Srngaramanjari Katha

Author(s): Bhojdev, Kalpalata K Munshi
Publisher: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

Page 57

ŚṚNGARAMANJARIKATHA
clutches of a king. The later was a queen who loved a low-born elephant-driver and was punished in the end.
34
The motifs of both these stories seem to be popular for we have parallel versions. In the Kathasaritsagara24 we have the story of the courtesan Kumudikā, a friend of king Vikramasimha. She helped him in times of distress, but the king's minister Anangatunga warned the king against her. In order to test her the king feigned death and was carried to the burning ghat. Fearlessly Kumudikā ascended the funeral pyre after him. The king was now convinced of her loyalty and returned. Anangatunga still would not trust her. Once with her wealth the king conquered his enemies. He was much pleased and asked her to choose a boon. Then she told him that her true lover was a captive of the king of Ujjayinī and that Vikrama should wage war on that king and free her lover. The king was shocked and surprised, but fulfilled her wish and united them.
The same story is reproduced in the Kalaviläsa of Kṣemendra.25 The only difference is that her lover is described as a captive in Vidarbha. The changes in the version of the SMK make the story more realistic and better motivated. Lavanyasundari is the wife of an oilman and her attachment to her husband is only natural. She resorts to the powerful king Vikrama to win him over and thereby gain a gift of one hundred elephants to bring about the release of her husband. It does not sound probable that a king wars with another merely for the sake of an ordinary individual. Another change is that after undergoing a number of tests to prove her loyalty Lavanyasundari finally kills herself only to be received by the grace of the Goddess Asapura. Of course, the supernatural element of Divine grace has to be introduced, but it is a common motif, and it looks more plausible than that of the king himself posing as dead and going right up to the burning ghat.
Lastly we come to the story of the unfaithful queen. 'Adultery' is the motif of the story. In the Kathasaritsägara we read of the love of the married woman for a low-born ugly wretch.20 The Daśakumaracarita27 also has such an episode. A similar story is found in the life of Yasodhara as described in Somadeva's Yasastilakacampu.28 It runs as follows: One night when the king Yasodhara was in the apartments of queen Amṛtagati he saw her go out secretly to his crippled and ugly elephant-driver. The king followed her. He saw the elephant-driver getting angry at her delay and beating her in anger. The king was surprised, disillusioned and sorrowful. In the end, however, unlike our kathānikā, the king is killed by the The closest parallel to Muladeva's
queen.
28. Book III.
24. X, 2.
25. IV, 15-38 vss., pp. 57-59.
26. X, 9.
27. Book VI.