The Kathá Sarit Ságara; or, Ocean of the Streams of Story
not to be intimidated and speaks like a resolute sage. It is better
to overawe that master, the secret of whose character is instability,
but that cannot be done with this man, so I must submit to him. In the
meanwhile let me wait and see what he will shew me so manifestly." Thus
reflecting, the physician said, "It is true," and held his peace.
And the next day king Ajara went out to roam about and amuse himself
with his friends, waited on by Tarunachandra and others. And as
he was strolling, he reached the bank of a river, and in it he saw
five golden lotuses come floating down the current. And he made his
servants bring them, and taking them and looking at them, he said to
the physician Tarunachandra, who was standing near him, "Go up along
the bank of this river, and look for the place where these lotuses
are produced: and when you have seen it, return, for I feel great
curiosity about these wonderful lotuses, and you are my skilful
friend." When he was thus commissioned by the king, the physician,
not being able to help himself, said, "So be it," and went the way he
was ordered. And the king returned to his capital, but the physician
travelled on, and in course of time reached a temple of Siva that
stood on the bank of that river. And in front of it, on the shore of
a holy bathing-place in that stream, he beheld a great banyan-tree,
and a man's skeleton suspended on it. And while, fatigued with his
journey, he was resting after bathing and worshipping the god, a cloud
came there and rained. And from that human skeleton, hanging on the
branches of the banyan-tree, when rained upon by the cloud, there
fell drops of water. [597] And when they fell into the water of the
bathing-place in that river, the physician observed that those golden
lotuses were immediately produced from them. The physician said to
himself, "Ha! what is this wonder? Whom can I ask in the uninhabited
wood? Or rather who knows the creation of Destiny that is full of so
many marvels? I have beheld this mine of golden lotuses; so I will
throw this human skeleton into the sacred water. Let right be done,
and let golden lotuses grow from its back." After these reflections, he
flung the skeleton down from the top of that tree: and after spending
the day there, the physician set out the next day for his own country,
having accomplished the object for which he was sent. And in a few
days he reached Vilásapura, and went, emaciated and soiled with his
journey, to the court of king Ajara. The door-keeper announced him,
and he went in and prostrated himself at the feet of the king; the
king asked him how he was, and while he was relating his adventure,
the king put every one else out of the hall, and himself said; "So you
have seen, my friend, the place where the golden lotuses are produced,
that most holy sanctuary of Siva; and you saw there a skeleton on a
banyan-tree; know that that is my former body. I hung there in old
time by my feet; and in that way performed asceticism, until I dried
up my body and abandoned it. And owing to the nobility of my penance,
from the drops of rain-water, that fall from that skeleton of mine,
are produced golden lotuses. And in that you threw my skeleton into
the water of that holy bathing-place, you did what was right, for
you were my friend in a former birth. And this Bheshajachandra and
this Padmadarsana, they also were friends, who associated with me
in a former birth. So it is owing to the might of that asceticism,
my friend, that recollection of my former birth, and knowledge and
empire have been bestowed on me. By an artifice I have given you
ocular proof of this, and you have described it with a token, telling
how you flung down the skeleton; so you must not boast to me, saying,
that you gave me the kingdom, and you must not allow your mind to be
discontented, for no one gives anything to any one without the help
of actions in a former life. From his birth a man eats the fruit
of the tree of his former actions." When the king said this to the
physician, he saw that it was true, and he remained satisfied with
the king's service, and was never afterwards discontented. And that
noble-minded king Ajara, who remembered his former birth, honoured the
physician becomingly with gifts of wealth, and lived comfortably with
his wives and friends, enjoying the earth conquered by his policy,
and originally obtained by his good actions, without an opponent.
"Thus in this world all the good and bad fortune, that befalls all
men at all times, is earned by actions in a former life. For this
reason I think we must have earned you for our lord in a former birth,
otherwise how could you be so kind to us, while there are other men
in existence?" Then Naraváhanadatta, having heard in the company of
his beloved from the mouth of Tapantaka this strangely pleasing and
entertaining tale, rose up to bathe. And after he had bathed, he
went into the presence of his father the king of Vatsa, frequently
raining nectar into the eyes of his mother, and after taking food,
he spent that day and that night in drinking and other pleasures with
his parents, and his wife, and his ministers.
CHAPTER XLI.
And the next day, as Naraváhanadatta was in the apartments of
Ratnaprabhá, talking over various subjects with his ministers,
he suddenly heard a sound, which appeared to be like that of a
man weeping outside in the court-yard of the palace. And when some
one asked--"What is that?"--the female attendants came and said,
"My lord, the chamberlain Dharmagiri is weeping here. For a foolish
friend of his came here just now, and said that his brother, who
went on a pilgrimage to holy places, was dead in a foreign land. He,
bewildered with grief, forgot that he was in the court and began
to lament, but he has been just now taken outside by the servants
and conducted to his own house." When the prince heard this, he
was grieved, and Ratnaprabhá moved with pity said in a despondent
tone--"Alas! the grief which is produced by the loss of dear relatives
is hard to bear! Why did not the Creator make men exempt from old age
and death?" When Marubhúti heard this speech of the queen's, he said;
"Queen, how can mortals ever attain this good fortune? For listen to
the following story, which I will tell you, bearing on this question."
Story of king Chiráyus and his minister Nágárjuna.
In the city of Chiráyus there was in old time a king, named Chiráyus,
[598] who was indeed long-lived, and the home of all good fortune. He
had a compassionate, generous and gifted minister, named Nágárjuna,
who was sprung from a portion of a Bodhisattva, who knew the use of all
drugs, and by making an elixir he rendered himself and that king free
from old age, and long-lived. One day an infant son of that minister
Nágárjuna, whom he loved more than any of his other children, died. He
felt grief on that account, and by the force of his asceticism and
knowledge proceeded to prepare out of certain ingredients the Water
of Immortality, [599] in order to prevent mortals from dying. But
while he was waiting for the auspicious moment in which to infuse
a particular drug, Indra found out what was going on. And Indra,
having consulted with the gods, said to the two Asvins--"Go and give
this message to Nágárjuna on the earth from me--'Why have you, though
a minister, begun this revolutionary proceeding of making the Water
of Life? Are you determined now to conquer the Creator, who indeed
created men subject to the law of death, since you propose to make
men immortal by preparing the Water of Life? If this takes place, what
difference will there be between gods and men? And the constitution of
the universe will be broken up, because there will be no sacrificer
and no recipient of sacrifice. So by my advice discontinue this
preparation of the Water of Life, otherwise the gods will be angry,
and will certainly curse you. And your son, through grief for whom you
are engaged in this attempt, is now in Svarga.'" With this message
Indra despatched the two Asvins. And they arrived at the house of
Nágárjuna and, after receiving the argha, [600] told Nágárjuna,
who was pleased with their visit, the message of Indra, and informed
him that his son was with the gods in heaven. Then Nágárjuna, being
despondent, thought; "Never mind the gods, but if I do not obey the
command of Indra, these Asvins will inflict a curse on me. So let this
Water of Life go, I have not accomplished my desire; however my son,
on account of my good deeds in a former life, has gone to the abode
of bliss." Having thus reflected, Nágárjuna said to these two gods,
the Asvins, "I obey the command of Indra, I will desist from making
the Water of Life. If you two had not come, I should have completed
the preparation of the Water of Life in five days, and freed this
whole earth from old age and death." When Nágárjuna had said this, he
buried by their advice the Water of Life, which was almost completed,
in the earth before their eyes. Then the Asvins took leave of him,
and went and told Indra in heaven that their errand was accomplished,
and the king of gods rejoiced.
And in the meanwhile Nágárjuna's master, the king Chiráyus, anointed
his son Jívahara crown-prince. And when he was anointed, his mother,
the queen Dhanapará, on his coming in great delight to salute her, said
to him, as soon as she saw him, "Why do you rejoice without cause,
my son, at having obtained this dignity of crown-prince, for this
is not a step to the attainment of the kingly dignity, not even by
the help of asceticism? For many crown-princes, sons of your father,
have died, and not one of them has obtained the throne, they have
all inherited disappointment. For Nágárjuna has given this king an
elixir, by the help of which he is now in the eighth century of his
age. And who knows how many more centuries will pass over the head of
this king, who makes his short-lived sons crown-princes." When her
son heard that, he was despondent, and she went on to say to him,
"If you desire the throne, adopt this expedient. This minister
Nágárjuna every day, after he has performed the day's devotions,
gives gifts at the time of taking food, and makes this proclamation;
'Who is a suppliant? Who wants anything? To whom can I give anything,
and what?' At that moment go to him and say, 'Give me your head,'--Then
he, being a truthful man, will have his head cut off, and out of sorrow
for his death this king will die, or retire to the forest; then you
will obtain the crown; there is no other expedient available in this
matter." When he heard this speech from his mother, the prince was
delighted, and he consented, and determined to carry her advice into
effect, for the lust of sovereign sway is cruel, and overcomes one's
affection for one's friends. Then that prince went, the next day,
of his own accord to the house of that Nágárjuna, at the time when
he took his food. And when the minister cried out, "Who requires
anything, and what does he require?" he entered and asked him for
his head. The minister said, "This is strange, my son; what can you
do with this head of mine? For it is only an agglomeration of flesh,
bone and hair. To what use can you put it? Nevertheless, if it is of
any use to you, cut it off, and take it." With these words he offered
his neck to him. But it had been so hardened by the elixir that, though
he struck at it for a long time, he could not cut it, but broke many
swords over it. In the meanwhile the king, hearing of it, arrived, and
asked him not to give away his head, but Nágárjuna said to him: "I can
remember my former births, and I have given away my head ninety-nine
times in my various births. This, my lord, will be the hundredth time
of my giving away my head. So do not say anything against it, for no