Page:The Katha Sarit Sagara.djvu/100

 Story of Rúpiniká:— There is in this country a city named Mathurá, the birthplace of Krishna, in it there was a hetœra known by the name of Rúpiniká; she had for a mother an old Kuttiní named Makaradanshtrá, who seemed a lump of poison in the eyes of the young men attracted by her daughter's charms. One day Rúpiniká went at the time of worship to the temple to perform her duty,* and beheld from a distance a young man. When she saw that handsome young fellow, he made such an impression upon her heart, that all her mother's instructions vanished from it. Then she said to her maid, "Go and tell this man from me, that he is to come to my house to-day." The maid said, "So I will," and immediately went and told him. Then the man thought a little and said to her; "I am a Bráhman named Lohajangha; I have no wealth; then what business have I in the house of Rúpiniká which is only to be entered by the rich." The maid said, "My mistress does not desire wealth from you,"—— whereupon Lohajangha consented to do as she wished. When she heard that from the maid, Rúpiniká went home in a state of excitement, and remained with her eyes fixed on the path by which he would come. And soon Lohajangha came to her house, while the kuttiní Makaradanshtrá looked at him, and wondered where he came from. Rúpiniká, for her part, when she saw him, rose up to meet him herself with the utmost respect, and clinging to his neck in her joy, led him to her own private apartments. Then she was captivated with Lohajangha's wealth of accomplishments, and considered that she had been only born to love him. So she avoided the society of other men, and that young fellow lived with her in her house in great comfort. Rúpiniká's mother, Makaradanshtrá, who had trained up many hetœrœ, was annoyed when she saw this, and said to her in private; "My daughter, why do you associate with a poor man? Hetœrœ of good taste embrace a corpse in preference to a poor man. What business has a hetœrœ like you with affection? How have you come to forget that great principle ? The light of a red † sunset lasts but a short time, and so does the splendour of a hetœra who gives way to affection. A hetœra, like an actress, should exhibit an assumed affection in order to get wealth; so forsake this pauper, do not ruin yourself." When she heard this speech of her mother's, Rúpiniká said in a rage, "Do not talk in this way, for I love him more than my life. And as for wealth, I have plenty, what do I want with more? So you must not speak to me again, mother, in this way." When she heard this, Makaradanshtrá was in a rage, and she remained thinking over some device for getting rid of this Lohajangha. Then she saw coming along the road a certain Rájpút, who had spent all his wealth, surrounded by retainers with