The Katha Sarit Sagara/Chapter 2

by Somadeva

CHAPTER II.

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Then Pushpadanta wandering on the earth in the form of a man, was known by the name of Vararuchi and Katyayana. Having attained perfection in the sciences, and having served Nanda as minister, being wearied out he went once on a time to visit the shrine of Durga.§^[1] And that goddess, being pleased with his austerities, ordered him in a dream to repair to the wilds of the Vindhya to behold Kanabhuti. And as he wandered about there in a waterless and savage vood,||^[2] full of tigers and apes, he beheld a lofty Nyagrodha tree.¶^[3] And near it he saw, surrounded by hundreds of Pisachas, that Pisacha Kanabhuti, in stature like a Sala tree. When Kanabhuti bad seen him and respectfully clasped his feet, Katyayani. sitting down immediately spake to him. "Thou art an observer of the good custom, how hast thou come into this state?" Having heard this Kanabhuti said to Katyayana, who bad shewn affection towards him, I know not of myself, but listen to what I beard from Siva at Ujjayini in the place where corpses are burnt; I proceed to tell it thee. The adorable god was asked by Durga—"Whence, my lord, comes thy delight in skulls and burning-places?" He thereupon gave this answer.

"Long ago when all things had been destroyed at the end of a Kalpa, the universe became water : I then cleft my thigh and let fall a drop of blood; that drop falling into the water turned into an egg, from that sprung the Supreme Soul,^[4] the Disposer; from him proceeded Nature,^[5] created by me for the purpose of further creation, and they created the other lords of created beings,^[6] and those in turn the created beings, for which reason, my beloved, the Supreme Soul is called in the world the grandfather. Having thus created the world, animate and inanimate, that Spirit became arrogant:^[7] thereupon I cut off his head: then through regret for what I had done, I undertook a difficult vow. So thus it comes to pass that I carry skulls in my band, and love the places where corpses are burned. Moreover this world resembling a skull, rests in my hand; for the two skull-shaped halves of the egg before mentioned are called heaven and earth." When S'iva had thus spoken, I, being full of curiosity, determined to listen; and Purvati again said to her husband. "After how long a time will that Pushpadanta return to us?" Hearing that, Mahesvara spoke to the goddess, pointing me out to her; "That Pisacha whom thou beholde it there, was once a Yaksha, a servant of Km era, the god of wealth, and he had for a friend a Rakshasa named Sthulasiras; and the lord of wealth perceiving that be associated with that evil one, banished him to the wilds of the Vindhya mountains. But his brother Dirghajangha fell at the feet of the god, and humbly asked when the curse would end. Then the god of wealth said " After thy brother has heard the great tale from Pushpadanta, who has been born into this world in consequence of a curse, and after he has in turn told it to Malyavan, who owing to a curse has become a human being, he together with those two Ganas shall be released from the effects of the curse." Such were the terms on which the god of wealth then ordained that Malyavan should obtain remission from bis curse here below, and thou didst fix the same in the case of Pushpadanta; recall it to mind, my beloved." When I hoard that speech of Siva, I came here overjoyed, knowing that the calamity of my curse would be terminated by the arrival of Pushpadanta. "When Kanabhuti ceased after telling this story, that moment Vararuchi remembered his origin, and exclaimed like one aroused from sleep, "I am that very Pushpadanta, hear that tale from me." Thereupon Katyayana related to him the seven great tales in seven hundred thousand verses, and then Kanabhuti said to him— "My lord, thou art an incarnation of S'iva, who else knows this story? Through thy favour that curse has almost left my body. Therefore tell me thy own history from thy birth, thou mighty one, sanctify me yet further, if the narrative may be revealed to such a one as I am." Then Vararuchi, to gratify Kanabhuti, who remained prostrate before him, told all his history from his birth at full length, in the following words:

In the city of Kausambi there lived a Brahman called Somadatta, who also had the title of Agnisikha, and his wife was called Vasudatta. She was the daughter of a hermit, and was born into the world in this position in consequence of a curse ; and I was born by her to this excellent Brahman, also in consequence of a curse. Now while I was still quite a child my father died, but my mother continued to support me, as I grew up, by severe drudgery; then one day two Brahmans came to our house to stop a night, exceedingly dusty with a long journey; and while they were staying in our house there arose the noise of a tabor, thereupon my mother said to me, sobbing, as she called to mind her husband "there, my son, is your father's friend Bhavananda, giving a dramatic entertainment." I answered, "I will go and see it, and will exhibit the whole of it to you, with a recitation of all the speeches." On hearing that speech of mine, those Brahmans were astonished, but my mother said to them—"Come, my children, there is no doubt about the truth of what he says; this boy will remember by heart everything that he has heard once." Then they, in order to test me, recited to me a Pratisakhya*^[8]; immediately I repeated the whole in their presence, then I went with the two Brahmans and saw that play, and when I came home, I went through the whole of it in front of my mother: then one of the Brahmans, named Vyadi, having ascertained that I was able to recollect a thing on hearing it once, told with submissive reverence this tale to my mother.

Mother, in the city of Vetasa there were two Brahman brothers, Deva-Swamin and Karambaka, who loved one another very dearly, this Indradatta here is the son of one of them, and I am the son of the other, and my name is Vyadi. It came to pass that my father died. Owing to grief for his loss, the father of Indradatta went on the long journey,*^[9] and then the hearts of our two mothers broke with grief; thereupon being orphans though we had wealth,^[10] and, desiring to acquire learning, we went to the southern region to supplicate the lord Kartikeya. And while we were engaged in austerities there, the god gave us the following revelation in a dream. "There is a city called Pataliputra, the capital of king Nanda, and in it there is a Brahman, named Varsha, from him ye shall learn all knowledge, therefore go there." Then we went to that city, and when we made enquiries there, people said to us: "There is a blockhead of a Brahman in this town, of the name of Varsha." Immediately we went on with minds in a state of suspense, and saw the house of Varsha in a miserable condition, made a very ant-hill by mice, dilapidated by the cracking of the walls, untidy,^[11] deprived of eaves, looking like the very birth-place of misery.

Then, seeing Varsha plunged in meditation within the house, we approached his wife, who shewed us all proper hospitality; her body was emaciated and begrimed, her dress tattered and dirty; she looked like the incarnation of poverty, attracted thither by admiration for the Brahman's virtues. Bending humbly before her, we then told her our circumstances, and the report of her husband's imbecility, which we heard in the city. She exclaimed—"My children, I am not ashamed to tell you the truth; listen! I will relate the whole story," and then she, chaste lady, proceeded to tell us the tale which follows:

There lived in this city an excellent Brahman, named S'ankara Svamin, and he had two sons, my husband Varsha, and Upavarsha; my husband was stupid and poor, and his younger brother was just the opposite: and Upavarsha appointed his own wife to manage his elder brother's house.^[12] Then in the course of time, the rainy season came on, and at this time the women are in the habit of making a cake of flour mixed with molasses, of an unbecoming and disgusting shape,^[13] and giving it to any Brahman who is thought to be a blockhead, and if they act thus, this cake is said to remove their discomfort caused by bathing in the cold season, and their exhaustion^[14] caused by bathing in the hot weather; but when it is given, Bráhmans refuse to receive it, on the ground that the custom is a disgusting one. This cake was presented by my sister-in-law to my husband, together with a sacrificial fee; he received it, and brought it home with him, and got a severe scolding from me; then he began to be inwardly consumed with grief at his own stupidity, and went to worship the sole of the foot of the god Kartikeya: the god, pleased with his austerities, bestowed on him the knowledge of all the sciences; and gave him this order—" When thou findest a Bráhman who can recollect what he has heard only once, then thou mayest reveal these"—thereupon my husband returned home delighted, and when he had reached home, told the whole story to me. From that time forth, he has remained continually muttering prayers and meditating: so find you some one who can remember anything after hearing it once, and bring him here: if you do that, you will both of you undoubtedly obtain all that you desire.

Having heard this from the wife of Varsha, and having immediately given her a hundred gold pieces to relieve her poverty, we went out of that city; then we wandered through the earth, and could not find anywhere a person who could remember what he had only heard once: at last we arrived tired out at your house to-day, and have found here this boy, your son, who can recollect anything after once hearing it: therefore give him us and let us go forth to acquire the commodity knowledge.

Having heard this speech of Vyádi, my mother said with respect, "All this tallies completely, I repose confidence in your tale: for long ago at the birth of this my only son, a distinct spiritual^[15] voice was heard from

heaven. "A boy has been born who shall be able to remember what he has heard once; he shall acquire knowledge from Varsha, and shall make the science of grammar famous in the world, and he shall be called Vararuchi by name, because whatever is excellent,^[16] shall please him." Having uttered this, the voice ceased. Consequently, ever since this boy has grown big, I have been thinking, day and night, where that teacher Varsha can be, and to-day I have been exceedingly gratified at hearing it from your mouth. Therefore take him with you: what harm can there be in it, he is your brother?" When they heard this speech of my mother's, those two, Vyadi and Indradatta, overflowing with joy, thought that night but a moment in length. Then Vyadi quickly gave his own wealth to my mother to provide a feast, and desiring that I should be qualified to read the Vedas, invested me with the Brahmanical thread. Then Vyadi and Indradatta took me, who managed by my own fortitude to control the excessive grief I felt at parting, while my mother in taking leave of me could with difficulty suppress her tears, and considering that the favour of Kartikeya towards them had now put forth blossom, set out rapidly from that city; then in course of time we arrived at the house of the teacher Varsha : he too considered that I was the favour of Kartikeya arrived in bodily form. The next day he placed us in front of him, and sitting down in a consecrated spot, he began to recite the syllable Om with heavenly voice. Immediately the Vedas with the six supplementary sciences rushed into his mind, and then he began to teach them to us; then I retained what the teacher told us after hearing it once, Vyadi after hearing it twice, and Indradatta after hearing it three times: then the Brahmans of the city hearing of a sudden that divine sound, came at once from all quarters with wonder stirring in their breasts to see what this new thing might be; and with their reverend mouths loud in his praises honoured Varsha with low bows. Then beholding that wonderful miracle, not only Upavarsha, but all the citizens of Pataliputra^[17] kept high festival. Moreover the king Nanda of exalted fortune, seeing the power of the boon of the son of Siva, was delighted, and immediately filled the house of Varsha with wealth, shewing him every mark of respect.^[18]

1. § More literally, tho goddess that dwells in tho Vindhya hills. Her shrine is near Mirzapur.
2. || Dr. Brockhaus makes parusha a proper name.
3. ¶ Ficus Indica.
4. Puman = Purusha, the spirit.
5. Prakriti, the original source or rather passive power of creating the material world.
6. Prajapati.
7. The spirit was of course Brahma whose head Siva cut off.
8. A grammatical treatise on the rules regulating the euphonic combination of letters and their pronunciation peculiar to one of the different Sakhas or branches of the Vedas. M. W. s. v.
9. i. e., died.
10. Here we have a pun which it is impossible to render in English. Anátha means without natural protectors and also poor.
11. Taking chhaya in the sense of sobha. It might mean "affording no shelter to the inmates."
12. Dr. Brockhaus translates the line—Von diesem icttrde ich meinem Mannc vermiihlt, urn fti.
13. Like the Roman fascinum. guhya = phallus.
14. I read tat for tah according to a conjecture of Professor E. B. Cowell's. He informs me on the authority of Dr. Rost that the only variants are sa for tah and yoskitá for yoshitah. Dr. Rost would take evamkrite as the dative of evamkrit. If táh be retained it may be taken as a repetition " having thus prepared it, I say, the women give it." Professor Cowell would translate (if táh be retained) " the women then do not need to receive anything to relieve their fatigue during the cold and hot weather."   Professor E. B. Cowell has referred me to an article by Dr. Liebrecht in the Zeitschrift der Morgenländischen Gesellschaft.   He connects the custom with that of the Jewish women mentioned in Jeremiah VII. 18, " The women knead their dough to make cakes to the queen of heaven," and he quotes a curious custom practised on Palm Sunday in the town of Saintes. Dulaure slates that in his time the festival was called there La féte des pinnes; the women and children carrie in the procession a phallus made of bread , which they called a pinne, at the end of their palm branches;these pinnes were subsequently blessed by the priest, and carefully preserved by the women during the year. This article has been republished by the learned author in his " Zur Volkskunde" (Heilbronn, 1879) p. 436 and ff. under the title of " der aufgegessene Gott." It contains many interesting parallels to the custom described in the text.
15. Literally bodiless—she heard the voice, but saw no man.
16. Vara = excellent ruch = to please.
17. I.e. Palibothra.
18. Wilson remarks (Essays on Sanskrit Literature, Vol. T, p. 165). "The contemporary existence of Nanda with Vararuchi and Vyadi is a circumstance of considerable interest in the literary history of the Hindus, as the two latter on philological topics. Vararuchi is also called in this Katyayana, who is one of the earliest commentators on Panini. Nanda is the predecessor or one of the predecessors of Chandragupta or Sandrakottos: and consequently the chief institutes of Sanskrit grammar are thus dated from the fourth century before the Christian era. We need