Rajatarangini of Kalhana:Kings of Kashmira/Appendix G
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Being A Translation of the Sanskrit Work
Rajatarangini of Kalhana Pandita
By Jogesh Chunder Dutt
1887
London: Trubner & Co.Here is an account of the lives of this king and queen on their previous births : — The king in his former life was a dice-player; he lost everything in the play, and become indifferent to worldly life. He then wished to commit suicide. Thus dice-players are never satisfied till they have lost everything. But then he felt a desire to see (he goddess Bhramaravasini who was in the Vindhya hills, though the attempt might cost him his life, and to get her blessing. For five yoyanas round the place where the goddess resided, the black bees used to sting those who approached, and so made the place inaccessible. But the dice-player thought light of the danger, for life he thought was transient. He first covered himself with mail, then with buffalo hide, and then with clay and dung. The sun dried up the clay, which gave him pain, and he looked like moving brick. Despairing of life he left the direct way and went through deep dark caverns. The noise of the black bees which deafened the ear, rose like the sound of death. The dust that rose from the first layer of clay blinded their eyes, and though they stung, yet they could not oppose him. They retired for a time, but after the pilgrim had proceeded three yoyanas, the first layer of clay was all rubbed away. Then the bees fell on the buffalo hide, and made a loud "chata-chata" sound. When he had proceeded half a yojana more, he knew by the " rana-rana" sound that the bees had fallen on his iron mail. He then began to run fast, but the iron cover was cut by the bees and fell off from his body, but still he did not lose patience. When the house of the goddess was yet two kroshas distant, he began to run driving the black bees with his hands. When he leached her house, only bones and small blood-vessels were left, his flesh being torn off; and, his eyes were protected with his hands. Then the bees ceased to sting, he looked round, and fell almost dead at, the feet of the goddess. The goddess touched him with her hand and revived him, and renewed his body and made it good. He soon revived by tho touch of the heavenly hand and looked round, but saw not the awful figure of the goddess seated on the lion that he had seen when he had entered the room. But he saw a young woman
[p.xii]: by the aide of a tank in the midst of a garden. Her necklace was flowing over her swelling bosom, her small foot were dyed red, and her lips were of the same color. Her hair was black, and moon-like was her face, and small was her waist. Finding her so lovely and alone, he felt a passion for her, and thought her to be an Apsara. The girl then addressed him with kindness " you have suffered weariness in your way, O! beautiful, rest yourself and ask for blessing." " My weariness is gone," replied he, " at your sight, and how can I ask you for blessing, you are not the goddess." " How you are mistaken, exclaimed she, " be I goddess or not I can bestow favor on you." When she promised that she would give him whatever he might ask for, he disrespectfully asked permission to be familiar with her. " How evil-minded you are" she exclaimed, " ask for any thing else, for I am the goddess Bhramaravasini." Even when he knew her to be the goddess, his mind would not be calm, for who can oppose desires even to the next life. He said that if she wished to redeem her promise, she must grant what he had asked for, for he wished for nothing else, "Not the least part of that," continued he, " which is fixed by fate is left undone. Be you goddess or be you the wife of Shiva, be you hedious or lovely, I see in you the same being that I saw before." Soeing him fixed in his determination, she said that his desire would be fulfilled in his next birth. " Heavenly beings do not wish to cohabit with mortals, so begone," she said and disappeared. He then went to Prayaga, and fell from the Vata tree ; his soul left his body, wishing in the last moment that the words of the goddess might be fulfilled. He then became Ranaditya, and the goddess became Ranarambha in their next births, and they did not forget the history of their past births.