Simhasanadvatrimshika 31.p3

31.p3

ity aśisam uktvā rājño haste phalam ekam adāt. tata upaviṣṭo bhaṇati: bho rājan, ahaṃ mārgaśirṣamāse kṛṣṇacaturdaśīdivase mahāśmaśāne havanaṃ kariṣyāmi. tarhi bhavān paropakārī mahāsattvādhikaḥ; tatra mama tvayo 'ttarasādhakena bhavitavyam. rājño 'ktam: mayā kiṃ kartavyam? digambareṇo 'ktam: tasya śmaśānasya nā 'tidūre śamīpādapo 'sti. tatra kaścid vetālas tiṣṭhati. so 'pi tvayā maunenā 'netavyaḥ. rājñā tathā kariṣyāmī 'ti pratijñā dattā. kṣapaṇakaḥ kṛṣṇacaturdaśīdivase mahāśmaśāne homasādhanadravyāṇi gṛhītvā sthitaḥ. rājā 'pi mahāniśīthe śmaśānaṃ gataḥ. tena darśītaḥ śamīvṛkṣamārgaḥ; tena mārgeṇa śamīvṛkṣaṃ prāpya vetālaṃ skandhe gṛhītvā yāvac chmaśānamārga āgacchati, tāvad vetāleno 'ktam: bho rājan, mārgaśramāpanayanārthaṃ kāpi kathā kathyatām. rājā maunabhaṅgabhayāt tūṣṇīṃ sthitaḥ. punar vetāleno 'ktam: bho rājan, tvaṃ kathāṃ na kathayasi, maunabhaṅgabhayāt; tarhy ahaṃ kathāṃ kathayāmi; kathāvasāne mama praśnottaraṃ jnātvā 'pi maunabhaṅgabhayān na kathayiṣyasi cet, tava śiraḥ sahasradhā bhagnaṃ bhaviṣyatī 'ti bhaṇitvā kathāṃ kathayati:

Then he gave a fruit into the king’s hand, and have taken a seat he said: “O king, on the fourteenth day of the dark half of the month Mārgaçīrṣa I intend to perform a sacrifice in a great cemetery. Now your majesty is both a benefactor of others and a great hero; so be my assistant thereat.” The king said: “What must I do?” Said the ascetic: “Not far from this graveyard there is a çamī tree, upon which hangs a vetāla [vampire]. You must bring the vetāla to me, in silence.” The king promist that he would do it. On the fourteenth day of the dark half of the month the ascetic took his stand in the great cemetery, with the articles for performing the sacrifice. And at dead of night the king too went to the cemetery, and the ascetic showed him the way to the çamī tree. Coming to the çamī tree by that path he took the vetāla on his shoulder; and as he was returning on the way to the cemetery, the vetāla said: “O king, to relieve the weariness of the road let some tale be told.” The king made no reply, fearing to break the silence. The vetāla said again: “O king, you will not tell a story thru fear of breaking the silence. So I will tell a story; and at the end of the story, if you know the answer to the question I shall ask, and yet do not speak thru fear of breaking the silence, then your head shall be split into a thousand pieces.” So speaking he told a story: “Hear, O king!