[10] Rohiṇī, “name of the ninth Nakshatra or lunar asterism (personified as a daughter of Daksha, and the favourite wife of the moon, called ‘the Red one,’ &c.)” [↑]
[11] The word Aśoka means “without sorrow: not feeling or not causing sorrow.” [↑]
[12] “The tree Ægle Marmelos (commonly called Bel),” and “the elephant or wood-apple tree, Feronia elephantum.” [↑]
[13] The Sanskrit Sudhā, “the beverage of the gods, nectar, &c.” [↑]
VI.
PRINCE JĪVAKA AS THE KING OF PHYSICIANS.[1]
In Videha, in a vast, rich, prosperous, fruitful, and populous land, reigned King Virūḍhaka. He had five hundred ministers, with Śakala at their head, and through his chief minister Śakala he ruled in accordance with the law, and transacted business according to justice. For this reason all men looked up to Śakala. After Śakala had taken to himself a wife of his own degree, and had lived with her, there was born unto him a son, to whom, on the twenty-first day after his birth, the name of Gopāla was given. After he had again lived with his wife, another son was born to him, to whom he gave the name of Sim̃ha.
When these two sons were grown up, it was with them just as it had been with their father, who from the very first surpassed all the other ministers in courage and superiority in the five arts. Now these ministers could not endure this. So they took counsel together, and betook themselves to the king, and asked him, when an opportunity presented itself, who really was king. The king replied, “Honoured sirs, what is the meaning of such a question? I am the king. Who else could there be?” They said, “O king, Śakala is king, not you. If he could manage it, he would deprive you of the regal power, set the diadem on his own head, and seize the regal power for himself.” But the king saw quite clearly that they were hostile to Śakala because he was superior to them all. [[76]]
On another occasion, the king was sitting surrounded by the band of ministers, while the first minister, Śakala, was detained in the king’s palace, surrounded by eight thousand plaintiffs and defendants, so that the king’s palace was quite full. But when the public business was brought to an end and the crowd had gone away, the palace was left quite empty. The king asked if all the crowd had left the palace. The ministers, trusting that they had found an opportunity, replied, “O king, what you wished to hear is evidently this: If Śakala could bring it about, he would deprive you of the sovereignty, set the diadem upon his own head, and seize the regal power for himself.”