Page:The Katha Sarit Sagara.djvu/134

 him. And Padmávatí, when she saw the queen Vásavadattá in the dress of a Bráhman woman, fell in love with her at first sight. The princess ordered the guards to desist from their opposition, and had Yaugandharáyana, who was disguised as a Bráhman, conducted into her presence. And she addressed to him this question, " Great Bráhman, who is this girl you have with you, and why are you come?" And he answered her, " Princess, this is my daughter Ávantiká by name, and her husband, being addicted to vice,* has deserted her and fled somewhere or other. So I will leave her in your care, illustrious lady, while I go and find her husband, and bring him back, which will be in a short time. And let this one-eyed boy, her brother, remain here near her, in order that she may not be grieved at having to remain alone." He said this to the princess, and she granted his request, and, taking leave of the queen, the good minister quickly returned to Lávánaka. Then Padmávatí took with her Vásavadattá, who was passing under the name of Ávantiká, and Vasantaka who accompanied her in the form of a one-eyed boy; and shewing her excellent disposition by her kind reception and affectionate treatment of them, entered her splendidly- adorned palace; and there Vásavadattá, seeing Sitá in the history of Ráma represented upon the painted walls, was enabled to bear her own sorrow. And Padmávatí perceived that Vásavadattá was a person of very high rank, by her shape, her delicate softness, the graceful manner in which she sat down, and ate, and also by the smell of her body, which was fragrant as the blue lotus, and so she entertained her with luxurious comfort to her heart's content, even such as she enjoyed herself. And she thought to herself, " Surely she is some distinguished person remaining here in concealment; did not Draupadí remain concealed in the palace of the king of Viráta?" Then Vásavadattá, out of regard for the princess made for her unfading garlands and forehead- streaks, as the king of Vatsa had previously taught her; and Padmávatí's mother, seeing her adorned with them, asked her privately who had made those garlands and streaks. Then Padmávatí said to her, " There is dwelling here in my house a certain lady of the name of Ávantiká, she made all these for me." When her mother heard that, she said to her, then, my daughter, she is not a woman, she is some goddess, since she possesses such knowledge; gods and also hermits remain in the houses of good people for the sake of deluding them, and in proof of this listen to the following anecdote. Story of Kunti.:— There Wasonce a king named Kuntibhoga; and a hermit of the name of Durvásas, who was exceedingly fond of deluding people, came and stayed in his palace. He commissioned his own daughter Kunti to attend