द्वितीय राजतरङ्गिणी (जोनराज - कल्हणोत्तर मध्यकालीन कश्मीर का प्रामाणिक इतिहास)

KINGS OF KASHMÍRA. 51

elephants with his herd in the presence of a lion ?
But it would not be wise by our advice to destroy
his power, for the sensible Udayashrī, out of regard
for his late master, guards the prince. O ! Chief of
kings ! Hassana is not a fit object of your favour,
nor is he to be cast off ; he will become proud if you
favour him, and will cause you harm if you cast him
off ; as a man of spirit he will never forgive a wrong.
Does not the submarine fire always heat the sea ? Im-
prison him therefore and remove the anxiety of the
people,—those who are anxious for the king and also
those who are not.” As water becomes unsuitable for
drink if it flows into a lake from a dirty pool, even so the
king became estranged from Hassana by the words of
the wicked.
The king noticed the strange and haughty conduct
of the prince, he marked it, he heard of it, and he felt
it, but as the prince was his brother’s son, the king
did not imprison him out of affection. Udayashrī no-
ticed that the king was vexed with the prince, and thus
said to the prince’s nurse, the widow of Lolaḍāmara.
‘Ḍāmara Lolaka died, out of his affection for his late
master, and he did not tarnish his honor by serving
a new and wicked master. There is no hope of obtain-
ing wealth from the present evil minded king, and the
life of Hassana who was brought up by you is in dan-
ger. Ask the king therefore to accept the wealth which
you possess, so that this avaricious man may come

52 KINGS OF KASHMÍRA:
to your house. When he is once in your house we will
kill him or seize him by force, and then the prince will
prosper." It so happened that this plan was revealed
to the king; Udayashrī became alarmed, and caused
Hassana to flee. Men like him are precious like the philo-
sopher's stone, and are worthy of praise in this world,
for he remanied fixed in his resolution, and he caused
another to flee. He was engaged in an undertaking
than which nothing could be more desperate; and he
was detected in it, but the forgiving king did not be-
head him. Udayashrī's faults were concealed in his worth,
and he passed his days, pure in appearance, like a lotus
in the mud. Though the moon-jewel be at a distance
from the moon, and concealed in water, does it not
even then emit moisture when embraced by the rays
of the moon? Thus thought Udayashrī to himself,
and he felt a desire to go to the prince; but the
king, who had heard of his treason, placed him in
prison; and, as if instigated by the gods who seemed to
know his purpose and that of his instructor, slew him in
anger. The elephant which crushes the lotus, the wind
that breaks the sandal tree, and the king who destroys
good men deserve censure in the three worlds. This
world is like a garden, and men are the flowers, and it is
in their words that praise which is like perfume, is sought..
As the blind man, who has lost his hands and feet, becomes
excessively timid, even so prince Hassana became timid
at the death of Udayashrī. The evil minded Khasha

KINGS OF KASHMÍRA. 53
chiefs were glad at the reward bestowed on them by their
master, and even attempted to kill prince Hassana.
When the enemies were confounded and dispirited, and
they melted away, the wisdom of the king became like
a light to the people. Then on the banks of the Vitastā
he built a town marked with his name, and the lofty
golden umbrella placed upon it seemed, by its beauty, to
mock the skies. The king saw that the people died of
famine every year and he performed a Jajña in the
month of Bhādra, and distributed large gifts.
In the old age of this king, the hair about his ears
became white, as if by listening to the nectar like words
of good men. But the king was not yet blessed with a
boy who would have been an ornament to the family,
a rock of support to the world, and a destroyer of the
enemy's prosperity. At last there came a yogi named
Brahmanātha from Kashmīra, and through his favour, the
king obtained a son after a time. The queen gave birth
to a son who was the ornament of the family and the
delight of his father, who was like a feast after a fast, a
subverter of darkness, and a destroyer of the eyes of
enemies. The king of the world saw the child who was like
the abode of love, and he named it Shṛiṅgāra. In the
festivities which were held on the occasion, the king, out
of the gladness of his heart, ordered the imprisoned to be
released, and it is strange that the boats in the bridge of
boats were still kept chained. The queen gave birth to
another boy, named Haivata, whose beauty rebuked the

54 KINGS OF KASHMÍRA.
moon. It was a spot in the character of the king, as
there is a spot in the moon, that he took unto him as
his wife the dame world, although she was of his family.
On the second day of the dark moon, in the month of
Bhādra, in the year 65, king Kumbhadīna, the chief
among kings, died. The queen was sunk in sorrow,
and the two princes were infants, the subjects were
therefore without a master and were struck with fear.
The profuse tears of the queen were like the rains in
the rainy season, and the ministers were like fish therein.
Uddaka and Sāhaka consoled the heroic queen. They
said, that it was useless to indulge in grief, that one
must have patience under such a misfortune, and that
the evil minded people were rising in the kingdom which
was without a strong ruler and without a king. They
then crowned the elder Shekandhara [Sekender] as king
of this great kingdom. By the order of the new king,
Uddaka treacherously burnt Mahammada, son of Sāha,
and his own daughter and son-in-law to death. The huge
whale unwittingly devours its spawn, and the bee which is
destined to perish when its hive will be robbed of honey,
destroys its own mother. What wicked deed will not
foolish men do under temptations,—their senses per-
plexed, and knowing that at the end they will be con-
sumed by fire? The prosperity of the great queen
ShrīShobhā was worthy of admiration. She beautified
the world with a golden linga, and the heaven with the
mark of her own virtue.

KINGS OF KASHMÍRA. 55
Uddaka apprehended that as he had destroyed the
king's friend, he would be killed, and he removed the
king's brother by poison. He had sworn to Sāhaka
that he would by his own sword cut his own throat
before rising against Sāhaka. By such assurance, he
obtained the confidence of Sāhaka and killed him. To
the evil minded, whose destruction is near, their evil
deed becomes the harbinger of their death. The king
was apprehensive that he would be killed like his bro-
ther, but he had now grown up, and he made his party
strong. But the proud Udda, who had returned after
conquering the Bhauṭṭas, was unable to brook the ad-
vancement of others, and he killed Khuñjyārāja, brother
of Shrī Shobhā. Uddaka then ordered Mammaka, a
dependant of his, to create a disturbance at Dvāra, and
discarding the king's affection for him, he went in pride
to Helara. He heard that Laddarāja and others were
following the king, bow in hand, and were prepared for
battle in some deserted place. They whose destruction
is nigh think themselves to be sensible men, and gene-
rally mistake their own shadow for ghosts. The soldiers
of Udda had come prepared for fight, but when they
saw some she-buffaloes on the other side of the Vitastā,
they mistook them for horses, and fled. The king
pursued them, and at night captured Uddaka at Vitas-
tāpura, but was afraid of a disturbance in the city and
returned. Though Uddaka deserved to be killed, the
king cast him into prison out of pity. But Uddaka

56 KINGS OF KASHMÍRA.
was stained with the sin of treachery against those who
had confided in him, he feared death from the king
who was mild on account of his kindness, and he cut
his throat by his own sword. As the king of birds kills
serpents, and the lion kills jackals, so the king of the
world killed the guards placed on him. Kingdom and
the safety of his body and mind and his personal free-
dom were preserved to the king even like the fruits of
penance performed in the midst of five fires.
The king dispelled the gathering gloom of the pride
of other kings, and commenced his march which alas!
terrified Indra. His great prowess coloured the world
red, but made colourless the nails of the sorrowing
wives of hostile kings. At this time the king of the
mlechchhas had plundered Ḍilli and made it like a
widow deprived of ornaments and without a protector.
When the king of the mlechchhas returned, he was
afraid of the king of Kashmira, and gave him two large
elephants as presents. The elephants exuded moisture
as they passed and the line marked by the moisture
was the boundary of the kingdom of Kashmira which
the king of the mlechchhas himself seemed to demar-
kate. The two big elephants looked like peaks of the
Himālaya, and Agastya became angry, apprehending
that the Vindhya mountain was rising in dimension.
When they crossed the Vitastā, they saw their own
reflection in the water, and became angry, mistaking
the shadows for rival elephants. They were proud of

KINGS OF KASHMÍRA. 57.
their rounded foreheads which mocked the beauty of
the bosoms of the king's wives. They were stabled
in the elephant stable which was like a prison to them.
The bountiful king not only satisfied those who
asked, with gift of gold, but even distributed it of his
own accord. When he made gifts, his hands hung down
and were contracted, for he felt abashed at the praises
of those who asked, and obtained what they asked.
Who can describe his gifts? He dipped his hand in
water before making a gift, and his hand looked like a
lotus under the water. The lines on his thumb were
like barley grains, but they did not sprout by being
constantly drenched in water ; because, I imagine, of
their constant contact with the handle of the sword.
It was perhaps owing to the sins of the subjects that
the king had a fondness for the Yavanas, even as a boy
has a fondness for mud. Many Yavanas left other
sovereigns and took shelter under this king who was
renowned for charity, even as bees leave the flowers and
settle on elephants. As the bright moon is among the
stars, so was Mahammada of Mera country among these
Yavanas ; and although he was a boy, he became their
chief by learning. The king waited on him daily, humble
as a servant, and like a student he daily took his lessons
from him. He placed Mahammada before him, and
was attentive to him like a slave. As the wind destroys
the trees, and the locusts the shāli crop, so did the
Yavanas destroy the usages of Kashmīra. Attracted by

58 KINGS OF KASHMÍRA.
the gifts and honors which the king bestowed, and by
his kindness, the mlechchhas entered Kashmīra, even
as locusts enter a good field of corn.
On a certain occasion the king subdued the king of
Udabhāṇḍapura, and being pleased with his daughter
Shrī Merā, obtained her as the goddess of victory in-
carnate. She was surely a goddess, born in the family
of Shāhi, and her son was destined, on a future day, to
consolidate Kashmīra destroyed by the mlechchhas.
That boy named Shrī Jainollābhadīna was like virtue
incarnate in the Kali Yuga and like the king of hermits,
he became the king's favourite.
A certain wily alchemist named Mahādeva gave
some drug to the king and spoke to him of alchemy, and
said that the golden Meru was indebted to the king
for having constantly borne the weight of the world,
and had through Mahādeva, bestowed much gold on
him. But his alchemy did not remove Mahādeva's
poverty. He deluded the sight by deception, and ex-
hibited gold in the crucible, and the delusion lasted for
a long time. But the king by his strong sense detected
the trick, and told Mahādeva of it. Alarmed at this dis-
covery, Mahādeva committed suicide.
Laddarāja the physician Shaṅkara, and Bhaṭṭa Sūha
were the councillors of the king and were intimate with
him. Three sons were born to queen Merā, beautiful
as Cupid, and like Virtue, Wealth, and Desire personi-
fied ; and they were adorned with the names of Mera-

KINGS OF KASHMÍRA. 59
khāna, Shāhikhāna, and Mahmadakhāna, as the three
worlds are beautified by the waves of the Ganges. The
sons of queen Shovā were adopted children, and were
therefore banished. One of them, Piruja, was, however, not
banished from the city by the king. On the side of
Pradyumna hill, the king built a town, even like the
town of Alakā reflected on the Mānasa lake, and in-
habited by virtuous people. The Yavanas, who had
accumulated wealth, were indifferent as to the king's
treasure, whether it was large or small. The kingdom of
Kashmīra was polluted by the evil practices of the
mlechchhas, and the Brāhmanas, the mantras, and the
gods relinquished their power. The gods who used to
make the glory of their prowess manifest, even as fire-
flies manifest their light, now hid their glory on ac-
count of the country's sin. When the gods withdrew
their glory, their images became mere stones, and the
mantras, mere letters. Owing to the sin of the Kali
yuga, the merits of those who did virtuous acts were lost,
and the gods deserted the images, even as serpents cast
off their skins. As a crystal becomes red or white or
black by the reflection of the object that is near it,
even so, the king became changed. Sūhabhaṭṭa who
disregarded the acts enjoined by the Vedas, and was
instructed by the mlechchhas, instigated the king to
break down the images of gods. The good fortune of the
subjects left them, and so the king forgot his kingly
duties and took a delight, day and night, in breaking

60 KINGS OF KASHMÍRA.
images. Of the tree of misgovernment [which was now
planted] Harṣhadeva the Turuṣhka was the seedling,
sinfulness was the root and the terrible devastations
caused by the Lavanyas were the leaves. Its flower
was Ḍalacha the king of the mlechchhas ; and its fruits
were the daily troubles of the king who broke images
at the instigations of the mlechchhas. He broke the
images of Mārttaṇḍa, Viṣhaya, Īshāna, Chakrabhṛit,
and Tripureshvara ; but what can be said of the evil
that came on him by the breaking of the Sheṣha ? When
Sureshvarī, Varāha, and others were broken, the world
trembled, as if through fear, but not so the mind of the
wicked king. There was no city, no town, no village,
no wood, where Sūha the Turuṣhka left the temples of
gods unbroken. Of the images which once had existed,
the name alone was left, and Sūhabhaṭṭa then felt the
satisfaction which one feels on recovering from illness.
Sūhabhaṭṭa with the leaders of the army tried to destroy
the caste of the people ; it was like a boy eating the
unwholesome food. The Brāhmaṇas declared that
they would die if they lost their caste, and Sūhabhaṭṭa
subjected them to a heavy fine because they held to
their caste. At the time when his dependents who
belonged to the Brāhmaṇa and other castes forsook
their caste, ambitious to obtain the favour of the king,
Shrī Siṁha and Bhaṭṭakasthūṭa, two merchants, became
worthy of praise, and Shrī Nirmmalāchāryyavaryya
deserved praise in the three worlds. Nirmmalāchāryya

KINGS OF KASHMÍRA. 61
varyya gave up all his property, as if it was worthless
as grass, but did not by accepting the king's favour
pollute his own caste. It is an established rule, that
the master is responsible for the fault of his servant,
and therefore for the fault of Sūhabhaṭṭa Death became
angry with the king. Having coronated his eldest son,
king Shekandhara died on the eighth lunar day of
Jaiṣṭha, in the year 89.
Ālishāha, then, like the moon, when his sun-like
father was set, dispelled the world's darkness which
came at nightfall. He was a boy and unfit for the joys
of love, but the goddess of fortune, born in the family,
bent herself down and embraced him again and again.
The other kings bowed to this boy as they had done
to the late king. He who is bitten by a serpent does
not venture to assail a rope. Sūhabhaṭṭa had devoted
all his energies to doing mischief to the gods, and he
therefore became chief among the king's ministers.
Ladda the Mārgapati had, suspecting nothing, left
aside his arms but he was siezed with all his sons except
Mahammada. When the powerful Mahammada, who
knew well about the roads of the country, heard about
the capture of Ladda, he fled by the hill road of Bhān-
gila. Shaṅkara, the physician, was besieged, but he
remained fearless, and the intellect of the armed men
though sharp was fruitless against him, and did not
afflict him. The lion which proudly overlooks danger
may set his foot in a trap, but it is strange that the

62 KINGS OF KASHMÍRA.
bird which can see from a distance should also be en-
trapped.
When Mahammada heard of these events, he was
anxious, and wished that he could come to Kashmira
in a day, and day and night he felt ill at ease as a poor
man feels for his daughter. In order to give himself
a little rest, Mahammada entered the house of Govinda,
whom he trusted, in the country of Durddaṇḍa. The
cloud which is born of smoke quenches the fire, the fire
which is born of the friction of trees destroys the
forest, the poison tree dries up the land on which it
grows, and thus the people, overpowered with covet-
ousness, behave with enmity even towards those who
do them good. When Mahammada the Mārgapati,
arrived at the house of Govinda the Khasha suspecting
nothing, the latter thus communed within himself for a
time :—The minister Sūhabhaṭṭa, with a view to prevent
a tumult in the kingdom, had opposed the evil minded
Mahammada who was getting up a faction in the coun-
try, and this sinful and powerless man who was trying
to create a disturbance in the kingdom had that day,
out of fear, entered his place ;—it did not appear therefore
to the Khasha that Mahammada deserved protection.
In the meantime, the shrewed men who had been sent
by Sūhabhaṭṭa in search for Mahammada came to the
house of Govinda the chief of the Khashas ; and that
wicked minded man violated the ties of friendship, and
the duty of protection to one who seeks shelter, and

KINGS OF KASHMÍRA. 63
betrayed his friend Mahammada. As a hunter binds
a sleeping lion, so did the Khasha bind him, as if he
had been an animal, and left him ; and those who had
come in search of him soon took him to Kashmīra. As
the monkey strikes the serpent rendered powerless by
incantations, and as the hunter scatters the mane of a
lion that is dead, even so a strong man may insult one
who is tied down, but what does he gain by it but
censure ? Fearing that the captive should run away,
they placed the honorable, but insulted Mahammada
in the great fort at Bahūrūpa. The new cloud at night
raises the hopes of travellers bound for a distant coun-
try by the light of its lightning but finally overpowers
them ; the lion inspires confidence in his victims by
looking backward before he springs on them. The
Saturn moves in a curve when it overthrows the Ram
and other constellations, so does Fate by a propicious
look inspire confidence in the sinful, but over-
whelms them in the end. Mahammada was consoled
by Shāha, a female servant, and was romoved from his
place of confinement by the sons of his nurse. Maham-
mada, when he was covered with perspiration, deceived
his sentinels by pretending to go to bathe. He entered
the bath, and thence he escaped. He then reached
the place where an opening had been cut by the sons
of his nurse, and he went out, as a swan does from
one great island of this earth to another. There
was a waterfall at Jampā deafening the ear as if in-

64 KINGS OF KASHMÍRA.
anger, and Mahammada left the fort which looked
like a precipice. The stones and the guard could not
prevent his departure, while the noise of the waterfall
drowned the clanking of the chain in his feet. The
sons of his nurse then broke his chain, and they thought
that they broke thereby the friendship between Sūha-
bhaṭṭa and his friends. Sūhabhaṭṭa feared that the old
Mārgapati would escape as Mahammada had done, and
though he had robbed the old man of his money, he
killed him on the way. When the Mārgapati was killed
by the evil minded Sūhabhaṭṭa, all the people blamed
the latter, and wept as at the death of their father.
Sūhabhaṭṭa, for fear of the people, went about every
night under the guidance of skilful men, like a bird
fallen from its nest. To this helpless man the day was
as night and the night as day. Surely when fate be-
comes unpropitious every thing turns out wrong. As
a fisherman becomes sorry when a large fish leaps out
of his boat and escapes, so was Sūhabhaṭṭa at the escape
of Mahammada froin the prison; and he often thought
of Mahammada.
The people had nursed and protected Piruja, and
when they beheld him, they thought that he was Shi-
kandhara who had gone to heaven. Though Piruja
was the son of Shikandhara by his wife Shobhādevī,
Shikandhara had exiled him from his own country,
inorder to prevent a commotion. He was a prince and
was welcomed by the king of the north; and he now

KINGS OF KASHMÍRA. 65
came back bringing with him Mahammada, inorder to
conquer the people of Kashmīra. When Sūha heard
that Piruja had come with the Turuṣhka soldiers, he
sent ShrīLadda and Gauraka to oppose him. The
Turuṣhka army was destroyed by the wisdom of Shrī
Laddarāja and by the valor of Gauraka, even as
disease is destroyed by gift and prayer. Relieved of
fear, the minister Sūha made Laddarāja, lord of Kampana,
and Gaurabhaṭṭa, lord of Kramarājya. As in the even-
ing which darkens the mountains, neither the sun nor
the moon is visible, so when Sūhabhaṭṭa, who had
made himself felt by the king, became powerful, neither
the king nor the heir-apparent could raise his head.
The hawk kills other birds, the lion destroys other
animals, the Vajra-jewel pierces other jewels, and the
brilliant sun throws about the planets like flowers, and
thus destruction seems ever to be caused in this world
by one’s own people. Though the king ShrīShikan-
dhara was often instigated by Sūha to persecute the
twice-born, he, whose purpose was tempered by kind-
ness, fixed with some dfficulty, a limit to the advance
of the great sea of the Yavanas. But Sūha passed the
limit by levying fines on the twice-born. As the night
prevents people from seeing any thing but darkness, so
this evil minded man forbade ceremonies and processions
during the new moon. He became envious, and appre-
hended that the twice-born who had become fearless would
keep up their caste by going over to foreign countries ;

66 KINGS OF KASHMÍRA.
he therefore ordered all the guards on the roads not to
allow passage to any one without a written passport.
Then as the fisherman torments fish in an enclosed
river, so this low born man tormented the twice-born
in the country. The Brāhmaṇas burnt themselves in
the flaming fire through fear of committing sin, and
through fear of him who was like the heat of the fire ;
and thus they escaped. Struck by fear some Brāh-
maṇas killed themselves by means of poison, some by
the rope, others by drowning themselves in water,
others again by falling from a precipice, and others
burnt themselves. The country was contaminated by
hatred, and the king’s favourite (Sūha) could not pre-
vent one man in a thousand from committing suicide.
This wicked man disliked the weight of the kingdom
which was hard to be borne, but he delighted in the
cries of the twice-born, which gave him pleasure. A
multitude of Brāhmaṇas who prided on their caste fled
from the country through bye-roads, as the main roads
were closed, even as men flee under ground when the
doors of their houses are closed. Even as men depart
from this world, so did the Brāhmaṇas flee to foreign
countries, the son leaving his father behind, and the
father leaving his son, to the Death like Sūha who sor-
rowed at the escape of the Brāhmaṇas. The difficult
country through which they passed, the scanty food, pain-
ful illness, and the torments of hell during life time re-
moved from the minds of the Brāhmaṇas the fear of hell.

KINGS OF KASHMÍRA. 67

Oppressed by various calamities, such as encounter with
the enemy, fear of snakes, fierce heat, and scanty food,
many Brāhmaṇas perished on the way, and thus
obtained relief. Where was then their bath, their
meditation, their austerity, and where was then their
prayer? The Brāhmaṇas wandered about in villages
begging, and thus spent their time. The wrong which
was done to the Brāhmaṇas proved beneficial to them,
since exiled by Sūha, the twice-born removed their
sins by visiting holy places. Some twice born men
who were anxious to save their wives, emaciated by
want of food, did not depart to foreign countries, but
wandered about in Kashmīra wearing the dress of the
mlechchhas. Sūha withheld the allowances of the twice
born with a view to extinguish learning, and they, in ex-
pectation of a mouthful of food, went from house
to house, putting out their tongues like dogs. It was
out of his devotion to the religion of the Turushkas,
not out of antipathy towards the twice-born, that he
oppressed the Brāhmaṇas; and hence his victims did
not much complain. This was what Sūhabhaṭṭa told
them inorder to remove the impression which his
actions created that he had antipathy towards the Brāh-
maṇas.
The Brāhmaṇas, the supporters of the world, had
taken refuge of Ratnākara inorder to preserve their
party, and this little Brāhmaṇa became the favourite
of Sūhabhaṭṭa. But Mālānodīna, the great guru of

68 KINGS OF KASHMÍRA.
the Yavanas, feared that Ratnākara would rise in rebel-
lion, and caused him to be arrested. From the time
that Malānoddīna arrived in the kingdom which was
then without chāmara and umbrella, the desire of
enjoyment did not leave Sūhabhaṭṭa even in dream.
But enjoyments are the fruits of austerities, and the
vain desire of enjoyments was painful to Sūhabhaṭṭa
like the disease of the eye. The ministers attained or
lost rank and honour according to the will of the power-
ful Sūhabhaṭṭa, even as the duration of the seasons
laden with fruits is under the control of the sun. When
Shāhikhāna saw that wisdom and power were centered
in one person, he became alarmed and anxious, and did
not sleep. When he saw the serpent like Sāha, with
his poisonous appearance, he was surrounded by dark-
ness which he could not illumine. Sūhabhaṭṭa spent
three or four years oppressing the twice-born, reviling
the Sāstras, thinking of rebellion, and undergoing medi-
cal treatment for his disease. As if sent by the virtues
of the people, and gathering strength from the sins of
Sūhabhaṭṭa, his consumption, which defied treatment,
withered him up. What could not the sun-jewel have effect-
ed if its fire had not been quenched at the rising of the
moon when the moisture of the moon-jewel allays the
heat of the earth ? Why did he not live for another three
or four years and witness in this world the effect of his
own sins at the time when Shāhikhāna rose to power.
When Sūhabhaṭṭa was living, Laddarāja had fled

KINGS OF KASHMÍRA. 69
through fear, and Hamsa and Gaura, captured him
after allowing him a little respite. But when Sāha died
they were incited by the lust of royal power to fight
against each other, even as two bulls are attracted by
a cow and engage themselves in breaking each other's
horns. At the time when Laddarāja was released from
prison by Hamsa, Gaurabhaṭṭa died in battle and glad-
dened the hearts of the celestial females. Fortune, ever
moving as the elephant's ear, now abandoned her fickle-
ness, and settled on Hamsa in the absence of a more
deserving object, even as an unchaste woman clings to
an old husband. But Shāhikhāna, though a boy, did not
brook the pride of Hamsa, as the new moon does not
brook the darkness increasing during the dark fort-
night. The wise heir apparent (Shāhikhāna) held a
council of the Ṭhakkuras, and killed in battle Hamsa-
bhaṭṭa who had killed Laddarāja. The love of the
people flowed towards Shāhikhāna, as the water flows
downwards. As black bees disregard the Kunda flower
and go to mango blossom, so the Royal Fortune felt a
desire to embrace the heir apparent, now flushed with
victory. But the time has not yet come for the prince to
be a king, and Royal Fortune remained therefore in a state
of suspense. Owing to the excessive love of the subjects
which the prince enjoyed, and owing also to his clever-
ness, the king bestowed on him the management of the
kingdom out of affection. Then Merakamsāra, the evil
minded Turushka, guided the powers of the prince as

70 KINGS OF KASHMÍRA.
the iron rod guides an elephant blinded by madness.
Men could not for a long time pollute the king's mind
by dark and evil counsel, as the dark clouds cannot
pollute the Mānasa lake. The king was affectionate
towards his devoted and able younger brother (the heir
apparent), and was also affectionate towards those who
sought shelter with him; but urged by evil minded
men he became uneasy.
The king at last wished to go on pilgrimage, and for
the protection of the people, he thus addressed the
heir apparent and his servants:—"Wealth cannot be
had because those who ask for it will be glad to
have it; our mind becomes corrupt without meditation
and without offerings to the dead, and our body
becomes polluted without pilgrimages to holy places.
I have placed the weight of the kingdom on you as on
the world supporting elephants, and am, like a second
Ananta Nāga, anxious to serve Nārāyaṇa." Agitated
with affection, as the sea with the Mandāra hill, Shāhi-
khāna replied to the king with this speech, sweet as the
new moon:—"Let thy untimely desire to go to pilgri-
mage, which is of doubtful good, abandon thee; rule
thy subjects and thus win the sure gate to fame and
virtue. If you, a warrior, cruelly leave this heriditory
kingdom after having ruled it for a long time, it will be
thought that you leave it for want of ability to rule. If
you are anxious to go on pilgrimage, then what work
shall be left to us, whose duty it is to serve you?"