Part 74 (2/2)
In the afternoon her husband took his axe on his shoulder and went into the primeval forest to get some wood and fruits. For the first time she asked to go with him. ”The way is too difficult for you,”
said he, but she persisted; and her heart was consumed by the flames of sadness. He called her attention, as they walked on, to the limpid rivers and n.o.ble trees decked with flowers of many colors, but she had eyes only for him, following his every movement; for she looked on him as a dead man from that hour. He was filling his basket with fruits when suddenly he was seized with violent headache and longing for sleep. She took his head on her lap and awaited his last moment.
All at once she saw a man, in red attire, of fearful aspect, with a rope in his hand. And she said: ”Who are you?” ”You,” he replied, ”are a woman faithful to your husband and of good deeds, therefore will I answer you. I am Yama, and I have come to take away your husband, whose life has reached its goal.” And with a mighty jerk he drew from the husband's body his spirit, the size of a thumb, and forthwith the breath of life departed from the body. Having carefully tied the soul, Yama departed toward the south. Savitri, tortured by anguish, followed him. ”Turn back, Savitri,” he said; ”you owe your husband nothing further, and you have gone as far as you can go.” ”Wherever my husband goes or is taken, there I must go; that is an eternal duty.” Thereupon Yama offered to grant any favor she might ask--except the life of her husband. ”Restore the sight of the blind king, my father-in-law,” she said; and he answered: ”It is done already.” He offered a second favor and she said: ”Restore his kingdom to my father-in-law;” and it was granted, as was also the third wish: ”Grant one hundred sons to my father, who has none.” Her fourth wish, too, he agreed to: that she herself might have a hundred sons; and as he made the fifth and last wish unconditional, she said:
”Let Satyavant return to life; for, bereft of him, I desire not happiness; bereft of him I desire not heaven; I desire not to live bereft of him. A hundred sons you have promised me, yet you take away my husband? I desire this as a favor; let Satyavant live!”
”So be it!” answered the G.o.d of death as he untied the string.
”Your husband is released to you, blessed one, pride of your race. Sound and well you shall take him home, live with him four hundred years, beget one hundred sons, and all of them shall be mighty kings.”
With these words he went his way. Life returned to the body of Satyavant, and his first feeling was distress lest his parents grieve over his absence. Thinking him too weak to walk, Savitri wanted to sleep in the forest, surrounded by a fire to keep off wild beasts, but he replied:
”My father and mother are distressed even in the daytime when I am away. Without them I could not live.
As long as they live I live only for them. Rather than let anything happen to them, I give up my own life, you woman with the beautiful hips; truly I shall kill myself sooner.”
So she helped him to rise, and they returned that very night, to the great joy of their parents and friends; and all the promises of Yama were fulfilled.
V. NALA AND DAMAYANTI
Once upon a time there was a king by the name of Nala, a man handsome as the G.o.d of love, endowed with all the virtues, a favorite of men and women. There was also another king, named Bhima, the Terrible. He was renowned as a warrior and endowed with many virtues; yet he was discontented, for he had no offspring. But it happened that he was visited by a saint, whom he entertained so hospitably that the Brahman granted him in return a favor: a daughter and three sons were born to him. The daughter, who received the name of Damayanti, soon became famed for her beauty, her dignity, and her gracious manners. She seemed, amid her companions, like lightning born in a rain-cloud. Her beauty was so much vaunted in the hearing of King Nala, and his merits were so much extolled in her presence, that the two conceived an ardent pa.s.sion for one another, though they had never met. Nala could hardly endure his yearnings of love; near the apartments of the women there was a forest; into that he retired, living in solitude. One day he came across some gold-decked geese. He caught one of them and she said to him: ”Spare my life and I promise to praise you in Damayanti's presence in such a way that she shall never think of any other man.”
He did so, and the goose flew to Damayanti and said: ”There is a man named Nala; he is like the celestial knights; no human being equals him. Yes, if you could become _his_ wife, it would be worth while that you were born and became so beautiful. You are the pearl among women, but Nala, too, is the best of men.” Damayanti begged the goose to go and speak to Nala similarly about her, and the goose said ”Yes” and flew away.
From that moment Damayanti was always in spirit with Kala. Sunk in reverie, sad, with pale face, she visibly wasted away, and sighing was her only, her favorite, occupation. If anyone saw her gazing upward, absorbed in her thoughts, he might have almost fancied her intoxicated. Often of a sudden her whole face turned pale; in short, it was plain that love-longing held her senses captive. Lying in bed, sitting, eating, everything is distasteful to her; neither at night nor by day does sleep come to her. Ah and alas! thus her wails resound, and over and over again she begins to weep.
Her companions noted these symptoms and they said to the king: ”Damayanti is not at all well.” The king reflected, ”Why is my daughter no longer well?” and it occurred to him that she had reached the marriageable age, and it became clear to him that he must without delay give her a chance to choose a husband. So he invited all the kings to a.s.semble at his court for that purpose on a certain day. Soon the roads were filled with kings, princes, elephants, horses, wagons, and warriors, for she, the pearl of the world, was desired of men above all other women. King Nala also had received the message and set out on his journey hopefully. Like the G.o.d of love incarnate he looked. Even the ruling G.o.ds heard of the great event and went to join the worldly rulers. As they approached the earth's surface they beheld King Nala. Pleased with his looks, they accosted him and said: ”We are immortals journeying on account of Darnayanti. As for you, go you and bring Damayanti this message: 'The four G.o.ds, Indra, Agni, Yama, Varuna, desire to have you for a wife. Choose one of these four G.o.ds as your wedded husband.'”
Folding his hands humbly, Nala replied:
”The very same affair has induced me to make this journey: therefore you must not send me on this errand.
For how could a man who himself feels the longing of love woo the same woman for another?”
But the G.o.ds ordered him to go at once, because he had promised to serve them before he knew what they wanted. They endowed him with power to enter the carefully guarded apartments of the princess, and presently he found himself in her presence. Her lovely face, her charmingly moulded limbs, her slender body, her beautiful eyes, diffused a splendor that mocked the light of the moon and increased his pangs of love; but he resolved to keep his promise. When the young maidens beheld him they could not utter a word; they were dazed by the splendor of his appearance, and abashed, the beautiful virgins. At last the astonished Damayanti began to speak and said with a sweet smile:
”Who are you, you with the faultless form, who increase the yearnings of my love? Like an immortal you came here, O hero! I would like to know you better, n.o.ble, good man. Closely guarded is my house, however, and most strict in his orders is the king.”
”My name, gracious maiden, is Nala,” he replied.
”As messenger of the G.o.ds have I come. Four of them--Indra, Agni, Varuna, Yama--would like you as bride, therefore choose one of them as husband, O beauty! That I entered unseen is the result, too, of their power. Now you have heard all; act as seems proper to you.”
As he spoke the names of the G.o.ds Damayanti bowed humbly; then she laughed merrily and said:
”Follow you the inclination of your heart and be kind to me. What can I do to please you? Myself and all that is mine belongs to you. Lay aside all diffidence, my master and husband! Alas, the entire speech of the gold-swans, my prince, was to me a real firebrand. It was for your sake, O hero, that all these kings were in reality called together so hastily. Should you ever, O my pride, be able to scorn me, who is so devoted to you, I shall resort on your account to poison, fire, water, rope.”
”How can you,” retorted Nala,
”when G.o.ds are present in person, direct your desires toward a mortal? Not so! Let your inclination dwell with them, the creators of the world. Remember, too, that a mortal who does something to displease the G.o.ds is doomed to death. Therefore, you with the faultless limbs, save me by choosing the most worthy of the G.o.ds.
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