The Beginnings of Buddhist Art and Other Essays in Indian and Central-Asian Archaeology c6.s1.13

c6.s1.13

XXII. Elsewhere the Bodhisattva has become the Pandit Vidhura, minister of the king of Indraprastha. The fame of his wisdom and eloquence is so great, that the wife of a Nâga conceives a fancy for hearing him speak. In order to make more sure of him being brought to her, the undine pretends to have a « desire », that of eating his heart. Behold the husband much disturbed : « As well ask for the moon », he remarks (*Jât.* 545). But what is there that women cannot do? The four panels of one pillar are consecrated to the description of how the daughter of the Nâga was not long in finding a young captain of the genii, who, for love of her « beaux yeux », charges himself with the commission; how the young gallant challenges the king of Indraprastha to play, and with one cast of the dice wins his minister from him; how he vainly endeavours to kill the latter by throwing him down from the top of a mountain; and how, in the end, he decides to take him alive to the house of the Nâga, to the great satisfaction of his future mother-in-law, who thus obtains from the mouth of the sage the little private lecture which she desired (CUNNINGHAM, XVIII). And, as is always the case with these Buddhist tales, all is well that ends well.