223. Katha Sarit Sagara : Chapter 13
The Serpent's Vow and the Lotus of Vatsa
Part 1: The Escape of the King of Vatsa
1. Vásavadattá's Growing Affection and Alliance:
The city of Ujjayini, ruled by the fierce King Chanda Mahasena, was a prison draped in silk for King Udayana of Vatsa. He was not a captive of chains, but of a subtle, enchanting captivity—the love for the King’s daughter, Vasavadatta. The Vatsa monarch, skilled in the celestial lute, Ghoshavati, had been lured here on a pretext of taming a rogue elephant, only to be detained by the powerful Mahasena.
Yet, a silent rebellion was brewing in the heart of the princess.
Vasavadatta sat one evening, the air heavy with the scent of jasmine, watching Udayana practice his lute. The notes, though beautiful, carried a deep sorrow that spoke not just of lost freedom, but of the very heavens he felt deprived of.
“My lord,” she murmured, laying a hand on his arm, her eyes wide with a mixture of adoration and guilt. “These chords... they mourn. Is it for your kingdom, or the life you left behind?”
Udayana gently set the lute aside, his gaze piercing the curtain of her royal composure. “Princess, they mourn for the sun trapped in a cage. I was lured here by your father's trickery, detained by his strength, yet… kept by your love. That is the tragedy. How can I, a captive, accept the devotion of the daughter of my jailer?”
Vasavadatta’s eyes filled with tears, her voice a fierce whisper. “I am not his daughter in this matter, my King. I am yours. My heart no longer recognizes the walls of Ujjayini or the blood of Mahasena. I am a subject of Vatsa now, bound by an affection that is a greater strength than any army. Command me. I am ready to take part with you against my father’s pride.”
2. Yaugandharáyaṇa's Secret Plan:
The very next night, as shadows danced to the rhythm of Udayana’s anxious heart, a presence solidified in his private chamber. It was Yaugandharayana, his brilliant and fiercely loyal minister, cloaked in an ancient charm that made him invisible to all except those he chose to see. Only the King and his jester, Vasantaka, were privy to the ghostly reunion.
Yaugandharayana’s voice was a low, urgent current, his eyes blazing with purpose.
“My King, the night is short, and time is our enemy. Listen closely, and speak only when necessary,” he commanded, bowing swiftly. “You were indeed captured by King Chanda Mahasena through a contemptible artifice. But his purpose now is clear: he wishes to give you his daughter in marriage and send you back with all due honor. This, my King, we cannot allow.”
Udayana’s brow furrowed. “Why, my trusted Minister? A peaceful return with the Princess I adore… is that not the best outcome?”
3. Details of the Escape Plan:
Yaugandharayana’s lips thinned into a grim line. “No, my King! It is humiliation disguised as honor! We shall not be thought lightly of in the world for a want of prowess. We must have our revenge upon this haughty monarch, and we shall do so by carrying off his daughter and escaping with dignity!”
Vasantaka, perpetually nervous, squeaked, “But… how? The city’s gates are stronger than iron, and the guards number a hundred thousand!”
“The King has given his daughter, Vasavadatta, a female elephant called Bhadravati,” Yaugandharayana explained, his voice gaining speed. “She is a beast of celestial speed. And listen well, Vasantaka: no other elephant in this land, save Nadagiri, is swift enough to catch her. And Nadagiri? He will not fight when he sees her, for the two share a bond we cannot yet understand.”
4. Drugging the Elephant Superintendent:
The Minister leaned closer, his plan a masterpiece of subterfuge. “The driver of Bhadravati is a man called Ashadhaka. I have already won him over to our side by giving him immense wealth—enough to make him a minor lord in Vatsa. You, my King, must mount that elephant with Vasavadatta, fully armed, and start secretly by night.”
“But the chief of the royal stables, the superintendent?” Udayana asked, anxiety creeping into his tone. “He understands every single sign the elephants give. He is sharp as a blade.”
“Precisely,” Yaugandharayana affirmed. “You must have the superintendent of the royal elephants made drunk with wine, so he cannot perceive what is about to take place. His senses must be dulled entirely.”
5. Vásavadattá's Consent and Preparation:
“I, for my part,” the Minister concluded, “will first repair to our ally, Pulindaka, the king of the Bheels, to ensure he is prepared to guard the road by which you escape.” Having delivered his instructions, Yaugandharayana vanished, the air tingling with the fading magic.
The King stored every instruction in his heart. When Vasavadatta arrived, she found Udayana pacing.
“The time is upon us, my Queen,” he whispered, quickly recounting all that Yaugandharayana had said.
Vasavadatta’s face, initially pale with apprehension, hardened with resolute courage. “I consent to the proposal, my lord. My escape is your glory, and your safety is my only desire.”
She immediately summoned Ashadhaka, preparing his mind for the night’s desperate attempt. Under the pretext of performing a grand worship of the gods—a ritual requiring much celebratory drink—she lavishly gave the superintendent of the elephants, and all his drivers, a huge supply of spirits, urging them to drink deeply for good fortune.
6. The Elephant's Prophetic Cry:
The evening descended, disturbed by the echoing, deep roar of thunderclouds, a suitable sound for the drama about to unfold.
Ashadhaka, true to his word, brought Bhadravati ready harnessed. But as the immense female elephant was being readied, she uttered a loud, resonant cry—a sound of both distress and determination.
It was heard by the chief superintendent, who lay slumped in a corner, his mind swimming in intoxication. He was a master of the elephants’ language, and though his voice was indistinct from excessive wine, he faltered out a terrifying message: “The female elephant says… she is going sixty-three yojanas today.”
But his mind was incapable of reasoning, and the other drivers, just as intoxicated, did not even hear his dire prophecy. The warning, heavy with fate, was lost to the drunken night.
7. The Escape Begins:
With the path clear, the King acted swiftly. He broke his chains by reciting the charms Yaugandharayana had given him. Vasavadatta, of her own accord, brought him his weapons, a gesture that bound their destinies further.
The King mounted the female elephant with his jester, Vasantaka. Then, Vasavadatta, accompanied by her closest friend and confidante, Kanchanamala, mounted the massive beast as well.
The King of Vatsa set out from Ujjayini with five persons in all: himself, Vasavadatta, Vasantaka, Kanchanamala, and the elephant-driver Ashadhaka.
8. Breaking Through and Initial Attack:
Bhadravati, driven by the desperation of their flight, charged forward, her powerful body cleaving a monstrous path right through the city’s massive rampart. Dust and stone erupted behind them.
At that weak point, two brave but doomed warriors, the Rajputs Virabahu and Talabhata, stood guard. The King attacked instantly, slaying them both with the practiced skill of a true monarch. The bodies fell silently against the ruins of the rampart.
9. The Pursuit:
The monarch, mounted upon the speeding female elephant with his beloved beside him, and Ashadhaka guiding the beast with the elephant-hook, set out rapidly on his journey, his spirits soaring with newfound freedom.
Meanwhile, back in Ujjayini, the city patrol discovered the bodies of the rampart guards lying dead. In consternation, they reported the dreadful news to King Chanda Mahasena in the middle of the night.
The furious King immediately investigated the scene, and it took little time to ascertain the awful truth: The King of Vatsa had escaped, taking Vasavadatta with him. The alarm, like a poisonous cloud, spread throughout the city.
One of Mahasena's sons, named Palaka, was instantly tasked with the pursuit. He mounted the only elephant swift enough to follow—the magnificent Nadagiri—and thundered out of the city gates.
10. The Standoff and Intervention:
Palaka, driven by duty and fury, soon caught sight of the fleeing group. The King of Vatsa, knowing the danger of the pursuit, combated him with a shower of arrows as Palaka advanced.
However, the divine bond between the elephants held true. Nadagiri, seeing the female elephant Bhadravati, refused to attack her. He slowed, bellowing a sound of confusion, not aggression.
Seeing the futility of the chase, Palaka’s brother, Gopalaka, who had his father’s true interests at heart (and possibly a respect for Udayana’s new status as brother-in-law), managed to calm his sibling. Gopalaka, ready to listen to reason, induced Palaka to desist from the pursuit. Reluctantly, Palaka turned back to Ujjayini.
11. Journey's End and the Female Elephant's Death:
The King of Vatsa boldly continued his journey. As they traveled, the night gradually ceded to the dawn, and by the middle of the day, they had reached the dense Vindhya forest.
The fierce prediction of the night was fulfilled. Bhadravati, having journeyed the exhausting sixty-three yojanas, was desperately thirsty. The King and Vasavadatta dismounted. The powerful female elephant drank deeply from a forest pool, but the water was foul, perhaps poisoned by the journey's stress.
Bhadravati fell dead on the spot, her immense body sinking silently into the earth.
12. The Vidyádhara's Revelation:
Despair, like a cold shroud, immediately wrapped around the King of Vatsa and Vasavadatta. They had won their freedom only to lose their only means of escape and face certain death in the forest.
In that moment of profound desperation, a wondrous, disembodied voice spoke, seemingly coming from the very air above the fallen elephant.
“I, O King, am a female Vidyadhara named Mayavati, and for this long time, I have been this female elephant in consequence of a curse. Today, O Lord of Vatsa, I have done you a great service, and my curse is lifted by my loyal service to a true King.”
The voice became even more celestial, carrying a profound weight. “And I will do another good turn to your son that is to be. Listen well, King! This Queen of yours, Vasavadatta, is no mere mortal; she is a goddess for a certain cause incarnate on the earth. Her destiny is to bear a son who shall unite the kingdoms.”
The King instantly regained his spirits, his despair burned away by the revelation of his Queen's divine nature and the promise of a glorious heir.
13. The Brigand Attack:
Regaining his composure, the King sent Vasantaka onward to the plateau of the Vindhya hills to announce their imminent arrival to their waiting ally, Pulindaka.
As the King and his beloved journeyed slowly on foot, they were surrounded by a terrifying sight: brigands who sprang out from a hidden ambuscade, their weapons glinting in the afternoon sun.
The King of Vatsa, with only his bow to aid him, stood before his Queen, a wall of pure courage. He fought like an ancient hero reborn, slaying a staggering one hundred and five of the attackers right before Vasavadatta’s eyes.
14. Rescue and Arrival at the Ally's Village:
Just as the fight reached its desperate zenith, salvation arrived. The King’s ally, Pulindaka (the King of the Bheels), came rushing up, accompanied by the returning Yaugandharayana and Vasantaka, who had shown them the way.
The Bheel King immediately ordered the surviving brigands to cease their attack. He prostrated himself before the King of Vatsa, his face a mask of respect and fierce loyalty. Pulindaka then conducted the King and his beloved to his own, hidden village deep in the forest.
15. The Army's Arrival and Merchant's News:
The King rested there that night with Vasavadatta, whose foot had been cut by a blade of forest grass during the flight—a tiny wound in comparison to their great escape.
Early in the morning, their general, Rumanvat, reached them. He had been summoned beforehand by Yaugandharayana's foresight, who had dispatched a swift messenger. The King’s entire army arrived with Rumanvat, filling the land as far as the eye could reach, making the Vindhya forest appear to be besieged by a wave of humanity and steel.
The King of Vatsa entered the encampment of his own army, settling into that wild region to wait for news from Ujjayini.
While there, a merchant arrived from Ujjayini—a trusted friend of Yaugandharayana’s. He reported the final, unexpected tidings.
“Your Highness, the great King Chanda Mahasena is pleased! He is pleased to have you for a son-in-law! He has sent his warder, his official messenger, to you. The warder is on the way, but I came secretly on in front, as fast as I could, to bring your Highness this glorious information!”
16. Joy and Request for a Story:
The King of Vatsa rejoiced greatly at the news, a wave of relief washing over him. He told it all to Vasavadatta, who was exceedingly delighted.
Yet, a complicated emotion filled the Queen. She had abandoned her own relations for this man, and though she yearned for the ceremony of marriage, she was also burdened by a complex mix of bashfulness and impatience for the final rites.
To divert her thoughts, she turned to Vasantaka, who was in attendance. “Vasantaka,” she said, a playful yet weary smile on her lips, “tell me some story. Tell me something noble to fill this anxious waiting.”
The sagacious Vasantaka, understanding her need to have her affections for her husband increased and confirmed, bowed low. “With pleasure, O Queen. I shall tell you a tale of true devotion and the triumph of wisdom.”
Part 2: Story of Devasmitá (Told by Vasantaka)
17. The Birth of Guhasena:
In the famous city of Tamralipta, there lived a wealthy merchant named Dhanadatta. He was weighed down by one great sorrow: he was childless.
In his desperation, he assembled many learned Brahmans and said to them with deep reverence, “Take such steps as will procure me a son soon. My fortune is dust without an heir to cherish it.”
The Brahmans assured him, “This is not difficult. Brahmans can accomplish all things by means of scriptural ceremonies.” They recounted a shocking old tale: a King with a hundred and five wives who obtained only one son, Jantu. When Jantu was bitten by an ant, the King mourned so loudly that he begged the Brahmans for a multitude of children. They told him he must slay his only son and offer all his flesh in a burnt-offering, promising that all his wives would obtain sons by smelling the smoke. The King, driven by desire, had the ceremony performed and obtained as many sons as he had wives.
“Thus, we can obtain a son for you also,” they concluded.
Dhanadatta, deeply moved, promised a huge sacrificial fee. The Brahmans performed the ritual, and in time, a son was born to the merchant. He was named Guhasena, and he gradually grew up to man’s estate.
18. The Marriage to Devasmitá:
When Guhasena was of age, his father, Dhanadatta, set out to find him a wife. On the pretext of trade, father and son traveled to a distant country. There, Dhanadatta asked a venerable merchant named Dharmagupta for the hand of his daughter, Devasmita.
Dharmagupta, who was tenderly attached to his daughter, was reluctant. “The city of Tamralipta is very far off,” he reflected, unwilling to part with his child.
But destiny had already played its hand. Devasmita, catching sight of Guhasena, was immediately attracted by his virtues. Her mind was instantly set on abandoning her family for him. Through a confidante, she made a secret assignation with Guhasena. That very night, she left her home and her country with her beloved and his father.
When they reached Tamralipta, they were married. The minds of the young couple were firmly knit together by the strongest bond: mutual love.
19. The Merchant's Dilemma:
Happiness, however, is often fleeting. Guhasena’s father died, and soon after, the young merchant was urged by his relatives to travel to the distant country of Kataha for the purpose of trade.
This was a prospect Devasmita could not bear. She was too jealous to approve of that expedition, fearing exceedingly that her handsome husband would be attracted by some other woman in that foreign land.
Guhasena was caught in a painful conflict. His wife did not approve, yet his relations kept inciting him to fulfill his duty to his family’s trade. His mind, firmly set on doing his duty, was utterly bewildered.
20. Divine Assurance (The Lotuses):
In his distress, Guhasena went to the temple of the god, observing a rigid fast, trusting that the deity would show him some way out of his difficulty. Devasmita, his devoted wife, also performed a vow and fasted with him.
Lord Shiva was pleased by their combined devotion and appeared to the couple in a powerful dream. He held two magnificent red lotuses.
Giving one to each of them, the god spoke: “Take each of you one of these lotuses in your hand. And if either of you shall be unfaithful during your separation, the lotus in the hand of the other shall fade, but not otherwise.”
The two woke up simultaneously. In the hand of each, they beheld a living red lotus. It was as if they had been given one another’s very hearts. The divine promise, though a blessing, was also a terrifying vow.
21. Guhasena's Journey and the Plot:
Guhasena set out, the lotus secured in his hand. Devasmita remained in their house, her eyes perpetually fixed upon her flower.
Guhasena quickly reached the country of Kataha and began to buy and sell jewels. There, four young merchants, men of considerable local standing, saw that the unfading lotus was perpetually in his hand, and they were greatly astonished.
Driven by relentless curiosity, they lured him to their house by an artifice, forced him to drink a great deal of wine, and then demanded the history of the flower. Guhasena, being thoroughly intoxicated, told them the whole sacred story.
The four young rascals, knowing Guhasena would take a long time to complete his trade, immediately devised a vile plan: the seduction of his wife, Devasmita, out of sheer curiosity and malice. Eager to accomplish their betrayal, they quickly set out for Tamralipta without their departure being noticed.
22. Hiring the Female Ascetic:
In Tamralipta, the four merchants cast about for an instrument to enact their wickedness. They eventually had recourse to a female ascetic named Yogakarandika, who lived in a sanctuary of the Buddha.
They approached her affectionately. “Reverend madam,” they said, bowing low. “If our object is accomplished by your help, we will give you much wealth.”
Yogakarandika laughed, a dry, rasping sound. “No need for money! I will procure the object of your desire. But tell me, who is the woman? I have a pupil of distinguished ability named Siddhikarí. Owing to her kindness, I have obtained untold wealth.”
The young merchants, confused, asked, “How, madam? How have you obtained untold wealth by the assistance of a pupil?”
The female ascetic smiled, a sinister gleam in her eyes. “If you feel any curiosity about the matter, listen, my sons, I will tell you the whole story.”
Part 3: Story of the Cunning Siddhikarí (Told by Yogakarandika)
23. The Theft and the Pursuit:
“Long ago,” Yogakarandika began, “a merchant came here from the north. While he was dwelling in Tamralipta, my pupil, the cunning Siddhikarí, went and obtained the position of a serving-maid in his house, having first altered her appearance. She did this with a treacherous object.”
After gaining the merchant’s full confidence, she stole his entire hoard of gold from his house, slipping away secretly in the morning twilight.
As she moved rapidly outside the city, driven by the fear of discovery, a certain Domba (an outcaste man) with his drum in hand, saw her. He pursued her at full speed, intending to rob her of her wealth.
24. Tricking the Domba:
When she reached the foot of a great Nyagrodha tree, she saw that the Domba had caught up with her. The cunning Siddhikarí immediately adopted a plaintive, heartbroken demeanor.
“I have had a jealous quarrel with my husband,” she sobbed. “I have left his house to die. Therefore, my good man, I beg you, make a noose for me to hang myself with.”
The simple-minded Domba thought, “Let her hang herself. Why should I be guilty of her death, especially as she is a woman?” So, he fastened a sturdy noose to the tree for her.
25. Tricking the Merchant's Servant:
Then, Siddhikarí, feigning ignorance, said to the Domba, “How is the noose slipped around the neck? Show me, I entreat you. I have no idea how to do this terrible thing.”
The fool, eager to demonstrate, placed his drum under his feet, and saying, “This is the way we do the trick,” he fastened the noose around his own throat.
In a flash of cruel genius, Siddhikarí smashed the drum to atoms with a swift kick. The Domba, suddenly unsupported, hung till he was dead.
At that very moment, the merchant arrived with his servants, having tracked her in search of his stolen treasure. He beheld Siddhikarí at the foot of the tree, but she, seeing him, swiftly climbed up without being noticed, concealing her body in the dense foliage.
26. The Wealth and the Request:
As one of the servants started to climb the tree, wondering if she was hiding, Siddhikarí, still concealed, whispered seductively, “I have always loved you, and now you have climbed up where I am! All this wealth is at your disposal, handsome man, come and embrace me!”
She embraced the servant, and as she was kissing his mouth, she bit off the fool’s tongue.
He fell from the tree, spitting blood, uttering only indistinct syllables that sounded like “Lalalla!”
When the merchant saw this terrifying event, he was terrified, supposing his servant had been seized by a vicious demon. He fled from the place and went home with his other attendants.
Siddhikarí, equally frightened by her own monstrous act, descended from the tree and brought home all that incredible wealth.
“Such is my pupil,” Yogakarandika finished, her voice full of pride. “Distinguished for her great discernment. It is in this way, my sons, that I have obtained wealth by her kindness.”
She then showed the young merchants her pupil, who happened to come in at that moment. “Now, my sons, tell me the real state of affairs—what woman do you desire? I will quickly procure her for you.”
When they heard this, they said: “Procure us an interview with the wife of the merchant Guhasena, named Devasmita.” The ascetic undertook the business, gave the young merchants her house to reside in, and prepared to strike.
Part 4: Devasmitá's Revenge (Return to Devasmitá's Story)
27. The Ascetic's First Visit and the Bitch:
Yogakarandika first gratified the servants at Guhasena’s house with gifts of sweetmeats. Then, she entered the house with her pupil.
As she approached the private rooms of Devasmita, a fierce bitch, fastened there with a chain, barred her path, opposing her entrance in the most determined way.
Devasmita, seeing the commotion, sent a maid to have the ascetic brought in, thinking, “What can this person be come for?”
The wicked ascetic gave Devasmita a blessing and, treating the virtuous woman with affected respect, said, “I have always had a desire to see you, but today I saw you in a vivid dream, so I have come to visit you with impatient eagerness. My mind is afflicted at beholding you separated from your husband, for beauty and youth are wasted when one is deprived of the society of one’s beloved.”
With this and many similar speeches, she tried to gain Devasmita’s confidence in a short interview, then took her leave and returned to her house.
28. The Pepper Test and False Sermon:
On the second day, the ascetic returned, bringing a piece of meat full of pepper dust. She gave the meat to the protective bitch at the door. The bitch gobbled it up, pepper and all.
Immediately, due to the pepper dust, tears flowed in profusion from the animal’s eyes, and her nose began to run.
The cunning ascetic swiftly went into Devasmita’s apartment, received courteously, and began to cry.
Devasmita, feigning innocence, asked why she shed tears. The ascetic said with affected reluctance: “My friend, look at this bitch weeping outside here. This creature recognized me today as having been its companion in a former birth, and began to weep; for that reason, my tears gushed through pity.”
Devasmita, seeing the bitch outside apparently weeping, thought to herself, “What can be the meaning of this wonderful sight? This is a novel conception of duty; no doubt this woman has laid a treacherous snare for me.”
29. Devasmitá's Counter-Plan:
The ascetic, sensing she had gained ground, pressed her advantage. “My daughter, in a former birth, I and that bitch were the two wives of a certain Brahman. I lived with other men at my pleasure, and so did not cheat the elements of my lawful enjoyment. For considerate treatment of the elements and senses is held to be the highest duty. Therefore, I have been reborn with a recollection of my former existence. But she, in her former life, through ignorance, confined all her attention to the preservation of her character, and has been degraded as one of the canine race.”
Devasmita looked up, her expression fixed. “Reverend lady, for this long time, I have been ignorant of this duty! So procure me an interview with some charming man.”
The ascetic, delighted at her quick success, promised, “There are residing here some young merchants that have come from another country, so I will bring them to you!” She returned home instantly, ecstatic.
30. The First Merchant's Humiliation:
Devasmita, now alone with her maids, revealed her true resolve. “No doubt those scoundrelly young merchants have seen the unfading lotus in my husband’s hand, and have come here to seduce me, hiring this wicked ascetic. We will teach them a lesson!”
She gave her chilling orders: “Bring quickly some wine mixed with Datura (a powerful, intoxicating drug). And when you have brought it, have a dog’s foot made of iron as quickly as possible.”
The maids faithfully executed the orders. One of the maids dressed herself up to perfectly resemble her mistress.
The ascetic, choosing the first in line (who, in his eagerness, cried, “Let me go first!”), brought him, concealing him in the dress of her pupil. She introduced him in the evening and disappeared.
The maid, disguised as Devasmita, courteously persuaded the young merchant to drink the wine drugged with Datura. The liquor, like his own immodesty, robbed him of his senses.
The maids took away his clothes and possessions, leaving him stark naked. Then, they branded him on the forehead with the mark of a dog’s foot. During the night, they carried him and pushed him into a ditch full of filth.
31. The Merchants' Concealment:
He recovered consciousness in the last watch of the night, finding himself plunged in the foul ditch—a veritable hell assigned to him by his sins. He got up, washed himself, and went to the ascetic’s house in a state of nature, feeling the branded mark on his forehead.
He told his friends that he had been robbed on the way, to avoid being the only one ridiculed. The next morning, he sat with a cloth wrapped around his branded forehead, giving the excuse that he had a headache from drinking too much.
In the same way, the next young merchant was maltreated. When he returned home naked, he lied, “I put on my ornaments there, and as I was coming out, I was plundered by robbers.” He too covered his branded forehead, pleading a headache.
In this fashion, all four young merchants suffered in turns branding and other humiliating treatment, though they concealed the fact even from each other. They went away from the place without revealing the ill-treatment to the female ascetic, hoping she would suffer a similar fate.
32. The Ascetic's Humiliation:
The next day, the ascetic went with her disciple to Devasmita’s house, delighted at having accomplished what she undertook to do.
Devasmita received her courteously and made her drink wine drugged with Datura, offering it as a sign of gratitude for the promised "charming men."
When both the ascetic and her disciple were intoxicated with it, that chaste wife exacted her final revenge: she cut off their ears and noses, and flung them also into a filthy pool.
33. Devasmitá's Resolve:
Yet, a new fear chilled her triumph. Devasmita became distressed by the thought that perhaps these branded, shamed young merchants might return to Kataha and slay her husband, Guhasena, in revenge.
She told the whole circumstance to her mother-in-law.
Her mother-in-law was proud yet anxious. “My daughter, you have acted nobly, but possibly some misfortune may happen to my son in consequence of what you have done.”
Devasmita stood firm. “I will deliver him even as Shaktimati in old time delivered her husband by her wisdom.”
Her mother-in-law asked: “How did Shaktimati deliver her husband? Tell me, my daughter.”
Devasmita then related the following story.
Part 5: Story of Shaktimati (Told by Devasmitá)
34. The Custom of the Yaksha Shrine:
“In our country, within the city,” Devasmita began, “there is the shrine of a powerful nature-spirit, a Yaksha, named Manibhadra, established by our ancestors. The people come and make petitions there, offering various gifts.”
The custom of that city was strict and famous: Whenever a man was found at night with another man’s wife, he was placed with her within the inner chamber of the Yaksha’s temple. In the morning, he was taken away to the king’s court, and his behavior made known, he was punished.
35. The Merchant's Capture:
Once on a time in that city, a merchant of the name of Samudradatta was found by a city-guard in the company of another man’s wife. The guard immediately took him and placed him with the woman in the temple of the Yaksha, fastening the door firmly from the outside.
36. Shaktimati's Clever Rescue:
The wise and devoted wife of that merchant, whose name was Shaktimati, came to hear of the occurrence instantly.
That resolute woman, disguising herself, went confidently at night to the temple, accompanied by her friends, taking with her offerings for the god. The priest, whose duty was to eat the offerings, was greedy for a fee and opened the door to let her enter, informing the local magistrate of what he had done.
When Shaktimati got inside, she saw her husband looking deeply ashamed, with the other woman beside him. She approached the woman, made her put on Shaktimati's own dress, and told her to go out and escape.
The woman went out in Shaktimati’s dress and got off by night, but Shaktimati remained in the temple with her husband.
37. Vindication and Punishment:
When the king’s officers came in the morning to examine the merchant, he was seen by all to be in the company of his own wife. The King, when he heard what happened, dismissed the merchant from the temple of the Yaksha, as if from the very mouth of death, and then punished the chief magistrate for his failure.
“So Shaktimati in old time delivered her husband by her wisdom,” Devasmita concluded, her voice firm. “And in the same way, I will go and save my husband by my own discretion.”
Part 6: Devasmitá's Ultimate Triumph (Conclusion of Devasmitá's Story)
38. Journey to Kaṭáha:
The wise Devasmita said this in secret to her mother-in-law, putting all fears to rest.
In company with her maids, she put on the dress of a merchant, a strong, confident garment. She embarked on a ship, on the pretense of a mercantile expedition, and sailed to the distant country of Kataha where her husband was.
39. The Petition to the King:
When she arrived in Kataha, she saw her husband, Guhasena, in the midst of a circle of local merchants. He looked like 'consolation in external bodily form' to her.
He, seeing her from afar in the dress of a man, was utterly transfixed. He inwardly ‘drank her in with his eyes’ and thought to himself, “Who may this merchant be that looks so exactly like my beloved wife?”
Devasmita went directly and presented herself to the King, petitioning him, and asking him to assemble all his subjects. The King, full of curiosity, did so, and asked the lady disguised as a merchant, “What is your petition?”
40. Exposure and Vindication:
Devasmita spoke with authority. “There are residing here in your midst four slaves of mine who have escaped. Let the King make them over to me.”
The King said to her, “All the citizens are present here, so look at every one in order to recognize him, and take those slaves of yours.”
She strode forward and immediately seized upon the four young merchants, who were sitting in the crowd, still wearing wrappers bound around their heads.
The other merchants there flew into a passion, shouting at her. “These are the sons of distinguished merchants! How then can they be your slaves?”
Devasmita turned to the King. “If they do not believe what I say, examine their foreheads which I marked with a dog’s foot.”
The King and the assembled merchants consented. They removed the head-wrappers of the four young men. They all beheld the mark of the dog’s foot branded onto their foreheads.
41. Redemption and Return:
All the merchants were instantly abashed and silenced. The King, astonished, personally asked Devasmita what all this meant.
She told the whole humiliating story, and all the people burst out laughing. The King decreed to the lady, “They are your slaves by the best of titles—the title of just retribution.”
The other local merchants paid a large sum of money to that chaste wife to redeem those four men from slavery, and also paid a fine to the King’s treasury for their sons’ wickedness.
Devasmita received that money, recovered her husband, and being honored by all good men, returned then to her own city, Tamralipta. She was never afterwards separated from her beloved.
42. Vasantaka's Moral and Conclusion:
Vasantaka concluded the tale with a flourish. “Thus, O Queen, women of good family ever worship their husbands with chaste and resolute behavior, and never think of any other man, for to virtuous wives the husband is the highest deity.”
When Vasavadatta on the journey heard this noble story from the mouth of Vasantaka, the power of Devasmita’s devotion overwhelmed her. She entirely got over the feeling of shame at having recently left her father’s house. Her mind, which was previously attached by strong affection to her husband, became so fixed upon him as to be entirely devoted to his service, awaiting the moment she could be declared his Queen by law and love.
No comments:
Post a Comment