Amaz ed she saw the Magic Deer

STORIES OF IND IA’

S

GODS 89° HEROESB y

W. D . MONRO M.A.

WITH SIX TEEN ILLUSTRATIONS BY

EVELYN PAUL

NEW YORKTHOMAS Y. CROWELL COMPANY

PU BLISHERS

Preface

HE word “ Preface suggests to manyyouthful minds something learned anddry, and the result is that the Preface is

not read. Certainly a book of stories like theseought not to be burdened with anything dry atthe outset ; but if the stories thems elves are toprove reasonably interesting, it will do no one anyharm to know something about the books in whichthey are found and the people among whom thebooks were written.

The language in which these tales have comedown to us is called S anskri t, a name which has nothing to do with that of any people—like the namesEnglish , French , German, etc.—but is simply anadjective of which our term “ high class ,” thoughnot an exact translation , gives a good idea ; becauseSanskrit was the language spoken by the Brahmans ,

the priests— and kings of various differentnations of ancient India, while other classes of

society commonly spoke what wa s called P rdk'm'

t,

a vulgar form of Sanskrit.Many centuries before the time of Christ, therecame into India a people who called themselves

5

6 PrefaceAryas , which means simply nobles. From thisname we derive the word “ Aryan ,” denoting racesbelonging to the same great family, which includes ,besides these invaders of India , many Westernraces

,as may be easily seen by comparing Greek

and Latin, and most modern languages of Europe ,with the ancient Sanskrit.The Aryan invasion of India doubtless coveredmany years , or even centuries ; but it seems reasonable to think of 1500 30 . as an average date fortheir settlement and earliest writings . From thattime, they spread over the whole of NorthernIndia, but made far less impression upon the South .

The languages of Southern India are markedlydifferent from those of the North ; all the latterexcepting those of Mongolian or Muhammedanorigin—bear the most evident tokens of close relation ship to Sanskrit ; and some words are used tothis day in Northern India exactly as they appearin the most ancient Hindu Scriptures , not lessthan years old.

These first Hindu Scriptures take the form ofhymns, of which a large number were, sooner orlater, gathered together in collections known asVeda s . Of these there are four, though one of themis clearly altogether later than the others , and ismuch less respected. The most famous of all isthe Rig Veda ,

a collection of rather over a thousandhymns . These are addressed to gods who bear astrong resemblance to the gods of the Norsemen

the distant cousins , so to speak , of these Old Aryans ,and who are nothing more nor less than the greatforces of Nature personified. Fire and water

, sky

Preface 7and sun , thunder and rain : all the se and manylesser natural phenomena were worshipped underone name or another. And these hymns, as may beimagined, are full of every sort of myth and fancydrawn from the various manifestations of God

in Nature.As time goes on, we find, on the one hand , a t

tempts to discover some foundation underlyingthis simple Nature-worship, to ask deeper questionson the problems of religion ; and, on the other,new stories about the old gods , and new gods comingto join the ranks of the others , all with a strongtendency to exaggeration and to many thingsresembling and, unhappily, far surpassing inimpropriety the grosser features of the Greekmythology:While none of our stories are drawn whollyfrom the Veda, some of the characters mentionedin this book appear more or less frequently in thehymns . Va sishtha and Visw amitra are supposedto have written some of them ; traces of the

U rva si myth appear ; and many of the gods of whomwe shall bea r are mentioned , though the positionthey occupied in Vedic days changed, in many cases ,a s time went on.

Passing over a large mass of important lite ratureattached to the Vedas- though some of it containsa great deal of matter similar to that from whichour tales are drawn—w e should notice ne! t thegreat Epics of India, the Ramayan a and theMahabha r a ta . The former deals with the SouthOf India, the latter with the North. The wordRamayana simply means “ Story of Rama,” a

8 Prefacegreat hero, who is represented as the seventh ofthe incarnations of the god Vishnu. This deity,according to Hindu legend, had appeared severaltimes on earth already, generally in forms nothuman : for example, a fish , a tortoise, a boar,etc. This Vishnu , under one name or another, is ,perhaps, the most popular of all the Hindu gods .Under the name of Rama, he still receives theworship of millions ; and Krishna, the incarnationfollowing Rama

,is even more popular than his

predecessor, though , according to Western notions ,very much less worthy of honour.The Ramayana is a poem of great length— about

lines—but it is short compared with theMahabharata. This enormous poem— evidently thework of many bands , at widely differing datesruns to no less than lines as long as thoseof Macaulay’s Armada . The main subject is thestruggle between two branches of a royal fami lyfor supremacy in the country round Delhi ; butevery part of the poem abounds in side showsof every sort, and there are few well-known subjectsor legends of Hindu religion which are not handl edin the Mahabharata.

The main story of each of these great poems isshortly told in this book ; and severa l of theminor tales are taken, either wholly or in part,from one or the other.The last important class of books which givesus material for these tales i s called the P u ran as .

These are, generally speaking, much later thanthe Epics , and some of them clearly belong to adate comparatively recent. The main idea of the

Preface 9Puranas is definitely religious, and most of themare written to glorify some god in particular.They generally begin with an account of the originof the world, and go on to describe the variousappearances and achievements of the god. Thescope which this arrangement gives for storiesof every kind is practically unbounded.

If we turn now to consider very briefly some ofthe most remarkable points about this great literature , the first thing to which I wou ld draw attentionis the vas t per iod which it covers . We. are fairlysafe in carrying the limits of classical Sanskritas late as about A.D .

— a very rough estimate ,no doubt— and we thus see that, beginning withthe Vedas, the whole covers a period of no lessthan years. The Sanskrit of the Veda differsfrom that of the Epics much as the language ofHomer differs from that of Sophocles ; but we stillhave a period of something like years duringwhich the language has continued to put forthbooks great and small with less alteration in thestyle and vocabulary than has taken place duringthe last three centuries in Britain. This is duemainly, no doubt, to the fact that Sanskrit was asacred language, and occupied, among the variouskingdoms of India, a place similar to that takenby Latin during the Middl e Ages in Europe .Considering the enormous time which theliterature had for its de velopment, three furtherpoints strike us as remarkable.In the first place, all the works from which thesetales are taken, and the great majority of Sanskritwritings in general , are eithe r prope rly religious

I 0 Prefaceor, at any rate , saturated with religious ideas .Gods and demons, prayers and sacrifices , appeareverywhere . This is not without parallel, to someextent, in Western literatures ; but in these thereligious element, without being suppressed , ha s

come to be only one of many branches of writing ,generally within the course of a few centuriesfrom the birth of any given literature.Secondly, it is astonishing to find in a literatureof such antiquity and extent as that of India, analmost entire lack of anything worthy of thename of his tory. A foundation of historical truth,doubtless , underlies both the Ramayana and theMahabharata, and, possibly, parts

“ of some Puranas .There is, again , a poem called the Raja tara ngin i ,which relates, in poetry , the history of the kingsof Kashmere at a certain epoch . But the greatEpics and the Raja ta rangin i are , at best, a verypoor and distant equivalent for that solid workof historical prose which has played so great apart in every important Western literature and inthat of Muhammedan kingdoms as well. Thatlittle or nothing of the kind appears in the besttwenty-five centuries of Sanskrit literature is aphenomenon truly extraordinary. Hundreds ofracy and interesting stories may be culled fromPersian and Arabic historical works ; and it is

deeply to be regretted that, from its many centuriesand its vast opportunities of observation, ancientHindu literature has left us no similar sources ofinstruction and entertainment.It would not be fair to pass from the subjectWithout some notice of a feature of Hindu literature

Preface I Iwhich is the less attractive because so pecul iarlycharacteristic. Ewaggera tion holds a place in thesewritings altogether without parallel in any literatureof similar extent. For thousands and tens ofthousands

,the old Hindus wrote millions and

billions , or milli ons of billions ; and the dimensionsof mountains, rivers, beasts , birds , fiends, etc. , etcare described in terms which are not merely absurdbut often to o wild to be even amusing. It mustalso be admitted that along with this rather wearisome feature one finds , in the records of Hi ndugods and heroes

,many things that are unpleasant

and disgusting, not merely to ourselves , but to

cultivated and even common-place Hindus : darkspots which only show the darker for the gaudysetting of fantastic miracles in which they aregenerally framed. For this book we have naturallychosen only the brightest and best, and the tendencyto exaggeration has been moderated as far aspossible , though to omit everything would be todisfigu re the original beyond recogn ition and topresent a picture of ancient Indian life quite remotefrom the truth .

I confess , for my part, that I find in the Wonderland of Hinduism no hero half a s interesting a s

Odysseus , in the West, or B a stem, in the East. But,when all is said and done, I hope my readers willfind among the heroes and heroines of these storiessome who are worthy of their interest and notwanting in the best elements of dignity and courage.

W. D . M.

S ep tember , 1911.

Con t en t s

or V ISWAMITRA

TALE OE RAMA S? S ITA

TALE OF PRAHLADA, THE GOOD DANAVAIV. THE TALE or KUVALAYASWA

TALE OF SAVITRI 8 SATYAVAN

OF NALA 8s? DAMAYANTI

VII. TH E TALE OE THE PANDAVA BRETHRENAPPENDIXINDEX

Illu st rat ions

AMAZ ED SHE SAW THE MAGIC DEER

THE RIDER ON THE SNOW-WHITE BULLWHATE’ER THOU DESIREST, GREAT SAGE

THE BREAKING OF THE BOW OF JANAKARAMA LAUNCHED AT H IS FOE A FEARSOME BOLTTHE GOD OF FIRE ROSE FROM THE MIDST

PRAHLADA OVERCOMING THE ELEPHANTSTHE MEETING OF K UVALAYASWA AND MADALASA

K UVALAYASWA SLAYS THE DANAVASSAVITRI LAID DOWN HER HUSBAND’S HEADTHE MAIDEN WAS LOTH To HEARK EN To NALA’SMESSAGE ”

THEY GAZ ED ON HER WITH WONDERDRAUPAD I DRAGGED FROM HER CHAMBERTHE VOICE CAME To H IM

BHIMA HURLED HIS MACE WITH FURY"DARK AND D IFFICULT WAS THE ROAD

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1 8 Stories of Gods 8 Heroesopposition of the priests , and rise to their level bythe practice of great austerities .This ambition did not consume his heart in earlieryears . In truth , it was not till his life—a life ofthousands of years— was far advanced that certainhappenings kindled to a flame this spark of longingfor a Brahman’s powers . But when the flame was onceroused, it burned in him with all-consuming fierceness . Long and dread were the austerities which heunderwent, and vehement the ardour of those whosought to baffle his purpose ; but in the end he wonhis way to the goal .When Viswamitra succeeded to his father’s kingdom , it chanced on a time that be assembled a greatarmy and set forth to make a kingly progress throughthe land . In the course of this he came to the hermitage of Va sishtha , a sage of great renown andsanctity. Visw amitra , as a monarch of h is famedeserved, was received with much honour and cordia lity by the hermit and the Brahmans who Sharedhis forest retreat. At first Va s ishtha set before theking only the simple fare of which he and his fellowascetics daily partook ; and Viswamitra , who felthimself as much honoured by the hospitality of thesages as they were by his visit, accepted the fruitsand herbs with all contentment. Sage and monarchthen held amiable converse for a while ; but , a s

Viswamitra’

s visit drew to its end, Va sishtha declaredhis wish to entertain the king and his army ina manner befitting royalty. Visw amitra. declaredhimself sufficiently honoured by being admitted tothe hospitality of so famous a sage ; but his hostpressed the entertainment upon him, and in the end

The Tale of Viswamitra 19Viswamitra accepted the favour cheerful ly, a s wellhe might.Besides wonderful powers gained by his austerities ,the sage Va s ishtha possessed a marvellous cow, Saba laby name. This was none other than the COW ofPlenty, who could bring forth , at her master’s wish ,endless supply of whatever he required, whetherit were a simple meal or a mighty army.

Forthw ith , then, at her lord’s behest, Sabala

provided for the delighted guests hill s of rice , lakesof broth , and cakes , honey, and all manner of viandsand drinks in lavish abundance . Fr om Viswamitra

himself to the least of his retainers , all alike werebounteously supplied with the choicest that theycould desire.The monarch meditated with amazement anddelight upon the wondrous powers of the hermit’scow ; and keen desire to own her filled his breast.

Jewels , he cried to the saint, are the portion ofkings this cow is a jewel, therefore let her be mineFor her I will give a hundred thousand kine ! ”

But Va sish tha replied, courteously yet firmly, “ Notfor ten million kine would I part with her, 0 monarch .

She is my friend and guardian ; from her comes a ll

my supply of both mind and body—yea, my very lifeI owe to her. The feast that was spread before thyhost wa s due to her bounty. For these and manyother reasons , I never can part with Sabala.

Then Viswamitra , ful l of eagerness , renewed hispetition with offers of vastly greater price . He spokeof thousands of elephants , dight with golden chains ;thousands of well-bred, high-mettled steeds ; hundreds Of splendid chariots ; and kine by the million.

2 0 Storie s of Gods 83Heroe sBut Va sishtha would not be tempted. He replied thatit was through the cow that he gained the power andthe means to perform all his sacred rites and austerities, and that she was to him as his very life. And,in truth , what was wealth, that he should barter forit her who could supply him with all he desired ?His prayers availing nought, Viswamitra determined to bear away the cow by force. Rudely seizedby his men, the cow lamented sorely, thinkingthat her maste r had cast her off . Breaking fromthose who sought to restrain her, she fled , moaningto her lord, and poured forth her sad complaintto him. At first Va sish tha was much downcast ;for he knew the might of Viswamitra , and, beholdingthe vast host attending the king, he told Sabalathat he feared resistance to such power would bea ll in vain. To this the cow replied that the Brahman’s might w a s above all , and that before his

divine powers the warrior must fail and bow his

haughty head.

“ Thy power, She cried, “ hath brought me here,such as I am ; and at thy word I can bring forththose who will confound the proud monarch !Encouraged by these words

, Va sish tha called onthe cow to create a host of warriors , and thereonthe cow brought forth thousands of armed men

,

of fierce barbaric tribes, all accoutred in the finestmail , with sword and battle-a ! e . But Viswamitra

was possessed of many wondrous weapons,and

,

hurling these , he flung the host of Saba la ’

s warriorsinto dismay and rout.Then Va sish tha called on the cow again to createwith all her power. Forthwith there sprang into

The Rid er on the Snow—white Bu ll

The Tale of Viswamitra 2 1

e! istence legions of mountaineers and barbarians ,of tribes dwelling on the borders of Hindustanand far beyond. They fell, in their myriads, withchariots , horses and elephants , on Viswamitra

’

s

army, which shrivelled and perished in a momentbefore that dread onslaught.Beholding this dire overthrow with amazementand grief, the hundred sons of Viswamitra rushedfiercely on the sage. But against him their valourwas of small avail ; one cry he uttered, one glancehe sped, and straightway they fell before him , burntto ashes.In woe unspeakable Viswamitra fled from thedisastrous combat ; and now began the long strugglein which he sought to attain to powers which wouldgive him equality with his erstwhile host and nowhated foe. He delivered his kingdom to his onesurviving son , and then betook himself to the lifeof a hermit, hoping by dreadful austerities andmortifica t ion of the flesh to win the power ofvengeance. With this intent, on the slopes of snowcrowned Himalaya, he sought by stern asceticpractice to honour the grim deity, Siva, also calledMahadeva— the Great God—who loves the Abode ofSnow.

When many days had thus passed, Mahadeva ,rider on the snow-white bull, appeared to him andasked what boon he would gain .

Give me,” cried Viswamitra ,

“ the wondrousscience of the bow, and command over every mysticweapon wielded by gods and demons , saints andsprites !H is prayer was granted ; and Viswamitra , trium

2 2 Storie s of Gods 83" Heroesphant in the pride of his new arms , was filled withfierce joy, as he pictured to himself the overthrowand ruin of the Brahman sage. Hastening toVas ish tha

’

s hermitage , he launched his dreadeddarts , till the saint’s dwelling perished utterly inscorching flame . Men

,birds , and beasts fled aghast,

and brought the dismal tidings to their lord . Buthe , nothing daunted, cried wrathfully that Viswami

tra’s folly had sealed his doom , and that he shouldperish in his s in that very day. No whit af’frighted,Viswamitra came forth to the fray, and, withscornful countenance, plied the sage with weaponafter weapon so strange and dreadful that noneof merely human power could stay their malice.Va sish tha , however, parrying all with his magicwand, stood unharmed and serene. Then Viswami

tra,as a last resource , took that dart which bears

the name of Brahma, the Creator. So awesome w a s

this weapon, that, when the king essayed to use it,the inhabitants of heaven itself, and of the lowerregions , quailed. But Va sish tha , strong in the powerof mighty spells, absorbed the Brahma weapon intohis person. Sparks and smoke brake forth fromevery pore of his skin , and his whole body glowedlike the sceptre of Yama, lord of the dead.

Loud and jubilant were the praises of the sage ’sfriends ; and Viswamitra , abashed and disconsolate ,confessed that before the Brahman’s sanctity thewarrior’s might was poor and weak. But, insteadof giving up the struggle, he prepared to undergofurther purifying austerities , determined now thathe would compass nothing less than the attainmentof Brahman sainthood itself.

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24. Stories of Gods 8? Heroeslaid on him the curse that he Should be turned intoa Chandala, or outcast of the lowest sort. Thenthey turned, each one , to retirement and meditationagain.

Sad indeed was the change that passed uponKing Trisanku in fulfilment of the Brahmans’ curse.H is skin became swart in hue and rough, his hairdropped out, his ornaments turned to those ofattendants at funerals , and courtiers and friendsshrank and fled from him in fear and loathing.

Yet, undaunted by this grievous plight, be cherishedhis high ambition unbroken, and now sought noneother than Viswamitra for counsel .The warrior-hermit gazed with compassion on hisfellow monarch, now brought so low, and questionedhim concerning his condition and hopes . HeretoTrisanku made reply : “ I sought to win heaven inthis my human body, and to that end I invoked theaid of my priest and his sons . But neither be northey would grant their help ; therefore , illustrioussage

,I come to thee. With these pure lips , which

have never known stain of falsehood, I swear by awarrior’s faith that I shall abide steadfas t in mypurpose. Oh , aid me in my quest, for now have I nohelper but thee ! ”

Now , Visw amitra might well be moved by this pleafrom one of his own order, who, like himself, wa s

seeking high and holy privileges above the commonlot of warriors . But, further, it had befallen KingTrisanku to be thwarted and buffeted by thosesame enemies who had wrought Viswamitra so

much ill. Therefore it was with much sympathythat the hermit listened to the king’s tale ; and

The Tale of Viswamitra 2 5mildly he replied, “ Fear not, noble king ! I myselfwill be thine aid, and all the holiest saints wi ll Iinvite to the ceremony, whereby thou shalt beassured of an ascent to the skies, even in the u n

changed body which thou now w ea rest .

”

Therewith Visw amitra sent forth his pupils farand wide to summon all the greatest and holiestto the rite . Among those to whom the message wassent were Va sish tha and his sons. The messengersreturned in due time , announcing that all hadpromised to attend, save Viswamitra

’

s hated rivaland hi s sons , who had scornfully replied to thesummons , “ What heed will gods and saints payto a sacrifice celebrated by one not born a priest ?Can w e—Brahmans— partake of such a sacrificewithout defilemen t , and shall we look to such asVisw amitra for purification ?Thus had run the answer of their angry scorn ;but with equal wrath did the outraged Viswamitra

retort on them a heavy curse, replying to those thatbrought back word, “ Those base ones , who havethus scorned me, and have disallowed the claimto sacrifice which my years of penance have earned,shall sink in disgrace to a vile estate. Seven hundredtimes shall they be born in the condition of loathlyoutcasts , wearing the cast-off clothing of the dead ,satisfying their hunger with the flesh of dogs .Great Va sishtha himself, proud fool , shall himselfcatch the stain he seeks to fix on me . As a fowler

,

rejoicing in the death of living creatures, shall he beborn , and shall live a base existence for many a longday, unsoftened by any tender thought.”

Then, turning to the other sages and pupils

2 6 Storie s of Gods 83Heroe sassembled round him , he solemnly declared thepurpose of their coming together : to wit , tha tthrough this rite Trisanku might forthwith, in hisnatural body, rise to heaven.

Ere, however, we pass to consider how the ceremony went, there falls to be told another tale ofthe manner in which the wrath of Viswamitra

overtook his rival’s sons . It skills not to arguewhich tale deserves the greate r credit— some , perchance, might venture to suppose that this w a s asecond stroke that fell on them when the firstwas past. In either case , the story runs thusVa s ishtha chanced one day to meet on the road acertain king, of whose household, among others , hewas the priest. The king bade him give place, butthe saint replied, with due courte sy, that it wasthe warrior’s duty to give way to the Brahman. Onthis the king , enraged, smote the saint with his staffwhereupon Va s ishtha cursed him to become a cannibal. Viswamitra heard this curse, though unseenhimself, and willed that a man-eating fiend shouldpossess the king . Things being thus , the king passedforth , and the first man he met was Va sish tha ’

s

eldest son , S aktri, whom he straightway devoured.

In course of time , allVa sishtha’

s sons perished in likemanner. Stricken with grief, the saint sought toslay himself in divers ways . He cast himself fromthe top of Mount Meru ; but, soft as cotton, the rocksreceived him unscathed . He entered a burning forest

,

but the flames touched him not. He cast himself,

heavily weighted, into the sea , but the wave s cas thim ashore ; and into a river, bound, but the streamloosed his bonds and delivered him alive upon the

The Tale of Viswamitra 2 7bank. Failing by these and other methods to divorcehimself from life , he betook himself once more to hisforest dwelling, and on the way well-nigh met thedeath he had so long pursued in vain. For the maneating king met him , and would have devoured himbut Va sishtha , to save the monarch from the unpa rdonable gu ilt of devouring a Brahman saint

,cast the

evil spirit out of him, and restored him to his rightmind , after twelve years’ bearing of the curse .Returning now to Viswamitra

’

s sacrifice : the sageand others versed in sacred lore began the solemnrite , and, at the end of due chanting of hymns andthe like, Viswamitra called on the gods to honourthe offering ; but the Immortals would not hear.Then , in exceeding great wrath , Viswamitra in

voked the power of his own merits,gain ed by

penance , to enable the king to rise to heaven, despitethe neglect of the gods . So potent was his invocationthat, before the wondering gaze of all, Trisankuwinged his way aloft towards the abodes of the blest

.

But not so did he escape the watch of the Immortals,

and Indra cried out upon him,

“ Hence, Trisanku !

Here is no dwelling for thee ! Fall headlong,fool

,to

earth again ! ”

Thus adjured, Trisanku fell swiftly downward, but,a s he fell , screamed to Visw amitra for help. Hearinghim, the kingly hermit, bending all his energies tothe task , stayed the fall of the monarch. Then

,by

mighty power gained by penance and study,Vis

w amitra created seven stars in the southern sky,

over against the seven stars of the Northern Bear,

and in the midst of these Trisanku hung the while.

Borne on the tempest of his rage, the sage was fain

2 8 S torie s of Gods 89° Heroe sso weird and vast was his power— to form new gods ,who should less keenly combat his wayward purposes ; but gods , Da itya s and saints , alike dismayed,approached to turn him from this dread resolve.To them the haughty sage gave ear

,indeed ; but,

changeless in his purpose , he withheld his new threatsonly on the agreement that Trisanku should ascendto heaven as he had desired and, by Viswamitra

’

s

help, had begun to do . To this the needed consentw as given , and gods and sages had rest again ; andViswamitra , this object gained, se t off to otherregions in new quest of merit and might.It will be seen that even the gods themselves wereled sometimes to fear those who sought and gainedsuperhuman powers by consta nt austerities andmor tifica tion of the flesh . Thus it w a s with them,

as they noted the warrior-sage’s stern continuancein the strictest forms of penance. They sought toturn him from his a im ; and once , for a time , thegreat ascetic sufl’ered himself to be beguiled and ledinto the enjoyment of pleasures which undid themerit of years of self-control. Then he came tohimself with shame and self-reproach , and benthimself with ever greater sternness to the pursuitof Brahman sainthood. In vain did the celestialsrenew their former allurements ; the saint was nolonger to be tricked, and the guile recoiled on theagents themselves. Wrath burned in Viswamitra

’

s

heart as he contemplated these efiorts to keep himfrom his goal ; and this yielding to anger itselfrobbed him of much merit. But ever did he recoverfrom these checks , and se t himself unweariedly tothe task of mastering every sense and passion.

The Tale of Viswamitra 29Thus he would stand unmoved for days on onefoot, with arm upstretched, feeding on nought butair. In the fiery heat of summer he would sit inthe midst of four kindled fires, the sun , a fifth ,blazing overhead. In the furious rain-storms of hisland, both day and night, no canopy save the heavyclouds shadowed his head, while the wet grass washis only couch . Thus for another thousand years hepersevered, and the gods trembled as they watched.

But the sage abated his rigours not a jot. Leavingthe Himalayan slopes , he journeyed eastward, andwith unheard-of strictness spent a new thousandyears in utter silence. With the fiercen ess of hispenances his body became shri velled and dry as alog of wood ; but nought could bend the intentionof his steadfast heart.Then , when the thousand years were past, Vis

wamitra sate him down to a humble meal, when ,10 , Indra in Brahman guise drew near to beg a dole.Faint and spent with hunger,Viswamitra yet utteredno word, but, silent and self-controlled, gave everycrumb to h im that asked. As he passed triumphantthrough this last bitter test, the fires of his gatheredmerit , as it were, blazed forth , and thick clouds ofsmoke rolled round his brow. Utter dismay seizedthe denizens of all three worlds ; gods and saints ,Da itya s and Nagas , came in terror to the Lord ofall, to beg h im to stay the dire results of still withholding the boon for which Viswamitra practisedsuch austerities .

“ Against him, Lord, they cried, “ nor lure northreat prevails— his vow he keeps with unfalteringpurpose. If his boon be not granted

,then doubtless

30 Stories of Gods 84 Heroeshe will go on to practise such penance as will perilthe very fabric of the Universe. Already the earthis racked with throes of anguish ; gloom pervadesthe world below ; what terrors may we not fear ifGadhi’a son be driven to seek yet higher powers forthe accomplishment of his purpose ? Grant him,

we pray thee , what he seeks , and give sa fety tocreation !Thus entreated , Brahma at length , with the company of the Blest, drew near the sage and hailed himsweetly, saying

“ Hail , son of Gadhi, Brahma rshi now ! For tothis state of Brahman sainthood have thy ceaselesslabours and penances entitled thee . Long life andpeace and joy be thine ; go whither thou wi lt at thineown pleasure.Then Viswamitra , full of triumph , addressed theAll-father with reverence, saying, If indeed my titleto Brahmanhood be made sure, then let it be confirmed by Vedic formula, and let the sacrifice own meits maste r. Also , let the saint Va sishtha come andconfirm the bestowal of the boon.

”

Then came Va sishtha , that famous hermit, andhailed his new-made peer, acknowledging his claimto Brahman saintship ; and Viswamitra , in turn,pressed on his former foe the honours of hospitatwith all kindness .Thus ended the high quest of the warriorViswami

tra,for, despite the opposition of priest and god, he

had won , at length, equal rights with the great hermitwho of old overthrew him so utterly. But whetherthe friendship with which he and Vas ishtha met, nothe day when Brahma hailed him a s Brahma rshi,

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32 Stories of Gods S’ Heroe sthis Viswamitra is glorious in power, and my mightis less than hi s the Sciences will forthwith be overcome unaided .

”

Then ,hearing the king Shout, Fear not in answerto the cry for help

,the Spirit of Opposition thought,

The difficulty is solved I Shall enter into the king,and he will do the work for me.So the spirit entered into Harischandra ; and he ,burn ing with anger at the thought of such iniquitybeing wrought thus shamelessly in the by-ways ofhis kingdom, advanced towards the spot whence thecries came , e ! claiming loudly that the wretch whothus transgressed should forthwith perish under thestroke of his royal arrows . Hearing this threateninglanguage , the great sage wa s much enr aged ; and,coming upon him in this mood , King Harischandrawas greatly confounded , and stood trembling like aleaf. Casting himself down

,he cried , “Be not wroth ,

great lord ! I sought only to do the warrior’s duty,which is , according to the sacred law, to fly to theprotection of those who cry for aid.

The saint deigned not to answer directly, but asked ,To whom , 0 king, must thou give gifts ? Whomprotect ? And with whom wage war ? ”

“ To Brahmans first, replied the king, Should Igive gifts ; the terrified I should prote ct ; with foesshould I make war.Then said Viswamitra , If , then, thou regardestthy duty, give me, a Brahman begging of thee, afitting fee.To this the king responded gladly, “Whate’er thoudesirest, great sage, consider it already given, evento my kingdom, my wife, my life itself.”

Whate’er thou desirest, G reat Sage

The Tale of Viswamitra 33On this , Viswamitra demanded such a fee a s might

be given for the Raja suya sacrifice and, being askedto speak more exactly, be demanded the surrenderof all Ha rischandra

’

s possessions , leaving only hisperson and his personal merits

,with his wife and his

son. With willing heart and unmoved countenancethe king gave assent to the gift. Then the sagecommanded that, as H a rischandra

’

s kingdom and rul ehad now passed into his own hands, the king shouldforthwith, at his behest, go forth from that country ,clad in coarse bark-cloth , on foot, with wife and childalone.Having meekly assented

,the king prepared to

depart, but the sage again accosted him with ademand for further fees ; and though the kingpleaded that nought had been left to them save theirthree bodies , yet Visw amitra was urgent, andthreatened to curse the king if a generous fee werenot forthcoming. In great straits , Harischandrapleaded for time to find money, and promised to beready with the fee in the space of one month . Thisprayer Viswamitra deigned to grant, and bade theking go in peace for the time .So Harischandra fared forth in lowly plight, withhis wife and son alone. Loud was the lament of thecitizens when they saw their great and good sovereignbrought so low.

“ Alas ! good master, they cried,“ why dost thou leave us ? Let us attend thee andbe with thee , on whom we depend for all our welfare .Alack, that thy queen, unused to walking, should gothus on foot, leading her son by the hand ; and thoutoo , before whom were won t to go out-riders onhorses and elephants ! What will befall thee , soiled

!

34. Stories of Gods 89 Heroeswith dust and worn with fatigue ? Without theewe are as empty shadows ; thou art our father, ourjoy, our city, our heaven ; leave us not, 0 best ofkingsThen King Harischandra , much moved, wavered inhis going , out of pity more for the forlorn mood ofhis subjects than for his own sad plight. Visw amitra

saw h im linger, and brake forth on him angrily,saying, “ Shame on thy faithless dealing, thou , who ,having promised to give me thy kingdom , now desirestto withhold the giftThe king, trembling, murmured , “ I am going.

But the sage, not content with roughness of speech ,raised his staff and cruelly belaboured the poor youngqueen as Harischandra led her away. The king’sheart swelled with grief ; but, I am going,” wa s allthat he said.

Thus Harischandra, with his wife Sa ivya and theboy, left his country and went on foot to Benares .But Viswamitra was there before them, and sternlydemanded the fee ; for the month , he said, wasgone .Nay, great Rishi,” said Harischandra, there re

ma in e th half a day ; await my payment thus far, Ipray thee.Then the king cast about wildly for some means to

find the money ; but there appeared to him no sourceof gain , save to sell his hapless wife and the boy intoslavery. This she herself was the first to proposerather than allow her husband to lose his good namefor truthfulness and incur the Brahman’s curse: Butso distraught wa s the king at her words , that heswooned away wi th grief ; and when his senses

The Tale of Viswamitra 35returned, he could only cry shame on himself forbringing his wife to such a pass . The queen , beholding him swoon again , lamented over his woefuldownfall, and , herself overwhelmed with pity for hismisfortunes , fell fainting to the ground. The poorchild, seeing his parents prone and helpless , andfeeling the pinch of hunger, cried sadly on them forfood .

Then came Viswamitra again, and, finding theking reft of sense, roused him with cold wate r, andurged him to pay with speed. Then at length the king,when Viswamitra was gone, cried, Ho, citizens allBehold me , amonster of ruthlessness , a very Rakshasain human form , who am brought to selling my wife .

If any desire her as a slave , let him Speak quickly,while I have life to answer.”

Then spake an aged Brahman, “ My wife is veryyoung and has need of help in the house. I amwealthy, and can pay ready money proportionate tothy wife’s youth and beauty. Take the money, therefore, and deliver he r to me.” So saying, he paid overthe money to the king, and , seizing the queen , draggedher away. The boy clung to his mother, and theBrahman at first drove him back with kicks but thequeen begged him to buy the boy also, a s , partedfrom him, she would serve less diligently. So theBrahman added further money to his price, and borethe queen and her son away, leaving Harischandra tolament the vileness of a lot which forced him baselyto sell those dearest to him as slaves .Then came Viswamitra again and received themoney ; but, regarding it with scorn, he chid theking for the smallness of the gift , and vowed that

36 Stories of Gods 8 HeroesHarischandra would soon have proof of the might ofBrahman sainthood , if he continued in the belief thatsuch a sum was fit guerdon for a great sacrifice.Then, reminding the king that only a fourth part ofthe day remained, the sage took the money anddeparted.

Thereon Harischandra , all other means of gain gonefrom him, sorrowfully offered himself as a slave toany one that would buy him. At this there cameforward a Chandala, or vile outcast, of loathsomeappearance, ungainly gait and vulgar speech , bearing a skull in his hand and surrounded by a packof dogs ; withal , a hideous and repulsive figure .This man approached the king and bade him namehis price . The king gazed on him in horror, andasked him his name .

Pravira , I am called, answered the Chandala,and in this city I am a slayer of the condemned anda gatherer of blankets from bodies of the dead .

”

Hearing this , Harischandra felt that death werebetter than the service of one so loathly ; when , on asudden, Visw amitra again appeared and demandedhis fee in full . The king’s piteous prayer formercy wasunregarded the Rishi bade the hapless monarch sellhimself to the Chandala for an hundred millionpieces , or endure the blight of his curse. Then theking, bew ildered, gave assent ; and the Chandala,joyfully handing the money to Viswamitra , boundthe king and led him, not without blows , to h isfoul abode.There he bade the fallen Ra ja rshi go forth daily to

th e burning-grounds and collect the funeral clothesof the dead.

“ Day and night shalt thou watch for

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38' Storie s of Gods Sf Heroes

king awoke , inquiring, in his terror, whether all thistime and dire experience had really passed over him .

Then, ejaculating a prayer to the gods for deliverance , the king once more took up his wretched work.

Then there came to that burning-ground noneother than his queen herself, with the body of theboy, who had perished by snake—bit e . Neither ofthem recognised the other, for the king had become , aswe have seen , wholly in appearance as one of the vileattendants of the burning-ground ; while the queenwas worn with the sorrow of long separation from herhusband , and sadly marred by want and wandering.

She , then , lamenting sorely, drew near to the funeralpyre ; and Harischandra , noticing the kingly marksof the boy, thought sadly of the churlish fate bywhich one so like his own child had been thusearly enthralled by dreadful death .

Then the queen, lamenting her fate in general ,railed on the gods , saying, “ Reft of kingdom andfriends , wife and child sold into slavery, whathas King Harischandra not suffered by the gods’

decree ? ”

On hearing these words , the king recognised hiswife , and crying aloud , “ This is indeed my wife andchild ! ” fell swooning to the earth . She , to o , recogn is ing her husband , all changed as he was , herselfwas overpowered with faintness . Anon they bothrecovered , and bewailed together the strange andhard lot that lay on them . The queen, scarce ableto comprehend—even beholding with h e r eyes—herhusband’s miserable transfo‘rmation and shamefultoil, asked of him, saying, “ Tell me , 0 king, dowewake or sleep ? Art thou indeed a s thou se emes t ?

The Tale of Viswamitra 39If indeed it be so , then truth and righteousness areof no avail , and the worship of the gods profite thnot a whit.”

Then the king, with sighs and faltering utterance,told his tale . The queen

,too , related tearfully the

sto ry of the boy’s death . Then these two together,dwelling on the hopelessness of their lot, determinedto end their lives together ; and the king, having laidhis son on the heaped-up pyre , joined hands with hiswife, and, medita ting deeply on the Almighty, prepared to enter the blazing fire .While he thus thought, Indra and all the gods , ledby Dharma, drew near, and called to Harischandra,Ho , lord king ! behold us , gods and demigods ,saints and sages , Nagas and Gandharvas Here, too,is Viswamitra , whose enmity all three worlds havefelt ; but know that now he wishes thee well .Thereon the king went up to meet this reverendcompany, and held converse with Indra, Dharma, andViswamitra . Noble Harischandra,” said Indra,“ ascend with wife and child to high heaven, hardindeed of access, but well earned by these thyvirtues .Then showers of nectar and heavenly flowers descended from on high, and celestial music sounded ;the king’s son , also, rose to life in fullness of health ,and his father embraced him, while the queen, too,regained all her well-being. Then Indra bade themascend forthwith ; but King Harischandra , faithfuleven to the meanest duty, w a s fain to pause.

“ King of gods ,” said he, “ I may not go withoutrendering hi s due to my maste r, the head Chandala .

”

Then said Dharma, Know that the Chandala w as

Stories of Gods 8 Heroe smyself, who , foreseeing thy afli iction , took on me thedisguise of a low outcast, to try thee.”Thereon Indra again called on them to ascend toheaven. But Harischandra, not forgetting, evenin the joy of his escape from unmeasured sorrow,

those towards whom his duty formerly lay, and whohad loved him well, replied , “ S ufi’er me, king ofgods , with all humility to plead th e cause of my loyalsubjects , whom I may not lightly leave. For it iswrit that to abandon one’s dependants ranks with themost grievous sins . If they may come with me toSwarga , I go happily if not, let me go rather to hell ,so I be with them !

”

Bethink thee of their sins, said Indra, for theseare many.

”

Even so , replied Harischandra , ’tis through thevirtue of families , as much as by his own skill, that aking rules happily. Therefore, whatever merit ismine in respect of my ruling, be it reckoned as common to my citizens and me ; and if it avail to carryme to heaven, let them be borne thither likewise.”

“ So be it, said Indra, Dharma, and Viswamitra .

And therewith these heaven-dwellers sent word tothe subjects o f the king that they, too , should ascendwith him ; and this they did forthwith, moving intriumph from one heavenly chariot to another, amidthe jubilations of the celestials . Great was the

praise of Harischandra, who not only by his patienceendured the sore trial laid on him by the sage'

wrath , but also through loyal remembrance of hisfriends made them partakers of his own reward.

There wa s one, however, whom this happy ending

The Tale of Viswamitraof the king’s trials did not leave content. This wasthe great sage Va s ish tha , who having been connecteda s priest with the house of Harischandra, was movedto exceeding hot anger when he heard how thevirtuous king had been thrust from his kingdom andplagued by the overbearing pride of Gadhi’s son .

“ Even when Visw amitra slew my hundred sons ,cried Va sish tha , I was less wroth than I am this day,hearing how that pious , dutiful , and charitablemonarch has been hurled from his throne andutterly brought low by that upstart. Now ShallViswamitra , blasted by my curse , be changed intoa heron for his hardness of heart.The sage’s curse might not be gainsaid ; but

Viswamitra had not climbed, by centuries of toilsome penance , to the height of equality with theBrahma rshi, to bear his foeman

’s curse without fullrequital . He , the refore , retorted the curse withfury, and Va sishtha also was changed into a bird .

Then these two birds , of size monstrous beyond allbelief, rose in the air and joined in bitter conflict.Before the wind caused by the blows of their hugewings , the mountains rocked and were overturnedthe sea was lashed up from its very bottom , and overflow ed into the nether regions ; the world and allits inhabitants were exceedingly disquieted , andmany creatures perished in the turmoil .Th en Brahma, father of gods and men , bade themtake heed to the woe of the world and cease theirstrife , but at first they regarded not his words , andfought on. Again he drew near and, bidding themquit their assumed forms, he addressed them in theirhuman shape, saying, Stay, beloved Va sishtha ,

and

Storie s of Gods 8} Heroe sthou , virtuous Visw amitra ! By the strife which , inthe darkness of your minds , ye wage , the worldperishes ; and this yielding to violent passion hathwrought grievous harm to the merits of both.

”

With that they stayed their strife , ashamed ; andafter embracing each other with love and forgiveness ,they repaired each to his hermitage , and Brahmalikewise departed to his place .From these tales of Viswamitra and Harischandra ,it may be seen what can be achieved by steadfast perseverance in the face of every obstacle ; also, how , bypatient endurance of adversity, a man may risesuperior to the most cruel trials inflicted by a ruthless persecutor, and win in the end the favour ofheaven and even the admiration and good-will of theoppressor.

Chapter II

THE TALE OF RAMA AND SITA

F all cities in an cient Hindustan , few, if any ,bore a prouder name than Ayodhya, thecapital of the fair and fertile land of

Kosa la . Many miles it stretched in both length andbreadth ; its streets were broad and well laid out,its groves and gardens many and beautiful , itshouses and palaces handsome and spacious . Forall the multitude of its inhabitants , there was neverdearth of any sort of food . Ayodhya

’

s walls werestrong , its army numerous and valiant, and manywere its Brahman priests , famed for learning andliberality.

Over this goodly kingdom ruled Da sa ra tha ,sprung

from the royal Solar race . The justice of his rulewas well seen in the prosperity of his subjects andin the general absence of sorrow and crime. Thevarious castes devoted themselves faithfully to theirproper duties , and all were obedient to the Brahmans ,chief of whom was the great sage Va s ishtha , theking’s family priest. The king had three wives ,K au salya , Ka ikeyi, and Sumitra ; but his virtuesseemed fated to die with him , for, alas ! he hadno son to succeed him .

Storie s of Gods s HeroesTo meet this constant source of sorrow, the kingat length resolved to seek the favour of the godsby celebrating the famous Horse-sacrifice . Theresolve pleased his counsellors well , and preparationswere forthwith set on foot. A certain holy ascetic ,whose ministry had proved of great value to anothermonarch on a like occasion, w a s invited to preside .Under the eye of Va sishtha , all things were dulygot ready ; kings and princes were invited , andassembled with much pomp and ceremony, and afull year after the making of the resolve— forsuch was the time appointed by sacred lawthe sacrifice was begun with great solemnity, onthe ground beyond the fair-flowing Sarayu , theriver of Ayodhya. The chief queen, K a u sa lya , dealtthe fatal blow , and then, as was the custom , passedthe following night on the sacrificial ground. Whenall had been duly performed, Da sa ra tha distributedvast sums of money and other largesse to the attendant Brahmans ; and these assured him that hewould of a surety be blessed by the birth of fourglorious sons .Turn we from this to a matter very different, yetbearing closely on King Da sa ra tha

’

s sacrifice andits consequences.Far to the South , in the Isle of Lanka- now calledCeylon —dwelt the demon Ravana, king of theRakshasas , or fiends . So great was the power ofthis grim being , that for fear of him the su n withheldhis shining , the ocean forebore to stir, the winds didnot dare to blow. The gods then came togetherto Brahma , the Creator, and begged him to devisemeans whereby the malice of this monster, running

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Storie s of Gods 83Heroesfamous sage Visw amitra , and sought the king

’said in a certain matter, and Da sa ra tha , everprompt to succour holy men

,gave consent with

out condition. The sage then expounded thematter, to wit, that he was sore hindered in the

performance of religious rites by certain evilfiends . These he might slay by his own curse ,at the time , but it were better that they shouldfall by a warrior’s hand. To this end , Viswamitra

begged of King Da sa ra tha the aid of his son Rama,to smite these foes , which , protected by the sage

’scare , the youth could safely do . Now Rama was butsixteen, and the king, sore troubled, was fain torefuse . Then Visw amitra was wroth , and threatenedthe king with ruin for breach of his plighted word .

Va s ish tha then urged Da sa ra tha to keep his promise ,and Viswam itra further said that he possessed th esecret of many mystical weapons , the mastery ofwhich he would communicate to Rama. On thisthe king gave his consent ; Rama, well prepared byVisw amitra , set forth in company with his brotherLakshman ; the fiends were duly attacked andslain , and Rama emerged from his first warfare intriumph .

After this , Viswamitra suggested that they shouldgo and see the wondrous bow of Janaka, King ofMithila . This bow, which the king had obtainedfrom the god Siva for his sacrificial piety, neitherdemigod nor demon could bend , and the king hadpromised the hand of his lovely daughter Sita tohim who should bend it. To Mithila , therefore , theprinces and their adviser repaired ; and there , onhearing of their coming , the king and his coun

The Breaking of t he Bow of Janaka

The Tale of Rama 89° Sitasellors came forth and received them with honour.From the Brahman Sa tan anda the princes heardthe story of Visw amitra

’

s earlier days and hisstruggle with Va sishtha , the tale of which has beentold .

Next day, Janaka bade men bring the bow forRama and his brother to see. Many princes hadstriven to bend it, but all had failed. So huge itw a s that it had to be borne in a wagon drawn bystalwart men . But the youthful Rama, when it wasshown to him , easily took the bow and strung it ;then , while assembled thousands gazed in wonder

Wi th s teady a im the s tring he drew

Ti ll bu rs t the mighty bow in two.

”

Dire was the clang of the bursting bow ; the neighbourhood was shaken , and the spectators werestricken senseless .Then Janaka, according to his promise , bestowedhis daughter Sita upon Rama

,and sent messengers

to Ayodhya to invite Da sa ra tha . He, on receivingthe glad news , set out in fitting state for Mith ila ,

and was worthily received by Janaka, who hadinvited likewise his younger brother, Ku sadhwaja ,

al so a king. In view of the great importance ofthe marriage

,the genealogy of either party was

related in presence of the state assembly ; Va sishtharecited that of Rama, while Janaka told his own .

To complete the happiness of the’ occasion, Janaka

bestowed his other daughter, U rmila , on Bharat,and to Lakshman and Sa trughna were betrothedthe two daughters of Ku sadhwaja .

Then a dais with a fair ca nopy was raised, and

S torie s of Gods 83Heroe sgolden vessels , ladles , and censers were set in readi

ness , with barley, rice , water, and other thingsneedful . The sacred fire w a s kindled in the midst,and Va sish tha performed the prescribed rites andgave the ofi ering to the flame. Then Janaka ledSita forward and commi tted her to Rama, a faithfulwife , to follow him as his shadow. The other princesand princesses were then in like manner joined inwedlock ; thrice round the sacred fire w ent eachbridal pair ; and heavenly music and Showers ofblossoms crowned the ceremony.

Anon, Da sa ra tha and his sons with their bridesreturned to Ayodhya, where joyous crowds issuedforth to meet them . After a time , Bharat andSa trughn a were invited to visit for a season KingYudhajit , their uncle , while Rama and Lakshmanremained at Ayodhya. Ra ma now began to sharethe government with his father, and daily increasedin favour with all . As for the fair Sita , andlove they bore each other

H e loved her for his fa ther’s voice

H ad given her a nd approved the choice

H e loved her for ea ch cha rm she wore,

An d her sweet vi r tues mor e a nd more.

S o he, her lord a nd s econ d life,Dwelt in the bosom of his wife,In dou ble form, tha t, e

’

en apa r t

Each heart cou ld commwne free wi th hea rt .

Then shon e the son K au sa lya bore,

Wi th this br ight dame a llied,

Like Vishnu whom the gods a dor e,

Wi th La kshmi by his side .

The Tale of Rama 8c} S ita

IINow King Da sa ra tha was very aged, and theburden of kingship weighed heavy on him . He wasfain, therefore , to install his well-beloved Rama asheir and regent. This proposal brought joy to thehearts of all, nor did even K a ikeyi and Sumitra seekpreference for their own sons , so dear to all hadRama made himself by his matchless skill in war,his gentleness and love of justice , his sympathyw ith the people , and other godlike virtues .So the king’s priests were hidden to make preparations for the joyful ceremony. The royal elephant,the tiger-skin, and white umbrella, were all inreadiness , together with money for largesse, andstores of food for the people and guests , and allbade fair to turn out prosperously. But D a sa ra tha

was ill at ease ; his rest was troubled by frightfuldreams , and the omens were evil . The great ritewas appointed for a day which , it was thought, mustsurely be auspicious for Rama ; and for this daythe prince and Sita were hidden to prepare themse lves by fasting and a night spent on a humblebed of sacred grass . The saint Va sishtha came toguide the fasting and meditation ; after which Ramaspent the night as directed , until but one watch ofit remained. Then he arose and bathed , and , havinghad his house adorn ed , went forth, clad in a silkengarment, to meet the duties of the memorable day.

But memorable it w as to be far otherwise than heor Ayodhya

’

s citizens thought.It chanced that among K a ikeyl s train was ahumpbacked maid named Man thara , brought up

D

50 Storie s of Gods 8? Heroeswith the queen herself. This girl , surveying froma staircase the joyful scene, asked of Rama’s nurse ,and was told, the cause of the festivities . Now thisgirl’s mind was as ill-formed as her body ; she hatedRama, and fury filled her heart when she learn edthat he was to be installed as heir and regent. She

sought her royal mistress in haste , and roused herfrom sleep, crying , “ Why sleepest thou , 0 ! ueen ?Arise , for dire peril is upon thee !Rising dismayed , the queen asked what the

dreaded ill might be. “ Falsely, replied the maid ,“ hath he whom thou cherishest dealt with thee andthy son . The king, with serpent’s guile , hath sentBharat away, that in his absence Rama may beappointed heir-associate . Rouse thee , therefore , lestthou become in all things subject to K a u sa lya !

But K a ikeyi s heart, thus far, was free of malice .

No whit grieved by the news , She rather rejoicedthereat greatly, and gave the girl a jewel for hertidings

,saying that Rama w as dear to her as her

own son Bharat.Sore vexed, the girl cast the jewel from her inscorn

,saying , “What folly is thine , 0 ! ueen, to

dream of bliss , when, in truth , thou s inkest in seasof trouble ! Truly, I tremble for thy son’s welfare ;he is the next heir to Rama, who will deem him alltoo near for safety. Thou , too , when Rama is euthroned , wilt be debased beneath K au sa lya

’

s feet.”

Still the queen, vexed for Rama’s sake , replied

that he was the best of men , incapable of harminghis brother, and as dutiful to herself as to his ownmother . But the maid , with unabated malice , assailed her again with base charges against Rama ,

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52 Stories of Gods 89° Heroe sK a ikeyi on the joyful matter of the day now dawning.

Through the lovely pleasure-grounds he passed , andcame to her favourite apartment ; but the couchwhereon she loved to recline was empty, nor in allthe bower could he spy aught of her graceful form.

Then stood before him the damsel Man thara , andwith folded hands told him, trembling , that thequeen had sought the mourning-chamber in a passion of woe . Much moved, the king sought out theafflicted queen, and conjured her to declare the causeof her trouble. But K a ikeyi would tell nought till hehad solemnly promised, as of old, to grant her boonand he , distraught by the sight of her sorrow, sworeby all the merit he had ever gained to grant what sheasked, even were it the very heart in his breast.Then the queen

,her heart swelling with triumph

to see him thus beguiled, replied, “ Be all the godsmy witnesses ! Let sun, moon , and stars, the earthand all that therein is , take note of this oath andmy demand ! Remember, 0 King , how to me alonethou didst owe thy life , when stricken from thedemon fray ; and how thou swarest me a boon .

I claim it now ; and if thou refuse , I die this day.

Let Rama depart forthwith , and for fourte en yearsdwell as a hermit in the woods ; and let Bharat,my son , rule in his stead.

Scarce crediting the witness of his senses,the king

stood amazed, as a deer in the presence of a tigress ,marvelling whether some dream were upon h im orsome frenzy had smitten his mind . Then, as doubtdeparted, and the vile truth stood out inevitable , acry of shame and horror broke from him, and hefell swooning to the ground. Scarce coming to him

The Tale of Rama 89° Sita 53self, he plied her with every form of entreaty to takeback the fell request, but a ll in vain. He flatteredthe queen on her beauty and good sense ; he urgedthe righ tfulness of Rama’s claim,

the completeness ofthe arrangements , the expectation of the citizens ; hedwelt on his own forlorn state if deprived of Rama .

But the queen only vowed that,if he did not meet

her demand , she would that day drink poison beforehis eyes ; and when Da sa ra tha , exhausted anddesperate, fell again into a swoon , she , with nothought of pity, did but ask why he lay senseless ,neglecting his plighted word. The king then arose ,and wrathfully declared that Ka ikeyi was no longerhis true wife .

Meanwhile Va sishtha was sending word to Dasaratha to bid Rama come forth without delay, for theimpending moment was most auspicious . Suman tra ,

the chief counsellor, was sent to fetch the prince ,who thereon ascended a two-horse chariot, Lakshmanstanding behind him with the royal fly-whisk ofyak’s-tail. Rama found his father seated withK a ikeyi , and did obeisance to each in turn ; but thehapless king could find no word but his son’s name .

Coldly the queen explained that D a sa ra tha was notangry, but was merely seeking to evade a promisemade on oath to herself, which she would tell Ramawhen he had sworn to carry out the king’s will ineverything.

To this Rama replied that at his father’s behest hewould give up life itself. Then K a ikeyi told theprince that the king had promised to send him tothe forests for fourteen years and to install Bharata s king. Rama dutifully accepted the mandate , and

54. Storie s of Gods 83Heroe sasked merely wherefore his father did not welcomehim after the wonted fashion . But the strickenmonarch , cut to the heart by the fulfilment of hisodious duty, again sank insensible .

Wild was K au sa lya’

s grief, and hot was Lakshman’

s

ire , when Rama mildly imparted his heavy tidingsto them . The mother cried that she had better havedied childless , and that , if Rama departed, she wouldtake her own life by fasting. Lakshman counselledresistance , and Offered even to slay his fathe r, if thecruel command was pressed.

Rama reasoned with each in turn. To K a u sa lya

he said that, if bereft of her, the king would die ,and that a woman’s happiness stands a nd fallswith her husband ’s welfare ; therefore , she shouldneither take her own life nor come with h er sonto the forest. To her son’s wise persuasion Kausalya yielded, and blessed his undertaking . ButLakshman still rebelled in Spirit ; Rama’s obedience ,whether to an unjust decree or to the overbearingmight of fate, seemed to him childish and unworthy.

The dispossessed heir had next to carry word tohis wife. Her he informed as gently as he could ,and spoke of going alone to the forest, leaving herbehind to pray for his welfare and comfort hismother. To this Sita replied, with much feeling ,that she must needs go with him , for apart fromhim she had no support and cared not for life .

Rama again prayed her to stay, for the forestlife was full of sorrow and danger. “ The woods,said be ,

“ are full of lions, elephants , and otherwild monsters ; the streams are deep and rife withcrocodiles. Thy only bed will be a couch of leaves

The Tale of Rama 89" Sita 55on the cold ground, in the midst of tangled thickets ,full of snakes and scorpions . Be wise , therefore ,love , and abide in the city ! ”

But Sita , with tears , replied

The p eri ls of the wood a nd a ll

The woes thou cown tes t to appa l,

Led by thy love I deem n ot pa in ;

Each woe a cha rm, each loss a ga in .

With thee beside me, such trials will be no trials .I married thee to be thy wife and helper

,and

faithful attendance on thee is my surest path tobliss , both here and hereafter. But know, if thourefuse my plea, I shall by drowning, fire, or poison ,end the life I may not spend by my husband’s side.”

To these and other entreaties Rama at lengthgave ear, and promised that she should go withhim . She was bidden to distribute her wealth toBrahmans and servants ; so the twain made readyto depart . Then Lakshman

,when his talk of resist

ance found no favour, said he would in any casego with them ; and Rama, at first unwilling to takehis brother from home, at length consented, andgave Lakshman command concerning the weaponsthat should be taken .

It would take long to tell with any fullness ofthe arrangements that had to be made ; of the manymessages that passed between the royal parentsand their children , between the departing ones andVa s ish tha , Suman tra , and others ; of the universallamentation in the city, and the expressions ofsorrow that rose from all save K a ikeyi, whose nu

blushing joy and triumph drew on her the sternestrebuke of the august Va sish tha .

56 Storie s of God s 8 HeroesThe hour of departure came, and Rama and h issma ll following left Ayodhya

’

s walls. On the firstday’s journey crowds followed them, even to thebanks of a river where they encamped for the nightbut Rama and his party rose early in the morning,while others slept ; and, crossing the river, they soguided their course that the people lost track ofthem,

and returned , bewildered and weeping, tothe ir homes . Then Rama and the others , faringswiftly on through the land of K osa la , crossed theriver Gomati , and , casting a last glance towardsAyodhya

,bade the city a long farewell.

When they came to the swift-flow ing Ganges theywere met by Guha , king of the Nishadas , who sentfor boats to convey them across . They then went onto the place where the Yamun a— now called Jumna— joins the Gan ges ; here stands now the town ofAllahabad , much esteemed by Hindus as a place ofpilgrimage . Near the confluence of the se riverslived a holy sage ; him Rama and his compan ionsVis ited, and he counselled them to seek Chitraku taPeak of many colours -as an hermitage.

Thither, accordingly, on the next day they benttheir course . Rama bade Lakshman prepare acottage thatched with leaves , and offerings weremade to gain the good-will of the various gods . Sofair was the spot that in its varied charms theexiles well-n igh forgot the sorrows of their fate .

Suman tra , the chief counsellor, who had aecompan ied them for some distance , left them ere theyreached their goal, and regained Ayodhya on thethird day after leaving them . All was sad and drearin the city, deserted by him who had been the light of

The Tale of Rama 8 Sita 57every eye. More cavillings arose in the royal household concerning the king’s consent to Ka ikeyi

’

s baneful demand ; but Da sa ra tha ,

while owning his follyin so wildly promising whatever K a ikeyi might ask ,now pointed ou t that the evil was , in truth , a punishment brought on him by a former sin . Once , in hisyouth , he had gone forth with bow and arrows tohunt and , mistaking the sound of a pitcher filling forthe movements of an elephant, he h ad shot in thatdirection and wounded to death the water-carrier,a young man , the son of an aged couple . WhenDa sara tha bore the news to them , the fatherlaid on him the curse that he should die from grieffor his son , and therew ith the parents departed thislife . So now , said Da sa ra tha ,

the curse had comeupon him ; his senses began to fail ; and , cursingKa ikeyi as his fam ily

’s foe,he breathed his last.

When the first grief of the widowed queen waspast, Va sishtha declared that Bharat must at oncebe summoned. Trusty envoys were sent OH, and ,travelling apace , they came in good time to thecapital of King Yudhajit , where Bharat and Satrughna were sojourning.

On that night, Bharat himself was vexed withfearful dreams . He seemed to see his sire, paleand dishevelled , plunge from a mountain-top into ahorrible pool of filth ; again, the king appeared instrange guise , borne southward in a car drawn byasses , and mocked by a grisly fiend. Bharat foreboded nought but ill from these visions , deemingthat his father or one of his brothers must surelyperish ere long.

Even while he spake of these things in the palace ,

58 Storie s of God s 8 Heroe sthe envoys from Ayodhya arrived . The messa gesummon ing Bharat was given , the trave lling gearwas got together, farewe lls were said and partinggifts bestowed, and Bharat set forth with speed.

After seven days’ journeying , they spied Ayodhyaafar. From that great city rose usually a mightyhum ,

heard far off ; but now no such sound greetedthe ears of the approaching prince . His nearer sightand entry of the city served but to increase his fears .The streets and houses were ill-kept, and such folkas we re seen abroad walked sadly with downcasteyes . Full of dismay, Bharat made h is way toK a ikeyi

’

s palace , and , after receiving her embrace ,asked news of his sire , only to learn that the kingwas sped . K a ikeyi strove to stay the young man

’sgrief ; but when he learned , in reply to furtherquestions , that Rama had gone to the forests andthat his mother had been the cause thereof, he roseand denounced her as the murderess of the king,a fiend in human shape , worthy only to be drivento the forests , or to perish by fire or rope .Hearing that K a ikeyi s son was come , K a u sa lya

sent word to bring him to her. Bitterly at firstbe greeted him , taunting him with having gainedRama’s kingdom by his mother’s guile. But Bharat,falling at her fe et, solemnly cursed all who had hadpart in causing Rama’s banishment ; whereon thequeen was comforted and welcomed Bharat withaffection.

The funeral of Da sa ra tha having been performedwith fitting pomp , Bharat and S a trughna weremournfully speaking together of their great loss

,

when the maid Ma n tha ra , n ow bedizened with every

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60 Storie s of God s 8 Heroe sbeen banished for twice seven years , thou become after him with all thy following to do himharm.

That be far from me cried Bharat sorrowful ly.

Lost indeed were I,could I harbour such foul intent

in my breast. The guilty demand of my mother,foolishly jealous on my behalf, found no approvalfrom me. I seek my brother’s abode only to throwmyself at his feet and lead him back to reign ; tellus, therefore , where he abides .

”

So the saint , well pleased , told Bharat of Rama’sdwelling on Ch itraku ta . He then bade the princebring up h is army, that he might give them goodlyentertainment. Every kind of attractive food anddrink was produced by the saint's power andprayers , and all feasted to their heart’s content,celestial choriste rs made music, and heavenly nymphsdanced before Bharat and his host . So ravishedwere the greater part by this royal cheer that theyspoke of staying in such a heavenly place , neitheradvancing to the forest nor returning to Ayodhya .

Next morning, however, came the word to advance ;all , therefore, saluted the noble hermit, the threequeens likewise coming forward to do farewellobeisance . Bharat reddened with anger when talkof his mother arose ; but the sage bade him controlhis wrath , as the banishment of Rama wou ld yetend in the benefit of all.Approaching Chitraku ta , they discerned, after somesurvey, the region of Rama’s dwelling , by risingsmoke . Bharat thereon left the body of the hostand w ent forward , with Suman tra only, to meethis brothers .

The Tale of Rama 8 Si ta 6 1

During these early days of his banishment Ramatook great delight in exploring, with his beloved Sita,the beauties of Chitraku ta— the peak bright withmany colours . The woods abounded with flow ersand fruit of every sort

,and the beasts of the forest

roamed free from all fiercen e ss . Fair streams plasheddown the mountain’s sides , and birds made musiceverywhere . In the midst of these charms the heartsof Rama and his wife were consoled , and they ceasedto pine for Ayodhya and royal estate .On a day, however, when Rama led Sita by thegoodly stream Ma ndakin i , dotted with islets , frequanted by ducks and cranes , with herds of deerdrinking fearlessly at its margin , Bharat’s hostapproached with much sound and dust, scaring theforest denizens far and wide. Spying from a tree ,Lakshman made out the great company of men ,

horses , and elephants , and in the midst of all bediscerned the cognisance of Bharat. Therewith cameto him the thought that had at first assailed bothGuha and the hermit, to wit, that Bharat had gatheredthis army to put out, once for all, his brother’sclaim to the throne and bitter wrath flooded Lakshman’s soul . Fiercely he cried that they should resistamain ; that, if they thus stood , Bharat might wellfall before their stroke , and Ka ikeyi, the plotterof the mischief, perish also, while the slopes ofChitraku ta ran with the blood of sinners .But Rama, ever wise as bold and righteous asbrave , replied , “ What should I gain, brothe r,when I have sworn to carry out this my father’scommand ? Methinks , indeed , Bharat hath butcome to visit us in friendship . He hath never

6 2 Storie s of Gods 8 Heroesdone thee wrong, and would , I doubt not, makeover the kingdom to thee thyself at my behest,shouldst thou desire it.”

With these words Lak shman’

s foolish wrath wasshamed ; then he said, “ Surely it is our father whocomes to visit us B ut Rama doubted somewhat ,seeing

,indeed, the royal elephant but not the royal

sunshade .Bharat, meanwhile , searched not in vain for hisbrother’s haunt . And, having made sure of his way,he bade Va s ishtha call the queens . Then he himselfsped on to Rama’s forest dwelling, the cottage ofleaves, floored with grass, wherein sa t Rama inraiment of ba rkclo th , with Sita and Lakshman by hisside. Much moved was Bharat by the sight of the seprincely ones thus humbly housed and attired whileRama, in turn , scarce recognised his brother, so wornwas Bharat with sorrow and anxious care. Manyquestions passed between them ; Rama inquired muchconcerning the welfare of all in Ayodhya, whileBharat besought his brother, with every kind ofentreaty, to return to the capital and be installed asking. Nought had Bharat said thus far of the oldking’s death n ow , sadly, he broke the grievous news ,as a last argument to enforce his petition that Ramashould return and take the kingdom to himself. Theword of his father’s death came on Rama as the blowof the axe that fells the tree . Down he fell unconscious , and when he came to himself he cried that hewould not return to Ayodhya even when his time ofexile was over. Then the brothers and Sita madea funeral offering to the spirit of the departed king

,

and made great lamentation together ; the noise of

The Tale of Rama 8 Sita 63their weeping was heard by the host, and sorrowcame upon them all .Then drew near the sageVa s ish tha with the queens ,

who looked sadly on the lowly surroundings of Ramaand his party, and lamented the crue l lot that boundthe prince to exile and Lakshman to the work ofa servant.Next morning the brothers met quietly in thepresence of the army, and all were curious to hearhow Bharat would address his brother. Then Kaikeyi’s son said calmly, “ The kin gdom was bestowedon me at my mother’s request. It is mine to giveI yield it to thee . Take it, then , for thou alone artworthy to hold it ! ”

But Rama answered, Be wise , brother, and ceaseto strive with Fate , which is stronger than all . Myword to my father may not be recalled . As for him,

too , let us not bewail his lot overmuch . He is gone ,as all perforce must go ; but he is gone full of daysand honour to the abode of the righteous in heaven ,and this we should not mourn. Turn thee, the refo re ,and reign in Ayodhya I , for my part, abide here ,obedient to our sire’s command.

Filled with admiration for his brother’s calm faithfullness

,Bharat replied , O conqueror of foes , where

is thy peer, whom pain doth not daunt nor joy uplift ?Yet shouldest thou ascend the throne ; for our fatherwa s in dota ge when he yielded to my mother ; andthy duty as a Kshatriya bids thee wear the crown.

But if thou refuse , I shall remain with thee in theforest .All present praised Bharat’s words and joined theirprayers with his . But Rama, while doing honour to

64 Stories of Gods 8 Heroe shis brother’s nobility of purpose , still kept his heartunmoved . Then came a Brahman , Java li by name ,and

,with the plea that the dead are gone and done

with and cannot bind our actions , sought to temptthe steadfast prince. But Rama rebuked his words ,as savouring of impiety whereon Java li said that hehad used the plea only to test Rama’s faithfulness ,and that he himself scorned such ungodliness .In the end Bharat consented to return to Ayodhya ,on the condition that he might take with h im Rama’ssandals to set up in token that he only held thegovernment from Rama’s hand. Having received thesandals , he then bade Rama a mournful farewell ;then , bearing the sandals on his head in token ofallegiance , he ascended his car and the return journeywas begun . Reaching Ayodhya in due course , hese t up the sandals as determ ined , and then withdrewto dwell in a village somewhat to the east of the city.

Soon after Bharat left, Rama and Sita learnedfrom some of the hermits who lived around that theneighbourhood was infested with loathsome fiends ,who delighted to put every hindrance in the way ofthose engaged in pious acts. At the request of theseascetics , Rama and his wife removed their abode ,and accompanied them to the Dandaka forest. Evenhere, how ever, they were not to remain unmolested .

A terrific Rakshasa, named Viradha , carried o ff Sitain the presence of Rama and Lakshman

,telling them

that a boon from Brahma made him safe againstdeath from any w eapon . The brethren then foughtagainst him for some time with small avail ; butwhen Viradha seized them up and bore them away

,

they broke his arms and brought him to the

The Tale of Rama 8 Sita 6 5ground. Then they made an end of him by buryinghim alive.Moving from one hermitage to another, they passed

ten years happily enough. They foregathered withmany holy sages, and spent a few months at eachplace in turn , enjoying the beauties of these calmretreats , amid flowery woods frequented by harml essbeasts and birds of melodious song. In particular,they had great joy in their communing with the RishiAgastya, from whom they got great store of goodcounsel and encouragement . The saint bade them notdoubt that all their trials would end in a change offortune, and commended for an abode a pleasantwoodland named Pan chavati, not many mi les fromhis own hermitage . To this place they went, andchose for their dwelling a lovely spot near the goodlyriver Godavari ; here they built a simple but com

fortable cottage, and settled down to live in greathappiness . But the beginning of great troubles wasnear at hand .

One day, when Rama wa s sitting with Sita and

Lakshman, Su rpanakha , sister of the Rakshasa kin gRavana, passed by, and was smitten with love forthe handsome prince. Though vile and hideous herself, she hesitated not to go forward and entreatRama to leave Sita and marry herself. At firstRama answered with jests , and bade her woo hisbrother. Lakshman, in turn, treated the matte rj es tingly ; but when the Raksha si, in a fury, attackedSita , he drew his sword and cut off her nose and

E

66 Stories of Gods 8 Heroe scars . In this woeful plight, Su rpan akha fled shrieking

,and sought the aid of her brother Khara. He ,

on hearing her tale , first sent fourteen huge Raksha sa s to avenge his sister’s wrongs but Rama slewthem all. Surpanakha , who had witnessed the conflict , brought word to Khara, and urged him withprayers and taunts to go forth and slay their foe.On this Khara summoned D u shan a , anotherbrother

,and bade him gather a great host of

Rakshasas,bent on evil . Terrible omens occurred

as Khara and his army went forth ; but, mad withwrath

,the giant heeded not, and pressed on, swear

ing that his sister would drink the blood of Ramaand Lakshman that very day.

Gods,saints , and other celestial beings drew near

to see the fight and to wish Rama good fortune.Then the Rakshasa host

,headed by Khara, advanced

to battle with great uproar. Hemmed in on everyside

,Rama nevertheless overcame his foes by means

of his mystic weapons, which caused the air to bedarkened with clouds of darts and arrows , anddestroyed the fiends by hundreds and thousands .B a shana advanced furiously to the fray and engagedRama in single combat ; but he was helpless beforethe hero’s might, and wa s quickly slain. FinallyKhara himself, though daunted by his brother’s fall ,rushed to the attack and pierced Rama with manyarrows . Rama, in return , pierced Khara

’s steeds andcharioteer, and wounded h is foe . Then Khara seizeda mace and hurled it like a thunderbolt at Rama ;but Rama checked it in mid-air

,so that it fell harm

less to the ground. After further furious conflict,Rama began gradually to prevail.

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6 8 Storie s of Gods 8 Heroe sRavana ? For all his might, however, Ravana firstsought the dwelling of the Rakshasa Maricha, whodwelt as a hermit beneath a mighty fig-tree in a holywood . To him Ravana set forth his purpose , andasked him to aid in carrying off Rama’s lovely wife.Let Maricha, said he, “ take the form of a goldendeer with silver spots , and wander where Sita mightsee him ; then would she bid Rama and Lakshmancatch the wondrous deer, and in their absence he ,Ravana

,would bear the helpless S ita away.

”

Pale grew Maricha as the demon king unfolded hisplan. He knew, better than Ravana, the matchlesspower of Rama , and he urged his lord not to drawthe tempest of ruin on his head by seeking to carryofi Sita.

Once , said the Rakshasa hermit, I roamedthe earth , strong as a thousand Nagas , slaughteringascetics and feeding on their flesh , in the Dandakaforest. Then went the holy Visw amitra , and beggedof King Da sa ra tha the aid of young Rama againstme and my comrades ; and the monarch , though lothto send his beloved son, then but twelve years old ,was overborne by the Rishi’s entreaty. Proud of mystrength , I bore down upon Rama with a murderousaxe ; but he, a beardless boy, abode my onset unmoved,and with a single invincible shaft hurled me , strickenand senseless , far into the ocean . Saved from thence

,

I made my way to Lanka but my comrades perishedone and all . Take heed , therefore , from my fate, andbeware of seeking to lay hands on Sita. Wives thouhast, many and fair— be content with them. If thouseekest to tear the fair daughter of Janaka fromRama’s side, thine eyes will see Lanka in ruins , and

The Tale of Rama 8 Sita 69thou and thine will fall before the hero’s unerringshafts . Of his prowess I have other proof beside whatI have told ; be patient, therefore , and provoke himnot. If I must do thy bidding, I shall not flinch , thoughcertain death will be my fate . One word more— say,my lord, what wrong hath Rama done to thee thy~self ? Pause , then, ere thou bring his wrath uponthee ; lest, when he bends his bow at length , thou andall thy chosen warriors fall slain before him .

”

But Ravana, scorning Ma richa’

s wise advice, a n

sw ered with disdain , “ Is this counsel worthy of thegiant race ? This Rama is a weakling fool , who , ata woman’s call , left his kingly duty to dwell in thewoods . His wife will I easily bear away, and neithergod nor demon shall stay me . A wise counsellorframes his speech with prudence , and , if he wouldsay aught that may displease his lord, conveys itby a cautious hint . But thy words to thy royalliege are blunt and bitter, and could win no assent,even were they true. I did but ask thy help : thisgive , and prate not of Rama’s strength and mine .

Change thy form to that of the golden deer, andlure Rama from his beloved’s side ; and , if he bidLakshman sta y to guard her, then , when thou hastdrawn Rama far from the hermi tage , assume hisvoice and cry aloud, H 0 , Lakshman ! H 0 , my Sita ! ’

Hearing the cry, Lakshman will fly to the rescue ,and Sita , deserted , will be my prey.

”

Thus overborne, Maricha yet replied boldly, Who ,my lord, is the vile wretch that has thus urged theeto that which will surely be thy bane ? Wise counsellors ever do their best to restrain a monarch ben ton folly ; but thine, alas , see the danger, yet seek

7 0 Stories of Gods 8 Heroesnot to

'

save thee from ruin . Even when the r igh teous perish

,it must often be that many fall with

them ; how dreadful , then, the ruin which is broughtabout by the headstrong folly of the cruel andwicked ! For myself I care not—my death willdoubtless be the first— but I grieve for the giantrace and for Lanka. Farewell to all our life andglory, if thou dare to lay hand on Rama

’s WifeThen

,seeing his words fell idly on Ravana’s ear,

he bestirred himself, resigned to fate , to go w ithhis lord and do his bidding. Aloft the magic carbore the twain, and brought them ,

over plain andhill, over city and river, to the spot where Rama’scottage stood. Then swiftly Maricha doffed h is

proper form and took on the guise of the wondrousdeer. His golden coat, flecked with silver, was gaywith many jewel tints , and sapphires tipped hisbranching horns . Now browsing on the tenderfoliage , now gambolling gaily with graceful leapsand bounds , he passed into the sight of Sita, as shereturned from the woods to the cottage, culling theblooms from many a flowering shrub and tree.Amazed she saw the magic deer, and called to Ramaand Lakshman to come and admire it. Sw iftly camethe brethren and gazed eagerly upon it ; but Lakshman’s heart was full of doubt , and he said, “ I fearthis is none other than the fiend Maricha

,who has

often donned this guise to beguile and slay kingswhile hunting . No deer on earth was ever seenthus gay with jewel tints ; this is nothing less thansorcery.

But Sita, loth to forego the chance of such rarespoil, still besought her husband to catch the fairy

The Tale of Rama 8 Sita 7 1

beas t and take it alive , to charm them during thedays of their forest retreat and then to grace thepalace grounds at Ayodhya after their return ; or,if it could not be taken alive, to strike it down andbring its skin. Thus pressed, and himself beguiledby the loveliness of the strange beast, Rama turnedto his brother and said, “ Truly, brother, this deerwere a kingly prize and well worthy of my hand.

And again , if it be in truth , as thou dost surmise ,the fiend Maricha, I am the more set on the deathof one who has wrought such wickedness . To thechase , then, I hasten ; do thou abide here and guardmy Sita jealously, providing for every chance andalert for foes on every side .So saying, he seized bow and arrows , and strodeforth in pursuit of the deer, which fled trembling.

From brake to brake it lured him, now seen closeat hand, now lost to View, ever leading h im fartherfrom his home . Wroth at this constant failure totake the beast alive , Rama laid to his bow a magicshaft and sent it hissing to the heart of the deer.Loud roared the dying giant, dropping in the hourof death his borrowed form ; then, mindful of hislord’s behest, he gathered his ebbing strength andcried amain in Rama’s voice, “ Ho , Lakshman ! Ho ,my Sita ! and so gave up the ghost.Then Rama perceived that this was in very deeda fiendish wile, back flew his mind in an! iousthought for Sita ; a creeping horror pressed on hisheart

,and

,has tily slaying a buck for food, he

hastened back to the hermitage.But the cry of the dying Rakshasa had done itswork too well . Hearing the agonised call in the

7 2 Stories of Gods 8 Heroe swell-known tones, Sita wildly called on Lakshmanto run to her husband’s aid ; and when Lakshmanrefused to leave her, she goaded him cruelly withpassionate taunts , saying that he had been seized withbase desire to have her for his own wife and wouldgladly stand by, unmoved, while Rama perished.

Against this storm Lakshman bore himself bravelyand humbly ; he bade her have confidence in Rama

’smight, which no living thing could quell, and saidthat he himself would suffer every reproach ratherthan break his word. But to the continued fury ofS ita’s tongue he yielded at length ; sadly he gazedon her, and then, with dire foreboding, went forthto seek Rama.

IV

Then drew near the ten-faced lord of Lanka withfell intent. The winds forbore to blow as he came ,and every leaf in the forest wa s still with fear.But he first appeared in the humble guise of a Brahman mendicant, whom the princess might receive asa revered guest. Deeply smitten by her bea uty, asshe sa t weeping for the absent ones , he addressedher thus with courteous Speech , Who art thou ,fair one , thus strangely lost in forest gloom ? Artthou the ! ueen of Love, descended from on high, orsome spirit of Fame or Beauty ? Ne’er have I seenthy peer on earth . What shame that thou shouldstwaste thy fairness on this wi ld retreat ! A palacewere fitter setting for such a jewel . How comes itthat one so fair dwells unguarded in the dreadforest ? ”

The Tale of Rama 8 Sita 73In reply, Sita , deceived by the false mendicant

’sappearance, and fearful lest he should curse her ifshe did not answer, related her story in full, askinghim, in turn , his name and race and why he wanderedthus in the forest.Then said he, “ 0 Sita , I am Ravana , lord of theRakshasa hosts ! Be thou my love, fair one, in myisland city of Lanka, where five thousand maidsshall wait on thee, and no sadness or pain shall evercome near thee ! ”

Then Sita’s wrath broke forth on him.

“ Fool !she cried, “ to dream that such as thou shouldstchance to win Rama’s wife . Better for thee to tearthe prey from the famished lion, to pluck the fangsfrom an angry snake , to drink poison ; sooner w iltthou swim the sea with a mi llstone around thy neck ,or pluck the su n and moon from heaven, or cherishburning fire in thy garment, than steal the loyaltyof Rama’s spouse . Thou seek to fill Rama’s place ?As the lion to the jackal, as the eagle to the crow,

as heavenly nectar to the dregs of rice-water, so isRama, my husband, compared with thee ! ”

Thus scornfully she flung her answer to theRakshasa king ; but all the while she trembled likea reed, and Ravana, watching closely, marked thesame with fierce exultation . Then, to quell her spirityet more, he recounted all his titles to greatness , hismastery of gods and demons , his dominion over w indand wave , and all the resources of his kingdom .

He bade her beware lest, if she refused his lovingofier , the sad fate of the nymph U rva si should overtake her ; and he boasted that his little finger wasmore than a match for a ll Rama’s might in battle.

7 4. Storie s of Gods 8 HeroesIt were a pity to pass by the name of U rva si , ofwhom Ravana spake to Sita, without some word ofher strange hi story. So, as the tale is no long one, itmay well be told shortly here.

THE TALE o r PURURAVAS AND U RVAS I

The story is one related in many of the Hinduscriptures , and hence it comes that it is given withmany differences in the various tellings . In any case,the greater share of sorrow seems to have fallenrather on Pu ru rava s than on Urva si , though Ravanameant Sita to think chiefly of her sufierings .

This U rva si was one of the nymphs of heaven , thechoice companion of the Gandharvas and othercelestial beings

,while Pururava s was a king of

ancient days of wide-spread fame and dominion .

To follow one tale , th is fair nymph fell under thecurse of certain gods , and was condemned to undergo a period of abasement to earth , not withoutsuffering while she was there. Then it chanced thatan audacious Daitya, named Kesin, drew near toIndra’s palace, and from the very portal bore thehapless nymph away. To avenge this insult andrecover U rva s i , Indra invoked the service of thenoble King Pu ru rava s , who forthwith went out tobattle with the Daitya hosts . Them he overthrewby his great might, and returned triumphant, bearingin his car the victim of the demon’s raid

,trembling

but unharmed . Small wonder was it, then, thatthereafter the fairest of the heavenly beauties andher royal rescuer became smitten with mutual love ;

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7 6 Stories of Gods 8 Heroe sthe tale is also told thus . King Pururava s havingwon the nymph’s affection, it became a matte r of nosmall concern to the Gandharvas and other celestialbeings that their dearest companion should be partedfrom them so long. They therefore imposed certa inconditions on the un ion of the mortal and theheavenly nymph .

Urva si took with her to earth two rams of heavenlybreed, which she cherished even as a mother herchildren ; these, it was agreed, Pururava s should ne

’ersufier to be parted from her. Also it was laid downthat the monarch should never be seen unrobed byhis bride. And the shrewd celestials perceived thatthrough these conditions they might, almost whenthey would, compel their U rva si to leave the worldof mortals .Thus , when the Gandharvas wearied of longseparation from their dear playmate , certain of themwent by night and stole the rams—fi rst one, then theother— from U rva si

’

s chamber. At the cries of thefirst the king awoke , but feared to rise unrobed butwhen to the cries of the second U rva si added her own ,

conjuring her husband to fulfil his promise to preventthe rams being parted from her, he sprang from hiscouch and seized his sword to assail the robbers .Then the Gandharvas caused a flash of lightning tomake the darkness as daylight , and U rva si, beholdingher spouse scantily attired, passed at once from hissight and returned to her own world .

Pu ru rava s , thus bereaved, passed his time in woeand lamentation . But after a season he came on hisbeloved, sporting by a fountain with some of hercomrades. Then she agreed to descend to earth for

The Tale of Rama 8 Sita 7 7one night in each year ; and to them were born , intime , si ! sons—though some say eight. But Pu ru rava swearied of this strange wedlock, and he yearned thatthey might be together always . And at length theGandharvas , pitying the greatness of his yearn ing,offered him whatever boon he Should choose and it isnot hard to guess his choice . Thereon they bade himperform certain rites , with his mind fixed on U rva si ;

and this rite, somewhat changed, having be en performed, Puru ravas won for himself a place in th eworld of the Gandharvas , and was never again partedfr om hi s love.There are those who say that this most ancientstory is but a parable of nature . Some see in Pururava s and Urva si the sun and the dawn ; others holdthat Puru rava s is the sun , and U rva si the morningmist, which vanishes even as the sun gains heat,attracted and yet dissipated by his beams .However this may be , the tale is a most ancientone , and is sung in the old Veda itself in a formwhichshows that it was already a story well-known andunderstood. As for the fitness of the tale to Havana ’

s

purpose, perchance it was even nearer the mark thanthe giant in tended ; for Puru rava s and U rva si, thoughwoefully part ed for a season , won through theirsorrows and were happily re-united in the end.

When Sita spurned him a s before, Ravana roseterrific before her in hi s own demoniac form , and ,after one vain cry for mercy from her, seized herround the waist and bore her aloft in air. Loud andshrill her cry for help arose , but all too far off to rea chRama and Lakshman . One helper, however, was at

7 8 Stories of Gods 8 Heroe shand ; on a tree hard by reposed the giant vultureJa tayu s , himself of Rakshasa blood, but kindly disposed, and friendly to Rama and Sita. On him didSita call , and at her cry he woke . First he sought toturn Ravana from his cruel and base attempt bypersuasion— for he and Ravana were of commonstock—but when the Ten-faced mocked him and hiscounsel, he swung aloft in air and prepared to dobattle for the right. With rending talons and savageblows of his wings he tare and smote the demonking ; but Ravana, though cumbered in the fight byhaving to hold Sita fast, wa s yet too mighty forhis staunch assailant, and triumphing in the end,bore away his prize secure , leaving the vulturegasping in the throes of death .

Thick darkness overspread the sky at the lawlessdeed. Brahma, the Creator, e ! claimed on high , Thedeed is done ! ” Gods and saints bewailed Sita’ssuffering yet joy strove with their sorrow, for theyknew that now had begun that course of eventswhich would surely lead to Ravana’s downfall . Fairand sad Sh e was born e through the air in the graspof the fiend, her beauty showing on his huge andhideous bulk like the pale moon rising through amurky autumn cloud, and the flowers dropping fromher neck fell on his dark brows like stars encirclingthe crown of Mount Meru. The birds of the airflocked together, and the trees bowed their heads towish her comfort. But Ravana’s fli ght was notstayed. The sun himself, the glorious lord of day,was dismayed that wrong should thus seem totriumph over right, and from all nature there rosea sound of loud lament.

The Tale of Rama 8 Sita 7 9Once more did Sita change her tone from prayerto warning, foretelling the spoiler’s overthrow anddoom . But neither prayer nor warning might checkhim now, and onward through mid-air he spedcherishing the prize doomed to be his bane,

Like the rash fool who hugs ben ea th

H is robe a sna ke wi th venomed teeth.

At length the giant came to the land’s end, andpassing high o’er the foaming waves of the soundingstrait, he hovered over Lanka’s isle and city. Descending into the midst thereof, he gave Sita into thecharge of Raksha si attendants ; but he commandedthat nothing which she asked for should be denied,and swore that any who troubled her should die thedeath . Then he appointed eight grim Rakshasas , ofapproved prowess, to go forth and gain tidings ofRama’s doings .Anon Ravana repaired to Sita again, and soughtto win her by new blandishments . He showed herthe brightest chambers , gleaming with gems andwork of gold, the fairest pleasure-grounds , and allthe goodness of his house ; but she , sunk in grief,heeded not. He vaunted the greatness of his mightand the number of his subjects , and begged her tobecome queen over a ll, admonishing her to put awayall hope of seeing Rama again. He pleaded with herto believe that such a union could bring no shame ;and, kneeling before her, placed her feet upon hishead

,in token of his heart’s utter subjection to her

charms .But Sita with new-kindling wrath, spurned him

80 Storie s of Gods 8 Heroe smore disdainfully than ever, and fearlessly extolledher husband’s worth and might. Ravana, cried she ,had sealed his country’s doom, and widowed Lankawould soon run with Rakshasa blood. Thus repulsed ,Ravana glowed with fury, and fiercely told her thatif she would not change her word, his cooks shouldmince her flesh for his morning meal. Therewith hebade the Raksha sis take her in hand and tame herpride ; and these foul dames let her forth to thepalace gardens, and watched her as tigers watch adeer, with many a horrid taunt and threat.

Maricha being slain, Rama hastened back towardsthe hermitage in great anxiety of mind. Evil omensdisturbed him a s he went, and as he drew nearerhome he noted with dismay that birds and beastsseemed filled with confusion and terror. An on cameLakshman hurrying to meet him ; but it was no welcome that Rama gave him, saying , Why hast thouleft the princess I fear that all imports somefiendish scheme to lure both thee and me from Sita ’sside.”

Lakshman heard his brother’s reproaches withdown cast eye and quiverin g lip, and knew not whatto say, for he did not like to blame Sita herself untoher husband . On rushed Rama, torn with fear andself-reproach they ente red the cottage , and, behold !it was empty.

Then Rama turned more bitterly than before on

Lakshman, and hard words passed between thebrethren. Lakshman told h is brother withWhat zeal

The Tale of Rama 8 Sita 8 1

he had assured Sita that Rama was proof against allthe malice of fiends or men , and how it was onlyunder her bitte r taunts and shameful accusation thathe had bent his will to leave her and go forth tocarry aid . But Rama was ill pleased, and went forthwith scant courtesy to look for traces of his wife .All round the cottage he searched in vain , loudlylamenting his fate , blaming his brother

’s faithlessness, accusing himself of some great s in that hadbrought such disaster upon him. Then , going fartherafield, he called on birds and beasts , woods and fields ,streams and mountains, sun , moon and stars , to re

veal his lost Sita’s whereabouts . In dread of Ravana,these gave h im no clear word, but some pointed southward, and thither the brothers bent their steps .Then they came on scattered flowers , which Ramaknew for Sita’s huge footprints were seen , and thencame the marks of the strife with Ja tayu s— Ravana

’sbroken bow, the wreck of his chariot, and Sita’s ornaments lying around. Wildly raved Rama against theravishers , and vowed destruction to the whole giantrace , while Lakshman sought to curb his fury, showing how the footprints were those of one alone andnot many. Then they came on the dying Ja tayu s ,and Rama cried out that he , without doubt, hadstolen and devoured Sita, and that he must perishforthwith . But the vulture found voice to say thathis wounds were got in Sita’s defence , and that thespoiler was Ravana. In great grief Rama fell downbeside Ja tayu s , bewailing both his own misery andthe woe he had brought on others . Then Ja tayu sfeebly told them that Ra vana had borne Sita awaytowards the south ; with that he yielded up his

F

82 Storie s of Gods 8 Heroesbreath , and the brothers performed his funeral ceremonies with much lamentation, and so went on theirway.

Ere long they encountered a grim fiend namedKabandha , who attacked them fiercely, but wasquickly laid low. As he lay dying , he asked who theywere, and was filled with joy when he heard theirnames for, he said, a curse had been laid on him byIndra, to pass from him only when he met with Ramaand Lakshman. He bade them, therefore, burn hisbody, and he would then aid them with good counsel.K abandha being dead , they laid his body on thefuneral pyre , whence rose a goodly being , whomounted a car drawn by swans , and bade the princesseek out the monkey Sugriva ,

who dwelt by a certainlake. Sugriva , who was the son of Surya , the Sungod, had been driven thither by his half-brother Bali,whose father was Indra .

The brethren therefore made their way througha fair country, rich in flowers and fruit, to the lotuscovered lake , nigh to which lived the monkey princeSugriva . He, when he spied the noble pair approaching fully armed, was greatly troubled, supposingthem to be sent for h is destruction by Bal i hisbrother. Removing, therefore , to another spot, hetook counsel wi th his ministers , and sent forthHanuman, son of the Wind-god, to take knowledgewhether these were friends or foes.So Hanuman , in the guise of a mendicant, wentforth to meet the brothers , and bowing down beforethem, inquired in courteous and flattering terms whothey were , whence they came, and what they wouldwith Sugriva , whose land this wa s .

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84. Storie s of Gods 8 Heroesbetw ixt my brother and a demon named Mayavi , sonof Dundubhi— of whom more anon . This fiend cameto Kishkindha , our capital , by night, and challengedBali to the fray. Impetuous in his rage , my brotherspurned all who sought to stay him , and, calling meto follow, rushed forth to combat. The fiend fledfrom the hot pursuit

,and took refuge in a mighty

cavern ; my brother followed fiercely, bidding me tostay and watch the mouth of the cave under oathnot to betray my trust. Long I waited patiently ;then, at the end of a whole year, there rolled fromthe cave a frothing stream of gore. I listened formy brother’s shout of triumph , but none came ;whereon I, concluding that he had surely perished ,closed the entrance of the cave with a huge rock andcame away. On my return to Kishkindha , I told mytale and performed the funeral rites of him whom Isupposed dead . Then the lords constrained me to beking in his place ; so for a season I bare rule , methinks with justice . Then came Bali himself, joyfulfrom the demon’s slaughter, and found me king. Inhis rage he slew them that made me so , nor wouldany welcome of mine assuage his anger. He chargedme with having barred the door of the cave toprevent his coming forth, while he pursued thedemon in the far-off recesses of the cavern , so that Imight win the kingdom for myself. My assurances ,vows , and prayers , were all in vain . He believed menot, but drove me forth , to be as ye see me this day.

”

Then, in order to let Rama understand the tremeudous power of Bali , Sugriva further related the taleof his brother’s strife with D undubhi, the father ofMayavi. This demon challenged the lord of Ocean to

The Tale of Rama 8 Sita 85battle ; but he declined, suggesting others who mightfight ; these , too, were unwilling , and in the end Baliwas named as one likely to take up the challenge .So the demon , in the form of a monstrous bufia lo ,

came to the gates of K ishkindha , and with menacingroars drew the attention of Bali. Nothing loth , thestalwart chief sallied forth , and, seizing the demonby the horn s

,flung h im to the ground . Then, after

a dreadful combat, he slew Dundubhi outright, and ,snatching up the corpse , hurled it some miles away.

Sugriva showed seven great trees which Bali , on thisoccasion , had pierced wi th one arrow ; but Rama,with a single shaft, pierced not only the trees butalso the hill beyond, the arrow then returning to thequiver. Seeing this , Sugriva was convinced thatRama was an ally whom even the celestials , led byIndra, could scarce wi thstand.

Sugriva then urged Rama to proceed at onceagainst Bali . The two brother Chieftains foughtbefore the gates of K ishkindha , but Sugriva wasworsted and reproached Rama for not helping him .

To this Rama replied that they had been soclosely inte rtwined that he had not dared toshoot ; but that, if Sugriva hung a garland on hisneck , he could be sure of shooting right. On this ,Sugriva again went to K ishkindha with his friends ,and with a savage roar challenged Bali to comeforth. Bali’s queen , Tara, strove to dissuade herlord from giving battle

,for she was sure that

Sugr iva , once defeated, would not have returned tothe fray unless he had got some puissant allies butBali was mad with rage, and would not hearken .

In the duel that followed Sugriva again had the

86 Stories of Gods 8 Heroe sworse ; but in the end Rama drew his bow andstruck Bali to the heart. The dying chief reproachedthe pri nce for thus smiting him unawares ; nor didRama’s reply, that Bali had wronged Sugriva bytaking his kingdom and his wife, seem fairly toexcuse him for smiting one engaged in single combatwith another. Soon after, Bali died , asking hisbrother’s pardon . for his unkindness , and commending his son Angada to the care of Rama,who promised to befriend him loyally. Tara, Bali’swidow, would not be comforted, and desired nothingbetter than to die on her husband’s funeral pyre ; butRama calmed her and bade her live for the sake ofSugriva , from whom she had been taken, and ofAngada her son . So after the funeral of Bali hadbeen performed, Sugriva was installed a s king withgreat pomp, and Tara again dwelt with him a s

queen.

During the rainy season, Rama and Lakshmanlived in a cave on a hill not far distant. The beautyof the view and of the woods around them did muchto charm their minds ; but the thought of Sita wasever present to Rama, and Sugriva , now that hisown end was gained, delayed his promised help .

Restored to royalty and comfort, with Tara by hisside, the monkey prince now gave himself more topleasure than to affairs of state , and his debt toRama remained unpaid and troubled him less andless as time went on. Rama complained to Lakahman that their ally, now freed from his own woes ,gave little thought to the unchanged sorrows of hisdeliverer ; and he bade his brother go to Kishkindhato remind Sugriva of the debt, lest, if he forgot

The Tale of Rama 8 Sita 87Rama’s goodness, he might hear the twang of

Rama’s bow.

Readily and wrathfully Lakshman hastened tothe city, and the monkeys fled be fore his presenceSome of them bore tidings to Sugriva of Lakshman

’

s

advent ; but the prince , absorbed in dalliance withTara, gave the matter no heed . On this , Lakshmansent Angada to tell Sugr iva of his waiting at thegate ; but Sugriva was sunk in a drunken slumber.Then Lakshman came himself, and at his coming themonkeys roared so that Sugriva woke , and tookadvice of his counsellors , who advised him to returnLakshman a soft answer and to fulfil his promiseto his benefactor Rama.

Replying to his ministers, Sugriva confessed that

he had forgotten what was due to Rama , and prepared to meet Lakshman with folded hands. Thereon the hero was admitted, and , on entering thepalace , was led to an inner chamber, where Sugrivasat on a richly dight throne . The monkey princestarted up in terror as he heard Lakshman

’

s

threatening step , and awaited his coming in suppliant guise . Lakshman sternly reproved his baseingratitude

,quoting to him words uttered of old

by Brahma against the ungrateful .

For dra ughts of win e, for s la ughtered cows ,

For trea cherou s thef t, for broken vows ,

A p a rdon is orda in ed, bu t n on e

For tha n kless scorn of service don e.

In reply to this angry speech,Tara, the queen,

interceded for Sugriva , and Lakshman’

s wrath wa s

turned away. He confessed that, in his Zgrief for

88 S torie s of Gods 8 HeroesRama, he had spoken more roughly than was needed ;he acknowledged that Sugriva was not unworthy ofthe kingdom

,and kindly feeling was thus restored.

Sugriva then carried Lakshman in h is car back toRama’s presence

,and stood before the prince with

folded hands , promising at once to gather a mightyhost

,even millions and billions of monkeys . NO

sooner said than done ; the monkey legions assembled in such numbers that the sun was darkenedand the earth trembled . Then Rama desired thatsearch should first be made to find where Sita washidden.

Sugriva hereon appointed four armies to go forthand make search . The army of the East was ledby Vinata ; that of the West, by Su shena , Tara

’sfather ; Sa taba la commanded the Northern army,and Angada ,

with Hanuman and others, that of theSouth. Sugr iva , who had ranged the whole worldover to secure a safe refuge from Bali , gave themcareful directions where to search . He looked wi thspecial hope to the southward army, for he greatlytrusted Hanuman, who was strong and active ashis sire , the Wind, and knew the Three Worldsperfectly.

This confidence , as has been well seen, was rightlyplaced. The armies of East, West, and North, aftera month’s constant searching

,returned weary and

despondent. And, indeed, for a time the army ofAngada and Hanuman fared no better. They firstranged the mighty Vindhya mountains high andlow, but no Sign of Sita could they find. Then theypassed through strange adventures in a wondrouscavern, out of which they were transported by magic

The Tale of Rama 8 Sita 89to the shore of the sounding Ocean . Here dark despaircame on them ; the time of search was spent, andno trace or tidings of Sita had come to their ken .

They dreaded the wrath of Sugriva ,if they returned

unsuccessful ; and, doubting not that in such casehe would slay them without pity, they determinedto end their lives there by starvation .

In this sad plight they were succoured by Sampa t i,the elder brother of Ja tayu s , the giant vulture whohad fought with Ravana to stay the rape of Sita.

Sampa t i knew not of his brother’s death, and heard

the tale with deepest woe . But he bad word of Sitafor the seekers ; for one day his son , who dailybrought him food , had told him that he had heardof Ravana bearing her away ; and Ravana dwelt inthe splendid city of Lanka, girt with two hundredleagues of sea. Beyond all doubt, the wife of Ramamust now be there .This news filled Angada and Hanuman with joy,and they took counsel together how the belt offoaming sea might be passed . Many of the chiefspossessed great power of leaping ; but the son of theWind-god surpassed them all, for a leap of even athousand leagues was no obstacle to him . So forthhe sped, cheerful ly vaunting his power to boundfrom one side of heaven to the other

,and girt him

for his leap across the strait .So huge was the bulk of Hanuman that the mountain from which he sprang rocked beneath him ashe leaped. Demons sought to stay his flight, buthe rent and slew them . Then shrinking to a lessersize lest the warders of Ravana s proud capital shouldmark his coming , he settled on a lofty peak, and

90 Storie s of Gods 8 Heroe sthence made his way to the city, marvelling, a s hewent

,at the goodly hills and rivers , the woods laden

with flowers and fruit, and the plains rich in allmanner of crops .Entering the city, not w ithout some pause , hesurveyed its many marvels by the light of the clearfull moon. The monkey prince saw with wonderbroad streets , with goodly houses and palaces , someof seven or eight stories high , ri chly wrought of goldor dight therewith . Here also he saw the sleepingforms of many Rakshasas of every Shape and size.Some were huge , others small ; some were fair tolook on, others vile and loathly ; some bore wealthof rich jewels and raiment, others none at all .Greatly marvelling at everything,Hanuman wonderedyet more when he came to the palace of the demonking, and most of all when he beheld, am id the manyprincely possessions therein , the Flower-car wroughtby the architect of the gods , of which Ravana hadbereft the lord of Wealth himself.In this mansion Hanuman beheld Ravana himselfasleep amid his wives, and he marvelled at theirbeauty ; but though the fairest of them might wellhave rivalled Sita, Hanuman felt sure that Sita wouldne’er be found among them , and he sought her elsewhere . Anon he came to a fair grove of lovely trees ,broken by charming pools , clear as crystal andstudded with blooming water-lilies. Here Hanumansaw a glistening white palace raised on a thousandpillars , with stairs of coral and pavement of gold .

Here at last he found Sita, sweet as ever, bu t paleand wasted, like the dimly seen crescent of the newmoon , or the Star-queen overborne by the tyranny

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92 Stories of Gods 8 Heroe swill yet think my apish form but a disguise of his .

I will, therefore, gently rehearse in her hearing theta le of Rama’s doings, and she will be soothed bythe sound and prais e of his name .” Therewith hebegan softly to chant Rama’s story, and she , greatlywondering

,looked up and beheld him. Sore afraid

at first, she doubted whether this were not a dream ;

but Hanuman drew near humbly, and told hiserrand. She , however, still fearing that this wasin sooth none other than her deadly foe in disguise ,would hold no parley with him for a space. Thisunbelief, he , in the end, o

’

ercame by telling her ofRama’s appearance and virtues , and of hi s woe ather loss, and , lastly, by showing her the ring thatRama had given him as a token. She then told himthat Ravana had given her two months to choosebetween his love and her own death ; and giving hima jewel from her hair as a token, she charged himwith her messages to Rama, and sent him forth withevery good wish.

Yet would not Hanuman leave the fair city ofLanka without some mark of his enmity and hismight. First be destroyed the pleasure-grove, up

rooting the trees , marring the tanks , overthrowingthe houses. Forth came the Rakshasa guards amainto stay the spoiler, but no easy task was theirs todeal with this strange foe. Having Slain those whowithstood h im

,he uprooted a huge pillar, and ,

whirling it round dashed it against the great templeof the Rakshasas , which took fire and was consumed.

Other champions were then sent against him, butall in turn he overcame and slew. After these

,

Ravana bade his son Aksha engage Hanuman. Dread

The Tale of Rama 8 Sita 93was the contest that ensued ; and so great was theprowess of Aksha

,that Hanuman , though superior

in the fight, wa s fain to spare his life , but was constrained in the end to slay him. Another son ofRavana, Indrajit by name, mightier than his brother,then took up the gage of battle. Very puissant infight was he, and Hanuman did rather avoid hisstrokes than seek to repay them . In the end , Indrajitbrought forth a mystic weapon , whereby he noosedthe monkey pri nce and took h im prisoner ; nor didHanuman greatly grieve at this , for he was more thanwill ing to be brought before Ravana and hold parleywith him .

Fu ll of wrath was the king when the prisoner wasled into his presence, and, provoked by Hanuman’sbold speech , was scarce restrained from causing himto be slain . Howbeit, in the end he gave order to setHanuman free , as being an envoy ; but he commandedthat, in qu ita l of Hanuman

’s doings , his tail shouldbe set on fire ere he went. When this was done ,Hanuman shrank in size till his bonds fell from himthen he bounded aloft, and , waving his burning tail ,se t fire to the city, which burned amain. Ere he leftLanka, however, he once more had speech with Sita ,comforting her with news of his success and withpromise of Rama’s coming to save her. Therewi thhe once more leaped the strait and rejoined hiscomrades.

Overjoyed at Hanuman’s return and tidings,Rama

was yet much cas t down concerning the crossing of

94. Stories of Gods 8 Heroe sthe sea . He resolved , in any case , to march with allhis host to the shore and there to take furthercounsel on the matter. Thither, accordingly, theymade their way, and gazed with wonder on thesurging sea

,rife with many monsters huge and

fierce.Meanwhile, in Lanka, Ravana debated with hiscounsellors . Two to whom he gave special heedwere his brothers Vibh ishana and K umbhaka rn a .

Of these twain, Vibhishana had already chidden

Ravana for the s in and folly of his doings , and evenso he counselled him once more to give up Sita to herlord.

“ All has gone amiss ,” said he, “ since thoudidst bring her. Our realm has been o

’

e rshadow ed

with evil and omens of ruin.

” But Ravana, enraged ,Started from his seat, and rushed forth to give chargeconcerning the defence of the city and the ordering ofbattle. Then he turned for advice to Kumbhaka rn a ,

who had just awaked from six months’ sleep ; for,though vast in bulk and of prodigious strength , hewas given to gluttony and sloth .

Roused from his torpor, the giant mocked Ravana’s

hesitation .

“Why ve ! thyself and us with thesesearchings of heart now , 0 King ? said be .

“ Forsuch there was truly need, ere thy hand was laid onSita . But now that she is indeed thy captive , thereis no time for idle talk. Rouse thee ! Be strong ,fight, slay Rama ! Thus only mayest thou win Sita’slove . As for me, the first dart Rama hurls at me willbe his last.”

This counsel served but to vex the spirit of Ravanathe more ; for, in sooth , it would seem that, in spiteof all his great boasting, he was in some measure

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96 Stories of Gods 8 Heroe sdevised a cruel trick to bring Sita to despair. Hecalled on one who had magic powers to make a headlike that of a slaughtered man, even as the head ofRama slain , and weapons like his , stained with gore .

Then he went once more to Sita to beg her love ,telling how his men had surprised their foes in sleep ,and one had cut OE Rama’s head and brought ittogether with his arms . When Sita gazed on thegrisly trophies , she sank down like one dead ; returning sense only brought overwhelming grief and thedesire to be dead with him who had thus diedfor her.Then came one seeking Ravana on urgent business ,and he went forth to direct the ordering of hishost. When he wa s gone, a Raksha si, kindlierthan the rest , bade her be of good cheer , for thistale of the head w a s but a trick of art magic ;Rama lived, and it was the instant call to preparefor battle with him that had drawn Ravana forth .

As she spake , the earth shook and the air re

sounded with the noise of warlike preparation ;and Sita was comforted by her companion’s words ,as parched ground by rain.

Meanwhile Rama and Lakshman , with Sugr iva

and Vibh ishana , having taken counsel for theattack on the city, passed the night on a fairhill whence a goodly view of Lanka spread itselfbefore their eyes . On the morrow Sugriva , be

holding Ravana sitting in state on a tower overthe gateway, could hold himself no longer, butSprang over the space between and, bounding atthe demon king, with loud threat attacked him

forthwith . Ravana was not slow to resist, and

The Tale of Rama 8 Sita 97Sugriva , having somewhat the worse of the en

counter, escaped to hi s friends .Th e monkeys now advanced to the assaul t inmillions , and Ravana from his watch-tower beheldthe earth tawny with their bodies . A furiousbattle raged all day, with many single combatsbetween the leaders on either part. Rama wroughtdire havoc among the Rakshasas ; but young Indrajit , coming fiercely to the fray, bound bothhim and Lakshman with a magic noose and rainedhissing shafts upon” them amain . Their strengthfailed, and with dimmed eyes they sank to earth .

Loud shouted Indrajit in triumph , and loud yelledthe fiends on every side , and deep woe came onSugriva and his friends . Ravana, rejoicing , sentword to Sita that the heroes were fallen , andShe wa s taken in a car to the place where they lay.

Breaking out into wild lament, she cried,

“ Falsewere the soothsayers who foretold that I shouldbe a mother and never a widow ; false, they whosaid I should reign as Rama’s queen. Slain is henow, my lord and life, matchless in might—he who ,with unaided arm, o

’

erthrew the fiends sent againstus in the forest— Slain by base illusion, who ne’ercould have been worsted in fair fight. Alas forme ! Alas, still more , for the widowed motherwho, with bowed head, counts days and hours toh is return whom she ne’er again will see !Then Rama, waking weakly from the trance thatheld him, saw his brother lying as dead, andmade sore lament ; h is hope of ruling in Lanka.seemed blasted, and he woefully bade Sugriva giveup the Struggle and return to h is kingdom.

98 Stories of Gods 8 HeroesThen

,while some sought to hearten Rama, and

others talked of bringing leaves of healing fromthe shore of the Milky Ocean , there gathered, asit were

,a sudden storm all round. Loud blew the

blast, and fierce flashed the lightning ; trees wereuprooted, the bills were riven , the waters fearedand foamed . On this blast came Garuda, king ofbirds , the steed of Vishnu, the foe of serpents ,amid flames of light. At the glance of his fieryeye, the serpent bond that held the princes was

loosed in a twinkling ; at the touch of his wing ,their pangs were allayed and their bodies madeevery whit whole. Then up they stood rejoicing ,and thanked their healer, not knowing who he wa s .

Then answered Garuda, wi th pride and joy, “ Knowme for one who loved thee of old, 0 Rama ! I amGaruda, lord of a ll that fly. These snares, thatbound thee and thy brother, were, in sooth, noneother than mighty snakes , and among all thecelestials none could loose them save myself, thefoe of serpents . On then , in this thy strengthrenewed, and smite the foe of gods and men !Thus spake Garuda, and, swift as thought, spedSkyward in a blaze of light.Learning that the princes had been loosed fromtheir bonds , Ravana was greatly troubled, bu t gavecommand for a sally by some of his best warriors ;When these were slain, he went forth himself.Many of the monkey chiefs he slew or drovewounded from the fight, but Rama and Lakshmanwithstood him. Lakshman was borne from the field

,

stricken and senseless , by Hanuman ; but Ravana’smight failed before Rama, and he withdrew to the

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1 0 0 Stories of Gods 8 HeroesIndraji t sallied forth anew, boiling with rage ; andbefore his wild onslaught the monkeys fell inmyriads , and Sugriva , Hanuman, and other chiefswe re driven wounded from the fray. Again onRama and Lakshman fell the magic noose, inevitable

,numbing all their powers , s o that they sank

as dead. But Hanuman sped swiftly to the mountains of the North , and there from a noble hill heculled and brought four herbs of healing, wherebythe heroes were loosed and quickened and new virtuewas imparted to all the host.Thereafter Indrajit gave himself anew to magicalpractice , seeking to render himself invisible and proofagainst every wound. Also , he brought forth a likeness of Sita, pale and worn , and slew the same insight of Hanuman. He , in turn , carried the dreadfulnews to Rama, whose soul fainted at the tidingsThen Lakshman was bidden to go forth in haste, todo battle against Indrajit , ere that warrior Shouldcomplete the spells rendering him invulnerable.Lakshman, therefore, sought the sacred groundwhere Indrajit wrought his magic, and called onhim to fight. As may be supposed, the combat wasone of the most close and bitter of all the many thatwere fought ; but Lakshman, though sorely wounded ,prevailed in the end, and great Indrajit was slain.

There remained nothing now for Ravana but totake the field himself and to bide there till victoryor death . The battle now raged with unmeasuredfury, with many fierce encounters between the

captains and infinite slaughter of the common sort.

Then Vibh ishana arose against his brother and didbattle with him who was the chief of his own blood

Rama launched at his Foe a fearsome Bolt

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1 0 2 S tories of Gods 8 HeroesAmid all the plaudits of men , saints and gods ,that greeted the crowning success of Rama’s warfare ,there was one among his following whose heart wassore for the fallen king . Sadly Vibhishan a bento’er the corpse, and thus , lamenting , he spake, Alas ,hero , valiant and skilful in fight, why liest thou lowon thy gory bed ? Thy fate ha s been even as I foreboded but love and pride forbade thee listen to myfriendly counsel. Alas for the pride of the Ra kshasarace , once a tree of royal growth and stature , nowlying prostrate ,

Wi th r ifled bloom and ma ngled bough .

Him Rama, the joyous victor himself, did kindlyconsole. “Weep not , he said, “ for the intrepidking who died a warrior’s death. Hatred between usperishes with his fall, and I shall gladly aid thee toperform the last duties in his honour.”

Vibhishan a feared somewhat to essay funeral riteson behalf of one so evil as Ravana had been ; butRama bade him believe that there should be noenmity towards the dead , and all was therefore dulymade ready and carried out.Then Rama, returning to the camp , gave out hiswish that Vibhishan a should be made king inRavana’s place . The anointing water was speedilybrou ght from Ocean in a golden jar, and Ramasprinkled the head of Vibhishan a , as the new lord ofLanka, in presence of the Rakshasas ; and all wereglad .

Then Rama bade Hanuman go bear tidings to Sita.

Her the monkey prince found , still sad and poorlyarrayed, sitting ’neath a tree , surrounded by her

The Tale of Rama 8 Sita 1 0 3Rakshas i guards. Right welcome to her was thesight of Hanuman , but the joy of his tidings at firstreft her of speech. Anon she talked with him for aspace then suffered him to depart, with the messagethat she craved sight of her lord. Then Rama senther word to deck herself and come, which forthwithshe did ; but the crowd so pressed to see her, thatVibhishana and others drove them back. This vexedRama, who said that this was not a time at which awife need shrink from showing her face .Further, when , somewhat daunted by these words ,Sita drew near humbly and stood at Rama’s side , begreeted her with little warmth , saying, La dy, theinsult is avenged, the task is done. These , whomthou seest, have battled successfully ; the blot onmine honour is avenged. Tears came to Sita’s eyesat this chill welcome ; but Rama, no whit melted,spake again , yet more cru elly, saying , ’Twas notfor love of thee that I dared this deed, but to avengemine honour. Thou hast been embraced by Ravana’sarm , thou hast been the inmate of his palace.’Twere better thou shouldest go free. Duty bidsme speak thus : thou art free to go where thouwilt.”

Amazed and shame-stricken by these cuttingwords , Sita, trembling like a creeper rent by anelephant, pleaded woefully with her husband to saywhat cause he had to distrust her, and why he hadnot sent word of his jealousy by Hanuman. Then ,turning to Lakshman , she said in broken accents

,

Prepare for me , son of S umitra , the funeral pyre !Disowned and shamed , I cannot bear to live.”

Nor did Rama gainsay this baleful request. Al l in

1 0 4. Storie s of Gods 8 Heroe shis sight and hearing the pile was prepared, and Sitaessayed to step into the blazing fire. Ere she did so ,

she called on the Fire, the purifier of all things , towitness that she had never in thought or word ordeed swerved from loyal love to her lord. Thenwith unfaltering step She passed into the flame anda piercing cry of anguish broke from all, as they saw

her fall in its fierce embrace .Then the god of Fire rose from the midst of thepile

,leading Sita forth , witnessing to Rama that

neither by thought nor by word nor by deed hadshe turned from her loyalty to him. The gods, too,had come themselves to chide Rama for sufferinghis faithful wife to enter the fire . To these protestshe made answer that he had never really doubtedhis Sita’s truth , but had merely put her to the te stthat all might see the matter publicly righted andknow him for an honourable man .

Yet, in sooth , this bearing of Rama towards hiswife seems scarce that of kindness or true honour.Better had it been for him, even in the face ofslander— though never a word thereof had goneabroad— to believe his most true and loving wife andto cleave to her through good report and bad .

Braver, surely, to have calmly taken her hand inhis and so stood side by Side with her against thesneers of men— though of these there were none . And

,

indeed , if she was constrained to feel the insultingtouch of Ravana’s arm on her waist, and to sojourn,a weeping captive , in the chambers of his palace ,the fault was surely Rama’s own . The weakness forwhich he so bitterly chid his brother, in respect ofleaving her side to satisfy her timid yearning for

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The Tale of Rama 8 Sita 1 0 5her husband’s safety, had been shown by himselfwhen, yielding his better judgment to her plea, hebegan the movement which left her defenceless , bygoing forth to chase the magic deer.Yet the lesson is one that, alas , is true to thenature of mortal men. For while trouble is heavyon us , we are ever ready to Share the burden ofthose who are caught in the same toils as ourselves ;but when the cloud of care rolls by, and the crushingload of sorrow grows lighter, we begin to cast theeye of judgment on our fellows , and to think thatour falling into the pit was of their doing, though ,haply, they might with greater justice say the likeof us .Be this as it may, husband and wife were nowhappily joined together again. Then came one ofthe great gods, Siva, having in his car D a sa ra tha ,

Rama’s sire , and greeted the conquering hero . Goback to thy kingdom n ow ,

” said the departedmon arch , “ the fourteen years are ended, and thymother awaits thee.Thereon Vibhishan a brough forth the Flower-car,won of old by Ravana from the lord of Wealth , toconvey Rama and his queen to Ayodhya. Wondrous tobehold was this divine chariot, all decked with gold ;it was huge of size , and had goodly chambers within ;bells hung around it and tinkled as it moved ; alsoit was drawn by bright swans , and fared whithersoever those within it willed .

Sweetly passed the homeward journey, as eachto other recounted the strange adventures that hadpassed upon them in the days of their separation .

By Sita’s request, Rama’s staunch allies , the monkey

1 0 6 Stories of Gods 8 Heroeslords , were invited to follow and be present inAyodhya when the prince should be enthroned .

Before the royal pair sped Hanuman, bearing wordof their coming to Bharat. That faithful regentstill dwelt humbly at Nandigrama ; in hermit guise hepassed his days

,his brother’s sandals ever set up in

his view. Forthwith , on hearing the joyful tidings,he bade men level the roads and Strew them withflowers ; musicians and trumpeters made merry din,and so great was the joyous clamour on every sidethat beneath them the earth shook withal . Thencame Rama from the hermitage where erst he hadstayed on his way to the forest, and was receivedhumbly by Bharata, who placed the sandals at hisfeet, blessing the day that witnessed the return ofAyodhya

’

s rightful lord. Thereon Rama, now restoredto his native land, gave command that the Flower-carshould be sen t back to the god of Wealth , fromwhomRavana of yore had stolen it ; and, receiving back thekingdom, was installed with Sita on a jewelledthrone , and so anointed king by the hands of holysages , with water brought from many holy streams .

The Wind-god , sire of Hanuman , gave to Ramaa wreath of golden lotuses , to crown him withal ;water-nymphs danced a fairy measure , while stormsprites and heavenly minstrels swelled the jocundstrain of praise . Glorious gifts were bestowed onthe princes who had befriended Rama so loyally,and all returned homeward in supreme content.Of the latter end of Rama and Sita , and how theypassed from among the children of men, the taleneed not here be told. Suffi cient be it to leave them

,

joined together after such grievous parting, and

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Chapter III

THE TALE OF PRAHLADA, THE GOODDANAVA

N far distant ages there lived on earth a mightyDanava, H iranyakas ipu by name , son of Diti ,the old Earth-mother, whose progeny were also

called Da itya s , after her own name.This Danava lord had won from the Creator amystic boon, through the strength of which hehad come to hold sway over all three worlds . Thecelestials trembled before h is might, as they didbefore that of Ravana, of whom we read elsewhere .In truth , this Danava was none other than Ravanahimself, in an earlier existence ; and like Ravanahe loved not righteousness , but hated the gods andall that tended to their honour.H ira nyaka sipu had gotten to himself the controlof sun and moon and all the host of heaven, thelordship over wealth, and the judgment of the dead .

Nagas and Gandharvas did fealty to him, andattended his presence at his banquets the perfectedsaints sang praises , and nymphs of heaven dancedthereto . Thus the Daitya king was mightily puffed

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The Tale of Prahlada 1 0 9up with pride, and the gods fled abashed before him ,

and hid themselves in mortal guise .

A son he had, Prahlada by name, a youth ofwondrous wisdom and goodness . Him the king committed to the charge of his priests , to be instructedin a ll useful learning and matter of kingcraft . Andin time it chanced that H iranyaka s ipu called for thelad, and bade him te ll what he had learned of histeachers . To this the youth repliedI have learned to adore him who is the Cause of

causes , even Vishnu , the imperishable lord of theUniverse .Then was his father filled with fury, for no namewas so hateful to h im a s that of Vishnu ; and in hotanger he cried aloud to the priest

“ What meanest thou , wretch , thus to teach myson to flout me by praising to my very face himwhom I hate above a ll others ?Then answered the priest gravely, that what

Prahlada said had not been taught by himself.By whom, then ? ” asked the king.

Then spake Prahlada himself and said, “ Whoshould teach me such knowledge bu t he who isthe supreme Tea cher, indwelling the hearts of allwho will learn of him ? Vishnu himself, dwellingin my heart, ha s taught me.Then was H ira nyaka sipu yet more wroth, andcried , “Who is Vishnu , and what is he to thee ,that thou laudes t him thus before me , ruler of thethree worlds ?Vishnu,” replied the youth ,” is the Lord of a ll the

Universe, not only of me , but of thee , father, also .

He by his divine power ruleth over a ll , even over

1 1 0 Stories of God s 8 Heroesthyself why, then, shou ldest thou be offended at hispraise ?Away with the young fool ! cried the king wildly.

Let him return to his lessons and learn wisdom.

Whence learns he thus profanely to extol my wors tfoe ?So Prahlada returned to the house of his preceptor ;and there , by diligence and devotion , throve apacein all manner of religious knowledge. After certaindays , his father summoned him again, and bade himrecite some poem. Thereon the youth opened , afterthe manner of poets , with invocation of a god, andthe god whose favour be invoked was Vishnu . H is

father, beside himself with rage , bade the attendantsfall on his son and smite him, as a traitor to h isfriends and a curse to all his race . This the Danavas did, smiting the lad grievously and often . Buthe, meditating on Vishnu , felt no pain fr om theirblows ; and when his father promised him relief, ifhe would but take back his praise of Vishnu

,he

answered that he, in whose heart dwelt the immortalguardian from all the woes of existence , knew noneed of relief.Then H ira nyaka sipu , in his wrath and indignation,called on the Nagas, the snake-gods , to Slay h is son

with their venom ; and the Naga lords bit him Inevery part with their deadly fangs. But he

,

absorbed in rapture of devotion, felt no pain norsuffered scathe ; while they, the serpent-lords , criedout, “ 0 king, our fangs are broken , our crests areburst, we are racked with fever ; but the youthis unscathed , and thou must

‘ Seek other aid.

Then the king summoned the celestial elephants,

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The Tale of Prahlada I 1 Ihuge as mountains

,to trample and gore his son to

death ; and this , indeed, they strove to do. ButPrahlada , thus fearfully assailed , cried out, “ Thetusks of the elephants are blunted on my body :and this through no strength of mine but throughmeditation on Vishnu

, who preserveth from allaffliction .

”

Then cried the king, “ Away with the elephants ,and let fire consume the rebel So the Danavaspiled great heaps of wood around Pra hlada , andkindled the same ; and the wind, at the king

’scommand, fanned the flame to exceeding greatheat. But even so the youth cried to hisfather, “ The flame , though fanned by the wind,doth not burn me, but all around me seems cooland fragrant, a s the open air amid beds offlowers .”

Then drew near the king’s priests, illustri ous andlearned Brahmans , saying, 0 king, let not thineanger wax hot against the lad ! Youth is the seasonof error, and it becomes thee not to be bitter againstthy son. Commit h im to our care , and we shallpatiently instruct him to labour for the ruin of thyfoes . Howbeit, if he still continue in his devotion toVishnu, we shall then compass his death by unfailingmeans .Thus persuaded , the Daitya king once mo re com

mitted Prahlada to his preceptor’s keeping. But inthis estate , the prince , never idle, betook himself toimparting the lore of Vishnu to the young Da itya s .

Set not your hearts, said he, on things of timeand sense. To birth , growth, and maturity, succeededinevitable decay and death ; and attachment to the

I 1 2 Storie s of Gods 8 Heroespleasure of this life breeds but sorrow and anguishwhen time bids us part with that which we haveloved too well. Thus do men in youth give themselveswholly to pleasure ; and when middle age and decaycome upon them, behold, they are ignorant and weak,nor have they longer the power to perform thoseduties which should have been th eir care in earlieryears . In this ocean of sorrow and perplexity, letVishnu be your refuge . Let not one who is fortunateboast himself over one who is not, nor let him whosufi ers affl iction envy him who lives at ease for theuppression of ill-feeling on either side is the onlytrue happiness for each, and is in itself the greatestreward . Think not to obtain lasting satisfactionfrom the chances and changes of life ; but know thatby devotion to Vishnu alone can true peace andhappiness be obtained. Such bliss neither man norbeast, neither monster nor demi-god can dispel—andfair will be the fruit that ye gather from the n everfailing tree of wisdom.

”

Such was the goodly discourse of Prahlada to theDaitya youths of his generation. But some of these ,fearing the wrath of the king, reported the matter.Thereon H iranyaka sipu , greatly incensed , sent forhis cooks and said, The vile wretch , my son, seeksto destroy the souls of others with his hatefuldoctrine ; make haste, therefore , and mix balefuldrugs with all his food, and cause him to perishwithou t delay.

So the cooks mixed fell poison with all that Shouldbe set before Prahlada , and he ate thereof accordingto his wont. And, by reason of his meditating everon the Eternal One , the deadly poison became harm

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I 1 4. Storie s of Gods 8 Heroe sye are my preceptors ; speak ye as seemethyou right, for the matter resteth not on my weakjudgment.Then answered the priests , “ Boy, we soughtaforetime to preserve thee , not knowing the depthof thy folly. Now, however, if thou change notthy speech , we shall forthwith essay rites that willsurely cause thy death .

”

But Prah lada replied , What mean ye by death ?For know that true death is wrought by none saveoneself

,as one follows evil or good .

”

Then by their magic rites , the Daitya priestsbrought forth a fearsome female form, all dightw ith fiery flame , parching the earth beneath hertread ; and She , approaching the prince , smote himo n the breast with a fiery trident. But that breast,indwelt by the imperishable Lord , wou ld have turneda thunderbolt ; and the magic weapon shiveredinto a hundred pieces . Then the dread being, foiledin her attack , turned on those who had raised her,and destroyed them . But Prahlada , seeing theirend, called on the Imperishable , saying, “ 0 Thou ,who art everywhere present and all-powerful ,preserve these Brahmans from the de stroying fire !If my heart is truly free from malice toward myfoes , then let these be restored to life ! If throughdevotion to thee , I have felt no unkindness towardthose who would have poisoned me , the elephantsthat would have cru shed me , and all others thatsought my life : then , I pray Thee , let these Daityapriests live again ! ”

Then, in answer to his prayer, the priests roseup , uninjured and rejoicing ; and, having blessed

The Tale of Prahlada I I 5the prince and wished him all prosperity, theydeparted to the king of the Da itya s and told h ima ll that had passed. So, when H iranyaka sipu heardthat the priestly enchantments had failed, he sentfor his son and sought to know the secret of hismight .

“ Whence , Prahlada , he said, “ come thesewondrous powers of thine ? Are they born ofmagic , or have they been thine since birth ? ”

“Whate’er I possess,his son replied , “ is neither

mine own by nature nor magic-born ; it is the portion of all alike in whose hearts the Blessed Oneabides. I s e e Him in all around me, and I cherishno malice against any ; and them who are thusfortified neither bodily nor mental pain , whetherby gods or men inflicted, can in any wise hurt.Dark lowered the brow of the Daitya king atthese words , and he bade the attendants seize hisson and hurl him from the summit of his palace ,many leagues in height, on to the mountain crags .So down they flung him ; but he, cherishing Vishnuin his heart, fell softly, and Earth, the nurse of allcreatures, gathered him softly to her lap .

Seeing the lad thus uninjured and every whitwhole , H iranyaka sipu betook himself to Sambara ,the great enchanter ; who bade the king be surethat by some device he would swiftly compassPrahla da

’

s bane. Then the vain demon practisedsundry wiles against the prince ; but by his constantmeditation on the Lord of all, every wile wasbrought to nought. Then the king summoned thewind to blow upon and blast his son ; and the windblew, cold, cutting , insuff erable. It pierced right

I 1 6 S torie s of Gods 8 Heroesinto the lad’s frame ; but the mighty upholderof all things, enthroned w ithin the prince’s heart,waxed wroth

,and drank up the evil wind and

rendered it of non e eff ect.Thus foiled in his murderous intent, the kingabated somewhat of his purpose, and sent his sonback to his preceptor’s house. Here his teacherinstructed him with all diligence, and anon toldthe king that the prince was now well versed inall the science of kingcraft. So H iranyaka sipu

called Prahlada , and asked him divers questionstouching the duty of kings ; a s , how to handle affairsat periods of advance, stagnation, or falling away ;with whom to form alliances ; how to vanquishforest and mountain tribes ; and many other suchthings . To all this , Prah lada replied, “ It is true ,0 father, that all these things have been taught me ,and I have learned them dutifully ; but I approvenot all that I have learned. For herein thereis much concerning the conquest of foes and thegaining of friends ; but, whereas I know neitherfriend nor foe, whereto serveth all this instructionfor me ? That which tendeth to deliverance frombondage is the true knowledge ; all else is but idlecleverness . And concerning this true knowledge, Imay yet more fully speak . He who, in this life, covetsneither dominion nor wealth , shall assuredly obtainboth in the life to come. Many go to and fro , toilingto be great ; but greatness consisteth not in theposition , but in the character of him who gains it.High estate is often granted by fate to fools andcowards, but true greatness and final bliss are theportion of him who looks on all with equal charity

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1 1 8 Stories of Gods 8 Heroe sdeep trembled ; earth with all its mountainsquaked exceedingly ; and the prince, putting asidethe rocky masses piled on him , came forth fromthe depths .When he again saw the outer world a round him ,

and knew himself once more restored to ordinarybeing, he opened his lips anew in praise to Vishnu ,the soul and life of all things , glorified for ever.Thereon

,the god himself appeared visibly before

him,clad in yellow robes ; and when Prahlada had

saluted him with all reverence , bade him choosesome boon . To this answered Prahlada ,

“ In allthe various existences through which my soul maybe doomed to pass , may I never be moved fromfixed devotion to thee, O Blessed One ! ”

This,” replied Vishnu , thou hast by thy constantmeditation already gained for thyself, and neede stnot to ask it. Demand another boon .

”

Then said the prince , “ My father, alas , haswrought much evil against me , and has compassedmy death in many ways—by poison, by snake-bite ,by the goring of elephants , by grievous enchantments ,and other means . As , by thy mercy and throughfaith in thee , I have passed through all unharmed ,so grant unto him forgiveness for all.”

Be it granted, even as thou askest, said thegod ; yet I grant thee another boon —ask, therefore , O Daitya prince !Then answered the youth , “ Nought need I ask

,

since in thee I have all that heart can wish . Wealth,

prosperity, and merit are of no account unto menow ; for him whose heart is fixed on thee is freefrom all need .

The Tale of Prahlada I 19So Vishnu blessed him and vanished from his sightand the young man return ed to his father, andsaluted him , and told what had passed. Then hisfather was moved to repentance, and embracedhis son and treated him kindly ; and Prahlada ,

while his father lived, ever bore him due reverenceand in all things served him.

Concerning the end of H iranyaka s ipu , however,there is but one tale : to wit, that he perished underthe wrath of Vishnu , who appeared for that purpose inthe guise of a monste r, half man and half lion .

And some records'

aver that the king’s quarrel withhis son endured to the end, and that it was thisquarrel that led to the father’s destruction . For,they say, H iranyaka sipu , disputing his son’s statement that Vishnu was present everywhere and ineverything, demanded to know whether Vishnuwere present in a certain great pillar of his hall , andtherewith smote the pillar vehemently. Whereonthe monstrous Man-lion issued from the pillar itselfand rent the Daitya king in pieces .However this may be , Prahlada succeeded hissire in the kingdom , and ruled over the Da itya s

for many years with that prosperity which is heldto be the proper fruit of devotion to duty and tothe welfare of one’s subjects .

Chapter IV

THE TALE OF KUVALAYASWA

HERE lived once a noble monarch , namedSa tr ujit , that is , “ conqueror of his foes ,”

as in truth he was and he had a son namedRitudhw aja ,

who was in every way worthy of sucha father, being victorious in war and eminent alikein power of mind and in beauty of person.

This prince lived a life rich in study as well asin the pursuit of pleasure. At one time he wouldgive himself to mastering the sacred scriptures, orto studying the science of war in all its branches ;at others , he drank the joys of poetry, singing ,drama, and dicing, and disported himself in thepractice of every kind of weapon . In these variouspursuits he enjoyed the companionship of manyyoung princes , his equals in the warrior caste ; whileyouthful Brahmans also , and the noblest of those oflower degree, found a welcome with the king’s son .

Then it came to pass that two young Nagas,

sons of Aswa ta ra , a noble prince among the snakegods , came from the lower regions to visit the worldof men ; and, assuming the guise of Brahman youths ,

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1 2 2 Storie s of Gods 8 Heroesnot but he has been your benefactor in some matter—happy is he who is both ready and able to meet thepetitions of his friends ! Whatever in this house ,of wealth or living things , might please the prince ,that let him have with all good will ! Shameon us , if, having received bountifully, we make noreturn for these benefits !To this the king’s sons answered and said, “ Butwhat, 0 father, can we find here that this highlyfavoured prince lacks ? The like of his jewelsis not to be seen in Patala ; such also are his

ornaments and clothing, his steeds and chariots .As for his knowledge , he is without peer, and evento the wise he is as an oracle . And in the matterof achievement, he has wrought an exploit so

marvellous that it might be wrought by scarcelyany save Brahma, Vishnu , Siva, or the other gods .Then the Naga lord Aswa tara , moved by curiosity,bade his sons tell the tale of their comrade’s exploit.For, quoth he, “ the man of steadfast spirit mayattain even to the position of a god, or any otherhigh estate. To those who have the mastery oftheir own spirits and are constant in their purpose,there is little or nought that is truly impossible .

Behold how far removed from earth is the PoleStar ! Yet did a mortal prince, a denizen of earth ,

attain thereto and became its lord. Relate , then ,the adventure of your friend, my sons .”

Now, though this matter of the mortal princeand the Pole Star scarce belongs to this tale itself

,

yet it is in any case worth telling ; and a s it ishere mentioned , it may find a place not nu

worthily forthwith .

The Tale of Kuvalayaswa 1 23

THE STORY OF DHRUVA.

There lived of yore a king named U ttanapada ,

who had two wives, Sun iti and Su ru chi by name ;

and of these, Suruchi w a s the favourite. A sonwas born to her, named U ttama , and to Sun it i

one named Dhruva.

When these children were somewhat grown , itchanced on a day that King U ttanapada dandledS u ru chi

’

s son upon his kne e ; seeing which , the fiveyear-old Dhruva was fain to climb up too ; butthe king did not even notice him. Thereon Suru chi ,seeing the despised wife’s son thus slighted , spakearrogantly to the child in the king’s hearing , saying,Thou art unfit for such hon our—why seek it ? Ifthou wouldst have it, go, adore the Supreme BeingStruck by these harsh words, the child Dhruva,sighing like a snake hissing in anger, left hi sfather and repaired to his mother ; and she ,

racked with grief, like a creeper caught in aforest fire , wept copiously. Then she said , “ Whatmy rival wife has said , is t rue : it is only by adoringthe Supreme Be ing that thou canst overcome thisinferiority.

”

With that, the boy, collecting his spirits , lefthis father’s house, to do that which had been toldhim ; and a s he went, he met the sage Narada,who laid his hands upon him and blessed him

,saying,

“ Surely thou art too young to vex thy spirit withthoughts of honour and dishonour ; but if suchthoughts do trouble thee, rest assured that the Deityoverrules all actions . As for thy purpose

,that

1 24. Stories of Gods 8 Heroe sOne whom thou seekest is exceeding hard toapproach . Even ascetics , who renounce all , hardlyattain thereto in many births . One should be

content with destiny ; for contentment brings salvation. He who reveres his superiors , is kind tothose beneath him, and loves his equals , needhave no regrets .Then answered Dhruva, “ True it may be thatonly such as thou namest are likely to attainthis object ; but I come of warrior stock , andSu ru chi

’

s words have riven my heart. I have resolvedto surpass all that has ever been done before ; tellme , therefore, the way, for thou knowest, seeingthat thou ranges t the world like the sun himself,seeking the welfare of all.”

So Narada, greatly pleased, had compassion onDhruva, and said, Thou mayest go even as directedby thy mother. Go to Madhuvan a , where Hariis ; bathe in sacred waters and sit on sacred grass ;control all organs of sense , and think on Hari alone.

”

So Dhruva se t out for Madhuva n a , and Naradapassed on his way and entered the city of KingU ttanapada . Him the sage foun d pale and unhappy,and asked the cause. Thereupon the king confessedhis cruelty to his little son ; now, said he , the ladwas sure to be devoured by wild beasts or die ofhunger and weariness ; an evil thing it was to beruled by women . But Narada replied, “ Be comforted ; thou knowest not thy son

’s might. Hewill accomplish that which is difficult for eventhe greatest, and will in the and return , havinggreatly enhanced thy fame. So the king wascomforted, meditating on his son

’s future greatness .

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1 26 Stories of Gods 8 Heroesout reproach cast on him by Su ruchi, and did notat once seek final salvation . Yet he could notbut chide himself for this devotion to objectsnot the highest, feeling himself to be like aman of slender religious merit, who, going to anemperor

,asks for broken grains of rice mixed with

husks .Thus he went to his father’s city. King Utta

n apada could scarce believe the joyful news , andwent forth to meet his son in a golden car, su r

rounded by Brahmans , elders , friends, and kinsfolk ,to the merry sound of horns , kettledrums , and pipes ,the two queens following in a car. The monarchembraced his son with tears, and Suruchi, whohad scorned him formerly, now raised him withblessings as he bowed before her. His father thenbestowed on him special apartments in the palace ,magnificently furn ished, beset with lovely trees ,shrubs , and tanks, where birds and bees disportedthemselves joyously. Then the king heard the taleof his son’s prowess , and marvelled greatly. Atlength , satisfied with all he saw , and weariedwith work, he retired to the forest.Then it came to pass that U ttama , Suru ch l s sonwent a -hunting one day, and was slain by a Yakshaon the mountains ; and Dhruva, left in undividedpossession of the kingdom, went forth to avengehis death . The Yaksha s , resisting valiantly, pouredon the king such clouds of arrows that he di sappearedfrom sight, and the saints on high began to lament.Then, as his foes began to raise the shout of triumph ,the chariot of Dhruva arose from the tumult, like thesun emerging from mist ; and the king, stretching

The Tale of Kuvalayaswa 1 2 7his awful bow

,spread te rror and havoc among

his adversaries ; and like the wind shredding thecloud-wrack , so be scattered the hostile ranks . Asthe levin cleaves to the innermost parts of a hill ,so clave he the bodies of his foes through shieldand harness ; and the field was covered with brokenma il and mangled corpses . To withstand thisdi re onslaught

,the Yaksha s , resorting to magic ,

caused terrific disturbances of nature and weirdillusions , to baffle the king . But he laid a dreadmystic weapon to his bow, and in a twinkling allthe fabric of illusion was riven to shreds . Thenonce more he assailed them ; they fell by thousands ,and were in sore straits .Hereon , seeing Dhruva destroy the Yaksha s

thus ruthlessly, Manu , father of the Human race ,sought to stay him , and charged him with passionand malice in thus slaughtering thousands whowere in no wise guilty of his brother’s death .

Kuvera , lord of the Yak sha s , might well be wroth ,

and this resentful spirit ill fitted one who hadattained to direct knowledge of Hari. So Dhruvadesisted ; and his foes rendered praise and homage,and Kuvera himself thanked the king for checkingthe fiercen ess of his anger.Then Dhruva returned to his kingdom , prayingthat the kn owledge and remembrance of Hari mightnever waver ; and for thousands of years he ruledhis subjects honourably. In the end, he turnedonce more to the pursuit of contemplation, andwent forth on pilgrimage , gaining more and morean entrance to communion with the Supreme.At last there descended for him a splendid chariot,

1 2 8 Storie s of Gods 8 Heroeswherein sa t two deities. These said to him,

“ Thou ,who at the age of five years didst win the regionof Vishnu , which the seven Rishis themselvescontemplate but cannot attain, art now called toascend this car and mount to that place— the regionto which all the Universe bows down ! ”

So King Dhruva mounted the heavenly car amidthe loud sounding of celestial music , and went up tothe region of Vishnu beyond the three worlds , whileheavenly beings on every side sang honour to theprevailing merit of Dhruva who had gone to theforest, a broken-hearted child of five years, andin a few short years attained that glorious statewhich others scarcely win after long practice ofasceticism through many births .Luminous spheres wheel round his high abodefor ever ; and there he shines , the great Pole Star,like the flawless crest-jewel of the three worlds .

Turn we now again to the Naga lord Asw a ta ra

and his two sons .In answer to their sire’s request, the princesrelated how their friend had told them thefollowing history of his great adventure .There came once to King Sa trujit , the prince

’sfather, a worthy Brahman, leading a noble steed ,and said, 0 king, a certain evil Daitya is grievouslytroubling me in my herm itage . Day and nighthe assumes the form of a lion, elephant, or otherbeast ; and when I am engaged in some act ofdevotion , the foul fiend interrupts the same androbs me of the hard-earned fruit of my austerity.

Thus vexed, one day, in the heaviness of my heart

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The Tale of Kuvalayaswa 1 29I sighed deeply ; and thereon fell from heaven thishorse , and a voice was heard, saying , This steedcan traverse unwearied the whole circuit of earthwith the sun ; he can course unstayed through skyand sea and the nether world. For thee has hebeen produced

,and Kuva laya is his name . Take

him to King Sa trujl t ; for his noble son, mountedthereon, shall slay the base Danava who vexes theeand shall win to himself a deathless name .’ Obedientto the heavenly voice , I have brought the steed tothee

, 0 King ; give commandment therefore to thyson , as it w as spoken, that thy righteousness mayendure .So King Sa trup t took the horse; and, call ing hisson

,mounted him thereon ; and the prince , taking

the name Kuva laya swafi‘ departed with the sage

on his honourable quest. Dwelling for a season atthe Brahman’s pleasant hermitage, he overcameevery obstacle that stayed the performance ofholy rites .Then the vile demon, incensed against the sageand full of pride and arrogance , not knowingthat K uva laya sw a dwelt there, took on him theform of a hog, and drew near to do despite to thesaint’s evening sacrifice. Whereon , roused by theoutcry, the prince leaped on his horse and pursuedthe boar ; and drawing his mighty bow , smote itwith a crescent-tipped shaft. The beast, sorewounded , fled apace through the great forests ,but the ma gic steed followed hard upon him.

Thousands of leagues were thus covered by hunterand hunted. Then , on a sudden , the flying boar

t .e. , whose home is Kuva laya .

’

130 S tories of Gods 8 Heroesfell into a yawning chasm ; and the king’s son ,eve r close behind, fell likewise down the steep abyssthrough thick darkness . And when he saw thingsclearly again, 10 , he was in Patala ; but the boarhad passed from sight. Then, faring on his way,the prince saw a great and glorious city, withlofty ramparts and hundreds of golden palaces .Entering this city, he wandered to and fro, seeing noman ; but anon he saw a woman hastening along.

Her he questioned, saying, “Whither goest thou ? ”

But, answering not a word, she ascended into apalace and he , wondering much, but wholly withoutfear, followed where she led.

There , in a room of the palace , he beheld, recliningon a golden couch , a solitary maiden , large-eyedand lovely in every limb. Then the king’s son ,gazing on her marvellous beauty, thought hernone other than the goddess of the underworld . And she , beholding his noble featuresand stalwart frame, deemed him the god ofLove himself. Surprised and abashed, the fairmaiden stirred tremulously on her couch , askingwithin her mind whether this were indeed the god,or some Gandharva or Naga, or, again, some hero ofsurpassing worth. Seeing her confusion, the princebade her fear nothing ; and the other maiden,soothing her distress, took a fan and fanned her ;so she revived— for indeed she had swooned.

When the maiden w as fully assured of hersafety

,her companion told her story as follows

“ This maiden, Mada la sa by name , is daughter of

the king of the Gandharvas . A fierce Danava, adweller in Patala, found her in a garden, and brought

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132 Storie s of Gods 8 Heroesblushed with joy, gazing into the face of her friend.

And Kundala said, “ O hero, happy is this maidenat thy tidings ; for clearly it is thou who hastfulfilled the prophecy concerning the death of thevile Danava. Therefore take her, 0 hero , happy inher lot, and perform the wedding ceremony accordingto rule.So , there being no priest present, the prince himself took fuel and sacred grass , and kindled theholy fire and, being learned in sacred lore, he recitedthe texts and caused the fair maiden to take partin the rite .

Then Kundala said to her friend, “ Now thatthou hast gotten a husband, fairest, my heart

’s desireis fulfilled, and I may go my way to perform allmanner of penance and pilgrimage for the cleansingof my sins .Shortly she spake yet again to the twain, saying ,To thee, 0 man of mighty intellect, even thineequals cannot offer counsel ; how much less , then ,a woman such as I ! Yet, for love to this my sweetfriend, I am bold to speak before thee , O conquering hero . Let thy wife be unto thee thy other half,by union with whom religion, wealth , and lovecome truly within thy grasp ; without whom, thesethree things are scarce to be come at by any man.

So,too , for woman there is neither religion, wealth ,

love , nor offspring apart from a husband. Take,therefore , each the other, to love and to cherish andprosper together in riches , children, happiness , andlength of days .” So saying, she embraced her friend,and departed to do that of which she had spoken.

Immediately the Son of Sa trujit set his bride on the

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134. Storie s of Gods 8 HeroesTherefore , my son , j oy and success be thine, andmay thy wife and thou ne

’er be parted.

With these and other kindly words , the kingagain embraced his son, and sufl"ered him to depart.So for a happy season K uva laya swa lived in hisfather’s city, or in the country around , gladdened bythe love of his fair bride ; while she , too, livedin sweet harmony with his parents , by whom she

was greatly beloved.

Then , in time, it came to pass that Sa trup t againsaid to his son, “ Go forth, my son , on thy noblesteed, to patrol the earth , and rescue the saintsin their hermitages from the assaults of the baseDanavas who go about in hundreds to hamperholy men So Kuva laya swa went forth andpatrolled the earth, as his father bade him , indefence of the saints .Now among these Danavas was one Ta lake tu ,

brother to him whom the prince had overthrown .

This wily fiend took the guise of a sage, and madehim an hermitage on the banks of the River Yamuna .

Then, when Kuva laya swa passed by, the disguisedDanava made petition to him, saying, “ 0 prince ,who art sent for our defence , I have a work to do,and I come to thee for aid. I must needs performa holy rite to Varuna, Lord of the waters ; giveme , therefore , for gold thy neck-ornament , a nd

guard my hermitage while I am absent.”

So the prince undid the ornament that wasupon his neck , and gave it to Ta lake tu with court eousobeisance, saying, “ Go thy way, reverend sir, anddo as thou sayest in peace of mind . None shallmolest thy dwelling meanwhile , for I shall stay

The Tale of Kuvalayaswa I35here , according to thy command, till the hour ofthy return.

Then Ta laketu plunged into the waters of theriver, while the prince remained guarding the dwelling of the false hermit. But the base Danava madehaste to go to the city of Sa trujit , and there , in thepresence of Mada la sa and others , he told the kinga lying tale

,saying :

“ The hero K uva laya swa fought, near my hermitage , with a certain vile Daitya, who went aboutto di sturb the pious practice of holy men ; and inthat strife the Daitya, by use of magic, piercedthe prince’s breast with a spear. -Ere he died, theprince gave me this neck ornament, and after hisdeath his body was burned hard by. His noblesteed, too, was led off in triumph by the wickedDanava. Now, therefore, 0 king, let all needfulrites be duly performed without delay ; and take thisneck ornament for your comfort, for we asceticshave no dealing with gold.

So he spake, and departed. But all present,believing the lying report, were overwhelmed withgrief, and both king and people lamented loud andlong. And the hero’s wife , Mada la sa , hearing ofher lord’s death , endured not the pang, but quicklyyielded up her life.Whereupon great wa s the cry on every side , both inthe houses of the citizens and also in the palace .

The king himself, however, restrained hi s grief,and sought to console the people , saying, It becomesus not—not even me myself—to bewail my son andhis wife, who have undergone the stroke of fate .For, look you , if my son hath indeed given up his

136 Stories of Gods 8 Heroe slife in protecting the twice-born from the assaul tof fiends , he will assuredly rise to a higher existence .

As for this lady, why should we bewail her, whohas joined her husband in death ? Wives have notrue life apart from their husbands ; and those arerather to be pitied who live on , separated fromtheir lords. So lament not for my son and his wife ,nor for us , his father and mother. For he whohas given his life in defence of the righteous hasbrought weal to all alike , and has paid his debt toparents , Brahmans , and to duty ; and my son , thoughhe be dead, has yet kept unharmed the good fameof himself, his parents , and his ancestors.”

To the same purpose, also , spake the queen ,Kuva laya swa

’

s mother, saying, N0 such joy came tomy mother or my sister as has been mine in hearingthat my son has given his life in battling for thedefence of the holy sage. Those who perish inmisery, wasted with illness , may well be accountedto have been born in vain. But those who, neverturning their backs on suppliants , friends , or enemies ,die in battle for a good cause, are indeed men andheroes , the pride of their mothers .Meanwhile the Danava Ta lake tu , having returnedto his country, came forth from the waters ofYamuna and spoke courteously to the prince , saying,“ Go thy way now, 0 prince ; for, thanks to thineaid

,the business on which I w as bent has been

successfully performed.

Thereupon the king’s son did him reverence and,

mounting his noble charger, departed sw ift as thewind

,for the city of his father. Arriving thereat

,

he beheld the city overcast with mourning,men

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138 Storie s of Gods 8 Heroesamiss , and spoke of undertaking great austeritiesfor the accomplishment of some high purpose ;though what this purpose was , he told not to h issons . Forthwith he departed to the Himalayamountains ; and at the place where the sacredstream Saraswati rises , he practised great austeritiesfor the favour of the goddess whose name theriver bears . Long and fervently he chanted herpraise, as the source of speech and song , rehearsing all the manife stations of her power, andimputing to her a sovereign influence in the highestconcerns of the Universe. Then the goddessSaraswati, the mouthpiece of the gods , w a s favourable to Aswa ta ra , and said, “ I grant thee a boon ,O Naga king ; Speak, therefore, and I will give theethe desire of thy heart.

“ Grant me, then , 0 goddess , said Aswa ta ra ,

the mastery of every kind of sound ! So thegracious Saraswati answered him, saying

Every sor t of Verse a/nd R/une,Every sor t of Time ,

Every sort of Tone and Tu ne,

Every Rhythm a nd Rhyme

These I gran t thee, a ll, a nd more,

Then that Naga lord, becoming possessed ofthis maste ry of all that appertaineth to music,essayed with song to please the deity who dwellson the peaks of Himalaya, even the god Siva ,and thereto exerted himself with all his skillmorning, noon, and night. Thus praised, the god ,blue—throated through drinking up the world-poison,

The Tale of Kuvalayaswa 139w a s pleased, and granted the singer a boon. SoAswa ta ra said, “ If, 0 adorable three-eyed Godof gods , thou art well pleased , grant that Madalasa, the wife of K uva laya swa , may become myown daughter, having the same age and bodilyperfection as she did when death came on her.”

Then answered Siva , “ So be it, as thou desirest,most noble Snake-lord ; and on this wise. Whena certain offering is made

,eat thou the middle

portion thereof, and that fair lady shall forthwith risefrom thy m iddle hood, in the form she bore whendeath came on her.”

Without delay Aswa ta ra went and did as the godcommanded ; and fair Mada la sa was once morebrought into being ; but for the time the Naga kingtold no man , and kept the fair lady carefully hiddenin the inner apartments.Meanwhile the two Naga princes resorted, as before , to the company of their friend on earth, anddisported themselves gaily as ever. But one daytheir father said to them,

“Why heed ye not mywords that I spake to you concerning your benefactor, that ye should do him Some kindness inturn ?So the twain, upon occasion, invited K uva layaswa

to visit their home. But he replied, kindly, “ Of asurety, this house is your home, and ye need go nofarther to seek it ; and if ye seek , of your kindness ,to confer a benefit on me ye will best Show mekindness by treating my home and wealth as yourown ; for my soul is knit to yours , and it painsme that ye should in any way think of yoursand mine as separate .

” Then the Naga princes

Storie s of Gods 8 Heroe sanswered , Be that according to thy will . Yet ournoble father has often said , ‘ I would fain see thatK uva laya swa Thereupon answered Kuva laya sw a ,

“ It shall be according to your father’s wish .

So they went forth from the city and fared ontheir way. And in due course the two princes ledthe son of Sa trujit into the goodly realm of Patala,and there they were changed into their properform before him ; and he marvelled greatly as hebeheld their jewelled hoods and brave markings.Then they told him of their father, Aswa ta ra , theNaga king ; and he had great pleasure in all hesaw in the fair underworld, observing the handsome dwellers therein , and being charmed by thesound of pipes and drums and tuneful song onevery side.So they went on and entered into the king’spalace , where sat the lordly King Aswa ta ra , cladin heavenly raiment dight with noble gems , on agolden throne overlaid with multitudes of jewels .Here the princes made K uva laya swa known to theirfather, who raised him up from doing obeisance,and embraced him lovingly, and said to him ,

“ Longmayest thou live , and be victorious over all thyfoes The fame of thy virtues has reached me evenbefore thy coming ; long may they thus continue !The man who lacks virtue is dead while he liveth ;but he who is virtuous brings good to all in heavenand earth , and all desire his welfare.And to his sons the king said, Let us now eat anddrink and be merry to our heart’s desire , and thenshall we have further sweet converse with the sonof Sa trujit .

” So a great feast was prepared, and

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1 4 2 Storie s of Gods 8 HeroesSo shall it be , said the Naga king.

“ Yet it re

mains for thee to choose some boon ere thou leave stthis place. Gold and the like thou hast in the u pperworld ; seek , then , something which thou deeme s t

hard to obtain there .”

Strange thoughts came to the mind of Kuvalaya sw a , and he looked keenly at the faces ofthe young princes , his friends . They, in tu rn ,fell down before their father, and, as though opening the matter to him for the first time, said,Our noble friend had a lovely wife , daughter of theGandharva king ; and she , on hearing a vile Danava

’sfalse report of her husband’s end, endured not to live ,but quickly gave up her life. Then our friend madeever this vow,

“ None shall be my wife in place ofmy lost Mada la sa .

” So now he earnestly desires tohave a vision of her, if it may be contrived.

But Asw a ta ra replied, “ Such power belongethonly to those who are free from these gross elements.How may this be done , save as a dream , or by sometrick of Sambara, master of magic ? ”

Then said the son of Sa trujit , bowing low beforethe king, If thou show me my Mada la sa , even byillusion , I shall hold that thou hast bestowed on mea boon supreme .If thou a sk it, my son , replied Asw a ta ra ,

“ Imust perforce grant the request for a guest’s prayeris law. Therefore turn thine eyes hither.”

Then the Naga king, muttering some gibberish inorder to bewilder them, led in the fair Mada la sa

from the inner chambers of the palace , and showingher to the prince , he asked, Is this thy wifeMada la saor not

The Tale of Kuvalayaswa

Then Kuva laya sw a , crying out “ Beloved ! madetowards her to embrace her. But Asw a ta ra badehim stand , saying, “ Beware , my son ! ’tis but illusion ; touch the same , and the vision vanishesimmediately.

Instantly the prince fell swooning to the ground ,and ,half revived , thought woefully of his loss . Ah me,”

he said to himself, “ that this king , through kindness, should bring me thus to shame by reason ofmy sorrow for my wife. Illusion it doubtless was ;though of what sort, I comprehend not.Then King Asw a ta ra raised him up, and told himthe whole truth, how he had won Mada la sa from thekingdom of death ; and that it was she herself intru e bodily form , for her husband to take to himselfagain. So there was great joy among all present ;and thereafter K uva laya swa , taking his beloved,mounted the noble steed and departed to his father’shome , where their wondrous home-coming gavecause for untold rejoicing and festivity. Happilydid the prince and his wife live together ; and whenKing Sa trujit died, K uva laya swa succeeded him , andruled his kingdom wisely.

Thus did the young hero, by his Simple and un

swerving devotion to his lost wife , gain for himselfthe unequalled esteem of his noble friends

,and won

,

through their help, a reward past hope and above allpn ce .

Chapter V

THE TALE OF SAVITRI AND SATYAVAN

!This Ta le , and that of Nala , whi ch follows it , were told by

certa in Rishis to the Pandava Brethren , of whom we shall

hea r in the la st Ta le of thi s book , to comfort them at times

of great discouragement. !

HERE lived once a noble and virtuous monarch,ruler of the Madra folk, beloved of all ;Aswapa t i was his name. He was devoted

to the good of all, long-suffering, and truthful ineverything ; but, alas ! he had no children . Therefore , being now stricken in age , and fearing that hisline would die with h im, he betook himself to devotions and keen penance , if thus he might come byoff spring. For eighteen years , stinting himself infood a nd pleasures , he did sacrifice and honour tothe divine Savitri ; and when the eighteenth yearwas now fulfilled, the goddess be came gracious tohim . Rising in beauty from the midst of the fireofi ering, she manifested herself to him with kindlymien ; and thus , with bounteous intent, she addressedthe king

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1 4 6 Stories of Gods 8 Heroesbeauteous as the immortals, wa s moved to sorrowby her pleading.

For it should be known that in ancient Indiaand not less so , indeed, to-day— it was esteemed areproach to both father and daughter if a maid w a s

not bestowed in wedlock at an age when we shouldcount her but a girl.

“ ’Tis true, daughter, said the king, “ the time forgiving thee in marriage is come yet none asks theeof me . Therefore choose thee thyself a husband ,thy peer in virtue. To him whom thou choosestwill I give thee, according to thine own desire . Forthus it is written in sacred lore : ‘ A father whogives not his daughter in marriage , a husband whoprovides not, and a son who provides not for hismother when her husband is dead : these three areto be blamed.

’ Therefore bestir thee in quest of ahusband ; and so do, that I underlie not the reproachof the gods .Having thus spoken

,the king bade his daughter

go forth t o other lands in the company of agedcounsellors . And she , bidding him farewell, mounteda golden car, with staunch retainers round her, andset forth through lovely woods , where royal sagesdwelt as hermits . To these sh e made reverentobeisance , and everywhere gave rich gifts toBrahmans ; and thus passed through forest afterforest and country after country

In those days the lord of the Madras was visitedby the Rishi Nara da. And while he , on a day, sat

Savitri 8 Satyavanin the a s sembly in friendly converse , behold , Savitridrew near, having journeyed through all places ofpilgrimage and was now returning home. Seeing herfather thus seated with Narada, the maiden bowedher head to the feet of both in salutation ; then saidNarada :

“Whi ther went the maiden, and whence comesShe now ? And wherefore is she not given in marriage , in this her youthful bloomThen answered Aswapa t i,

“ For that very purpos eha s she been sent on the journey from which she

now returns. Learn from her own lips, O Rishi ,whom She ha s chosen as an husband.

Thus bidden by her sire to tell the matter ful ly,the maiden spake thus : “ There ruled over theSa lwas a noble earth-lord, Dyuma tsena by name .When blindness came upon him , his kingdom wasreft from the heir, who was yet a child, by anenemy. Therefore Dyuma tsena betook himself tothe forest with his wife and son , and practisedausterity wi th steadfast purpose . That son of his ,born in the city and grown to manhood in the forest,Sa tyavan by name, is the husband of my choice .

”

“ Alack ! ” quoth Narada, “ truly Savitri has doneamiss in this c hoice of Sa tyavan to be her lord. Butthese words he spake aside , it would seem , for theothers heeded him not. Then again he spake, sayingTruth-teller is his sire , and truthful his , mother ;

rightly, therefore, is the son called Sa tyavan— theTruthful.”

Then Aswapa ti questioned Narada, saying, “ Is

this prince majestic and prudent, and patient as heis bold

1 4 8 Storie s of Gods 8 HeroesMajestic is he, replied Narada, “ as the Sun in

heaven, and the peer of Vriha spa ti in counsel ; boldas great Indra, and patient as Mother Earth.

”

Again the king asked, “ Is this Sa tyavan generousand devout ? Is he handsome, high-minded, andholy ? ”

Said Narada, “ In generosity,piety, and truthful

ness , he is even as the famous kings of yore ; he ishigh-minded as Yaya t i, and kindly a s Soma.

”

These and other words said Narada in praise ofSa tyavan . Then said the maiden’s father, As thoutellest his virtues , holy sage, so acquaint us with h isfaults , if such he has .To this Narada made answer, saying , He has butone fault, against so many virtues ; but this fault isone that cannot be lightly se t aside. In one yearfrom now his life-span runs out and he must quitthis body.

”

Then said the king , Hie thee hence again, Savitri ,and choose another husband ! A great fault this ,despite many virtues , that, as the holy Narada hathsaid, a single year must bear away his allotted spanof life .But his daughter answered, “ Once only falls thelot, once is a maid bestowed in marriage , and oncefor all is a gift given ; these three things are doneonce for all. Let him be long-lived or short-lived,virtuous or worthless , him have I chosen as husbandonce for all, and none other will I choose. Thushave I determined in my mind, and thus have Ispoken w ith my voice ; let the proof come in action ,for this is my resolve .

”

Then said Narada to the king, “ The maid is s tead

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1 50 Storie s of Gods 8 Heroesthe sorrows of adversity, this word of thine troublesme not. I pray thee , of thy kindness , combat not myhope ; for thou and I are well fitted to be acquainted ,the one with the other. Take , then, my daughter tobe the wife of the noble Sa tyavanThen said Dyuma tsena ,

“ In truth , 0 king , I havelong desired some bond with thee ; but with thefalling from my kingdom , I put the thought fromme. Now my old desire returns amain , and thouart a welcome guest.Then the two kings , having summoned all theBrahmans who dwelt around the hermitage , causedthe wedding to be celebrated in due form ; andAswapa t i, having thus bestowed his daughter, andfitting raiment with her, returned home with a joyfulheart. Sa tyavan , likewise, gaining a wife endowedwith every virtue , rejoiced exceedingly ; a s did She ,

receiving the husband of her wishes.When her father was gone , Savitri laid aside allher ornaments, and donned raiment of bark-cloth ;and by service of every sort , by her labours andhumility, she won the hearts of all , and especially ofher husband’s parents . Him, too, She greatly pleasedby her kindly speech , deftness and peaceable demea nou r , and by many quiet ways of service .

Thus passed the days in that forest dwelling ,happily enough , to all appearance. But Savitri’sheart was heavy, and oft she stood day and nightthinking of the word spoken by Narada. Nearer andnearer came the day when Sa tyavan must die, andSavitri thought ceaselessly thereon, reckoning thetime with care And when she reckoned that butfour days remained, she set herself to stand unmoved

Savit ri 8 Satyavan I 5 1for three days and nights . Hearing of which heavyta sk, the king was troubled, and rose and spake thusto Savitri , soothing her an! iety

“ Too sharp is the trial which thou es saye st ,

princess ~ hard indeed it is to stand thus for threenights .But Savitri answered , Fret thee not, good father ;I shall win through this vow right well —it wantsbut perseverance .”

Then answered Dyuma tsena ,

“ Far be it from meto bid thee brea k thy vow ! Win through ! ’ is evenwhat I myself would say. Thus spake Dyuma tsen a ,

and refrained ; and Savitri abode there , standing immovable . Heavy was her heart indeed , as the lastnight passed, bringing the day that was to see herhusband die.Then as the day dawned, she made ofiering to thekindled fire , and , when the sun was risen a space,performed the morning’s duties . Thereafter she

saluted all the holy Brahmans and her husband’sparents , standing before them humbly with foldedhands. And they all, in kindly mood, heartily commended her prayer, earnestly desiring that she shouldnever know widowhood. For to this end did wivesin those days perform such vows ; though it wouldseem that neither the Brahmans nor the king himselfunderstood clearly the doom that lay on Sa tyavan .

But Savitri , expecting ever the dreaded moment,brooded on Na rada

’

s words with stricken heart.

Then said the king to h is wife, kindly °

“ The vow set before thee ha s been worthily performed. Now is the time for food ; do thou partakeforthwith .

1 52 Storie s of Gods 8 Heroe sBut Savitri replied, When the sun sets , then shallI eat with an easy mind ; such is the desire of myheart, and the time appointed by me .

”

Then , even as she thus spake concerning the takingof food, came Sa tyavan himself, with axe on shoulder,prepared to go into the wood . But Savitri cried tohim, saying, Go not alone to the wood I would faingo too, for I cannot bear to leave thee .

”

“ Nay, dear lady, said Sa tyava n ,

“ thou hast ne’ergone to the wood hitherto ; the ways are rough ; andhow canst thou go afoot, thus spent with fasting ?

”

Then answered his wife , From fasting I haveneither faintness nor weariness ; stay me not, thusbent on going with thee .If go thou must, said Sa tyavan ,

“ I will even dothy pleasure ; but seek leave of my parents first, lestblame light on me.Then Savitri went to them , and , after salutation ,said, Yonder goes my husband to the wood in questof fruits . Fain would I go with h im , if ye , 0 parents ,suffer me so to do ; for I can scarce bear to leave himnow. If ye hinder him not, then hinder n ot me, Ipray you , but suffer us both to go together. For nigha year have I ne’er been forth from the hermitage,and I am right eager to see the flowery wood .

”

Then said King Dyuma ts en a ,

“ Since the day thatSavitri came from her father’s hand, I recall no re

quest from her lips ; let this her prayer, then , begranted . Only se e

,daughter, that thou trifle not by

the way.

Thus , her petition granted, that noble young wifewent forth in her husband’s company, with smil ingface, yet with heart full sore. Wide-eyed she gazed

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Savitri 8 Satyavan I 53on the de lightful woods around her

,all gay with

peacocks and the like ; and beheld goodly streams ,and princely mountains all a -flow er . Sweet was herhusband’s voice , calling her to look on this or that.But as She watched his every movement, she re

membered the sage’s word, and thought each momenther lord’s last. Thus she followed him, treadingsoftly, her heart tossed this way and that, as sheawaited the fatal hour.

Then these two gathered the ne edful fruits , andfilled therewith a vessel. Thereon Sa tyavan ad

dressed himself to hew wood , so that the sweatbrake forth on his body ; and with his toil, his headbegan to ache . So he turned, aweary, and spakethus to his wife

“ Dear Savitri,the labour has brought pain to my

head ; my limbs and heart ache , as it were , and I feelmy whole body ill at ease , for

’tis even as thoughsharp points pierced through my heau . I would fainsle ep a space , sweetheart, for in truth I scarce havestrength to stand.

So Savitri made her husband to lie down ; and sitting beside him , she took his head in her lap . In thatmoment, as she thought of the Rishi’s prophecy, sh ewas aware of a man in red raiment, tall and majestic,but red-eyed , with noose in hand, and awful inpresence , who stood by the side of S a tyavan andgazed upon him . Beholding him , Savitri laid downh er husband’s head and arose and with folded hands ,all trembling , she thus addressed the stranger

I 54. Storie s of Gods 8 Heroe sTruly I know thee for a god, for thy presence is

more thanman’s . I pray thee, great deity, saywhomthou art, and what thy purpose is.”

Then answered the stranger and said , “ A goodwife art thou, Savi tri, and hast borne much for thyhusband’s sake ; therefore I speak thee fair. Know,

fair lady, that I am Yama ; and, as to my purpose ,the sand of thy husband’s life has run out, and Iwould bind him and bear him hence.”

Then said Savitri , “ Surely it hath been told me ,blessed one , that thy messengers are they who bearmen hence ; how, then, art thou come thyself for myhusband, 0 lord ?Thus questioned, the lord of Shades , to do herkindness , did thus expound his purpose : “ This husband of thine is dutiful , handsome, a very ocean ofvirtues ’twere not fitting that my attendants shouldbear him, and therefore am I come myself.

”

Thereupon Yama drew forth from the body ofSa tyava n the soul, of the size of a thumb, and boundit fast ; and the body, reft of vital breath , fell back,limp and lifeless, a sorry sight to see . Then Yama,having bound the soul, set forth toward the south ;and Savitri , sore at heart, but strong-souled andsteadfast in her vow, followed after him . But Yamasaid to her, “ Turn , Savitri , and perform the funeralrites ! Thy debt to thy husband is paid, and thouhast come as far as thou mayest.”

Then answered Savitri , “Whither my husbandgoes , thither am I also bound to go. To this mypenance, loyalty, and affection entitle me, and thyfavour should permitmy going. The wise, who knowthe truth of all things , say that friendship may be

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1 56 Storie s of Gods 8 Heroe sthis , choose thee another boon , saving, always , thelife of thy husband .

”

Then answered Savitri “ Grant that the king, myfather-in -law , may regain the kingdom that w as

taken from him , and that he may ne’er again thuslose his rights .And Yama answered, “ He shall regain his kingdom , and that right soon nor shall he fall therefromagain . Now that thy desire is granted

,turn again .

But Savitri answered again,

“ Thou art he thatrestrains men , and therefore is ‘ thy name calledYama ’“ hear me yet again . Mildness toward allbeings , In deed and word and thought, favour, andgenerosity—these are the duty of the righteous .And they Show mercy even to their enemies .”This hint at further favour was not lost on Yama,who replied, “ As drink to the thirsty, so is thyspeech to me . Ask , therefore , another boon, savingonly thy husband

’s life.”

Then said Savitri , My father has no children saveme ; grant him a hundred sons, that his name ma y

continue in the earth .

”

And Yama answered, A lusty stock of a hundredsons shall he have , to maintain his family amongmen . And now, turn thee homeward, princess , foralready thou hast come far.But Savitri refrained not from following the lordof the dead, and plied him with further soft speeches.After each word, Yama would grant her some otherboon , ever excepting the life of him whom he hadcome to take away. But a s the drop wears outthe stone , not by force, but by often falling, so the

From the Sanskrit root yam , to re s train .

”

Savitri 8 Satyavan 1 57faithful wife at last won her way with the stern god ,and he saidAgain am I well pleased w ith thy words choose ,

therefore , loyal wife , through my great regard forthee, a boon unrivalled ! ”

Then cried Savitri , “ Le t no exception be made inthis, a s in the other boons For this boon , I choosethe life of Sa tyavan ! Without him,

I am even asdead ; bereft of him,

I long for neither pleasure,daylight, nor life itself. In one boon thou didstgrant to me a hundred sons — for such had beenone of Yama’s promises how, then, could

’st thoutake my husband from me ? Let Sa tyavan live !Thus shall thy word be found faithful.Thus sh e spake and the lord of justice with rightgood cheer loosed the bonds of Sa tyavan , and thusaddressed Savitri :

“ Behold thy husband loosed by me , noble lady,and restored to soundness ! Thou mayest take himhence , and happy shall he be ; for four hundredyears with thee shall be his portion of life , and heshall win good fame among all men. An hundredsons ye twain shall have , kings and warriors all ;and such , likewise , shall your parents have , brothersto thyself, like unto the immortals.”

Then the glorious king of justice, having grantedher heart’s desire , gat him to his own place again ;and Savitri turned to the place where lay her lord’sbody, uncomely and lifeless . Sitting on the ground ,she raised him, taking his head in her lap ; andanon consciousness came to him, and he spake thusto Savitri his wife, looking up at her long andlovingly

1 58 Storie s of Gods 8 Heroe sDeep has been my sleep—wherefore w a s I not

awaked ? And where is yon grim stranger whodrew me to him ?Then answered Savitri , “ Deeply hast thou slepton my breast, O hero. The stranger was the godYama, from his realm ; and he is gone. Now thouart rested, my lord, and the sleep is gone fromthee. Arise , if thou canst ; for see , the night isdescended.

”

Then Sa tyavan , having fully come to himself, likeone awaking from sweet sleep , cast his eyes aroundhim, and spake thusWe went forth, we twain , in quest of fruits ; and

anon, with hewing wood , I took sore pain in thehead ; by reason of which , being scarce able to stand,I laid me down and slept, my head upon thy lap .

Thus far I remember, but thereafte r sleep stole mysenses , as I lay fondled by thee. Yet, hold ! I saw

then a stranger of great stature and grim aspect.Tell me of him , fair one , if thou knowest ; did Ibehold him in dream or in truth ?But Savitri answered, “ See, the night descendsto-morrow I Shall tell the whole matte r. But nowrise up and seek sight of thy parents ; the night ha scome down and the sun is gone. Night-rovingcreatures , of fierce presence , bestir themselvesamain, and sounds of movement are heard throughout the forest ; and hearing their cries , I am seizedwith trembling.

Fearful, truly, said Sa tyavan ,

“ is the wood, thuswrapt in darkness . Scarce wilt thou discern thepath ; how then can we go homeward ?Then said Savitri, In the wood there stood a dry

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1 6 0 Storie s of Gods 8 Heroe sme live , I pray of thy kindness , let us go togetherto the hermitage.Thereon Savitri arose , and dressed her hair, andaided her husband to stand upon his feet. And he ,having thus arisen , and having laved his limbs inwater, gazed around, and his eye lighted on the vesselwith the fruit. But Savitri said , “ To-morrowmayest thou bring in the fruit ; meanwhile, I Shallbear the axe myself.”

Therewith , she drew her husband’s arm over herleft shoulder, and putting her own arm round himstepped forth on the way. Then said Sa tyavan ,

“ The path I know from experience, and I perceiveit also by the moonlight that falls betwixt the trees .Yonder the path divides in twain ; take the turn tothe north , and go with speed, for I am sound andstrong again , and yearn for the sight of my parents .

About this hour, King Dyuma tsen a on a suddenreceived his sight again, and lifted up his eyes roundabout. And seeing his son nowhere, he went withhis wife from one hermitage to another, seekinghim. On they hastened, distraught, with feetwounded and blood-stained, and bodies torn withgrasses and thorns . Then the Brahmans from otherhermitages took them back to their own resort, andcomforted them with kindly words and tales ofancient kings . But as they thought of the boy’sdoings in his early days , their grief broke forthafresh

,and they called pitifully on their son .

Then said one of the Brahmans , “ As surely a s

Savitri 8 Satyavan 1 6 1

Savitri is devout, humble, and attentive, so surelySa tyavan lives.Another said , “ I have studied the Vedas and allthat appertains to them, and have laid up greatstore of merit, and have practised all manner ofvows and fasting. By virtue of these austerities Iknow certainly, and would have you assured, thatSa tyavan lives .

”

The Rishis also came, and added their words tothese. Savitri ,” said they, “ is endowed with everyauspicious mark , showing that she will never knowwidowhood ; Sa tyavan , therefore, lives yet.”

They spake severally, also, of Savitri’s high andwife-like virtues , and of Sa tyavan

’

s princely gifts ;to the end that the parents might believe that theirson was yet alive and would live long.

Now, as the king and h is wife began to takecomfort from these many words, behold, Savitridrew near wi th Sa tyavan , and entered the hermitagewith great joy. Thereat, the Brahmans , seeing theirwords fulfilled, hailed the king with wishes of longprosperity, assuring him, too, that it would come erelong. They also kindled a fire and did homage toDyuma tsena , and all sa t down happily together.Then these forest-dwellers , moved by curiosity,inquired of the prince, sayingWherefore comest thou thus late at night, lord,

and not be times ? What hath be fallen thee ? Thyfather and mother have been sore troubled, and wewould fain hear all .Then answered Sa tyavan , With their permission ,Savitri and I went forth ; and pain in the head cameon me as I clave wood. Through this pain , I fell

1 62 Storie s of Gods 8 Heroesasleep and slept long ; ne’er before have I slept solong in this wise. Be not therefore troubled ; forthis alone is the cause of our late return.

”

Then said one of the sages, We would know, too,how thy father Dyuma t sena came by his eyesight.If thou knowest not the cause, haply Savitri cantell . Thou, Savitri , art like the divine Savitri inradiance, and doubtless knowest the reason of thisthing. Speak, therefore, plainly, if thou art notbound to secrecy.

To him answered Savitri , No secrecy is laid uponme therefore hear the matter plainly. My husband’sdeath was foretold by Narada, and this was the dayappointed ; therefore I would not leave his side. As

he slept, Yama drew near in person , and, havingbound his soul, sought to bear it away to the landof shades . Then I praised the god with many a trueword, and he granted me five boons in turn ; thefirst and second, that my lord

’s father shoul d regainhis eyesight and his kingdom ; in like manner, ahundred sons for him, and a hundred for mineown self ; and lastly, that my husband should notdie, but live four hundred years , seeing it was to thisend I underwent my vow. This is the whole matterplainly told—a tale of much grief, though the endthereof is joy.

”

Then said the Rishis , “ Thou , sainted lady, by thegoodness and sufferings has delivered this family,overwhelmed by evils and sinking in the lake ofdarkness.” And having thus praised that pearl ofwomen

,they bade farewell to the king and his

family,and departed with light hearts to their

own place .

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Chapter VI

THE TALE OF NALA AND DAMAYANTI

HERE ruled of old over the Nishada s , said thesage , a prince named Nala, ennobled by everykingly virtue and learned in holy writ, but

having this fault— too common among Hindu warriors— that he loved the dice too well .In those days also lived another monarch , Bhima ,King of Vida rbha , a prince of great might. For along time he was childless ; but in the end therewere born to him certain valiant sons , and a fairdaughter, the pearl of maidens , whom he calledDamayanti .The excellencies of Nala and Damayanti becameso widely known, that each often heard the other’ssurpassing worth loudly praised ; and so it came topass that each meditated much on the other’s noblevirtues , and meditation grew to love, though theyhad never met.Then , one day, King Nala, walking in his palacegrounds , saw the swans with gilded wings sportingthrough the grove , and caught one of the fair birds .But the swan besought him to spare its life , saying,

164

Nala 8 Damayan t i 1 65If thou spare me , I will fly to Vida rbha and singthy praises to the fair Damayanti .”

So Nala gave the bird its life, and away it flewwith its companions , and in Vida rbha extolled themerits of Nala in the presence of Damayanti so

cunningly, that the princess readily gave the birdan answering message of love to bear home toNala.

Therewith , both these young people became sadand pensive with the growing burden of mutuallove. And King Bhima, seeing his daughter thus ,took thought that the time was come to seek hera husband . So tidings were borne to divers kingsthat Bhima’s fair daughter would hold her Swayam

that he whom she should choose would be herhusband.

So many a noble earth-lord, with princely trainof elephants , steeds, and chariots , drew near toBhima’s couf t ; and among them came King Nala.

But it chanced that the gods , too, had knowledge ofthe Swayamva ra , and it pleased the celestia ls thatthey, too , should compete for the maiden’s love. Sothey descended from the skies in their heavenly cars

,

and, seeing Nala faring eagerly on his quest, calledon him to be the bearer of their message to Damayan t i, to choos e one of them as lord, whether it wereIndra, the Thunder-god, or Agni , the lord of Fire,or Varuna, whose sway is over all Waters , or Yama,ruler of the Shades .Sore troubled wa s Nala by the gods’ behest

,and

sought to be excused ; but the gods would not be

Litera lly, Own -choice’

of a husband by a high-bornma iden . S ee the Ta le of the Pandava Brethren .

”

1 66 Stories of Gods 8 Heroe sdenied. By their might, therefore , Nala was swiftlytransported to Damayanti’s bower, and stood beforethe maiden, while she and all her company stood .

amazed both at the manner of hi s coming and at thematchless beauty of his person. King and princessgazed with deepening love on each other, and themaiden was as loth to hearken to Nala’s message ashe to give it. In the end, she bade him bear word tothe immorta ls to be present at the great gatheringof all the kings , to abide her choice, with intent thatthere , where her word was law, she would nameNala as her lord before gods and kings .

But when, in the hour of her Sw ayamva ra , shecame forth to speak the word of choice , behold, thefour gods had all donned the guise of Nala himself,and she saw five of h is form and garb, a ll undistingu ished one from another. Then sh e adjured thegods piteously to reveal themselves ; and they, inkindness, showed the signs of their divinity even intheir disguise. Then joyfully Damayanti named thetrue Nala as her chosen one , and loud was theacclamation of the people and the lament of therejected princes .Then the gods bestowed on Nala, as wedding gifts ,eight great powers : Indra granted him a godl ikegait and power to discern the deity in every sacrificeAgni gave him power to call forth fire at will, andsway over worlds of light ; the lord of Death gavehim subtle taste in food

,and supreme constancy in pure

virtue ; while from Varuna he had power to summonwater at will

,and unfailing supply of fresh garlands .

Then the bridal was splendidly celebrated ; and anonNala bore his lovely bride back to his Nishad realm,

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Nala 89’ Damayant i 1 6 7where he ruled ju stly, in supreme happiness , manydays.But it chanced that a deity less kind— in fact, avery spirit of evil— learned of the Swayamva ra toolate, and resolved, in his bitterness of spirit, to ruinKing Nala , who had won the fair prize. Long thisevil one watched and waited for a chance to catchthe king in some slip from his duty ; but twelveyears passed in vain . However, as all things cometo those who wait, the opportunity came at length,and the evil spirit entered into Nala and possessedhim. Then, at the spirit’s call, Pu shka ra , Nala’sbrother, drew near, and challenged the king to playdice. This challenge Nala might not refuse ; but hewist not that the evil one had also bewitched thedice, to work his bane. So these twain played, andnot once nor twice , but ever and again , King Nalalost. Citizens and counsellors sought to turn himfrom the play, but he received their words as onethat hears not ; messenger after messenger did thegentle Damayanti send, but a ll to no purpose .On and on went the baleful sport, till the distraughtking had lost not only his wealth , but even thekingdom itself.Then said Pushka ra , with evil smile , “ Throw meone more hazard, brother, for Damayanti herselfshe is all thou hast left to stake ! ” At that word

,

King Nala rose speechl ess , and slowly left the place ;and taking his wife, wandered forth from the sceneof all his royal happiness , banned by h is cruelbrother, in desperate straits even for food anddrink.

Thus, scantily clad, they strayed woefully into the

1 6 8 Stories of God s 89° Heroesforests, and Nala counselled his wife to leave himand seek the protection of her kindred. She , however, in a voice half-choked with grief, said that shewould never leave him so ; but if indeed it were wellfor them to seek Vida rbha , let them go together, andher noble father would gladly receive and succourhim. To this the proud soul of Nala would notstoop ; so they turned again to their wandering, andcame to a rude hut in the wood, where king andqueen laid themselves down on the cold, hard groundto rest. Damayanti slept, overcome with wearinessbut Nala could not rest for agony of mind. Then ,as he gazed on her sleeping, the evil spirit movedhim to think of deserting her. If I cleave to her,thought Nala, “

she will ever have sorrow and hardship ; parted from me , she may yet come by relief.As for danger in her loneliness, her virtue will be hershield.

Reasoning thus with perverted mind, King Nalabasely left his wife as she slept. And she , wakinglater, shrieked aloud in dismay and terror, yet scarcewould believe , at first that he was really gone ,calling fondly to him as though he had hid himselffor a space only to try her courage and love. Then ,crying aloud his name, conjuring him to return ,reproaching his faithl essness , lamenting the distra etion which had driven him to so wi ld a deed, andhis loneliness when parted from her, she hastenedonward wildly, plunging deeper and deeper into thesavage wood. Of a sudden, a monstrous serpentseized her, helpless , but wa s slain by a hunter of theforest ; then her rescuer, in turn , tried to woo herfrom loyalty to her husband, but fell, slain by her

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Nala 8s? Damayant i 1 69indignant curse , like a lightning-blasted tree . Onshe strayed through densest forest ; past streams ,pools , and lakes ; past hills and through va lleys ;seeing every sort of beast and bird, and monstersneither beast nor man .

After much wandering, she came to the forestabode of some pious hermits ; and these received herkindly

,and foretold to her a happy issue out of all

her trials . But when they had thus comforted her ,behold , they and all their dwellings vanished utterly ;and Damayanti , sore amazed, took up her uncertaintravel once more .Next she fell in with a goodly caravan of merchants ,and theygazed on her with wonder ; for though thinand travel-stained, she was still of surpassing beauty,and some thought her a nymph or sylvan goddess,while others desired to hear her story. So , in a fewwords, she told them the tale of her woes ; and themerchants received her to their protection, sayingthat they were bound for the realm of Subahu , king ofChedi. So the caravan set out again , and stayed forthe night on a fair lawn, by the margin of a lovelylake studded with lotus-flow ers .

Then , in the depth of the night, when all slept,came a herd of wild elephants to drink at the lake ;and these, scenting the tame elephants of thecaravan, were suddenly inflamed with rage . Fiercelythe ponderous brutes charged , and helpless to resistwere all that stood in their way. Some were slainand some escaped by flight ; woe and lament re

sounded on every side, both of those stricken andof others bewailing the loss of their goods . These

,

Wildly questioning each his neighbour fo r what sin

1 7 0 Stories of God s 39? Heroesor lack of divine service they had been smitten, criedout on a sudden that the wild maiden, whom theyhad found , must needs be a witch or fiend, and theysought for her to slay her forthwith. But she , hearing in good time their angry talk, fled to the depthsof the forest, lamenting the misery which she seemedto bring on others , and also the hopelessness of herown lot.Then, in company with certain Brahmans who hadescaped the slaughter, she made her way to the cityof Subahu , king of Chedi. And here too , as sh e

entered, men observed her with wonder ; for theyremarked h er noble bearing and uncommon beautyshowing through the marks of sorrow, hunger, andwandering, even as lightning breaks through murkyclouds . As she thus passed through the curiouscrowd, the king’s mother spied her from the palace ,and bade her old nurse go forth and bring her in .

“ For surely,” said she, “ despite her worn and wildlooks , yon maid is fair as heaven’s queen herself .

”

i

So the nurse went forth, and brought the haplessDamayanti before the queen-mother, to whom shetold , in part, her sorrowful ta le . And the queenmother welcomed her, and bade her live in peace andsafety with her, while the king’s messengers weresent far and wide to seek tidings of Nala. So Damayan ti was comforted for the time, and dwelt in thepalace with the queen’s young daughter, S unanda byname , to tend her wants .

9k

Meanwhile King Nala wandered on sadly, remorsegnawing his heart. Ere long, he saw in the forest amighty fire, out of which a voice called to him for

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1 7 2 Stories of Gods 89° HeroesIn those days King Bhima, in his anxiety, sentforth Brahmans to go and seek Nala and Damayantiin every city. Of these Brahmans one named Sudevacame anon to the city of Ohedi ; and there , in thepalace, he saw fair Damayanti , still marred byexposure and want. So he obtained access , andcourteously made known his mission to her, and shewept freely when she thus talked with the goodSudeva . Then Sunanda , seeing her weep, told it tothe queen-mother, who came where the twain stoodtogether and asked Sudeva to declare his knowledge.Thereto Sudeva replied, Lady, this is the daughterof King Bhima, the wife of King Nala, who has losthis all in dicing and now roams the earth , partedfrom his wife , we know not where. To seek themwe Brahmans have been sent by King Bhima, andon this quest came I hither ; here I Spied this lady,and, drawing nearer, knew her by a birth-mark to beDamayanti without doubt.”

On this the queen-mother, shedding tears of joy,turned to Damayanti and said, Thou art mine ownsister’s daughter— all that I command here is thine ! ”

Then Damayanti , joyful ly accepting her kinswoman’s

greeting, said, “ Loving,indeed, has been all my

treatment here ; yet it were well , methinks , if thoupermit, that I should now go with those who havesought me out. Suffer me, therefore, to go to myhome and my little ones .To this request the queen-mother gave consent,and Damayanti returned to the home of her fatherBhima. Gladly they welcomed her there ; but herfirst concern was to gain tidings of her husband, andat her request King Bhima sent forth Brahman

Nala 6? Damayant i 1 73envoys , whom Damayanti charged that, whereverthey went, they should , as if addressing Nala himself,say in the hearing of every gathering of men somesuch words as these , “Whither wentest thou , Ogamester, leaving thy devoted wife, meanly clad inhalf a garment, in the dreadful forest ? Hear myprayer, and return to me, as thou art in duty bound.

Then should these Brahmans take note if any presentwere caught by the words or moved to answer.So they departed to do her bidding. And aftermany days one of them returned and told Damayantithat, when he had spoken her message in the courtof Ritupa rn a , a charioteer named Vahuka , all deformed in body, had been much moved by the tale ‘

of Damayanti’s desertion , and had marvelled greatlyat her willingness to forgive all .Then Damayanti sent secret word to the Brahman

Sudeva to go quickly to Ayodhya, Rituparn a’

s city,and to publish tidings that sh e , Damayanti , wasonce again about to hold a Swayamva ra . She alsopromised Sudeva a bounteous guerdon if he shouldcontrive Nala’s return .

When these tidings came toRituparn a’

s ear, he badethe seeming Vahuka make ready the chariot, for hewould fain seek to win Damayanti himself. Sorerent by grief was the heart of the disguised Nala, forhe wist not whether thi s was the act of Damayanti’sdespair or her stratagem to draw him to her presence .Howbeit, he gave ear to the command and chose ,with a shrewd eye, four goodly chargers to bear thechariot on its long journey. Then the king mountedthe car, and Nala, with an assistant charioteer, setthe steeds to the road.

1 7 4. Stories of God s 89 HeroesScarce had they started when, under the magictouch of Nala’s matchless guidance , the steeds sprangaloft in the air and sped like wind o’er river, forest,and hill. Greatly marvelled King Rituparn a ; andthe thought that the misshapen Vahuka might benone other than King Nala in disguise— so great wa s

the fame of Nala’s driving—crossed his mind. ButRitupa rn a had gifts of his own , no less wondrousthan Nala’s skill with horses. Pleased to show his

wit, in rivalry with that of Nala, he counted, even a s

they flew past, the leaves and fruit on the branchof a tree ; and when Nala , at the king

’s command,tore away the branch in passing, lo, the number,though running to myriads , was found to be exa ctlyas the king had said.

The king then spoke of his skill in dice being fullyas great . On the insta nt, Nala ofi ered to impart tohim his own knowledge of horses in return for likeinstruction in the science of dice . No sooner hadNala received this knowledge than the evil Spiritthat possessed him came forth, and Nala, thoughracked with dreadful throes, became once more hisown master.Now the journey drew to an end ; and Damayanti ,hearing the thunder of the rattling car, thrilled withjoy, feeling sure that Nala himself was nigh . KingBhima knew not of Damayanti’s wily message concerning the Swayamva ra , and marvelled somewhatat the coming of his royal friend ; and Ritupa rn a , notknowing of Bhima’s ignorance , answered cautiouslywhen questioned as to the cause of hi s visit. Yetthe two monarchs were glad to meet, and Rituparn awas courteously entertained. But dismay fell on

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1 7 6 Stories of God s 89° Heroesso he revealed himself not, but spake of their resemblance to his own two children , and courteou slyadvised the maid to come no more .Now could Damayanti contain herself no longer,but broke her hopes and fears to her mother,entreating that he whom she thought to be herhusband should be brought to her presence, and thematter put to the test and decided forthwith.

Greatly moved were bo th when they stood oncemore face to face ; and Damayanti , addressing herhusband still as Vahuka , said mournfully, Heardestthou ever, Yabuka, of one who, for all his fair repute ,left his wife asleep and undefended in a lonely woodYet even so did Nala, the noble king , leave me , histrue and loving wife, the mother of his children !Then Nala, beholding her weeping pitifully all thewhile she spake, answered sorrowfully, “ The guiltwas not mine , but the evil spirit possessed me anddrove me headlong into that fury of gamblin g anddespair. The wretch has now been cast out of meafter suffering long days of misery through thy curseand my religious penance ; so the end of our sorrowsis now in ful l view. Yet say thyself, noble lady, howcomes it that thou, leaving the memory of thyplighted husband, has t sent forth word of choosinganother lord ? For it was even on this report thatKing Ritupa rna has hied hither in such haste.

”

Then Damayanti , trembling at the charge thuslevelled in turn at herself, answered saying, “ Noguilty intent was mine, ’twa s but a wile to drawthee hither ! The Brahmans sent forth by my fatherto seek thee brought word that at Ritupa rn a

’

s courtwas one resembling thee in all but outward shape ;

Nala 8 Damayant i 1 7 7and I schemed hereby to draw thee hither forthwith .

May all the powers that witness the ways of mortalstestify against me and condemn me, if I have swervedone whit from loyalty of heart to thee , for whom Irejected both gods and men ! ”

Then the Wind,the watcher of all things , spake

from the air, “ Nought hath she done , 0 King, indespite of loyalty to thyself all these three yearsthat ye have been parted, and this matter of bringing Ritupa rn a hither was but a shrewd device tobring thee thyself. Fear not, therefore , but take thyloving wife to thyself again.

Then sounded heavenly music, and flowers fell fromon high , and, on the instant, the strange disguisepassed from Nala and he stood before Damayanti inhis proper form ; they embraced as tho se may whohave been parted so woefully, and pledged their loveanew over their sweet babes .Strange indeed to Ritupa rn a was the unveiling ofthe truth concerning his misshapen charioteer andher to whose supposed Swayamva ra he had made soswift a journey. Howbeit, he greeted the restoredNala most courteously, and each acknowledged hisdebt to the other. Then Nala imparted to his latemaster his wondrous skill in the management ofsteeds , as Ritupa rn a explained to Nala his masteryof dicing ; and therewithAyodhya

’

s mona rch returnedto his own city.

Then , after certain days , Nala set forth with agoodly follow1ng to his ancient realm , and called onPu shka ra , his usurping brother, to meet him onceagain in a contest with the dice. “ All, said he, “ Ihazard on this one meeting ; and, if thou shrink from

M

1 7 8 Stories of Gods 89 Heroesthis form of rivalry, then put we the matter to thete st of armsPu shka ra had no thought of perilling himself inarmed fight with his warlike brother ; but of h isown skill in dicing he stood in no doubt

,and in his

vain confidence he ta lked loudly and lightly of thisn ew victory, which wa s to bring him not only afurther as surance of the kingship and all tha t apper~ta in ed thereto , but the lovely Damayanti also, onwhom his heart still doted.

Grimly controll ing his fury, Nala bade his brothercease from idle ta lk and addr ess himself to the contest. And then, 10 , at a single throw, all that wa s

lost came back to its rightful own er—monarchy,treasure, and all. Yet, in h is triumph Nala fell notfrom nobleness of mind towards his fallen brother.Sternly, indeed, he condemned his vanity and folly ;but vengeance , such a s Pushkara

’

s own conduct towards himself might well have been held to merit, hedi sdained wholly. He bade his brother go in peace,promising him not only life and safety but also aproper abode and portion of goods.So Pu shkara , after rendering to his brother theobeisance du e to such royal clemency, abode for aspace at the capital, having honourable entertainment, and then departed with a fair following to thecity appointed for his portion .

This matter honourably settled, Nala return ed toBhima’s royal city, to bring hi s Damayanti home.And Bhima, seeing her husband thus securely re

stored to his true estate , bade them fa rewell withtranquil mind, and sped them on their way withfatherly blessings and wealth of royal gifts .

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Chapter V II

THE TALE OF THE PANDAVA BRETHREN

N olden days there reigned at Ha stinapura , innorthern India, a king named San tanu , the sonof Kuru.

San tanu had two wives, named Ganga andSa tyava t i . The latter had already a son , namedVya sa , who became a great sage , learned in allthings. After marrying San tanu , Sa tyava ti hadtwo other sons , both of whom died childle ss .Santana ’s other wife, Ganga, had one son , Bhishma

by name , who became a great warrior and a sagecounsellor ; but he , too, had no children .

The younger of Sa tyava ti’

s later sons had marriedtwo wives ; and after his death Vya sa marriedthese widows , that the line o f San tanu might notdie out. One of them had a s on named Dhrita

ra sh tra , who was born blind. The other also hada son, who was called Pandu, and he became kingat H a stinapu ra when Santann

’

e sons died.

Like others already mentioned, Pandu marriedtwo wives

,one of whom had already a son named

Kam a, whose father was the Sun-god ; but the180

The Pandava Brethren 1 8 1

mother did not like this to be known , so her sonKarna was brought up by a charioteer and hiswife. Karna’s mother then had three more sons ,named Yudhish thira ,

Arjuna, and Bhima. Theother wife gave two sons to Pandu , twins , namedNakula and Sahadeva . But these five boys were ,in sooth , the sons of various gods . Yudhishth ira

was the son of Dharma, the god of Duty orRighteousness ; Arjuna, of Indra, the Thunder-god ;Bhima, of Vayu , the Wind-god ; and the last two ,of the Asw in s , twin gods resembling the Castorand Pollux of the Greeks . These five brotherscame to be known as the Pandavas, after thename of their father Pandu.

During the absence of Pandu, on occasions ofwar or hunting , his half-brother Dhritarashtraacted as regent. This Dhritarash tra had marrieda princess named Gandhari , and they had a hundredsons and one daughter. The eldest of these sonswas Duryodhana, of evil name , who was ever thebitter foe of his cousins the Pandavas .When Pandu died, his sons were taken to theblind king Dhritarashtra, who treated them kindly,and brought them up with his own children . Butthe Pandavas excelled their kinsmen in strengthand manly sports , and great was the jealousybetween the two families , especially between Bhimaand Duryodhana, who were both of prodigiousstrength and violent temper.i As has been mentioned, Kuru was the father ofSan tanu , and therefore the ancestor of both Panduand Dhritarashtra ; both these families , accordingly,

called after him. But, in order

1 82 Storie s of God s 89 Heroesto distinguish the sons of Dhritarashtra from thePandavas , Duryodhana and his brothers kept theolder family name to themselves , and were thusknown as Kurus , or Kauravas , by which namewe shall often speak of them.

It must be owned that some of young Bhima’sdoings were not such as to make him beloved ofthe K au rava youths , when the two families playedtogether ; for he turned his great strength to manya sad prank. Sometimes he would seize his cousinsby the hair and drag them along the ground : or,when some had climbed into a tree to gather fruit,he would come and shake the tree so furiouslythat the lads lost their hold and fell ; or, again , attimes of bathing in the river, he would hold themunder water and only loose them when halfdrowned. These rough jests filled the heart ofDuryodhana with much bitterness , and he devisedagainst Bhima a murderous plot.He caused a fair pleasure-ground to be preparedon the banks of the Ganges

,with every convenience

for sport and bathing and banqueting . Thitherhe proposed that both families should go together,and the invitation was readily accepted by all.Sport of every kind was carried on with all goodfeeling, and at the banquet following Kauravasand Pandavas vied in showing each other honourand kindness . Duryodhana went to and fro amonghis rivals with a smiling countenance , and minist ered dainties to Bhima himself with great showof brotherly love . But with these dainties banefulpoison was mixed ; and, as the day drew on , Bhimafound himself oppressed with a strange weariness ,

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1 84. Stories of God s 89? HeroesBhima, nor did the other Kauravas— to their shamebe it said—abstain from treacherous devices to

compass the death of the Pandavas .To mend these evils , Dhritarashtra appointed oneDrona, the son of a great Rishi, as tutor to his ownsons and the Pandavas together. Under h is instruotion both parties attained to great excellence in allwarlike exercises . Arjuna was foremost of all in theuse of weapons generally, but Bhima, Karna, andDuryodhana, also, possessed extraordinary strengthand skill. Unhappily, this study of warlike artsunder one master served but to fan the flame ofrivalry betwixt the two families , as shall be shownforthwith.

When all the youths had been thus whollyinstructed in the duty of warriors , they went forthtogether to fight against Drupada , king of thePan cha la s , on account of an insult he had offeredto Drona. He was duly conquered, but Dronakindly allowed him to retain half his kingdom .

This D rupada afterwards became the father of ason named Dhr ishtadyumn a , and a daughter,D raupadi, of whom this tale has much to say.

The conquest of D rupada was due rather to thePandavas than to the Kauravas ; and on the returnof the armies , Dhritarashtra appointed Yudhishthira

heir-apparent. These doings greatly increased thejealousy of Duryodhana, and in his bitterness ofspir it he devised a horrible plot to destroy the fivebrethren .

He caused a palace to be hastily erected in awood, and courteously invited the Pandavas tooccupy it. But this palace was built of everything

The Pandava Brethren 1 85combustible, and the base-hearted Duryodhanameditated in his heart to come one night and se t

fire to the palace, and thus destroy the Pandavaswhile they slept.The brethren , however, received timely warningof the treachery, and escaped the snare. They went,indeed, to the palace, and dwelt there for a time.But while they abode there, they had a subter

ran ea n passage dug from the midst of the house.Then , on the appointed night, they themselves setfire to the palace, and escaped in safety by theirpassage.Now, though the Pandavas knew it not, therehad come to the house that evening a low-bornwoman with five sons ; and these , having partakenof the good cheer too freely, fell into drunkenslumber, so that they were consumed in the flames.In the morning , the townsfolk came forth to viewthe ruin ; and, finding the ashes of the woman andher sons , supposed them to be the remains of thePandava family. Dhritarashtra was told that theyhad perished in the fire , and their funeral riteswere performed amid general lamentation.

Meanwhile the Pandavas , having made good theirescape

,took up their abode, after sundry adventures ,

in the town of Eka chakra , where they dwelt fora space

,doing good to the people , and being greatly

beloved by them .

II

While the Pandavas thus lived at Eka chakra ,

they were visited by the Rishi Narada, who toldthem

,among other things , more of the history of

1 86 Stories of God s 8? HeroesKing Drupada , and of the birth of Dhrishtadyumnaand Draupadi.

This maiden , who had been in her last birth thedaughter of a Rishi , was condemned at that time ,owing to actions in a life still further back, to missthe privilege of obtaining a husband. She sought,therefore, to propitiate the god Siva, that she mightwin from him the choice of a boon. The deity,satisfied w ith her attentions , did even a s she hadhoped ; on which she exclaimed, not once but often ,Give me a husband ! To this the god replied thather wish was granted ; but, for the number of timesthat she had uttered it, she must needs have fivehusbands , whom she should win from the race ofBharat.It was signified to the Pandavas that this prophecywould find its fulfilment in them , and they werecounselled to go to the capital of the Pancha la sand there await the turn of events .Now the time was at hand when D raupadi

should choose for herself a husband. For inancient India it was the custom— far otherwisethan it is in these days— that a maiden of highdegree might invite suitors of equal rank toassemble on a given day in her presence , and mighttake a husband from among them by her ownchoice ; wherefore the ceremony was called Swayam

vara, that is , Own-choice .

”

The news of D raupadi’

s Swayamva ra having beenbruited abroad, a goodly company of kings andprinces assembled on the appointed day. NowDraupadi

’

s choice was to be determined by noordinary judgment of brave looks or rich attire and

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1 88 Stories of God s Ea? HeroesThen came the disguised Arjuna. In a twinklinghe strung the bow and then sped the five arrowsthrough the whirling wheel, straight to the mark .

Loud rang the amphitheatre with the plaudits of themultitude , and the gods rained flowers from on high.

The assembled princes , however, were filled withfury for, though the Brahman caste is highest of all ,yet it seemed foul reproach to these Kshatriyas thatthey should be vanquished at their own sport byone who seemed to belong to a caste that has littleto do with martial employ. So when Drupada

seemed fain to bestow the maiden on him whowhate’er his caste —had won the contest outright,these kings gathered in wrath and prepared toassault their host. Arjuna and Bhima hastenedto defend D rupada , and, after a vehement contest,the fear of Arjun a

’

s mystic weapons caused theassailants to desist ; whereupon it was proclaimedthat D raupadi had been fairly won by the seemingBrahman , and was his by right.Forthwith Draupadi departed with Arjuna andthe Pandavas to the potter’s house , where they werestaying. They told their mother in jest that theywere bringing what they had gained by begging ;to which she , not seeing D raupadi, replied, “ Shareit among yourselves .” Greatly was she dismayedwhen she found what her saying would mean ; butthe word could not be recalled— D ra upadi mustneeds be the wife of all five brothers . And this ,as we have seen, was but the fulfilment of destiny.

King Drupada , meanwhile, was still ignorant ofthe rank of him who had won his daughter at theSwayamva ra— for he doubtless thought little of the

The Pandava Brethren 1 89Brahman guise in which the Pandavas had appeared—and he therefore sent his son Dhrish tadyumn a tos ee what he could learn of their rank and bearing .

Listening outside the potter’s house , the prin ce heardthe brothers talk much of arms and war ; and, pondering over the skill of Arjuna, together with whathe had heard, he concluded that these were noneother than the Pandava brethren , and thus h e

reported to his father. D rupada rejoiced greatlyat the news , and sent noble chariots to fetch thebrothers, that the wedding might be celebrated withbecoming pomp . He doubted at first concerningthe fitness of D raupadi

’

s marriage with all fivebrethren ; but Yudhishthira explained to him theprophecy about D raupadi, and the monarch debatedthe matter no longer. D raupadi was led round thesacred fire by each of the five brethren in turn , andthus became the wedded wife of all alike . Drupada

crowned the nuptials with princely gifts , and likemun ificen ce was shown by the god Krishna, whowas then on earth in human form and was presentat the ceremony.

When Dhritarashtra heard that the Pandavasyet lived, and had won D ra upadi, he took counselhow he should act towards them. Duryodhana andKarna were hostile ; but the wiser counsellors badethe king deal kindly with the Pandavas , and heagreed to bestow on them a portion of his kingdomon the banks of the river Yamuna. Here the Pandavas erected a noble city, worthy to be comparedwith that of Indra himself ; wherefore it was evencalled Indraprastha, which name is borne by partof the city of Delhi to this day.

1 90 S tories of Gods 8 HeroesNow, for all the happiness of this occasion , therewas but too much chance of ill-feeling arising amongthe Pandavas concern ing Draupadi, to whom allfive were equally wedded . That such sad resultsmight not mar their triumph in winning her, theRishi Narada paid them a visit, and, to bring hometo them the dire peril of strife betwixt brethren ,told them

THE TALE o r SUNDA AND U PASU NDA.

These were the sons of a famous Daitya king,and were heroes of great might and fierce temper.They were—as became those whose very nameshad been formed each , as it were , to echo the other— united by the closest of brotherly love. Neitherattempted anything of import apart from the other ;together they ate and drank, together they played ,together did they all that was worth doing. Eachsought to please the other by word and deed ; theywere of one heart and mind, and were even as twopersons made one.So they grew up in great strength and valour, andtheir ambition was to conquer the three worlds .To this end they set themselves to do grim penanceamid the Vindhya mountains . They were clad inraiment of bark, besmeared with filth , wasted withhunger and thirst, feeding on air alone. Theyoff ered their own flesh in sacrifice, and stood on tiptoe

,with arms upstretched and eyes unwinking,

for great length of time ; so that, scorched by thefury of their austerities , the Vindhya mountainsgave forth smoke, a wondrous sight to see . The

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1 92 Stories of God s 89” Heroesfirst success, the two brothers started forth to

‘makeproof of the powers conferred by Brahma’s boon.

They departed from the city with great pomp andwith a mighty following , and fared forth to conquerthe Three Worlds .First they ascended to Indra’s heaven with baneful intent ; and at their approach the gods , knowingthe boon granted to the brothers , departed in hasteto Brahma’s heaven . So the twain subdued theheaven of Indra , using all the denizens there rightcruelly. Then they turned their might against theNagas in the Underworld, and subdued them, andalso all the dwellers in the seas. Then they gavetheir mind to earth once more , and spake fiercelyto their followers , saying, “ By divers offeringsand sacrifices of sages do the gods maintain theirstrength. Turn we , then , wi th all our hearts, tothe slaughter of all such foes of our race .”

With these words , and this dark intent, they fellon the pious sages who tended the sacrifices ofthe gods ; and wheresoe

’er they found such, theywrought wholesale slaughter and destruction , andall the curses launched at them by the holy menscathed them not a whit, for the boon made themproof against all. The Rishis fled in terror fromtheir hermitages , like snakes before Garuda, butthe brethren pursued and slew them without stintor pity. Ceased were sacrifice and offering , slainwere kings and Brahmans, woe and lament wereon every side . Ceased were buying and selling,ceased the till ing of the fields and the tending ofcattle ; ruined were the cities, and the earth allunsightly, strewn wi th bones and skulls . Gloom

The Pandava Brethren 1 93o

’

e rca st sun , moon , and stars , as they beheld thedoings of Sunda and Upa su nda .

So, having conquered every region, the Daityabrethren took up their abode in K u rukshetra , bothbeing as yet unmarried.

Then gods,sages , and other exalted ones , with

sun , moon , and stars , dr ew near to Brahma andmade petition that he would devise some means tostay the deadly works of Sunda and Upa sunda . TheFather of gods and men meditated for but a moment,then summoned Viswakarma , the divine architect.

“ Lend all thy skill,” said Brahma to him ,

“ tofashioning a maiden whose beauty shall have norival in all Three Worlds .”

So Visw aka rma gave a ll his cunning to the ta sk,and presently brought forth a maiden of such peerless loveliness , that the eyes and hearts of all thatbeheld her were utterly ravished. This damsel , towhom was given the name Tilot tama , made obe i

sance to Brahma, and begged to learn what wasrequired of her. Go thou ,” said Brahma, presentthyself to the sight of Sunda and Upa sunda , and beto them a source of jealousy and hatred ! ”

Meanwhile , the Daitya brethren were giving themselves up to the enjoyment of the tri umphs they hadwon. Having taken the treasures of gods , Gandbarvas , Yak sha s , Nagas , and others, they revelledin these with supreme contentment. There wasnow none that could stay their enjoyment ; andthey abandoned themselves wholly to the fruitionof all that could delight every bodily sense. In thegoodliest woodlands and parks of the Vindhyamountains they roamed or stayed at will, sur

1 94. Stories of Gods 89? Heroesrounded by all that was fairest in nature and allby which art could ministe r to their pleasure . As

they thus disported themselves to the utmost limi tof enjoyment, Tilottama made her way towardsthis lovely region, plucking, as she passed throughthe forest, the flowers that grew on river banks .Then the two brothers , elated at the momentby recent drafts of exhilarating drink, beheld themaiden on a sudden, and were confounded by thevision of her loveliness . Up sprang in each heartthe seeds of love and rivalry. Each seized Tilottama by one hand ; each glared suspicion andjealousy at the other ; each claimed, in tones loudand fierce, priority in the right to the maiden’slove. Such rivalry, in natures so proud and violent,could not keep itself within the bounds of speechand reasoning. Hands were raised, and deadlyblows were struck ; and down fell these two lordlyDa itya s in their gore , like two suns fallen fromheaven, each stricken to death by a brother’s hand.

Thus were these twain, whose might and steadfastness had raised them so high that neither godnor other celestial being, nor anything in theearth or under it, had power to scathe them or limitthem in any way, utterly undone in a twinkling by asimple love quarrel between themselves .

So moved were the Pandavas by the solemnwarning of Na rada ’

s tale, that they entered into asolemn covenant among themselves that, to preventany root of jealousy springing up among them ,

whosoever should intrude upon the presence of oneof his brothers when sitting with Draupadi, should be

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1 96 Stories of Gods 89? Heroesmuch against the w ill of Indra, the god of Thunderand Rain. As Arjuna aided Agni in the struggle,this god gave him , as a reward, the great bowGandiva and two inexhaustible quivers of arrows .The Pandavas now dwelt in great happiness in aglorious palace, built for them by a Daitya, or Titan ,named Maya, whom they had aided to escape fromthe burning Khandava forest .Here Yudhishthira proposed, after a time, tocelebrate the so -called Raja suya sacrifice , in tokenof his power ; but he was told by Krishna that hemust needs first overcome and slay Ja ra sandha , theking of Magadha . A great conflict ensued , in whichJa ra sandha engaged in a hand-to-hand fight withBhima , and was finally slain by him. The brothersthen extended their conquests towards all fourpoints of the compass , and on their return theRaja suya sacrifice was performed with great pomp .

Duryodhana, however, who had attended theceremony

,returned to Ha st inapu ra full of jealousy

and hatred. In this frame of mind, he was advisedby his uncle Sakun i to challenge Yudhish thira to agambling match . No Kshatriya could refuse sucha challenge ; and Yu dhishthi ra was fond of dicing,though he lacked skill, while Sakun i wa s an expertdicer and versed in unfair practices as well.Accordingly the Pandavas were invited to Ha stina

pura, and Yudhishth ira was chal lenged by Sakun ito play. In reply, he dwelt on the folly of gambling ;but he could not refuse the challenge, and the fatefulgame began. Yudhish thira , no match for his skilfuland unscrupulous opponent, lost throw after throw.

Money, j ewels, chariots , se rvants, and troops were

Draupadi dragged from her Chamber

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1 98 Stories of Gods 8 Heroesthe more easily conquer the Kauravas . To test hisvalour, the god Siva encountered him in bodily form,

and after a tremendous conflict, in which Arjunabore himself right well, presented him with aweapon of extraordinary power, as a reward forhis bravery.

Arjuna passed through many adventures, andspent a considerable time in Indra’s heaven, Swarga.

The other Pandavas mourned his absence , anddeplored the sadness of their lot . In their depression

,they were comforted by various Rishis , who

came and related to them sundry tales, showing thehappy recovery of other mortals quite as unfortunateas the Pandavas , and imparted good counse l invarious forms .As the Pandavas went abroad in search of adventure , they were assailed by a fiend named Ja tasu ra ,

who carried them all ofi , excepting Bhima, who wasabsent searching for golden lotus-flow ers on a lakesacred to Kuvera, the god of Wealth. Bhima,however, came to the rescue of his brethren in goodtime. and slew the fiend . Not long afte r, heapproached the abode of Kuvera, which was sur

rounded with great wealth of gems . The god’sattendants went forth to repel him, but he vanqu ished them and slew many. On hearing of theslaughter of his myrmidons , Kuvera at firstwas very wroth , but anon he changed his mood,and said that Bhima had only done a warrior’s duty.

In process of time , Arjun a rejoined his brothers ,having been five years in Indra’s heaven. He arrivedin the car of Matali , Indra’s charioteer, and gladdenedhis brothers with the account of his wondrous

The Pandava Brethren 1 99doings ; among which the chief, perchance , was hisfighting , at Indra’s behest, against the Danavasgiants or Titans— whose millions he overcame by hisheavenly weapons and knowledge of magic. Yudhishth ira w as fain to see Ar juna display these mysticweapons ; but so dire was the effect on both earthand sky, that gods and sages at once drew near andadvised Arjuna not to use the weapons withoutdue reason.

Meanwhile Duryodhana and his friends rejoicedgreatly on hearing news of the low estate of thePandavas . Duryodhana even gathered a great forcethat he might safely go and gloat over their misfortunes . On approaching the forest, he was forbiddento enter by Gandharvas

,the choristers of Indra’s

hea ven. But Duryodhana defied them , and gavebattle with his army. He was utterly overthrownand was taken prisoner by the Gandharva king ;but, on the intercession of Arjun a himself, who wasthe king’s friend, he w as allowed to go free.It is not necessary to recount all that befel thebrethren during their years of forest life . Thereforeonly two more of these adventures shall be told erethe story of their return to public life is related .

It chanced that one day, when the brothers werea -hunting , Jayadra tha , the mighty king of Sindhu ,

a s he passed through the forest spied D ra upadi, and ,being filled with admiration , entered into conversation with her. He asked her to leave her presenthusbands and become his wife ; and when she scornfully refused, he bore her away in his car . But thePandavas, hearing the cries of birds and beasts ,returned in haste , and at once pursued. Jayadra tha

2 0 0 Stories of God s 8 Heroeswas overtaken and defeated , and well-nigh slainby Bhima, who threw him down , and kicked andbeat him. His life , however, was spared on his

saying, I am the slave of the Pandavas ,” and in theend he was allowed to depart in liberty.

The second of these adventures was a strange anddreadful one , which came nigh to causing the utterruin of the Pandavas . It happened on this wise .

Yudhish thira had gone with his brethren to theDwa ita forest, where dwelt a hermit. This manasked the Pandavas to recover his firewood, whichhad been carried off by a stag. This stag thebrethren then pursued , but in vain, for it outranthem completely, and in the end disappeared. Th e

brothers then sa t , wearied, beneath a spreading banyan tree, and Yudhishthira bade Nakula fetch waterfrom a tank .

Nakula went to the tank, and prepared to drawwater. But, as he did so , a voice from the air said,“ Be not over-bold ; but answer first my questions ,and then drink and carry hence. But Nakula, beingathirst, heeded not the voice ; he drank of the coolwater, and straightway fell dead.

Seeing that Nakula tarried long , Yudhish thira senthis twin-brother, Sahadeva, to hasten matters . Greatwas the grief of Sahadeva when, on reaching thetank, he saw his brother lying dead but, being soreathirst, he ran to the water to drink. Again the voicebade him pause and first answer certain questions.But Sahadeva would not stay ; he drank, and , likeNakula, in a trice he fell dead. When he came not,Yudhish thira sentArjuna to learn the cause of delay.

The great warrior was much moved when he saw

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The Pandava Brethren 2 0 1

his brethren lying dead,and he made ready his bow

to shoot ; but he saw no man to strike. Then camethe voice from the air

,saying, Why dost thou essay

to take by force the forbidden water Answer firstcertain questions

,and then shalt thou drink and

carry hence .” In hot anger,Arjuna replied, “ Show

thyself, if thou wouldst hinder me My arrows shallteach thee not to speak thus ! ”

So saying he shot arrows thick as rain in everydirection , but to no purpose . Then, overcome withthirst, he went and drank ; and he too fell dead .

Then Yudh ish th ira , in great anxiety, sent Bhimato inquire the cause of the long delay. Bhimadeparted, and soon found his three brothers lyingdead by the water-side. Wrathfully he took thoughtof fighting ; but first he would seek to slake histhirst. To him also came the voice , bidding himfirst answer the questions . But Bhima heeded notthe voice , and, without answering, he drank of thewater, and straightway he fell prone.In the end, Yudhish thira went, perforce, h lmself

to learn what was amiss . There, by the side of thetank, he found his four brothers lying , to all appearance, dead. Long and woefully he lamented overthem, questioning bitterly why warriors so uprightand valiant should be thus unworthily reft of life.In the end, he too approached the wate r ; but as hewas in the act of stepping in, the voice came to himalso, bidding him refrain till he had answered thatwhich should be asked of him.

Now Yudhish th ira was wise in counsel ; and,instead of wrathfully disregarding the voice of onewhom he could not see , he inquired , wonderingly, the

2 0 2 Stories of God s 8 Heroesname of the questioner, if perchance it should besome god .

The voice answered, “ I am a Yaksha,and by me

thy brothers were slain . I bade them forbear, butthey heeded not, and sought to drink in my despite .And thou too, 0 King, drink not hastily, if thou lovestlife ; but first answer my questions , and then taketo drink if thou wilt.”

Then answered Yudhish thira , Far be it from me,O Yaksha, to slight thy command ! First ask, as

thou sayest, what thou wilt, and I shall answer asbest I may.

”

“ Say, then , said the Yaksha, “ what causes thesun to rise and to set ; who are its attendants , andin what is it established ?

“ Brahma,” replied Yudh ishthira ,

“ causes the sun

to rise, and Dharma causes it to se t ; the gods areits attendants , and in truth it is established.

”

What,” said the Yaksha, “ is that which closes notits eyes in sleep ; that which stirs not at birth ; thatwhich has no heart ; and that which swells by itsown force

“ A fish, answered Yudhishthira ,

“ closes not itseyes in sleep ; an egg stirs not at birth ; a stone isthat which has no heart ; and rivers swell by theirown force .”

The Yaksha asked, “Who is the invincible enemyof man What is his permanent disease ? Who isheld to be holy, and who unholy ?Then answered Yudhish thira ,

“ Anger is the foeright hard to vanquish, and covetousness the permanent disease. He who is set on the welfare ofall is held to be holy, and unholy he who is pitiless .”

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2 0 4 Stories of God s 8 HeroesThen the god granted to Yudhish thira variousboons of his own choosing ; and the Pandavasdeparted happily to their dwelling again . Amongother things that the god had granted was this :that— as they were now come to the time whenthey would have to pass a year in disguise—theyshould be unrecognisable

,whatever disguise they

might assume .

The thirteenth year being n ew upon them, thePandavas repaired to the kingdom of Virata .

Yudhishthira gave himself out to be a professionaldicer for one of the sages had endowed him , duringthe sojourn in the forest, with perfect skill in dicing .

Bhima posed as a cook ; Arjuna, as a teacher ofmusic and dancing Nakula and Sahadeva , as groomand herdsman respectively ; and D ra upadi, as a maidservant.On going before the king to ask for employment,the monarch doubted somewhat of their appearance ,which , he thought, was that rather of kings thanof servants. However, they answered all questionsdiscreetly, and were given the employment thatthey had desired.

Their great strength and valour, however, couldnot long remain hid. Bhima overthrew a mightywrestler, and afterwards contended successfully withwild beasts in the arena. Furthermore, whenKichaka, King Vira ta

’

s chief commander, vexedD raupadi with proposals of marriage , and treatedher with great violence when she refused, Bhima

The Pandava Brethren 2 0 5lay in wait for him when he was alone , and slew himin a desperate combat without arms .On hearing of K ichaka ’

s death , certain of Vira ta’

s

foes thought good to make an invasion . Theyinvited the Kauravas to assist them, and the twoarmies forthwith raided Vira ta

’

s cattle. ThePandava brethren offered their services for fighting , and through their assistance the Kauravasand their allies were defeated . The news of victorywas taken back by Uttara, the king’s son , whomArjuna persuaded to conceal the share which thePandavas had in the victory . Uttara modestly toldthe king that the success was due n o t to himself, butto the son of a god , who was now invisible, butwould soon reappea r.Anon, the year having now run out, the Pandavascame forth in kingly guise, and announced to KingVirata the truth about themselves . Virata wasdelighted, and offered Arjuna his daughter Uttara inmarriage . Arjuna declined for himself , but acceptedthe maiden on behalf of his son Abhimanyu . Thewedding was celebrated with great pomp , andKr ishna himself attended with a mighty following.

The Pandavas now consul ted King Virata andothers as to what course they should take for theyhad endured much wrong, and it might well be theirduty as warriors to seek vengeance in war. Krishnaand his half-brother

,Balarama by name, besought

them to seek their end by peaceful means , and forthwith departed for Dwa raka , not wishing to takepart in hostilities.Arjuna and Duryodhana, the chief warri ors oneither side , then se t ofl to Dwa raka , to get Krishna’s

2 0 6 Stories of God s 8 Heroesadvice. Krishna offered to help both parties , andgave the twain the choice between a vast army,given by himself, and his own counsel during thewar, though he himself would take no part inthe actual fighting. Arjuna chose Krishna

,while

Duryodhana preferred the army.

To compass a peaceful arrangement, D rupada ,

the father-in -law of the Pandavas, sent his priestas ambassador to Dhritara shtra. Bhishma , thevenerable half-brother of Vya sa , acting a s couns ellor of the king’s party, advised peace. ButKarna—who, though half-brother to the Pandavas ,sided with the Kurus , because his mother hadabandoned him as a child- said that nothing wouldbe yielded to threats , and that the Pandavas oughtto live a s simple subjects of King Dhritara shtra.

The old king then sent his own chariote er,Sanjaya , as ambassador to the Pandavas . S anjaya

spoke of the might of the Kauravas , and of theshort-lived nature of even the best that humantriumphs can bring. Yudhishth ira , on his part,dwelt specially on the surpassing prowess of Arjuna,and on the Kshatriya’s duty to fight. When heagain sought the advice of Krishna, the god saidthat peace was indeed to be desired, but it wasnot the mark of a warrior to avoid fighting.

Yudhish th ira asked that only a small allowanceof territory should be given them, and they wouldbe content.On the return of Sanjaya to Dhritarashtra’scourt, Bhishma and the wiser counsellors stronglyadvised the king to deal kindly with the Pandavas.Duryodhana, however, was obstinate in his pride,

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2 0 8 Stories of God s 8 HeroesOn Duryodhana’s departure, Krishna revealed tothe assembly his divine form , showing himself tobe the source and lord of all ; then , after receivingthe worship of those present, he resumed his humanguise and departed.

Ere he returned to the Pandavas , Krishna soughtto win Karna to their cause. Karna was , indeed ,born of the same mother

,by a different father,

before she wedded Pandu . But he replied thatshe had disowned him in infancy, and that thecharioteer and his wife who had brought him upbound him to the K au rava party. And when hismother herself sought him out alone, as he performed his devotions on the bank of the Ganges ,Karna had no other answer even for her ; but hepromised that he would not fight to the deathwith any of the five brothers save Ar juna. Sothey embraced, and parted.

Forthwith the leaders of either party addressedthemselves to marshalling their forces for the fray.

Among the chiefs on the Pandava side, besidesthe brethren themselves , were Drupada and hisson Dhrishtadyumna , Virata, and S ikhandin .

At the request of Duryodhana, the chi ef commandof the Kuru host was taken by the aged Bhishma .

He had boundless knowledge of war, and was ofgreat wisdom in all manner of affairs . When askedby Duryodhana to estimate the worth of thePandava leaders, he spoke highly of many ofthem, and averred that Arjuna wa s without a peerin either army. Still , he boasted of his own skillin war, and the Kurus welcomed his appointmentto the lordship of the host with mighty acclamation .

The Pandava Bre thren 20 9But Bhishma spoke contemptuously of Kam a ; andthat great warrior was filled with wrath , andcharged Bhishma with sowing seeds of discordamong the leaders when union was most needed .

On the side of the Kurus there fought alsoDrona, the instructor of the two families , whostill held the Pandavas in high esteem . Othergreat chiefs were his son , Aswa tthaman , Kripa,and Salya, king of Madra.

Th e two armies prepared for the strife with equalconfidence. Most of the Kuru lords thought tosee the Pandavas destroyed in a few days ; whileArjuna professed that, with his wondrous weapons ,and with Krishna for his charioteer and adviser,he could overthrow all his foes in a twinkling.

Who can fitt ingly recount in a few short pagesthe tale of the mighty battle, or, rather, days ofbattle , to which the old Sanskrit poem gives fourtimes the bulk of Homer’s Iliad ?The nature, too, of the combat, as described, wassuch that Homer’s heroes would seem mere pigmiesor triflers , if compared with those who fought onKu rukshetra . Many of these were endued withextraordinary powers of divine origin . Some werethe offspring of gods ; others of demi-gods, Danavas ,Rakshasas , or the like . Among the weapons wieldedwere some surpassing any that human skill couldforge, or human wit devise—weapons by which fire,water, or clouds might be created on a sudden,or hosts of opponents made unconscious or cut OH

0

2 1 0 S tories of Gods 8 Heroesin an instant. Some of these dread fighters , thusdreadfully armed, could spring aloft in the air andthence o

’

e rwhelm their foes ; at other moments ,when weary and hard pressed, they could becomeinvisible , and thus escape the violence of revivingenemies . These were warriors to whom meremultitude was nought- in their conquering furythey could overhea r scores— nay, myriads of meanerbreed ; while they strove in their own unaidedmight against horses , cars , and elephants ,

“ andsent them to destruction by thousands .In numbers, too, the armies of Kuru and Pandavathat strove for mastery were such as to makethe largest hosts of sober history seem as triflingas the parties in a village brawl .While the hosts were thus being marshalled ,

Vya sa , the grandsire of Kurus and Pandavas ,offered his blind son , the King Dhritarashtra, thepower of sight during the battle. But Dhrita

ra shtra , fearing to look on the slaughter of hiskindred , preferred to remain blind . Instead of thisboon, therefore, Vya sa bestowed on Sanjaya , theking’s charioteer, the gift of being invulnerable andof seeing all that took place at any point by day ornight. And perchance it was well for Dhritarashtrathat he saw not, if he feared to look on slaughter ;for dread portents were manifest both in the sky

and on earth , foreshowing the death of multitudes .Sanjaya forthwith discoursed to the king of manythings , past, present, and future . Krishna, likewise ,as charioteer to Arjuna, had to encourage his friend.

For Arjun a, gazing on the hosts mustering forbattle , remembered that among the chiefs against

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2 1 2 Stories of God s 8 Heroesself, who had destroyed thousands and myriads ofthe Pandava armies, was stricken down . He diednot, it is true , on the selfsame day ; indeed, themanner of his final passing w a s strange beyondthe common. On this tenth day Arjuna, who hadmore than once before fought against Bhishma

with wondrous valour, but without in any wayovercoming him, attacked him once more withsurpassing fury. Bhishma , weary of fighting andof life itself, fought bravely indeed, as became him ;

but he wa s overborne. In the end, he was so piercedwith the countless arrows rained upon him byArjuna and those with him, that there remainednot on the old warrior’s body a space of two fingers ’

breadth unpierced. He had, however, the power todelay his death till a time when the sun stood inan auspicious quarter. So he bade his friends layhim down ; and the fighters on either hand foreboretheir strife, and drew near to behold this strangesight of the aged Bhishma thus couched, as it were ,upon a bed of arrows . His head hanging down ,Arjuna made him a pillow of three arrows , anddrew forth water from the ground to slake h is

thirst.In this strange plight he lay for many a day,while the others returned to wage wild warfare tothe end .

Bhishma being laid aside, Drona was chosen byDuryodhana and Karna to lead the Kauravas.Duryodhana besought Drona to take Yudhishthiraalive, and Drona therefore tried to draw awayArjuna from Yudh ishthira

’

s side, that the eldestPandava might be left unprotected. But Arjuna

The Pandava Brethren 2 13first gave charge concerning the protection ofYudhishth ira ,

and then fell on those who soughtto draw him away. After a great combat, he slewone of the most noted of the K au rava warriors ,Bhagada tta by name ; but in another part of thefield Abh imanyu , Arjuna

’

s own son , after doingdeeds of might, w a s se t on by Karna and manycar-warriors , and perished.

Great was the woe of the Pandavas on Abhimanyu

’

s death . To cheer them, Vya sa suddenlyappeared, and with many a wise tale , showing hownot even the bravest can avoid death , he comfortedYudhishthira and encouraged him to continue thestruggle .Arjuna then vowed to slay Jayadra tha , King ofthe S indhu s , against whom Abhimanyu had beenfighting when he met his end. It was this Jayadratha who had formerly carried off D raupadi ;

afte r which, by devotions and austerities , he gainedthe power of being able to stand against any Pandava save Arjuna only. Thus it came to pass that

,

although he was guarded by many of the bravestKuru warriors , it availed him not when Arjunadrew near to fight against him ; bravely, indeed, hefought, but Arjuna vanquished him and cut off hishead.

On this day Bhima also did valiantly, and many

of Dhritarashtra’s sons did be send to Yama’s realm.

He fought for a space with Drona, till Karna cameup to defend his lord. Bhima and Karna then strovefuriously, ea ch obtaining some advantage in turn ;then Arjuna came to Bhima’s aid, and Karna withdrew from the battle .

2 1 4. Stories of God s 8 HeroesAswa tthaman , the son of Drona, showed greatprowess on this day. It therefore came to the mindof Krishna to advise the Pandavas to spread a falsereport of Aswa t thaman

’

s death , so that Drona mi ghtlose heart and cease to fight. Bhima then slew anelephant named Aswa tthaman , and told Drona thatAswa tthaman was dead. Drona believed him not,and asked Yudhishth ira concerning the report. NowYudhish th ira , as became the son of the god Dharmahimself, had ever been known far and wide, by bothfriend and foe, as the foremost of truth-tellers . Sopure was his spirit, that his car in battle touched notthe earth , but drove a hand

’s breadth above it. Butin this hour, persuaded by one who claimed to beLord of all, Yudh ish thira answered Drona thatAswa t thaman was indeed dead ; but he added theword “ elephant under his breath. Then the carof Yudhishthira touched the earth like others ; butDrona, filled with despair, gave up the fight, and,s itting in his car wrapt in devotion , was slain byDhrish tadyumna

,who cut off his head, and cast it

before the K a u rava host.Hearing of his father’s death , Aswa tthaman assailed the Pandava army with fury, and by meansof a mystical weapon he ravaged their ranks aswith fire . Arjuna, however, had also commandof certain celestial weapons , and with these theviolence of Aswa t thaman was stayed. But he hadvowed to destroy the whole Pandava host, and whatcame of the vow shall be told hereafter ; while thelie that Yudh ishth ira had told , though told by thecounsel of a god, laid up for him in the future acruel woe .

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2 1 6 Stories of God s 8 Heroesflew forth light ; for Karna’s father was the Sungod, and to him the light returned . The Pandavasblew their horns, but despair filled the hearts of theKurus.Next day, Salya was appointed commander, and afrightful combat ensued between him and Bhima.

The blows of their clubs crashed forth like thunder,and each , sore stricken by the other, withdrew fora space. But anon Yudh ish thira , supported by hisbrethren on either hand, bestirred himself, for allhis mildness , to fight against Salya. The Madramonarch bore himself right stoutly against this fearful onslaught ; but in vain. His attack was foiledby Yudhish th ira ’

s comrades , and he fell beneath amagic dart from the prince’s hand.

One Kuru leader after another had thus perishedin the devouring fray, and the Kuru host, bereft ofits chiefs , now became a prey to the fury of thePandavas . Myriads and myriads were swiftly destroyed, till , of that vast army, there remained butfour persons—Duryodhana , Aswa tthaman , Kripa,and K r itava rman .

Duryodhana took his departure alone , and coming ,in the course of his journeying , to a lake , he enteredits waters , and by magical powers caused them toenclose him as in a chamber, and so rested for aspace . The other three followed Duryodhana, andon reaching the lake aroused him and called on himto carry on the st ruggle to the end. Duryodhanaanswered that he would surely do so after he hadrested.

News of their doings ,however, came to thePandavasthrough hunters. Bhima, overjoyed, rewarded the

Bhima hurled his Mace with Fury

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2 1 8 Stories of God s 8 Heroeshana by reminding him that the blow wa s dealtin fulfilment of a vow ; while Krishna sought tojustify double-dealing in no very godlike manner.The Pandavas now entered the K au rava camp,where they found none but aged men , women , andthe like. Dhritarashtra and Gandhari were ap

preached by Krishna, in Ha stin apura , and wereforced to confess that things had but fallen outeven as they themselves had warned Duryodhana ,and that the Pandavas had gained the victorybecause they were in the right.The surviving Kuru leaders

,Aswa t thaman ,

Kripa, and K ritava rman , paid a visit to Duryodhana,who lay yet living , though bathed in blood, andthen departed southward. Hearing the shouts ofthe Pandava army, they resorted to a thi ck wood,and took shelter under a great banyan-tree. Foredone with toil, Kripa and K ritava rman fell asleep ;but Aswa tthaman sa t wakeful , and nursed his wrath .

While he thus brooded, he noticed that crows inthousands roosted in the wide branches of thetree . But even as he watched them , there camea mighty owl of grim aspect, brown-eyed, withhuge beak and talons . It slid softly through theair towards the spreading branches , and fell withfury on the sleeping crows . Of some it tare thewings , and it rent off the heads of others . Anon ,the tree and the ground beneath it were coveredwith the corpses of the crows , and the owl gloatedover them.

Then Drona’s son thought in his heart, “ Thebird has taught me a lesson well suited to my need,

and the time is ripe . Fighting lawfully, we are

The Pandava Brethren 2 1 9doomed ; but by craft one may achieve successand huge slaughter of foes .”Thereon he roused his two companions and setforth his plan . They counselled him to rest first ;but Aswa tthaman , burning to avenge his father’sdeath , could not bear the thought of delay. Norwould he grant that there was shame in slayingfoes in their sleep, for the Pandavas themselvesse said Aswa t thaman— had dealt unfairly in manyways . Among such deeds he recalled specially theslaying of his father Drona by Dhrishtadyumna ;

for Drona abandoning himself to his fate , had laidaside his arms and given himself up to devotionwhen the fatal moment came.Thus bent on the deed of vengeance, Aswa tthaman

advanced towards the camp of his enemies . Erehe entered, there met him an awful figure, noneother than the god Siva. After attacking himfor a time , Aswa tthaman perceived with whom hestrove , and worshipped the god with a song ofpraise. Thereon appeared the dread attendantsof the god-goblins , fiends , and divers beasts of prey.

Whi le these celebrated a fearful orgy, the godcame forward again , and encouraged Drona’s son

in his enterprise, and gave him a goodly weapon .

Attended by the dread myrmidons of the awfuldeity

,the Kuru chieftain entered the camp , having

bidden the other two to guard the gates , lest anyshould escape.First Aswa tthaman sought out Dhrish tadyumn a ,

wakened him rudely, and kicked him to death .

When the Pandava guards surrounded the slayer,

he cut them in pieces with the mystic weapon.

2 2 0 Stories of God s 8 HeroesThe greater part thought themselves the victimsof a fiend’

s attack, and the strength to resist wentfrom them. Others were filled with delusion , andslew their fellows . All the rest of the night theslaughter lasted ; and when morning rose , Aswa t

thaman left the Pandava camp as he had foundit— silent.He then gladdened Kripa and K ritava rman withthe tale of his success . They then repaired togetherto Duryodhana’s resting-place , and revived his dyingears with the news of the slaughter. ThereonDuryodhana, having congratulated them, gave upthe ghost, and his Spirit departed to Swarga ; for,though cruel and rude, he had been a stout warrior,and, as such , he was to obtain the reward of thosewho died a warrior’s death.

Now it chanced that the Pandava brethren themselves, with D raupadi, were not in the camp onthe fatal night, but reste d somewhat apart. Forthey had been counselled to take heed to themselvesin some such way, lest the last efforts of the Kurusshould reach them even in the hour of victory. Ofthose in the camp there escaped one, the charioteerof Dhrishtadyumn a , who bare tidings to Yudhishthira ; and he straightway fell senseless on hearingthe news . Coming to himself, he went to surveythe woeful scene , and there again, beholding themangled remains of those who had served him so

well,he was stricken wi th grief, and swooned away.

Scarcely, too , could the old king Dhritarashtrabe consoled for the loss of all his sons. H is father,the sage Vya sa , sought to comfort him by manyarguments. Death , he said, was the portion of all

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2 2 2'

Stories of God s 8 Heroesgranted by Vya sa , She beheld the dreadful battlefield from end to end, her misery broke forth afresh,and she cursed Krishna himself for not havingprevented such general destruction . Krishna repliedthat the mother’s curse would not fall to the ground ;beneath its weight all his own sons, the wholeYadava race, would perish .

The funeral rites of the Slain were then performed ,and it was then that the Pandavas learned for thefirst time from their mother that Karna, their foe,was her own son , and therefore their half-brother.Deep had been the grief of Yudhishthira alreadyover the destruction of his kinsfolk ; it was nowredoubled when he learn ed that Karna and Arjuna,his slayer

,were brothers . Forthwith he declared

hi s intention of departing to the forests , to spendthe rest of his days as a hermit. To this his brothersopposed many an argument, and Krishna secondedtheir appeal. Finally, Yudhish thira yielded to theirwords , and entered H a st inapu ra in triumph ; but,with due humility, he caused Dhritarashtra andGandhari to be borne in front of his car. He wasthen installed as king, having commanded, however,that the same honour should be paid to Dhritara sh tra as before. Appointments were made for thewise conduct of government, and Yudhish thira

’

s

rule bade fair to be in every way honourable andglorious .In these days the brethren went with Krishna tothe battlefield , to visit the stricken Bh ishma , who,as was told before, reclined, yet living, on a supportformed by the countless arrows with which hewas pierced. Marvellous indeed was this strange

The Pandava Brethren 2 23prolonging of life ; yet even more wonderful wasit that

,in this dying attitude , he had still strength

to pour forth instruction to his hearers on everysubject that could interest them or in any wayconcern them . In the end, having thus traversedalmost every theme relating to heaven and earth ,to man and beast, with numerous tales to illustratethe many precepts enjoined, Bhishma advisedYudhi shthira to return to Ha stin apu ra , and to dohonour to the gods and the shades of his ancestors .At a further time appointed , when the sun hadentered an auspicious part of his course ,Yudh ishthirarejoined Bhishma , who , in the presence of Dhritara sh tra and the Pandavas , yielded up his spirit,amid heavenly music and rain of flowers .When his funeral rites had been performed ,

Yudhish thira again nearly yielded to the crushingweight of sorrow upon sorrow ; for Bhishma , thoughranged against Yudhish th ira in battle, had everbeen to him a beloved kinsman and a reveredteacher. But Vya sa and Krishna bade him rousehimself and celebrate the famous Horse-sa crifice ,whereby princes with supreme dominion were saidto be purified from s in .

For this sacrifice, it was necessary that the horsechosen for the off ering should be se t free for oneyear to wander over the earth whither it would.

Following it went the monarch’s champion , whoseduty it was to demand submission to his liege lordfrom all into whose domains the horse wandered.

Th is high office was given to Arjuna, whose Skillin war surpassed that of all the brethren. As itwas the duty of the warri or caste to fight whenever

2 24. Stories of God s 8 Heroesthe slightest occasion off ered itself, it need scarcebe said that attendance on the horse brought wi thit a full measure of warfare. It were idle here totell of all Arjuna

’

s adventures and combats ; theywere many and strenuous ; nay, once he w a s so

deeply stricken in fight, that he fell insensible, toall appearance dead, and was only restored by thevirtue of a magic gem. But he triumphed overall hardships, and in the end returned with thehorse to Ha st inapura , where Yudh ish thira prepareda pageant of infinite costliness and magnificence togive him welcome .Lavish were the gifts of the king to the Brahmanswho were to perform the sacrifice, and unboundedwas his largesse of food to all who had needthereof. The horse was Slain , and Yudhishthiraand his brothers smelled the savour of the offering,and were thereby purified from their faults . Againwas made a distribution of measureless wealthin gold and jewels , both to Brahmans and, whenthese were satisfied, to others also. Pa rikshit , thegrandson of Arjuna, whose father Abh imanyu had

been slain in the fray, was proclaimed heir-apparent,and the great ceremonial came to an end.

VII

Yudhishthira , thus installed in his kingdom,

ruled wisely and happily for fifteen years . In themain, all ill-feeling between Kurus and Pandavashad been laid aside ; D raupadi wa s to Gandharias a daughter, and Dhritarashtra received everyhonour from Yudhishthira . Bu t betwixt the old

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2 26 Stories of Gods 8 HeroesSome years later, the forest wherein the old kingand those with him dwelt took fire , and for weaknessthey could not escape ; thus all the elders perishedin the flames . It w a s told Yudh ishthira that theyhad not desired to be saved, a s the time was ripe fortheir departure to the abodes of the blest. ThePandavas , deeply grieved, repaired to the Spot ;oblations were made to the shades of the deceased ,and, Yudhishthira having performed the chief officein the funeral rites , they returned to the capital.There remained now but one great happening to

fill up the tale of sorrows which , despite the glory oftheir victory, could scarce fail to cloud the happinessof the Pandava brethren.

It has been told how Krishna, the hero who passedfor a god, dwelt in a great city, Dwa raka by name ,not far from the Sea , and there ruled over a peopleconsisting of his own sons, of whom there was agreat multitude. It has also been told how it wa s

fated that all this people, the Yadava race, shouldperish and it came to pass on this wise.Six and thirty years had passed since the dreadbattle of Ku rukshetra , when strange and awfulportents were seen by King Yudhish thira , and thehearts of the Pandavas were bowed with fear. Andrightly so ; for anon came tidings that the wholeYadava race had perished.

Th ese Yadavas , though sprung from one reputeda god, were in no wise distinguished by piety or goodconduct. They were not above playing a foolishjest on a company of sages , who, in return , uttereda curse foretelling the speedy destruction of theYadavas . The latter on other occasions also insulted

The Pandava Brethren 2 2 7Brahmans , and were all too ready to indulge instrong drink to excess

,whence arose quarrels many

and violent.The utterance of this curse was followed by direomens . Krishna

,perceiving that the overthrow of

his people w as at hand , returned his divine weaponto the sk ies

,and abandoned his chariot, which the

steeds bore away in wondrous fashion over thewaves of Ocean.

The Yadavas being n ew gathered at Prabhasaon the seashore

,for the purpose of bathing in the

sacred waters , much feasting and revelry took place.In this , none was more forward than Bala rama,Krishna’s half-brother, who was also held to be ha lfdivine. AS the Yadavas feasted and drank, manybecame heated with wine

,and hot words began to

pass . Kr itavarman , one of the four Kauravas whohad wrought destruction upon the sleeping Pandavahost, being present at the banquet, was grievouslyinsulted and taunted with having slain Sleeping foes .He replied fiercely, on which Sa tyaki , who hadinsulted him, ran upon him and smote off his head.

Others then fell on Sa tyaki , and he in turn was slain.

Thereon the strife became general, and Krishnahimself, taking part, slew many with blades of grasswhich turned to weapons in his hands . Son slewfather, and father son , with blades of grass turnedto clubs ; they fell as insects fall in a flame ; none hadwit for flight. Thus perished the Yadavas .It was now time that Krishna and Balarama shouldquit their mortal state and return to the abode ofthe gods . Kri shna therefore sent messengers tobid Arjuna come with speed. He then repaired to

2 2 8 Stories of God s 8 Heroesthe forest, and there found his half-brother alreadysunk in devotional exercise . From Balarama’smouth there issued a mighty snake ; for the deitythat was incarnate in him wa s Sesha , the greatWorld-serpent. Krishna then addressed himselflikewise to devotional meditation, and sa t downwith hi s left leg and foot across his right thigh.

In the foot thus exposed he was shot with an arrowfrom the how of a hunter, who had mistakenKrishna’s movements for those of a deer ; for itwas fated that Krishna should snEer death by awound in his foot. He comforted the hunte r, whowas overcome with fear, and then ascended toheaven with great splendour.Arjuna then arrived, and sorrowfully greetedVasudeva, Krishna’s aged father, and Krishna’s”wives , together with those of the slain warriors .Vasudeva told Arjuna that Krishna had forewarnedthem that Dwa raka would be overflowed by Oceanafter his departure ; Arjuna therefore commandedall who remained there to gather their gear togetherand prepare to depart with him to Indraprastha.

The funeral rites of the Yadavas were performed ,and the journey began. Barbarians attacked thetravellers on their way, and Arjuna found, to hisdismay, that his bow Gandiva and the inexhaustiblequivers would no longer serve their purpose a s

formerly. Many of the ladies of the party werethus carried oE and Arjuna, seeing in these thingsthe hand of Fate, forebore to strive.Having seen to the S ettlement of those who re

mained, Arjuna in deep woe sought the hermitageof his grandsire Vya sa . The sage learned from him

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230 Stories of Gods 8 Heroesfollowed Arjuna, then Nakula and Sahadeva ; andlast came lotus-eyed D raupadi , best of women .

Behind came the dog no other attendant had they.

Anon they came to the Red Ocean . There theysaw the god of Fire over against them, huge asa hill . H e bade Arjuna give up to him the bowGandiva and the inexhaustible quivers ; for thusfar Arjuna had not brought himself to part withthese . Agni said that they had been taken of oldfrom Varuna, and to Varuna they must now bereturned , for Arjuna could have no use for themhenceforth . So Arjuna cast the bow and quiversinto the waters , and forthwith Agni disappeared.

Then the Pandavas, after much journeying invarious dir ections , beheld , as they moved westward,

th e city of Dwa raka with the ocean washing over it.No rthward then they went, desir ing to make thecircuit of the earth , and saw the mighty mountainsof H imavan . Crossing these , they beheld a wilderness of sand , and Me ru , prince of mountains , afar oE.

Then, as they sped onward , on a sudden D ra upadi

fell to earth . Beholding her fall, Bhima said tothe good king , “ Our princess has done no wrong !Say now, wherefore has D raupadi fallen to theground ? ”

And Yudhishth ira answered : “ She loved Arjunatoo well , and she now reaps the fruit thereof. Andso

,not looking back on her, he went steadfastly

onward.

Then fell, in like manner, the wise Sahadeva ; and,seeing him fall , Bhima asked the king : “Whereforeis he fallen, who was so humble among us all ? ”

Then answered Yudhishthira : For this faul t is he

The Pandava Brethren 231fallen, that he reckoned none so wise a s himself.And leaving Sahadeva

, Yudhishthira pressed onwith his brothers and the dog.

Then Nakula, having seen with grief the fallof D ra upadi and Sahadeva , dropped down . AgainBhima asked Yudhishthira :

“ Why is Nakula laidlow, our upright brother, unsurpassed in beauty ?And Yudhishthira made answer : “ Our brotherNakula thoughtful and upright, said in his heart,‘ None 18 my peer in beauty ; nay, I am beyond all.

’

Therefore is he fallen ; and thou , brother, goforward.

”

Then , grief-stricken at the fall of h l S kin , downfell Arjuna, the noble Pandava, Slayer of his foes .And as the lion-hearted hero lay dying , Bhima saidto the king : “ In him I recall no wrong-doing ;wherefore, then , i s he fallen ?Then answered Yudhishthira :

“ He thought todestroy his foes in one day. He failed, and he isfallen .

So the king held on his way. Then fell Bhimahimself ; and as he fell, he cried : “ Look on me

, 0

king ! Tell me why I fall, if thou knowestTo him replied Yudhishthira :

“ Thou wert givento cursing and to gluttony, therefore art thou fallenthus .” Then, regarding him not, the valiant kingwent on , the dog alone being his companion.

Then Indra, filling heaven and earth with sound,drew near in his car and bade Yudhishthira mount.But the king , heartbroken , answered : “ My brotherslie fallen yonder ; let them go with me ! I care notto enter Swarga without them . The fair and delicateprincess too— let her come with us

232 Stories of God s 8 HeroesSaid Indra : “ Thy brothers are gone before theeto Swarga ; there thou shalt see them, wherefore,be of good cheer.”

Then said Yudhishthira further : “ This dog has

been my true comrade ; him, too, I would have enterwith me .

“ This day, replied Indra,

“ thou gainest immortality and full delight ; why trouble thyselfconcerning the dog ? Knowest thou not that foulfiends bear away the merit of all religious acts atwhich a dog has been present ? ”

But Yudhishthira answered : “ The noble cannotdo that which is base. Far from me be happinessthat comes with leaving a comrade.”

Indra bade him consider that Swarga was no placefor dogs . But Yudhish th ira answered again : “ Ithas been said, that to abandon a comrade is as badas slaying a Brahman , and I will never abandon thedog for the sake of mere happiness.”

Again Indra asked him whether he was not mad

to leave his brothers and D raupadi for the sakeof a mere dog .

But Yudhishthira replied : “ They are dead ; and Icannot bring them to life . Also, I hold that the maltreatment of one who has sought protection, theslaying of a woman , the robbing of a Brahman, andthe lifting up of one’s hand against a friend, are nowhit worse than throwing over a faithful comrade .

”

On this , the dog was transformed into the godDharma himself, who praised Yudh ishthira withcomfortable words, saying

“ Yudhishthira , true son of mine , I tried theeof old in the Dwa ita Forest, and thou stoodest when

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234. S tories of Gods 8 Heroesgained these happy realms deservedly . Think notof what was caused by the dice

,nor of D raupadi

’

s

wrongs, nor of all else that befell you at your kinsmen’s hands in battle or elsewhere . Come, j oinhands with royal Duryodhana ! This is Swarga,where all strife is unknown.

”

ButYudhishthira asked steadfastly for his brothers,

and said , If these realms of bliss are the portion ofDuryodhana the unrighteous , through whose doings .

earth and all its denizens were vexed , and we ourselves blasted with misery, then would I fain see theabode of my brethren , the high-souled and true. Nordo I behold here great-hearted Karna, Dhrishtadyumn a , Sa tyak i, and the rest—where are they ?Those lion-hearted , world-conquering warriors—Is ee them not. If they are here , well indeed ! If not ,I will never dwell apart from my brothers or fromKarna, with whose aid we might resist even Indrahimself. What have I to do with Swarga, reft of mybrothers Where they are , there is my Swarga thisis no heaven for me.”

The gods then snEered him go seek his bre thren ’

s

abode , and sent a celestial messenger to guide him .

Dark and difficult w as the road these two followedo’

erhung with gloom , and thick with a mire of goreand putrid carcases ; swarming with flies , and besetby goblins . Bones lay around ; worms crawledeverywhere ; the air was alive with burnings . Ironbeaked crows and vultures , and huge goblins , withbeaks like needles, foul with blood, infested the way.

Deeply brooded the upright king as he trod thisdoleful road , through the horrid stench. He beheldthe dread river of boiling water, and the forest of

Dark and diffic ul t was the Road

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236 Stories of God s 8 Heroeswhat has Duryodhana done that he , with his friends ,should dwell in bliss ? Through whose fault arethese heroic souls , instructed in all righte ousness ,ever set on following truth, gone to hell ? Do Idream or wake ? Am I conscious or unconscious ?Ah , that it might be some wandering of my wits ,some distemper of my mind ! ”

Thus musing , King Yudhishthira , his senses distraught with the pangs of sorrow, brake forth intohot anger, and railed at the gods and at Dharmahimself. Then he said to his guide, Get thee goneto them that sent thee. For myself, I shall never gothither, but here I stay ; for through my presencemy brothers find comfort.Thus addressed, the messenger returned to thepresence of the gods , and told them of KingYudhish thira

’

s resolve , even according to his words .Then , when the good king had stood but aninstant, the gods , led by Indra, drew near, andDharma in bodily form approached. On the comingof these bright ones , the darkness vanished , andno more were seen those torments of evil-doers.The River Va ita rin i, with the lofty Salmali, theiron jars and towering crags

,disappeared. A fair

breeze, flinging fragrance far and wide, blew freshly,and Va su s and Maruts , saints and sages , approachedwith Indra the spot where the glorious son ofDharma stood. Then Indra addressed Yudhi shthirawith words of comfort

“ Stout-hearted Yudhish thira , he said, “ the godsare well pleased with thee. Come , lion-hearted, thywork is done ! Perfection and immortality arethine, sorrow is past. For, hearken ! the sight of

The Pandava Brethren 237hell is expedient for every king . Moreover, as bya trick thou didst confound Drona concerning hisson , so by a trick thou hast had this vision of hell,and by a trick have Bhima, Arjuna, and the othersappeared to be in hell. Now they are freed from alls in ; likewise thy friends slain in battle. Thou wiltsee Karna, too, that prince of warriors , for whomthou mourn es t , resting in his place , bright as thesun . Away, then, with sorrow and heartache ; and,after this short taste of anguish , enjoy in mypresence the fruit of all thy labours . Bathe herein the heavenly Ganges, and leave thy earthly beingbehind, free from toil and strife for ever.”

While the king of gods thus spake toYudhishthira ,

Dharma in bodi ly presence addressed his son :

“ Hail,wise king ! Well pleased am I with thee

,

dear son ! By loyalty to me, truthfuln ess , and selfcontrol, thou hast stood my three-fold test unmoved.

First I tried thee in the Dwa ita forest, in the matterof the firewood ; a second time , in the form of thedog

,I tried thy loyalty ; and now the third time,

as to thy willingness to abide with thy brethren .

Now thou art free from all stain, nor have thybrothers any portion in hell. This has been noughtbut illusion, put forth by the king of gods .Thus addressed, Yudhishthira went with Dharmaand the other dwellers on high ; and having plungedin the river of the gods , he left his human bodyand took on a divine form . Then , hymned by greatsa ges , he arose and went to the place where thelion-hearted Pandavas and the sons of Dhritarashtraalike abode , each in his portion, for ever free fromsorrow

,in the company of the Immortals .

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Appendi!

LIST OF HINDU GODS MENTIONED IN THESE TALES

AGNIASWINS

BBAHMA.

DHARMAINDRAKRISHNA

KUVERA

MAHADEVARAMA

SESHASIVA

SURYAVARUNA.VAYU .

VISHNU

YAMA

god of Fire .two twin deities , like the Greek Castor and Pollu! .

the Creator. He is the first of a t riad or trinity , theother two being Vishnu and Siva .

Duty or Righteousness , sometimes personified a s a god .

god of Thunder. His heaven is called Swarga .

one of the Incarnations of Vishnu , the eighth in number ,coming after Rama . Very popular in recent t imes .

god ofWealth , with a special heaven called Kailasa .

the wife of Vishnu , goddess of Happiness and Beauty.

“ the great god a name of Siva .

the seventh Incarnation of Vishnu. See the Ramayan a .

SARASWATI . wife of Brahma, goddess of learning.the great Serpent , on whi ch the world rests.the third of the Hindu Triad. He is called the Destroyer, and is worshipped in many wild and Shocking ways . He is particularly the god of religiousmendicants and ascetics.

the Sun-god.god of the Sky.

god of theWind.the second of the Hindu Triad . He is called the Preserver

, and is said to have ten Incarnations , ofwhich nine are pa st and one is yet to come . Ramawas the seventh , andKrishna the eighth .

the god of Death and departed spirits.241

24 2 Appendix

LIST OF VARIOUS SUPERHUMAN BEINGS

DAITYAS ANDDANAVASGANDHARVAS

GARUDA

RAKSHASAS

Rrsnrs

Vasus

VEDASVRIHASPATI

YAKSHAS

iTitans , generally host ile to the gods.the choristers of Indra’s heaven , though the name isgiven also to beings dwelling elsewhere .

a kind of celestial bird, upon which Vishnu rode ,constantly at war with the Serpents.

storm-gods.beings of a form half human , half snake-like , dwellingin Patala , the Under-world—a place di stinct fromHades andHell.

fiends of a thoroughly malignant nature. Their mostfamous abode was Lanka , or Ceylon, where theylived under Ravana , their king.

divine Sages , raised to that position by holy liveson earth. They had e! t raordinary powers , oftennearly equal to those of the gods themselves.The name of the Rishi Narada occurs frequentlyin these tales ; Vasishtha , Viswamitra , Markandeya , andAgastya are also mentioned.

attendants upon Indra , chiefly connected with naturalphenomena .

the most ancient Scriptures of the Hindus.the ruler of the planet Jupiter.attendants on Kuvera ; usually harmless in character.

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24 4. Appendix

SOME FAMOUS HINDU SCRIPTURES

VEDAS These are the most ancient , and are supposed to bethe groundwork of all truly Hindu religion.They are regarded with the deepest respect , butthe great mass of the people know absolutelynothin g of their contents.

RAMAYANA The Tale of Rama. An immense poem, describ

ing the incarnation of Vishnu as Rama . The

story in this book is drawn from it .

MAHABHARATA. A still longer poem—no less than lines inlength—of which the Tale of the PandavaBrethren, as related in this book, is the subject .

PURANAS Religious poems of a very mi! ed character, fromwhich the real religion of the modern Hindu isdrawn . Some of the stories in this book are

taken from the Puranas.

Appendix 24. 5

PRONUNCIATION OF NAMES

To readers unfamiliar with Indian names, a few simple hints aboutpronunciation may be useful . In the inde! long vowels will beindicated by a straight mark, and an accent will generally be foundon one syllable or another.

is not to be pronounced like the ordinary short a in English ,but like our 11. in bu t, or like the dull sound of the finalsyllable in such words as na tion ,fi/nger , meta l.

is broad , as in ba r, ha lf .

as in French or German , like English 6 ; 5, Similar, butrather longer.

0 always long, as in bore.

as in German, or u in Engli sh fu ll ; 12, rather longer.a like a in spare.

ai like i in ri se.am like on in hownd.

c h, th in these the h does not combine with the other letter , as inEnglish , but should be kept separate , as in up hi ll,

boa t-hook.

Otherwise , for practical purposes , the consonants may be pronounced as in English . There are several points of diEerence , butthey are hardly of importance in such a book as this. Readersaccurately acquainted with the spelling of Indian names will ea silyunderstand that it is undesirable here to laymuch stress upon any

but the most salient points.

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Inde !

A hyphen i s occasion a lhy in trodu ced to ma rk an impor tan t syllabicder ision .

ABHIMANYU (son of Arjuna) , 205 ,213, 224

Abode of Snow, The , 21Agastya , Rishi, 65Agni , 165 , 166, 195 , 196 , 230Akampana , 67Aksha , 92, 93Allahabad, 56Angada (son of King Bali), 86—89,99

Arjuna (son of Indra) , 181, 184 ,188 , 189, 195—201, 204 - 206 , 208

214 , 217 , 222- 224 , 227—231 , 235 ,237Aswapati, King, 14 7 , 149,

150

Aswatara , King, 120 , 137140 , 142, 143

Aswatthaman , 209, 214 , 216 , 218

221

Aswatthaman , the elephant , 214Aswins, the , 181Ayodhya, 43, 44 , 4 7—4 9, 56 , 58 ,

60—64 , 71, 105- 107 , 171, 173,17 7

CEYLON , see “ Isle of LankaChédi , 169, 170 , 172

Chitrakuta Peak ofcolours 56, 60 , 61

many

BALAa iMA(halt brother toKrishna) ,205 , 227 , 228

Bali , King, 82—86 , 88Bear, The Northern , 27Beauty, ! ueen of, 145Benares , 34Bhagadatta , 213Bhagavad-gita (Song of the

Blessed) , 211Bharat 4 5 , 4 7 , 50- 53, 57—64 , 106Bhima , King , 164 ,Bhima (son of 181—184 ,188, 196 , 198 , 200 , 201, 204 , 207 ,

213—217 , 221, 225 , 229—231, 235,237

Bhishma (son of King S '

antsun) ,180 , 206—209, 211, 212, 222, 223Brahma, 22, 23, 30 , 4 1, 42, 44 , 4 5 ,64 , 67 , 78 , 87 , 101, 108 , 122, 192,193, 202

2 50 IndexDAMAYANTI, 164- 17 0 , 172-178Danavas (or Titans) , 199, 209Dandaka , Fore st of, 64 , 68Dasaratha , King , 43—49, 51, 53, 57 ,58 , 68 , 105

Delhi , 189Dharma ,39, 181, 202, 203, 214 , 232,233, 235- 237

Dhrishtadyumna. (son of KingDrupada) , 184 , 186 , 187 , 189,

208 , 214 , 219, 220 , 234Dhritarashtra , 180—182, 184 , 185 ,189, 206, 207 , 210, 213, 218, 220225 , 237Dhruva , 123- 128Diti, 108Draupadi (daughter of KingDrupada) , 179, 184 , 186—190 , 194 ,195 , 197 , 199, 204 , 213, 215 , 220 ,224 , 229

—233, 235Drona , 184 , 209, 211- 215 , 218 , 219,237

Drupada (King of the Panchalas) ,184 , 186 , 188 , 189, 206, 208

Duh-sasama (brother to Duryéd

han a) , 197 , 215Dundubhi , 84 , 85

Durybdhana (son ofDhritardshtra) ,181- 185 , 189, 196, 197 , 199, 205

208 , 212, 216-218 , 220, 221, 233,234 , 236

Dushana , 66

Dwaita , Forest of, 200 , 232, 237Dwaraka , 195 , 205, 226 , 228 , 230Dyumatsena , King, 14 7 , 149—152,160- 163

EKACHAKRA, 185 JANAKA, Kin g, 46—48 , 68Jarasandha (King of

Gannr, King, 17 , 30 , 4 1 187 , 196

Gandhari (wife of Dhritarashtra) ,181, 207 , 218 , 221, 222, 224

Gandharva , King, 67Gandharvas, 74 , 193, 199Gandiva , the bow, 196 , 211, 228 ,23

Ganga (wife of King Santanu) , 180Ganges, River, 56, 59, 182, 183, 208 ,225 , 237

Garuda , 98 , 125 , 192Godavari , River, 65Gémati , River, 56Greeks , the, 181Guha, King, 56 , 59, 61

HANUMAN, 82, 83, 88—93, 95, 98- 103,106

Hari, 125, 127Harischandr a , King, 31—36 , 38—42H astinapura , 180 , 196, 218 , 222—224 ,229

Himalaya Mountains , 21, 29, 101,138

Himavan , Mountains of, 230Hindustan , 21, 23, 43H iranyakasipu , 108—110, 112, 113,115 , 116 , 119

ILIAD , Homer’s, 209India , 146 , 180 , 186Indra , 27 , 29, 39, 40 , 67 , 74 , 82, 85 ,99, 101, 148 , 165 , 166 , 181, 189,

192, 196 , 198 , 199, 231- 234 , 236Indrajit , 93, 97 , 100Indraprastha , 189, 195, 228 , 229

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2 52 IndexOcean , the Red , 230Opposition, the Spirit of, 31, 32

PANCHALAS , the , 186Panchavati , 65

Paindavas (Pand‘

ziva Brethren) , 144 ,163, 180—190, 194—200 , 204- 231,235 , 237Pandu , 180 , 181, 208Parikshi t , 224 , 229Patala , 121, 122, 130 , 133, 140, 183Pole Star, the , 122, 128Prabhasa , 227

Pra-hlada , 108- 119

Previra , 36Futurava s, King, 74—7 7Pushkara , 167 , 177 , 178

RXKSHASAS , -is , 4 4 , 66 , 67 , 71, 73,79, 80 , 90—92, 97 , 102,

Rims , 43, 4 5—56 , 58—73, 7 7—89, 91107

Ravana , 4 4 , 4 5 , 65 , 67 , 68—70 , 73,7 4 , 7 7 89—106 , 108Ritu-dhwaja , 120 , 121Rituparna , King , 171, 173—177

SABALA (the Cow of Plenty) , 19, 20Sahadéva ,

f200, 204 , 230 , 231, 235

Saviya (wife of King Harischandra) , 34

Sékuni (uncle of Duryodhana) ,196

salmali, 235 , 236Salwas , 147 , 163Sélya (King of Ma

’dra) , 209, 215 ,216

Sémbara , 115 , 142

Sampati , 89

Sanjaya , 206, 210, 221

Saraswati , 138Saraswati , River, 138sarayu , River, 44Satabala , 88

Satananda , 4 7

Satrughna , 4 5 , 4 7 , 57-59

Setrujit , King, 120 , 121, 128 , 129,131—135 , 140—143

Si ntanu , King , 180 , 181Satyaki, 227 , 234Satyavan , (the Truthful) , 144 , 147159, 161, 163

Sétyavati (wife of King Santana ) ,180

Savitri, 144 , 162Sa‘vitr'i (daughter of King Aswapati) , 145 , 14 7 , 148 , 150—163Sesha , 228Sikhandin , 208

Sita, 43, 4 5-4 9, 61, 62, 64 ,

65 , 67 , 68—7 4 , 7 7—81, 88

91, 93, 94 , 96 , 97 , 100 , 102- 106Siva , 21, 4 6 , 105 , 122, 138 , 139,186 , 198 , 219

Soma , 148

Subahu , King , 169, 170Subhadra (sister to Krishna ), 195Sudéva , 172, 173Sugr

i

va , 82—89, 96 , 97 , 100Sumantra , 53, 55 , 56 , 60Sumitra (wife of King Dasaratha),43, 4 5 , 4 9, 103

Sunanda, 170, 172

Sunda , 190, 191, 193Suniti, 123Sfirpanakha, 65-67

Suruchi, 123, 124 , 126Sushéna , 88

Swarga , 198 , 220, 281—234TKLAKETU , 134—136

IndexT

‘

ara (wife of King Bali), 85—88Tilottama , 193, 194Trisanku , King, 23, 24 , 26—28

U PAS UNDA, 190 , 191, 193Urmila, 4 7Urvasi , 73- 7 7cam ,

U ttana pada, King, 123, 124 , 126Uttara (daughter of King Virata),205

Uttara (son of King Virata) , 205

YABUKA , 171, 173—176Vaitarini , River, 236Vajra , 229Varuna , 134 , 165 , 166, 230Vasishtha ,

18—20 , 22, 23, 25—27 ,30, 4 1, 43, 4 4 , 46—49, 53,59, 62, 63Va sudeva , 228vasuki (King of the Nagas) , 183Vasus , the , 203, 236Vayu , 181Védas, the , 4 5 , 7 7 , 113, 161, 203Vibhishana, 94—96, 100 , 102, 103,105

2 53

YIiDAVAs , the , 195 , 222, 226—229Yakshas , 193, 202, 203Yama , 22, 154—158 , 162, 165 , 213Yamuna, River (now Jumna) , 56,134 , 136 , 189

Yayati, 148

Yudhaji t , King, 57Yudhishthira (son of Dharma),181, 184 , 189, 195—197 , 199- 204 ,206 , 211- 217 , 220—226 , 229—237

Vidarbha , 164 , 165, 168

Vinata , 88Vindh ya Mountains, 88 , 190 , 193Viradha , 64

Virata , 204 , 205 , 208Vishnu, 4 5, 48 , 98 , 109—113, 115,117—119, 122, 125, 128

Viswakarma , 193Viswamitra (son of King Gadhi) ,17—22, 24—37 , 39—42, 4 6, 4 7

Vrihaspati, 148

Vritra , 101

Vyasa , 180 , 197 , 206, 210, 213, 220 ,222, 223, 225, 228