The Kathá Sarit Ságara; or, Ocean of the Streams of Story
came with his ministers. And then that Hemaprabha told the king,
after he had performed towards him the rites of hospitality, the
whole story exactly as it had been related by Ratnaprabhá, and said,
"I knew by the power of my supernatural knowledge that my daughter had
come here, and I am aware of all that has happened in this place. [537]
For he will afterwards possess such an imperial chariot. Pray consent,
and then thou shalt behold in a short time thy son, the prince,
returned here, united to his wife Ratnaprabhá." After he had addressed
this prayer to the king of Vatsa, and he had consented to his wish,
that Hemaprabha, with his son, prepared that chariot by his own magic
skill, and made Naraváhanadatta ascend it, together with Ratnaprabhá,
whose face was cast down from modesty, followed by Gomukha and the
others, and Yaugandharáyana, who was also deputed to accompany him
by his father, and thus Hemaprabha took him to his own capital,
Kánchanasringaka.
And Naraváhanadatta, when he reached that city of his father-in-law,
saw that it was all of gold, gleaming with golden ramparts, embraced,
as it were, on all sides with rays issuing out like shoots, and
so stretching forth innumerable arms in eagerness of love for
that son-in-law. There the king Hemaprabha, of high emprise, gave
Ratnaprabhá with due ceremonies to him, as the sea gave Lakshmí to
Vishnu. And he gave him glittering heaps of jewels, gleaming like
innumerable wedding fires lighted. [538] And in the city of that
festive prince, who was showering wealth, even the houses, being draped
with flags, appeared as if they had received changes of raiment. And
Naraváhanadatta, having performed the auspicious ceremony of marriage,
remained there enjoying heavenly pleasures with Ratnaprabhá. And he
amused himself by looking in her company at beautiful temples of the
gods in gardens and lakes, having ascended with her the heaven by
the might of her science.
So, after he had lived some days with his wife in the city of the
king of the Vidyádharas, the son of the king of Vatsa determined,
in accordance with the advice of Yaugandharáyana, to return to his
own city. Then his mother-in-law performed for him the auspicious
ceremonies previous to starting, and his father-in-law again honoured
him and his minister, and then he set out with Hemaprabha and his son,
accompanied by his beloved, having again ascended that chariot. He soon
arrived, like a stream of nectar to the eyes of his mother, and entered
his city with Hemaprabha and his son and his own followers, bringing
with him his wife, who made the king of Vatsa rejoice exceedingly
with delight at beholding her. The king of Vatsa of exalted fortune,
with Vásavadattá, welcomed that son, who bowed at his feet with his
wife, and honoured Hemaprabha his new connexion, as well as his son,
in a manner conformable to his own dignity. Then, after that king of
the Vidyádharas, Hemaprabha, had taken leave of the lord of Vatsa and
his family, and had flown up into the heaven and gone to his own city,
that Naraváhanadatta, together with Ratnaprabhá and Madanamanchuká,
spent that day in happiness surrounded by his friends.
CHAPTER XXXVI.
When that Naraváhanadatta had thus obtained a new and lovely bride
of the Vidyádhara race, and was the next day with her in her house,
there came in the morning to the door, to visit him, his ministers
Gomukha and others. They were stopped for a moment at the door by
the female warder, and announced within; then they entered and were
courteously received, and Ratnaprabhá said to the warder, "The door
must not again be closed against the entrance of my husband's friends,
for they are as dear to me as my own body. And I do not think that
this is the way to guard female apartments." After she had addressed
the female warder in these words, she said in turn to her husband,
"My husband, I am going to say something which occurs to me, so
listen. I consider that the strict seclusion of women is a mere
social custom, or rather folly produced by jealousy. It is of no use
whatever. Women of good family are guarded by their own virtue, as
their only chamberlain. But even God himself can scarcely guard the
unchaste. Who can restrain a furious river and a passionate woman? And
now listen, I will tell you a story."
Story of king Ratnádhipati and the white elephant Svetarasmi.
There is here a great island in the midst of the sea, named
Ratnakúta. In it there lived in old times a king of great courage,
a devoted worshipper of Vishnu, rightly named Ratnádhipati. [539]
That king, in order to obtain the conquest of the earth, and all
kings' daughters as his wives, went through a severe penance,
to propitiate Vishnu. The adorable one, pleased with his penance,
appeared in bodily form, and thus commanded him--"Rise up, king,
I am pleased with thee, so I tell thee this--listen! There is in
the land of Kalinga a Gandharva, who has become a white elephant by
the curse of a hermit, and is known by the name of Svetarasmi. On
account of the asceticism he performed in a former life, and on
account of his devotion to me, that elephant is supernaturally wise,
and possesses the power of flying through the sky, and of remembering
his former birth. And I have given an order to that great elephant,
in accordance with which he will come of himself through the air,
and become thy beast of burden. That white elephant thou must mount,
as the wielder of the thunderbolt mounts the elephant of the gods,
[540] and whatever king thou shalt travel through the air to visit,
in fear shall bestow on thee, who art of god-like presence, tribute in
the form of a daughter, for I will myself command him to do so in a
dream. Thus thou shalt conquer the whole earth, and all zenanas, and
thou shalt obtain eighty thousand princesses." When Vishnu had said
this, he disappeared, and the king broke his fast, and the next day
he beheld that elephant, which had come to him through the air. And
when the elephant had thus placed himself at the king's disposal,
he mounted him, as he had been bidden to do by Vishnu, and in this
manner he conquered the earth, and carried off the daughters of
kings. And then the king dwelt there in Ratnakúta with those wives,
eighty thousand in number, amusing himself as he pleased. And in order
to propitiate Svetarasmi, that celestial elephant, he fed every day
five hundred Bráhmans.
Now once on a time the king Ratnádhipati mounted that elephant,
and, after roaming through the other islands, returned to his own
island. And as he was descending from the sky, it came to pass that
a bird of the race of Garuda struck that excellent elephant with
his beak. And the bird fled, when the king struck him with the
sharp elephant-hook, but the elephant fell on the ground stunned
by the blow of the bird's beak. The king got off his back, but the
elephant, though he recovered his senses, was not able to rise up in
spite of the efforts made to raise him, and ceased eating. For five
days the elephant remained in the same place, where it had fallen,
and the king was grieved and took no food, and prayed as follows:
"Oh guardians of the world, teach me some remedy in this difficulty;
otherwise I will cut off my own head and offer it to you." When he had
said this, he drew his sword and was preparing to cut off his head,
when immediately a bodiless voice thus addressed him from the sky--"O
king do nothing rash; if some chaste woman touches this elephant with
her hand, it will rise up, but not otherwise." When the king heard
that, he was glad, and summoned his own carefully guarded chief queen,
Amritalatá. When the elephant did not rise up, though she touched it
with her hand, the king had all his other wives summoned. But though
they all touched the elephant in succession, he did not rise up; the
fact was, not one among them was chaste. Then the king, having beheld
all those eighty thousand wives openly humiliated in the presence of
men, being himself abashed, summoned all the women of his capital,
and made them touch the elephant one after another. And when in
spite of it the elephant did not rise up, the king was ashamed,
because there was not a single chaste woman in his city.
And in the meanwhile a merchant named Harshagupta, who had arrived
from Támraliptí, [541] having heard of that event, came there full
of curiosity. And in his train there came a servant of the name of
Sílavatí, who was devoted to her husband; when she saw what had taken
place, she said to him--"I will touch this elephant with my hand:
and if I have not even thought in my mind of any other man than
my husband, may it rise up." No sooner had she said this, than she
came up and touched the elephant with her hand, whereupon it rose up
in sound health and began to eat. [542] But when the people saw the
elephant Svetarasmi rise up, they raised a shout and praised Sílavatí,
saying--"Such are these chaste women, few and far between, who, like
Siva, are able to create, preserve and destroy this world." The king
Ratnádhipati also was pleased, and congratulated the chaste Sílavatí,
and loaded her with innumerable jewels, and he also honoured her
master, the merchant Harshagupta, and gave him a house near his own
palace. And he determined to avoid all communication with his own
wives, and ordered that henceforth they should have nothing but food
and raiment.
Then the king, after he had taken his food, sent for the chaste
Sílavatí, and said to her at a private interview in the presence
of Harshagupta, "Sílavatí, if you have any maiden of your father's
family, give her to me, for I know she will certainly be like
you." When the king said this to her, Sílavatí answered--"I have a
sister in Támraliptí named Rájadattá; marry her, O king, if you wish,
for she is of distinguished beauty." When she said this to the king,
he consented and said, "So be it," and having determined on taking
this step, he mounted, with Sílavatí and Harshagupta, the elephant
Svetarasmi, that could fly though the air, and going in person to
Támraliptí, entered the house of that merchant Harshagupta. There
he asked the astrologers that very day, what would be a favourable
time for him to be married to Rájadattá, the sister of Sílavatí. And
the astrologers, having enquired under what stars both of them were
born, said, "A favourable conjuncture will come for you, O king,
in three months from this time. But if you marry Rájadattá in the
present position of the constellations, she will without fail prove
unchaste." Though the astrologers gave him this response, the king,
being eager for a charming wife, and impatient of dwelling long alone,
thus reflected--"Away with scruples! I will marry Rájadattá here
this very day. For she is the sister of the blameless Sílavatí and
will never prove unchaste. And I will place her in that uninhabited
island in the middle of the sea, where there is one empty palace, and
in that inaccessible spot I will surround her with a guard of women;
so how can she become unchaste, as she can never see men?" Having
formed this determination, the king that very day rashly married that
Rájadattá, whom Sílavatí bestowed upon him. And after he had married
her, and had been received with the customary rites by Harshagupta,
he took that wife, and with her and Sílavatí, he mounted Svetarasmi,
and then in a moment went through the air to the land of Ratnakúta,
where the people were anxiously expecting him. And he rewarded
Sílavatí again so munificently, that she attained all her wishes,
having reaped the fruit of her vow of chastity. Then he mounted his
new wife Rájadattá on that same air-travelling elephant Svetarasmi,
and conveyed her carefully, and placed her in the empty palace in the