Kathasaritsagara 11.1: Prathamas taraṅgaḥ

11.1.1

namatāśeṣavighnaughavāraṇaṃ vāraṇānanam /
kāraṇaṃ sarvasiddhīnāṃ duritārṇavatāraṇam //

Honour to the elephant-headed god who averts all hindrances, who is the cause of every success, who ferries us over the sea of difficulties.

Thus Naraváhanadatta obtained Śaktiyaśas, and besides he had those wives he married before, Ratnaprabhá and others, and his consort the head wife Madanamanchuká, and with them and his friends he led a happy life at the court of his father in Kauśámbí.

Story of the race between the elephant and the horses.:— And one day, when he was in the garden, two brothers, who were princes, and who had come from a foreign land, suddenly paid him a visit. He received them cordially, and they bowed before him, and one of them said to him; " We are the sons by different mothers of a king in the city of Vaiśákha. My name is Ruchiradeva and the name of this brother of mine is Potraka. I have a swift female elephant, and he has two horses. And a dispute has arisen between us about them; I say that the elephant is the fleetest, he maintains that his horses are both fleeter. I have agreed that if I lose the race, I am to surrender the elephant, but if he loses, he is to give me both his horses. Now no one but you is fit to be a judge of their relative speed, so come to my house, my lord, and preside over this trial. Accede to our request. For you are the wishing-tree that grants all petitions, and we have come from afar to petition you about this matter."

When the prince received this invitation from Ruchiradeva, he consented out of good nature, and out of the interest he took in the elephant and the horses. He set out in a chariot drawn by swift horses, which the brothers had brought, and he reached with them that city of Vaiśákha. When he entered that splendid city, the ladies, bewildered and excited, beheld him with eyes the lashes of which were turned up, and made these comments on him; " Who can this be! Can it be the god of Love new-created from his ashes without Rati? Or a second moon roaming through the heaven without a spot on its surface? Or an arrow of desire made by the Creator, in the form of a man, for the sudden complete overthrow of the female heart." Then the king beheld the all-lovely temple of the god of Love, whose worship had been established there by men of old time. He entered and worshipped that god, the source of supreme felicity, and rested for a moment, and shook off the fatigue of the journey. Then be entered as a friend the house of Ruchiradeva, which was near that temple, and was honoured by being made to walk in front of him. He was delighted at the sight of that magnificent palace, full of splendid horses and elephants, which was in a state of rejoicing on account of his visit. There he was entertained with various hospitalities by Ruchiradeva, and there he beheld his sister of splendid beauty. His mind and his eyes were so captivated by her glorious beauty, that he forgot all about his absence from home and his separation from his family. She too threw lovingly upon him her expanded eye, which resembled a garland of full blown blue lotuses, and so chose him as her husband. Her name was Jayendrasená, and he thought so much upon her that the goddess of sleep did not take possession of him at night, much less did other females.

An allusion to the custom of choosing a husband in the Svayamvara ceremony, by throwing a garland on the neck of the favoured suitor,

Dr. Kern would read ásata.

The next day Potraka brought that pair of horses equal to the wind in swiftness; but Ruchiradeva, who was skilled in all the secrets of the art of driving, himself mounted the female elephant, and partly by the animal's natural speed, partly by his dexterity in urging it on, beat them in the race. When Ruchiradeva had beaten those two splendid horses, the son of the king of Vatsa entered the palace, and at that very moment arrived a messenger from his father. The messenger, when he saw the prince, fell at his feet, and said; " The king, hearing from your retinue that you have come here, has sent me to you with this message. ' How comes it that you have gone so far from the garden without letting me know? I am impatient for your return, so abandon the diversion that occupies your attention, and return quickly.' " When he heard this message from his father's messenger, Naraváhanadatta, who was also intent on obtaining the object of his flame, was in a state of perplexity.

And at that very moment a merchant, in a great state of delight, came, bowing at a distance, and praised that prince, saying, " Victory to thee, thou god of love without the flowery bow! Victory to thee, Lord, the future emperor of the Vidyádharas! Wast thou not seen to be charming as a boy, and when growing up, the terror of thy foes? So surely the gods shall behold thee like Vishnu, striding victorious over the heaven, conquering Bali." With these and other praises the great merchant magnified the prince; then having been honoured by him, he proceeded at his request to tell the story of his life.

Story of the merchant and his wife velá.:— There is a city called Lampá, the crown of the earth; in it there was a rich merchant named Kusumasára. I, prince of Vatsa, am the son of that merchant, who lives and moves in religion, and I was gained by the propitiation of Śiva. Once on a time I went with my friends to witness a procession of idols, and I saw other rich men giving to beggars. Then I formed the design of acquiring wealth to give away, as I was not satisfied with the vast fortune accumulated by my father. So I embarked in a ship, laden with many jewels, to go across the sea to another country. And my ship, impelled by a favorable wind, as if by fate, reached that island in a few days. There the king found out that I was an unknown man dealing in valuable jewels, and out of avarice he threw me into prison. While I was remaining in that prison, which resembled hell, on account of its being full of howling criminals, suffering from hunger and thirst, like wicked ghosts, a merchant, named Mahídhara, a resident in that town, who knew my family, went and interceded with the king on my behalf, and said; *' King, this is the son of a great merchant, who lives in the city of Lampá, and, as he is innocent, it is not creditable to your majesty to keep him in prison." On his making representations of this kind, the king ordered me to be released from prison, and summoned me into his presence, and honoured me with a courteous reception. So, by the favour of the king and the support of that merchant, I remained there doing a splendid business.

One day I saw, at a spring festival in a garden, a handsome girl, the daughter of a merchant named Śikhara. I was quite carried off my feet by her, who was like a wave of the sea of Love's insolence, and when I found out who she was, I demanded her in marriage from her father. Her father reflected for a moment, and at last said to me; " I cannot give her to you myself, there is a reason for my not doing so. But I will send her to her grandfather by the mother's side, in the island of Ceylon; go there and ask for her again, and marry her. And I will send her there with such instructions that your suit will certainly be accepted." When Śikhara had said this, and had paid me the usual courtesies, he dismissed me to my own house. And the next day he put the maiden on board ship, with her attendants, and sent her to the island of Ceylon, across the sea.

I was preparing with the utmost eagerness to go there, when this rumour, which was terrible as a lightning-stroke, was spread abroad where I was; " The ship, in which the daughter of Śikhara started, has gone to pieces in the open sea, and not a soul has been saved out of it." That report altogether broke down my self-command, and being anxious about the ship, I suddenly fell into a hopeless sea of despondency. So I, though comforted by my elders, made up my mind to throw away my property and prospects, and I determined to go to that island to ascertain the truth. Then, though patronized by the king and loaded with all manner of wealth, I embarked in a ship on the sea and set out. Then a terrible pirate, in the form of a cloud, suddenly arose against me as I was pursuing my course, and discharged at me pattering drops of rain, like showers of arrows. The contrary wind, which it brought with it, tossed my ship to and fro like powerful destiny, and at last broke it up. My attendants and my wealth were whelmed in the sea, but I myself, when I fell into the water, laid hold of a large spar. By the help of this, which seemed like an arm suddenly extended to me by the Creator, I managed to reach the shore of the sea, being slowly drifted there by the wind. I climbed up upon it in great affliction, exclaiming against destiny, and suddenly I found a little gold which had been left by accident in an out-of-the-way part of the shore. I sold it in a neighbouring village, and bought with it food and other necessaries, and after purchasing a couple of garments, I gradually began to get over to a certain extent the fatigue produced by my immersion in the sea.

Compare Book III of the novel of Achilles Tatius, c. 5.

Then I wandered about, not knowing my way, separated from my beloved, and I saw the ground full of lingas of Śiva formed of sand. And daughters of hermits were wandering about among them. And in one place I saw a maiden engaged in worshipping a linga, who was beautiful, although dressed in the garb of a dweller in the forest. I began to think, " This girl is wonderfully like my beloved. Can she be my beloved herself? But how comes it, that I am so lucky as to find her here?" And while these thoughts were passing in my mind, my right eye throbbed frequently, as if with joy,and told me that it was no other than she. And I said to her, " Fair one, you are fitted to dwell in a palace, how comes it that you are here in the forest y" But she gave me no answer. Then, through fear of being cursed by a hermit, I stood concealed by a bower of creepers, looking at her with an eye that could not have enough. And after she had performed her worship, she went slowly away from the spot, as if thinking over something, and frequently turned round to look at me with loving eye. When she had gone out of sight, the whole horizon seemed to be obscured with darkness as I looked at it, and I was in a strange state of perturbation like the Brahmany drake at night.

Cp. Eumathius' novel of Hysminias and Hysmine, Book IX, ch. 4. Erl 5^ Tovrois iratriv 6<p0afj.hs ^aT<{ fiov 6 Sf^ihs, ko2 ^v fxoi rh ainifiov iyaBhv, Kal rh irpofidmfvfia Sf^idrraToy. Seo also Theocritus III, 37. &trai i<p6aii6s fuv 6 Sf^i6s' ipa y' iSriaru ivrdv; Where Fritsche quotes Plant. Pseudol. 1.1.105. Brand in his Popular Antiquities, Vol. III, p. 172, quotes the above passage from Theocritus, and a very apposite one from Dr. Nathaniel Home's Demonologie— " If their ears tingle, they say they have some enemies abroad that doe or are about to speake evill of them: so, if their right eye itcheth, then it betokens joyful laughter."Bartachin his Sagen, Mürchen, und Gebraüche aus Mecklenburg, says, " Throbbing in the right eye betokens joy, in the left, tears." In Norway throbbing in the right ear is a good sign, in the left a bad sign (Liebrecht, Zur Volkakunde, p. 327.) Forcellini

And immediately I beheld the daughter of the hermit Mátanga, who appeared unexpectedly. She was in brightness like the sun, subject to a vow of chastity from her earliest youth, with body emaciated by penance, she possessed divine insight, and was of auspicious countenance like Resignation incarnate. She said to me, " Chandrasára, call up all your patience and listen. There is a great merchant in another island named Śikhara. When a lovely girl was born to him, he was told by a mendicant, his friend, who possessed supernatural insight, and whose name was Jinarakshita, ' You must not give away this maiden yourself, for she has another mother. You would commit a crime in giving her away yourself, such is the righteous prescription of the law.' Since the mendicant bad told him this, the merchant wished to give his daughter, when she was of marriageable age, and you asked her hand, to you, by the agency of her maternal grandfather. Then she was sent off on a voyage to her maternal grandfather in the island of Ceylon, but the vessel was wrecked, and she fell into the sea. And as she was fated not to die, a great wave brought her here like destiny, and flung her up upon the shore. Just at that time my father, the hermit Mátanga, came to the sea to bathe with his disciples, and saw her almost dead. He, being of compassionate nature, brought her round, and took her to his hermitage, and entrusted her to me saying— ' Yamuna, you must cherish this girl.' And because he found her on the shore (vela) of the sea, he called the girl, who was beloved by all the hermits. Vela. And though I have renounced the world by a vow of perpetual chastity, it still impedes my soul, on account of my affection for her, in the form of love and tenderness for offspring. And my mind is grieved, Chandrasara, as often as I look upon her, unmarried, though in the bloom of youth and beauty. Moreover she was your wife in a former life. So knowing, my son, by the power of my meditation that you had come here, I have come to meet you. Now follow me and marry that Velá,

I. e., under the protection of a Buddha.

s. V. Salisatores quotes from Isidor. VIII, 9. Salisatores vocati sunt, qui dum eis membrorum quæcunque partes salierint, aliquid sibi exiude prosperum, scu triste significare prædicunt. whom I will bestow on you. Let the sufferings, which you have both endured, produce fruits of happiness."

Speaking thus, the saintly woman refreshed me with her voice as with cloudless rain, and then she took me to the hermitage of her father, the great hermit Mátanga. And at her request the hermit bestowed on me that Velá, like the happiness of the kingdom of the imagination incarnate in bodily form. But one day, as I wsis living happily with Velá, I commenced a splashing match with her in the water of a tank. And I and Velá, not seeing the hermit Mátanga, who had come there to bathe, sprinkled him inopportunely with some of the water which we threw. That annoyed him, and he denounced a curse on me and my wife, saying, " You shall be separated, you wicked couple." Then Velá clung to his knees, and asked him with plaintive voice to appoint a period for the duration of our curse, and he, after thinking, fixed its end as follows, " When thou shalt behold at a distance Naraváhanadatta the future mighty emperor of the Vidyádharas, who shall beat with a swift elephant a pair of fleet horses, then thy curse shall be at an end, and thou shalt be re-united with thy wife." When the rishi Mátanga had said this, he performed the ceremony of bathing and other ceremonies, and went to Śvetadvípa through the air, to visit the shrine of Vishnu. And Yamuna said to me and my wife " I give you now that shoe covered with valuable jewels, which a Vidyádhara long ago obtained, when it had slipped off from Śiva's foot, and which I seized in childish sport." Thereupon Yamuna also went to Śvetadvípa. Then I having obtained my beloved, and being disgusted with dwelling in the forest, through fear of being separated from my wife, felt a desire to return to my own country. And setting out for my native land, I reached the shore. of the sea; and finding a trading vessel, I put my wife on board, and was preparing to go on board myself, when the wind, conspiring with the hermit's curse, carried off that ship to a distance. When the ship carried off my wife before my eyes, my whole nature was stunned by the shock, and distraction seemed to have found an opening in me, and broke into me and robbed me of consciousness. Then an ascetic came that way, and seeing me insensible, be compassionately brought me round and took me to his hermitage. There he asked me the whole story, and when he found out that it was the consequence of a curse, and that the curse was to end, he animated me with resolution to bear up. Then I found an excellent friend, a merchant, who had escaped from his ship that had foundered in the sea, and I set out with him in search of my beloved. And supported by the hope of the termination of the curse, I wandered through many lands and lasted out many days, until I finally reached this city of Vaiśákha, and heard that you, the jewel of the noble family of the king of Vatsa, had come here. Then I saw you from a distance beat that pair of swift horses with the female elephant, and the weight of the curse fell from me, and I felt my heart lightened. And immediately I saw that dear Velá coming to meet me, whom the good merchants had brought in their ship. Then I was re-united with my wife, who had with her the jewels bestowed by Yamuná, and having by your favour crossed the ocean of separation, I came here, prince of Vatsa, to pay you my respects, and I will now set out cheerfully for my native land with my wife.

So Malegis in Die Heimonskinder represents that his blind brother will be freed from his affliction when he comes to a place where the horse Bayard is being ridden. (Simrock's Deutsche Volksbücher, Vol. II, p. 96.)

When that excellent merchant Chandrasára, who had accomplished his object, had gone, after prostrating himself before the prince, and telling his story, Ruchiradeva, pleased at beholding the greatness of his guest, was still more obsequious to him. And in addition to the elephant and the pair of horses, he gave his sister, making the duty of hospitality an excuse for doing so, to the prince who was captivated by her beauty. She was a good match for the prince, and her brother had long desired to bestow her upon him in marriage. Naraváhanadatta then took leave of Ruchiradeva, and with his new wife, the elephant, and the two horses, returned to the city of Kauśámbí And he remained there, gladdening his father with his presence, living happily with her and his other wives, of whom Madanamanchuká was the chief.

11.1.2

evaṃ sa śaktiyaśasaṃ prāpyānyāḥ prathamāś ca tāḥ /
ratnaprabhādyā devīṃ ca mukhyāṃ madanamañcukām //

Thus Naraváhanadatta obtained Śaktiyaśas, and besides he had those wives he married before, Ratnaprabhá and others, and his consort the head wife Madanamanchuká, and with them and his friends he led a happy life at the court of his father in Kauśámbí.

11.1.3

atiṣṭhadviharanvatsayuvarājaḥ suhṛdyutaḥ /
naravāhanadatto 'tha kauśāmbyāṃ pitṛpārśvagaḥ //

11.1.4

ekadā ca tamudyānagataṃ deśāntarāgatau /
bhrātarau rājaputrau dvāvakasmādabhyupeyatuḥ //

Story of the race between the elephant and the horses.:— And one day, when he was in the garden, two brothers, who were princes, and who had come from a foreign land, suddenly paid him a visit. He received them cordially, and they bowed before him, and one of them said to him; " We are the sons by different mothers of a king in the city of Vaiśákha. My name is Ruchiradeva and the name of this brother of mine is Potraka. I have a swift female elephant, and he has two horses. And a dispute has arisen between us about them; I say that the elephant is the fleetest, he maintains that his horses are both fleeter. I have agreed that if I lose the race, I am to surrender the elephant, but if he loses, he is to give me both his horses. Now no one but you is fit to be a judge of their relative speed, so come to my house, my lord, and preside over this trial. Accede to our request. For you are the wishing-tree that grants all petitions, and we have come from afar to petition you about this matter."

11.1.5

kṛtātithyapraṇatayostayor eko 'bravīc ca tam /
vaiśākhyākhye pure rājñaḥ putrāvāvāṃ dvimātṛkau //

11.1.6

nāmnā ruciradevo 'haṃ dvitīyaścaiṣa potakaḥ /
javinī hastinī me 'sti turagau dvāvamuṣya ca //

11.1.7

tannimittaṃ samutpanno vivādaścāvayor dvayoḥ /
ahaṃ javādhikāṃ vacmi hastinīṃ turagāvayam //

11.1.8

ahaṃ yadi jitastanme paṇaḥ saiva kareṇukā /
ayaṃ yadi jito vā syāttadaśvāveva tau paṇau //

11.1.9

teṣāṃ javāntaraṃ jñātuṃ kṣamo nāstyastvayā vinā /
tadasmadgṛhamāgatya tatparīkṣāṃ kuru prabho //

11.1.10

prasīda tvaṃ hi sarvārthaprārthanākalpapādapaḥ /
āvāṃ cābhyāgatau dūrādetadarthaṃ tavārthinau //

11.1.11

evaṃ ruciradevena so 'rthito 'śvavaśārasāt /
anurodhāc ca vatseśasūnus tatpratyapadyata //

When the prince received this invitation from Ruchiradeva, he consented out of good nature, and out of the interest he took in the elephant and the horses. He set out in a chariot drawn by swift horses, which the brothers had brought, and he reached with them that city of Vaiśákha. When he entered that splendid city, the ladies, bewildered and excited, beheld him with eyes the lashes of which were turned up, and made these comments on him; " Who can this be! Can it be the god of Love new-created from his ashes without Rati? Or a second moon roaming through the heaven without a spot on its surface? Or an arrow of desire made by the Creator, in the form of a man, for the sudden complete overthrow of the female heart." Then the king beheld the all-lovely temple of the god of Love, whose worship had been established there by men of old time. He entered and worshipped that god, the source of supreme felicity, and rested for a moment, and shook off the fatigue of the journey. Then be entered as a friend the house of Ruchiradeva, which was near that temple, and was honoured by being made to walk in front of him. He was delighted at the sight of that magnificent palace, full of splendid horses and elephants, which was in a state of rejoicing on account of his visit. There he was entertained with various hospitalities by Ruchiradeva, and there he beheld his sister of splendid beauty. His mind and his eyes were so captivated by her glorious beauty, that he forgot all about his absence from home and his separation from his family. She too threw lovingly upon him her expanded eye, which resembled a garland of full blown blue lotuses, and so chose him as her husband. Her name was Jayendrasená, and he thought so much upon her that the goddess of sleep did not take possession of him at night, much less did other females.

11.1.12

tadupānītavātāśvarathārūḍhastadaiva saḥ /
pratasthe prāpa vaiśākhapuraṃ tābhyāṃ samaṃ ca tat //

11.1.13

ko 'yaṃ syāt kiṃsvid aprāptaratiḥ kāmo navodbhavaḥ /
kiṃ vā dvitīyaś candro 'yam akalaṅko divācaraḥ //

11.1.14

uta vā puruṣākāro dhātrā kāmasya nirmitaḥ /
taruṇīhṛdayākāṇḍasamūlonmūlanaḥ śaraḥ //

11.1.15

ity unmadākulotpakṣmalocanābhir vilokya saḥ /
varṇyamānaḥ purastrībhistadviveśa purottamam //

11.1.16

śṛṅgāraikamayaṃ tatra yuvarājo dadarśa saḥ /
pūrvaiḥ kṛtapratiṣṭhasya kāmadevasya mandiram //

11.1.17

tasminratiprītipade praviśya praṇipatya tam /
kāmadevaṃ sa viśramya kṣaṇamadhvaśramaṃ jahau //

11.1.18

tatas taddevasadanābhyarṇavarti viveśa ca /
prītyā ruciradevasya mandiraṃ tatpuraskṛtaḥ //

11.1.19

varavājigajākīrṇaṃ tadāgamanasotsavam /
ūrjitaśri sa tatpaśyanreme vatseśvarātmajaḥ //

11.1.20

tais tai ruciradevena satkāraiḥ satkṛto 'tha saḥ /
tatra tadbhaginīṃ kanyāṃ dadarśātyadbhutākṛtim //

11.1.21

tadrūpaśobhākṛṣṭena cakṣuṣā mānasena ca /
na so 'paśyatpravāsaṃ vā virahaṃ svajanena vā //

11.1.22

sāpi dṛṣṭyeva nīlābjamālayeva praphullayā /
premanikṣiptayā tasya cakāreva svayaṃvaram //

11.1.23

tato jayendrasenākhyāṃ tāṃ sa dadhyau yathā tathā /
āsatāṃ niśi nāryo 'nyā na nidrāpi jahāra tam //

11.1.24

anyedyuḥ potakānītam apivātasamaṃ jave /
tadaśvaratnayugalaṃ vāhavidyārahasyavit //

The next day Potraka brought that pair of horses equal to the wind in swiftness; but Ruchiradeva, who was skilled in all the secrets of the art of driving, himself mounted the female elephant, and partly by the animal's natural speed, partly by his dexterity in urging it on, beat them in the race. When Ruchiradeva had beaten those two splendid horses, the son of the king of Vatsa entered the palace, and at that very moment arrived a messenger from his father. The messenger, when he saw the prince, fell at his feet, and said; " The king, hearing from your retinue that you have come here, has sent me to you with this message. ' How comes it that you have gone so far from the garden without letting me know? I am impatient for your return, so abandon the diversion that occupies your attention, and return quickly.' " When he heard this message from his father's messenger, Naraváhanadatta, who was also intent on obtaining the object of his flame, was in a state of perplexity.

11.1.25

svayaṃ ruciradevī yāṃ tāmāruhya kareṇukām /
tadvegena jigāyaiva javādhānabalena saḥ //

11.1.26

tato ruciradevena vājiratnayuge jite /
yāvat sa vatseśasuto viśatyabhyantaraṃ tataḥ //

11.1.27

tāvattasya pituḥ pārśvāddūto 'ntikam upāyayau /
sa dṛṣṭvā pādayor dūtastaṃ praṇamyābravīdidam //

11.1.28

iha prayātaṃ buddhvā tvāṃ parivārātpitā tava /
rājā māṃ prāhiṇottvāṃ pratyevamādiśati sma ca //

11.1.29

iyaddūramanāvedya yāto 'syudyānataḥ katham /
adhṛtirnastadāyāhi muktavyāsaṅgasatvaram //

11.1.30

iti śṛṇvan pitur dūtāt priyāprāptiṃ ca cintayan /
naravāhanadatto 'bhūt sa dolārūḍhamānasaḥ //

11.1.31

tāvatkṣaṇāc ca tatraikaḥ sārthavāho 'tiharṣalaḥ /
dūrādeva namannetya yuvarājam uvāca tam //

And at that very moment a merchant, in a great state of delight, came, bowing at a distance, and praised that prince, saying, " Victory to thee, thou god of love without the flowery bow! Victory to thee, Lord, the future emperor of the Vidyádharas! Wast thou not seen to be charming as a boy, and when growing up, the terror of thy foes? So surely the gods shall behold thee like Vishnu, striding victorious over the heaven, conquering Bali." With these and other praises the great merchant magnified the prince; then having been honoured by him, he proceeded at his request to tell the story of his life.

11.1.32

jaya vīra jayāpuṣpakodaṇḍakusumāyudha /
bhāvividyādharādhīśa cakravartiñjaya prabho //

11.1.33

bālo na kiṃ manohārī vardhamāno na kiṃ dviṣām /
vitrāsakārī dṛṣṭo 'si deva tasmādasaṃśayam //

11.1.34

acirādacyutaguṇaṃ tvāṃ drakṣyantyeva khecarāḥ /
ākrāmantaṃ krameṇa dyāṃ kurvantaṃ balinirjayam //

11.1.35

ityādi stutavāṃstena yuvarājena satkṛtaḥ /
pṛṣṭaścākathayattasmai svavṛttāntaṃ mahāvaṇik //

11.1.36

asti lampeti nagarī pṛthivīmaulimālikā /
tasyāṃ kusumasārākhyo vaṇigāḍhyo mahānabhūt //

Story of the merchant and his wife velá.:— There is a city called Lampá, the crown of the earth; in it there was a rich merchant named Kusumasára. I, prince of Vatsa, am the son of that merchant, who lives and moves in religion, and I was gained by the propitiation of Śiva. Once on a time I went with my friends to witness a procession of idols, and I saw other rich men giving to beggars. Then I formed the design of acquiring wealth to give away, as I was not satisfied with the vast fortune accumulated by my father. So I embarked in a ship, laden with many jewels, to go across the sea to another country. And my ship, impelled by a favorable wind, as if by fate, reached that island in a few days. There the king found out that I was an unknown man dealing in valuable jewels, and out of avarice he threw me into prison. While I was remaining in that prison, which resembled hell, on account of its being full of howling criminals, suffering from hunger and thirst, like wicked ghosts, a merchant, named Mahídhara, a resident in that town, who knew my family, went and interceded with the king on my behalf, and said; *' King, this is the son of a great merchant, who lives in the city of Lampá, and, as he is innocent, it is not creditable to your majesty to keep him in prison." On his making representations of this kind, the king ordered me to be released from prison, and summoned me into his presence, and honoured me with a courteous reception. So, by the favour of the king and the support of that merchant, I remained there doing a splendid business.

11.1.37

tasya dharmaikavasateḥ śaṃkarārādhanārjitaḥ /
eko 'haṃ candrasārākhyaḥ putro vatseśanandana //

11.1.38

so 'haṃ mittraiḥ samaṃ jātu devayātrāmavekṣitum /
gatastatrāparānāḍhyānadrākṣaṃ dadato 'rthiṣu //

11.1.39

tato dhanārjanecchā me pradānaśraddhayodabhūt /
asaṃtuṣṭasya bahvyāpi pitrupārjitayā śriyā //

11.1.40

tena dvīpāntaraṃ gantum aham ambudhivartmanā /
arūḍhavān pravahaṇaṃ nānāratnaprapūritam //

11.1.41

daivenevānukūlena vāyunā preritaṃ ca tat /
alpair eva dinaiḥ prāpa taṃ dvīpaṃ vahanaṃ mama //

11.1.42

tatrāpratītamudriktaratnavyavahṛtiṃ ca mām /
buddhvā rājārthalobhena baddhvā kārāgṛhe nyadhāt //

11.1.43

tasmin gṛhe duṣkṛtibhiḥ krandadbhiḥ kṣuttṛḍarditaiḥ /
pretair iva sthito yāvad ahaṃ nirayasaṃnibhe //

11.1.44

tāvadasmatkulābhijñastannivāsī mahāvaṇik /
mahīdharākhyo rājānaṃ matkṛte taṃ vyajijñapat //

11.1.45

lampānivāsino deva putra eṣa vaṇikpateḥ /
nirdoṣasya tadetasya bandhanādyayaśaskaram //

11.1.46

ityādi bodhitastena sa māmunmocya bandhanāt /
ānāyya cāntikaṃ rājā sādaraṃ samamānayat //

11.1.47

tato rājaprasādena tanmittropāśrayeṇa ca /
tatrāsaṃ mahataḥ kurvanvyavahārānahaṃ sukhī //

11.1.48

ekadātra madhūdyānayātrāyāṃ dṛṣṭavān aham /
vaṇijaḥ śikharākhyasya tanayāṃ varakanyakām //

One day I saw, at a spring festival in a garden, a handsome girl, the daughter of a merchant named Śikhara. I was quite carried off my feet by her, who was like a wave of the sea of Love's insolence, and when I found out who she was, I demanded her in marriage from her father. Her father reflected for a moment, and at last said to me; " I cannot give her to you myself, there is a reason for my not doing so. But I will send her to her grandfather by the mother's side, in the island of Ceylon; go there and ask for her again, and marry her. And I will send her there with such instructions that your suit will certainly be accepted." When Śikhara had said this, and had paid me the usual courtesies, he dismissed me to my own house. And the next day he put the maiden on board ship, with her attendants, and sent her to the island of Ceylon, across the sea.

11.1.49

tayā kaṃdarpadarpābdhilaharyeva hṛtas tataḥ /
gatvaiva tatpitustasmādahaṃ yācitavāṃś ca tām //

11.1.50

sa ca kṣaṇaṃ vicintyāntastatpitā mām abhāṣata /
sākṣānna yujyate dātumeṣā me 'styatra kāraṇam //

11.1.51

tadetāṃ siṃhaladvīpamahaṃ mātāmahāntikam /
prahiṇomyupayacchasva gatvaināmarthitāṃ tataḥ //

11.1.52

saṃdekṣyāmi tathā tatra yathaitattava setsyati /
ity uktvā māṃ sa saṃmānya śikharo vyasṛjadgṛham //

11.1.53

anyedyuś ca sa tāṃ kanyām āropya saparicchadām /
yānapātre 'bdhimārgeṇa prāhiṇot siṃhalān prati //

11.1.54

atha yāvadahaṃ tatra gantumicchāmi sotsukaḥ /
tāvadvidyunnipātogrā vārtā tatrodabhūdiyam //

I was preparing with the utmost eagerness to go there, when this rumour, which was terrible as a lightning-stroke, was spread abroad where I was; " The ship, in which the daughter of Śikhara started, has gone to pieces in the open sea, and not a soul has been saved out of it." That report altogether broke down my self-command, and being anxious about the ship, I suddenly fell into a hopeless sea of despondency. So I, though comforted by my elders, made up my mind to throw away my property and prospects, and I determined to go to that island to ascertain the truth. Then, though patronized by the king and loaded with all manner of wealth, I embarked in a ship on the sea and set out. Then a terrible pirate, in the form of a cloud, suddenly arose against me as I was pursuing my course, and discharged at me pattering drops of rain, like showers of arrows. The contrary wind, which it brought with it, tossed my ship to and fro like powerful destiny, and at last broke it up. My attendants and my wealth were whelmed in the sea, but I myself, when I fell into the water, laid hold of a large spar. By the help of this, which seemed like an arm suddenly extended to me by the Creator, I managed to reach the shore of the sea, being slowly drifted there by the wind. I climbed up upon it in great affliction, exclaiming against destiny, and suddenly I found a little gold which had been left by accident in an out-of-the-way part of the shore. I sold it in a neighbouring village, and bought with it food and other necessaries, and after purchasing a couple of garments, I gradually began to get over to a certain extent the fatigue produced by my immersion in the sea.

11.1.55

śikharasya sutā yena yātā pravahaṇena tat /
magnamabdhau na caiko 'pi tata uttīrṇavāniti //

11.1.56

tadvārtāvātyayā bhagnadhair yaḥ pravahaṇākulaḥ /
ahaṃ sadyo nirālambe nyapataṃ śokasāgare //

11.1.57

vṛddhair āśvāsyamānaś ca cittamāśābhir ākṣipasn /
akārṣaṃ niścayaṃ jñātuṃ taddvīpagamane matim //

11.1.58

aha rājapriyo 'py arthaistaistair upacito 'pi san /
āruhyāmbunidhau potaṃ gantumārabdhavānaham //

11.1.59

gacchataś ca mahāśabdo muñcandhārāśarāvalīḥ /
udatiṣṭhanmamākasmāddhoro vāridataskaraḥ //

11.1.60

tadvāyunā viruddhena vidhinaiva balīyasā /
utkṣipyotkṣipya ca muhurbhagnaṃ me vahanaṃ tataḥ //

11.1.61

magne 'mbudhau parijane dhane ca vidhiyogataḥ /
ekaṃ prāpi mahatkāṣṭhaṃ patitena satā mayā //

11.1.62

tena prasāriteneva dhātrā sapadi bāhunā /
śanair vātavaśād abdhe pulinaṃ prāptavān aham //

11.1.63

tatrādhiruhya duḥkhārto nindandaivamaśaṅkitam /
svarṇaleśamahaṃ prāpaṃ taṭopāsntacyutasthitam //

11.1.64

tadvikrīyātra nikaṭe grāme kṛtvāśanādikam /
krītavastrayugo 'tyākṣamabdhivāhaklamaṃ manāk //

11.1.65

tato diśamajānāno dayitāvirahī bhraman /
dṛṣṭavānasmi sikatāśivaliṅgabhṛtāṃ bhuvam //

Then I wandered about, not knowing my way, separated from my beloved, and I saw the ground full of lingas of Śiva formed of sand. And daughters of hermits were wandering about among them. And in one place I saw a maiden engaged in worshipping a linga, who was beautiful, although dressed in the garb of a dweller in the forest. I began to think, " This girl is wonderfully like my beloved. Can she be my beloved herself? But how comes it, that I am so lucky as to find her here?" And while these thoughts were passing in my mind, my right eye throbbed frequently, as if with joy,and told me that it was no other than she. And I said to her, " Fair one, you are fitted to dwell in a palace, how comes it that you are here in the forest y" But she gave me no answer. Then, through fear of being cursed by a hermit, I stood concealed by a bower of creepers, looking at her with an eye that could not have enough. And after she had performed her worship, she went slowly away from the spot, as if thinking over something, and frequently turned round to look at me with loving eye. When she had gone out of sight, the whole horizon seemed to be obscured with darkness as I looked at it, and I was in a strange state of perturbation like the Brahmany drake at night.

11.1.66

vicaranmunikanyāyāṃ tasyāṃ cādrākṣamekataḥ /
kanyāṃ liṅgārcanavyagrāṃ vanaveṣe 'pi śobhinīm //

11.1.67

aho priyā susadṛśī kāpyeṣā saiva kiṃ bhavet /
kuto vaitan na tādṛṃśi bhāgadheyāni yanmama //

11.1.68

iti māṃ cintayantaṃ sa saiveyamiti dakṣiṇam /
locanaṃ vadati smaivaṃ sāhlādaṃ prasphuranmuhuḥ //

11.1.69

tanvi prāsādavāsārhā tvamaraṇye 'tra kā vada /
iti pṛṣṭā tataḥ sā ca mayā nāha sma kiṃcana //

11.1.70

muniśāpabhayenātha latāgulmāntarāśritaḥ /
sthitavānasmi tāṃ paśyannavitṛptena cakṣuṣā //

11.1.71

kṛtārcanā sā ca muhuḥ sasnehaṃ parivṛtya mām /
paśyantī vimṛśantī ca kiṃcitprāyāttataḥ śanaiḥ //

11.1.72

gatāyāṃ dṛkpathāttasyāṃ tamondhā paśyato diśaḥ /
niśācakrāhvasadṛśī kāpyavasthā mamābhavat //

11.1.73

kṣaṇāccāśaṅkitāyātāṃ tejasārkaprabhānibhām /
sutāṃ mataṅgasya munerābālyādbrahmacāriṇīm //

And immediately I beheld the daughter of the hermit Mátanga, who appeared unexpectedly. She was in brightness like the sun, subject to a vow of chastity from her earliest youth, with body emaciated by penance, she possessed divine insight, and was of auspicious countenance like Resignation incarnate. She said to me, " Chandrasára, call up all your patience and listen. There is a great merchant in another island named Śikhara. When a lovely girl was born to him, he was told by a mendicant, his friend, who possessed supernatural insight, and whose name was Jinarakshita, ' You must not give away this maiden yourself, for she has another mother. You would commit a crime in giving her away yourself, such is the righteous prescription of the law.' Since the mendicant bad told him this, the merchant wished to give his daughter, when she was of marriageable age, and you asked her hand, to you, by the agency of her maternal grandfather. Then she was sent off on a voyage to her maternal grandfather in the island of Ceylon, but the vessel was wrecked, and she fell into the sea. And as she was fated not to die, a great wave brought her here like destiny, and flung her up upon the shore. Just at that time my father, the hermit Mátanga, came to the sea to bathe with his disciples, and saw her almost dead. He, being of compassionate nature, brought her round, and took her to his hermitage, and entrusted her to me saying— ' Yamuna, you must cherish this girl.' And because he found her on the shore (vela) of the sea, he called the girl, who was beloved by all the hermits. Vela. And though I have renounced the world by a vow of perpetual chastity, it still impedes my soul, on account of my affection for her, in the form of love and tenderness for offspring. And my mind is grieved, Chandrasara, as often as I look upon her, unmarried, though in the bloom of youth and beauty. Moreover she was your wife in a former life. So knowing, my son, by the power of my meditation that you had come here, I have come to meet you. Now follow me and marry that Velá,

11.1.74

yamunākhyāṃ tapaḥ kṣāmaśarīrāṃ divyacakṣuṣam /
sākṣāddhṛtimivāpaśyamahaṃ kalyāṇadarśanām //

11.1.75

sā māmavadadālambya candrasāra dhṛtiṃ śṛṇu /
śikharākhyo vaṇigyo 'sāvasti dvīpāntare mahān //

11.1.76

sa rūpavatyāṃ jātāyāṃ kanyāyāṃ suhṛdā kila /
jinarakṣitasaṃjñena jñānināvādi bhikṣuṇā //

11.1.77

svayaṃ tvayā na deyeyaṃ kanyaiṣā hy anyamātṛkā /
doṣaḥ syātte svayaṃ dāne vihitaṃ tādṛśaṃ hitam //

11.1.78

ity ukto bhikṣuṇā so 'tha tāṃ pradeyāṃ sutāṃ vaṇik /
tanmātāmahahastena dātum aicchat tvadarthitām //

11.1.79

ataḥ sā siṃhaladvīpaṃ tena mātāmahāntikam /
pitrā visṛṣṭā vahane bhagne nyapatadambudhau //

11.1.80

āyurbaleva cānīya daiveneva mahormiṇā /
velātaṭe samudreṇa nikṣiptā sā vaṇiksutā //

11.1.81

tāvat pitā me bhagavānmataṅgamunirambudhau /
saśiṣyaḥ snātumāyāto mṛtakalpāṃ dadarśa tām //

11.1.82

sa dayāluḥ samāśvāsya tāṃ svamāśramamānayat /
yamune tava pālyeyamiti ca nyastavānmayi //

11.1.83

velātaṭādiyaṃ prāptā mayeti sa mahāmuniḥ /
nāmnā tāmakarodvelāṃ bālāṃ munijanapriyām //

11.1.84

tatsnehena ca cittaṃ me 'payasnehakṛpāmayaḥ /
brahmacaryanirasto 'pi hā saṃsāro 'dya bādhate //

11.1.85

āpāṇigrahaṇāṃ tāṃ ca navayauvanaśobhinīm /
dūyate candrasāraitāṃ darśaṃ darśaṃ mano mama //

11.1.86

sā ca prāgjanmabhāryā te buddhvā ca tvām ihāgatam /
praṇidhānādahaṃ putra saṃprāptaiṣā tavāntikam //

11.1.87

tadāgacchopayacchasva velāṃ tāmasmadarpitām /
kleśo 'nubhūtaḥ sāphalyaṃ bhajatāṃ yuvayor ayam //

11.1.88

ityānandya girānabhravṛṣṭyeva nayati sma sā /
yamunā māṃ bhagavatī mataṅgasyāśramaṃ pituḥ //

Speaking thus, the saintly woman refreshed me with her voice as with cloudless rain, and then she took me to the hermitage of her father, the great hermit Mátanga. And at her request the hermit bestowed on me that Velá, like the happiness of the kingdom of the imagination incarnate in bodily form. But one day, as I wsis living happily with Velá, I commenced a splashing match with her in the water of a tank. And I and Velá, not seeing the hermit Mátanga, who had come there to bathe, sprinkled him inopportunely with some of the water which we threw. That annoyed him, and he denounced a curse on me and my wife, saying, " You shall be separated, you wicked couple." Then Velá clung to his knees, and asked him with plaintive voice to appoint a period for the duration of our curse, and he, after thinking, fixed its end as follows, " When thou shalt behold at a distance Naraváhanadatta the future mighty emperor of the Vidyádharas, who shall beat with a swift elephant a pair of fleet horses, then thy curse shall be at an end, and thou shalt be re-united with thy wife." When the rishi Mátanga had said this, he performed the ceremony of bathing and other ceremonies, and went to Śvetadvípa through the air, to visit the shrine of Vishnu. And Yamuna said to me and my wife " I give you now that shoe covered with valuable jewels, which a Vidyádhara long ago obtained, when it had slipped off from Śiva's foot, and which I seized in childish sport." Thereupon Yamuna also went to Śvetadvípa. Then I having obtained my beloved, and being disgusted with dwelling in the forest, through fear of being separated from my wife, felt a desire to return to my own country. And setting out for my native land, I reached the shore. of the sea; and finding a trading vessel, I put my wife on board, and was preparing to go on board myself, when the wind, conspiring with the hermit's curse, carried off that ship to a distance. When the ship carried off my wife before my eyes, my whole nature was stunned by the shock, and distraction seemed to have found an opening in me, and broke into me and robbed me of consciousness. Then an ascetic came that way, and seeing me insensible, be compassionately brought me round and took me to his hermitage. There he asked me the whole story, and when he found out that it was the consequence of a curse, and that the curse was to end, he animated me with resolution to bear up. Then I found an excellent friend, a merchant, who had escaped from his ship that had foundered in the sea, and I set out with him in search of my beloved. And supported by the hope of the termination of the curse, I wandered through many lands and lasted out many days, until I finally reached this city of Vaiśákha, and heard that you, the jewel of the noble family of the king of Vatsa, had come here. Then I saw you from a distance beat that pair of swift horses with the female elephant, and the weight of the curse fell from me, and I felt my heart lightened. And immediately I saw that dear Velá coming to meet me, whom the good merchants had brought in their ship. Then I was re-united with my wife, who had with her the jewels bestowed by Yamuná, and having by your favour crossed the ocean of separation, I came here, prince of Vatsa, to pay you my respects, and I will now set out cheerfully for my native land with my wife.

11.1.89

vijñaptaś ca tayā tatra tāṃ mataṅgamuniḥ sa me /
dadau velāṃ manorājyasaṃpattim iva rūpiṇīm //

11.1.90

tatas tayā samaṃ tatra velayāhaṃ sukhasthitaḥ /
ekadā tadyuto 'kārṣaṃ jalakeliṃ sarombhasi //

11.1.91

apaśyatā savelenāpyavelaṃ kṣipatā jalam /
siktaḥ snānapravṛtto 'tra sa mataṅgamunirmayā //

11.1.92

sa tena kupitaḥ śāpaṃ sabhārye mayyapātayat /
viyogo bhavitā pāpau daṃpatyoryuvayor iti //

11.1.93

tatas tayā dīnagirā velayā pādalagnayā /
prārthitaḥ sa munirdhyātvā śāpāntaṃ nau samādiśat //

11.1.94

jetā kareṇuvegena yo 'śvaratnayugaṃ balī /
naravāhanadattaṃ taṃ bhāvividyādhareśvaram //

11.1.95

candrasāra yadā drakṣyasyārādvatseśvarātmajam /
saṃgaṃsyase tadā śāpāpraśamādbhāryayānayā //

11.1.96

ity uktvā sa mataṅgarṣiḥ kṛtvā snānādikāṃ kriyām /
darśanāya harervyomnā śvetadvīpaṃ gato 'bhavat //

11.1.97

vidyādhareṇa pādāgrādyaḥ prāpto dhūrjaṭeḥ purā /
tasmānmayā ca bālatvādātto yaścūtapādapaḥ //

11.1.98

so 'yaṃ sadratnanicito datto vāmadhunā mayā /
ity uktvā māṃ sabhāryaṃ sā tatraiva yamunāpyagāt //

11.1.99

athāhaṃ prāptadayito nirviṇṇo vanavāsataḥ /
viyogabhīterabhavaṃ svaṃ deśaṃ prati sotsukaḥ //

11.1.100

tataḥ pravṛttaś cāgantum ahaṃ prāpyām budhes taṭam /
labdhe vaṇikpravahaṇe bhāryām āropayaṃ puraḥ //

11.1.101

svayaṃ cāroḍhumicchāmi yāvattāvat samīraṇaḥ /
muniśāpātsuhṛtpotaṃ taṃ dūramaharanmama //

11.1.102

potena hṛtabhāryasya moho 'pi vinipatya me /
labdhacchidra ivāhārṣīccetanāṃ vihvalātmanaḥ //

11.1.103

tato 'tra tāpasaḥ kaścidāgato vīkṣya mūrcchitam /
kṛpayā māṃ samāśvāsya nītavānāśramaṃ śanaiḥ //

11.1.104

pṛṣṭvā cātra yathāvṛttaṃ śrutvā śāpavijṛmbhitam /
buddhvā ca sāvadhiṃ śāpaṃ dhṛtibandhaṃ vyadhātsa me //

11.1.105

tato 'bdhau bhagnavahanottīrṇaṃ prāpya vaṇigvaram /
sakhāyaṃ milito 'bhūvamanviṣyaṃstāṃ priyāṃ punaḥ //

11.1.106

śāpakṣayāśayā dattahastālambaś ca durgamān /
tāṃstānullaṅghayandeśāndivasāṃś ca bahūnaham //

11.1.107

kramāc ca vaiśākhapuraṃ saṃprāpyedaṃ śruto mayā /
tvaṃ vatseśvarasadvaṃśamukāmaṇirihāgataḥ //

11.1.108

dṛṣṭe ca dūrād dhastinyā vijitāśvayuge tvayi /
ujjhitaḥ sa mayā śāpabhāro laghvantarātmanā //

11.1.109

kṣaṇāc ca saṃmukhāyātāmadrākṣamiha tāṃ priyām /
velāṃ vaṇigbhir ānītāṃ tena potena sādhubhiḥ //

11.1.110

tatas tayāhaṃ yamunāprattasadratnahastayā /
militastvatprasādena tīrṇaśāpamahārṇavaḥ //

11.1.111

ataḥ praṇantuṃ tvāmasmi vatsarājasutāgataḥ /
nirvṛto yāmi cedānīṃ svadeśaṃ dayitāyutaḥ //

11.1.112

iti sa vaṇiji tasminn ātmavṛttāntam uktvā
gatavati caritārthe candrasāre praṇamya /
abhavad ativinamro vatsarājātmaje 'smin
sa kila ruciradevo dṛṣṭamāhātmyahṛṣṭaḥ //

When that excellent merchant Chandrasára, who had accomplished his object, had gone, after prostrating himself before the prince, and telling his story, Ruchiradeva, pleased at beholding the greatness of his guest, was still more obsequious to him. And in addition to the elephant and the pair of horses, he gave his sister, making the duty of hospitality an excuse for doing so, to the prince who was captivated by her beauty. She was a good match for the prince, and her brother had long desired to bestow her upon him in marriage. Naraváhanadatta then took leave of Ruchiradeva, and with his new wife, the elephant, and the two horses, returned to the city of Kauśámbí And he remained there, gladdening his father with his presence, living happily with her and his other wives, of whom Madanamanchuká was the chief.

11.1.113

prādāc ca tāṃ svabhaginīm upacāravṛttim ālambya yuktimanurāgahṛtāya tasmai /
prāgditsitāṃ susadṛśīṃ sa jayendrasenāṃ sadyaḥ kareṇuturagottamayugmayuktām //

11.1.114

sa ca tāmādāya vadhūṃ sāśvavaśāṃ ruciradevamāmantrya /
naravāhanadattaḥ svāṃ kauśāmbīmāyayau nagarīm //

11.1.115

tasyāmāsta ca viharannanditavatseśvarastayā sahitaḥ /
anyābhiś ca sa sukhito devībhir madanamañcukādyābhiḥ //

11.1.115.p2

iti mahākaviśrīsomadevabhaṭṭaviracite kathāsaritsāgare velālambake prathamas taraṅgaḥ /

11.1.115.p3

samāptaś cāyaṃ velālambaka ekādaśaḥ /