The Kathá Sarit Ságara; or, Ocean of the Streams of Story
queen Tejasvatí. Immediately grief seemed to be swept away from the
city by the rows of silken flags displayed out of joy, which waved in
the wind; and the queen made high festival until the end of the day,
until such time as the people of the city and the sun were red as
vermilion. [252] And the next day the king Ádityasena had Vidúshaka
summoned from the monastery with all the other Bráhmans. And as
soon as he had made known what took place in the night, he gave his
benefactor Vidúshaka a thousand villages. And the grateful king also
gave that Bráhman an umbrella and an elephant and appointed him his
domestic chaplain, so that he was beheld with great interest by the
people. So Vidúshaka then became equal to a chieftain, for how can
a benefit conferred on great persons fail of bearing fruit? And the
noble-minded Vidúshaka shared all those villages, which he had received
from the king, with the Bráhmans who lived in the monastery. And he
remained in the court of the king in attendance upon him, enjoying
together with the other Bráhmans the income of those villages. But
as time went on, those other Bráhmans began striving each of them
to be chief, and made no account of Vidúshaka, being intoxicated
with the pride of wealth. Dwelling in separate parties, seven in one
place, with their mutual rivalries they oppressed the villages like
malignant planets. Vidúshaka regarded their excesses with scornful
indifference, for men of firm mind rightly treat with contempt men of
little soul. Once upon a time a Bráhman of the name of Chakradhara,
who was naturally stern, seeing them engaged in wrangling, came up to
them. Chakradhara, though he was one-eyed, was keen-sighted enough in
deciding what was right in other men's affairs, and though a hunchback,
was straightforward enough in speech. He said to them--"While you
were living by begging, you obtained this windfall, you rascals,
then why do you ruin the villages with your mutual intolerance? It is
all the fault of Vidúshaka who has permitted you to act thus; so you
may be certain that in a short time you will again have to roam about
begging. For a situation, in which there is no head, and every one has
to shift for himself by his own wits as chance directs, is better than
one of disunion under many heads, in which all affairs go to rack and
ruin. So take my advice and appoint one firm man as your head, if you
desire unshaken prosperity, which can only be ensured by a capable
governor." On hearing that, every one of them desired the headship
for himself; thereupon Chakradhara after reflection again said to
those fools; "As you are so addicted to mutual rivalry I propose to
you a basis of agreement. In the neighbouring cemetery three robbers
have been executed by impalement; whoever is daring enough to cut off
the noses of those three by night and to bring them here, he shall be
your head, for courage merits command. [253]" When Chakradhara made
this proposal to the Bráhmans, Vidúshaka, who was standing near, said
to them; "Do this, what is there to be afraid of?" Then the Bráhmans
said to him; "We are not bold enough to do it, let whoever is able, do
it, and we will abide by the agreement." Then Vidúshaka said, "Well,
I will do it, I will cut off the noses of those robbers by night and
bring them from the cemetery." Then those fools, thinking the task a
difficult one, said to him; "If you do this you shall be our lord,
we make this agreement." When they had pronounced this agreement,
and night had set in, Vidúshaka took leave of those Bráhmans and went
to the cemetery. So the hero entered the cemetery awful as his own
undertaking, with the sword of the Fire-god, that came with a thought,
as his only companion. And in the middle of that cemetery where the
cries of vultures and jackals were swelled by the screams of witches,
and the flames of the funeral pyres were reinforced by the fires in the
mouths of the fire-breathing demons, he beheld those impaled men with
their faces turned up, as if through fear of having their noses cut
off. And when he approached them, those three being tenanted by demons
struck him with their fists [254]; and he for his part slashed them
in return with his sword, for fear has not learned to bestir herself
in the breast of the resolute. Accordingly the corpses ceased to be
convulsed with demons, and then the successful hero cut off their
noses and brought them away, binding them up in his garment. And as
he was returning, he beheld in that cemetery a religious mendicant
sitting on a corpse muttering charms, and through curiosity to have
the amusement of seeing what he was doing, he stood concealed behind
that mendicant. In a moment the corpse under the mendicant gave
forth a hissing sound, and flames issued from its mouth, and from its
navel mustard-seeds. And then the mendicant took the mustard-seeds,
and rising up struck the corpse with the flat of his hand, and the
corpse, which was tenanted by a mighty demon, stood up, and then that
mendicant mounted on its shoulder, and began to depart at a rapid rate,
[255] and Vidúshaka silently followed him unobserved, and after he had
gone a short distance Vidúshaka saw an empty temple with an image of
Durgá in it. Then the mendicant got down from the shoulder of the
demon, and entered the inner shrine of the temple, while the demon
fell flat on the earth. But Vidúshaka was present also, contriving
to watch the mendicant, unperceived by him. The mendicant worshipped
the goddess there and offered the following prayer; "If thou art
pleased with me, O goddess, grant me the desired boon. If not I will
propitiate thee with the sacrifice of myself." When the mendicant,
intoxicated with the success of his powerful spells, said this,
a voice coming from the inner shrine thus addressed the mendicant;
"Bring here the maiden daughter of king Ádityasena, and offer her as a
sacrifice, then thou shalt obtain thy desire." When the mendicant heard
this, he went out, and striking once more with his hand the demon,
[256] who hissed at the blow, made him stand upright. And mounting
on the shoulder of the demon, from whose mouth issued flames of
fire, he flew away through the air to bring the princess. Vidúshaka
seeing all this from his place of concealment thought to himself;
"What! shall he slay the king's daughter while I am alive? I will
remain here until the scoundrel returns." Having formed this resolve,
Vidúshaka remained there in concealment. But the mendicant entered
the female apartments of the palace through the window, and found the
king's daughter asleep, as it was night. And he returned, all clothed
in darkness, through the air, bringing with him the princess who
illuminated with her beauty the region, as Ráhu carries off a digit
of the moon. And bearing along with him that princess who exclaimed
in her grief--"Alas! my father! Alas! my mother"--he descended from
the sky in that very temple of the goddess. And then, dismissing the
demon, he entered with that pearl of maidens into the inner shrine of
the goddess, and while he was preparing to slay the princess there,
Vidúshaka came in with his sword drawn. He said to the mendicant,
"Villain! do you wish to smite a jasmine flower with a thunder-bolt,
in that you desire to employ a weapon against this tender form?" And
then he seized the trembling mendicant by the hair, and cut off his
head. And he consoled the princess distracted with fear, who clung to
him closely as she began to recognise him. And then the hero thought;
"How can I manage during the night to convey this princess from
this place to the harem?" Then a voice from the air addressed him;
"Hear this O Vidúshaka! the mendicant, whom thou hast slain, had
in his power a great demon and some grains of mustard-seed. Thence
arose his desire to be ruler of the earth and marry the daughters
of kings, and so the fool has this day been baffled. Therefore thou
hero, take those mustard-seeds, in order that for this night only
thou mayest be enabled to travel through the air." Thus the aërial
voice addressed the delighted Vidúshaka; for even the gods often
take such a hero under their protection. Then he took in his hand
those grains of mustard-seed from the corner of the mendicant's robe,
and the princess in his arms. And while he was setting out from that
temple of the goddess, another voice sounded in the air; "Thou must
return to this very temple of the goddess at the end of a month, thou
must not forget this, O hero!" When he heard this, Vidúshaka said "I
will do so,"--and by the favour of the goddess he immediately flew
up into the air bearing with him the princess. And flying through
the air he quickly placed that princess in her private apartments,
and said to her after she had recovered her spirits; "To-morrow
morning I shall not be able to fly through the air, and so all men
will see me going out, so I must depart now." When he said this to
her, the maiden being alarmed, answered him; "When you are gone, this
breath of mine will leave my body overcome with fear. Therefore do
not depart, great-souled hero; once more save my life, for the good
make it their business from their birth to carry out every task they
have undertaken." When the brave Vidúshaka heard that, he reflected,
"If I go, and leave this maiden, she may possibly die of fear; and then
what kind of loyalty to my sovereign shall I have exhibited? Thinking
thus he remained all night in those female apartments, and he gradually
dropped off to sleep wearied with toil and watching. But the princess
in her terror passed that night without sleeping: and even when the
morning came she did not wake up the sleeping Vidúshaka, as her mind
was made tender by love [257], and she said to herself; "Let him rest
a little longer." Then the servants of the harem came in and saw him,
and in a state of consternation they went and told the king. The king
for his part sent the warder to discover the truth, and he entering
beheld Vidúshaka there. And he heard the whole story from the mouth
of the princess, and went and repeated it all to the king. And the
king knowing the excellent character of Vidúshaka, was immediately
bewildered, wondering what it could mean. And he had Vidúshaka brought
from his daughter's apartment, escorted all the way by her soul,
which followed him out of affection. And when he arrived, the king
asked him what had taken place, and Vidúshaka told him the whole
story from the beginning, and shewed him the noses of the robbers
fastened up in the end of his garment, and the mustard-seeds which
had been in the possession of the mendicant, different from those
found on earth. The high-minded monarch suspected that Vidúshaka's
story was true from these circumstances, so he had all the Bráhmans
of the monastery brought before him, together with Chakradhara, and
asked about the original cause of the whole matter. And he went in
person to the cemetery and saw those men with their noses cut off,
and that base mendicant with his neck severed, and then he reposed
complete confidence in, and was much pleased with, the skilful and
successful Vidúshaka, who had saved his daughter's life. And he gave
him his own daughter on the spot; what do generous men withhold when
pleased with their benefactors? Surely the goddess of Prosperity, [258]
out of love for the lotus, dwelt in the hand of the princess, since
Vidúshaka obtained great good fortune after he had received it in the
marriage ceremony. Then Vidúshaka enjoying a distinguished reputation,
and engaged in attending upon the sovereign, lived with that beloved
wife in the palace of king Ádityasena. Then as days went on, once upon
a time the princess impelled by some supernatural power said at night
to Vidúshaka; "My lord, you remember that when you were in the temple