In a certain country there was a royal Prince, it is said. This Prince
one day having gone for garden sport, and while on his return journey
having seen a beautiful woman belonging to a nobleman's family, his
mind was attracted towards her, it is said. When the Prince with his
mind thus greatly attracted towards the woman is feeling keen sorrow,
not obtaining sleep, dwelling foodless, for several days in succession
not having eaten, his body grew extremely emaciated.
At the time when his father the King inquired what were the reasons of
it, he informed him that he wanted to take in marriage a nobleman's
daughter, it is said. The King having heard his word, asked the
assemblage of Ministers whether the transaction was suitable or
unsuitable. And the assemblage of Ministers having said that should
he take [a wife] in marriage in that manner a disgrace will go to the
royal race, he rejected it. But having seen that because of the young
Prince's grief from day to day his body becomes [more] emaciated, his
father the King took and gave him a [bride in] marriage from another
royal family. Yet except that he contracted this marriage because
of the urgent request of his father the King, for himself, indeed,
he did not desire even to look in the direction of the Princess whom
he married.
At the time when he is thus, having concealed from the King that he
does not pay regard to his married wife, since thereafter the Prince
attempted the obtaining of the nobleman's daughter for himself [the
King] ordered the Prince to go out of the country.
The Prince, upon the word of his father the King having mounted on a
ship and become ready to go to the foreign country, put the Princess
whom he took in marriage into a rock house (cave), and having placed
guards around, and made them give her food once in four days, said
thus to the Princess, "When, having gone to a foreign country, I come
again to this country, having borne a Prince like me do thou keep and
rear him virtuously. Should it not be so I will speedily cause thee
to be killed and cut into bits," he said. The Prince said thus with
the intention of indeed killing the Princess. Why was that? Because
from the day when he contracted the marriage there had not been a
[conjugal] association of these two.
Well then, she ascertained that she cannot perform even one of the
orders that were told to the Princess. Well, this Princess's father
had presented and given to her two tunnelling rats. [258] By the help
of these rats having made a tunnel [by which] to go outside from the
rock house, she came out by the tunnel, and making even the guards
her friends, went near a woman who knows extremely clever dances;
and having given money, [after] learning up to the other shore itself
[259] her art of dancing, she went to the neighbourhood [of the place]
from which on the first occasion the Prince was to mount into the
ship, putting on a dress that was attracting the wonder of each of the
persons who saw it, in such a manner that anyone should be unable to
recognise her. Having shown dances in front of the Prince, and caused
his mind to long for her, and that day night having slept with him,
on the following day she went to the house of the King her father.
The Prince having gone to foreign countries, the Princess was living
in happiness at the house of her father until learning news of his
coming again to his own country. Having heard news that the Prince
descended from the ship, and having gone to the rock house together
with the guards of whom at first she was making friends, she remained
[there] in the manner which the Prince ordered on going. Because the
Prince came after a number of years had passed away, she had a fine
infant Prince.
Well then, the Prince, having descended from the ship and having
come with the intention [after] having killed his wife to take in
marriage the nobleman's Princess, opened the door of the rock house,
and at the time when he looked saw that the Princess is [there] with
an infant Prince in the very manner he said. While he was in extreme
anger, the Princess, while in the midst between the Royal Council
and her husband, related the method by which she obtained her child.
After that, when in a very public manner the Prince completely
abandoned his wife her parents did not take charge of her. Because
of it, having gone near an indigent woman she dwelt with her
child. Because the Prince had extreme affection for the child he
thought to take the child [after] having given poison to the Princess
and killed her.
At this time, because the Situ Princess whom the Prince was intending
to take in marriage had been taken and given and settled for another
person, he contracted marriage with another Princess. On the day of
the festival at which he contracts [260] this marriage, on his sending
to his indigent former wife a sort of cakes in which poison was mixed,
when she was partaking of them she performed the act of Yama. [261]
After she died, a Naga maiden began to give milk to the infant. The
Prince having gone on horseback to bring the infant, at the time when
he brought it to the royal house the Naga maiden also went behind
[in her snake form]. The Prince having seen the Naga maiden while
the head part of the Nagaya was inside the doorway and the tail part
outside the doorway, when he cut it in two with his sword the Nagaya
vanished, and the Princess who was the mother of the infant remained
in front [of him]. [262] The Prince ascertaining [thereby] that he
was unable to kill her, established her in the post of Chief Queen.
Western Province.