The Kathá Sarit Ságara; or, Ocean of the Streams of StorySomadeva Bhatta, active 11th century
General
The Kathá Sarit Ságara; or, Ocean of the Streams of Story
Somadeva Bhatta, active 11th century
Folk literature -- Themes, motives; Hindu mythology; India -- Social life and customs; Tales -- India
That five-arrowed god of love conquers the world, at whose command
even Siva trembles, when he is being embraced by his beloved.
Thus having obtained Vásavadattá, that king of Vatsa gradually became
most exclusively devoted to the pleasure of her society. But his prime
minister Yaugandharáyana, and his general Rumanvat, upheld day and
night the burden of his empire. And once upon a time the minister
Yaugandharáyana, full of anxiety, brought Rumanvat to his house at
night and said to him as follows: "This lord of Vatsa is sprung from
the Pándava race, and the whole earth is his by hereditary descent,
as also the city named of the elephant. [200] All these this king has
abandoned not being desirous of making conquests, and his kingdom
has so become confined to this one small corner of the earth. For
he certainly remains devoted to women, wine and hunting, and he has
delegated to us all the duty of thinking about his kingdom. So we by
our own intelligence must take such steps, as that he shall obtain
the empire of the whole earth, which is his hereditary right. For,
if we do this, we shall have exhibited devotion to his cause, and
performed our duty as ministers; for every thing is accomplished by
intellect, and in proof of this listen to the following tale:"
Story of the clever physician.
Once on a time there was a king named Mahásena, and he was attacked by
another king far superior to him in power. Then the king's ministers
met together, and in order to prevent the ruin of his interests,
Mahásena was persuaded by them to pay tribute to that enemy. And after
he had paid tribute, that haughty king was exceedingly afflicted,
thinking to himself, "Why have I made submission to my enemy?" And
his sorrow on that account caused an abscess to form in his vitals,
and he was so pulled down by the abscess that at last he was at the
point of death. Then a certain wise physician considering that that
case could not be cured by medicine, said falsely to that king; "O
king, your wife is dead." When he heard that, the king suddenly fell
on the ground, and owing to the excessive violence of his grief, the
abscess burst of itself. And so the king recovered from his disease,
and long enjoyed in the society of that queen the pleasures he desired,
and conquered his enemies in his turn. [201]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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