The Kathá Sarit Ságara; or, Ocean of the Streams of Story
for it. And the city was filled so full of various jewels, coming
from all quarters, that it put to shame the city of Kuvera.
And soon a servant of king Máyávatu's came to the sovereign in high
spirits, introduced by the warder, and said to him, "King, prince
Sushena and king Máyávatu have arrived, and they are both waiting
on the frontier of this realm of Ayodhyá." When king Amaradatta
heard that, he sent his own general with a body of soldiers to meet
Sushena. And Mrigánkadatta, out of regard for his friend, also went
out with the general from Ayodhyá to meet the prince. And both of
those princes dismounted, while yet a great distance apart, and
met together, embracing one another and asking after one another's
health. And out of love they entered the city in the same chariot,
giving a great feast to the eyes of the ladies of the city.
And there Sushena had an interview with the king, and was received by
him with much respect, and then he went to the private apartments of
his sister Sasánkavatí. There she rose up weeping and embraced him,
and he sat down, and said to the princess who was overwhelmed with
shame, "My father directs me to tell you that you have done nothing
unbecoming, for he has just come to learn that prince Mrigánkadatta
was appointed your husband by the goddess Gaurí in a dream, and it is
the highest duty of women to follow the steps of their husbands." When
he said this to the girl, she dismissed her shame, looking at her
heart with downcast face, as if to tell it that its desire was gained.
Then Sushena brought and gave to Sasánkavatí in the presence of
the king her own accumulated wealth; two thousand bháras [496] of
gold, five camels heavily laden with jewelled ornaments, and another
treasure of gold. And he said, "This is her own private property, but,
as for what her father has sent, I will give it her in due course at
the marriage altar." Then they all ate and drank, and spent the day
there in the king's presence in great comfort, with Mrigánkadatta
and his suite.
The next day dawned, the day fixed as auspicious, and Mrigánkadatta
performed his own daily ceremony, of bathing and so on; in which
the king himself displayed the utmost interest, in his joy at the
occasion. And then Sasánkavatí, though her beauty was sufficient
bridal ornament, was solemnly adorned by the ladies, only out of
regard for the good old custom, not because anything of the kind
was needed. Then the bride and bridegroom left the room in which
the previous ceremony took place, and in which Sushena presided, and
ascended the altar-platform, where a fire was burning. And on it the
prince received the hand of the princess, which was resplendent with
the hues of a lotus that she held, as Vishnu the hand of Lakshmí. And
when they circumambulated the fire, the face of Sasánkavatí was red
and tearful from heat and smoke, though anger was far from her. And
the handfuls of parched grain, thrown into the fire, appeared like
the laughs of the god of Love, pleased with the success of his
scheme. And when the first handful was thrown, Sushena gave five
thousand horses, and a hundred elephants, and two hundred bháras of
gold, and twenty camels laden with loads of splendid raiment, valuable
gems, and pearl-ornaments. And at each subsequent sprinkling of grain,
Sasánkavatí's brother gave her a portion of the wealth gained by the
conquest of the earth, double that given at the preceding.
Then Mrigánkadatta, the auspicious ceremony of his marriage having
been performed, entered his own palace with his newly married bride,
Sasánkavatí, while the sound of festal drums rose in the air. And
the king, his father, gratified his ministers and the citizens of
his capital, with presents of elephants, horses, garments, ornaments,
meat, and drink, suited to the worth of the recipient, beginning with
the circle of dependent monarchs, and ending with the parrots and
pet mainas. And the king displayed on this occasion such exceedingly
lavish generosity that even the trees had garments and gems fastened
to them, and presented the appearance of earthly wishing-trees.
Then the king and Mrigánkadatta feasted with the kings and Sasánkavatí
and Sushena, and spent the rest of the day in a wine-party. Then,
after the inhabitants of the palace had eaten and drunk well, and
enjoyed music and dancing, the sun, having accomplished his journey,
and having drunk up the moisture of the earth, entered the cavern of
the western mountain. And the glory of the day, seeing that he had
departed somewhere or other with the evening that was all ablaze with
a warm glow, ran after him in a fit of jealous anger, and the birds
flying to and fro seemed like her agitated zone. [497] And then in due
course appeared advancing the wanton nymph Night, beautiful with her
waving black robe of darkness, and showing a face in which stars rolled
for eyeballs, and the god of Love waxed mighty. And the moon, own
brother to the curved corner of an angry long-eyed beauty's eye, arose,
and glowing with fresh rosy colour, made itself the driving-hook of the
elephant of the eastern mountain. And the eastern quarter, that was
clear and bright with the departure of the darkness, bore a laughing
face, to which the moon, like a new shoot of the twining plant of
Love, formed an extemporized ear-ornament. And at night Mrigánkadatta,
after performing his evening devotions, retired to his luxuriously
appointed bed-chamber with his bride Sasánkavatí. And during it, that
fair one's moonlike countenance, dispelling the darkness, and lighting
up the pictured panels of the room, seemed to render unnecessary
the lamps hanging there, that were made of precious stones. [498]
And the next morning Mrigánkadatta was aroused by the soft sweet
strains of the following song, "The night has past; leave your bed,
prince, for the breezes of morning are blowing, fanning the perfumed
locks of the gazelle-eyed fair ones. And the dewdrops collected on the
points of the blades of dúrva-grass sparkle brilliantly, looking like
pearls fallen from the necklace of the night quickly following the
moon. And observe, prince, the bees that long sported in the cups of
the white water-lilies opening when touched by the beams of the moon,
and drank the honey, and were joyous at having obtained an entrance,
now that the water-lilies are closed and their glory is departing,
are seeking some other retreat; for to whom are black souls faithful
in calamity? And the god of Love, seeing that the lip of night has
been adorned by the finger of the sun, has stripped it of the moon
which served it for a beauty-patch, and has gradually dissipated
the darkness which was a black powder to set it off." Aroused by
these strains at the hour of dawn, Mrigánkadatta cast off sleep,
and leaving Sasánkavatí, at once started up from his couch. And
he rose and performed the ceremonies of the day, his father having
made all the arrangements that devolved on him; and accompanied by
his beloved he passed many more days in similar rejoicing. Then his
father, Amaradatta, first inaugurated the prince's brother-in-law
Sushena with the holy waters, and placed a turban of honour on his
head; and bestowed on him as a mark of respect a suitable territory
and elephants, horses, quantities of gold, and garments, and a hundred
beautiful women. And then the king complimented the king of the Savaras
and the king of the Kirátas, Máyávatu and Saktirakshita, with their
relations and wives, and that king Durgapisácha the leader of the host
of the Mátangas, and the ministers of Mrigánkadatta with Srutadhi,
by giving them territories, cows, horses, gold and garments. Then king
Amaradatta dismissed the king of the Kirátas and the other monarchs,
with Sushena, to their own dominions: and ruled his realm in happiness,
at ease because his valour was so well known. Mrigánkadatta, for his
part, having conquered his enemies, and attained his ends, remained
in happiness with his wife Sasánkavatí, whom he had gained after a
long struggle, and with Bhímaparákrama and his other ministers.
And in course of time old age, slowly creeping on, approached the root
of the ear of that king Amaradatta, appearing as if it had taken form
in order to say to him, "You have enjoyed the good things of fortune;
your age is fully ripe; surely it is now time to retire from the
world." Then the king's mind became averse to enjoyment, and he said to
his ministers, "Listen, I will now tell you the scheme which I have in
my mind. My life has passed; that grey hue which is the harbinger of
Death has just now twitched my locks; and when old age once arrives,
a vicious clinging to enjoyment on the part of persons like myself,
when all the zest is gone, is mere vanity. And though in some people
a mad passion of avarice and lust goes on increasing with increasing
age, that is without doubt the natural tendency of base souls, and the
good do not acquire it. Now I have this son here Mrigánkadatta, who
has gained glory by conquering the sovereign of Avanti and his allied
kings [499], who abounds in good qualities, is beloved by the subjects,
and has excellent friends. So I propose to make over to him my mighty
kingdom, and to retire to a holy water for mortification of the flesh;
conduct in conformity with the laws laid down for the various periods
of life, that their enemies cannot blame, becomes men of great soul."
When the calm and resolute ministers heard this determined speech
of the king's, they, and in due course the queen and the citizens
all approved it, saying, "So let it be!" Then the king performed
the joyful ceremony of the coronation [500] of his son Mrigánkadatta
at a moment fixed by the astrologers, on a day selected by the chief
Bráhmans assembled together. And on that day the palace of the king was
full of people running hither and thither at the order of the warder,
and all the officials in it had their hands full, and it reeled with
the merriment of famous bards and of lovely women who were dancing
there. And while the water of holy places was being poured in copious
showers upon the head of Mrigánkadatta and his wife, a second flood
seemed to gush from the eyes of his joyful parents. And, when that
new king, of lion-like might, mounted his lion-seat, it seemed as if
his enemies, bowed down by fear of his wrath, crouched on the ground
in a fashion other than lion-like.
Then his father, king Amaradatta, prolonged for seven days the
great feast, in which the king's highway was decorated, and the
subject kings honoured according to their worth. And on the eighth
day he went out of the city with his wife, and after turning back
Mrigánkadatta and the citizens, who followed him with tearful faces,
he went with his ministers to Váránasí. There the king remained with
his body steeped in Ganges water, worshipping Siva three times a day,
performing penance, like a hermit, by living on roots and fruits;
and his wife shared all his devotions and privations.
But Mrigánkadatta, for his part, having obtained that kingdom broad
and pure as the sky, which the sun takes as his domain, and having
overwhelmed the kings with imposition of numerous tributes, as the
sun does the mountains with showers of rays, began to blaze forth
with increasing heat of valour. And associated with his lieutenants
Máyávatu and Karmasena and the others, and with his own ministers
headed by Srutadhi, he conquered this circle of the earth, with all
its continents, as far as the four cardinal points, and ruled it under
one umbrella. And while he was king, such calamities as famine, and the
dread of robbers and of foreign invaders were heard of only in tales;
and the world was ever joyous and happy, and enjoyed unparalleled
felicity, so that it seemed as if the gentle reign of Ráma the good