Kathakoca or Treasury of Stories

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

Page 71

saying: “The queen is dead-is dead.” Then, by the command of the king, many people skilled in spells and amulets* came together to see her, but they also gave her up. Then the ministers said to the king : “Your majesty, let the last rites be performed to her corpse." The king said: “Let me also be consumed with fire along with her.” The people exclaimed : “Sir, it is not fitting that a man should die for the sake of a mere woman.” The king said : “What will not affection do?” So he quickly got together logs of sandalwood, and in spite of many similar remonstrances would not desist. Then, while the drums were beaten and the people shed tears, the king proceeded to the cemetery, and making a funeral-pyre, he prepared to enter the flame with his darling wife. At that moment a witch came running up, making a lamentation while still at a distance, and said to the king : “Sir, do not do that rash act.” The king said: “Reverend lady, I wish to live with my beloved.” The witch said : “If that is so, wait a moment, and I will restore your beloved to life, in the sight of all the people.” When the king heard that, his heart became full of joy. Then she put another root into the nose of the queen, and she recovered. When the king saw her alive he danced with his arms in the air. Then the king returned into the city with Crídeví, and bestowed on the witch the gift of five things. The king ruled with Crídeví as his consort. The witch died, and was born again as a hen-parrot. Just now, when I saw Crídeví at your side, I remembered my former birth.'
When the queen heard this speech of the hen-parrot, she said: 'Revered one, how comes it that you were born as a bird ?' . The hen-parrot said : Queen, owing to the power of actions souls go through all conditions. When the king heard this he was pleased with the couple of parrots, and granted immunity from death to the cock-parrot. He said to the keepers of the rice-field : ‘You must leave out every day near the field a droņa of rice for this pair of parrots.'
* Yantra. The word may perhaps mean blunt surgical instruments.