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reliance upon the words of women destroys the discrimination even of the great. And he said to his dear wife, " Be comforted, fair one, I will certainly punish that traitor with death. But he must be slain by artifice, otherwise we might be disgraced, for it is well known that five times he has saved my life. And we must not proclaim abroad his crime of offering violence to you." When the king said this to the queen, she answered— " If that crime may not be published, may that other one of his be published, that out of friendship for the king of Gauda he attempted treason against his master?" When she said this, he answered— " You are quite right"— and so king Mahásena went to his hall of audience.
Then all the kings, and princes, and barons came to visit the king. And in the meanwhile Gunaśarman left his house to go to court, and on the way he saw many unfavourable omens. There was a crow on his left hand, a dog ran from the left to the right, a snake appeared on his right, and his left arm and shoulder throbbed.*[1] He thought to himself, " These evil omens indicate calamity to me without doubt, so whatever happens to me, I hope no misfortune may befall the king my master." With these thoughts he entered the hall of audience, and prayed loyally that nothing untoward might befall the palace. But when he bowed and took his seat, the king did not salute him as before, but looked askance at him with an eye glowing with anger. And when Gunaśarman was alarmed as to what it might mean, the king rose up from the seat of justice, and sat at his side, and said to the astonished courtiers, " Hear what Gunaśarman has done to me; ‡[2] then Gunaśarman said— " I am a servant, you are my master, so how can our suit be equal, ascend your seat of judgment, and afterwards give what order you like." When the resolute man said this, the king, by the advice of the other ministers, ascended the seat of judgment, and said again to his courtiers— " You know, that I made this Gunaśarman equal to myself, preferring him to my hereditary ministers. Now hear what treason he attempted to commit against me, after making an agreement with the king of Gauda by sending messengers to and fro." After saying this, the king related to them all the fictitious account of the matter which Aśokavatí had given
- ↑ * Cp. the English superstitions with regard to the raven, crow and magpie (Henderson's Folk-lore of the Northern Counties, pp. 95 and 96, Hunt's Romances and Drolls of the West of England, p. 429, Thisclton Dyer, English Folk-lore, pp. 80 and 81). See also Horace, Odes, III, 27. In Europe the throbbing or tingling of the left ear indicates calamity, (Liebrecht, zur Volkskunde, p. 327, Hunt's Romances and Drolls of the West of England, p. 430, Thiselton Dyer, English Folk-lore, p, 279).
- ↑ † The Sanskrit College MS. reads nyáyum for práptasa "hear my suit against Gunaśarman." This makes a far better sense.
