Speaker 1: Laksharata and lab Dadata from the sun'skit. There was on
the earth a city named Lakshapura. In it there lived
a king named Laksharata, chief of generous men. He never
knew how to give a petitioner less than a lack
of coins, but he gave firelacs to any one with
whom he conversed. As for the man with whom he
was pleased, he lifted him out of poverty. For this
reason his name was called Laksharata. A certain dependent named
lab Datata stood day and night at his gate with
a piece of leather for his only loin rag. He
had matted hair, and he never left the king's gate
for a second day or night, in cold, rain or heat.
And the king saw him there, And though he remained
there long in misery, the king did not give him anything,
though he was so jams and compassionate. Then one day
the king went to a forest to hunt, and his
dependant followed him with a staff in his hand. There,
while the king seated on an elephant, armed with a bow,
and followed by his army, slew tigers, bears, and deer
with showers of arrows. His dependant, going in front of
him alone on foot, slew with his staff many boars
and deer. When the king saw his bravery, he thought
in his heart, it is wonderful that this man should
be such a hero. But he did not give him anything.
And the king, when he had finished his hunting, returned
home to his city to enjoy himself, but that dependent
stood at his palace gate as before. Once on a Timela,
Shatata went out to conquer a neighboring king of the
same family, and he had a terrible battle, and in
the battle, the dependant struck down in front of him
many enemies with blows from the end of strong stuff
of acacia wood. And the king, after conquering his enemies,
returned to his own city, And though he had seen
the valor his dependent, he gave him nothing. In this condition,
the dependent lab Datata remained and many years passed over
his head while he supporting himself with difficulty. And when
the sixth year had come, King Lakshadata happened to see
one day, and, feeling pity for him, reflected, though he
has been long afflicted, I have not as yet given
him anything, so why should I not give him something
in a disguised form, and so find out whether the
guilt of this poor man has been effaced or not,
and whether even now fortune will grant him a sight
of her or not. Thus reflecting, the king deliberately entered
his treasury, taking with him a lemon in his hand,
And upon his return therefrom he held an assembly of
all his subjects, having appointed a meeting outside his palace,
and entered the assembly all his citizens, chiefs and ministers.
And when the dependant entered among them, the King said
to him, with an affectionate voice, come here. Then the dependent,
on hearing this, was delighted, and coming near, he sat
in front of the king. Then the King said to him,
utter some composition of your own. Then the dependent recited
the following aria verse. Fortune ever replenishes the fool man,
as all the streams replenished the sea, but she never
even comes within the range of the eyes of the poor.
When the King had heard this and had made him
recite it again, he was pleased and gave him the
lemon which he had carried. And the people said, this
king puts a stop to the poverty of every one
with whom he is pleased. So this dependent is to
be pitied, since this very king, though pleased with him,
after summoning him politely, has given him thing. But this lemon,
a wishing tree in the case of ill starred men,
often becomes a pallaza tree. These were the words which
all in the assemblies said to one another in their
despondency when they saw that, for they did not know
the truth. But the dependant went out with a lemon
in his hand. And when he was in a state
of despondency, a mendicant came before him, And that mendicant
named Raja vandin seeing that the lemon was a fine one,
obtained it from that dependent by giving him a garment.
And then the mendicant entered the assembly and gave that
fruit to the king, And the king, recognizing it, said
to that hermit, where reverend, Sir, did you procure this lemon?
Then he told the king that the dependant had given
it to him. Then the king was grieved and astonished,
reflecting that his guilt was not expiated even now, the
king lak Shatata. He took the lemon, rose up from
the assembly and performed the duties of the day, and
the dependent sold the garment, and after he had eaten
and drunk, remained at his usual pose at the king's gate.
And on the second day the king held a general assembly,
and everybody appeared at it again, citizens and all. And
the King, seeing that the dependant had entered the assembly,
called him as before and made him sit near him, and,
after making him again recite the very same aria verse,
being pleased, he gave him that very same lemon which
had given him before, and all there thought with astonishment, Ah,
this is the second time that our master is pleased
with him without his gaining by it. And the dependent,
in despondency, took the lemon in his hand, and, thinking
that the King's good will had again been barren of results,
went out. At that very moment a certain official met him,
who was about to enter that assembly, wishing to see
the king. He, when he saw that lemon, took a
fancy to it, and, regarding the omen, procured it from
the dependent by giving him a pair of garments. And
entering the king's court, he fell at the feet of
the sovereign, and first gave him the lemon, and then
another present of his own. And when the king recognized
the fruit. He asked the official where he got it,
and he replied from the dependent, and the king, thinking
in his heart that fortune would not even now give
the dependent a sight of her, was exceedingly sad, and
he rose up from the assembly with that lemon. And
the dependent went to the market with a pair of
garments he had got, and by setting one garment he
procured meat and drink, and tearing the other in half,
he made two of it. Then on the third day,
also the king held a general assembly, and all the
subjects entered as before, and when the dependant entered, the
king gave him the same lemon again, after calling him
and making him recite the arri a verse. Then all
were astonished, and the dependant went up and gave that
lemon to the King's favorite, and she, like a moving
creeper of the tree of the king's regard, gave him gold,
which was, so to speak, the flower the harbinger of
the fruit. The dependant sold it and enjoyed himself that day,
and the king's mistress went into his presence, and she
gave him that lemon, which was large and fine, and he,
recognizing it, asked her when she procured it then she said,
the dependant gave it to me. Hearing that the King
thought fortune has not yet looked favorably upon him, his
merit in a former life must have been slight, since
he does not know that my favor is never barren
of results. Thus veri the king reflected, and he took
that lemon and put it away safely, and rose up
and performed the duties of the day. And on the
fourth day the king held an assembly in the same way,
filled with all his subjects, fordatories, ministers and all. And
the dependant came there again, and again the King made
him sit in front of him, and when he bowed
before him, the King made him recite the aria Verse
and gave him the lemon. And when the dependant had
half got hold of it, he suddenly let it go,
and the lemon fell on the ground and broke in half.
And as the joining of the lemon which kept it
together was broken, there rolled out of it many valuable jewels,
illuminating that place of assembly. All the people, when they
saw it, said, ah, we were deluded and mistaken, as
we did not know the real state of the case.
But such is the nature of the King's favor. When
the king heard that, he said, by this artifice, I
endeavored to ascertain whether fortune would now look on him
or not. But for three days his guilt was not effaced.
Now it is effaced, and for that reason Fortune has
now aunted him a sight of herself. After the King
had said this, he gave the dependent those jewels, and
also villagers, elephants, horses, and gold, and made him a
feudal chief. And he rose up from that assembly, in
which the people applauded, and went to bathe. And that dependent, too,
having obtained his ends, went to his own dwelling,