The Kathá Sarit Ságara; or, Ocean of the Streams of Story
before whom he appeared wearing the ornaments marked with the name of
Anangamanjarí. And the king, wishing to please him, had a proclamation
made by beat of drum, to find out where Hansadvípa was, but could
not find out from any one the road to that country. Then Srídarsana,
separated from Anangamanjarí, remained overpowered by the fever of
love, averse to all enjoyment. He could not like his food while he
gazed on her ornaments, necklace and all, and he abandoned sleep,
having ceased to behold within reach the lotus of her face. [252]
In the meanwhile the princess Anangamanjarí, in Hansadvípa, was
awakened in the morning by the sound of music. When she remembered
what had taken place in the night, and saw her body adorned with
Srídarsana's ornaments, longing love made her melancholy. And she
reflected, "Alas I am brought into a state, in which my life is in
danger, by these ornaments, which prove that I cannot have been deluded
by a dream, and fill me with love for an unattainable object." While
she was engaged in these reflections, her father Anangodaya suddenly
entered, and saw her wearing the ornaments of a man. The king,
who was very fond of her, when he saw her covering her body with her
clothes, and downcast with shame, took her on his lap and said to her,
"My daughter, what is the meaning of these masculine decorations, and
why this shame? Tell me. Do not shew a want of confidence in me, for
my life hangs on you." These and other kind speeches of her father's
allayed her feeling of shame, and she told him at last the whole story.
Then her father, thinking that it was a piece of supernatural
enchantment, felt great doubt as to what steps he ought to take. So
he went and asked an ascetic of the name of Brahmasoma, who possessed
superhuman powers, and observed the rule of the Pásupatas, and who
was a great friend of his, for his advice. The ascetic by his powers
of contemplation penetrated the mystery, and said to the king; "The
truth is that the Ganas brought here prince Srídarsana from Málava,
for Ganesa is favourably disposed both to him and your daughter,
and by his favour he shall become a universal monarch. So he is a
capital match for your daughter." When that gifted seer said this,
the king bowed and said to him,--"Holy seer, Málava is far away from
this great land of Hansadvípa. The road is a difficult one, and this
matter does not admit of delay. So in this matter your ever propitious
self is my only stay."
When the ascetic, who was so kind to his admirers, had been thus
entreated by the king, he said, "I myself will accomplish this,"
and he immediately disappeared. And he reached in a moment the city
of king Srísena in Málava. There he entered the very temple built by
Srídarsana, and after bowing before Ganesa, he sat down and began
to praise him, saying "Hail to thee of auspicious form, whose head
is crowned with a garland of stars, so that thou art like the peak
of mount Meru! I adore thy trunk flung up straight in the joy of
the dance, so as to sweep the clouds, like a column supporting the
edifice of the three worlds. Destroyer of obstacles, I worship thy
snake-adorned body, swelling out into a broad pitcher-like belly,
the treasure-house of all success." While the ascetic was engaged
in offering these praises to Ganesa in the temple, it happened that
the son of the merchant-prince Upendrasakti, who brought his image,
entered the temple as he was roaming about. His name was Mahendrasakti,
and he had been rendered uncontrollable by long and violent madness,
so he rushed forward to seize the ascetic. Then the ascetic struck
him with his hand. The merchant's son, as soon as he was struck by
the charm-bearing hand of that ascetic, was freed from madness and
recovered his reason. And, as he was naked, he felt shame, and left
the temple immediately, and covering himself with his hand, he made
for his home. Immediately his father Upendrasakti, hearing of it from
the people, met him full of joy and led him to his house. There he had
him bathed, and properly clothed and adorned, and then he went with
him to the ascetic Brahmasoma. And he offered him much wealth as the
restorer of his son, but the ascetic, as he possessed godlike power,
would not receive it.
In the meanwhile king Srísena himself, having heard what had
taken place, reverently approached the ascetic, accompanied by
Srídarsana. And the king bowed before him, and praised him, and said,
"Owing to your coming, this merchant has received a benefit, by having
his son restored to health, so do me a benefit also by ensuring
the welfare of this son of mine Srídarsana." When the king craved
this boon of the ascetic, he smiled and said, "King, why should I do
anything to please this thief, who stole at night the heart and the
ornaments of the princess Anangamanjarí in Hansadvípa, and returned
here with them? Nevertheless I must obey your orders." With these words
the ascetic seized Srídarsana by the fore-arm, and disappeared with
him. He took him to Hansadvípa, and introduced him into the palace of
king Anangodaya, with his daughter's ornaments on him. When Srídarsana
arrived, the king welcomed him gladly, but first he threw himself
at the feet of the ascetic and blessed him. And on an auspicious
day he gave Srídarsana his daughter Anangamanjarí, as if she were
the earth garlanded with countless jewels. And then by the power of
that ascetic he sent his son-in-law, with his wife, to Málava. And
when Srídarsana arrived there, the king welcomed him gladly, and he
lived there in happiness with his two wives.
In course of time king Srísena went to the next world, and that
hero took his kingdom and conquered the whole earth. And when he
had attained universal dominion, he had two sons by his two wives
Padmishthá and Anangamanjarí. And to one of them the king gave the
name of Padmasena, and to the other of Anangasena, and he reared them
up to manhood.
And in course of time king Srídarsana, as he was sitting inside the
palace with his two queens, heard a Bráhman lamenting outside. So he
had the Bráhman brought inside, and asked him why he lamented. Then
the Bráhman shewed great perturbation and said to him; "The fire
that had points of burning flame (Díptasikhu) has been now destroyed
by a dark cloud of calamity, discharging a loud laugh (Attahása),
together with its line of brightness and line of smoke (Jyotirlekhá
and Dhúmalekhá)." [253] The moment the Bráhman had said this, he
disappeared. And while the king was saying in his astonishment,
"What did he say, and where has he gone," the two queens, weeping
copiously, suddenly fell dead.
When the king saw that sudden calamity, terrible as the stroke
of a thunderbolt, he exclaimed in his grief, "Alas! Alas! what
means this?" and fell on the ground wailing. And when he fell,
his attendants picked him up, and carried him to another place,
and Mukharaka took the bodies of the queens, and performed the
ceremony of burning them. At last the king came to his senses, and
after mourning long for the queens, he completed out of affection
their funeral ceremonies. And after he had spent a day darkened by a
storm of tears, he divided the empire of the earth between his two
sons. Then, having conceived the design of renouncing the world,
he left his city, and turning back his subjects who followed him,
he went to the forest to perform austerities.
There he lived on roots and fruits, and one day, as he was wandering
about at will, he came near a banyan-tree. As soon as he came near it,
two women of celestial appearance suddenly issued from it with roots
and fruits in their hands, and they said to him, "King, take these
roots and fruits which we offer." When he heard that, he said, "Tell me
now who you are." Then those women of heavenly appearance said to him,
"Well come into our house and we will tell you the truth." When he
heard that, he consented, and entering with them, he saw inside the
tree a splendid golden city. There he rested and ate heavenly fruits,
and then those women said to him, "Now, king, hear."
"Long ago there dwelt in Pratishthána a Bráhman, of the name of
Kamalagarbha, and he had two wives, the name of the one was Pathyá,
and the name of the other Abalá. Now in course of time all three,
the husband and the wives, were worn out with old age, and at last
they entered the fire together, being attached to one another. And
at that time they put up a petition to Siva from the fire, 'May we be
connected together as husband and wives in all our future lives!' Then
Kamalagarbha, owing to the power of his severe penances, was born in
the Yaksha race as Díptasikha, the son of the Yaksha Pradíptáksha,
and the younger brother of Attahása. His wives too, Pathyá and Abalá,
were born as Yaksha maidens, that is to say, as the two daughters of
the king of the Yakshas named Dhúmaketu, and the name of the one was
Jyotirlekhá, and the name of the other Dhúmalekhá.
"Now in course of time those two sisters grew up, and they went to
the forest to perform asceticism, and they propitiated Siva with
the view of obtaining husbands. The god was pleased and he appeared
to them and said to them, 'That man with whom you entered the fire
in a former birth, and who you asked might be your husband in all
subsequent births, was born again as a Yaksha named Díptasikha, the
brother of Attahása, but he has become a mortal owing to the curse of
his master, and has been born as a man named Srídarsana, so you too
must go to the world of men and be his wives there, but as soon as
the curse terminates, you shall all become Yakshas, husband and wives
together.' When Siva said this, those two Yaksha maidens were born
on the earth as Padmishthá and Anangamanjarí. They became the wives
of Srídarsana, and after they had been his wives for some time, that
Attahása, as fate would have it, came there in the form of a Bráhman,
and by the device of employing an ambiguous speech, he managed to
utter their names and remind them of their former existence, and this
made them abandon that body and become Yakshinís. "Know that we are
those wives of yours, and you are that Díptasikha." When Srídarsana
had been thus addressed by them, he remembered his former birth, and
immediately became the Yaksha Díptasikha, and was again duly united
to those two wives of his.
"Know therefore, Vichitrakatha, that I am that Yaksha, and that these
wives of mine are Jyotirlekhá and Dhúmalekhá. So, if creatures of
godlike descent, like myself, have to endure such alternations of joy
and sorrow, much more then must mortals. But do not be despondent,
my son, for in a short time you shall be reunited to your master
Mrigánkadatta. And I remained here to entertain you, for this is my
earthly dwelling, so stay here, I will accomplish your desire. Then
I will go to my own home in Kailása." When the Yaksha had in these
words told me his story, he entertained me for some time. And the
kind being, knowing that you had arrived here at night, brought me
and laid me asleep in the midst of you who were asleep. So I was seen
by you, and you have been found by me. This, king, is the history of
my adventures during my separation from you."
When prince Mrigánkadatta had heard at night this tale from his
minister Vichitrakatha, who was rightly named, [254] he was much
delighted, and so were his other ministers.
So, after he had spent that night on the turf of the forest, he
went on with those companions of his towards Ujjayiní, having his
mind fixed on obtaining Sasánkavatí, and he kept searching for those
other companions of his, who were separated by the curse of the Nága,
and whom he had not yet found.
CHAPTER LXXIV.
Then Mrigánkadatta, as he gradually travelled along in the Vindhya