The sprite said, “Ô King Bir Vikramãjït! there is a. city named
Chandra-shekhar, and a merchant named Ratandatt was an inhabitant
thereof. He had one only daughter, whose name was Unmãdinï. When she
attained to womanhood, her father went to the king of the place, and
said, ‘Your majesty! I have a daughter (_lit_. there is a girl in my
house); if you desire to possess her, take her; otherwise I will give
her to some one else.’”
“When the king heard this, he summoned two or three old servants,
and said to them, ‘Go and inspect the appearance of the merchant’s
daughter.’ They came to the merchant’s house at the monarch’s bidding,
and all became fascinated at the sight of the girl’s beauty,--such
beauty, as if a brilliant light was placed in a dark house; eyes like
those of a gazelle; plaits of hair like female snakes; eyebrows like a
bow; nose like a parrot’s; a set of teeth (_lit_. the set of thirty-two)
like a string of pearls; lips like the _kandüri_ throat like a pigeon’s;
waist like the leopard’s; hands and feet like a tender lotus; a face
like the moon, a complexion of the colour of the _champã_, a gait like
that of a goose, and a voice like the cuckoo’s; at the sight of her
beauty the female divinities of Indra’s paradise would feel abashed.”
“On beholding beauty of this kind, so abundantly rich in all graces,
they decided among themselves, (saying), ‘If such a woman enter the
king’s household, the king will become her slave, and will not give a
thought to the affairs of government. Hence, it is better to tell
the king that she is ill-favoured, (and) not worthy of him.’ Having
determined thus, they came thence to the king, and gave the following
account:--‘We have seen the girl; she is not worthy of you.’ On hearing
this, the king said to the merchant, ‘I will not wed her.’ Thereupon
what does the merchant do on returning home, but give his daughter in
marriage to one Balbhadra, who was the commander in-chief of the king’s
army. She took up her abode in his house.”
“It is said that, one day, the royal cavalcade passed by that way; and
she too was standing, fully attired, on her house-top, at the moment;
(and) her eyes and those of the monarch chanced to meet. The king began
to say to himself, ‘Is this the daughter of a god, or a female divinity,
or the daughter of a human being?’ The short of it is, he was fascinated
at the sight of her beauty, and returned thence to his palace in a state
of extreme agitation. The warder, on beholding his countenance, said,
‘Your majesty! what bodily pain are you suffering from?’ The monarch
replied, ‘While coming along the road to-day I saw a beautiful woman on
a house-top. I know not whether she is a houri, or a fairy, or a human
being; but her beauty drove my mind distracted all at once; and hence
(it is that) I am agitated.’”
“On hearing this, the door-keeper said, ‘Your majesty! she is the
daughter of that same merchant (who offered his daughter to you).
Balbbadra, your majesty’s commander-in-chief, has brought her home as
his wife/ The king said, ‘Those whom I sent to see her appearance have
deceived me,’ After saying this, the king ordered the mace-bearer to
bring those persons before him without delay. On receiving this order
from the king, the mace-bearer went and brought them. In short, when
they came before the king, his majesty said, ‘The errand on which I sent
you, and that which was the desire of my heart--these things you failed
to accomplish; on the contrary, you fabricated a false story, and gave
it to me as an answer. Now, to-day, I have seen her with my own eyes.
She is so beautiful a woman, rich in all distinguishing qualities, that
it would be difficult to meet with her equal in these times.’”
“On hearing this, they said, ‘What your majesty says is true; but
graciously listen to the object we had in view in representing her to
your majesty as ill-favoured. We decided among ourselves that, if so
beautiful a woman enter the royal household, your majesty would become
her slave on the instant of beholding her, and would neglect all the
affairs of the State, and so the kingdom would go to ruin. It was in
consequence of this apprehension that we invented such a story, and laid
it before you.’”
“When he heard this, the king _said_ to them, ‘You speak the truth;’ but
he experienced the greatest uneasiness thinking of her. Now, the king’s
distress of mind was known to everyone, when, at the moment, Balbhadra,
too, arrived, and putting his hands together (in humble supplication),
stood before the king, and said, ‘O lord of ‘the earth! I am your
servant, she is your hand-maid, and you to suffer so much pain on
her account! Be pleased, therefore, to give the order that she may be
brought before you.’ On hearing these words, the king said very angrily,
‘It is a grievous wrong to approach another’s wife! What is this thou
hast said to me? What! am I a lawless wretch, that I should commit an
infamous deed! The wife of another is as a mother, and the wealth of
another is on a par with mud. Hear me, brother! As a man regards his own
heart, so should he regard the hearts of others.’ Balbhadra spoke again,
saying, ‘She is my servant. When I give her to your majesty, how can she
any longer be the wife of another?’ The king replied; ‘I will not
commit an act whereby reproach would attach to me in the world.’ The
commander-in-chief said again, ‘Your majesty! I will turn her out of the
house, and place her somewhere else, and after making a prostitute of
her, will bring her to you.’ Thereupon the monarch said, ‘If thou makest
a harlot of a virtuous woman I will punish thee severely.’”
“After saying this, the king pined at the recollection of her, and, in
the course of ten days, died. Then the commander-in-chief, Balbhadra,
went and asked his spiritual teacher, ‘My master has died for the sake
of Unmadini; what is it right for me to do now? Favour me with your
commands in this matter.’ He said, ‘It is the duty of a servant to give
up his life also after his master’s.’ This servant gladly went to the
place where they had conveyed the king for cremation. During the time
in which the king’s funeral pile was got ready, he, too, had quitted
himself of his ablutions and devotions; and when they lighted the pile,
he too drew near the pile, and raising his joined hands to the sun,
began to say, ‘O Sun-deity! in thought, word and deed, I solicit the
gratification of this desire, viz., that at every successive birth I may
meet with this same master, and (for this) hymn your praises.’ Having
uttered this, he bowed in adoration, and leaped into the fire.”
“When Unmãdini received this intelligence, she went to her spiritual
teacher, and telling him all, asked, saying, ‘Your highness! what is the
duty of a wife?’ He replied, ‘It is by doing her duty to him to whom
her father and mother have given her that she is termed a woman of good
family; and it is thus written in the book of law, viz.--The woman who
in her husband’s lifetime practises austerities and fasting, shortens
the life of her husband, and is finally cast into hell-But the best
thing is this, that a woman by doing her duty to her husband, no matter
how wanting he may be, secures her own salvation. Moreover, the woman
who entertains the desire to sacrifice herself for her husband in the
burning-ground, most undoubtedly derives as much benefit from as many
steps as she takes towards this as would be derived from an equal number
of horse-sacrifices. * Further, there is no virtue equal to that of a
woman’s sacrificing herself for her husband on the funeral pile.’ On
hearing this, she made her salutation, and returned home; and after
bathing, and performing her devotions, and giving large gifts to
Brahmans, went to the funeral pile, and going once round to the right
in adoration, said, ‘O Lord! I am Thy servant in each succeeding birth.’
Having said this, she, too, went and seated herself in the fire, and was
consumed.”
* The ashwamedha, or horse-sacrifice, is one performed by
powerful kings alone, as it involves a vast expense. It is
regarded as of the highest efficacy, and as far excelling
all ordinary sacrifices.
After relating so much of the story, the sprite said, “O king! whose
virtue was greatest of these three?” King Bir Vikramãjït replied, “The
king’s.” The sprite said, “How so?” The king replied, “He left alone
the wife given to him by the commander-in-chief, while he sacrificed his
life on her account, and yet preserved his virtue. It behoves a servant
to lay down his life for his master; and it is right for a wife to
sacrifice herself for her lord. Therefore the virtue of the king was
greatest.” Having heard these words, the sprite went and hung on to that
same tree. The king, too, followed him, and again bound him, and placed
him on his shoulder, and carried him away.