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

KINGS OF KASHMÍRA. 143
indicated the death of the forest deer, like the destruction
of sins. The king rejoiced to see the sinless hermits
feasting on savoury cakes until they were satiated; and
the curd which they quaffed with their busy fingers was
strewn on their seats, and looked like the crescent of
the moon melted by the power of their Yoga.
The river Mārī flowed from this place into the Vitastā,
and was used by the citizens for the purposes of drinking
and bathing; and the king joined it at Hastikarṇa with
Shāli canal which was extended to the confluence of the
Vitastā and the Sindhu. This junction of the Mārī with
the Vitastā is known in the city as the Mārī confluence;
and is used for the cremation of the dead, and it is the
way to heaven. Previously, the owners of the land,
the servants of the king, and the Pañchavārikas used
to levy a rate at this place every day from the citizens
for the cremation of the dead. When my father died,
I informed the king of the tax, and the king punished
the Kirātas and abolished the rate on the cremation
of the dead. From that time the common people on
their death are cremated on that spot, to the grief of
the mlechchhas who are averse to witness cremation.
'The bhūrjja makers [who burn the dead] danced with
their umbrellas, and played on musical instruments on
this exemption from the tax. Here, according to the
custom of distant countries, females immolated them-
selves in the pyres of their beloved; and were not
forbidden by the king.

144 KINGS OF KASHMÍRA.
It was for the benefit of the poor of the city that
the virtuous king built an extensive Vihāra on the bank
of the river, near the Mārī confluence. This Vihāra,
and the one on the opposite side of the river at Hājya
were like the centre jewels amidst the jewel-like houses
of the two cities. The king was then at peace with
others, and he built other buildings. [A line appears
to be wanting here in the text].
When Shrīharsha became king in the realm of poetry,
every one became a poet. What more need be said ?
Even women, cooks, and porters were poets ; and the
books composed by them exist to this day in every
house. If the king be a sea of learning, and partial to
merit, the people too become so. The meritorious king,
for the purpose of earning merit, built extensive lodging
houses for students, and the voice of the students
studying logic and grammar arose from these houses.
The king helped the students by providing teachers,
books, houses, food and money ; and he extended
the limits of learning in all its branches. He was
a shelter for all, and belied the saying of Munis that
learning and pleasure, like light and darkness, cannot
exist together. He made the country happy by his
good government, favoured learning, and desired to
promote the prosperity of the country as of his own
son. He esteemed learned men, and valued them for
their merits above all the various productions of his
country. Even the families, which never dreamt of

KINGS OF KASHMÍRA. 145
learning, produced men, who through the favour of
the king, became known for their erudition. Learning,
like the kalpa plant, shot into many branches, thrived
by means of scholarships, and bore heavenly fruits.
There was not a branch of learning or arts or literature
or fine arts which did not become celebrated in the
world during the reign of king Shri Jaina. Feudatory
kings saw that the king befriended merit and respected
learning, and they diligently applied themselves to it.
The heat of the earth consumes much of the grass
and shrubs in the summer season, but the pleasant
rainy season revives them. Thus in times past, king
Shekandhara had, through the influence of the Yavanas,
burnt all books of learning, even as fire burns grass.
At that time all learned men had fled precipitately
to distant countries, owing to the oppression of the
Mausulas, taking their books with them. What more
need be said ? There were the Brāhmaṇas in the
country, but all their excellent books were known only
in name, as lotuses are at the advent of winter. But
the king who now graces the land and is dear to
the learned, restored the books, even as the spring
revives the black bees. He caused the Purāṇas, books
on logic, the Mīmāṁsā, and other books to be brought
from distant lands, and distributed them to the learned.
The king heard me recite the Vāshishṭa Brahmadarshaṇa
composed by Vālmīki which is known as the way to
salvation ; and when he heard the annotations pervaded
13

146 KINGS OF KASHMÍRA.
by a feeling of tranquility, he remembered them even
in his dreams, even as a lover remembers the gestures
of his beloved. Holding that a man can receive instruc-
tion only in the language which he knows, and not in
other languages, the king caused translations of the
various shāstras to be made by those who knew Samskṛita,
the vernaculars, and the Persian. Even the Yavanas
can comprehend minorology, chemistry, and kalpa if
studied in their own language. The king caused Da-
shāvatāra and Rājatarangiṇī the book of kings, in the
Saṁskṛita language, to be rendered into Persian. In
the same way the mlechchhas read the Vṛihatkathāsāra,
the Hāṭakeshvara saṁhitā, the Purāṇas, and other books
in their own language.
One hears after a long time the pure and beautiful
Dharmmashāstra recited, and holds it to his heart, even
as a white cloth holds the impression of colors, and
acts according to its injunctions. Others again hear it
every day but receive no impression, as the leaf of a
lotus plant, though growing in the current and held fast
to the water by the stock, never becomes wet by water.
The king heard of the advantages of going on pilgrim-
age to Naubandhana hill from the Ādipurāṇa, and felt
a desire to undertake a journey sometime to a shrine.
The king was bent on going to pilgrimage, and he went
to Vijayeshvara in the year 39, on the last day of the
fortnight fixed for giving offerings to deceased ancestors.
He saw the ground full of spectators, clad in cloths

KINGS OF KASHMÍRA. 147
of many colors, even like a garden full of flowers.
Vāndarapāla and other chiefs with their armies were glad
to see the king. The sky was beautified by Venus
and Mercury, and was full of other stars by night, and
the ground was graced by poets and learned men, and
shone with rows of lamps, so that the sky and the earth
vied with each other. The pleasant earth was lighted
on the day of the dark moon by the moon-like faces of the
hundreds of citizens who had assembled. There a tree of
lamps was borne by a man and it looked like the Pleiades
risen in the midst of the stars. The king accompanied by.
his two sons left Vijayesha, and reached Durmārga on foot
in three days. Wearing a noble appearance in his piety,
he saw Viṣhṇu's foot mark at the Krama lake, and felt
the joy of bowing at the feet of Viṣhṇu. The waters
from the hills of Brahmā, Viṣhṇu, and Mahādeva seemed
by their sound to enquire after the welfare of the king
who was a part of Mahā deva. The great king saw the
hill and the land darkened by the flowers of the kastūrī,
and was rejoiced like anchorites when they view the
longed for person of Nārāyaṇa. He then embarked on
a boat surrounded by five or six boatmen, and went about
in the lake supporting himself on me and Simhabhaṭṭa.
From me he heard the songs of Gīta Govinda, and then
arose in his mind a feeling of piety towards Govinda,
The sweet sound of our songs was echoed from the groves,
as if celestial musicians sang after us from the groves in
honor of the king. After he had wandered about on the
12

148 KINGS OF KASHMÍRA.
lake for sometime, snow began to fall, as if the gods,
pleased with his piety, showered flowers on him. The
encircling snow on the lake might well be mistaken for
a portion of the peak of the Kailāsa hill which one attains
by bathing at the holy shrine. Truly the king was an
incarnation of Viṣhṇu, and he thrice walked round the
lake out of piety, and also to test his power of walking.
Then when the boat was fastened to the Naubandhana
hill, the hill became what its name implies, and the king
saw the hill and went to it. When journeying to the
Sukumāra lake, the king drank of the water of that lake
and meditated on the Sukumāra shrine, and he felt a de-
light as if he had obtained the purity of his soul. The
king heard the names of holy places, touched the auspi-
cious waters from the shrines, tasted the cool water, saw
the beauty of the forest trees, and scented the perfumes of
plants and flowers, and thus performed the pilgrimage
that gives pleasure to the five senses, and then returned
to his capital.
Here ends the fifth chapter, named the account of the
pilgrimage to Krama lake, of Jainarājataraṅgiṇī.
CHAPTER VI.
Inorder to satisfy his longing for the Krama lake,
the king caused a new lake, like the Krama lake, to be
excavated within Padmapura, and called it the Jaina
lake. It was the time of autumn when the land was

KINGS OF KASHMÍRA. 149
darkened by the full blown flower of saffron, and it
seemed as if the dark water of the Yamunā had come
to join this lake in gladness. The king who was rich
as the god of wealth, built a beautiful palace on its bank
and called it Kuloddharaṇa nāga. Like the moon placed
on high, he was pure and full of grace. His kingdom
lacked nothing, and his learning was without any defi-
ciency, and he removed all sorrow from the minds of
his people. Where is the man, even if he were a
foreigner from a distant land, who could see such a king
and not wish to serve him? Kings of distant countries
heard of his great attainments and showered presents on
him. The king of Pañchanada sent him, on account of
his friendship, his own horse named Tājika great in size
and surpassing the wind in swiftness. The horse-
faced singer of heaven is celebrated for his voice, but
does not know how to dance, and the king's horse
remembering this, proudly danced on the road when
the king rode him. The horse's mane was like the coral
hands of the king, and his bridle was like the rays beam-
ing from the king, and the bit of the bridle was to the
horse even as enjoyment was to the king. Possessed of
auspicious signs, the horse considered himself as great as
the king and needed no chastisement. Its four legs were
adorned with gold as well as its mouth, and so it was known
by the name of the five good omens. Khalashya, the king
of Māṇḍavyagauḍa, gratified the monarch with presents of
clothes named Darandāma ; and the monarch, saintly as

150 KINGS OF KASHMÍRA.
Yudhiṣhṭhira, sent to Khalashya, among other things, a
beautiful poem composed by himself in his own language.
Khalashya was not so gratified with the invaluable pre-
sents sent to him as with the poem ornate and beautiful
in its arrangement of words and meanings. The king of
Kumbha presented to the monarch a cloth named Nārī.
kuñjara and gratified the heart of his excellent queen.
Tugaraseha, the beloved king of Gopālapura, presented
to the monarch, for the festival of music, a book named
Sangītachūḍāmaṇi, comprising rules of singing, of fine
arts and acting, and also containing the best songs.
When that king Tugaraseha died, his fame was as widely
extended as the sea, and his son retained, like his father,
the good will of the monarch by sending him presents.
The lord of Maṇḍalika, who was the superintendent of the
capital, was pleased with the monarch and sent him a
handsome horse, and also muchukunda birds beautiful
in the variety of their colors and charming in their eyes.
Valluka, the king of Ḍilli, though blood thirsty and
restless in his work of destruction, was nevertheless bound
to the monarch like a tame deer on account of his virtue.
Some one presented this great monarch with a pair of
swans, and other swans were born of them, and the mighty
monarch was pleased. They floated in a line on the lake
without fear, and looked like white lotuses agitated by
the waves. The king of Khurāsāna was the lord of
horses ; his order was held on the head by the kings of
the countries around, like a garland of mandāra flowers ;

KINGS OF KASHMÍRA. 151
his servants were armed with fearful weapons, and they
shook hands with the god of death, and roamed about in
the world. This king of the north, named Merjjābho-
saida, sent an accomplished messenger to the monarch
with high horses and mules. Mahammada Suratráṇa, king
of Gūrjara, gratified the monarch with presents of textile
fabrics celebrated by the names of kateha, sohasa, and glāta.
The kings of Gilāna, Mesra [Egypt?], Makkā, and other
places sought to benefit themselves by sending various
rare presents to the monarch. Who did not seek to please
the monarch, and what artists, possessed of great designs
in art, did not come from distant countries, like bees, to
the monarch who was almost like the kalpa tree? It was
then that the people of Kashmīra learnt the use of the
weaver's brush* and loom, and today they are weaving
valuable cloths of silk. The woollen fabrics called soha
[shawl?] and others, manufactured in foreign countries and
those made in Kashmīra today, are both beautiful, but the
latter are strong and fit for kings. Other clothes were
made, on which variegated plants were produced by
various methods of weaving, which painters saw and re-
mained dumb with wonder. The monarch's kingdom,
known by the name of Kausheyaka, and his dress of silk,
alike became famous, the former on account of the various
tribes of people that inhabited it, and the latter for the
various colored threads that it contained. By his own

• To clean threads.

158 KINGS OF KASHMÍRA.
intelligence, the king invested his country and his dress
with a peculiar beauty : the country graced by its people of
various tribes, its capital town, by its decorations, and by
its learning and its dignity ; and the dress was beauti-
fied by many circular designs, and by designs of Durgā
and of men. The country was excellent and unconquer-
able, the dress was celebrated for its silk and gracefulness,
both delighted him and both were of incomparable worth.
The silk was glittering, and the country was brightened
by festivities ; in the silk there was a good collection of
threads, in the kingdom there were good laws and
riches.
Here ends the sixth chapter named the account of
the development of the art of color and of the description
of art, of Jainarājatarangiṇī.
CHAPTER VII.
If the king be liberal, the people display their song
and dance ; if the clouds pour water in the rainy season,
the chātaka birds dance with joy and become pleasing to
men. At this time there came to the king, who was
renowned for his gifts, a Yavana from Uttarapatha, he
knew the art of walking over a rope, and the king, accom-
panied by his family, came on one occasion to Viṃsha-
prastha to see this feat. The man made himself ready
to display his art, and stretched a long rope on two
high pillars that stood at an interval of one hundred

KINGS OF KASHMÍRA. 153
bóws.* The elephants which were at Rajjupura remained
pensive as if apprehensive of the mischief that would befall
their beloved king.† Then by a rope fixed to the ground
the fearless man ascended like a bird into the air. This
master of his art did not fall, but moved with wonderful
steps on the rope, and the mind of men was pleased, even
as by a poem. Like a planet he moved on high and
successfully walked over the rope to the wonder of the
people.
Fate had for a long time showered blessings on
the people ; he now inflicted an insupportable cala-
mity on the country ; even as clouds rain for the
benefit of agriculture and then rob its fruits by hail.
At a time when there was no cause left to disturb the
king, the people suddenly saw signs of a severe
calamity to the country which had hitherto been happy
under good government. A comet was seen at night
in the north ; it is the cause of the destruction of men,
even as excessive rain is of embankments. Its long
tail was of resplendent beauty, and surely Yama hurled
down his axes in the form of the comet for the destruc-
tion of kings. For a period of two months the comet
was visible in the clear sky, and the kind heart of the
king remained anxious through fear of mischief that
might happen. The dogs were always heard to bark in

• A bow is equal to two yards.
  † This line appears to be a misprint in the text here, taken pro-
  bably from the part translated in the next paragraph.

154 KINGS OF KASHMÍRA.
the city during day time, as if they foresaw a calamity,
and howled in grief. An eclipse of the moon and of
the sun took place within a fortnight, as if meant to upset
the king and thereby to destroy the kingdom in which
there had hitherto been no division. The passage of the
sun from one sign of the zodiac to another occurred on in-
auspicious days, and men were alarmed, and apprehended
some agricultural disaster. The hooting of owl was heard
under “the umbrella”,* as if the metropolis of the kingdom
bemoaned and enquired if its builder was about to perish.
On the second day of the moon that luminary was seen
with its face upwards in the sky, as if it prognosticated the
advent of another king.
In the meantime there happened a terrible drought
in another country such as brings on a famine; and
the beggars of that country came, like embodied sprites,
into Kashmíra. The king saw them and made en-
quiries of them, whereupon they informed him thus:—
“In many countries, and in all directions, the time
of distress has come, like the all destroying Yama,
on account of drought. Precious stones have lost their
value on account of this famine, even as good men,
who could be of service to all, lose their usefulness
through the influence of evil men. Oppressed by
hunger, the dogs have devoured the dead in their
tenantless houses, and are now preying on one an-

• The one that was built over the palace as previously stated.

KINGS OF KASHMÍRA. 155
other ; and good Brāhmaṇas, O ! King ! who used
to perform penances for taking food touched or eaten
by others, are now eating every thing owing to
hunger. Brāhmaṇa women, who could judge as to
what food is acceptable and what is not, have in
some places killed themselves and others by means of
poisoned rice. Some people have left their homes and
some have died on account of the drought, so that a
tenantless town or village can be seen at every step.
Merjābhosaida the Suratrāṇa, king of Khurāsāna, your
friend, marched out of his country for want of food,
surrounded by one koti of soldiers, and forcibly entered
the country of his enemy ; but the king of Irāka captured
him in the midst of a battle and killed him. At the
time of his capture, and even when bound, he displayed
valor like Duryyodhana, and innumerable Turuṣhkas
died. The time of distress has come in other countries,
and owing to the destruction of the weak in mutual
conflict among kings, there are dangers O ! King !
at every step. We have heard O ! King ! of thy country
happy in wealth, in its store of food and other things, and
we have come sorely oppressed with hunger, now save
us." When the king heard this pitiable news, he felt
as if the calamity had befallen his own subjects, and
moved by kindness, he gave them many things.
In the meantime, the great Svayyapura, built by her-
mits, spontaneously took fire, and became like a desert-
ed forest. The great records of Kramarājya that were

156 KINGS OF KASHMÍRA.
kept in this place on bhūrja leaves were all reduced
to ashes, together with the cases that contained them.
At this place the king had caused an edict to be inscrib-
ed on a copper plate to the effect that at this shrine of
Jainagiri, future kings should take one seventh of the
crop that grew as tribute. It ran thus :—“Shri Jai-
nallāvadīna begs future kings to take one seventh
of the produce of the land which he by his money has
cleared and brought under cultivation at Jainagiri.
He has descended into water and ascended hills in-
order to build this high place which is like the banner
of virtue, and which they by their good will should en-
large.” These happy sentences were inscribed by Srī-
vakāshīsha on a copper plate which was not destroyed
by the fire, neither did the fire destroy the palace though
it was in the midst of the flame that rose high even like
the virtue of the king. When the wise king heard
that the town was burnt, his heart was burnt with sorrow,
but he rebuilt it without delay, new and beautiful, with
houses made of wood. The king had previously built
a palace at Varāhamūla, but he caused the materials to be
brought from that place, and built a new large one here.
There was in it a room for keeping the records of the king-
dom. A swinging bridge was also newly constructed, and
it looked like the necklace of the goddess of fortune which
presided over Kramarājya. Thus was the beauteous
Svayyapura built. There was the swinging bridge with
the rows of houses like jewels, and in the midst of them

KINGS OF KASHMÍRA. 157
the palace displayed its umbrella and looked beautiful
like the jewel that hangs in the centre of a necklace.
The multitude of men lived happily here, as creepers do
at the advent of the pleasant season of spring in a new
forest ; and their friends, like so many flowers, stayed
with them for a few days and then retired well pleased.
What new fledged birds are to other birds, so are
kindreds to men ; they live with them for a time, but
when they can depart with ease they go away, to the
regret of their friends.
Meanwhile the king’s beloved queen named Vodhā-
khātonā died. She was to the family of the Saidas what the
moon light is to the sea. It was by union with her that the
king had thought his life happy, and now by her separa-
tion his body became burnt with sorrow and all things
appeared to him as nothing. The moon-like king, the
defender of himself, had placed his sister’s son Kyāma-
dena in the post of Suratrāṇa in the country of Sindhu.
He was graced with every virtue and was loved by the
king as his own son, and was dearer to him than his own
life. The king heard that this chief of Sindhu was killed
in a battle by Evvarāhima. He was to the king a joy
in times of pleasure and a solace in those of affliction,
and by his death the king felt as if his own right hand
had been cut off. On account of the death of Darpāva-
khāna and others, a new body of ministers was formed,
but they, with their boon companions, were ministers
only in name. At this time died also the proud and
14

158 KINGS OF KASHMÍRA.
liberal Merakhushähmada who had obtained the king's
friendship by working for him. The king received some
bad news every day and saw his subjects harassed by the
mutual enmity among his sons, and he became sunk in
anxiety. He thought of his relatives and servants and
friends who had passed away, and believed himself as it
were like an elephant that had strayed from the herd.
In the meantime prince Hájyakhāna suffered from a
disease brought on by excessive drinking. He was
heroic and noble ; and as the king was excessively fond
of him, his illness nearly dried up in the king's heart all
the pleasures that he derived from his kingdom, even as a
plant is dried up in a garden by fire. He caused his son
to be brought before him, and saw him ill and much
reduced, and out of affection thus addressed him in the
presence of his ministers :—"O son ! You, who are
addicted to an evil habit, have reaped the fruit of drink-
ing. Even like the moon, you have got the disease
which wastes you. Have you no friendly servant who
looks to your interest as your protector, who gives good
advice to you who are addicted to the sin of drinking ?
What wonderful enjoyments are there within your reach
even to this day ? But why should you then, like an in-
sect, be attached to one pleasure only when life affords to
you others which are not accessible to other men ? If you
think that there is nothing better than wine, then you are
a very vicious man indeed, and it will be of no use telling
you of the ancient heretic kings. Mighty kings, who were

KINGS OF KASHMÍRA. 159
to their powerful enemies even as the wind is to cotton,
are known to have been destroyed by wine. Think of this.
Malleka Jamrathā who took possession of a kingdom knew
of the sin of drinking wine, but he was wise and kept him-
self aloof from it. His son Shāhimasoda began to drink at
sports and pastimes after his father's death and lost every
thing. The great city of the Mallekā, rich with the seven
requisites of royal power,* has now become a thing of the
past, owing to the evil habits of the wicked son, and is
even like a corpse with seven members. Wine is red in
the cup, and by its color I take it to be the heart's blood
of him who drinks it. There is no enemy to the living
like wine which is taken as beneficial ; for when taken
in excess it kills. Men drunk with the maireya wine
will commit deeds which even a madman will not do, for,
even he shrinks from such acts. The sprite in the shape
of wine enters the body of the man who drinks and in a
moment destroys his life while he is weeping or laughing.
O Son! You have come to your present condition by
taking wine which is poison ; now save your life, and
give up this hateful wine from today. You are foolish
and addicted to evil habits, but if you do not give up
wine without delay, you will be deserted by your good
fortune, and your life will be short."
When the prince heard these very commendable
words of his father, he replied that he would drink wine

• King, minister, ally, treasury, kingdom, fort, and army.

160 KINGS OF KASHMÍRA.
no more without the king's orders. The king saw his
son lusterless, weak, emaciated, and devoid of affection,
even like a lamp with a thin wick and without oil, and
he was surrounded by the darkness of despair. The
word of advice is dear to those who are fortunate, but
those whose adversity is nigh repent because they did
not follow the advice in time. The prince began to
drink the poison as soon as he went home, though he was
bound by promise to abstain from it. Advice is useless
to those who become blind by addiction to a vice. The
ministers feared that the king doted on him, and sent
secret letters to bring Ādamakhāna from a distant
country. Alarmed at the approach of the younger
brother, the elder had on one occasion set out to meet
him, but now alarmed at the approach of the elder brother
the younger started from the country. When Ādamakhāna
arrived, the king remained indifferent, determining, as
before, not to be troubled by the quarrels between his
two sons. When the son of Hājyakhāna heard of the
arrival of his father's brother he left Parnotṣa with a
view to fight with his uncle, and reached Rājapurī.
When the uncle arrived in Kashmīra, a terrible battle
took place between him and his nephew for the capture
of the fort of Ārdroṭa. At this time the people witness-
ed the patience of the powerful Hasanakhāna ; for
though anxious for the country, he did not march out
without the orders of his grandfather.
When the eldest brother entered the house of his

KINGS OF KASHMÍRA. 161
father he saw Hājyakhāna at the door joined by the
youngest brother, and out of policy made peace with him.
But though they had sworn peace by the god of the
Mausulas, their hearts were not freed from enmity, even
as a silk cloth does not give up its color. When people
saw that they had met in peace before the king, the
country, the nobles, and their own family, they looked
upon them with misgivings, as on four lions met in a
cavern ; and apprehended that ruin arising from their
mutual enmity was at hand.
In the meantime the king considered Vahrāmakhāna
as the best of his sons ; he was the youngest, and the
object of jealousy of the other two brothers. The king
caused him to be brought before him, and when alone,
he thus spoke :—“O Vahrāma ! Your eldest brother has
been made your enemy by your unfriendly deed. He
will remember the harm you have done to him, and
will never be your friend, and it is with vain expecta-
tion that you are serving the other brother. How can
he leave his own son and attend to your interest ? There-
fore do not commit such wicked acts as will bring misery
in future. Leave him without delay, rely on me alone,
and employ your time accordingly. Adhere to the path
of rectitude, and prosperity will then come unto you.
Otherwise O foolish man ! You will be burnt in the
fire of their enmity, even like a thing placed in an iron
pan full of heated oil.” When he heard these words
of his father, he thus replied in his folly :—“It appears

162 KINGS OF KASHMĪRA.
to me O king! that Hājyakhāna loves me exceeding-
ly like a father. I will never forsake him, but serve him.
He will protect me in time of need, and who is at present
more powerful than he?" When the king heard this he
was angry, and he thus spoke to the son who had made up
his mind:—"Fie to thee, that thou hast discarded me
and acknowledged another as thy father! Ah foolish man!
On what hast thou fixed thy mind after having disregard-
ed my words? There is no doubt that thy expectation
will soon be disappointed." He said this and left him.
Then at a time when the king was alone and was not
afraid of any mischief from his son, he thus thought in
his own mind:—"Alas! From me, bright as a house
on fire, have sprung these three sons, and they are
like the ashes of a wood fire; unlike me, useless, and
without lustre;" and he said aloud:—"What should I
do at present?" The wise men who were around him
said in reply that his kingdom was being ruined by his
sons who were aspiring to the throne, and they asked
the king why he did not bestow the kingdom on the one
who was most friendly to him, so that neither he nor
his subjects might be troubled thereafter. Even then,
they said, Mānikyadeva, powerful on account of his
wealth, would hear of the newly appointed king, and
might turn an enemy and soon cause destruction in the
kingdom. The king who knew the characters of his sons
replied:—"The eldest has superior qualifications, but
he is a miser, and has therefore no worthy servants