Chapter
LVI
Then the
prince Naraváhanadatta, with his beloved by his side, being much pleased at the
tale of Gomukha, but seeing that Marubhúti was quite put out, in order to pay
him a compliment, said to him, attempting to conciliate him; “Marubhúti, why do
you not tell a tale also?” Then he said, “Well, I will tell one,” and with pleased
soul began to relate the following story.
Story
of the Bráhman Chandrasvámin, his son Mahípála, and his daughter Chandravatí.
There once
lived in a town called Devakamalapura, belonging to the king Kamalavarman, an
excellent Bráhman, named Chandrasvámin. And that wise man had a wife like
himself, distinguished for modesty, and she was a worthy match for Sarasvatí
and Lakshmí. And to that Bráhman was born a son with auspicious marks, and when
he was born, this voice was heard from heaven:
“Chandrasvámin,
you must call your son Mahípála, because he shall be a king and long protect
the earth.” When Chandrasvámin heard this, he made a feast and called that son
Mahípála. And in course of time Mahípála grew up, and was taught the science of
missile and hand to hand weapons, and was at the same time instructed in all
knowledge. And in the meanwhile his wife Devamati brought forth to
Chandrasvámin another child, a daughter, beautiful in all her limbs. And the
brother and sister, Mahípála and Chandravatí, grew up together in their
father’s house.
Then a
famine, caused by want of rain, sprang up in that country, the corn having been
scorched up by the rays of the sun. And owing to that, the king began to play
the bandit, leaving the right path, and taking wealth from his subjects
unlawfully. Then, as that land was going rapidly to ruin, Chandrasvámin’s wife
said to her husband: “Come to my father’s house, let us leave this city, for
our children will perish here some day or other.” When Chandrasvámin heard this,
he said to his wife—“By no means, for flight from one’s own country in time of
famine is a great sin. So I will take these children and deposit them in your
father’s house, and do you remain here; I will return soon. She agreed, and
then Chandrasvámin left her in his house, and taking those two children, the
boy Mahípála and the girl Chandravatí, set out from that city for his
father-in-law’s house. And in course of time, as he roamed on, he reached a
great wilderness, with sands heated by the rays of the sun, and with but a few
parched up trees in it. And there he left his two children, who were exhausted
with thirst, and went to a great distance to look for water for them. Then
there met him a chief of the Śavaras, named Sinhadanshṭra, with his followers,
going somewhere or other for his own ends. The Bhilla saw him and questioned
him, and finding out that he was in search of water, said to his followers,
“Take him to some water,” at the same time making a sign to them. When they
heard it, two or three of the Śavara king’s followers, perceiving his
intention, took the innocent Chandrasvámin to the village, and fettered him.
And he, learning from them that he was fettered in order to be offered as a
victim, lamented for his two children that he had left in the wild:
“Ah
Mahípála! Ah dear Chandravatí! why did I foolishly abandon you in the
wilderness and make you the prey of lions and tigers? And I have brought myself
also into a position where I am sure to be slain by bandits, and there is no
escape for me.” While he was thus lamenting in his terror, he saw to his
delight the sun. And exclaiming, “Ah! I will fling aside bewilderment and fly
for refuge to my own lord,” the Bráhman began to praise the sun in the
following verses—“Hail to thee, O Lord, the brightness residing in the near and
in the remote ether, that dispersest the internal and external darkness. Thou
art Vishṇu pervading the three worlds, thou art Śiva the treasure-house of
blessings, thou art the supreme lord of creatures, calling into activity the
sleeping Universe. Thou deposest thy brightness in fire and in the moon, out of
pity, as it were, saying, ‘Let these two dull things shine,’ and so thou
dispellest the night. When thou risest, the Rákshasas disperse, the Dasyus have
no power, and the virtuous rejoice. So, thou matchless illuminator of the three
worlds, deliver me, who take refuge with thee. Disperse this darkness of my
grief, have mercy upon me.” When the Bráhman had devoutly praised the sun with
these and other similar hymns, a voice was heard from heaven—“Chandrasvámin, I
am pleased with thee, thou shalt not be put to death, and by my favour thou
shalt be reunited with thy wife and children.” When the divine voice had said
this to Chandrasvámin, he recovered his spirits, and remained in a state of
tranquillity, being supplied with bathing requisites and food by the Śavaras.
And in the
meanwhile the boy Mahípála, left in the wilderness with his sister, as his
father did not return, remained lamenting bitterly, supposing that some calamity
had befallen him. And in this state he was beheld by a great merchant, of the
name of Sárthadhara, who came that way, and the merchant asked him what had
happened to him. And feeling compassion, he consoled the boy, and observing
that he had auspicious marks, he took him and his sister to his own country.
There that Mahípála lived in the house of that merchant, who looked upon him
with all the affection of a father for his son; and though a boy, he was
occupied in the rites of the sacred fire.
But one day
the minister of the king Tárávarman, who lived in the city of Tárápura, the
excellent Bráhman Anantasvámin, came that way on business, with his elephants,
horses and foot-soldiers, and entered the house of that merchant, being a
friend of his. After he had rested, he saw the handsome boy Mahípála, engaged
in muttering prayers and in sacrificing to the fire, and asked his story; then
the Bráhman minister, finding that the boy was of his own caste, as he had no
children, begged the boy and his sister from the merchant. Then the merchant,
who was a Vaiśya, gave him the children, and Anantasvámin went with them to
Tárápura. There Mahípála remained in the house of that minister, which abounded
in wealth on account of its master’s knowledge, and was treated by him as a
son.
And in the
meanwhile Sinhadanshṭra, the king of the Bhillas, came to Chandrasvámin, who
was in captivity in that village, and said to him; “Bráhman, I have been
ordered in a dream by the Sun-god not to slay you but to set you free, after
doing you honour. So rise up, and go where you please.” After saying this, he
let him go, giving him pearls and musk, and supplying him with an escort
through the forest. And Chandrasvámin, being thus set at liberty, not finding
his son and his younger sister in the wood, wandered in search of them, and as
he wandered he found a city named Jalapura on the shore of the sea, and entered
as a guest the house of a certain Bráhman. There, after he had taken
refreshment, and then told his story, the Bráhman, the master of the house,
said to him; “A merchant named Kanakavarman came here some days ago; he found
in the forest a Bráhman boy with his sister, and he has gone off with those two
very handsome children to the great island of Nárikela, but he did not tell his
name.” When Chandrasvámin heard that, he made up his mind that those children
were his, and he determined to go to that beautiful island. And after he had
spent the night, and looked about him, he made acquaintance with a merchant,
named Vishṇuvarman, who was about to go to the isle of Nárikela. And with him
he embarked in a ship, and went across the sea to the island, out of love for
his children. When he began to enquire there, the merchants, who lived there,
said to him; “It is true that a merchant named Kanakavarman did come here, with
two beautiful Bráhman children, whom he found in a wood. But he has now gone
with them to the island of Kaṭáha. When the Bráhman heard that, he went in a
ship with the merchant Dánavarman to the island of Kaṭáha. There he heard that
the merchant Kanakavarman had gone from that island to an island named Karpúra.
In the same way he visited in turn the islands of Karpúra, Suvarṇa, and Sinhala
with merchants, but he did not find the merchant whom he was in search of. But
from the people of Sinhala he heard that that merchant Kanakavarman had gone to
his own city, named Chitrakúṭa. Then Chandrasvámin went with a merchant, named
Koṭíśvara, to Chitrakúṭa, crossing the sea in his ship. And in that city he
found the merchant Kanakavarman, and longing for his children, he told him the
whole story. Then Kanakavarman, when he knew the cause of his grief, showed him
the children, whom he had found in the forest and brought away. But when
Chandrasvámin looked at those two children, he saw that they were not his, but
some other children. Then he, being afflicted with tears and grief, lamented in
desperate mood—“Alas! though I have wandered so far, I have not found my son or
my daughter. Malignant Providence, like a wicked master, has held out hopes to
me but has not fulfilled them, and has made me wander far and wide on a false
surmise.” While he was indulging in such lamentations, he was at last, though
with difficulty, consoled by Kanakavarman, and exclaimed in his grief, “If I do
not find those children in a year, by wandering over the earth, I will abandon
the body by austerities on the bank of the river Ganges. When he said this, a
certain seer there said to him, “Go, you will recover your children by the
favour of Náráyaṇí. When he heard that, he was delighted, remembering the
compassion shown him by the sun, and he departed from that city, honoured by
the merchants.
Then,
searching the lands which were royal grants to Bráhmans, and the villages and
the towns, he reached one evening a wood with many tall trees in it. There he
made a meal on fruits and water, and climbed up into a tree to spend the night
there, dreading the lions, and tigers, and other noisome beasts. And being
sleepless, he saw in the night at the foot of the tree a great body of divine
Mothers assembled, with Náráyaṇí at their head; waiting for the arrival of the
god Bhairava, having brought with them all kinds of presents suited to their
resources. And thereupon the Mothers asked Náráyaṇí why the god delayed, but
she laughed and gave no reason. And being persistently questioned by them, she
answered—“He has stopped to curse a Guhyaka who has incurred his displeasure.”
And on account of that business some delay has taken place about his arrival,
but know that he will be here soon. While Náráyaṇí was saying this to the Mothers,
there came there Bhairava the lord of the company of Mothers. And he, having
been honoured with gifts by all the Mothers, spent some time in dancing, and
sported with the witches.
And while
Chandrasvámin was surveying that from the summit of a tree, he saw a slave
belonging to Náráyaṇí, and she saw him. And as chance would have it, they fell
in love with one another, and the goddess Náráyaṇí perceived their feelings.
And when Bhairava had departed, accompanied by the witches, she, lingering
behind, summoned Chandrasvámin who was on the tree. And when he came down, she
said to him and her slave: “Are you in love with one another?” And they
confessed the truth, and said they were, and thereupon she dismissed her anger
and said to Chandrasvámin, “I am pleased with thee for confessing the truth, so
I will not curse thee, but I will give thee this slave, live in happiness.”
When the Bráhman heard this, he said—“Goddess, though my mind is fickle, I hold
it in check, I do not touch a strange woman. For this is the nature of the
mind, but bodily sin should be avoided.” When that firm-souled Bráhman said
this, the goddess said to him—“I am pleased with thee and I give thee this
boon: thou shalt quickly find thy children. And receive from me this unfading
lotus that destroys poison.” When the goddess had said this, she gave the
Bráhman Chandrasvámin a lotus, and disappeared from his eyes.
And he,
having received the lotus, set out, at the end of the night, and roaming along
reached the city of Tárápura, where his son Mahípála and his daughter were
living in the house of that Bráhman minister Anantasvámin. There he went and
recited at the door of that minister, in order to obtain food, having heard
that he was hospitable. And the minister, having been informed by the
door-keepers, had him introduced by them, and when he saw that he was learned,
invited him to dinner. And when he was invited, having heard that there was a
lake there, named Anantahrada, that washed away sin, he went to bathe there.
While he was returning after bathing, the Bráhman heard all round him in the
city a cry of grief. And when he asked the cause, the people said to him—“There
is in this city a Bráhman boy, of the name of Mahípála, who was found in the
forest by the merchant Sárthadhara. The minister Anantasvámin, observing that
he had auspicious marks, with some difficulty begged him and his sister from
the merchant, and brought them both here. And being without a son, he has
adopted the boy, whose excellent qualities have endeared him to king Tárávarman
and his people. To-day he has been bitten by a poisonous snake; hence the cry
of grief in the city.” When Chandrasvámin heard that, he said to himself, “This
must be my son,” and reflecting thus, he went to the house of that minister as
fast as he could. There he saw his son surrounded by all, and recognized him,
and rejoiced, having in his hand the lotus that was an antidote to
snake-poison. And he put that lotus to the nose of that Mahípála, and the
moment he smelt it, he was free from the effects of poison. And Mahípála rose
up, and was as one who had just awoke from sleep, and all the people in the
city, and the king rejoiced. And Chandrasvámin was honoured with wealth by
Anantasvámin, the king, and the citizens, who said “This is some incarnation of
the divinity.” And he remained in the house of the minister in great comfort,
honoured by him, and he saw his son Mahípála and his daughter Chandravatí. And
the three, though they mutually recognized one another, said nothing, for the
wise have regard to what is expedient, and do not discover themselves out of
season.
Then the
king Tárávarman, being highly pleased with the virtues of Mahípála, gave him
his daughter Bandhumatí. Then that king, after giving him the half of the
kingdom, being pleased with him, laid the whole burden of the kingdom upon him,
as he had no other son. And Mahípála, after he had obtained the kingdom,
acknowledged his father, and gave him a position next to his, and so lived in
happiness.
One day his
father Chandrasvámin said to him, “Come, let us go to our own country to bring
your mother. For if she hears that you are the occupant of a throne, having
been long afflicted, she might think, ‘How comes it that my son has forgotten
me,’ and might curse you in her anger. But one who is cursed by his father and
mother does not long enjoy prosperity. In proof of this hear this tale of what
happened long ago to the merchant’s son.”
Story
of Chakra
In the city
of Dhavala there was a merchant’s son, named Chakra. He went on a trading
voyage to Svarṇadvípa against the will of his parents. There he gained great
wealth in five years, and in order to return embarked on the sea in a ship
laden with jewels. And when his voyage was very nearly at an end, the sea rose
up against him, troubled with a great wind, and with clouds and rain. And the
huge billows broke his vessel, as if angry because he had come against the wish
of his parents. Some of the passengers were whelmed in the waves, others were
eaten by sea-monsters. But Chakra, as his allotted term of life had not run
out, was carried to the shore and flung up there by the waves. While he was
lying there in a state of exhaustion, he saw as if in a dream, a man of black
and terrible appearance come to him, with a noose in his hand. Chakra was
caught in the noose by that man, who took him up and dragged him a long
distance to a court presided over by a man on a throne. By the order of the
occupant of the throne, the merchant’s son was carried off by that
noose-bearer, and flung into a cell of iron.
In that
cell Chakra saw a man being tortured by means of an iron wheel on his head,
that revolved incessantly. And Chakra asked him,—“Who are you, by what crime
did you incur this, and how do you manage to continue alive?” And the man
answered—“I am a merchant’s son named Khaḍga, and because I did not obey the
commands of my parents, they were angry and in wrath laid this curse upon me:
‘Because, wicked son, you torture us like a hot wheel placed on the head,
therefore such shall be your punishment.’ When they had said this they ceased,
and as I wept, they said to me, ‘Weep not, your punishment shall only last for
one month.’ When I heard that, I spent the day in grief, and at night when I
was in bed, I saw, as if in a dream, a terrible man come. He took me off and
thrust me by force into this iron cell, and he placed on my head this burning
and ever-revolving wheel. This was my parents’ curse, hence I do not die. And
the month is at an end to-day; still I am not set free.” When Khaḍga said that,
Chakra in pity answered him—“I too did not obey my parents, for I went abroad
to get wealth against their will, and they pronounced against me the curse that
my wealth, when acquired, should perish. So I lost in the sea my whole wealth,
that I had acquired in a foreign island. My case is the same as yours. So what
is the use of my life? Place this wheel on my head. Let your curse, Khaḍga,
depart.” When Chakra said this, a voice was heard in the air “Khaḍga, thou art
released, so place this wheel on the head of Chakra.” When Khaḍga heard this,
he placed the wheel on the head of Chakra, and was conveyed by some invisible
being to his parents’ house.
There he
remained without disobeying again the orders of his parents: but Chakra put
that wheel upon his head, and then spake thus—“May other sinners also on the
earth be released from the result of their sins; until all sins are cancelled,
may this wheel revolve on my head.” When the resolute Chakra said this, the
gods in heaven, being pleased, rained flowers and thus addressed him: “Bravo!
Bravo! man of noble spirit, this compassion has cancelled thy sin, go; thou
shalt possess inexhaustible wealth.” When the gods said this, that iron wheel
fell from the head of Chakra, and disappeared somewhere. Then a Vidyádhara
youth descended from heaven, and gave him a valuable treasure of jewels, sent
by Indra pleased with his self-abnegation, and taking Chakra in his arms,
carried him to his city named Dhavala, and departed as he had come. Then Chakra
delighted his relations by his arrival at the house of his parents, and, after
telling his adventures, remained there without falling away from virtue.
When
Chandrasvámin had told this story, he said again to Mahípála, “Such evil fruits
does opposition to one’s parents produce, my son, but devotion to them is a
wishing-cow of plenty: in illustration of this hear the following tale.”
Story
of the hermit and the faithful wife.
There was
in old time a hermit of great austerity, who roamed in the forest. And one day
a hen-crow, as he was sitting under the shade of a tree, dropped dirt upon him,
so he looked at the crow with angry eyes. And the crow, as soon as he looked at
it, was reduced to ashes; and so the hermit conceived a vain-glorious
confidence in the might of his austerities.
Once on a
time, in a certain city, the hermit entered the house of a Bráhman, and asked
his wife for alms. And that wife, who was devoted to her husband, answered him,
“Wait a little, I am attending upon my husband.” Then he looked at her with an
angry look, and she laughed at him and said, “Remember, I am not a crow.” When
the hermit heard that, he sat down in a state of astonishment, and remained
wondering how she could possibly have come to know of the fate of the crow.
Then, after she had attended upon her husband in the oblation to the fire and
in other rites, the virtuous woman brought alms, and approached that hermit.
Then the hermit joined his hands in the attitude of supplication, and said to
that virtuous woman: “How did you come to know of my adventure with the crow in
the forest; tell me first, and then I will receive your alms?” When the hermit
said this, that wife, who adored her husband, said, “I know of no virtue other
than devotion to my husband, accordingly by his favour I have such power of
discernment. But go and visit a man here who lives by selling flesh, whose name
is Dharmavyádha, from him thou shalt learn the secret of blessedness free from
the consciousness of self.” The hermit, thus addressed by the all-knowing
faithful wife, took the portion of a guest, and after bowing before her,
departed.
Story
of Dharmavyádha the righteous seller of flesh.
The next
day he went in search of that Dharmavyádha, and approached him, as he was
selling flesh in his shop. And as soon as Dharmavyádha saw the hermit, he said,
“Have you been sent here, Bráhman, by that faithful wife?” When the hermit
heard that, he said to Dharmavyádha in his astonishment,—“How come you to have
such knowledge, being a seller of flesh?” When the hermit said this,
Dharmavyádha answered him—“I am devoted to my father and mother, that is my
only object in life. I bathe after I have provided them with the requisites for
bathing, I eat after I have fed them, I lie down after I have seen them to bed;
thus it comes to pass that I have such knowledge. And being engaged in the
duties of my profession, I sell only for my subsistence the flesh of deer and
other animals slain by others, not from desire of wealth. And I and that
faithful wife do not indulge self-consciousness, the impediment of knowledge,
so the knowledge of both of us is free from hindrance. Therefore do you,
observing the vow of a hermit, perform your own duties, without giving way to self-consciousness,
with a view to acquiring purity, in order that you may quickly attain the
supreme brightness.” When he had been thus instructed by Dharmavyádha, he went
to his house and observed his practice, and afterwards he returned satisfied to
the forest. And by his advice he became perfected, and the faithful wife and
Dharmavyádha also attained perfection by such performance of their duties.
“Such is
the power of those who are devoted to husband or father and mother. So come,
visit that mother who longs for a sight of you.” When thus addressed by his
father Chandrasvámin, Mahípála promised to go to his native land to please his
mother. And he disclosed that of his own accord to Anantasvámin his spiritual
father, and when he took upon him the burden of his kingdom, the king set out
with his natural father by night. And at last he reached his own country, and
refreshed his mother Devamati with a sight of him, as the spring refreshes the
female cuckoo. And Mahípála stayed there some time with his mother, being
welcomed by his relations, together with his father who related their
adventures.
In the
meanwhile in Tárápura the princess, his wife Bandhumatí, who was sleeping
within the house, woke up at the close of night. And discovering that her
husband had gone somewhere, she was distressed at her lonely state, and could
not find solace in the palace, the garden, or any other place. But she remained
weeping, shedding tears that seemed to double her necklace, intent on
lamentation only, desiring relief by death. But the minister Anantasvámin came
and comforted her with hope-inspiring words, saying, “Before your husband went,
he said to me, ‘I am going away on some business and I will quickly return,’ so
do not weep, my daughter.” Then she recovered self-control, though with
difficulty. Then she remained continually honouring with gifts excellent
Bráhmans, that came from a foreign country, in order to obtain news of her
husband. And she asked a poor Bráhman, named Sangamadatta, who came for a gift,
for tidings of her husband, having told him his name and the signs by which to
recognize him. Then the Bráhman said, “I have never beheld a man of that kind;
but, queen, you must not give way to excessive anxiety on this account. Doers
of righteous actions eventually obtain reunion with loved ones, and in proof of
that I will tell you a wonder which I saw, listen.”
Story
of the treacherous Páśupata ascetic.
As I was
wandering round all the holy places, I came to the Mánasa lake on the
Himálayas, and in it I saw, as in a mirror, a house composed of jewels, and
from that building there came out suddenly a man with a sword in his hand, and
he ascended the bank of the lake, accompanied by a troop of celestial females.
There he amused himself with the females in a garden in the recreation of
drinking, and I was looking on from a distance unobserved, full of interest in the
spectacle. In the meanwhile a man of prepossessing appearance came there from
somewhere or other. And when he met me, I told him what I had seen. And with
much interest I pointed out to him that man from a distance, and when he beheld
him he told me his own story in the following words:
Story
of the king Tribhuvana.
I am a king
named Tribhuvana in the city of Tribhuvana. There a certain Páśupata ascetic
for a long time paid me court. And being asked the reason by me, he at once
asked me to be his ally in obtaining a sword concealed in a cavern, and I
agreed to that. Then the Páśupata ascetic went with me at night, and having by
means of a burnt-offering and other rites discovered an opening in the earth,
the ascetic said to me, “Hero! enter thou first, and after thou hast obtained
the sword, come out, and cause me also to enter; make a compact with me to do
this.” When he said this, I made that compact with him, and quickly entered the
opening, and found a palace of jewels. And the chief of the Asura maidens who
dwelt there came out from the palace, and out of love led me in, and there gave
me a sword. She said, “Keep this sword which confers the power of flying in the
air, and bestows all magical faculties.” Then I remained there with her. But I
remembered my compact, and going out with the sword in my hand, I introduced
that ascetic into the palace of the Asuras by that opening. There I dwelt with
the first Asura lady who was surrounded by her attendants, and he dwelt with
the second. One day when I was stupefied with drinking, the ascetic
treacherously took away from my side the sword, and grasped it in his own hand.
When he had it in his grasp, he possessed great power, and with his hand he
seized me and flung me out of the cavern. Then I searched for him for twelve
years at the mouths of caverns, hoping that some time I might find him outside.
And this very day the scoundrel has presented himself to my eyes, sporting with
that very Asura lady who belongs to me.
While the
king Tribhuvana was relating this to me, O queen, that ascetic, stupefied with
drink, went to sleep. And while he was asleep, the king went and took the sword
from his side, and by its operation he recovered celestial might. Then the hero
woke up that ascetic with a kick, and reproached the unfortunate man, but did
not kill him. And then he entered the palace with the Asura lady and her
attendants, recovered again like his own magic power. But the ascetic was much
grieved at having lost his magic power. For the ungrateful, though long
successful, are sure to fail at last.
“Having
seen this with my own eyes, I have now arrived here in the course of my
wanderings; so be assured, queen, that you shall eventually be reunited to your
beloved, like Tribhuvana, for the righteous does not sink.” When Bandhumatí
heard that from the Bráhman, she was highly delighted, and made him successful
by giving him much wealth.
And the
next day a distinguished Bráhman came there from a distant land, and Bandhumatí
eagerly asked him for tidings of her husband, telling his name and the tokens
by which he might be recognized. Then that Bráhman said to her: “Queen, I have
not seen your husband anywhere, but I, who have to-day come to your house, am
named not without reason, the Bráhman Sumanas, so you will quickly have your
wishes satisfied, thus my heart tells me. And reunions do take place, even of
the long separated. In proof of thus I will tell you the following tale;
listen, queen.”
Story
of Nala and Damayantí.
Of old time
there lived a king named Nala, whose beauty, I fancy, so surpassed that of the
god of Love, that in disgust he offered his body as a burnt-offering in the
fire of the eye of the enraged Śiva. He had no wife, and when he made
enquiries, he heard that Damayantí, the daughter of Bhíma the king of Vidarbha,
would make him a suitable wife. And Bhíma, searching through the world, found
that there was no king except Nala fit to marry his daughter.
In the
meanwhile Damayantí went down into a tank in her own city, to amuse herself in
the water. There the girl saw a swan that had fed on blue and white lotuses,
and by a trick she threw over it her robe and made it a prisoner in sport. But
the celestial swan, when captured, said to her in accents that she could
understand: “Princess, I will do you a good turn, let me go. There is a king of
the name of Nala, whom even the nymphs of heaven bear on their hearts, like a
necklace strung with threads of merit. You are a wife fitted for him and he is
a husband suited for you, so I will be an ambassador of Love to bring like to
like.” When she heard that, she thought that the celestial swan was a polished
speaker, and so she let him go, saying—“So be it.”—And she said, “I will not
choose any husband but Nala,” having her mind captivated by that prince, who
had entered by the channel of her ear.
And the
swan departed thence, and quickly repaired to a tank resorted to by Nala, when
bent on sporting in the water. And Nala, seeing that the swan was beautiful,
took it captive out of curiosity by throwing his robe over it in sport. Then
the swan said—“Set me free, O king, for I have come to benefit you; listen, I
will tell you. There is in Vidarbha one Damayantí, the daughter of king Bhíma,
the Tilottamá of the earth, to be desired even by gods. And she has chosen you
as her future husband, having fallen in love with you on account of my
description of your virtues; and I have come here to tell you. Nala was at the
same time pierced with the words of that excellent swan, that were brightened
by the splendid object they had in view, and with the sharp arrows of the god
of the flowery shafts. And he said to that swan, “I am fortunate, best of
birds, in that I have been selected by her, as if by the incarnate fulfilment
of my wishes.” When the swan had been thus addressed by him and let go, it went
and related the whole occurrence to Damayantí, as it took place, and then went
whither it would.
Now
Damayantí was longing for Nala; so, by way of a device to obtain him, she sent
her mother to ask her father to appoint for her the ceremony of the Svayamvara.
And her father Bhíma consented, and sent messengers to all the kings on the
earth, to invite them to the Svayamvara. And all the kings, when they had
received the summons, set out for Vidarbha, and Nala went also eagerly, mounted
on his chariot.
And in the
meanwhile, Indra and the other Lokapálas heard from the hermit Nárada of the
Svayamvara of Damayantí, and of her love for Nala. And of them Indra, the Wind,
the god of Fire, Yama and Varuṇa, longing for Damayantí, deliberated together,
and went to Nala, and they found Nala setting off on the journey, and when he
prostrated himself before them, they said to him “Go, Nala, and tell Damayantí
this from us—‘Choose one of us five; what is the use of choosing Nala who is a
mortal? Mortals are subject to death, but the gods are undying.’ And by our
favour, thou shalt enter where she is, unperceived by the others.” Nala said
“So be it,” and consented to do the errand of the gods. And he entered the
apartments of Damayantí without being seen, and delivered that command of the
gods, exactly as it was given. But when the virtuous woman heard that, she said
“Suppose the gods are such, nevertheless Nala shall be my husband, I have no
need of gods.” When Nala had heard her utter this noble sentiment, and had
revealed himself, he went and told it, exactly as it was said, to Indra and the
others; and they, pleased with him, gave him a boon, saying, “We are thy
servants from this time forth, and will repair to thee as soon as thought of,
truthful man.”
Then Nala
went delighted to Vidarbha, and Indra and the other gods assumed the form of
Nala, with intent to deceive Damayantí. And they went to the court of Bhíma,
assuming the attributes of mortals, and, when the Svayamvara began, they sat
near Nala. Then Damayantí came, and leaving the kings who were being proclaimed
one by one by her brother, gradually reached Nala. And when she saw six Nalas,
all possessing shadows and the power of winking, she thought in her perplexity,
while her brother stood amazed, “Surely these five guardians of the world have
produced this illusion to deceive me, but I think that Nala is the sixth here,
and so I cannot go in any other direction.” When the virtuous one had thus
reflected, she stood facing the sun, with mind fixed on Nala alone, and spoke
thus—“O guardians of the world, if even in sleep I have never fixed my heart on
any but Nala, on account of that loyal conduct of mine shew me your real forms.
And to a maiden any other men than her lover previously chosen are strangers,
and she is to them the wife of another, so how comes this delusion upon you?”
When the five, with Indra at their head, heard that, they assumed their own
forms, and the sixth, the true Nala, preserved his true form. The princess in
her delight cast upon the king her eye, beautiful as a blown blue lotus, and
the garland of election. And a rain of flowers fell from heaven. Then king
Bhíma performed the marriage ceremony of her and Nala. And the kings and the
gods, Indra and the others, returned by the way that they came, after due
honour had been done to them by the king of Vidarbha.
But Indra
and his companions saw on the way Kali and Dvápara, and knowing that they had
come for Damayantí, they said to them, “It is of no use you’re going to
Vidarbha; we come thence; and the Svayamvara has taken place; Damayantí has
chosen king Nala. When the wicked Kali and Dvápara heard that, they exclaimed
in wrath, “Since she has chosen that mortal in preference to gods like thyself,
we will certainly separate that couple.” After making this vow they turned
round and departed thence. And Nala remained seven days in the house of his
father-in-law, and then departed, a successful man, for Nishada, with his wife
Damayantí. There their love was greater than that of Śiva and Párvatí. Párvatí
truly is half of Śiva, but Damayantí was Nala’s self. And in due time Damayantí
brought forth to Nala a son named Indrasena, and after that a daughter named
Indrasená.
And in the
meanwhile Kali, who was resolved on effecting what he had promised, was seeking
an occasion against Nala, who lived according to the Śástras. Then, one day,
Nala lost his senses from drunkenness, and went to sleep without saying the
evening prayer and without washing his feet. After Kali had obtained this
opportunity, for which he had been watching day and night, he entered into the
body of Nala. When Kali had entered his body, king Nala abandoned righteous
practices and acted as he pleased. The king played dice, he loved female
slaves, he spoke untruths, he slept in the day, he kept awake at night, he
became angry without cause, he took wealth unjustly, he despised the good, and
he honoured the bad.
Moreover
Dvápara entered into his brother Pushkara, having obtained an opportunity, and
made him depart from the true path. And one day Nala saw, in the house of his
younger brother Pushkara, a fine white bull, named Dánta. And Pushkara would
not give the bull to his elder brother, though he wanted it and asked for it,
because his respect for him had been taken away by Dvápara. And he said to him,
“If you desire this bull, then win it from me at once at play.” When Nala heard
that challenge, in his infatuation he accepted it, and then those two brothers
began to play against each other. Pushkara staked the bull, Nala staked
elephants and other things, and Pushkara continually won, Nala as continually
lost. In two or three days Nala had lost his army and his treasure, but he
still refused to desist from gambling, though entreated to desist, for he was
distracted by Kali. Damayantí, thinking that the kingdom was lost, put her
children in a splendid chariot, and sent them to the house of her father. In
the mean-while Nala lost his whole kingdom; then the hypocritical Pushkara
said, “Since you have lost everything else, now stake Damayantí on the game
against that bull of mine.”
This windy
speech of Pushkara’s, like a strong blast, made Nala blaze like fire; but he
did not say anything unbecoming, nor did he stake his wife. Then Pushkara said
to him, “If you will not stake your wife, then leave this country of mine with
her.” When Nala heard this, he left that country with Damayantí, and the king’s
officers saw him as far as the frontier. Alas! when Kali reduced Nala to such a
state, say, what will be the lot of other mortals, who are like worms compared
with him? Curse on this gambling, the livelihood of Kali and Dvápara, without
law, without natural affection, such a cause of misfortunes even to royal
sages.
So Nala,
having been deprived of his sovereignty by his brother, started to go to
another land with Damayantí, and as he was journeying along, he reached the
centre of a forest, exhausted with hunger. There, as he was resting with his
wife, whose soft feet were pierced with darbha grass, on the bank of a river,
he saw two swans arrive. And he threw his upper garment over them, to capture
them for food, and those two swans flew away with it. And Nala heard a voice
from heaven,—“These are those two dice in the form of swans, they have
descended and flown off with your garment also.” Then the king sat down
despondent, with only one garment on, and providently shewed to Damayantí the
way to her father’s house; saying, “This is the way to Vidarbha, my beloved, to
your father’s house, this is the way to the country of the Angas, and this is
the way to Kośala.” When Damayantí heard this, she was terrified, thinking to
herself—“Why does my husband tell me the way, as if he meant to abandon me?”
Then the couple fed on roots and fruits, and when night came on, lay down both
of them, wearied, in the wood, on a bed of kuśa grass. And Damayantí, worn out
with the journey, gradually dropt off to sleep, but Nala, desiring to depart,
kept awake, deluded by Kali. So he rose up with one garment, deserting that
Damayantí, and departed thence, after cutting off half her upper garment and
putting it on. But Damayantí woke up at the end of the night, and when she did
not see in the forest her husband, who had deserted her and gone, she thought
for some time, and then lamented as follows: “Alas, my husband, great of heart,
merciful even to your enemy! You that used to love me so well, what has made
you cruel to me? And how will you be able to go alone on foot through the
forests, and who will attend on you to remove your weariness? How will the dust
defile on the journey your feet, that used to be stained with the pollen of the
flowers in the garlands worn on the heads of kings! How will your body, that
could not endure to be anointed with the powder of yellow sandal-wood, endure
the heat of the sun in the middle of the day? What do I care for my young son?
What for my daughter? What for myself? May the gods, if I am chaste, procure
good fortune for you alone!” Thus Damayantí lamented, in her loneliness, and
then set out by the path, which her husband had shewn her beforehand. And with
difficulty she crossed the woods, forests, rivers, and rocks, and never did she
depart from her devotion to her husband in, any point. And the might of her
chastity preserved her on the way, so that the hunter, who, after delivering
her from the serpent, fell in love with her for a moment, was reduced to ashes.
Then she joined a caravan of merchants, which she met on the way, and with them
she reached the city of a king named Subáhu. There the daughter of the king saw
her from her palace, and pleased with her beauty, had her brought and gave her
as a present to her mother. Then she remained in attendance on the queen,
respected by her, and when questioned, she answered only—“My husband has
abandoned me.”
And in the
meanwhile her father Bhíma, having heard the tidings of Nala’s misfortune, sent
trustworthy men in every direction, to make search for the royal couple. And
one of them, his minister named Suveṇa, as he was wandering about disguised as
a Bráhman, reached that palace of Subáhu. There he saw Damayantí, who always
examined guests, and she saw with sorrow her father’s minister. And having
recognized one another, they wept together so violently, that Subáhu’s queen
heard it. And the queen had them summoned, and asked them the truth of the
matter, and then she found out that the lady was Damayantí, the daughter of her
sister. Then she informed her husband, and after shewing her honour, she sent
her to the house of her father with Suveṇa and an army. There Damayantí
remained, reunited with her two children, enquiring under her father’s guidance
for news of her husband. And her father sent out spies to look for her husband,
who was distinguished by preternatural skill in cooking and driving. And king
Bhíma commanded the spies to say; “Moon, where have you hid yourself so
cruelly, deserting your young bride asleep in the forest, dear as a cluster of
white lotuses, having taken a piece of her robe?” This he told them to utter
wherever they suspected the presence of Nala.
And in the
meanwhile king Nala travelled a long way at night in that forest, clothed with
the half-garment, and at last he saw a jungle-fire. And he heard someone
exclaim—“Great-hearted one, take me away from the neighbourhood of this fire,
in order that I, being helpless, may not be burned up by it.” When Nala heard
this, he looked round, and beheld a snake coiled up near the fire, having his
head encircled with the rays of the jewels of his crest, as if seized on the
head by the jungle-fire, with terrible flaming weapons in its hand. He went up
to it, and in compassion put it on his shoulder, and carried it a long
distance, and when he wished to put it down, the snake said to him—“Carry me
ten steps further, counting them as you go.” Then Nala advanced, counting the
steps, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven—listen, snake—eight, nine, ten,
and when he said ten (daśa), the snake took him at his word, and bit him in the
front of the forehead, as he lay on his shoulder. That made the king small in
the arms, deformed and black. Then the king took down the snake from his
shoulder, and said to him—“Who art thou, and what kind of a return for my
kindness is this which thou hast made?” When the snake heard this speech of
Nala’s, he answered him,—“King, know that I am a king of the snakes named Kárkoṭaka,
and I gave you the bite for your good; that you will come to learn; when great
ones wish to live concealed, a deformed appearance of body furthers their
plans. Receive also from me this pair of garments, named the ‘fire-bleached,’
you need only put them on and you will recover your true form.” When Kárkoṭaka
had said this, and had departed after giving those garments, Nala left that
wood, and in course of time reached the city of Kośala.
And going
by the name of Hrasvabáhu, he took service as a cook in the family of king Ṛituparṇa,
the sovereign of Kośala. And he acquired renown by making dishes of exquisite
flavour, and by his skill in chariot-driving. And while Nala was living there,
under the name of Hrasvabáhu, it happened that once upon a time one of the
spies of the king of Vidarbha came there. And the spy heard men there
saying,—“In this place there is a new cook, of the name of Hrasvabáhu, equal to
Nala in his own special art and also in the art of driving.” The spy suspected
that the cook was Nala himself, and hearing that he was in the judgment-hall of
the king, he went there and repeated the following Áryá verse, taught him by
his master, “Moon, where have you hid yourself so cruelly, deserting your young
bride asleep in the forest, dear as a cluster of white lotuses, having taken a
piece of her robe?” The people present in the judgment-hall, when they heard
that, thought that his words were those of a madman, but Nala, who stood there
disguised as a cook, answered him, “What cruelty was there in the moon’s
becoming invisible to the lotus-cluster, when it reached and entered another
region, after one part of the heaven had become exhausted?”
When the
spy heard this, he surmised that the supposed cook was really Nala transformed
by misfortune, and he departed thence, and when he reached Vidarbha, he told
king Bhíma and his queen and Damayantí all that he had heard and seen.
Then
Damayantí, of her own accord, said to her father, “Without doubt that man is my
husband disguised as a cook. So let this amusing artifice be employed to bring
him here. Let a messenger be sent to king Ṛituparṇa, and the moment he arrives
let him say to that king, ‘Nala has gone off somewhere or other, no tidings are
heard of him; accordingly to-morrow morning Damayantí will again make her
Svayamvara; so come quickly to Vidarbha this very day;’ and the moment the king
hears his speech, he will certainly come here in one day, together with that
husband of mine who is skilled in chariot-driving.” Having thus debated with
her father, Damayantí sent off that very moment a messenger to the city of
Kośala with exactly this message. He went and told it, as it was given him to Ṛituparṇa,
and the king thereupon, being excited, said affectionately to his attendant
Nala, who was disguised as a cook: “Hrasvabáhu, you said—‘I possess skill in
chariot-driving.’ So take me this very day to Vidarbha if you have sufficient
endurance.” When Nala heard that, he said, “Good! I will take you there,” and
thereupon he yoked swift horses, and made ready the splendid chariot. He said
to himself; “Damayantí has spread this report of a Svayamvara in order to
recover me, otherwise, I know, she would not have behaved in this way even in
her dreams. So I will go there and see what happens.” With such reflections he
brought to Ṛituparṇa the chariot ready. And as soon as the king had mounted it,
Nala proceeded to drive on that chariot with a speed exceeding even that of
Garuḍa. Then Ṛituparṇa dropped his garment, and wished to stop the chariot in
order to recover it, but Nala said to him,—“King, where is that garment of
yours? Why the chariot has in this moment left it many yojanas behind.” When Ṛituparṇa
heard this, he said:—“Well, give me this skill in chariot-driving, and I will
give you my skill in dice, so that the dice shall obey your command and you
shall acquire skill in numbers. And now look; I will give you a proof of the
truth of what I say. You see this tree in front of us; I will tell you the
number of its leaves and fruits, and then do you count them for yourself and
see.” When he had said this, he told him the number of the leaves and fruits on
that tree, and Nala counted them and found them exactly as many as he had said.
Then Nala gave to Ṛituparṇa his skill in driving, and Ṛituparṇa gave to Nala
his skill in dice and numbers.
And Nala
tested that skill on another tree, and found the number of leaves and fruits to
be exactly what he had guessed. And while he was rejoicing, a black man issued
from his body, and he asked him who he was. Then he said, “I am Kali; when you
were chosen by Damayantí, I entered your body out of jealousy, so you lost your
fortune at play. And when Kárkoṭaka bit you in the forest, you were not
consumed, but I was burnt, as you see, being in your body. For to whom is a
treacherous injury done to another likely to be beneficial? So I depart, my
friend, for I have opportunities against others.” After saying this, Kali
vanished from his sight, and Nala at once became well-disposed as before, and
recovered his former splendour. And he returned and remounted the chariot; and
in the course of the same day he drove king Ṛituparṇa into Vidarbha, so rapidly
did he get over the ground, and there the king was ridiculed by the people, who
asked the cause of his coming; and he put up near the palace.
And when he
arrived, Damayantí knew of it, having heard the wonderful noise of the chariot,
and she inly rejoiced, as she suspected that Nala had come too. And she sent
her own maid to find out the truth, and she enquired into it, and came back and
said to her mistress, who was longing for her beloved lord; “Queen, I have
enquired into the matter; this king of Kośala heard a false report of your
Svayamvara and has come here, and he has been driven here in one day by
Hrasvabáhu his charioteer and cook, who is famous for his skill in managing
chariots. And I went into the kitchen and saw that cook. And he is black and
deformed, but possesses wonderful powers. It is miraculous that water gushed up
in his pots and pans, without being put in, and wood burst into flames of its
own accord, without having been lighted, and various cates were produced in a
moment. After I had seen this great miracle, I came back here.” When Damayantí
heard this from the maid, she reflected—“This cook, whom the fire and the water
obey, and who knows the secret of chariot-driving, can be no other than my
husband, and I suspect he has become changed and deformed on account of
separation from me, but I will test him.” When she had formed this resolve, she
sent, by way of stratagem, her two children with that same maid, to shew them
to him. And Nala, when he had seen his children and taken them on his knees
after a long separation, wept silently with a flood of tears. And he said to
the maid—“I have two children like these in the house of their maternal
grandfather, I have been moved to sorrow by recollecting them.” The maid
returned with the children and told all to Damayantí, and then she conceived
much hope.
And early
the next day she gave her maid this order; “Go and tell that cook of Ṛituparṇa’s
from me; ‘I hear that there is no cook like you in the world, so come and
prepare curry for me to-day.’” When the maid communicated to Nala this politic
request, he got leave from Ṛituparṇa and came to Damayantí. And she said, “Tell
me the truth; are you the king Nala disguised as a cook? I am drowned in a sea
of anxiety, and you must to-day bring me safe to shore.” When Nala heard that,
he was full of joy, love, grief and shame, and with downcast face, he spoke, in
a voice faltering from tears, this speech suited to the occasion,—“I am in
truth that wicked Nala, hard as adamant, who in his madness behaved like fire
in afflicting you.” When he said this, Damayantí asked him—“If it is so, how
did you become deformed?” Then Nala told her the whole of his adventures, from
his making friends with Kárkoṭaka to the departure of Kali from him. And
immediately he put on the pair of garments called the “fire-bleached,” given
him by Kárkoṭaka, and recovered on the spot his own original shape.
When
Damayantí saw that Nala had resumed his own charming form, the lotus of her
face quickly expanded, and she quenched, as it were, with the waters of her
eyes the forest-fire of her grief, and attained indescribable unequalled
happiness. And Bhíma, the king of Vidarbha, quickly heard that intelligence
from his joyful attendants, and coming there he welcomed Nala, who showed him
becoming respect, and he made his city full of rejoicing. Then king Ṛituparṇa
was welcomed with the observance of all outward courtesy and every hospitable
rite by king Bhíma, who in his heart could not help laughing, and after he had
in return honoured Nala, he returned to Kośala. Then Nala lived there happily
with his wife, describing to his father-in-law his outburst of wickedness due
to the influence of Kali. And in a few days he returned to Nishada with the
troops of his father-in-law, and he humbled his younger brother Pushkara,
beating him by his knowledge of dice, but, righteous as he was, he gave him a
share of the kingdom again, after Dvápara had left his body, and glad at having
recovered Damayantí, he enjoyed his kingdom lawfully.
When the
Bráhman Sumanas had told this story to the princess Bandhumatí in Tárápura,
whose husband was away, he went on to say to her—“Even thus, queen, do great
ones, after enduring separation, enjoy prosperity, and following the example of
the sun, after suffering a decline, they rise again. So you also, blameless
one, shall soon recover your husband returning from his absence; use patient
self-control, banish grief, and console yourself with the approaching
gratification of your wishes in the return of your husband.” When the virtuous
Bráhman had spoken these appropriate words, she honoured him with much wealth,
and taking refuge in patience, she remained there awaiting her beloved. And in
a few days her husband Mahípála returned, with his father, bringing that mother
of his from a distant land. And when he returned, furnishing a feast to all
eyes, he gladdened Bandhumatí, as the full moon gladdens the lovely water of
the ocean. Then Mahípála, on whom her father had already devolved the burden of
the kingdom, enjoyed as a king desired pleasures with her.
When prince
Naraváhanadatta, the son of the king of Vatsa, had heard in the company of his
wife, from the mouth of his minister Marubhúti, this matchless romantic story,
pleasing on account of its picture of affection, he was exceedingly pleased.
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