Simhasanadvatrimshika 22.p2

22.p2

"O brahmin, from where have you come?" The brahmin said: "I am a pilgrim, wandering the earth. From where have you come?" The king said: "I am a pilgrim just like you." The brahmin, looking closely at the king, said: "O master, who are you? You look exceedingly majestic; all the marks of royalty are visible. You are worthy of a throne; why are you wandering the earth? Or else, who can transgress what is written on the forehead? And it is said: / 'Even by Hari, even by Hara, even by Brahmā, even by the gods, / the line written on the forehead cannot be erased.' 4 / Hearing his words, the king agreed; why? Because it was endowed with reason. And it is said: / 'A statement endowed with reason is to be accepted even from a child; / and anything else, devoid of reason, is to be discarded like grass, even if spoken by the lotus-born [Brahmā].' 5 / The king said: "O brahmin, why do you look so exhausted?" He said: "What can I say about the cause of my fatigue? I have fallen into great distress." The king said: "Tell the cause of it." The brahmin said: "O King, listen. Nearby here is a mountain named Nīla. There is a goddess there named Kāmākṣī. There, the entrance to an opening to the underworld remains locked. It is opened by the recitation of the mantra of Kāmākṣī. Inside it is a jar of alchemy-elixir. By means of that elixir, the eight metals turn into gold. For twelve years the mantra of Kāmākṣī was recited [by me]. Yet the entrance to the opening is not unlocked. Because of that, I have fallen into great grief." The king said: "Show that place; I will devise some means." Then he showed that place to the king. There, both went to sleep at night. In the king's dream the goddess appeared and said: "O King, why have you come?