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And when his youth came to an end, that king had a son, with auspicious marks, born to him by his queen Chandralekhá. He gave the son the name of Tárávaloka, and he gradually grew up, and his inborn virtues of liberality, self-control, and discernment grew with him. And the mighty, minded youth learnt the meaning of all words except one; but he was so liberal to suppliants that he cannot be said ever to have learnt the meaning of the word " No." Gradually he became old in actions, though young in years; and though like the sun in fire of valour, he was exceedingly pleasing to look at;*[1] like the full moon, he became beautiful by the possession of all noble parts; like the god of Love, he excited the longing of the whole
world; in obedience to his father he came to surpass Jímútaváhana, and he was distinctly marked with the signs of a great emperor.
Then his father, the king Chandrávaloka, brought for that son of his the daughter of the king of the Madras, named Mádrí. And when he was married, his father, pleased with the supereminence of his virtues, at once appointed him Crown-prince. And when Táravaloka had been appointed Crown-prince, he had made, with his father's permission, alms-houses for the distribution of food and other necessaries. And every day, the moment he got up, he mounted the elephant Kuvalayapída, and went round to inspect those alms-houses. †[2] To whosoever asked anything he was ready to give it, even if it were his own life: in this way the fame of that Crown-prince spread in every quarter.
Then he had two twin sons born to him by Mádrí, and the father called them Ráma and Lakshmana. And the boys grew like the love and joy of their parents, and they were dearer than life to their grandparents. And Tárávaloka and Mádrí were never tired of looking at them, as they bent before them, being filled with virtue, like two bows of the prince, being strung, ‡[3]
Then the enemies of Tárávaloka, seeing his elephant Kuvalayapída, his two sons, and his reputation for generosity, said to their Bráhmans, " Go and ask Tárávaloka to give you his elephant Kuvalayapída. If he gives it you, we shall be able to take from him his kingdom, as he will be deprived of that bulwark; if he refuses to give it, his reputation for generosity will be at an end." When the Bráhmans had been thus entreated, they consented, and asked Tárávaloka, that hero of generosity, for that elephant. Tárávaloka said to himself, " What do Bráhmans mean by ask-
- ↑ * The word saumya means " pleasing " and also " moon-like"; kalá in the next line means " digit of the moon" and also " accomplishment."
- ↑ † I readsatráni or sattráni for pátráni which would mean " fit recipients." I find sattráni in MS. No. 1882.
- ↑ ‡ A perpetually recurring pun ! Guna in Sanskrit means " bowstring " and also " virtue," and is an unfailing source of temptation to our author.
