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184 掳 FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN HARIVAHANA AND SAMARAKETU(pp.99- -104):鈥�King Meghavahana was very much curious about the prince and ordered Haradasa, a chamberlain, to usher him along with his retinue to the court immediately. At the arrival of Samaraketu, the King received him very warmly, embraced him and, out of affection, seated him in his lap. When the prince took his seat nearby, the king samdl- "We are very happy to receive you here. You are very lucky in that your enemies, though defeated by you, are joyful as if they have come out victorious. The divine Balaruna ring has brought me another son in you, who will henceforth share this kingdom with my son Harivahana. Live with him and enjoy. Don't think that you have been brought here under duress.The whole of my retinue will be at your service and all your wishes shall be fulfilled." Then he turned to his son, Prince Harivahana, and, pointing out to him the exceptional good qualities of Samaraketu, said: "My dear son: I have found in this prince Samaraketu a worthy principal companion for you. Honour him by friendship and preserve him by sharing with him your confidence" Prince Harivahana took Samaraketu by hand and took him to Queen Madiravati in the royal harem and introduced

185 him to her. After their lunch, minister Sudrsti produced before them a map of the kingdom wherein were demarked the boundaries of the northern regions which were conferred on them by the royal order for their pocket expenses. Both the princes then lived happily, while their mutual friendship grew more and more intimate. THE UNIDENTIFIED LOVE-LETTER AND ITS EFFECT ON SAMARAKETU (pp.105-113):Once during the Summer season both the princes, accompanied by their companions, went to the Mattakokila garden on the bank of Sarayu. Enjoying a walk there, they came near a garden pool beside the temple of Love-god. They were engrossed in a very interesting general discussion with wellknown scholars on various topics of mythology, history, poetry, novel, drama, music, and so on when the witty and poetic Manjiraka, a son of a bard, dropped in and said : 0 / Prince: I shall relate to you something bearing on the topic under discussion. I had been to the temple of Love-god on the occasion of the festival on the thirteenth in the waxing half of the month of Magha. Under a mango-tree I found an envelope tied up by lotus filaments and closed with the seal bearing the it mark of a breast-nipple. I picked up and examined it at my house in secret. Getting no clue as to the addressee, I opened it and found

186 opened it and found therein a letter containing a message. composed in an Arya metre. The verse was written with musk-ink and bordered with beautiful designs of red sandalwood paste and treated with Aguru scent. But I could not make out anything out of it. Here it is : "Wishing to marry, soon and without ceremony, with me, who am not given away (to you), you will be in the dansely overgrown forest, where fire will be by your side." All the companions were listening attentively, when, having grasped the significance of the couplet, Prince Harivahana began to elaborate it thus : "This is a love-letter from a xxx shrewd girl to a lover who has failed to get the consent of her father in regard to their marriage. The girl has hereby conveyed that though her parents have not been kind to him, he should not think of kidnapping her. Instead, he should wait for a while fox since she has arranged for a secret marriage in the very forest where they had first met. He should come to that place with none else but the holy fire, while she will also arrive there with a couple of friends. The couplet also suggests a baneful idea, evidently intended to mislead one who might conspire to

187 foil their plan. The idea is *- 'If you try to marry with me unlawfully, inspite of my parents' refusal, you will be consigned to a dense forest of swords, where fire will await your company.' But this is not the intended sense. No beloved would ever write such a message while she acually expressed so much intensity of love by posting the letter so carefully and artistically } Everybody was astonished at the depth of Prince Harivahana's power of appreciation, except Prince Samaraketu who was all the while sighing and restless with unbearable agony. Prince Kamalagupta tried unsuccessfully to give a jolly turn by connecting the incident with Samaraketu . When entreated by Prince Harivahana, Samaraketu said: "O Prince : I am really surprised at your extraordinary grasp of the innermost recesses of human hearts.How could you fathom my thoughts? When you have pressed me I have got to narrate to you the whole story. Please listen. SAMARAKETU'S ROMANTIC ACCOUNT(pp.114-161): There is in the Simhala country a city named Rangasala, where my father candraketu rules.Once, in order to inflict punishment p on defiant feudatories, he detailed a unit of his naval fleet, appointed me as his heir-appa-

188 鈧� rent and commissioned me in charge of its command. On an auspicious day, having duly worshipped the favourite deities and having honoured Brahmins with gifts of dresses etc., I went to the court where I sat on a golden throne. After being honoured by city courtezans with ceremonial send-off, I mounted an elephant named Amaravallabha, who was driven by a driver called Vajrankusa, and set out for the task in company of a few ministers, vassals and admirals. Reciprocating the greetings of the citizens, I crossed the boundaries of the city and marched through the rural country and forests and arrived at the shore of the southern ocean, where I camped for three days in order to take rest and make advance preparations for the capmaign. On the fourth day in the afternoon I offered my worship to the ocean and, having ordered the captains to get ready for the expedition, I came to the outer court from where I saw, among the group of oarsmen, a handsom sailor youth about twenty years in age.Astonished at the contrast he afforded with his monstrous associates, I asked about him to Yaksapalita, one of my admirals. I was informed that he was a captain of the oarsmen. But noticing that I was not convinced about a sailor possessing such an impressive presonality, he began to give a detailed

189 report about him thus: THE ROMANTIC INTERLUDE OF TARAKA, A SAILOR YOUTH (pp.126-130):There is in the Suvarnadvipa a city called Manipura, where lived a merchant named Vaisravana, who was highly experienced in seafaring and honoured by the king and citizens. In his old age his wife Vasudatta begot a very handsom son who was named Taraka. Having been properly educated in sciences and arts, he took to seafaring right from his teens and arrived, with a ship, here, to Rangasala. Shortly after his arrival here, he made friends, somehow, with a sailor chieftain named Jalaketu, who had a beautiful daughter, Priyadarsana. Once Priyadarsana went, on behalf of her father, to Taraka's house to hand over a pearl necklace, when she saw him and instantly fell in love with him. He, on his part, received her well with all the formalities and sent her back. But thenceforward she began to visit his house off and on. One day, when she was at his house and was playing with her friends, suddenly she saw him approaching. Being overpowered with bashfulness she tried to escape but her feet failed her and she slipped off from over the steps of the staircase.Taraka i

190 came running in order to save her and caught her by her right palm. When she got up, he asked her to calm down and then return home. But Priyadarsana just smiled significantly and told him that as he had caught her right hand she was, from that moment practically his married wife, who considered his home as her own.Taraka was amused and he readily accepted her as his bride and married her there and then by the Gandharva ceremony. Taraka's days passed happily in her company and he left his seafaring in the lurch. He was informed that his wife was really a daughter of a merchant whose ship collapsed in the sea and she, the daughter of the merchant, was rescued and brought up by Jalaketu. Inspite of this information, and repeated entreaties of the accompanying merchants, he was too ashamed to return home and, therefore, settled here. Lord Candraketu came to know about him and put him in charge of his naval unit. Serving his term therein, he developed uncommon skill in handling vessals of various types and acquired minute knowledge about every nook and corner of this ocean. In view of his exceptional fortitude and unrivalled courage rarely to be found in one born in merchant a community, he has been

191 promoted to rank of the Chief of all the sailor squadrons. He is now detailed to take charge of your ship. Please put your confidence in him and he will see you through all the odds in the course ofthis expedition." (Here ends the admiral's report.) SAMARAKETU'S ACCOUNT CONTINUES (pp.130 ff.) In the meantime, Taraka approached me and submitted that the ship, Vijayayatra, was ready, stuffed as it was with all the necessary supplies, and requested me to board it. I, then came to the shore, bade good-buy to all who had come to see me off, saluted the ocean and boarded the ship. The accompanying princes and others also boarded their respective ships. The conch was blown as the signal and the fleet started and voyaged on and on till it arrived near the Suvela mountain, where we put up our camp. On the very first day, after having defeated Parvataka, a Bhilla chieftain, Atri,a captain of mine, came to me and submitted on behalf of the admiral that to the left was the mount Ratnakuta, a veritable ornament of the Pancasaila-dvipa. This mountain was carried here by Hanuman from the Meru mountain. Deeming it improper to set such a pearl mountain among the stones for setting up a bridge, the Chief Engineer

192 Nila put it aside in the ocean. It abounds in many miracles and for that reason you would like to pay a visit there.If we camp here for a couple of days the fleet will also get some rest. I gave my assent and the signal was given for a halt. The soldiers began to land and the whole fleet was busy putting up the camp. At that time a sweet note of divine music from the north-east side of Mount Ratnakuta sounded my ears. It captivated my mind and I asked Taraka if he could get ready with me to launch a beat in the direction of the music and inquire. Taraka initially discouraged me saying that the island was encircled by a castle-wall and that the waters were dangerously turbulent there with risky rocks. But realizing my eagerness, he got ready at last and we started in the direction with barely half a dozen crew. We came near the island, sailed around it once to locate the source of the music, when, all of a sudden, it stopped. We were helpless and Taraka asked me for orders to return. I hung my head down from shame for having put them into such a predicament. We somehow passed the night in the boat. Towards the dawn we looked up and saw, on the island, an extremely bright hallow of light which gradually turned out to be the

193 retinue of some Vidyadhara king approaching from the Suvela mountain. Having seen it, I ordered Taraka to sail on, while the Vidyadharas began to inquire among themselves about us. Having sailed for a short distance, I saw a wonderful divine temple and our hopes got a fresh lease of life. Taraka observed that it was difficult to get into the temple, it being surrounded by a castle- -wall and the windows being too high to be reached. He thought it advisable to wait there till some inmate could guide and enable them to get in to pay their homage to the deity therein. SAMARAKETU ENAMOURED OF AN UNKNOWN BEAUTY KXXXX (MALAYASUNDARI)--(pp. 158rf.):At that moment, we heard a sweet jingling of anklets. Looking up I saw a group of lustrously beautiful girls. Among them my eyes were captured at the sight of a damsel of unprecedented beauty and of about sixteen autobiographical years of age. (Samaraketu's/account ends here)