The Kathá Sarit Ságara; or, Ocean of the Streams of Story
obtained all he desires: go, and behold him;" upon hearing this I
woke up; and this very morning some goddess carried me to your feet;
this, prince, is the story of my adventures.
When Marubhúti had said this, Naraváhanadatta and his courtiers
laughed at him for having been tricked by a kuttaní.
Harisikha's account of his adventures.
Then Harisikha said;--On that occasion when I was seized by my enemy,
some divinity saved me and deposited me in Ujjayiní. There I was so
unhappy that I conceived the design of abandoning the body; so at
nightfall I went into the cemetery and proceeded to construct a pyre
with the logs there. I lighted it and began to worship the fire, and
while I was thus engaged, a prince of the demons, named Tálajangha,
came up to me, and said to me, "Why do you enter the fire? Your master
is alive, and you shall be united with him, now that he has obtained
the supernatural powers he desired." With these words, the demon,
though naturally cruel, lovingly dissuaded me from death; even some
stones melt when fate is propitious. Then I went and remained for a
long time performing asceticism in front of the god; and some divinity
has to-day brought me to your side, my liege.
Thus Harisikha told his tale, and the others in their turn told theirs,
and then, at the suggestion of Amitagati, king Naraváhanadatta incited
the venerable Dhanavatí, adored by the Vidyádharas, to bestow all the
sciences on those ministers of his also. Then all his ministers also
became Vidyádharas; and Dhanavatí said, "Now conquer your enemies;"
so on a fortunate day the hero gave orders that the imperial troops
should march out towards the city of Gaurímunda, called Govindakúta.
Then the army of the Vidyádharas mounted up into the sky, obscuring
the sun, looking like a rising of Ráhu out of due time chilling to
the foe. And Naraváhanadatta himself ascended the pericarp of the
lotus-chariot, and placed his wives on the filaments, and his friends
on the leaves, and preceded by Chandasinha and the others, set out
through the air to conquer his enemies. And when he had completed
half his journey, he came to the palace of Dhanavatí which was called
Mátangapura, and he stayed there that day, and she did the honours
of the house to him. And while he was there, he sent an ambassador
to challenge to the combat the Vidyádhara princes Gaurímunda and
Mánasavega.
The next day he deposited his wives in Mátangapura, and went with the
Vidyádhara kings to Govindakúta. There Gaurímunda and Mánasavega came
out to fight with them, and Chandasinha and his colleagues met them
face to face. When the battle began, brave warriors fell like trees
marked out for the axe, and torrents of blood flowed on the mountain
Govindakúta. The combat, eager to devour the lives of heroes, yawned
like a demon of destruction, with tongues in the form of flexible
swords greedily licking up blood. [563] That great feast of slaughter,
terrible with the rhythmic clapping of hands on the part of Vetálas
drunk with blood and flesh, and covered with palpitating corpses for
dancers, gave great delight to the demons.
Then Mánasavega met Naraváhanadatta face to face in the conflict,
and the prince himself rushed on him in wrath. And having rushed on
him, that emperor seized the villain by the hair, and at once cut
off his head with his sword. When Gaurímunda saw that, he too sprang
forward in a fury, and Naraváhanadatta dragged him along by the hair,
for the power of his science left him as soon as he saw the prince,
and flung him on the ground, and seizing his legs whirled him round
in the air, and dashed him to pieces on a rock. In this way he slew
Gaurímunda and Mánasavega; and the rest of their army, being terrified,
[564] took to flight. And a rain of flowers fell into the lap of that
emperor, and all the gods in heaven exclaimed, "Bravo! Bravo!" Then
Naraváhanadatta, with all those kings that followed him, entered the
palace of Gaurímunda; and immediately the chiefs of the Vidyádharas,
who were connected with Gaurímunda's party, came and submitted humbly
to his sway.
Then Dhanavatí came up to that sovereign in the midst of the rejoicings
on account of his having taken possession of his kingdom after slaying
all his enemies, and said to him, "My liege, Gaurímunda has left a
daughter named Ihátmatiká, the belle of the three worlds; you should
marry that maiden." When she said this to the king, he immediately
sent for the girl, and married her, and passed the day very happily
in her society.
The next morning he sent Vegavatí and Prabhávatí, and had
Madanamanchuká brought by them from the town of Mánasavega. When
brought, she looked upon that hero in his prosperity, who had
destroyed the darkness of his enemies, with face expanded and wet with
tears of joy; and at the end of her night of separation she enjoyed
indescribable happiness, like a lotus-bed, the open flowers of which
are wet with dew. Then he bestowed on her all the sciences, and having
pined for her long, he exulted in the society of his beloved, who had
thus in a moment attained the rank of a Vidyádharí. And in the garden
of Gaurímunda's city he spent those days with his wives in the joys
of a banquet. And then he sent Prabhávatí, and had Bhagírathayasas
also brought there, and bestowed on her the sciences.
And one day, as the emperor was sitting in his hall of audience, two
Vidyádharas came and said to him with due respect, "Your majesty, we
went hence, by the orders of Dhanavatí, to the northern division of the
land of the Vidyádharas, to find out the movements of Mandaradeva. And
there we, being ourselves invisible, saw that king of the Vidyádharas
in his hall of audience, and he happened to be saying with regard
to your Highness, 'I hear, that Naraváhanadatta has obtained the
sovereignty over the Vidyádharas, and has slain Gaurímunda and the
rest of his opponents; so it will not do for me to overlook that enemy;
on the contrary, I must nip him in the bud.' When we heard that speech
of his, we came here to tell you."
When the assembly of Naraváhanadatta's partizans heard this from the
spies, they were all beside themselves with anger, and appeared like
a lotus-bed smitten by the wind. The arms of Chitrángada, frequently
waved and extended, seemed with the tinkling of their bracelets
to be demanding the signal for combat. The necklace of Amitagati,
rising up on his breast, as he sighed with anger, seemed to say again
and again, "Rouse thyself, rouse thyself, hero." Pingalagándhára,
striking the ground with his hand so that it resounded, seemed to be
going through a prelude introductory to the crushing of his enemies. A
frown took its seat upon the face of Váyupatha, looking like a bow
strung by Fate for the destruction of his foes. Chandasinha, angrily
pressing one hand against the other, seemed to say, "Even thus will
I pulverize my enemies." The arm of Ságaradatta, struck by his hand,
produced a sound that rang through the air, and seemed to challenge
that foe. But Naraváhanadatta, though angry, was no whit disturbed;
for imperturbability is the characteristic sign of the greatness of
great ones.
Then he resolved to march forth to conquer his enemy, after obtaining
the jewels essential to an emperor of the Vidyádharas. So the emperor
mounted a chariot, with his wives and his ministers, and set out
from that Govindakúta. And all his partizans, the kings of the
Gandharvas and the chiefs of the Vidyádharas, accompanied by their
armies, marched along with him, encircling him, as the planets do
the moon. Then Naraváhanadatta reached the Himálayas, preceded by
Dhanavatí, and found there a large lake. With its white lotuses like
lofty umbrellas and its soaring swans like waving chowries, it seemed
to have brought a present fit for a sovereign. With its lofty waves
flung up towards him like beckoning hands at no great distance, it
seemed to summon him again and again to take the bath which should
ensure him supreme sovereignty. Then Váyupatha said to the king,
"My emperor, you must go down and bathe in this lake;" so he went
down to bathe in it. And a heavenly voice said, "None but an emperor
can ever succeed in bathing in this lake, so now you may consider
the imperial dignity secured to you."
When the emperor heard that, he was delighted, and he sported in the
water of that lake with his wives, as Varuna does in the sea. He took
pleasure in watching them with the moist garments clinging to their
bodies, with the fastenings of their hair loosened, and their eyes
reddened by the washing into them of antimony. The rows of birds,
flying up with loud cries from that lake, appeared like the girdles
of its presiding nymphs advancing to meet him. And the lotuses,
eclipsed by the beauty of the lotus-like faces of his wives, plunged
beneath the waves as if ashamed. And after bathing, Naraváhanadatta,
with his attendants, spent that day on the bank of that lake.
There the successful prince, with his wives and ministers, spent his
time in jocose conversation, and next morning he set forth thence in
his chariot with his army. And as he was going along, he reached the
city of Váyupatha, which lay in his way; and he stayed there a day to
please him. There he fell in love with a maiden, that he came across
in a garden, the sister of Váyupatha, by name Váyuvegayasas. She,
while amusing herself in a garden on the bank of the Hemabáluka [565]
river, saw him arrive, and though in love with him, disappeared at
once. Then Naraváhanadatta, supposing that she had turned her back on
him for some reason other than the real one, returned with downcast
face to his quarters. There the queens found out the adventure that
had befallen the king by means of Marubhúti who was with him, (for
Gomukha was too clever for them to try him,) and then they made all
kinds of jokes at the king's expense, while Gomukha stood by ashamed
at the indiscretion of Marubhúti.
Then Gomukha, seeing the king out of countenance, consoled him, and,
in order to ascertain the real sentiments of Váyuvegayasas, went to
her city. There Váyupatha saw him suddenly arrived as if to take a
look at the city, and he lovingly entertained him, and taking him
aside, said to him, "I have an unmarried sister named Váyuvegayasas,
and holy seers have prophesied that she is destined to be the wife of
an emperor. So I am desirous of giving her as a present to the emperor
Naraváhanadatta; pray do your best to bring about the accomplishment of
my wish. And with this very object in view I was preparing to come to
you." When the minister Gomukha had been thus addressed by Váyupatha,
he said to him; "Although this prince of ours set out primarily with
the object of conquering his enemies, still you have only to make the
request, and I will arrange this matter for you." With these words
Gomukha took leave of him, and going back informed Naraváhanadatta
that he had gained his object without any solicitation.
And the next day Váyupatha came in person and requested the favour,
and the sagacious Gomukha said to the king, "My prince, you must not
refuse the request of Váyupatha; he is your faithful ally; your majesty
should do whatever he asks." Then the king consented to do it; and
Váyupatha himself brought his younger sister, and bestowed her on the
emperor against her will. And while the marriage was being performed,
she exclaimed, "Ye guardians of the world, I am being bestowed in
marriage by my brother by force, and against my will, so I have
not committed any sin thereby." When she said this, all the females
belonging to Váyupatha's household made such a noise that no outsiders
heard what she said. But the king was put out of countenance by her
speech, so Gomukha was anxious to find some means of ascertaining