Part 69 (1/2)
I am a Brahman named Nagasvamin, from a city called Kundina. When my father went to heaven, I went to Pataliputra, and repaired to a teacher named Jayadatta, to acquire learning. But in spite of all the teaching that I got, I was so stupid that I did not manage to learn a single syllable; so all the pupils there made game of me. Then, being the victim of contempt, I set out on a pilgrimage to the shrine of the G.o.ddess Durga in the Vindhya mountains; and when I had got halfway I came across a city named Vakrolaka.
I went into that city to beg; and in one house the mistress gave me with my alms a red lotus. I took it, and went on to another house, and there the mistress said to me, when she saw me, ”Alas! a witch has secured possession of you. See! she has given you a man's hand, [552] which she has pa.s.sed off on you for a red lotus.” When I heard that, I looked myself, and lo! it was no lotus, but a human hand. I flung it away, and fell at her feet, and said, ”Mother, devise some expedient for me, that I may live.” When she heard this she said, ”Go! in a village of the name of Karabha, three yojanas distant from this place, there is a Brahman of the name of Devaraks.h.i.+ta. He has in his house a splendid brown cow, an incarnation of Surabhi; she will protect you during this night, if you repair to her for refuge.”
When she said this, I ran full of fear, and reached, at the close of the day, the house of that Brahman in the village of Karabha. When I had entered, I beheld that brown cow, and I wors.h.i.+pped her and said, ”Being terrified, G.o.ddess, I have come to you for protection.” And just then, night having set in, that witch came there through the air with other witches, threatening me, longing for my flesh and blood. When the brown cow saw that, she placed me between her hoofs, and defended me, fighting against those witches all the livelong night. In the morning they went away, and the cow said to me with an articulate voice, ”My son, I shall not be able to protect you the next night. So go on further; at a distance of five yojanas from this place there is a mighty Pasupata ascetic named Bhutisiva, dwelling in a temple of Siva in a forest. He possesses supernatural knowledge, and he will protect you for this one night, if you take refuge with him.”
When I heard that, I bowed before her, and set out from that place; and I soon reached that Bhutisiva, and took refuge with him. And at night those very same witches came there also in the very same way. Then that Bhutisiva made me enter the inner apartment of his house, [553] and taking up a position at the door, trident in hand, kept off the witches. Next morning, Bhutisiva, having conquered them, gave me food, and said to me, ”Brahman, I shall not be able to protect you any longer; but in a village named Sandhyavasa, at a distance of ten yojanas from this place, there is a Brahman named Vasumati: go to him: and if you manage to get through this third night, you will escape altogether.”
When he said this to me, I bowed before him, and set out from that place. But on account of the length of the journey that I had to make, the sun set before I had reached my destination. And when night had set in, the witches pursued after me and caught me. And they seized me and went off with me through the air much pleased. But thereupon some other witches of great power flew past them in front. And suddenly there arose between the two parties a tumultuous fight. And in the confusion I escaped from the hands of my captors, and fell to the ground in a very desolate part of the country. [554]
And there I saw a certain great palace, which seemed to say to me with its open door, ”Come in.” So I fled into it bewildered with fear, and I beheld a lady of wonderful beauty, surrounded with a hundred ladies-in-waiting, gleaming with brightness, like a protecting herb [555] that s.h.i.+nes in the night, made by the Creator out of pity for me. I immediately recovered my spirits and questioned her, and she said to me, ”I am a Yaks.h.i.+ni named Sumitra, and I am thus here owing to a curse. And in order that my curse may come to an end, I have been directed to marry a mortal: so marry me, as you have unexpectedly arrived here; fear not.” When she had said this, she quickly gave orders to her servants; and she provided me, to my great delight, with baths and unguents, food and drink, and garments. Strange was the contrast between the terror caused by those witches and the happiness that immediately followed! Even fate itself cannot comprehend the principle that makes men fall into happiness or misery.
Then I remained there in happiness with that Yaks.h.i.+ni during those days; but at last one day she said to me of her own accord, ”Brahman, my curse is at an end; so I must leave this place at once. However, by my favour you shall have divine insight; and, though an ascetic, you shall have all enjoyments at your command, and be free from fear. But as long as you are here, do not visit the middle block of buildings of this palace of mine.” When she had said this, she disappeared; and thereupon, I, out of curiosity, went up to the middle block of buildings, and there I saw a horse. I went up to the horse, and he flung me from him with a kick; and immediately I found myself in this temple of Siva. [556]
Since that time I have remained here, and I have gradually acquired supernatural powers. Accordingly, though I am a mortal, I possess knowledge of the three times. In the same way do all men in this world find successes beset with difficulties. So do you remain in this place; Siva will bestow on you the success that you desire.
When that wise being had told me all this, I conceived hopes of recovering you, and I remained there some days in his hermitage. And to-day, my lord, Siva in a dream informed me of your success, and some heavenly nymph seized me up, and brought me here. This is the history of my adventures.
When Gomukha had said this, he stopped, and then Marubhuti began to tell his tale in the presence of Naravahanadatta.
Marubhuti's account of his adventures.
When I was flung away on that occasion by Manasavega, some divinity took me up in her hands, and placing me in a distant forest, disappeared. Then I wandered about afflicted and anxious to obtain some means of committing suicide, when I saw a certain hermitage encircled with a river. I entered it, and beheld an ascetic with matted hair sitting on a slab of rock, and I bowed before him and went up to him. He said to me, ”Who are you, and how did you reach this uninhabited land?” Thereupon, I told him my whole story. Then he understood and said to me, ”Do not slay yourself now! You shall learn here the truth about your master, and afterwards you shall do what is fitting.”
In accordance with this advice of his I remained there, eager for tidings of you, my liege: and while I was there, some heavenly nymphs came to bathe in the river. Then the hermit said to me, ”Go quickly and carry off the clothes of one of those nymphs bathing there; [557]
and then you will learn tidings of your master.” When I heard that, I did as he advised me, and that nymph, whose garments I had taken, followed me, with her bathing-dress dripping with moisture, [558]
and with her arms crossed in front of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s.
That hermit said to her, ”If you tell us tidings of Naravahanadatta, you may have back your two garments.” Then she said, ”Naravahanadatta is at present on mount Kailasa, engaged in wors.h.i.+pping Siva, and in a few days he will be the emperor of the Vidyadharas.”
After she had said this, that heavenly nymph became, in virtue of a curse, the wife of that ascetic, having made acquaintance with him by conversing with him. [559] So the ascetic lived with that Vidyadhari, and on account of her prophecy I conceived the hope of being reunited with you and I went on living there. And in a few days the heavenly nymph became pregnant, and brought forth a child, and she said to the ascetic, ”My curse has been brought to an end by living with you. [560]
If you desire to see any more of me, cook this child of mine with rice and eat it; then you will be reunited to me.” When she had said this, she went away, and that ascetic cooked her child with rice, and ate it: and then he flew up into the air and followed her.
At first I was unwilling to eat of that dish, though he urged me to do so; but seeing that eating of it bestowed supernatural powers, I took two grains of rice from the cooking-vessel, and ate them. That produced in me the effect that wherever I spat, gold [561] was immediately produced. Then I roamed about relieved from my poverty, and at last I reached a town. There I lived in the house of a hetaera, and, thanks to the gold I was able to produce, indulged in the most lavish expenditure; but the kuttani, eager to discover my secret, treacherously gave me an emetic. That made me vomit, and in the process the two grains of rice, that I had previously eaten, came out of my mouth, looking like two glittering rubies. And no sooner had they come out, than the kuttani snapped them up, and swallowed them. So I lost my power of producing gold, of which the kuttani thus deprived me.
I thought to myself, ”Siva still retains his crescent and Vishnu his kaustubha jewel; but I know what would be the result, if those two deities were to fall into the clutches of a kuttani. [562] But such is this world, full of marvels, full of frauds; who can fathom it, or the sea, at any time?” With such sad reflections in my bosom I went despondent to a temple of Durga, to propitiate the G.o.ddess with asceticism, in order to recover you. And after I had fasted for three nights, the G.o.ddess gave me this command in a dream, ”Thy master has obtained all he desires: go, and behold him;” upon hearing this I woke up; and this very morning some G.o.ddess carried me to your feet; this, prince, is the story of my adventures.
When Marubhuti had said this, Naravahanadatta and his courtiers laughed at him for having been tricked by a kuttani.
Harisikha's account of his adventures.
Then Harisikha said;--On that occasion when I was seized by my enemy, some divinity saved me and deposited me in Ujjayini. There I was so unhappy that I conceived the design of abandoning the body; so at nightfall I went into the cemetery and proceeded to construct a pyre with the logs there. I lighted it and began to wors.h.i.+p the fire, and while I was thus engaged, a prince of the demons, named Talajangha, came up to me, and said to me, ”Why do you enter the fire? Your master is alive, and you shall be united with him, now that he has obtained the supernatural powers he desired.” With these words, the demon, though naturally cruel, lovingly dissuaded me from death; even some stones melt when fate is propitious. Then I went and remained for a long time performing asceticism in front of the G.o.d; and some divinity has to-day brought me to your side, my liege.
Thus Harisikha told his tale, and the others in their turn told theirs, and then, at the suggestion of Amitagati, king Naravahanadatta incited the venerable Dhanavati, adored by the Vidyadharas, to bestow all the sciences on those ministers of his also. Then all his ministers also became Vidyadharas; and Dhanavati said, ”Now conquer your enemies;”