Simhasanadvatrimshika 29.p3

29.p3

bho rājan, tvam arthijanakalpadrumaḥ. aham adya daridratayā mukto 'smi. anyac ca: asminn avasare rājā smartavyaḥ; yathā tvam atra rājyaṃ kurvan sakalārthilokam ātmasamaṃ karoṣi, tatho 'ttarasyāṃ diśi himavadīśānabhāge jambīranagare dhaneśvaro nāma rājā 'rthināṃ dāridryaduḥkhaṃ nivārya dhanapatīn karoti. ekadā tena dhaneśvareṇa māghaśuddhasaptamīdivase vasantapūjā kṛtā. sarvo 'pi videśavāsī yācakajanaḥ samāyātaḥ. tasminn avasare tena rājñā dānārtham aṣṭādaśakoṭisuvarṇaṃ dattam. evam audāryaguṇagariṣṭhaḥ sa rājā. asmin deśe tvam eka eva dṛṣṭo 'si mayā. tasya vacanaṃ śrutvā rājā bhāṇḍāgārikam āhūyā 'bhaṇat: bho bhāṇḍāgārika, amuṃ stutipāṭhakaṃ bhāṇḍāgāraṃ nītvā mahārhāṇi ratnāni darśaya. tato 'yaṃ yāvanti ratnāni gṛhiṣyati, tāvanti gṛhṇātu. tadanantaraṃ bhāṇḍāgārikas taṃ bhāṇḍāgāraṃ nītvā divyāny anekāni ratnāny adarśayat. stutipāṭhako 'pi svepsitāni ratnāni gṛhītvā paripūrṇamanoratho rājasamīpam āgatya bhaṇati: bho rājan, tava prasādād ahaṃ dhanapatir jāto 'smi. navā 'pi nidhayo mama haste prāptāḥ. idānīṃ tava sādṛśyaviṣayam atikrāntaṃ hiraṇyagarbhādayo 'pi na bibhrati; yato mahāparābhavādidoṣaṃ prāptāḥ. tvaṃ punaḥ sarvakālam atitejasvī. atas te tavo 'pamānabhūtā na bhavanti.

O king, you are a tree of wishes to your suppliants; today I am freed from my poverty. And furthermore, at this time I would make mention of a certain king; even as you in governing your kingdom here treat all suppliants as your own self, so in the north country, in Jambīra city, in the Lord’s [Çiva’s] quarter [the northeast] of the Himālaya, there is a king named Dhaneçvara [‘Lord of Wealth’], who averts from his suppliants the grief of their poverty and makes them lords of wealth. One time this Dhaneçvara celebrated the spring festival on the seventh day of the light half of the month Māgha. And all the beggars even of foreign countries came together. At that time this king gave away in gifts eighteen crores of gold; so eminent was the king in the virtue of liberality. Yet even in this region I had eyes only for you.”

Hearing his words the king called his treasurer and said: “O treasurer, take that panegyrist into the treasury and show him the precious stones of great price, and let him take from thence as many jewels as he shall pick out.” And immediately the treasurer took him to the treasure-house, and showed him the many beautiful jewels; and the panegyrist took whatever jewels he desired. And when his wishes were completely satisfied, he returned to the king’s presence and said: “O king, by your grace I am become a Lord of Wealth [title of Kubera, god of wealth]; for all his [Kubera’s] nine treasures have come into my hands. Now even the gods, Brahmā and the rest, do not possess such a boundless scope as you; since they all are blemisht by serious humiliations or the like, but you are glorious perpetually. Therefore they are not to be compared with you. For thus (it is said): 4. Çiva was thrown out upon his head [punningly: ‘wears the half-moon’]; Viṣṇu’s bravery is tempered by fear of Kaṅsa [uncle and enemy of Viṣṇu incarnate as Kṛṣṇa]; even Brahmā is of ignoble origin [punningly: ‘is born from (Viṣṇu’s) navel’]; with whom shall we compare your majesty, O king?