There was a city named Dhãrãnagar, the king of which was Gandharb Sen.
He had four queens, and by them six sons, one more learned and more
powerful than another. Fate ordaining, after some days the king died,
and his eldest son, Shank by name, became king in his stead. Again,
after some days, a younger brother, Vikram, after slaying his eldest
brother, himself became king, and began to govern well. Day by day his
dominion so increased that he became king of all India; * and, after
fixing his government on a firm basis, he established an æra.
* Jambudwip is the name of one of the seven divisions of the
world, and implies, the central division, or the known
world; according to the Bauddhas, it is confined to India.
After some time the king thought to himself that he ought to visit those
countries of which he had heard. * Having determined on this, he made
over his throne to his younger brother Bharthari, and himself assuming
the guise of a devotee, set out to wander from land to land and forest
to forest.
* Lit.--The king thought in his mind, “I should travel over
those countries whose names I am hearing.”
A Brahman was practising austerities in that city. One day a deity
brought and presented to him the fruit of immortality. He then took the
fruit home and said to his wife, “Whoever shall eat this will become
immortal; the deity told me this at the time of giving, the fruit.”
Hearing this, the Brahman’s wife wept excessively, and began to say,
“This is a great evil we have to suffer! For, becoming immortal, how
long shall we go on begging alms? Nay, to die is better than this;
(for) if we die, then we escape from the trials of the world.” Then the
Brahman said, “I took the fruit and brought it; but, hearing your words,
I am bereft of understanding. Now I will do whatever you bid.” Then his
wife said to him, “Give this fruit to the king, and in exchange for it
take wealth, whereby we may enjoy the advantages of this world as well
as that to come.”
Hearing this speech, the Brahman went to the king and gave him his
blessing; (and) after explaining the circumstances of the fruit, said,
“Great king! do you take this fruit and give me some wealth; there is
happiness for me in your being long-lived.” Theking having given
the Brahman a lakh of rupees and dismissed him, entered the female
apartments, and giving the fruit to the queen whom he loved most, said,
“O queen! do thou eat this, for thou wilt become immortal, and wilt
continue young for ever.” The queen, hearing this, took the fruit from
the king, (and) he came out into his court.
A certain kotwãl was the paramour of that queen: to him she gave the
fruit. It so happened that a courtesan was the kotwãl’s mistress; he
gave the fruit to her and described its virtues. That courtesan
thought to herself that the fruit was a fitting present for the king.
Determining this in her mind, she went and presented the fruit to the
king. His majesty took the fruit and dismissed her with much wealth; and
contemplating the fruit, and pondering within himself, he became sick of
the world, and began to say, “The perishable wealth of this world is
of no use whatever; for through it one must ultimately fall into hell.
Preferable to this is the practising of religious duties and the biding,
in the remembrance of the Deity, whereby it may be well in the future.”
Coming to this determination, he entered the female apartments and asked
the queen what she had done with the fruit (he gave her). She replied,
“I ate it up.” Then the king showed the queen that fruit. She, on the
instant of setting eyes on it, stood aghast, and was unable to make any
reply. After that, the king having come forth, had the fruit washed, and
ate it, and abandoning his kingdom and throne, assumed the guise of
a devotee, and betook himself unaccompanied, and without holding
communication with a soul, to the jungle.
The throne of Vikram became vacant. When this news reached king Indra,
he sent a demon to guard Dhãrãnagar. He kept watch over the city day
and night. To be brief, the report of this matter spread from country to
country, that king Bharthari had abandoned his government and gone away.
King Vikram, too, heard the news, and immediately came to his country.
It was then midnight: he was entering the city at that hour, when that
demon called out, “Who art thou? and whither goest thou? Stand still
(and) mention thy name.” Then the king said, “It is I, king Vikram; I
am entering my own city: who art thou, to challenge me?” Then the demon
replied, saying, “The deities have sent me to guard this city: if you
are really king Vikram, first fight with me, and then enter the city.”
On hearing these words the king girt tight his waist-cloth and
challenged the demon. Thereupon the demon, too, stood up to him. The
battle began. At last the king threw the demon and sat upon his breast.
Then he said, “O king! thou hast thrown me; I grant thy life as a boon.”
Upon this the king, laughing, said, “Thou art gone mad; whose life
dost thou grant? Did I will, I could slay thee; how canst thou grant me
life?” Then the demon said, “O king! I am about to save thee from death;
first attend to a tale of mine, and thereafter rule over the whole
world free from all care.” At length the king set him free, and began to
listen attentively to his tale.
Then the demon addressed him thus: “There was in this city a very
liberal king, named Chandrabhãn. One day he went forth casually into
the jungle; when, what should he behold but an ascetic hanging, head
downwards, from a tree, and sustaining himself by inhaling smoke
alone--neither receiving anything from any one, nor speaking to any
one. Perceiving this state of his, the king returned home, and seating
himself in his court, said, ‘Whoever will bring this ascetic (here),
shall receive a lakh of rupees.’ A courtesan bearing these words, came
to the king and spake thus: ‘If I obtain your majesty’s leave, I will
have a child begotten by that ascetic, and bring it here mounted on his
shoulder.’”
“The king was astonished at hearing this speech, and binding the
courtesan to (the fulfilment of her contract to) bring the ascetic by
giving her a flake of betel-leaf, * dismissed her. She went to that
wild, and reaching the ascetic’s place, perceived that he was really
hanging head-downwards, neither eating nor drinking anything, and that
he was withered up. In short, that courtesan prepared some sweetmeat,
and put it into the ascetic’s mouth: he, finding it sweet, ate it up
with zest. Thereupon the courtesan applied more (to his mouth). Thus for
two days did she continue feeding him with sweetmeat, by eating which
he gained a certain degree of strength. Then, opening his eyes, and
descending from the tree, he inquired of her, ‘On what business hast
thou come hither?’”
* I am obliged to render thus periphrastically the words
tapasvi ke lane ke, waste bïrã dekar. The birã is a betel-
leaf, made up with a preparation of areca-nut, chunara,
cloves, &c. It is given and accepted as a pledge for the
performance of an act.
“The courtesan replied, ‘I am the daughter of a god; I was practising
religious austerities in heaven; I have now come into this wild.’
The devotee said again, ‘Where is thy hut? Show me it.’ Thereupon the
courtesan brought the ascetic to her hut, and commenced feeding him
with savoury (_lit._ six-flavoured) viands, so that the ascetic left
off inhaling smoke; and took to eating food and drinking water daily.
Eventually Cupid troubled him; upon which he had carnal intercourse with
her, (and) vitiated his austerities; and the courtesan became pregnant.
In ten months a boy was born. When he was some months old, the woman
said to the devotee, ‘O saint! you should now set out on a pilgrimage
whereby all the sins of the flesh may be blotted out.’”
“Deluding him with such words, she mounted the boy on his shoulder, and
started for the king’s court, whence she had set out, after taking up
the gage to accomplish this matter. When she came before the king, his
majesty recognised her from a distance, and seeing the child on the
shoulder of the devotee, began saying to the courtiers; ‘Just see!
this is the very same courtesan, who went to bring the devotee!’ They
replied, ‘O king! you are quite right; this is the very same; and
be pleased to observe that all that she had stated in your majesty’s
presence ere she set forth, has come to pass.’”
“When the ascetic heard these remarks of the king and courtiers, he
perceived that the king had adopted these measures to disturb his
religious meditations. With these thoughts in his mind, the devotee
returned from thence, and getting out of the city, slew the child,
repaired to another jungle, and began to perform penance. And after some
time that king died, and the devotee completed his penance.”
“The short of the story is this, that you three men have been born under
one asterism, one conjunction, and in one moment. You took birth in
a king’s house; the second was an oilman’s (child); the third, the
devotee, was born in a potter’s house. You still govern here, while the
oilman’s son _was_ the ruler of the infernal regions; but that potter,
bringing his religious meditations to thorough perfection, has killed
the oilman, turned him into a demon in a burning-ground and placed him
hanging head-downwards on a siris-tree, and is intent on killing you.
If you escape him, you will rule. I have apprised you of all these
circumstances; do not be careless with respect to them.” Having narrated
thus much, the demon departed. He (the king) entered his private palace.
When it was morn the king came forth, and took his seat (on the throne),
and gave the order for a general court. As many servants as there were,
great and small, all came and made their offerings in the presence,
and festive music burst forth. An extraordinary gladness and rejoicing
possessed the whole city, such that in every place, and every house,
dance and song arose. After this the king began to govern justly.
It is related that one day an ascetic named Shãnt-shil appeared at the
king’s court with a fruit in his hand, and, presenting the fruit to the
king, spread a cloth, and sat down there. After a short time he went
away again. On his departure the king thought to himself that this
was probably the person of whom the demon had spoken. Habouring this
suspicion, he did not eat the fruit, and, summoning the steward, he gave
it to him, with instructions to keep it carefully. The devotee, however,
came constantly in this same manner, and left a fruit every day.
It so happened that one day the king went to inspect his stable,
accompanied by some attendants.
During that interval the ascetic, too, arrived there, and presented the
king with a fruit in the usual manner. He began tossing it in the air,
when all of a sudden it fell from his hand on the ground, and a monkey
took it up and broke it in pieces. So exquisite a ruby came out of it
that the king and his attendants were astonished at the sight of its
brilliance. Thereupon the king said to the devotee; “Why hast thou given
me this ruby?”
On this he said, “O great king! it is written in the Shastra that one
should not go empty-handed to the following places, viz., those of
kings, spiritual teachers, astrologers, physicians and daughters, for at
these places one obtains benefit for benefit. Sire! why do you speak
of a single ruby? As many fruits as I have given you, every one of them
contains a jewel.” Hearing these words, the king told the steward to
bring all the fruits he had given to him. On receiving the king’s order,
the steward immediately brought them; and, having had the fruits broken
open, he found a ruby in each. When he beheld so many rubies the king
was excessively pleased, and, summoning a tester of precious stones,
began having the rubies tested, saying the while, “Nothing will
accompany one (from this world); integrity is the great essential in the
world; tell me honestly, therefore, the exact value of each gem.”
Hearing these words the jeweller said, “O king! you have spoken the
truth. He whose integrity is safe, his all is safe: integrity alone
accompanies us, and that it is which proves of advantage in both worlds.
Hear, O king! each gem is perfect as to colour, stone, and form. Were
I to declare the value of each to be a crore of rupees, even that would
not come up to the mark. Of a truth, each gem is worth a clime.” Hearing
this, the king was pleased beyond measure, and conferring a robe of
honour on the jeweller, dismissed him; and taking the devotee’s hand, he
brought and seated him on the throne, and began thus: “My whole realm
is not worth even one of these rubies; tell me, then, what is the
explanation of this, that you, a religious mendicant, have presented me
with so many gems?”
The ascetic said, “Your majesty! it is not proper to speak publicly of
the following things, viz., magic and incantations, drugs employed in
medicines, religious duties, family affairs, the eating of impure meats,
evil speech which one has heard--all these things are not spoken of in
public; I will tell you in private. Attend! it is a rule, that whatever
is heard by three pairs of ears remains no secret; the words which reach
two pairs of ears no man hears; while the contents of one pair of ears
are unknown to Brahma himself, not to speak of man.” On hearing these
words, the king took the devotee apart and began to say, “O holy man!
you have given me so many rubies, and have not once partaken of food
even; you have put me to great shame! Let me know what it is you
desire.” The ascetic said, “Sire! I am about to practice magical arts in
a large body-burning-ground on the bank of the river Godavari, whereby I
shall acquire supernatural powers, and so I beg of you to pass one whole
night with me; by your being near me my magic arts will succeed.” Then
the king said, “Very well; I will come: leave word with me of the day.”
The ascetic said, “Do you come to me, armed and unattended, on the
Tuesday evening of the dark half of the month Bhãdon.” The king replied,
“You may go; I will assuredly come, and alone.”
Having thus exacted a promise from the king and taken leave, he, for
his part, went into a temple and made preparations, and taking all
necessaries with him, went and fixed himself in a place for burning
bodies; while here the king began to ponder (over what had happened). In
the meantime the moment (for him to depart) too, arrived. Upon this
the king there and then girt on his sword, tightened the cloth he wore
between his legs, and betook himself alone to the devotee by night, and
greeted him. The devotee requested him to be seated, whereupon the king
sat down, and then perceived goblins, evil spirits, and witches, in
various frightful shapes, dancing around; while the ascetic, seated in
the centre, was striking two skulls together by way of music. The king
felt no fear or alarm on beholding this state of things; but said to the
devotee, “What command is there for me?” He replied, “O king! now that
you have come, do this;--at a distance of two _kos_ south of this place
is a burning-ground, wherein is a siris-tree, on which a corpse is
suspended; bring that (corpse) to me at once to this place, where I
shall be performing my devotions.” Having despatched the king thither,
he himself settled down in devotional attitude and began muttering
prayers.
For one thing, the darkness of the night was in itself terrifying; more
than this, the downpour of the rain was as unceasing as if it would rain
for once and all that night; whilst the goblins and ghosts, too,
were creating such an uproar, that even daring heroes would have been
agitated at the spectacle;--the king, however, went on his way. The
snakes, which kept coming and twining themselves about his legs, he used
to disentangle by repeating incantations. At length, when after
passing somehow or other over a perilous road, the king reached the
burning-ground, he perceived that goblins were constantly seizing
men and destroying them; witches continually munching the livers of
children; tigers were roaring, and elephants screaming. In short, when
he noticed the tree, he perceived that every leaf and branch of it, from
the root to the topmost twig, was burning furiously, while from all four
sides arose a tumultuous cry of “Kill him! kill him! Seize him! seize
him! Take care he does not escape!”
The king had no fears on beholding that state of things; but he said to
himself, “It may or may not be so, but (I am convinced) this is the same
devotee about whom the demon spoke to me.” And having gone close and
observed, he perceived a corpse fastened by a string, and hanging head
downwards. He was glad to see the corpse, thinking his trouble had been
rewarded. Taking his sword and shield, he climbed the tree fearlessly,
and struck such a blow with the sword that the rope was severed and
the corpse fell down, and instantly began to weep aloud. On hearing his
voice the king was pleased, and began to say to himself, “Well! this man
at least is alive.” Then, descending, he enquired of him who he was.
He burst out laughing as soon as he heard (the question). The king was
greatly astonished at this. Again the corpse climbed up the tree and
suspended himself. The king, too, that instant climbed up, and clutching
him under his arm, brought him down, and said, “Vile wretch! tell me
who thou art.” He made no reply. The king reflected and said to himself,
“Perhaps this is the very oilman whom the demon said the devotee had
deposited in the place where bodies are burnt.” Thus reflecting, he
bound him up in his mantle and brought him to the devotee. The man who
displays such courage will (be sure to) succeed in his under-takings.
Then the sprite * said, “Who art thou? and whither art thou taking
me?” The king replied, “I am king Vikram, and am taking thee off to a
devotee.” He rejoined, “I will go on one condition,--if thou utterest
a word on the way, I will come straight back.” The king agreed to his
condition and went off with him. Then the sprite said, “O king! those
who are learned, discerning, and wise--_their_ days are passed in the
delight of song and the shãstras, while the days of the unwise and
foolish are spent in dissipation and sleep. Hence, it is best that this
long road should be beguiled by profitable converse: do you attend, O
king! to the story I relate.”
* Betal or baitãl, is a sprite haunting cemeteries, or,
rather, places where bodies are burned and animating dead
bodies.