The Kathá Sarit Ságara; or, Ocean of the Streams of Story
collected wealth for the sake of sacrifice only. In course of time the
father of my husband, who was named Agnidatta, being old, went to the
next world and his wife followed him, [329] and my husband left me,
when I was pregnant, to go to holy places, and through sorrow for his
loss abandoned the body in fire purified by the goddess Sarasvatí;
and when that fact was told us by those who accompanied him in his
pilgrimage, I was not permitted to follow him by my relations, as
I was pregnant. Then, while my grief was fresh, brigands suddenly
swooped down on us and plundered my house and all the royal grant;
immediately I fled with three Bráhman women from that place, for fear
that I might be outraged, taking with me very few garments. And, as
the whole kingdom was ravaged, I went to a distant land accompanied
by them, and remained there a month only supporting myself by menial
drudgery. And then hearing from people that the king of Vatsa was
the refuge of the helpless, I came here with the three Bráhman women,
with no other travelling provision than my virtue; and as soon as I
arrived I gave birth at the same time to two boys. Thus, though I have
the friendly assistance of these three Bráhman women, I have suffered
bereavement, banishment, poverty, and now comes this birth of twins;
Alas! Providence has opened to me the door of calamity. Accordingly,
reflecting that I had no other means of maintaining these children,
I laid aside shame, the ornament of women, and entering into the king's
court I made a petition to him. Who is able to endure the sight of the
misery of youthful offspring? And in consequence of his order, I have
come into your august presence, and my calamities have turned back,
as if ordered away from your door. This is my history: as for my name,
it is Pingaliká, because from my childhood my eyes have been reddened
by the smoke of the burnt-offerings. And that brother-in-law of mine
Sántikara dwells in a foreign land, but in what land he is now living,
I have not as yet discovered.
When the Bráhman woman had told her history in these words, the
queen came to the conclusion that she was a lady of high birth,
and after reflecting, said this to her with an affectionate manner:
"There is dwelling here a foreign Bráhman of the name of Sántikara,
and he is our domestic chaplain; I am certain he will turn out to be
your brother-in-law." After saying this to the eager Bráhman lady,
the queen allowed that night to pass, and the next morning sent for
Sántikara and asked him about his descent. And when he had told her his
descent, she, ascertaining that the two accounts tallied completely,
shewed him that Bráhman lady, and said to him--"Here is your brother's
wife." And when they recognised one another, and he had heard of
the death of his relations, he took the Bráhman lady the wife of his
brother to his own house. There he mourned exceedingly, as was natural,
for the death of his parents and his brother, and comforted the lady
who was accompanied by her two children; and the queen Vásavadattá
settled that the Bráhman lady's two young sons should be the domestic
chaplains of her future son, and the queen also gave the eldest the
name of Sántisoma, and the next of Vaisvánara, and she bestowed on
them much wealth. The people of this world are like a blind man,
being led to the place of recompense by their own actions, going
before them, [330] and their courage is merely an instrument. Then
those two children, and their mother and Sántikara remained united
there, having obtained wealth.
Then once upon a time, as days went on, the queen Vásavadattá beheld
from her palace a certain woman of the caste of potters coming with
five sons, bringing plates, and she said to the Bráhman lady Pingaliká,
who was at her side; "Observe, my friend: this woman has five sons,
and I have not even one as yet, to such an extent is such a one the
possessor of merit, while such a one as myself is not." [331]
Then Pingaliká said, "Queen, these numerous sons are people who
have committed many sins in a previous existence, and are born to
poor people in order that they may suffer for them, but the son that
shall be born to such a one as you, must have been in a former life
a very virtuous person. Therefore do not be impatient, you will soon
obtain a son such as you deserve." Though Pingaliká said this to her,
Vásavadattá, being eager for the birth of a son, remained with her
mind overpowered by anxiety about it. At that moment the king of
Vatsa came and perceiving what was in her heart said--"Queen, Nárada
said that you should obtain a son by propitiating Siva, therefore we
must continually propitiate Siva, that granter of boons." Upon that,
the queen quickly determined upon performing a vow, and when she had
taken a vow, the king and his ministers and the whole kingdom also
took a vow to propitiate Siva; and after the royal couple had fasted
for three nights, that Lord was so pleased that he himself appeared
to them and commanded them in a dream,--"Rise up; from you shall
spring a son who shall be a portion of the god of love, and owing to
my favour shall be king of all the Vidyádharas." When the god, whose
crest is the moon, had said this and disappeared, that couple woke
up, and immediately felt unfeigned joy at having obtained their boon,
and considered that they had gained their object. And in the morning
the king and queen rose up, and after delighting the subjects with
the taste of the nectarous story of their dream, kept high festival
with their relations and servants, and broke in this manner the fast
of their vow. After some days had past, a certain man with matted
locks came and gave the queen Vásavadattá a fruit in her dream. Then
the king of Vatsa rejoiced with the queen, who informed him of that
clear dream, and he was congratulated by his ministers, and supposing
that the god of the moon-crest had given her a son under the form of
a fruit, he considered the fulfilment of his wish to be not far off.
CHAPTER XXII.
Then, in a short time, Vásavadattá became pregnant with a child,
glorious inasmuch as it was an incarnation of the god of Love,
and it was a feast to the eyes of the king of Vatsa. She shone with
a face, the eyes of which rolled, and which was of palish hue, as
if with the moon come to visit her out of affection for the god of
Love conceived in her. When she was sitting down, the two images of
her form, reflected in the sides of the jewelled couch, seemed like
Rati and Príti come there out of regard for their husband. [332]
Her ladies-in-waiting attended upon her like the Sciences that grant
desires, come in bodily form to shew their respect for the future king
of the Vidyádharas [333] conceived in her. At that time she had breasts
with points dark like a folded bud, resembling pitchers intended for
the inaugural sprinkling [334] of her unborn son. When she lay down
on a comfortable couch in the middle of the palace, which gleamed
with pavement composed of translucent, flashing, lustrous jewels,
she appeared as if she were being propitiated by the waters, that had
come there trembling, through fear of being conquered by her future
son, with heaps of jewels on every side. Her image reflected from the
gems in the middle of the chariot, appeared like the Fortune of the
Vidyáharas coming in the heaven to offer her adoration. And she felt
a longing for stories of great magicians provided with incantations by
means of spells, introduced appropriately in conversation. Vidyádhara
ladies, beginning melodious songs, waited upon her when in her dream
she rose high up in the sky, and when she woke up, she desired to
enjoy in reality the amusement of sporting in the air, which would
give the pleasure of looking down upon the earth. And Yaugandharáyana
gratified that longing of the queen's by employing spells, machines,
juggling, and such like contrivances. So she roamed through the air
by means of those various contrivances, which furnished a wonderful
spectacle to the upturned eyes of the citizens' wives. But once on a
time, when she was in her palace, there arose in her heart a desire to
hear the glorious tales of the Vidyádharas; then Yaugandharáyana, being
entreated by that queen, told her this tale while all were listening.
Story of Jímútaváhana.
There is a great mountain named Himavat, the father of the mother
of the world, [335] who is not only the chief of hills, but the
spiritual preceptor of Siva, and on that great mountain, the home
of the Vidyádharas, dwelt the lord of the Vidyádharas, the king
Jímútaketu. And in his house there was a wishing-tree [336], which had
come down to him from his ancestors, called by a name which expressed
its nature, The Giver of Desires. And one day the king Jímútaketu
approached that wishing-tree in his garden, which was of divine
nature, and supplicated it; "We always obtain from you all we desire,
therefore give me, O god, who am now childless, a virtuous son." Then
the wishing-tree said,--"King, there shall be born to thee a son who
shall remember his past birth, who shall be a hero in giving, and
kind to all creatures." When he heard that, the king was delighted,
and bowed before that tree, and then he went and delighted his queen
with the news: accordingly in a short time a son was born to him,
and his father called the son Jímútaváhana. Then that Jímútaváhana,
who was of great goodness, grew up step by step with the growth of his
innate compassion for all creatures. And in course of time, when he
was made Crown-Prince, he being full of compassion for the world said
in secret to his father, who was pleased by his attentions--"I know,
O father, that in this world all things perish in an instant, but the
pure glory of the great alone endures till the end of a Kalpa. [337]
If it is acquired by benefiting others, what other wealth can be, like
it, valued by high-minded men more than life. And as for prosperity,
if it be not used to benefit others, it is like lightning which for a
moment pains the eye, and flickering disappears somewhere or other. So,
if this wishing-tree, which we possess, and which grants all desires,
is employed for the benefit of others, we shall have reaped from it all
the fruit it can give. So let me take such steps as that by its riches
the whole multitude of men in need may be rescued from poverty." This
petition Jímútaváhana made to his father, and having obtained his
permission, he went and said to that wishing-tree, "O god, thou always
givest us the desired fruit, therefore fulfil to-day this one wish of
ours. O my friend, relieve this whole world from its poverty, success
to thee, thou art bestowed on the world that desires wealth!" The
wishing-tree being addressed in this style by that self-denying one,
showered much gold on the earth, and all the people rejoiced; what
other compassionate incarnation of a Bodhisattva except the glorious
Jímútaváhana would be able to dispose even of a wishing-tree in favour
of the needy? For this reason every region of the earth [338] became
devoted to Jímútaváhana, and his stainless fame was spread on high.
Then the relations of Jímútaketu, seeing that his throne was firmly
established by the glory of his son, were envious, and became hostile
to him. And they thought it would be easy to conquer that place, which
possessed the excellent wishing-tree that was employed for bestowing
gifts, on account of its not being strong: then they assembled and
determined on war, and thereupon the self-denying Jímútaváhana said
to his father,--"As this body of ours is like a bubble in the water,
for the sake of what do we desire prosperity, which flickers like
a candle exposed to the wind? And what wise man desires to attain
prosperity by the slaughter of others? Accordingly, my father, I