My Lord, as I was wandering one day in the forest of Vindhya, I met
with a very handsome boy, standing by the side of a well, crying
bitterly. When I asked what was the matter, he said: "The old man who
was with me, when trying to get water from this well, fell in, and I
am unable to help him. What will become of me?"
Hearing this, I looked down the well, which was not very deep, and saw
the old man standing at the bottom, the water not being sufficient to
cover him. By means of a long and tough stem of a creeper, I pulled
him up safely; then using it again as a rope, with a cup made from
the hollow stem of a bamboo, I drew water for the poor child, who was
half dead with thirst; and finding that he was suffering from hunger
also, I knocked down some nuts from the top of a high tree with a
well-aimed blow of a stone.
The old man was very grateful for my timely assistance; and when we
were all comfortably seated in the shade, he gave me, at my request, a
long account of the circumstances which had brought him there,
saying:--
"There was formerly a King of Vidarba remarkable for wisdom and
justice, learned in the Scriptures, a protector of his subjects (by
whom he was much beloved), a terror to his enemies, wise in political
science, upright and honest in all his actions, kind to his
dependents, grateful for even small services, and gracious to all.
Having lived the full age of man, he died, leaving a prosperous
kingdom to his son Anantavarma, a young man of great abilities, but
caring more for the mechanical arts, music, and poetry, than for his
duties as a ruler.
"One day, one of his father's old counsellors in private addressed him
thus: 'Sire, your majesty, with the advantage of royal birth, has
almost every good quality that can be desired; your intelligence is
very great; your knowledge superior to that of others; but all this,
without instruction in political science and attention to public
affairs, is insufficient for a king; void of such knowledge, he is
despised, not only by foreigners, but by his own subjects, who,
disregarding all laws, human and divine, at last perish miserably, and
drag down their sovereign in their fall. A king who has not political
wisdom, however good his eyesight may be, is regarded by the wise as a
blind man, unable to see things as they are. I entreat you, therefore,
to give up the pursuits to which you are so devoted, and to study the
art of government. Your power will then be strengthened, and you may
long reign over a happy and prosperous people.'
"To this exhortation the young king appeared to listen attentively;
and said: 'Such is the teaching of the wise; it ought to be followed.'
"After dismissing the old counsellor, the king went into the women's
apartments, and began to talk to them of the exhortation which he had
just received. His observations were attentively listened to by one of
his constant attendants, who determined, if possible, to turn the
king's thoughts in another direction, and prevent him from being
influenced by the good advice which had been given. This man had many
accomplishments; he was skilled in dancing, music, and singing; quick
at repartee; a good story-teller; full of fun and jokes; but devoid of
honour and honesty; false, slanderous, a receiver of bribes, a bad man
in every way; yet, from his wit and humour, very acceptable to the
king, whom he now thus addressed: 'Wherever there is a person of
exalted position, there are always clever rogues ready to prey upon
him, and, while degrading him, to accomplish their own base purposes.
Some, under the guise of religion, will tell him: "The happiness of
this world is shortlived and fleeting; eternal happiness can only be
obtained by prayer and penance;" and so they persuade him to shave
his head, wear a dress of skins, gird himself with a rope of sacred
grass, and, renouncing all pleasures and luxuries, to betake himself
to fasting and penance, and give away his riches to the poor, meaning,
of course, themselves; some of these religious impostors will even
persuade their dupes to renounce children, wife--nay, even life
itself.
"'But suppose a man to have too much sense to be deluded in this way,
they will try a different plan; to one they will say: "We can make
gold; only furnish us with the means, and your riches shall be
increased a thousandfold;" to another: "We can show you how to destroy
all your enemies without a weapon;" to another: "Follow our advice,
and, though you are nobody now, you shall soon become a great man."
"'If their victim is a sovereign, they will say to him: "Four
branches of study are said to be proper for kings--the vedas, the
purânas, metaphysics, and political science;--but the first three are
of very little advantage; they may safely be neglected, and he should
give up his mind to the last only. Are there not the six thousand
verses composed for the use of kings, and containing the whole
science? Learn these by heart, and you will be prepared for all
emergencies." So then he must set to work to learn all these crabbed
rules. He must; according to them, distrust every one, even wife or
son. He must rise early, take a very scanty meal, and immediately
proceed to business.
"'First he must go over accounts, and balance income and expenditure;
and while his rascally ministers pretend to have everything very
exact, they have forty thousand ways of cheating him, and take good
care of themselves.
"'Then he must sit in public, and be tired to death with receiving
frivolous complaints and petitions, and will not even have the
satisfaction of doing justice; for, whether a cause be just or not,
his ministers will take care that the decision shall be according to
their own interests.
"'Then he is allowed a short time for bathing, dressing, and dining;
if, indeed, the poor wretch can venture to dine, with the constant
fear of poison in his mind.
"'After this he must remain a long time in council with his ministers,
perplexed with their conflicting arguments, and unable to understand
even the half of them; while they, pretending to act impartially, get
everything settled as they had previously agreed and by twisting and
distorting the reports of spies and emissaries, manage to serve
themselves and their friends, and to get credit for putting down
disturbances which they themselves had excited.
"'He is now allowed to take a little amusement, but the time for this
is restricted to an hour and a half.
"'Then he must review his army; hear the reports of the commander of
his forces; give orders for peace or war; and act upon the accounts
brought by spies and emissaries.
"'However weary he maybe with all this, he must sit down and read
diligently, like some poor student, for several hours. Then at last he
may retire to rest; but before he has had half enough sleep, he will
be awaked in the early morning; and the priests will come to him, and
say: "There is an unfavourable conjunction of the planets; evil omens
have appeared; there is danger impending; the gods must be
propitiated; let a great sacrifice be made to-day. The brahmans are
continually engaged in supplicating the gods on your behalf; your
prosperity is dependent on their prayers; they are miserably poor, and
have many children to support; let large donations be made." Thus the
greedy wretches, under the pretence of religion, are continually
robbing the king and enriching themselves.
"'This is the sort of life which you will have to lead, if you give
yourself up to the guidance of those greybeards; and, after all,
though you may have studied and studied, pored over their musty
volumes, and listened to their tedious lectures, you are not sure of
doing right.
"'And who are these fellows who set themselves up for wise men? Do
they always do right? Are they not often themselves cheated by the
unlearned? Common sense is far better than all this learning; instinct
and feeling will guide us in the right way; even an infant without
teaching finds out how to draw nourishment from the mother's breast.
Cast aside, then, the rules and restrictions with which these old
fools would bind you. Follow your natural inclinations, and enjoy life
while you can. You possess youth, beauty, and strength. You have a
large army, ten thousand elephants, and three hundred thousand horses;
your treasury is full of gold and jewels, and would not be emptied in
a thousand years. What more would you have? Life is short, and those
who are always thinking of adding to their possessions, go on toiling
to the last, and never really enjoy them.
"'But why should I waste your time with needless arguments? I see you
are already convinced. Commit, then, the cares of government to your
ministers; spend your time with your ladies, and congenial friends
like me; enjoy drinking, music, and dancing, and trouble yourself no
more with affairs of state.'
"Having thus spoken, he prostrated himself in very humble attitude at
the feet of his master, who remained for a time silent, as if
undecided.
"The women, who had been listening with delight to all that was said,
seeing his hesitation, assembled round him, and, with sweet words and
caresses, easily persuaded him to follow his own inclination and
theirs.
"From that time the young king, given up entirely to pleasures and
amusements, left the affairs of the kingdom to his ministers; and,
while allowing them to manage as they pleased, provided they did not
trouble him, openly treated them with insolence and neglect, and even
took pleasure in hearing them ridiculed by the worthless parasites who
surrounded him, so that even the wisest of his ministers, while
lamenting the sad state of affairs, could only acknowledge their
inability to remedy it, and wait till some great public calamity, or
the invasion of the country by a neighbouring sovereign, who was
gradually extending his dominions by force or cunning, should bring
the young king to his senses.
"Ere long, what they had expected came to pass; for the King of
Asmaka, who had for some time coveted the country, but did not dare
openly to invade it while it was strong and prosperous, took measures
in secret to weaken the authority of Anantavarma, and diminish his
resources; and, lest he should perchance see the error of his ways and
abandon his vicious courses, he secretly gave a commission to the son
of one of his ministers, a young man of great abilities and agreeable
manners, an eloquent flatterer and amusing companion, who arrived at
the court of Anantavarma, attended by a numerous retinue, as if
travelling about for his own pleasure.
"This man soon became intimate with the king, and took care to fall in
with all his tastes, and to justify and praise every pursuit which he
engaged in.
"Thus, if he saw the king fond of hunting, he would say: 'What a fine
manly sport this is! How it strengthens the body, braces the spirits,
and quickens the intelligence! While roaming over hill and dale, you
become acquainted with the country; by destroying the deer and wild
buffaloes, you benefit the husbandmen; by killing the tigers and other
wild beasts, you make travelling safer.' And he would go on in this
way, without any allusion to the damage and destruction caused by the
king's hunting expeditions.
"If gambling was the favourite amusement, or there was excessive
devotion to women, or to drinking, he would very ingeniously bring
forward everything that could be said in favour of them, passing over
their disadvantages in silence. If the king was lavish to his
dependants, he would praise his generosity; if cruel, he would say:
'Such severity is good; you maintain your own dignity by it; a king
ought not to be like a patient devotee, submitting to insults, and
ready to forgive.
"In this manner that wicked wretch obtained great influence over the
king, and employed it to lead him into all sorts of excesses.
"With such an example before them, all classes gradually became
corrupted. The magistrates neglected their duties, and thought only
how they might enrich themselves; great criminals, who could bribe,
escaped with impunity; the weak were oppressed by the strong; violence
and robbery were rampant; disturbances broke out on all sides; and
severe and indiscriminating punishments only stirred up indignation,
without repressing crime. The revenue diminished, while expenditure
was increasing; everywhere loud complaints were heard, and great
distress prevailed.
"As if all this were not sufficient, the cruel King of Asmaka sent
emissaries in all directions to mix unsuspectedly with the inhabitants
of Vidarba, and do as much mischief as possible.
"Some would distribute subtle poisons in various ways; some would stir
up quarrels between neighbouring villages, and so cause party fights;
some contrived to let loose a furious elephant into a crowd, or get up
an alarm by other means, and so cause a sudden panic, in which the
people trampled down each other, and many lives were lost; others,
disguised as hunters, promising abundance of game, would tempt men
into some narrow valley, between high mountains, where they were
devoured by tigers, or, unable to find their way out again, perished
of hunger and thirst.
"By these and many other devices, they succeeded in destroying life
and weakening the country, so that less resistance might be offered to
the invader.
"Then, thinking the time to be arrived, the King of Asmaka prepared
for war. Meanwhile, his emissary was leading on the foolish young king
to destruction; and at this very time, as if in perfect security, he
was amusing himself with the performances of a celebrated actress and
dancer, having, at the instigation of his treacherous friend,
persuaded her, by large donations, to leave the King of Kuntala, with
whom she was a great favourite.
"Indignant at such an insult, that king was easily persuaded to join
the King of Asmaka, who had already obtained several other allies
eager to have a share in the expected conquest and plunder.
"Thus, when the country was actually invaded, no effectual resistance
was made; Anantavarma was easily defeated, and fell into the power of
his cruel enemy.
"The cunning King of Asmaka, who had gained his allies by many liberal
promises, had no intention of sharing the conquered country with any
one; he professed, however, great disinterestedness; declared that he
should be contented with a very small part; and, having desired his
allies to arrange between themselves what each should take, contrived,
by his intrigues, to make them quarrel over the division. The result
was that they fought with, and so weakened each other, that he was
able to disregard their claims, and to annex the whole of the
conquered country to his own dominions.
"After the defeat and death of Anantavarma, an old and faithful
minister escaped with the queen and her two children, this boy and his
elder sister Manjuvâdini, together with a few faithful followers,
including myself; and though the old minister was taken ill and died
on the road, the rest arrived safely at Mahishmati, where the queen
was well received by the king Amittravarma, a half-brother of her
husband, and where she devoted herself to the education of her son,
hoping that he might one day recover his father's kingdom.
"After a time, however, that king sought to marry his brother's widow;
and, having been rejected by her, determined to take revenge by
killing her son.
"The queen, having discovered his intentions, sent for me, and said:
'My life is wrapped up in this boy; I can endure any thing, so long as
he is safe; take him and make your escape at once; I know not where to
send you, but if you can find a safe refuge, let me know, and I will
come to you, if possible.'
"In obedience to her commands, I took the boy, succeeded in escaping
with him, and reached a shepherd's hut on the borders of this forest.
There we stayed a few days till I saw a man whom I suspected to be
searching for us. Fearing discovery, I left the cottage, and entered
the forest. Here, while trying to get water to quench the poor child's
burning thirst, I slipped into the well, where I should have perished
but for your timely assistance; and now, having done us this kindness,
will you add to it by protecting the boy, and helping us to reach a
place of safety?"
"Who was his mother," I asked. "Of what family was she?"
"She is the daughter of the King of Oude," he answered, "and her
mother was Sagaradatta, daughter of Vaisravana, a merchant of
Pâtaliputra."
"If so," I replied, "she and my father are cousins by the mother's
side; this boy is therefore my relation, and has a right to my
protection."
The old man was much pleased at hearing this, and I promised not only
to protect the boy, but to contrive some means for reinstating him in
his proper position, and overcoming that wicked King of Asmaka with
cunning equal to his own.
For the present, however, the most needful thing was to procure food.
While I was considering how to obtain this, two deer passed, pursued
by a forester, who shot three arrows and missed them, and, in despair,
let fall his bow and two remaining arrows. Hastily snatching up these,
I discharged the arrows in rapid succession, and killed both the deer;
one of them I gave to the hunter, the other I prepared, and roasted a
part of it for ourselves.
The forester was astonished by my skill, and delighted at the
acquisition of so much food; and it occurred to me that I might get
some information from him. I asked him therefore: "Do you know
anything of what is going on at Mahishmati?"
"I was there early this morning," he answered, "for I had a tiger skin
and other skins to sell, and great festivities were in preparation;
the Prince Prachandavarma, the king's younger brother, is about to
marry the Princess Manjuvâdini, and the rejoicings are on this
account."
After the forester was gone, I said to the old man (whose name was
Nâlijangha): "That wretch Amittravarma is trying to make it up with
his sister-in-law by promoting a good marriage for her daughter; no
doubt he thinks to persuade her to recall her son, that he may have
him in his power. Do you therefore leave the boy with me, and go back
at once to his mother. Tell her how you have met with me, and that the
child is quite safe under my protection; but give out in public that
he has been carried off and devoured by a tiger. I shall come to the
city disguised as a beggar; do you wait for me near the cemetery."
All this he promised to do, and set off immediately, having first
received further directions for the guidance of the queen.
After some days, it was generally understood at Mahishmati that the
boy who had escaped into the forest had been killed by a tiger; and
the king, secretly rejoicing, went to condole with the mother. She
appeared as if greatly distressed by the news, and said to him: "I
look upon the death of my son as a judgment upon me for not complying
with your wishes, and am therefore now ready to become your wife."
The old wretch was delighted at her compliance, and preparations were
made for the marriage.
On the appointed day, in the presence of a numerous assembly, she took
a small leafy branch, and dipping it in what appeared to be water, but
which really contained a deadly poison, struck him gently with it on
the face, saying: "If you are acting right, this will not injure you;
if you are sinning in taking me, your brother's wife, and I am
faithful to my husband, may this be like the blow of a sword to you."
Such was the strength of the poison that he fell dead almost
instantaneously. Then dipping the same branch into other water
containing an antidote, she struck her daughter in a similar manner;
and, as no injury followed, the spectators were fully convinced that
the death of Amittravarma was a punishment from heaven.
Soon after this (by my directions, and in order to throw him off his
guard), she said to Prachandavarma: "The throne is now vacant; you
should occupy it at once, and make my daughter your queen."
He listened to the suggestion; and, as the young boy, the nephew of
the late king, was supposed to be dead, no opposition was made by the
people.
Then the Queen Vasundhara (also by my directions) sent for some of the
late king's ministers, and of the elders of the city, whom she knew to
be ill-affected towards Prachandavarma, and said to them: "Last night
the goddess Durgâ appeared to me in a vision, and said: 'Your child is
safe; I myself, in the form of a tigress, carried him away, to save
him from his enemies. In four days from this time Prachandavarma will
suddenly die; on the fifth day let all the authorities assemble round
my temple on the bank of the river, and close the doors, after having
ascertained that no one is concealed inside. After waiting one hour,
the door will open and a young brahman will come forth, holding your
son by the hand. That boy will become King of Vidarba, and that
brahman is to marry your daughter.'"
After the divine manifestation in favour of the queen when
Amittravarma was struck dead, this account of the vision was readily
believed by her hearers, who promised to keep the secret and to be
guided by her directions.
When the fourth day arrived I entered the city, disguised as a beggar,
and brought the boy to his delighted mother, who introduced me to her
daughter, whom I greatly admired, and she, though agitated, was
evidently pleased with me, even under such a disguise.
I did not venture to stay long, and after receiving an alms and
assuring the queen that the imagined dream would prove true, I went
away, taking the boy with me, and at parting, in order to deceive her
attendants, she said aloud: "Your application shall not have been in
vain; I will take care to protect your boy."
Nâlijangha, the old servant whom I had rescued in the forest, met me
on my arrival, and was waiting at the place which I had appointed. I
went to him there and asked him for information as to the movements
and occupations of the new king. "That doomed man," he answered,
"thinking all obstacles removed, and rejoicing at his accession to
power, is now amusing himself in the palace gardens, with a number of
actors, tumblers, and dancing girls."
"I could not have a better opportunity," I replied; "do you therefore
stay here with the boy, and wait for me in this old ruin. I shall not
be long gone."
I then dressed myself in the clothes of a tumbler, which I had brought
with me for the purpose, went boldly into the garden, presented myself
to the king, and asked for permission to exhibit my skill before him.
This was readily granted; an opportunity was soon given me of showing
what I could do, and I obtained much applause from the spectators.
After a time I begged some of those present to lend me their knives,
and I caused much astonishment by the way in which I appeared to
balance myself on the points. Then, still, holding one of the knives,
I imitated the pouncing of a hawk and an eagle, and having by degrees
got near the king, I threw the knife with such good aim, that it
pierced him to the heart, and I shouted out at the same time, "Long
live Vasantabhânu!" that it might be supposed I had been sent by him.
After this, dashing by the guards, who tried to stop me, I suddenly
leaped over the wall, and before any of my pursuers could cross it, I
had run a long way on the other side. Doubling back, I got behind a
great heap of bricks, and from thence, concealed by the trees,
succeeded in reaching the ruins unobserved. Here I changed my clothes
and went back to the city, as if nothing had happened.
In order to have everything ready for my intended concealment, I had
gone secretly the day before to the Temple of Durgâ, and had there
made an underground chamber, communicating with the interior through
an opening in the wall, which was carefully closed with a large stone,
and now, taking the boy with me, I entered the hiding place, having
been furnished with suitable dresses and ornaments, sent by the queen,
through Nâlijangha.
The assassination of Prachandavarma was universally attributed to his
enemy, the King of Asmaka, and the first part of the prophecy of
Durgâ, as told by the queen, being thus accomplished, there was no
doubt, on the part of those who were in the secret, as to the
fulfilment of the remainder.
In the morning a great crowd was assembled round the temple; for
although the secret of the queen's vision had been kept, it was
generally understood that something wonderful was to take place there.
Presently the queen and her attendants arrived, entered the building,
and paid their devotions to the goddess, after which the whole temple
was carefully searched, to make sure that no one was concealed there,
and all having withdrawn, the doors were closed, and the people stood
without in silence, anxiously awaiting the pleasure of the goddess.
A band then began to play and the kettledrums were loudly struck, so
that the sound reached me in the hiding-place. At this, which was the
preconcerted signal, I made a great effort, moved the large stone, and
came forth with the boy into the temple. Having changed our dresses, I
placed the old ones in the hole, carefully refitted the stone, and
throwing the temple door wide open, stood in front of the astonished
multitude, holding the young prince by the hand.
While they were gazing in bewilderment, I thus addressed them: "The
great goddess Durgâ, who lately showed herself in a vision to the
queen, has been pleased to restore to his longing mother this child,
whom she, in the form of a tigress, had carried away, and she commands
you, by my mouth, to accept him as your sovereign."
Then turning to the queen, I said:--"Receive your child from the hands
of Durgâ, who will henceforth protect him as her own son; and by her
command accept me as the husband of your daughter."
To the ministers and elders I said:--"The goddess has brought me here,
not merely as a messenger of her will, but as a defender of your
country from that wicked King of Asmaka, whose cruel and unscrupulous
intrigues are well known; accept me, therefore, as your deliverer, and
as the guardian of the young king appointed by Durgâ."
Upon this all broke out into loud acclamations, saying: "Great is the
power of the glorious Durgâ! happy the country of which you are the
protector!" and I was conducted in triumph to the palace, together
with the queen, who could now openly show her joy at the recovery of
her son.
So well had I managed, that no suspicion arose of the deception which
had been practised, and all the people venerated the young king as
being especially under the protection of the goddess, and me as the
agent chosen by her for his restoration.
Thus my authority was well established. I caused, in due time, the
young prince to be formally proclaimed king, and had him carefully
educated; and I myself received the hand of the lovely Manjuvâdini, as
the reward of my services and in obedience to the commands of Durgâ.
After some time, however, I began to reflect: "Though my position now
seems quite secure, yet, after all, I am a foreigner here, and when
the first burst of admiration is over, people may perhaps begin to
ask, 'Who is this stranger who has come among us in such a mysterious
manner? and what is he that he should thus lord it over us?' And it
occurred to me that if I could make friends with an old and
much-respected minister, named Aryaketu, so as to trust him entirely,
he might be of great assistance to me."
Before, however, making any overtures to him, I desired Nâlijangha to
try him secretly and ascertain his feelings towards me.
My agent, therefore, had many interviews with him, and tried to
persuade him that it was not for the good of the country that a
stranger and foreigner should occupy such an important position,
which ought rather to be held by a native, and that it would be very
desirable to get rid of me.
To all this Aryaketu answered: "Do not speak against so good a man,
and one of such wonderful ability, endowed with such great courage,
generosity, and kindness. So many good qualities are rarely found
united in one person. I esteem the country very fortunate in having
such a ruler, and am convinced, that through him the King of Asmaka
will one day be driven out, and our prince established on his father's
throne. Nothing shall induce me to plot against such a man."
After hearing this from Nâlijangha, I tried the old minister in
various ways, and seeing no reason to doubt his fidelity and
attachment, I gave him my full confidence, and found him a most useful
friend.
With his advice and assistance, I was able to appoint efficient
officers in every department. I encouraged religion and punished
heresy; I kept each of the four castes in their proper sphere, and
without oppressing the people, I collected a large revenue, for there
is nothing worse than weakness in a ruler, and without money he cannot
be strong.
[Here the story breaks off abruptly.]
* * * * *