Story of Devasvámin the permanently horripilant Bráhman.
There lived in Páṭaliputra a Bráhman of the name of Agnisvámin, a great maintainer of the sacrificial fire; and I am his son, Devasvámin by name. And I married the daughter of a Bráhman who lived in a distant land, and because she was a child, I left her in her father’s house. One day I mounted a mare, and went with one servant to my father-in-law’s house to fetch her. There my father-in-law welcomed me; and I set out from his house with my wife, who was mounted on the mare, and had one maid with her.
And when we had got half way, my wife got off the mare, and went to the bank of the river, pretending that she wanted to drink water. And as she remained a long time without coming back, I sent the servant, who was with me, to the bank of the river to look for her. And as he also remained a long time without coming back, I went there myself, leaving the maid to take care of the mare. And when I went and looked, I found that my wife’s mouth was stained with blood, and that she had devoured my servant, and left nothing of him but the bones.[5] In my terror I left her, and went back to find the mare, and lo! her maid had in the same way eaten that. Then I fled from the place, and the fright I got on that occasion still remains in me, so that even now I cannot prevent the hair on my head and body from standing on end.[6]
“So you, king, are my only hope.” When the Bráhman said this, Vikramáditya by his sovereign fiat relieved him of all fear. Then the king said, “Out on it! One cannot repose any confidence in women, for they are full of daring wickedness.” When the king said this, a minister remarked, “Yes, king! women are fully as wicked as you say. By the bye, have you not heard what happened to the Bráhman Agniśarman here?”
Story of Agniśarman.[7]
There lives in this very city a Bráhman named Agniśarman, the son of Somaśarman; whom his parents loved as their life, but who was a fool and ignorant of every branch of knowledge. He married the daughter of a Bráhman in the city of Vardhamána; but her father, who was rich, would not let her leave his house, on the ground that she was a mere child.
And when she grew up, Agniśarman’s parents said to him, “Son, why do you not now go and fetch your wife?” When Agniśarman heard that, the stupid fellow went off alone to fetch her, without taking leave of his parents. When he left his house a partridge appeared on his right hand, and a jackal howled on his left hand, a sure prophet of evil.[8] And the fool welcomed the omen saying, “Hail! Hail!” and when the deity presiding over the omen heard it, she laughed at him unseen. And when he reached his father-in-law’s place, and was about to enter it, a partridge appeared on his right, and a jackal on his left, boding evil. And again he welcomed the omen, exclaiming “Hail! Hail!” and again the goddess of the omen, hearing it, laughed at him unseen. And that goddess presiding over the omen said to herself, “Why, this fool welcomes bad luck as if it were good! So I must give him the luck which he welcomes, I must contrive to save his life.” While the goddess was going through these reflections, Agniśarman entered his father-in-law’s house, and was joyfully welcomed. And his father-in-law and his family asked him, why he had come alone, and he answered them, “I came without telling any one at home.”
Then he bathed and dined in the appropriate manner, and when night came on, his wife came to his sleeping apartment adorned. But he fell asleep fatigued with the journey; and then she went out to visit a paramour of hers, a thief, who had been impaled. But, while she was embracing his body, the demon that had entered it, bit off her nose; and she fled thence in fear. And she went and placed an unsheathed[9] dagger at her sleeping husband’s side; and cried out loud enough for all her relations to hear, “Alas! Alas! I am murdered; this wicked husband of mine has got up and without any cause actually cut off my nose.” When her relations heard that, they came, and seeing that her nose was cut off, they beat Agniśarman with sticks and other weapons. And the next day they reported the matter to the king, and by his orders they made him over to the executioners, to be put to death, as having injured his innocent wife.