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Citrasena padmavaticaritra
on her own part never to see a male again. While entertaining such thoughts she was burnt alive along with her offspring. When, however, the male returned it was already too late. He found to his great dismay that his mate and the young ones had been burnt by the conflagration. This tragedy shocked him so much that his heart failed. It was this pair of swans that was born as Citrasena and Padmavati in their present birth, as a consequence of the virtue won by praising the merchant's act of charity. "On seeing the image and hearing the story of the last birth, Citrasena was reminded of his own part in it and fainted." (108-121)
Thus acquainted with Padmavatî he asked the kevalin about the means by which he
4. Cf. Tawney: Ocean of story III pp. 291 ff. Offspring of a pair of swans was carried off by a wave of the sea. The male bird asked the female not to lament the loss so much. At this the latter killed herself thinking that males had no affection for their offspring and mates. In the next birth she was reborn as a princess and resolved not to marry. The male bird was reborn as a prince. On meeting her he reminded her of their previous life by a word picture and married her.
