Page:Katha sarit sagara, vol2.djvu/581



Glory be to that god, half of whose body is the moon-faced Párvatí, who is smeared with ashes white as the rays of the moon, whose eyes gleam with a fire like that of the sun and moon, who wears a half-moon on his head ! May that elephant-faced god protect you, who, with his trunk bent at the end, uplifted in sport, appears to be bestowing successes !

Then Naraváhanadatta, in the hermitage of the hermit Kaśyapa, on that Black Mountain, said to the assembled hermits, " Moreover, when, during my separation from the queen, Vegavatí, who was in love with me, took me and made me over to the protection of a Science, I longed to abandon the body, being separated from my beloved and in a foreign land; but while, in this state of mind, I was roaming about in a remote part of the forest, I beheld the great hermit Kanva. " That compassionate hermit, seeing me bowing at his feet, and knowing by the insight of profound meditation that I was miserable, took me to his hermitage, and said to me, ' Why are you distracted, though you are a hero sprung from the race of the Moon ? As the ordinance of the god standeth sure, why should you despair of reunion with your wife?

" The most unexpected meetings do take place for men in this world; I will tell you, to illustrate this, the story of Vikramáditya; listen.' "

The Story of Vikramáditya.:— There is in Avanti a famous city, named Ujjayiní, the dwelling-place of Śiva, built by Viśvakarman in the commencement of the Yuga; which, like a virtuous woman, is invincible by strangers; like a lotus-plant is the resort of the goddess of prosperity; like the heart of the good, is rich in virtue; like the earth, is full of many wonderful sights. There dwelt in that city a world-conquering king, named Mahendráditya, the slayer of his enemies' armies, like Indra in Amarávati. In regard of prowess he was a wielder of many weapons; in regard of beauty he