KAUNDILYA.
And it is Janardan who persuaded us to come to this precious country! We never had any second person like him in our family. You knew my father, of course; he was a great man, a pious man if ever there was one. He spent his whole life within a circle of a radius of 49 cubits drawn with a rigid adherence to the injunctions of the scriptures, and never for a single day did he cross this circle. After his death a serious difficulty arose—how cremate him within the limits of the 49 cubits and yet outside the house? At length the priests decided that though we could not go beyond the scriptural number, the only way out of the difficulty was to reverse the figure and make it 94 cubits; only thus could we cremate him outside the house without violating the sacred books. My word, that was strict observance! Ours is indeed no common country.
BHAVADATTA.
And yet, though Janardan comes from the very same soil, he thinks it wise to declare that open highways are best for a country.
[Enter GRANDFATHER with a band of boys]
GRANDFATHER.
Boys, we will have to vie with the wild breeze of the south to-day—and we are not going to be beaten. We will sing till we have flooded all streets with our mirth and song.
SONG.
The southern gate is unbarred. Come, my spring, come!
Thou wilt swing at the swing of my heart, come, my spring, come!
Come in the lisping leaves, in the youthful surrender of flowers;
Come in the flute songs and the wistful sighs of the woodlands!
Let your unfastened robe wildly flap in the drunken wind!
Come, my spring, come!
[Exeunt.]
[Enter a band of CITIZENS]
FIRST CITIZEN.
After all, one cannot help wishing that the King had allowed himself to be seen at least this one day. What a great pity, to live in his kingdom and yet not to have seen him for a single day!
SECOND CITIZEN.
If you only knew the real meaning of all this mystery! I could tell you if you would keep a secret.