The Kathá Sarit Ságara; or, Ocean of the Streams of Story
made Prabhása, the impetuous in war, their general. And receiving
the command from Suvásakumára, they all prepared that day with strict
vows to consecrate themselves for the combat. [661]
And at night, Súryaprabha, as he was lying sleepless, saw a wonderful
and beautiful maiden enter the chamber, in which he was occupying a
solitary couch in accordance with his vow. She came boldly up to him,
who pretended to be asleep, with his ministers sleeping round him,
and said to her confidante, who was with her; "If he possesses such
glorious beauty, when he is asleep, and all the graceful motion of
his body is still, what must it be, my friend, when he is awake? So
let be! we must not wake him up. I have gratified the curiosity of my
eyes. Why should I fix my heart too fondly on him? For he will have
a battle with Srutasarman, and who can say what will befall either
party in it? For the feast of battle is for consuming the lives of
heroes. And should he not be fortunate, we shall have to take some
other resolve. [662] And how could one like me captivate the soul of a
man who, when roaming in the air, beheld Kámachúdámani?" When she said
this, her confidante answered, "Why do you say this? Why, fair one,
is it your duty not to allow your heart to attach itself to him? Why
should not he, the sight of whom captivated the heart of Kámachúdámani,
captivate the heart of any other lady, were she even Arundhatí in
bodily presence? And do you not know that he will prosper in fight by
the force of science? And when he is emperor, you, and Kámachúdámani,
and Suprabhá of the same family, are to be his wives, so say the holy
sages, and in these very days he has married Suprabhá. So, how can
he be unsuccessful in fight? For the predictions of the sages are
never falsified. And will you not captivate the heart of the man,
whose heart was captivated by Suprabhá? For you, blameless one,
exceed her in beauty. And if you hesitate through regard for your
relations, that is not right, for good women have no relations but
their husband." That excellent maiden, when she heard this speech of
her confidante's, said--"You have spoken truth, my friend, I need no
other relations. And I know my husband will conquer in fight by his
science. He has obtained jewels and sciences, but my mind is grieved
because up to the present time he has not obtained the virtuous
herbs. Now they are all in a cave of the mountain Chandrapáda. But
they are to be obtained by an emperor possessing virtue. So, if he
were to go there and procure those mighty drugs, it would be well, for
his great struggle is nigh at hand, even to-morrow." When Súryaprabha
heard this, he flung off all his feigned sleep, and rising up, said
respectfully to that maiden--"Lovely-eyed one, you have shewn great
favour to me, so I will go there, tell me who you are." When the maiden
heard that, she was abashed with shame, and silent, thinking that he
had heard all, but her friend said--"This is a maiden named Vilásiní,
the daughter of Sumeru, the prince of the Vidyádharas, who was desirous
of beholding you." When her friend said this, Vilásiní said to her,
"Come, let us go now," and went out of the room.
Then Súryaprabha woke up his ministers, Prabhása and the rest, and
told them of that method of procuring the drugs, which the lady spoke
of. And he sent Prabhása, a fit person to accomplish that, to tell it
to Sunítha and Sumeru and Maya. And when they came and approved of it,
Súryaprabha, accompanied by his ministers, went with them in the night
to the mountain Chandrapáda. And as they were gradually advancing,
the Yakshas, Guhyakas, and Kumbhándas, being alarmed, rose up to bar
their way, armed with numerous weapons. Some of them Súryaprabha
and his friends bewildered with weapons, some they paralysed by
science, and at last they reached that mountain Chandrapáda. When
they reached the mouth of the cavern in that mountain, the Ganas
of Siva prevented them from entering, assuming strange deformed
countenances. Then Suvásakumára said to Súryaprabha and the others,
"We must not fight with these, for the revered god Siva might be
angry. Let us praise that giver of boons by his eight thousand names,
and that will make the Ganas [663] favourably disposed to us." Then
they all agreed, and praised Siva; and the Ganas, pleased at hearing
their master praised, said to them; "We abandon this cave to you,
take its potent simples. But Súryaprabha must not enter it himself;
let Prabhása enter it, for it will be easy for him to enter." They
all said "So be it," and acceded to the advice of the Ganas. Then
that cave, as soon as Prabhása entered it, though before enveloped
in darkness, became irradiated with light. And four very terrible
Rákshasas, who were servants there, rose up, and bending before him,
said to him "Enter." Then Prabhása entered, and collected those seven
divine herbs, and coming out, gave them all to Súryaprabha. And that
moment a voice was heard from heaven, saying, "Súryaprabha, of great
power are these seven drugs which you have obtained to-day." When
Súryaprabha and the others heard that, they were delighted, and
quickly returned to the dwelling of Sumeru to greet their army. Then
Sunítha asked that Suvásakumára; "Hermit, why was Prabhása allowed
by the Ganas to enter the cave, and not Súryaprabha, and why was he
also welcomed by the servants?" When the hermit heard that, he said
in the hearing of all, "Listen, I will explain this--Prabhása is a
great benefactor to Súryaprabha, being a second self to him, there is
no difference between them. Moreover, no one is equal in might and
courage to Prabhása, and this cave belongs to him on account of his
good deeds in a former life, and listen, I will tell you what sort
of a person he was in a former existence."
Story of the generous Dánava Namuchi.
In old times there was an excellent Dánava named Namuchi, who
was devoted to charity and very brave, and did not refuse to give
anything to anybody that asked, even if he were his enemy. He practised
asceticism as a drinker of smoke for ten thousand years, and obtained
as a favour from Brahmá, that he should be proof against iron, stone,
and wood. Then he frequently conquered Indra and made him flee,
so the rishi Kasyapa entreated him, and made him make peace with
the gods. Then the gods and Asuras, as their enmity was at an end,
deliberated together, and went to the ocean of milk, and churned it
with the mountain Mandara. And as Vishnu and the other gods received
Lakshmí and other things as their shares, so Namuchi gained the horse
Uchchhaihsravas; and the other gods and Asuras received other various
shares, appointed by Brahmá, of the things that rose from the sea, when
churned. And the amrita at last came up at the end of the churning,
and the gods stole it, so a quarrel again took place between them
and the Asuras. Then, as fast as the gods killed an Asura in their
light with them, the horse Uchchhaihsravas immediately restored him
to life by smelling him. The consequence was that the gods found it
impossible to conquer the Daityas and Dánavas. Then Vrihaspati said
in secret to Indra, who was in despair: "There is only one expedient
left, adopt it without delay; go to Namuchi yourself, and ask him for
that excellent horse, for he will certainly give it to you, though
you are his enemy, sooner than mar the glory of open-handedness,
which he has been accumulating since his birth." When the preceptor
of the gods said that to him, great Indra went with the gods and
craved as a boon that horse Uchchhaihsravas from Namuchi. Then the
great-hearted Namuchi reflected, "I never turn back a suppliant, so
I will not turn back Indra; and how can I, as long as I am Namuchi,
refuse to give him the horse? If the glory of generosity, which I
have long been acquiring in the worlds, were to wither, what would
be the use to me of prosperity, or life?" Accordingly he gave the
horse to Indra, although Sukra warned him not to do it. Then Indra,
after he had given the horse, lulled him to security, and as he could
not be slain by any other weapon, killed him with foam of the Ganges,
in which he had placed a thunderbolt. Alas! terrible in the world
is the thirst for enjoyment, carried away by which even gods do not
shrink from unbecoming and infamous conduct. When Danu, the mother of
Namuchi, heard this, being afflicted with grief, she made by virtue
of her asceticism a solemn resolve for the allaying of her sorrow,
"May that mighty Namuchi be again born in my womb, and may he again
become invincible by the gods in battle." Then he was again conceived
in her womb, and born as an Asura composed all of jewels, named
Prabala on account of his strength. Then he performed asceticism,
and satisfying supplicants even with his life, became successful,
and as prince of the Dánavas conquered Indra a hundred times. Then
the gods took counsel together, and came to him, and said to him:
"By all means give us your body for a human sacrifice." [664] When he
heard that, he gave them his own body, although they were his enemies;
noble men do not turn their backs on a suppliant, but bestow on him
even their lives. Then that Dánava Prabala was cut to pieces by the
gods, and he has been again born in the world of men with the body
of Prabhása.
"So Prabhása was first Namuchi, and then he was Prabala, and then
he became Prabhása, therefore on account of his merit he is hard
for his enemies to conquer. And that cave of herbs, which belonged
to that Prabala, is for that reason the property of Prabhása,
and is at his command with its servants. And below it there is in
Pátála [665] the mansion of Prabala, and in it there are his twelve
head-wives beautifully adorned, and various jewels, and many kinds
of weapons, and a wishing-stone, and a hundred thousand warriors,
and also horses. This all belongs to Prabhása, and was acquired by
him in a former life. Such a hero is Prabhása; in him nothing is
wonderful." When they heard this from the hermit's son, Súryaprabha
and his followers, with Maya and Prabhása, went immediately to that
cavern belonging to Prabhása, that led down to Pátála, for the purpose
of securing the jewels. Prabhása alone went in by that entrance,
and secured his former wives, and the wishing-stone, and the horses,
and the Asura warriors, and coming out again with all his wealth,
he gave great satisfaction to Súryaprabha. Then that Súryaprabha,
having quickly obtained what he wished, returned to his own camp with
Maya and Sunítha and Prabhása, followed by Sumeru and the other kings
and the ministers. There, after the Asuras and kings and others had
gone to their own quarters, he again was consecrated for the fight,
restraining his passions, and spent the rest of the night on a bed
of kusa grass.
CHAPTER XLVII.
Early the next morning, Súryaprabha set out from the hermitage of
Sumeru with his forces to conquer Srutasarman. And arriving near
the mountain of Trikúta his dwelling place, he encamped, driving
away the enemies' army with his own force, which was established
there. And while he was encamped there with Sumeru, Maya, and others,
and was in the hall of council, an ambassador came from the lord of
Trikúta. And when he came, he said to Sumeru the Vidyádhara prince;
"The king, the father of Srutasarman, sends you this message. 'We
have never entertained you, as you were far off; now you have arrived
in our territory with guests, so now we will shew you appropriate
hospitality.'" When Sumeru heard this scoffingly ambiguous message,
he said in answer: "Bravo! you will not get another guest such a fit
object of hospitality as we are. Hospitality will not bear its fruit
in the next world, its fruit is in this. So here we are, entertain