A holy seer announces to Yaugandharayana, the chief minister of Vatsa,
the king of Kausambi, that whoever shall wed Ratnavali, the fair
daughter of Vikramabahu, the king of _Sinhala_ or Ceylon and maternal
uncle of Vasavadatta, the queen of Vatsa, should become the emperor of
the world. The faithful minister, desirous of securing paramount
sovereignty for his master, sends, without his knowledge and consent, an
envoy to the court of Vikramabahu to negotiate the match. Vikramabahu
declines to inflict the curse of co-wifeship upon his daughter and
niece. The disappointed envoy returns home.
The premier is sorry, but does not lose hope. After much deliberation,
he hits upon an ingenious device. He proclaims in Ceylon by agents that
queen Vasavadatta is dead, being burnt by chance and that the king,
though much grieved, has at last consented, at the request of friends
and relatives, to marry again. The intelligence reaches the ears of
Vikramabahu who believes it.
The premier now sends Babhravya as envoy to the Court of Ceylon to
reopen the question of Ratnavali's marriage with Vatsa. Vikramabahu,
after consulting his queen, consents to the proposal. He has Ratnavali
decked in all ornaments including a single-stringed necklace round her
neck and sends her away on board a ship, in company with his own
ambassador Vasubhuti and Babhravya. He waits on the shore till the ship
is out of sight and then returns home sorry at parting with his
daughter.
A terrible tempest wrecks the ship. A merchant of Kausambi finds
Ratnavali floating in mid-sea, saves her life and brings her to the
minister who thanks him heartily for the favour and offers a reward. The
merchant thus expresses his unwillingness to accept it, "Sir, under the
rule of our gracious king, the weak do not fear the strong; the rich
cannot oppress the poor; the word "robber" has become obsolete; the sick
and the orphans are being treated by the best of physicians and are free
from any want of food and clothing; children are being properly
educated; drought is never heard of; the highways are wide, clean, and
well-guarded; communications are safe. If any loyal subject can be of
any service to such a king, he does only his bare duty and should not
accept any reward." He at last accepts the reward at the repeated
requests of the minister and goes home.
Then the minister interviews the queen, conceals the real facts and
addresses her thus:--
"May it please your Majesty. I have received this girl from a merchant
who told me that he had rescued her in the sea, but could not say
anything more about her and her whereabouts. From her appearance she
seems to be a respectable lady. I beseech your Majesty to take care of
her." The queen takes the girl as one of her attendants--the girl who is
destined to make her husband the lord of the world! The queen names her
Sagarika or the Ocean Maid. The princess, who has been attended by
hundreds of maidservants, is now reduced, by a strange irony of fate,
to the position of a maid-servant herself!
The Chamberlain Babhravya and Vasubhuti by some means reach the shore
and are on their way to _Kausambi_.
Vatsa comes forth to behold from the terrace of his palace the frolic
merriment with which his subjects celebrate the festival of _Kamadeva_,
the god of love. Wearied of tales of war, and seeking most his
reputation in his people's hearts, he issues forth attended by his
confidential companion Vasantaka, like the flower-armed deity himself,
descended to take a part in the happiness of his worshippers. The king
observes:--
"I scarcely can express the content I now enjoy. My kingdom is rid of
every foe; the burden of my government reposes on able shoulders; the
seasons are favourable; and my subjects, prosperous and happy. In
Vasavadatta, the daughter of Pradyota, I have a wife whom I adore, and
in Vasantaka, a friend in whom I can confide. Attended by such a friend,
at such a season, and so disposed I might fancy myself the deity of
desire, and this vernal celebration held in honour of myself. Kausambi
outvies the residence of the god of wealth. Her numerous sons are clad
in cloth of gold, decked with glittering ornaments and tossing their
heads proudly with splendid crests.