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    <title>The Baitâl Pachchisi, by John Platts and Duncan Forbes</title>
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<div>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 54697 ***</div>

    <div style="height: 8em;">
      <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />
    </div>
    <h1>
      THE BAITÂL PACHCHISI
    </h1>
    <h3>
      Or, The Twenty-Five Tales Of a Sprite
    </h3>
    <h2>
      By John Platts
    </h2>
    <h3>
      Translated From The Hindi Text of Dr. Duncan Forbes
    </h3>
    <h4>
      (One of Her Majesty&rsquo;s Inspectors of Schools in the Central Provinces of
      India)
    </h4>
    <h4>
      London: Wm. H. Allen &amp; Co.
    </h4>
    <h3>
      1871
    </h3>
    <p>
      <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0001" id="linkimage-0001"> </a>
    </p>
    <div class="fig" style="width:50%;">
      <img src="images/0006.jpg" alt="0006 " width="100%" /><br />
    </div>
    <p>
      <br /><br />
    </p>
    <hr />
    <p>
      <br /><br />
    </p>
    <p>
      <b>CONTENTS</b>
    </p>
    <p class="toc">
      <a href="#link2H_4_0001"> TRANSLATORS PREFACE. </a>
    </p>
    <p class="toc">
      <a href="#link2H_PREF"> PREFACE </a>
    </p>
    <p class="toc">
      <a href="#link2H_4_0003"> <b>THE BAITÂL PACHCHISI.</b> </a>
    </p>
    <p class="toc">
      <a href="#link2H_4_0004"> INTRODUCTORY TALE. </a>
    </p>
    <p class="toc">
      <a href="#link2H_4_0005"> TALE I. </a>
    </p>
    <p class="toc">
      <a href="#link2H_4_0006"> TALE II. </a>
    </p>
    <p class="toc">
      <a href="#link2H_4_0007"> TALE III. </a>
    </p>
    <p class="toc">
      <a href="#link2H_4_0008"> TALE IV. </a>
    </p>
    <p class="toc">
      <a href="#link2H_4_0009"> TALE V. </a>
    </p>
    <p class="toc">
      <a href="#link2H_4_0010"> TALE VI. </a>
    </p>
    <p class="toc">
      <a href="#link2H_4_0011"> TALE VII. </a>
    </p>
    <p class="toc">
      <a href="#link2H_4_0012"> TALE VIII. </a>
    </p>
    <p class="toc">
      <a href="#link2H_4_0013"> TALE IX. </a>
    </p>
    <p class="toc">
      <a href="#link2H_4_0014"> TALE X. </a>
    </p>
    <p class="toc">
      <a href="#link2H_4_0015"> TALE XI. </a>
    </p>
    <p class="toc">
      <a href="#link2H_4_0016"> TALE XII. </a>
    </p>
    <p class="toc">
      <a href="#link2H_4_0017"> TALE XIII. </a>
    </p>
    <p class="toc">
      <a href="#link2H_4_0018"> TALE XIV. </a>
    </p>
    <p class="toc">
      <a href="#link2H_4_0019"> TALE XV. </a>
    </p>
    <p class="toc">
      <a href="#link2H_4_0020"> TALE XVI. </a>
    </p>
    <p class="toc">
      <a href="#link2H_4_0021"> TALE XVII. </a>
    </p>
    <p class="toc">
      <a href="#link2H_4_0022"> TALE XVIII. </a>
    </p>
    <p class="toc">
      <a href="#link2H_4_0023"> TALE XIX. </a>
    </p>
    <p class="toc">
      <a href="#link2H_4_0024"> TALE XX. </a>
    </p>
    <p class="toc">
      <a href="#link2H_4_0025"> TALE XXI. </a>
    </p>
    <p class="toc">
      <a href="#link2H_4_0026"> TALE XXII. </a>
    </p>
    <p class="toc">
      <a href="#link2H_4_0027"> TALE XXIII. </a>
    </p>
    <p class="toc">
      <a href="#link2H_4_0028"> TALE XXIV. </a>
    </p>
    <p class="toc">
      <a href="#link2H_4_0029"> TALE XXV. </a>
    </p>
    <p>
      <br /><br />
    </p>
    <hr />
    <p>
      <a name="link2H_4_0001" id="link2H_4_0001"> </a>
    </p>
    <div style="height: 4em;">
      <br /><br /><br /><br />
    </div>
    <h2>
      TRANSLATORS PREFACE.
    </h2>
    <p class="pfirst">
      <span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>he English
      translation of these tales has been made by special request, to meet
      repeated demands for a translation of the text as edited by the late Dr.
      Duncan Forbes. The aim of the Translator has been to produce a work which
      would enable the student to study the original with facility and accuracy.
      It being considered that few save students who are compelled to study the
      Hindi original would be likely to peruse the work, the translation has
      been made as literal as it was possible to make it without doing
      unpardonable violence to English idiom. All difficulties have been boldly,
      if not successfully, met; and explanatory and other notes have been added,
      wherever the text appeared to call for such. The study of the translation
      must not be supposed to dispense with that of the Grammar of the language;
      it will be found, however, to prove of the highest utility to a student
      who has mastered the elementary principles of Grammar, and uses it&mdash;not
      as a mere &ldquo;crib&rdquo; but&mdash;for the purpose of discovering what light it
      sheds on the application of those principles.
    </p>
    <p>
      <br /><br />
    </p>
    <hr />
    <p>
      <a name="link2H_PREF" id="link2H_PREF"> </a>
    </p>
    <div style="height: 4em;">
      <br /><br /><br /><br />
    </div>
    <h2>
      PREFACE
    </h2>
    <p class="pfirst">
      <span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>HE origin of these
      tales is as follows:&mdash;In the reign of the Emperor Muhammad Shah, Rajã
      Jaisinh Sawãr (who was the ruler of. Jainagar) ordered the eminent poet,
      named Sürat, to translate the Baitãl Pachisi (which was in the Sanskrit)
      into the Braj dialect. Thereupon he translated it into the dialect of
      Braj, in accordance with the king&rsquo;s command. And now, during the reign of
      the Emperor Sfãhi &rsquo;Alam, and in the time of the lord of lords, the
      cream of exalted princes, the Privy-Counsellor of the Monarch of England,
      whose court stands as high as Saturn; the noblest of the noble, the
      Governor-General, Marquis Wellesley (may his government be perpetuated!);
      and in accordance with the bidding of His Honour, Mr. John Gilchrist (may
      his good fortune endure!); to the end that illustrious gentleman may learn
      and understand, the poet Mazhar Ali Khan (whose <i>nom de plume</i> is
      Vila), with the aid of the poet Shrï Lallü Lãl, rendered the same into
      easy language, such as high and low use in speaking, and which the learned
      and the ignorant, the talented and the obtuse, would all comprehend, and
      which would be easy to the mind of every one, no difficulty of any kind
      presenting itself to the intellect, and wherein the dialect of Braj
      frequently occurs.
    </p>
    <p>
      Now, in conformity with the command of the Professor of Hindi, the
      bounteous patron, His Honour, Captain James Mouat, (may his prosperity
      last long!) Tãrinïcharan Mitra, (in preparing the work) for the press, has
      struck out such Sanskrit and Braj words as seldom occur in the Urdu
      dialect, and introduced words in current use. Some words, however, in use
      among the Hindus, the exclusion of which he regarded as detrimental, he
      has preserved intact. He trusts that the work may meet with a favourable
      reception.
    </p>
    <p>
      <br /><br />
    </p>
    <hr />
    <p>
      <a name="link2H_4_0003" id="link2H_4_0003"> </a>
    </p>
    <div style="height: 4em;">
      <br /><br /><br /><br />
    </div>
    <h1>
      THE BAITÂL PACHCHISI.
    </h1>
    <p>
      <br /><br />
    </p>
    <hr />
    <p>
      <a name="link2H_4_0004" id="link2H_4_0004"> </a>
    </p>
    <div style="height: 4em;">
      <br /><br /><br /><br />
    </div>
    <h2>
      INTRODUCTORY TALE.
    </h2>
    <p class="pfirst">
      <span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>here was a city
      named Dhãrãnagar, the king of which was Gandharb Sen. He had four queens,
      and by them six sons, one more learned and more powerful than another.
      Fate ordaining, after some days the king died, and his eldest son, Shank
      by name, became king in his stead. Again, after some days, a younger
      brother, Vikram, after slaying his eldest brother, himself became king,
      and began to govern well. Day by day his dominion so increased that he
      became king of all India; * and, after fixing his government on a firm
      basis, he established an æra.
    </p>
<pre xml:space="preserve">
     * Jambudwip is the name of one of the seven divisions of the
     world, and implies, the central division, or the known
     world; according to the Bauddhas, it is confined to India.
</pre>
    <p>
      After some time the king thought to himself that he ought to visit those
      countries of which he had heard. * Having determined on this, he made over
      his throne to his younger brother Bharthari, and himself assuming the
      guise of a devotee, set out to wander from land to land and forest to
      forest.
    </p>
<pre xml:space="preserve">
     * Lit.&mdash;The king thought in his mind, &ldquo;I should travel over
     those countries whose names I am hearing.&rdquo;
 </pre>
    <p>
      A Brahman was practising austerities in that city. One day a deity brought
      and presented to him the fruit of immortality. He then took the fruit home
      and said to his wife, &ldquo;Whoever shall eat this will become immortal; the
      deity told me this at the time of giving, the fruit.&rdquo; Hearing this, the
      Brahman&rsquo;s wife wept excessively, and began to say, &ldquo;This is a great evil
      we have to suffer! For, becoming immortal, how long shall we go on begging
      alms? Nay, to die is better than this; (for) if we die, then we escape
      from the trials of the world.&rdquo; Then the Brahman said, &ldquo;I took the fruit
      and brought it; but, hearing your words, I am bereft of understanding. Now
      I will do whatever you bid.&rdquo; Then his wife said to him, &ldquo;Give this fruit
      to the king, and in exchange for it take wealth, whereby we may enjoy the
      advantages of this world as well as that to come.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      Hearing this speech, the Brahman went to the king and gave him his
      blessing; (and) after explaining the circumstances of the fruit, said,
      &ldquo;Great king! do you take this fruit and give me some wealth; there is
      happiness for me in your being long-lived.&rdquo; Theking having given the
      Brahman a lakh of rupees and dismissed him, entered the female apartments,
      and giving the fruit to the queen whom he loved most, said, &ldquo;O queen! do
      thou eat this, for thou wilt become immortal, and wilt continue young for
      ever.&rdquo; The queen, hearing this, took the fruit from the king, (and) he
      came out into his court.
    </p>
    <p>
      A certain kotwãl was the paramour of that queen: to him she gave the
      fruit. It so happened that a courtesan was the kotwãl&rsquo;s mistress; he gave
      the fruit to her and described its virtues. That courtesan thought to
      herself that the fruit was a fitting present for the king. Determining
      this in her mind, she went and presented the fruit to the king. His
      majesty took the fruit and dismissed her with much wealth; and
      contemplating the fruit, and pondering within himself, he became sick of
      the world, and began to say, &ldquo;The perishable wealth of this world is of no
      use whatever; for through it one must ultimately fall into hell.
      Preferable to this is the practising of religious duties and the biding,
      in the remembrance of the Deity, whereby it may be well in the future.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      Coming to this determination, he entered the female apartments and asked
      the queen what she had done with the fruit (he gave her). She replied, &ldquo;I
      ate it up.&rdquo; Then the king showed the queen that fruit. She, on the instant
      of setting eyes on it, stood aghast, and was unable to make any reply.
      After that, the king having come forth, had the fruit washed, and ate it,
      and abandoning his kingdom and throne, assumed the guise of a devotee, and
      betook himself unaccompanied, and without holding communication with a
      soul, to the jungle.
    </p>
    <p>
      The throne of Vikram became vacant. When this news reached king Indra, he
      sent a demon to guard Dhãrãnagar. He kept watch over the city day and
      night. To be brief, the report of this matter spread from country to
      country, that king Bharthari had abandoned his government and gone away.
      King Vikram, too, heard the news, and immediately came to his country. It
      was then midnight: he was entering the city at that hour, when that demon
      called out, &ldquo;Who art thou? and whither goest thou? Stand still (and)
      mention thy name.&rdquo; Then the king said, &ldquo;It is I, king Vikram; I am
      entering my own city: who art thou, to challenge me?&rdquo; Then the demon
      replied, saying, &ldquo;The deities have sent me to guard this city: if you are
      really king Vikram, first fight with me, and then enter the city.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      On hearing these words the king girt tight his waist-cloth and challenged
      the demon. Thereupon the demon, too, stood up to him. The battle began. At
      last the king threw the demon and sat upon his breast. Then he said, &ldquo;O
      king! thou hast thrown me; I grant thy life as a boon.&rdquo; Upon this the
      king, laughing, said, &ldquo;Thou art gone mad; whose life dost thou grant? Did
      I will, I could slay thee; how canst thou grant me life?&rdquo; Then the demon
      said, &ldquo;O king! I am about to save thee from death; first attend to a tale
      of mine, and thereafter rule over the whole world free from all care.&rdquo; At
      length the king set him free, and began to listen attentively to his tale.
    </p>
    <p>
      Then the demon addressed him thus: &ldquo;There was in this city a very liberal
      king, named Chandrabhãn. One day he went forth casually into the jungle;
      when, what should he behold but an ascetic hanging, head downwards, from a
      tree, and sustaining himself by inhaling smoke alone&mdash;neither
      receiving anything from any one, nor speaking to any one. Perceiving this
      state of his, the king returned home, and seating himself in his court,
      said, &lsquo;Whoever will bring this ascetic (here), shall receive a lakh of
      rupees.&rsquo; A courtesan bearing these words, came to the king and spake thus:
      &lsquo;If I obtain your majesty&rsquo;s leave, I will have a child begotten by that
      ascetic, and bring it here mounted on his shoulder.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;The king was astonished at hearing this speech, and binding the courtesan
      to (the fulfilment of her contract to) bring the ascetic by giving her a
      flake of betel-leaf, * dismissed her. She went to that wild, and reaching
      the ascetic&rsquo;s place, perceived that he was really hanging head-downwards,
      neither eating nor drinking anything, and that he was withered up. In
      short, that courtesan prepared some sweetmeat, and put it into the
      ascetic&rsquo;s mouth: he, finding it sweet, ate it up with zest. Thereupon the
      courtesan applied more (to his mouth). Thus for two days did she continue
      feeding him with sweetmeat, by eating which he gained a certain degree of
      strength. Then, opening his eyes, and descending from the tree, he
      inquired of her, &lsquo;On what business hast thou come hither?&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
<pre xml:space="preserve">
     * I am obliged to render thus periphrastically the words
     tapasvi ke lane ke, waste bïrã dekar. The birã is a betel-
     leaf, made up with a preparation of areca-nut, chunara,
     cloves, &amp;c. It is given and accepted as a pledge for the
     performance of an act.
</pre>
    <p>
      &ldquo;The courtesan replied, &lsquo;I am the daughter of a god; I was practising
      religious austerities in heaven; I have now come into this wild.&rsquo; The
      devotee said again, &lsquo;Where is thy hut? Show me it.&rsquo; Thereupon the
      courtesan brought the ascetic to her hut, and commenced feeding him with
      savoury (<i>lit.</i> six-flavoured) viands, so that the ascetic left off
      inhaling smoke; and took to eating food and drinking water daily.
      Eventually Cupid troubled him; upon which he had carnal intercourse with
      her, (and) vitiated his austerities; and the courtesan became pregnant. In
      ten months a boy was born. When he was some months old, the woman said to
      the devotee, &lsquo;O saint! you should now set out on a pilgrimage whereby all
      the sins of the flesh may be blotted out.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;Deluding him with such words, she mounted the boy on his shoulder, and
      started for the king&rsquo;s court, whence she had set out, after taking up the
      gage to accomplish this matter. When she came before the king, his majesty
      recognised her from a distance, and seeing the child on the shoulder of
      the devotee, began saying to the courtiers; &lsquo;Just see! this is the very
      same courtesan, who went to bring the devotee!&rsquo; They replied, &lsquo;O king! you
      are quite right; this is the very same; and be pleased to observe that all
      that she had stated in your majesty&rsquo;s presence ere she set forth, has come
      to pass.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;When the ascetic heard these remarks of the king and courtiers, he
      perceived that the king had adopted these measures to disturb his
      religious meditations. With these thoughts in his mind, the devotee
      returned from thence, and getting out of the city, slew the child,
      repaired to another jungle, and began to perform penance. And after some
      time that king died, and the devotee completed his penance.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;The short of the story is this, that you three men have been born under
      one asterism, one conjunction, and in one moment. You took birth in a
      king&rsquo;s house; the second was an oilman&rsquo;s (child); the third, the devotee,
      was born in a potter&rsquo;s house. You still govern here, while the oilman&rsquo;s
      son <i>was</i> the ruler of the infernal regions; but that potter,
      bringing his religious meditations to thorough perfection, has killed the
      oilman, turned him into a demon in a burning-ground and placed him hanging
      head-downwards on a siris-tree, and is intent on killing you. If you
      escape him, you will rule. I have apprised you of all these circumstances;
      do not be careless with respect to them.&rdquo; Having narrated thus much, the
      demon departed. He (the king) entered his private palace.
    </p>
    <p>
      When it was morn the king came forth, and took his seat (on the throne),
      and gave the order for a general court. As many servants as there were,
      great and small, all came and made their offerings in the presence, and
      festive music burst forth. An extraordinary gladness and rejoicing
      possessed the whole city, such that in every place, and every house, dance
      and song arose. After this the king began to govern justly.
    </p>
    <p>
      It is related that one day an ascetic named Shãnt-shil appeared at the
      king&rsquo;s court with a fruit in his hand, and, presenting the fruit to the
      king, spread a cloth, and sat down there. After a short time he went away
      again. On his departure the king thought to himself that this was probably
      the person of whom the demon had spoken. Habouring this suspicion, he did
      not eat the fruit, and, summoning the steward, he gave it to him, with
      instructions to keep it carefully. The devotee, however, came constantly
      in this same manner, and left a fruit every day.
    </p>
    <p>
      It so happened that one day the king went to inspect his stable,
      accompanied by some attendants.
    </p>
    <p>
      During that interval the ascetic, too, arrived there, and presented the
      king with a fruit in the usual manner. He began tossing it in the air,
      when all of a sudden it fell from his hand on the ground, and a monkey
      took it up and broke it in pieces. So exquisite a ruby came out of it that
      the king and his attendants were astonished at the sight of its
      brilliance. Thereupon the king said to the devotee; &ldquo;Why hast thou given
      me this ruby?&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      On this he said, &ldquo;O great king! it is written in the Shastra that one
      should not go empty-handed to the following places, viz., those of kings,
      spiritual teachers, astrologers, physicians and daughters, for at these
      places one obtains benefit for benefit. Sire! why do you speak of a single
      ruby? As many fruits as I have given you, every one of them contains a
      jewel.&rdquo; Hearing these words, the king told the steward to bring all the
      fruits he had given to him. On receiving the king&rsquo;s order, the steward
      immediately brought them; and, having had the fruits broken open, he found
      a ruby in each. When he beheld so many rubies the king was excessively
      pleased, and, summoning a tester of precious stones, began having the
      rubies tested, saying the while, &ldquo;Nothing will accompany one (from this
      world); integrity is the great essential in the world; tell me honestly,
      therefore, the exact value of each gem.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      Hearing these words the jeweller said, &ldquo;O king! you have spoken the truth.
      He whose integrity is safe, his all is safe: integrity alone accompanies
      us, and that it is which proves of advantage in both worlds. Hear, O king!
      each gem is perfect as to colour, stone, and form. Were I to declare the
      value of each to be a crore of rupees, even that would not come up to the
      mark. Of a truth, each gem is worth a clime.&rdquo; Hearing this, the king was
      pleased beyond measure, and conferring a robe of honour on the jeweller,
      dismissed him; and taking the devotee&rsquo;s hand, he brought and seated him on
      the throne, and began thus: &ldquo;My whole realm is not worth even one of these
      rubies; tell me, then, what is the explanation of this, that you, a
      religious mendicant, have presented me with so many gems?&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      The ascetic said, &ldquo;Your majesty! it is not proper to speak publicly of the
      following things, viz., magic and incantations, drugs employed in
      medicines, religious duties, family affairs, the eating of impure meats,
      evil speech which one has heard&mdash;all these things are not spoken of
      in public; I will tell you in private. Attend! it is a rule, that whatever
      is heard by three pairs of ears remains no secret; the words which reach
      two pairs of ears no man hears; while the contents of one pair of ears are
      unknown to Brahma himself, not to speak of man.&rdquo; On hearing these words,
      the king took the devotee apart and began to say, &ldquo;O holy man! you have
      given me so many rubies, and have not once partaken of food even; you have
      put me to great shame! Let me know what it is you desire.&rdquo; The ascetic
      said, &ldquo;Sire! I am about to practice magical arts in a large
      body-burning-ground on the bank of the river Godavari, whereby I shall
      acquire supernatural powers, and so I beg of you to pass one whole night
      with me; by your being near me my magic arts will succeed.&rdquo; Then the king
      said, &ldquo;Very well; I will come: leave word with me of the day.&rdquo; The ascetic
      said, &ldquo;Do you come to me, armed and unattended, on the Tuesday evening of
      the dark half of the month Bhãdon.&rdquo; The king replied, &ldquo;You may go; I will
      assuredly come, and alone.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      Having thus exacted a promise from the king and taken leave, he, for his
      part, went into a temple and made preparations, and taking all necessaries
      with him, went and fixed himself in a place for burning bodies; while here
      the king began to ponder (over what had happened). In the meantime the
      moment (for him to depart) too, arrived. Upon this the king there and then
      girt on his sword, tightened the cloth he wore between his legs, and
      betook himself alone to the devotee by night, and greeted him. The devotee
      requested him to be seated, whereupon the king sat down, and then
      perceived goblins, evil spirits, and witches, in various frightful shapes,
      dancing around; while the ascetic, seated in the centre, was striking two
      skulls together by way of music. The king felt no fear or alarm on
      beholding this state of things; but said to the devotee, &ldquo;What command is
      there for me?&rdquo; He replied, &ldquo;O king! now that you have come, do this;&mdash;at
      a distance of two <i>kos</i> south of this place is a burning-ground,
      wherein is a siris-tree, on which a corpse is suspended; bring that
      (corpse) to me at once to this place, where I shall be performing my
      devotions.&rdquo; Having despatched the king thither, he himself settled down in
      devotional attitude and began muttering prayers.
    </p>
    <p>
      For one thing, the darkness of the night was in itself terrifying; more
      than this, the downpour of the rain was as unceasing as if it would rain
      for once and all that night; whilst the goblins and ghosts, too, were
      creating such an uproar, that even daring heroes would have been agitated
      at the spectacle;&mdash;the king, however, went on his way. The snakes,
      which kept coming and twining themselves about his legs, he used to
      disentangle by repeating incantations. At length, when after passing
      somehow or other over a perilous road, the king reached the
      burning-ground, he perceived that goblins were constantly seizing men and
      destroying them; witches continually munching the livers of children;
      tigers were roaring, and elephants screaming. In short, when he noticed
      the tree, he perceived that every leaf and branch of it, from the root to
      the topmost twig, was burning furiously, while from all four sides arose a
      tumultuous cry of &ldquo;Kill him! kill him! Seize him! seize him! Take care he
      does not escape!&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      The king had no fears on beholding that state of things; but he said to
      himself, &ldquo;It may or may not be so, but (I am convinced) this is the same
      devotee about whom the demon spoke to me.&rdquo; And having gone close and
      observed, he perceived a corpse fastened by a string, and hanging head
      downwards. He was glad to see the corpse, thinking his trouble had been
      rewarded. Taking his sword and shield, he climbed the tree fearlessly, and
      struck such a blow with the sword that the rope was severed and the corpse
      fell down, and instantly began to weep aloud. On hearing his voice the
      king was pleased, and began to say to himself, &ldquo;Well! this man at least is
      alive.&rdquo; Then, descending, he enquired of him who he was. He burst out
      laughing as soon as he heard (the question). The king was greatly
      astonished at this. Again the corpse climbed up the tree and suspended
      himself. The king, too, that instant climbed up, and clutching him under
      his arm, brought him down, and said, &ldquo;Vile wretch! tell me who thou art.&rdquo;
       He made no reply. The king reflected and said to himself, &ldquo;Perhaps this is
      the very oilman whom the demon said the devotee had deposited in the place
      where bodies are burnt.&rdquo; Thus reflecting, he bound him up in his mantle
      and brought him to the devotee. The man who displays such courage will (be
      sure to) succeed in his under-takings.
    </p>
    <p>
      Then the sprite * said, &ldquo;Who art thou? and whither art thou taking me?&rdquo;
       The king replied, &ldquo;I am king Vikram, and am taking thee off to a devotee.&rdquo;
       He rejoined, &ldquo;I will go on one condition,&mdash;if thou utterest a word on
      the way, I will come straight back.&rdquo; The king agreed to his condition and
      went off with him. Then the sprite said, &ldquo;O king! those who are learned,
      discerning, and wise&mdash;<i>their</i> days are passed in the delight of
      song and the shãstras, while the days of the unwise and foolish are spent
      in dissipation and sleep. Hence, it is best that this long road should be
      beguiled by profitable converse: do you attend, O king! to the story I
      relate.&rdquo;
     </p>
<pre xml:space="preserve">
     * Betal or baitãl, is a sprite haunting cemeteries, or,
     rather, places where bodies are burned and animating dead
     bodies.
</pre>
    <p>
      <br /><br />
    </p>
    <hr />
    <p>
      <a name="link2H_4_0005" id="link2H_4_0005"> </a>
    </p>
    <div style="height: 4em;">
      <br /><br /><br /><br />
    </div>
    <h2>
      TALE I.
    </h2>
    <p class="pfirst">
      <span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>here was a king of
      Banãras, named Pratãpmukut; and Bajra-mukut was the name of his son, whose
      queen&rsquo;s name was Mahãdevï. One day the prince, accompanied by his
      minister&rsquo;s son, went to the chase, and advanced far into a jungle, in the
      midst of which he beheld a beautiful tank; on the margin of which wild
      geese, brãhmanï ducks, male and female, cranes and water-fowl were, one
      and all, disporting on all four sides <i>ghats</i> of solid masonry were
      constructed: within the tank, the lotus was in full bloom: on the sides
      were planted trees of different kinds, under the dense shade of which the
      breezes came cool and refreshing, while birds were warbling on the boughs;
      and in the forest bloomed flowers of varied hues, on which whole swarms of
      bees were buzzing;&mdash;(such was the scene) when they arrived by the
      margin of that tank, and washed their hands and faces, and reascended.
    </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;On that spot was a temple sacred to Mahãdeva, Fastening their horses, and
      entering the temple, they paid adoration to Mahãdeva, and came out. While
      they were engaged in adoration, the daughter of a certain king,
      accompanied by a host of attendants, came to another margin of the tank to
      bathe; and, having finished her ablutions, meditations and prayers, she,
      with her own maidens, began to walk about in the shade of the trees. On
      this side the minister&rsquo;s son was seated, and the king&rsquo;s son was walking
      about, when, suddenly, his eyes, and the eyes of the king&rsquo;s daughter, met.
      As soon as he beheld her beauty, the king&rsquo;s son was fascinated, and began
      saying to himself, &lsquo;You wretch, Cupid! why do you molest me?&rsquo; And when the
      princess beheld the prince, she took in her hand the lotus-flower which
      she had fixed on her head after her devotions, placed it to her ear, bit
      it with her teeth, put it under her foot, then took it up and pressed it
      to her bosom, and, taking her maidens with her, mounted (her chariot) and
      departed home.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;And the prince, sinking into the depths of despair, and overwhelmed with
      grief on account of her absence, came to the minister&rsquo;s son, and with a
      feeling of shame laid before him the actual, state of affairs, saying, &lsquo;O
      friend! I have seen a most beautiful damsel; (but) I know neither her name
      nor her abode: should I not possess her, I will give up my life: this I am
      firmly resolved upon in my mind.&rsquo; Hearing these circumstances, the
      minister&rsquo;s son caused him to mount, and brought him home, it is true; but
      the king&rsquo;s son was so restless from grief at separation, that he entirely
      abandoned writing, reading, eating, drinking, sleeping, the business of
      government&mdash;everything. He used to be constantly sketching her
      portrait and gazing at it and weeping; not speaking himself, nor listening
      to what others said.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;When the minister&rsquo;s son saw this state of his, the result of separation
      from his flame, he said to him, &lsquo;Whosoever treads the path of love doth
      not survive; or if he survive, he suffers great sorrow. * On this account
      the wise avoid treading this path.&rsquo; The king&rsquo;s son, on hearing his words,
      replied, &lsquo;I, in sooth, have entered upon this path, be there joy in it or
      be there pain.&rsquo; When he heard so determined a speech from him, he (the
      minister&rsquo;s son) said, &lsquo;Great king! at the time of leaving did she say
      anything to you, or you to her?&rsquo; Upon this he made answer, saying, &lsquo;I said
      nothing, nor did I hear anything from her.&rsquo; Then the minister&rsquo;s son said,
      &lsquo;It will be very difficult to find her.&rsquo; He said, &lsquo;If she be secured, my
      life will be preserved; otherwise, it is lost.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
<pre xml:space="preserve">
     * Lit.&mdash;Whosoever has placed his step in the path of love
     has not survived after it; or if he has survived, then he
     has experienced great affliction.
</pre>
    <p>
      &ldquo;He enquired again, &lsquo;Did she make no signs even?&rsquo; The prince said, &lsquo;These
      are the gestures she made,&mdash;suddenly seeing me, she took the
      lotus-flower from her head, put it to her ear, bit it with her teeth,
      placed it under her foot, and pressed it to her bosom.&rsquo; On hearing this,
      the minister&rsquo;s son said, &lsquo;I have comprehended her signs, and discovered
      her name, habitation, and all about her.&rsquo; He (the prince) replied,
      &lsquo;Explain to me whatever you have discovered.&rsquo; He began to say, &lsquo;Attend, O
      king! Her having taken the lotus-flower from her head and put it to her
      ear, is equivalent to her having informed you that she is an inhabitant of
      the Karnãtak (Carnatic); and in biting it with her teeth, she intimated
      that she is the daughter of king Dãnta-vãt; and by pressing it under her
      foot, she declared that her name is Padmãvati; and in again taking it up
      and pressing it to her bosom, she informed you that you dwell in her
      heart.&rsquo; When the prince heard these words, he said to him, &lsquo;It is
      advisable that you take me to the city in which she dwells.&rsquo; No sooner had
      he said this than both dressed themselves, girt on their arms, and taking
      some jewels with them, mounted their horses and took the road to that
      quarter.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;Having reached the Kamãtak after several days, and having arrived below
      the palaces of the king in their stroll through the city, what do they see
      there but an old woman sitting at her door and plying her cotton-wheel.
      The two, dismounting from their horses, approached her, and began to say,
      &lsquo;Mother! we are travelling merchants, our goods are following us; we have
      come on ahead to seek a lodging; if you will give us a place, we will
      abide.&rsquo; On looking at their faces and hearing their words, the old woman
      took compassion on them and said, &lsquo;This house is yours; remain here as
      long as you please,&rsquo; In short, they took possession of the house on
      hearing, this; and after some delay the old woman came and kindly sat with
      them, and began chatting with them. On this, the minister&rsquo;s son enquired
      of her, &lsquo;What family and relations have you got? and how do you subsist?&rsquo;
      The old woman said, &lsquo;My son is very comfortably provided for in the king&rsquo;s
      service, and your humble servant is the wet-nurse of Padmãvatï, the king&rsquo;s
      daughter; in consequence of old age having overtaken me I remain at home,
      but the king provides for my maintenance. Once a day, however, I go
      regularly to see that girl; it is on my return from thence, in my home,
      alone, that I give vent to my woe.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;Hearing these words, the prince rejoiced at heart, and said to the old
      woman, &lsquo;When you are starting to-morrow, please carry a message from me
      too.&rsquo; She replied, &lsquo;Son! what need to defer it till tomorrow? I will this
      moment convey any message of yours that you communicate to me.&rsquo; Then he
      said, &lsquo;Do you go and tell her this,&mdash;The prince whom you saw on the
      margin of the tank on the fifth day of the light half of the month Jeth
      has arrived here.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;On hearing these words the old woman took her stick and went to the
      palace. When she got there she found the princess sitting alone. When she
      appeared before her, she (the princess) saluted her.
    </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;The old woman gave her, her blessing, and said, &lsquo;Daughter! I tended you
      in your infancy, and suckled you. God has now caused you to grow up: what
      my heart now desires is, that I should see you happy in your prime, then
      should I, too, receive comfort.&rsquo; Addressing her in such affectionate words
      as these, she proceeded to say, &lsquo;The prince whose heart you took captive
      on the fifth day of the light half of Je|h, by the side of the tank, has
      alighted at my house, (and) has sent you this message, for you to perform
      the promise you made him, now that he has arrived. And I tell you, for my
      part, that that prince is worthy of you, and is as excellent in
      disposition and mental qualities as you are beautiful.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;On hearing these words she became angry, and applying sandal to her
      hands, and slapping the face of the old woman, began to say, &lsquo;Wretch! get
      out of my house!&rsquo; She rose annoyed, and went, in that very condition,
      straight to the prince, and related all that had happened to her. The
      prince was astounded at these words. Then the minister&rsquo;s son spoke,
      saying, &lsquo;Great king! feel no anxiety; this matter has not come within your
      comprehension.&rsquo; Hereupon he said, &lsquo;True; do you then explain it, that my
      mind may obtain rest.&rsquo; He said, &lsquo;In smearing sandal on the ten fingers,
      and striking the (woman on the) face, she intimated, that when the ten
      nights of moonlight shall come to an end, she will meet you in the dark.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;To be brief, after ten days the old woman again went and announced him;
      then she tinged three of her fingers with saffron, and struck them on her
      cheek, saying, &lsquo;Get out of my house!&rsquo; After all, the old woman moved from
      thence in despair, and came and related to the prince all that had
      occurred. He was engulfed in an ocean of sorrow as soon as he heard it.
      Seeing this state of his, the minister&rsquo;s son said again, &lsquo;Be not alarmed,
      the purport of this matter is something else.&rsquo; He replied, &lsquo;My heart is
      disquieted; tell me quickly.&rsquo; Then he said, &lsquo;She is in the state which
      women are in every month, and hence has stipulated for three days more; on
      the fourth day she will send for you.&rsquo; In short, when the three days
      elapsed, the old woman made enquiries after her health on the part of the
      prince. Then she brought the old woman angrily to the western wicket, and
      turned her out. Again the old woman came and informed the prince of this
      event: he became cast-down at hearing it. On this the minister&rsquo;s son said,
      &lsquo;The explanation of the affair is, that she has invited you to-night by
      way of that wicket.&rsquo; He was pleased beyond measure at hearing this. To be
      brief, when the hour arrived, they took out brown suits of clothes,
      arranged them, fastened on their turbands, dressed themselves, placed
      their weapons in order about them, and were ready; by this time midnight
      had passed. At that time an universal stillness prevailed, when they, too,
      pursued their way in unbroken silence.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;When they arrived near the wicket, the minister&rsquo;s son remained standing
      without, and he (the prince) entered the wicket. What does he perceive,
      but the princess, too, standing there expecting him! Thus their eyes met.
      Then the princess laughed, and, closing the wicket, took the prince with
      her into the festive chamber. Arrived there, the prince beheld censers
      filled with perfume alight in different parts of the room, and maidens
      dressed in garments of various colours standing respectfully, with hands
      joined, each according to her station; on one side a couch of flowers
      spread; atr-holders, pan-boxes, rose-water bottles, trays and
      four-partitioned boxes arranged in order; on another side, compound
      essences, prepared sandal-wood, mixed perfumes, musk, and saffron filled
      in metal cups; here, coloured boxes of exquisite confections laid out;
      there, sweetmeats of various kinds placed in order; all the doors and
      walls adorned with pictures and paintings, and holding such faces, that
      the beholder would be enchanted, at the very sight of each single one. In
      short, everything that could contribute to pleasure and enjoyment was got
      together. The whole scene was one of an extraordinary character, of which
      no adequate description can be given.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;Such was the apartment to which the princess Padmãvatï took the prince
      and gave him a seat, and having his feet washed, and applying sandal to
      his body, and placing a garland of flowers round his neck, and sprinkling
      rose-water over him, began fanning him with her own hands. Upon this the
      prince said, &lsquo;At the mere sight of you I have become refreshed; why do you
      take so much trouble? These delicate hands are not fit to handle a fan;
      give me the fan; you be seated.&rsquo; Padmãvatï replied, &lsquo;Great king! you have
      been at great trouble to come here for my sake, it behoves me to wait upon
      you.&rsquo; Then a maiden took the fan from the princess&rsquo;s hand, and said, &lsquo;This
      is my business; I will attend on you, and do you both enjoy yourselves.&rsquo;
      They began eating betel-leaf together, and engaging in familiar
      conversation, when, by this time, it became morning. The princess
      concealed him; (and) when night came on, they again engaged in amorous
      pleasures. Thus several days passed away. Whenever the prince showed a
      wish to depart the princess would not permit him. A month passed thus;
      then the prince became much disturbed, and very anxious.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;Once it happened that he was sitting alone by night and thinking thus to
      himself, &lsquo;Country, throne, family,&mdash;everything had already been
      separated from me; but such a friend as mine, by whose means I found all
      this happiness, even him have I not met for a whole month! What will he be
      saying in his heart? and how do I know what may be happening to him?&rsquo; He
      was sitting occupied with these anxious thoughts when, in the meanwhile,
      the princess too arrived, and seeing his predicament, began to inquire,
      &lsquo;Great king! what grief possesses you that you are sitting so dispirited
      here? Tell me.&rsquo; Then he said, &lsquo;I have a very dear friend, the son of the
      minister; for a whole month I have received no accounts of him: he is such
      a clever, learned friend, that through <i>his</i> talents (it was that) I
      obtained thee, and <i>he</i> (it was who) explained all thy secrets.&rsquo; The
      princess said, &lsquo;Great king! your soul is really there; what happiness can
      you enjoy here? Hence, this is best,&mdash;I will prepare confections and
      sweetmeats, and all kinds of meats, and have them sent; do you, too, go
      there and feast and comfort him well, and return with your mind at ease.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;On hearing this the prince rose up and came forth; and the princess had
      different kinds of sweetmeats, with poison mixed, cooked and sent. The
      prince had but just gone and sat beside the minister&rsquo;s son when the
      sweetmeats arrived. The minister&rsquo;s son enquired, &lsquo;Great king! how did
      these sweetmeats come here?&rsquo; The prince replied, &lsquo;I was sitting there
      anxious concerning you, when the princess came, and looking at me, asked,
      &lsquo;Why do you sit cast-down? Explain the reason of it.&rsquo; On this I gave her a
      full account of your skill in reading secrets. * On hearing this account,
      she gave me permission to come to you, and had these sent for you; if you
      will partake of them, my heart, too, will be rejoiced.&rsquo; Then the
      minister&rsquo;s son said, &lsquo;You have brought poison for me; it is well, indeed,
      that <i>you</i> did not eat of it. Sire! listen to a word from me,&mdash;a
      woman has no love for her lover&rsquo;s friend: you did not act wisely in
      mentioning my name there.&rsquo; On hearing this the prince said, &lsquo;You talk of
      such a thing as no one would ever do: if man have no fear of man, it is to
      be presumed he fears God at least.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
<pre xml:space="preserve">
     * In thus translating, I take bhed-chaturãï as a compound:
     other translators render it, &ldquo;the secrets of your
     cleverness,&rdquo; which seems to me to be grammatically
     inadmissible, and to lose the sense.
</pre>
    <p>
      &ldquo;With these words he took a round sweetmeat from among them and threw it
      to a dog. As soon as the dog ate it he died convulsed. Seeing this turn of
      affairs, the prince became incensed, and began to say, &lsquo;It is unbecoming
      to associate with so false a woman; up to this hour her love has found
      place in my heart; now, however, it is all over.&rsquo; * On hearing this the
      minister&rsquo;s son said, &lsquo;Your majesty! what has happened, has happened (i.e.,
      let bygones be bygones); you should now act in such a manner that you may
      be able to get her away to your home.&rsquo; The prince said, &lsquo;Brother! this,
      too, can be accomplished by you alone.&rsquo; The minister&rsquo;s son said, &lsquo;To-day
      do this one thing,&mdash;go again to Padmãvati, and do just what I tell
      you,&mdash;first go and display much regard and affection for her; (and)
      when she falls asleep, take off her jewels, and strike her on the left
      thigh with this trident, and instantly come away from thence.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
<pre xml:space="preserve">
     * This translation may seem rather free, but it is not wide
     of the sense, which is, &ldquo;I know well that I have no lore for
     her now.&rdquo; This peculiarly idiomatic use of the word mdlum
     occurs in the Bagh-o-bahãr, Arãyishi Mahfil, and many other
     Urdu works, and has ever proved a stumbling-block to
     translators.
</pre>
    <p>
      &ldquo;Having received these instructions, the prince went to Padmãvati at
      night, and after much affectionate conversation, they both lay down
      together to sleep; but he was secretly watching his opportunity..To be
      brief, when the princess fell asleep, he took off all her ornaments,
      struck her on the left thigh with the trident, and came to his own house.
      He recounted all the occurrences to the minister&rsquo;s son, and laid the
      jewels before him. He then took up the jewels, took the prince with him,
      and, assuming the guise of a devotee, went and sat in a place for burning
      bodies. He himself took the part of a spiritual teacher, and making him
      (the prince) his disciple, said to him, &lsquo;You go into the market and sell
      these jewels; if anyone should seize you while doing this, bring him to
      me.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;Receiving his instructions, the prince took the jewels with him to the
      city, and showed them to a goldsmith in close proximity to the king&rsquo;s
      palace-gate. As soon as he saw them he recognised them, and said, &lsquo;These
      are the princess&rsquo;s jewels; tell me truly, where did you get them?&rsquo; He was
      saying this to him when ten or twenty more men gathered round. To be
      brief, the kotwãl, hearing the news, sent men and had the prince, together
      with the jewels and the goldsmith, seized and brought before him, and
      inspecting the jewels, asked him to state truly where he had got them.
      When he said, &lsquo;My spiritual preceptor has given them to me to sell, but I
      know not whence he got them,&rsquo;&mdash;then the kotwãl had the preceptor also
      apprehended and brought before him, and taking them both, together with
      the jewels, into the presence of the king, related all the circumstances.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;On hearing the narrative the king addressed the devotee, saying, &lsquo;Master!
      whence did you obtain these jewels?&rsquo; The devotee said, &lsquo;Your majesty! on
      the fourteenth night of the dark lunar fortnight I visited a
      burning-ground to perfect some spells for a witch: when the witch came, I
      took off her jewels and apparel, and made the impression of a trident on
      her left thigh; in this way these ornaments came into my possession.&rsquo; On
      hearing this statement of the devotee&rsquo;s, the king went into his private
      apartments, and the devotee to his seat * (in the burning-ground). The
      king said to the queen, &lsquo;Just see if there is a mark on Padmãvati&rsquo;s left
      thigh or not, and (if so) what sort of a mark there is.&rsquo; The queen having
      gone and looked, found the mark of a trident. She returned and said to the
      king, &lsquo;Your majesty! there are three parallel marks; indeed, it appears as
      if some one had struck her with a trident.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
<pre xml:space="preserve">
     * The ãsan is, generally, the skin of a deer, or leopard, or
     tiger, which religious mendicants carry with them to sit
     upon. The hide of a black antelope is commonly preferred.
     Some of the gods are fabled to use the lotus-flower for the
     purpose.
</pre>
    <p>
      &ldquo;On hearing this account, the king came out and sent for the kotwãl, and
      told him to go and bring the devotee. The kotwãl set off to bring the
      devotee on the instant of receiving the order; and the king began
      reflecting thus,&mdash;&lsquo;The affairs of one&rsquo;s household, and the intentions
      of one&rsquo;s heart, and any loss which has befallen one&mdash;these it is not
      right to disclose to anyone;&rsquo; when, in the interval, the kotwãl brought
      the devotee into the presence. Then the king took the devotee aside and
      questioned him, saying, &lsquo;Spiritual guide! what punishment is laid down in
      the scriptures for a woman?&rsquo; On this the devotee said, &lsquo;Your majesty! if a
      Brahman, a cow, a wife, a child, or any one dependent on us, be guilty of
      a disgraceful act, it is prescribed that such should be banished from the
      country.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;On hearing this the king had Padmãvati conveyed away in a litter and left
      in a jungle. Thereupon both the prince and the minister&rsquo;s son started from
      their lodging on horseback, went to that jungle, took the Princess
      Padmãvati with them, and set out for their own country. After some days
      each reached his father&rsquo;s house. The greatest joy took possession of all,
      high and low; and these (i.e., the prince and the princess,) entered upon
      a life of mutual happiness.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      After relating so much of the tale the sprite asked King Vikramãjït, &ldquo;To
      which of those four does guilt attach? If you do not decide this point,
      you will be cast into hell.&rdquo; King Vikram said, &ldquo;The guilt attaches to the
      king.&rdquo; The sprite replied, &ldquo;How does the sin fall on the king?&rdquo; Vikram
      answered him thus, &ldquo;The minister&rsquo;s son simply did his duty to his master;
      and the kotwãl obeyed the king&rsquo;s command; and the princess attained her
      object; hence, the guilt falls on the king for having inconsiderately
      expelled her from the country.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      On hearing these words from the king&rsquo;s mouth, the sprite went and
      suspended himself on that same tree.
    </p>
    <p>
      <br /><br />
    </p>
    <hr />
    <p>
      <a name="link2H_4_0006" id="link2H_4_0006"> </a>
    </p>
    <div style="height: 4em;">
      <br /><br /><br /><br />
    </div>
    <h2>
      TALE II.
    </h2>
    <p class="pfirst">
      <span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">O</span>n looking about
      him, the king perceived that the sprite was not present; so he went
      straight away back, and, reaching that place, climbed up the tree, bound
      the corpse, and placing him on his shoulders, set off. Then the sprite
      said, &ldquo;O king! the second story is as follows:&mdash;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;On the bank of the Yamunã (Jamnã) is a city named Dharmmasthal, the king
      of which is named Gunãdhip. Moreover, a Brahman named Kesava lives there,
      who is in the habit of performing his devotions and religious duties on
      the banks of the Jamnã; and his daughter&rsquo;s name was Madhumãvati. She was
      very beautiful. When she became marriageable, her mother, father, and
      brother, were all three intent on getting her married. It happened that
      while her father had gone one day, with one of his supporters, * to a
      marriage ceremony somewhere, and her brother to his teacher&rsquo;s in the
      village, for instruction, in their absence a Brahman&rsquo;s son came to the
      house. Her mother, seeing the youth&rsquo;s beauty. and excellent qualities,
      said, &lsquo;I will give my daughter in marriage to thee.&rsquo; And there the Brahman
      had agreed to give his daughter to a young Brahman; while his son had
      given his word to a Brahman at the place where he had gone to study, that
      he would give him his sister.&rdquo;
     </p>
<pre xml:space="preserve">
     * Jafman, from the Sanskrit Yajamãna is a person who
     institutes a sacrifice, and pays for it. In a village where
     there is a hereditary priest, the priest&rsquo;s fees are paid by
     the villagers (who constitute his jajmãn), and that whether
     they choose to employ his services, or those of any other
     priest. I object, therefore, to the meaning of &ldquo;employer&rdquo; as
     being inexact, and to that of &ldquo;customer&rdquo; as being both
     inexact and inelegant.
</pre>
    <p>
      &ldquo;After some days those two (i.e., the father and son) arrived with the two
      youths, and here (at home) the third youth was stopping from the first
      (awaiting them). One&rsquo;s name was Tribikram, the other&rsquo;s Bãman; the third&rsquo;s
      Madhusüdan; they were all on a par in point of good looks, moral
      excellence, learning, and age. On seeing them, the Brahman began to
      reflect thus, &lsquo;One girl, and three suitors-elect! To whom shall I give
      her, to whom not? And we have all three given our words to the three of
      them: this is a strange piece of business that has happened! What shall I
      do?&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;He was sitting reflecting thus when in the meantime a snake bit the girl,
      (and) she died. On hearing the news, her father, brother, and the three
      youths, all five ran off in a body, and, after much toil and trouble,
      brought all the snake-charmers, conjurers, and as many practisers of magic
      arts for the purpose of expelling poison, as there were (in the place).
      They all looked at the girl, and said she could not be restored to life.
      The first said, &lsquo;A man bitten by a snake on the fifth, sixth, eighth,
      nine, or fourteenth day of the lunar month does not survive.&rsquo; A second
      said, &lsquo;One who has been bitten on a Saturday or Tuesday, too, does not
      live.&rsquo; A third said, &lsquo;Poison which has ascended (into the system) when the
      moon is in the fourth, tenth, ninth, sixteenth, nineteenth, and third
      asterisms of its path, does not descend.&rsquo; * A fourth said, &lsquo;One bitten in
      any of the following members, viz., an organ of sense, the lips, the
      cheek, the neck, the abdomen, or the navel, cannot escape.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
<pre xml:space="preserve">
     * Any one who has seen the conjurers at work will know that
     the operator always pretends to work the poison ont of the
     system downwards, from the head towards the feet; hence the
     expressions &ldquo;ascending&rdquo; and &ldquo;descend&rdquo; in connection with the
     action of the poison.
</pre>
    <p>
      &ldquo;A fifth said, &lsquo;In this instance even Brahma could not restore to life; of
      what account are we then? Do you now perform her funeral rites; we are
      off.&rsquo; Having said this, the conjurers went away; and the Brahman took the
      corpse away, burnt it in the place for such rites, and went off.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;Now, after he had gone, those three youths acted in this wise:&mdash;One
      of them picked up and fastened together her charred bones, and becoming a
      religious mendicant, went forth to wander from forest to forest.
    </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;The second, having tied her ashes up in a bundle, built a hut, and began
      living on that very spot. The third became a devotee, furnished himself
      with a wallet and neck-band, and set out to wander from land to land. One
      day he went to a Brahman&rsquo;s house in some country for food. The resident *
      Brahman, on seeing him, began to say. &lsquo;Very well; eat food here to-day.&rsquo;
      On hearing this he sat down there. When the food was ready, he had his
      hands and feet washed, and took and seated him in the square place where
      the food was cooked, and himself sat down near him; and his wife came to
      serve out the food. Some was served, some remained, when her youngest son
      cried, and seized the border of his mother&rsquo;s mantle. She was trying to
      make him let it go, but he would not; and as much as she tried to soothe
      him, he but cried the more, and became more obstinate. On this the
      Brahman&rsquo;s wife, becoming angry, took up the child and threw him into the
      burning fire-place; the child was burnt to ashes.&rdquo;
     </p>
<pre xml:space="preserve">
     * The word grihasti means properly a Brahman who is settled
     in a house and performs the duties of the father of a
     family.
</pre>
    <p>
      &ldquo;When the Brahman (the guest) witnessed this occurrence, he rose up
      without eating anything. Then the master of the house said, &lsquo;Why do you
      not eat?&rsquo; He replied, &lsquo;How can one partake of food in his house where a
      diabolical deed has been perpetrated.&rsquo; On hearing this the householder
      arose, and going to another part of his house, brought a book on the
      science of restoring to life, took a charm from it, muttered some prayers,
      and brought his son back to life. Then that Brahman, seeing this wonder,
      began to ponder in his mind, &lsquo;If this book were to fall into my hands I,
      too, could restore my beloved to life.&rsquo; Having made up his mind on this
      point, he ate the food, and tarried there. To be brief, when night came
      on, after some time all partook of supper, and went and lay down in their
      respective places, and were chatting together on one subject or another.
      The Brahman, too, went and lay down apart, but kept lying awake. When he
      thought that the night was far advanced, and all had gone to sleep, he
      arose quietly, softly entered his (host&rsquo;s) room, took that book, and
      decamped; and in the course of several days he arrived at the place where
      he (the father) had burnt the Brahman&rsquo;s daughter. He found the other two
      Brahmans there also, sitting and conversing together. Those two also,
      recognising him, approached and met him, and inquired, saying, &lsquo;Brother!
      you have wandered from land to land, it is true; but, tell us, have you
      learned any science as well?&rsquo;
    </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;He said, &lsquo;I have learned the science of restoring the dead to life.&rsquo; As
      soon as they heard this, they said, &lsquo;If you have learned this, restore our
      beloved to life.&rsquo; He replied, &lsquo;Make a heap of the ashes and bones, and I
      will restore it to life.&rsquo; They gathered together the ashes and bones. Then
      he took a charm out of the book, and muttered prayers; the girl rose up
      alive. Thereupon Cupid so blinded the three of them that they began
      wrangling among themselves.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      Having related so much of the tale, the sprite said, &ldquo;O king! tell me
      this; to whom did that woman (by right) belong? (or, whose wife was
      she?).&rdquo; King Vikram replied, &ldquo;To him who built the hut and stayed there.&rdquo;
       The sprite said, &ldquo;If he had not preserved the bones, how could she have
      been restored to life? And if the other had not returned instructed in the
      science, how could he have restored her to life?&rdquo; The king made answer
      thus:&mdash;&ldquo;He who had preserved her bones, occupied the place of her
      son; and he who gave her life, became, as it were, her father; hence, she
      became the wife of him who built a hut and remained there with the ashes.&rdquo;
       On hearing this answer, the sprite went again and suspended himself on
      that tree. The king, too, arrived close at his heels, and, having bound
      him, and placed him on his shoulder, started off with him again.
    </p>
    <p>
      <br /><br />
    </p>
    <hr />
    <p>
      <a name="link2H_4_0007" id="link2H_4_0007"> </a>
    </p>
    <div style="height: 4em;">
      <br /><br /><br /><br />
    </div>
    <h2>
      TALE III.
    </h2>
    <p class="pfirst">
      <span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>he sprite said, &ldquo;O
      king! there is a city named Bardwãn, wherein is a king named Rüpsen. It
      happened one day that the king was seated in an apartment adjoining the
      gate (of his palace), when, from without the gate, the loud voices of some
      people reached him. The king said, &lsquo;Who is at the gate? and what noise is
      that taking place?&rsquo; Upon this the gatekeeper replied, &lsquo;Great king! you
      have asked a fine question! Knowing this to be the gate of a wealthy
      personage, numbers of persons of all kinds come and sit at it for the sake
      of money, and converse on a variety of topics; this is <i>their</i>
      noise.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;On hearing this the king kept silent. In the meanwhile a traveller, named
      Birbar, a Rajput, came from the south to the king&rsquo;s gate, in the hope of
      obtaining service. The gate-keeper, after ascertaining his circumstances,
      said to the king, &lsquo;Your majesty! an armed man has come in the hope of
      entering your service, and stands at the door: with your majesty&rsquo;s leave
      he shall come before you.&rsquo; Having heard this, the king gave the order to
      bring him in. He went and brought him. Then the king asked, &lsquo;O Rãjpüt! How
      much shall I allow thee for daily expenses?&rsquo; On hearing this Birbar said,
      &lsquo;Give me a thousand <i>tolas</i> (about 833 oz.) of gold daily, and I
      shall be able to subsist.&rsquo; The king enquired, &lsquo;How many persons are there
      with you (dependent on you)?&rsquo; He replied, &lsquo;First, my wife; second, a son;
      third, a daughter; fourth, myself: there is no fifth person with me.&rsquo;
      Hearing him speak thus, all the people of the king&rsquo;s court turned away
      their faces and began laughing; but the king began to consider why he had
      asked for a large sum of money. Ultimately he thought it out in his own
      mind, that a vast sum of money given away will some day prove of
      advantage. Coming to this conclusion, he sent for his treasurer and said,
      &lsquo;Give this Birbar a thousand <i>tolas</i> of gold daily from my treasury.&rsquo;
    </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;On hearing this order, Birbar took a thousand <i>tolas</i> of gold for
      that day, and brought it to the place where he was staying, and dividing
      it into two parts, distributed one half among the Brahmans; and again
      dividing the remaining half into two parts, distributed one portion
      thereof among pilgrims, devotees, the worshippers of Vishnu, and religious
      mendicants; and of the one part which remained he had food cooked and fed
      the poor, and what remained over he consumed himself. In this way he, with
      his wife and children, used regularly to subsist. And every night he used
      to take his sword and shield and go and mount guard over the king&rsquo;s couch;
      and when the king, roused from sleep, used to call out, &lsquo;Is any, one in
      waiting?&rsquo; then he used to answer, &lsquo;Birbar is in attendance; what may be
      your commands?&rsquo; Thus answered he whenever the king called out, and
      thereupon, whatever he (the king) ordered to be done, he executed.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;In this way, through eagerness for wealth, he used to keep awake the
      whole night long; nay, whether eating, drinking, sleeping, sitting still,
      or moving about (that is to say) during the whole twenty-four hours (<i>lit.</i>
      eight watches), he used to keep his lord in mind. The practice is, that if
      one person sells another, this one becomes sold; but a servant, by
      entering service, sells <i>himself</i>; and, when sold, he becomes a
      dependant; and once dependant, he has no prospect of peace. It is
      notorious, that however clever, wise, and learned he may be, still, when
      he is in his master&rsquo;s presence, he remains quite silent, like a dumb
      person, through fear. So long as he is aloof from him, he is at rest. On
      this account it is that the learned say, &lsquo;To perform the duties of a
      servant is more difficult than to perform religious duties.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;(To) the story: It is related, that one day the weeping voice of a woman
      chanced to come at night-time from the burning-ground. On hearing it the
      king called out, &lsquo;Is any one in waiting?&rsquo; Birbar instantly answered, &lsquo;I am
      here; your commands.&rsquo; Thereupon the king gave him this order,&mdash;&lsquo;Go to
      the spot whence yon weeping voice of a woman proceeds, and enquire of her
      the cause of her weeping, and return quickly.&rsquo; Having given him this order
      the king began to say to himself, &lsquo;Whosoever desires to test his servant
      should order him to do things in season and out of season; if he execute
      his order, know that he is worth something; and if he object, be sure that
      he is worthless. And in this same way prove brethren and friends in days
      of adversity, and a wife in poverty.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;In fine, on receiving this order, he took the direction whence the sound
      of her weeping proceeded; and the king also, after dressing himself in
      black, followed him secretly, for the purpose of observing his courage. In
      this interval Birbar arrived there. What does he behold in the
      burning-ground, but a beautiful woman, lavishly decked with jewels from
      head to foot, crying aloud and bitterly! At one moment she was dancing, at
      another leaping, at another running; and not a tear in her eyes! And while
      repeatedly beating her head, and crying out, &lsquo;Alas! alas!&rsquo; she kept
      dashing herself on the ground. Seeing this her condition, Birbar asked,
      &lsquo;Why art thou crying and beating thyself so violently? Who art thou? and
      what trouble has befallen thee?&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;On this she said, &lsquo;I am the royal glory.&rsquo; Birbar said, &lsquo;Why art thou
      weeping?&rsquo; Upon this she began relating her case to Birbar, saying,
      &lsquo;Impious acts (<i>lit</i>. acts such as a Shüdra performs) are committed
      in the king&rsquo;s house, whence misfortune will find admission therein, and I
      shall depart thence; after the lapse of a month the king will suffer much
      affliction and die; this is the sorrow which makes me weep. Further, I
      have enjoyed great happiness in his house, and hence this regret: and this
      matter will in nowise prove false.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;Birbar then asked, &lsquo;Is there any such remedy for it, whereby the king may
      escape, and live a hundred years?&rsquo; She said, &lsquo;Towards the east, at a
      distance of four <i>kos</i> (eight miles), is a temple sacred to (the
      goddess) Devi; if you will cut off your son&rsquo;s head with your own hand, and
      offer it to that goddess, then the king will reign a hundred years
      precisely as he now reigns, and no harm of any kind will&rsquo; befall the
      king.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;As soon as he had heard these words, Birbar went home, and the king also
      followed him. To be brief, when he got home, he awoke his wife, and
      minutely related the whole story to her. On hearing the circumstances, she
      roused the son alone; but the daughter also awoke. Then that woman said to
      her boy, &lsquo;Son! by sacrificing your head the king&rsquo;s life will be saved, and
      the government, too, will endure.&rsquo; When the boy heard this, he said,
      &lsquo;Mother! in the first place, it is your command; in the second, it is for
      my lord&rsquo;s service; thirdly, if this body come of use to a deity, nothing
      in the world is better for me; in my opinion, than this: it is not right
      to delay any longer now in this business. There is a saying, &lsquo;If one have
      a son, to have him under control,&mdash;a body, free from disease,&mdash;science,
      such that one benefits thereby,&mdash;a friend, prudent,&mdash;a wife,
      submissive,&mdash;if these five things are obtainable by man, they are the
      bestowers of happiness and the averters of trouble: if a servant be
      unwilling, a king parsimonious, a friend insincere, and a wife
      disobedient, these four things are the banishers of peace and the
      promoters of misery.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;Birbar again addressed his wife, saying, &lsquo;If thou wilt willingly give up
      thy child, I will take him away and sacrifice him for the king.&rsquo; She
      replied, saying, &lsquo;I have no concern with son, daughter, brother, kinsfolk,
      mother, father, or any one; from you it is that my happiness proceeds; and
      in the moral Code, too, it is thus written,&mdash;&lsquo;A woman is purified
      neither by offerings nor by religious offices; her religion consists in
      serving and honouring her husband, no matter whether he be lame, maimed in
      the hands, dumb, deaf, blind of both eyes, blind of one eye, a leper,
      hunch-backed,&mdash;of whatever kind he be, if she perform any description
      of virtuous action in the world, while she does not obey her husband, she
      will fall into hell.&rsquo; His son said, &lsquo;Father! the man by whom&rsquo; his master&rsquo;s
      business is accomplished&mdash;<i>his</i> continuing to live in the world
      is attended with advantage; and in this there is advantage in both
      worlds.&rsquo; Then his daughter said, &lsquo;If the mother give poison to the
      daughter, and the father sell the son, and the king seize everything, then
      whose protection shall we seek?&rdquo;&rsquo;
    </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;The four, deliberating with one another somewhat after the above fashion,
      went to the temple of Devi. The king also secretly followed them. When
      Birbar arrived there, he entered the temple, paid his adoration to Devi,
      and joined his hands in supplication, and said, &lsquo;O Devi! grant that by the
      sacrificing of my son the king may live a hundred years.&rsquo; Saying so much,
      he struck such a blow with the sword that his son&rsquo;s head fell upon the
      ground. On witnessing her brother&rsquo;s death, the daughter struck a blow with
      the sword on her own neck, so that her head and body fell asunder. Seeing
      her son and daughter dead, Birbar&rsquo;s wife struck such a stroke with the
      sword on her own neck, that her head was severed from her body. Further,
      seeing the death of those three, Birbar, reflecting in his mind, began to
      say, &lsquo;When my <i>son</i> is dead, for whose sake shall I retain service?
      and to whom shall I give the gold I receive from the king?&rsquo; Having
      reflected thus, he struck such a blow with the sword on his own neck, that
      his head was severed from his body. Again, beholding the death of these
      four, the king sajd to himself, &lsquo;For my sake the lives of his family have
      perished; accursed is it any longer to govern a realm for which the whole
      family of one is destroyed, while one holds sovereignty; it is no virtue
      thus to reign.&rsquo; Having deliberated thus, the king was on the point of
      killing himself with the sword; in the meantime, however, Devi came and
      seized his hand, and said, &lsquo;Son! I am well pleased at thy courage, and
      will grant thee whatever boon thou mayest ask of me.&rsquo; The king said,
      &lsquo;Mother! if thou art pleased, restore all these four to life.&rsquo; Devi said,
      &lsquo;This same shall take place,&rsquo; and on the instant of saying it, Bhawãni
      brought the water of life from the nether regions, and restored all four
      to life. After that the king bestowed half his kingdom on Birbar.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      Having related so much, the sprite said, &ldquo;Blessed is the servant who did
      not grudge his life, and that of his family, for his master&rsquo;s sake! And
      happy is the king who showed no eagerness to cling to his dominion and his
      life. O king! I ask you this,&mdash;Whose virtue, of those five, was the
      most excellent?&rdquo; Then King Vikramãjït said, &ldquo;The king&rsquo;s virtue was the
      greatest.&rdquo; The sprite asked, &ldquo;Why?&rdquo; Then the king answered, saying, &ldquo;It
      behoves the servant to lay down his life for his master, for this is his
      duty; but since the king gave up his throne for the sake of his servant,
      and valued not his life at a straw, the king&rsquo;s merit was the superior.&rdquo;
       Having heard these words, the sprite again went and suspended himself on
      the tree in that burning-ground.
    </p>
    <p>
      <br /><br />
    </p>
    <hr />
    <p>
      <a name="link2H_4_0008" id="link2H_4_0008"> </a>
    </p>
    <div style="height: 4em;">
      <br /><br /><br /><br />
    </div>
    <h2>
      TALE IV.
    </h2>
    <p class="pfirst">
      <span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>he king, having
      gone there again, bound the sprite and brought him away. Then the sprite
      said, &ldquo;O king! there is a town named Bhogwati, of which Rüpsen is the
      king, and he has a parrot named Chürãman. One day the king asked the
      parrot, &lsquo;What different things do you know?&rsquo; Then the parrot said, &lsquo;Your
      majesty! I know everything.&rsquo; The king rejoined, &lsquo;Tell me, then, if you
      know where there is a beautiful maiden equal to me in rank.&rsquo; Then the
      parrot said, &lsquo;Your majesty! in the country of Magadh there is a king named
      Magadheshwar, and his daughter&rsquo;s name is Chandrãvatï; you will be married
      to her. She is very beautiful, and very learned.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;On hearing these words from the parrot, the king summoned an astrologer
      named Chandrakãnt, and asked him, &lsquo;To what maid shall I be married?&rsquo; He
      also, having made the discovery through his knowledge of astrology, said,
      &lsquo;There is a maiden named Chandrãvatï; you will be married to her.&rsquo;
    </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;Hearing these words, the king summoned a Brahman, and after explaining
      all, said to him at the moment of despatching him to King Magadheshwar,
      &lsquo;If you return, after placing the arrangements for my marriage on a firm
      basis, I will make you happy.&rsquo; Having heard these words, the Brahman took
      leave.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;Now, in the possession of King Magadheshwar&rsquo;s daughter was a <i>maina,</i>
      whose name was <i>Madanmanjari.</i>
    </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;In the same way the princess, too, one day asked Madanmanjari, &lsquo;Where is
      there a husband worthy of me?&rsquo; On this the <i>maina</i> said, &lsquo;Rüpsen is
      the King of Bhogwati; <i>he</i> will be thy lord.&rsquo; To be brief, unseen (of
      one another), the one had become enamoured of the other, when, in the
      course of a few days, the Brahman also arrived there, and delivered his
      own sovereign&rsquo;s message to that king. He too consented to his proposal,
      and summoning a Brahman of his own, entrusted to him the nuptial gifts and
      all customary things, sent him along with that Brahman, and gave him this
      injunction, &lsquo;Do you go and present my compliments to the king, and having
      marked his forehead with the usual unguents, return quickly: when you
      return I will make preparations for the wedding.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;The short of the story is, the two Brahmans set out thence. In the course
      of some days they arrived at King Rüpsen&rsquo;s, and related all the
      occurrences of that place. On hearing this the king was pleased, and after
      making all (necessary) preparations, set out to be married. Reaching that
      country after some days, he married, and after receiving the bridal gifts
      and dowry, and bidding adieu to the king, started for his own kingdom.
      When leaving, the princess took Madanmanjari&rsquo;s cage with her too. After
      some days they arrived in their own country, and commenced living happily
      in their palace.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;It happened one day that the cages of both the parrot and the <i>mainã</i>
      were placed near the throne, and the king and queen entered into
      conversation, saying, &lsquo;No one&rsquo;s life passes happily without a companion;
      hence it is best for us to marry the parrot and <i>mainã</i> to one
      another, and put them both in one cage; then will they also live happily.&rsquo;
      After conversing together thus, they had a large cage brought, and put
      both into it.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;Some days after, the king and queen were seated conversing with each
      other, when the parrot began to talk to the <i>mainã</i>, saying, &lsquo;Sexual
      intercourse is the essence of all bliss in this world; and he who, on
      being born into the world, has not enjoyed sexual intercourse&mdash;his
      life has been passed in vain. Hence, do thou let me copulate with thee.&rsquo;
      On hearing this the <i>mainã</i> said, &lsquo;I have no desire for a male.&rsquo;
      Thereupon he inquired &lsquo;Why?&rsquo; The <i>mainã</i> said, &lsquo;The male sex are
      sinful, irreligious, deceivers, and wife-killers.&rsquo; Hearing this, the
      parrot said, &lsquo;The female sex, too, are deceitful, false, stupid,
      avaricious creatures, and murderesses.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;When the two commenced wrangling in this manner, the king asked, &lsquo;Why are
      you two quarrelling with each other?&rsquo; The <i>maina</i> replied, &lsquo;Great
      king! the male sex are evil-doers and wife-killers, and hence I have no
      desire to have a male partner. Your majesty! I will tell you a tale, do
      you be pleased to hearken; for such (as I describe them) are men.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <h3>
      THE MAINA&rsquo;S STORY.
    </h3>
    <p>
      &ldquo;&lsquo;There was a city named Ilãpur, and a merchant named Mahãdhan dwelt
      there, who could not get a family. On this account he was continually
      making pilgrimages and keeping fasts, and always hearing the Purãnas read,
      and he used to give gifts largely to the Brahmans. In fine, after some
      considerable time, by God&rsquo;s will, a son was born in that merchant&rsquo;s house.
      He celebrated the event with great pomp, and gave large gifts to the
      Brahmans and bards, and also gave away a good deal to the hungry, thirsty,
      and indigent. When he reached the age of five years, he placed him (in
      school) for instruction. He used to leave home for the purpose of
      learning, but used to gamble with the boys when he got there.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;&lsquo;After some time the merchant died, and he (the son) becoming his own
      master, used to spend his days in gambling and his nights in fornication.
      Thus he dissipated his whole wealth in a few years, and having no
      alternative, quitted his country, and proceeding from bad to worse,
      arrived at the city of Chandrapur. In that place dwelt a merchant named
      Hemgupt, who possessed much wealth. He went to him, and mentioned his
      father&rsquo;s name and circumstances. He (the merchant) felt instant pleasure
      on hearing these accounts; and rising and embracing him, inquired, &lsquo;How
      came you here?&rsquo; Then he said, &lsquo;I had engaged a vessel, and set out for an
      island to trade, and having arrived there, and sold the goods, had taken
      in other goods as cargo, and left with the vessel for my own land, when
      suddenly so violent a storm arose that the ship was wrecked, and I was
      left seated on a plank; and so, drifting on, I have reached this shore.
      But I feel a sense of shame at having lost all my property and wealth. How
      can I now return and show my face to my fellow-citizens in this state?&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;&lsquo;To be brief, when he uttered such words in his presence, he (the
      merchant) too began to think to himself, &lsquo;God has relieved me of any
      anxiety without any effort of my own (<i>lit</i>. I sitting at home); now,
      a coincidence like this occurs through the mercy of God alone; it behoves
      me to make no delay now. The best thing to be done is to give my girl in
      marriage * to him; whatever is done now is best; as for the morrow&mdash;who
      knows what it may bring forth!&rsquo; Forming this grand design in his mind, he
      came to his wife and began to say, &lsquo;A merchant&rsquo;s son has arrived; if you
      approve, we will give Ratnãvati in marriage to him.&rsquo; She, too, was
      delighted on hearing (this), and said, &lsquo;Sir merchant! when God brings
      about a coincidence like this, then alone does it occur; for the desire of
      our hearts has been obtained without our bestirring ourselves in the least
      (<i>lit</i>., we sitting quietly at home); hence, it is best not to delay,
      but quickly send for the family priest, have the auspicious moment
      determined, and give her away in marriage.&rsquo; Hereupon the merchant sent for
      the priest, had the fortunate planetary conjunction determined, and gave
      his daughter away, bestowing a large dowry upon her. In fine, when the
      marriage had taken place, they commenced living together there.&rdquo;
     </p>
<pre xml:space="preserve">
     * Lit. &ldquo;make the girl&rsquo;s hands yellow.&rdquo; Among the Hindus, for
     some days before marriage, the hands of a betrothed couple
     are stained yellow with turmeric.
</pre>
    <p>
      &ldquo;&lsquo;To proceed:&mdash;After some days, he said to the merchant&rsquo;s daughter,
      &lsquo;A long time has passed since I arrived in your land, and no news of my
      household has reached me, and my mind remains troubled in consequence. I
      have told you my whole case; you should now so explain matters to your
      mother that she may, of her own free will, allow me to depart, that I may
      return to my own city. If it be your wish, do you also come.&rsquo; On this, she
      said to her mother, &lsquo;My husband desires permission to depart to his own
      land; do you, too, act in such a manner now that his mind may receive no
      pain.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;&lsquo;The merchant&rsquo;s wife went to her husband, and said, &lsquo;Your son-in-law asks
      leave to return home.&rsquo; On hearing this, the merchant said, &lsquo;Very well; we
      will let him go, for we can exercise no authority over a stranger&rsquo;s son;
      we will, do that alone wherein his pleasure consists.&rsquo; Having said this,
      he sent for his daughter, and asked, &lsquo;Will you go to your father-in-law&rsquo;s,
      or remain at your mother&rsquo;s? Speak your own mind.&rsquo; At this she blushed, and
      gave no answer, (but) returned to her husband, and said, &lsquo;My parents have
      declared that they will do that wherein your pleasure consists; don&rsquo;t you
      leave me behind.&rsquo; To be brief, the merchant summoned his son-in-law,
      loaded him with wealth, and dismissed him, and allowed his daughter to
      accompany him in a litter, together with a female servant. After this, he
      set out from thence.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;&lsquo;When he reached a certain jungle, he said to the merchant&rsquo;s daughter,
      &lsquo;There is great danger here; if you will take off your jewels and give
      them to me, I will fasten them round my waist; when we come to a town you
      can put them on again.&rsquo; She no sooner heard this than she took off all her
      ornaments, and he having taken them, and sent away the bearers of the
      litter, killed the woman-servant and threw her into a well, and pushing
      her (his wife) into a well also, went off to his own country with all the
      jewels.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;&lsquo;In the meantime, a traveller came along that road, and hearing the sound
      of weeping, stopped, and began to say to himself, &lsquo;How comes the weeping
      voice of a human bring (to be heard) in this jungle?&rsquo; Having reflected
      thus, he proceeded in the direction of the sound of the crying, and
      perceived a well. On looking into it, what does he behold but a woman
      weeping! Then he took out the woman, and commenced questioning her on her
      circumstances, saying, &lsquo;Who art thou, and how didst thou fall into this
      (well)?&rsquo; On hearing this, she said, &lsquo;I am the daughter of Hemgupt, the
      merchant, and was accompanying my husband to his country, when thieves
      waylaid us, killed my servant and threw her into a well, and bound and
      carried off my husband together with my jewels. I have no intelligence of
      him, nor he of me.&rsquo; When he heard this, the traveller took her along with
      him, and left her at the merchant&rsquo;s door.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;&lsquo;She went to her parents. They, at the sight of her, began enquiring,
      &lsquo;What has happened to thee?&rsquo; She said, &lsquo;Robbers came and plundered us on
      the road, and after killing the servant and casting her into a well,
      pushed me into a dry well, and bound and carried off my husband, together
      with my jewels. When they began demanding more money, he said to them,
      &lsquo;You have taken all I possessed, what have I now left?&rsquo; Beyond this,
      whether they killed him or let him go, I have no knowledge.&rsquo; Then her
      father said, &lsquo;Daughter! feel no anxiety; thy husband lives, and, God
      willing, will join thee in a few days, for robbers take money, not life.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;&lsquo;In fine, the merchant gave her other ornaments in place&rsquo; of all that had
      disappeared, and comforted and consoled her greatly. And the merchant&rsquo;s
      son, also, having reached home, and sold the jewels, spent his days and
      nights in the company of loose women, and in gambling, so much so, that
      all his money was expended. Then he came to want bread. At last, when he
      began to suffer extreme misery, he one day bethought himself of going to
      his father-in-law&rsquo;s, and pretending that a grandson had been born to him,
      and that he had come to congratulate him on the event. Having determined
      on this in his mind, he set out.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;&lsquo;In the course of several days he arrived there. When he was about to
      enter the house, his wife saw from the front that her husband was coming
      (and said to herself), &lsquo;He must not be allowed to turn back through any
      apprehension he may feel.&rsquo; Upon this she approached him and said,
      &lsquo;Husband! be not at all troubled in mind; I have told my father that
      robbers came and killed my servant, and after making me take off all my
      jewels, and casting me into a well, bound and carried off my husband. Do
      you tell the same tale; feel no anxiety; the house is yours, and I am your
      slave.&rsquo; After speaking thus she entered the house. He went to the
      merchant, who rose and embraced him, and questioned him on all that had
      befallen him. He related everything precisely as his wife had instructed
      him to do.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;&lsquo;Rejoicings took place throughout the house. Then the merchant, after
      providing him with the means of bathing, and placing food before him, and
      after ministering much comfort, said, &lsquo;This house is yours, abide (here)
      in peace.&rsquo; He commenced living there. In brief, after several days the
      merchant&rsquo;s daughter came and lay with him one night with her jewels on,
      and fell asleep. When it was midnight, he perceived that she had fallen
      into a sound sleep. He then inflicted such a wound on her neck, that she
      died; and after stripping her of all her jewels, he took the road to his
      own country.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;&lsquo;After narrating so much the <i>maina</i> said, &lsquo;This, your majesty! I
      saw with my own eyes. For this reason I have no wish to have anything to
      do with a male. You see, your majesty! what villains men are! Who would
      love such, and so cherish a serpent in her own home? Will your majesty be
      pleased to consider this point,&mdash;What crime had that woman
      committed?&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;Having heard this, the king said, &lsquo;O parrot! do you tell me what faults
      there are in women.&rsquo; Thereupon the parrot said, &lsquo;Attend, O king!&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <h3>
      THE PARROT&rsquo;S STORY.
    </h3>
    <p>
      &ldquo;&lsquo;There is a city (called) Kanchanpur, where (dwelt) a merchant, named
      Sãgardatt, whose son&rsquo;s name was Shridatt. The name of another city is
      Jayshripur, where there was a merchant, named Somadatt, and his daughter&rsquo;s
      name was Jayshri. She had married the son of that merchant, and the son
      had gone to a certain country to trade. She used to live at her parents&rsquo;
      house. In fine, when he had spent twelve years in trading, and she arrived
      at woman&rsquo;s estate here, she one day addressed a companion of hers thus:
      &lsquo;Sister! my youth is being wasted; up to this moment I have tasted none of
      the world&rsquo;s joys.&rsquo; On hearing these words, her companion said to her, &lsquo;Be
      of good cheer! God willing, thy husband will soon come and join thee.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;&lsquo;She got vexed at these words, and ascending to the upper chamber, and
      peeping through the lattice, saw a young man coming along. When he drew
      near her, his eyes and hers suddenly met. The hearts of both went forth to
      one another. Then she said to her companion, &lsquo;Bring that man to me.&rsquo; On
      hearing this, the companion went and said to him, &lsquo;Somadatt&rsquo;s daughter
      wishes to see you in private; but do you come to my house.&rsquo; She then put
      him on the track to her house. He said, &lsquo;I will come at night.&rsquo; The
      companion came and informed the merchant&rsquo;s daughter that he had promised
      to come at night. When she heard this, Jayshri said to her companion, &lsquo;You
      go home; when he arrives, let me know, and I will also come when free to
      leave home.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;&lsquo;On hearing her words, her companion went home, and seating herself at
      the door, began watching for his coming. In the meantime he arrived. She
      seated him in the doorway, saying, &lsquo;You sit here; I will go and give
      notice of your arrival.&rsquo; And she came to Jayshri and said, &lsquo;Your
      sweetheart has arrived.&rsquo; On hearing this she said, &lsquo;Wait awhile; let the
      household go to sleep, and then I will come.&rsquo; And so, after some delay,
      when it was near midnight, and all had gone to sleep, then she arose
      softly and accompanied her, and arrived there in a very short time; and
      the two met in her house without restraint. When nearly an hour and a half
      * of night remained, she rose and returned home, and went quietly to
      sleep; and he also went to his house at daybreak.&rdquo;
     </p>
<pre xml:space="preserve">
     * Lit,&mdash;&ldquo;Four gharis.&rdquo; A ghari is equal to twenty-four
     minutes; and hence the exact time would be six minutes more
     than &ldquo;an hour and a half.&rdquo;
 </pre>
    <p>
      &ldquo;&lsquo;Many days passed thus. At last her husband, too, returned from foreign
      parts to his father-in-law&rsquo;s house. When she beheld her husband she became
      troubled in mind, and said to her companion, &lsquo;Such is my anxiety, what
      shall I do? whither shall I go? Sleep, hunger, thirst, all are forgotten;
      nothing is agreeable to me (<i>lit</i>. neither hot nor cold pleases me).
      And she told her the whole state of her heart. To be brief, she got
      through the day somehow or other; but at night, when her husband had
      finished supper, his mother-in-law had a bed made for him in a separate
      building, and sent word to him to go and take repose, while she said to
      her daughter, &lsquo;You go and do your duty to your husband.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;&lsquo;She turned up her nose and knitted her brows on hearing this, and
      remained silent. On this her mother rebuked her sharply, and sent her off
      to him. Being powerless, she went there, but lay on the bed with her face
      turned away. The more he kept addressing her in words of tenderness, the
      more vexed would she become. On this he presented her with all the various
      descriptions of apparel, and the jewels which he had brought for her from
      different places, and said, &lsquo;Wear these.&rsquo; Then, in truth, she became still
      more vexed, and frowned and turned away her face. And he, too, went to
      sleep in despair; for he was fatigued with the journey. To her, however,
      thinking of her lover, sleep came not.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;&lsquo;When she thought that he was in an unconscious sleep, she arose softly,
      and leaving him asleep, went fearlessly in the dark night to the abode of
      her lover; and a thief seeing her on the way, thought to himself &lsquo;Where
      can this woman be going, alone, with her jewels on, at this midnight
      hour.&rsquo; Thus soliloquising, he followed her. In short, she managed somehow
      to reach her lover&rsquo;s house. Now, there, a snake had bitten and left him;
      he was lying dead. She thought he was sleeping. Being, as it was, consumed
      with the fire of separation, she clasped him to her without restraint, and
      began caressing him; and the thief from a distance was watching the fun.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;&lsquo;An evil spirit, too, was seated on a pipal tree there, looking on at the
      scene. All at once it came into his mind to enter his (dead) body and have
      carnal intercourse with her. Having resolved on this, he entered the body,
      and after having intercourse with her, bit off her nose with his teeth,
      and went and sat on the same tree. The thief observed all these
      occurrences. And she, in despair, went as she was, all stained with blood,
      to her companion, and related all that had happened. Whereupon her
      companion said, &lsquo;Go quickly to thy husband ere yet the sun rise, and,
      arrived there, weep aloud and bitterly. If any one should question thee,
      say, &lsquo;He has cut off my nose.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;&lsquo;She went thither on the instant of hearing her companion&rsquo;s words, and
      commenced weeping and wailing excessively. Hearing the noise of her
      weeping, all her relations came, and lo! she had no nose,&mdash;was
      sitting noseless! Then they exclaimed, &lsquo;O you shameless, wicked, pitiless,
      mad wretch! Why have you bitten off her nose without any fault on her
      part?&rsquo; He, too, became alarmed on witnessing this farce, and began to say
      to himself, &lsquo;Trust not a wanton-minded woman, a black snake, an armed man,
      an enemy,&mdash;and fear the wiles of a woman. What can an eminent poet
      not describe? What does he not know who has acquired supernatural power?
      What absurd nonsense does a drunkard not chatter? What can a woman not
      accomplish? True it is, that the defects of horses, the thunder of the
      clouds, the wiles of woman, and the destiny of man,&mdash;these things
      even the gods do not comprehend; what power has man, then (to understand
      them)?&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;&lsquo;In the meantime her father gave information of the occurrence to the
      city magistrate. Policemen came from the station there, and bound and
      brought him before the magistrate. The magistrate of the city gave notice
      to the king. The king having sent for him, and questioned him about the
      case, he declared he knew nothing. And on his summoning the merchant&rsquo;s
      daughter, and interrogating her, she replied, &lsquo;Your majesty! when you see
      plainly (what has happened), why do you question me?&rsquo; Then the king said
      to him, &lsquo;What punishment shall I inflict on thee?&rsquo; On hearing this, he
      replied, &lsquo;Do unto me whatever you deem just.&rsquo; The king said, &lsquo;Away with
      him, and impale him!&rsquo; On receiving the king&rsquo;s order the people took him
      away to impale him.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;&lsquo;Observe the coincidence;&mdash;that thief was also standing there,
      looking on at the scene. When he was convinced that this man was about to
      be unjustly put to death, he raised a cry for justice. The king summoned
      him, and asked, &lsquo;Who art thou?&rsquo; He said, &lsquo;Great king! I am a thief; and
      this man is innocent; his blood is about to be unjustly shed; you have not
      given judgment at all wisely.&rsquo; Hereupon the king summoned him (the
      husband) also, and questioned the thief, saying, &lsquo;Declare the truth on thy
      honour! What are the facts of this case?&rsquo; The thief then gave a detailed
      account of the circumstances; and the king, too, comprehended them
      thoroughly. Ultimately he sent attendants, and had the woman&rsquo;s nose
      brought from the mouth of her lover, who was lying dead, and inspected it.
      Then he was assured that the man was guiltless, and the thief truthful.
      Hereupon the thief said, &lsquo;To cherish the good, and punish evil-doers, has
      from of old been a duty of kings.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;After relating so much of the tale, the parrot Chürãman said, &lsquo;Great
      king! such embodiments of all crime are women! The king having had the
      woman&rsquo;s face blackened and her head shaved, had her mounted on an ass, and
      taken round the city, and then set at liberty; and after giving betel-leaf
      to the thief and the merchant&rsquo;s son, he allowed them to depart.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      Having related so much of the story, the sprite said, &ldquo;O king! to which of
      these two does the greater guilt attach?&rdquo; Then King Bir Vikramãjit said,
      &ldquo;To the woman.&rdquo; On this the sprite said, &ldquo;How so?&rdquo; On hearing this, the
      king said, &ldquo;However depraved a man may be, still some sense of right and
      wrong remains in him; but a woman does not give a thought to right and
      wrong; hence great guilt attached to the woman.&rdquo; Hearing these words, the
      sprite went again and hung himself on the same tree. The king went again
      and took him down from the tree, tied him up in a bundle, placed him on
      his shoulder, and carried him away.
    </p>
    <p>
      <br /><br />
    </p>
    <hr />
    <p>
      <a name="link2H_4_0009" id="link2H_4_0009"> </a>
    </p>
    <div style="height: 4em;">
      <br /><br /><br /><br />
    </div>
    <h2>
      TALE V.
    </h2>
    <p class="pfirst">
      <span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>he sprite said, &ldquo;O
      king! there is a city named Ujjain, of which Mahãbal was king. Now, he had
      an envoy named Haridãs. The name of that envoy&rsquo;s daughter was Mahãdevï.
      She was extremely beautiful. When she became marriageable, her father
      thought that he ought to seek a husband for her, and give her in marriage.
      In short, the girl one day said to her father, &lsquo;Father! give me in
      marriage to some one who is possessed of all accomplishments. On this, he
      said, &lsquo;I will give thee to one who is acquainted with all science.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;One day subsequent to this, the king summoned Haridãs, and said, &lsquo;There
      is in the south a king named Harichand; go and ask after his health and
      welfare for me, and bring me news thereof.&rsquo; On receiving the king&rsquo;s
      command he took leave, and arriving at that king&rsquo;s after some days,
      delivered to him the whole message of his royal master, and took up his
      permanent abode near that monarch.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;To be brief, it happened one day that the king questioned him, saying,
      &lsquo;Haridãs! has the Iron Age (i.e. the fourth age of the world, or the age
      of vice) begun yet or not?&rsquo; On this he put his hands together and said,
      &lsquo;Your majesty! we are already in the Iron Age (<i>lit</i>. the Iron Age is
      present); for falsehood is rife in the world, and truth has decreased;
      people utter soft words to one&rsquo;s face, while they harbour deceit in their
      hearts; virtue has vanished; vice has increased; the earth has begun to
      yield less fruit; kings have begun levying contributions by violence;
      Brahmans have become covetous; women have abandoned modesty; the son obeys
      not the father&rsquo;s command; brother trusts not brother; friendship has
      departed from amongst friends; faith is no longer found in masters, and
      servants have cast aside the duty they owe to masters, and every
      description of impropriety meets the eye.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;When he had said all this to the king, his majesty arose and went into
      the private apartments, and he (the envoy) came and sat down in his own
      place. In the meantime a Brahman&rsquo;s son came to him and said, &lsquo;I have come
      to solicit something of you.&rsquo; On hearing this, he said, &lsquo;What request have
      you to make? Mention it.&rsquo; He replied, &lsquo;Give me your daughter in marriage.&rsquo;
      Haridãs said, &lsquo;I will give her to him in whom all accomplishments exist.&rsquo;
      Hearing this, he rejoined, &lsquo;I am acquainted with all the sciences.&rsquo; Then
      said the envoy, &lsquo;Show me something of thy knowledge; I shall thus be able
      to judge whether thou art versed in science.&rsquo; Hereupon the Brahman&rsquo;s son
      said, &lsquo;I have made a car which has this marvellous property, that it will
      convey you in a moment to any place you may wish to go to.&rsquo; Then Haridãs
      replied, &lsquo;Bring the car to me in the morning.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;In fine, he brought the car to Haridãs early in the morning. Then the two
      mounted the car, and arrived in the City of Ujjain. Here, however, it so
      happened that, previous to his arrival, another Brahman&rsquo;s son had come,
      and said to his eldest son, &lsquo;Give me your sister in marriage and he also
      had replied, saying, &lsquo;I will give her to one who is learned in all the
      sciences;&rsquo; and that Brahman&rsquo;s son, too, had said, &lsquo;I am acquainted with
      all knowledge and science.&rsquo; On hearing this, he had said, &lsquo;To you will I
      give her.&rsquo; Another Brahman&rsquo;s son had said to the girl&rsquo;s mother, &lsquo;Give me
      your daughter.&rsquo; She, too, had given him the same answer; viz., &lsquo;I will
      give my girl to him who is acquainted with all science.&rsquo; That Brahman&rsquo;s
      son also had replied, &lsquo;I am acquainted with the whole body of science
      contained in the <i>Shãstras</i>, and can shoot an arrow which will hit an
      object which is merely heard, and not seen.&rsquo; On hearing this, she, too,
      had said, &lsquo;I consent, and will give her to thee.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;In short, all the three suitors had come and met together in this way.
      Haridãs began to think to himself, &lsquo;One girl and three suitors! to whom
      shall I give her, and to whom not?&rsquo; He was troubled with this thought,
      when a demon came at night and carried off the girl to the summit of a
      mountain in the Vindhyã range. It is said that too much of anything is not
      good. Sïtã was exceedingly beautiful, and Rãvan carried her off; King Bali
      gave gifts largely,&mdash;he became indigent; Rãvan utterly ruined his
      family by his excessive pride.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;In brief, when mom arrived, and none of the household found the girl,
      they began to fancy all sorts of things; and the three suitors, too, on
      bearing of the matter, came there. One of them was a wise man,&mdash;him
      Haridãs questioned, saying, &lsquo;O wise man! tell me whither the girl has
      gone?&rsquo; He considered for a moment or so, and said, &lsquo;A demon has carried
      off your daughter, and lodged her on a mountain.&rsquo; On this, the second
      said, &lsquo;I will kill the demon and bring her back.&rsquo; Then, again, the third
      said, &lsquo;Mount my car and bring her back.&rsquo; On the instant of hearing this,
      he mounted the car, reached the place, slew the demon, and forthwith
      brought her back. And then they began quarrelling with one another.
      Thereupon the father pondered over the matter in his mind, and said, &lsquo;All
      of them have conferred obligations on me, to whom shall I give her, and to
      whom not?&rsquo;&rdquo; Having related so much of the story, the sprite said, &ldquo;Now,
      king Vikram! whose wife, out of the three, did the maiden become?&rdquo; He
      replied, &ldquo;She became the wife of him who slew the demon and brought her
      back.&rdquo; The sprite said, &ldquo;The good qualities of all were on a par,&mdash;how
      came she to become his wife?&rdquo; The king replied, &ldquo;The other two simply
      conferred favours, for which they were recompensed; but this one fought
      with and slew him (the demon) and brought her away, hence she became his
      wife.&rdquo; On hearing this the sprite went again to the same tree, and
      suspended himself on it, and the king, too, went immediately, bound the
      sprite, placed him on his shoulder, and carried him off as before.
    </p>
    <p>
      <br /><br />
    </p>
    <hr />
    <p>
      <a name="link2H_4_0010" id="link2H_4_0010"> </a>
    </p>
    <div style="height: 4em;">
      <br /><br /><br /><br />
    </div>
    <h2>
      TALE VI.
    </h2>
    <p class="pfirst">
      <span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">A</span>gain the sprite
      said, &ldquo;O king! there is a city named Dharmpur, of which Dharmshil was
      king; and his minister&rsquo;s name was Andhak. He said one day to the king,
      &lsquo;Your majesty! build a temple, and place an image of Devi therein, and pay
      constant adoration thereto, for this is said in the <i>Shãstra</i> to
      possess great merit.&rsquo; Thereupon the king had a temple built and (the image
      of) Devi placed in it, and began offering adoration after the manner
      prescribed by the Vedas; and he would not drink water without having
      worshipped.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;When a considerable time had passed thus, the minister said one day,
      &lsquo;Great king! the saying is well known,&mdash;The house of a sonless man is
      empty, a fool&rsquo;s mind is empty, and everything pertaining to an indigent
      person is empty.&rsquo; On hearing these words, the king went to the temple of
      Devi, and joining his hands in supplication, began to extol her, saying,
      &lsquo;O Devi! Brahma, Vishnü, Rudra, Indra await thy bidding the livelong day;
      and thou it was who didst seize the demons Mahish-aspr, Chand Mund,
      Raktbij, and slaying the evil spirits, relieved the earth of its burthen;
      and wheresoever trouble has befallen thy worshippers, there thou hast gone
      and aided them; and in this hope I have approached thy threshhold; fulfil
      now the desire of my heart also.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;When the king had celebrated the praises of the goddess to this extent, a
      voice issued from the temple of Devi, saying, &lsquo;King! I am well pleased
      with thee; ask any boon that thou may&rsquo;st desire.&rsquo; The king said, &lsquo;Mother!
      if thou art pleased with me, grant me a son.&rsquo; Devi replied, &lsquo;King! thou
      shalt have a son (who shall be) very powerful and very glorious.&rsquo; Then the
      king made offerings of sandal, unbroken rice, flowers, incense, lamps and
      consecrated food, and paid adoration. Moreover, he made it a practice of
      worshipping thus daily. To be brief, after some days a son was born to the
      king. The king, with his family and kindred, proceeded with music and
      song, and worshipped at the shrine of Devi.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;In the meantime, it happened one day that a washerman, accompanied by a
      friend of his, was coming from a certain town towards this city, and the
      temple of Devi met his eye. He resolved on prostrating himself (before the
      shrine). At that moment he beheld a washerman&rsquo;s daughter, who was very
      handsome, coming towards him. He was fascinated at the sight of her, and
      went to worship Devi. After prostrating himself, he joined his hands in
      supplication, and said in his heart, &lsquo;O Devi! if, through thy favour, my
      marriage to this beautiful being should take place, I will devote my head
      as an offering to thee.&rsquo; After making this vow, and prostrating himself,
      he took his friend with him, and went to his own city.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;When he arrived there, the separation (from his love) so troubled him
      that sleep, hunger, thirst&mdash;all were forgotten. He spent the whole
      day in thoughts of her. On perceiving this woful state of his, his friend
      went and told his father all the circumstances. His father also became
      alarmed on hearing these things, and reflecting on the matter began to
      say, &lsquo;From observing his state it seems (to me) that if his betrothal to
      that maiden does not take place, he will grieve to death; wherefore it is
      better to marry him to the girl, that thus he may be saved.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;Having thus considered, he took his son&rsquo;s friend with him, and on
      reaching that town, went to the girl&rsquo;s father and said, &lsquo;I have come to
      solicit something of you; if you will grant my request, I will make it
      known.&rsquo; He replied, &lsquo;If I possess the thing, I will give it; speak out.&rsquo;
      Having secured his promise thus, he said, &lsquo;Give your daughter in marriage
      to my son.&rsquo; On hearing this, he too agreed to the proposal; and having had
      a priest called in, and the day, the auspicious conjunction, and the
      moment determined, said, &lsquo;Bring your son; I, for my part, will stain my
      daughter&rsquo;s hands yellow.&rsquo; * On hearing this, he arose, returned to his own
      house, got ready all the requisites for the marriage, and set out for the
      ceremony; and on reaching the place, and having the marriage ceremony
      performed, he took his son and daughter-in-law with him and returned home;
      and the bride and bridegroom commenced a happy life together.&rdquo;
     </p>
<pre xml:space="preserve">
     * Lit. &ldquo;make the girl&rsquo;s hands yellow.&rdquo; Among the Hindus, for
     some days before marriage, the hands of a betrothed couple
     are stained yellow with turmeric.
</pre>
    <p>
      &ldquo;Again, after some time, an occasion of rejoicing arose at the girl&rsquo;s
      father&rsquo;s, and so an invitation came to these (the bride and bridegroom)
      also. The wife and husband got ready, and taking their friend with them,
      set out for that city. When they arrived near the place, the temple of
      Devi came in sight, and then, his vow came to his mind. Thereupon he
      reflected and said to himself, &lsquo;I am a great liar, and a very irreligious
      wretch, for I have lied to Devi herself!&rsquo; Having said this to himself, he
      spoke to his friend, saying, &lsquo;Do you tarry here while I pay a visit to
      Devi.&rsquo; And to his wife he said, &lsquo;Do thou also stay here.&rsquo; Having said this
      and gone to the temple, he bathed in the pool, went before Devi, joined
      his hands in supplication, addressed her reverentially, and raised a sword
      and struck himself on the neck His head was severed from his body, and
      fell upon the ground.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;To be brief, after some delay, his friend thought that as he had been
      gone a very long while and had not yet returned, he ought to go and see
      (what had happened); so he said to the wife, &lsquo;Stay here; I will soon hunt
      him up and bring him here.&rsquo; Having said this, he went into the temple of
      Devi, and lo! his (friend&rsquo;s) head was lying apart from his body! On
      beholding this state of things there, he began to say to himself, &lsquo;The
      world is a hard place! No one will suppose that he, with his own hand,
      offered his head as a sacrifice to Devi; on the contrary, they will say,
      that, as his wife was very beautiful, he (the friend), in order to possess
      her, killed him, and is practising this artful trick. Therefore it is
      preferable to die here; whereas to obtain an evil reputation in the world
      is not desirable.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;Having said this, he bathed in the pool, came into the presence of Devi,
      joined his hands and made obeisance, and taking up the sword, struck
      himself on the neck, so that his head was severed from his body. And she,
      weary of standing there alone, and watching for their return till she
      quite despaired, went in quest of them into the temple of Devi. Arrived
      there, what does she behold but the two lying dead! Then, seeing them both
      dead, she thought to herself, &lsquo;People will not believe that these two have
      voluntarily offered themselves as sacrifices to Devi. Everybody will say
      that the widow was a wanton wretch, (and) that she killed them both and
      left them that she might indulge in her depravity. It is better to die
      than to endure such infamy.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;Alter reflecting thus, she plunged into the pool (and bathed), and coming
      into the presence of Devi, bowed her head in obeisance; (then) taking up
      the sword, was about to strike herself on the neck, when Devi descended
      from the throne, and came and seized her hand, and said, &lsquo;Daughter! ask a
      boon; I am well-pleased with thee.&rsquo; On this she said, &lsquo;Mother! if thou art
      pleased with me, restore these two to life.&rsquo; Then Devi said, &lsquo;Unite their
      heads to their bodies.&rsquo; In the tumult of her joy she changed the heads in
      putting them on. And Devi brought the water of life and sprinkled it upon
      them. The two rose up alive, and began disputing one with another; one
      saying, &lsquo;She is my wife;&rsquo; the other, &lsquo;She is mine.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      Having related so much of the story, the sprite said, &ldquo;Now king
      Vikramãjit! of which of these two is she the wife?&rdquo; The king said,
      &ldquo;Hearken! The guiding principle for this is laid down in the book of law,
      thus: &lsquo;The Ganges is the best of rivers, and Sumeru is the most excellent
      of mountains, and Kalpavriksh * is the most excellent of trees, (and) the
      head is supreme among all the members of the body. According to this
      judgment she becomes the wife of him who possesses the superior member.&rsquo;&rdquo;
       On hearing these words the sprite went and again suspended himself on that
      tree; and the king having gone and bound him, placed him on his shoulder
      and carried him off.
    </p>
<pre xml:space="preserve">
     * Kalpavriksh is a fabulous tree, yielding all wishes, said
     to exist in the paradise of India.
</pre>
    <p>
      <br /><br />
    </p>
    <hr />
    <p>
      <a name="link2H_4_0011" id="link2H_4_0011"> </a>
    </p>
    <div style="height: 4em;">
      <br /><br /><br /><br />
    </div>
    <h2>
      TALE VII.
    </h2>
    <p class="pfirst">
      <span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>he sprite said, &ldquo;O
      king! there is a city named Champãpur, the king of which is Champakeshwar.
      And the queen&rsquo;s name is Sulochanã, and the daughter&rsquo;s Tribhuvan-sundari.
      She is an eminently-beautiful woman, whose face is like the moon, hair
      like black clouds, eyes like a gazelle&rsquo;s, eyebrows (arched) like a bow,
      nose like a parrot&rsquo;s (beak), neck like a pigeon&rsquo;s, teeth like the grains
      of a pomegranate; the redness of whose lips resembles that of the <i>kandüri</i>,
      * whose waist is like a leopard&rsquo;s, hands and feet like the tender lotus,
      complexion like the champa-flower; in short, the bloom of her youth was
      daily on the increase.&rdquo;
     </p>
<pre xml:space="preserve">
     * The kandüri is a cucurbitaceous plant with red fruit, or
     the gourd of the momordica monadelpha. Its Hindi name is
     bimb.
</pre>
    <p>
      &ldquo;When she became marriageable, the king and queen began to feel anxious in
      their minds. And the news spread among the monarchs of the different
      countries (round about) that so beautiful a girl had been born in the
      palace of king Champakeshwar that, at a mere glance at her beauty, gods,
      men, and holy sages, remain fascinated. Thereupon the kings of the
      different countries had each his likeness painted, and sent it by the
      hands of a Brahman to king Champakeshwar.
    </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;The king received and showed the portraits of all the monarchs to his
      daughter, but none of them suited her fancy. Thereupon the king said, &lsquo;Do
      thou, then, make a public choice of a husband.&rsquo; To this, too, she did not
      agree, but said to her father, &lsquo;Father! give me to him who possesses the
      three qualities of beauty, strength, and superior knowledge.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;In fine, when several days had elapsed, four suitors came from four
      different countries. Then the king said to them, &lsquo;Do each of you set forth
      clearly before me the superior qualities and knowledge he possesses.&rsquo; One
      of them said, &lsquo;I possess such knowledge that I manufacture a cloth and
      sell it for five rubies. When I realise the price, I give one of the
      rubies to Brahmans, of another I make an offering to the gods, a third I
      wear on my own person, a fourth I reserve for my wife, the fifth I sell,
      and constantly support myself with the money so obtained. No one else
      possesses this knowledge. And as to the good looks I possess,&mdash;they
      are open to view.&rsquo; The second said, &lsquo;I am acquainted with the languages of
      both land and aquatic beasts and birds; have no equal in strength; and my
      beauty is before you.&rsquo; The third said, &lsquo;So well do I comprehend the
      learned writings that no equal of mine exists; and my beauty is before
      your eyes.&rsquo; The fourth said, &lsquo;I stand alone in my knowledge of the use of
      weapons; * there is no one like me; I can shoot an arrow which will strike
      an object which is heard, but not seen; and my beauty is famous in the
      world,&mdash;you, too, must surely see it.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
<pre xml:space="preserve">
     * I suspect an error in the text here; viz., shãstra for
     shastra; for the third suitor had already claimed the
     possession of unrivalled excellence in the shãstras, while
     the fourth boasts of his superior shill in archery, which
     would certainly seem to accord better with shastra than
     shãstra. Moreover, the judgment of King Vikram shows
     satisfactorily, I think, that shastra is the word intended.
</pre>
    <p>
      &ldquo;On hearing the statements of the four of them, the king began to think to
      himself, &lsquo;All four are on a par as to excellences; to which should I give
      the girl?&rsquo; Having reflected thus, he went to his daughter and set forth
      the virtues of the whole four of them, and said, &lsquo;To which of them shall I
      give thee (in marriage)?&rsquo; On hearing this, she hung down her head through
      modesty, and kept silent, making no answer.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      After relating so much of the story, the sprite said, &ldquo;Now, King Vikram!
      for which of them is this woman suited?&rdquo; The king replied, &ldquo;He who makes
      cloth and sells it is a <i>südra</i> by caste; and he who knows the
      languages is a <i>bais</i> by caste; he who has studied the learned
      writings is a <i>Brahman</i>; and he who hits with an arrow an object
      which is simply, heard, and not seen, is of <i>her</i> caste: the woman is
      suitable for him.&rdquo; On hearing these words, the sprite went again and hung
      himself on that tree; and the king, too, went thither, bound him, placed
      him on his shoulder, and carried him off.
    </p>
    <p>
      <br /><br />
    </p>
    <hr />
    <p>
      <a name="link2H_4_0012" id="link2H_4_0012"> </a>
    </p>
    <div style="height: 4em;">
      <br /><br /><br /><br />
    </div>
    <h2>
      TALE VIII.
    </h2>
    <p class="pfirst">
      <span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>hen the sprite
      said, &ldquo;O king! there is a city named Mithalãvatï, the king of which is
      Gunãdhip. A young rãjpüt, named Chiramdeva, came from a distant land to
      enter his service. He used to go daily to pay his respects to the king,
      but did not obtain an interview. And in the course of a year he consumed
      all the money he had brought (with him) while tarrying here without
      employment, and there (in his native land), his home went to ruin.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;It happened one day that the king mounted his horse for the chase, and
      Chiramdeva also joined his cavalcade. The king became accidentally
      separated from his followers in a forest, and the attendants lost
      themselves in another jungle; one, however, Chiramdeva, was following the
      king. At length, he called out, and said, &lsquo;Your majesty! all the
      attendants have remained behind, while I am accompanying you, making my
      horse keep pace with yours.&rsquo; On hearing this, the king reined in his
      horse, and so he came up (to the king). The king looked at him, and asked,
      &lsquo;How hast thou become so emaciated?&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;Then he replied, &lsquo;If I live with a master, such that he cherishes
      thousands of people, while he takes no thought of me, no blame (attaches)
      to him for this, but rather my own fate is to blame. As, for example, by
      daylight the whole world is clearly visible; yet it is not visible to the
      owl;&mdash;what blame can be imputed to the sun for this? It is
      astonishing to me that he who caused the means, of subsistence to reach me
      in my mother&rsquo;s womb, should take no thought of me now, when I have been
      born, and am capable of enjoying worldly aliment. I know not whether he
      sleeps or is dead. And, in my opinion, it is better to swallow deadly
      poison and die, than to ask for goods and money from a great man who,
      while giving the same, makes a wry face, and turns up his nose (in
      contempt), and raises his brows. Now these six things render a man
      contemptible,&mdash;first, the friendship of a perfidious man; second,
      causeless laughter; third, altercation with a woman; fourth, the serving a
      bad master; fifth, riding a donkey; sixth, unpolished (or uncouth) speech.
      * And the following five things the Creator records in a man&rsquo;s destiny at
      the time of his birth,&mdash;First, length of life; second, acts; third,
      wealth; fourth, know-ledge; fifth, reputation. O king! so long as a man&rsquo;s
      virtues ** are conspicuous, all continue to be his servants; but when his
      virtues decrease, his very friends become his enemies.&rdquo;
     </p>
<pre xml:space="preserve">
     * Lit.&mdash;A dialect without Sanskrit.

     ** I should much prefer translating &ldquo;so long as a man&rsquo;s
     fortunes are in the ascendant,&rdquo; were it not that none of the
     lexicons I have seen sanctions the sense of &ldquo;fortunes&rdquo; for
     punya.
</pre>
    <p>
      &ldquo;This one thing, however, is certain; by serving a good master one derives
      benefit sooner or later; he does not remain unbenefited.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;On hearing this, the king pondered over all these words, but did not then
      make any reply. He said this to him, however, &lsquo;I feel hungry; bring me
      something to eat from somewhere.&rsquo; Chiramdeva said, &lsquo;Your majesty! bread **
      is not to be obtained here.&rsquo; Having said this, he went into the jungle,
      killed a deer, took out a flint and steel from his pocket, kindled a fire,
      broiled some slices of meat, and served up a plentiful meal to the king,
      and partook of it himself as well. To be brief, when the king was quite
      satisfied, *** he said, &lsquo;Now, Rãjpüt I conduct me to the city, for the
      road is not known to me.&rsquo; He conducted the king into the city, and brought
      him to his palace. Then the king appointed him to an office, and bestowed
      many robes and jewels upon him. After that, he continued in close
      attendance upon the king.&rdquo;
     </p>
<pre xml:space="preserve">
     ** Lit.&mdash;&ldquo;Grain-food,&rdquo; which might mean boiled rice, or
     cakes of bread and boiled pulse.

     *** Lit.&mdash;When the king&rsquo;s belly was filled.
</pre>
    <p>
      &ldquo;In short, the king one day sent that Rãjpüt on some business to the
      seaside. When he reached the sea-shore, he beheld a temple (dedicated) to
      Devi. He entered it, and worshipped Devi. But, on the instant of his
      coming out thence, a beautiful damsel came up to him from behind, and
      began questioning him, saying, &lsquo;O man! why hast thou come here?&rsquo; He
      replied, &lsquo;I have come in quest of pleasure, and at the sight of thy beauty
      I am fascinated.&rsquo; She said, &lsquo;If thou hast any design on me, first go and
      bathe in this pool; after that I will listen to whatever thou shalt say to
      me.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;On the instant of hearing this, he took off his clothes, entered the pool
      and dipped, and came out, and lo! he was standing in his own city! On
      beholding this marvel, he was filled with fear, and returning home in his
      helplessness, clothed himself, and went and related the whole story to the
      king. The king no sooner heard it than he said, &lsquo;Show me this wonder
      also.&rsquo; This said, he ordered the horses, and both mounted and set off.
      After several days, they reached the sea-shore, and entered the same
      temple of Devi, and paid adoration. Farther, when the king came out, the
      very same damsel, accompanied by a female friend, came and stood beside
      the king, and on beholding the king&rsquo;s handsome appearance, became
      fascinated, and said, &lsquo;O king! I will execute any command you may give
      me.&rsquo; The king replied, saying, &lsquo;If thou wilt obey my command, become the
      wife of my servant.&rsquo; She said, &lsquo;I have become the slave of thy beauty, how
      then can I become his wife?&rsquo; The king replied, &lsquo;It was but this instant
      thou saidst to me, &lsquo;I will obey any command you may give me.&rsquo; Now,
      whatever the good promise they perform. Keep thy plighted word, (and)
      become the wife of my servant.&rsquo; On hearing this, she said, &lsquo;Your word is
      law to me.&rsquo; Thereupon the king married his servant to her without the
      usual ceremonies, * and brought them both with him to his palace.&rdquo;
     </p>
<pre xml:space="preserve">
     * A gandharb marriage is one where the usual formalities are
     dispensed with, and the parties become man and wife by
     mutual consent.
</pre>
    <p>
      Having related so much of the story, the sprite said, &ldquo;Tell me, O king! Of
      master and servant, whose was the greater virtue?&rdquo; The king said, &ldquo;The
      servant&rsquo;s.&rdquo; The sprite said again, &ldquo;Was not the merit of the king greater,
      who obtained so beautiful a woman, and bestowed her on his servant?&rdquo;
       Thereupon king Bir Vikramãjït said, &ldquo;What superior merit is there in their
      conferring favours, whose office it is to do so? But he who, while having
      his own, interests to attend to, promotes the interests of another&mdash;<i>he</i>
      is the greater. For this reason, the servant&rsquo;s merit was the greater.&rdquo; On
      hearing these words, the sprite went and hung himself on that same tree;
      and the king went and again took him down from thence, placed him on his
      shoulder, and carried him away.
    </p>
    <p>
      <br /><br />
    </p>
    <hr />
    <p>
      <a name="link2H_4_0013" id="link2H_4_0013"> </a>
    </p>
    <div style="height: 4em;">
      <br /><br /><br /><br />
    </div>
    <h2>
      TALE IX.
    </h2>
    <p class="pfirst">
      <span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>he sprite said, &ldquo;O
      king! there-is a city named Madanpur, where was a king named Birbar. Now,
      in that same country there was a merchant named Hiranyadatt, whose
      daughter&rsquo;s name was Madansenã. One day, in the spring-time, she went, with
      her female friends, into her garden, to stroll about and enjoy the scene.
      It so happened that, previous to her coming out, Somdatt, the son of a
      merchant named Dharmdatt, had come, with a friend, to take a stroll in the
      forest. On his return thence, he came into that garden; (and) on beholding
      her, became enamoured, and began to say to his friend, &lsquo;Brother! Should
      she ever be united to me, then my living will be to some purpose; and if
      not, then my living in the world is in vain.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;Addressing these words to his friend, (and) being distracted by the pangs
      of separation, he involuntarily approached her, and seizing her hand,
      began to say, &lsquo;If thou wilt not love me, I will sacrifice my life on thy
      account.&rsquo; She replied, &lsquo;Act not thus; that would be a sin.&rsquo; Then he said,
      &lsquo;Thy amorous glances have pierced my heart, and the fire of separation
      from thee has consumed my body; my whole consciousness and understanding
      have been destroyed by this pain; and at this moment, through the
      overpowering influence of love, I have no regard for right or wrong; but
      if thou wilt give me thy word, new life will enter my soul.&rsquo; She said, &lsquo;On
      the fifth day from this day my marriage will take place; but I will first
      have intercourse with thee, and afterwards abide at my husband&rsquo;s.&rsquo; After
      giving him this promise, and taking her oath (to keep it) she departed to
      her home, and he to his.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;To be brief, on the fifth day her marriage took place. Her husband
      brought her to his home after the marriage. After some days the wives of
      her husband&rsquo;s younger and elder brothers compelled her to go to her
      husband at night. She entered the nuptial chamber, and sat quietly down in
      a corner. In the meantime, her husband seeing her, took her hand, and made
      her sit on the bed. In fine, as he was about to embrace her, she; shook
      him off with her hand, and related to him all that she had promised the
      merchant&rsquo;s son. On hearing this her husband said, &lsquo;If thou really desirest
      to go to him, go.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;Having received her husband&rsquo;s permission, she started for the merchant&rsquo;s
      place. A thief seeing her on the road, came up to her in delight, and
      said, &lsquo;Whither goest thou alone, at this midnight hour, in this
      pitch-darkness, bedecked with such garments and jewels?&rsquo; She replied, &lsquo;To
      the place where my dearly beloved dwells.&rsquo; On hearing this the thief said,
      &lsquo;Who is thy protector here?&rsquo; She began to say, &lsquo;Cupid, my protector, with
      his bow and arrows, is with me.&rsquo; Having said this, she then related her
      whole story to the thief, from beginning to end, and said, &lsquo;Do not spoil
      my attire; I give thee my word that, when I return thence, I will deliver
      my jewels to thee.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;On hearing this, the thief said to himself, &lsquo;She leaves me, in truth,
      with a promise to deliver up her jewels to me; then why should I spoil her
      attire?&rsquo; Thus reflecting, he let her go. (He) himself sat down there,
      while she went to the place where Somdatt was lying asleep. She having
      suddenly roused him as soon as she got there, he arose bewildered, and
      commenced saying, &lsquo;Art thou the daughter of a god, or sage, or serpent? *
      Tell me truly, who art thou? and whence art thou come to me?&rsquo; She replied,
      &lsquo;I am the daughter of a man&mdash;the daughter of the merchant
      Hiranyadatt; Madansenã is my name; and dost thou not remember that thou
      didst forcibly seize my hand in the grove, and didst insist on my giving
      thee my oath; and I swore, at thy bidding, that I would leave the man I
      was married to and come to thee? I have come accordingly; do unto me
      whatever thou pleasest.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
<pre xml:space="preserve">
     * Nig is the name of the fabulous serpents (said to have a
     human face), inhabiting Pãtala, or the infernal regions.
</pre>
    <p>
      &ldquo;On this he asked, &lsquo;Hast thou told this story to thy husband, or not?&rsquo; She
      replied, saying, &lsquo;I have mentioned the whole affair, and after becoming
      acquainted with everything, he has allowed me to come to thee.&rsquo; Somdatt
      said, &lsquo;This matter is like jewels without apparel, or food without
      clarified butter, or singing out of tune&mdash;all these things are alike.
      Similarly, dirty garments mar beauty, bad food saps the strength, a wicked
      wife deprives of life, a bad son ruins the family. Whereas a demon takes
      life on his being enraged, a woman, either as a friend or a foe, is in
      both cases the occasion of sorrow. What a woman does not do is of little
      moment; for she does not give utterance to the thoughts of her mind; and
      what is at the tip of her tongue she does not reveal; and what she does,
      she does not tell of. A wonderful creature has God created in the world in
      woman.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;After uttering these words, the merchant&rsquo;s son answered her, saying, &lsquo;I
      will have nothing to do with another&rsquo;s wife.&rsquo; On hearing this she took her
      way back home again. On the way she met the thief, (and) told him the
      whole story. The thief, on hearing it, applauded her highly, and let her
      go. She came nigh her husband and told him all the circumstances; but her
      husband evinced no affection for her, and said, &lsquo;The beauty of the cuckoo
      consists in its note alone; a woman&rsquo;s beauty consists in her fidelity to
      her husband; and the beauty of an ugly man is his knowledge; the beauty of
      a devotee is his patient suffering.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      Having related so much of the story, the sprite said, &ldquo;O king! whose is
      the highest merit of these three?&rdquo; King Vikramãjït replied, &ldquo;The thief&rsquo;s
      merit is the greatest.&rdquo; The sprite said, &ldquo;How?&rdquo; The king replied, &ldquo;Seeing
      her heart set on another man, her husband gave her up; through dread of
      the king, Somdatt let her alone; whereas there was no reason for the
      thief&rsquo;s leaving her unmolested. Hence the thief is the superior.&rdquo; On
      hearing this, the sprite went again and suspended himself on that tree;
      and the king also went there, took him down from the tree, bound and
      placed him on his shoulder, and once more carried him away.
    </p>
    <p>
      <br /><br />
    </p>
    <hr />
    <p>
      <a name="link2H_4_0014" id="link2H_4_0014"> </a>
    </p>
    <div style="height: 4em;">
      <br /><br /><br /><br />
    </div>
    <h2>
      TALE X.
    </h2>
    <p class="pfirst">
      <span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>he sprite said, &ldquo;O
      king! in the country of Gaur there is a city called Baradmãn, and the king
      of that place was named Gunshekhar. His minister was a follower of the
      Jain persuasion, Abhaichand by name. Through his persuasion, the king,
      too, entered the pale of the Jain religion. He prohibited the worship of
      Shiva, as also that of Vishnu, and offerings of cattle, grants of land,
      oblations * to deceased ancestors, gambling and intoxicating liquors&mdash;all
      these he interdicted: no one was allowed to practise them in the city, and
      no one could carry away bones to the Ganges. And the minister, too, with
      the king&rsquo;s sanction for these matters, had it proclaimed in the city, that
      whoever performs these acts, the king will confiscate all his property,
      and inflict punishment on him, and expel him from the city.&rdquo;
     </p>
<pre xml:space="preserve">
     * These oblations consist of balls (pind) of meat, or rice
     mixed up with milk, curds, flowers, &amp;c., and offered to the
     manes at the several Shraddhas (or funeral ceremonies and
     worship of the manes) by the nearest surviving relations.
</pre>
    <p>
      &ldquo;Thereafter the minister said one day to the king, &lsquo;Attend, O king! to an
      exposition of the sacred law Whosoever takes the life of any one, this
      same takes his life also in another state of existence. It is on account
      of this sin that living and dying are inseparable from man on his entering
      this world. He is born again and again, and again he dies. Hence, it
      behoves man, on his being born into the world, to treasure up virtuous
      deeds. Observe (how) Brahmã, Yishnü, Mahãdeva, in one form or another,
      become incarnate in the world under the influence of love, anger,
      covetousness, or infatuation! A cow, forsooth, is superior to them, for
      she is free from passion, hatred, pride, anger, covetousness, infatuation;
      moreover, she sustains the subjects. And the sons which are born to her
      also impart the utmost ease to the living things of the earth, and cherish
      them. It is for this reason that all the deities and holy sages hold the
      cow sacred. Therefore, to worship the gods, is not well: worship the cow
      in this world. And it is a duty to protect the life of every animal, from
      the elephant to the ant; including beasts, birds, &amp;c., up to man;
      there is no duty equal to that in the world. Those who add to their flesh
      by eating the flesh of other creatures, ultimately suffer the torments of
      hell. Hence it is incumbent on man to preserve life. Those who regard not
      the sufferings of others, but go on destroying the life of other
      creatures, and eating them&mdash;their lives are shortened on the earth,
      and they are born cripples, or lame, or blind of one eye, or blind of both
      eyes, or dwarfs, or hunch-backed, or with some such bodily defect.
      According to the limbs of beasts and birds which they devour, they
      eventually lose similar members of their own. Further, the drinking of
      intoxicating liquors is a great sin. Hence the consumption of flesh and
      intoxicating drinks is not right.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;Thus unfolding to the king the wisdom stored up in his mind, the minister
      made him so sound a convert to the Jain faith, that whatever he advised
      the king did; and he paid no respect to any Brahman, ascetic, itinerant
      devotee, or religious mendicant; * and governed his kingdom according to
      this religion. One day, coming under the power of death, he died.
      Thereupon his son, Dharm-dhwaj by name, ascended the throne, and began to
      reign. One day, having had the minister, Abhaichand, seized, and seven
      plaits made of the hair on his head, and his face blackened, and (the
      minister) himself seated on a donkey, and a drum beaten and hands clapped
      (in derision) after him, he then banished him from the kingdom, and
      carried on his government free from all anxiety.&rdquo;
     </p>
<pre xml:space="preserve">
     * The sewra, sanyasi, and darwesh, are all religious
     mendicants; the first is of the Jain religion, the second a
     Brahman, and the third a Muhammadan.
</pre>
    <p>
      &ldquo;One day, in the spring-time, the king, accompanied by his queens, went to
      take a stroll in a garden. There was a large tank in that garden, and the
      lotus was in full bloom therein. On beholding the beauty of the tank, the
      king stripped off his clothes, and went down to bathe. Having plucked a
      flower, and come to the side, he was handing it to one of the queens, when
      it slipped from his hand and fell on the queen&rsquo;s foot; and by the blow it
      inflicted the queen&rsquo;s foot was broken. On this the king became alarmed,
      and forthwith coming out from the tank, began applying remedies; and in
      the meantime night came on, and the moon shone forth. No sooner did the
      moon&rsquo;s beams fall, than blisters arose on the body of the second queen.
      Farther, just then the sound of a wooden pestle from some householder&rsquo;s
      suddenly reached the third queen, and she was instantly attacked with so
      severe a headache, that she fainted away.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      After narrating so much, the sprite said, &ldquo;O king! which of these three
      was the most delicate?&rdquo; The king replied, &ldquo;The one who got the pain in the
      head and fainted away, she was the most delicate.&rdquo; On hearing these words,
      the sprite again went and suspended himself on that tree; and the king
      went there and took him down, and, making a bundle of him, placed him on
      his shoulder, and walked off with him.
    </p>
    <p>
      <br /><br />
    </p>
    <hr />
    <p>
      <a name="link2H_4_0015" id="link2H_4_0015"> </a>
    </p>
    <div style="height: 4em;">
      <br /><br /><br /><br />
    </div>
    <h2>
      TALE XI.
    </h2>
    <p class="pfirst">
      <span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>he sprite said,
      &ldquo;Your majesty! there is a city named Punyapur, the king of which was named
      Ballabh, and his minister&rsquo;s name was Satyaprakash, (and) the name of the
      minister&rsquo;s wife was Lakshmi. One day the king said to his minister, &lsquo;If
      one who is a king does not enjoy himself with beautiful women, his holding
      sovereignty is in vain.&rsquo; Having said this, and made over the burthen of
      government to the minister, he himself gladly entered upon a course of
      amorous pleasures. He abandoned all cares of the state, and commenced
      spending his days and nights in enjoyment.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;It so happened that, one day, the minister was sitting dejected at home,
      when his wife asked him, &lsquo;Husband! you seem to me to be very weak?&rsquo; He
      replied, saying, &lsquo;Night and day the cares of government weigh heavily on
      me, and hence my body has become feeble; while the king is the whole day
      long occupied with his own pleasures and enjoyment.&rsquo; The minister&rsquo;s wife
      said, &lsquo;O husband! you have carried on the government for a long time, now
      take leave of the king, and undertake a pilgrimage for few days.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;He remained silent on hearing this speech of hers. Afterwards, when he
      stirred out (<i>lit</i>. when he rose thence), he went to the king at the
      time of his holding a court, and, obtaining his permission to go, set out
      on a pilgrimage. Journeying on, he reached Setband Rãmeshwar, * on the
      sea-coast. As soon as he arrived there, he visited the shrine of Mahãdeva,
      and came out (of the temple), when, his gaze happening to stray towards
      the sea, what does he behold, but a (marvellous) tree of gold come up out
      of it, the leaves of which were emeralds, the blossoms topazes, the fruits
      corals,&mdash;it presented a most beautiful sight! And seated on the tree
      was a very beautiful woman, holding a lute in her hands, and singing in
      most soft and sweet strains. After a few minutes the tree disappeared in
      the ocean.&rdquo;
     </p>
<pre xml:space="preserve">
     * etband (from the Sanskrit setu-bandha) signifies a dike or
     bridge, and is applied to the ridge of rooks between the
     Coromandel coast and Ceylon. This dike or bridge is said to
     have been built by the allies of Rama (i.e., the monkey army
     under the leadership of Hanuman), when he invaded Ceylon to
     recover his wife Sltã, who had been carried off thither by
     Bãvan. It is said that, as fast as the monkeys built up the
     dike, Bãvan destroyed it; so, to prevent his doing this,
     Bãma erected a temple to Shiva (the god adored by Bavan) at
     the extremity of the dike. Thenceforth Setband Rãmeshwar
     became a place of pilgrimage.
</pre>
    <p>
      &ldquo;After beholding this spectacle there, the minister turned back and came
      to his own city, and, proceeding to the king, made obeisance, and joining
      his hands, said, &lsquo;Your Majesty! I have witnessed a marvellous sight!&rsquo; The
      monarch said, &lsquo;Describe it.&rsquo; The minister said, &lsquo;Your majesty! men of
      olden time have said that one should not speak of such things as are
      beyond the comprehension of any one, and which no one would credit. But
      this thing I saw plainly with my eyes, and hence I speak of it. Your
      majesty! at the place where the Lord Raghunãth has bridged the ocean, lo!
      a golden tree came up out of the sea, which was so splendidly loaded with
      emerald leaves, topaz flowers, and coral fruit, that a description of it
      is impossible! And upon it was a very beautiful woman, with a lute in her
      hands, singing the sweetest of strains. But after a few minutes that tree
      was lost to sight in the ocean.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;On hearing these words, the king entrusted the government to the
      minister, and set out alone for the sea-shore. After several days he
      arrived there, and entered the temple to pay adoration to Mahãdeva; and
      having bowed down and worshipped, he came out, when lo! the same tree,
      woman, and all, rose up (out of the sea). As soon as the king saw her, he
      leaped into the sea, and went and sat on the same tree. She, together with
      the king, descended to the nether regions. ** She looked at him (the king)
      and said, &lsquo;Valiant man! Why hast thou come hither?&rsquo; The king replied, &lsquo;I
      have come, attracted by thy beauty.&rsquo; She rejoined, &lsquo;If thou wilt not have
      intercourse with me during the dark fortnight of the lunar month, I will
      marry thee.&rsquo; The king consented to this arrangement. Notwithstanding this,
      however, she took the king&rsquo;s solemn promise, and then married him.&rdquo;
     </p>
<pre xml:space="preserve">
     * Raghunãth (i.e., the lord of the family of Raghu,) is a
     title of Rama, who, as an incarnation of Vishnu, was born in
     the family of Raghu.

     ** Pãtãla is one of the seven Hindu hells, and the region
     under the earth which is the abode of the Nagas, or serpents
     with human faces.
</pre>
    <p>
      &ldquo;To be brief, when the dark nights set in, she said, &lsquo;Your majesty is not
      to remain near me today.&rsquo; On hearing this, the king left her, taking his
      sword with him; and going apart, kept secret watch. When it was midnight,
      a demon came, and, on the instant of arriving, folded her in his arms. No
      sooner did the king witness this, than he rushed forward with his sword,
      and said, &lsquo;Foul fiend! lay not thy hand on my wife before my eyes! First
      fight with me. It was only ere I had set my eyes on you that fear
      possessed me; now I have no fear.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;This said, he drew his sword, and struck such a blow, that the head (of
      the demon) was severed from the body, and lay quivering on the ground. On
      beholding this, she said, &lsquo;O gallant man! thou hast done me a great
      kindness!&rsquo; After saying this, she spoke again, saying, &lsquo;It is not every
      mountain that contains rubies, nor every city that holds true men, nor
      does the sandal-tree grow in every forest, nor do pearls exist in the head
      of every elephant.&rsquo; Thereupon the king enquired, &lsquo;Why did this demon come
      to thee on the fourteenth night of the waning moon?&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;She said, &lsquo;My father&rsquo;s name is Vidyãdhar. I am said Vidyãdhar&rsquo;s daughter.
      Sundari is my name. Now it was an established custom for my father not to
      partake of food without me. One day I was not at home at meal-time;
      thereupon father became angry and pronounced a curse on me, saying, &lsquo;A
      demon will come and embrace thee every fourteenth night of the waning
      moon.&rsquo; On hearing this, I said, &lsquo;Father! you have indeed given me your
      curse; but now have mercy on me!&rsquo; He replied, &lsquo;When an intrepid man shall
      come and slay that demon, thou wilt escape from this curse.&rsquo; Now,
      therefore, I have escaped from that curse; and I will now go and pay my
      respects to my father.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;The king said, &lsquo;If thou appreciatest the kindness I have done thee, come
      at once and visit my dominions; after that, go and visit thy father.&rsquo; She
      said, &lsquo;Very well; I consent to what you say.&rsquo; Thereupon the king brought
      heir with him to his capital. Festive music and rejoicing began to take
      place. The news spread throughout the city that the king had arrived. Then
      songs of congratulation and merry-making commenced in every house; and
      after that, all the musicians and singers of the city came and offered
      their congratulations at the court. The king gave away many presents, and
      performed many pious acts.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;Again, after some days that fair one said, &lsquo;Now, your majesty! I will go
      to my father&rsquo;s.&rsquo; The king said in sadness, &lsquo;Very well: go.&rsquo; When she
      perceived the king to be sad, she said, &lsquo;Your majesty! I will not go.&rsquo; The
      king said, &lsquo;Why hast thou given up the idea of going to thy father?&rsquo; She
      replied, &lsquo;I have now become one of the human race, and my father is a
      demi-god; * were I to go now, he would show me no respect: this is my
      reason for not going.&rsquo; On hearing this the king was highly delighted, and
      gave away lacs of rupees in presents and religious offerings. Hearing of
      these matters touching the king, the minister died broken-hearted.&rdquo;
     </p>
<pre xml:space="preserve">
     * The Gandharvas are demi-gods inhabiting Indra&rsquo;s heaven,
     and serving as celestial musicians.
</pre>
    <p>
      Having told so much of the tale, the sprite said, &ldquo;O king! why did the
      minister die?&rdquo; Then king Bïr Vikramãjït said, &ldquo;The minister perceived that
      the king had taken to sensual enjoyments, and banished all the cares of
      government from his mind; that the subjects had lost their master (or
      protector); and so, no one would heed what he (the minister) said. This is
      the anxiety of which he died.&rdquo; Having heard this, the sprite went again
      and hung himself on that tree. The king went again, as on previous
      occasions, and placed him on his shoulder, and carried him away.
    </p>
    <p>
      <br /><br />
    </p>
    <hr />
    <p>
      <a name="link2H_4_0016" id="link2H_4_0016"> </a>
    </p>
    <div style="height: 4em;">
      <br /><br /><br /><br />
    </div>
    <h2>
      TALE XII.
    </h2>
    <p class="pfirst">
      <span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>he sprite said, &ldquo;O
      king Bir Vikramãjit! There is a city named Chürãpur, where a king named
      Chürãman ruled, whose spiritual teacher&rsquo;s name was Devaswãmi, and he had a
      son named Hariswãmï. He was as beautiful as Cupid, equalled Brihaspati *
      in his knowledge of scientific and religious treatises, and was as wealthy
      as Kuvera. He wedded and brought home a Brahman&rsquo;s daughter, whose name was
      Lãvanyavatï.&rdquo;
     </p>
<pre xml:space="preserve">
     * Brihaspati is the regent of the planet Jupiter, and the
     preceptor of the gods. Kuvera is the god of wealth.
</pre>
    <p>
      &ldquo;To be brief, one night in the hot season they were both sleeping soundly
      on the flat roof of a summer house. The woman&rsquo;s veil accidentally slipped
      off her face, while a demi-god, seated on a car, was proceeding somewhere
      through the air. His gaze suddenly falling upon her, he lowered the car,
      and placing her, asleep, on the car, flew off with her. After some time
      the Brahman also awoke, and lo! his wife was not (beside him). On this he
      became alarmed, and coming down from thence, searched throughout the
      house. When he did not find her there either, he went about seeking her
      through all the streets and lanes of the city, but did not find her.
      Thereupon he began to say to himself, &lsquo;Who has carried her off? and
      whither has she gone?&rdquo;&rsquo;
    </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;In short, when his efforts were of no avail, he returned home helpless
      and regretful, and searched for her there a second time, but did not find
      her. When the house appeared desolate to him without her, he lost all
      self-control in his disquietude and misery, and began crying out, Oh,
      darling of my soul! oh, darling of my soul! Further, being exceedingly
      agitated by her separation from him, he gave up the position of a
      householder, renounced the world, girt a simple waist-cloth round his
      loins, rubbed the ashes of burnt cow-dung on his body, put on a necklace
      of beads, quitted the town, and set out on a pilgrimage. Proceeding on his
      pilgrimage from town to town, and village to village, he reached a certain
      town at midday.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;When extreme hunger left him no alternative, he made a cup-shaped vessel
      of the leaves of a dhãk-tree, and carrying it to the house of a Brahman,
      said to him, &lsquo;Give me some food in alms.&rsquo; (The fact is, when a man comes
      under the influence of love, he has no thought of duty, caste, or food;
      and, regardless of everything, he eats food wherever he can obtain it.)
      When he begged alms of the Brahman, he (the Brahman) took the cup-shaped
      vessel from him and entered the house, and brought it (back) to him filled
      with rice boiled in milk. He took the cup, and came to the margin of a
      tank. There was a large banyan-tree there. He placed the cup at the root
      of that, and went to wash his face and hands in the tank.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;A black snake came out from the roots of the tree, and having dipped its
      mouth into the cup, went away; and so the whole contents of the cup had
      become poisoned, when, in the meantime, he also returned after washing his
      hands and face. This matter, however, was unknown to him; while hunger, on
      the other hand, beset him sorely. (Thus) he ate the rice and milk as soon
      as he came, and the poison instantly entered his system. Thereupon he went
      to the Brahman and said, &lsquo;Thou hast given me poison, and I am now dying of
      it.&rsquo; Having said so much, he reeled and fell, and died. Again, the
      Brahman, seeing him dead, turned his own wife out of the house, and said,
      &lsquo;Go thou hence, thou murderess of a Brahman!&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      Having told so much of the tale, the sprite said, &ldquo;O king! to which of
      these does the guilt of killing a Brahman attach?&rdquo; The king said, &ldquo;Poison
      exists in a snake&rsquo;s mouth as a matter of course; therefore no guilt
      attaches to it. Again, the Brahman gave him alms, considering him to be
      hungry; (therefore) guilt does not attach to him. Further, the Brahman&rsquo;s
      wife had given him alms at the bidding of her husband; she, too, is
      without sin. And he ate the milk and rice unwittingly, and hence he also
      is guiltless. In short, whoever imputes guilt to anyone of these, is
      himself a sinner.&rdquo; On hearing this, the sprite went again and hung on to
      that tree; and the king also went there, and taking him down and binding
      him, placed him on his shoulder, and carried him away from there.
    </p>
    <p>
      <br /><br />
    </p>
    <hr />
    <p>
      <a name="link2H_4_0017" id="link2H_4_0017"> </a>
    </p>
    <div style="height: 4em;">
      <br /><br /><br /><br />
    </div>
    <h2>
      TALE XIII.
    </h2>
    <p class="pfirst">
      <span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>he sprite said, &ldquo;O
      king! there is a city named Chandra-hriday, and a king named Randhir ruled
      there. There was in the city a merchant named Dharmdhwaj, whose daughter&rsquo;s
      name was Shobhani; and indeed she was very beautiful. Her youthful prime
      was daily developing itself, and her beauty was each moment increasing.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;It so happened that robberies became a nightly occurrence in that city.
      When the merchants experienced much vexation at the hands of the thieves,
      they all went to the king in a body and said, &lsquo;Your majesty! thieves have
      committed great outrage in the city; we can no longer dwell in the place.&rsquo;
      The king replied, saying, &lsquo;Well; what has happened is beyond remedy (<i>lit.</i>,
      what has happened, has happened); but henceforth you shall suffer no
      annoyance; I will take vigorous measures against them.&rsquo; After saying this,
      the king summoned a number of people and told them off to keep guard, and
      directed them how to keep watch, and commanded them to slay the thieves
      wherever they found them, without asking any questions.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;People began to keep watch over the city, by night, and yet robberies
      took place. All the merchants proceeded in a body to the king, and said,
      &lsquo;Your majesty has sent watchmen, and yet the thieves have not decreased in
      number, and thefts occur daily.&rsquo; The king replied, &lsquo;Do you take your leave
      now; from to-night I will go forth to watch over the city.&rsquo; On hearing
      this, they left the king, and went each to his own home. Now, when it was
      night, the king took his sword and shield, and, on foot and alone, began
      his watch over the city. Having advanced some distance in the course of
      his watch, and looked closely, he perceived a thief coming towards him. On
      seeing him, the king called out, &lsquo;Who art thou?&rsquo; He replied, saying, &lsquo;I am
      a thief; who art thou?&rsquo; The king said (in reply), &lsquo;I also am a thief.&rsquo; He
      was pleased on hearing this, and said, &lsquo;Let us commit a robbery
      together.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;Settling this matter between them, the king and the thief, conversing
      with one another, entered one of the quarters of the city, and after
      committing thefts in several houses, carried off the articles, and came to
      a well without the city, and having gone down into it, ultimately reached
      the chief city of the nether regions. The thief stationed the king at the
      gate, and took the money and treasures to his own house. In the meantime a
      woman-servant came out of his house, and, seeing the king, began to say,
      &lsquo;Your majesty! what a place you have come to with that miscreant! Well
      will it be if, ere he return, you fly hence as fast as you possibly can;
      otherwise he will kill you as soon as he arrives,&rsquo; The king replied, &lsquo;But
      I do not know the road! In which direction should I go?&rsquo; Then the servant
      showed him the road, and the king came to his palace.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;In fine, on the following day the king, with all his forces, went to the
      chief city of the nether regions by the road down the well, and surrounded
      the entire household of the thief; but the thief, escaping by some other
      road, went to the ruler of that city, who was a demon, and said, &lsquo;A king
      has led an attack against my house with the view to kill me; at this
      moment, either you must aid me, or I will give up dwelling in your city,
      and take my abode in some other place.&rsquo; On hearing this, the demon said,
      graciously, &lsquo;You have supplied me with food; I am well pleased with you.&rsquo;
      Having said this, the demon went where the king was with his army,
      surrounding the house, and began devouring the men and horses. And the
      king fled on beholding the form of the demon; and all such as were able to
      run away, escaped; and the rest the demon devoured.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;To be brief the king was running off alone, when the thief came and cried
      out, &lsquo;Art thou, a Rajpüt, flying from the battle?&rsquo; On the instant of
      hearing this, the king halted again, and the two confronted one another,
      and began to fight. At length the king overcame him, and bound his hands
      behind his back, and brought him into the city. After that, having had him
      bathed and washed, and clothed in fine apparel, and mounted on a camel, he
      sent him all round the city, accompanied by a crier, and ordered the
      impaling stake to be erected for him. Whoever among the people of the city
      saw him said, &lsquo;This same thief has plundered the whole city, and the king
      will now impale him.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;When the thief arrived near the house of the merchant Dharmdhwaj, the
      merchant&rsquo;s daughter hearing the sound of the crier&rsquo;s drum, asked her
      handmaid, &lsquo;What is this proclamation about?&rsquo; She replied, &lsquo;The king has
      brought captive the thief who used to commit robberies in the city. Now he
      will impale him.&rsquo; On hearing this, she also came running (to the lattice)
      to see. No sooner did she behold the thief&rsquo;s comeliness and manly form
      than she became fascinated; and, coming to her father, said, &lsquo;Do you go to
      the king this moment, and return with that thief released.&rsquo; The merchant
      said, &lsquo;How can it be expected that, at my request, the king will release
      the thief who has robbed his whole city, and on whose account his whole
      army has been destroyed?&rsquo; She again urged, &lsquo;If you have to give up even
      all you possess for the king to release him, do you bring him away free;
      and should he not come, I too will sacrifice my life.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;On hearing this, the merchant went to the king, and said, &lsquo;Your majesty!
      receive five lacs of rupees from me, and set the thief at liberty.&rsquo; The
      king said, &lsquo;This thief robbed the whole city, and my whole army was
      swallowed up through him. I will not on any account let him go.&rsquo; When the
      king did not heed his request, he returned home in despair, and said to
      his daughter, &lsquo;I said all that it was right to say, but the king did not
      consent.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;In the meantime, having had the thief taken round the city, they brought
      him to a stand-still near the impaling stake. Now, the thief having heard
      of the predicament of the merchant&rsquo;s daughter, first laughed aloud, and
      then wept bitterly. The people the while pulled him down on the stake. And
      the merchant&rsquo;s daughter, receiving intimation of his death, came to the
      same place to devote herself to death for his sake. She had a funeral pile
      constructed, and sitting thereon, had the thief taken off the stake,
      placed his head on her lap, apd quietly seated herself to be burnt. She
      was on the point of having the torch put to it (the pile), when (a temple
      sacred to Devi happening to be on the spot) Devi instantly came out of her
      temple and said, &lsquo;Daughter! I am pleased with thy courage; request a
      boon.&rsquo; She said, &lsquo;Mother! if thou art pleased with me, restore this thief
      to life.&rsquo; Thereupon the goddess said, &lsquo;Even so shall it be.&rsquo; Having said
      this, she brought nectar from the under-world, and restored the thief to
      life.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      Having told so much of the story, the sprite inquired, &ldquo;Say, O king! why
      the thief first laughed, and why he afterwards wept?&rdquo; The king said, &ldquo;I
      know the reason why he laughed, and I know also why he wept. Attend, O
      sprite! The thief thought within himself,&mdash;&lsquo;Now that she is giving up
      all that she possesses to the king for my sake, what return can I make?&rsquo;
      He wept at the thought of this. Again, however, he reflected, &lsquo;She loved
      me when I was about to die: the ways of God are altogether inscrutable; He
      bestows wealth on the unlucky, knowledge on one of low origin, a beautiful
      wife on a fool, and He causes rain to fall in showers on the mountains.&rsquo;
      Thinking of such things, he laughed.&rdquo; On hearing this, the sprite went
      again and hung on to that tree. The king returned there, and unloosing
      him, made a bundle of him, placed him on his shoulder, and took him away.
    </p>
    <p>
      <br /><br />
    </p>
    <hr />
    <p>
      <a name="link2H_4_0018" id="link2H_4_0018"> </a>
    </p>
    <div style="height: 4em;">
      <br /><br /><br /><br />
    </div>
    <h2>
      TALE XIV.
    </h2>
    <p class="pfirst">
      <span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>he sprite said,
      &ldquo;Attend, King Vikram! There is a city named Kusmavati, of which one
      Subichãr was king, whose daughter&rsquo;s name was Chandra-prabhã. When she
      became marriageable, she went out one spring day, along with her
      companions, to stroll about in the garden. Now, before arrangements had
      been made for the ladies to come out (i.e., before the garden had been
      cleared of all strangers and others not permitted to set eyes on the
      women), a Brahman&rsquo;s son, named Manswi, of twenty years or so, very
      handsome, had come into the garden in the course of his wanderings, and
      meeting with cool shade under a tree, had fallen asleep there. The king&rsquo;s
      attendants came and made arrangements for the ladies of the seraglio in
      the garden, but it so happened that none of them saw the Brahman&rsquo;s son
      sleeping there; and so he continued sleeping under that tree, and the
      princess entered the garden with her attendants. Strolling about with her
      companions, where does she come but to the place where the Brahman&rsquo;s son
      was sleeping! She no sooner arrived there than he also awoke at the sound
      of the people&rsquo;s footsteps. The eyes of both met; and to such a degree did
      they come under Cupid&rsquo;s power, that on the one side the Brahman&rsquo;s son fell
      upon the ground in a swoon, on the other, she too was so beside herself,
      that her legs began to tremble. Her companions, however, quickly laid hold
      of her on the very instant. At last, they laid her down in a litter, and
      brought her home. And the Brahman&rsquo;s son was lying in so complete a state
      of insensibility here, that he had no consciousness whatever of his body
      or mind.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;During this interval two Brahmans, named Shashi and Müldeva, from the
      country of Kanvrü, where they had studied the (occult) sciences, happened
      to pass by there. Müldeva, seeing the Brahman&rsquo;s son lying, said, &lsquo;Shashi!
      how is it that he is lying in such utter unconsciousness?&rsquo; He replied, &lsquo;A
      damsel has shot forth the arrows of her eyes from the bow of her eyebrows;
      hence he is lying insensible.&rsquo; Müldeva said, &lsquo;We ought to rouse him.&rsquo; He
      replied, &lsquo;What need is there for you to rouse him?&rsquo; He did not heed
      Shashi&rsquo;s words, but sprinkled water over him, and restored him to
      consciousness, and asked, &lsquo;What has been the matter with thee?&rsquo; The
      Brahman said, &lsquo;One should relate his troubles to him who can remove them;
      for what is to be gained by relating your sorrows to him who, on hearing
      of them, is unable to remove them?&rsquo; He said, &lsquo;Well, tell me your troubles;
      I will remove them.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;On hearing this, he said, &lsquo;It was but now that the princess came here
      with her companions; and it was through seeing her that I have fallen into
      this state. Should I obtain possession of her, I will preserve my life;
      otherwise I will abandon life.&rsquo; Then he replied, &lsquo;Come to my abode; I will
      exert myself to the utmost to obtain her; and, if I should not succeed, I
      will bestow great wealth upon thee.&rsquo; Thereupon Manswi said, &lsquo;God has
      created many a jewel in the world; but the jewel, woman, surpasses all;
      and for her sake it is that man treasures up wealth. When I have lost the
      woman, what will I do with the wealth? Brute beasts are better off in the
      world than those who do not possess themselves of handsome wives. The
      fruit of merit is wealth, and the advantage of wealth is ease, and the
      consequence of ease is (the taking) a wife; now, what happiness can there
      be where there is no wife?&rsquo; On hearing this, Müldeva said, &lsquo;I will give
      thee whatsoever thou may&rsquo;st ask for.&rsquo; Then he said, &lsquo;O Brahman obtain that
      same maiden&rsquo;s hand for me.&rsquo; Müldeva thereupon said, &lsquo;So be it; come along
      with me; I will have that very maiden bestowed on thee.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;In short, ministering much comfort to him, he took him to his house; and
      when he reached there, he prepared two magic pills. One pill he gave to
      the (young) Brahman, saying, &lsquo;When thou puttest this into thy mouth, thou
      wilt be turned into a girl of twelve years; and when thou takest it out of
      thy mouth, thou wilt become the self-same man thou wert before.&rsquo; He said
      further, &lsquo;Put this into thy mouth.&rsquo; On his putting it into his mouth, he
      became a girl of twelve years. And he, (Müldeva) having put the other pill
      into his own mouth, became transformed into an old man of eighty years;
      and taking that young girl with him, he proceeded to the king.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;The king, seeing the Brahman, saluted him, gave him a seat, and another
      to the young girl also. Then the Brahman gave him his blessing in verse,
      saying, &lsquo;May he whose glory pervades the three worlds; and who, taking the
      form of a dwarf, deceived * King Bali; and who, taking monkeys with him,
      bridged the ocean; ** and who, supporting the mountain (Go vardhan) on his
      hand, *** protected the cowherds from the bolts of Indra,&mdash;may the
      same Vasudeva protect you!&rsquo; On hearing this, the king inquired, &lsquo;Whence
      has your highness come?&rsquo; The Brahman, Mãldeva, replied, &lsquo;I have come from
      the other side of the Ganges, and my home is there; and I had gone to
      bring away my son&rsquo;s wife, (and) in my absence, a general flight from the
      village took place; and so I know not whither my wife and son have fled
      to. And now, with this girl with me, how shall I seek them? It is,
      therefore, advisable that I leave this (girl) with your majesty. Keep her
      with the greatest care until I return.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
<pre xml:space="preserve">
     * Ball was a powerful king, who, by his austerities and
     devotion, overcame Indra in battle, and obtained power over
     heaven and earth. The gods became alarmed at this, and
     sought the aid of Vishnü, who visited the earth in the form
     of a dwarf, and went before Bali, who, according to custom,
     offered him presents. These the dwarf, affecting utter
     contempt for worldly wealth, declined, saying he merely
     wanted as much territory as could be comprised in three of
     his paces. Bali laughed, and granted his request; whereupon
     the dwarf increased his stature to prodigious dimensions,
     and, at one step, placed his foot on the heavens; at the
     next, on the earth; and, no room remaining for the third
     step, he placed his foot on Bali&rsquo;s head, and so pressed him
     down to the region of Nãga-loka, beneath the earth, where he
     was kept in confinement, and bound with bonds made of
     twisted serpents.

     ** etband (from the Sanskrit setu-bandha) signifies a dike
     or bridge, and is applied to the ridge of rooks between the
     Coromandel coast and Ceylon. This dike or bridge is said to
     have been built by the allies of Rama (i.e., the monkey army
     under the leadership of Hanuman), when he invaded Ceylon to
     recover his wife Sltã, who had been carried off thither by
     Bãvan. It is said that, as fast as the monkeys built up the
     dike, Bãvan destroyed it; so, to prevent his doing this,
     Bãma erected a temple to Shiva (the god adored by Bavan) at
     the extremity of the dike. Thenceforth Setband Rãmeshwar
     became a place of pilgrimage.

     *** This allusion to the exploits of Krishna the curious
     reader will find fully explained in the 26th chapter of the
     &ldquo;Prem Sãgar.&rdquo;
 </pre>
    <p>
      &ldquo;On hearing these words of the Brahman&rsquo;s, the king began thinking to
      himself, &lsquo;How shall I take charge of a very beautiful young woman? And if
      I do not take her, this Brahman will curse me, (and) my dominion will be
      overthrown.&rsquo; Having thought this over in his mind, the king said, &lsquo;Your
      highness! the command you have given me shall be obeyed.&rsquo; On this, the
      king summoned his daughter, and said, &lsquo;Daughter! take this Brahman&rsquo;s
      daughter-in-law and keep her with you, with all care and attention; and,
      whether sleeping or waking, eating or drinking, or moving about, do not
      let her be away from you for a moment.&rsquo; On hearing this, the princess took
      hold of the hand of the Brahman&rsquo;s daughter-in-law, and led her away to her
      own apartment. At night, the two slept in one bed, and began conversing
      with each other. In the course of conversation, the Brahman&rsquo;s
      daughter-in-law said, &lsquo;Tell me, O princess! to what trouble is it owing
      that you have become so worn and feeble?&rdquo;&rsquo;
    </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;The princess said, &lsquo;I went one day in the spring, accompanied by my
      female friends, to stroll about in the garden, and there beheld a very
      handsome, Cupid-like Brahman, and our eyes met. He swooned away on one
      side, and I became unconscious on the other. Then my companions, seeing my
      predicament, brought me home. And I am totally ignorant of both his name
      and his abode. His image fills my eyes, and I have not the least desire
      for food and drink. It is through this trouble that my body has been
      reduced to the state you see.&rsquo; On hearing this, the Brahman&rsquo;s
      daughter-in-law said, &lsquo;What wilt thou give me if I bring thy beloved and
      thee together?&rsquo; The princess said, &lsquo;I will remain thy slave for ever.&rsquo;
      Hearing this, he took the magic pill out of his mouth and became a man
      again; and she was abashed at beholding him. After that, the Brahman&rsquo;s son
      married her after the fashion of Gandharb marriages; and used constantly
      to convert himself thus into a man at night, and to remain a woman by day.
      At length, after six months, the princess became pregnant.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;They say that, one day, the king went with his whole family to a marriage
      festival at his minister&rsquo;s house. There the minister&rsquo;s son beheld that
      Brahman&rsquo;s son disguised as a woman, and fell in love as soon as he saw her
      (or him), and began to say to a friend of his, &lsquo;If this woman does not
      become mine, I will sacrifice my life.&rsquo; In the interval, the king having
      partaken of the feast, returned to the palace with his family. But the
      condition of the minister&rsquo;s son became most painful through the anguish of
      separation from his beloved, and he gave up food and water. Seeing this
      state (of his), his friend went and informed the minister. And the
      minister, on hearing the story, went and said to the king, &lsquo;Your majesty!
      love for that Brahman&rsquo;s daughter-in-law has brought my son to a wretched
      state. He has given up eating and drinking. If you would kindly give the
      Brahman&rsquo;s daughter-in-law to me, his life would be saved.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;On hearing this, the king said angrily, &lsquo;Thou fool! It is not the nature
      of kings to do such a wrong. Hearken! Is it right to give away to another
      that which is given in trust, without the permission of the person making
      over the trust, that you mention this matter to me?&rsquo; On hearing this, the
      minister returned home in despair. But perceiving the suffering of his
      son, he also gave up meat and drink. When three days passed without the
      minister&rsquo;s eating and drinking, then, indeed, all the officials combined,
      and said to the king, &lsquo;Your majesty! the minister&rsquo;s son is in a precarious
      state, and in the event of his dying, the minister, too, will not survive.
      And on the minister&rsquo;s dying, the affairs of the state will come to a
      stand-still. It is better that you consent to that which we state.&rsquo;
      Hearing this, the king gave them permission to speak. Then one of them
      said, &lsquo;Your majesty! it is long since that old Brahman left this, and he
      has not returned; God knows whether he is dead or alive. It is therefore
      right that you give that Brahman&rsquo;s daughter-in-law to the minister&rsquo;s son,
      and so uphold your kingdom; and should he return, you can give him
      villages and wealth. Should he not be satisfied with this, get his son
      married (to another maiden) and let him depart.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;On hearing this, the king sent for the Brahman&rsquo;s daughter-in-law, and
      said, &lsquo;Go thou to the house of my minister&rsquo;s son.&rsquo; She said, &lsquo;The virtue
      of a woman is destroyed by her being gifted with excessive beauty, and a
      Brahman&rsquo;s character is lost by his serving a king, and a cow is ruined by
      grazing in remote pastures, and wealth vanishes on meeting with abuse.&rsquo;
      After saying so much, she added, &lsquo;If your majesty would give me to the
      minister&rsquo;s son, settle this matter with him, viz., that he will do
      whatever I tell him; then will I go to his house.&rsquo; The king said, &lsquo;Say!
      what should he do.&rsquo; She replied, &lsquo;Your majesty! I am a Brahman woman, and
      he is a Kshatri by caste; hence it is best that he first perform all the
      prescribed pilgrimages; after that I will cohabit with him.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;When he heard this speech, the king sent for the minister&rsquo;s son and said
      to him, &lsquo;Go thou, first, and visit all the places of pilgrimage; after
      that I will give the Brahman&rsquo;s girl to thee,&rsquo; On hearing these words from
      the king, the minister&rsquo;s son said, &lsquo;Your majesty! let her go and take up
      her abode in my house, and then I will go on pilgrimage.&rsquo; After hearing
      this, the king said to the Brahman&rsquo;s girl, &lsquo;If thou will first go and take
      up thy abode in his house, he will set out on pilgrimage.&rsquo; Having no
      alternative, the Brahman&rsquo;s girl went at the king&rsquo;s bidding and took up her
      abode in his house. Then the minister&rsquo;s son said to his wife, &lsquo;Do you both
      live together in one place, on terms of the greatest affection and
      friendliness, and on no account quarrel and fight with each other, and
      never go to a strange house.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;Having given them these instructions, he, for his part, set out on a
      pilgrimage; and here (at home), his wife, whose name was
      Saubhagya-sundari, lying at night on one bed along with the Brahman&rsquo;s
      daughter-in-law, began conversing on various topics. After some time the
      wife of the minister&rsquo;s son spake as follows:&mdash;&lsquo;O friend! at this
      moment I am consumed with the flame of love; but how can my desire be
      attained?&rsquo;
    </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;The other said, &lsquo;If I accomplish thy desire, what wilt thou give me?&rsquo; She
      replied, &lsquo;I will be thy humble and obedient slave for ever.&rsquo; On this he
      took the magic pill out of his mouth and became transformed into a man.
      Thus he regularly transformed himself into a man by night, and into a
      woman by day. After that, indeed, great love existed between the two of
      them.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;In short, six months passed away in this manner, and the minister&rsquo;s son
      returned. On the one hand, the people hearing of his arrival, began to
      rejoice; and on the other, the Brahman&rsquo;s daughter-in-law, having taken the
      magic pill out of her mouth and transformed herself into a man, came out
      from the house by way of the wicket, and went off. Again, after some time,
      he came to the same Brahman, Müldeva, who had given him the magic pill,
      and told him his whole story from beginning to end. Then Müldeva, after
      hearing all the circumstances, took the magic pill from him and gave it to
      his companion, Shashi, and each of them put the pill (he had) into his
      mouth. One was transformed into an old man, and the other a young man of
      twenty. After this the two went to the king&rsquo;s.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;The king saluted them on the instant of seeing them, and gave them seats.
      And they, too, gave (the king) their blessings. After inquiring after
      their health and welfare, the king spake to Müldeva, saying, &lsquo;Where have
      you been detained for so many days?&rsquo; The Brahman said, &lsquo;Your majesty! I
      went to search for this son of mine, and having discovered him, I have
      brought him to you. If you will now give up his wife, I will take both
      daughter-in-law and son home.&rsquo; Then the king related the whole story to
      the Brahman. The Brahman became very angry on hearing it, and said to the
      king, &lsquo;What proceeding is this, for thee to give my son&rsquo;s wife to another?
      Well! thou hast acted as thou pleasedst; but now receive my curse.&rsquo;
      Thereupon the king said, &lsquo;O holy man! be not angry; I will do whatever you
      bid me.&rsquo; The Brahman said, &lsquo;So be it; if, through fear of my curse, thou
      wilt do as I say, then give thy daughter in marriage to my son.&rsquo; On
      hearing this, the king summoned an astrologer, and after having the
      auspicious conjunction and moment determined, gave his daughter in
      marriage to the Brahman&rsquo;s son. Then he took leave of the king and came to
      his own village, bringing the princess, together with her dowry, along
      with him.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;On hearing this intelligence, the Brahman Manswi also came there, and
      commenced quarrelling with him, saying, &lsquo;Give me my wife.&rsquo; The Brahman
      named Shashi said, &lsquo;I have married her before ten witnesses and brought
      her home; she is my wife.&rsquo; He replied, &lsquo;She is with child by me; how can
      she become thy wife?&rsquo; And they went on wrangling with each other. Müldeva
      reasoned much with both of them, but neither heeded what he said.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      After relating so much of the story, the sprite said, &ldquo;Say, king Bir
      Vikramajit! whose wife was she?&rdquo; The king replied, &ldquo;She became the wife of
      the Brahman Shashi.&rdquo; Then the sprite said, &ldquo;Pregnant by the other Brahman,
      how could she become the wife of this one?&rdquo; The king said, &ldquo;No one was
      aware of her being with child by that Brahman; whereas this one married
      her in the presence of ten arbitrators; therefore she became his wife. And
      the child, too, will have the right to perform his funeral obsequies.&rdquo; On
      hearing this, the sprite went and hung on to the same tree. Again did the
      king go, and, after binding the sprite, and placing him on his shoulder,
      carry him away.
    </p>
    <p>
      <br /><br />
    </p>
    <hr />
    <p>
      <a name="link2H_4_0019" id="link2H_4_0019"> </a>
    </p>
    <div style="height: 4em;">
      <br /><br /><br /><br />
    </div>
    <h2>
      TALE XV.
    </h2>
    <p class="pfirst">
      <span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>he sprite said, &ldquo;O
      king! there is a mountain named Himachal, where there is a city of the
      demi-gods (or celestial musicians); and king Jïmütketu ruled there. Once
      upon a time he worshipped Kalpãbriksh a great deal for the sake of a son.
      Thereupon Kalpabriksh was pleased, and said, &lsquo;I am pleased at perceiving
      thy services to me; ask any boon thou desirest.&rsquo; The monarch replied,
      saying, &lsquo;Grant me a son, so that my kingdom and my name may endure,&rsquo; It
      (the tree) stud, &lsquo;Even so shall it be.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;After some time the king had a son. He experienced extreme joy, and held
      rejoicings with much noise and display. After making numerous presents and
      charitable gifts, he summoned the priests and fixed on a name for him. The
      priests named him Jïmüt-bãhan. When he became twelve years of age he began
      to worship Shiva; and having completed the study of all the learned
      writings, became a very intelligent, meditative, resolute, intrepid, and
      learned man; there was no equal of his in those times. And as many people
      as dwelt under his sway, all were alive to their respective duties.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;When he attained to manhood, he, too, worshipped Kalpabriksh assiduously;
      whereupon Kalpabriksh was pleased, and said to him, &lsquo;Ask whatsoever thou
      desirest, I will give it to thee.&rsquo; On this, Jïmüt-bãhan said, &lsquo;If you are
      pleased with me, take away all poverty from my subjects, and let all those
      who dwell in my dominions become equal in point of possessions and
      riches.&rsquo; When Kalpabriksh granted the boon, all became so well off by the
      possession of wealth, that no one would obey the order of any person, and
      no one would do work for any one.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;When the subjects of that realm became such as has been described, the
      brothers and kinsfolk of the king began to reason together, saying, &lsquo;Both
      father and son are completely under the influence of religion, and the
      people do not obey their commands; it is therefore best to seize and
      imprison the pair of them, and take their kingdom from them.&rsquo; In fine, the
      king was not on his guard against them; and they having plotted together,
      went with an army and surrounded the king&rsquo;s palace.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;When this news reached the king, he said to his son, &lsquo;What shall we do
      now?&rsquo; The prince said, &lsquo;Your majesty! you be pleased to abide here in
      peace; I will away and destroy them this instant.&rsquo; The king said, &lsquo;O son!
      this body is frail, and riches, too, are unabiding; when a man is born,
      death, too, attends him; hence we should now give up dominion, and
      practise religious duties. It is not right to commit a heinous sin for the
      sake of such a body, and for the sake of a kingdom; for even king
      Yudhishthir experienced remorse after his great war with the descendants
      of Bharat.&rsquo; On hearing this, his son said, &lsquo;So be it! make over the
      government to your kinsmen, and you yourself depart and practise religious
      austerities.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;Having resolved on this, and summoned his brothers and nephews, and
      handed over the government to them, father and son both ascended the
      mountain Malayãchal, and on reaching the summit, built a hut and dwelt
      there. A friendship arose between Jïmüt-bãhan and a holy sage&rsquo;s son. One
      day the king&rsquo;s son and the son of the sage went out together for a stroll
      on the top of the mountain. A temple, sacred to Bhawãnï, came in sight
      there. Within the temple, a princess, with a lute in her hands, was
      singing in front of the goddess. The eyes of the princess and those of
      Jïinüt-bãhan met, and both became smitten with love. But the princess,
      restraining her feelings, and stricken with shame, turned her steps
      homeward; and he, too, for his part, being put to shame by the presence of
      the sage&rsquo;s son, came to his own place. That night was passed by both the
      lovers (<i>lit.</i> rosecheeked ones) in extreme restlessness.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;As soon as morn appeared, the princess set out from her quarter, for the
      temple of Devi, and the prince, too (starting from this side), no sooner
      arrived than he perceived that the princess was there. Then he asked her
      female companion, &lsquo;Whose daughter is she?&rsquo; The companion said, &lsquo;She is the
      daughter of king Malayketu; her name is Malayãvatï, and she is a virgin as
      yet.&rsquo; After saying this, the companion (spoke) again (and) asked the
      prince, &lsquo;Say, handsome man! whence have you come? and what is your name?&rsquo;
      He replied, &lsquo;I am the son of the monarch of the demi-gods, whose name is
      Jïmüt-ketu; and my name is Jïmüt-bãhan. In consequence of our Government
      being overthrown, we, father and son, have come and taken up our abode
      here.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;Again, the companion, after hearing these words, related all to the
      princess. She was much pained at heart on hearing them, and returned home;
      and at night she lay down with a load of care on her mind. But her
      companion perceiving this state of her&rsquo;s, disclosed the story to her
      mother. The queen, on hearing it, mentioned it to the king, and said,
      &lsquo;Your majesty! your daughter has become marriageable; why do you not seek
      a husband for her?&rsquo; On hearing this, the king thought the matter over in
      his mind, and that very moment summoned his son Mitrãvasu, and said, &lsquo;Son!
      seek a husband for your sister and bring him here.&rsquo; Then he spoke, saying,
      &lsquo;The king of the demi-gods, Jïmüt-ketu by name, and whose son is named
      Jïmüt-bãhan, having abandoned his kingdom, has, I hear, come here with his
      son.&rsquo; On hearing this, king Malay-ketu said, &lsquo;I will give the girl to
      Jiraüt-bãhan.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;Having said this, he bade his son go and bring Jimüt-bãhan from the
      king&rsquo;s. He, on receipt of the king&rsquo;s command, set out for that house, and,
      on arriving there, said to the father, &lsquo;Let your son accompany me, as my
      father has sent for him to bestow his daughter upon him.&rsquo; On hearing,
      this, king Jïmüt-ketu sent his son along with him, and he came here (to
      King Malay-ketu&rsquo;s house). Then King Malay-ketu celebrated his marriage
      Gandharb fashion. When his marriage had taken place, he brought the bride
      and Mitrãvasu with him to his own house. Then the three of them paid their
      respects to the king, and the king also gave them his blessing. Thus did
      that day pass.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;On the morrow&rsquo;s mom, however, the two princes went out, as soon as they
      rose, to take a walk on that mountain of Malayãgir. * On reaching the
      place, what does Jïmüt-bãhan perceive but a very lofty heap of something
      white. Thereupon he questioned his brother-in-law, saying, &lsquo;Brother! how
      is it that this white heap is seen here?&rsquo; He replied, &lsquo;Millions of young
      <i>nags</i> (or serpents with human faces) come here from the infernal
      regions; these <i>Garur</i> ** comes and devours; this heap is composed of
      their bones.&rsquo; On hearing this, Jïmüt bãhan said to his brother-in-law,
      &lsquo;Friend! you go home (alone) and take your food; for I always engage in
      worship at this hour, and the time for me to worship has now arrived.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
<pre xml:space="preserve">
     * This mountain has already been called Malayachal; the
     change of name is merely apparent, however, for achal and
     giri both signify Mil or mountain; Malaya is the actual
     name. It is a mountain south of the Narbada, and is made
     famous in Sanskrit poetry for the cool southerly breeze
     which always prevails there.

     ** Garur is a gigantic bird with a human face, said to be
     the vehicle of Vishnu. He is the elder brother of Indra,
     being the produce of the second egg laid by Banitã. This
     will account for Garur&rsquo;s possessing the power to bring
     nectar from the nether regions.
</pre>
    <p>
      &ldquo;On hearing this, he did go; and Jïmüt-bãhan having advanced further, the
      sound of weeping began to reach him. When, continuing his advance in the
      direction of the sound of the voice, he reached the spot, what does he
      behold but an old woman weeping with the burden of her trouble. He went up
      to her and asked, &lsquo;Why weepest thou, mother?&rsquo; Thereupon she said, &lsquo;To-day
      comes the turn of the serpent Sankhchür, who is my son; Garur will come
      and eat him up; it is on account of this trouble that I weep.&rsquo; He said, &lsquo;O
      mother! weep not; I will give up my life in lieu of thy son&rsquo;s.&rsquo; The old
      woman said, &lsquo;Pray do not so! <i>thou</i> art my (son) Sankhchür.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;She was saying this, when, at that moment, Sankhchür arrived; and hearing
      (her words), said, &lsquo;Your majesty! worthless wretches like myself are born
      and die in vast numbers; but a just and compassionate being like you is
      not born every day (<i>lit</i>. every hour); do not, therefore, sacrifice
      your life for mine; for, thousands of human beings will be benefited by
      your remaining alive; whereas it makes no difference whether I live or
      die.&rsquo; Then Jïmüt-bãhan said, &lsquo;It is not the way of true men to say (that
      they will do a thing) and (then) not to do it. Go thou whence thou
      camest.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;When he heard this, Shankhchur, for his part, went to pay adoration to
      Devi, and Garur descended from the sky. In the meantime, the prince
      perceived that each leg of his was as long as four bamboos, and his beak
      was as long as a palm-tree, his belly like a mountain, his eyes like
      gates, and his feathers like clouds. All at once he rushed with open beak
      upon the prince. The first time the prince saved himself; but the second
      time he flew off with him in his beak, and began wheeling upwards in the
      air. While this was going on, a bracelet, on the jewel of which the
      prince&rsquo;s name was engraved, became unfastened, and fell, all covered with
      blood, before the princess. She fell down in a swoon at the sight of it.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;When, after a few minutes, she recovered her senses, she sent word of all
      that had happened to her father and mother. They came (to her) on hearing
      of this calamity, and on seeing the ornament covered with blood, burst
      into tears. Now, the three of them set out in quest (of him), and, on the
      road, Shankhchür too joined them, and advancing beyond them, went to the
      place where he had seen the prince, and began calling out repeatedly,
      saying, &lsquo;O Garur! let him go! let him go! He is not thy food. <i>My</i>
      name is Shankchür. I am thy food.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;On hearing this, Garur descended in alarm, and thought to himself, &lsquo;I
      have eaten either a Brahman or a Kshatri; what is this I have done!&rsquo; After
      this, he said to the prince, &lsquo;O man! tell me truly; why art thou giving up
      thy life?&rsquo; The prince replied, &lsquo;O Garur! trees cast their shade over
      others; and while they themselves stand in the sun, blossom and bear fruit
      for the benefit of others. Such is the character of good men and trees.
      What is the advantage of this body if it do not come of use to others? The
      saying is well known that, The more they rub sandal-wood, the more it
      gives out its perfume; and the more they go on peeling the sugar-cane, and
      cutting it up into pieces, the more does its flavour increase; and the
      more they pass gold through the fire, the more surpassingly beautiful does
      it become. Those who are noble do not give up their natural qualities even
      on losing their lives. What matters it whether men praise them or blame
      them? What matters it whether riches abide with them or not? What does it
      signify whether they die this moment, or after a length of time? The men
      who walk in the path of rectitude place not their feet in any other path,
      happen what may. What matters it whether they are fat or lean? In fact,
      his living is bootless whose body proves of no benefit (to anyone); while
      those who live for the good of others&mdash;their living is advantageous.
      To live for the mere sake of living, is the way in which dogs and crows,
      even, cherish life. Those who lay down their lives for the sake of a
      Brahman, a cow, a friend, or a wife, nay, more, for the sake of a
      stranger, assuredly dwell in paradise for ever.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;Garur said, &lsquo;Everyone in the world cherishes his own life; and scarce,
      indeed, are those in the world who lay down their own lives to save the
      lives of others.&rsquo; After saying this, Garur added, &lsquo;Ask a boon; I am
      pleased with thy courage.&rsquo; On hearing this, Jïmüt-bãhan said, &lsquo;O god! if
      you are pleased with me, then henceforth eat no more serpents, and restore
      to life those you have eaten.&rsquo; On hearing this, Garur brought the water of
      life from the infernal regions, and sprinkled it over the bones of the
      serpents, so that they rose up alive again. And he said to him (the
      prince), &lsquo;O Jimüt-bãhan, by my favour thy lost kingdom will be restored to
      thee.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;After granting this boon, Garur departed to his own abode, and Sankhchür
      also went home; and Jïmüt-bãhan too left the place, and met his
      father-in-law and mother-in-law and wife on the road Then he came in their
      company to his father. When they heard of these circumstances, his uncle
      and cousins, and indeed all his kinsfolk, came to visit him, and after
      falling at his feet (to implore forgiveness), took him away, and placed
      him on the throne.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      After relating so much of the story, the sprite asked, &ldquo;O king! whose
      virtue was greatest among these?&rdquo; King Bïr Vikramãjït replied,
      &ldquo;Sankhchür&rsquo;s.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;How so?&rdquo; asked the sprite. The king said, &ldquo;Sankhchür, who had gone away
      (and so, got safe off,) returned to give up his life, and saved him (the
      prince) from being eaten by Garur.&rdquo; The sprite said, &ldquo;Why was not the
      virtue of him greatest, who laid down his life for another?&rdquo; The king
      replied, &ldquo;Jïmüt-bãhan was a <i>Kshatri</i> by caste. He was accustomed to
      holding his life in his hand, and hence he found it no hard matter to
      sacrifice his life.&rdquo; On hearing this, the sprite went again and hung on to
      that tree; and the king, having gone there and bound him, placed him on
      his shoulder, and carried him off.
    </p>
    <p>
      <br /><br />
    </p>
    <hr />
    <p>
      <a name="link2H_4_0020" id="link2H_4_0020"> </a>
    </p>
    <div style="height: 4em;">
      <br /><br /><br /><br />
    </div>
    <h2>
      TALE XVI.
    </h2>
    <p class="pfirst">
      <span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>he sprite said, &ldquo;Ô
      King Bir Vikramãjït! there is a. city named Chandra-shekhar, and a
      merchant named Ratandatt was an inhabitant thereof. He had one only
      daughter, whose name was Unmãdinï. When she attained to womanhood, her
      father went to the king of the place, and said, &lsquo;Your majesty! I have a
      daughter (<i>lit</i>. there is a girl in my house); if you desire to
      possess her, take her; otherwise I will give her to some one else.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;When the king heard this, he summoned two or three old servants, and said
      to them, &lsquo;Go and inspect the appearance of the merchant&rsquo;s daughter.&rsquo; They
      came to the merchant&rsquo;s house at the monarch&rsquo;s bidding, and all became
      fascinated at the sight of the girl&rsquo;s beauty,&mdash;such beauty, as if a
      brilliant light was placed in a dark house; eyes like those of a gazelle;
      plaits of hair like female snakes; eyebrows like a bow; nose like a
      parrot&rsquo;s; a set of teeth (<i>lit</i>. the set of thirty-two) like a string
      of pearls; lips like the <i>kandüri</i> throat like a pigeon&rsquo;s; waist like
      the leopard&rsquo;s; hands and feet like a tender lotus; a face like the moon, a
      complexion of the colour of the <i>champã</i>, a gait like that of a
      goose, and a voice like the cuckoo&rsquo;s; at the sight of her beauty the
      female divinities of Indra&rsquo;s paradise would feel abashed.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;On beholding beauty of this kind, so abundantly rich in all graces, they
      decided among themselves, (saying), &lsquo;If such a woman enter the king&rsquo;s
      household, the king will become her slave, and will not give a thought to
      the affairs of government. Hence, it is better to tell the king that she
      is ill-favoured, (and) not worthy of him.&rsquo; Having determined thus, they
      came thence to the king, and gave the following account:&mdash;&lsquo;We have
      seen the girl; she is not worthy of you.&rsquo; On hearing this, the king said
      to the merchant, &lsquo;I will not wed her.&rsquo; Thereupon what does the merchant do
      on returning home, but give his daughter in marriage to one Balbhadra, who
      was the commander in-chief of the king&rsquo;s army. She took up her abode in
      his house.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;It is said that, one day, the royal cavalcade passed by that way; and she
      too was standing, fully attired, on her house-top, at the moment; (and)
      her eyes and those of the monarch chanced to meet. The king began to say
      to himself, &lsquo;Is this the daughter of a god, or a female divinity, or the
      daughter of a human being?&rsquo; The short of it is, he was fascinated at the
      sight of her beauty, and returned thence to his palace in a state of
      extreme agitation. The warder, on beholding his countenance, said, &lsquo;Your
      majesty! what bodily pain are you suffering from?&rsquo; The monarch replied,
      &lsquo;While coming along the road to-day I saw a beautiful woman on a
      house-top. I know not whether she is a houri, or a fairy, or a human
      being; but her beauty drove my mind distracted all at once; and hence (it
      is that) I am agitated.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;On hearing this, the door-keeper said, &lsquo;Your majesty! she is the daughter
      of that same merchant (who offered his daughter to you). Balbbadra, your
      majesty&rsquo;s commander-in-chief, has brought her home as his wife/ The king
      said, &lsquo;Those whom I sent to see her appearance have deceived me,&rsquo; After
      saying this, the king ordered the mace-bearer to bring those persons
      before him without delay. On receiving this order from the king, the
      mace-bearer went and brought them. In short, when they came before the
      king, his majesty said, &lsquo;The errand on which I sent you, and that which
      was the desire of my heart&mdash;these things you failed to accomplish; on
      the contrary, you fabricated a false story, and gave it to me as an
      answer. Now, to-day, I have seen her with my own eyes. She is so beautiful
      a woman, rich in all distinguishing qualities, that it would be difficult
      to meet with her equal in these times.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;On hearing this, they said, &lsquo;What your majesty says is true; but
      graciously listen to the object we had in view in representing her to your
      majesty as ill-favoured. We decided among ourselves that, if so beautiful
      a woman enter the royal household, your majesty would become her slave on
      the instant of beholding her, and would neglect all the affairs of the
      State, and so the kingdom would go to ruin. It was in consequence of this
      apprehension that we invented such a story, and laid it before you.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;When he heard this, the king <i>said</i> to them, &lsquo;You speak the truth;&rsquo;
      but he experienced the greatest uneasiness thinking of her. Now, the
      king&rsquo;s distress of mind was known to everyone, when, at the moment,
      Balbhadra, too, arrived, and putting his hands together (in humble
      supplication), stood before the king, and said, &lsquo;O lord of &lsquo;the earth! I
      am your servant, she is your hand-maid, and you to suffer so much pain on
      her account! Be pleased, therefore, to give the order that she may be
      brought before you.&rsquo; On hearing these words, the king said very angrily,
      &lsquo;It is a grievous wrong to approach another&rsquo;s wife! What is this thou hast
      said to me? What! am I a lawless wretch, that I should commit an infamous
      deed! The wife of another is as a mother, and the wealth of another is on
      a par with mud. Hear me, brother! As a man regards his own heart, so
      should he regard the hearts of others.&rsquo; Balbhadra spoke again, saying,
      &lsquo;She is my servant. When I give her to your majesty, how can she any
      longer be the wife of another?&rsquo; The king replied; &lsquo;I will not commit an
      act whereby reproach would attach to me in the world.&rsquo; The
      commander-in-chief said again, &lsquo;Your majesty! I will turn her out of the
      house, and place her somewhere else, and after making a prostitute of her,
      will bring her to you.&rsquo; Thereupon the monarch said, &lsquo;If thou makest a
      harlot of a virtuous woman I will punish thee severely.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;After saying this, the king pined at the recollection of her, and, in the
      course of ten days, died. Then the commander-in-chief, Balbhadra, went and
      asked his spiritual teacher, &lsquo;My master has died for the sake of Unmadini;
      what is it right for me to do now? Favour me with your commands in this
      matter.&rsquo; He said, &lsquo;It is the duty of a servant to give up his life also
      after his master&rsquo;s.&rsquo; This servant gladly went to the place where they had
      conveyed the king for cremation. During the time in which the king&rsquo;s
      funeral pile was got ready, he, too, had quitted himself of his ablutions
      and devotions; and when they lighted the pile, he too drew near the pile,
      and raising his joined hands to the sun, began to say, &lsquo;O Sun-deity! in
      thought, word and deed, I solicit the gratification of this desire, viz.,
      that at every successive birth I may meet with this same master, and (for
      this) hymn your praises.&rsquo; Having uttered this, he bowed in adoration, and
      leaped into the fire.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;When Unmãdini received this intelligence, she went to her spiritual
      teacher, and telling him all, asked, saying, &lsquo;Your highness! what is the
      duty of a wife?&rsquo; He replied, &lsquo;It is by doing her duty to him to whom her
      father and mother have given her that she is termed a woman of good
      family; and it is thus written in the book of law, viz.&mdash;The woman
      who in her husband&rsquo;s lifetime practises austerities and fasting, shortens
      the life of her husband, and is finally cast into hell-But the best thing
      is this, that a woman by doing her duty to her husband, no matter how
      wanting he may be, secures her own salvation. Moreover, the woman who
      entertains the desire to sacrifice herself for her husband in the
      burning-ground, most undoubtedly derives as much benefit from as many
      steps as she takes towards this as would be derived from an equal number
      of horse-sacrifices. * Further, there is no virtue equal to that of a
      woman&rsquo;s sacrificing herself for her husband on the funeral pile.&rsquo; On
      hearing this, she made her salutation, and returned home; and after
      bathing, and performing her devotions, and giving large gifts to Brahmans,
      went to the funeral pile, and going once round to the right in adoration,
      said, &lsquo;O Lord! I am Thy servant in each succeeding birth.&rsquo; Having said
      this, she, too, went and seated herself in the fire, and was consumed.&rdquo;
     </p>
<pre xml:space="preserve">
     * The ashwamedha, or horse-sacrifice, is one performed by
     powerful kings alone, as it involves a vast expense. It is
     regarded as of the highest efficacy, and as far excelling
     all ordinary sacrifices.
</pre>
    <p>
      After relating so much of the story, the sprite said, &ldquo;O king! whose
      virtue was greatest of these three?&rdquo; King Bir Vikramãjït replied, &ldquo;The
      king&rsquo;s.&rdquo; The sprite said, &ldquo;How so?&rdquo; The king replied, &ldquo;He left alone the
      wife given to him by the commander-in-chief, while he sacrificed his life
      on her account, and yet preserved his virtue. It behoves a servant to lay
      down his life for his master; and it is right for a wife to sacrifice
      herself for her lord. Therefore the virtue of the king was greatest.&rdquo;
       Having heard these words, the sprite went and hung on to that same tree.
      The king, too, followed him, and again bound him, and placed him on his
      shoulder, and carried him away.
    </p>
    <p>
      <br /><br />
    </p>
    <hr />
    <p>
      <a name="link2H_4_0021" id="link2H_4_0021"> </a>
    </p>
    <div style="height: 4em;">
      <br /><br /><br /><br />
    </div>
    <h2>
      TALE XVII.
    </h2>
    <p class="pfirst">
      <span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>he sprite said,
      &ldquo;Your majesty! there was a king of Ujjain, named Mahãsain; and an
      inhabitant of that place was a Brahman, Devasharmã, whose son&rsquo;s name was
      Gunãkar. He (the son) turned out a great gambler; so much so that he lost
      at play all the wealth the Brahman possessed. Thereupon all the members of
      the family turned Gunãkar out of house and home. And he could not help
      himself in any way; (so) having no other resource, he took his departure
      from the place, and in several days&rsquo; time came to a certain city. What
      does he see there but a devotee sitting over a fire, and inhaling smoke by
      way of penance. After saluting him, he, too, sat down there. The devotee
      asked him, &lsquo;Wilt thou eat anything?&rsquo; He replied, &lsquo;Your highness! of course
      I will eat, if you give me (something).&rsquo; The devotee filled a human skull
      with food and brought it to him. On seeing it he said, &lsquo;I&rsquo;ll not eat food
      out of this skull.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;When he did not partake of the food, the ascetic repeated such an
      incantation, that a fairy * appeared before him with joined hands, and
      said, &lsquo;Your highness! I will execute any command you may give me.&rsquo; The
      ascetic said, &lsquo;Give this Brahman whatever food he desires.&rsquo; On hearing
      this, she built a very fine house, and furnishing it with all comforts,
      took him away with her from that place, and seating him on a stool, placed
      various kinds of condiments and meats, by dishfuls, before him. He ate
      whatever he liked to his heart&rsquo;s content. Again, after this, she placed
      the pãn-box before him, and after rubbing down saffron and sandal in
      rose-water, applied (the mixture) to his body. Farther, she clothed him in
      garments scented with sweet perfumes, threw a garland of flowers round his
      neck, and bringing him away thence, seated him on a bed. Now while this
      was taking place it became evening, and she, too, having first decked
      herself out, went and sat on the bed, and the Brahman passed the whole
      night in pleasure and enjoyment.&rdquo;
     </p>
<pre xml:space="preserve">
     * Yakshani is a female Yakshã, or kind of demi-god,
     attendant on Kuvera, the god of wealth.
</pre>
    <p>
      &ldquo;When morn arrived, the fairy went away to her own place, and he came to
      the devotee and said, &lsquo;Master! she&rsquo;s gone away; what shall I do now?&rsquo; The
      ascetic said, &lsquo;She came through the power of magic art, and abides near
      him who possesses the art.&rsquo; He replied, &lsquo;Impart this art to me, your
      highness! that I may practise it.&rsquo; Then the devotee gave him a charm, and
      said, &lsquo;Practise this charm for forty days, at midnight, sitting in water,
      and with a steadfast mind.&rsquo; Thus used he to go to practise the charm,
      while many and various frightful objects appeared in view; but he felt no
      alarm at any of them. When the time expired, he came to the devotee and
      said, &lsquo;Your highness! I come from practising (the charm) for the number of
      days you prescribed.&rsquo; He said, &lsquo;Now practise it for that number of days,
      sitting in fire.&rsquo; He replied, &lsquo;Master! I will go and pay a visit to my
      family, and then return and practise it.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;After saying this to the devotee, he took leave and went home; and when
      his relations saw him, they embraced him and commenced weeping; while his
      father said, &lsquo;O Gunãkar; where have you been so many days, and why did you
      forget your home! O my son, it is said that, he who leaves a faithful wife
      and lives apart, and turns his back on a youthful woman, or he who does
      not care for one who loves him, is on a level with the lowest * of the
      low. It is said, farther, that no virtue equals the domestic virtues, and
      no woman in the world imparts happiness equal to that which the mistress
      of one&rsquo;s house imparts; and those who slight their parents are impious
      men, and their future state will never, never be one of salvation; thus
      has Brahma declared.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
<pre xml:space="preserve">
     * Lit,&mdash;Is equal to a chandil, or man of the lowest of the
     mixed tribes.
</pre>
    <p>
      &ldquo;On this <i>Gunãkar</i> spoke, saying, &lsquo;This body is composed of flesh and
      blood, which same is food for worms; and its nature is such that, if you
      neglect it for a day, a fetid smell proceeds from it. Fools are they who
      feel affection for such a body, and wise are they who set not their heart
      on it. Further, it is of the nature of this body that it is repeatedly
      born and destroyed. What dependence can one place on such a body! Cleanse
      it ever so much, it does not become clean; just as an earthen vessel,
      filled with filth, does not become clean by washing the outer surface; or
      however much one washes charcoal, it does not become white. Again, by what
      means can that body become clean, in which the fount of impurity is
      never-failing?&rsquo; Having said so much, he spoke again, saying, &lsquo;Whose father
      (is one)? Whose mother? Whose wife? Whose brother? * The way of this world
      is such, that numbers come and numbers depart. Those who offer sacrifices
      and burnt-offerings consider Agni (fire) their god; while those who are
      deficient in understanding make an image and worship it as god; but the
      class of ascetics regard god as in their very bodies. I will not practise
      such domestic duties (as those you have mentioned), but will practise
      religious meditation.&rsquo;&rdquo; ** &ldquo;Having said this, he bid adieu to his kindred,
      and came where the devotee was, and practised the charm, seated in fire.
      The fairy, however, did not come. Then he went to the devotee, and the
      devotee said to him, &lsquo;Hast thou not acquired the art?&rsquo; Thereupon he said,
      &lsquo;Just so, Master! I have not acquired it!&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
<pre xml:space="preserve">
     * This may also be rendered, &ldquo;Who has a father,&rdquo; &amp;c.

     ** Yogãbhyãs may mean, either &ldquo;the particular practice of
     devotion by which union with God is supposed to be
     obtained,&rdquo; or &ldquo;the practice of the magic art.&rdquo;
 </pre>
    <p>
      &ldquo;Having related so much of the story, the sprite said, &lsquo;Say, O king! why
      did he not acquire the art?&rsquo; The king replied, saying, &lsquo;The practiser was
      of two minds, (i e., did not give his undivided attention to the task),
      and hence he failed to acquire it. And it is said that a spell is
      perfected by (the operator&rsquo;s) being of one mind (or by his giving his
      entire mind to it), and does not succeed on his thoughts being divided.
      Further, it is also said that those who are wanting in liberality do not
      obtain celebrity; and those who lack truthfulness are without shame; those
      who are wanting in justice do not acquire wealth; and those who lack
      meditation do not find God.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;When the sprite heard this he said, &lsquo;How can the operator who sat in fire
      to work his spell be termed two-minded?&rsquo; The king replied, &lsquo;When, at the
      time of practising the spell, he went to visit his family, the devotee
      said to himself in vexation, &lsquo;Why did I teach the magic art to so
      vacillating an operator?&rsquo; and it was in consequence of this that he did
      not acquire the art. And it is said, that however much a man may exert
      himself, destiny attends him all the same; and whatever number of things
      he may achieve by force of his intellect, he, nevertheless, obtains that
      alone which fate has recorded.&rdquo; On hearing this the sprite went again and
      hung on to that tree; and the king, too, followed him, and having bound
      him, and placed him on his shoulder, took him away.
    </p>
    <p>
      <br /><br />
    </p>
    <hr />
    <p>
      <a name="link2H_4_0022" id="link2H_4_0022"> </a>
    </p>
    <div style="height: 4em;">
      <br /><br /><br /><br />
    </div>
    <h2>
      TALE XVIII.
    </h2>
    <p class="pfirst">
      <span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>he sprite said,
      &ldquo;Your majesty! There was a city named Kubalpur, the name of the king of
      which was Sudakshi. Now, a merchant named Dhanãkshi used also to live in
      that city, and he had a daughter whose name was Dhanvati. He gave her in
      marriage in her childhood to a merchant named Gauridatt. After a
      considerable time she had a girl, whom she named Mohani. When she attained
      to some years, her father died, and the merchant&rsquo;s kinsfolk seized all his
      property. She, in her helplessness, left the house in the darkness of the
      night, and taking her daughter with her, set out for the house of her
      parents.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;After proceeding but a short distance, she lost the road, and came upon a
      burning-ground, where a thief was stretched upon an impaling-stake. Her
      hand quite unexpectedly came in contact with his foot. He called out, &lsquo;Who
      is it that put me to pain just now?&rsquo; On this she replied, &lsquo;I have not
      willingly inflicted pain on you forgive my fault.&rsquo; He said, &lsquo;No one gives
      either pain or pleasure to another; according as the Creator decrees one&rsquo;s
      fate shall be, so he experiences; and those who affirm that they did such
      and such things, are very unwise; for men are fixed to the cord of fate,
      which draws them after it whithersoever it pleases. The ways of the
      Creator are utterly inscrutable; for men propose a thing to themselves,
      and He brings something quite different to pass.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;On hearing this, Dhanvati said, &lsquo;O man! who art thou?&rsquo; He replied, &lsquo;I am
      a thief; this is my third day on the impaling-stake, and life will not
      quit the body.&rsquo; She said, &lsquo;For what reason?&rsquo; He replied, saying, &lsquo;I am
      unmarried; if thou wilt give me thy daughter in marriage, I will give thee
      ten millions of gold-mohurs.&rsquo; It is notorious that greediness of gain is
      the root of all evil, pleasure the source of pain, and love the source of
      sorrow. Whoever keeps clear of these three lives happy. It is not every
      one, however, who can give them up. Eventually, Dhanvati, through greed,
      became willing to give him her daughter, and asked, &lsquo;It is my desire that
      thou shouldst have a son; but how can this be?&rsquo; He replied, saying, &lsquo;when
      she attains to womanhood, send for a handsome Brahman, and give him five
      hundred gold-mohurs, and place her with him; thus will she have a son.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;When she heard this, Dhanvati married the girl to him by giving her four
      turns round the stake. Then the thief said to her, &lsquo;There is a banyan-tree
      near a large well of masonry to the east of this; the gold-mohurs lie
      buried beneath it; go thou and take them.&rsquo; He said this, and died. She
      went in the direction indicated, and on arriving there, took a few
      gold-mohurs from those buried» and came to her parents&rsquo; house. After
      relating her story to them, she brought them with her to her husband&rsquo;s
      land. Then she built a large house and began living in it; and the girl
      increased in stature daily.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;When she had become a woman, she was standing one day with a female
      companion on the house-top, and casting her eyes along the road, while
      just at that moment a young Brahman passed that way, and she, at the sight
      of him, was smitten with love, and said to her friend, &lsquo;O my friend! bring
      this man to my mother.&rsquo; On hearing this, she went and brought the Brahman
      to her mother. She said, on seeing him, &lsquo;O Brahman! my daughter is young;
      if thou wilt lie with her, I will give thee a hundred gold-mohurs for a
      son.&rsquo; On hearing this, he said, &lsquo;I will do so.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;Whilst they were conversing thus, evening came on. They gave him food to
      his mind, and he supped. It is a well known saying that enjoyment is of
      eight kinds,&mdash;1. Perfume; 2. Woman; 3. Apparel; 4. Song; 5. <i>Pan</i>;
      6. Food; 7. The couch; 8. Ornaments. All these existed there. To be brief,
      when the first watch of the night was at hand (or, was nigh passed), he
      repaired to the nuptial chamber, and spent the whole night in pleasure and
      enjoyment with her. When it became morning, he went home, and she arose
      and came to her companions. Then one of them enquired, &lsquo;Say! What
      pleasures did you enjoy with your love in the night?&rsquo; She replied, &lsquo;When I
      went and sat near him, a kind of tremour made itself felt in my heart;
      (but) when he smiled and took hold of my hand, I was quite overcome, and
      no consciousness of what took place remained to me. And it is said that if
      a husband be&mdash;1. possessed of renown; 2. brave; 3. clever; 4. a
      chief; 5. liberal; 6. endowed with good qualities; 7. a protector of his
      wife,&mdash;such a man a wife never forgets even in the world to come,
      much less in this world.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;The gist of the story is, that on that very night she conceived. When the
      full time came, a boy was born. On the sixth night, the mother saw in a
      vision an ascetic, with matted hair on his head, a shining moon on his
      forehead, ashes of burnt cow-dung rubbed over him, wearing a white
      Brahminical thread, seated on a white lotus, wearing a necklace of white
      snakes, with a string of skulls thrown round his neck, and with a skull in
      one hand and a trident in the other, thus assuming a most terrifying
      appearance, come before her, and begin to say, &lsquo;To-morrow, at midnight,
      place a bag of one thousand gold-mohurs in a large basket, and enclosing
      this boy therein, leave it at the gate of the palace.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;As soon as she saw this, her eyes opened. And on its becoming morning,
      she told all the circumstances to her mother. When her mother heard this,
      she, on the following day, put the boy in a basket in the very manner
      directed, and left him at the king&rsquo;s gate. Now, here (at the palace) the
      king saw an apparition with ten arms, five heads, each head having three
      eyes in it, and a moon upon it, very large teeth, a trident in his hand&mdash;a
      most terrifying form, which came before him and said, &lsquo;O king! a basket is
      placed at thy door; bring away the child that is in it; he it is who will
      maintain thy dominion.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;As soon as the king heard this, his eyes opened. He then related the
      whole affair to the queen. After that, rising up thence, and coming to the
      door, he perceived the basket placed there. On the instant of opening the
      basket and peering into it, he beheld a boy and a bag of one thousand
      gold-mohurs in it. He took up the child himself, and told the door-keepers
      to bring in the bag. He then went into the female apartments, and placed
      the child on the queen&rsquo;s lap.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;By this time the day broke. The king came out, and summoning the sages
      and astrologers, questioned them, saying, &lsquo;Tell me, what marks of royalty
      are perceptible in this child?&rsquo; Thereupon one of the sages, who was
      acquainted with the science of interpreting the spots on the human body,
      spoke, saying, &lsquo;Your majesty! three marks are distinctly perceived on this
      child; 1. a broad chest; 2. a high forehead; 3. a large face; in addition
      to these, your majesty! the whole thirty-two marks which are assigned to
      man exist in this one. Have no apprehensions on his account; he will rule
      over the kingdom.&rsquo; On hearing this, the king was pleased, and taking off a
      chaplet of pearls from his own neck, presented it to that Brahman; and
      after giving large gifts to all the Brahmans, he bade them name the child.
      Then the sages said, &lsquo;Your majesty! be pleased to sit down with the queen
      fastened to you; let her majesty sit with the child in her lap; and summon
      all the musicians, singers, and others employed on festive occasions, and
      cause rejoicings to take place; then will we give him a name after the
      manner prescribed by the sacred writings.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;When the monarch heard this, he ordered his minister to do whatever they
      bid him. The minister had rejoicings for the birth of the child forthwith
      proclaimed throughout the city. On hearing this, all the professional
      rejoicers were in attendance, and congratulatory songs rung forth from
      every home; festive music began to strike up in the king&rsquo;s palace, and
      rejoicing to take place. Then the king and the queen, with the child in
      her lap, came and sat within a square filled with coloured meal, perfumes,
      and sweetmeats, and the Brahmans began reading the scriptures. An
      astrologer from among the Brahmans, having first determined the auspicious
      planetary conjunction and time, named the child Hardatti After that, he
      grew daily. At length, at the age of nine years, he finished the study of
      the six learned volumes, and fourteen sciences, and became a profound
      scholar. In the meantime, according to what was willed by God, it happened
      that his father and mother died. He ascended the throne, and began to
      govern justly.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;After, several years, the king one day thought to himself, &lsquo;What have I
      done for my parents in return for being born in their family? The saying
      is that,&mdash;Those who are compassionate, deal compassionately with all;
      they it is who are wise, and to them it is that Paradise is allotted. And
      the gifts, worship, religious penances, pilgrimages, and listening to the
      scriptures of those who are not pure of heart, is all in vain. And those
      who perform the funeral ceremonies and worship of the Manes without faith,
      and in pride, derive no advantage thereby, and so, their fathers go with
      their desires unfulfilled.&rsquo; Reflecting and pondering on this matter, the
      king decided that he ought now to perform the funeral ceremonies of his
      fathers. Thereupon King Hardatt proceeded to Gayã, and on arriving there,
      invoked the names of his fathers, and began offering oblations * to them
      on the bank of the River Phalgü, when the hands of all three ** came up
      out of the river. He was troubled in mind on seeing this, wondering to
      which of the hands he should give (the oblations), and to which not.&rdquo;
     </p>
<pre xml:space="preserve">
     * These oblations consist of balls (pind) or lumps of meat,
     or rice mixed up with milk, curds, flowers, &amp;c.

     ** That is the thief&rsquo;s, the Brahman&rsquo;s who begat him, and the
     king&rsquo;s who adopted him. The Hindus believe that when a son
     performs the ceremony in question, the father is permitted
     to come from the other world and receive the oblation.
</pre>
    <p>
      Having reached this stage of the story, the sprite said, &ldquo;O King Vikram!
      to which of the three was it right to give the oblations?&rdquo; Then the king
      said, &ldquo;To the thief.&rdquo; The sprite said again, &ldquo;For what reason?&rdquo; Thereupon
      he (the king) said, &ldquo;The seed of the Brahman had been bought; and the king
      took a thousand gold mohurs and brought up the boy; and therefore neither
      of these two had any right to the oblation.&rdquo; On hearing these words, the
      sprite went again and hung on to that tree, and the king carried him away
      bound from thence.
    </p>
    <p>
      <br /><br />
    </p>
    <hr />
    <p>
      <a name="link2H_4_0023" id="link2H_4_0023"> </a>
    </p>
    <div style="height: 4em;">
      <br /><br /><br /><br />
    </div>
    <h2>
      TALE XIX.
    </h2>
    <p class="pfirst">
      <span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>he sprite said, &ldquo;O
      king! there is a city named Chitraküt, the king of which was Rupdatt. One
      day he mounted his horse and went forth alone to hunt; and, having lost
      his way, got into a great forest. What does he see on going there but a
      large tank, in which lotuses were flowering, and various kinds of birds
      were sporting. On all four sides of the tank cool and perfume-laden
      breezes were blowing under the shade of the dense foliage of the trees.
      He, for his part, was overcome with the heat, (so) he tied his horse to a
      tree, and spread the saddle-cloth, and sat down. A half-hour or so had
      passed when the daughter of a holy sage, very beautiful, and in the prime
      of youth, came to gather flowers. Seeing her plucking the flowers, the
      king became deeply enamoured. When she was returning to her abode, after
      gathering the flowers, the king said, &lsquo;What conduct is this of yours, for
      you not to attend to me when I have come as a guest to your abode?&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;On hearing this she stood still again. Then the king said, &lsquo;They say that
      if one of low caste come as a guest to the house of one of the highest
      caste, even he is entitled to respect; and whether he be a thief, or an
      outcast, or an enemy, or a parricide,&mdash;if such a one even comes to
      one&rsquo;s house, it is right to show him honour; for a guest is more to be
      honoured than anyone else.&rsquo; When the king spoke thus, she stood still.
      Then, in truth, the two began to ogle one another. In the meantime the
      holy sage also came up. The king saluted the devotee on seeing him, and he
      (in return) blessed him, saying, &lsquo;May you live long.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;Having said so much, he asked the king, &lsquo;Why have you come here?&rsquo; He
      replied, &lsquo;Your holiness I I have come a hunting.&rsquo; He said, &lsquo;Why dost thou
      commit a great sin? It is said that one man commits a sin and many men
      reap the fruits thereof.&rsquo; The king said, &lsquo;Your holiness! kindly favour me
      with your judgment of right and wrong.&rsquo; Thereupon the sage said, &lsquo;Attend,
      your majesty! A great wrong is done in killing an animal that lives in the
      forest, supporting itself on grass * and water; and it is a very
      meritorious act in man to cherish beasts and birds. It is said, moreover,
      that those who render unapprehensive the timid and refuge-seeking, receive
      the reward of those who are most liberal givers. It is also said, that no
      religious austerity equals forbearance, and no happiness equals that of
      contentment, and no wealth equals friendship, and there is no virtue like
      mercy. Moreover, those men who are conscious of their duties, and show no
      pride on acquiring riches, accomplishments, learning, renown, or
      supremacy; and those who are content with their own wives, and are
      truth-speakers&mdash;such men obtain, final salvation hereafter. And those
      who kill ascetics with matted hair, and without clothes and arms,
      experience the torments of hell at the last. And the king who does not
      punish the oppressors of his subjects, he also experiences the torments of
      hell. And those who have carnal intercourse with a king&rsquo;s wife, or the
      wife or daughter of a friend, or with a woman eight or nine months
      advanced in pregnancy&mdash;they are cast into the (lowest and) greatest
      hell of all. Thus is it declared in the book of law and religion.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
<pre xml:space="preserve">
     * The text has tant by mistake, for trin.
</pre>
    <p>
      &ldquo;On hearing this, the monarch said, &lsquo;The sins which I have heretofore
      committed in ignorance are done, and are beyond recall; henceforth, God
      willing, I will not commit such again.&rsquo; The holy sage was pleased at the
      king&rsquo;s speaking thus, and said &lsquo;I will grant thee any boon thou may&rsquo;st ask
      for; I am highly pleased with thee.&rsquo; Then the king spoke, saying, &lsquo;Your
      holiness! if you are pleased with me, give me your daughter.&rsquo; When the
      sage heard this, he married his daughter to the king, after the manner of
      Gandharb marriages, and departed to his own place. Then the king took the
      saint&rsquo;s daughter and set out for his capital. On the road, about mid-way,
      the sun set and the moon rose. Then the king, seeing a shady tree,
      alighted beneath it, and tying the horse to its root, spread his
      saddle-covering and lay down along with her. Thereupon, at the hour of
      midnight, a Brahman-devouring demon came and awoke the king, saying, &lsquo;O
      king! I will devour thy wife.&rsquo; The king said, &lsquo;Act not so; whatever thou
      askest for, I will grant.&rsquo; Then the demon said, &lsquo;O king! if thou wilt cut
      off the head of a Brahman&rsquo;s son seven years&rsquo; old, and give it to me with
      thine own hand, I will not eat her.&rsquo; The king replied, &lsquo;Even so will I do;
      but do thou come to me seven days hence in my capital, and I will give it
      thee.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;Having bound the king by a promise thus, the demon departed to his own
      place; and on the morn arriving, the king also left and came to his
      palace. The minister hearing of it (i e., the king&rsquo;s arrival) made great
      rejoicings, and came and presented gifts; and the king, after telling the
      minister of the adventure (with the demon), asked, &lsquo;Say, what expedient
      shall we adopt in the matter, for the demon will come on the seventh day?&rsquo;
      The minister said, &lsquo;Your majesty! feel no anxiety whatever; God will make
      all right.&rsquo; After saying so much, the minister had an image made of a
      maund and a quarter of gold, and jewels studded therein, and having it
      placed on a cart, and (conveyed away, and) set up at a point where four
      roads met, he said to the keepers thereof, &lsquo;If any persons come to look at
      this, say to them that any Brahman who will allow the king to cut off the
      head of a seven-year-old son of his may take possession of this.&rsquo; Having
      said this, he came away. Thereupon the keepers used to say this to those
      who came to look at it (the image).&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;Two days passed away without any result. On the third day, however, a
      weakly Brahman, who had three sons, hearing of this matter, came home and
      began saying to his wife, &lsquo;If thou wilt give a son of thine to the king
      for a sacrifice, an image of a maund and a quarter of gold, and studded
      with jewels, will come into the house.&rsquo; On hearing this, his wife said, &lsquo;I
      will not give the youngest son.&rsquo; The Brahman said, &lsquo;The eldest I will not
      part with.&rsquo; When the second son heard this, he said, &lsquo;Father! give me up.&rsquo;
      He replied, &lsquo;Very well.&rsquo; Then the Brahman spoke again, saying, &lsquo;Wealth it
      is which is the source of all happiness in this world. Now, what happiness
      can reach him who lacks wealth? and if one be poor, his coming into the
      world is useless.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;Having said this, he took the second son, and gave him up to the guards,
      and brought away the image to his house; and the people, for their part,
      took the boy to the minister. Further, when seven days passed away, the
      demon, too, came. The king took sandal, unbroken rice, flowers, perfumes,
      lamps, food for the deity, fruits and betel-leaf, and paid adoration to
      him; and, summoning the boy, took his sword in his hand, and stood ready
      to sacrifice him. Thereupon the boy first laughed, and then wept. While he
      was doing this, the king struck him a blow with the sword, so that his
      head was severed (from his body). True it is, as the sages have said,&mdash;Woman
      is the source (<i>lit</i>. mine) of misery in the world, the abode of
      imprudence * (or immorality), the destroyer of courage (or daring), and
      the occasioner of infatuation, (and) the bereaver of virtue. Who has
      pronounced such a source (<i>lit</i>, root) of venom to be the highest
      good? Again, it is said,&mdash;Store up wealth against adversity, and
      disburse wealth to guard your wife, and give up wealth and wife to save
      your own life.&rdquo;
     </p>
<pre xml:space="preserve">
     * The only meanings assigned to binti in the vocabulary are,
     &ldquo;submission,&rdquo; &ldquo;respects,&rdquo; &ldquo;solicitation,&rdquo; none of which seem
     to apply here. Deriving the word from the Sanskrit vi-nïti,
     I prefer giving it the signification I have done.
</pre>
    <p>
      Having related so much of the story, the sprite said, &ldquo;Your majesty! a man
      weeps at the moment of dying; will you account for this,&mdash;Why did he
      (the boy) laugh?&rdquo; The monarch replied, &ldquo;He laughed at the thought of this,&mdash;viz.,
      That in infancy a mother protects (her child), and on his growing up the
      father cherishes him; (and) in both good and bad times a king befriends
      his subjects,&mdash;Such is the way of the world; whereas, my predicament
      is such that my father and mother have delivered me over to the king
      through greed of wealth, and he stands, sword in hand, ready to slay me,
      and the demon desires a sacrifice; no single one of them feels (a spark
      of) pity.&rdquo; On hearing this, the sprite went and hung on to that same tree;
      and the king also speedily arrived there, and binding him, placed him on
      his shoulder, and carried him off.
    </p>
    <p>
      <br /><br />
    </p>
    <hr />
    <p>
      <a name="link2H_4_0024" id="link2H_4_0024"> </a>
    </p>
    <div style="height: 4em;">
      <br /><br /><br /><br />
    </div>
    <h2>
      TALE XX.
    </h2>
    <p class="pfirst">
      <span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>he sprite said, &ldquo;O
      king! there is a city named Bishalpur, the king of which was named
      Bipuleshwar. In his city lived a merchant whose name was Arthdatt, and his
      daughter&rsquo;s name was Anaug-manjari. He had married her to a merchant of
      Kanwalpur, named Munni. Some days after, the merchant crossed the ocean on
      a mercantile venture; and when she attained to womanhood here (at home),
      she was standing one day in the pavilion, and observing what was going on
      in the road, when at that moment a Brahman&rsquo;s son named Kamalãkar was
      coming along. The eyes of the pair met, and they became enamoured of each
      other at first sight. Again, after a quarter of an hour or so, recovering
      self-possession, the Brahman&rsquo;s son, in the restlessness consequent on
      separation from his beloved, proceeded to the house of his friend; and
      here she, too, was in extreme distress through the pain of separation from
      him, when, in the meantime, a female companion came and took her up; she
      had, however, no self-consciousness remaining. Then she (the companion)
      sprinkled rose-water (over her) and made her smell perfumes, and while so
      doing, her senses returned, and she said, &lsquo;O Cupid! Mahãdeva burnt thee to
      ashes, * and yet thou wilt not desist from thy knavish tricks, but comest
      and inflictest pain on innocent, feeble women.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
<pre xml:space="preserve">
     * Mahãdeva, or hiva, was once engaged in religious
     meditation, when Kamdeva, or Cupid, excited amorous desires
     within his breast; whereupon the angry god reduced him to
     ashes by a fiery glance. The curious reader will find a
     detailed account of the circumstance in the fifty-sixth
     Chapter of the Prem Sagar.
</pre>
    <p>
      &ldquo;She was uttering these words, when evening came on, and the moon
      appeared. Then she said, while gazing at the moonlight, &lsquo;O moon! I used to
      be told that the water of life is in you, and that you shed it in your
      beams; to-day, however, even you have begun to pour down venom.&rsquo; She then
      said to her companion, &lsquo;Take me up, and lead me away from this place, for
      I am being burnt to death by the moonlight.&rsquo; Thereupon she raised her and
      took her to the pavilion, and said, &lsquo;Dost thou feel no shame at uttering
      such words?&rsquo; Then she said, &lsquo;O friend! I am fully aware of all; but Cupid
      has wounded me, and rendered me void of shame; and I make great efforts to
      be patient, but the more I continue to be consumed with the fire of
      separation, the more venom-like does home appear to me.&rsquo; The companion
      said, &lsquo;Keep thy mind at ease; I will relieve thee of all thy suffering.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;Having said thus much, the companion went home, and she (the love-lorn)
      determined in her mind that she would quit this body for his sake, and,
      being born again, enjoy life well with him. With this longing in her mind,
      she threw a noose on her neck, and was about drawing it tight, when the
      companion arrived, and instantly taking the rope off her neck, said,
      &lsquo;Everything can be attained by living, not by dying.&rsquo; She replied, &lsquo;Better
      is it to die than suffer such pain.&rsquo; The companion said, &lsquo;Repose awhile,
      and I will go and bring him.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;Having said this, she went to the place where Kamalãkar was, and taking a
      secret look at him, perceived that he also was much disturbed by the
      separation from his beloved, while his friend was rubbing down sandal in
      rose water and applying it to his body, and fanning him with tender leaves
      of the plantain-tree; despite which, he was crying out all aflame (with
      passion) and saying to his friend, &lsquo;Bring me poison, I will sacrifice my
      life and be released from this suffering. Observing this state of his, she
      said to herself, &lsquo;However courageous, learned, sagacious, discreet, and
      patient a man may be, Cupid reduces him to a state of distraction all the
      same.&rsquo; These thoughts having passed through her mind, the companion said
      to him, &lsquo;O Kamalãkar! Anangmanjari has sent word to thee to come and
      bestow life on her.&rsquo; He replied, &lsquo;She, indeed, has given life to me.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;After saying this, he rose up, and the companion went to her (the
      love-sick maiden), taking him along with her. When he got there, lo! she
      was lying dead! Thereupon he also uttered a cry of anguish, and therewith
      his spirit fled. And when it became morning, her household took both of
      them to the burning-ground, and arranging the pile, placed them thereon
      and set fire to it, when, in the meantime, her husband also arrived at the
      burning-ground, on his return from abroad. Then, hearing the sound of the
      people&rsquo;s weeping, he went there, and what does he behold but his wife
      burning with a strange man! He, also, being distracted with love, burnt
      himself ta death in the same fire. The people of the city, hearing this
      intelligence, began saying one to another, &lsquo;Neither has eye seen, nor ear
      heard of so wonderful an event!&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      After relating so much of the story, the sprite said, &ldquo;O king! whose love,
      of these three, was greatest?&rdquo; The king said, &ldquo;Her husband was the deepest
      lover.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;Why?&rdquo; said the sprite. The king replied, &ldquo;He, who, on seeing his wife
      dead for another&rsquo;s sake, put aside anger, and cheerfully laid down his
      life through love for her&mdash;he is the deepest lover.&rdquo; Hearing these
      words, the sprite went again and hung on to that tree. The king, too, went
      there, bound him, placed him on his shoulder, and carried him off.
    </p>
    <p>
      <br /><br />
    </p>
    <hr />
    <p>
      <a name="link2H_4_0025" id="link2H_4_0025"> </a>
    </p>
    <div style="height: 4em;">
      <br /><br /><br /><br />
    </div>
    <h2>
      TALE XXI.
    </h2>
    <p class="pfirst">
      <span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>he sprite said,
      &ldquo;Your majesty! there is a city named Jaysthal, the king of which was named
      Varddhamãn. In his city was a Brahman named Vishnuswami, who had four
      sons; one a gambler, the second a lover of women, the third a fornicator,
      the fourth an atheist. The Brahman was one day admonishing his sons,
      saying, &lsquo;Wealth abides not in the house of him who gambles.&rsquo; The gambler
      became greatly annoyed at hearing this. And he (the father) spoke again,
      saying, &lsquo;It is said in the Rãjnit (or book of policy), Cut off the nose
      and ears of a gambler, and expel him from the land, so that others may not
      gamble; and although the gambler may have a wife and family in his house,
      do not consider them as in the house, for there&rsquo;s no knowing when he may
      lose them (at play). Again, those who are attracted by the wiles of
      courtesans purchase suffering for their own souls, while they part with
      their all under the influence of harlots, and take to stealing in the end.
      It is said, further, that wise men keep far away from such women as
      ensnare their hearts in a moment; whereas the unwise give up their hearts,
      and so lose all their honesty, good disposition, reputation, conduct,
      judgment, piety, and moral character. Moreover, the exhortation of their
      spiritual preceptors is unpalatable to them. It is also said that&mdash;When
      one has lost his own sense of shame, why should he fear to dishonour any
      one else? And there is a proverb to the effect that&mdash;When will the
      cat that devours its own young allow a rat to escape!&rsquo; He went on to say,
      &lsquo;Those who do not acquire knowledge in their childhood, and who on
      attaining to manhood become engrossed in amorous pleasures, and continue
      to pride themselves on their youth,&mdash;those persons, in their old age,
      are consumed with regretful longings (for that which they have neglected
      in their youth).&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;On hearing these words, all four of them came mutually to the decision
      that it was better for an ignorant man to die than live; and hence, it was
      best for them to visit some other land and study science. Determining on
      this, they went to another city, and after some time, having studied and
      become learned, they set out for their home. What do they see on the road
      but a Kanjar, * who, after skinning and cutting up a dead tiger, and
      making a bundle of its bones, was about to take them away. Thereupon they
      said to one another, &lsquo;Come, let each of us put his knowledge to the
      proof.&rsquo; Having determined on this, one of them called him (the Kanjar) and
      gave him something, and taking the bundle, sent him away; and, quitting
      the road, they opened the bundle. One of them arranged all the bones in
      their proper places, repeated an incantation and sprinkled something over
      them, so that they became united. In the same way the second brought the
      flesh together on the bones. The third, in the same manner, fixed the skin
      on the flesh. The fourth, in the same way, raised it to life. Thereupon it
      devoured the whole four of them as soon as it arose.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      After reaching this point of the story, the sprite said, &ldquo;Your majesty!
      who was the greatest fool of those four?&rdquo; King Vikram replied, &ldquo;He who
      restored it to life was the greatest fool. And it is said, that knowledge
      without wisdom is of no use whatever; on the contrary, wisdom is superior
      to learning; and those who lack wisdom die just as he who raised the tiger
      to life died.&rdquo; When the sprite heard these words, he went and suspended
      himself on that same tree. Again did the king bind him, place him on his
      shoulder, and carry him away as before.
    </p>
<pre xml:space="preserve">
     * Kanjar is the name of a low caste of people generally
     employed in mean offices, such as carrying away carcasses,
     &amp;c. The snake-charmers are of his caste.
</pre>
    <p>
      <br /><br />
    </p>
    <hr />
    <p>
      <a name="link2H_4_0026" id="link2H_4_0026"> </a>
    </p>
    <div style="height: 4em;">
      <br /><br /><br /><br />
    </div>
    <h2>
      TALE XXII.
    </h2>
    <p>
      The sprite said, &ldquo;Your majesty! there is a city named Biswapur, the king
      of which was named Bidagdha. A Brahman, named Nãrãyan, dwelt in his city.
      He one day began thinking to himself, &lsquo;My body has become old, and I am
      acquainted with the science which enables one to enter another&rsquo;s body; it
      is therefore better that I quit this old body, and enter the body of some
      young man and enjoy life.&rsquo; When he had determined on this in his mind, he
      set about entering a youthful body; but first he wept, and then he
      laughed, and after that he entered it and came home. All his kinsfolk,
      however, were aware of what he had done, and thereupon he said to them, &lsquo;I
      have now become an ascetic.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;Having said this, he began to recite (as follows): &lsquo;He who dries up the
      fountain of hope with the fire of austere devotion, and placing his soul
      therein, (thus) deadens his senses&mdash;he may be termed a wise devotee.
      But the way of the people of this world is (such), that the body may waste
      away, the head shake, the teeth drop out, and they walk about with a stick
      in their old age, yet, even then, desire is not quenched. And thus it is
      that time passes away&mdash;day comes, night arrives, a month is over, a
      year is completed; one is a child, then an old man, while nothing is known
      as to who one himself is (<i>lit</i>. I am), and who others are, and why
      one grieves for another. One comes, another goes, and ultimately all life
      must depart&mdash;not one of these will remain. Many and various bodies
      are there, and many and various minds, and many and various affections,
      and various kinds of delusions has Brahma created; but the wise escape
      these, and quenching hope and desire, shaving their heads, taking a staff
      and water-pot in their hands, subduing the passions of love and anger,
      become ascetics, and wander barefooted from one place of pilgrimage to
      another; these same find eternal salvation. This world, moreover, is as a
      dream; to whom can you impart pleasure in it, to whom pain? It is even
      like the new leaf shooting from the centre of the plaintain tree, wherein
      is no pith whatever. And those who pride themselves on riches, youth, or
      knowledge, are unwise. Again, they who turn devotees, and, taking a
      water-pot in hand, beg alms from door to door, and nourishing their bodies
      with milk, clarified butter, and sugar, become lustful, and have sexual
      intercourse with women, they nullify their religious meditations.&rsquo; After
      repeating so much, he proceeded, saying, &lsquo;I will now go on a pilgrimage.&rsquo;
      On hearing these words, his relations were much pleased.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      Having told so much of the story, the sprite said, &ldquo;Your majesty! why did
      he weep, and why did he laugh?&rdquo; Then the king said, &ldquo;Calling to mind his
      mother&rsquo;s love in his infancy, and the happiness of his youth, and from a
      feeling of affection in having remained so many days in that body, he
      wept; and having succeeded in his art, and entered a new body, he laughed
      with pleasure.&rdquo; On hearing these words, the sprite went and hung on to the
      same tree; (and) again did the king bind him as before, place him on his
      shoulder, and carry him away.
    </p>
    <p>
      <br /><br />
    </p>
    <hr />
    <p>
      <a name="link2H_4_0027" id="link2H_4_0027"> </a>
    </p>
    <div style="height: 4em;">
      <br /><br /><br /><br />
    </div>
    <h2>
      TALE XXIII.
    </h2>
    <p class="pfirst">
      <span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>his sprite said,
      &ldquo;Your majesty! there was a city named Dharmpur, where a king named Dharmaj
      ruled. In his city was a Brahman named Govind, versed in the whole four
      Vedas and all the six learned treatises, and a careful observer of all his
      religious duties; and Haridatt, Somdatt, Yagyadatt and Brahmadatt were his
      four sons. They were very learned, very clever, and at all times obedient
      to their father. After some time his eldest son died, and he, too, was at
      the point of death through grief for him.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;At that time, Vishnusharma, the king&rsquo;s family priest, came and began
      reasoning with him, saying, &lsquo;When this (being) man enters the mother&rsquo;s
      womb, he first suffers pain there; secondly, falling under the influence
      of love in youth, he endures the anguish of separation from his beloved;
      thirdly, becoming old, he is involved in suffering through his body being
      feeble. In brief, many are the sorrows attendant on (man&rsquo;s) being born in
      the world, and few (are) the joys; for the world is the source of sorrow.
      If a man were to climb to the top of a tree, or go and sit on the summit
      of a mountain, or remain hiding in water, or sneak into an iron cage and
      remain therein, or go and conceal himself in the infernal regions&mdash;even
      then death would not let him escape. Moreover, whatever one may be&mdash;whether
      learned or a fool, rich or poor, wise or unwise, strong or weak&mdash;still,
      this all devouring death lets no one escape. The full duration of a man&rsquo;s
      life is a hundred years; of this, half passes away in night, and half of
      the half in childhood and old age; the remainder is spent in contention,
      the (distress arising from) separation from those we love, and affliction.
      Further, the soul that is, is as restless as a watery wave; how, then, can
      it yield man any peace? And now, in this Iron Age, to meet with truthful
      men is a difficult matter; while countries are daily laid! waste, kings
      are avaricious, the earth yields little fruit, thieves and evil doers
      commit violence on the earth; and but little of religion, devotion, and
      truth remain in the world; kings are tyrannical, Brahmans covetous, men
      have fallen under the influence of women, wives have become wanton, sons
      have begun reviling their fathers, and friends (have begun to display)
      enmity. Observe, further, that death did not even spare the great
      Chimanyu, whose maternal uncle was Kanhaiya, and father Arjun. And when
      Yama * carries off a man, wealth remains behind in his house, and father,
      mother, wife, son, brothers and kindred&mdash;no one proves of any avail;
      his good and evil deeds, his vices and his virtues alone accompany him;
      while those same kinsfolk take him to the burning-ground and burn him. And
      see (how) the night comes to an end on one side, while day dawns on the
      other; here the moon sets, there the sun rises. In the same way youth
      departs, old age comes on; thus, also, time goes on passing away, and yet,
      even while perceiving this, man does not learn wisdom. Observe, again, in
      the First, or Golden Age, Mandhãta, a great king, who filled (<i>lit</i>.
      covered) the whole earth with the fame of his virtue; and in the Second,
      or Silver Age, the glorious monarch Rãmchandra, who, bridging the sea,
      destroyed such a fortress as Lanka, and slew Rãvan; and in the Third Age,
      Yudhisthir reigned in such a manner that people sing of his renown to this
      day&mdash;yet death did not spare even these. Moreover, the birds which
      fly in the air, and the animals which dwell in the sea, when the hour
      arrives, even these fall into trouble. No one has escaped sorrow on coming
      into this world. To grieve on this account is folly. It is best,
      therefore, to practise religious duties.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
<pre xml:space="preserve">
     * Yama is the judge of the deceased, and ruler of the
     infernal regions: also, the god of death.
</pre>
    <p>
      &ldquo;When Vishnusharmã had reasoned with him in this manner, it came into the
      Brahman&rsquo;s mind that he would thenceforth perform meritorious and pious
      acts. Having thought this over in his mind, he said to his sons, &lsquo;I am
      about to sit down to a sacrifice; you go and bring me a turtle from the
      sea.&rsquo; On receiving their father&rsquo;s command, they went to a fisherman, and
      said, &lsquo;Take a rupee, and catch a turtle for us.&rsquo; He took it, and caught
      one, and gave it to them. Then the eldest of the brothers said to the
      second, &lsquo;Do thou take it up.&rsquo; He said to the youngest, &lsquo;Brother! do thou
      take it up.&rsquo; He replied, saying, &lsquo;I will not touch it; a bad smell will
      cling to my hands, and I am very nice * in (my) eating.&rsquo; The second said,
      &lsquo;I am very particular in my intercourse with women.&rsquo; The eldest said, &lsquo;I
      am particular in (the matter of) sleeping on a bed.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
<pre xml:space="preserve">
     * I hazard this meaning for chatur in the teeth of the
     vocabulary and the dictionaries, as, the meanings contained
     therein do not seem to me to apply. The student, however,
     may, if he pleases, substitute &ldquo;sharp&rdquo; or &ldquo;clever&rdquo; for
     &ldquo;nice.&rdquo;
 </pre>
    <p>
      &ldquo;Thus did the three of them begin wrangling; and leaving the turtle where
      it was, they proceeded, quarrelling the while, to the king&rsquo;s gate, and
      said to the gatekeeper, &lsquo;Three Brahmans have come seeking justice; go thou
      and tell this to the king.&rsquo; On hearing this, the doorkeeper went and
      informed the king. The king summoned them, and asked, &lsquo;Why are you
      quarrelling one with another?&rsquo; Then the youngest of them said, &lsquo;Your
      majesty! I am very particular as to food.&rsquo; The second said, &lsquo;Lord of the
      earth! I am very particular as to women.&rsquo; The eldest said, &lsquo;Incarnation of
      justice! I am particular in the matter of beds.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;When the monarch heard this, he said, &lsquo;Each of you submit to a trial.&rsquo;
      They said, &lsquo;Very well.&rsquo; The king sent for his cook, and said, &lsquo;Prepare
      various kinds of condiments and meats, and give this Brahman a thoroughly
      good repast.&rsquo; On hearing this, the cook went and prepared food, and taking
      with him the one who was nice in the matter of food, seated him in front
      of the dishes. He was on the point of taking up a mouthful and putting it
      into his mouth, when an offensive smell came from it. He let it go, washed
      his hands, and came to the king. The king asked, &lsquo;Didst thou enjoy thy
      repast?&rsquo; Then he said, &lsquo;Your majesty! I perceived a disagreeable smell in
      the food, (and) did not eat.&rsquo; The king said again, &lsquo;State the cause of the
      offensive smell.&rsquo; He replied, &lsquo;Your majesty! it was rice which had been
      grown on a burning-ground; the smell of corpses proceeded from it, and
      hence I did not eat it.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;On hearing this, the king summoned his steward, and asked, &lsquo;Sirrah! from
      what village does this rice come?&rsquo; He replied, &lsquo;From Shibpur, your
      majesty!&rsquo; The king said, &lsquo;Summon the landholder of that village.&rsquo;
      Thereupon the steward had the landholder brought before the monarch. The
      king asked him, &lsquo;On what land was this rice grown?&rsquo; He replied, &lsquo;On a
      burning-ground, your majesty!&rsquo; When the king heard this, he said to that
      Brahman, &lsquo;Thou art indeed a connoisseur in the matter of food.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;After this, he had the one who was nice in the matter of women sent for,
      and having a bed laid out in an apartment, and all the requisites for
      enjoyment placed therein, had a beautiful woman brought and placed near
      him, and the two while lying down began conversing with each other. The
      king was secretly looking on through a lattice. Now, the Brahman was about
      to give her a kiss, when smelling her breath, he turned away his face, and
      went to sleep. The king having witnessed this conduct, entered his palace
      and sought repose. Rising early in the morning, he came into the court,
      and summoned that Brahman, and asked, &lsquo;O Brahman! didst thou pass the
      night pleasantly?&rsquo; He replied, &lsquo;Your majesty! I found no pleasure.&rsquo; &lsquo;Why?&rsquo;
      asked the king again. The Brahman replied, &lsquo;The smell of a goat proceeded
      from her mouth, and my mind was much distressed in consequence.&rsquo; When the
      king heard this, he summoned the procuress, and inquired, &lsquo;Whence didst
      thou bring this (woman)? and who is she?&rsquo; She said, &lsquo;She is my sister&rsquo;s
      daughter; her mother died when she was three months old, and I brought her
      up on goat&rsquo;s milk.&rsquo; On hearing this, the monarch said, &lsquo;Thou art indeed a
      connoisseur in respect of women.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;After that he had a very fine bed prepared, and caused the Brahman who
      was a nice judge of beds to sleep thereon. On its becoming morning, the
      king sent for him, and asked, &lsquo;Didst thou sleep comfortably through the
      night?&rsquo; He replied, &lsquo;Your majesty &lsquo;I had no sleep the whole night long.&rsquo;
      &lsquo;Why?&rsquo; asked the king. He replied, &lsquo;Your majesty! in the seventh fold of
      the bedding there was a hair, which was pricking my back, and I had no
      sleep in consequence.&rsquo; On hearing this, the king looked into the seventh
      fold of the bedding, and lo! a hair was found. Thereupon he said to him,
      &lsquo;Thou art indeed a nice judge of beds.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      After relating so much of the story, the sprite asked, &ldquo;Who was the
      greatest connoisseur of those three?&rdquo; King Bir Yikramajit replied, &ldquo;He who
      was the connoisseur in the matter of beds.&rdquo; When the sprite heard this, he
      went again and hung on to that tree; (and) the king also went there on the
      instant, and bound him, placed him on his shoulder, and carried him away.
    </p>
    <p>
      <br /><br />
    </p>
    <hr />
    <p>
      <a name="link2H_4_0028" id="link2H_4_0028"> </a>
    </p>
    <div style="height: 4em;">
      <br /><br /><br /><br />
    </div>
    <h2>
      TALE XXIV.
    </h2>
    <p class="pfirst">
      <span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>he sprite said,
      &ldquo;Your majesty! in the country of Kaling there was a Brahman named Yagya
      Sharmã, whose wife&rsquo;s name was Somadattã. She was very beautiful. The
      Brahman began offering sacrifices, whereupon his wife had a beautiful boy.
      When he attained the age of five years, his father began teaching him the
      <i>Shãstras</i>. At the age of twelve years he had finished the study of
      all the Shãstras, and become a great scholar; and he began to be in
      constant attendance upon, and to help his father.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;After the lapse of some time the boy died, and in their sorrow for him
      his parents uttered loud cries of lamentation and wailing. On receiving
      this news all his kinsfolk hastened thither, and fastening the boy upon a
      bier, took him away to the burning-ground; and when there, began
      repeatedly gazing at him, and saying to one another, &lsquo;See! even in death
      he appears beautiful!&rsquo; They were uttering words like these, and arranging
      the pyre, while an ascetic was also seated there engaged in religious
      austerity. He hearing these words began to think to himself, &lsquo;My body has
      become very old; if I enter this boy&rsquo;s body, I can practise religious
      meditation with ease and comfort.&rsquo;&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;Having thought thus, he entered the body of the child, turned round, and
      pronouncing the names of Rãm (Balarãm) and Krishn, sat up as one sits up
      from sleep. When the people witnessed this, they all returned to their
      homes in astonishment; while his father lost all desire for the world on
      witnessing this marvel; first he laughed, then he wept.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      After relating so much of the story, the sprite said, &ldquo;Say, your majesty!
      why he laughed, and why he wept.&rdquo; Thereupon the king said, &ldquo;Seeing the
      ascetic enter his body, and so learning the art (of changing one&rsquo;s own
      body for another) he laughed; and through regret at having to quit his own
      body he wept, thinking, &lsquo;Thus shall I too some day have to abandon my own
      body.&rsquo;&rdquo; Hearing this, the sprite went again and suspended himself on that
      tree; and the king, too, arriving close at his heels, bound him, put him
      on his shoulder, and carried him away.
    </p>
    <p>
      <br /><br />
    </p>
    <hr />
    <p>
      <a name="link2H_4_0029" id="link2H_4_0029"> </a>
    </p>
    <div style="height: 4em;">
      <br /><br /><br /><br />
    </div>
    <h2>
      TALE XXV.
    </h2>
    <p class="pfirst">
      <span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">T</span>hen the sprite
      said, &ldquo;Your majesty! there is a city in the south named Dharmpur, a king
      of which was named, Mahãbal. Once upon a time another king of that same
      region led an army against and invested his capital. He continued fighting
      for several days. When his army went over (in part) to the enemy, and a
      portion was cut to pieces, then, having no help for it, he took his wife
      and daughter with him, and went forth by night into the jungle. After he
      had penetrated several miles (<i>lit</i>. kos) into the jungle, the day
      broke, and a village came in view. Then, leaving the queen and princess
      seated beneath a tree, he went himself towards the village to get
      something to eat, and in the meantime (a body of) Bhils came and
      surrounded him, and told him to throw down his arms.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;On hearing this, the king commenced discharging arrows, and they did the
      same from their side. Thus did the fight last for three hours, and
      several, of the Bhils were slain. In the meantime an arrow struck the
      king&rsquo;s forehead with such force that he reeled and fell, and one of them
      came up and out off the king&rsquo;s head. When the queen and princess saw the
      king dead, they took their way back to the jungle weeping and beating
      their breasts. After having proceeded a <i>kos</i> or two thus, they got
      tired and sat down, and began to be troubled with many an anxious
      thought.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      &ldquo;During this time a king, named Chandrasen, together with his son, while
      pursuing the game, came into that jungle, and the king noticing the
      foot-prints of the two (women), said to his son, &lsquo;Whence have the
      foot-prints of human feet come in this vast forest?&rsquo; The prince replied,
      &lsquo;Your majesty! these are women&rsquo;s foot-prints; a man&rsquo;s foot is not so
      small.&rsquo; The king observed, &lsquo;True, man has not got such delicate feet.&rsquo; The
      prince said again, &lsquo;They have just this moment passed.&rsquo; The monarch said,
      &lsquo;Come, let us seek them in the jungle; if we find them, I will give her
      whose foot this large one is to thee; and I will take the other.&rsquo; Having
      entered into this mutual compact, they went forward, and perceived the two
      seated. They were delighted on seeing them, and seating them on their
      horses in the manner agreed upon, they brought them home. The prince took
      possession of the queen, and the king of the princess.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      Having related so much of the story, the sprite said, &ldquo;Your majesty! what
      relationship will there be between the children of these two?&rdquo; On hearing
      this, the king held his tongue through ignorance.
    </p>
    <p>
      Then the sprite said in great glee, &ldquo;Your majesty! I have been highly
      pleased at witnessing your patience and courage; I tell you one thing,
      however; do you attend thereto,&mdash;viz.: one, the hairs of whose body
      are like thorns, and whose body (itself) is like wood, and whose name is
      Shãntshïl, has come into your city, and he it is who has deputed you to
      fetch me, (while) he himself is seated in the burning-ground working his
      spells, and desires to kill you. I therefore forewarn you, that when he
      has finished his devotions, he will say to you, &lsquo;Your majesty! prostrate
      yourself so that eight parts of your body may touch the ground.&rsquo; You
      should then say, &lsquo;I am the king of kings, and all potentates bow low in
      salutation before me; up to this hour I have not bowed in adoration to any
      one, and I know not how to do so; you are a spiritual teacher, kindly show
      me how to do so, and then will I do it.&rsquo;. When he bows down, give him such
      a blow with your sword that his head may become severed (from his body);
      then will you reign uninterruptedly; whereas, if you will not do this, he
      will slay you, and reign permanently.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      Having warned the king in these words, the sprite came out of that corpse,
      and went his way; and while somewhat of night still remained, the king
      brought the corpse and placed it before the ascetic. The ascetic became
      glad on seeing it, and lauded the king greatly. After that, he repeated
      incantations and raised the corpse to life, and offered up a
      &lsquo;burnt-offering in sacrifice: and sitting with his face southwards,
      offered to his god all the materials he had pre? pared; and after offering
      up betel leaf, flowers, incense, lamps, and consecrated food, he said to
      the king, &ldquo;Make obeisance; very glorious will thy dignity become, and the
      eight supernatural faculties * will always abide in thy house.&rdquo;
     </p>
<pre xml:space="preserve">
     * These powers are&mdash;1. Mahima, or the faculty of making
     one&rsquo;s self as bulky as one pleases. 2. Laghims, or the
     faculty of making one&rsquo;s self as light as one pleases. 3.
     Anima, or the power of making one&rsquo;s self infinitely small.
     4. Prakamya, or the power of gratifying one&rsquo;s desires. 5.
     Vashita, or power of subjecting all things to one&rsquo;s will. 6.
     Ishita or supreme sway. 7. Prãpti, or the power of obtaining
     everything. 8. Kãmãvasãÿitwam, or the power of subduing and
     quenching natural desire.
</pre>
    <p>
      On hearing this, the king called to mind the words of the sprite, and
      joining his hands, said with the utmost humility, &ldquo;Your reverence! I know
      not how to bow in adoration; you, however, are a spiritual teacher; if you
      will kindly teach me, I will do it.&rdquo; As the ascetic, on hearing this,
      lowered his head to prostrate himself, that instant the king struck him
      such a blow with his sword that his head was severed; and the sprite came
      and showered down flowers. It is declared that there is nothing unlawful
      in slaying him who would himself slay another.
    </p>
    <p>
      At that time Indra and the rest of the gods, having witnessed the king&rsquo;s
      courage, mounted their cars and began to raise shouts of victory and
      exultation. And king Indra said in pleasure to king Bïr Vikramãjït, &ldquo;Ask a
      boon.&rdquo; Then the king joined his hands and said, &ldquo;Your majesty! Let this
      story concerning me become famous in the world.&rdquo; Indra replied, &ldquo;So long
      as the moon, sun, earth and sky endure, this story shall be famous; and
      thou shalt be ruler over the whole earth.&rdquo;
     </p>
    <p>
      After saying this, king Indra went to his place, and the king took those
      two corpses and threw them both into the oil-cauldron. Thereupon the two
      heroes came and presented themselves, and began to say, &ldquo;What command is
      there for us?&rdquo; The king replied, &ldquo;When I remember you, then do you come.&rdquo;
       Taking from them their promise to do this, the king returned home, and
      began to attend to his government. It is said that,&mdash;Whether one be
      learned or a fool, a child or a man, he alone who is wise will win
      success.
    </p>
    <div style="height: 6em;">
      <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />
    </div>

<div>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 54697 ***</div>
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