Again the sprite said, “O king! there is a city named Dharmpur, of
which Dharmshil was king; and his minister’s name was Andhak. He said
one day to the king, ‘Your majesty! build a temple, and place an image
of Devi therein, and pay constant adoration thereto, for this is said in
the _Shãstra_ to possess great merit.’ Thereupon the king had a temple
built and (the image of) Devi placed in it, and began offering adoration
after the manner prescribed by the Vedas; and he would not drink water
without having worshipped.”
“When a considerable time had passed thus, the minister said one day,
‘Great king! the saying is well known,--The house of a sonless man is
empty, a fool’s mind is empty, and everything pertaining to an indigent
person is empty.’ On hearing these words, the king went to the temple of
Devi, and joining his hands in supplication, began to extol her, saying,
‘O Devi! Brahma, Vishnü, Rudra, Indra await thy bidding the livelong
day; and thou it was who didst seize the demons Mahish-aspr, Chand
Mund, Raktbij, and slaying the evil spirits, relieved the earth of its
burthen; and wheresoever trouble has befallen thy worshippers, there
thou hast gone and aided them; and in this hope I have approached thy
threshhold; fulfil now the desire of my heart also.’”
“When the king had celebrated the praises of the goddess to this extent,
a voice issued from the temple of Devi, saying, ‘King! I am well
pleased with thee; ask any boon that thou may’st desire.’ The king said,
‘Mother! if thou art pleased with me, grant me a son.’ Devi replied,
‘King! thou shalt have a son (who shall be) very powerful and very
glorious.’ Then the king made offerings of sandal, unbroken rice,
flowers, incense, lamps and consecrated food, and paid adoration.
Moreover, he made it a practice of worshipping thus daily. To be brief,
after some days a son was born to the king. The king, with his family
and kindred, proceeded with music and song, and worshipped at the shrine
of Devi.”
“In the meantime, it happened one day that a washerman, accompanied by a
friend of his, was coming from a certain town towards this city, and the
temple of Devi met his eye. He resolved on prostrating himself (before
the shrine). At that moment he beheld a washerman’s daughter, who was
very handsome, coming towards him. He was fascinated at the sight of
her, and went to worship Devi. After prostrating himself, he joined his
hands in supplication, and said in his heart, ‘O Devi! if, through thy
favour, my marriage to this beautiful being should take place, I will
devote my head as an offering to thee.’ After making this vow, and
prostrating himself, he took his friend with him, and went to his own
city.”
“When he arrived there, the separation (from his love) so troubled him
that sleep, hunger, thirst--all were forgotten. He spent the whole day
in thoughts of her. On perceiving this woful state of his, his friend
went and told his father all the circumstances. His father also became
alarmed on hearing these things, and reflecting on the matter began to
say, ‘From observing his state it seems (to me) that if his betrothal to
that maiden does not take place, he will grieve to death; wherefore it
is better to marry him to the girl, that thus he may be saved.’”
“Having thus considered, he took his son’s friend with him, and on
reaching that town, went to the girl’s father and said, ‘I have come to
solicit something of you; if you will grant my request, I will make it
known.’ He replied, ‘If I possess the thing, I will give it; speak
out.’ Having secured his promise thus, he said, ‘Give your daughter in
marriage to my son.’ On hearing this, he too agreed to the proposal; and
having had a priest called in, and the day, the auspicious conjunction,
and the moment determined, said, ‘Bring your son; I, for my part, will
stain my daughter’s hands yellow.’ * On hearing this, he arose, returned
to his own house, got ready all the requisites for the marriage, and set
out for the ceremony; and on reaching the place, and having the marriage
ceremony performed, he took his son and daughter-in-law with him and
returned home; and the bride and bridegroom commenced a happy life
together.”
* Lit. “make the girl’s hands yellow.” Among the Hindus, for
some days before marriage, the hands of a betrothed couple
are stained yellow with turmeric.
“Again, after some time, an occasion of rejoicing arose at the girl’s
father’s, and so an invitation came to these (the bride and bridegroom)
also. The wife and husband got ready, and taking their friend with them,
set out for that city. When they arrived near the place, the temple of
Devi came in sight, and then, his vow came to his mind. Thereupon
he reflected and said to himself, ‘I am a great liar, and a very
irreligious wretch, for I have lied to Devi herself!’ Having said this
to himself, he spoke to his friend, saying, ‘Do you tarry here while I
pay a visit to Devi.’ And to his wife he said, ‘Do thou also stay here.’
Having said this and gone to the temple, he bathed in the pool,
went before Devi, joined his hands in supplication, addressed her
reverentially, and raised a sword and struck himself on the neck His
head was severed from his body, and fell upon the ground.”
“To be brief, after some delay, his friend thought that as he had been
gone a very long while and had not yet returned, he ought to go and see
(what had happened); so he said to the wife, ‘Stay here; I will soon
hunt him up and bring him here.’ Having said this, he went into the
temple of Devi, and lo! his (friend’s) head was lying apart from his
body! On beholding this state of things there, he began to say to
himself, ‘The world is a hard place! No one will suppose that he, with
his own hand, offered his head as a sacrifice to Devi; on the contrary,
they will say, that, as his wife was very beautiful, he (the friend), in
order to possess her, killed him, and is practising this artful trick.
Therefore it is preferable to die here; whereas to obtain an evil
reputation in the world is not desirable.’”
“Having said this, he bathed in the pool, came into the presence of
Devi, joined his hands and made obeisance, and taking up the sword,
struck himself on the neck, so that his head was severed from his body.
And she, weary of standing there alone, and watching for their return
till she quite despaired, went in quest of them into the temple of
Devi. Arrived there, what does she behold but the two lying dead! Then,
seeing them both dead, she thought to herself, ‘People will not believe
that these two have voluntarily offered themselves as sacrifices to
Devi. Everybody will say that the widow was a wanton wretch, (and)
that she killed them both and left them that she might indulge in her
depravity. It is better to die than to endure such infamy.’”
“Alter reflecting thus, she plunged into the pool (and bathed), and
coming into the presence of Devi, bowed her head in obeisance; (then)
taking up the sword, was about to strike herself on the neck, when
Devi descended from the throne, and came and seized her hand, and said,
‘Daughter! ask a boon; I am well-pleased with thee.’ On this she said,
‘Mother! if thou art pleased with me, restore these two to life.’ Then
Devi said, ‘Unite their heads to their bodies.’ In the tumult of her joy
she changed the heads in putting them on. And Devi brought the water
of life and sprinkled it upon them. The two rose up alive, and began
disputing one with another; one saying, ‘She is my wife;’ the other,
‘She is mine.’”
Having related so much of the story, the sprite said, “Now king
Vikramãjit! of which of these two is she the wife?” The king said,
“Hearken! The guiding principle for this is laid down in the book of
law, thus: ‘The Ganges is the best of rivers, and Sumeru is the most
excellent of mountains, and Kalpavriksh * is the most excellent of
trees, (and) the head is supreme among all the members of the body.
According to this judgment she becomes the wife of him who possesses the
superior member.’” On hearing these words the sprite went and again
suspended himself on that tree; and the king having gone and bound him,
placed him on his shoulder and carried him off.
* Kalpavriksh is a fabulous tree, yielding all wishes, said
to exist in the paradise of India.