded with many solar orbs. There he bathed and drank water, and, after he
and his companions had performed their ablutions and other duties, he beheld at
one end of the lake, at a distance, four men of heavenly appearance, dressed in
heavenly garments, adorned with heavenly ornaments, engaged in culling golden
lotuses from that lake. And out of curiosity he approached them, and when they asked
him who he was, he told them his descent, his name and his history.
And they,
pleased at seeing him, told him their story when he asked them; “There is in
the midst of the great sea a great, prosperous and splendid island, which is
called the island of Nárikela, and is renowned in the world for its beauty. And
in it there are four mountains with splendid expanses of land, named Maináka, Vṛishabha,
Chakra, and Baláhaka, in those four we four live. One of us is named
Rúpasiddhi, and he possesses the power of assuming various forms; another is by
name Pramánasiddhi, who can measure the most minute as well as the largest
things; and the third is Jnánasiddhi, who knows the past, the present, and the
future; and the fourth is Devasiddhi, who possesses the power of calling down
to his aid all the deities. We have now gathered these golden lotuses, and are
going to offer them to the god, the husband of Śrí, in Śvetadvípa. For we are
all of us devoted to him, and it is by his favour that we possess rule over those
mountains of ours, and prosperity accompanied with supernatural power. So come,
we will shew you the lord Hari in Śvetadvípa; we will carry you through the
air, friend, if you approve.” When those sons of gods said this,
Naraváhanadatta consented, and leaving Gomukha and the others in that place,
where they could obtain water, fruits and so on, he went with them to
Śvetadvípa through the air, for Devasiddhi, one of the four brothers, carried
him in his lap. There he descended from heaven, and beheld Vishṇu, and
approached him from a distance, introduced by those four sons of gods. The god
was reclining upon the snake Śesha, in front of him sat Garuḍa, at his side was
the daughter of the sea, at his feet was the Earth, he was waited upon by the
discus, the conch, the club, and the lotus, incarnate in bodily form, and the
Gandharvas, with Nárada at their head, were piously chanting hymns in his
honour, and the gods, Siddhas, and Vidyádharas were bowing before him. To whom
is not association with the good a cause of exaltation?
Then, after
that Lord had been honoured by those sons of gods, and praised by Kaśyapa and
others, Naraváhanadatta thus praised him with folded hands, “All hail to thee,
venerable one, the wishing-tree of thy worshippers, whose body is encircled
with the wish-granting creeper of Lakshmí, who art the granter of all desires;
hail to thee, the divine swan, dwelling in the Mánasa-lake of the minds of the good,
ever soaring and singing in the highest ether. Hail to thee, who dost transcend
all, and dwell within all, who hast a form transcending qualities, and whose
shape is the full aggregate of the six kingly measures; Brahmá is the bee on
the lotus of thy navel, O Lord, humming with the soft sound of Veda-murmur,
though from him spring many verses; thy foot is the earth, the heaven is thy
head, the cardinal points are thy ears, the sun and moon are thy eyes; thy
belly is the egg of Brahmá, the globe of the world; thou art hymned by the wise
as the infinite soul. From thee, the home of brightness, spring all these
creatures, O Lord, as the host of sparks from the blazing fire, and when the
time of destruction comes, they again enter thy essence, as at the end of the
day a flock of birds enters the great tree in which they dwell. Thou flashest
forth, and createst these lords of the world, who are parts of thee, as the
ocean, disturbed with a continual flow, creates waves. Though the world is thy
form, thou art formless; though the world is thy handiwork, thou art free from
the bondage of works; though thou art the support of the world, thou art
thyself without support; who is he that knows thy real nature? The gods have
obtained various stages of prosperity by being looked upon by thee with a
favourable eye; so be propitious, and look upon me, thy suppliant, with an eye
melting with love.”
When
Naraváhanadatta had in these words praised Vishṇu, the god looked upon him with
a favourable eye, and said to Nárada: “Go and demand back from Indra in my name
those lovely Apsarases of mine, who long ago sprang from the sea of milk, and
whom I deposited in his hand, and make them mount the chariot of Indra, and
quickly bring them here.” When Nárada received this command from Hari, he said
“So be it,” and with Mátali he brought the Apsarases from Indra in his chariot,
and then bowing he presented the Apsarases to Vishṇu, and the Holy one spake
thus to the son of the king of Vatsa—“Naraváhanadatta, I give these Apsarases
to thee, the future emperor of the kings of the Vidyádharas. Thou art a fitting
husband for them, and they are fitting wives for thee, for thou hast been
created by Śiva as an incarnation of the god of Love.” When Vishṇu said that,
the son of the king of Vatsa fell at his feet, delighted at having obtained
favour, and Vishṇu thus commanded Mátali,—“Let this Naraváhanadatta, together
with the Apsarases, be taken back by thee to his palace, by whatever path he
desires.”
When the
Holy one gave this command, Naraváhanadatta, with the Apsarases and those sons
of gods who invited him, mounted the chariot which was driven by Mátali, and
went to the island of Nárikela, being envied even by gods. There the successful
hero, honoured by those four sons of gods, Rúpasiddhi and his brethren, and
accompanied by Indra’s chariot, sported in succession on those four mountains
on which they dwelt, Maináka, Vṛishabha, and the others, that vied with heaven,
in the company of those Apsarases. And he roamed, full of joy, in the thickets
of their pleasure-grounds, the various splendid trees of which were in blossom
on account of the arrival of the month of spring. And those sons of gods said
to him: “See! these clusters on the trees seem to be regarding with the
expanded eyes of their open flowers their beloved spring that has arrived. See!
the full-blown lotuses shield the lake, as if to prevent their place of birth
from being afflicted by the warmth of the sun’s rays. See! the bees, after
resorting to a Karnikára splendid with blossoms, leave it again, finding it
destitute of perfume, as good men leave a rich man of mean character. See! a
concert is being held in honour of spring, the king of the seasons, with the
songs of the Kinnarís, the notes of the cuckoos, and the humming of bees.” With
such words those sons of gods shewed Naraváhanadatta the range of their
pleasure-grounds. And the son of the king of Vatsa amused himself also in their
cities, beholding the merry-makings of the citizens, who danced without
restraint in honour of the spring-festival. And he enjoyed with the Apsarases
delights fitted for gods; wherever the virtuous go, their good fortunes precede
them.
After
remaining there for four days thus occupied, Naraváhanadatta said to those sons
of gods his friends; “I now wish to go to my own city, being anxious to behold
my father; so come you also to that city and bless it with a visit.” When they
heard that, they said: “We have seen you, the choicest jewel in that town; what
more do we require? But when you have obtained the sciences of the Vidyádharas,
you must not forget us.” With these words they dismissed him, and
Naraváhanadatta said to Mátali, who brought him the splendid chariot of Indra;
“Take me to the city of Kauśámbí by a course leading past that lovely lake, on
the bank of which I left Gomukha and the others.” Mátali consented, and the
prince ascended the chariot with the Apsarases, and reached that lake, and saw
Gomukha and the others, and said to them, “Come quickly by your own way, I will
tell you all when I get home.” Having said this, he went to Kauśámbí in the
chariot of Indra. There he descended from heaven, and dismissed Mátali after
honouring him, and entered his own palace accompanied by those Apsarases. And
leaving them there, he went and prostrated himself before the feet of his
father, who was delighted at his arrival, and also of Vásavadattá and
Padmávatí, and they welcomed him, and their eyes were never satisfied with
gazing on him. And in the meanwhile Gomukha came, riding on the chariot, with
the charioteer, and that Bráhman Pralambabáhu. Then, being questioned by his
father, Naraváhanadatta related in the presence of all his ministers his very
wonderful adventures. And all said—“God grants to that virtuous man, whom he
wishes to favour, association with good friends.” When all said this, the king
was pleased, and ordered a festival for his son on account of the favour which
Vishṇu had shewed towards him. And he and his wives saw those Apsarases his
daughters-in-law, obtained by the favour of Vishṇu, whom Gomukha brought to
fall at his feet, Devarupá, and Devarati, and Devamálá, and the fourth
Devapriyá, whose names he enquired by the mouth of their maids. And the city of
Kauśámbí, making festival, appeared as if scattering red paint with its waving
scarlet banners, as much as to say: “What am I that Apsarases should dwell in
me? Blessed am I that the prince Naraváhanadatta has made me a heavenly city
upon earth.” And Naraváhanadatta, after he had rejoiced the eyes of his father,
visited his other wives, who were anxiously awaiting him, and they, who had
been emaciated by those four days, as if they were four years, exulted,
relating the various woes of their separation. And Gomukha described the valour
of Pralambabáhu, while he was protecting the horses during their sojourn in the
forest, in killing lions and other noxious beasts. Thus listening to pleasing
unrestrained conversation, and contemplating the beauty of his beloved ones,
that was as nectar to his eyes, and making flattering speeches, and drinking
wine in the company of his ministers, Naraváhanadatta passed that time there in
happiness.
Once on a
time, as he was in the apartments of Alankáravatí with his ministers, he heard
a loud sound of drums outside. Then he said to his general Hariśikha: “What may
be the cause of this sudden great noise of drums outside?” When Hariśikha heard
this, he went out, and entering again immediately said to the prince, the son
of the king of Vatsa; “There is in this town a merchant of the name of Rudra,
and he went to the island of Suvarṇadvípa on a mercantile expedition. As he was
returning, the hoard of wealth, that he had managed to acquire, was lost, being
sunk in the sea by his ship foundering. And he himself happened to escape from
the sea alive. And to-day is the sixth day since he arrived in misery at his
own house. After he had been living here for some days in distress, it happened
that he found a great treasure in his garden. And the king of Vatsa heard of it
from his relations, so the merchant came to-day and represented the matter to
the king; saying—‘I have obtained four crores of gold pieces with a multitude
of valuable jewels, so, if the king commands me, I will hand them over.’ The
king of Vatsa thereupon gave this command to the merchant—‘Who that had any
sense, after seeing you in distress, plundered by the sea, would plunder you
again, now that you have been supplied with wealth by the mercy of Providence.
Go and enjoy at will the wealth obtained from your own ground.’ The merchant
fell at the king’s feet full of joy, and it is this very man that is now
returning to his house, with his attendants beating drums.” When Hariśikha said
this, Naraváhanadatta praised the justice of his father, and said in
astonishment to his ministers—“If Destiny sometimes takes away wealth, does she
not sometimes afterwards give it. She sports in a strange way with the raising
and depressing of men.” When Gomukha heard that, he said—“Such is the course of
Destiny! And in proof of this, hear the story of Samudraśúra.”
Story
of the merchant Samudraśúra.
In old
times there was a splendid city, belonging to the king Harshavarman, called
Harshapura, the citizens of which were made happy by good government. In this
city there was a great merchant, named Samudraśúra; he was of good family,
just, of resolute courage, a lord of much wealth. He was once compelled by his
business to go to Suvarṇadvípa, and reaching the shore of the sea, he embarked
on a ship. As he was travelling over the sea, when his journey was very nearly
at an end, a terrible cloud arose and a wind that agitated the deep. The wind
tossed the ship about with the violence of the waves, and it was struck by a
sea-monster and split asunder; and then the merchant, girding up his loins,
plunged into the sea. And after the brave man had made some way by swimming, he
found the corpse of a man long dead, driven hither and thither by the wind. And
he climbed up on the corpse, and skilfully paddling himself along with his
arms, he was carried to Suvarṇadvípa by a favourable wind. There he got off
that corpse on to the sand, and he perceived that it had a cloth tied round its
loins, with a knot in it. When he unfastened the cloth from its loins, and
examined it, he found inside it a necklace richly studded with jewels. He saw
that it was of inestimable value, and he bathed and remained in a state of
great felicity, thinking that the wealth he had lost in the sea was but straw
in comparison with it. Then he went on to a city called Kalaśapura, and with
the bracelet in his hand, entered the enclosure of a great temple. There he sat
in the shade, and being exceedingly tired with his exertions in the water, he
slowly dropped off to sleep, bewildered by Destiny. And while he was asleep,
the policemen came and saw that necklace in his hand exposed to view. They
said—“Here is the necklace stolen from the neck of the princess Chakrasená;
without doubt this is the thief.” And so they woke the merchant up and took him
to the palace. There the king himself questioned him, and he told him what had
taken place. The king held out the necklace, and said to the people present in
court,—“This man is speaking falsely; he is a thief, look at this necklace.”
And at that very moment a kite saw it glittering, and quickly swooping down
from heaven, carried off the necklace, and disappeared where he could not be
traced. Then the king, in his anger, commanded that the merchant should be put
to death, and he, in great grief, invoked the protection of Śiva. Then a voice
was heard from heaven—“Do not put this man to death: he is a respectable
merchant named Samudraśúra from the city of Harshapura, that has landed on your
territory. The thief, who stole the necklace, fled, beside himself with fear of
the police, and falling into the sea at night, perished. But this merchant
here, when his ship foundered, came upon the body of that thief, and climbing
up on it, he crossed the sea and came here. And then he found the necklace in
the knot of the cloth fastened round his loins; he did not take it from your
house. So let go, king, this virtuous merchant, who is not a thief; dismiss him
with honour.” Having said this, the voice ceased. When the king heard this, he
was satisfied, and revoking the capital sentence passed on the merchant, he
honoured him with wealth, and let him go. And the merchant, having obtained
wealth, bought wares, and again crossed the terrible ocean in a ship, in order
to return to his own native land.
And after
he had crossed the sea, he travelled with a caravan, and one day, at evening
time, he reached a wood. The caravan encamped in the wood for the night, and
while Samudraśúra was awake, a powerful host of bandits attacked it. While the
bandits were massacring the members of the caravan, Samudraśúra left his wares
and fled, and climbed up a banyan-tree without being discovered. The host of
bandits departed, after they had carried off all the wealth, and the merchant
spent that night there, perplexed with fear, and distracted with grief. In the
morning he cast his eye towards the top of the tree, and saw, as fate would
have it, what looked like the light of a lamp, trembling among the leaves. And
in his astonishment he climbed up the tree, and saw a kite’s nest, in which
there was a heap of glittering priceless jewelled ornaments. He took them all
out of it, and found among the ornaments that necklace, which he had found in
Svarṇadvípa and the kite had carried off. He obtained from that nest unlimited
wealth, and, descending from the tree, he went off delighted, and reached in
course of time his own city of Harshapura. There the merchant Samudraśúra
remained, enjoying himself to his heart’s content with his family, free from
the desire of any other wealth.
“So you
have that merchant’s whelming in the sea, and that loss of his wealth, and the
finding of the necklace, and again the losing of it, and his undeserved
degradation to the position of a malefactor, and his immediate obtaining of
wealth from the satisfied king, and his return-voyage over the sea, and his
being stripped of all his wealth by falling in with bandits on the journey, and
at last his acquisition of wealth from the top of a tree. So you see, prince,
such is the various working of destiny, but a virtuous man, though he may have
endured sorrow, obtains joy at the last.” When Naraváhanadatta heard this from
Gomukha, he approved it, and rising up, he performed his daily duties, such as
bathing and the like.
And the
next day, when he was in the hall of assembly, the heroic prince Samaratunga,
who had been his servant ever since he was a boy, came and said to him—“Prince,
my relation Sangrámarvarsha has ravaged my territory, with the help of his four
sons, Vírajita and the others. So I will go myself, and bring them all five
here as prisoners. Let my lord know this.” After saying this he departed. And
the son of the king of Vatsa, knowing that he had but a small force, and that
those others had large forces, ordered his own army to follow him. But that
proud man refused to receive this accession to his force, and went and
conquered those five enemies in fight by the help of his own two arms only, and
brought them back prisoners. Naraváhanadatta honoured and praised his follower,
when he came back victorious, and said—“How wonderful! This man has conquered
his five enemies, though with their forces they had overrun his territory, and
has done the deed of a hero, as a man conquers the senses, when they have laid
hold upon outward objects, and are powerful, and so accomplishes emancipation,
the work of the soul.” When Gomukha heard that, he said—“If, prince, you have
not heard the tale of king Chamarabála, which is similar, listen, I will tell
it.”
Story
of king Chamarabála.
There is a
city named Hastinápura, and in it there lived a king named Chamarabála, who
possessed treasure, a fort, and an army. And he had, as neighbours to his
territory, several kings of the same family as himself, the chief of whom was
Samarabála, and they put their heads together and reflected: “This king
Chamarabála defeats us all, one by one; so we will join together and accomplish
his overthrow.” After thus deliberating, those five kings’ being anxious to
march out against him to conquer him, secretly asked an astrologer when a
favourable moment would come. The astrologer, not seeing a favourable moment,
and not seeing good omens, said—“There is no favourable moment for you this
year. Under whatever circumstances you set out on your expedition, you will not
be victorious. And why are you so eager for the undertaking, beholding his
prosperity? Enjoyment is after all the fruit of prosperity, and you have
enjoyments in abundance. And now hear, if you have not heard it before, the
story of the two merchants.”
Story
of Yaśovarman and the two fortunes.
There was
in old time in this country a city, named Kautukapura. In it there lived a
king, called Bahusuvarṇaka, rightly named. And he had a young Kshatriya servant
named Yaśovarman. To that man the king never gave anything, though he was
generous by nature. Whenever in his distress he asked the king, the king said
to him, pointing to the sun, “I wish to give to you, but this holy god will not
permit me to give to you. Tell me what I am to do.” While he remained distressed,
watching for an opportunity, the time for an eclipse of the sun arrived. Then
Yaśovarman, who had constantly served the king, went and said to him, when he
was engaged in giving many valuable presents: “Give me something, my sovereign,
while this sun, who will not permit you to give, is in the grasp of his enemy.”
When the king, who had given many presents, heard that, he laughed, and gave
garments, gold, and other things to him.
In course
of time that wealth was consumed, and he, being afflicted, as the king gave him
nothing, and having lost his wife, went to the shrine of the goddess that
dwells in the Vindhya hills. He said—“What is the use of this profitless body
that is dead even while alive? I will abandon it before the shrine of the
goddess, or gain the desired boon.” Resolved on this course, he lay down on a
bed of darbha grass in front of the goddess, with his mind intent on her, and
fasting he performed a severe penance. And the goddess said to him in a dream,
“I am pleased with thee, my son; tell me, shall I give thee the good fortune of
wealth, or the good fortune of enjoyment?” When Yaśovarman heard this, he
answered the goddess, “I do not precisely know the difference between these two
good fortunes.” Then the goddess said to him: “Return to thy own country, and
there go and examine into the good fortunes of the two merchants, Arthavarman
and Bhogavarman, and find out which of the two pleases thee, and then come here
and ask a like fortune for thyself.” When Yaśovarman heard this, he woke up,
and next morning he broke his fast, and went to his own country of Kautukapura.
There he
first went to the house of Arthavarman, who had acquired much wealth, in the
form of gold, jewels, and other precious things, by his business transactions.
Seeing that prosperity of his, he approached him with due politeness, and was
welcomed by him, and invited to dinner. Then he sat by the side of that
Arthavarman, and ate food appropriate to a guest, with meat-curry and ghee. But
Arthavarman ate barley-meal, with half a pal of ghee and a little rice, and a
small quantity of meat-curry. Yaśovarman said to the merchant out of
curiosity—“Great merchant, why do you eat so little?” Thereupon the merchant
gave him this answer: “To-day out of regard for you I have eaten a little rice
with meat-curry and half a pal of ghee; I have also eaten some barley-meal. But
as a general rule, I eat only a karsha of ghee and some barley-meal, I have a
weak digestion, and cannot digest more in my stomach.” When Yaśovarman heard
that, he turned the matter over in his mind, and formed an unfavourable opinion
of that prosperity of Arthavarman’s, as being without fruit. Then, at
nightfall, that merchant Arthavarman again brought rice and milk for Yaśovarman
to eat. And Yaśovarman again ate of it to his fill, and then Arthavarman drank
one pala of milk. And in that same place Yaśovarman and Arthavarman both made
their beds, and gradually fell asleep.
And at
midnight Yaśovarman suddenly saw in his sleep some men of terrible appearance
with clubs in their hands, entering the room. And they exclaimed angrily—“Fie!
why have you taken to-day one karsha more of ghee than the small amount allowed
to you, and eaten meat-curry, and drunk a pala of milk?” Then they dragged
Arthavarman by his foot and beat him with clubs. And they extracted from his
stomach the karsha of ghee, and the milk, flesh, and rice, which he had
consumed above his allowance. When Yaśovarman had seen that, he woke up and
looked about him, and lo! Arthavarman had woke up, and was seized with colic.
Then Arthavarman, crying out, and having his stomach rubbed by his servants,
vomited up all the food he had eaten above the proper allowance. After the
merchant’s colic was allayed, Yaśovarman said to himself: “Away with this good
fortune of wealth, which involves enjoyment of such an equivocal kind! This
would be altogether neutralized by such misery of ill health.” In such internal
reflections he passed that night.
And in the
morning he took leave of Arthavarman, and went to the house of that merchant
Bhogavarman. There he approached him in due form, and he received him with
politeness, and invited him to dine with him on that day. Now he did not
perceive any wealth in the possession of that merchant, but he saw that he had
a nice house, and dresses, and ornaments. While Yaśovarman was waiting there,
the merchant Bhogavarman proceeded to do his own special business. He took
merchandise from one man, and immediately handed it over to another, and
without any capital of his own, gained dínárs by the transaction. And he
quickly sent those dínárs by the hand of his servant to his wife, in order that
she might procure all kinds of food and drink. And immediately one of that
merchant’s friends, named Ichchhábharaṇa, rushed in and said to him: “Our
dinner is ready, rise up and come to us, and let us eat, for all our other
friends have assembled and are waiting for you.” He answered, “I shall not come
to-day, for I have a guest here.” Thereupon his friend went on to say to him, “Then
let this guest come with you; is he not our friend also? Rise up quickly.”
Bhogavarman, being thus earnestly invited by that friend, went with him,
accompanied by Yaśovarman, and ate excellent food. And, after drinking wine, he
returned, and again enjoyed all kinds of viands and wines at his own house in
the evening. And when night came on, he asked his servants—“Have we enough wine
left for the latter part of the night or not?” When they replied, “No, master,”
the merchant went to bed, exclaiming, “How are we to drink water in the latter
part of the night?”
Then
Yaśovarman, sleeping at his side, saw in a dream two or three men enter, and
some others behind them. And those who entered last, having sticks in their
hands, exclaimed angrily to those who entered first—“You rascals! Why did you
not provide wine for Bhogavarman to drink in the latter half of the night?
Where have you been all this time?” Then they beat them with strokes of their
sticks. The men who were beaten with sticks, said, “Pardon this single fault on
our part.” And then they and the others went out of the room.
Then
Yaśovarman, having seen that sight, woke up and reflected, “The good fortune of
enjoyment of Bhogavarman, in which blessings arrive unthought of, is preferable
to the good fortune of wealth of Arthavarman, which, though attended with
opulence, is devoid of enjoyment.”
In these
reflections he spent the rest of the night.
And early
the next morning Yaśovarman took leave of that excellent merchant, and again
repaired to the feet of Durgá, the goddess that dwells in the Vindhya range.
And he chose out of those two good fortunes mentioned by the goddess, when she
appeared to him on a former occasion, while he was engaged in austerities, the
good fortune of enjoyment, and the goddess granted it to him. Then Yaśovarman
returned home and lived in happiness, thanks to the good fortune of enjoyment,
which, owing to the favour of the goddess, continually presented itself to him
unthought of.
“So a
smaller fortune, accompanied with enjoyment, is to be preferred to a great
fortune, which, though great, is devoid of enjoyment and therefore useless. So
why are you annoyed at the good fortune of king Chamarabála, which is combined
with meanness, and do not consider your own fortune, which is rich in the power
of giving and in enjoyment?
“So an
attack on him by you is not advisable, and there is no auspicious moment for
commencing the expedition, and I do not foresee victory to you.” Though those
five kings were thus warned by the astrologer, they marched in their impatience
against king Chamarabála.
And when
king Chamarabála heard that they had reached the border, he bathed in the
morning, and worshipped Śiva duly by his auspicious names referring to
sixty-eight excellent parts of the body,—his names that destroy sin and grant
all desires. And then he heard a voice coming from heaven, “King, fight without
fear, thou shalt conquer thy enemies in battle.” Then king Chamarabála was
delighted, and girded on his armour, and accompanied by his army, marched out
to fight with those foes. In the army of his enemies there were thirty thousand
elephants, and three hundred thousand horses, and ten million foot-soldiers.
And in his own army there were twenty hundred thousand foot-soldiers, and ten
thousand elephants, and a hundred thousand horses. Then a great battle took place
between those two armies, and king Chamarabála, preceded by his warder Víra,
who was rightly so named, entered that field of battle, as the holy Vishṇu, in
the form of the great boar, entered the great ocean. And though he had but a
small army, he so grievously smote that great army of his foes, that slain
horses, elephants, and footmen lay in heaps. And when king Samarabála came
across him in the battle, he rushed upon him, and smote him with an iron spear,
and drawing him towards him with a lasso, made him prisoner. And then in the
same way he smote the second king Samaraśúra in the heart with an arrow, and
drawing him towards him with a noose, made him also prisoner. And his warder,
named Víra, captured the third king, named Samarajita, and brought him to him.
And his general, named Devabala, brought and presented to him the fourth king,
named Pratápachandra, wounded with an arrow. Then the fifth king Pratápasena,
beholding that, fell furiously upon king Chamarabála in the fight. But he
repelled his arrows with the multitude of his own, and pierced him with three
arrows in the forehead. And when he was bewildered with the blows of the
arrows, Chamarabála, like a second Destiny, flung a noose round his neck, and
dragging him along made him a captive. When those five kings had in this way
been taken prisoners in succession, as many of their soldiers, as had escaped
slaughter, fled, dispersing themselves in every direction. And king Chamarabála
captured an infinite mass of gold and jewels, and many wives belonging to those
kings. And among them, the head queen of king Pratápasena, called Yaśolekhá, a
lovely woman, fell into his hands.
Then he
entered his city, and gave turbans of honour to the warder Víra and the general
Devabala, and loaded them with jewels. And the king made Yaśolekhá an inmate of
his own harem, on the ground that she, being the wife of Pratápasena, was
captured according to the custom of the Kshatriyas. And she, though flighty,
submitted to him because he had won her by the might of his arm; in those
abandoned to the intoxication of love the impressions of virtue are evanescent.
And after some days, king Chamarabála, being solicited by the queen Yaśolekhá,
let go those five captive kings, Pratápasena and the others, after they had learnt
submission and done homage, and after honouring them, dismissed them to their
own kingdoms. And then king Chamarabála long ruled his own wealthy kingdom, in
which there were no opponents, and the enemies of which had been conquered, and
he sported with that Yaśolekhá, who surpassed in form and loveliness beautiful
Apsarases, being, as it were, the banner that announced his victory over his
foes.
“Thus a
brave man, though unsupported, conquers in the front of battle even many
enemies coming against him in fight, distracted with hate, and not considering
the resources of themselves and their foe, and by his surpassing bravery puts a
stop to the fever of their conceit and pride.”
When
Naraváhanadatta had heard this instructive tale told by Gomukha, he praised it,
and set about his daily duties of bathing and so on. And he spent that night,
which was devoted to the amusement of a concert, in singing with his wives in
such a ravishing way, that Sarasvatí from her seat in heaven gave him and his
beloved ones high commendation.
0 Comments
If you have any Misunderstanding Please let me know