The Kathá Sarit Ságara; or, Ocean of the Streams of Story
Pingalagándhára with Váyupatha, and Chitrángada with Ságaradatta,
and Hemaprabha and the others came there, obscuring the sun with
their armies; as if declaring beforehand that they would endure no
fire and heat in their foes. When they arrived, they fell at the feet
of that emperor, and he honoured them with a welcome as their rank
deserved, but, out of great veneration, he himself fell at the feet
of Dhanavatí, and she, being highly pleased, loaded that son-in-law
of her's with blessings. And when he told the story of his obtaining
magic powers, Chandasinha and the others were exceedingly gratified
at their emperor's success.
And the emperor, seeing that his wives had arrived in his presence,
said to Dhanavatí, "Where are my ministers?" And she answered him,
"When they had been flung in all directions by Mánasavega, I saved
them by the help of a mighty science, and placed them in different
spots." Then he had them brought by a science incarnate in bodily form;
and they came and enquired after his welfare and clung to his feet,
and then he said to them, "Why and how and where have you spent so
many days? Tell me one by one your marvellous tale." Then Gomukha
told his story first.
Gomukha's account of his adventures.
When I was flung away by the enemy on that occasion, some goddess
bore me up in her hands, and comforted me, and placed me in a distant
forest, and disappeared. Then I was minded in my affliction to abandon
the body by hurling myself from a precipice; but a certain ascetic
came up to me and dissuaded me saying, "Do not act thus, Gomukha,
you will again behold your master when he has gained his object." Then
I said to him, "Who are you, and how do you know that?" He answered,
"Come to my hermitage, and there I will tell you." Then I went with
that man, who by his knowing my name had proved the greatness of his
knowledge, to his hermitage, which was called Sivakshetra. There he
entertained me and told me his story in the following words:
Story of Nágasvámin and the witches.
I am a Bráhman named Nágasvámin, from a city called Kundina. When
my father went to heaven, I went to Pátaliputra, and repaired to a
teacher named Jayadatta, to acquire learning. But in spite of all the
teaching that I got, I was so stupid that I did not manage to learn
a single syllable; so all the pupils there made game of me. Then,
being the victim of contempt, I set out on a pilgrimage to the shrine
of the goddess Durgá in the Vindhya mountains; and when I had got
halfway I came across a city named Vakrolaka.
I went into that city to beg; and in one house the mistress gave me
with my alms a red lotus. I took it, and went on to another house,
and there the mistress said to me, when she saw me, "Alas! a witch
has secured possession of you. See! she has given you a man's hand,
[552] which she has passed off on you for a red lotus." When I heard
that, I looked myself, and lo! it was no lotus, but a human hand. I
flung it away, and fell at her feet, and said, "Mother, devise some
expedient for me, that I may live." When she heard this she said,
"Go! in a village of the name of Karabha, three yojanas distant from
this place, there is a Bráhman of the name of Devarakshita. He has
in his house a splendid brown cow, an incarnation of Surabhi; she
will protect you during this night, if you repair to her for refuge."
When she said this, I ran full of fear, and reached, at the close of
the day, the house of that Bráhman in the village of Karabha. When I
had entered, I beheld that brown cow, and I worshipped her and said,
"Being terrified, goddess, I have come to you for protection." And just
then, night having set in, that witch came there through the air with
other witches, threatening me, longing for my flesh and blood. When the
brown cow saw that, she placed me between her hoofs, and defended me,
fighting against those witches all the livelong night. In the morning
they went away, and the cow said to me with an articulate voice,
"My son, I shall not be able to protect you the next night. So go
on further; at a distance of five yojanas from this place there is
a mighty Pásupata ascetic named Bhútisiva, dwelling in a temple of
Siva in a forest. He possesses supernatural knowledge, and he will
protect you for this one night, if you take refuge with him."
When I heard that, I bowed before her, and set out from that place;
and I soon reached that Bhútisiva, and took refuge with him. And
at night those very same witches came there also in the very same
way. Then that Bhútisiva made me enter the inner apartment of his
house, [553] and taking up a position at the door, trident in hand,
kept off the witches. Next morning, Bhútisiva, having conquered them,
gave me food, and said to me, "Bráhman, I shall not be able to protect
you any longer; but in a village named Sandhyávása, at a distance
of ten yojanas from this place, there is a Bráhman named Vasumati:
go to him: and if you manage to get through this third night, you
will escape altogether."
When he said this to me, I bowed before him, and set out from that
place. But on account of the length of the journey that I had to make,
the sun set before I had reached my destination. And when night had
set in, the witches pursued after me and caught me. And they seized me
and went off with me through the air much pleased. But thereupon some
other witches of great power flew past them in front. And suddenly
there arose between the two parties a tumultuous fight. And in the
confusion I escaped from the hands of my captors, and fell to the
ground in a very desolate part of the country. [554]
And there I saw a certain great palace, which seemed to say to me with
its open door, "Come in." So I fled into it bewildered with fear,
and I beheld a lady of wonderful beauty, surrounded with a hundred
ladies-in-waiting, gleaming with brightness, like a protecting herb
[555] that shines in the night, made by the Creator out of pity for
me. I immediately recovered my spirits and questioned her, and she
said to me, "I am a Yakshiní named Sumitrá, and I am thus here owing
to a curse. And in order that my curse may come to an end, I have been
directed to marry a mortal: so marry me, as you have unexpectedly
arrived here; fear not." When she had said this, she quickly gave
orders to her servants; and she provided me, to my great delight,
with baths and unguents, food and drink, and garments. Strange was the
contrast between the terror caused by those witches and the happiness
that immediately followed! Even fate itself cannot comprehend the
principle that makes men fall into happiness or misery.
Then I remained there in happiness with that Yakshiní during those
days; but at last one day she said to me of her own accord, "Bráhman,
my curse is at an end; so I must leave this place at once. However,
by my favour you shall have divine insight; and, though an ascetic, you
shall have all enjoyments at your command, and be free from fear. But
as long as you are here, do not visit the middle block of buildings
of this palace of mine." When she had said this, she disappeared;
and thereupon, I, out of curiosity, went up to the middle block of
buildings, and there I saw a horse. I went up to the horse, and he
flung me from him with a kick; and immediately I found myself in this
temple of Siva. [556]
Since that time I have remained here, and I have gradually acquired
supernatural powers. Accordingly, though I am a mortal, I possess
knowledge of the three times. In the same way do all men in this world
find successes beset with difficulties. So do you remain in this place;
Siva will bestow on you the success that you desire.
When that wise being had told me all this, I conceived hopes of
recovering you, and I remained there some days in his hermitage. And
to-day, my lord, Siva in a dream informed me of your success, and
some heavenly nymph seized me up, and brought me here. This is the
history of my adventures.
When Gomukha had said this, he stopped, and then Marubhúti began to
tell his tale in the presence of Naraváhanadatta.
Marubhúti's account of his adventures.
When I was flung away on that occasion by Mánasavega, some divinity
took me up in her hands, and placing me in a distant forest,
disappeared. Then I wandered about afflicted and anxious to obtain
some means of committing suicide, when I saw a certain hermitage
encircled with a river. I entered it, and beheld an ascetic with
matted hair sitting on a slab of rock, and I bowed before him and
went up to him. He said to me, "Who are you, and how did you reach
this uninhabited land?" Thereupon, I told him my whole story. Then
he understood and said to me, "Do not slay yourself now! You shall
learn here the truth about your master, and afterwards you shall do
what is fitting."
In accordance with this advice of his I remained there, eager for
tidings of you, my liege: and while I was there, some heavenly nymphs
came to bathe in the river. Then the hermit said to me, "Go quickly
and carry off the clothes of one of those nymphs bathing there; [557]
and then you will learn tidings of your master." When I heard that,
I did as he advised me, and that nymph, whose garments I had taken,
followed me, with her bathing-dress dripping with moisture, [558]
and with her arms crossed in front of her breasts.
That hermit said to her, "If you tell us tidings of Naraváhanadatta,
you may have back your two garments." Then she said, "Naraváhanadatta
is at present on mount Kailása, engaged in worshipping Siva, and in
a few days he will be the emperor of the Vidyádharas."
After she had said this, that heavenly nymph became, in virtue of a
curse, the wife of that ascetic, having made acquaintance with him by
conversing with him. [559] So the ascetic lived with that Vidyádharí,
and on account of her prophecy I conceived the hope of being reunited
with you and I went on living there. And in a few days the heavenly
nymph became pregnant, and brought forth a child, and she said to the
ascetic, "My curse has been brought to an end by living with you. [560]
If you desire to see any more of me, cook this child of mine with rice
and eat it; then you will be reunited to me." When she had said this,
she went away, and that ascetic cooked her child with rice, and ate
it: and then he flew up into the air and followed her.
At first I was unwilling to eat of that dish, though he urged me to
do so; but seeing that eating of it bestowed supernatural powers, I
took two grains of rice from the cooking-vessel, and ate them. That
produced in me the effect that wherever I spat, gold [561] was
immediately produced. Then I roamed about relieved from my poverty,
and at last I reached a town. There I lived in the house of a hetæra,
and, thanks to the gold I was able to produce, indulged in the most
lavish expenditure; but the kuttaní, eager to discover my secret,
treacherously gave me an emetic. That made me vomit, and in the process
the two grains of rice, that I had previously eaten, came out of my
mouth, looking like two glittering rubies. And no sooner had they
come out, than the kuttaní snapped them up, and swallowed them. So I
lost my power of producing gold, of which the kuttaní thus deprived me.
I thought to myself, "Siva still retains his crescent and Vishnu his
kaustubha jewel; but I know what would be the result, if those two
deities were to fall into the clutches of a kuttaní. [562] But such
is this world, full of marvels, full of frauds; who can fathom it,
or the sea, at any time?" With such sad reflections in my bosom I
went despondent to a temple of Durgá, to propitiate the goddess with
asceticism, in order to recover you. And after I had fasted for three
nights, the goddess gave me this command in a dream, "Thy master has