[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Epic, Poetry, Drama & Narrative](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit) › [Story collections and fables](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.short_stories) › [Simhasanadvatrimshika](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.short_stories.simhasana) › 13.p1 # Simhasanadvatrimshika 13.p1 Siṃhāsanadvātriṃśikā 13.p1 - **Language:** Sanskrit ### [13.p1](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.short_stories.simhasana.13.p1) punar api rājā yāvat siṃhāsana upaviśati, tāvad anyā puttalikā bhaṇati: bho rājan, asmin siṃhāsana upaveṣṭuṃ sa eva samarthaḥ, yasya vikramasyau 'dāryādaryo guṇā bhavanti. bhojarājo 'vadat. bhoḥ puttalike, kathaya tasyau 'daryavṛttāntam. puttalikā vadati. śṛṇu rājan. ekadā vikramārko rājyabhāraṃ mantrivarge nidāya svayaṃ yogiveṣeṇa pṛthvīparyaṭanaṃ kartuṃ nirgataḥ. grāma ekāṃ rātriṃ nayati, nagare pañcarātrīr gamayati. evaṃ paribhramann ekadā nagaram ekam agamat. tannagarasamīpasthitanadītaṭe devālayam ekam āsīt. tasmin devālaye sarve mahājanāḥ paurāṇikāt purāṇaṃ śṛṇvanti. rājā 'pi nadyāṃ snātvā devālayaṃ gatvā devaṃ namaskṛtya mahājanasamīpa upaviṣtaḥ. tasmin samaye paurāṇikaḥ purāṇavākyāni paṭhati: > When the king was again ascending the throne, another statue said: “O king, only he who has the magnanimity and other virtues of Vikrama is worthy to mount this throne.” King Bhoja said: “O statue, tell me a tale of his magnanimity.” And the statue said: “Hear, O king. > — Franklin Edgerton 1926, Vikrama's Adventures, or The Thirty-two Tales of the Throne > One time Vikramārka put the burden of the government in the hands of his ministers and himself went forth in the guise of an ascetic to wander about the earth. In a village he spent a single night, in a city five nights. As he was thus wandering, one day he came to a certain city. On the bank of a river near this city there was a certain shrine. In this shrine all the people of the place were listening to a purāṇa \[ancient semi-sacred text\] read by a purāṇa-sage. The king also, when he had bathed in the river, went into the temple and made obeisance to the god, and then sat down near the crowd. At that time the purāṇa-sage was reciting these verses from the purāṇa: 1. Transitory are our bodies, our wealth lasts not forever, and death is always nigh; let a store of righteousness be accumulated. 2. Hear the whole essence of religion, as it is set forth in myriads of lawbooks. Virtue is doing good to others; wickedness is oppression of others. 3. He who is grieved at seeing other creatures grieved and rejoist at seeing them rejoist knows the finality of religion. 4. Whosoever gives security to living beings which are in fear of danger — there is no higher religion at all for mortals than this. 5. A far greater reward goes to him who gives life to a single creature, than to him who gives a thousand cows to thousands of brahmans every day. 6. Whosoever is full of compassion and gives security to all creatures, he never perishes, even when he loses his body. 7. Easy to find upon earth are givers of gold, of kine, of land, and the like; hard to find in the world is a man who is full of compassion for every living creature. 8. The fruit even of great sacrifices is exhausted in time; if one gives security, the fruit of the gift is never exhausted. 9. Alms, offerings, asceticism performed, journeys of pilgrimage, and sacred lore as well, all are not worth the sixteenth part of the gift of security. 10. As between one who gives this whole earth bounded by the four seas and one who gives security to creatures, the giver of security is the greater. 11. Whosoever does not acquire imperishable righteousness with this perishable body, which is subject to destruction from moment to moment, is a miserable fool. 12. If this body is not to be applied to the service of living creatures, then why forsooth do men do service to it day by day ? 13. All the ritual offerings, with complete princely fees (to the the officiating priests), are equal only to the saving of the life of one living creature in fear of danger. In short: 14. A man who makes it his supreme occupation to help others in the world, shall obtain good fortune and a (station) higher even than the highest \[perhaps = final beatitude\]. > — Franklin Edgerton 1926, Vikrama's Adventures, or The Thirty-two Tales of the Throne - [Previous: 12.p14](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.short_stories.simhasana.12.p14) - [Next: 13.1](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.short_stories.simhasana.13.1) - [Up: 13](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.short_stories.simhasana.13) ## Translations (2) - [Vikrama's Adventures, or The Thirty-two Tales of the Throne](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.short_stories.simhasana~en-edgerton.13.p3) — Franklin Edgerton 1926, English - [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.short_stories.simhasana~en-mt.13.p1) — English, machine translation --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.short_stories.simhasana.13.p1](https://indike.org/pramana/in.lit.short_stories.simhasana.13.p1) · Pramāṇa