Speaker 1: Vishaka from the Tibetan Mergadara, the first minister of King
Speaker 1: Prasenajit of Cossala, after he had married a wife of
Speaker 1: birth like unto his own, had seven sons. To six
Speaker 1: of these he gave names at his pleasure, but the
Speaker 1: youngest one he called Vishaka. After his wife's death, he
Speaker 1: arranged marriages for his six elder sons, but they and
Speaker 1: their wives gave themselves up to dress and troubled themselves
Speaker 1: in no wise with household affairs. The householder Mergadhara was
Speaker 1: sitting one day absorbed in thought, resting his cheek upon
Speaker 1: his arm. A brahmin who was on friendly terms with him,
Speaker 1: saw him sitting thus absorbed in thought and ask him
Speaker 1: what was the cause of his behavior. He replied, My
Speaker 1: sons and their wives have given themselves up to dress
Speaker 1: and do not trouble themselves about household affairs, so that
Speaker 1: the property is going to ruin. Why do you not
Speaker 1: arrange a marriage for Vishaka, who can tell whether he
Speaker 1: will make things better or bring them to still greater ruin.
Speaker 1: If you will trust to me, I will look for
Speaker 1: a maiden for him. The minister consented, and the Brahmin
Speaker 1: went his way. In the course of his researches, he
Speaker 1: came to the land of Champa. In it there lived
Speaker 1: a householder named Balamitra, whose daughter Vishak, was fair to see,
Speaker 1: well proportioned in the bloom of youth, intelligent and clever.
Speaker 1: Just as the Brahmin arrived, she and some other girls
Speaker 1: who were in quest of amusement were setting out for
Speaker 1: a park. On seeing the girls, he thought that he
Speaker 1: would like to look at them a little, so he
Speaker 1: followed slowly after them, occupied in regarding them. The girls,
Speaker 1: who were for the most part of a frivolous nature,
Speaker 1: sometimes ran, sometimes skipped, sometimes rolled about, sometimes laughed, sometimes
Speaker 1: spun around, sometimes sang, and did other undignified things. But Vshake,
Speaker 1: with the utmost decorum, at an even pace, walked slowly
Speaker 1: along with them. When they came to the park. The
Speaker 1: other girls, undressed at the edge of the tank, entered
Speaker 1: it and began to sport. But Vashak lifted up her
Speaker 1: clothes by degrees as she went into the water, and
Speaker 1: by degrees let them down again as she came out
Speaker 1: of the water. So circumspect was she in her behavior.
Speaker 1: After their bath, when the girls had assembled at a
Speaker 1: certain spot. They first partook of food themselves and then
Speaker 1: gave to their attendants to eat. But Vshak first of
Speaker 1: all gave food to the persons in attendance, and then
Speaker 1: herself began to eat. When the girls had finished their
Speaker 1: eating and drinking and had enjoyed the charm of the park,
Speaker 1: they went away. As there was water to be waded
Speaker 1: through on the road. The girls took off their boots
Speaker 1: and walked through it, but Vshak kept her boots on.
Speaker 1: They went a little farther and came to a wood.
Speaker 1: Into this armrah wood she entered, keeping her parasol up,
Speaker 1: though the others had discarded theirs. Presently, a wind arose.
Speaker 1: Together with Rain and the other girls took shelter in
Speaker 1: a temple, but Vshak remained in the open air. The Brahmin,
Speaker 1: who had followed her and had noted her characteristics and
Speaker 1: her behavior, marveled greatly and began to question her, saying, oh, maiden,
Speaker 1: whose daughter are you? I am Valamitra's daughter, Oh maiden,
Speaker 1: be not angry if I ask you a few questions.
Speaker 1: She smiled at first, and then said, oh uncle, why
Speaker 1: should I be angry? Please to ask them. While these girls,
Speaker 1: as they went, were all running, skipping, rolling, turning round, singing,
Speaker 1: and doing other undignified things, you wended your way slowly, decorously,
Speaker 1: and in a seemly manner, reaching the park together with them.
Speaker 1: Vshak replied, All girls are merchandise which their parents find.
Speaker 1: If in leaping or rolling I were to break an
Speaker 1: arm or a leg, who then would woo me? I
Speaker 1: should certainly have to be kept by my parents as
Speaker 1: long as I lived. Good, o maiden, I understand, he
Speaker 1: said to her. Next, these girls took off their clothes
Speaker 1: in a certain place and went into the water and
Speaker 1: sported in it unclothed. But you lifted up your clothes
Speaker 1: by degrees as you went deeper into the water. Oh uncle,
Speaker 1: it is necessary that women should be shamefaced and shy,
Speaker 1: So it would not be well that any one should
Speaker 1: look upon me unclothed, Oh maiden, who would see you there?
Speaker 1: Oh uncle, you would have seen me there yourself. Good,
Speaker 1: o maiden, that also I comprehend, he said to her. Further,
Speaker 1: These girls first took food themselves and then gave to
Speaker 1: the persons in attendance, But you first gave food to
Speaker 1: the persons in attendance, and then took your own, Oh uncle,
Speaker 1: that was for this reason. We reaping the fruits of
Speaker 1: our merits constantly have feast days, but they reaping the
Speaker 1: fruits of their trouble very seldom obtained great things. Good,
Speaker 1: oh maiden, I comprehend this also, he asked her. Moreover,
Speaker 1: while all the world wears boots on dry land, why
Speaker 1: did you keep yours on in the water? Oh uncle?
Speaker 1: The world is foolish. It is precisely when one is
Speaker 1: in the water that one should wear boots. For what reason?
Speaker 1: On dry land one can see tree stumps, thorns, stones, prickles,
Speaker 1: fragments of fish scales, or shells of reptiles. But in
Speaker 1: the water none of these things can be seen. Therefore,
Speaker 1: we ought to wear boots in the water, and not
Speaker 1: upon dry land. Good, oh maiden, this also I am understand. Then,
Speaker 1: he asked her this question. These girls kept their parasols
Speaker 1: up in the sun, you kept yours in the wood
Speaker 1: under the shade of the trees. What was the meaning
Speaker 1: of that, Oh uncle? The world is foolish. It is
Speaker 1: precisely when in a wood that one must keep a
Speaker 1: parasol up for what reason? Because a wood is always
Speaker 1: full of birds and monkeys. The birds let fall their
Speaker 1: droppings and pieces of bones, and the monkeys their mock
Speaker 1: and scraps of fruit they eat. Besides, as they are
Speaker 1: of a wild nature, they go springing from bow to bow,
Speaker 1: and bits of wood come falling down. When one is
Speaker 1: in the open, this does not happen, or if it
Speaker 1: takes place, it is but seldom. Therefore, a parasol must
Speaker 1: be kept open in a wood in the open. It
Speaker 1: is not necessary to do so good, Oh maiden, This
Speaker 1: I also comprehend. Presently, he said, These girls took refuge
Speaker 1: in a temple when the wind arose with rain, but
Speaker 1: you remained in the open air, Oh uncle. One certainly
Speaker 1: ought to remain in the open air, and not take
Speaker 1: refuge in a temple. Oh maiden, what is the reason
Speaker 1: for that, oh uncle? Such empty temples are never free
Speaker 1: from orphans, the low born, the sharpers. If one of
Speaker 1: them were to touch me on a limb or joint
Speaker 1: as I entered such a temple, would not that be
Speaker 1: unpleasant to my parents? Moreover, it is better to lose
Speaker 1: one's life in the open than to enter an empty temple.
Speaker 1: Full of delight at the demeanor of the maiden. The
Speaker 1: brahmin betook himself to the dwelling of the householder of Alamitra,
Speaker 1: and said, desiring to obtain the maiden, May it be well,
Speaker 1: May it be good. The people of the house said, O, brahmen,
Speaker 1: it is not yet the time for asking. But what
Speaker 1: do you ask for? I ask for your daughter, on
Speaker 1: whose on behalf of the son Vishaka by name of Mrgarara,
Speaker 1: the first minister of Sravasti. They replied, it is true
Speaker 1: that we and he are of the same caste, but
Speaker 1: his country lies too far away. The Brahmins said, it
Speaker 1: is precisely in a far country that a man should
Speaker 1: choose a husband for his daughter. How So, if she
Speaker 1: is married in the neighbourhood, joy increases when news comes
Speaker 1: that she is prosperous. But if a misfortune occurs, a
Speaker 1: man's property may be brought to not he being exhausted
Speaker 1: by gifts, sacrifices and tokens of reverence. They said, this
Speaker 1: being so, we will give you our daughter after Vashaki's marriage.
Speaker 1: On one occasion, some country folks came bringing a mayor
Speaker 1: in a foal. As they could not tell which was
Speaker 1: the mayor in which the foal. The king ordered the
Speaker 1: ministers to examine them closely and to report to him
Speaker 1: on the matter. The ministers examined them both for a
Speaker 1: whole day, became weary, and arrived at no conclusion after all.
Speaker 1: When Murghadhara went home in the evening, Bishaki touched his
Speaker 1: feet and said, oh master, wherefore do ye return so late?
Speaker 1: He told her everything that had occurred. Then Bishaki said,
Speaker 1: oh Master, what is there to investigate? In that fodder
Speaker 1: should be laid before them in equal parts. The foal,
Speaker 1: after rapidly eating up its own share, will begin to
Speaker 1: devour its mothers also, But the mother, without eating, will
Speaker 1: hold up her head like this. That is the proper test.
Speaker 1: Murgadhara told this to the ministers, who applied the tests
Speaker 1: according to these instructions, and after daybreak they reported to
Speaker 1: the king, this is the mother, o King, and that
Speaker 1: is the foe. The king asked how they knew that,
Speaker 1: oh King, The case is surrenzo. How was it you
Speaker 1: did not know that yesterday, Oh King, how could we
Speaker 1: know it? Bushaka has instructed us, since, said the king,
Speaker 1: the chomp A maiden is wise. It happened that a
Speaker 1: man who was bathing, had left his boots on the bank.
Speaker 1: Another man came up, tied the boots round his head
Speaker 1: and began to bathe Likewise, when the first man had
Speaker 1: done bathing and come out of the water, he missed
Speaker 1: the boots. The other man said, hey, man, what are
Speaker 1: you looking for my boots? Where are your boots? When
Speaker 1: you have boots, you should tie them round your head
Speaker 1: as I do before going into the water. As the
Speaker 1: dispute arose between the two men as to whom the
Speaker 1: boots belonged to, they both had recourse to the King.
Speaker 1: The King told the ministers to investigate the case thoroughly
Speaker 1: and to give the boots to the proper owner. The
Speaker 1: ministers began to investigate the case and examined first the
Speaker 1: one man and then the other. Each of the men
Speaker 1: affirmed that he was the owner. While these assertions were
Speaker 1: being made, the day came to an end, and in
Speaker 1: the evening the minister's returned home, wearied out, without having
Speaker 1: brought the matter to a satisfactory conclusion. Vishakh questioned Murgadhara,
Speaker 1: and he told her all about it, whereupon she said, oh, master,
Speaker 1: what is there to investigate? Say to one of them,
Speaker 1: take one of the boots, and to the other man
Speaker 1: take the other boot. The real learner will say, in
Speaker 1: that case, why should my two boots be separated? But
Speaker 1: the other, the man to whom they do not really belong,
Speaker 1: will say, what good do I gain by this if
Speaker 1: I only get one boot? That is the proper test
Speaker 1: to apply. Murgadhara went and told this to the ministers,
Speaker 1: and so forth, as is written above down to the
Speaker 1: words the king said, the chompa maiden is wise. It
Speaker 1: happened that some merchants brought a stem of sandal wood
Speaker 1: to the king as a present, but no one knew
Speaker 1: which was the upper end of it in which the lower.
Speaker 1: So the king ordered his ministers to settle the question.
Speaker 1: They spent a whole day in examining the stem, but
Speaker 1: they could make nothing of it. In the evening they
Speaker 1: returned to their homes. Mrgadhara again told Vishak all about
Speaker 1: the matter, and she said, oh, Master, what is there
Speaker 1: to investigate? Place the stem in water. The root end
Speaker 1: will then sink, but the upper end will float upward.
Speaker 1: That is the proper test. Murgadhara communicated this to the ministers,
Speaker 1: and so forth, as written above, down to the words
Speaker 1: the king said, the chompa maiden is wise. There was
Speaker 1: a householder in a hill village, who, after he had
Speaker 1: married in his own rank, remained without either son or daughter.
Speaker 1: As he longed earnestly for a child, he took unto
Speaker 1: himself a com coccubine. Thereupon, his wife, who was of
Speaker 1: a jealous disposition, had recourse to a spell for the
Speaker 1: purpose of rendering that woman barn. But as that woman
Speaker 1: was quite pure, she became with child, and at the
Speaker 1: end of nine months bore a son. Then she reflected thus,
Speaker 1: as the worst of all enmities is the enmity between
Speaker 1: a wife and a concubine, And the stepmother will be
Speaker 1: sure to seek for a means of killing the child.
Speaker 1: What ought my husband? What ought I to do? As
Speaker 1: I shall not be able to keep it alive, I
Speaker 1: had better give it to her. After taking counsel with
Speaker 1: her husband, who agreed with her in the matter, she
Speaker 1: said to the wife, O, sister, I give you my son.
Speaker 1: Take him. The wife thought, as she who has a son,
Speaker 1: ranks as the mistress of the house, I will bring
Speaker 1: him up. After she had taken charge of the boy,
Speaker 1: the father died a dispute arose between the two women
Speaker 1: as to the possession of the house, each of them
Speaker 1: asserting that it belonged to her. They had recourse to
Speaker 1: the king. He ordered his ministers to go to the
Speaker 1: house and to make inquiries as to the ownership of
Speaker 1: the sun. They investigated the matter, but the day came
Speaker 1: to an end before they had brought it to a
Speaker 1: satisfactory conclusion. In the evening, they returned to their homes.
Speaker 1: Vshak again questioned Margadhara, who told her everything. Vishak said,
Speaker 1: what need is there for investigation? Speak to the two women, thus,
Speaker 1: as we do not know to which of you the
Speaker 1: boy belongs, let her who is the strongest, take the boy.
Speaker 1: When each of them has taken hold of one of
Speaker 1: the boy's hands and he begins to cry out on
Speaker 1: account of the pain, their real mother will let go,
Speaker 1: being full of compassion for him, and knowing that if
Speaker 1: her child remains alive, she will be able to see
Speaker 1: it again. But the other, who has no compassion for him,
Speaker 1: will not let go. Then beat her with a switch,
Speaker 1: and she will thereupon confess the truth as to the
Speaker 1: whole matter. That is the proper test. Murgadhara told this
Speaker 1: to the ministers and so forth, as is written above
Speaker 1: down to the words, the King said that chompa maiden
Speaker 1: is wise