De Bushmita. There is a city in the world famous under the name of
Tamulipta. And in that city there was a very rich merchant named Danadot,
And he, being childless, dissembled many brahmins and said to them, with
due respect, take such steps as will procure me a sun soon. Then
those brahmins said to him, this is not at all difficult, for brahmins
can accomplish all things in this world by means of ceremonies in accordance with the
scriptures. To give you an instance, there was in old times a king
who had no sons, and he had a hundred five wives in his harem,
and by means of a sacrifice to procure a son, there was born
to him a son named Jantu, was like the rising of the new moon
to the eyes of his wives. Once on a time, an aunt bit
the boy on the thigh as he was crawling about on his knees, so
that he was very unhappy and sobbed loudly. Thereupon the whole harem was full
of confused lamentation, and the king himself shrieked out, my son, my
son of the common man. The boy was soon comforted the ant having been
removed, and the king blamed the misfortune of his only having one son as
the cause of all his grief, And he asked the Brahmins in his affliction
if there was any expedient by which he might obtain a large number of children.
They answered him, O, King, there is one expedient open to
you. You must slay this son and offer up all his flesh in the
fire. By smelling the smell of that sacrifice, all thy wives will obtain
sons. When he had heard that, the king had the whole ceremony performed
as they directed, and he obtained as many sons as he had wives.
So we can obtain a son for you also by a burnt offering. When
they had said this Datadot, the Brahmins, after a sacrificial fee had been
promised them, performed a sacrifice. Then a son was born to that merchant.
That son was Guisay, and he gradually grew up to man's estate.
Then his father, Danadot, began to look out for a wife for him.
Then his father went with that son of his to another country on the
pretense of traffic, but really to get a daughter in law. There he
asked an excellent merchant of the name of Dharmagupta to give him his daughter named
Davishmita for his son Guisain. But Dharmagupta, who was tenderly attached to his
daughter, did not approve of that connection, fletting that the city of Damalpta
was very far off. But when Davshmita beheld that Guisain, her mind was
immediately attracted by his virtues, and she was set on abandoning her relations.
And so she made an assination with him by means of a confidant, and
went away from that country at night with her beloved and his father. When
they reached Tamalipta, they were married, and the mind of the young couple
were firmly knit together by the bond of me to a love. Then Guisain's
father died, and he himself was urged by his relations to go to the
country of Kataha for the purpose of trafficking. But his wife, Davishmita,
was too jealous to approve of that expedition, fearing exceedingly that he would be
attracted by some other lady. Then, as his wife did not approve of
it, and his relations kept inciting him to it, Guisain, whose mind
was firmly set on doing his duty, was bewildered. Then he went and
performed a bow in the temple of the God, observing a writchid fast,
trusting that the God would show him some way out of his difficulty, and
his wife, davis Shmita, also performed a bow with him. Then Shibo
was pleased to appear to that couple in a dream in giving them two red
lotuses. The God said to them, take each of you one of these
lotuses in your hand, and if either of you shall be unfaithful during your
separation, the lotus in the hand of the other shall fade, but not
otherwise. After hearing this, the two woke up, and each beheld in
the hand of the other a red lotus, and it seemed as if they
had got one another's hearts. Then Guisy set out lotus in hand, but
Davoshmita remained in the house with her eyes fixed upon the flower. Guisain,
for his part, quickly reached the country of Kataha and began to buy and
sell jewels there. And four young merchants in that country, seeing that that
unbating lotus was ever in his hand, were greatly astonished. Accordingly, they
got him to the house by an artifice, and made him drink a great
deal of wine, and then asked him the whole story of the lotus,
and he, being intoxicated, told them the whole story. Then those four
young merchants, knowing that Guisain would take a long time to complete his sales
and purchases of jewels and other wares, planned together, like rascals as they
were, the seduction of him his wife, out of curiosity and eager to
accomplish it, set up quickly for Tamarulita, without their departure being noticed.
There they cast about for some instrument, and at last had recourse to a
female ascetic of the name of you, a Karundica, who lived in the
sanctuary of Buddha. And they said to her in an affectionate matter, Reverend
Madam, if our object is accomplished by your help, we will give you
much wealth. She answered them, no doubt, you young men desire some
woman in the city, So tell me all about it. I will procure
you the object of your desire. But I have no wish for money.
I have a pupil of distinguished ability named Cidkari. Owing to her kindness,
I have obtained untold wealth. The young merchant asked, how have you obtained
untold wealth by the assistance of a pupil. Being asked this question, female
astic said, if you feel any curiosity city about the matter, listen,
my sons, I will tell you the whole story story of the cunning Civi
Khari. Long ago, a certain merchant came here from the south. While
he was dwelling here, my pupil went and obtained with a treacherous object the
position of a serving maid in his house, having first altered her appearance,
And after she had gained the confidence of that merchant, she stole all his
horde of gold from his house and went off secretly in the morning twilight.
And as she went out from the city, moving rapidly through beer, a
certain damba with his drum in his hand, saw her and pursued her at
full speed, with the intention of robbing her. When she had reached the
foot of the Neagrota tree, she saw that he had come up with her,
and so the cunning Civi Khari said this to him in a plaintive manner,
I have had a jealous quarrel with my husband and I have left his
house to die. Therefore, my good man, make a noose for me
to hang myself with. Then the damba thought, let her hang herself.
Why should I be guilty of her death, especially as she is a woman,
and so he fastened a noose for her to the tree. Then cidi
Kari, feigning in ignorance, said to the damba, how has the noose
slipped around the neck? Show me I entreat you. Then the damba placed
the drum under his feet, and saying this is the way we do the
trick, he fastened the noose around his own throat. Cidi Kari, for
her part, smashed the drum to adams with a kick, and that damba
hung till he was dead. At that moment, the merchant arrived in search
of her and beheld from a distant Cidikari, who had stolen from him untold
treasures at the foot of the tree. She too saw him coming and climbed
up the tree without being noticed, and remained there on a bough, having
her body concealed by the dense foliage. When the merchant came up with his
servants, he saw that damba hanging by his neck, but Ceedi Kary was
nowhere to be seen. Immediately, one of his servants said, I wonder
she has got up this tree, and proceeded to ascend it himself. Then
Cedi Cary said, I have always loved you, and now you've climbed up
where I am. So all this wealth is at your disposal, handsome man,
come and embrace me. So she embraced the merchant's servant, and as
she was kissing his mouth, she bit off the fool's tongue. He,
overcome with the pain, fell from the tree, spitting blood from his mouth,
uttering some indistinct syllables what sounded like la lallah. When he saw that
the merchant was terrified, and supposing his servant had been seized by a demon,
he fed from that place and went to his own house with his attendants.
Then Cedi Kary, the female Asiitic, equally frightened. He sat it
from the top of the tree and brought home with her all that wealth.
Such a person is my pupil, distinguished for her great discernment. And it
is in this way, my sons, that I have obtained wealth by her
kindness. When she had said this to the young merchants, the female ascetic
showed to them her pupil, who happened to come in at that moment,
and said to them, now, my sons, tell me the real state
of affairs. What woman do you desire? I will quickly procure her for
you. When they heard that, they said, procure us an interview with
the wife of the merchant Guisay named Davashmita. When she heard that, the
astic undertook to manage that business for them, and she gave those young merchants
her own house to reside in. Then she gratified the serpents at Guisaine's house
with gifts of sweetmeats and other things, and afterwards entered it with her pupil.
Then, as she approached the private rooms of Davashmita, a hound that
was fastened there with a chain would not let her come near, but opposed
her entrance in the most determined way. Then davas Shmita, seeing her of
her own accord, sent a maid and had her brought in, thinking to
herself, what can this person be come for? After she had entered,
the wicked astc gave Davishmita her blessing, and treating the virtuous woman with affected
respect, said to her, I have always had a desire to see you,
but to day I saw you in a dream. Therefore I have come
to visit you with impatient eagerness, and my mind is afflicted at beholding you
separated from your husband, For beauty and youth are wasted when one is deprived
of the society of one's beloved. With this and many other speeches of the
same kind, she tried to gain the confidence of the virtuous woman in a
short interview, and then taking leave of her, she returned to her own
house. On the second day, she took with her a piece of meat
full of pepper dust, and she went again to the house of davis Shmita,
and there she gave that piece of meat to the hound at the door,
and the hound gubbled it up, burned all then owing to the pepper
dust. The tears flowed in profusion from the animal's eyes, and her nose
began to run, And the cunning astic immediately went into the apartment of Davishmita,
who received her hospitably and began to cry. When Davshmita ask her why
she shed tears, she said, with affected reluctance, my friend, look
at this hound weeping outside. Here, this creature recognized me to day as
having been his companion in a former birth, and began to weep. For
that reason, my tears gushed through pity. When she heard that and saw
that hound outside apparently weeping, Davishmita thought for a moment to herself, what
can be the meaning of this wonderful sight. Then the ascetic said to her,
my daughter, in a former birth, I and that hound were the
two wives of the certain Brahmin, and her husband frequently went about to other
countries on embassies by order of the king. Now, while he was away
from home, I lived at my good will and pleasure, and so did
not cheat the elements of which I was composed and my senses of their lawful
enjoyment, For considerate treatment of the elements and senses is held to be the
highest duty. Therefore, I have been born in this birth with a recollection
of my former existence. But she, in her former life, through ignorance,
confined all her attention to the preservation of her character. Therefore, she
has been degraded and born again as one of the canine race. However,
she too remembers her former birth the wise da Vashuida said to herself, this
is a novel conception of duty. No doubt this woman has laid a treacherous
snare for me. And so she said to her reverend lady. For this
long time I have been ignorant of this duty. So procure me an interview
with some charming man. Then the ascetic said, there are residing here some
young merchants that have come from another country. So I will bring them to
you. When she had said this, the ascetic returned home delighted, and
Davas Shmita, of her own accord, said to her maids, no doubt
those scoundrelly young merchants, whoever they may be, have seen that unfading lotus
in the hands of my husband, and have, on some occasion or other,
when he was drinking wine, asked him out of curiosity to tell the
whole story of it. And have now come here from that island to deceive
me. And this wicked acetic is employed by them. So bring quickly some
wine mixed with dachura, and when you have brought it, have a dog's
foot of iron made as quickly as possible. When davis Shmita had given them
orders, the maids executed them faithfully, and one of the maids, by
her orders, dressed herself up to resemble her mistress. The ascetic of her
part chose out of the party of four members, each of whom, in
his eagerness, said, let me go first, one individual, and brought
him with her, and, concealing him in the dress of her pupil,
she introduced him in the evening into the house that thedevish Mita, and coming
out disappeared. Then that maid, who was disguised as Davishmta, courteously persuaded
the young merchant to drink some of that wine drugged with the chura that liquor,
with his own immodesty, robbed him of his senses. And then the
maid took away his clothes and other equipments and left him stark naked. Then
they branded him on the forehead with the mark of a dog's foot, and
during the night took him and pushed him into a ditch full of filth.
Then he recovered consciousness in the last watch of the night and found himself plunged
in a ditch as if it were the hell. A beechy assigned to him
by his sins when he got up and washed himself and went to the house
of the female asdic in a state of misery, dealing with his spingers the
mark on his forehead, and when he got there he told his friends that
he had been robbed on the way and ordered that he might not be the
only person made ridiculous. And the next morning he sat with a cloth wrapped
round his branded, giving as an excuse that he had a headache from keeping
awake so long and drinking too much. In the same way, the next
young merchant was maltreated when he got to the house of Davishmita, and when
he returned home stripped, he said, I put on my ornaments there and
as I was coming out, I was plundered by robbers in the morning.
He also, on the plea of a headache, put a wrapper on to
cover his branded forehead. In the same way, all the four young merchants
suffered and churned branding and other humiliating treatment, though they concealed the fact,
and they went away from the place without revealing to the female Buddhas asitk the
ill treatment they had experienced, hoping that she would suffer in a similar way.
On the next day, the assitic went with her disciple to the house
of Davishmita, much delighted at having accomplished what she undertook to do. Then
Davishmita received her courteously and made her drink wine drug with the Tourah offered a
sign of gratitude. When she and her disciple were intoxicated with it, the
chain wife cut off their ears and noses and flung them also into a filthy
pool. And, being distressed by the thought of that perhaps these young merchants
might go and slay her husband, she told the whole circumstance to her mother
in law. Then her mother in law said to her, my daughter,
you have acted nobly, but possibly some made fortune may happen to my son
in consequence of what you have done. So the wise davis Shmita forthwith put
on the dress of a merchant, and she embarked on a ship on the
pretense of a mercantile expedition, and came to the country of Kataha, where
her husband was. And when she arrived there, she saw that husband of
hers Guisayin, in the midst of a circle of merchants. Like consolation in
external bodily form. He, seeing her afar off in the dress of a
man as it were, drank her inn with his eyes and thought to himself,
who made this merchantie that looked so like my beloved wife. So Davishmita
went and represented to the king that she had a petition to make, and
asked him to assemble all his subjects. Then the King, full of curiosity,
assembled all his citizens and said to that lady disguised the merchant, what
is your petition. Then Davishmita said, there are residing here in your midst
four slaves of mind who have escaped. Let the King make them over to
me. Then the King said to her, all the citizens are present here,
so look at every one in order to recognize them, and take those
slaves with yours. Then she seized upon the four young merchants, whom she
had before treated in such a humiliating way in her house, who had rappers
bound round their heads. Then the merchants who were there flew in a passion
and said to her, these are the sons of distinguished merchants. How can
they be your slaves? And she answered them, if you do not believe
what I say, examine their foreheads, which I have marked with a dog's
foot. They consented, and removing the head wrappers of these four, they
all beheld the dog's foot on their foreheads. Then all the merchants were abashed,
and the king, being astonished himself, asked davish Mita what all this
meant. She told the whole story, and all the people burst out laughing,
and the king said to the lady, they are your slaves by the
best of titles. Then the other merchants paid a large sum of money to
that chaste wife to redeem those four from slavery, and a fine to the
king's treasury. Davishmita received that money and recovered her husband, and, being
honored by all good men, returned then to her own city of Tamarlitita,
and she was never afterwards separated from her beloved