The Kathá Sarit Ságara; or, Ocean of the Streams of Story
Bhadrá there. She too endured patiently to be placed on the shoulder
of a very loathsome Rákshasa; what will not women do when mastered
by affection? So Vidúshaka, mounted on the Rákshasa, set out with
his beloved, and again reached the city of Kárkotaka; and there men
beheld him with fear inspired by the sight of the Rákshasa; and when
he saw king Áryavarman, he demanded from him his daughter; and after
receiving that princess surrendered by her father, whom he had won
with his arm, he set forth from that city in the same style, mounted
on the Rákshasa. And after he had gone some distance, he found that
wicked merchant on the shore of the sea, who long ago cut the ropes
when he had been thrown into the sea. And he took, together with his
wealth, his daughter, whom he had before won as a reward for setting
free the ship in the sea. And he considered the depriving that villain
of his wealth as equivalent to putting him to death, for grovelling
souls often value their hoards more than their life. Then mounted on
the Rákshasa as on a chariot, taking with him that daughter of the
merchant, he flew up into the heaven with the princess and Bhadrá,
and journeying through the air, he crossed the ocean, which like
his valour was full of boisterous impetuosity, exhibiting it to his
fair ones. [275] And he again reached the city of Paundravardhana,
beheld with astonishment by all as he rode on a Rákshasa. There he
greeted his wife, the daughter of Devasena, who had long desired his
arrival, whom he had won by the defeat of the Rákshasa; and though
her father tried to detain him, yet longing for his native land,
he took her also with him, and set out for Ujjayiní. And owing to
the speed of the Rákshasa, he soon reached that city, which appeared
like his satisfaction at beholding his home, exhibited in visible
form. There Vidúshaka was seen by the people, perched on the top of
that huge Rákshasa, whose vast frame was illuminated by the beauty of
his wives seated on his shoulder, as the moon [276] rising over the
eastern mountain with gleaming herbs on its summit. The people being
astonished and terrified, his father-in-law the king Ádityasena came
to hear of it, and went out from the city. But Vidúshaka, when he
saw him, quickly descended from the Rákshasa, and after prostrating
himself approached the king; the king too welcomed him. Then Vidúshaka
caused all his wives to come down from the shoulder of the Rákshasa,
and released him to wander where he would. And after that Rákshasa
had departed, Vidúshaka accompanied by his wives entered the king's
palace together with the king his father-in-law. There he delighted
by his arrival that first wife of his, the daughter of that king, who
suffered a long regret for his absence. And when the king said to him;
"How did you obtain these wives, and who is that Rákshasa?" he told him
the whole story. Then that king pleased with his son-in-law's valour,
and knowing what it was expedient to do, gave him half his kingdom;
and immediately Vidúshaka, though a Bráhman, became a monarch, with
a lofty white umbrella and chowries waving on both sides of him. And
then the city of Ujjayiní was joyful, full of the sound of festive
drums and music, uttering shouts of delight. Thus he obtained the
mighty rank of a king, and gradually conquered the whole earth, so
that his foot was worshipped by all kings, and with Bhadrá for his
consort he long lived in happiness with those wives of his, who were
content, having abandoned jealousy. Thus resolute men when fortune
favours them, find their own valour a great and successful stupefying
charm that forcibly draws towards them prosperity.
When they heard from the mouth of the king of Vatsa this varied tale
[277] full of marvellous incident, all his ministers sitting by his
side and his two wives experienced excessive delight.
CHAPTER XIX.
Then Yaugandharáyana said to the king of Vatsa; "King, it is known
that you possess the favour of destiny, as well as courage; and I
also have taken some trouble about the right course of policy to
be pursued in this matter: therefore carry out as soon as possible
your plan of conquering the regions." When his chief minister had
said this to him, the king of Vatsa answered,--"Admitting that this
is true, nevertheless the accomplishment of auspicious undertakings
is always attended with difficulties, accordingly I will with this
object propitiate Siva by austerities, for without his favour, how
can I obtain what I desire?" When they heard that, his ministers
approved of his performing austerities, as the chiefs of the monkeys
did in the case of Ráma, when he was intent upon building a bridge
over the ocean. And after the king had fasted for three nights,
engaged in austerities with the queens and the ministers, Siva said
to him in a dream--"I am satisfied with thee, therefore rise up,
thou shalt obtain an unimpeded triumph, and shalt soon have a son
who shall be king of all the Vidyádharas." Then the king woke up,
with all his fatigue removed by the favour of Siva, like the new moon
increased by the rays of the sun. And in the morning he delighted his
ministers by telling them that dream, and the two queens, tender as
flowers, who were worn out by the fasting they had endured to fulfil
the vow. And they were refreshed by the description of his dream,
well worthy of being drunk in with the ears, and its effect was like
that of medicine, [278] for it restored their strength. The king
obtained by his austerities a power equal to that of his ancestors,
and his wives obtained the saintly renown of matrons devoted to their
husband. But on the morrow when the feast at the end of the fast
was celebrated, and the citizens were beside themselves with joy,
Yaugandharáyana thus addressed the king--"You are fortunate, O king,
in that the holy god Siva is so well disposed towards you, so proceed
now to conquer your enemies, and then enjoy the prosperity won by
your arm. For when prosperity is acquired by a king's own virtues,
it remains fixed in his family, for blessings acquired by the virtues
of the owners are never lost. And for this reason it was that that
treasure long buried in the ground, which had been accumulated by
your ancestors and then lost, was recovered by you. Moreover with
reference to this matter hear the following tale:"
Story of Devadása.
Long ago there was in the city of Pátaliputra a certain merchant's son,
sprung from a rich family, and his name was Devadása. And he married
a wife from the city of Paundravardhana, the daughter of some rich
merchant. When his father died, Devadása became in course of time
addicted to vice, and lost all his wealth at play. And then his wife's
father came and took away to his own house in Paundravardhana his
daughter, who was distressed by poverty and the other hardships of her
lot. Gradually the husband began to be afflicted by his misfortunes,
and wishing to be set up in his business, he came to Paundravardhana to
ask his father-in-law to lend him the capital which he required. And
having arrived in the evening at the city of Paundravardhana, seeing
that he was begrimed with dust, and in tattered garments, he thought
to himself, "How can I enter my father-in-law's house in this state? In
truth for a proud man death is preferable to exhibiting poverty before
one's relations." Thus reflecting, he went into the market-place,
and remained outside a certain shop during the night, crouching
with contracted body, like the lotus which is folded at night. And
immediately he saw a certain young merchant open the door of that shop
and enter it. And a moment after he saw a woman come with noiseless
step to that same place, and rapidly enter. And while he fixed his
eyes on the interior of the shop in which a light was burning, he
recognized in that woman his own wife. Then Devadása seeing that wife
of his repairing to another man, and bolting the door, being smitten
with the thunderbolt of grief, thought to himself; "A man deprived of
wealth loses even his own body, how then can he hope to retain the
affections of a woman? For women have fickleness implanted in their
nature by an invariable law, like the flashes of lightning. So here I
have an instance of the misfortunes which befall men who fall into the
sea of vice, and of the behaviour of an independent woman who lives
in her father's house." Thus he reflected as he stood outside, and
he seemed to himself to hear his wife confidentially conversing with
her lover. So he applied his ear to the door, and that wicked woman
was at the moment saying in secret to the merchant, her paramour;
"Listen; as I am so fond of you, I will to-day tell you a secret;
my husband long ago had a great-grandfather named Víravarman; in the
courtyard of his house he secretly buried in the ground four jars of
gold, one jar in each of the four corners. And he then informed one
of his wives of that fact, and his wife at the time of her death
told her daughter-in-law, she told it to her daughter-in-law who
was my mother-in-law, and my mother-in-law told it to me. So this
is an oral tradition in my husband's family, descending through
the mothers-in-law. But I did not tell it to my husband though he
is poor, for he is odious to me as being addicted to gambling, but
you are above all dear to me. So go to my husband's town and buy the
house from him with money, and after you have obtained that gold,
come here and live happily with me." When the merchant, her paramour,
heard this from that treacherous woman, he was much pleased with her,
thinking that he had obtained a treasure without any trouble. Devadása
for his part, who was outside, bore henceforth the hope of wealth,
so to speak, riveted in his heart with those piercing words of his
wicked wife. So he went thence quickly to the city of Pátaliputra,
and after reaching his house, he took that treasure and appropriated
it. Then that merchant, who was in secret the paramour of his wife,
arrived in that country, on pretence of trading, but in reality eager
to obtain the treasure. So he bought that house from Devadása, who made
it over to him for a large sum of money. Then Devadása set up another
home, and cunningly brought back that wife of his from the house of
his father-in-law. When this had been done, that wicked merchant, who
was the lover of his wife, not having obtained the treasure, came and
said to him; "This house of yours is old, and I do not like it. So give
me back my money, and take back your own house." Thus he demanded,
and Devadása refused, and being engaged in a violent altercation,
they both went before the king. In his presence Devadása poured forth
the whole story of his wife, painful to him as venom concealed in his
breast. Then the king had his wife summoned, and after ascertaining
the truth of the case, he punished that adulterous merchant with the
loss of all his property; Devadása for his part cut off the nose of
that wicked wife, and married another, and then lived happily in his
native city on the treasure he had obtained.
"Thus treasure obtained by virtuous methods is continued to a man's
posterity, but treasure of another kind is as easily melted away as
a flake of snow when the rain begins to fall. Therefore a man should
endeavour to obtain wealth by lawful methods, but a king especially,
since wealth is the root of the tree of empire. So honour all your
ministers according to custom in order that you may obtain success,
and then accomplish the conquest of the regions, so as to gain opulence
in addition to virtue. For out of regard to the fact that you are
allied by marriage with your two powerful fathers-in-law, few kings
will oppose you, most will join you. However, this king of Benares