Hindoo Tales by Translated by P. W. Jacob
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Translated by P. W. Jacob >> Hindoo Tales
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"Having made himself invisible, he entered without difficulty the
apartment of the princess, and was astonished and enraged on finding
her lying in your arms. His first impulse was to kill you; but some
irresistible influence restrained him, so that he contented himself
with putting the silver fetter on your feet, and departed without
otherwise disturbing you.
"You have, in consequence, suffered all this misery. Now my
transformation is ended, and you are so far free; tell me what I can
do for you in atonement for the suffering which I have caused?"
The prince, not thinking of himself, said only, "Go at once to her who
is dearer to me than life, and comfort her with news of me."
At that moment a great clamour was heard, and some persons, rushing
from the interior of the palace, called out, loudly, "Help! help!
Chandavarma is murdered! killed by an assassin, who stabbed him as he
was about to take the hand of the princess; and that man is now moving
about the palace, cutting down all who attempt to seize him."
Rajavahana, when he heard this, without losing a moment, and before
the guards had perceived his feet to be unfettered, with a sudden
spring leapt on the elephant intended for his destruction; and having
thrust off the driver, urged the beast at a rapid pace, pushing aside
the crowd right and left as he went.
Having got into the courtyard, he shouted with a loud voice, "Who is
the brave man that has done this great deed, hardly to be accomplished
by a mere mortal? Let him come forth and join me; we two united are a
match for a whole army."
The slayer of Chandavarma hearing this, came out of the palace, and
quickly mounting the elephant, who held down his trunk to receive him,
placed himself behind the prince.
Great was their mutual astonishment and joy when they recognised each
other, the prince exclaiming, "Is it possible? Is it really you, my
dear friend Apaharavarma, who have done this deed?" and the other
saying, "Do I indeed see my Lord Rajavahana?" Having thus recognised
and embraced each other, they turned the elephant round, and passing
through the crowd in the courtyard, went into the main street, now
thronged by soldiers. Through these they forced their way, employing
with good effect the weapons placed on the elephant for the use of
Chandavarma.
Before, however, they had gone far, they heard the noise of battle at
a distance, and saw the soldiers in front of them scattered in all
directions.
Soon they saw coming towards them a very well-dressed, handsome man,
riding on a swift elephant. On reaching them, he made obeisance to the
prince, saying, "I am sure this is my Lord Rajavahana;" and then
turning to Apaharavarma, said, "I have followed your directions
exactly, and hastened on the advancing allies. We have just now
encountered and utterly defeated the enemy, so that there is no fear
of any further resistance."
Then Apaharavarma introduced the stranger to the prince, saying, "This
is my dear friend Dhanamittra, well worthy of your respect and
consideration; for he is as brave and clever as he is handsome. With
your permission, he will liberate the King of Anga, and re-establish
the former authorities; meanwhile, we will go on to a quiet place, and
wait there for him and the princes who have come so opportunely to our
assistance."
Rajavahana agreed to this. They went a little further, and dismounted
at a pleasant cool bank, shaded by a large banian tree, and close to
the Ganges.
When they had been for some time seated there, Dhanamittra returned,
accompanied by Upaharavarma, Pramati, Mitragupta, Mantragupta,
Visruta, Praharavarma King of Mithila, Kamapala lord of Benares, and
Sinhavarma King of Anga.
The prince, astonished and delighted at such an unexpected meeting,
warmly embraced his young friends, and very respectfully saluted, as a
son, the elder men introduced by them. Many questions were asked on
both sides. After some conversation, Rajavahana told them his own
adventures, and those of Somadatta and Pushpodbhava, and then begged
his friends to relate theirs.
Apaharavarma spoke first.
* * * * *
ADVENTURES OF APAHARAVARMA.
My Lord, when you had gone away with the brahman, and we were unable
to find you, I wandered about searching for you like the rest of your
friends.
One day I heard by chance of a very famous muni, living in a forest on
the banks of the Ganges, not far from Champa, who was said to have
supernatural knowledge of past and future events.
Hoping to obtain some information about you, I determined to seek him
out, and accordingly came here for that purpose. Having found the way
to his dwelling, I saw there a miserable-looking man, very unlike the
holy devotee whom I had pictured to myself. Sitting down, however,
beside this person, I said, "I have come a long way to consult the
celebrated rishi Marichi, having heard that he is possessed of very
wonderful knowledge. Can you tell me where to find him?"
Deeply sighing, he answered: "There was, not long ago, such a person
in this place; but he is changed--he is no longer what he was."
"How can that be?" I asked.
"One day," he replied, "while that muni was engaged in prayer and
meditation, he was interrupted by the sudden arrival of a famous
actress and dancer, called Kamamanjari, who, with dishevelled hair and
eyes full of tears, threw herself at his feet.
"Before he had time to ask the meaning of this, a confused crowd of
her companions came up, headed by an old woman, the mother of
Kamamanjari, apparently in great agitation and distress.
"When they were all a little quieted, he asked the girl the meaning of
her tears, and for what purpose she had come to him.
"She answered, apparently with great respect and bashfulness, 'O
reverend sir, I have heard of your great wisdom, and your kindness to
those who are willing to give up the pleasures of this world for the
sake of the next. I am tired of the disgraceful life I am leading, and
wish to renounce it.' Upon this, her mother, with her loose grey hairs
touching the ground, interrupted her, and said, 'Worthy sir, this
daughter of mine would make it appear that I am to blame, but indeed I
have done my duty, and have carefully prepared her for that profession
for which, by birth, she was intended. From earliest childhood I have
bestowed the greatest care upon her, doing everything in my power to
promote her health and beauty. As soon as she was old enough, I had
her carefully instructed in the arts of dancing, acting, playing on
musical instruments, singing, painting, preparing perfumes and
flowers, in writing and conversation, and even to some extent in
grammar, logic, and philosophy. She was taught to play various games
with skill and dexterity, and how to dress well, and show herself off
to the greatest advantage in public; I hired persons to go about
praising her skill and beauty, and to applaud her when she performed
in public, and I did many other things to promote her success, and to
secure for her liberal remuneration; yet, after all the time, trouble,
and money which I have spent upon her, just when I was beginning to
reap the fruit of my labours, the ungrateful girl has fallen in love
with a stranger, a young brahman, without property, and wishes to
marry him and give up her profession, notwithstanding all my
entreaties, and representations of the poverty and distress to which
all her family will be reduced if she persists in her purpose; and
because I oppose this marriage, she declares that she will renounce
the world, and become a devotee.'
"The muni compassionately said to the girl: 'You will never be able to
endure the hardships of such a life as you propose to lead--a life so
different from that to which you have been accustomed. Heaven may be
attained by all who duly perform the duties of their station; take my
advice then, give up all thoughts of an undertaking which you will
never accomplish, comply with your mother's wishes, return with her,
and be content with that way of life in which you have been brought
up.'
"With many tears, she replied: 'If you will not receive me I will put
an end to my wretched life.'
"Finding her so determined, the muni, after some reflection, said to
the mother and her companions: 'Go away for the present; come back
after a few days; I will give her good advice, and you will no doubt
find her tired of living here, and quite ready to return.'
"Thereupon they all went away, and she was left alone with the muni.
At first she kept at a distance from him, taking care not to interrupt
him in his meditations, but waiting on him unobtrusively, rendering
him many little services, watering his favourite trees, and gathering
sacred grass, and flowers for offerings to the gods. Then, as he
became more accustomed to her, she would amuse him with songs and
dances, and at last began to sit near him and talk of the pleasures of
love.
"One day, as if in all simplicity, she said 'Surely people are very
wrong in reckoning virtue, wealth and pleasure as the three great
objects of life?'
"'Tell me,' he answered, 'how far do you regard virtue as superior to
the other two?'
"'A very wise man like you,' she replied, 'can hardly learn anything
from an ignorant woman like me; but since you ask, I will tell you
what I think. There is no real acquisition of happiness or wealth
without virtue; but the latter is quite independent of the other two.
Without it, a man is nothing; but if he fully possesses it, he is so
purified by it that he may indulge in pleasures occasionally, and any
sin connected with them will no more adhere to him than dust to a
cloud. Look at all the stories of the amours of the gods. Are they the
less worshipped on that account? I think, therefore, that virtue is a
hundred times superior to the other two.' With many such specious
arguments as these, and by her winning ways, she contrived to make him
madly in love; so that, forgetting all his religious duties and former
austerities, he thought only how to please her.
"When she perceived this, she said to him 'Let us stay no longer in
the forest, but go to my house in the town, where we can have many
more enjoyments.' Utterly infatuated, he was ready to do her
bidding; and she, having procured a covered carriage, took him in the
evening to her own house.
"The next day there was a great festival, at which the king was
accustomed to appear in public and converse familiarly with his
subjects. On such occasions he would often be surrounded by actresses
and dancing girls.
"On that day Kamamanjari persuaded the muni to put on a gay dress and
accompany her to the park where the festival was held; and he,
thinking only of her, and miserable if she were away from him even for
a short time, consented to go. On their arrival there, she walked with
him towards the king, who, seeing her, said, with a smile: 'Sit down
here with that reverend man.' And all eyes were directed towards him.
"Presently one of the ladies rose up, and, making a low obeisance to
the king, said: 'My lord; I must confess myself beaten by that lady; I
have lost my wager and must now pay the penalty.'
"Then a great shout of laughter arose; the king congratulated
Kamamanjari, and presented her with handsome ornaments.
"After this she walked away with the astonished muni, followed by a
great crowd, shouting applause.
"Before reaching her own house, she turned round to him with a low
obeisance, and said: 'Reverend sir, you have favoured me with your
company a long time; it will be well for you to attend now to your own
affairs.'
"Not having his eyes yet opened, he started as if thunderstruck, and
said: 'My dear, what does all this mean? What has become of the great
love which you professed for me?'
"She smilingly answered: 'I will explain it all.'
"'One day, that lady whom you saw in the park had a dispute with me as
to which was the most attractive. At last she said: "You boast of your
powers, forsooth; go and try them on Marichi. If you can persuade him
to accompany you here, then indeed you may triumph; I will acknowledge
myself your inferior."
"'This was the reason of my coming to you; the trick has been
successful; I have won my wager, and have now no further occasion for
you.'
"Bowed down by shame and remorse, the unhappy man slunk back to his
hermitage, miserable and degraded, bitterly lamenting his folly and
infatuation, but resolved to atone for it by deep repentance and
severe penance.
"I am that wretched man; you see, therefore, that I am now quite
unable to assist you. But do not go away; remain in Champa. After a
time I shall recover my former power."
While he was telling me this sad story, the sun set, and I remained
with him that night. The next morning, at sunrise, I took leave of
him, and walked towards the city. On my way thither, as I passed a
Buddhist monastery, I was struck by the appearance of a man sitting at
the side of the road near it. He was extraordinarily ugly; his body
naked, with the exception of a rag round his waist; and his face so
covered with dirt, that the tears he was shedding left furrows as
they rolled down his cheeks.
Moved by compassion, I sat down near him, and inquired the reason of
his distress, at the same time adding, "If it is a secret, I do not
wish to intrude upon you."
"'My misfortunes are well known,' he answered; 'I can have no
objection to telling you if you wish to hear them.' Then he began:
"My name is Vasupalika; but from my ugliness I am generally known as
Virupaka,--the deformed. I am the son of a man of some importance
here, who left me a large fortune.
"Among my acquaintance there was a person called Sundaraka, remarkably
handsome, but poor. Between us two some mischievous persons strove to
excite a rivalry, pitting my money against his beauty and
accomplishments.
"One day, in a large assembly, having got up a dispute between us,
they said: 'It is not beauty or wealth, but the approbation of the
ladies, which stamps the worth of a man; therefore, let the famous
actress, Kamamanjari, decide between you, and agree that she shall say
who is the best man.' To this we both assented, and she, having been
previously prepared for the part which she was to perform, was brought
into the room, and passing by my rival with scorn, sat down by my
side, and, taking a garland from her own head, placed it on mine.
"Greatly flattered and delighted by this preference, and blinded by a
mad love for her, which I had not ventured to express, I most readily
gave myself up to her seductions, and in a very short time she
obtained such an influence over me that everything I possessed was at
her disposal. Before long, she had so plundered me, and led me into
such extravagance, that I was reduced to the most abject poverty, and
had nothing I could call my own but this miserable rag which you now
see me wear.
"Cast off by her, blamed and reproached by the elder men, laughed at
and despised by those who had been my companions in prosperity, I knew
not where to turn; and as a last resource I entered this Buddhist
monastery, where I obtain a bare subsistence.
"Distressed by the cutting off of my long hair, and by numerous
restrictions as to eating, drinking, and sleeping, like a newly-caught
elephant; and hearing every day abuse of those gods whom I used to
worship; filled with remorse for my departure from the religion of my
ancestors; I am utterly miserable and only wish for death."
Having heard this pitiable story, I did what I could to comfort him,
and said, "Do not despair; I have heard already of that wicked woman,
and think I shall be able to find some means of making her restore to
you a part at least of your property."
After leaving him, I went into the city, and finding, from popular
report, that it was full of rich misers, I resolved to bring them to
their proper condition by taking away their useless wealth.
Occupied by this thought, I went into a gaming-house, where I was much
interested and amused by watching the players and observing their
tricks, their sleight-of-hand, their bullying or cringing behaviour to
each other; the reckless profusion of the winners, the muttering
despair of those who had lost.
While overlooking a game of chess, I smiled and made some remark about
a bad move of one of the players, upon which his opponent, turning to
me with a sneer, said "No doubt you think yourself very clever, but
wait till I have finished off this stupid fellow, and I will play you
for any stake you like."
When the game was over, accepting his challenge, I sat down to play,
and won altogether sixteen thousand dinars. Half of this sum I kept
for myself, and half I divided between the gaming-house keeper and the
players who were present. The latter were loud in praise of my
generosity, and of the skill which I had shown in beating that
boaster; the former asked me to dine with him, and I often went to
his house and became very intimate with him, and obtained from him
much information, especially such as had reference to my purpose.
One very dark night, fully directed by him, I set out, determined on
robbery, equipped with a dark dress, a short sword, a spade, a
crowbar, a pair of pincers, a wooden man's head,[4] a magic candle, a
rope and grappling-iron, a box with a bee in it,[5] and some other
implements.
Selecting a house where I knew there was much money, I made a hole in
the wall, and finding all quiet, enlarged it, entered boldly, and
carried off much booty.
As I was returning, looking cautiously about me, I came suddenly upon
a young woman, who was much alarmed at seeing me. Perceiving her
agitation, I spoke to her kindly, and assured her that I would much
rather assist than injure her.
Encouraged by my words, she told me her story: "My name is Kulapalika;
I am the daughter of a rich merchant in this city, and was from
childhood engaged to the son of another rich man, named Dhanamittra:
he, however, being of a very generous disposition, when he had
succeeded to his father's property was preyed on by pretended friends
and reduced to comparative poverty. Seeing this, my father refused his
consent to our marriage, and, in spite of my reluctance, is determined
to give me to a rich man, called Arthapati. To escape this marriage, I
have slipped out from home by a secret passage, rarely used, and am
going to the house of my lover, who is expecting me and will take me
away to some other country; pray do not detain me, but accept this."
So saying, she put one of her ornaments into my hand. I did not refuse
it, but walked by her side, intending to escort her to her
destination.
We had, however, only gone a few steps, when I saw coming towards us,
at no great distance, a large body of the citizen guard. Without
losing a moment, I said to the trembling girl, "Don't be alarmed; say
that I have been bitten by a serpent, and I will manage the rest."
By the time they reached us I had thrown myself on the ground, and lay
as if insensible, and she stood over me, crying. On being questioned,
she answered, with many tears, and in evident distress: "My husband
and I, coming from the country, lost our way, and have only lately
entered the city. Just now he was bitten by a serpent, and is all but
dead. Is there any one among you skilled in charms who can recover
him?"
Among the guard there chanced to be a very conceited man, who had
often boasted of his skill, and was now delighted to have an
opportunity of displaying it. He stood over me while the others
waited, and, with many gesticulations, muttered various charms
supposed to be efficacious in such a case; but finding all of no
avail, said at last, "Ah! it is too late; the poor man is past all
remedies: what a pity I did not see him sooner!" Then, joining his
companions, who were impatient to be off, he turned to the sobbing
girl and said: "He was evidently fated to die; who can prevail over
fate? It is useless to lament; nothing more can be done now; wait a
little while, and when we come back we will remove the body."
As soon as they were out of sight I rose up, took her to the house of
Dhanamittra, and said to him: "I met this lady just now; I have
brought her safely here, and now restore the ornament which she gave
me in her fright; for, though I am a robber, I would not steal from
one like her."
Delighted at seeing her, he answered: "O, sir, you have indeed
rendered me a great service in bringing this dear one in safety here;
such conduct is very extraordinary in a man of your way of life, and I
am quite unable to understand your motives for acting thus. At all
events, I am under very great obligation to you; command my services
in future."
After some further talk, I asked him: "Friend, what do you now intend
to do?"
"It will be impossible," he answered, "for me to live here if I marry
her without her father's consent; I propose, therefore, to leave the
town with her this very night."
"A clever man," I replied, "is at home in any place. Wherever he goes
he may say this is my country. But, in travelling, many hardships must
be endured--hunger, thirst, fatigue, and dangers from men and wild
beasts;--how will this tender girl be able to bear them?
"You seem to be wanting in wisdom and forethought in thus abandoning
home and country. Take courage! be guided by me, and you shall marry
her and live comfortably here. But first we must take her back to her
father's house."
To this he consented without hesitation, and we set out at once.
Guided by her, we entered through the secret passage, carried off
everything of value, and got away without exciting alarm.
Having hidden our booty in some old ruins, we were going home, when we
fell in with some of the city guard. Fortunately, there chanced to be
an elephant tied up at the side of the road. We quickly, therefore,
unfastened the rope, mounted him, and urged him at full speed; and
before the watchmen could recover from their confusion, were out of
sight. Halting the elephant close to the wall of a deserted garden, we
got over it with the help of the trees growing there, escaped on the
other side, and reached home undetected, where we bathed and went to
bed.
The next day we walked out carefully dressed, and were amused at
hearing an exaggerated account of our adventures of the preceding
night, which had caused much alarm and excitement in the city.
I had hoped, by robbing the old man, to prevent the marriage of his
daughter with Arthapati. But this hope was frustrated; for the latter
was not only willing to take Kulapalika without a dowry, but even made
presents to her father; and it was settled that the marriage should
take place at the end of a month.
Finding this to be the case, I felt that something more must be done;
and having hit upon a plan which I thought would be effectual, I gave
Dhanamittra directions how to act.
Accordingly, a few days afterwards, he went to the king, to whom he
was previously known, and having asked for a private audience, said:
"A very wonderful thing has happened to me, of which it seems right
that your majesty should be informed. You have known me as
Dhanamittra, the son of a very rich man. During my prosperity, I was
engaged to the daughter of a wealthy merchant; but when I was reduced
to poverty, he refused his consent to our marriage, and is now about
to give her to another.
"Driven to despair by the double loss of fortune and wife, I went into
a wood near the city, intending to put an end to my wretched life.
"There, when in the act of cutting my throat, I was stopped by a very
aged devotee, who asked the cause of the rash act.
"'Poverty, and contempt,' I answered.
"'There is nothing more foolish and sinful than suicide,' he replied.
'A man of sense will endure adversity rather than escape from it in
such a manner. Wealth, when lost, may be regained in many ways; but
life in none. A broken fortune may be repaired; a cut throat can never
be joined again. But why should I preach to you thus? Here is a remedy
for your misfortunes. This leather bag will give you abundant wealth.
I have used it for assisting the deserving; but now I am old and
infirm, and am not long for this world. I give it to you.
"'Go home; if you possess anything wrongfully acquired, restore it to
the right owner, and give away the rest of your property to brahmans
and the poor. When this has been done, put away the purse carefully;
and in the morning it will be found full of gold. Remember that
whoever possesses it must comply with these conditions, and that it
will yield its treasures only to a merchant like yourself, or to an
actress.'
"With these words, he handed me the purse, and immediately
disappeared.
"I have now brought the purse to your majesty, to know your pleasure
concerning it."
The king, though much astonished, believing the story, told him to
keep and enjoy it; and in answer to his entreaty, promised that any
one attempting to steal it should be severely punished.
After this, Dhanamittra, making no secret of his acquisition of the
purse, disposed of all his property somewhat ostentatiously, leaving
himself absolutely nothing but the clothes which he wore; and in the
morning, having filled the purse with gold--the proceeds of the
robbery--he showed it to his neighbours, who were fully convinced of
its magic powers.
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