TALE XIV.
The sprite said, “Attend, King Vikram! There is a city named Kusmavati, of which one Subichãr was king, whose daughter’s name was Chandra-prabhã. When she became marriageable, she went out one spring day, along with her companions, to stroll about in the garden. Now, before arrangements had been made for the ladies to come out (i.e., before the garden had been cleared of all strangers and others not permitted to set eyes on the women), a Brahman’s son, named Manswi, of twenty years or so, very handsome, had come into the garden in the course of his wanderings, and meeting with cool shade under a tree, had fallen asleep there. The king’s attendants came and made arrangements for the ladies of the seraglio in the garden, but it so happened that none of them saw the Brahman’s son sleeping there; and so he continued sleeping under that tree, and the princess entered the garden with her attendants. Strolling about with her companions, where does she come but to the place where the Brahman’s son was sleeping! She no sooner arrived there than he also awoke at the sound of the people’s footsteps. The eyes of both met; and to such a degree did they come under Cupid’s power, that on the one side the Brahman’s son fell upon the ground in a swoon, on the other, she too was so beside herself, that her legs began to tremble. Her companions, however, quickly laid hold of her on the very instant. At last, they laid her down in a litter, and brought her home. And the Brahman’s son was lying in so complete a state of insensibility here, that he had no consciousness whatever of his body or mind.”
“During this interval two Brahmans, named Shashi and Müldeva, from the country of Kanvrü, where they had studied the (occult) sciences, happened to pass by there. Müldeva, seeing the Brahman’s son lying, said, ‘Shashi! how is it that he is lying in such utter unconsciousness?’ He replied, ‘A damsel has shot forth the arrows of her eyes from the bow of her eyebrows; hence he is lying insensible.’ Müldeva said, ‘We ought to rouse him.’ He replied, ‘What need is there for you to rouse him?’ He did not heed Shashi’s words, but sprinkled water over him, and restored him to consciousness, and asked, ‘What has been the matter with thee?’ The Brahman said, ‘One should relate his troubles to him who can remove them; for what is to be gained by relating your sorrows to him who, on hearing of them, is unable to remove them?’ He said, ‘Well, tell me your troubles; I will remove them.’”
“On hearing this, he said, ‘It was but now that the princess came here with her companions; and it was through seeing her that I have fallen into this state. Should I obtain possession of her, I will preserve my life; otherwise I will abandon life.’ Then he replied, ‘Come to my abode; I will exert myself to the utmost to obtain her; and, if I should not succeed, I will bestow great wealth upon thee.’ Thereupon Manswi said, ‘God has created many a jewel in the world; but the jewel, woman, surpasses all; and for her sake it is that man treasures up wealth. When I have lost the woman, what will I do with the wealth? Brute beasts are better off in the world than those who do not possess themselves of handsome wives. The fruit of merit is wealth, and the advantage of wealth is ease, and the consequence of ease is (the taking) a wife; now, what happiness can there be where there is no wife?’ On hearing this, Müldeva said, ‘I will give thee whatsoever thou may’st ask for.’ Then he said, ‘O Brahman obtain that same maiden’s hand for me.’ Müldeva thereupon said, ‘So be it; come along with me; I will have that very maiden bestowed on thee.’”
“In short, ministering much comfort to him, he took him to his house; and when he reached there, he prepared two magic pills. One pill he gave to the (young) Brahman, saying, ‘When thou puttest this into thy mouth, thou wilt be turned into a girl of twelve years; and when thou takest it out of thy mouth, thou wilt become the self-same man thou wert before.’ He said further, ‘Put this into thy mouth.’ On his putting it into his mouth, he became a girl of twelve years. And he, (Müldeva) having put the other pill into his own mouth, became transformed into an old man of eighty years; and taking that young girl with him, he proceeded to the king.”
“The king, seeing the Brahman, saluted him, gave him a seat, and another to the young girl also. Then the Brahman gave him his blessing in verse, saying, ‘May he whose glory pervades the three worlds; and who, taking the form of a dwarf, deceived * King Bali; and who, taking monkeys with him, bridged the ocean; ** and who, supporting the mountain (Go vardhan) on his hand, *** protected the cowherds from the bolts of Indra,—may the same Vasudeva protect you!’ On hearing this, the king inquired, ‘Whence has your highness come?’ The Brahman, Mãldeva, replied, ‘I have come from the other side of the Ganges, and my home is there; and I had gone to bring away my son’s wife, (and) in my absence, a general flight from the village took place; and so I know not whither my wife and son have fled to. And now, with this girl with me, how shall I seek them? It is, therefore, advisable that I leave this (girl) with your majesty. Keep her with the greatest care until I return.’”
* Ball was a powerful king, who, by his austerities and
devotion, overcame Indra in battle, and obtained power over
heaven and earth. The gods became alarmed at this, and
sought the aid of Vishnü, who visited the earth in the form
of a dwarf, and went before Bali, who, according to custom,
offered him presents. These the dwarf, affecting utter
contempt for worldly wealth, declined, saying he merely
wanted as much territory as could be comprised in three of
his paces. Bali laughed, and granted his request; whereupon
the dwarf increased his stature to prodigious dimensions,
and, at one step, placed his foot on the heavens; at the
next, on the earth; and, no room remaining for the third
step, he placed his foot on Bali’s head, and so pressed him
down to the region of Nãga-loka, beneath the earth, where he
was kept in confinement, and bound with bonds made of
twisted serpents.
** etband (from the Sanskrit setu-bandha) signifies a dike
or bridge, and is applied to the ridge of rooks between the
Coromandel coast and Ceylon. This dike or bridge is said to
have been built by the allies of Rama (i.e., the monkey army
under the leadership of Hanuman), when he invaded Ceylon to
recover his wife Sltã, who had been carried off thither by
Bãvan. It is said that, as fast as the monkeys built up the
dike, Bãvan destroyed it; so, to prevent his doing this,
Bãma erected a temple to Shiva (the god adored by Bavan) at
the extremity of the dike. Thenceforth Setband Rãmeshwar
became a place of pilgrimage.
*** This allusion to the exploits of Krishna the curious
reader will find fully explained in the 26th chapter of the
“Prem Sãgar.”
“On hearing these words of the Brahman’s, the king began thinking to himself, ‘How shall I take charge of a very beautiful young woman? And if I do not take her, this Brahman will curse me, (and) my dominion will be overthrown.’ Having thought this over in his mind, the king said, ‘Your highness! the command you have given me shall be obeyed.’ On this, the king summoned his daughter, and said, ‘Daughter! take this Brahman’s daughter-in-law and keep her with you, with all care and attention; and, whether sleeping or waking, eating or drinking, or moving about, do not let her be away from you for a moment.’ On hearing this, the princess took hold of the hand of the Brahman’s daughter-in-law, and led her away to her own apartment. At night, the two slept in one bed, and began conversing with each other. In the course of conversation, the Brahman’s daughter-in-law said, ‘Tell me, O princess! to what trouble is it owing that you have become so worn and feeble?”’
“The princess said, ‘I went one day in the spring, accompanied by my female friends, to stroll about in the garden, and there beheld a very handsome, Cupid-like Brahman, and our eyes met. He swooned away on one side, and I became unconscious on the other. Then my companions, seeing my predicament, brought me home. And I am totally ignorant of both his name and his abode. His image fills my eyes, and I have not the least desire for food and drink. It is through this trouble that my body has been reduced to the state you see.’ On hearing this, the Brahman’s daughter-in-law said, ‘What wilt thou give me if I bring thy beloved and thee together?’ The princess said, ‘I will remain thy slave for ever.’ Hearing this, he took the magic pill out of his mouth and became a man again; and she was abashed at beholding him. After that, the Brahman’s son married her after the fashion of Gandharb marriages; and used constantly to convert himself thus into a man at night, and to remain a woman by day. At length, after six months, the princess became pregnant.”