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keep his body on the throne even in its present state." Having resolved on this, he immediately took steps to have all dead bodies burnt, employing spies to discover them, and among them was found the body of Indradatta, which was burned after Vyadi had been hustled out of the temple. In the meanwhile the king was pressing for the payment of the money, but S'akatala, who was still in doubt, said to him, "All the servants have got their heads turned by the public rejoicing, let the Brahman wait a moment until I can give it." Then Vyadi came and complained aloud in the presence of the supposed Nanda, " Help, help, a Brahman engaged in magic, whose life had not yet come to an end in a natural way, has been burnt by force on the pretext that his body was untenanted, and this in the very moment of your good fortune."[1] On hearing this the supposed Nanda was in an indescribable state of distraction from grief : but as soon as Indradatta was imprisoned in the body of Nanda, beyond the possibility of escape, by the burning of his body, the discreet S'akatala went out and gave me that ten millions.
Then the supposed Nanda,[2] full of grief, said in secret to Vyadi,—"Though a Brahman by birth I have become a S'udra, what is the use of my royal fortune to me though it be firmly established?" When he heard that, Vyadi comforted him,[3] and gave him seasonable advice, "You have been discovered by S'akatala, so you must henceforth be on your guard against him, for he is a great minister, and in a short time he will, when it suits his purpose, destroy you, and will make Chandragupta, the son of the previous Nanda, king. Therefore immediately appoint Vararuchi your minister, in order that your rule may be firmly established by the help of his intellect, which is of god-like acuteness." When he had said this, Vyadi departed to give that fee to his preceptor, and immediately Yogananda sent for me and made me his minister. Then I said to the king, "Though your caste as a Unilunan has been taken from you, I do not consider your throne secure as long as S'akatala remains in oifice, therefore destroy him by some stratagem." When I had given him this advice, Yogananda threw S'akatala into a dark dungeon, and his hundred sons with him, proclaiming as
- ↑ Compare tin story in the Panchatantra, Benfey's Translation, p. 124, of the king who lost his Lody but eventually recovered it. Benfey in Vol. I, page 128, refers to some European parallels. Liehrecht in his Zur Volkskunde, p. 206, mentions a story found in Apollonius (Historia Minibilium) which forms a striking parallel to this. According to Apollonius, the soul of llermotimos of Klu/oinen;e left his hody frequently. re.sided in different places, and uttered all kinds of predictions, returning to his body whieh remained in his house. At last some spiteful persons burnt his body in the alliance of his soul.
- ↑ Or Yogananda, as being Nanda by yoga or magic.
- ↑ I read asvasya.
