The Kathá Sarit Ságara; or, Ocean of the Streams of Story
impediments removed and gain prosperity, and by the favour of Siva
attain, while living upon earth, the high rank of gods.
CHAPTER IX.
May the water of Siva's sweat, fresh from the embrace of Gaurí,
[113] which the god of love when afraid of the fire of Siva's eye,
employs as his aqueous weapon, protect you.
Listen to the following tale of the Vidyádharas, which the excellent
Gana Pushpadanta heard on mount Kailása from the god of the matted
locks, and which Kánabhúti heard on the earth from the same Pushpadanta
after he had become Vararuchi, and which Gunádhya heard from Kánabhúti,
and Sátaváhana heard from Gunádhya.
Story of Udayana king of Vatsa.
There is a land famous under the name of Vatsa, that appears as
if it had been made by the Creator as an earthly rival to dash the
pride of heaven. In the centre of it is a great city named Kausámbí,
the favourite dwelling-place of the goddess of prosperity; the
ear-ornament, so to speak, of the earth. In it dwelt a king named
Satáníka, sprung from the Pándava family, he was the son of Janamejaya,
and the grandson of king Paríkshit, who was the great-grandson of
Abhimanyu. The first progenitor of his race was Arjuna, the might
of whose strong arms was tested in a struggle with the mighty arms
of Siva; [114] his wife was the earth, and also Vishnumatí his
queen; the first produced jewels, but the second did not produce a
son. Once on a time, as that king was roaming about in his passion
for the chase, he made acquaintance in the forest with the hermit
Sándilya. That worthy sage finding out that the king desired a son,
came to Kausámbí and administered to his queen an artfully prepared
oblation [115] consecrated with mystic verses. Then he had a son
born to him called Sahasráníka. And his father was adorned by him
as excellence is by modesty. Then in course of time Satáníka made
that son crown-prince and though he still enjoyed kingly pleasures,
ceased to trouble himself about the cares of government. Then a
war arose between the gods and Asuras, and Indra sent Mátali as a
messenger to that king begging for aid. Then he committed his son and
his kingdom to the care of his principal minister, who was called
Yogandhara, and his Commander-in-chief, whose name was Supratíka,
and went to Indra with Mátali to slay the Asuras in fight. That king,
having slain many Asuras, of whom Yamadanshtra was the chief, under
the eyes of Indra, met death in that very battle. The king's body
was brought back by Mátali, and the queen burnt herself with it, and
the royal dignity descended to his son Sahasráníka. Wonderful to say,
when that king ascended his father's throne, the heads of the kings
on every side of his dominions were bent down with the weight. Then
Indra sent Mátali, and brought to heaven that Sahasráníka, as being
the son of his friend, that he might be present at the great feast
which he was holding to celebrate his victory over his foes. There
the king saw the gods, attended by their fair ones, sporting in
the garden of Nandana, and desiring for himself a suitable wife,
fell into low spirits. Then Indra, perceiving this desire of his,
said to him; "King, away with despondency, this desire of thine
shall be accomplished. For there has been born upon the earth one,
who was long ago ordained a suitable match for thee. For listen to
the following history, which I now proceed to relate to thee.
"Long ago I went to the court of Brahmá in order to visit him, and a
certain Vasu named Vidhúma followed me. While we were there, an Apsaras
[116] named Alambushá came to see Brahmá, and her robe was blown
aside by the wind. And the Vasu, when he beheld her, was overpowered
by love, and the Apsaras too had her eyes immediately attracted by his
form. The lotus-sprung god, [117] when he beheld that, looked me full
in the face, and I, knowing his meaning, in wrath cursed those two,
'Be born, you two, shameless creatures, into the world of mortals,
and there become man and wife.' That Vasu has been born as thou,
Sahasráníka, the son of Satáníka, an ornament to the race of the
moon. And that Apsaras too has been born in Ayodhyá as the daughter
of king Kritavarman, Mrigávatí by name, she shall be thy wife." By
these words of Indra the flame of love was fanned in the passionate
[118] heart of the king and burst out into full blaze; as a fire when
fanned by the wind. Indra then dismissed the king from heaven with
all due honour in his own chariot, and he set out with Mátali [119]
for his capital. But as he was starting, the Apsaras Tilottamá said
to him out of affection, "King I have somewhat to say to thee, wait a
moment." But he, thinking on Mrigávatí, went off without hearing what
she said, then Tilottamá in her rage cursed him; "King, thou shalt be
separated for fourteen years from her who has so engrossed thy mind
that thou dost not hear my speech." Now Mátali heard that curse,
but the king, yearning for his beloved, did not. In the chariot he
went to Kausámbí but in spirit he went to Ayodhyá. Then the king told
with longing heart, all that he had heard from Indra with reference
to Mrigávatí, to his ministers, Yogandhara and the others: and not
being able to endure delay, he sent an ambassador to Ayodhyá to ask
her father Kritavarman for the hand of that maiden. And Kritavarman
having heard from the ambassador his commission, told in his joy the
queen Kalávatí, and then she said to him--"King we ought certainly to
give Mrigávatí to Sahasráníka, and, I remember, a certain Bráhman told
me this very thing in a dream"; then in his delight the king showed
to the ambassador Mrigávatí's wonderful skill in dancing, singing,
and other accomplishments, and her matchless beauty; so the king
Kritavarman gave to Sahasráníka that daughter of his who was unequalled
as a mine of graceful arts, and who shone like an incarnation of the
moon; that marriage of Sahasráníka and Mrigávatí was one in which
the good qualities of either party supplemented those of the other,
and might be compared to the union of learning and intelligence.
Not long after sons were born to the king's ministers; Yogandhara had a
son born to him named Yaugandharáyana; and Supratíka had a son born to
him named Rumanvat. And to the king's master of the revels was born a
son named Vasantaka. Then in a few days Mrigávatí became slightly pale
and promised to bear a child to king Sahasráníka. And then she asked
the king, who was never tired of looking at her, to gratify her longing
by filling a tank full of blood for her to bathe in. Accordingly the
king, who was a righteous man, in order to gratify her desire, had a
tank filled with the juice of lac and other red extracts, so that it
seemed to be full of blood. [120] And while she was bathing in that
lake, and covered with red dye, a bird of the race of Garuda [121]
suddenly pounced upon her and carried her off thinking she was raw
flesh. As soon as she was carried away in some unknown direction by
the bird, the king became distracted, and his self-command forsook him
as if in order to go in search of her. His heart was so attached to
his beloved that it was in very truth carried off by that bird, and
thus he fell senseless upon the earth. As soon as he had recovered
his senses, Mátali, who had discovered all by his divine power,
descended through the air and came where the king was. He consoled
the king, and told him the curse of Tilottamá with its destined end,
as he had heard it long ago, and then he took his departure. Then the
king tormented with grief lamented on this wise; "Alas my beloved, that
wicked Tilottamá has accomplished her desire." But having learned the
facts about the curse, and having received advice from his ministers,
he managed, though with difficulty, to retain his life through hope
of a future reunion.
But that bird, which had carried off Mrigávatí, as soon as it found
out that she was alive, abandoned her, and as fate would have it, left
her on the mountain where the sun rises. And when the bird let her drop
and departed, the queen, distracted with grief and fear, saw that she
was left unprotected on the slope of a trackless mountain. While she
was weeping in the forest, alone, with one garment only to cover her,
an enormous serpent rose up and prepared to swallow her. Then she,
for whom prosperity was reserved in the future, was delivered by some
heavenly hero that came down and slew the serpent, and disappeared
almost as soon as he was seen. Thereupon she, longing for death,
flung herself down in front of a wild elephant, but even he spared
her as if out of compassion. Wonderful was it that even a wild beast
did not slay her when she fell in his way! Or rather it was not to
be wondered at. What cannot the will of Siva effect?
Then the girl tardy with the weight of her womb, desiring to hurl
herself down from a precipice, and thinking upon that lord of hers,
wept aloud; and a hermit's son, who had wandered there in search of
roots and fruits, hearing that, came up, and found her looking like
the incarnation of sorrow. And he, after questioning the queen about
her adventures, and comforting her as well as he could, with a heart
melted with compassion led her off to the hermitage of Jamadagni. There
she beheld Jamadagni, looking like the incarnation of comfort, whose
brightness so illumined the eastern mountain that it seemed as if the
rising sun ever rested on it. When she fell at his feet, that hermit
who was kind to all that came to him for help, and possessed heavenly
insight, said to her who was tortured with the pain of separation;
"Here there shall be born to thee, my daughter, a son that shall
uphold the family of his father, and thou shalt be reunited to thy
husband, therefore weep not." When that virtuous woman heard that
speech of the hermit's, she took up her abode in that hermitage,
and entertained hope of a reunion with her beloved. And some days
after, the blameless one gave birth to a charmingly beautiful son,
as association with the good produces good manners. At that moment
a voice was heard from heaven; "an august king of great renown has
been born, Udayana by name, and his son shall be monarch of all
the Vidyádharas." That voice restored to the heart of Mrigávatí
joy which she had long forgotten. Gradually that boy grew up to
size and strength in that grove of asceticism, accompanied by his
own excellent qualities as playmates. And the heroic child had the
sacraments appropriate to a member of the warrior-caste performed for
him by Jamadagni, and was instructed by him in the sciences, and the
practice of archery. And out of love for him Mrigávatí drew off from
her own wrist, and placed on his, a bracelet marked with the name
of Sahasráníka. Then that Udayana roaming about once upon a time in
pursuit of deer, beheld in the forest a snake that had been forcibly
captured by a Savara. [122] And he, feeling pity for the beautiful
snake, said to that Savara, "Let go this snake to please me." Then
that Savara said, "My lord, this is my livelihood, for I am a poor
man, and I always maintain myself by exhibiting dancing snakes. The
snake I previously had having died, I searched through this great
wood, and, finding this one, overpowered him by charms and captured
him." When he heard this, the generous Udayana gave that Savara the
bracelet which his mother had bestowed on him, and persuaded him to
set the snake at liberty. The Savara took the bracelet and departed,
and then the snake being pleased with Udayana bowed before him and
said as follows, "I am the eldest brother of Vásuki, [123] called
Vasunemi: receive from me, whom thou hast preserved, this lute,
sweet in the sounding of its strings, divided according to the
division of the quarter-tones; and betel leaf, together with the art