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Simhasanadvatrimshika 8

English (machine translation) 8

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English

8.p1

Again, as the king was about to sit upon the throne, another statuette said: 'O King, if you possess the generosity of Vikrama, then sit upon this throne.' King Bhoja said: 'Relate the story of his generosity.' She said: 'Listen, O King! King Vikrama knows everything throughout the earthly realm—various amusements, marvels, ancient tales, curiosities, and the like—through the mouths of his spies. And it is said:

8.1

Cows see by scent, the twice-born through the Veda alone, / kings see through spies, and other people with their eyes. || 1

8.p2

Listen, O King! He who is a king must know the entire condition of the world; the mind [of the people] everywhere must be known. The subjects must be properly protected, the wicked punished, the virtuous safeguarded, wealth must be acquired justly, and he must act with impartiality toward petitioners: these alone are the five great sacrifices of a king. And thus it is said:

8.2

Punishment of the wicked, honouring the virtuous, / increasing the treasury justly, / impartiality toward petitioners, and protection of the kingdom: / these alone are declared the five sacrifices of kings. || 2

8.p3

Moreover: What use is worship of the gods to a king who oppresses the inhabitants of his realm?

8.3

that is his divine rite, muttering prayers, sacrifices, and oblations, / by which no tears fall in his realm. || 3

8.p4

While Vikrama was ruling thus, spies who had wandered over the earth once came into the king's presence, and upon being questioned by the king, they said: 'O King, in the land of Kashmir there is a merchant endowed with great wealth. That merchant dug a tank five leagues wide; in its center he had a temple built to Nārāyaṇa reclining upon the water; but no water gathers [in it]. Again, for the sake of making water flow, that merchant had the four kinds of oblations, lustrations, and other rites performed by brahmins addressed to Varuṇa. Even so, no water gathers. Then, dejected, that merchant sat upon the bank of the tank and sighed day after day: "Alas, by no means does water gather; my toil has proved in vain!" One day, while he was sitting upon the bank of the tank, a non-human voice arose in the sky: "Why, O son of a merchant, for what reason do you sigh? When the tank is sprinkled with the throat-blood of a man possessed of the thirty-two marks, only then will there be pure water, and not otherwise." Having heard this, that merchant set up a great soup kitchen upon the bank of the tank; all the people dwelling in his land came to that soup kitchen to eat; the officials stationed there said in front of those inhabitants of the land: "To whoever sprinkles the tank with his throat-blood, one hundred bhāras of gold will be given." Everyone heard their words, but no one undertook that rash deed. Such a great marvel was seen.'

8.p5

Having heard their words, King Vikramārka went there himself. Seeing the exceedingly magnificent temple of Viṣṇu reclining upon the water and the immensely broad tank, he was filled with wonder, and reflected in his mind: 'If I sprinkle this tank with my throat-blood, then it will become filled with water, and it will be a benevolence towards all people. This body of mine, even if it endures for a hundred years, will inevitably perish; therefore a great man should feel no attachment to the body; even the body should be given away for the sake of benevolence towards others. And it is said:

8.4

Though sustaining life even for a hundred autumns, / lying upon his bed, a man goes wholly to destruction; / those who form no attachment to the body—in which misfortune easily befalls and which is despised by all the world— / are truly the luminaries of the world. || 4

8.p6

And moreover:

8.5

Always overcome by disease, always the abode of sorrow, / always subject to falling is the bodily cage of embodied beings. || 5

8.6

The fruit of this [life] has been attained only by those of meritorious deeds / who, detached from the self-interest of life, have worn out their bodies. || 6 ||'

8.p7

Having reflected thus, he went into the interior of the shrine standing before him, performed worship to Viṣṇu reclining upon the water, bowed down, and said: 'O water deity, you desire the throat-blood of a man possessed of the thirty-two marks; therefore, satisfied by this throat-blood of mine, fill this tank with water.' Having spoken thus, just as he placed the sword to his throat, the deity caught the sword and said: 'O hero, I am pleased with you; choose a boon.' The king said: 'If you have become pleased with me, then fill this tank with water.' Again the goddess said: 'O King, depart quickly from this place; by the time you look back, it will be filled with water.' Hearing this, the king quickly went to the bank of the tank; and the tank became filled with water. King Vikrama also went to his own city. Having told this tale, the statuette said to King Bhoja: 'O King, if virtues such as generosity, benevolence towards others, and excellence of courage are present in you, then sit upon this throne.'

8.p8

Thus ends the eighth tale.

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