Page:The Katha Sarit Sagara.djvu/381



When Marubhúti had told this story there, the commander-in-chief Hariśikha said in the presence of Naraváhanadatta " It is true, good women value nothing more than their husbands, and in proof of it, listen now to this still more wonderful tale."

Story of Śringabhuja and the daughter of the Rákshasa.:— There is a city on the earth named Vardhamána, and in it there dwelt a king named Vírabhuja, chief of righteous men. And though he had a hundred wives, one queen of the name of Gunavará was dearer to him than his life. And in spite of his hundred wives, it happened, as Fate would have it, that not one of them bore him a son. So he asked a physician named Śrutavardhana— " Is there any medicine able to bring about the birth of a son?" When the physician heard that, he said— " King, I can prepare such a medicine,* but the king must procure for me a wild goat." When he heard this speech of the physician's, the king gave an order to the warder, and had a goat brought for him from the forest. The physician handed over the goat to the king's cooks, and with its flesh prepared a sovereign elixir for the queens. The king went off to worship his god, after ordering the queens to assemble in one place. And ninety-nine of those queens did assemble in one place, but the queen Gunavará alone was not present there, for she was at that time near the king, who was engaged in praying to his god. And when they had assembled, the physician gave them the whole of the elixir to drink mixed with powder, not perceiving the absence of Gunavará. Immediately the king returned with his beloved, having performed his devotions, and perceiving that that drug was completely finished, he said to the physician— " What ! did you not keep any for Gunavará? You have forgotten the principal object with which this was undertaken." After saying this to the abashed physician, the king said to the cooks— " Is there any of the flesh of that goat left?" The cooks said, " The horns only remain." Then the physician said, " Bravo ! I can make an admirable elixir out of the centre of the horns." After saying this, the physician had an elixir prepared from the fleshy part of the horns, and gave it to queen Gunavará mixed with powder.