Story of king Chamarabála.
There is a city named Hastinápura, and in it there lived a king named Chamarabála, who possessed treasure, a fort, and an army. And he had, as neighbours to his territory, several kings of the same family as himself, the chief of whom was Samarabála, and they put their heads together and reflected: “This king Chamarabála defeats us all, one by one; so we will join together and accomplish his overthrow.” After thus deliberating, those five kings’ being anxious to march out against him to conquer him, secretly asked an astrologer when a favourable moment would come. The astrologer, not seeing a favourable moment, and not seeing good omens, said—“There is no favourable moment for you this year. Under whatever circumstances you set out on your expedition, you will not be victorious. And why are you so eager for the undertaking, beholding his prosperity? Enjoyment is after all the fruit[9] of prosperity, and you have enjoyments in abundance. And now hear, if you have not heard it before, the story of the two merchants.”
Story of Yaśovarman and the two fortunes.
There was in old time in this country a city, named Kautukapura. In it there lived a king, called Bahusuvarṇaka,[10] rightly named. And he had a young Kshatriya servant named Yaśovarman. To that man the king never gave anything, though he was generous by nature. Whenever in his distress he asked the king, the king said to him, pointing to the sun, “I wish to give to you, but this holy god will not permit me to give to you. Tell me what I am to do.” While he remained distressed, watching for an opportunity, the time for an eclipse of the sun arrived. Then Yaśovarman, who had constantly served the king, went and said to him, when he was engaged in giving many valuable presents: “Give me something, my sovereign, while this sun, who will not permit you to give, is in the grasp of his enemy.” When the king, who had given many presents, heard that, he laughed, and gave garments, gold, and other things to him.
In course of time that wealth was consumed, and he, being afflicted, as the king gave him nothing, and having lost his wife, went to the shrine of the goddess that dwells in the Vindhya hills.[11] He said—“What is the use of this profitless body that is dead even while alive? I will abandon it before the shrine of the goddess, or gain the desired boon.” Resolved on this course, he lay down on a bed of darbha grass in front of the goddess, with his mind intent on her, and fasting he performed a severe penance. And the goddess said to him in a dream, “I am pleased with thee, my son; tell me, shall I give thee the good fortune of wealth, or the good fortune of enjoyment?” When Yaśovarman heard this, he answered the goddess, “I do not precisely know the difference between these two good fortunes.” Then the goddess said to him: “Return to thy own country, and there go and examine into the good fortunes of the two merchants, Arthavarman and Bhogavarman, and find out which of the two pleases thee, and then come here and ask a like fortune for thyself.” When Yaśovarman heard this, he woke up, and next morning he broke his fast, and went to his own country of Kautukapura.
There he first went to the house of Arthavarman,[12] who had acquired much wealth, in the form of gold, jewels, and other precious things, by his business transactions. Seeing that prosperity of his, he approached him with due politeness, and was welcomed by him, and invited to dinner. Then he sat by the side of that Arthavarman, and ate food appropriate to a guest, with meat-curry and ghee. But Arthavarman ate barley-meal, with half a pal of ghee and a little rice, and a small quantity of meat-curry. Yaśovarman said to the merchant out of curiosity—“Great merchant, why do you eat so little?” Thereupon the merchant gave him this answer: “To-day out of regard for you I have eaten a little rice with meat-curry and half a pal of ghee; I have also eaten some barley-meal. But as a general rule, I eat only a karsha of ghee and some barley-meal, I have a weak digestion, and cannot digest more in my stomach.” When Yaśovarman heard that, he turned the matter over in his mind, and formed an unfavourable opinion of that prosperity of Arthavarman’s, as being without fruit. Then, at nightfall, that merchant Arthavarman again brought rice and milk for Yaśovarman to eat. And Yaśovarman again ate of it to his fill, and then Arthavarman drank one pala of milk. And in that same place Yaśovarman and Arthavarman both made their beds, and gradually fell asleep.
And at midnight Yaśovarman suddenly saw in his sleep some men of terrible appearance with clubs in their hands, entering the room. And they exclaimed angrily—“Fie! why have you taken to-day one karsha more of ghee than the small amount allowed to you, and eaten meat-curry, and drunk a pala of milk?” Then they dragged Arthavarman by his foot and beat him with clubs. And they extracted from his stomach the karsha of ghee, and the milk, flesh, and rice, which he had consumed above his allowance. When Yaśovarman had seen that, he woke up and looked about him, and lo! Arthavarman had woke up, and was seized with colic. Then Arthavarman, crying out, and having his stomach rubbed by his servants, vomited up all the food he had eaten above the proper allowance. After the merchant’s colic was allayed, Yaśovarman said to himself: “Away with this good fortune of wealth, which involves enjoyment of such an equivocal kind! This would be altogether neutralized by such misery of ill health.” In such internal reflections he passed that night.
And in the morning he took leave of Arthavarman, and went to the house of that merchant Bhogavarman. There he approached him in due form, and he received him with politeness, and invited him to dine with him on that day. Now he did not perceive any wealth in the possession of that merchant, but he saw that he had a nice house, and dresses, and ornaments. While Yaśovarman was waiting there, the merchant Bhogavarman proceeded to do his own special business. He took merchandise from one man, and immediately handed it over to another, and without any capital of his own, gained dínárs by the transaction. And he quickly sent those dínárs by the hand of his servant to his wife, in order that she might procure all kinds of food and drink. And immediately one of that merchant’s friends, named Ichchhábharaṇa, rushed in and said to him: “Our dinner is ready, rise up and come to us, and let us eat, for all our other friends have assembled and are waiting for you.” He answered, “I shall not come to-day, for I have a guest here.” Thereupon his friend went on to say to him, “Then let this guest come with you; is he not our friend also? Rise up quickly.” Bhogavarman, being thus earnestly invited by that friend, went with him, accompanied by Yaśovarman, and ate excellent food. And, after drinking wine, he returned, and again enjoyed all kinds of viands and wines at his own house in the evening. And when night came on, he asked his servants—“Have we enough wine left for the latter part of the night or not?” When they replied, “No, master,” the merchant went to bed, exclaiming, “How are we to drink water in the latter part of the night?”