[17] Compare the story in Waldau’s Böhmische Märchen, p. 242, Gut dass es den Tod auf Erden gibt!
[18] Cp. the speech of Chi, the scribe of the realms below, in Giles’s Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio, p. 366.
[19] I substitute Bauddham for bodhum.
[20] I follow the Sanskrit College MS. which reads lopataḥ for lobhataḥ.
[21] This idea is found in the story of Jímútaváhana in the 21st Taranga of this work, where see note. Cp. also “Das Wasser des Lebens,” Grimm. 97, and the notes in his 3rd volume. See also note on page 499 of Vol. I; and Herrtage’s edition of the English Gesta, page 344.
[22] I read ullághayan, which is found in the Sanskrit College MS.
Chapter LXXIII.
Then Guṇákara’s wounds healed, and he recovered his health, so Mṛigánkadatta took leave of his friend the king of the Śavaras, and set out from his town on a lucky day for Ujjayiní, to find Śaśánkavatí.
But his friend followed him a long way with his retinue, accompanied by his ally Durgapiśácha king of the Mátangas, and made a promise to come to his assistance. And as he was going along with his friends Śrutadhi, and Vimalabuddhi, and Guṇákara, and Bhímaparákrama, and searching for his other friends in that Vindhya forest, it happened that he slept one day on the road with his ministers at the foot of a certain tree. And he suddenly awoke, and got up, and looked about him, and beheld there another man asleep. And when he uncovered his face, he recognised him as his own minister Vichitrakatha, who had arrived there. And Vichitrakatha too woke up, and saw his master Mṛigánkadatta, and joyfully embraced his feet. And the prince embraced him, with eyes wide open with delight at seeing him so unexpectedly, and all his ministers woke up and welcomed him. Then all in turn told him their adventures, and asked him to tell his, and Vichitrakatha began to relate his story as follows: