Pramāṇa · Search · About · API

Simhasanadvatrimshika 24

English (machine translation) 24

Language
English

24.p1

Once again, as the king was about to sit upon the throne, another statuette said: "O King, he who possesses generosity and other virtues like Vikrama is capable of sitting upon this throne, no other." The king said: "O statuette, tell the story of his generosity." She said: "Listen, O King. In the kingdom of Vikramāditya there was a city named Purandarapurī. There lived a certain very wealthy merchant. He had four sons. Then, as much time passed, the merchant grew old and fell ill; at the time of death he summoned his four sons and said: 'O sons, when I am dead, you four may or may not remain together, and afterwards a dispute will arise. Therefore, while I am still alive, I have divided [the inheritance] among the four of you in order of age. Here, beneath the four legs of the bed, four portions have been placed; take them in order from eldest to youngest.' And they agreed. Then, when he had gone to the other world, the four brothers stayed together for a month. Then a quarrel arose among their wives. Thereupon they reflected: 'Why make a commotion here? Our father while still alive previously made the division among the four [of us]; let us take the wealth of the shares placed under the bed, and live happily separated.' Having said this, as they dug under the bed, four copper caskets came out from under the four legs. Among them, in one casket was earth, in one were coals, in another were bones, and in one was straw. Seeing these four things, the four brothers were astonished and said to one another: 'Ah, our father made a proper division; who knows this method of division?' Having said this, they entered the assembly and reported this matter before it. The assembly members did not understand the method of division. Again the four brothers, wherever in any town there were knowledgeable people, reported this matter before them; yet they too could not determine it.

24.p2

Once, arriving in Ujjayinī, they went to the royal court and recounted the affair of the division before the king's assembly, but the method of the division was not understood by the king or by the assembly. Afterwards, having once come to the city of Pratiṣṭhāna, they spoke before the distinguished citizens residing there. The solution was not understood by them either. At that time, Śālivāhana, who lived in a potter's house, heard this account, went there, and said to the distinguished citizens: "Noble sirs, what is difficult to understand here? What is so wondrous? How is this method of division not understood by you?" They said: "O lad, we are bewildered, and we do not comprehend it; if it is known to you, explain what the method of division is." Śālivāhana said: "These four are the sons of one merchant. While still alive, their father made the division according to the order of eldest to youngest. Namely: to the eldest, earth was given, by which was given all the acquired land. To the second, straw was given, by which was given all the grain. To the third, bones were given, by which were given all the cattle. To the fourth, coals were given, by which was given all the gold." Thus the determination of their division was made by Śālivāhana. And they, being satisfied, went to their own city.

24.p3

King Vikrama also, having heard this report of the determination of the division, was struck with great wonder and sent a letter to the city of Pratiṣṭhāna, saying: "Hail! King Vikrama, having first inquired after your welfare, says to the distinguished citizens residing in the city of Pratiṣṭhāna, who are devoted to the six duties of sacrificing and performing sacrifices for others, studying and teaching, giving and receiving gifts, and who are dedicated to virtues such as restraint and observance: let him who settled the division of these four in your town be sent into our presence." The distinguished citizens, having read the letter sent by the king, summoned Śālivāhana and said: "O Śālivāhana, the supreme king of kings, the sovereign lord, whose feet are bowed to by rival rulers of the earth, King Vikrama, dweller of Ujjayinī, the wishing-tree of all supplicants, summons you. Go there." He said: "How great is King Vikrama? I will not go just because he summons me. If he has business, let him come himself. I have no business with him at all." Having heard his words, the distinguished citizens sent a letter back to the king saying, "He will not go." Then the king, hearing the contents written in the letter, his body blazing with the fire of wrath, set out with an army of eighteen akṣauhiṇīs, arrived at the city of Pratiṣṭhāna, surrounded it, and sent envoys to Śālivāhana. Then the envoys approached and said to Śālivāhana: "O Śālivāhana, the king of all kings, King Vikrama, summons you; therefore come into his presence." Śālivāhana said: "O envoys, alone I will not see the king; endowed with a fourfold army I will meet Vikrama on the battlefield. Inform the king thus." Having heard his words, those envoys reported it to the king just as it was. Hearing that, King Vikrama went to the battlefield to fight. Śālivāhana, taking clay from the potter's house, fashioned elephants, horses, chariots, and foot-soldiers, brought them to life with a mantra, and having set out from the city with that very fourfold army, arrived at the battlefield. Then, at the time of the departure of both armies:

24.1

The circle of the directions trembled out of fear; the ocean became violently agitated; / in the netherworld the lord of serpents was terrified; the mountains shook; / the earth spun round; great venomous serpents vomited violent poison; / everything was manifoldly upset in this manner upon the march of the ruler's army. || 1

24.2

With countless troops of horses whose speed equalled the wind, / and troops of elephants in rut, the splendour of the army shone; / the whole sky was covered with flags, fly-whisks, and banners, / and the three worlds with the loud sounds of drums, kettledrums, and war horns. || 2

24.p4

The entire sky was pervaded by the abundant dust raised by the horses' hooves,

24.3

the middle space was entirely covered with parasols, and the earth was filled with heroes; / amid the roars produced by the chariots, the sound produced by the drum could not even be heard in the ear; / endowed with the terrible, frightening roars of the heroes, the army marched forward. || 3

24.p5

Then both divisions met. At that moment: with clubs, pike weapons, khalakhuraṇas, maces, hammers, crescent-headed arrows, iron shafts, sling-stones, plows, pestles, darts, spears, swords, paṭṭīśas, discs, thunderbolts, and other very sharp divine weapons,

24.4

thus the mutual combat of the noble warriors took place as the pair of armies clashed. || 4

24.p6

There in that battle:

24.5

Some noble warriors indeed, being struck on the field of battle, fell lifeless; / some, having fallen into a swoon, rose up again by their own strength; / they burst into loud laughter, recalling their former honour rather than their own degradation / and their former favour, and they ran forward, having conquered the fear of death, displaying valour in their limbs. || 5

24.6

Some indeed produced terror in their enemies through fear of the combat; / some, their bodies struck down by full blows, became lovers of celestial maidens; / some indeed, possessing firm courage, their bellies pierced by the enemy and their entrails hanging down, / their bodies shattered by blows, yet devoid of fear, went to fight with the foes. || 6

24.7

There the masses of the enemy's weapons such as daggers shone like shoals of fish; / the mass of hair, sinews, veins, and entrails appeared like moss; / the fallen carcases of lordly elephants shone like ghost-ships upon such an ocean of men, / and the bones in the blood shone like conch shells. || 7

24.p7

A great battle took place. Then Vikramārka struck down Śālivāhana's army. Śālivāhana too, being in utter despair, remembered the boon granted by his father, "Remember me in time of peril," and called to mind his father Śeṣanāgendra. Śeṣa sent forth all the serpents; bitten by those serpents, Vikramāditya's entire army fell senseless upon the battlefield. Thereafter King Vikrama, having returned alone to his city, performed the mantra of Vāsuki for a year standing up to his waist in water to revive his army. Then Vāsuki, pleased with him, said: "O King, choose a boon." The king said: "O King of Serpents, if you are pleased, grant me a jar of nectar to revive my army, which lies senseless from the power of the serpent poison." Saying "So be it," Vāsuki gave the jar of nectar. Taking that jar of nectar, as King Vikrama was on his way, a certain brahmin approached him and pronounced a blessing:

24.8

"May that tusk-shaft of Hari as the playful boar protect you, / where the earth, having the snow-mountain as its finial, took on the beauty of an umbrella." || 8

24.p8

Then the king said: "O brahmin, where have you come from?" The brahmin said: "I have come from the city of Pratiṣṭhāna." The king said: "What do you say?" The brahmin said: "You are a wish-fulfilling jewel for supplicants, since you are able to grant whatever thing is thought of. Now I have a desire for one thing; if it will be given, then I shall speak." The king said: "Whatever you ask for, I will give." The brahmin said: "You must give me the jar of nectar." The king said: "By whom were you sent?" The brahmin said: "I was sent by Śālivāhana." Hearing this, the king reflected: "I have previously said to him, 'I will give it.' If it is not given now, there will be infamy and unrighteousness as well. Therefore it must certainly be given." The brahmin said: "O King, why do you hesitate? You are a good man; the word of a good man is not retracted. And thus it is said:

24.9

"'Even if the sun rises in the western quarter, / even if Mount Meru moves, even if fire becomes cold, / even if a lotus blooms on a rock on a mountain-top, / the word of good men is never retracted.' || 9

24.p9

And likewise:

24.10

"'Even today, Hara indeed does not spit out the kālakūṭa poison; / the tortoise surely bears the earth upon its back; / the ocean carries the unbearable submarine fire; / virtuous men keep what they have undertaken.' || 10

24.p10

The king said: "You have spoken the truth; take the jar of nectar." Thus he gave it to him. He too, having praised the king, departed to his own abode. The king also went to Ujjayinī. Having told this story, the statuette said to the king: "O King, if such generosity exists in you, then sit upon this throne." Hearing that, the king fell silent. Thus ends the twenty-fourth tale.

Translations (1)

Linked texts (1)