Sexual Life in Ancient India: A Study in the Comparative History of Indian Culture v1.c8.8

v1.c8.8

Then the complaisant husband went off to three kings one after the other to ask for what he needed. All three welcomed him most reverently at the extreme frontiers of the land, and put all their possessions at his disposal. But each time the holy man saw that their income and their expenditure exactly balanced one another, and he had no wish to bring hurt on living beings by having in such a case taken anything for himself. Accompanied by the first king, he came to the second, then together with these two to the third ; and now together with the three and on their suggestion he went on to the exceedingly rich Daitya Ilvala, well known for his malicious wickedness towards the Brahmans. He had been angered by one of the priestly caste, who would not grant him a son equal to Indra. He now magically changed his younger brother Vātāpi into a goat, slaughtered him, made him ready, and set him before the Brahman. When the Brahman had eaten him, the other called back to life him that was eaten, and the laughing monster that came walking out from the belly naturally thereby split his host in twain. Thus did Ilvala slay many Brahmans. When Agastya, with the three kings, now offered himself as his guest, to him too did he dish up his brother, magically turned into a goat and daintily made ready, and great was the fear of the three brave warriors when the good holy man ate the dish up quite calmly. But the wicked man this time had fallen into his own trap : in answer to his wonted loud “ Vātāpi, come out !” there came from under the high-souled one a wind with a mighty roar, like a thundering cloud.¹ When he went on calling to arouse his brother again, the pious belly-hero laughed him to scorn, and let him know that the brother had long ago been digested.¹ The Daitya prince was beaten and humbly offered his services. Agastya demanded for each of the three kings ten thousand oxen, and the same number of gold pieces, but for himself twice as much, and a golden chariot forthwith, with two fleet steeds before it, swift as thought. All this the poor demon had to give, and with the three kings and all the treasure the holy artist in eating and drinking drove into his hermitage. Then there was nothing more to stand in the way of the longed for love union. Lopamudrā got her princessly wish and a lusty son.