Page:Katha sarit sagara, vol2.djvu/205

 gods, hermits, and others to worship them? So I will worship Chitragupta* who alone records the good and evil deeds of men. He may deliver me by his power. For he, being a secretary, does alone the work of Brahmá and Śiva: he writes down or erases in a moment the whole world, which is in his hand." Having thus reflected, he began to devote himself to Chitragupta; he honoured him specially, and in order to please him, kept continually feeding Bráhmans.

While he was carrying on this system of conduct, one day Chitragupta came to the house of that robber, in the form of a guest, to examine into his real feelings. The robber received him courteously, entertained him, and gave him a present, and then said to him, " Say this, ' May Chitragupta be propitious to you'." Then Chitragupta, who was disguised as a Bráhman, said, " Why do you neglect Śiva, and Vishnu, and the other gods, and devote yourself to Chitragupta?" When the robber Sinhavikrama heard that, he said to him, " What business is that of yours. I do not need any other gods but him."Then Chitragupta, wearing the form of a Bráhman, went on to say to him, " Well, if you will give me your wife, I will say it." When Sinhavikrama heard that, he was pleased, and said to him: " I hereby give you my wife, in order to please the god whom I have specially chosen for my own." When Chitragupta heard that, he revealed himself to him and said, " I am Chitragupta himself, and I am pleased with you, so tell me what I am to do for you."

Then Sinhavíkrama was exceedingly pleased and said to him, " Holy one, take such order as that I shall not die." Then Chitragupta said, " Death is one from whom it is impossible to guard people; but still I will devise a plan to save you: listen to it. Ever since Death was consumed by Śiva, being angry on account of Śveta, and was created again in this world because he was required, † wherever Śveta lives, he abstains from injuring other people, as well as Śveta himself, for he is restrained by the command of the god. And at present the hermit Śveta is on the other side of the eastern ocean, in a grove of ascetics beyond the river Taranginí. That grove cannot be invaded by Death, so I will take you and place you there. But you must not return to this side of the Taranginí. However, if you do return out of carelessness, and Death seizes you, I will devise some way of escape for you, when you have come to the other world."