The Kathá Sarit Ságara; or, Ocean of the Streams of Story
performed penance with his heels upwards. And while he was performing
austerities, he saw an Apsaras of the name of Menaká coming through
the air, with her clothes floating on the breeze. Then his mind was
bewildered by Cupid, who had found his opportunity, and there was
born to him a daughter named Kadalígarbhá, [489] beautiful in every
limb. And since she was born in the interior of a plantain, her father,
the hermit Mankanaka, gave her the name of Kadalígarbhá. She grew up
in his hermitage like Kripí the wife of Drona, who was born to Gautama
on his beholding Rambhá. And once on a time Dridhavarman, a king born
in Madhyadesa, [490] who in the excitement of the chase was carried
away by his horse, entered that hermitage. He beheld Kadalígarbhá
clothed in garments of bark, having her beauty exceedingly set off
by the dress appropriate to the daughter of an ascetic. And she,
when seen, captivated the heart of that king so completely, that
she left no room in it for the women of his harem. While thinking
to himself--"Shall I be able to obtain as a wife this daughter of
some hermit or other, as Dushyanta obtained Sakuntalá the daughter
of the hermit Kanva?"--the king beheld that hermit Mankanaka coming
with fuel and kusa-grass. And leaving his horse, he approached him and
worshipped at his feet, and when questioned, discovered himself to that
hermit. Then the hermit gave the following order to Kadalígarbhá--"My
dear child, prepare the arghya [491] for this king our guest." She
said--"I will do so"--and bowing, prepared the hospitable offering,
and then the king said to the hermit--"Whence did you obtain this
maiden who is so beautiful?"--Then the hermit told the king the story
of her birth, and her name Kadalígarbhá, which indicated the manner
of it. Then the king, considering the maiden born from the hermit's
thinking on Menaká to be an Apsaras, earnestly craved her hand of
her father. And the sage gave him that daughter named Kadalígarbhá,
for the actions of the sages of old time, guided by divine insight,
were without hesitation. And the nymphs of heaven, discovering the fact
by their divine power, came there out of love for Menaká, and adorned
her for the wedding. And on that very occasion they put mustard-seeds
into her hand and said to her,--"As you are going along the path, sow
them, in order that you may know it again. If, daughter, at any time
your husband should scorn you, and you should wish to return here,
then you will be able, as you come along, to recognise the path by
these, which will have sprung up." When they had said this to her,
and her marriage had been celebrated, the king Dridhavarman placed
Kadalígarbhá on his horse, and departed thence. His army came up and
escorted him, and in company with that bride of his, who sowed the
mustard-seeds all along the path, he reached his own palace. There
he became averse to the society of his other wives, and dwelt with
that Kadalígarbhá, after telling her story to his ministers.
Then his principal wife, being exceedingly afflicted, said to his
minister in secret, after reminding him of the benefits she had
conferred upon him: "The king is now exclusively attached to his new
wife and has deserted me, so take steps to make this rival of mine
depart." When that minister heard that, he said--"Queen, it is not
appropriate for people like me to destroy or banish their masters'
wives. This is the business of the wives of wandering religious
mendicants, addicted to jugglery and such practices, associating
with men like themselves. For those hypocritical female ascetics,
creeping unforbidden into houses, skilled in deception, will stick at
no deed whatever." When he said this to her, the queen, as if abashed,
said to him in affected shame--"Then I will have nothing to do with
this proceeding disapproved of by the virtuous." But she laid up his
speech in her heart, and dismissing that minister, she summoned by
the mouth of her maid a certain wandering female ascetic. And she told
her all that desire of hers from the beginning, and promised to give
her great wealth if the business were successfully accomplished. And
the wicked female ascetic, from desire of gain, said to the afflicted
queen--"Queen, this is an easy matter, I will accomplish it for you,
for I know very many expedients of various kinds." Having thus consoled
the queen, that female ascetic departed; and after reaching her house,
she reflected as one afraid, "Alas! whom will not excessive desire of
gain delude, since I rashly made such a promise before the queen? But
the fact is, I know no device of the kind, and it is not possible to
carry on any deception in the palace, as I do in other places, for the
authorities might perhaps find it out and punish me. There may be one
resource in this difficulty, for I have a friend, a barber, and as he
is skilled in devices of the kind, all may yet go well, if he exert
himself in the matter." After thus reflecting, she went to the barber,
and told him all her plan that was to bring her prosperity. Then
the barber, who was old and cunning, reflected--"This is good luck,
that an opportunity of making something has now presented itself to
me. So we must not kill the king's new wife, but we must preserve
her alive, for her father has divine insight, and would reveal the
whole transaction. But by separating her from the king we will now
batten upon the queen, for great people become servants to a servant
who shares their criminal secrets. And in due time I will re-unite
her to the king, and tell him the whole story, in order that he and
the sage's daughter may become a source of subsistence to me. And
thus I shall not have done anything very wrong, and I shall have a
livelihood for a long time." Having thus reflected, the barber said
to the hypocritical female ascetic--"Mother, I will do all this, but
it would not be proper to slay that new wife of the king's by means
of magic, for the king might some day find it out, and then he would
destroy us all: besides we should incur the sin of woman-murder, and
her father the sage would curse us. Therefore it is far better that
she should be separated from the king by means of our ingenuity,
in order that the queen may be happy, and we may obtain wealth
[punctuation missing in scan] And this is an easy matter to me, for
what can I not accomplish by force of intellect? Hear my ingenuity,
I will relate a story which illustrates it."
Story of the king and the barber's wife
This king Dridhavarman had an immoral father. And I was then his
servant, being engaged in the duties which belong to me. He, one
day, as he was roaming about here, cast eyes on my wife; and as
she was young and beautiful, his mind became attached to her. And
when he asked his attendants who she was, they said--"The barber's
wife." He thought--"What can the barber do?" So the wicked king
entered my house, and after enjoying at will the society of my wife,
departed. But, as it happened, I was away from my house that day,
being absent somewhere or other. And the next day, when I entered,
I saw that my wife's manner had altered, and when I asked her the
reason, she told me the whole story, being full of pride at what
had occurred. And in that way the king went on puffing up my wife
by continual visits, which I was powerless to prevent. A prince
distracted by unholy passion makes no distinction between what is
lawful and what is illicit. The forest is like straw to a sylvan
fire fanned by the wind. So, not being in possession of any other
expedient for restraining my sovereign, I reduced myself with spare
diet, and took refuge in feigned sickness. And in this state I went
into the presence of that king to perform my duties, sighing deeply,
pale and emaciated. Then the king, seeing that I seemed to be ill,
asked me meaningly the following question--"Holla! tell me why you have
become thus?" And after he had questioned me persistently, I answered
the king in private, after imploring immunity from punishment--"King,
my wife is a witch. And when I am asleep she extracts my entrails and
sucks them, and then replaces them as before--This is how I have become
lean. So how can continual refreshment and eating nourish me?" When I
said this to the king, he became anxious and reflected--"Can she really
be a witch? Why was I captivated by her? I wonder whether she will
suck my entrails also, since I am well nourished with food. So I will
myself contrive to test her this very night." Having thus reflected,
the king caused food to be given me on the spot. Then I went home and
shed tears in the presence of my wife, and when she questioned me,
I said to her--"My beloved, you must not reveal to any one what I am
about to tell you. Listen! That king has teeth as sharp as the edge
of a thunderbolt, where teeth are not usually found, and they broke
my razor to-day while I was performing my duties. And in this way I
shall break a razor every time. So how am I to be continually procuring
fresh razors? This is why I weep, for the means of supporting myself
in my home are destroyed." When I had said this to my wife, she made
up her mind to investigate the marvel of the concealed teeth while the
king was asleep, since he was to visit her at night. But she did not
perceive that such a thing had never been seen since the world was,
and could not be true. Even clever women are deceived by the tales
of an impostor.
So the king came at night and visited my wife at will, and as if
fatigued, pretended to go to sleep, remembering what I had said. Then
my wife, thinking he was asleep, slowly stretched out her hand to find
his concealed teeth. And as soon as her hand reached him, the king
exclaimed--"A witch! A witch!" and left the house in terror. Henceforth
my wife, having been abandoned by the king out of fear, became
satisfied with me and devoted to me exclusively. In this way I saved
my wife on a former occasion from the king by my intelligence.
Having told this story to the female ascetic, the barber went on to
say--"So, my good lady, this desire of yours must be accomplished by
wisdom; and I will tell you, mother, how it is to be done, listen to
me. Some old servant of the harem must be won over to say to this king
in secret every day, 'Your wife Kadalígarbhá is a witch.' For she,
being a forest maiden, has no attendants of her own, and what will not
all alien servants do for gain, being easily corrupted? Accordingly,
when the king becomes apprehensive on hearing what the old servant
says, you must contrive to place at night hands and feet and other
limbs in the chamber of Kadalígarbhá. [492] Then the king will
see them in the morning, and concluding that what the old man says
is true, will be afraid of Kadalígarbhá and desert her of his own
accord. So the queen will be delighted at getting rid of a rival
wife, and entertain a favourable opinion of you, and we shall gain
some advantage." When the barber said this to the female ascetic,
she consented and went and told the whole matter to the king's head
queen. And the queen carried out her suggestions, and the king, who had
been warned, saw the hands and feet in the morning with his own eyes,
and abandoned Kadalígarbhá, thinking her to be wicked. So the female
ascetic, together with the barber, enjoyed to the full the presents
which the queen secretly gave to her, being pleased with her aid.
So Kadalígarbhá, being abandoned by Dridhavarman, went out from the
palace, grieved because the king would be cursed. And she returned
to the hermitage of her father by the same path by which she came,
which she was able to recognise by the mustard-seeds she had sown,
which had sprung up. [493] Her father, the hermit Mankanaka, when he
saw her suddenly arrived there, remained for some time suspecting