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and wont on to say; " So come and receive, as a pious gift, from this Bráhman, who is eager to bestow it on you, the wealth which ordinarily is to be obtained only by killing its possessor." When they said this to Vasubhúti, he said, " What course is this which you suggest? It is highly impolitic for us to take wealth without killing its possessor, for, if he is deprived of his wealth, without being killed, he will certainly do us an injury." When the villain said this, those servants answered him, "What is there to fear in this? There is some difference between taking wealth by force, and receiving it as a pious gift from a dying man. Besides, to-morrow morning we will kill those two Bráhmans, if they are still alive. Otherwise, what is the use of incurring needlessly the guilt of killing a Bráhman?" When Vasubhúti heard this, he consented, and in the night he came to Śrídarśana
to receive his pious gift, and Śrídarśana concealed a part of his mother's ornaments, and gave him the rest, assuming a faltering voice. Then the bandit, having got what he wanted, returned home with his followers.
Then Padmishțhá came at night to Śrídarśana and Mukharaka, while the bandits were asleep. Then they quickly deliberated together, and set off at once from that place for Málava by a path not frequented by the robbers. And during that night they went a long distance, and reached a wood that seemed to be afraid of the roaring lions, tigers, and other wild beasts within it. It seemed by its thorns to be in a state of perpetual horripilation, and by its roaming black antelopes to be rolling its eyes. The dry creepers shewed that its body was dried up from fear, and the shrill whistling of the loose bark was its screams of terror. And while they were journeying through that forest, the sun, that had observed their sufferings all day, withdrew its light, as if in compassion, and set. Then they sat down weary and hungry at the foot of a tree, and in the early part of the night they saw in the distance a light, as of fire. And Śrídarśana said, " Can there possibly be a village here? I will go and look." So he went in the direction of the light. And when he reached it, and looked at it, lo ! it was a great palace built of jewels, and its splendour produced that light as of fire.*[1] And he saw inside it a Yakshini of heavenly beauty, surrounded by many Yakshas, with feet turned the wrong way and squinting eyes. And the brave man, seeing that they had brought there all kinds of meat and drink, went up to the Yakshiní, and asked her to give him his share as a guest. And she was pleased with his courage and gave him what he asked for, enough food and water to satisfy himself and his two companions. The refreshment was placed on the back of a Yaksha ordered off by her for that duty, and Śrídarśana returned with it to his friend and Padmishțhá. And then he dismissed the Yaksha, and partook there with them of all that splendid food
- ↑ * See Vol I. pp. 327 and 577, also Prym und Socin, Syrische Märchen, p. 36, and Southey's Thalaba the Destroyer, Book I, 30, with the notes.
