Page:The Katha Sarit Sagara.djvu/28

 a former birth. What else shall I tell thee?" Thus Siva spake, and when he had ceased, the goddess transported with wrath, exclaimed,—"Thou art a deceiver; thou wilt not tell me a pleasing tale even though I ask thee : Do I not know that thou worshippest Sandhya, and bearest Ganga on thy head?" Hearing that, Siva proceeded to conciliate her and promised to tell her a wonderful tale : then she dismissed her anger. She herself gave the order that no one was to enter where they were; Nandin* thereupon kept the door, and S'iva began to speak.

"The gods are supremely blessed, men are ever miserable, the actions of demigods are exceedingly charming, therefore I now proceed to relate to thee the history of the Vidyadharas." While S'iva was thus speaking to his consort, there arrived a favourite dependant of Siva's, Pushpadanta, best of Ganas,† and his entrance was forbidden by Nandin who was guarding the door. Curious to know why even he had been forbidden to enter at that time without any apparent reason, Pushpadanta immediately entered, making use of his magic power attained by devotion to prevent his being seen, and when he had thus entered, he heard all the extraordinary and wonderful adventures of the seven Vidyadharas being narrated by the trident-bearing god, and having heard them he in turn went and narrated them to his wife Jaya; for who can hide wealth or a secret from women? Java the doorkeeper being filled with wonder went and recited it in the presence of Parvati. How can women be expected to restrain their speech? And then the daughter of the mountain flew into a passion, and said to her husband, " Thou didst not tell me any extraordinary tale, for Jaya knows it also." Then the lord of Uma, perceiving the truth by profound meditation, thus spake : "Pushpadanta employing the magic power of devotion entered in where we were, and thus managed to hear it. He narrated it to Java; no one else knows it, my beloved."

Having heard this, the goddess exceedingly enraged caused Pushpadanta to be summoned, and cursed him, as he stood trembling before her, saying, "Become a mortal thou disobedient servant.‡ "She cursed also the Gana Malyavan who presumed to intercede on his behalf. Then the two fell at her feet together with Jaya and entreated her to say when the curse would end, and the wife of S'iva slowly uttered this speech—"A Yaksha named Supratika who has been made a Pisacha by the curse of Kuvera is residing in the Vindhya forest under the name of Kanabhuti. When thou shalt see him and, calling to mind thy origin, tell him this tale, then, Pushpadanta, thou shalt be released from this curse. And