The Kathá Sarit Ságara; or, Ocean of the Streams of Story
said to him laughing, "What! do you dare to sleep, when you are at
war with king Vikramáditya?" Then the king of Kalinga rose up, and
seeing the monarch, who had thus shown his daring, standing with a
terrible Vetála at his side, and recognising him, bowed trembling at
his feet, and said, "King, I now acknowledge your supremacy; tell me
what I am to do." And the king answered him, "If you wish to have me
as your overlord, give me your daughter Kalingasená." Then the king
of Kalinga agreed, and promised to give him his daughter, and so the
monarch returned successful to his camp.
And the next day, queen, your father the king of Kalinga bestowed
you on king Vishamasíla with appropriate ceremonies, and a splendid
marriage-gift. Thus, queen, you were lawfully married by the king
out of his deep love for you, and at the risk of his own life, and
not out of any desire to triumph over an enemy.
"When I heard this story, my friends, from the mouth of the kárpatika
Devasena, I dismissed my anger, which was caused by the contempt with
which I supposed myself to have been treated. So, you see, this king
was induced to marry me by seeing a likeness of me carved on a pillar,
and to marry Malayavatí by seeing a painted portrait of her." In these
words Kalingasená, the beloved wife of king Vikramáditya, described
her husband's might, and delighted his other wives. Then Vikramáditya,
accompanied by all of them, and by Malayavatí, remained delighting
in his empire.
Then, one day, a Rájpút named Krishnasakti, who had been oppressed by
the members of his clan, came there from the Dakkan. He went to the
palace-gate surrounded by five hundred Rájpúts, and took on himself the
vow of kárpatika to the king. And though the king tried to dissuade
him, he made this declaration, "I will serve king Vikramáditya for
twelve years." And he remained at the gate of the palace, with his
followers, determined to carry out this vow, and while he was thus
engaged, eleven years passed over his head.
And when the twelfth year came, his wife, who was in another land,
grieved at her long separation from him, sent him a letter; and he
happened to be reading this Áryá verse which she had written in the
letter, at night, by the light of a candle, when the king, who had
gone out in search of adventures, was listening concealed, "Hot, long,
and tremulous, do these sighs issue forth from me, during thy absence,
my lord, but not the breath of life, hard-hearted woman that I am!"
When the king had heard this read over and over again by the kárpatika,
he went to his palace and said to himself, "This kárpatika, whose
wife is in such despondency, has long endured affliction, and if his
objects are not gained, he will, when this twelfth year is at an end,
yield his breath. So I must not let him wait any longer." After going
through these reflections, the king at once sent a female slave,
and summoned that kárpatika. And after he had caused a grant to be
written, he gave him this order, "My good fellow, go towards the
northern quarter through Omkárapítha; there live on the proceeds of a
village of the name of Khandavataka, which I give you by this grant;
you will find it by asking your way as you go along."
When the king had said this, he gave the grant into his hands; and
the kárpatika went off by night without telling his followers. He
was dissatisfied, saying to himself, "How shall I be helped to
conquer my enemies by a single village that will rather disgrace
me? Nevertheless my sovereign's orders must be obeyed." So he slowly
went on, and having passed Omkárapítha, he saw in a distant forest
many maidens playing, and then he asked them this question, "Do you
know where Khandavataka is?" When they heard that, they answered,
"We do not know; go on further; our father lives only ten yojanas
from here; ask him; he may perhaps know of that village."
When the maidens had said this to him, the kárpatika went on, and
beheld their father, a Rákshasa of terrific appearance. He said to him,
"Whereabouts here is Khandavataka? Tell me, my good fellow." And the
Rákshasa, quite taken aback by his courage, said to him, "What have you
got to do there? The city has been long deserted; but if you must go,
listen; this road in front of you divides into two: take the one on the
left hand, and go on until you reach the main entrance of Khandavataka,
the lofty ramparts on each side of which make it attract the eye."
When the Rákshasa had told him this, he went on, and reached that
main street, and entered that city, which, though of heavenly beauty,
was deserted and awe-inspiring. And in it he entered the palace, which
was surrounded with seven zones, and ascended the upper storey of it,
which was made of jewels and gold. There he saw a gem-bestudded throne,
and he sat down on it. Thereupon a Rákshasa came with a wand in his
hand, and said to him, "Mortal, why have you sat down here on the
king's throne?" When the resolute kárpatika Krishnasakti heard this,
he said, "I am lord here; and you are tribute-paying house-holders
whom king Vikramáditya has made over to me by his grant."
When the Rákshasa heard that, he looked at the grant, and bowing before
him, said, "You are king here, and I am your warder; for the decrees
of king Vikramáditya are binding everywhere." When the Rákshasa had
said this, he summoned all the subjects, and the ministers and the
king's retinue presented themselves there; and that city was filled
with an army of four kinds of troops. And every one paid his respects
to the kárpatika; and he was delighted, and performed his bathing
and his other ceremonies with royal luxury.
Then, having become a king, he said to himself with amazement;
"Astonishing truly is the power of king Vikramáditya; and strangely
unexampled is the depth of his dignified reserve, in that he bestows a
kingdom like this and calls it a village!" Full of amazement at this,
he remained there ruling as a king: and Vikramáditya supported his
followers in Ujjayiní.
And after some days this kárpatika become a king went eagerly to pay
his respects to king Vikramáditya, shaking the earth with his army. And
when he arrived and threw himself at the feet of Vikramáditya,
that king said to him, "Go and put a stop to the sighs of your wife
who sent you the letter." When the king despatched him with these
words, Krishnasakti, full of wonder, went with his friends to his
own land. There he drove out his kinsmen, and delighted his wife,
who had been long pining for him; and having gained more even than
he had ever wished for, enjoyed the most glorious royal fortune.
So wonderful were the deeds of king Vikramáditya.
Now one day he saw a Bráhman with every hair on his head and body
standing on end; and he said to him, "What has reduced you, Bráhman,
to this state?" Then the Bráhman told him his story in the following
words:
Story of Devasvámin the permanently horripilant Bráhman.
There lived in Pátaliputra a Bráhman of the name of Agnisvámin,
a great maintainer of the sacrificial fire; and I am his son,
Devasvámin by name. And I married the daughter of a Bráhman who lived
in a distant land, and because she was a child, I left her in her
father's house. One day I mounted a mare, and went with one servant
to my father-in-law's house to fetch her. There my father-in-law
welcomed me; and I set out from his house with my wife, who was
mounted on the mare, and had one maid with her.
And when we had got half way, my wife got off the mare, and went to
the bank of the river, pretending that she wanted to drink water. And
as she remained a long time without coming back, I sent the servant,
who was with me, to the bank of the river to look for her. And as he
also remained a long time without coming back, I went there myself,
leaving the maid to take care of the mare. And when I went and looked,
I found that my wife's mouth was stained with blood, and that she had
devoured my servant, and left nothing of him but the bones. [817] In
my terror I left her, and went back to find the mare, and lo! her maid
had in the same way eaten that. Then I fled from the place, and the
fright I got on that occasion still remains in me, so that even now I
cannot prevent the hair on my head and body from standing on end. [818]
"So you, king, are my only hope." When the Bráhman said this,
Vikramáditya by his sovereign fiat relieved him of all fear. Then the
king said, "Out on it! One cannot repose any confidence in women,
for they are full of daring wickedness." When the king said this,
a minister remarked, "Yes, king! women are fully as wicked as you
say. By the bye, have you not heard what happened to the Bráhman
Agnisarman here?"
Story of Agnisarman. [819]
There lives in this very city a Bráhman named Agnisarman, the son of
Somasarman; whom his parents loved as their life, but who was a fool
and ignorant of every branch of knowledge. He married the daughter of a
Bráhman in the city of Vardhamána; but her father, who was rich, would
not let her leave his house, on the ground that she was a mere child.
And when she grew up, Agnisarman's parents said to him, "Son, why do
you not now go and fetch your wife?" When Agnisarman heard that, the
stupid fellow went off alone to fetch her, without taking leave of his
parents. When he left his house a partridge appeared on his right hand,
and a jackal howled on his left hand, a sure prophet of evil. [820]
And the fool welcomed the omen saying, "Hail! Hail!" and when the
deity presiding over the omen heard it, she laughed at him unseen. And
when he reached his father-in-law's place, and was about to enter it,
a partridge appeared on his right, and a jackal on his left, boding
evil. And again he welcomed the omen, exclaiming "Hail! Hail!" and
again the goddess of the omen, hearing it, laughed at him unseen. And
that goddess presiding over the omen said to herself, "Why, this
fool welcomes bad luck as if it were good! So I must give him the
luck which he welcomes, I must contrive to save his life." While the
goddess was going through these reflections, Agnisarman entered his
father-in-law's house, and was joyfully welcomed. And his father-in-law
and his family asked him, why he had come alone, and he answered them,
"I came without telling any one at home."
Then he bathed and dined in the appropriate manner, and when night
came on, his wife came to his sleeping apartment adorned. But he fell
asleep fatigued with the journey; and then she went out to visit a
paramour of hers, a thief, who had been impaled. But, while she was
embracing his body, the demon that had entered it, bit off her nose;
and she fled thence in fear. And she went and placed an unsheathed
[821] dagger at her sleeping husband's side; and cried out loud
enough for all her relations to hear, "Alas! Alas! I am murdered;
this wicked husband of mine has got up and without any cause actually
cut off my nose." When her relations heard that, they came, and seeing
that her nose was cut off, they beat Agnisarman with sticks and other
weapons. And the next day they reported the matter to the king, and
by his orders they made him over to the executioners, to be put to
death, as having injured his innocent wife.
But when he was being taken to the place of execution, the goddess
presiding over that omen, who had seen the proceedings of his wife
during the night, said to herself, "This man has reaped the fruit of
the evil omens, but as he said, 'Hail! Hail!' I must save him from
execution." Having thus reflected, the goddess exclaimed unseen from
the air, "Executioners, this young Bráhman is innocent; you must not
put him to death: go and see the nose between the teeth of the impaled
thief." When she had said this, she related the proceedings of his