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mere picture. She kept herself alive with hoping for the end of the curse, but it is wonderful that she did not lose her hold on life, while she remained like the female chákraváka during the night, the appointed time of her separation from the male bird. And Purúravas propitiated Vishnu by that penance, and, owing to Vishnu's having been gratified, the Gandharvas surrendered Urvaśí to him. So that king, re-united to the nymph whom he had recovered at the termination of the curse, enjoyed heavenly pleasures, though living upon earth.
The king stopped speaking, and Vásavadattá felt an emotion of shame at having endured separation, when she heard of the attachment of Urvaśí to her husband.
Then Yaugandharáyana, seeing that the queen was abashed at having been indirectly reproved by her husband, said, in order to make him feel in his turn, " King, listen to this tale, if you have not already heard it.
Story of Vihitasena.:— There is on this earth a city of the name or Timirá, the dwelling of the goddess of Prosperity; in it there was a famous king named Vihitasena; he had a wife named Tejovatí, a very goddess upon earth. That king was ever hanging on her neck, devoted to her embraces, and could not even, bear that his body should be for a short time scratched with the coat of mail. And once there came upon the king a lingering fever with diminishing intensity; and the physicians forbad him to continue in the queen's society. But when he was excluded from the society of the queen, there was engendered in his heart a disease not to be reached by medicine or treatment. The physicians told the ministers in private that the disease might relieve itself by fear or the stroke of some affliction. The ministers reflected— " How can we produce fear in that brave king, who did not tremble when an enormous snake once fell on his back, who was not confused when a hostile army penetrated into his harem? It is useless thinking of devices to produce fear; what are we ministers, to do with the king ?" Thus the ministers reflected, and after deliberating with the queen, concealed her, and said to the king, " The queen is dead." While the king was tortured with that exceeding grief, in his agitation that disease in his heart relieved itself.*[1] When the king had got over the pain of the illness, the ministers restored to him that great queen, who seemed like a second gift of ease, and the king valued her highly as the saviour of his life, and was too wise to bear anger against her afterwards for concealing herself.
For it is care for a husband's interests that entitles a king's wife to the name of queen; by mere compliance with a husband's whims the name
- ↑ * Literally broke. The vyádhi or disease must have been of the nature of an abscess.
