TALE III.
The sprite said, “O king! there is a city named Bardwãn, wherein is a king named Rüpsen. It happened one day that the king was seated in an apartment adjoining the gate (of his palace), when, from without the gate, the loud voices of some people reached him. The king said, ‘Who is at the gate? and what noise is that taking place?’ Upon this the gatekeeper replied, ‘Great king! you have asked a fine question! Knowing this to be the gate of a wealthy personage, numbers of persons of all kinds come and sit at it for the sake of money, and converse on a variety of topics; this is their noise.’”
“On hearing this the king kept silent. In the meanwhile a traveller, named Birbar, a Rajput, came from the south to the king’s gate, in the hope of obtaining service. The gate-keeper, after ascertaining his circumstances, said to the king, ‘Your majesty! an armed man has come in the hope of entering your service, and stands at the door: with your majesty’s leave he shall come before you.’ Having heard this, the king gave the order to bring him in. He went and brought him. Then the king asked, ‘O Rãjpüt! How much shall I allow thee for daily expenses?’ On hearing this Birbar said, ‘Give me a thousand tolas (about 833 oz.) of gold daily, and I shall be able to subsist.’ The king enquired, ‘How many persons are there with you (dependent on you)?’ He replied, ‘First, my wife; second, a son; third, a daughter; fourth, myself: there is no fifth person with me.’ Hearing him speak thus, all the people of the king’s court turned away their faces and began laughing; but the king began to consider why he had asked for a large sum of money. Ultimately he thought it out in his own mind, that a vast sum of money given away will some day prove of advantage. Coming to this conclusion, he sent for his treasurer and said, ‘Give this Birbar a thousand tolas of gold daily from my treasury.’
“On hearing this order, Birbar took a thousand tolas of gold for that day, and brought it to the place where he was staying, and dividing it into two parts, distributed one half among the Brahmans; and again dividing the remaining half into two parts, distributed one portion thereof among pilgrims, devotees, the worshippers of Vishnu, and religious mendicants; and of the one part which remained he had food cooked and fed the poor, and what remained over he consumed himself. In this way he, with his wife and children, used regularly to subsist. And every night he used to take his sword and shield and go and mount guard over the king’s couch; and when the king, roused from sleep, used to call out, ‘Is any, one in waiting?’ then he used to answer, ‘Birbar is in attendance; what may be your commands?’ Thus answered he whenever the king called out, and thereupon, whatever he (the king) ordered to be done, he executed.”
“In this way, through eagerness for wealth, he used to keep awake the whole night long; nay, whether eating, drinking, sleeping, sitting still, or moving about (that is to say) during the whole twenty-four hours (lit. eight watches), he used to keep his lord in mind. The practice is, that if one person sells another, this one becomes sold; but a servant, by entering service, sells himself; and, when sold, he becomes a dependant; and once dependant, he has no prospect of peace. It is notorious, that however clever, wise, and learned he may be, still, when he is in his master’s presence, he remains quite silent, like a dumb person, through fear. So long as he is aloof from him, he is at rest. On this account it is that the learned say, ‘To perform the duties of a servant is more difficult than to perform religious duties.’”
“(To) the story: It is related, that one day the weeping voice of a woman chanced to come at night-time from the burning-ground. On hearing it the king called out, ‘Is any one in waiting?’ Birbar instantly answered, ‘I am here; your commands.’ Thereupon the king gave him this order,—‘Go to the spot whence yon weeping voice of a woman proceeds, and enquire of her the cause of her weeping, and return quickly.’ Having given him this order the king began to say to himself, ‘Whosoever desires to test his servant should order him to do things in season and out of season; if he execute his order, know that he is worth something; and if he object, be sure that he is worthless. And in this same way prove brethren and friends in days of adversity, and a wife in poverty.’”
“In fine, on receiving this order, he took the direction whence the sound of her weeping proceeded; and the king also, after dressing himself in black, followed him secretly, for the purpose of observing his courage. In this interval Birbar arrived there. What does he behold in the burning-ground, but a beautiful woman, lavishly decked with jewels from head to foot, crying aloud and bitterly! At one moment she was dancing, at another leaping, at another running; and not a tear in her eyes! And while repeatedly beating her head, and crying out, ‘Alas! alas!’ she kept dashing herself on the ground. Seeing this her condition, Birbar asked, ‘Why art thou crying and beating thyself so violently? Who art thou? and what trouble has befallen thee?’”
“On this she said, ‘I am the royal glory.’ Birbar said, ‘Why art thou weeping?’ Upon this she began relating her case to Birbar, saying, ‘Impious acts (lit. acts such as a Shüdra performs) are committed in the king’s house, whence misfortune will find admission therein, and I shall depart thence; after the lapse of a month the king will suffer much affliction and die; this is the sorrow which makes me weep. Further, I have enjoyed great happiness in his house, and hence this regret: and this matter will in nowise prove false.’”