The Kathá Sarit Ságara; or, Ocean of the Streams of Story
skill in the expression of sentiments by gesture forsook her, as if
in anger at beholding her want of modesty. And the spectators beheld
the emotion of those two, and brought the spectacle to an end, saying,
"The princess is tired." Then Mahalliká was dismissed by her father,
looking askance at Súryaprabha, and after she had bowed before the
princes of the Daityas, she went home. And the princes of the Daityas
went to their respective houses, and Súryaprabha too went to his
dwelling at the close of day.
And when the night came, Kalávatí again came to visit him, and
he slept secretly within with her, with all his followers sleeping
outside. In the meanwhile Mahalliká also came there, eager to see him,
accompanied by two confidantes. Then a minister of Súryaprabha's,
named Prajnádhya, who happened at that moment to have his eyes
forsaken by sleep, saw her attempting to enter. And he, recognising
her, rose up and said--"Princess, remain here a moment until I enter
and come out again." She alarmed, said--"Why are we stopped, and why
are you outside?" Prajnádhya again said to her--"Why do you enter
in this sudden way when a man is sleeping at his ease? Besides, my
lord sleeps alone to-night on account of a vow." Then the daughter
of Prahláda, being ashamed, said, "So be it, enter," and Prajnádhya
went inside. Seeing that Kalávatí was asleep, he woke up Súryaprabha
and himself told him that Mahalliká had arrived. And Súryaprabha,
hearing of it, gently rose up, and went out, and beholding Mahalliká
with two others, he said--"This person has been supremely blessed
by your arrival, let this place be blessed also, take a seat." When
Mahalliká heard this, she sat down with her friends, and Súryaprabha
also sat down, with Prajnádhya by his side. And when he sat down,
he said--"Fair one, although you shewed contempt for me by seeming
to look on others in the assembly with respect, nevertheless, O
rolling-eyed one, my eyes were blessed as soon as they beheld your
dancing as well as your beauty." When Súryaprabha said this, the
daughter of Prahláda answered him--"This is not my fault, noble sir,
[650] he is in fault, who made me ashamed in the hall of assembly
by putting me beside my part in the pantomime." When Súryaprabha
heard this, he laughed and said--"I am conquered." And then that
prince seized her hand with his, and it perspired and trembled, as
if afraid of the rough seizure. And she said--"Let me go, noble sir,
I am a maiden under my father's control,"--then Prajnádhya said to
that daughter of the chief of the Asuras, "Is not there not such
a thing as the Gándharva marriage of maidens? And your father,
who has seen your heart, will not give you to another, moreover
he will certainly do some honour to this prince here; so away with
timidity! Let not such a meeting be thrown away!" While Prajnádhya
was saying this to Mahalliká, Kalávatí woke up within. And not seeing
Súryaprabha on the bed, after waiting a long time, she was terrified
and apprehensive and went out. And seeing her lover in the company
of Mahalliká, she was angry and ashamed and terrified. Mahalliká
too, when she saw her, was terrified and angry and ashamed, and
Súryaprabha stood motionless like a painted picture. Kalávatí came
to his side, thinking--"Now that I have been seen, how can I escape,
shall I display shame or jealousy?" And she said with a spiteful
intonation to Mahalliká--"How are you, my friend, how comes it that
you have come here at night?" Then Mahalliká said--"This is my house;
as you have arrived here from another mansion of the under-world, you
are to-day my guest here." When Kalávatí heard that, she laughed and
said--"Yes, it is clearly the case that you entertain with appropriate
hospitality every guest, as soon as he arrives here." When Kalávatí
said this, Mahalliká answered--"When I spoke to you kindly, why do
you answer in such an unkind and spiteful way, shameless girl? Am I
like you? Did I, without being bestowed in marriage by my parents,
come from a distance, and in a strange place sleep in the bed of a
strange man alone at night? I came to see my father's guest, as he
was going away, in accordance with the duty of hospitality, a moment
ago, accompanied by two female friends. When this minister entered,
after first reproaching me, I guessed the real state of the case; you
have now of yourself revealed it." When thus addressed by Mahalliká,
Kalávatí departed, looking askance at her beloved with an eye red
with anger. Then Mahalliká too said to Súryaprabha in wrath, "Now I
will depart, man of many favourites," and went away. And Súryaprabha
remained in heartless despondency, as was reasonable, for his heart,
devoted to his loved ones, went with them.
Then he woke up his minister Prabhása, and sent him to discover
what Kalávatí had done, after she had separated from him in anger;
and in the meanwhile he sent Prahasta to find out about Mahalliká,
and he remained with Prajnádhya awaiting their report. Then Prabhása
returned from investigating the proceedings of Kalávatí, and being
questioned, he said as follows: "From this place I went to the private
apartment of Kalávatí in the second under-world, concealing myself by
my science. And outside it I heard the conversation of two maids. The
one said, 'My friend, why is Kalávatí distressed to-day?' Then the
second said--'My friend, hear the reason. There is at present in the
fourth under-world an incarnation of Sumundíka, named Súryaprabha,
who in beauty surpasses the god of Love; she went secretly and gave
herself to him. And when she had repaired to him to-day of her own
accord at night-fall, Mahalliká, the daughter of Prahláda, chose to
come there too. Our mistress had a jealous quarrel with her, and was in
consequence preparing to slay herself, when, she was seen by her sister
Sukhávatí and saved. And then she went inside, and flinging herself
down on a bed, she remained with that sister, who was despondent
when she had learnt by enquiry what had taken place.' When I had
heard this conversation of the two maids, I entered the apartment,
and beheld Kalávatí and Sukhávatí, who resembled one another exactly."
While Prabhása was saying this to Súryaprabha in private, Prahasta
also came there, and being questioned, he said as follows--"When I
arrived from this place at the private apartment of Mahalliká, she
entered despondent with her two intimate friends. And I entered also
invisible by the employment of magic science, and I saw there twelve
friends like her; and they sat round Mahalliká, who reclined on a sofa
ornamented with splendid jewels; and then one said to her, 'My friend,
why do you seem to be suddenly cast down to-day? What is the meaning
of this despondency when your marriage is about to come off?' When the
daughter of Prahláda heard that, she answered her friend pensively,
'What marriage for me? To whom am I betrothed? Who told you?' When she
said that, they all exclaimed, 'Surely your marriage will take place
to-morrow, and you are betrothed, my friend, to Súryaprabha. And
your mother, the queen, told us to-day when you were not present,
and ordered us to decorate you for the marriage ceremony. So you are
fortunate, in that you will have Súryaprabha for a husband, through
admiration for whose beauty the ladies of this place cannot sleep at
night. But this is a source of despondency to us--What a gulf there
will now be between you and us! When you have obtained him for a
husband, you will forget us.' When Mahalliká heard this from their
mouth, she said, 'Has he been seen by you, and is your heart attached
to him?' When they heard that, they said to her--'We saw him from the
top of the palace, and what woman is there that a sight of him would
not captivate?' Then she said, 'Then I will persuade my father to
cause all of you to be given to him. [651] So we shall live together,
and not be separated.' When she said this, the maidens were shocked,
and said to her, 'Kind friend, do not do so. It would not be proper,
and would make us ashamed.' When they said this, the daughter of the
king of the Asuras answered them, 'Why is it not proper? I am not to
be his only wife: all the Daityas and Dánavas will give him their
daughters, and there are other princesses on the earth whom he has
married, and he will also marry many Vidyádhara maidens. What harm can
it do to me that you should be married among these? So far from it,
we shall live happily in mutual friendship; but what intercourse can
I hold with those others who will be my enemies? And why should you
have any shame about the matter? I will arrange it all.' While these
ladies were thus conversing, with hearts devoted to you, I came out at
my leisure and repaired to your presence." When Súryaprabha had heard
this from the mouth of Prahasta, he passed that night in happiness,
though he remained sleepless in his bed.
In the morning he went to the court of Prahláda, the king of the
Asuras, with Sunítha and Maya and his ministers, to visit him. Then
Prahláda said to Sunítha after showing him respect--"I will give to
this Súryaprabha my daughter Mahalliká, for I must shew him some
hospitable entertainment which will be agreeable to you." Sunítha
received with joy this speech of Prahláda's. Then Prahláda made
Súryaprabha ascend an altar-platform, in the middle of which a fire was
burning, and which was adorned with lofty jewelled pillars illuminated
by the brightness of the flame, and there gave him his daughter,
with splendour worthy of the imperial throne of the Asuras. And he
gave to his daughter and her bridegroom heaps of valuable jewels,
obtained by his triumph over the gods, resembling the summit of mount
Meru. And then Mahalliká boldly said to Prahláda--"Father, give me also
those twelve companions whom I love." But he answered her--"Daughter,
they belong to my brother, for they were taken captive by him, and I
have no right to give them away." And Súryaprabha, after the marriage
feast was ended, entered at night the bridal chamber with Mahalliká.
And the next morning, when Prahláda had gone to the hall of assembly
with his followers, Amíla, the king of the Dánavas, said to Prahláda
and the others--"To-day you must all come to my house, for I intend
to entertain there this Súryaprabha, and I will give him my daughter
Kalávatí, if you approve." This speech of his they all approved,
saying, "So be it." Then they all went in a moment to the second
under-world, where he dwelt, with Súryaprabha, Maya and others. There
Amíla gave by the usual ceremony to Súryaprabha his daughter, who
had previously given herself. Súryaprabha went through the marriage
ceremony in the house of Prahláda, and surrounded by the Asuras who had
feasted, spent the day in tasting the enjoyments which they provided
for him.
On the next day, Durároha, a prince of the Asuras, invited and
conducted them all to his own under-world, the fifth. There, by way
of hospitality, he gave to Súryaprabha his own daughter Kumudávatí, as
the others had done, in the prescribed manner. There Súryaprabha spent
the day in enjoyment with all these united. And at night he entered
the apartment of Kumudávatí. There he spent that night in the society
of that lovely and loving woman, the beauty of the three worlds.
And the next morning, Tantukachchha invited and conducted him,
surrounded with his companions, headed by Prahláda, to his palace in
the seventh under-world. There that king of the Asuras gave him his
daughter Manovatí, adorned with splendid jewels, bright as molten
gold. There Súryaprabha spent a highly agreeable day, and passed the
night in the society of Manovatí.
And the next day, Sumáya, a prince of the Asuras, after presenting
an invitation, conducted him with all his friends to his under-world,