The Katha Sarit Sagara or Ocean of the Streams of Story Part 68

Accordingly those Vidyadharas there remained quarrelling among themselves, when suddenly a splendid pillar in the court cleft asunder in the middle with a loud noise, [542] and Siva issued from it in his terrific form. He filled the whole sky, in colour like antimony; he hid the sun; the gleams of his fiery eyes flickered like flashes of lightning; his shining teeth were like cranes flying in a long row; and so he was terrible like a roaring cloud of the great day of doom. The great G.o.d exclaimed "Villain, this future emperor of the Vidyadharas shall not be insulted," and with these words he dismissed Manasavega with face cast down, and encouraged Vayupatha. And then the adorable one took Naravahanadatta up in his arms, and in order to preserve his life, carried him in this way to the beautiful and happy mountain Rishyamuka, and after setting him down there, disappeared. And then the quarrel among the Vidyadharas in that court came to an end, and Vayupatha went home again accompanied by the other Vidyadharas his friends. But Manasavega, making Madanamanchuka, who was distracted with joy and grief, precede him, went despondent to ashadhapura his own dwelling.

CHAPTER CVII.

I think, a hero's prosperity must be unequal; Fate again and again severely tests firmness by the ordeals of happiness and misery: this explains why the fickle G.o.ddess kept uniting Naravahanadatta to wife after wife, when he was alone in those remote regions, and then separated him from them.

Then, while he was residing on the mountain Rishyamuka, his beloved Prabhavati came up to him, and said, "It was owing to the misfortune of my not being present that Manasavega carried you off on that occasion to the court, with the intention of doing you an injury. When I heard of it, I at once went there, and by means of my magic power I produced the delusion of an appearance of the G.o.d, and brought you here. For, though the Vidyadharas are mighty, their influence does not extend over this mountain, for this is the domain of the Siddhas. [543]

Indeed even my science is of no avail here for that reason, and that grieves me, for how will you subsist on the products of the forest as your only food?" When she had said this, Naravahanadatta remained with her there, longing for the time of deliverance, thinking on Madanamanchuka. And on the banks of the sanctifying Pampa-lake near that mountain, he ate fruits and roots of heavenly flavour, and he drank the holy water of the lake which was rendered delicious and fragrant by the fruits dropped from trees on its bank, as a relish to his meal of deer's flesh. [544] And he lived at the foot of trees and in the interior of caverns, and so he imitated the conduct of Rama who once lived in the forests of that region. And Prabhavati, beholding there various hermitages once occupied by Rama, told him the story of Rama for his amus.e.m.e.nt.

Story of Rama.

In this forest Rama once dwelt accompanied by Lakshmana, and waited on by Sita, in the society of hermits, making to himself a hut at the foot of a tree. And Sita, perfuming the whole forest with the perfume given her by Anasuya, remained here in the midst of the hermits'

wives, wearing a robe of bark.

Here the Daitya Dundubhi was slain in a cave by Bali, which was the original cause of the enmity between Bali and Sugriva. For Sugriva, wrongly supposing that the Daitya had slain Bali, blocked up the entrance of the cave with mountains, and went away terrified. But Bali broke through the obstruction, and came out, and banished Sugriva, saying, "This fellow imprisoned me in the cave because he wanted to get my kingdom." But Sugriva fled, and came and established himself on this plateau of Rishyamuka with the lords of the monkeys, of whom Hanuman was the chief.

Then Ravana came here, and beguiling the soul of Rama with the phantom of a golden deer, he carried off his wife the daughter of Janaka. Then the descendant of Raghu, who longed for news of Sita, made an alliance with Sugriva, who desired the slaughter of Bali. And in order to let his might be known, he cleft seven palm-trees here with an arrow, while the mighty Bali with great difficulty cleft one of them. And then the hero went hence to Kishkindhya, and after slaying Bali with a single arrow, which he launched as if in sport, gave his kingdom to Sugriva.

Then the followers of Sugriva, headed by Hanuman, went hence in every direction to gain information about Sita. And Rama remained here during the rainy season with the roaring clouds, which seemed to share his grief shedding showery tear-drops. At last Hanuman crossed the sea at the suggestion of Sampati, and by great exertions obtained for Rama the required information; whereupon he marched with the monkeys, and threw a bridge over the sea, and killed his enemy the lord of Lanka, and brought back queen Sita in the flying chariot, pa.s.sing over this place.

"So, my husband, you also shall attain good fortune: successes come of their own accord to heroes who remain resolute in misfortunes." This and other such tales did Prabhavati tell, while she roamed about here and there for her pleasure with Naravahanadatta.

And one day, as he was in the neighbourhood of Pampa, two Vidyadharis, Dhanavati and Ajinavati, descended from heaven and approached him. These were the two ladies who carried him from the city of the Gandharvas to the city of Sravasti, where he [545] married Bhagirathayasas. And while Ajinavati was conversing with Prabhavati as an old friend, Dhanavati thus addressed Naravahanadatta, "I long ago bestowed on you this daughter of mine Ajinavati, as far as promises could do it; so marry her; for the day of your exaltation is nigh at hand." Prabhavati, out of love for her friend, and Naravahanadatta both agreed to this proposal. Then Dhanavati bestowed that daughter of hers Ajinavati on that son of the king of Vatsa, with appropriate ceremonies. And she celebrated the great feast of her daughter's wedding in such style that the glorious and heavenly preparations she had acc.u.mulated by means of her magic knowledge made it really beautiful.

Then the next day she said to Naravahanadatta, "My son, it will never do for you to remain long in a nondescript place like this: for the Vidyadharas are a deceitful race, and you have no business here. So depart now with your wife for your own city of Kausambi; and I will come there with my son Chandasinha and with the Vidyadhara chiefs that follow me, to ensure your success." [546] When Dhanavati had said this, she mounted up into the sky, illuminating it, as it were, with moonlight, though it was day, by the gleam of her white body and raiment.

And Prabhavati and Ajinavati carried Naravahanadatta through the air to his city of Kausambi. When he reached the garden of the city, he descended from heaven into his capital, and was seen by his attendants. And there arose there a cry from the people on all sides, "We are indeed happy; here is the prince come back." Then the king of Vatsa, hearing of it, came there quickly in high delight, as if irrigated with a sudden shower of nectar, with Vasavadatta and Padmavati, and the prince's wives, Ratnaprabha and the rest; and Yaugandharayana and the other ministers of the king of Vatsa, and Kalingasena and the prince's own ministers, Gomukha and his fellows, approached him in order of precedence as eagerly as travellers make for a lake in the hot season. And they saw the hero, whose high birth qualified him for a lofty station, sitting between his two wives, like Krishna between Rukmini and Satyabhama. And when they saw him, they hid their eyes with tears of joy, as if for fear lest they should leap out of their skins in their delight. And the king of Vatsa and his queens embraced after a long absence that son of theirs, and could not let him go, for they were, as it were, riveted to him by the hairs of their bodies erect from joy.

Then a great feast began by beat of drum, and Vegavati, the daughter of Vegavat, and sister of Manasavega, who was married to Naravahanadatta, finding it all out by the might of her recovered science, came down to Kausambi through the air, and fell at the feet of her father-in-law and mother-in-law, and prostrating herself before her husband, said to him, "Auspicious sir, after I had become weak by my exertions on your behalf, I recovered my magic powers by self-mortification in a grove of ascetics and now I have returned into your presence." When she had said this, she was welcomed by her husband and the others, and she repaired to her friends Prabhavati, and Ajinavati.

They embraced her and made her sit between them; and at that moment Dhanavati, the mother of Ajinavati, also arrived; and various kings of the Vidyadharas came with her, surrounded by their forces, that hid the heaven like clouds; her own heroic son, the strong-armed Chandasinha, and a powerful relation of hers, Amitagati by name, and Pingalagandhara the mighty father of Prabhavati, and Vayupatha, the president of the court, who had previously declared himself on Naravahanadatta's side, and the heroic king Hemaprabha, the father of Ratnaprabha, accompanied by his son Vajraprabha and followed by his army. And Sagaradatta the king of the Gandharvas came there, accompanied by his daughter Gandharvadatta, and by Chitrangada. And when they arrived, they were becomingly honoured by the king of Vatsa and his son, and sat in due order on thrones.

And immediately king Pingalagandhara said to his son-in-law Naravahanadatta, as he was in the hall of a.s.sembly, "King, you have been appointed by the G.o.d [547] emperor over us all, and it is owing to our great love for you, that we have all come to you. And queen Dhanavati here, your mother-in-law, a strict votary, possessing divine knowledge, wearing the rosary, and the skin of the black antelope, like an incarnation of Durga, or Savitri having acquired magic powers, an object of reverence to the n.o.blest Vidyadharas, has made herself ready to protect you; so you are certain to prosper in your undertaking; but listen to what I am about to say. There are two divisions of the Vidyadhara territory [548] on the Himalayas here, the northern and the southern, both extending over many peaks of that range; the northern division is on the other side of Kailasa, but the southern is on this side of it. And this Amitagati here has just performed a difficult penance on mount Kailasa, in order to obtain the sovereignty over the northern division, and propitiated Siva. And Siva made this revelation to him, 'Naravahanadatta thy emperor will accomplish thy desire,' so he has come here to you. In that division there is a chief monarch, named Mandaradeva, who is evilly disposed, but though mighty, he will be easy for you to conquer, when you have obtained the sciences peculiar to the Vidyadharas.

"But the king named Gaurimunda, who rules in the midst of the southern division, is evil-minded and exceedingly hard to conquer on account of the might of his magic science. Moreover he is a great friend of your enemy Manasavega. Until he is overcome, your undertaking will not prosper; so acquire as quickly as possible great and transcendent power of science."

When Pingalagandhara had said this, Dhanavati spake, "Good, my son, it is as this king tells thee. Go hence to the land of the Siddhas [549] and propitiate the G.o.d Siva, in order that thou mayest obtain the magic sciences, for how can there be any excelling without his favour? And these kings will be a.s.sembled there to protect thee." Then Chitrangada said, "It is even so; but I will advance in front of all; let us conquer our enemies."

Then Naravahanadatta determined to do as they had advised, and he performed the auspicious ceremony before setting out, and bowed at the feet of his tearful parents, and other superiors, and received their blessing, and then ascended with his wives and ministers a splendid palanquin provided by the skill of Amitagati, and started on his expedition, obscuring the heaven with his forces, that resembled the water of the sea raised by the wind at the end of a kalpa, as it were proclaiming by the echoes of his army's roar on the limits of the horizon, that the emperor of the Vidyadharas had come to visit them.

And he was rapidly conducted by the king of the Gandharvas and the chiefs of the Vidyadharas and Dhanavati to that mountain, which was the domain of the Siddhas. There the Siddhas prescribed for him a course of self-mortification, and he performed asceticism by sleeping on the ground, bathing in the early morning, and eating fruits. And the kings of the Vidyadharas remained surrounding him on every side, guarding him unweariedly day and night. And the Vidyadhara princesses, contemplating him eagerly while he was performing his penance, seemed with the gleams of their eyes to clothe him in the skin of a black antelope. Others shewed by their eyes turned inwards out of anxiety for him, and their hands placed on their b.r.e.a.s.t.s, that he had at once entered their hearts.

And five more n.o.ble maidens of the Vidyadhara race, beholding him, were inflamed with the fire of love, and made this agreement together, "We five friends must select this prince as our common husband, and we must marry him at the same time, not separately; if one of us marries him separately, the rest must enter the fire on account of that violation of friendship."

While the heavenly maidens were thus agitated at the sight of him, suddenly great portents manifested themselves in the grove of ascetics. A very terrible wind blew, uprooting splendid trees, as if to shew that even thus in that place should heroes fall in fight; and the earth trembled as if anxious as to what all that could mean, and the hills cleft asunder, as if to give an opening for the terrified to escape, and the sky, rumbling awfully, though cloudless, [550] seemed to say, "Ye Vidyadharas, guard, guard to the best of your power, this emperor of yours." And Naravahanadatta, in the midst of the alarm produced by these portents, remained unmoved, meditating upon the adorable three-eyed G.o.d; and the heroic kings of the Gandharvas and lords of the Vidyadharas remained guarding him, ready for battle, expecting some calamity; and they uttered war-cries, and agitated the forest of their lithe swords, as if to scare away the portents that announced the approach of evil.

And the next day after this the army of the Vidyadharas was suddenly seen in the sky, dense as a cloud at the end of the kalpa, uttering a terrible shout. Then Dhanavati, calling to mind her magic science, said, "This is Gaurimunda come with Manasavega." Then those kings of the Vidyadharas and the Gandharvas raised their weapons, but Gaurimunda with Manasavega rushed upon them exclaiming, "What right has a mere man to rank with beings like us? So I will to-day crush your pride, you sky-goers that take part with him." When Gaurimunda said this, Chitrangada rushed upon him angrily, and attacked him.

And king Sagaradatta, the sovereign of the Gandharvas, and Chandasinha, and Amitagati, and king Vayupatha, and Pingalagandhara, and all the chiefs of the Vidyadharas, great heroes all, rushed upon the wicked Manasavega, roaring like lions, followed by the whole of their forces. And right terrible was that storm of battle, thick with the clouds of dust raised by the army, with the gleams of weapons for flashes of lightning, and a falling rain of blood. And so Chitrangada and his friends made, as it were, a great sacrifice for the demons, which was full of blood for wine, and in which the heads of enemies were strewn as an offering. And streams of gore flowed away, full of bodies for alligators, and floating weapons for snakes, and in which marrow intermingled took the place of cuttle-fish bone.

Then Gaurimunda, as his army was slain, and he himself was nigh to death, called to mind the magic science of Gauri, which he had formerly propitiated and made well-disposed to him; and that science appeared in visible form, with three eyes, armed with the trident, [551] and paralysed the chief heroes of Naravahanadatta's army. Then Gaurimunda, having regained strength, rushed with a loud shout towards Naravahanadatta, and fell on him to try his strength in wrestling. And being beaten by him in wrestling, the cogging Vidyadhara again summoned up that science, and by its power he seized his antagonist in his arms and flew up to the sky. However, he was prevented by the might of Dhanavati's science from slaying the prince, so he flung him down on the mountain of fire.

But Manasavega seized his comrades Gomukha and the rest, and flew up into the sky with them, and flung them at random in all directions. But, after they had been flung up, they were preserved by a science in visible shape employed by Dhanavati, and placed in different spots on the earth. And that science comforted those heroes, one by one, saying to them, "You will soon recover that master of yours successful and flourishing," and having said this it disappeared. Then Gaurimunda went back home with Manasavega, thinking that their side had been victorious.

But Dhanavati said, "Naravahanadatta will return to you after he has attained his object, no harm will befall him;" and thereupon the lords of the Gandharvas and princes of the Vidyadharas, Chitrangada and the others, flung off their paralysing stupor, and went for the present to their own abodes. And Dhanavati took her daughter Ajinavati, with all her fellow-wives, and went to her own home.

Manasavega, for his part, went and said to Madanamanchuka, "Your husband is slain; so you had better marry me;" but she, standing in front of him, said to him laughing, "He will slay you, no one can slay him, as he has been appointed by the G.o.d."

But when Naravahanadatta was being hurled down by his enemy on the mountain of fire, a certain heavenly being came there, and received him; and after preserving his life, he took him quickly to the cool bank of the Mandakini. And when Naravahanadatta asked him who he was, he comforted him, and said to him, "I, prince, am a king of the Vidyadharas named Amritaprabha, and I have been sent by Siva on the present occasion to save your life. Here is the mountain of Kailasa in front of you, the dwelling-place of that G.o.d; if you propitiate Siva there, you will obtain unimpeded felicity. So, come, I will take you there." When that n.o.ble Vidyadhara had said this, he immediately conveyed him there, and took leave of him, and departed.

But Naravahanadatta, when he had reached Kailasa, propitiated with asceticism Ganesa, whom he found there in front of him. And after obtaining his permission, he entered the hermitage of Siva, emaciated with self-mortification, and he beheld Nandin at the door. He devoutly circ.u.mambulated him, and then Nandin said to him, "Thou hast well-nigh attained all thy ends; for all the obstacles that hindered thee have now been overcome; so remain here, and perform a strict course of asceticism that will subdue sin, until thou shalt have propitiated the adorable G.o.d; for successes depend on purity." When Nandin had said this, Naravahanadatta began a severe course of penance there, living on air and meditating on the G.o.d Siva and the G.o.ddess Parvati.

And the adorable G.o.d Siva, pleased with his asceticism, granted him a vision of himself, and accompanied by the G.o.ddess, thus spake to the prince, as he bent before him, "Become now emperor over all the Vidyadharas, and let all the most transcendent sciences be immediately revealed to thee! By my favour thou shalt become invincible by thy enemies, and, as thou shalt be proof against cut or thrust, thou shalt slay all thy foes. And when thou appearest, the sciences of thy enemies shall be of no avail against thee. So go forth: even the science of Gauri shall be subject to thee." When Siva and Gauri had bestowed these boons on Naravahanadatta, the G.o.d also gave him a great imperial chariot, in the form of a lotus, made by Brahma. Then all the sciences presented themselves to the prince in bodily form, and expressed their desire to carry out his orders by saying, "What do you enjoin on us, that we may perform it?"

Accordingly Naravahanadatta, having obtained many boons, bowed before the great G.o.d, and ascended the heavenly lotus-chariot, after he had received permission from him to depart, and went first to the city of Amitagati, named Vakrapura; and as he went, the sciences shewed him the path, and the bards of the Siddhas sang his praises. And Amitagati, seeing him from a distance, as he came along through the air, mounted on a chariot, advanced to meet him and bowed before him, and made him enter his palace. And when he described how he had obtained all these magic powers, Amitagati was so delighted that he gave him as a present his own daughter named Sulochana. And with her, thus obtained, like a second imperial fortune of the Vidyadhara race, the emperor joyfully pa.s.sed that day as one long festival.

CHAPTER CVIII.

The next day, as the new emperor Naravahanadatta was sitting in Vakrapura, in the hall of audience, a certain man descended from heaven, with a wand in his hand, and came up to him, and bowing before him, said to him, "Know, O king, that I am Pauraruehideva the hereditary warder of the emperor of the Vidyadharas, and I am come here to tender my services to you in that capacity." When Naravahanadatta heard this, he looked at the face of Amitagati; and he said, "It is true, my liege:" so Naravahanadatta gladly admitted the new-comer to the office of warder.

Then Dhanavati, finding out by her power what had occurred, with his wives Vegavati and the others, and her son Chandasinha, and king Pingalagandhara with Vayupatha, and Chitrangada with Sagaradatta, and Hemaprabha and the others came there, obscuring the sun with their armies; as if declaring beforehand that they would endure no fire and heat in their foes. When they arrived, they fell at the feet of that emperor, and he honoured them with a welcome as their rank deserved, but, out of great veneration, he himself fell at the feet of Dhanavati, and she, being highly pleased, loaded that son-in-law of her's with blessings. And when he told the story of his obtaining magic powers, Chandasinha and the others were exceedingly gratified at their emperor's success.

And the emperor, seeing that his wives had arrived in his presence, said to Dhanavati, "Where are my ministers?" And she answered him, "When they had been flung in all directions by Manasavega, I saved them by the help of a mighty science, and placed them in different spots." Then he had them brought by a science incarnate in bodily form; and they came and enquired after his welfare and clung to his feet, and then he said to them, "Why and how and where have you spent so many days? Tell me one by one your marvellous tale." Then Gomukha told his story first.

Gomukha's account of his adventures.

When I was flung away by the enemy on that occasion, some G.o.ddess bore me up in her hands, and comforted me, and placed me in a distant forest, and disappeared. Then I was minded in my affliction to abandon the body by hurling myself from a precipice; but a certain ascetic came up to me and dissuaded me saying, "Do not act thus, Gomukha, you will again behold your master when he has gained his object." Then I said to him, "Who are you, and how do you know that?" He answered, "Come to my hermitage, and there I will tell you." Then I went with that man, who by his knowing my name had proved the greatness of his knowledge, to his hermitage, which was called Sivakshetra. There he entertained me and told me his story in the following words:

Story of Nagasvamin and the witches.