Page:Katha sarit sagara, vol2.djvu/568

 his ever giving bis daughters to my sons as being men. So it is now advisable to propose this matter to him in a conciliatory manner."

When he had gone through these reflections with the queen, he said to his warder, " Go to the cave of Śvetaśaila, and say, as from me, in a kind manner to Trailokyamálin, the king of the Daityas, who is imprisoned there, ' King of the Daityas, by the appointment of Destiny you have been long afflicted here, so now do what I advise, and bring your affliction to an end. Give to my two sons your two daughters, who fell in love with them at first sight, and thus procure your release, and rule your kingdom, after you have given security for your fidelity.' " With this message the king sent off his warder, and he went and delivered it to the Daitya monarch in that cave. The monarch answered, " I will not give my two daughters to two men;" and the warder returned and reported his answer to the king.

Then king Merudhvaja began to look about for some other means of attaining his end, and in the course of some days Svayamprabhá heard how he had sped, so she again sent Indumatí from Pátála to his palace with a message. And Indumatí arrived, and had herself announced by the female warder, and went into the presence of the great queen, who received her graciously. And she bowed before her, and said to her, " Queen, queen Svayamprabhá sends you this message, ' Have you forgotten your own promise? The seas and the principal mountains will suffer change at the day of doom, but the promises of people like you will not change even then. Although my husband has not consented to bestow our daughters as you wished, reflect, how could he have given them as a present while himself a prisoner? If you release him in a proper way as an act of kindness,* he will certainly make you a return by giving you his daughters. Other-wise Svayamprabhá and her daughters will abandon their lives, and in this way you will fail to obtain daughters-in-law, and also to keep your promise? So manage, queen, to make the king set our lord free on the conditions of compact and security and so on, in order that all may turn out well; and accept this ornament sent by Svayamprabhá, studded with various gems, that confer the power of becoming a Vidyádhara, and other advantages." When Indumatí said this, the queen answered her, " How can I take this from your mistress now that she is in trouble ?" But Indumatí urged her vehemently to take it, saying, " We shall be quite unhappy if you refuse to accept it, but if you take it, we shall consider our affliction alleviated." Being thus strongly urged by Indumatí, the queen took from her that jewelled ornament, to comfort her; and she made her wait