The Kathá Sarit Ságara; or, Ocean of the Streams of Story
joy at discovering one another, and they both thought, "It is well
that we came here to-day," and they continued casting loving sidelong
timid glances at one another; and while they were thus engaged, the
sound of drums was heard, and then a host appeared, and a chariot
with the wind-god, [689] and the warder of Chandraketu coming quickly.
Then the wind-god and the warder respectfully left the chariot,
and went up to that Muktáphalaketu, and said to him, "The king of
the gods and your father Chandraketu, who are in the field of battle,
desire your presence: so ascend this chariot, and come quickly." Then
the son of the Vidyádhara king, though fettered by love of Padmávatí,
ascended the chariot with them, out of regard for the interests of
his superiors. And putting on a heavenly suit of armour [690] sent
by Indra, he set out quickly, often turning back his head to look
at Padmávatí.
And Padmávatí followed with her eyes, as long as he was in sight,
that hero, who with one blow from the flat of his hand had slain
the two Rákshasís, and with him ever in her thoughts, she bathed and
worshipped Siva and Párvatí, and from that time forth kept performing
asceticism in that very place, to ensure his success.
And Muktáphalaketu, still thinking on his sight of her, which was
auspicious and portended victory, reached the place where the battle
was going on between the gods and Asuras. And when they saw that hero
arrive well-armed and accompanied by a force, all the great Asuras
rushed to attack him. But the hero cut their heads to pieces with
a rain of arrows, and made with them an offering to the gods of the
cardinal points, by way of inaugurating the feast of battle.
But Vidyuddhvaja, seeing his army being slain by that Muktáphalaketu,
himself rushed in wrath to attack him. And when he smote with arrows
that Daitya, as he came on, the whole army of the Asuras rushed upon
him from every quarter. When Indra saw that, he at once attacked
the army of the Daityas, with the Siddhas, Gandharvas, Vidyádharas,
and gods at his back.
Then a confused battle arose, with dint of arrow, javelin, lance,
mace and axe, costing the lives of countless soldiers; rivers of blood
flowed along, with the bodies of elephants and horses for alligators,
with the pearls from the heads of elephants [691] for sands, and
with the heads of heroes for stones. That feast of battle delighted
the flesh-loving demons, who, drunk with blood instead of wine, were
dancing with the palpitating trunks. The fortune of victory of the
gods and Asuras in that sea of battle, swayed hither and thither from
time to time, fluctuating like a tide-wave. And in this way the fight
went on for twenty-four days, watched by Siva, Vishnu, and Brahmá,
who were present in their chariots.
And at the end of the twenty-fifth day a series of single combats was
taking place between the principal warriors of both armies along the
greater part of the line of fight. And then a duel began between the
noble Muktáphalaketu, and Vidyuddhvaja, the former in a chariot, the
latter on an elephant. Muktáphalaketu repelled the weapon of darkness
with the weapon of the sun, the weapon of cold with the weapon of heat,
the rock-weapon with the thunderbolt-weapon, the serpent-weapon with
the weapon of Garuda, and then he slew the elephant-driver of that
Asura with one arrow, and his elephant with another. Then Vidyuddhvaja
mounted a chariot, and Muktáphalaketu killed the charioteer and the
horses. Then Vidyuddhvaja took refuge in magic. He ascended into the
sky invisible with his whole army, and rained stones and weapons on
all sides of the army of the gods. And as for the impenetrable net
of arrows which Muktáphalaketu threw around it, that Daitya consumed
it with showers of fire.
Then Muktáphalaketu sent against that enemy and his followers the
weapon of Brahmá, which was capable of destroying the whole world,
after he had pronounced over it the appropriate spells. That weapon
killed the great Asura Vidyuddhvaja and his army, and they fell down
dead from the sky. And the rest, namely, Vidyuddhvaja's son and his
followers, and Vajradanshtra and his crew fled in fear to the bottom
of Rasátala. [692]
And then the gods from heaven exclaimed, "Bravo! Bravo!" and they
honoured the noble Muktáphalaketu with a rain of flowers. Then Indra,
having recovered his sway, as his enemy was slain, entered heaven,
and there was great rejoicing in the three worlds. And Prajápati
[693] himself came there, making Sachí precede him, and fastened a
splendid crest-jewel on the head of Muktáphalaketu. And Indra took the
chain from his own neck, and placed it on the neck of that victorious
prince, who had restored his kingdom to him. And he made him sit on
a throne equal in all respects to his own; and the gods, full [694]
of joy, bestowed upon him various blessings. And Indra sent on his
warder to the city of the Asura Vidyuddhvaja, and took possession of
it in addition to his own city, with the intention of bestowing it
on Muktáphalaketu, when a fitting time presented itself.
Then the Gandharva Padmasekhara, wishing to bestow Padmávatí on
that prince, looked meaningly at the face of the Disposer. And the
Disposer, knowing what was in his heart, said to that prince of
the Gandharvas, "There is still a service remaining to be done, so
wait a little." Then there took place the triumphal feast of Indra,
with the songs of Háhá and Húhú, and the dances of Rambhá and others,
which they accompanied with their own voices. And when the Disposer
had witnessed the festive rejoicing, he departed, and Indra honoured
the Lokapálas and dismissed them to their several stations. [695]
And after honouring that Gandharva monarch Padmasekhara and his
train, he dismissed them to their own Gandharva city. And Indra,
after treating with the utmost respect the noble Muktáphalaketu
and Chandraketu, sent them to their own Vidyádhara city to enjoy
themselves. And then Muktáphalaketu, having destroyed the plague of
the universe, returned to his palace, accompanied by his father, and
followed by many Vidyádhara kings. And on account of the prince having
returned victorious with his father, after a long absence, that city
displayed its joy, being adorned with splendid jewels, and garlanded
with flags. And his father Chandraketu at once bestowed gifts on all
his servants and relations, and kept high festival in the city for
the triumph of his son, showering wealth on it, as a cloud showers
water. But Muktáphalaketu, though he had gained glory by conquering
Vidyuddhvaja, derived no satisfaction from his enjoyments without
Padmávatí. However, being comforted in soul by a friend named Samyata,
who reminded him of the decree of Siva, and consoling topics of that
kind, he managed, though with difficulty, to get through those days.
CHAPTER CXVII.
In the meanwhile, that king of the Gandharvas, Padmasekhara, re-entered
his city, celebrating a splendid triumph; and hearing from his wife
that his daughter Padmávatí had performed asceticism in the temple
of Gaurí, to procure for him victory, he summoned her. And when his
daughter came, emaciated with asceticism and separation from her lover,
and fell at his feet, he gave her his blessing, and said to her,
"Dear girl, for my sake you have endured great hardship in the form
of penance, so obtain quickly for a husband the noble Muktáphalaketu,
the son of the king of the Vidyádharas, the slayer of Vidyuddhvaja,
the victorious protector of the world, who has been appointed to
marry you by Siva himself."
When her father said this to her, she remained with face fixed on
the ground, and then her mother Kuvalayávali said to him, "How,
my husband, was so terrible an Asura, that filled the three worlds
with consternation, slain by that prince in fight?" When the king
heard that, he described to her the valour of that prince, and
the battle between the gods and Asuras. Then Padmávatí's companion,
whose name was Manoháriká, described the easy manner in which he slew
the two Rákshasís. Then the king and queen, finding out that he and
their daughter had met and fallen in love, were pleased, and said,
"What could those Rákshasís do against one, who swallowed the whole
army of the Asuras, as Agastya swallowed the sea?" Then the fire
of Padmávatí's love blazed up more violently, being fanned by this
description of her lover's surpassing courage, as by a breeze.
Then the princess left her parents' presence, and immediately ascended
in eager longing a jewelled terrace in the women's apartments, which
had pillars of precious stone standing in it, and lattices of pearl
fastened to them, and had placed on its pavement, of costly mosaic,
luxurious couches and splendid thrones, and was rendered still more
delightful by means of the various enjoyments which there presented
themselves as soon as thought of. Even when there, she was exceedingly
tortured with the fire of separation. And she saw from the top of
this terrace a magnificent heavenly garden, planted with trees and
creepers of gold, and full of hundreds of tanks adorned with costly
stone. And when she saw it, she said to herself, "Wonderful! This
splendid city of ours is more beautiful even than the world of the
moon in which I was born. And yet I have not explored this city which
is the very crest-jewel of the Himálayas, in which there is such a
splendid suburban garden excelling Nandana. So I will go into this
lovely shrubbery, cool with the shade of trees, and alleviate a little
the scorching of the fires of separation."
After the young maiden had gone through these reflections, she
dexterously managed to descend slowly from the terrace alone, and
prepared to go to that city garden. And as she could not go on foot,
she was carried there by some birds that were brought to her by her
power, and served as her conveyance. When she reached the garden,
she sat in an arbour formed of plantains growing together, on a carpet
of flowers, with heavenly singing and music sounding in her ears. And
even there she did not obtain relief, and her passion did not abate;
on the contrary, the fire of her love increased still more, as she
was separated from her beloved.
Then in her longing she was eager to behold that loved one, though only
in a picture, so by her magic power she summoned for herself a tablet
for painting and colour-pencils. And she said to herself, "Considering
even the Disposer is unable to create a second like my beloved, how can
I, reed [696] in hand, produce a worthy likeness of him? Nevertheless,
I will paint him as well as I can for my own consolation." After going
through these reflections she proceeded to paint him on a tablet, and
while she was thus engaged, her confidante Manoháriká, who had been
troubled at not seeing her, came to that place to look for her. She
stood behind the princess, and saw her languishing alone in the bower
of creepers, with her painting-tablet in her hand. She said to herself,
"I will just see now what the princess is doing here alone." So the
princess's confidante remained there concealed.
And then Padmávatí, with her lotus-like eyes gushing with tears, began
to address in the following words her beloved in the painting. "When
thou didst slay the formidable Asuras and deliver Indra, how comes it
that thou dost not deliver me from my woe, though near me, by speaking
to me at any rate? To one whose merits in a former life are small, even
a wishing-tree is ungenerous, even Buddha is wanting in compassion,
and even gold becomes a stone. Thou knowest not the fever of love,
and canst not comprehend my pain; what could the poor archer Love,
whose arrows are but flowers, do against one whom the Daityas found
invincible? But what am I saying? Truly Fate is adverse to me, for Fate