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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
(NOVEMBER, 1897.
to judge of the affair, who pacified Chandra- portion of it, a large number of diamonds fell sarma by saying that a Brahman is at liberty to out of the fruit. The king was wonderstruck marry from among all the four castes.
and called upon the steward to produce the
fruit entrusted to him. On their being produced The king then married Chandrasarma first to
and broken open, the king found to his utter his puróhit's daughter, then to his own daughter,
amazement an additional number of diamonds. thirdly to the daughter of the wealthiest mer.
The king, feeling very pleased with the sannydrin, chant of the locality, and lastly to the girl
enquired of his errand, when the latter inin question. As the king had no male issue, formed him that he was intent upon performing a he transferred one-half of his kingdom with the
great tapas, that he needed therefore the king's necessary army to Chandraserma, retained him!
help and that he would tell him the business, at his own place and lived happily. Chandra
should he (the king) come to bis abode on the sarma had four lodgings prepared for his four fifteenth day from that date at dead of night. wives, kept each of them in a separate house, He would then help him, for his tapas would performed his daily ablutions in the house of
be fulfilled. The king consented and dressed his Brahman wife, and lived happily, not swerving himself like a warrior, and, with sword in from tho injunctione laid down in the Sastras. hand, went to the spot, appeared respectfully beSometime after the king died and as he had left fore the sannydain and asked him what he wanted no sons, Chandrasarma was installed king of him to do. The sannydsin said: "O king! you the whole realm by the ministers, puróhits, and do not fail to abide by your promise. I am the people. He had by his Brahman wife & son very glad you have come here. Whenever I named Varuruchi; by the second, Vikramarka; intend to perform a tapas, one Béthala throws by the third, Bhatti; and by the fourth, Hari. as many obstacles as he can in the way, and All the four sons were well educated. Chandra- never allows it to reach completion. As you sarma being very much pleased with the noble are the strongest and bravest of men, if you will qualities of Vikramarka, and as he was moreover bring Bêthåla here, tied hand and foot, there the collateral grandson of the late monarch, will be no one to throw obstacles in the way of installed him king and made Bhatti his premier. my tapas. If you talk to Bethala while bringing Vikramarka then prayed to the goddess, Kali, him here, he will assuredly run away. You should who, being greatly pleased with his severe austeri. therefore not talk to him at all." Vikramarka ties, appeared before him and granted him a boon, then enquired the whereabouts of Béthala, that he would rule for one thousand years, that went and tied him up and carried bim on his neither gods, spirite, demons nor giants should back. Bêthala said to him that he would put be able to vanquish him, and that he would him a question which if he knowingly failed to meet his death by the hand of a child, born to a answer, would break his bead into a thousand girl thirteen months old. Vikramarka then came pieces :home and informed Bbatti of what bad transpired,
lingIn dave long cone by there lived & when the latter said that he would extend the
king named Yasakéthu, who held sway over period of the life of Vikramarka by an additional
gobhavatipura according to the dharmas laid one thousand years. On his questioning the
down in the Sastras. Close to the town was former how he was able to grant the boon, Bhatti
a temple of the goddess Kali, to whom the townsreplied :-"The goddess Káli has blessed you that
folk were in the habit of performing jatras year you should rule for one thousand years. Rule
after year. Once, while the women of the town over the kingdom for six months and travel over
were bathing in the temple tank, Dhavala, a the world for the other six months, so that by the
washerman of another town, while going to time you have ruled for one thousand years,
Sôbhavatipura on business, passed through the you will practically live for two thousand years." Vikramarka was greatly pleased with
temple and saw the women bathing. He fell in
love with one of them, and hid himself in a certhe tactics of Bhatti and did as directed. He
tain quarter, and not being able to bear the finelybecame afterwards one of the world's best
pointed darts of Cupid, followed her to a little rulers.
distance from her home, promising, meanwhile, Once upon a time a samydain came to Vikra- to offer the goddess kalf his head a fow days marka, blessed him and gave him a fruit. The after the accomplishment of his cherished object. same thing was repeated day after day and the He was terribly love-sick, and did not go to king used to give it over to his steward. On a Sobhávatipura at all, but went home and became certain day the fruit was given by the king to a more and more emaciated day by day. His parents, monkey standing near, and when the latter bit a who learnt the whole affair, enquired of their son of
