Vikramacaritra (Pandit Somasuri) 2.50

2.50

kiṃ ca tvāṃ matto rakṣitvā svayaṃ hantumicchati | atastvameva bhallūkamadhaḥ pātaya | ahamenaṃ bhakṣayitvā gamiṣyāmi
tvamapi nijanagaraṃ gantumarhasi |' iti vakhyayāmāsa | tacchrutvā
rājaputro yāvadenamadhaḥ pātayitumārebhe, tāvadbhallūko vṛkṣāt
patannapi śākhāntaramālambya sthe | rājaputrastu viphalaprayatnastaṃ dṛṣṭvā
bibhāya | tadā bhallūkaḥ 'bhoḥ pāpiṣṭha! kimarthaṃ vibheṣi ? yat
purārjitaṃ karma tat tvayā'nubhoktavyam | atastvaṃ sasemireti
vadan piśāco bhūtvā prātivanaṃ paribhra' meti śaśāpa | tataḥ
prabhātamāsīt | vyāghrastu niragāt | bhallūko'pi rājakumāraṃ
śaptvā yathecchaṃ jagāma | rājakumāro'pi sasemireti pralapan
piśāco bhūtvā vaneṣu tata itaḥ paribabhrāma
tato'sya turaṅgamo nagaramagamat | tatra rājaputrarahitamaśvaṃ
dṛṣṭvā janā rājñe kevalamaśvamāgatamācakhyuḥ | tato rājā mantriṇaḥ
samāhūya bhaṇati sma—'bho mantriṇaḥ! mṛgayārthaṃ kumāre nirgacchati mahadurnimittamāsīt kila | tathāpi mattastaduttvā ca vanaṃ
gataḥ| tasya phalaṃ sadya eva samupanatam| tadārūḍho'śvaḥ śūnyaḥ
samāgataḥ| tatastanmārgaṇāya vanaṃ prati gamiṣyā'mīti| tataḥ
ste'pyaṅgīcakruḥ|| tato rājā mantribhiḥ parivāreṇa ca saha,
kumāro yena mārgeṇa gatastenaiva mārgeṇa vanaṃ prāviśat| tato
vanamadhye paribhramantaṃ sasemireti vadantaṃ piśācabhūtaṃ bhutaṃ dṛṣṭvā
rājā mahāśokasāgaranimagnastamādāya svanagaramagamat| āgatya
ca tadunmādaśamanāya bahūn vidhīn kārayāmāsa| kenāpi
kumāraḥ svastho na babhūva| tasmin samaye rājā mantriṇaṃ bahuśrutamabhāṇīt| "asmin samaye śāradānandastiṣṭhedyadi, kṣaṇamātreṇa
cikitsāṃ kuryāt| sa mayā vṛthā māritaḥ| puruṣeṇa yat
karma kriyate tadvicāryaiva kartavyam| anyathā paramāpadāṃ padaṃ
bhavati|| uktañca—
sahasā vidadhīta na kriyāmavivekaḥ paramāpadāṃ padam
vṛṇate hi vimṛśyakāriṇaṃ guṇalubdhāḥ svayameva sampadaḥ
tathā ca—
aparīkṣyaṃ na kartavyaṃ kartavyaṃ suparīkṣitam
paścādbhavati santāpo brāhmaṇī nakule yathā