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
Hearing this tale from the mouth of the transformed Vasantaka,
Vásavadattá who was sitting at the side of the fettered king of Vatsa,
felt extreme delight in her heart.
CHAPTER XIII.
As time went on, Vásavadattá began to feel a great affection for the
king of Vatsa, and to take part with him against her father. Then
Yaugandharáyana again came in to see the king of Vatsa, making himself
invisible to all the others, who were there. And he gave him the
following information in private in the presence of Vasantaka only;
"King, you were made captive by king Chandamahásena by means of
an artifice. And he wishes to give you his daughter, and set you
at liberty, treating you with all honour; so let us carry off his
daughter and escape. For in this way we shall have revenged ourselves
upon the haughty monarch, and we shall not be thought lightly of in
the world for want of prowess. Now the king has given that daughter
of his, Vásavadattá, a female elephant called Bhadravatí. And no
other elephant but Nadágiri is swift enough to catch her up, and he
will not fight when he sees her. The driver of this elephant is a man
here called Áshádhaka, and him I have won over to our side by giving
him much wealth. So you must mount that elephant with Vásavadattá,
fully armed, and start from this place secretly by night. And you
must have the superintendent of the royal elephants here made drunk
with wine, in order that he may not perceive what is about to take
place, [176] for he understands every sign that elephants give. I,
for my part, will first repair to your ally Pulindaka in order that
he may be prepared to guard the road by which you escape." When he
had said this, Yaugandharáyana departed. So the king of Vatsa stored
up all his instructions in his heart; and soon Vásavadattá came to
him. Then he made all kinds of confidential speeches to her, and at
last told her what Yaugandharáyana had said to him. She consented to
the proposal, and made up her mind to start, and causing the elephant
driver Áshádhaka to be summoned, she prepared his mind for the attempt,
and on the pretext of worshipping the gods, she gave the superintendent
of the elephants, with all the elephant drivers, a supply of spirits,
and made them drunk. Then in the evening, which was disturbed with
the echoing roar of clouds, [177] Áshádhaka brought that female
elephant ready harnessed, but she, while she was being harnessed,
uttered a cry, which was heard by the superintendent of the elephants,
who was skilled in elephants' language; and he faltered out in a voice
indistinct from excessive intoxication,--"the female elephant says,
she is going sixty-three yojanas to-day." But his mind in his drunken
state was not capable of reasoning, and the elephant-drivers, who were
also intoxicated, did not even hear what he said. Then the king of
Vatsa broke his chains by means of the charms, which Yaugandharáyana
had given him, and took that lute of his, and Vásavadattá of her own
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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