The Kathá Sarit Ságara; or, Ocean of the Streams of Story
imitation of it; by nature nothing is too bad for them to do. Surely
this being they call woman, is created of nectar and poison, for,
when she is attached to one, she is nectar, and when estranged she
is indeed poison. Who can see through a woman, with loving face
secretly planning crime? A wicked woman is like a lotus-bed with
its flowers expanded, and an alligator concealed in it. But now and
then there falls from heaven, urging on a host of virtues, a good
woman that brings praise to her husband, like the pure light of the
sun. But another, of evil augury, attached to strangers, not free
from inordinate desires, wicked, bearing the poison of aversion,
[515] slays her husband like a female snake."
Story of Satrughna and his wicked wife.
For instance, in a certain village there was a certain man named
Satrughna, and his wife was unchaste. He once saw in the evening his
wife in the society of her lover, and he slew that lover of hers,
when he was in the house, with the sword. And he remained at the door
waiting for the night, keeping his wife inside, and at night-fall
a traveller came there to ask for a lodging. He gave him refuge,
and artfully carried away with his help the corpse of that adulterer
at night, and went with it to the forest. And there, while he was
throwing that corpse into a well, the mouth of which was overgrown
with plants, his wife came behind him, and pushed him in also.
"What reckless crime of this kind will not a wicked wife commit?" In
these words Gomukha, though still a boy, denounced the conduct
of women.
Then Naraváhanadatta himself worshipped the snakes in that grove of
snakes, [516] and went back to his palace with his retinue.
While he was there, he desired one day to prove his ministers, Gomukha
and the others, so he asked them, though he himself knew it well, for
a summary of the policy of princes. They consulted among themselves,
and said--"You know all things, nevertheless we will tell you this,
now that you ask us," and so they proceeded to relate the cream of
political science.
"A king should first tame and mount the horses of the senses,
and should conquer those internal foes, love, anger, avarice and
delusion, and should subdue himself as a preparation for subduing
other enemies, for how can a man, who has not conquered himself,
being helpless, conquer others? Then he should procure ministers,
who, among other good qualities, possess that of being natives of his
own country, and a skilful family priest, knowing the Atharva Veda,
gifted with asceticism. He should test his ministers with respect to
fear, avarice, virtue and passion, by ingenious artifices, and then he
should appoint them to appropriate duties, discerning their hearts. He
should try their speech, when they are deliberating with one another
on affairs, to see if it is truthful, or inspired by malice, spoken
out of affection, or connected with selfish objects. He should be
pleased with truth, but should punish untruth as it deserves, and
he should continually inquire into the conduct of each of them by
means of spies. Thus he should look at business with unhooded eye,
and by rooting up opponents, [517] and acquiring a treasure, a force,
and the other means of success, should establish himself firmly
on the throne. Then, equipped with the three powers of courage,
kingly authority, and counsel, he should be eager to conquer the
territory of others, considering the difference between the power
of himself and his foe. He should continually take counsel with
advisers, who should be trusty, learned and wise, and should correct
with his own intellect the policy determined on by them, in all its
details. Being versed in the means of success, [518] (conciliation,
bribery and the others,) he should attain for himself security,
and he should then employ the six proper courses, of which alliance
and war are the chief. [519] Thus a king acquires prosperity, and as
long as he carefully considers his own realm and that of his rival,
he is victorious but never vanquished. But an ignorant monarch, blind
with passion and avarice, is plundered by wicked servants, who shew
him the wrong path, and leading him astray, fling him into pits. On
account of these rogues a servant of another kind is never admitted
into the presence of the king, as a husbandman cannot get at a crop of
rice enclosed with a palisade. For he is enslaved by those faithless
servants, who penetrate into his secrets; and consequently Fortune
in disgust flies from him, because he does not know the difference
between man and man. Therefore a king should conquer himself, should
inflict due chastisement, and know the difference of men's characters,
for in this way he will acquire his subjects' love and become thereby
a vessel of prosperity."
Story of king Súrasena and his ministers.
In old time a king named Súrasena, who relied implicitly upon his
servants, was enslaved and plundered by his ministers, who had formed
a coalition. Whoever was a faithful servant to the king, the ministers
would not give even a straw to, though the king wished to bestow a
reward upon him; but if any man was a faithful servant to them, they
themselves gave him presents, and by their representations induced
the king to give to him, though he was undeserving. When the king
saw that, he gradually came to be aware of that coalition of rogues,
and set those ministers at variance with one another by a clever
artifice. When they were estranged, and the clique was broken up,
and they began to inform against one another, the king ruled the
realm successfully, without being deceived by others.
Story of Harisinha.
And there was a king named Harisinha, of ordinary power but versed in
the true science of policy, who had surrounded himself with devoted
and wise ministers, possessed forts, and stores of wealth; he made
his subjects devoted to him and conducted himself in such a way that,
though attacked by an emperor, he was not defeated.
"Thus discernment and reflection are the main things in governing a
kingdom; what is of more importance?" Having said this, each taking
his part, Gomukha and his fellows ceased. Naraváhanadatta, approving
that speech of theirs, though he knew that heroic action is to be
thought upon, [520] still placed his reliance upon destiny whose
power surpasses all thought.
Then he rose up, and his ardour being kindled by delay, he went with
them to visit his beloved Madanamanchuká; when he had reached her
palace and was seated on a throne, Kalingasená, after performing the
usual courtesies, said with astonishment to Gomukha, [521] "Before
the prince Naraváhanadatta arrived, Madanamanchuká, being impatient,
went up to the top of the palace to watch him coming, accompanied by
me, and while we were there, a man descended from heaven upon it,
he was of divine appearance, wore a tiara, and a sword, and said
to me 'I am a king, a lord of the Vidyádharas named Mánasavega,
and you are a heavenly nymph named Surabhidattá who by a curse have
fallen down to earth, and this your daughter is of heavenly origin,
this is known to me well. So give me this daughter of yours in
marriage, for the connexion is a suitable one.' When he said this,
I suddenly burst out laughing, and said to him, 'Naraváhanadatta has
been appointed her husband by the gods, and he is to be the emperor
of all you Vidyádharas.' When I said this to him, the Vidyádhara
flew up into the sky, like a sudden streak of lightning dazzling
the eyes of my daughter." When Gomukha heard that, he said, "The
Vidyádharas found out that the prince was to be their future lord,
from a speech in the air, by which the future birth of the prince
was made known to the king in private, and they immediately desired
to do him a mischief. What self-willed one would desire a mighty
lord as his ruler and restrainer? For which reason Siva has made
arrangements to ensure the safety of this prince, by commissioning
his attendants to wait on him in actual presence. I heard this speech
of Nárada's being related by my father. So it comes to pass that the
Vidyádharas are now hostile to us." When Kalingasená heard this,
she was terrified at the thought of what had happened to herself,
and said, "Why does not the prince marry Madanamanchuká now, before
she is deceived, like me, by delusion?" When Gomukha and the others
heard this from Kalingasená, they said, "Do you stir up the king of
Vatsa to this business." Then Naraváhanadatta, with his heart fixed on
Madanamanchuká only, amused himself by looking at her in the garden
all that day, with her face like a full-blown lotus, with her eyes
like opening blue water-lilies, with lips lovely as the bandhúka,
with breasts like clusters of mandáras, with body delicate as the
sirísha, like a matchless arrow, composed of five flowers, appointed
by the god of love for the conquest of the world.
The next day Kalingasená went in person, and proffered her petition to
the king for the marriage of her daughter. The king of Vatsa dismissed
her, and summoning his ministers, said to them in the presence of
the queen Vásavadattá, "Kalingasená is impatient for the marriage of
her daughter: so how are we to manage it, for the people think that
that excellent woman is unchaste? And we must certainly consider the
people: did not Rámabhadra long ago desert queen Sítá, though she
was chaste, on account of the slander of the multitude? Was not Ambá,
though carried off with great effort by Bhíshma for the sake of his
brother, reluctantly abandoned, because she had previously chosen
another husband? In the same way this Kalingasená, after spontaneously
choosing me, was married by Madanavega; for this reason the people
blame her. Therefore let this Naraváhanadatta himself marry by the
Gándharva ceremony her daughter, who will be a suitable wife for
him." When the king of Vatsa said this, Yaugandharáyana answered,
"My lord, how could Kalingasená consent to this impropriety? For I
have often observed that she, as well as her daughter, is a divine
being, no ordinary woman, and this was told me by my wise friend the
Bráhman-Rákshasa." While they were debating with one another in this
style, the voice of Siva was heard from heaven to the following effect:
"The god of love, after having been consumed by the fire of my eye,
has been created again in the form of Naraváhanadatta, and having been
pleased with the asceticism of Rati I have created her as his wife in
the form of Madanamanchuká. And dwelling with her, as his head-wife,
he shall exercise supreme sovereignty over the Vidyádharas for a kalpa
of the gods, after conquering his enemies by my favour." After saying
this the voice ceased.
When he heard this speech of the adorable Siva, the king of Vatsa,
with his retinue, worshipped him, and joyfully made up his mind to
celebrate the marriage of his son. Then the king congratulated his
prime minister, who had before discerned the truth, and summoned the
astrologers, and asked them what would be a favourable moment, and
they, after being honoured with presents, told him that a favourable
moment would arrive within a few days. Again those astrologers
said to him--"Your son will have to endure some separation for a
short season from this wife of his; this we know, O lord of Vatsa,
by our own scientific foresight." Then the king proceeded to make the
requisite preparations for the marriage of his son, in a style suited
to his own magnificence, so that not only his own city, but the whole
earth was made to tremble with the effort of it. Then, the day of
marriage having arrived, Kalingasená adorned her daughter, to whom
her father had sent his own heavenly ornaments, and Somaprabhá came
in obedience to her husband's order. Then Madanamanchuká, adorned