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Simhasanadvatrimshika 18

English (machine translation) 18

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English

18.p1

Once again, as the king is about to sit on the throne, another statuette says: "O king, only he in whom the qualities of Vikrama, such as generosity, exist, should occupy this throne." The king said: "Tell the story of his generosity and other virtues." The statuette said: "O king, listen. Vikramārka does not rule the kingdom transgressing worldly wisdom, nor does he abandon righteousness." The king said: "Let that path of worldly wisdom be told." The statuette says: "O king, listen. In Maṇipūra there was a brahmin named Govindaśarman; and he, knowledgeable in the learned treatise on worldly wisdom, taught the learned treatise on worldly wisdom to his son every day. At that time I too heard it; I relate that to you." The king said: "Expound it." The statuette said: "Listen, O king. An intelligent man should not keep company with wicked people, because it becomes the cause of a succession of great misfortunes. And it is said: / Association with the ill-behaved is the cause of a succession of misfortunes for the good; a reproach has been recorded in this regard:

18.1

The lord of Laṅkā abducts the wife of Daśaratha's son, / and the king of the southern ocean suffers bondage. || 1

18.p2

Therefore, association with good people should be cultivated. In the world, there is no greater gain than the company of the good. And it is said:

18.2

It makes joy sprout; it puts to shame the gentle breeze, the moon, and sandalwood; / it dispels sluggishness; and the company of the good brings about fortunes. || 2

18.p3

Moreover: one should not form enmity with anyone; one should not cause torment to others; servants must not be punished without an offense; a wife must not be abandoned without a great fault, because one becomes a partaker of unending hell. And it is said:

18.3

She who carries out commands, is capable, gives birth to heroes, speaks pleasantly, / and is free from seen faults—he who abandons her will go to unending hell. || 3

18.p4

Fortune should not be thought stable; it is fickle like water. And it is said:

18.4

Enjoy and give wealth; honour those worthy of honour; resort to the virtuous; / fortune is extremely fickle, like a lamp-flame stirred by a very violent wind. || 4

18.p5

A secret must not be disclosed to a woman; anxiety about the future should not be entertained; welfare alone must be wished even for enemies; one should not make a day barren without giving, studying, and the like; service to parents must be performed; conversation with thieves must not be had; a harsh reply must never be spoken; much should not be lost for the sake of little. And it is said:

18.5

A wise man should not destroy much for the sake of very little; / for this indeed is wisdom: that much is preserved through little. || 5

18.p6

A gift should be given to one in distress; in an abode of righteousness, benevolence towards others should be performed with mind, deed, and speech. This is taught as the treatise on worldly wisdom for ordinary men. That King Vikrama, by his very nature, was knowledgeable in all treatises on worldly wisdom. As time passed in this manner, one day a certain foreigner, having seen the king, sat down. Then the king said: "O Devadatta, where is your home?" He said: "O king, I am a foreigner; I have no home at all; I always wander about." The king said: "From wandering the earth, what wondrous things have you seen?" He said: "O king, I have seen a great wonder." The king said: "What is it? Tell me." He said: "On Mount Udayācala there is a great palace of the sun. There the Gaṅgā flows, and on the bank of the Gaṅgā there is a temple of Śiva that destroys sin. From that stream of the Gaṅgā, a certain golden pillar emerges. Upon it is a throne studded with the nine gems. From sunrise, that golden pillar reaches above the earth, and at midday it reaches the orb of the sun; then, as the sun reaches setting, it too, descending on its own, submerges into the stream of the Gaṅgā. It happens there every single day. This great wonder was seen by me." King Vikrama also, having heard that, went to that place with him and fell asleep at night. At dawn, as the sun reached rising, the golden pillar fitted with the jewel-throne emerged from the stream of the Gaṅgā. The king sat down upon that pillar himself. The pillar began to proceed to the orb of the sun; as it came near the sun, the king's body was burnt by the sun's rays, which were like sparks of fire, and became the shape of a lump of flesh. Then, reaching the orb of the sun in the form of a lump:

18.6

Homage to Savitṛ, the sole eye of the world, the cause of the creation, preservation, and destruction of the world; / whose nature is the threefold Veda, bearing the essence of the three qualities, whose self is Viriñci, Nārāyaṇa, and Śaṃkara. || 6

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—having praised him with many such hymns, he bowed down. Then the sun sprinkled him with nectar; thereupon the king acquired a celestial body. The king said: "I am blessed." The sun said: "O king, you are exceedingly brave; you have reached this orb, which is unapproachable to anyone. Therefore, I am pleased; choose a boon." The king said: "O Lord, is there any boon higher than this: that I have reached your place, which is unapproachable even to great sages? By your favor, every desire of mine is fulfilled." Greatly delighted by his words, the sun gave him his own two earrings studded with the nine gems and said: "O king, these two earrings give one bhāra of gold every day." Then the king, having taken the pair of earrings, bowed again to the sun, descended from there, and as he was returning to Ujjayinī, a certain brahmin approached him on the road and,

18.7

He whom in the Upaniṣads they call the sole Person, who stands pervading heaven and earth, / in whom the word "Īśvara", applied to no other subject, bears its literal meaning, / and who is sought within by those seeking liberation, who have restrained their breath and other vital airs— / may that Sthāṇu, easily attained through steadfast devotion, be for your highest bliss! || 7

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—having spoken this blessing, said: "O patron, I am a brahmin with a large family, but utterly destitute; I wander about everywhere begging, yet it does not fill my belly." Hearing that, the king gave him the pair of earrings and said: "O brahmin, these two earrings will constantly give one bhāra of gold." Then the brahmin, exceedingly delighted, praised the king and went to his own home. The king, too, went to Ujjayinī. Having told this story, the statuette said to King Bhoja: "O king, if such generosity exists in you, then sit upon this throne." The king became silent. Thus ends the eighteenth story.

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