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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Twenty-two Goblins, by Unknown
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Twenty-two Goblins
+
+Author: Unknown
+
+Translator: Arthur William Ryder
+
+Posting Date: March 21, 2009 [EBook #2290]
+Release Date: August, 2000
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TWENTY-TWO GOBLINS ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by "Batsy" Bybell.  HTML version by Al Haines.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+TWENTY-TWO GOBLINS
+
+
+
+
+Translated from the Sanskrit by Arthur William Ryder
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+
+
+Introduction
+
+Goblin-story
+
+1.  The Prince's Elopement. Whose fault was the resulting death of his
+parents-in-law?
+
+2.  The Three Lovers who brought the Dead Girl to Life. Whose wife
+should she be?
+
+3.  The Parrot and the Thrush. Which are worse, men or women?
+
+4.  King Shudraka and Hero's Family. Which of the five deserves the
+most honour?
+
+5.  The Brave Man, the Wise Man, and the Clever Man. To which should
+the girl be given?
+
+6.  The Girl who transposed the Heads of her Husband and Brother. Which
+combination of head and body is her husband?
+
+7.  The Mutual Services of King Fierce-lion and Prince Good. Which is
+the more deserving?
+
+8.  The Specialist in Food, the Specialist in Women, and the Specialist
+in Cotton. Which is the cleverest?
+
+9.  The Four Scientific Suitors. To which should the girl be given?
+
+10. The Three Delicate Wives of King Virtue-banner. Which is the most
+delicate?
+
+11. The King who won a Fairy as his Wife. Why did his counsellor's
+heart break?
+
+12. The Brahman who died because Poison from a Snake in the Claws of a
+Hawk fell into a Dish of Food given him by a Charitable Woman. Who is
+to blame for his death?
+
+13. The Girl who showed Great Devotion to the Thief. Did he weep or
+laugh?
+
+14. The Man who changed into a Woman at Will. Was his wife his or the
+other man's?
+
+15. The Fairy Prince Cloud-chariot and the Serpent Shell-crest. Which
+is the more self-sacrificing?
+
+16. The King who died for Love of his General's Wife; the General
+follows him in Death. Which is the more worthy?
+
+17. The Youth who went through the Proper Ceremonies. Why did he fail
+to win the magic spell?
+
+18. The Boy whom his Parents, the King, and the Giant conspired to
+Kill. Why did he laugh at the moment of death?
+
+19. The Man, his Wife, and her Lover, who all died for Love. Which was
+the most foolish?
+
+20. The Four Brothers who brought a Dead Lion to Life. Which is to
+blame when he kills them all?
+
+21. The Old Hermit who exchanged his Body for that of the Dead Boy. Why
+did he weep and dance?
+
+22. The Father and Son who married Daughter and Mother. What relation
+were their children?
+
+Conclusion
+
+
+
+
+TWENTY-TWO GOBLINS
+
+INTRODUCTION
+
+On the bank of the Godavari River is a kingdom called the Abiding
+Kingdom. There lived the son of King Victory, the famous King
+Triple-victory, mighty as the king of the gods. As this king sat in
+judgment, a monk called Patience brought him every day one piece of
+fruit as an expression of homage. And the king took it and gave it each
+day to the treasurer who stood near. Thus twelve years passed.
+
+Now one day the monk came to court, gave the king a piece of fruit as
+usual, and went away. But on this day the king gave the fruit to a pet
+baby monkey that had escaped from his keepers, and happened to wander
+in. And as the monkey ate the fruit, he split it open, and a priceless,
+magnificent gem came out.
+
+When the king saw this, he took it and asked the treasurer: "Where have
+you been keeping the fruits which the monk brought? I gave them to
+you." When the treasurer heard this, he was frightened and said: "Your
+Majesty, I have thrown them all through the window. If your Majesty
+desires, I will look for them now." And when the king had dismissed
+him, he went, but returned in a moment, and said again: "Your Majesty,
+they were all smashed in the treasury, and in them I see heaps of
+dazzling gems."
+
+When he heard this, the king was delighted, and gave the jewels to the
+treasurer. And when the monk came the next day, he asked him: "Monk,
+why do you keep honouring me in such an expensive way? Unless I know
+the reason, I will not take your fruit."
+
+Then the monk took the king aside and said: "O hero, there is a
+business in which I need help. So I ask for your help in it, because
+you are a brave man." And the king promised his assistance.
+
+Then the monk was pleased, and said again: "O King, on the last night
+of the waning moon, you must go to the great cemetery at nightfall, and
+come to me under the fig-tree." Then the king said "Certainly," and
+Patience, the monk, went home well pleased.
+
+So when the night came, the mighty king remembered his promise to the
+monk, and at dusk he wrapped his head in a black veil, took his sword
+in his hand, and went to the great cemetery without being seen. When he
+got there, he looked about, and saw the monk standing under the
+fig-tree and making a magic circle. So he went up and said: "Monk, here
+I am. Tell me what I am to do for you."
+
+And when the monk saw the king, he was delighted and said: "O King, if
+you wish to do me a favour, go south from here some distance all alone,
+and you will see a sissoo tree and a dead body hanging from it. Be so
+kind as to bring that here."
+
+When the brave king heard this, he agreed, and, true to his promise,
+turned south and started. And as he walked with difficulty along the
+cemetery road, he came upon the sissoo tree at some distance, and saw a
+body hanging on it. So he climbed the tree, cut the rope, and let it
+fall to the ground. And as it fell, it unexpectedly cried aloud, as if
+alive. Then the king climbed down, and thinking it was alive, he
+mercifully rubbed its limbs. Then the body gave a loud laugh.
+
+So the king knew that a goblin lived in it, and said without fear:
+"What are you laughing about? Come, let us be off." But then he did not
+see the goblin on the ground any longer. And when he looked up, there
+he was, hanging in the tree as before. So the king climbed the tree
+again, and carefully carried the body down. A brave man's heart is
+harder than a diamond, and nothing makes it tremble.
+
+Then he put the body with the goblin in it on his shoulder, and started
+off in silence. And as he walked along, the goblin in the body said: "O
+King, to amuse the journey, I will tell you a story. Listen."
+
+
+
+FIRST GOBLIN
+
+_The Prince's Elopement. Whose fault was the resulting death of his
+parents-in-law?_
+
+There is a city called Benares where Shiva lives. It is loved by pious
+people like the soil of Mount Kailasa. The river of heaven shines there
+like a pearl necklace. And in the city lived a king called Valour who
+burned up all his enemies by his valour, as a fire burns a forest. He
+had a son named Thunderbolt who broke the pride of the love-god by his
+beauty, and the pride of men by his bravery. This prince had a clever
+friend, the son of a counsellor.
+
+One day the prince was enjoying himself with his friend hunting, and
+went a long distance. And so he came to a great forest. There he saw a
+beautiful lake, and being tired, he drank from it with his friend the
+counsellor's son, washed his hands and feet, and sat down under a tree
+on the bank.
+
+And then he saw a beautiful maiden who had come there with her servants
+to bathe. She seemed to fill the lake with the stream of her beauty,
+and seemed to make lilies grow there with her eyes, and seemed to shame
+the lotuses with a face more lovely than the moon. She captured the
+prince's heart the moment that he saw her. And the prince took her eyes
+captive.
+
+The girl had a strange feeling when she saw him, but was too modest to
+say a word. So she gave a hint of the feeling in her heart. She put a
+lotus on her ear, laid a lily on her head after she had made the edge
+look like a row of teeth, and placed her hand on her heart. But the
+prince did not understand her signs, only the clever counsellor's son
+understood them all.
+
+A moment later the girl went away, led by her servants. She went home
+and sat on the sofa and stayed there. But her thoughts were with the
+prince.
+
+The prince went slowly back to his city, and was terribly lonely
+without her, and grew thinner every day. Then his friend the son of the
+counsellor took him aside and told him that she was not hard to find.
+But he had lost all courage and said: "My friend, I don't know her
+name, nor her home, nor her family. How can I find her? Why do you
+vainly try to comfort me?"
+
+Then the counsellor's son said: "Did you not see all that she hinted
+with her signs? When she put the lotus on her ear, she meant that she
+lived in the kingdom of a king named Ear-lotus. And when she made the
+row of teeth, she meant that she was the daughter of a man named Bite
+there. And when she laid the lily on her head, she meant that her name
+was Lily. And when she placed her hand on her heart, she meant that she
+loved you. And there is a king named Ear-lotus in the Kalinga country.
+There is a very rich man there whom the king likes. His real name is
+Battler, but they call him Bite. He has a pearl of a girl whom he loves
+more than his life, and her name is Lily. This is true, because people
+told me. So I understood her signs about her country and the other
+things." When the counsellor's son had said this, the prince was
+delighted to find him so clever, and pleased because he knew what to do.
+
+Then he formed a plan with the counsellor's son, and started for the
+lake again, pretending that he was going to hunt, but really to find
+the girl that he loved. On the way he rode like the wind away from his
+soldiers, and started for the Kalinga country with the counsellor's son.
+
+When they reached the city of King Ear-lotus, they looked about and
+found the house of the man called Bite, and they went to a house near
+by to live with an old woman. And the counsellor's son said to the old
+woman: "Old woman, do you know anybody named Bite in this city?"
+
+Then the old woman answered him respectfully: "My son, I know him well.
+I was his nurse. And I am a servant of his daughter Lily. But I do not
+go there now because my dress is stolen. My naughty son is a gambler
+and steals my clothes."
+
+Then the counsellor's son was pleased and satisfied her with his own
+cloak and other presents. And he said: "Mother, you must do very
+secretly what we tell you. Go to Bite's daughter Lily, and tell her
+that the prince whom she saw on the bank of the lake is here, and sent
+you with a love-message to her."
+
+The old woman was pleased with the gifts and went to Lily at once. And
+when she got a chance, she said: "My child, the prince and the
+counsellor's son have come to take you. Tell me what to do now." But
+the girl scolded her and struck her cheeks with both hands smeared with
+camphor.
+
+The old woman was hurt by this treatment, and came home weeping, and
+said to the two men: "My sons, see how she left the marks of her
+fingers on my face."
+
+And the prince was hopeless and sad, but the very clever counsellor's
+son took him aside and said, "My friend, do not be sad. She was only
+keeping the secret when she scolded the old woman, and put ten fingers
+white with camphor on her face. She meant that you must wait before
+seeing her, for the next ten nights are bright with moonlight."
+
+So the counsellor's son comforted the prince, took a little gold
+ornament and sold it in the market, and bought a great dinner for the
+old woman. So they two took dinner with the old woman. They did this
+for ten days, and then the counsellor's son sent her to Lily again, to
+find out something more.
+
+And the old woman was eager for dainty food and drink. So to please him
+she went to Lily's house, and then came back and said: "My children, I
+went there and stayed with her for some time without speaking. But she
+spoke herself of my naughtiness in mentioning you, and struck me again
+on the chest with three fingers stained red. So I came back in
+disgrace."
+
+Then the counsellor's son whispered to the prince: "Don't be alarmed,
+my friend. When she left the marks of three red fingers on the old
+woman's heart, she meant to say very cleverly that there were three
+dangerous days coming." So the counsellor's son comforted the prince.
+
+And when three days were gone, he sent the old woman to Lily again. And
+this time she went and was very respectfully entertained, and treated
+to wine and other things the whole day. But when she was ready to go
+back in the evening, a terrible shouting was heard outside. They heard
+people running and crying: "Oh, oh! A mad elephant has escaped from his
+stable and is running around and stamping on people."
+
+Then Lily said to the old woman: "Mother, you must not go through the
+street now where the elephant is. I will put you in a swing and let you
+down with ropes through this great window into the garden. Then you can
+climb into a tree and jump on the wall, and go home by way of another
+tree." So she had her servants let the old woman down from the window
+into the garden by a rope-swing. And the old woman went home and told
+the prince and the counsellor's son all about it.
+
+Then the counsellor's son said to the prince: "My friend, your wishes
+are fulfilled. She has been clever enough to show you the road. So you
+must follow that same road this very evening to the room of your
+darling."
+
+So the prince went to the garden with the counsellor's son by the road
+that the old woman had shown them. And there he saw the rope-swing
+hanging down, and servants above keeping an eye on the road. And when
+he got into the swing, the servants at the window pulled at the rope
+and he came to his darling. And when he had gone in, the counsellor's
+son went back to the old woman's house.
+
+But the prince saw Lily, and her face was beautiful like the full moon,
+and the moonlight of her beauty shone forth, like the night when the
+moon shines in secret because of the dark. And when she saw him, she
+threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. So he married her and
+stayed hidden with her for some days.
+
+One day he said to his wife: "My dear, my friend the counsellor's son
+came with me, and he is staying all alone at the old woman's house. I
+must go and see him, then I will come back."
+
+But Lily was shrewd and said: "My dear, I must ask you something. Did
+you understand the signs I made, or was it the counsellor's son?" And
+the prince said to her: "My dear, I did not understand them all, but my
+friend has wonderful wisdom. He understood everything and told me."
+Then the sweet girl thought, and said: "My dear, you did wrong not to
+tell me before. Your friend is a real brother to me. I ought to have
+sent him some nuts and other nice things at the very first."
+
+Then she let him go, and he went to his friend by night by the same
+road, and told all that his wife had said. But the counsellor's son
+said: "That is foolish," and did not think much of it. So they spent
+the night talking.
+
+Then when the time for the twilight sacrifice came, a friend of Lily's
+came there with cooked rice and nuts in her hand. She came and asked
+the counsellor's son about his health and gave him the present. And she
+cleverly tried to keep the prince from eating. "Your wife is expecting
+you to dinner," she said, and a moment later she went away.
+
+Then the counsellor's son said to the prince: "Look, your Majesty. I
+will show you something curious." So he took a little of the cooked
+rice and gave it to a dog that was there. And the moment he ate it, the
+dog died. And the prince asked the counsellor's son what this strange
+thing could mean.
+
+And he replied: "Your Majesty, she knew that I was clever because I
+understood her signs, and she wanted to kill me out of love for you.
+For she thought the prince would not be all her own while I was alive,
+but would leave her for my sake and go back to his own city. So she
+sent me poisoned food to eat. But you must not be angry with her. I
+will think up some scheme."
+
+Then the prince praised the counsellor's son, and said: "You are truly
+the body of wisdom." And then suddenly a great wailing of
+grief-stricken people was heard: "Alas! Alas! The king's little son is
+dead."
+
+When he heard this, the counsellor's son was delighted, and said: "Your
+Majesty, go to-night to Lily's house, and make her drink wine until she
+loses her senses and seems to be dead. Then as she lies there, make a
+mark on her hip with a red-hot fork, steal her jewels, and come back
+the old way through the window. After that I will do the right thing."
+
+Then he made a three-pronged fork and gave it to the prince. And the
+prince took the crooked, cruel thing, hard as the weapon of Death, and
+went by night as before to Lily's house. "A king," he thought, "ought
+not to disregard the words of a high-minded counsellor." So when he had
+stupefied her with wine, he branded her hip with the fork, stole her
+jewels, returned to his friend, and told him everything, showing him
+the jewels.
+
+Then the counsellor's son felt sure his scheme was successful. He went
+to the cemetery in the morning, and disguised himself as a hermit, and
+the prince as his pupil. And he said: "Take this pearl necklace from
+among the jewels. Go and sell it in the market-place. And if the
+policemen arrest you, say this:  It was given to me to sell by my
+teacher.'"
+
+So the prince went to the market-place and stood there offering the
+pearl necklace for sale, and he was arrested while doing it by the
+policemen. And as they were eager to find out about the theft of the
+jewels from Bite's daughter, they took the prince at once to the chief
+of police. And when he saw that the culprit was dressed like a hermit,
+he asked him very gently: "Holy sir, where did you get this pearl
+necklace? It belongs to Bite's daughter and was stolen." Then the
+prince said to them: "Gentlemen, my teacher gave it to me to sell. You
+had better go and ask him."
+
+Then the chief of police went and asked him: "Holy sir, how did this
+pearl necklace come into your pupil's hand?"
+
+And the shrewd counsellor's son whispered to him: "Sir, as I am a
+hermit, I wander about all the time in this region. And as I happened
+to be here in this cemetery, I saw a whole company of witches who came
+here at night. And one of the witches split open the heart of a king's
+son, and offered it to her master. She was mad with wine, and screwed
+up her face most horribly. But when she impudently tried to snatch my
+rosary as I prayed, I became angry, and branded her on the hip with a
+three-pronged fork which I had made red-hot with a magic spell. And I
+took this pearl necklace from her neck. Then, as it was not a thing for
+a hermit, I sent it to be sold."
+
+When he heard this, the chief of police went and told the whole story
+to the king. And when the king heard and saw the evidence, he sent the
+old woman, who was reliable, to identify the pearl necklace. And he
+heard from her that Lily was branded on the hip.
+
+Then he was convinced that she was really a witch and had devoured his
+son. So he went himself to the counsellor's son, who was disguised as a
+hermit, and asked how Lily should be punished. And by his advice, she
+was banished from the city, though her parents wept. So she was
+banished naked to the forest and knew that the counsellor's son had
+done it all, but she did not die.
+
+And at nightfall the prince and the counsellor's son put off their
+hermit disguise, mounted on horseback, and found her weeping. They put
+her on a horse and took her to their own country. And when they got
+there, the prince lived most happily with her.
+
+But Bite thought that his daughter was eaten by wild beasts in the
+wood, and he died of grief. And his wife died with him.
+
+
+When he had told this story, the goblin asked the king: "O King, who
+was to blame for the death of the parents: the prince, or the
+counsellor's son, or Lily? You seem like a very wise man, so resolve my
+doubts on this point. If you know and do not tell me the truth, then
+your head will surely fly into a hundred pieces. And if you give a good
+answer, then I will jump from your shoulder and go back to the sissoo
+tree."
+
+Then King Triple-victory said to the goblin: "You are a master of
+magic. You surely know yourself, but I will tell you. It was not the
+fault of any of the three you mentioned. It was entirely the fault of
+King Ear-lotus."
+
+But the goblin said: "How could it be the king's fault? The other three
+did it. Are the crows to blame when the geese eat up the rice?"
+
+Then the king said: "But those three are not to blame. It was right for
+the counsellor's son to do his master's business. So he is not to
+blame. And Lily and the prince were madly in love and could not stop to
+think. They only looked after their own affairs. They are not to blame.
+
+"But the king knew the law-books very well, and he had spies to find
+out the facts among the people. And he knew about the doings of
+rascals. So he acted without thinking. He is to blame."
+
+When the goblin heard this, he wanted to test the king's constancy. So
+he went back by magic in a moment to the sissoo tree. And the king went
+back fearlessly to get him.
+
+
+
+SECOND GOBLIN
+
+_The Three Lovers who brought the Dead Girl to Life. Whose wife should
+she be?_
+
+Then King Triple-victory went back under the sissoo tree to fetch the
+goblin. And when he got there and looked about, he saw the goblin
+fallen on the ground and moaning. Then, when the king put the body with
+the goblin in it on his shoulder and started to carry him off quickly
+and silently, the goblin on his shoulder said to him: "Oh King, you
+have fallen into a very disagreeable task which you do not deserve. So
+to amuse you I will tell another story. Listen."
+
+
+On the bank of Kalindi River is a farm where a very learned Brahman
+lived. And he had a very beautiful daughter named Coral. When the
+Creator fashioned her fresh and peerless loveliness, surely he must
+have despised the cleverness he showed before in fashioning the nymphs
+of heaven.
+
+When she had grown out of childhood, there came from the city of Kanauj
+three Brahman youths, endowed with all the virtues. And each of them
+asked her father for her, that she might be his own. And though her
+father would rather have died than give her up to anyone, he made up
+his mind to give her to one of them. But the girl would not marry any
+one of them for some time, because she was afraid of hurting the
+feelings of the other two. So they stayed there all three of them day
+and night, feasting on the beauty of her face, like the birds that live
+on moonbeams.
+
+Then all at once Coral fell sick of a burning fever and died. And when
+the Brahman youths saw that she was dead, they were smitten with grief.
+But they adorned her body, took it to the cemetery, and burned it.
+
+And one of them built a hut there, slept on a bed made of her ashes,
+and got his food by begging. The second took her bones and went to dip
+them in the sacred Ganges river. And the third became a monk and
+wandered in other countries.
+
+And as he wandered, the monk came to a village called Thunderbolt, and
+was entertained in the house of a Brahman. But when he had been
+honoured by the master of the house and had begun to eat dinner there,
+the little boy began to cry and would not stop even when they petted
+him. So his mother took him on her arm, and angrily threw him into the
+blazing fire. And being tender, he was reduced to ashes in a moment.
+
+When the monk saw this, his hair stood on end, and he said: "Alas! I
+have come into the house of a devil. I will not eat this food. It would
+be like eating sin." But the master of the house said to him: "Brahman,
+I have studied to good purpose. See my skill in bringing the dead to
+life." So he opened a book, took out a magic spell, read it, and
+sprinkled water on the ashes. And the moment the water was sprinkled,
+the boy stood up alive just as before. Then the monk was highly
+delighted and finished his dinner with pleasure.
+
+And the master of the house hung the book on an ivory peg, took dinner
+with the monk, and went to bed. When he was asleep, the monk got up
+quietly, and tremblingly took the book, hoping to bring his darling
+Coral back to life. He went away and travelled night and day, until he
+finally reached the cemetery. And he caught sight of the second youth,
+who had come back after dipping the bones in the Ganges. And he also
+found the third youth, who had made a hut and lived there, sleeping on
+the girl's ashes.
+
+Then the monk cried: "Brother, leave your hut. I will bring the dear
+girl back to life." And while they eagerly questioned him, he opened
+the book, and read the magic spell, and sprinkled holy water on the
+ashes. And Coral immediately stood up, alive. And the girl was more
+beautiful than ever. She looked as if she were made of gold.
+
+When the three youths saw her come back to life like that, they went
+mad with love, and fought with one another to possess her.
+
+One said: "I brought her to life by my magic spell. She is my wife."
+
+The second said: "She came to life because of my journey to the sacred
+river. She is my wife."
+
+The third said: "I kept her ashes. That is why she came to life. She is
+my dear wife."
+
+O King, you are able to decide their dispute. Tell me. Whose wife
+should she be? If you know and say what is false, then your head will
+split.
+
+When the king heard this, he said to the goblin: "The man who painfully
+found the magic spell and brought her back to life, he did only what a
+father ought to do. He is not her husband. And the man who went to dip
+her bones in the sacred river, he did only what a son ought to do. He
+is not her husband. But the man who slept with her ashes and lived a
+hard life in the cemetery, he did what a lover ought to do. He deserves
+to be her husband."
+
+When the goblin heard this answer of King Triple-victory, he suddenly
+escaped from his shoulder and went back. And the king wished to do as
+the monk had asked him; so he decided to go back and get him.
+Great-minded people do not waver until they have kept their promises,
+even at the cost of life.
+
+
+
+THIRD GOBLIN
+
+_The Parrot and the Thrush. Which are worse, men or women?_
+
+Then the king went back to the sissoo tree to fetch the goblin. When he
+got there, he took the body with the goblin in it on his shoulder, and
+started off in silence. And as he walked along, the goblin said to him
+again: "O King, you must be very tired, coming and going in the night.
+So to amuse you I will tell another story. Listen."
+
+
+There is a city called Patna, the gem of the earth. And long ago a king
+lived there whose name was Lion-of-Victory. Fate had made him the owner
+of all virtues and all wealth. And he had a parrot called
+Jewel-of-Wisdom, that had divine intelligence and knew all the
+sciences, but lived as a parrot because of a curse.
+
+This king had a son called Moon, and by the advice of the parrot this
+prince married the daughter of the king of the Magadha country; and her
+name was Moonlight. Now this princess had a thrush named Moony, who was
+like the parrot, because she had learning and intelligence. And the
+parrot and the thrush lived in one cage in the palace.
+
+One day the parrot eagerly said to the thrush: "My darling, love me,
+and share my bed and my chair and my food and my amusements."
+
+But the thrush said: "I will have nothing to do with men. Men are bad
+and ungrateful."
+
+Then the parrot said: "Men are not bad. It is only women who are bad
+and cruel-hearted." And they quarrelled.
+
+Then the two birds wagered their freedom with each other and went to
+the prince to have their quarrel decided. And the prince mounted his
+father's judgment throne, and when he had heard the cause of the
+quarrel, he asked the thrush: "How are men ungrateful? Tell the truth."
+Then she said, "Listen, O Prince," and to prove her point she started
+to tell this story illustrating the faults of men.
+
+There is a famous city called Kamandaki, where a wealthy merchant lived
+named Fortune. And in time a son was born to him and named Treasure.
+Then when the father went to heaven, the young man became very unruly
+because of gambling and other vices. And the rascals came together, and
+ruined him. Association with scoundrels is the root from which springs
+the tree of calamity.
+
+So in no long time he lost all he had through his vices, and being
+ashamed of his poverty, he left his own country and went to wander in
+other places. And during his travels he came to a city called Sandal
+City, and entered the house of a merchant, seeking something to eat.
+When the merchant saw the youth, he asked him about his family, and
+finding that he was a gentleman, he entertained him. And thinking that
+Gate had sent the young man, he gave him his own daughter Pearl,
+together with some money. And when Treasure was married, he lived in
+his father-in-law's house.
+
+As time passed, he forgot his former miseries in the comforts of his
+life, and longed for the old vices, and wanted to go home. So the
+rascal managed to persuade his father-in-law, who had no other
+children, took his wife Pearl with her beautiful ornaments, and an old
+woman, and started for his own country. Presently he came to a wood
+where he said he was afraid of thieves, so he took all his wife's
+ornaments. Perceive, O Prince, how cruel and hard are the ungrateful
+hearts of those who indulge in gambling and other vices. And the
+scoundrel was ready, just for money, to kill his good wife. He threw
+her and the old woman into a pit. Then the rascal went away and the old
+woman perished there.
+
+But Pearl, with the little life she had left, managed to get out by
+clinging to the grass and bushes, and weeping bitterly, and bleeding,
+she asked the way step by step, and painfully reached her father's
+house by the way she had come. And her mother and father were surprised
+and asked her: "Why did you come back so soon, and in this condition?"
+
+And that good wife said: "On the road we were robbed, and my husband
+was forcibly carried off. And the old woman fell into a pit and died,
+but I escaped. And a kind-hearted traveller pulled me from the pit."
+Then her father and mother were saddened, but they comforted her, and
+Pearl stayed there, true to her husband.
+
+Then in time Treasure lost all his money in gambling, and he reflected:
+"I will get more money from the house of my father-in-law. I will go
+there and tell my father-in-law that his daughter is well and is at my
+house."
+
+So he went again to his father-in-law. And as he went, his
+ever-faithful wife saw him afar off. She ran and fell at the rascal's
+feet and told him all the story that she had invented for her parents.
+For the heart of a faithful wife does not change even when she learns
+that her husband is a rogue.
+
+Then that rascal went without fear into the house of his father-in-law
+and bowed low before his feet. And his father-in-law rejoiced when he
+saw him and made a great feast with his relatives, for he said: "My son
+is delivered alive from the robbers. Heaven be praised!" Then Treasure
+enjoyed the wealth of his father-in-law and lived with his wife Pearl.
+
+Now one night this worst of scoundrels did what I ought not to repeat,
+but I will tell it, or my story would be spoiled. Listen, O Prince.
+While Pearl lay asleep trusting him, that wretch killed her in the
+night, stole all her jewels, and escaped to his own country. This shows
+how bad and ungrateful men are.
+
+When the thrush had told her story, the prince smiled and said to the
+parrot: "It is your turn now."
+
+Then the parrot said: "Your Majesty, women are cruel and reckless and
+bad. To prove it, I will tell you a story. Listen."
+
+There is a city called Joyful, where lived a prince of merchants named
+Virtue, who owned millions of money. He had a daughter named Fortune,
+peerless in beauty, dearer to him than life. And she was given in
+marriage to a merchant's son from Copper City, whose name was Ocean. He
+was her equal in wealth, beauty, and family; a delight to the eyes of
+men.
+
+One day when her husband was away from home, she saw from the window a
+handsome young man. And the moment she saw him, the fickle girl went
+mad with love, and secretly sent a messenger to invite him in, and made
+love to him in secret. Thus her heart was fixed on him alone, and she
+was happy with him.
+
+But at last her husband came home and delighted the hearts of his
+parents-in-law. And when the day had been spent in feasting, Fortune
+was adorned by her mother, and sent to her husband's room. But she was
+cold toward him and pretended to sleep. And her husband went to sleep,
+too, for he was weary with his journey, and had been drinking wine.
+
+When everyone in the house had gone to sleep after their dinner, a
+thief made a hole in the wall and came into that very room. And just
+then the merchant's daughter got up without seeing him, and went out
+secretly to a meeting with her lover. And the thief was disappointed,
+and thought: "She has gone out into the night wearing the very jewels
+that I came to steal. I must see where she goes." So the thief went out
+and followed her.
+
+But she met a woman friend who had flowers in her hand, and went to a
+park not very far away. And there she saw the man whom she came to meet
+hanging on a tree. For the policeman had thought he was a thief, had
+put a rope around his neck and hanged him.
+
+And at the sight she went distracted, and lamented pitifully: "Oh, oh!
+I am undone," and fell on the ground and wept. Then she took her lover
+down from the tree and made him sit up, though he was dead, and adorned
+him with perfumes and jewels and flowers.
+
+But when in her love-madness she lifted his face and kissed him, a
+goblin who had come to live in her dead lover, bit off her nose. And
+she was startled and ran in pain from the spot. But then she came back
+to see if perhaps he was alive after all. But the goblin had gone, and
+she saw that he was motionless and dead. So she slowly went back home,
+frightened and disgraced and weeping.
+
+And the concealed thief saw it all and thought: "What has the wicked
+woman done? Alas! Can women be so dreadful as this? What might she not
+do next?" So out of curiosity the thief still followed her from afar.
+
+And the wretched woman entered the house and cried aloud, and said:
+"Save me from my cruel enemy, my own husband. He cut off my nose and I
+had done nothing." And her servants heard her cries and all arose in
+excitement. Her husband too awoke. Then her father came and saw that
+her nose was cut off, and in his anger he had his son-in-law arrested.
+
+And the poor man did not know what to do. Even when he was being bound,
+he remained silent and said nothing. Then they all woke up and heard
+the story, but the thief who knew the whole truth, ran away. And when
+day came, the merchant's son was haled before the king by his
+father-in-law. And Fortune went there without her nose, and the king
+heard the whole story and condemned the merchant's son to death for
+mistreating his wife.
+
+So the innocent, bewildered man was led to the place of execution and
+the drums were beaten. Just then the thief came up and said to the
+king's men: "Why do you kill this man without any good reason? I know
+how the whole thing happened. Take me to the king, and I will tell all."
+
+So all the king's men took him to the king. And the thief told the king
+all the adventures of the night, and said: "Your Majesty, if you cannot
+trust my word, you may find the nose at this moment between the teeth
+of the dead body."
+
+Then the king sent men to investigate, and when he found it was true,
+he released the merchant's son from the punishment of death. As for
+wretched Fortune, he cut off her ears, too, and banished her from the
+country. And he took from her father, the merchant, all his money, and
+made the thief the chief of police. He was pleased with him.
+
+O Prince, this shows how cruel and false women are by nature.
+
+As he spoke these words, the parrot changed into a god, for the curse
+was fulfilled, and went to heaven like a god. And the thrush suddenly
+became a goddess, for her curse was at an end, and flew up likewise to
+heaven. So their dispute was never settled at that court.
+
+
+When the goblin had told this story, he asked the king: "O King, tell
+me. Are men bad, or women? If you know and do not tell, your head will
+fly to pieces." And when the king heard these words of the goblin on
+his shoulder, he said to that magic goblin: "O goblin! Here and there,
+now and then, there is an occasional bad man like that. But women are
+usually bad. We hear about many of them."
+
+Then the goblin disappeared from the king's shoulder as before. And the
+king tried again to catch him.
+
+
+
+FOURTH GOBLIN
+
+_King Shudraka and Hero's Family. Which of the five deserves the most
+honour?_
+
+Then King Triple-victory went back under the sissoo tree and caught the
+goblin, who gave a horse-laugh. But the king without fear put him on
+his shoulder as before and started toward the monk. And as he walked
+along, the goblin on his shoulder said to him again: "O King, why do
+you take such pains for that wretched monk? Have you no sense about
+this fruitless task? Well, after all, I like your devotion. So, to
+amuse the weary journey, I will tell you another story. Listen."
+
+
+There is a city called Beautiful, and it deserves the name. There lived
+a king named Shudraka, of tremendous power and mighty courage. He was
+so used to victory that the fire of his courage was kept blazing by the
+wind from the fans in the hands of the wives of his vanquished foes.
+Under his rule the earth was rich and always good, as in the days of
+old. And he was fond of brave men.
+
+Now one day a Brahman named Hero came from Malwa to pay his homage to
+this king. He had a wife named Virtue, a son named Trusty, and a
+daughter named Heroic. And he had just three servants, a dagger at his
+hip, a sword in his hand, and a shield in his other hand. These were
+all the servants he had when he asked the king for five hundred
+gold-pieces a day as his wages.
+
+And the king thought from his appearance that he was a remarkably brave
+man, so he gave him the wages he asked. But out of curiosity he put
+spies on his track, to learn what he did with all the money.
+
+Now Hero called on the king in the morning, and at noon he took his
+sword and stood at the palace gate and divided his daily salary. One
+hundred gold-pieces he gave to his wife for food and household
+expenses. And with another hundred he bought clothes and perfumes and
+nuts and such things. And another hundred he devoted to the worship of
+Vishnu and Shiva, after taking the ceremonial bath. And the two hundred
+which were left he gave to Brahmans and the unhappy and the poor. This
+was the way he divided and spent the money every day. Then after he had
+sacrificed and eaten dinner, he stood every night alone at the palace
+gate with his sword and shield. All this King Shudraka learned from his
+spies and was greatly pleased and forbad the spies to follow him again.
+For he thought him a wonderful man, worthy of especial honour.
+
+Then one day a veil of clouds covered the sky and poured down rain in
+streams day and night, so that the highway was quite deserted. Only
+Hero was at his post as usual by the palace gate. And when the sun set
+and dreadful darkness was spread abroad and the rain fell in sheets,
+the king wished to test Hero's behaviour. So at night he climbed to the
+palace roof and cried: "Who is there at the gate?" And Hero answered:
+"I am here." And the king thought: "How steadfast this man Hero is, and
+how devoted to me! I must surely give him a greater post." And he
+descended from the roof and entered the palace and went to bed.
+
+The next night it rained again in sheets and the world was wrapped in
+the darkness of death. And again the king thought to test his
+behaviour, and climbing to the roof he called out toward the palace
+gate: "Who is there?" And when Hero said: "I am here, your Majesty,"
+the king was greatly astonished.
+
+Just then he heard at a distance a sweet-voiced woman crying. And he
+thought: "Who is this who laments so piteously, as if in deep despair?
+In my kingdom there is no violence, no poor man and none distressed.
+Who can she be?" And being merciful, he called to Hero, who stood
+below: "Listen, Hero. A woman is weeping at some distance. Go and learn
+why she weeps and who she is." And Hero said "Certainly," arranged his
+dagger, took his sword in his hand, and started. He did not even think
+of the pelting hail, the flashing lightning, or the rain and darkness.
+And when the king saw him setting out alone in a night like that, he
+was filled with pity and curiosity, and descending from the palace
+roof, took his sword and followed all alone, without being seen.
+
+As Hero traced the sound of crying, he came to a beautiful lake outside
+the city, and there he saw a woman in the midst of the water, lamenting
+in these words: "Alas for you, brave and merciful and generous! How
+shall I live without you?"
+
+And Hero was amazed, and timidly asked her: "Who are you, and why do
+you weep?" And she replied: "O Hero, I am the Goddess of the Earth, and
+now my lord, this virtuous King Shudraka, is going to die in three
+days. How shall I find another such master? So I am distracted with
+grief, and I lament."
+
+When Hero heard this, he was frightened and said: "Goddess, is there
+any remedy for this, any way in which the king might be saved?" And the
+goddess answered: "There is just one remedy, my son, and it is in your
+hands." And Hero said: "Goddess, tell me quickly, that I may adopt it
+at once. What good would life be to us otherwise?"
+
+Then the goddess said: "My son, there is no other man devoted to his
+master as you are: so you may learn how to save him. There is a temple
+to the Dreadful Goddess built by that king near his palace. If you
+sacrifice your son to her at once, then the king will not die. He will
+live another hundred years. If you do it this very night, then the
+blessing will come, not otherwise."
+
+And Hero, the hero, replied: "Then I will go, Goddess, and do it this
+moment." And the Goddess of the Earth said: "Good fortune go with you,"
+and she vanished. And the king, who had followed secretly, heard it
+all. So he still followed to find out how Hero would behave.
+
+But Hero went straight home, woke his wife Virtue, and told her all
+that the Goddess of the Earth had said. And his wife said: "My dear, if
+so much depends on it, wake the boy and tell him." Then Hero woke the
+little boy, told him all, and said: "My boy, if you are sacrificed to
+the Dreadful Goddess, our king will live. If not, he will die in three
+days."
+
+And the boy was true to his name. Without fear and without hesitation
+he said: "My dear father, I am a lucky boy if the king lives at the
+cost of my life. Besides, that would pay for the food we have eaten.
+Why then delay? Take me quickly and sacrifice me to the goddess. May
+the king's evil fate be averted by my death!" And Hero was delighted
+and congratulated him, saying: "Well said! You are indeed my son."
+
+So Hero's wife Virtue and his daughter Heroic went through the night
+with Hero and Trusty to the temple of the Dreadful Goddess. The king
+too followed them, disguised and unnoticed. Then the father took Trusty
+from his shoulder in the presence of the goddess. And Trusty worshipped
+the goddess, and bravely saluted her, and said: "O Goddess, by the
+sacrifice of my head may the king live another hundred years and rule a
+thornless kingdom."
+
+And as he prayed, Hero cut off his head and offered it to the Dreadful
+Goddess, saying: "May the king live at the cost of my son's life!" Then
+a voice cried from heaven: "O Hero, who else is devoted to his master
+as you are? You have given life and royal power to the king at the cost
+of your only son, and such a son." All this the king himself saw and
+heard.
+
+Then Hero's daughter Heroic kissed the lips of her dead brother, and
+was blinded with sorrow, and her heart broke, and she died.
+
+Then Hero's wife Virtue said: "My dear, we have done our duty by the
+king. And you see how my daughter died of grief. So now I say: What
+good is life to me without my children? I was a fool before. I should
+have given my own head to save the king. So now permit me to burn
+myself at once."
+
+And when she insisted, Hero said: "Do so. What happiness is there in a
+life of constant mourning for your children? And as for your giving
+your own life instead, do not grieve about that. If there had been any
+other way, I should of course have given my life. So wait a moment. I
+will build you a funeral pile out of these logs." So he built the pile
+and lighted it.
+
+And Virtue fell at her husband's feet, then worshipped the Dreadful
+Goddess, and prayed: "O Goddess, may I have the same husband in another
+life, and may this same King Shudraka be saved at the cost of my son's
+life." And she died in the blazing fire.
+
+Then Hero thought: "I have done my duty by the king, as the heavenly
+voice admitted. And I have paid for the king's food which I have eaten.
+So now why should I want to live alone? It is not right for a man like
+me to go on living at the expense of all the family which I ought to
+support. Why should I not please the goddess by sacrificing myself?"
+
+So Hero first approached the goddess with a hymn of praise: "O
+Demon-slayer! Saviour! Devil-killer! Trident-holder! Joy of the wise!
+Protectress of the universe! Victory to thee, O best of mothers, whose
+feet the world adores! O fearless refuge of the pious! Kali of the
+dreadful ornaments! Honour and glory to thee, O kindly goddess! Be
+pleased to accept the sacrifice of my head in behalf of King Shudraka."
+Then he suddenly cut off his own head with his dagger.
+
+King Shudraka beheld this from his hiding-place, and was filled with
+amazement and grief and admiration. And he thought: "I have never seen
+or heard the like of this. That good man and his family have done a
+hard thing for me. In this strange world who else is so brave as that,
+to give his son, his family, and his life for his king: If I should not
+make a full return for his kindness, my kingdom would mean nothing to
+me, and my life would be the life of a beast. If I lost my virtue, it
+would all be a disgrace to me."
+
+But when he started to cut off his own head, there came a voice from
+heaven: "My son, do nothing rash. I am well pleased with your
+character. The Brahman Hero and his children and his wife shall come
+back to life." And when the voice ceased, Hero stood up alive and
+uninjured with his son and his daughter and his wife. Then the king hid
+himself again and looked on with eyes filled with tears of joy, and
+could not see enough of them.
+
+Now Hero, like a man awaking from a dream, gazed at his son and his
+wife and his daughter, and was greatly perplexed. He spoke to each by
+name, and asked them how they had come to life after being reduced to
+ashes. "Is this a fancy of mine? Or a dream? Or an illusion? Or the
+favour of the goddess?" And his wife and children said to him: "By the
+favour of the goddess we are alive."
+
+At last Hero believed it, and having worshipped the goddess, he went
+home happy with his children and his wife. And when he had seen his son
+and his wife and daughter safe at home, he went back that same night to
+the palace gate.
+
+And King Shudraka saw all this and went back without being seen
+himself, and climbed to the roof, and called: "Who is there at the
+gate?" And Hero replied: "Your Majesty, I, Hero, am here. At your
+command I followed the woman who cried. She must have been a witch, for
+she vanished the moment I saw her and spoke to her."
+
+When the king heard this, he was astonished beyond measure, for he had
+seen what really happened. And he thought: "Ah, the hearts of brave men
+are deep as the sea, if they do not boast after doing an unparalleled
+action." So the king descended from the roof, entered the palace, and
+passed the rest of the night there.
+
+Then when the court was held in the morning, Hero came to see the king.
+And as he stood there, the delighted king told all his counsellors and
+the others the story of the night. And all were amazed and confounded
+at hearing of Hero's virtues, and they praised him, crying: "Well done!
+Well done!"
+
+Then the king and Hero lived happily together, sharing the power
+equally.
+
+
+When the goblin had told this story, he asked King Triple-victory: "O
+King, which of all these was the most worthy? If you know and will not
+tell, then the curse I told you of will be fulfilled."
+
+And the king said to the goblin: "O magic creature, King Shudraka was
+the most noble of them all."
+
+But the goblin said: "Why not Hero, the like of whom as a servant is
+not to be found in the whole world? Or why should not his wife receive
+the most praise, who did not waver when she saw her son killed like a
+beast before her eyes? Or why is not the boy Trusty the most worthy,
+who showed such wonderful manhood when only a little boy? Why do you
+say that King Shudraka was the best among them?"
+
+Then the king answered the goblin: "Not Hero. He was a gentleman born,
+so it was his duty to save his king at the cost of life, wife and
+children. And his wife was a lady, a faithful wife who only did what
+was right in following her husband. And Trusty was their son, and like
+them. For the cloth is always like the threads. But the king has aright
+to use his subjects' lives to save his own. So when Shudraka gave his
+life for them, he proved himself the best of all."
+
+When the goblin heard this, he jumped from the king's shoulder and went
+back to his home without being seen. And the king was not disturbed by
+this magic, but started back through the night to catch him.
+
+
+
+FIFTH GOBLIN
+
+_The Brave Man, the Wise Man, and the Clever Man. To which should the
+girl be given?_
+
+Then King Triple-victory went back to the sissoo tree and saw the body
+with the goblin in it hanging there just as before. He took it down
+without being frightened by all its twistings and writhings, and
+quickly set out again. And as he walked along in silence as before, the
+goblin said: "O King, you are obstinate, and you are pleasing to look
+at. So to amuse you, I will tell another story. Listen."
+
+
+There is a city called Ujjain, famous throughout the world. There lived
+a king named Merit, who had as counsellor a Brahman named Hariswami,
+adorned with all noble virtues. The counsellor had a worthy wife, and a
+son named Devaswami was born to her, and was as good as she. And they
+had one daughter named Moonlight, who was worthy of her name, for she
+was famous for her matchless beauty and charm.
+
+When the girl had grown out of childhood, she was proud of her
+wonderful beauty, and she told her mother, her father, and her brother:
+"I will marry a brave man or a wise man or a clever man. I should die
+if I were married to anyone else."
+
+Now while her father was busy looking for such a husband for her, he
+was sent by King Merit to another king in the southern country to make
+a treaty for war and peace. When he had finished his business, a
+Brahman youth, who had heard of his daughter's beauty, came and asked
+him for her.
+
+And he said: "My daughter will not marry anyone unless he is a clever
+man or a wise man or a brave man. Which of these are you? Tell me." And
+the Brahman said: "I am a clever man." "Show me," said the father, and
+the clever man made a flying chariot by his skill. Then he took
+Hariswami in this magic chariot, and carried him to the sky. And he
+took the delighted father to the camp of the king of the southern
+country where he had been on business. Then Hariswami appointed the
+marriage for the seventh day.
+
+At this time another Brahman youth in Ujjain came to the girl's brother
+and asked him for her. And when he was told that she would marry only a
+wise man or a clever man or a brave man, he said he was a brave man.
+Then when he had shown his skill with weapons, the brother promised his
+sister to the brave man. And without telling his mother, he consulted
+the star-gazers and appointed the marriage for the seventh day.
+
+At the same time a third Brahman youth came to the girl's mother and
+asked for the girl. And the mother said: "My son, a wise man or a
+clever man or a brave man shall marry my daughter but no one else.
+Which of these are you? Tell me." And he said: "I am a wise man." So
+she asked him about the past and the future, and found that he was a
+wise man. Then she promised to give him her daughter on the seventh day.
+
+The next day Hariswami came home and told his wife and his son all that
+he had done. And she and he each told him all that she or he had done.
+So Hariswami was greatly perplexed, because three bridegrooms had been
+invited. Then the seventh day came and the three bridegrooms came to
+Hariswami's house.
+
+Strange to say, at that moment Moonlight disappeared. Then the wise man
+said: "A giant named Smoke-tail has carried her to his den in the
+Vindhya forest."
+
+When Hariswami heard this from the wise man, he was frightened and
+asked the clever man to find a remedy for the trouble. And the clever
+man made a chariot as before, full of all kinds of weapons, and brought
+Hariswami with the wise man and the brave man in a moment to the
+Vindhya forest. And the wise man showed them the giant's den.
+
+When the giant saw what had happened, he came out in anger, and the
+brave man fought with him. Then came a famous duel with strange weapons
+between a man and a giant for the sake of a woman, like the ancient
+fight between Rama and Ravana. Though the giant was a terrible fighter,
+the brave man presently cut off his head with an arrow shaped like a
+half-moon. When the giant was killed, they found Moonlight in the den
+and all went back to Ujjain in the clever man's chariot.
+
+Then when the proper time for wedding came, there arose a great dispute
+among the three in Hariswami's house.
+
+The wise man said: "If I had not discovered her by my wisdom, how could
+you have found her hiding-place? She should be given to me."
+
+The clever man said: "If I had not made a flying chariot, how could you
+have gone there in a moment and come back like the gods, or how could
+you have had a chariot-fight with him? She should be given to me."
+
+The brave man said: "If I had not killed the giant in the fight, who
+would have saved her in spite of all your pains? The girl should be
+given to me."
+
+And as they quarrelled, Hariswami stood silent, confused, and perplexed.
+
+
+When the goblin had told this story, he said to the king: "O King, do
+you say to which of them she should be given. If you know and will not
+tell, then your head will split into a hundred pieces."
+
+Then the king broke silence and said: "She should be given to the brave
+man, who risked his life and killed the giant and saved the girl. The
+wise man and the clever man were only helpers whom Fate gave him. A
+star-gazer and a chariot-maker work for other people, do they not?"
+
+When the goblin heard this answer, he suddenly escaped from the king's
+shoulder and went back. And the king determined to get him, and went
+again to the sissoo tree.
+
+
+
+SIXTH GOBLIN
+
+_The Girl who transposed the Heads of her Husband and Brother. Which
+combination of head and body is her husband?_
+
+Then the king went back to the sissoo tree, put the goblin on his
+shoulder as before, and started in silence toward the monk. And the
+goblin said to him: "O King, you are wise and good, so I am pleased
+with you. To amuse you, therefore, I will tell you another story with a
+puzzle in it. Listen."
+
+
+Long ago there was a king named Glory-banner in the world. His city was
+named Beautiful. And in this city was a splendid temple to the goddess
+Gauri. And to the right of the temple was a lake called Bath of Gauri.
+And on a certain day in each year a great crowd of people came there on
+a pilgrimage from all directions to bathe.
+
+One day a laundryman named White came there from another village to
+bathe. And the youth saw a maiden who had also come there to bathe. Her
+name was Lovely, and her father's name was Clean-cloth. She robbed the
+moon of its beauty and White of his heart. So he inquired about her
+name and family and went home lovesick.
+
+When he got there, he was ill and could not eat without her. And when
+his mother asked him, he told her what was in his heart, but did not
+change his habits. But she went and told her husband, whose name was
+Spotless.
+
+So Spotless went and saw how his son was acting, and said: "My son, why
+should you be downcast? Your desire is not hard to obtain. For if I ask
+Clean-cloth, he will surely give you his daughter. We are not inferior
+to him in birth, wealth, or social position. I know him and he knows
+me. So there is no difficulty about it." Thus Spotless comforted his
+son, made him eat and take care of himself, went with him the next day
+to Clean-cloth's house, and asked that the girl might be given to his
+son White. And Clean-cloth graciously promised to give her to him.
+
+Then when the time came, Clean-cloth gave White his charming daughter,
+a wife worthy of him. And when he was married, White went happily to
+his father's house with his sweet bride.
+
+Now as he lived there happily, Lovely's brother came to visit. And when
+they had all asked him about his health and his sister had greeted him
+with a kiss, and after he had rested, he said: "My father sent me to
+invite Lovely and White to a festival in our house." And all the
+relatives said it was a good plan and entertained him that day with
+appropriate things to drink and eat.
+
+The next morning White set out for his father-in-law's house, together
+with his brother-in-law and Lovely. And when he came to the city
+Beautiful, he saw the great temple of Gauri. And he said to Lovely and
+her brother: "We will see this goddess. I will go first and you two
+stay here." So White went in to see the goddess. He entered the temple
+and bowed before the goddess whose eighteen arms had killed the
+horrible demons, whose lotus-feet were set upon a giant that she had
+crushed.
+
+And when he had worshipped her, an idea suddenly came to him. "People
+honour this goddess with all kinds of living sacrifices. Why should I
+not win her favour by sacrificing myself?" And he fetched a sword from
+a deserted inner room, cut off his own head, and let it fall on the
+floor.
+
+Presently his brother-in-law entered the temple to see why he delayed
+so long. And when he saw his brother-in-law with his head cut off, he
+went mad with grief, and cut off his own head in the same way with the
+same sword.
+
+Then when he failed to come out, Lovely was alarmed and entered the
+temple. And when she saw her husband and her brother in that condition,
+she cried: "Alas! This is the end of me!" and fell weeping to the
+floor. But presently she rose, lamenting for the pair so unexpectantly
+dead, and thought: "What is my life good for now?"
+
+Before killing herself, she prayed to the goddess: "O Goddess! One only
+deity of happiness and character! Partaker of the life of Shiva! Refuge
+of all women-folk! Destroyer of grief! Why have you killed my husband
+and my brother at one fell swoop? It was not right, for I was always
+devoted to you. Then be my refuge when I pray to you, and hear my one
+pitiful prayer. I shall leave this wretched body of mine on this spot,
+but in every future life of mine, O Goddess, may I have the same
+husband and brother." Thus she prayed, praised, and worshipped the
+goddess, then tied a rope to an ashoka tree which grew there.
+
+But while she was arranging the rope about her neck, a voice from
+heaven cried: "Do nothing rash, my daughter. Leave the rope alone.
+Though you are young, I am pleased with your unusual goodness. Place
+the two heads on the two bodies and they shall rise up again and live
+through my favour."
+
+So Lovely left the rope alone and joyfully went to the bodies. But in
+her great hurry and confusion she made a mistake. She put her husband's
+head on her brother's body and her brother's head on her husband's
+body. Then they arose, sound and well, like men awaking from a dream.
+And they were all delighted to hear one another's adventures,
+worshipped the goddess, and went on their way.
+
+Now as she walked along, Lovely noticed that she had made a mistake in
+their heads. And she was troubled and did not know what to do.
+
+
+When the goblin had told this story, he asked the king: "O King, when
+they were mingled in this way, which should be her husband? If you know
+and do not tell, then the curse I spoke of will be fulfilled."
+
+And the king said to the goblin: "The body with the husband's head on
+it is her husband. For the head is the most important member. It is by
+the head that we recognize people."
+
+Then the goblin slipped from the king's shoulder as before, and quickly
+disappeared. And the king went back, determined to catch him.
+
+
+
+SEVENTH GOBLIN
+
+_The Mutual Services of King Fierce-lion and Prince Good. Which is the
+more deserving?_
+
+Then the king went back to the sissoo tree, put the goblin on his
+shoulder as before, and started. And as he walked along, the goblin
+said: "O King, I will tell you a story to amuse your weariness. Listen."
+
+
+On the shore of the Eastern Ocean is Copper City. There a king named
+Fierce-lion lived. He turned his back to other men's wives, but not to
+fighting men. He destroyed his enemies, but not other men's wealth.
+
+One day a popular prince named Good came from the south to the king's
+gate. He introduced himself, but did not get what he wanted from the
+king. And he thought: "If I am born a prince, why am I so poor? And if
+I am to be poor, why did God give me so many desires? For this king
+pays no attention to me, though I wait upon him and grow weary and
+faint with hunger."
+
+While he was thinking, the king went hunting. He went with many
+horsemen and footmen, and the prince ran along in the dress of a
+pilgrim with a club in his hand. And during the hunt the king chased a
+great boar a long distance, and so came into another forest. There he
+lost sight of the boar, for the trail was covered with leaves and
+grass. And the king was tired and lost his way in the forest. Only the
+pilgrim-prince thought nothing of his life, and hungry and thirsty as
+he was, he followed on foot the king who rode a swift horse.
+
+And when the king saw him following, he spoke lovingly: "My good man,
+do you perhaps know the way we came?"
+
+And the pilgrim bowed low and said: "I know, your Majesty. But first
+rest yourself a moment. The blazing sun, the middle jewel in the girdle
+of heaven's bride, is terribly hot." Then the king said eagerly: "See
+if there is water anywhere."
+
+And the pilgrim agreed and climbed a high tree and looked around. And
+he saw a river and climbed down and took the king to it. He unsaddled
+the horse, gave him water and grass, and let him rest. And when the
+king had bathed, the pilgrim took two fine mangoes from his skirt,
+washed them and gave them to the king.
+
+"Where did you get these?" asked the king, and the pilgrim bowed and
+said: "Your Majesty, I have lived on such food for ten years. While I
+was serving your Majesty, I had to live like a monk." And the king
+said: "What can I say? You deserve your name of Good." And he was
+filled with pity and shame, and thought: "A curse on kings, who do not
+know whether their servants are happy or not! And a curse of their
+attendants, who do not tell them this and that!" And when the pilgrim
+insisted, the king was prevailed on to take the two mangoes. He rested
+there with the pilgrim and ate the mangoes and drank water with the
+pilgrim, who was accustomed to eat mangoes and drink water.
+
+Then the pilgrim saddled the horse and went ahead to show the way, and
+at last, at the king's command, mounted behind on the horse; so the
+king found his soldiers and went safely home. And when he got there, he
+proclaimed the devotion of the pilgrim, and made him a rich man, but
+could not feel that he had paid his debt. So Good stayed there happily
+with King Fierce-lion and stopped living as a pilgrim.
+
+One day the king sent Good to Ceylon to ask for the hand of the
+daughter of the King of Ceylon. So he set out after sacrificing to the
+proper god, and entered a ship with some Brahmans chosen by the king.
+And when the ship had safely reached the middle of the ocean, there
+suddenly arose from the waves a very large flag-pole made of gold, with
+a top that touched the sky. It was adorned with waving banners of
+various colours and was quite astonishing.
+
+At the same moment the clouds gathered, it began to rain violently, and
+a mighty wind blew. And the ship was driven by the storm winds and
+caught on the flag-pole. Then the pole began to sink, dragging the ship
+with it into the raging waves. And the Brahmans who were there were
+overcome with fear and cursed the name of their king Fierce-lion.
+
+But Good could not endure that because of his devotion to his king. He
+took his sword in his hand, girt up his garment, and threw himself
+after the flag-pole into the sea. He had no fear of the pole which
+seemed a refuge from the ocean. Then as he sank, the ship was battered
+by the winds and waves and broke up. And all in it fell into the mouths
+of sharks.
+
+But Good sank into the ocean, and when he looked about he saw a
+wonderful city. There he entered a shrine to Gauri, tall as the
+heavenly mountain, with great gem-sprinkled banners on walls made of
+different kinds of jewels, in a golden temple blazing with jewelled
+pillars, with a garden that had a pool, the stairs to which were made
+of splendid gems. After he had bowed low and praised and worshipped the
+goddess there, he sat down before her in amazement, wondering if it was
+all a conjuror's trick.
+
+Just then the door was suddenly opened by a heavenly maiden. Her eyes
+were like lotuses, her face like the moon. She had a smile like a
+flower and a body soft as lotus-stems. And a thousand women waited upon
+her. She entered the shrine of the goddess and the heart of Good at the
+same moment. And when she had worshipped the goddess there, she went
+out from the shrine, but not from the heart of Good.
+
+She entered a circle of light, and Good followed her. And he saw
+another splendid house, that seemed like a place of meeting for all
+riches and all enjoyments. And he saw the girl sitting on a jewelled
+couch, and he approached and sat beside her. He was like a man painted
+in a picture, for his eyes were fastened on her face.
+
+Now a servant of the maiden saw that his body was thrilled, that he was
+intent upon the maiden, that he was in love. She understood his
+feelings and said to him: "Sir, you are our guest. Enjoy the
+hospitality of my mistress. Arise. Bathe. Eat." And he felt a little
+hope at her words and went to a pool in the garden which she showed him.
+
+He plunged into the pool, and when he rose to the surface, he found
+himself in the pool of King Fierce-lion in Copper City. And when he saw
+that he had come there so suddenly, he thought: "Oh, what does it mean?
+Where is that heavenly garden? What a difference between the sight of
+that girl which was like nectar to me, and this immediate separation
+from her which is like terrible poison! It was no dream. I was awake
+when the serving-maid deceived me and made a fool of me."
+
+He was like a madman without the girl. He wandered in the garden and
+mourned in a lovelorn way. He was surrounded by wind-blown
+flower-pollen which seemed to him the yellow flames of separation. And
+when the gardener saw him in this state, he went and told the king.
+
+And the king was troubled. He went himself to see Good, and asked him
+soothingly: "What does this mean? Tell me, my friend. Where did you go?
+And where did you come? And where did you stay? And what did you fall
+into?"
+
+Then Good told him the whole adventure. And the king thought: "Ah, it
+is fortunate for me that this brave man is lovelorn. For now I have a
+chance to pay my debt to him." So the king said to him: "My friend,
+give over this vain grief. I will go with you by the same road, and
+bring you to the heavenly maiden." So he comforted Good, and made him
+take a bath.
+
+The next day he transferred his royal duties to his counsellors and
+entered a ship with Good. Good showed the way through the sea and they
+saw the flag-pole with its banners rising as before in the middle of
+the ocean. Then Good said to the king: "Your Majesty, here is the magic
+flag-pole standing up. When I sink down there, you must sink too along
+the flag-pole." So when they came near the sinking pole, Good jumped
+first, and the king followed him.
+
+They sank down and came to the heavenly city. And the king was
+astonished, and after he had worshipped the goddess, he sat down with
+Good. Then the girl, like Beauty personified, came out of the circle of
+light with her friends. "There she is, the lovely creature," said Good,
+and the king thought: "He is quite right to love her." But when she saw
+the king looking like a god, she wondered who the strange and wonderful
+man might be, and entered the shrine to worship the goddess.
+
+But the king took Good and went into the garden to show how little he
+cared about her. A moment later the girl came from the shrine; she had
+been praying for a good husband. And she said to a girl friend: "My
+friend, I wonder where I could see the man who was here. Where is the
+great man? You girls must hunt for him and ask him to be good enough to
+come and accept our hospitality. For he is a wonderful man, and we must
+be polite to him."
+
+So the girl found him in the garden and gave him her mistress' message
+very respectfully. But the brave king spoke loftily to her: "Your words
+are hospitality enough. Nothing else is necessary."
+
+Now when her mistress had heard what he said, she thought he was a
+noble character, better than anybody else. She was attracted by the
+courage of the king in refusing a sort of hospitality which was almost
+too much to offer a mere man, and thought about the fulfilment of her
+prayer for a husband. So she went into the garden herself. She drew
+near to the king and lovingly begged him to accept her hospitality.
+
+But the king pointed to Good and said: "My dear girl, he told me of the
+goddess here, and I came to see her. And by following the flag-pole I
+saw the goddess and her very marvellous temple. It was only afterwards
+that I happened to see you."
+
+Then the girl said: "O King, you may be interested in seeing a city
+which is the wonder of the three worlds." And the king laughed and
+said: "He told me about that, too. I believe there is a pool for
+bathing there." And the girl said: "O King, do not say that. I am not a
+deceitful girl. Why should I deceive an honourable man, especially as
+your noble character has made me feel like a servant? Pray do not
+refuse me."
+
+So the king agreed and went with Good and the girl to the edge of the
+circle of light. There a door opened and he entered and saw another
+heavenly city like a second hill of heaven; for it was built of gems
+and gold, and the flowers and fruits of every season grew there at the
+same time.
+
+And the princess seated the king on a splendid throne and brought him
+gifts and said: "Your Majesty, I am the daughter of the great god
+Black-wheel. But Vishnu sent my father to heaven. And I inherited these
+two magic cities where one has everything he wants. There is no old age
+or death to trouble us here. And now you are in the place of my father
+to rule over the cities and over me." So she offered him herself and
+all she had. But the king said: "In that case you are my daughter and I
+give you in marriage to my brave friend good."
+
+In the king's words she saw the fulfilment of her prayer, and being
+sensible and modest, she agreed. So the king married them and gave all
+the magic wealth to happy Good, and said: "My friend, I have paid you
+now for one of the two mangoes which I ate. But I remain in your debt
+for the second."
+
+Then he asked the princess how he could get back to his city. And she
+gave the king a sword called Invincible, and the magic fruit which
+wards off birth, old age, and death. And the king took the sword and
+the fruit, plunged into the pool which she showed him, and came up in
+his own country, feeling completely successful. But Good ruled happily
+over the kingdom of the princess.
+
+When the goblin had told this story, he asked the king: "O King, which
+of these two deserves more credit for plunging into the sea?"
+
+And the king was afraid of the curse, so he gave a true answer: "Good
+seems to me the more deserving, for he did not know the truth
+beforehand, but plunged without hope into the sea, while the king knew
+the truth when he jumped."
+
+And as soon as the king broke silence, the goblin slipped from his
+shoulder as before without being seen and went to the sissoo tree. And
+the king tried as before to catch him. Brave men do not waver until
+they have finished what they have begun.
+
+
+
+EIGHTH GOBLIN
+
+_The Specialist in Food, the Specialist in Women, and the Specialist in
+Cotton. Which is the cleverest?_
+
+So the king went back under the sissoo tree, caught the goblin just as
+before, put him on his shoulder, and started toward the monk. And as he
+walked along, the goblin on his shoulder spoke and said: "O King,
+listen once more to the following story to beguile your weariness."
+
+
+In the Anga country there is a great region called Forest. There lived
+a great Brahman, pious and wealthy, whose name was Vishnu-swami. To his
+worthy wife three sons were born, one after another. When they had
+grown to be young men, specialists in matters of luxury, they were sent
+one day by their father to find a turtle for a sacrifice which he had
+begun.
+
+So the brothers went to the ocean and there they found a turtle. Then
+the eldest said to the two younger: "One of you take this turtle for
+Father's sacrifice. I cannot carry a slimy thing that smells raw."
+
+But when the eldest said this, the two younger said: "Sir, if you feel
+disgust, why shouldn't we?"
+
+When the eldest heard this, he said: "You take the turtle, otherwise
+Father's sacrifice will be ruined on your account. Then you and Father
+too will surely go to hell."
+
+When they heard him, the two younger brothers laughed and said: "Sir,
+you seem to know our common duty, but not your own."
+
+Then the eldest said: "What? Are you not aware that I am a connoisseur
+in food? For I am a specialists in foods. How can I touch this
+loathsome thing?"
+
+When he heard these words, the second brother said: "But I am even more
+of a connoisseur. I am a specialist in women. So how can I touch it?"
+
+After this speech, the eldest said to the youngest: "Do you then, being
+younger than we, carry the turtle."
+
+Then the youngest frowned and said to them: "Fools! I am a great
+specialist in cotton."
+
+So the three brothers quarrelled, and arrogantly leaving the turtle
+behind them, they went to have the matter decided at Pinnacle, the
+capital of a king called Conqueror. When they came there, and had been
+announced and introduced by the door-keeper, they told their story to
+the king. And when the king had heard all, he said: "Stay here. I will
+examine you one after another." So they agreed and all stayed there.
+
+Then the king invited them in at his own dinner hour, seated them on
+magnificent seats, and set before them sweet dishes of six flavours,
+fit for a king. While all the rest ate, one of the Brahmans, the
+specialist in food, disgustedly shook his head and refused to eat. And
+when the king himself asked him why he would not eat food that was
+sweet and savoury, he respectfully replied: "Your Majesty, in this food
+there is the odour of smoke from a burning corpse. Therefore, I do not
+wish to eat it, however sweet it may be."
+
+Then at the king's command all the rest smelt of it and declared it the
+best of winter rice, and perfectly sweet. But the food-critic held his
+nose and would not touch it. Now when the king reflected and made a
+careful investigation, he learned from the commissioners that the dish
+was made of rice grown near a village crematory. Then he was greatly
+astonished and pleased, and said: "Brahman, you are certainly a judge
+of food. Pray take something else."
+
+After dinner the king dismissed them to their rooms, and sent for the
+most beautiful woman of his court. And at night he sent this lovely
+creature, all adorned, to the second brother, the specialist in women.
+She came with a servant of the king to his chamber, and when she
+entered, she seemed to illuminate the room. But the judge of women
+almost fainted, and stopping his nose with his left hand, he said to
+his servants: "Take her away! If not, I shall die. A goaty smell issues
+from her."
+
+So the servants, in distress and astonishment, conducted her to the
+king and told him what had happened. Then the king sent for the
+specialist in women, and said: "Brahman, she has anointed herself with
+sandal, camphor, and aloes, so that a delightful perfume pervades her
+neighbourhood. How could this woman have a goaty smell?" But in spite
+of this the specialist in women would not yield. And when the king
+endeavoured to learn the truth, he heard from her own lips that in her
+infancy she had been separated from her mother and had been brought up
+on goat's milk. Then the king was greatly astonished and loudly praised
+the critical judgment of the specialist in women.
+
+Quickly he had a couch prepared for the third brother, the specialist
+in cotton. So the critic of cotton went to sleep on a bed with seven
+quilts over the frame and covered with a pure, soft coverlet. When only
+a half of the first watch of the night was gone, he suddenly started
+from the bed, shouting and writhing with pain, his hand pressed to his
+side. And the king's men who were stationed there saw the curly red
+outline of a hair deeply imprinted on his side.
+
+They went at once and informed the king, who said to them: "See whether
+there is anything under the quilts or not." So they went and searched
+under each quilt, and under the last they found one hair, which they
+immediately took and showed to the king. And the king summoned the
+specialist in cotton, and finding the mark exactly corresponding to the
+hair, was filled with extreme astonishment. And he spent that night
+wondering how the hair could sink into his body through seven quilts.
+
+Now when the king arose in the morning, he was delighted with their
+marvellous critical judgment and sensitiveness, so that he gave each of
+the three specialists a hundred thousand gold-pieces. And they were
+contented and stayed there, forgetting all about the turtle, and thus
+incurring a crime through the failure of their father's sacrifice.
+
+
+When he had told this remarkable story, the goblin on the king's
+shoulder said: "O King, remember the curse I spoke of and declare which
+of these three was the cleverest."
+
+When he heard this, the wise king answered the goblin: "Without doubt I
+regard the specialist in cotton as the cleverest, on whose body the
+imprint of the hair was seen to appear visibly. The other two might
+possibly have found out beforehand."
+
+When the king had said this, the goblin slipped from his shoulder as
+before. And the king went back under the sissoo tree again to fetch him.
+
+
+
+NINTH GOBLIN
+
+_The Four Scientific Suitors. To which should the girl be given?_
+
+Then the king went back to the sissoo tree, put the goblin on his
+shoulder, and started. And the goblin spoke to him again: "O King, why
+do you go to such pains in this cemetery at night? Do you not see the
+home of the ghosts, full of dreadful creatures, terrible in the night,
+wrapped in darkness as in smoke? Why do you work so hard and grow weary
+for the sake of that monk? Well, to amuse the journey, listen to a
+puzzle which I will tell you."
+
+
+In the Avanti country is a city built by the gods at the beginning of
+time, adorned with wonderful wealth and opportunities for enjoyment. In
+the earliest age it was called Lotus City, then Pleasure City, then
+Golden City, and now it is called Ujjain. There lived a king named
+Heroic. And his queen was named Lotus.
+
+One day the king went with her to the sacred Ganges river and prayed to
+Shiva that he might have children. And after long prayer he heard a
+voice from heaven, for Shiva was at last pleased with his devotion: "O
+King, there shall be born to you a brave son to continue your dynasty,
+and a daughter more beautiful than the nymphs of heaven."
+
+When he heard the heavenly voice, the king was delighted at the
+fulfilment of his wishes, and went back to his city with the queen. And
+first Queen Lotus bore a son called Brave, and then a daughter named
+Grace who put the god of love to shame.
+
+When the girl grew up, the king sought for a suitable husband for her,
+and invited all the neighbouring princes by letter, but not one of them
+seemed good enough for her. So the king tenderly said to his daughter:
+"My dear, I do not see a husband worthy of you, so I will summon all
+the kings hither, and you shall choose." But the princess said: "My
+dear father, such a choice would be very embarrassing. I would rather
+not. Just marry me to any good-looking young man, who understands a
+single science from beginning to end. I wish nothing more nor less than
+that."
+
+Now while the king was looking for such a husband, four brave,
+good-looking, scientific men from the south heard of the matter and
+came to him. And when they had been hospitably received, each explained
+his own science to the king.
+
+The first said: "I am a working-man, and my name is Five-cloth. I make
+five splendid suits of clothes a day. One I give to some god and one to
+a Brahman. One I wear myself, and one I shall give to my wife when I
+have one. The fifth I sell, to buy food and things. This is my science.
+Pray give me Grace."
+
+The second said: "I am a farmer, and my name is Linguist. I understand
+the cries of all beasts and birds. Pray give me the princess."
+
+The third said: "I am a strong-armed soldier, and my name is Swordsman.
+I have no rival on earth in the science of swordsmanship. O King, pray
+give me your daughter."
+
+The fourth said: "O King, I am a Brahman, and my name is Life. I
+possess a wonderful science. For if dead creatures are brought to me, I
+can quickly restore them to life. Let your daughter find a husband in a
+man who has such heroic skill."
+
+When they had spoken, and the king had seen that they all had wonderful
+garments and personal beauty, he and his daughter swung in doubt.
+
+
+When the goblin had told this story, he said to the king: "Remember the
+curse I mentioned, and tell me to which of them the girl should be
+given."
+
+And the king said to the goblin: "Sir, you are merely trying to gain
+time by making me break silence. There is no puzzle about that. How
+could a warrior's daughter be given to a working-man, a weaver? Or to a
+farmer, either? And as to his knowledge of the speech of beasts and
+birds, of what practical use is it? And what good is a Brahman who
+neglects his own affairs and turns magician, despising real courage? Of
+course she should be given to the warrior Swordsman who had some
+manhood with his science."
+
+When the goblin heard this, he escaped by magic from the king's
+shoulder, and disappeared. And the king followed him as before.
+Discouragement never enters the brave heart of a resolute man.
+
+
+
+TENTH GOBLIN
+
+_The Three Delicate Wives of King Virtue-banner. Which is the most
+delicate?_
+
+Then the king went to the sissoo tree, put the goblin on his shoulder
+once more, and started toward the monk. And as he walked along, the
+goblin on his shoulder said: "O King, I will tell you a strange story
+to relieve your weariness. Listen."
+
+
+There once was a king in Ujjain, whose name was Virtue-banner. He had
+three princesses as wives, and loved them dearly. One of them was named
+Crescent, the second Star, and the third Moon. While the king lived
+happily with his wives, he conquered all his enemies, and was content.
+
+One day at the time of the spring festival, the king went to the garden
+to play with his three wives. There he looked at the flower-laden vines
+with black rows of bees on them; they seemed like the bow of the god of
+love, all ready for service. He heard the songs of nightingales in the
+trees; they sounded like commands of Love. And with his wives he drank
+wine which seemed like Love's very life-blood.
+
+Then the king playfully pulled the hair of Queen Crescent, and a
+lotus-petal fell from her hair into her lap. And the queen was so
+delicate that it wounded her, and she screamed and fainted. And the
+king was distracted, but when servants sprinkled her with cool water
+and fanned her, she gradually recovered consciousness. And the king
+took her to the palace and waited upon his dear wife with a hundred
+remedies which the physicians brought.
+
+And when the king saw that she was made comfortable for the night, he
+went to the palace balcony with his second wife Star. Now while she
+slept on the king's breast, the moonbeams found their way through the
+window and fell upon her. And she awoke in a moment, and started up,
+crying "I am burned!" Then the king awoke and anxiously asked what the
+matter was, and he saw great blisters on her body. When he asked her
+about it, Queen Star said: "The moonbeams that fell on me did it." And
+the king was distracted when he saw how she wept and suffered. He
+called the servants and they made a couch of moist lotus-leaves, and
+dressed her wounds with damp sandal-paste.
+
+At that moment the third queen, Moon, left her room to go to the king.
+And as she moved through the noiseless night, she clearly heard in a
+distant part of the palace the sound of pestles grinding grain. And she
+cried: "Oh, oh! It will kill me!" She wrung her hands and sat down in
+agony in the hall. But her servants returned and led her to her room,
+where she took to her bed and wept. And when the servants asked what
+the matter was, she tearfully showed her hands with bruises on them,
+like two lilies with black bees clinging to them. So they went and told
+the king. And he came in great distress, and asked his dear wife about
+it. She showed her hands and spoke, though she suffered: "My dear, when
+I heard the sound of the pestles, these bruises came." Then the king
+made them give her a cooling plaster of sandal-paste and other things.
+
+And the king thought: "One of them was wounded by a falling
+lotus-petal. The second was burned by the moonbeams. The third had her
+hands terribly bruised by the sound of pestles. I love them dearly, but
+alas! The very delicacy which is so great a virtue, is positively
+inconvenient."
+
+And he wandered about in the palace, and it seemed as if the night had
+three hundred hours. But in the morning the king and his skilful
+physicians took such measures that before long his wives were well and
+he was happy.
+
+
+When he had told this story, the goblin asked: "O King, which of them
+was the most delicate?" And the king said: "The one who was bruised by
+the mere sound of the pestles, when nothing touched her. The other two
+who were wounded or blistered by actual contact with lotus-petals or
+moonbeams, are not equal to her."
+
+When the goblin heard this, he went back, and the king resolutely
+hastened to catch him again.
+
+
+
+ELEVENTH GOBLIN
+
+_The King who won a Fairy as his Wife. Why did his counsellor's heart
+break?_
+
+Then the king went as before to the sissoo tree, put the goblin on his
+shoulder, and started back. And the goblin said once more: "O King, I
+like you wonderfully well because you are not discouraged. So I will
+tell you a delightful little story to relieve your weariness. Listen."
+
+
+In the Anga country was a young king named Glory-banner, so beautiful
+that he seemed an incarnation of the god of love. He had conquered all
+his enemies by his strength of arm, and he had a counsellor named
+Farsight.
+
+At last the king, proud of his youth and beauty, entrusted all the
+power in his quiet kingdom to his counsellor, and gradually devoted
+himself entirely to pleasure. He spent all his time with the ladies of
+the court, and listened more attentively to their love-songs than to
+the advice of statesmen. He took greater pleasure in peeping into their
+windows than into the holes in his administration. But Farsight bore
+the whole burden of public business, and never wearied day or night.
+
+Then the people began to murmur: "The counsellor Farsight has seduced
+the king, and now he alone has all the kingly glory." And the
+counsellor said to his wife, whose name was Prudence: "My dear, the
+king is devoted to his pleasures, and great infamy is heaped upon me by
+the people. They say I have devoured the kingdom, though in fact I
+support the burden of it. Now popular gossip damages the greatest man.
+Was not Rama forced to abandon his good wife by popular clamour? So
+what shall I do now?"
+
+Then his clever wife Prudence showed that she deserved her name. She
+said: "My dear, leave the king and go on a pilgrimage. Tell him that
+you are an old man now, and should be permitted to travel in foreign
+countries for a time. Then the gossip will cease, when they see that
+you are unselfish. And when you are gone, the king will bear his own
+burdens. And thus his levity will gradually disappear. And when you
+come back, you can assume your office without reproach."
+
+To this advice the counsellor assented, and said to the king in the
+course of conversation: "Your Majesty, permit me to go on a pilgrimage
+for a few days. Virtue seems of supreme importance to me."
+
+But the king said: "No, no, counsellor. Is there no other kind of
+virtue except in pilgrimages? How about generosity and that kind of
+thing? Isn't it possible to prepare for heaven in your own house?"
+
+Then the counsellor said: "Your Majesty, one gets worldly prosperity
+from generosity and that kind of thing. But a pilgrimage gives eternal
+life. A prudent man should attend to it while he has strength. The
+chance may be lost, for no one can be sure of his health."
+
+But the king was still arguing against it when the doorkeeper came in
+and said: "Your Majesty, the glorious sun is diving beneath the pool of
+heaven. Arise. The hour for your bath is slipping away." And the king
+went immediately to bathe.
+
+The counsellor went home, still determined on his pilgrimage. He would
+not let his wife go with him, but started secretly. Not even his
+servants knew.
+
+He wandered alone through many countries to many holy places, and
+finally came to the Odra country. There he saw a city near the ocean,
+where he entered a temple to Shiva and sat down in the court. There he
+sat, hot and dusty from long travel, when he was seen by a merchant
+named Treasure who had come to worship the god. The merchant gathered
+from his dress and appearance that he was a high-born Brahman, and
+invited him home, and entertained him with food, bathing, and the like.
+
+When the counsellor was rested, the merchant asked him: "Who are you?
+Whence do you come? And where are you going?" And the other replied: "I
+am a Brahman named Farsight. I came here on a pilgrimage from the Anga
+country."
+
+Then the merchant Treasure said to him: "I am preparing for a trading
+voyage to Golden Island. Do you stay in my house. And when I come back,
+and you are wearied from your pilgrimage, rest here for a time before
+going home." But Farsight said: "I do not want to stay here. I would
+rather go with you." And the good merchant agreed. And the counsellor
+slept in the first bed he had lain in for many nights.
+
+The next day he went to the seashore with the merchant, and entered the
+ship loaded with the merchant's goods. He sailed along, admiring the
+wonders and terrors of the sea, till at last he reached Golden Island.
+There he stayed for a time until the merchant had finished his buying
+and selling. Now on the way back, he saw a magic tree suddenly rising
+from the ocean. It had beautiful branches, boughs of gold, fruits of
+jewels, and splendid blossoms. And sitting on a jewelled couch in the
+branches was a lovely maiden of heavenly beauty. And while the
+counsellor wondered what it all meant, the maiden took her lute in her
+hand, and began to sing:
+
+   Whatever seed of fate is sown,
+      The fruit appears--'tis strange!
+   Whatever deed a man has done,
+       Not God himself can change.
+
+And when she had made her meaning clear, the heavenly maiden
+straightway sank with the magic tree and the couch. And Farsight
+thought: "What a wonderful thing I have seen to-day! What a strange
+place the ocean is for the appearance of a tree with a fairy in it! And
+if this is a usual occurrence at sea, why do not other goddesses arise?"
+
+The pilot and other sailors saw that he was astonished, and they said:
+"Sir, this wonderful maiden appears here regularly, and sinks a moment
+after, but the sight is new to you." Then the counsellor, filled with
+amazement, came to the shore with Treasure, and disembarked. And when
+the merchant had unloaded his goods and caused his servants to rejoice,
+the counsellor went home with him and spent many happy days there.
+
+At last he said to Treasure: "Merchant, I have rested happily for a
+long time in your house. Now I wish to go to my own country. Peace be
+with you!" And in spite of urging from the merchant, Farsight took his
+leave, and started with no companion except his own courage. He went
+through many countries and at last reached the Anga country. And scouts
+who had been sent by King Glory-banner saw him before he reached the
+city. When the king learned of it, he went himself out of the city to
+meet him, for he had been terribly grieved by the separation. He drew
+near, embraced and greeted the counsellor and took him, all worn and
+dusty with the weary journey, into an inner room.
+
+And as soon as the counsellor was refreshed, the king said:
+"Counsellor, why did you leave us? How could you bring yourself to do
+so harsh and loveless a thing? But after all, who can understand the
+strange workings of stern necessity? To think that you should decide
+all at once to wander off on a pilgrimage! Well, tell me what countries
+you visited, and what new things you saw."
+
+Then the counsellor told him the whole story truthfully and in order,
+the journey to Golden Island and the fairy who rose singing from the
+sea, her wonderful beauty and the magic tree.
+
+But the king immediately fell in love so hopelessly that his kingdom
+and his life seemed worthless to him without her. He took the
+counsellor aside and said: "Counsellor, I simply must see her. Remember
+that I shall die if I do not. I bow to my fate. I will take the journey
+which you took. You must not refuse me nor accompany me. I shall go
+alone and in disguise. You must rule the kingdom, and not dispute my
+words. Swear to do it on your life."
+
+So he spoke, and would not listen to advice, but dismissed the
+counsellor. Then Farsight was unhappy though a great festival was made
+for him. How can a good counsellor be happy when his master devotes
+himself to a vice?
+
+The next night King Glory-banner threw the burden of government on that
+excellent counsellor, assumed the dress of a hermit, and left his city.
+And as he travelled, he saw a monk named Grass, who said when the king
+bowed before him as a holy man: "My son, if you sail with a merchant
+named Fortune, you will obtain the maiden you desire. Go on fearlessly."
+
+So the king bowed again and went on rejoicing. After crossing rivers
+and mountains he came to the ocean. And on the shore he met at once the
+merchant Fortune whom the monk had mentioned, bound for Golden Island.
+And when the merchant saw the king's appearance and his signet ring, he
+bowed low, took him on the ship, and set sail.
+
+When the ship reached the middle of the sea, the maiden suddenly arose,
+sitting in the branches of the magic tree. And as the king gazed
+eagerly at her, she sang as before to her lute:
+
+    Whatever seed of fate is sown
+        The fruit appears--'tis strange!
+    Whatever deed a man has done,
+         Not God himself can change.
+
+    Whatever, how, for whom, and where
+         'Tis fated so to be,
+    That thing, just so, for him, and there
+         Must happen fatally.
+
+This song she sang, hinting at what was to happen. And the king gazed
+at her smitten by love, and could not move. Then he cried: "O Sea, in
+hiding her, you deceive those who think they have your treasures.
+Honour and glory to you! I seek your protection. Grant me my desire!"
+And as the king prayed, the maiden sank with the tree. Then the king
+jumped after her into the sea.
+
+The good merchant Fortune thought he was lost and was ready to die of
+grief. But he was comforted by a voice from heaven which said: "Do
+nothing rash. There is no danger when he sinks in the sea. For he is
+the king Glory-banner, disguised as a hermit. He came here for the sake
+of the maiden; she was his wife in a former life. And he will win her
+and return to his kingdom in the Anga country." So the merchant sailed
+on to complete his business.
+
+But King Glory-banner sank in the sea, and all at once he saw a
+heavenly city. He looked in amazement at the balconies with their
+splendid jewelled pillars, their walls bright with gold, and the
+network of pearls in their windows. And he saw gardens with pools that
+had stairways of various gems, and magic trees that yielded all
+desires. But rich as it was, the city was deserted.
+
+He entered house after house, but did not find the maiden anywhere.
+Then he climbed a high balcony built of gems, opened a door, and
+entered. And there he saw her all alone, lying on a jewelled couch, and
+clad in splendid garments. He eagerly raised her face to see if it was
+really she, and saw that it was indeed the maiden he sought. At the
+sight of her he had the strange feeling of the traveller in a desert in
+summer at the sight of a river.
+
+And she opened her eyes, saw that he was handsome and loveable, and
+left her couch in confusion. But she welcomed him and with downcast
+eyes that seemed like full-blown lotuses she did honour to his feet.
+Then she slowly spoke: "Who are you, sir? How did you come to this
+inaccessible under-world? And what is this hermit garb? For I see that
+you are a king. Oh, sir, if you would do me a kindness, tell me this."
+
+And the king answered her: "Beautiful maiden, I am King Glory-banner of
+the Anga country, and I heard from a reliable person that you were to
+be seen on the sea. To see you I assumed this garb, left my kingdom,
+and followed you hither. Oh, tell me who you are."
+
+Then she said to him with bashful love: "Sir, there is a king of the
+fairies named Moonshine. I am his daughter, and my name is Moonlight.
+Now my father has left me alone in this city. I do not know where he
+went with the rest of the people, or why. Therefore, as my home is
+lonely, I rise through the ocean, sit on a magic tree, and song about
+fate."
+
+Then the king remembered the words of the monk, and urged her with such
+gentle, tender words that she confessed her love and agreed to marry
+him. But she made a condition: "My dear, on four set days in each month
+you must let me go somewhere unhindered and unseen. There is a reason."
+And the king agreed, married her, and lived in heavenly happiness with
+her.
+
+While he was living in heavenly bliss, Moonlight said to him one day:
+"My dear, you must wait here. I am going somewhere on an errand. For
+this is one of the set days. While you stay here, sweetheart, you must
+not go into that crystal room, nor plunge into this pool. If you do,
+you will find yourself at that very moment in the world again." So she
+said good-bye and left the city.
+
+But the king took his sword and followed, to learn her secret. And he
+saw a giant approaching with a great black cave of a mouth that yawned
+like the pit. The giant fell down and howled horribly, then took
+Moonlight into his mouth and swallowed her.
+
+And the king's anger blazed forth. He took his great sword, black as a
+snake that has sloughed its skin, ran up wrathfully, and cut off the
+giant's head. He was blinded by his madness, he did not know what to
+do, he was afflicted by the loss of his darling. But Moonlight split
+open the stomach of the giant, and came out alive and unhurt, like the
+brilliant, spotless moon coming out from a black cloud.
+
+When he saw that she was saved, the king cried: "Come, come to me!" and
+ran forward and embraced her. And he asked her: "What does it mean,
+dearest? Is this a dream, or an illusion?" And the fairy answered: "My
+dear, listen to me. It is not a dream, nor an illusion. My father, the
+king of the fairies, laid this curse upon me. My father had many sons,
+but he loved me so that he could not eat without me. And I used to come
+to this deserted spot twice a month to worship Shiva.
+
+"One day I came here and it happened that I spent the whole day in
+worship. That day my father waited for me and would not eat or drink
+anything, though he was hungry and angry with me. At night I stood
+before him with downcast eyes, for I had done wrong. And he forgot his
+love and cursed me--so strong is fate.  Because you have despised me
+and left me hungry a whole day, a giant named Terror-of-Fate will
+swallow you four times a month when you leave the city. And each time
+you will split him open and come out. And you shall not remember the
+curse afterwards, nor the pain of being swallowed alive. And you must
+live here alone.'
+
+"But when I begged him, he thought awhile and softened his curse. When
+Glory-banner, King of the Angas, shall become your husband, and shall
+see you swallowed by the giant, and shall kill the giant, then the
+curse shall end, and you shall remember all your magic arts.' Then he
+left me here, and went with his people to the Nishadha mountain. But I
+stayed here because of the curse. And now the curse is ended, and I
+remember everything. So now I shall go to the Nishadha mountain to see
+my father. Of course now I remember how to fly. And you are at liberty
+to stay here, or to go back to your own kingdom."
+
+Then the king was sad, and he begged her thus: "My beautiful wife, do
+not go for seven days. Be as kind as you are beautiful. Let me be happy
+with you in the garden, and forget my longings. Then you may go to your
+father, and I will go home." So he persuaded her, and was happy with
+her for six days in the garden. And the lilies in the ponds looked like
+longing eyes, and the ripples like hands raised to detain them, and the
+cries of swans and cranes seemed to say: "Do not leave us and go away."
+
+On the seventh day the king cleverly led his wife to the pool from
+which one could get back to the world. There he threw his arms about
+her and plunged into the pool, and came up with her in the pool in the
+garden of his own palace.
+
+The gardeners saw that the king had come back with a wife, and they
+joyfully ran and told the counsellor Farsight. He came and fell at the
+king's feet, and then led the king and the fairy into the palace. And
+the counsellor and the people thought: "Wonderful! The king has won the
+fairy whom others could see only for a moment like the lightning in the
+sky. Whatever is written in one's fate, that comes true, however
+impossible it may be."
+
+But when Moonlight saw that the king was in his own country, and the
+seven days were over, she thought she would fly away like other
+fairies. But she could not remember how. Then she became very sad, like
+a woman who has been robbed.
+
+And the king said: "Why are you so sad, my dear? Tell me." And the
+fairy said: "The curse is over. Yet because I have been bound so long
+in the fetters of your love, I have lost my magic arts. I cannot fly."
+Then the king thought: "The fairy is really mine," and he was happy and
+made a great feast.
+
+When the counsellor Farsight saw this, he went home, and lay down on
+his bed, and his heart broke, and he died. Then the king governed the
+kingdom himself, and lived for a long time in heavenly happiness with
+Moonlight.
+
+
+When he had told this story, the goblin said: "O King, when the king
+was so happy, why should the counsellor's heart break? Was it from
+grief because he did not win the fairy himself? Or from sorrow because
+the king came back, and he could no longer act as king? If you know and
+will not tell me, then you will lose your virtue, and your head will go
+flying into a hundred pieces."
+
+And the king said to the goblin: "O magic creature, neither of these
+reasons would be possible for a high-minded counsellor. But he thought:
+The king used to neglect his duties for the sake of ordinary women.
+What will happen now, when he loves a fairy? In spite of all my
+efforts, a terrible misfortune has happened.' I think that was why his
+heart broke."
+
+Then the magic goblin went back to his tree in a moment. And the king
+was still determined to catch him, and went once more to the sissoo
+tree.
+
+
+
+TWELFTH GOBLIN
+
+_The Brahman who died because Poison from a Snake in the Claws of a Hawk
+fell into a Dish of Food given him by a Charitable Woman. Who is to
+blame for his death?_
+
+Then the King went back under the sissoo tree, put the goblin on his
+shoulder, and started as before. And as he walked along, the goblin
+said to him again: "O King, listen to a very condensed story."
+
+
+There is a city called Benares. In it lived a Brahman named Devaswami,
+whom the king honoured. He was very rich, and he had a son named
+Hariswami. This son had a wonderful wife, and her name was Beautiful.
+No doubt the Creator put together in her the priceless elements of
+charm and loveliness after his practice in making the nymphs of heaven.
+
+One night Hariswami was sleeping on a balcony cooled by the rays of the
+moon. And a fairy prince named Love-speed was flying through the air,
+and as he passed he saw Beautiful asleep beside her husband. He took
+her, still asleep, and carried her off through the air.
+
+Presently Hariswami awoke, and not seeing the mistress of his life, he
+rose in anxiety. And he wondered: "Oh, where has my wife gone? Is she
+angry with me? Or is she playing hide-and-seek with me, to see how I
+will take it?" So he roamed anxiously all over the balcony during the
+rest of the night. But he did not find her, though he searched as far
+as the garden.
+
+Then he was overcome by his sorrow and sobbed convulsively. "Oh,
+Beautiful, my darling! Fair as the moon! White as the moonlight! Was
+the night jealous of your beauty; did she carry you away? Your
+loveliness shamed the moon who refreshed me with beams cool as sandal;
+but now that you are gone, the same beams torment me like blazing
+coals, like poisoned arrows!"
+
+And as Hariswami lamented thus, the night came to an end, but his
+anguish did not end. The pleasant sun scattered the darkness, but could
+not scatter the blind darkness of Hariswami's madness. His pitiful
+lamentations increased a hundredfold, when the nightly cries of the
+birds ended. His relatives tried to comfort him, but he could not pluck
+up courage while his loved one was lost. He went here and there,
+sobbing out: "Here she stood. And here she bathed. And here she adorned
+herself. And here she played."
+
+His relatives and friends gave him good advice. "She is not dead," they
+said. "Why should you make way with yourself? You will surely find her.
+Pluck up courage and hunt for her. Nothing is impossible to the brave
+and determined man." And when they urged him, Hariswami after some days
+plucked up heart.
+
+He thought: "I will give all my fortune to the Brahmans, and then
+wander to holy places. Thus I will wear away my sins, and when my sins
+are gone, perhaps I shall find my darling in my wanderings." So he
+arose and bathed.
+
+On the next day he provided food and drink, and made a great feast for
+the Brahmans, and gave them all he had except his piety. Then he
+started to wander to holy places, hoping to find his wife.
+
+As he wandered, the summer came on him like a lion, the blazing sun its
+mouth, and the sunbeams its mane. And the hot wind blew, made hotter
+yet by the sighs of travellers separated from their wives. And the
+yellow mud dried and cracked, as if the lakes were broken-hearted at
+the loss of their lotuses. And the trees, filled with chirping birds,
+seemed to lament the absence of the spring, and their withering leaves
+seemed like lips that grow dry in the heat.
+
+At this time Hariswami was distressed by the heat and the loss of his
+wife, by hunger, thirst, and weariness. And as he sought for food, he
+came to a village. There he saw many Brahmans eating in the house of a
+Brahman named Lotus-belly, and he leaned against the doorpost,
+speechless and motionless.
+
+Then the good wife of that pious Brahman pitied him, and she thought:
+"Hunger is a heavy burden. It makes anyone light. Look at this hungry
+man standing with bowed head at the door. He looks like a pious man who
+has come from a far country, and he is tired. Therefore he is a proper
+person for me to feed."
+
+So the good woman took in her hands a dish filled with excellent rice,
+melted butter, and candied sugar, and courteously gave it to him. And
+she said: "Go to the edge of our pond, and eat it."
+
+He thanked her, took the dish, went a little way, and set it down under
+a fig-tree on the edge of the pond. Then he washed his hands and feet
+in the pond, rinsed his mouth, and joyfully drew near to eat the good
+food.
+
+At that moment a hawk settled on the tree, carrying a black snake in
+his beak and claws. And the snake died in the grasp of the hawk, and
+his mouth opened, and a stream of poison came out. This poison fell
+into the dish of food.
+
+But Hariswami did not see it. He came up hungry, and ate it all. And
+immediately he felt the terrible effects of the poison. He stammered
+out: "Oh, when fate goes wrong, everything goes wrong. Even this rice
+and the milk and the melted butter and the candied sugar is poison to
+me." And he staggered up to the Brahman's wife and said: "Oh, Brahman's
+wife, I have been poisoned by the food you gave me. Bring a
+poison-doctor at once. Otherwise you will be the murderer of a Brahman."
+
+And the good woman was terribly agitated. But while she was running
+about to find a poison-doctor, Hariswami turned up his eyes and died.
+Thus, though she was not to blame, though she was really charitable,
+the poor wife was reproached by the angry Brahman who thought she had
+murdered her guest. She was falsely accused for a really good action.
+So she was dejected and went on a pilgrimage.
+
+
+When he had told this story, the goblin said: "O King, who murdered the
+Brahman? the snake, or the hawk, or the woman who gave him the food, or
+her husband? This was discussed in the presence of the god of death,
+but they could not decide. Therefore, O King, do you say. Who killed
+the Brahman? Remember the curse, if you know and do not tell the truth."
+
+Then the king broke silence and said: "Who did the murder? The snake
+cannot be blamed, because he was being eaten by his enemy and could not
+help himself. The hawk was hungry and saw nothing. He was not to blame.
+And how can you blame either or both of the charitable people who gave
+food to a guest who arrived unexpectedly? They were quite virtuous, and
+cannot be blamed. I should say that the dead man himself was to blame,
+for he dared to accuse one of the others."
+
+When the goblin heard this, he jumped from the king's shoulder and
+escaped to the sissoo tree. And the king ran after him again,
+determined to catch him.
+
+
+
+THIRTEENTH GOBLIN
+
+_The Girl who showed Great Devotion to the Thief. Did he weep or laugh?_
+
+Then the king went back to the sissoo tree, put the goblin on his
+shoulder, and started. And as he walked along, the goblin said to him:
+"O King, I will tell you another story. Listen."
+
+
+There is a city called Ayodhya, which was once the capital of Rama the
+exterminator of giants. In this city lived a strong-armed king named
+Hero-banner who protected the world as a wall protects a city. During
+his reign a great merchant named Jewel lived in the city. His wife was
+named Pleasing, and a daughter named Pearl was given to her prayers.
+
+As the girl grew up in her father's house, her natural virtues grew
+too: beauty, charm, and modesty. And thus she became a young woman. Now
+in her young womanhood she was asked in marriage not only by great
+merchants, but even by kings. But she was prudent and did not like men.
+She would not have loved a god if he had been her husband. She was
+ready to die at merely hearing talk of her marriage. So her father was
+silent on the subject, though his tender love for her made him sad. And
+the story was known everywhere in Ayodhya.
+
+At this time all the citizens were being plundered by thieves, and they
+petitioned King Hero-banner in these words: "O King, we are plundered
+every night by thieves, and cannot catch them. Your Majesty must decide
+what to do." So the king stationed night-watchmen in hiding about the
+city, to search out the thieves.
+
+When the watchmen failed to catch the thieves for all their searching,
+the king himself took his sword, and wandered about alone at night. And
+he saw a man creeping along a wall with noiseless steps, often casting
+a fearful glance behind him. The king concluded that this was the thief
+who all alone robbed the city, and went up to him. And the thief asked
+him who he was. The king replied: "I am a thief."
+
+Then the thief said joyfully: "Good! You are my friend. Come to my
+house. I will treat you like a friend." So the king agreed and went
+with the thief to a house hidden in a grove and guarded by a wall, full
+of delightful and beautiful things, and bright with shining gems. There
+the thief offered the king a seat, and went into an inner room.
+
+At that moment a serving-maid came into the room and said to the king:
+"Your Majesty, why have you come into the jaws of death? This wonderful
+thief has gone out, intending to do you a mischief. He is certainly
+treacherous. Go away quickly."
+
+So the king quickly went away, returned to the city, and drew up a
+company of soldiers. With these soldiers he went and surrounded the
+house where the serving-maid had been.
+
+When the thief saw that the house was surrounded, he knew that he was
+betrayed, and came out to fight and die like a man. He showed more than
+human valour. He cut off the trunks of elephants, the legs of horses,
+and the heads of men; and he was all alone, with only his sword and
+shield. When the king saw that his army was destroyed, he ran forward
+himself.
+
+The king was a scientific swordsman, so with a turn of his wrist he
+sent the sword and the dagger flying from the thief's hand. Then he
+threw away his own sword, wrestled with the thief, threw him, and took
+him alive.
+
+The next morning the thief was led to the place of execution to be
+impaled, and the drums were beaten. And Pearl, the merchant's daughter,
+saw him from her balcony. All bloody and dusty as he was, she went mad
+with love, found her father, and said to him: "Father, I am going to
+marry that thief who is being led to execution. You must save him from
+the king. Otherwise I shall die with him."
+
+But her father said: "What do you mean, my daughter? That thief stole
+everything the citizens had, and the king's men are going to kill him.
+How can I save him from the king? Besides, what nonsense are you
+talking?" But the more he scolded, the more determined she became. And
+as he loved his daughter, he went to the king and offered all he had
+for the release of the thief.
+
+But the king would not be tempted by millions. He would not release the
+thief who stole everything, whom he had captured at the risk of his
+life. So the father returned home sadly. And the girl, not heeding the
+arguments of her relatives, took a bath, entered a litter, and went to
+the death-scene of the rogue, to die with him. Her parents and her
+relatives followed her, weeping.
+
+At that moment the executioners impaled the thief. As his life ebbed
+away, he saw the girl and the people with her, and learned her story.
+Then the tears rolled down his cheeks, but he died with a smile on his
+lips.
+
+The faithful girl took the thief's body from the stake, and mounted the
+pyre to burn herself. But the blessed god Shiva was staying invisibly
+in the cemetery, and at that moment he spoke from the sky: "O faithful
+wife, I am pleased with your constancy to the husband of your choice.
+Choose whatever boon you will from me."
+
+The girl worshipped the gracious god and chose her boon: "O blessed
+one, my father has no son. May he have a hundred. Otherwise his
+childless life would end when I am gone."
+
+And the god spoke again from the sky: "O faithful wife, your father
+shall have a hundred sons. But choose another boon. A woman faithful as
+you are deserves more than the little thing you asked."
+
+Then she said: "O god, if I have won your favour, may this my husband
+live and always be a good man."
+
+The invisible Shiva spoke from the sky: "So be it. Your husband shall
+be made alive and well. He shall be a good man, and King Hero-banner
+shall be pleased with him."
+
+Then the thief arose at once, alive and well. And the merchant Jewel
+was overjoyed and astonished. He took Pearl and the thief, his
+son-in-law, went home with his rejoicing relatives, and made a feast
+great as his own delight, in honour of the sons he was to have.
+
+And the king was pleased when he learned the story, and in recognition
+of the stupendous courage of the thief, he appointed him general at
+once. The thief reformed, married the merchant's daughter, and lived
+happily with her, devoted to virtue.
+
+
+When the goblin had told this story, he reminded the king of the curse,
+and said: "O king, when the thief on the stake saw the merchant's
+daughter approaching with her father, did he weep or laugh? Tell me."
+
+And the king answered: "He thought:  I can make no return to this
+merchant for his unselfish friendship.' Therefore he wept from grief.
+And he also thought:  Why does this girl reject kings and fall in love
+with a thief like me? How strange women are!' Therefore he laughed from
+astonishment."
+
+When the goblin heard this, he immediately slipped from the king's
+shoulder and escaped to his home. But the king was not discouraged. He
+followed him to the sissoo tree.
+
+
+
+FOURTEENTH GOBLIN
+
+_The Man who changed into a Woman at Will. Was his wife his or the other
+man's?_
+
+So the king went back as before under the sissoo tree, put the goblin
+on his shoulder, and started toward the monk. And as he walked along,
+the goblin told the king a story.
+
+
+There was a city called Shivapur in Nepal. Long ago a king named
+Glory-banner lived there, and he deserved the name. He laid the burden
+of government on his counsellor named Ocean-of-Wisdom, and devoted
+himself to a life of pleasure with his wife Moonbright.
+
+In course of time a daughter named Moonlight was born to them, pleasing
+as the moonlight to the eyes of men. When she grew up, she went one day
+in spring with her servants to a festival in the garden.
+
+There she was seen by a Brahman youth named Master-mind, the son of
+Rich, who had come there to the festival. When he saw her plucking
+flowers with one arm uplifted, he went mad with love. His heart was
+taken captive by the gay maiden, and he was no longer master of his
+mind.
+
+He thought: "Is she the goddess of love, plucking the spring flowers in
+person? Or is she a forest goddess, come here to worship the
+spring-time?"
+
+Then the princess saw him, like a new god of love incarnate. The moment
+her eyes fell on him, she fell in love, forgetting her flowers and even
+her own limbs. While they looked at each other, lost in love like
+people in a picture, a great wail of anguish arose. They lifted their
+heads to learn what the matter was, and just then an elephant that had
+broken his chain, maddened by the scent of another mad elephant, came
+by, crushing the people in his path. He had thrown off his driver and
+the ankus hung from him as he ran. And everyone fled in terror.
+
+But the youth Master-mind ran up in a hurry and took the princess in
+his arms. And with a mixture of fear and love and modesty she half
+embraced him as he carried her far out of the elephant's path. Then her
+people gradually gathered, and she went to the palace, looking at the
+youth, and burning over the flame of love.
+
+And the youth went home from the garden, and thought: "I cannot live, I
+cannot exist a moment without her. I must seek help from my teacher
+Root, who is a thorough rogue." And so the day slowly passed.
+
+The next morning he went to his teacher Root, and found him with his
+constant friend Moon. He drew near, bowed, and told his desire. And the
+teacher laughed and promised to help him.
+
+So that wonderful rogue put a magic pill in his mouth, and thus changed
+himself into an old Brahman. He put a second pill into Master-mind's
+mouth, which changed him into a lovely girl. Then that prince of rogues
+took him to the king and said: "O King, this maiden has come a long
+distance to marry my only son. But my son has gone away, and I am going
+to look for him. Please keep the girl. For you are a protector to be
+trusted while I am looking for my son."
+
+The king was afraid of a curse, so he promised to do it. And summoning
+his daughter, he said: "Daughter, keep this maiden in your chamber, and
+let her live with you." So the girl took the Brahman youth Master-mind
+in his girl form to her own apartments.
+
+When Root had gone away, Master-mind in his girl form lived with his
+beloved, and in a few days came to know her in an intimate and loving
+way, as girl friends do. Then when he saw that she was pining away and
+tossing on her couch, he asked the princess one evening: "My dear girl,
+why do you grow pale and thin day by day, grieving as if separated from
+your love? Tell me. Why not trust a loving, innocent girl like me? If
+you will not tell me, I shall starve myself."
+
+And the princess trusted him and said after a little hesitation: "My
+dear girl, why should I not trust you? Listen. I will tell you. One day
+I went to the spring festival in the garden. There I saw a handsome
+Brahman youth, fair as the moon but not so cold, the sight of whom
+kindled my love. For he adorned the garden as the spring-time does.
+While my eager eyes were feasting on his face, a great mad elephant
+that had broken his chain came charging and thundering past like a
+black cloud in the dry season. My servants scattered in terror, and I
+was helpless. But the Brahman youth took me in his arms and carried me
+far away. I seemed to be in a sandal bath, in a stream of nectar. I
+cannot tell how I felt as I touched him. Presently my servants gathered
+around, and I was brought here helpless. I felt as if I had fallen from
+heaven to earth. From that day I see in my thoughts my dear preserver
+beside me. I embrace him in my dreams. What need of more words? I wear
+away the time, thinking constantly of him and only him. The fire of
+separation from the lord of my life devours me day and night."
+
+When Master-mind heard these welcome words, he rejoiced and counted
+himself happy. And thinking the time to reveal himself had come, he
+took the pill from his mouth, and disclosed his natural form. And he
+said: "Beautiful maiden, I am he whom you bought and enslaved with a
+kindly glance in the garden. I was sick at the separation from you; so
+I took the form of a girl, and came here. So now bring heaven in a
+loving glance to my love-tortured heart."
+
+When the princess saw that the lord of her life was beside her, she was
+torn between love and wonder and modesty, and did not know what she
+ought to do. So they were secretly married and lived there in supreme
+happiness. Master-mind lived in a double form. By day he was a girl
+with the pill in his mouth, by night a man without the pill.
+
+After a time the brother-in-law of King Glory-banner gave his daughter
+with great pomp to a Brahman, the son of the counsellor
+Ocean-of-Wisdom. And the princess Moonlight was invited to her cousin's
+wedding and went to her uncle's house. And Master-mind went with her in
+his girl form.
+
+When the counsellor's son saw Master-mind in his lovely girl form, he
+was terribly smitten with the arrows of love. His heart was stolen by
+the sham girl, and he went home feeling lonely even with his wife. It
+made him crazy to think of that lovely face. When his father tried to
+soothe him, he woke from his madness and stammered out his insane
+desire. And his father was terribly distressed, knowing that all this
+depended on another.
+
+Then the king learned the story and came there. When the king saw his
+condition and perceived that he was seven parts gone in love, he said:
+"How can I give him the girl who was intrusted to me by the Brahman?
+Yet without her he will be ten parts gone in love, and will die. And if
+he dies, then his father, the counsellor, will die too. And if the
+counsellor perishes, my kingdom will perish. What shall I do?"
+
+He consulted his counsellors, and they said: "Your Majesty, the first
+duty of a king is the preservation of the virtue of his people. This is
+the fundamental principle, and is established as such among
+counsellors. If the counsellor is lost, the fundamental principle is
+lost; how then can virtue be preserved? So in this case it would be
+sinful to destroy the counsellor through his son. You must by all means
+avoid the loss of virtue which would ensue. Give the Brahman's girl to
+the counsellor's son. And when the Brahman returns, further measures
+will suggest themselves."
+
+To this the king agreed, and promised to give the sham girl to the
+counsellor's son. So Master-mind in his girl form was brought from the
+chamber of the princess, and he said to the king: "Your Majesty, I was
+brought here by somebody for a given purpose. If you give me to
+somebody else, well and good. You are the king. Right and wrong depend
+on you. I will marry him to-day, but only on one condition. My husband
+shall go away immediately after the marriage and not return until he
+has been on a pilgrimage for six months. Otherwise I shall bite out my
+tongue."
+
+So the counsellor's son was summoned, and he joyfully assented. He made
+the man his wife at once, put the sham wife in a guarded room and
+started on a pilgrimage. So Master-mind lived there in his woman form.
+
+When he realized that the counsellor's son would soon return,
+Master-mind fled by night. And Root heard the story, and again assumed
+the form of an old Brahman. He took his friend Moon, went to
+Glory-banner, and said respectfully: "Your Majesty, I have brought my
+son. Pray give me my daughter-in-law."
+
+The king was afraid of a curse, so he said: "Brahman, I do not know
+where your daughter-in-law has gone. Be merciful. To atone for my
+carelessness, I will give your son my own daughter."
+
+The prince of rogues in the form of an old Brahman angrily refused. But
+the king finally persuaded him, and with all due form married his
+daughter Moonlight to Moon, who pretended to be the old Brahman's son.
+Then Root went home with the bride and bridegroom.
+
+But then Master-mind came, and in the presence of Root, a great dispute
+arose between him and Moon.
+
+Master-mind said: "Moonlight should be given to me. I married the girl
+first with my teacher's permission."
+
+Moon said: "Fool! What rights have you in my wife? Her father gave her
+to me in regular marriage."
+
+So they disputed about the princess whom one had won by fraud and the
+other by force. But they could reach no decision.
+
+
+O King, tell me. Whose wife is she? Resolve my doubts, and remember the
+agreement about your head.
+
+Then the king said: "I think she is the rightful wife of Moon. For she
+was married to him in the regular way by her father in the presence of
+her relatives. Master-mind married her secretly, like a thief. And when
+a thief takes things from other people, it is never right."
+
+When the goblin heard this, he went back home as before. And the king
+stuck to his purpose. He went back again, put the goblin on his
+shoulder, and started from the sissoo tree.
+
+
+
+FIFTEENTH GOBLIN
+
+_The Fairy Prince Cloud-chariot and the Serpent Shell-crest. Which is
+the more self-sacrificing?_
+
+So the king walked along with the goblin. And the goblin said: "O king,
+listen to a story the like of which was never heard."
+
+
+There is a mountain called Himalaya where all gems are found. It is the
+king of mountains. Its proud loftiness is everywhere the theme of song.
+The sun himself has not seen its top.
+
+On its summit is a city called Golden City, brilliant like a heap of
+sunbeams left in trust by the sun. There lived a glorious fairy-king
+named Cloud-banner. In the garden of his palace was a wishing-tree
+which had come down to him from his ancestors.
+
+King Cloud-banner had worshipped the tree which was really a god, and
+by its grace had obtained a son named Cloud-chariot. This son
+remembered his former lives. He was destined to be a Buddha in a future
+life. He was generous, noble, merciful to all creatures, and obedient
+to his parents.
+
+When he grew up, the king anointed him crown prince, persuaded thereto
+by his counsellors as well as by the remarkable virtues of the youth.
+While Cloud-chariot was crown prince, his father's counsellors came to
+him one day and kindly said: "Crown prince, you must always honour this
+wishing-tree in your garden; for it yields all desires, and cannot be
+taken away by anybody. As long as it is favourably disposed to us, the
+king of the gods could not conquer us, and of course nobody else could."
+
+Then Cloud-chariot thought: "Alas! The men of old had this heavenly
+tree, yet they did not pluck from it any worthy fruit. They were
+mean-spirited. They simply begged it for some kind of wealth. And so
+they degraded themselves and the great tree too. But I will get from it
+the wish which is in my heart."
+
+With this thought the noble creature went to his father. He showed such
+complete deference as to delight his father, then when his father was
+comfortably seated, he whispered: "Father, you know yourself that in
+this sea of life all possessions, including our own bodies, are
+uncertain as a rippling wave. Especially is money fleeting, uncertain,
+fickle as the twilight lightning. The only thing in life which does not
+perish is service. This gives birth to virtue and glory, twin witnesses
+through all the ages to come. Father! Why do we keep such a
+wishing-tree for the sake of transient blessings? Our ancestors clung
+to it, saying:  It is mine, it is mine.' And where are they now? What
+is it to them, or they to it? Then, if you bid me, I will beg this
+generous wishing-tree for the one fruit that counts, the fruit of
+service to others."
+
+His father graciously assented, and Cloud-chariot went to the
+wishing-tree, and said: "O god, you have fulfilled the wishes of our
+fathers. Fulfil now my one single wish. Remove poverty from the world.
+A blessing be with you. Go. I give you to the needy world." And as
+Cloud-chariot bowed reverently, there came a voice from the tree: "I
+go, since you give me up." And the wishing-tree immediately flew from
+heaven and rained so much money on the earth that nobody was poor. And
+Cloud-chariot's reputation for universal benevolence was spread about.
+
+But all the relatives were jealous and envious. They thought that they
+could easily conquer Cloud-chariot and his father without the
+wishing-tree, and they prepared to fight to take away his kingdom. But
+Cloud-chariot said to his father: "Father, how can you take your
+weapons and fight? What high-minded man would want a kingdom after
+killing his relatives just for the sake of this wretched, perishable
+body? Let us abandon the kingdom, and go away somewhere to devote
+ourselves entirely to virtue. Then we shall be blessed in both worlds.
+And let these wretched relatives enjoy the kingdom which they hanker
+after."
+
+And Cloud-banner said: "My son, I only want the kingdom for you, and if
+you give it up from benevolent motives, what good is it to me? I am an
+old man."
+
+So Cloud-chariot left the kingdom and went with his father and mother
+to the Malabar hills. There he built a hermit's retreat, and waited on
+his parents.
+
+One day, as he wandered about, he met Friend-wealth, the son of
+All-wealth, who lived there as king of the Siddhas. And Cloud-chariot
+spoke to him and made friends with him.
+
+Then one day Cloud-chariot saw a shrine to the goddess Gauri in the
+grove, and entered there. And he saw a slender, lovely maiden
+surrounded by her girl friends and playing on a lute, in honour of
+Gauri. The deer listened to her music and her song, motionless as if
+ashamed because her eyes were lovelier than their own. When
+Cloud-chariot saw the slender maiden, his heart was ravished.
+
+And he seemed to her to make the garden beautiful like the spring-time.
+A strange longing came over her. She became so helpless that her
+friends were alarmed.
+
+Then Cloud-chariot asked one of her friends: "My good girl, what is
+your friend's sweet name? What family does she adorn?"
+
+And the friend said: "This is Sandal, sister of Friend-wealth, and
+daughter of the king of the Siddhas." Then she earnestly asked for the
+name and family of Cloud-Chariot from a hermit's son who had come with
+him. And then she spoke to Sandal with words punctuated by smiles: "My
+dear, why do you not show hospitality to the fairy prince? He is a
+guest whom all the world would be glad to honour."
+
+But the bashful princess remained silent with downcast eyes. Then the
+friend said: "She is bashful. Accept a hospitable greeting from me."
+And she gave him a garland.
+
+Cloud-chariot, far gone in love, took the garland and put it around
+Sandal's neck. And the loving, sidelong glance which she gave him
+seemed like another garland of blue lotuses. So they pledged themselves
+without speaking a word.
+
+Then a serving-maid came and said to the princess: "Princess, your
+mother remembers you. Come at once." And she went slowly, after drawing
+from her lover's face a passionate glance, for which Love's arrow had
+wedged a path. And Cloud-chariot went to the hermitage, thinking of
+her; while she, sick with the separation from the lord of her life, saw
+her mother, then tottered to her bed and fell upon it. Her eyes were
+blinded as if by smoke from the fire of love within her, her limbs
+tossed in fever, she shed tears. And though her friends anointed her
+with sandal and fanned her with lotus-leaves, she found no rest on her
+bed or in the lap of a friend or on the ground.
+
+Then when the day fled away with the passionate red twilight, and the
+moon drew near to kiss the face of the laughing East, she despaired of
+life, and her modesty would not let her send a message in spite of all
+her love. But somehow she lived through the night. And Cloud-chariot
+too was in anguish at the separation. Even in his bed he was fallen
+into the hand of Love. Though his passion was so recent, he had already
+grown pale. Though shame kept him silent, his looks told of the pangs
+of love. And so he passed the night.
+
+In the morning he arose and went to the shrine of Gauri. And his
+friend, the hermit's son, followed him and tried to comfort him. At
+that moment the lovelorn Sandal came out of her house alone, for she
+could not endure the separation, and crept to that lonely spot to end
+her life there.
+
+She did not see her lover behind a tree, and with eyes brimming with
+tears she prayed to the goddess Gauri: "O goddess, since I could not in
+this life have Cloud-chariot as my husband, grant that in another life
+at last he may be my husband."
+
+Then she tied her garment to the limb of an ashoka tree before the
+goddess and cried: "Alas, my lord! Alas, Cloud-chariot! They say your
+benevolence is universal. Why did you not save me?"
+
+But as she fastened the garment about her neck, a voice from the sky
+was heard in the air: "My daughter, do nothing rash. Cloud-chariot, the
+future king of the fairies, shall be your husband."
+
+And Cloud-chariot heard the heavenly voice, and with his friend
+approached his rejoicing sweetheart. The friend said to the girl: "Here
+is the gift which the goddess grants you." And Cloud-chariot spoke more
+than one tender word and loosed the garment from her neck with his own
+hand.
+
+Then a girl friend who had been gathering flowers there and had seen
+what was happening, came up joyfully and said, while Sandal's modest
+eyes seemed to be tracing a figure on the ground: "My dear, I
+congratulate you. Your wish is granted. This very day Prince
+Friend-wealth said in my presence to King All-wealth, your father:
+Father, the fairy prince, who deserves honour from all the world, who
+gave away the wishing-tree, is here, and we should treat him as an
+honoured guest. We could not find another bridegroom like him. So let
+us welcome him with the gift of Sandal who is a pearl of a girl.' And
+the king agreed, and your brother Friend-wealth has this moment gone to
+the hermitage of the noble prince. I think your marriage will soon take
+place. So go to your chamber, and let the noble prince go to his
+hermitage."
+
+So she went slowly and happily and lovingly. And Cloud-chariot hastened
+to the hermitage. There he greeted Friend-wealth and heard his message,
+and told him about his own birth and former life. Then Friend-wealth
+was delighted and told Cloud-chariot's parents who were also delighted.
+Then he went home and made his own parents happy with the news.
+
+That very day he invited Cloud-chariot to his home. And they made a
+great feast as was proper, and married the fairy prince and Sandal on
+the spot. Then Cloud-chariot was completely happy and spent some time
+there with his bride Sandal.
+
+One day he took a walk for pleasure about the hills with Friend-wealth,
+and came to the seashore. There he saw great heaps of bones, and he
+asked Friend-wealth: "What creatures did these heaps of bones belong
+to?" His brother-in-law Friend-wealth said to the merciful prince:
+"Listen, my friend. I will tell you the story briefly."
+
+Long ago Kadru, the mother of the serpents, made a wager with her rival
+Vinata, the mother of the great bird Garuda. She won the wager and
+enslaved her rival. Now Garuda's anger continued even after he had
+freed his mother from slavery. He kept going into the underworld where
+Kadru's offspring, the serpents, live, to eat them. Some he killed,
+others he crushed.
+
+Then Vasuki, king of the serpents, feared that in time all would be
+lost if the serpents were all to be slain thus. So he made an agreement
+with Garuda. He said: "O king of birds, I will send one serpent every
+day to the shore of the southern sea for you to eat. But you are never
+to enter the underworld again. What advantage would it be to you if all
+the serpents were slain at once?" And Garuda agreed, with an eye to his
+own advantage.
+
+Since that time Garuda every day eats the snake sent by Vasuki here on
+the seashore. And these heaps of bones from the serpents that have been
+eaten, have in time formed a regular mountain.
+
+When Cloud-chariot heard this story from the lips of Friend-wealth, he
+was deeply grieved and said: "My friend, wretched indeed is that king
+Vasuki who deliberately sacrifices his own subjects to their enemy. He
+is a coward. He has a thousand heads, yet could not find a single mouth
+to say:  O Garuda, eat me first.' How could he be so mean as to beg
+Garuda to destroy his own race? Or how can Garuda, the heavenly bird,
+do such a crime? Oh, insolent madness!"
+
+So the noble Cloud-chariot made up his mind that he would use his poor
+body that day to save the life of one serpent at least. At that moment
+a door-keeper, sent by Friend-wealth's father, came to summon them
+home. And Cloud-Chariot said: "Do you go first. I will follow." So he
+dismissed Friend-wealth, and remained there himself.
+
+As he walked about waiting for the thing he hoped for, he heard a
+pitiful sound of weeping at a distance. He went a little way and saw
+near a lofty rock a sorrowful, handsome youth. He was at that moment
+abandoned by a creature that seemed to be a policeman, and was gently
+persuading his old, weeping mother to return. And Cloud-chariot wished
+to know who it might be. So he hid himself and listened, his heart
+melting with pity.
+
+The old mother was bowed down by anguish, and started to lament over
+the youth. "Oh, Shell-crest! Oh, my virtuous son, whom I fondled, not
+counting the labour and the pain! Oh, my son, my only son! Where shall
+I see you again? Oh, my darling! When your bright face is gone, your
+old father will fall into black despair. How can he live then? Your
+tender form is hurt by the rays of the sun. How can it bear the pangs
+of being eaten by Garuda? Oh, my unhappy fate! Why did the Creator and
+the serpent-king choose my only son from the broad serpent-world, and
+seize upon him?"
+
+And as she lamented, the youth, her son, said: "Mother, I am unhappy
+enough. Why torture me yet more? Return home. For the last time I bow
+before you. It is time for Garuda to come."
+
+And the mother cried: "Alas, alas for me! Who will save my son?" And
+she gazed about wildly and wept aloud.
+
+All this Cloud-chariot, the future Buddha, saw and heard. And with deep
+pity he thought: "Alas! This is a serpent named Shell-crest, sent here
+by Vasuki for Garuda to eat. And this is his mother, following him out
+of her great love. He is her only son, and she is mourning in pain and
+bitter anguish. I should forever curse my useless life if I did not
+save one in such agony at the cost of a body which must perish anyway
+some day."
+
+So Cloud-chariot joyfully approached and said to the old mother:
+"Serpent-mother, I will save your son. Do not weep."
+
+But the old mother thought that this was Garuda, and she screamed: "O
+Garuda, eat me! Eat me!"
+
+Then Shell-crest said: "Mother, this is not Garuda. Do not be alarmed.
+What a difference between one who soothes our feelings like the moon,
+and the fearful Garuda."
+
+And Cloud-chariot said: "Mother, I am a fairy, come to save your son. I
+will put on his garment and offer my own body to the hungry bird. Do
+you take your son and go home."
+
+But the old mother said: "No, no. You are more than a son to me. To
+think that such as you should feel pity for such as we!"
+
+And Cloud-chariot answered: "Mother, I beg you not to disappoint me."
+But when he insisted, Shell-crest said: "Noble being, you have
+certainly shown compassion, but I do not wish to save my body at the
+expense of yours. Who would save a common stone at the cost of a pearl?
+The world is full of creatures like me, who are merciful only to
+themselves. But creatures like you, who are merciful to all the world,
+are very rare. Oh, pious being, I could not stain the pure family of
+Shell-guard, as the dark spot stains the disk on the moon."
+
+Then Shell-crest said to his mother: "Mother, return from this desolate
+place. Do you not see the rock of sacrifice wet with the blood of
+serpents, the terrible plaything of Death? I will go for a moment to
+the shore and worship the god Shiva there. And I will return quickly
+before Garuda comes."
+
+So Shell-crest took leave of his mother and went to worship Shiva. And
+Cloud-chariot thought: "If Garuda should come in this interval, I
+should be happy."
+
+Then he saw the trees stiffening themselves against the wind made by
+the sweeping wings of the king of birds. "Garuda is coming," he
+thought, and climbed the rock of sacrifice, eager to give his life for
+another.
+
+And Garuda straightway pounced upon the noble creature and lifted him
+from the rock in his beak. While Cloud-chariot's blood flowed in
+streams and the gem fell from his forehead, Garuda carried him off and
+began to eat him on the summit of the Malabar hills. And while he was
+being eaten, Cloud-chariot thought: "In every future life of mine may
+my body do some good to somebody. I would not attain heaven and
+salvation without doing some good first." Then a shower of flowers fell
+from heaven on the fairy prince.
+
+
+At that moment the blood-stained gem from his forehead fell in front of
+his wife Sandal. She was in anguish at the sight, and as her
+parents-in-law were near, she tearfully showed it to them. And they
+were alarmed at the sight of their son's gem and wondered what it
+meant. Then King Cloud-banner discovered the truth by his magic arts,
+and he and his queen started to run with Cloud-chariot's wife Sandal.
+
+At that moment Shell-crest returned from his worship of Shiva. He saw
+the rock stained with blood, and cried: "Alas for me, poor sinner!
+Surely that noble, merciful creature has given his body to Garuda in
+place of mine. I must find him. Where has the great being been carried
+by my enemy? If I find him alive, then I shall not sink into the slough
+of infamy." So he followed weeping the broad trail of blood.
+
+Now Garuda noticed that Cloud-chariot was happy while being eaten, and
+he thought: "This must be some strange, great being, for he is happy
+while I am eating him. He does not die, and what remains of him is
+thrilled with delight. And he turns a gracious, benevolent look upon
+me. Surely, he is no serpent, but some great spirit. I will stop eating
+him and ask him."
+
+But while he reflected, Cloud-chariot said: "O king of birds, why do
+you stop? There is still some flesh and blood on me, and I see that you
+are not satisfied. Pray continue to eat."
+
+When the king of birds heard these remarkable words, he said: "You are
+no serpent. Tell me who you are."
+
+But Cloud-chariot continued to urge him: "Certainly I am a serpent.
+What does the question mean? Continue your meal. What fool would begin
+a thing and then stop?"
+
+At that moment Shell-crest shouted from afar: "O Garuda, do not commit
+a great and reckless crime. What madness is this? He is not a serpent.
+I am the serpent."
+
+And he ran between them and spoke again to the agitated bird: "O
+Garuda, what madness is this? Do you not see that I have the hood and
+the forked tongue? Do you not see how gentle his appearance is?"
+
+While he was speaking, Cloud-chariot's wife Sandal and his parents
+hurried up. And when his parents saw how he was lacerated, they wept
+aloud and lamented: "Alas, my son! Alas, Cloud-chariot! Alas for my
+merciful darling, who gave his life for others!"
+
+But when they cried: "Alas, Garuda! How could you do this thoughtless
+thing?" then Garuda was filled with remorse and thought: "Alas! How
+could I be mad enough to eat a future Buddha? This must be
+Cloud-chariot, who gives his life for others, whose fame is trumpeted
+abroad through all the world. If he is dead, I am a sinner, and ought
+to burn myself alive. Why does the fruit of the poison-tree of sin
+taste sweet?"
+
+While Garuda was thus deep in anxious thought, Cloud-chariot saw his
+relatives gathered, fell down, and died from the pain of his wounds.
+Then, while his grief-stricken parents were loudly lamenting, while
+Shell-crest was accusing himself, Sandal looked up to heaven and, in a
+voice stammering with tears, reproached the goddess Gauri who had
+graciously given her this husband: "Oh, Mother! You told me that the
+fairy prince should be my husband, but it is my fate that you spoke
+falsely."
+
+Then Gauri appeared in a visible form, and said: "Daughter, my words
+are not false." And she sprinkled Cloud-chariot with nectar from a jar.
+And straightway he stood up alive, unhurt and more beautiful than
+before.
+
+As they all bent low in worship, and Cloud-chariot rose only to bend
+again, the goddess said: "My son, I am pleased with your gift of your
+own body. With my own hand I anoint you king of the fairies." And she
+anointed Cloud-chariot with liquor from the jar, and then disappeared,
+followed by the worship of the company. And showers of heavenly
+blossoms fell from the sky, and the drums of the gods were joyfully
+beaten in heaven.
+
+Then Garuda reverently said to Cloud-chariot: "O King, I am pleased
+with your more than human character. For you have done a strange thing
+of unparalleled nobility, to be marvelled at throughout the universe,
+to be written upon the walls of heaven. Therefore I am at your service.
+Choose from me what boon you will."
+
+The noble creature said to Garuda: "O Garuda, you must repent and eat
+no more serpents. And you must restore to life those that you ate
+before, who now are nothing but bones."
+
+And Garuda said: "So be it. I will eat no serpents hereafter. And those
+that I have eaten shall come to life."
+
+Then all the serpents who had been eaten down to the bones, suddenly
+stood up. And through the grace of Gauri all the leading fairies
+learned immediately the wonderful deed of Cloud-chariot. So they all
+came and bowed at his feet and took him, freshly anointed by the very
+hand of Gauri, with his rejoicing relatives and friends to the Himalaya
+mountain. There Cloud-chariot lived happily with his father and his
+mother and his wife Sandal and Friend-wealth and the generous
+Shell-crest. And he ruled the fairy world radiant with gems.
+
+
+When the goblin had told this long, strange story, he said to the king:
+"O King, tell me. Which was the more self-sacrificing, Cloud-chariot or
+Shell-crest? If you know and do not tell, then the curse I mentioned
+before will be fulfilled."
+
+And the king said: "There was nothing remarkable in what Cloud-chariot
+did. He was prepared for it by the experiences of many past lives. But
+Shell-crest deserves praise. He was saved from death. His enemy had
+another victim, and was far away. Yet he ran after and offered his body
+to Garuda."
+
+When the goblin heard this, he went back to the sissoo tree. And the
+king returned to catch him again.
+
+
+
+SIXTEENTH GOBLIN
+
+_The King who died for Love of his General's Wife; the General follows
+him in Death. Which is the more worthy?_
+
+Then the king went back under the sissoo tree, put the goblin on his
+shoulder as before, and started. And the goblin said to him: "O King, I
+will tell you another little story to relieve your weariness. Listen."
+
+
+Long ago there was a city named Golden City on the bank of the Ganges,
+where a quarter of the old perfect virtue still lingers in these evil
+days. There was a king named Glorious, and he deserved the name. His
+bravery kept the world from being overflowed, like the shore of the sea.
+
+In this king's city lived a great merchant, who had a daughter named
+Passion. Everyone who saw her fell in love and went mad with passion.
+
+When she grew to be a young woman, the virtuous merchant went to King
+Glorious and said: "Your Majesty, I have a daughter, the gem of the
+three worlds, and she is old enough to marry. I could not give her to
+anyone without consulting your Majesty. For you are the master of all
+gems in the world. Pray marry her and thus lay me under obligations."
+
+So the king sent his own Brahmans to examine her qualities. But when
+the Brahmans saw her supreme loveliness, they were troubled and
+thought: "If the king should marry her, his kingdom would be ruined. He
+would think only of her, and would doubtless neglect his kingdom.
+Therefore we must not report her good qualities to the king."
+
+So they returned to the king and said: "Your Majesty, she has bad
+qualities." So the king did not marry the merchant's daughter. But he
+bade the merchant give his daughter to a general named Force. And she
+lived happily with her husband in his house.
+
+After a time the lion of spring came dancing through the forest and
+slew the elephant of winter. And King Glorious went forth on the back
+of an elephant to see the spring festival. And the drum was beaten to
+warn virtuous women to stay within doors. Otherwise they would have
+fallen in love with his beauty, and love-sickness might be expected.
+
+But when Passion heard the drum, she did not like to be left alone. She
+went out on the balcony, that the king might see her. She seemed like
+the flame of love which the spring-time was fanning with southern
+breezes. And the king saw her, and his whole being was shaken. He felt
+her beauty sinking deep in his heart like a victorious arrow of Love,
+and he fainted.
+
+His servants brought him back to consciousness, and he returned to the
+city. There he made inquiries and learned that this was Passion whom he
+had rejected before. So he banished from the country the Brahmans who
+had said that she had bad qualities, and he thought longingly of her
+every day.
+
+And as he thought of her, he burned over the flame of love, and wasted
+away day and night. And though from shame he tried to conceal it, he
+finally told the reason of his anguish to responsible people who asked
+him.
+
+They said: "Do not suffer. Why do you not seize her?" But the virtuous
+king would not do it.
+
+Then General Force heard the story. He came and bowed at the feet of
+the king and said: "Your Majesty, she is the wife of your slave,
+therefore she is your slave. I give her to you of my own accord. Pray
+take my wife. Or better yet, I will leave her here in the palace. Then
+you cannot be blamed if you marry her." And the general begged and
+insisted.
+
+But the king became angry and said: "I am a king. How can I do such a
+wicked thing? If I should transgress, who would be virtuous? You are
+devoted to me. Why do you urge me to a sin which is pleasant for the
+moment, but causes great sorrow in the next world? If you abandon your
+wedded wife, I shall not pardon you. How could a man in my position
+overlook such a transgression? It is better to die." Thus the king
+argued against it. For the truly great throw away life rather than
+virtue. And when all the citizens came together and urged him, he was
+steadfast and refused.
+
+So he slowly shrivelled away over the fever-flame of love and died.
+There was nothing left of King Glorious except his glory. And the
+general could not endure the death of his king. He burned himself
+alive. The actions of devoted men are blameless.
+
+
+When the goblin on the king's shoulder had told this story, he asked
+the king: "O King, which of these two, the king and the general, was
+the more deserving? Remember the curse before you answer."
+
+The king said: "I think the king was the more deserving."
+
+And the goblin said reproachfully: "O King, why was not the general
+better? He offered the king a wife like that, whose charms he knew from
+a long married life. And when his king died, he burned himself like a
+faithful man. But the king gave her up without really knowing her
+attractions."
+
+Then the king laughed and said: "True enough, but not surprising. The
+general was a gentleman born, and acted as he did from devotion to his
+superior. For servants must protect their masters even at the cost of
+their own lives. But kings are like mad elephants who cannot be goaded
+into obedience, who break the binding-chain of virtue. They are
+insolent, and their judgment trickles from them with the holy water of
+consecration. Their eyes are blinded by the hurricane of power, and
+they do not see the road. From the most ancient times, even the kings
+who conquered the world have been maddened by love and have fallen into
+misfortune. But this king, though he ruled the whole world, though he
+was maddened by the girl Passion, preferred to die rather than set his
+foot on the path of iniquity. He was a hero. He was the better of the
+two."
+
+Then the goblin escaped by magic from the king's shoulder and went
+back. And the king pursued him, undiscouraged. No great man stops in
+the middle of the hardest undertaking.
+
+
+
+SEVENTEENTH GOBLIN
+
+_The Youth who went through the Proper Ceremonies. Why did he fail to
+win the magic spell?_
+
+Then the king went back through the night to the cemetery filled with
+ghouls, terrible with funeral piles that seemed like ghosts with
+wagging tongues of flame. But when he came to the sissoo tree, he was
+surprised to see a great many bodies hanging on the tree. They were all
+alike, and in each was a goblin twitching its limbs.
+
+And the king thought: "Ah, what does this mean? Why does that magic
+goblin keep wasting my time? For I do not know which of all these I
+ought to take. If I should not succeed in this night's endeavour, then
+I would burn myself alive rather than become a laughing-stock."
+
+But the goblin understood the king's purpose, and was pleased with his
+character. So he gave up his magic arts. Then the king saw only one
+goblin in one body. He took him down as before, put him on his
+shoulder, and started once more.
+
+And as he walked along, the goblin said: "O King, if you have no
+objections, I will tell you a story. Listen."
+
+
+There is a city called Ujjain, whose people delight in noble happiness,
+and feel no longing for heaven. In that city there is real darkness at
+night, real intelligence in poetry, real madness in elephants, real
+coolness in pearls, sandal, and moonlight.
+
+There lived a king named Moonshine. He had as counsellor a famous
+Brahman named Heaven-lord, rich in money, rich in piety, rich in
+learning. And the counsellor had a son named Moon-lord.
+
+This son went one day to a great resort of gamblers to play. There the
+dice, beautiful as the eyes of gazelles, were being thrown constantly.
+And Calamity seemed to be looking on, thinking: "Whom shall I embrace?"
+And the loud shouts of angry gamblers seemed to suggest the question:
+"Who is there that would not be fleeced here, were he the god of wealth
+himself?"
+
+This hall the youth entered, and played with dice. He staked his
+clothes and everything else, and the gamblers won it all. Then he
+wagered money he did not have, and lost that. And when they asked him
+to pay, he could not. So the gambling-master caught him and beat him
+with clubs.
+
+When he was bruised all over by the clubs, the Brahman youth became
+motionless like a stone, and pretended to be dead, and waited. After he
+had lain thus for two or three days, the heartless gambling-master said
+to the gamblers: "He lies like a stone. Take him somewhere and throw
+him into a blind well. I will pay you the money he owes."
+
+So the gamblers picked Moon-lord up and went far into the forest,
+looking for a well. Then one old gambler said to the others: "He is as
+good as dead. What is the use of throwing him into a well now? We will
+leave him here and go back and say we have left him in a well." And all
+the rest agreed, and left him there, and went back.
+
+When they were gone, Moon-lord rose and entered a deserted temple to
+Shiva. When he had rested a little there, he thought in great anguish:
+"Ah, I trusted the rascally gamblers, and they cheated me. Where shall
+I go now, naked and dusty as I am? What would my father say if he saw
+me now, or any relative, or any friend? I will stay here for the
+present, and at night I will go out and try to find food somehow to
+appease my hunger."
+
+While he reflected in weariness and nakedness, the sun grew less hot
+and disappeared. Then a terrible hermit named Stake came there, and he
+had smeared his body with ashes. When he had seen Moon-lord and asked
+who he was and heard his story, he said, as the youth bent low before
+him: "Sir, you have come to my hermitage, a guest fainting with hunger.
+Rise, bathe, and partake of the meal I have gained by begging."
+
+Then Moon-lord said to him: "Holy sir, I am a Brahman. How can I
+partake of such a meal?"
+
+Then the hermit-magician went into his hut and out of tenderness to his
+guest he thought of a magic spell which grants all desires. And the
+spell appeared in bodily form, and said: "What shall I do?" And the
+hermit said: "Treat that man as an honoured guest."
+
+Then Moon-lord was astonished to see a golden palace rise before him
+and a grove with women in it. They came to him from the palace and
+said: "Sir, rise, come, bathe, eat, and meet our mistress." So they led
+him in and gave him a chance to bathe and anoint himself and dress.
+Then they led him to another room.
+
+There the youth saw a woman of wonderful beauty, whom the Creator must
+have made to see what he could do. She rose and offered him half of her
+seat. And he ate heavenly food and various fruits and chewed betel
+leaves and sat happily with her on the couch.
+
+In the morning he awoke and saw the temple to Shiva, but the heavenly
+creature was gone, and the palace, and the women in it. So he went out
+in distress, and the hermit in his hut smiled and asked him how he had
+spent the night. And he said: "Holy sir, through your kindness I spent
+a happy night, but I shall die without that heavenly creature."
+
+Then the hermit laughed and said: "Stay here. You shall have the same
+happiness again to-night." So Moon-lord enjoyed those delights every
+night through the favour of the hermit.
+
+Finally Moon-lord came to see what a mighty spell that was. So, driven
+on by his fate, he respectfully begged the hermit: "Holy sir, if you
+really feel pity for a poor suppliant like me, teach me that spell
+which has such power."
+
+And when he insisted, the hermit said: "You could never win the spell.
+One has to stand in the water to win it. And it weaves a net of magic
+to bewilder the man who is repeating the words, so that he cannot win
+it. For as he mumbles it, he seems to lead another life, first a baby,
+then a boy, then a youth, then a husband, then a father. And he falsely
+imagines that such and such people are his friends, such and such his
+enemies. He forgets his real life and his desire to win the spell. But
+if a man mumbles it constantly for twenty-four years, and remembers his
+own life, and is not deceived by the network of magic, and then at the
+end burns himself alive, he comes out of the water, and has real magic
+power. It comes only to a good pupil, and if a teacher tries to teach
+it to a bad pupil, the teacher loses it too. Now you have the real
+benefit through my magic power. Why insist on more? If I lost my
+powers, then your happiness would go too."
+
+But Moon-lord said: "I can do anything. Do not fear, holy sir." And the
+hermit promised to teach him the spell. What will holy men not do out
+of regard to those who seek aid?
+
+So the hermit went to the river bank, and said: "My son, mumble the
+words of the spell. And while you are leading an imaginary life, you
+will at last be awakened by my magic. Then plunge into the magic fire
+which you will see. I will stand here on the bank while you mumble it."
+
+So he purified himself and purified Moon-lord and made him sip water,
+and then he taught him the magic spell. And Moon-lord bowed to his
+teacher on the bank, and plunged into the river.
+
+And as he mumbled the words of the spell in the water, he was
+bewildered by its magic. He forgot all about his past life, and went
+through another life. He was born in another city as the son of a
+Brahman. Then he grew up, was consecrated, and went to school. Then he
+took a wife, and after many experiences half pleasant, half painful, he
+found himself the father of a family. Then he lived for some years with
+his parents and his relatives, devoted to wife and children, and
+interested in many things.
+
+While he was experiencing all these labours of another life, the hermit
+took pity on him and repeated magic words to enlighten him. And
+Moon-lord was enlightened in the midst of his new life. He remembered
+himself and his teacher, and saw that the other life was a network of
+magic. So he prepared to enter the fire in order to win magic power.
+
+But older people and reliable people and his parents and his relatives
+tried to prevent him. In spite of them he hankered after heavenly
+pleasures, and went to the bank of a river where a funeral pile had
+been made ready. And his relatives went with him. But when he got there
+he saw that his old parents and his wife and his little children were
+weeping.
+
+And he was perplexed, and thought: "Alas! If I enter the fire, all
+these my own people will die. And I do not know whether my teacher's
+promise will come true or not. Shall I go into the fire, or go home?
+No, no. How could a teacher with such powers promise falsely? Indeed, I
+must enter the fire." And he did.
+
+And he was astonished the feel the fire as cool as snow, and lost his
+fear of it. Then he came out of the water of the river, and found
+himself on the bank. He saw his teacher standing there, and fell at his
+feet, and told him the whole story, ending with the blazing funeral
+pile.
+
+Then his teacher said: "My son, I think you must have made some
+mistake. Otherwise, why did the fire seem cool to you? That never
+happens in the winning of this magic spell."
+
+And Moon-lord said: "Holy sir, I do not remember making any mistake."
+Then his teacher was eager to know about it, so he tried to remember
+the spell himself. But it would not come to him or to his pupil. So
+they went away sad, having lost their magic.
+
+
+When the goblin had told this story, he asked the king: "O King,
+explain the matter to me. Why did they lose their magic, when
+everything had been done according to precept?"
+
+Then the king said: "O magic creature, I see that you are only trying
+to waste my time. Still, I will tell you. Magic powers do not come to a
+man because he does things that are hard, but because he does things
+with a pure heart. The Brahman youth was defective at that point. He
+hesitated even when his mind was enlightened. Therefore he failed to
+win the magic. And the teacher lost his magic because he taught it to
+an unworthy pupil."
+
+Then the goblin went back to his home. And the king ran to find him,
+never hesitating.
+
+
+
+EIGHTEENTH GOBLIN
+
+_The Boy whom his Parents, the King, and the Giant conspired to Kill.
+Why did he laugh at the moment of death?_
+
+Then the king went to the sissoo tree, put the goblin on his shoulder
+as before, and started in silence. And the goblin on his shoulder saw
+that he was silent and said: "O King, why are you so obstinate? Go
+home. Spend the night in rest. You ought not to take me to that
+rascally monk. But if you insist, then I will tell you another story.
+Listen."
+
+
+There is a city called Brilliant-peak. There lived a glorious king
+named Moon, who delighted the eyes of his subjects. Wise men said that
+he was brave, generous, and the very home of beauty. But in spite of
+all his wealth, he was very sad at heart. For he found no wife worthy
+of him.
+
+One day this king went with soldiers on horseback into a great wood, to
+hunt there and forget his sorrow. There he split open many boars with
+his arrows as the sun splits the black darkness, and made fierce lions
+into cushions for his arrows, and slew mountainous monsters with his
+terrible darts.
+
+As he hunted, he spurred his horse and beat him terribly. And the horse
+was so hurt by the spur and the whip that he could not tell rough from
+smooth. He dashed off quicker than the wind, and in a moment carried
+the king into another forest a hundred miles away.
+
+There the king lost his way, and as he wandered about wearily, he saw a
+great lake. He stopped there, unsaddled his horse, let him bathe and
+drink, and found him some grass in the shade of the trees. Then he
+bathed and drank himself, and when he had rested, he looked all about
+him.
+
+And he saw a hermit's daughter of marvellous beauty under an ashoka
+tree with another girl. She had no ornaments but flowers. She was
+charming even in a dress of bark. She was particularly attractive
+because of her thick masses of hair arranged in a girlish way.
+
+And the king fell in love with her and thought: "Who is she? Is she a
+goddess come to bathe in these waters? Or Gauri, separated from her
+husband Shiva, leading a hard life to win him again? Or the lovely
+moon, taking a human form, and trying to be attractive in the daytime?
+I will go to her and find out."
+
+So he drew near to her. And when she saw him coming, she was astonished
+at his beauty and dropped her hands, which had been weaving a garland
+of flowers. And she thought: "Who can he be in this forest? Some fairy
+perhaps. Blessed are my eyes this day."
+
+So she rose, modestly looking another way, and started to go away,
+though her limbs failed her. Then the king approached and said:
+"Beautiful maiden, I have come a long distance, and you never saw me
+before. I ask only to look at you, and you should welcome me. Is this
+hermit manners, to run away?"
+
+Then her clever friend made the king sit down and treated him as an
+honoured guest. And the king respectfully asked her: "My good girl,
+what happy family does your friend adorn? What are the syllables of her
+name, which must be a delight to the ear? Or why at her age does she
+torture a body as delicate as a flower with a hermit's life in a lonely
+wood?"
+
+And the friend answered: "Your Majesty, she is the daughter of the
+hermit Kanva and the heavenly nymph Menaka. She grew up here in the
+hermitage, and her name is Lotus-bloom. With her father's permission
+she came here to the lake to bathe. And her father's hermitage is not
+far from here."
+
+Then the king was delighted. He mounted his horse and rode to the
+hermitage of holy Kanva, to ask for the girl. And he entered the
+hermitage in modest garb, leaving his horse outside. Then he was
+surrounded by hermits with hoary crowns and bark garments like the
+trees, and saw the sage Kanva radiant and cool like the moon. And he
+drew near and fell at his feet.
+
+And the wise hermit greeted him and let him rest, then said: "My son
+Moon, I will tell you something to your advantage. Listen. I know what
+fear of death there is in mortal creatures. Why then do you uselessly
+kill the wild beasts? Warriors were made by the Creator to protect the
+timid. Therefore protect your subjects in righteousness, and root out
+evil. As Happiness flees before you, strive to overtake her with all
+your means, elephants and horses and things. Enjoy your kingship. Be
+generous. Become glorious. Abandon this vice of hunting, this sport of
+Death. For slayer and slain are equally deceived. Why spend your time
+in such an evil pursuit?"
+
+The sensible king was pleased and said: "Holy sir, I am instructed. And
+great is my gratitude for this instruction. From now on I hunt no more.
+Let the wild animals live without fear."
+
+Then the hermit said: "I am pleased with your protection of the
+animals. Choose any boon you will."
+
+Then the quick-witted king said: "Holy sir, if you are kindly disposed,
+give me your daughter Lotus-bloom."
+
+So the hermit gave him his daughter, the child of the nymph, who then
+came up after her bath. So they were married, and the king wore
+cheerful garments, and Lotus-bloom was adorned by the hermits' wives.
+And the weeping hermits accompanied them in procession to the edge of
+the hermitage. Then the king took his wife Lotus-bloom, mounted his
+horse, and started for his city.
+
+At last the sun, seeing the king tired with his long journeying, sank
+wearily behind the western mountain. And fawn-eyed night appeared, clad
+in the garment of darkness, like a woman going to meet her lover. And
+the king saw an ashvattha tree on the shore of a pond in a spot covered
+with grass and twigs, and he decided to spend the night there.
+
+So he dismounted, fed and watered his horse, brought water from the
+pond, and rested with his beloved. And they passed the night there.
+
+In the morning he arose, performed his devotions, and prepared to set
+out with his wife to rejoin his soldiers. Then, like a cloud black as
+soot with tawny lightning-hair, there appeared a great giant. He wore a
+chaplet of human entrails, a cord of human hair, he was chewing the
+head of a man, and drinking blood from a skull.
+
+The giant laughed aloud, spit fire in his wrath, and showed his
+dreadful fangs. And he scolded the king and said: "Scoundrel! I am a
+giant named Flame-face. This tree is my home; even the gods do not dare
+to trespass here. But you and your wife have trespassed and enjoyed
+yourselves. Now swallow your own impudence, you rascal! You are
+lovesick, so I will split open your heart and eat it, and I will drink
+your blood."
+
+The king was frightened when he saw that the giant was invincible, and
+his wife was trembling, so he said respectfully: "I trespassed
+ignorantly. Forgive me. I am your guest, seeking protection in your
+hermitage. And I will give you a human sacrifice, so that you will be
+satisfied. Be merciful then and forget your anger."
+
+Then the giant forgot his anger, and thought: "Very well. Why not?" And
+he said: "O King, I want a noble, intelligent Brahman boy seven years
+old, who shall give himself up of his own accord for your sake. And
+when he is killed, his mother must hold his hands tightly to the
+ground, and his father must hold his feet, and you must cut off his
+head with your own sword. If you do this within seven days, then I will
+forgive the insult you have offered me. If not, I will kill you and all
+your people."
+
+And the king was so frightened that he consented. Then the giant
+disappeared.
+
+Then King Moon mounted his horse with his wife Lotus-bloom and rode
+away sad at heart, seeking for his soldiers. And he thought: "Alas! I
+was bewildered by hunting and by love, and I find myself ruined. Where
+can I find such a sacrifice for the giant? Well, I will go to my own
+city now, and see what happens."
+
+So he continued his search, and found his soldiers and his city
+Brilliant-peak. There his subjects were delighted because he had found
+a wife worthy of him, and they made a great feast. But it was a day of
+despondency and dreadful agony for the king.
+
+On the next day he told his counsellors the whole story. And one
+counsellor named Wise said: "Your Majesty, do not despair. I will find
+a victim for the sacrifice. The world is a strange place."
+
+Thus the counsellor comforted the king, and made a statue of a boy out
+of gold. And he sent the statue about the land, with constant beating
+of drums and this proclamation: "We want a noble Brahman boy seven
+years old who will offer himself as a sacrifice to a giant with the
+permission of his parents. And when he is killed, his mother must hold
+his hands, and his father must hold his feet. And as a reward, the king
+will give his parents a hundred villages and this statue of gold and
+gems."
+
+Now there was a Brahman boy on a farm, who was only seven years old,
+but wonderfully brave. He was of great beauty, and even in childhood he
+was always thinking about others. He said to the heralds: "Gentlemen, I
+will give you my body. Wait a moment. I will hurry back after telling
+my parents."
+
+So they told the boy to go. And he went into the house, bowed before
+his parents, and said: "Mother! Father! I am going to give this
+wretched body of mine in order to win lasting happiness. Pray permit
+me. And I will take the king's gift, this statue of myself made of gold
+and gems, and give it to you together with the hundred villages. Thus I
+will pay my debt to you, and do some real good. And you will never be
+poor again, and will have plenty more sons."
+
+But his parents immediately said: "Son, what are you saying? Have you
+the rheumatism? Or are you possessed by a devil? If not, why do you
+talk nonsense? Who would sacrifice his child for money? And what child
+would give his body?"
+
+But the boy said: "I am not mad. Listen. My words are full of sense.
+The body is the seat of unnameable impurities, it is loathsome and full
+of pain. It perishes in no long time at best. If some good can be done
+with the worthless thing, that is a great advantage in this weary life,
+so wise men say. And what good is there except helping others? If
+anyone can serve his parents so easily, then how lightly should the
+body be esteemed!"
+
+Thus the boy, with his bold words and his firm purpose, persuaded his
+grieving parents. And he went and got from the king's men the golden
+statue and the hundred villages, and gave them to his parents.
+
+So the boy with his parents followed the king's men to the city
+Brilliant-peak. And the king looked upon the brave boy as a magic jewel
+for his own preservation, and rejoiced greatly. He adorned the boy with
+garlands and perfumes, put him on an elephant, and took him with his
+parents to the home of the giant.
+
+There the priest traced a magic circle beside the tree, and reverently
+lit the holy fire. Then the horrible giant Flame-face appeared,
+mumbling words of his own. He staggered, for he was drunk with blood,
+and snorted and yawned. His eyes flashed fire and his shadow made the
+whole world dark.
+
+And the king said respectfully: "Great being, here is the human
+sacrifice you asked for, and this is the seventh day since I promised
+it. Be merciful. Accept this sacrifice."
+
+And the giant licked his chops, and looked the boy over, who was to be
+the sacrifice. Then the noble boy thought: "I have done some good with
+this body of mine. May I never rest in heaven or in eternal salvation,
+but may I have many lives in which to do some good with my body." And
+the air was filled with the chariots of gods who rained down flowers.
+
+Then the boy was laid before the giant. His mother held his hands, and
+his father held his feet. When the king drew his sword and was ready to
+strike, the boy laughed so heartily that all of them, even the giant,
+forgot what they were doing, looked at the boy's face, and bowed low
+before him.
+
+
+When the goblin had told this strange story, he asked the king: "O
+King, why did the boy laugh at the moment of death? I have a great
+curiosity about this point. If you know and will not tell, then your
+head will fly into a hundred pieces."
+
+And the king said: "Listen. I will tell you why the boy laughed. When
+danger comes to any weak creature, he cries for life to his mother and
+father. If they are not there, he begs protection from the king, whom
+heaven made his protector. Failing the king, he cries to a god. Some
+one of these should be his protector. But in the case of this boy
+everything was contrary. His parents held his hands and feet because
+they wanted money. And the king was ready to kill him with his own
+hand, to save his own life. And the giant, who is a kind of a god, had
+come there especially to eat him. So the boy thought:  They are
+ridiculously fooled about their bodies, which are fragile, worthless,
+the seat of pain and suffering. The bodies of the greatest gods perish.
+And such creatures as these imagine that their bodies will endure!' So
+when he saw their strange madness, and felt that his own wishes were
+fulfilled, the Brahman boy laughed in astonishment and delight."
+
+Then the goblin slipped from the king's shoulder and went back to his
+home. And the king followed with determination. The heart of a good man
+is like the heart of the ocean. It cannot be shaken.
+
+
+
+NINETEENTH GOBLIN
+
+_The Man, his Wife, and her Lover, who all died for Love. Which was the
+most foolish?_
+
+Then the king went back under the sissoo tree, took the goblin on his
+shoulder, and set out in haste. And as he walked along, the goblin on
+his shoulder said: "O King, I will tell you a story about a great love.
+Listen."
+
+
+There is a city called Ujjain, which seems like a divine city made by
+the Creator for the pious who have fallen from heaven. In this city
+there was a famous king named Lotus-belly. He delighted the good, and
+defeated the king of the demons.
+
+While he was king, a merchant named Fortune, richer than the god of
+wealth, lived in the city. He had one daughter named Love-cluster, who
+seemed the model from whom the Creator had made the nymphs of heaven.
+This merchant gave his daughter to a merchant named Jewel-guard from
+Copper City.
+
+As he was a tender father and had no other children, the merchant
+stayed with his daughter Love-cluster and her husband. Now Love-cluster
+came to hate Jewel-guard as a sick man hates a pungent, biting
+medicine. But the beautiful woman was dearer than life to her husband,
+dear as long-fathered wealth to a miser.
+
+One day Jewel-guard started for Copper City to pay a loving visit to
+his parents. Then the hot summer came, and the roads were blocked for
+travellers by the sharp arrows of the sun. The winds blew soft with the
+fragrance of jasmine and trumpet-flower, like sighs from the mouths of
+mountains separated from the springtime. And wind-swept dust-clouds
+flew to the sky like messengers from the burning earth begging for
+clouds. And the feverish days moved slowly like wayfarers who cling to
+the shade of trees. And the nights clad in pale yellow moonlight became
+very feeble without the invigorating embrace of winter.
+
+At this time Love-cluster, anointed with cooling sandal, and clad in
+thin garments stood at her lattice-window. And she saw a handsome youth
+with a friend whom he trusted. He seemed the god of love born anew and
+seeking his bride. He was the son of the king's priest, and his name
+was Lotus-lake.
+
+And when Lotus-lake saw the lovely girl, he expanded with delight as
+lotuses in a lake expand at the sight of the moon. When the two young
+people saw each other, their hearts embraced each other at the bidding
+of Love, their teacher.
+
+So Lotus-lake was smitten with love, and was led home with difficulty
+by his friend. And Love-cluster was equally maddened by love. First she
+learned from her friend his name and home, then slowly withdrew to her
+room. There she thought of him and became feverish with love, simply
+tossing on her couch, seeing nothing and hearing nothing.
+
+After two or three days spent in this way, she felt bashful and
+fearful, pale and thin from the separation, and hopeless of union with
+her lover. So, as if drawn on by the moonbeam which shone through her
+window, she went out at night when her people were asleep, determined
+to die. And she came to a pool under a tree in her garden.
+
+There stood a family image of the goddess Gauri, set up by her father.
+She drew near to this image, bowed before the goddess, praised her, and
+said: "O Goddess, since I could not have Lotus-lake as my husband in
+this life, may he be my husband in some other life!" And she made a
+noose of her garment, and tied it to the ashoka tree before the goddess.
+
+At that moment her trusty friend awoke, and not finding her in the
+room, hunted about and came luckily into the garden. There she saw the
+girl fastening the noose about her neck, and she cried, "No, no!" And
+running up, she cut the noose.
+
+When Love-cluster saw that it was her own friend who had run up and
+taken the noose away, she fell to the ground in great agony. But her
+friend comforted her and asked the reason of her sorrow. Then she arose
+and said: "Jasmine, my friend, I cannot be united with him I love. I am
+dependent on my father and other people. Death is the happiest thing
+for me."
+
+And as she spoke, she was terribly scorched by the fiery darts of love,
+and determined to feel no more hope, and fainted. And her friend
+Jasmine lamented: "Alas! Love is a hard master. It has reduced her to
+this condition." But she gradually brought her back to life with cool
+water and fans and things. She made an easy bed of lotus-leaves. She
+put pearls cool as snow on her heart.
+
+Then Love-cluster came to herself and slowly said to her weeping
+friend: "My dear, the fire within me cannot be quenched by such things
+as pearls. If you want to save my life, be clever enough to bring my
+lover to me."
+
+And the loving Jasmine said: "My dear, the night is almost over. In the
+morning I will bring your lover here to meet you. Be brave and go now
+to your room."
+
+Love-cluster was contented. She took the pearls from her neck and gave
+them to her friend as a present. And she said: "Let us go now. Then in
+the morning you must keep your promise." So she went to her room.
+
+In the morning Jasmine crept out without being seen to hunt for the
+house of Lotus-lake. When she got there, she found Lotus-lake under a
+tree in the garden. He was lying on a couch of lotus-leaves moistened
+with sandal, and the friend who knew his secret was fanning him with
+plantain-leaf fans, for he was tortured by the flames of love. And
+Jasmine hid, to find out whether this was lovesickness for her friend
+or not.
+
+Then the friend said to Lotus-lake: "My friend, comfort your heart by
+glancing a moment at this charming garden. Do not be so troubled."
+
+But he said to his friend: "My heart has been stolen by Love-cluster.
+It is no longer in my body. How can I comfort it? Love has made an
+empty quiver of me. So invent some plan by which I may meet the thief
+of my heart."
+
+Then Jasmine came out joyfully and without fear and showed herself. And
+she said: "Sir, Love-cluster has sent me to you, and I am the bearer of
+a message to you. Is it good manners to enter the heart of an innocent
+girl by force, steal her thoughts, and run away? It is strange, but the
+sweet girl is ready to give her person and her life to you, her
+charmer. For day and night she heaves sighs hot as the smoke from the
+fire of love that burns in her heart. And teardrops carry her rouge
+away and fall, like bees longing for the honey of her lotus-face. So,
+if you wish it, I will tell you what is good for both of you."
+
+And Lotus-lake said: "My good girl, the words which tell me that my
+love is lonely and longing, frighten me and comfort me. You are our
+only refuge. Devise a plan."
+
+And Jasmine answered: "This very night I will bring Love-cluster
+secretly to the garden. You must be outside. Then I will cleverly let
+you in, and so you two will be united." Thus Jasmine delighted the
+Brahman's son, and went away successful to please Love-cluster with the
+news.
+
+Then the sun and the daylight fled away, pursuing the twilight. And the
+East adorned her face with the moon. And the white night-blooming
+lotuses laughed, their faces expanding at the thought of the glory that
+was coming to them. At that hour the lover Lotus-lake came secretly,
+adorned and filled with longing, to the garden-gate of his beloved. And
+Jasmine led Love-cluster secretly into the garden, for she had lived
+through the day somehow.
+
+Then Jasmine made her sit down under the mango trees, while she went
+and let Lotus-lake in. So he entered and looked upon Love-cluster as
+the traveller looks upon the shade of trees with thick foliage. And as
+he drew near, she saw him and ran to him, for love took away her
+modesty, and she fell on his neck. "Where would you go? I have caught
+you, thief of my heart!" she cried. Then excessive joy stopped her
+breathing and she died. She fell on the ground like a vine broken by
+the wind. Strange are the mysterious ways of Love.
+
+When Lotus-lake saw that terrible fall, he cried: "Oh, what does it
+mean?" And he fainted and fell down. Presently he came to himself, and
+took his darling on his lap. He embraced her and kissed her and wept
+terribly. He was so borne down by the terrible burden of grief that his
+own heart broke. And when they were both dead, the night seemed to die
+away in shame and fear.
+
+In the morning the relatives heard the story from the gardeners, and
+came there filled with timidity and wonder and grief and madness. They
+did not know what to do, but stood a long time with downcast eyes.
+Unfaithful women disgrace a family.
+
+Presently the husband Jewel-guard came back from his father's house in
+Copper City, filled with love for Love-cluster. When he came to his
+father-in-law's house and saw the business, he was blinded by tears and
+went thoughtfully into the garden. There he saw his wife dead in
+another man's arms, and his body was scorched by flames of grief, and
+he died immediately.
+
+Then the whole household shouted and screamed so that all the citizens
+heard the story and came there. The demi-gods themselves were filled
+with pity and prayed to the goddess Gauri whose image had been set up
+there before by Love-cluster's father: "Oh, Mother, the merchant who
+set up this statue was always devoted to you. Show mercy to him in his
+affliction."
+
+And the gracious goddess heard their prayer. She said: "All three shall
+live again, and shall forget their love." Then through her grace they
+all arose like people waking from sleep. They were alive, and their
+love was gone. While all the people there rejoiced at what had
+happened. Lotus-lake went home, bending his head in shame. And the
+merchant took his shamefaced daughter and her husband and went into the
+house and made a feast.
+
+
+When the goblin had told this story on the road in the night, he said:
+"O King, which was the most foolish among those who died for love? If
+you know and do not tell, you must remember the curse I spoke of
+before."
+
+Then the king answered: "O magic creature, Jewel-guard was the most
+foolish of them. When he saw that his wife had died for love of another
+man, he should have been angry. Instead, he was loving, and died of
+grief."
+
+Then the goblin slipped from the king's shoulder and quickly set out
+for his home. And the king ran after him again, eager as before.
+
+
+
+TWENTIETH GOBLIN
+
+_The Four Brothers who brought a Dead Lion to Life. Which is to blame
+when he kills them all?_
+
+Then the king went back to the sissoo tree, took the goblin, put him on
+his shoulder, and started for the place he wished to reach. And as he
+walked along the road, the goblin began to talk again: "Bravo, King!
+You are a remarkable character. So I will tell you another story, and a
+strange one. Listen."
+
+
+There is a city called Flower-city. There lived a king named
+Earth-boar. In his kingdom was a farm where a Brahman lived whose name
+was Vishnuswami. His wife was named Swaha. And four sons were born to
+them.
+
+After a time the father died, and the relatives took all the money. So
+the four brothers consulted together: "There is nothing for us to do
+here. Suppose we go somewhere." And after a long journey they came to
+the house of their maternal grandfather in a village called Sacrifice.
+The grandfather was dead, but their uncles sheltered them, and they
+continued their studies.
+
+But they did not amount to much, so in time their uncles became
+scornful in such matters as food and clothing. And they were troubled.
+
+Then the eldest took the others aside and said: "Brothers, no man can
+do anything anywhere on earth. Now I was wandering about discouraged,
+and I came to a wood. There I saw to-day a dead man whose limbs lay
+relaxed on the ground. And I wished for the same fate, and I thought:
+He is happy. He is free from the burden of woe.' So I made up my mind
+to die, and hanged myself with a rope from a tree. I lost
+consciousness, but before the breath of life was gone, the cord was cut
+and I fell to the ground. And when I came to myself, I saw a
+compassionate man who had happened by at that moment, and he was
+fanning me with his garment. And he said to me:  My friend, you are an
+educated man. Tell me why you are so despondent. The righteous man
+finds happiness, the unrighteous man finds unhappiness because of his
+unrighteousness, and for no other reason. If you made up your mind to
+this because of unhappiness, practice righteousness instead. Why seek
+the pains of hell by suicide?' Thus the man comforted me and went away.
+And I gave up the idea of suicide and came here. You see I could not
+even die when fate was unwilling. Now I shall burn my body at some holy
+place, that I may not again feel the woes of poverty."
+
+Then the younger brothers said to him: "Sir, why is an intelligent man
+sad for lack of money? Do you not know that money is uncertain as an
+autumn cloud? No matter how carefully won and guarded, three things are
+fickle and bring sorrow at the last: evil friendships, a flirt, and
+money. The resolute and sensible man should by all means acquire that
+virtue which brings him Happiness a captive in bonds."
+
+So the eldest brother straightway plucked up heart, and said: "What
+virtue is it which we should acquire?"
+
+Then they all reflected, and took counsel together: "We will wander
+over the earth, and each of us will learn some one science." So they
+appointed a place for meeting, and the four brothers started in four
+different directions.
+
+After a time they all gathered at the meeting-place, and asked one
+another what they had learned. The first said: "I have learned a
+science by which I can take the skeleton of any animal whatever and put
+the proper kind of flesh on it."
+
+The second said: "I have learned a science by which I can put on the
+flesh-covered skeleton the proper hair and skin."
+
+The third said: "My science is this. When the skin and the flesh and
+the hair are there, I can put in the eyes and the other organs of
+sense."
+
+The fourth said: "When the organs are there, I can give the creature
+the breath of life."
+
+So all four went into the forest to find a skeleton and test their
+various sciences. As fate would have it, they found the skeleton of a
+lion there. And they took that, not knowing the difference.
+
+The first fitted out the skeleton with appropriate flesh. The second
+added the skin and hair. The third provided all the organs. The fourth
+gave life to the thing, and it was a lion. The lion arose with terrible
+massive mane, dreadful teeth in his mouth, and curving claws in his
+paws. He arose and killed his four creators, then ran into the forest.
+
+Thus the Brahman youths all perished because they did wrong to make a
+lion. Who could expect a good result from creating a bad-tempered
+creature? Thus, if fate opposed, even a virtue that has been painfully
+acquired does not profit, but rather injures. But the tree of manhood,
+with the water of intelligence poured into its watering-trench of
+conduct about the vigorous root of fate, generally bears good fruit.
+
+
+When the goblin had told this story, he asked the king who was walking
+through the night: "O King, remember the curse I mentioned, and tell me
+which of them was most to blame for creating the lion?"
+
+And the king reflected in silence: "He wants to escape again. Very
+well. I will catch him again." So he said: "The one who gave life to
+the lion, is the sinner. The others did not know what kind of an animal
+it was, and just showed their skill in creating flesh and skin and hair
+and organs. They were not to blame because they were ignorant. But the
+one who saw that it was a lion and gave it life just to exhibit his
+skill, he was guilty of the murder of Brahmans."
+
+Then the goblin went home. And the king followed him again, and came to
+the sissoo tree.
+
+
+
+TWENTY-FIRST GOBLIN
+
+_The Old Hermit who exchanged his Body for that of the Dead Boy. Why did
+he weep and dance?_
+
+Then the king went back to the sissoo tree, put the goblin on his
+shoulder in spite of all its writhings, and set out in silence. And the
+goblin on his shoulder said: "O king of kings, you are terribly
+obstinate about this impossible task. So to amuse the weary journey I
+will tell a story. Listen."
+
+
+In the Kalinga country was a city called Beautiful, where people lived
+as happily as in heaven. There ruled a famous king named Pradyumna. And
+in a part of this city was a region set apart by the king, where many
+Brahmans lived. Among them was a learned, wealthy, pious, hospitable
+Brahman named Sacrifice.
+
+In his old age a single son was born to him and his worthy wife. The
+boy grew under the fostering care of his father, and showed signs of
+excellence. He was called Devasoma by his father, and his parents were
+entirely devoted to him.
+
+In his sixteenth year the boy attracted everyone by his learning and
+modesty. Then he suddenly fell ill of a fever and died. When his father
+and mother saw that he was really dead, they embraced the body and wept
+aloud. But their love for him would not permit them to burn the body.
+
+So the old relatives gathered, and said to the father: "Brahman, life
+is imaginary like a city in the sky. Do you not know this, you who know
+things above and things below? The kings who enjoyed themselves like
+gods upon the earth, they have gone one by one to cemeteries filled
+with processions of weeping ghosts. Their bodies were burned by the
+flesh-devouring fire and eaten by jackals. No one could prevent it in
+their case. How much less in the case of others? Therefore, as you are
+a wise man, tell us what you mean by embracing this dead body?"
+
+So at last the relatives persuaded him to let his son go, and they put
+the body in a litter and brought it to the cemetery with weeping and
+wailing.
+
+At that time a hermit was fulfilling a hard vow, and was living in a
+hut in the cemetery. He was very thin because of his age and his hard
+life. His veins stuck out like cords to bind him, as if afraid that he
+would break in pieces. His hair was tawny like the lightning.
+
+This hermit heard the wailing of the people, and turned to his pupil
+who begged food for him. Now this pupil was proud and arrogant. And the
+hermit said: "My boy, what is this wailing we hear? Go outside and find
+out, then return and tell me why this unheard-of commotion is taking
+place."
+
+But the pupil said: "I will not go. Go yourself. My hour for begging is
+passing by."
+
+Then the teacher said: "Fool! Glutton! What do you mean by your hour
+for begging? Only one half of the first watch of the day is gone."
+
+Then the bad pupil became angry and said: "Decrepit old man! I am not
+your pupil. And you are not my teacher. I am going away. Do your
+begging yourself." And he angrily threw down his staff and bowl before
+the old man, and got up, and went away.
+
+Then the hermit laughed. He left his hut and went to the place where
+the dead Brahman boy had been brought to be burned. He saw how the
+people mourned over such youthful freshness dead, and felt his own age
+and weakness. So he made up his mind to exchange his body for the other
+by magic.
+
+He went aside and wept at the top of his voice. Then he danced with all
+the proper gestures.
+
+After that, full of the longing to enjoy the happiness of youth, he
+left his own withered body by magic and entered the body of the Brahman
+youth. So the Brahman youth came to life on the funeral pyre and stood
+up. And a cry of joy arose from all the relatives: "See! The boy is
+alive! He is alive!"
+
+Then the magician in the body of the Brahman boy said to the relatives:
+"I went to the other world, and Shiva gave me life and directed me to
+perform a great vow. So now I am going off to perform the vow. If I do
+not, my life will not last. Do you then go home, and I will come later."
+
+So he spoke to those gathered there, having made up his mind what to
+do, and sent them home full of joy and grief. He went himself and threw
+his old body into a pit, and then went off, a young man.
+
+
+When the goblin had told this story, he said to King Triple-victory,
+who was walking through the night: "O King, when the magician entered
+another person's body, why did he weep before doing it, or why did he
+dance? I have a great curiosity about this point."
+
+And the king was afraid of the curse, so he broke silence and said:
+"Listen, goblin. He thought:  I am leaving to-day this body with which
+I won magic powers, the body which my parents petted when I was a
+child.' So first he wept from grief, and from love of his body which he
+found it hard to leave. Then he thought:  With a new body I can learn
+more magic.' So he danced from joy at getting youth."
+
+When the goblin heard this answer, he returned quickly to the sissoo
+tree. And the king pursued him, undismayed.
+
+
+
+TWENTY-SECOND GOBLIN
+
+_The Father and Son who married Daughter and Mother. What relation were
+their children?_
+
+The king paid no attention to the terrible witch of night, clad in
+black darkness, with the funeral piles as flaming eyes. He bravely went
+through the dreadful cemetery to the sissoo tree, put the goblin on his
+shoulder, and started as before. And as he walked along, the goblin
+said to him: "O King, I am very tired with these comings and goings,
+but you do not seem to be. So I will tell you my Great Puzzle. Listen."
+
+
+Long ago there was a king named Virtue in the southern country. He was
+the best of righteous men, and was born in a great family. His wife
+came from the Malwa country, and her name was Moonlight. And they had
+one daughter, whom they named Beauty.
+
+When this daughter was grown up, the relatives conspired to wreck the
+kingdom and drive King Virtue out. But he escaped by night, took a
+great many jewels, and fled from his kingdom with his beautiful wife
+and his daughter. He started for his father-in-law's house in Malwa,
+and came with his wife and daughter to the Vindhya forest. There they
+spent a weary night.
+
+In the morning the blessed sun arose in the east, stretching out his
+rays like hands to warn the king not to go into the forest where
+robbers lived. The king went on foot with his trembling daughter and
+his wife, and their feet were wounded by the thorny grass. So they came
+to a fortified village. It was like the city of Death; for there were
+no righteous people there, and it was filled with robber-men who killed
+and robbed other people.
+
+As the king drew near with his fine garments and his gems, many robbers
+saw him from a distance, and ran out armed to rob him. When the king
+saw them coming, he said to his wife and daughter: "These are wild men.
+They must not touch you. Go into the thick woods." So the queen with
+her daughter Beauty fled in fear into the middle of the forest.
+
+But the brave king took his sword and shield and killed many of the
+wild men as they charged down, raining arrows on him. Then their leader
+gave an order, and all the robbers fell on the king at once, wounded
+every limb in his body, and killed him; for he was all alone. So the
+robbers took the jewels and went away.
+
+Now the queen had hidden in a thicket, and had seen her husband killed.
+Then she fled a long distance in fear and came with her daughter into
+another thick wood. The rays of the midday sun were so fierce that
+travellers had to sit in the shade. So Queen Moonlight and Princess
+Beauty sat down under an ashoka tree near a lotus-pond in terrible
+weariness and fear and grief.
+
+Now a gentleman named Fierce-lion who lived near came on horseback with
+his son into that wood to hunt. The son's name was Strong-lion. And the
+father saw the footprints of the queen and the princess, and he said to
+his son: "My son, these footprints are clean-cut and ladylike. Let us
+follow them. And if we find two women, you shall marry one of them,
+whichever you choose."
+
+And the son Strong-lion said: "Father, the one who has the little feet
+in this line of footprints, seems to be the wife for me. The one with
+the bigger feet must be older. She is the wife for you."
+
+But Fierce-lion said: "My son, what do you mean? Your mother went to
+heaven before your eyes. When so good a wife is gone, how could I think
+of another?"
+
+But his son said: "Not so, Father. A householder's house is an empty
+place without a wife. Besides, you have surely heard what the poet says:
+
+     What fool would go into a house?
+           Tis a prisoner's abode,
+     Unless a buxom wife is there,
+           Looking down the road.'
+
+So, Father, I beg you on my life to marry the second one, whom I have
+chosen for you."
+
+Then Fierce-lion said "Very well," and went on slowly with his son,
+following the footprints. And when he came to the pond, he saw Queen
+Moonlight, radiant with beauty and charm. And with his son he eagerly
+approached her. But when she saw him, she rose in terror, fearing that
+he was a robber.
+
+But her sensible daughter said: "There is no reason to fear. These two
+men are not robbers. They are two well-dressed gentlemen, who probably
+came here to hunt." Still the queen swung in doubt.
+
+Then Fierce-lion dismounted and stood before her. And he said:
+"Beautiful lady, do not be frightened. We came here to hunt. Pluck up
+heart and tell me without fear who you are. Why have you come into this
+lonely wood? For your appearance is that of ladies who wear gems and
+sit on pleasant balconies. And why should feet fit to saunter in a
+court, press this thorny ground? It is a strange sight. For the
+wind-blown dust settles on your faces and robs them of beauty. It hurts
+us to see the fierce rays of the sun fall upon such figures. Tell us
+your story. For our hearts are sadly grieved to see you in such a
+plight. And we cannot see how you could live in a forest filled with
+wild beasts."
+
+Then the queen sighed, and between shame and grief she stammered out
+her story. And Fierce-lion saw that she had no husband to care for her.
+So he comforted her and soothed her with tender words, and took care of
+her and her daughter. His son helped the two ladies on horseback and
+led them to his own city, rich as the city of the god of wealth. And
+the queen seemed to be in another life. She was helpless and widowed
+and miserable. So she consented. What could she do, poor woman?
+
+Then, because the queen had smaller feet, the son Strong-lion married
+Queen Moonlight. And Fierce-lion, the father, married her daughter, the
+princess Beauty, because of the bigness of her feet. Who would break a
+promise that had been made solemnly?
+
+Thus, because of their inconsistent feet, the daughter became the wife
+of the father and the mother-in-law of her own mother. And the mother
+became the wife of the son and the daughter-in-law of her own daughter.
+And as time passed, sons and daughters were born to each pair.
+
+
+When the goblin had told this story, he asked the king: "O King, when
+children were born to the father and daughter, and other children to
+the son and mother, what relation were those children to one another?
+If you know and do not tell, then remember the curse I spoke of before?"
+
+When the king heard the goblin's question, he turned the thing this way
+and that, but could not say a word. So he went on in silence. And when
+the goblin saw that he could not answer the question, he laughed in his
+heart and thought: "This king cannot give an answer to my Great Puzzle.
+So he just walks on in silence. And he cannot deceive me because of the
+power of the curse. Well, I am pleased with his wonderful character. So
+I will cheat that rogue of a monk, and give the magic power he is
+striving after to this king."
+
+So the goblin said aloud: "O King, you are weary with your comings and
+goings in this dreadful cemetery in the black night, yet you seem
+happy, and never hesitate at all. I am astonished and pleased at your
+perseverance. So now you may take the dead body and go ahead. I will
+leave the body. And I will tell you something that will do you good,
+and you must do it. The monk for whom you are carrying this body, is a
+rogue. He will call upon me and worship me, and he will try to kill you
+as a sacrifice. He will say: Lie flat on the ground in an attitude of
+reverence.' O King, you must say to that rascal:  I do not know this
+attitude of reverence. Show me first, and then I will do likewise.'
+Then when he lies on the ground to show you the attitude of reverence,
+cut off his head with your sword. Then you will get the kingship over
+the fairies which he is trying to get. Otherwise, the monk will kill
+you and get the magic power. That is why I have delayed you so long.
+Now go ahead, and win magic power."
+
+So the goblin left the body on the king's shoulder and went away. And
+the king reflected how the monk Patience was planning to hurt him. He
+took the body and joyfully went to the fig-tree.
+
+
+
+CONCLUSION
+
+So King Triple-victory came to the monk Patience with the body on his
+shoulder. And he saw the monk along in the dark night, sitting under
+the cemetery tree and looking down the road. He had made a magic circle
+with yellow powdered bones in a spot smeared with blood. In it he had
+put a jug filled with blood and lamps with magic oil. He had kindled a
+fire and brought together the things he needed for worship.
+
+The monk rose to greet the king who came carrying the body, and he
+said: "O King, you have done me a great favour, and a hard one. This is
+a strange business and a strange time and place for such as you. They
+say truly that you are the best of kings, for you serve others without
+thinking of yourself. This is the very thing that makes the greatness
+of a great man, when he does not give a thing up, though it costs his
+very life."
+
+So the monk felt sure the he was quite successful, and he took the body
+from the king's shoulder. He bathed it and put garlands on it, and set
+it in the middle of the circle. Then he smeared his own body with
+ashes, put on a cord made of human hair, wrapped himself in dead man's
+clothes, and stood a moment, deep in thought. And the goblin was
+attracted by his thought into the body, and the monk worshipped him.
+
+First he offered liquor in a skull, then he gave him human teeth
+carefully cleaned, and human eyes and flesh. So he completed his
+worship, then he said to the king: "O King, fall flat on the ground
+before this master magician in an attitude of reverence, so that he may
+give you what you want."
+
+And the king remembered the words of the goblin. He said to the monk:
+"Holy sir, I do not know that attitude of reverence. Do you show me
+first, and afterwards I will do it in the same way."
+
+And when the monk fell on the ground to show the attitude of reverence,
+the king cut off his head with a sword, and cut out his heart and split
+it open. And he gave the head and the heart to the goblin.
+
+Then all the little gods were delighted and cried: "Well done!" And the
+goblin was pleased and spoke to the king from the body he was living
+in: "O King, this monk was trying to become king of the fairies. But
+you shall be that when you have been king of the whole world."
+
+And the king answered the goblin: "O magic creature, if you are pleased
+with me, I have nothing more to wish for. Yet I ask you to make me one
+promise, that these twenty-two different, charming puzzle-stories shall
+be known all over the world and be received with honour."
+
+And the goblin answered: "O King, so be it. And I will tell you
+something more. Listen. When anyone tells or hears with proper respect
+even a part of these puzzle-stories, he shall be immediately free from
+sin. And wherever these stories are told, elves and giants and witches
+and goblins and imps shall have no power."
+
+Then the goblin left the dead body by magic, and went where he wanted
+to. Then Shiva appeared there with all the little gods, and he was well
+pleased. When the king bowed before him, he said: "My son, you did well
+to kill this sham monk who tried by force to become king of the
+fairies. Therefore you shall establish the whole earth, and then become
+king of the fairies yourself. And when you have long enjoyed the
+delights of heaven and at last give them up of your own accord, then
+you shall be united with me. So receive from me this sword called
+Invincible. While you have it, everything you say will come true."
+
+So Shiva gave him the magic sword, received his flowery words of
+worship, and vanished with the gods.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Twenty-two Goblins, by Unknown
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