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
The wise Yaugandharáyana, for his part, immediately left the king's
court, went to his own house, and reflected--"Often procrastination
serves to avert an inauspicious measure. For long ago, when Indra
had fled on account of having caused the death of a Bráhman, and
Nahusha obtained the sovereignty over the gods, he fell in love
with Sachí, [485] and she was saved by the preceptor of the gods
[486], to whom she had fled for refuge. For in order to gain time,
he kept saying--'She will come to you to-day or to-morrow,'--until
Nahusha was destroyed by the curse of a Bráhman, uttered with an
angry roar, and Indra regained the sovereignty of the gods. In the
same way I must keep putting off my master." Having thus reflected,
the minister secretly made an arrangement with the astrologers that
they were to fix a distant date.
Then the queen Vásavadattá found out what had taken place, and
summoned the prime-minister to her palace. When he entered and bowed
before her, the queen said to him, weeping--"Noble sir, you said to
me long ago, 'Queen, as long as I remain where I am, you shall have
no other rival but Padmávatí,' and observe now, this Kalingasená is
about to be married here: and she is beautiful, and my husband is
attached to her, so you have proved a prophet of falsehood and I am
now a dead woman." When the minister Yaugandharáyana heard this, he
said to her--"Be composed, for how could this happen, queen, while
I am alive? However, you must not oppose the king in this matter,
but must on the contrary take refuge in self-restraint, and shew him
all complaisance. The sick man is not induced to place himself in the
physician's hands by disagreeable speeches, but he is by agreeable
speeches, if the physician does his work by a conciliatory method. If
a man is dragged against the current, he will never escape from the
stream of a river, or from a vicious tendency, but if he is carried
with the current, he will escape from both. So when the king comes
into your presence, receive him with all attentions, without anger,
concealing your real feelings. Approve at present of his marrying
Kalingasená, saying that his kingdom will be made more powerful by
her father also becoming his ally. And if you do this, the king will
perceive that you possess in a high degree the virtue of magnanimity,
and his love and courtesy towards you will increase, and thinking
that Kalingasená is within his reach, he will not be impatient, for
the desire of a man for any object increases if he is restrained. And
you must teach this lesson to Padmávatí also, O blameless one, and so
that king may submit to our putting him off in this matter. And after
this, I ween, you will behold my skill in stratagem. For the wise are
tested in difficulty, even as heroes are tested in fight. So, queen,
do not be despondent." In these words Yaugandharáyana admonished the
queen, and, as she received his counsels with respect, he departed
thence.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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