Then that witch, his mother-in-law, suddenly paid him a visit, and he supplicated her persistently to grant him a boon. The powerful witch instructed him and his wife in the method of gaining the life-prolonging charm, with the proper initiatory rites.[7] So he went to the mountain of Śrí and set about obtaining that charm, and the charm, when obtained, appeared to him in visible shape, and gave him a splendid sword. And when the successful Vámadatta had obtained the sword, he and his wife Kántimatí became glorious Vidyádharas. Then he built by his magic power a splendid city on a peak of the Malaya mountain, named Rajatakúṭa. There, in time, that prince among the Vidyádharas had born to him by his queen an auspicious daughter, named Lalitalochaná. And the moment she was born, she was declared by a voice, that came from heaven, to be destined to be the wife of the future emperor of the Vidyádharas.
“Know, my husband, that I am that very Lalitalochaná, and that knowing the facts by my science and being in love with you, I have brought you to this very Malaya mountain, which is my own home.” When she had in these words told him her story, Naraváhanadatta was much pleased, and entertained great respect for his new wife. And he remained there with her, and immediately the king of Vatsa and his entourage learnt the truth, by means of the supernatural knowledge of Ratnaprabhá, and the other wives of Naraváhanadatta that possessed the same powers.
[1] See note in Vol. I, p. 121. So Balder is said to be so fair of countenance and bright that he shines of himself. (Grimm’s Teutonic Mythology, translated by Stallybrass, p. 222.) In Tennyson’s Vivien we find
“A maid so smooth, so white, so wonderful,
They said a light came from her when she moved.”
[2] This probably means that she was burnt with his corpse.
[3] Böhtlingk and Roth read sákinísiddhisam̱vará.
[4] We have had many transformations of this kind and shall have many more. A very amusing story of a transformation is found in Campbell’s Highland Tales, Vol. II, p. 60 which may be compared with this. The biter is bit as in our text, and in the story of Sidi Noman in the Arabian Nights, which closely resembles this.
[5] I read kṛitvá for kírtvá.