The Kathá Sarit Ságara; or, Ocean of the Streams of Story
Then she travelled along slowly in the dress of a man, and in the
afternoon she saw a good cowherd. He was moved to compassion by seeing
her delicate beauty, and that she had accomplished a long journey,
and then she approached him, and said--"What country is this, please
tell me?" The cowherd said--"This city in front of you is the city of
Vasudatta, belonging to the king Vasudatta: as for the king, he lies
there at the point of death with illness." When Kírtisená heard that,
she said to the cowherd, "If any one will conduct me into the presence
of that king, I know how to remove his disease." When the cowherd
heard that, he said, "I am going to that very city, so come with me,
that I may point it out to you." Kírtisená answered--"So be it," and
immediately that herdsman conducted her to the city of Vasudatta,
wearing her male dress. And telling the circumstances exactly as
they were, he immediately commended that lady with auspicious marks
to the afflicted warder. And the warder, having informed the king,
by his orders introduced the blameless lady into his presence. The
king Vasudatta, though tortured with his disease, was comforted the
moment he beheld that lady of wonderful beauty; the soul is able to
distinguish friends from enemies. And he said to the lady who was
disguised as a man, "Auspicious sir, if you remove this disease,
I will give you half my kingdom; I remember a lady stripped off
from me in my dream a black blanket, so you will certainly remove
this my disease." When Kírtisená heard that, she said--"This day
is at an end, O king; to-morrow I will take away your disease;
do not be impatient." Having said this, she rubbed cow's butter on
the king's head; that made sleep come to him, and the excessive pain
disappeared. And then all there praised Kírtisená, saying--"This is
some god come to us in the disguise of a physician, thanks to our
merits in a previous state of existence." And the queen waited on her
with various attentions, and appointed for her a house in which to
rest at night, with female attendants. Then on the next day, at noon,
before the eyes of the ministers and ladies of the harem, Kírtisená
extracted from the head of that king, through the aperture of the ear,
one hundred and fifty centipedes, by employing the wonderful artifice
previously described by the Rákshasí. And after getting the centipedes
into the pitcher, she comforted the king by fomenting him with milk
and melted butter. The king having gradually recovered, and being
free from disease, everybody there was astonished at beholding those
creatures in the pitcher. And the king, on beholding these harmful
insects that had been extracted from his head, was terrified, puzzled
and delighted, and considered himself born again. And he made high
feast, and honoured Kírtisená, who did not care for half the kingdom,
with villages, elephants, horses, and gold. And the queens and the
ministers loaded her with gold and garments, saying that they ought to
honour the physician who had saved the life of their sovereign. But she
deposited for the present that wealth in the hand of the king, waiting
for her husband, and saying--"I am under a vow for a certain time."
So Kírtisená remained there some days in man's clothes, honoured by
all men, and in the meanwhile she heard from the people that her
own husband, the great merchant Devasena, had come that way from
Vallabhí. Then, as soon as she knew that that caravan had arrived in
the city, she went to it, and saw that husband of hers as a peahen
beholds the new cloud. And she fell at his feet, and her heart,
weeping from the pain of long separation, made her bestow on him
the argha [474] with her tears of joy. Her husband, for his part,
after he had examined her, who was concealed by her disguise, like
the form of the moon invisible in the day on account of the rays of
the sun, recognised her. It was wonderful that the heart of Devasena,
who was handsome as the moon, did not dissolve like the moonstone,
[475] on beholding the moon of her countenance.
Then, Kírtisená having thus revealed herself, and her husband remaining
in a state of wonder, marvelling what it could mean, and the company
of merchants being astonished, the king Vasudatta, hearing of it,
came there full of amazement. And Kírtisená, being questioned by him,
told in the presence of her husband her whole adventure, that was
due to the wickedness of her mother-in-law. And her husband Devasena,
hearing it, conceived an aversion to his mother, and was affected at
the same time by anger, forbearance, astonishment, and joy. And all
the people present there, having heard that wonderful adventure of
Kírtisená, exclaimed joyfully--"Chaste women, mounted on the chariot
of conjugal affection, protected by the armour of modesty, and armed
with the weapon of intellect, are victorious in the struggle." The
king too said--"This lady, who has endured affliction for the sake of
her husband, has surpassed even queen Sítá, who shared the hardships
of Ráma. So she is henceforth my sister in the faith, as well as
the saviour of my life." When the king said that, Kírtisená answered
him--"O king, let your gift of affection which I deposited in your
care, consisting of villages, elephants, and horses, be made over
to my husband." When she said this to the king, he bestowed on her
husband Devasena the villages and other presents, and being pleased
gave him a turban of honour. Then Devasena, having his purse suddenly
filled with stores of wealth, part of which was given by the king,
and part acquired by his own trading, avoiding his mother, and
praising Kírtisená, remained dwelling in that town. And Kírtisená
having found a happy lot, from which her wicked mother-in-law was
removed, and having obtained glory by her unparalleled adventures,
dwelt there in the enjoyment of all luxury and power, like all the
rich fruit of her husband's good deeds incarnate in a body.
"Thus chaste women, enduring the dispensations of hostile fate,
but preserving in misfortunes the treasure of their virtue,
and protected by the great power of their goodness, procure good
fortune for their husbands and themselves. And thus, O daughter of
a king, many misfortunes befall wives, inflicted by mothers-in-law
and sisters-in-law, therefore I desire for you a husband's house
of such a kind, that in it there shall be no mother-in-law and no
cruel sister-in-law."
Hearing this delightful and marvellous story from the mouth of the
Asura princess Somaprabhá, the mortal princess Kalingasená was highly
delighted. Then the sun, seeing that these tales, the matter of which
was so various, had come to an end, proceeded to set, and Somaprabhá,
having embraced the regretful Kalingasená, went to her own palace.
CHAPTER XXX.
Then Kalingasená out of love went to the top of a palace on the high
road, to follow with her eyes the course of Somaprabhá, who had set
out for her own home, and by chance a young king of the Vidyádharas,
named Madanavega, travelling through the air, had a near view of
her. The youth beholding her, bewildering the three worlds with
her beauty, like the bunch of peacock feathers of the conjuror
Cupid, was much troubled. He reflected--"Away with the Vidyádhara
beauties! Not even the Apsarases deserve to be mentioned in presence
of the surpassing loveliness of this mortal lady. So if she will not
consent to become my wife, what is the profit of my life? But how
can I associate with a mortal lady, being a Vidyádhara?" Thereupon
he called to mind the science named Prajnapti, and that science,
appearing in bodily form, thus addressed him, "She is not really
a mortal woman, she is an Apsaras, degraded in consequence of a
curse, and born in the house of the august king Kalingadatta." When
the Vidyádhara had been thus informed by the science, he went off
delighted and distracted with love; and averse from all other things,
reflected in his palace; "It is not fitting for me to carry her off by
force; for the possession of women by force is, according to a curse,
fated to bring me death. So in order to obtain her, I must propitiate
Siva by asceticism, for happiness is procurable by asceticism, and no
other expedient presents itself." Thus he resolved, and the next day
he went to the Rishabha mountain, and standing on one foot, performed
penance without taking food. Then the husband of Ambiká was soon won
over by Madanavega's severe asceticism, and appearing to him, thus
enjoined him, "This maiden, named Kalingasená, is famous for beauty
on the earth, and she cannot find any husband equal to her in the
gift of loveliness. Only the king of Vatsa is a fitting match for
her, and he longs to possess her, but through fear of Vásavadattá,
does not dare to court her openly. And this princess, who is longing
for a handsome husband, will hear of the king of Vatsa from the mouth
of Somaprabhá, and repair to him to choose him as her husband. So,
before her marriage takes place, assume the form of the impatient king
of Vatsa, and go and make her your wife by the Gándharva ceremony. In
this way, fair sir, you will obtain Kalingasená." Having received
this command from Siva, Madanavega prostrated himself before him,
and returned to his home on the slope of the Kálakúta mountain.
Then Kalingasená went on enjoying herself in the city of Takshasilá,
in the society of Somaprabhá, who went every night to her own home, and
came back every morning to her friend, in her chariot that travelled
through the air: and one day she said to Somaprabhá in private;
"My friend, you must not tell any one what I tell you. Listen, and
I will give you a reason that makes me think the time of my marriage
has arrived. Ambassadors have been sent here by many kings to ask me
in marriage. And they, after an interview with my father, have always
hitherto been dismissed by him as they came. But now the king of the
name of Prasenajit, who lives in Srávastí, has sent a messenger, and he
alone has been received with honourable distinction by my father. And
that course has been recommended by my mother, so I conjecture,
the king, my suitor, has been approved of by my father and mother,
as of sufficiently noble lineage. For he is born in that family,
in which were born Ambá and Ambáliká, the paternal grandmothers
of the Kurus and Pándus. So, my friend, it is clear that they have
now determined to bestow me in marriage on this king Prasenajit in
the city of Srávastí." When Somaprabhá heard this from Kalingasená,
she suddenly shed from grief a copious shower of tears, creating,
as it were, a second necklace. And when her friend asked her the
cause of her tears, that daughter of the Asura Maya, who had seen
all the terrestrial world, said to her--"Of the desirable requisites
in a suitor, youth, good looks, noble birth, good disposition, and
wealth, youth is of the greatest importance; high birth, and so on,
are of subordinate importance. But I have seen that king Prasenajit,
and he is an old man; who cares about his high lineage, as he is old,
any more than about the birth of the jasmine-flower? You will be to
be pitied when linked to him who is white as snow, as the lotus-bed,
when linked to the winter, and your face will be a withered lotus. For
this reason despondency has arisen in me, but I should be delighted if
Udayana, the king of Vatsa, were to become your husband, O auspicious
lady. For there is no king upon the earth equal to him in form,
beauty, lineage, daring and riches. If, fair one, you should be
married to that fitting mate, the display which the Creator has made
in your case of his power to create beauty, would have brought forth
fruit." By means of these speeches, artfully framed by Somaprabhá, the
mind of Kalingasená was impelled as if by engines, and flew towards