[8] Cp. the story of Phalabhúti in the 20th Taranga. I may here mention that Liebrecht points out a striking parallel to the story of Fulgentius, (with which I have compared that of Phalabhúti,) in the Nugæ Curialium of Gualterus Mapes: (Zur Volkskunde, p. 38).
[9] Cp. Sicilianische Märchen, Vol. II, p. 46, where the giant treacherously lets fall his gauntlet, and asks his adversary to pick it up. His adversary, the hero of the story, tells him to pick it up himself, and when the giant bends down for the purpose, cuts off his head with one blow of his sword.
[10] Here there is an elaborate pun—kara means hand and also proboscis—dána giving and the ichor that exudes from the temples of a mast elephant. “Surrounded with clustering bees” may also mean, “surrounded with handmaids whose consolations worried her.”
[11] The word vibudha also means gods—and the gods feed on the moon.
Chapter XXXIX.
When Marubhúti had told this story there, the commander-in-chief Hariśikha said in the presence of Naraváhanadatta—“It is true, good women value nothing more than their husbands, and in proof of it, listen now to this still more wonderful tale.”
Story of Śṛingabhuja and the daughter of the Rákshasa.
There is a city on the earth named Vardhamána, and in it there dwelt a king named Vírabhuja, chief of righteous men. And though he had a hundred wives, one queen of the name of Guṇavará was dearer to him than his life. And in spite of his hundred wives, it happened, as Fate would have it, that not one of them bore him a son. So he asked a physician named Śrutavardhana—“Is there any medicine able to bring about the birth of a son?” When the physician heard that, he said—“King, I can prepare such a medicine,[1] but the king must procure for me a wild goat.” When he heard this speech of the physician’s, the king gave an order to the warder, and had a goat brought for him from the forest. The physician handed over the goat to the king’s cooks, and with its flesh prepared a sovereign elixir for the queens. The king went off to worship his god, after ordering the queens to assemble in one place. And ninety-nine of those queens did assemble in one place, but the queen Guṇavará alone was not present there, for she was at that time near the king, who was engaged in praying to his god. And when they had assembled, the physician gave them the whole of the elixir to drink mixed with powder, not perceiving the absence of Guṇavará. Immediately the king returned with his beloved, having performed his devotions, and perceiving that that drug was completely finished, he said to the physician—“What! did you not keep any for Guṇavará? You have forgotten the principal object with which this was undertaken.” After saying this to the abashed physician, the king said to the cooks—“Is there any of the flesh of that goat left?” The cooks said, “The horns only remain.” Then the physician said, “Bravo! I can make an admirable elixir out of the centre of the horns.” After saying this, the physician had an elixir prepared from the fleshy part of the horns, and gave it to queen Guṇavará mixed with powder. Then the ninety-nine wives of the king became pregnant, and all in time brought forth sons. But the head queen Guṇavará conceived last of all, and afterwards gave birth to a son with more auspicious marks than the sons of all the others. And as he was sprung from the juice of the fleshy part of the horns, his father, the king, gave him the name of Śṛingabhuja, and rejoiced greatly at his birth. He grew up with those other brothers, and though in age he was the youngest of all, he was superior to all in good qualities. And in course of time that prince became like the god of Love in beauty, and like Arjuna in his skill in archery, and like Bhíma in strength. Accordingly the other queens, seeing that queen Guṇavará, now that she had this son, was more than ever dear to king Vírabhuja, became jealous of her.