The Kathá Sarit Ságara; or, Ocean of the Streams of Story
of the elephants. Then that Khadgadhara cleft in twain, with one
blow of his sharp sword, the first lion that attacked them, and
the second he seized with his left hand by the foot, and dashing it
on the earth, deprived it of life. And in the same way Bháshájna,
and Jívadatta, and Panchaphuttika, each dashed a lion to pieces on
the earth. Thus in turn those heroes killed on foot many tigers, and
lions, and other animals, with ease, before the eyes of the king. Then
that king, being pleased and astonished, after he had finished his
hunting, entered his city, and those heroes went to the house of the
door-keeper. And the king entered the harem, and though tired, had
his daughter Anangarati quickly summoned. And after describing the
valour of those heroes, one by one, as he had seen it in the chase,
he said to her who was much astonished--"Even if Panchaphuttika and
Bháshájna are of inferior caste, and Jívadatta, though a Bráhman,
is ugly and addicted to forbidden practices, what fault is there in
the Kshatriya Khadgadhara, who is handsome, and of noble stature, and
is distinguished for strength and valour; who slew such an elephant,
and who takes lions by the foot and crushes them on the ground, and
slays others with the sword? And if it is made a ground of reproach
against him that he is poor and a servant, I will immediately make
him a lord to be served by others: so choose him for a husband,
if you please, my daughter." When Anangarati heard this from her
father, she said to him--"Well then, bring all those men here, and
ask the astrologer, and let us see what he says." When she said this
to him, the king summoned those heroes, and in their presence he,
accompanied by his wives, said to the astrologer with his own mouth:
"Find out with which of these Anangarati has conformity of horoscope,
and when a favourable moment will arrive for her marriage." When the
skilful astrologer heard that, he asked the stars under which they were
born, and after long considering the time, he said to that king--"If
you will not be angry with me, king, I will tell you plainly. Your
daughter has no conformity of lot with any one of them. And she will
not be married on earth, for she is a Vidyádharí fallen by a curse;
that curse of hers will be at an end in three months. So let these
wait here three months, and if she is not gone to her own world then,
the marriage shall take place." All those heroes accepted the advice
of that astrologer, and remained there for three months.
When three months had passed, the king summoned into his presence
those heroes, and that astrologer, and Anangarati. And the king, when
he saw that his daughter had suddenly become exceedingly beautiful,
rejoiced, but the astrologer thought that the hour of her death
had arrived. And while the king was saying to the astrologer--"Now
tell me what it is proper to do, for those three months are gone,"
Anangarati called to mind her former birth, and covering her face with
her garment, she abandoned that human body. The king thought--"Why
has she put herself in this position?" But when he himself uncovered
her face, he saw that she was dead, like a frost-smitten lotus-plant,
for her eyes like bees had ceased to revolve, the lotus-flower of her
face was pale, and the sweet sound of her voice had ceased, even as
the sound of the swans departs. Then the king suddenly fell to earth
motionless, smitten by the thunderbolt of grief for her, crushed by the
extinction of his race. [718] And the queen Padmarati also fell down
to the earth in a swoon, and with her ornaments fallen from her like
flowers, appeared like a cluster of blossoms broken by an elephant.
The attendants raised cries of lamentation, and those heroes were
full of grief, but the king, immediately recovering consciousness,
said to that Jívadatta, "In this matter those others have no power,
but now it is your opportunity; you boasted that you could raise to
life a dead woman; if you possess power by means of science, then
recall my daughter to life; I will give her, when restored to life,
to you as being a Bráhman." When Jívadatta heard this speech of the
king's, he sprinkled that princess with water, over which charms had
been said, and chanted this Áryá verse: "O thou of the loud laugh,
adorned with a garland of skulls, not to be gazed on, Chámundá, the
terrible goddess, assist me quickly." When, in spite of this effort of
Jívadatta's, that maiden was not restored to life, he was despondent,
and said--"My science, though bestowed by the goddess that dwells in
the Vindhya range, has proved fruitless, so what is the use to me of
my life that has become an object of scorn?" When he had said this, he
was preparing to cut off his head with a great sword, when a voice came
from the sky--"O Jívadatta, do not act rashly, listen now. This noble
Vidyádhara maiden, named Anangaprabhá, has been for so long a time
a mortal owing to the curse of her parents. She has now quitted this
human body, and has gone to her own world, and taken her own body. So
go and propitiate again the goddess that dwells in the Vindhya hills,
and by her favour you shall recover this noble Vidyádhara maiden. But
as she is enjoying heavenly bliss, neither you nor the king ought to
mourn for her." When the heavenly voice had told this true tale, it
ceased. Then the king performed his daughter's rites, and he and his
wife ceased to mourn for her, and those other three heroes returned
as they had come.
But hope was kindled in the breast of Jívadatta, and he went and
propitiated with austerities the dweller in the Vindhya hills, and
she said to him in a dream:
"I am satisfied with thee, so rise up and listen to this that I am
about to tell thee."
Story of Anangarati in a former birth when she was a Vidyádharí
named Anangaprabhá.
There is a city on the Himálayas named Vírapura; and in it there
dwells a sovereign of Vidyádharas named Samara. He had a daughter,
named Anangaprabhá, born to him by his queen Anangavatí. When, in
the pride of her youth and beauty, she refused to have any husband,
her parents, enraged at her persistence, cursed her--
"Become a human being, and even in that state you shall not enjoy the
happiness of married life. When you are a maiden of sixteen years,
you shall abandon the body and come here. But an ugly mortal, who
has become such by a curse, on account of his falling in love with
the daughter of a hermit, and who possesses a magic sword, shall then
become your husband, and he shall carry you off against your will to
the world of mortals. There you, being unchaste, shall be separated
from your husband. Because that husband in a former life carried
off the wives of eight other men, he shall endure sorrow enough for
eight births. And you, having become a mortal by the loss of your
supernatural science, shall endure in that one birth the sufferings
of eight births. [719] For to every one the association with the evil
gives an evil lot, but to women the union with an evil husband is
equivalent to evil. And having lost your memory of the past, you shall
there take many mortal husbands, because you obstinately persisted in
detesting the husband fitted for you. That Vidyádhara Madanaprabha,
who, being equal in birth, demanded you in marriage, shall become
a mortal king and at last become your husband. Then you shall be
freed from your curse, and return to your own world, and you shall
obtain that suitable match, who shall have returned to his Vidyádhara
state." So that maiden Anangaprabhá has become Anangarati on the earth,
and returning to her parents, has once more become Anangaprabhá.
"So go to Vírapura and conquer in fight her father, though he is
possessed of knowledge and protected by his high birth, and obtain that
maiden. Now take this sword, and as long as you hold it in your hand,
you will be able to travel through the air, and moreover you will be
invincible." Having said this, and having given the sword to him, the
goddess vanished, and he woke up, and beheld in his hand a heavenly
sword. Then Jívadatta rose up delighted and praised Durgá, and all
the exhaustion produced by his penance was removed by the refreshment
caused by the nectar of her favour. And he flew up into the air with
his sword in his hand, and after roaming all round the Himálayas, he
found that prince of the Vidyádharas Samara in Vírapura. He conquered
him in fight, and then the king gave him his daughter Anangaprabhá,
and he married her, and lived in heavenly felicity. And after he had
remained there some time, he said to his father-in-law Samara and to
his beloved Anangaprabhá, "Let us two go to the world of men, for
I feel a longing for it, for one's native land is exceedingly dear
to living beings, even though it may be an inferior place." [720]
When the father-in-law heard that, he consented, but the far-seeing
Anangaprabhá was with difficulty induced to consent; then Jívadatta
descended from heaven to the world of mortals, taking that Anangaprabhá
in his arms. And Anangaprabhá, beholding there a pleasant mountain,
being wearied, said to him--"Let us immediately rest here." Then he
consented, and descending there with her, he produced food and drink
by the power of the various sciences. Then Jívadatta, being impelled
by fate, said to Anangaprabhá--"Dear one, sing some sweet song." When
she heard that, she began to sing devoutly the praise of Siva, and
with that sound of her singing the Bráhman was sent to sleep.
In the meanwhile a king, named Harivara, wearied out with hunting, came
that way in search of spring-water; he was attracted by hearing the
sound of that singing, as deer are attracted, and, leaving his chariot,
he went there alone. The king first had happiness announced by omens,
and then he beheld that Anangaprabhá like the real brightness of the
god of love. Then, as his heart was distracted with her song and her
beauty, the god of love cleft it at will with his arrows. Anangaprabhá
too, seeing that he was handsome, came within the range of the god
of the flowery bow, and said to herself--"Who is this? is he the
god of love, without his flowery bow? Is he the incarnation of the
favour of Siva towards me, he being pleased with my song?" Then
maddened with love, she asked him--"Who are you, and how have you
come to this forest, tell me." Then the king told her who he was,
and why he had come; then he said to her, "Tell me, who are you,
fair one? And who is this, O lotus-faced one, who is sleeping
here?" When he asked these questions, she answered him briefly:
"I am a Vidyádharí, and this is my husband, who possesses a magic
sword, and now I have fallen in love with you at first sight. So
come, let us quickly go to your city, before he awakes; then I will
tell my story at length." When the king heard that, he agreed, and
felt as much delighted as if he had obtained the sovereignty of the
three worlds. And Anangaprabhá hurriedly thought in her heart, "I will
take this king in my arms, and quickly fly up to the heaven," but in
the meanwhile her knowledge was stripped from her by her treachery
to her husband; and remembering her father's curse, she became at
once despondent. When the king saw that, he asked the cause, and then
said to her--"This is not the time for despondency; your husband here
may awake. And you ought not to lament, my beloved, over this matter
which depends on destiny. For who can escape from the shadow of his
own head, or the course of destiny? So come, let us depart." When
the king Harivara said this, she consented to his proposal, and he
took her quickly up in his arms. Then he went off quickly thence, as
delighted as if he had obtained a treasure, and ascended his chariot,
welcomed with joy by his servants. And he reached his city in that