Kathakoca or Treasury of Stories

Author(s): C H Tawney
Publisher: Oriental Books Reprint Corporation New Delhi

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longing for your rice, and he satisfied it. When the king heard that he laughed, and said to the parrot : 'Parrot, you are said to be a wise bird. How do you show your wisdom by throwing away your life for the sake of a female ?' Then the hen-parrot said: 'My lord, a brave man disregards mother, father, and other relations, and abandons his life for the sake of his consort, as you, king, once on a time abandoned your life for the sake of Srideví. So wherein is this cock-parrot to blame? The king was astonished at her speech, and vexed, and said to himself :
How does this hen-parrot know my history ?' He then said to her: 'Tell me, hen-parrot, how came you to use me as an illustration ? Tell me the whole story; I feel great curiosity about it.' The hen-parrot said: 'My lord, long ago in your city there was a witch ; she was full of many tricks and treacheries, and your wife paid her much attention. One day your wife Çrídeví made this request to the witch : “My good woman, I have become the most unfortunate of all the queens, so do you bestow on me some expedient by which I may become the king's darling." Then the witch gave her a fascinating spell. By the power of that spell she became the king's favourite, and was made the head queen, superior to all the ladies of the harem. Then she gave gifts, and enjoyed pleasures at will. One day that witch said to the queen: “Have you not, queen, gained all your heart's desires ?” She answered: “Thanks to you, I have obtained them all. But I wish to test the affection of the king, whether he will make his life or death dependent on my life or death; this is the real test of affection.” The witch said: “If this is your object, take herbs which are to be applied to the nose, in order that you may be as dead. Afterwards I will restore you to life with another root." The queen took the potent herbs, and the witch went to her own place. Thereupon the queen Çrídeví, having applied the herbs to her nose, lay down to sleep by the side of the king. In the morning she appeared to be dead. Accordingly in the king's palace a sound of lamentation arose. Everybody began to lament,