Then said Arunodaya: Gangadhara, who knows? But be that as it may, this
is absolutely certain, that I will not marry any woman who was not the
wife of my former birth. And so, if thou canst find her, well. And if
not, then thy prophecy will be true, for I shall live and die without a
wife.
And Gangadhara went away again, more at a loss than he was before. And
when he reached his home, all at once he began to laugh, as if his
reason had left him. And he said to himself: Ha ha! Out on this unhappy
King, who hears the noise of pandits in the roaring of the sea! Why,
even Maheshwara himself could not find a shout of laughter, to match the
absurdity of this extraordinary jest. And he went on laughing all day
long, till his family grew frightened and summoned the physicians,
saying: He is possessed.
And meanwhile Makarandika remained upon the terrace, watching Arunodaya,
as if fascinated by a snake. And as she listened to their conversation,
her heart beat with such exultation that it shook her like wind. And she
said to herself: Surely I am favoured by the deity. Well was it for me,
that I scorned to choose a husband from among those miserable Widyadhara
kings: for had I done so, I should have missed the very fruit of my
birth. And now, by the favour of Ganapati, I have come here in the very
nick of time: and I know all. And no other than myself shall be his
wife. And indeed, beyond a doubt I was the very wife he looks for, since
everything corresponds, and exactly as he said; love has suddenly burst
out flaming in my heart, at the very first sight of him, suddenly
recollecting its old forgotten state. But whether I was his wife or not,
in any other birth, I will very certainly become his wife in this. And
all the symptoms conspire in my favour.
For not only is my right eye throbbing, but I actually stumbled in
ignorance on his very name, before I ever heard it. And now, I will, as
Gangadhara said, set to work immediately without losing any time: for I
know, as they do not, exactly what his wife is like. And now, everything
will turn out well, so long as he never discovers in his life that I
overheard him, on this terrace, before he ever saw me. And that cannot
be, for he never can learn it from anyone but me.
So as she spoke, Arunodaya suddenly recollected the coming of the bird,
and looked round, and rejoiced, to find that it was still there. And he
said aloud, as if expressly to chime in with her thoughts: Ha! so, then,
thou art not gone, as I feared. O sea-bird, from what far-off land art
thou arrived? For none of the birds that haunt my palace resemble thee
in the least degree. Art thou also looking for thy mate, as I am? Or
hast thou lost thy way, blown by the winds over the home of monsters and
of gems?
And instantly the bird replied: O King Arunodaya, not so: for I am
looking neither for a mate nor a way: but have come here expressly, sent
by the god, to tell thee how to find thy own mate, and thy own way.
And then, as Arunodaya started to his feet, scarcely crediting his own
ears, she went on with that human voice: Listen, and do not interrupt,
for I have overstayed my time, obliged to wait till thy conversation
ended and thy minister was gone, and I have far to go. And tell me,
first. Is there a little ruined temple, near thy city on the north,
standing alone upon the shore? And Arunodaya said: There is. Then said
Makarandika: Then it all corresponds, and tallies exactly with my
instructions. For only last night, as the sun was going down, I passed
by a lonely island in the middle of the sea. And there in the evening
twilight, I saw the Lord of Obstacles dancing all alone, throwing up his
trunk that was smeared with vermilion into the purple sky. And he called
to me as I was going by, and said: Carry for me a message to King
Arunodaya, for thou wilt see his palace in the morning, standing up out
of the sea, ruddy as my trunk in the early dawn. And tell him that I am
pleased with his resolute perseverance: and by my favour he shall find
the wife of his former birth. Let him go at midnight, on the fifteenth
day of the light half of this very moon, into the ruined temple that
stands on the shore of the sea, and I will put something in it that will
fill his heart with joy.
And then, she rose from the terrace, and flew away across the sea: while
Arunodaya stood still, gazing after her in wonder, till she dwindled to
a speck and disappeared.
And then, he drew a long breath, and murmured to himself: Am I asleep or
dreaming? Or can it really be, that the very Lord of Obstacles has been
listening to my prayers, as well he might, considering their number, and
taking pity on his devotee, has revealed to me the secret, by the means
of this white bird: wishing to show Gangadhara, as if in jest, how
easily the Deity laughs at obstacles that seem absolutely
insurmountable, even to such a minister as mine?