The Kathá Sarit Ságara; or, Ocean of the Streams of Story
you, and so had him put to death. Then the mother and the wife and the
younger brother of that cook came here to find out what had become of
him, and the sagacious Gunasarman, finding it out, put to death his
wife and mother, but his brother escaped somehow or other and entered
my palace. While he was imploring my protection and telling me the
whole story, Gunasarman entered my apartment. When the brother of that
cook saw Gunasarman and heard his name, he went out and fled from my
presence, whither I know not. Gunasarman, for his part, when he saw him
who had been previously pointed out to him by his servants, was abashed
and seemed to be thinking over something. And I, wanting to know what
it was, said to him in private, 'Gunasarman, why do you seem to be
altered to-day?' And he, being anxious to win me over to his side,
as he was afraid of the matter being revealed, said to me--'Queen,
I am consumed with passion for you, so consent to my wishes, otherwise
I cannot live; bestow on me life as a Bráhman's fee.' When he had said
this, as the room was empty, he fell at my feet. Then I drew away my
foot and rose up in bewilderment, and he, rising up, embraced me,
a weak woman, by force. And my maid Pallaviká came in at that very
moment. The instant he saw her, he fled out alarmed. If Pallaviká
had not come in, the villain would certainly have outraged me. [681]
This is the injury he has done me to-day." When the queen had told
this false tale, she stopped and wept. For in the beginning wicked
women sprang from Lying Speech. And the moment the king heard it,
he was all on fire with anger, for reliance upon the words of women
destroys the discrimination even of the great. And he said to his dear
wife, "Be comforted, fair one, I will certainly punish that traitor
with death. But he must be slain by artifice, otherwise we might
be disgraced, for it is well known that five times he has saved my
life. And we must not proclaim abroad his crime of offering violence
to you." When the king said this to the queen, she answered--"If that
crime may not be published, may that other one of his be published,
that out of friendship for the king of Gauda he attempted treason
against his master?" When she said this, he answered--"You are quite
right"--and so king Mahásena went to his hall of audience.
Then all the kings, and princes, and barons came to visit the king. And
in the meanwhile Gunasarman left his house to go to court, and on
the way he saw many unfavourable omens. There was a crow on his left
hand, a dog ran from the left to the right, a snake appeared on his
right, and his left arm and shoulder throbbed. [682] He thought to
himself, "These evil omens indicate calamity to me without doubt,
so whatever happens to me, I hope no misfortune may befall the king
my master." With these thoughts he entered the hall of audience, and
prayed loyally that nothing untoward might befall the palace. But when
he bowed and took his seat, the king did not salute him as before,
but looked askance at him with an eye glowing with anger. And when
Gunasarman was alarmed as to what it might mean, the king rose up from
the seat of justice, and sat at his side, and said to the astonished
courtiers, "Hear what Gunasarman has done to me; [683] then Gunasarman
said--"I am a servant, you are my master, so how can our suit be
equal, ascend your seat of judgment, and afterwards give what order
you like." When the resolute man said this, the king, by the advice of
the other ministers, ascended the seat of judgment, and said again to
his courtiers--"You know, that I made this Gunasarman equal to myself,
preferring him to my hereditary ministers. Now hear what treason he
attempted to commit against me, after making an agreement with the
king of Gauda by sending messengers to and fro." After saying this,
the king related to them all the fictitious account of the matter which
Asokavatí had given him. And the king also told to his confidential
ministers, after dismissing the crowd, the lying tale of an attempt to
outrage her, which she had told against Gunasarman. Then Gunasarman
said--"King, who told you such a falsehood, who painted this aerial
picture?" When the king heard that, he said, "Villain, if it is not
true, how did you know that the poison was in the dish of rice?" When
Gunasarman said--"Everything is known by wisdom," the other ministers,
out of hatred to him, said, "That is impossible." Then Gunasarman said,
"King, you have no right to speak thus without enquiring into the truth
of the matter, and a king devoid of discrimination is not approved
of by those who understand policy." When he repeated this over and
over again, the king exclaimed that he was an insolent wretch, and
aimed a sword-cut at him. But he avoided that blow by employing his
trick of fence, and then the other followers of the king struck at
him. And he eluded their swords by his artifices of fence, and baffled
the exertions of them all. And he fettered them, binding them with
one another's hair, shewing wonderful skill in the employment of his
trick of disarming. And he made his way out by force from that hall
of assembly of the king, and he killed about a hundred warriors,
who pursued him. Then he put on his eyes that ointment serving to
render him invisible, which he had in the corner of his garment, and
immediately left that country without being seen. And he made towards
the Dekhan, and as he was going along, he thus reflected on the way:
"Surely that foolish king was set on by that Asokavatí. Alas! women
whose love is slighted are worse than poison! Alas! kings who do not
investigate the truth are not to be served by the good!" While engaged
in such reflections, Gunasarman came at last to a village, there
he saw a worthy Bráhman under a banyan-tree teaching his pupils. He
went up to him and hailed him. And the Bráhman, after welcoming him,
immediately asked him, "O Bráhman, what recension of the Vedas do you
recite, tell me." Then Gunasarman answered that Bráhman,--"Bráhman,
I recite twelve recensions, two of the Sámaveda, two of the Rigveda,
seven of the Yajurveda, and one of the Atharvaveda." Then the Bráhman
said--"You must be a god," and he went on to say to Gunasarman, whose
shape revealed his excellence; "Tell me, what country and what family
did you adorn by being born in them? What is your name and how did
you learn so much?" When Gunasarman heard this, he said to him:
Story of Ádityasarman the father of Gunasarman.
In the city of Ujjayiní there was a Bráhman's son named Ádityasarman,
and when he was a child, his father died, and his mother entered
the fire with her husband. Then Ádityasarman grew up in that city,
in his uncle's house, reading the Vedas, and the books of knowledge,
and also the treatises on accomplishments. And after he had acquired
knowledge, and was engaged in a vow of muttering prayers, he struck up
a friendship with a certain wandering hermit. That wandering hermit
went with his friend Ádityasarman, and performed a sacrifice in a
cemetery to get a Yakshiní into his power. Then a heavenly maiden,
beautifully adorned, appeared to him in a chariot of gold, surrounded
with beautiful maidens. She said to him in a sweet voice, "Mendicant,
I am a Yakshí named Vidyunmálá, and these others are Yakshinís. Take
a suitable wife from my following according to your pleasure. So much
have you obtained by your employment of spells; you have not discovered
the perfect spell for obtaining me; so, as I am obtained by that
only, do not take any further trouble to no purpose." When the Yakshí
said this to him, the mendicant consented, and chose one Yakshiní
from her retinue. Then Vidyunmálá disappeared, and Ádityasarman
asked that Yakshiní, whom the hermit had obtained, "Is there any
Yakshiní superior to Vidyunmálá?" When the Yakshiní heard that, she
answered, "Yes, handsome man, there is. Vidyunmálá, Chandralekhá,
and Sulochaná the third, are the best among the Yakshinís, and among
these Sulochaná." After saying that, the Yakshiní departed, to return
at the appointed time; and the mendicant went with Ádityasarman to
his house. There the loving Yakshiní every day visited the hermit
at the appointed time, and granted him all that he desired. One day
Ádityasarman asked her this question by the mouth of that mendicant:
"Who knows the proper spell for attracting Sulochaná?" And the Yakshiní
sent him this message by the mouth of the mendicant--"There is a
place called Jambuvana in the south. There is a mendicant there,
named Vishnugupta, who has made his dwelling on the banks of the
Vení; he is the best of Buddhist mendicants, and knows the spell
at full length." When Ádityasarman learned this from the Yakshiní,
he went in all eagerness to that country, followed by the mendicant
out of love. There he duly searched for the Buddhist mendicant, and
after he had approached him, he served him devotedly for three years,
and waited upon him continually. And by the help of that Yakshiní,
who was at the beck and call of the first mendicant, his friend,
he provided him with heavenly luxuries, ministered seasonably. Then
that Buddhist mendicant, being pleased, gave to that Ádityasarman the
spell for obtaining Sulochaná, which he desired, together with the
prescribed rites to accompany it. Then Ádityasarman, having obtained
that spell, and having duly employed it, went into a solitary place and
performed there the final sacrifice according to the prescribed ritual,
leaving no ceremony out. Then the Yakshiní Sulochaná appeared to
him in an air-chariot, with world-enchanting beauty, and said to him,
"Come! come! I have been won by you, but you must not make me your wife
for six months, great hero, if you wish to have by me a son, who will
be a favourite of fortune, marked with auspicious marks, all-knowing
and invincible." When she said this, Ádityasarman consented, and
she took him off in her chariot to Alaká. And Ádityasarman remained
there, looking at her ever near him, with his suspense and doubts at
an end, and performed for six months a vow as difficult as standing
on the edge of a sword. Then the god of wealth, being pleased, himself
gave that Sulochaná to Ádityasarman according to a heavenly ritual. I
was born as that Bráhman's son by her, and I was named Gunasarman by
my father on account of my good qualities. Then in that very place I
learned in succession the Vedas, the sciences, and the accomplishments,
from a prince of the Yakshas named Manidara.
Then, once upon a time, it happened that Indra came to the god of
wealth, and all who sat there rose up when they saw him. But as Fate
would have it, Ádityasarman my father was at that time thinking of
something else, and did not rise up in a hurry. Then Indra, being
angry, cursed him, and said--"Out, fool! go to your own world of
mortals, you are out of place here." Then Sulochaná fell at his feet,
and propitiated him, and Indra answered, "Then let him not go to
the world of mortals himself, but let this son of his go, for one's
son is said to be a second self. Let not my word have been spoken
in vain." When Indra had said so much, he was satisfied. Then my
father took me and deposited me in my uncle's house in Ujjayiní. For
what is ordained to be a man's lot must be. There, as it happened,
I struck up a friendship with the king of that place. And listen,
I will tell you what happened to me there afterwards.
After saying this, he described to him what happened from the very
beginning, and what Asokavatí did, and what the king did, ending
up with his fight. And he went on to say to him--"Bráhman, thus
I have fled away to go to a foreign land, and on my way, as I was
journeying along, I have seen you." When the Bráhman heard that, he
said to Gunasarman--"And thus I have become fortunate by your visit,