विक्रम चरित (उज्जैन सम्राट् विक्रमादित्य - पराक्रम, न्याय एवं ३२ पुतलियों की कथा सटीक)

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seated himself beside the handsome attendant, and thus
began : ‘ Be so kind as to relate to me your history—who
you are, and your reasons for lodging in the house of this
disreputable person. Are you a princess ? Tell me, I
beseech you !’ She sighed, and for a time was bathed in
tears. When she had regained her speech, she addressed
the king as follows :—‘ Oh, king ! I will now lay my unfor-
tunate case before you. I am the daughter of a certain
king, and married the Prince Soorsain, son of King Bhu-
drasain, of the city of Bhadravutty. My husband one day,
being engaged in the pleasure of the chase in an adjoining
wood; became thirsty, and went to a certain lake in order to
quench his thirst : while engaged in drawing the water with
his hands, the water deities took hold of him by the hand
and carried him to their abode, and he is now with them.
While deploring the loss of my husband, I happened to
overhear a prediction by the famous astrologer Dhanoo,
whereupon I was on the point of cursing those who with-
held my husband from me, or who had slain him, not
knowing at the time his exact fate, or what had become of
him. On this the deities suddenly made their appearance
in my apartment, and desired me to stop my malediction,
saying they would restore my husband to me for that night,
under the strict injunction, in support of which they
extracted an oath from me, that I should send him back to
them the next morning. In the morning they appeared and
took him away in their train.’ She then related the
particulars of the treatment she had received from her
father-in-law, how she came into that city and became an
attendant on the actress, together with every subsequent
occurrence. Comparing this tale with what he had heard
from the cow on his way, the king was fully convinced that
the person before him was no other than his mother. He
became so affected at this that he mingled his tears with
those shed by the unfortunate princess. The king turned
to the actress, who was present all the time, and who stood
as one rooted to the spot, and inquired, ‘ Do you know