________________
Story of mother and son punished for cursing 55
in Pāṭalapura. A marriage was arranged for the pair, but Arunadeva, not being ready to marry, started on a mercantile expedition with a friend of his, Maheçvara. Their ship was wrecked, but they reached the shore near Paṭalapura. Maheçvara left his friend in a ruined temple, to get food, before the latter should put in appearance as bridegroom. Arunadeva, worn out by fatigue, fell asleep. Then the former Sarga as well as his former mother Candra were both overtaken by their karma in their previous birth. A robber cut off Devini's hands, while she was promenading in the garden, in order to steal her bracelets. Beadles took up his pursuit; he fled into the ruined temple where Aruṇadeva was sleeping. There he dropped the bracelets and his sword.23 Aruņadeva woke up; thought that the divinity of the temple had made him a present; hid away the bracelet; and was just wondering what the sword meant, when the beadles arrived in pursuit, took him for the thief, and beat him, until the bracelets fell from him. They brought him before the king by whose command he was impaled upon a stake. Maheçvara returned, missed Arunadeva, and, on inquiry, learned that a thief had been captured there. Suspecting disaster, he soon came upon Arunadeva impaled, and at the sight broke into terrible lamentations, falling down in a faint. When he came to he explained that the victim was Arunadeva. In his despair he attempted to kill himself with a rock, but was restrained by the spectators (476). Jasaditya also heard of the occurrence, went there with Deviņi; and at the sight fell in a faint. On recovering he begged to enter the funeral fire. The king heard of the affair, went there, and consoled Jasaditya by pointing out the irresistible power of
"See note 29, on p. 37.
