Kathakoca or Treasury of Stories

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

Page 99

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Vasantadeva will be your husband.” Kesará made the knot which it is usual to make on perceiving an omen. Then Priyankará related Kesará's dream to Vasantadova, and Vasantadeva, for his part, related his own dream, and thinking from the tallying of the dreams that his object was as good as accomplished, he was highly delighted. In this way some time passed, while the mutual affection of that couple kept every day increasing. Now, one day Vasantadeva, while in his own house, heard the sound of festive drums in the house of the merchant Panchanandin. He exclaimed: “Ha! what is this ?" and then & maidservant said: “To-day Kesará has been given to Varadatta, the son of the merchant Sudatta, who is a native of Kanyakubja ; hence this rejoicing,” When Vasantadeva heard this he fainted. At this moment Priyankara arrived and comforted Vasantadeva, and said: “I have been sent by Kesará, and she sends the following message to you,
You must not grieve. My mother, father, and relations, not knowing my heart, have begun all this business ; but certainly you are my real husband. If I cannot obtain you, my only resource is to die.'” When Vasantadeva heard this he was satisfied, and his fainting-fit came to an end: Then Vasantadeva said : " My good woman, in this conjuncture my resolution is the same.” Then Priyankará went and told this to Kesará ; she was, so to speak, born again. Those two spent many days in thinking of a device for getting married. Then the troop of bridegroom's friends arrived. Then Vasantadeva said to himself : “To-morrow early the marriage will take place.” Having heard this news, he went out of the city in despair, and, entering into the wood, said to himself : “Oh, the wanton sport of fate! That maiden promised to marry me, and now that her mother and father are giving her to another, she will commit suicide. So I had better abandon my life before I hear of her death.” After going through these reflections he fastened a noose on the branch of an Açoka-tree, and tied himself to it. At that moment a man rushed forth from a dense thicket of the wood like a friend,