Page:Katha sarit sagara, vol2.djvu/245

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that night with her, in sporting like a bee round the lotus of her mouth, he at last tore himself away, and saying, " I will come again at night," returned to his house.

And when the chamberlains belonging to Hansávalí entered her chamber the next morning, they saw that her lover had been with her. The ends of her curls were disordered, she had marks of moist teeth and nails, and she seemed as if the god of Love had appeared in person and afflicted her with the wounds of all his arrows. They immediately went and reported the matter to the king, and he secretly appointed spies to watch at night. And Bhímabhața spent the day with his friends in their usual employments, and in the beginning of the night again repaired to the bower of his beloved. When the spies saw that he had entered without being seen, by virtue of his charm, and discovered that he possessed supernatural powers, they went out, and told the king, and he gave them this order, " The being, who has entered a well-guarded room without being seen, cannot be a mere man; so bring him here that I may see what this means. And say to him politely from me, ' Why did you not openly ask me for my daughter? Why did you make a secret of it? For it is difficult to obtain a bridegroom for my daughter as accomplished as yourself.' " When the king had sent off the spies with this message, they went as he commanded, and stood at the door and delivered this message to Bhímabhața. And the resolute prince, perceiving that the king had discovered him, answered them boldly from inside; " Tell the king from me, that to-morrow I will enter his hall of audience, and tell him the truth, for now it is the dead of night." They then went and gave this message to the king and he remained silent." And in the morning Bhímabhața went to rejoin his friends. And putting on a magnificent costume, he went with those seven heroes to the hall of king Chandráditya. When the king saw his splendour, his resolute bearing and handsome appearance, he received him kindly, and made him sit on a throne equal to his own, and then his friend, the Bráhman Śankhadatta, said to the king, " King, this is the son of Ugrabhața the king of Rádhá, Bhímabhața by name; his might is irresistible on account of the wonderful power of the charm which he possesses. And he has come here to sue for the hand of your daughter." When the king heard that, he remembered the occurrence of the night, and seeing that he was a suitable match for his daughter, he exclaimed, " I am fortunate indeed," and accepted the proposal. And after he had made splendid preparations for the marriage, he bestowed his daughter Hansávali on Bhímabhața with much wealth.Then Bhímabhața, having obtained many elephants, horses, and villages, remained there in great comfort, possessed of Hansávali and the goddess of Fortune. And in a few days his father-in- law gave him that kingdom of Láța, and, being childless and old, retired to