Page:The Katha Sarit Sagara.djvu/37

 birth, O king, we were born as crows; and when we were fighting for the remains of the daily offering* in a holy empty temple of S'iva, we fell down and died within a sacred vessel belonging to that sanctuary, and consequently we have been born as golden swans with a remembrance of our former birth';—having heard this the king gazed on them to his heart's content, and derived great pleasure from watching them.

"Therefore you will gain back your father and uncles by an unparalleled gift." When Yajnadatta had given him this advice, Putraka did as he recommended; when they heard the tidings of the distribution those Brahmans arrived: and when they were recognized they had great wealth bestowed on them, and were reunited to their wives. Strange to say, even after they have gone through calamities, wicked men having their minds blinded by want of discernment, are unable to put off their evil nature. After a time they hankered after royal power, and being desirous of murdering Putraka they enticed him under pretext of a pilgrimage to the temple of Durga: and having stationed assassins in the inner sanctuary of the temple, they said to him, "First go and visit the goddess alone, step inside." Thereupon he entered boldly, but when he saw those assasins preparing to slay him, be asked them why they wished to kill him. They replied, "We were hired for gold to do it by your father and uncles." Then the discreet Putraka said to the assassins, whose senses were bewildered by the goddess, "I will give you this priceless jewelled ornament of mine. Spare me, I will not reveal your secret; I will go to a distant land." The assassins said, "So be it," and taking the ornament they departed, and falsely in formed the father and uncles of Putraka that he was slain. Then those Brahmans returned and endeavoured to get possession of the throne, but they were put to death by the ministers as traitors. How can the ungrateful prosper?

In the meanwhile that king Putraka, faithful to his promise, entered the impassable wilds of the Vindhya, disgusted with his relations: as he wandered about he saw two heroes engaged heart and soul in a wrestling-match, and he asked them who they were. They replied, " We are the two sons of the Asura Maya, and his wealth belongs to us, this vessel, and this stick, and these shoes; it is for these that we are fighting, and whichever of us proves the mightier is to take them." When he heard this speech of theirs, Putraka said with a. smile—"That is a fine inheritance for a man." Then they said—"By putting on these shoes one gains the power of flying through the air; whatever is written with this staff turns out true; and whatever food a man wishes to have in the vessel is found there immediate-