XIII. The Story of Unmadayanti  - SE Quadrant, Upper Register, Reliefs 48 - 52

THE JATAKAMALA
Table of Contents:

The Tigress
The King of the Sibis
Small Portion of Gruel
Head of a Guild
The Invincible One
The Hare
The Sage Agastya
Maitribala
Prince Visvantara
The Sacrifice
Lord of the Devas
The Brahman
Unmadayanti
Suparaga
Lord of Fishes
The Quail's Young
The Story of the Jar
The Childless One
The Lotus Stalks
The Treasurer
Kuddabodhi
The Holy Swan
Mahabodhi
The Great Ape
Sarabha
The Ruru Deer
The Monkey Chief
Kshantivadin
The Brahmaloka Inhabitant
The Elephant
Sutasoma
Ayogriha
The Buffalo
The Woodpecker

Adapted from the 19th century translation by J. S Speyer

"As cows follow in the steps of the bull in any direction,
whether it may be the right or the wrong one,
in the very same manner the king's subjects imitate
the behavior of their king without any scruple and undauntedly.
If I should lack the power of ruling my own self
into what condition would I bring the people,
who long for protection from my side?
Thus considering and regardful of the good of my subjects,
my own righteousness, and my spotless fame,
I will not allow myself to submit to passion
for I am the leader of my subjects, the bull of my herd."

Even when they are sick with heavy sorrow the virtuous are disinclined to follow the road of the low-minded, being prevented from such actions by the firmness of their constancy. This will be taught as follows.

In the time when the Bodhisattva--through the practice of his surpassing virtues, veracity, liberality, tranquillity of mind, wisdom and so on--was exerting himself for the benefit of the creatures, he was, it is said, a king of the Sibis, behaving like the embodied Righteousness and Discipline and being intent on promoting the welfare of his subjects like a father.

Being withheld from sinful actions and put in the possession of virtues by their king--who was solicitous of their true happiness as a father is of his son's--his people rejoiced both in this world and in the next. For his administration of justice followed the path of righteousness, making no difference between kinsmen and the rest of his subjects. It obstructed for his people the road of wickedness, and accordingly became, so to speak, a flowery ladder to Heaven.

Perceiving the welfare of the creatures to be the effect of righteousness, this ruler of men knew no other purpose than this one. With all his heart he delighted in the path of righteousness, and did not allow others to violate its precepts.

Now in the capital of that king one of the principal townsmen had a daughter of surpassing beauty who was an acknowledged pearl of womanhood. The ravishing loveliness of her figure and charms made this woman appear as if she were the embodied goddess Sri or Rati or one of the Apsaras.

Excepting only the passionless, no one having seen her was able to withdraw his looks from her figure as she fascinated by her beauty the eyes of all who beheld her. And for this reason her relations called her Unmadayanti ("she who makes mad").

Her father apprised the king of the fact that he had such a daughter: "Your Majesty, the very pearl of womanhood has appeared in your realm. May Your Majesty therefore deign to decide whether you will accept her as a wife or renounce her."

The king ordered some Brahmans who were knowledgeable of the auspicious marks of women to go and see the maiden with their own eyes in order to judge whether or not she would be a suitable wife for him. The father of Unmadayanti led these Brahmans to his house and ordered his daughter to attend upon the guests herself.

After agreeing to do so, she commenced to attend upon the Brahmans at table in the proper manner. However, no sooner did the guests behold her than their eyes were compelled to remain closely fixed upon her face. The god of Love had subdued their firmness and they therefore had no power over their eyes and minds. And so the Brahmans lost control over consciousness as if a drunken stupor had befallen them. Since the Brahmans were unable to keep their grave and modest countenance nor their imperturbability--still less to take their meal--the householder removed his daughter beyond their range of eyesight and attended to the Brahmans himself.

After taking their leave, the Brahmans considered thus:

"The lovely beauty of that maiden is in truth of an exceedingly enchanting nature for it acts like a powerful magic spell. For this reason it is not suitable for the king to see her, much less to make her his queen. After growing mad by her splendid beauty, as he undoubtedly would, he would abate his zeal for performing his religious and political duties.

"Furthermore, his neglect of duly observing his royal occupations would prove of evil consequence to his subjects inasmuch as it would obstruct the ultimate source of all their profit and welfare. The sight of her would be sufficient to put an obstacle in the way of even the Munis who are striving after perfect wisdom. How much more may it obstruct the success of a young prince, who lives in pleasure and is in the habit of directing his looks at sense objects.

Having thus made up their minds, they arrived in the king's presence at a convenient time and reported this to him:

"We have seen that maiden, O great king. She is indeed beautiful and possesses lovely charms, but no more. She bears inauspicious marks that are the foretokens of ruin and ill luck. For this reason Your Majesty ought not even to see her, much less wed her. A reprehensible wife veils both the glory and the opulence of two families, just as a cloudy, moon-concealing night hides the beauty and the arrangement of all things upon earth and in heaven."

Thus informed, the monarch--imagining her to have inauspicious marks and to be unsuitable for membership in his family--desired to possess her no more. Moreover, the girl's father--knowing of the king's disaffection--married her off to a high official of the king by the name of Abhiparaga.

Then on the occasion of the Kaumudi-festiva1, it happened that the king desired to contemplate the splendor of the festivities taking place in his capital. So he mounted his royal chariot and rode through the town, which exhibited a most pleasant aspect. Its streets and squares had been sprinkled and cleansed and the the white ground was strewn with many-colored flowers. Gay flags and banners were also floating aloft and everywhere there was dancing and singing, burlesques, ballets and music.

The air was full of the fragrance of mingled scents of flowers, incense, odoriferous powders, perfumes, garlands, strong liquors, perfumed water and the ointments used in ablutions. In addition, lovely articles were exposed for sale as a merry crowd of townsmen and landsmen in their best dress thronged through the streets.

While making his tour, the king passed by the house of Abhiparaga. Angry because the king had spurned her, Unmadayanti placed herself in his light of sight and then pretended to wish only to see the monarch out of curiosity. Her brilliant figure illuminated the flat roof of her house, just as a flash of lightning illuminates the top of a cloud. The king at least should be able to keep firmness of mind and retain power over his senses when seeing such an inauspicious person as I, she thought.

Desiring to behold the splendor of his capital, the king gazed around and so his eyes eventually fell upon the girl who was facing him. Although the king's eyes were already well accustomed to the attraction of the wanton graces of the beauties in his zenana, the monarch--owing to his attachment to the path of virtue--his predisposition was a modest one. Moreover, he had formerly exercised himself in subduing his organs of sense.

Although the king possessed to a high degree the virtue of constancy and also had a strong sense of shame, he was unable to prevent the Love-god's triumph in this particular instance. And so he gazed for a long time at the woman, powerless to turn his eyes away from her face.

"Is she perhaps the embodied Kaumudi or the deity of that house?" he wondered. "Or is she an Apsara or a Demoness? Or perhaps this is no human figure at all," the king considered.

However, he could not look enough at her and the passing away of his chariot did not coincide with his heart's desire. He returned to his palace like one who is absent-minded thinking of nothing but her for the firmness of his mind had been confounded by Manmatha.

The king then asked his charioteer Sunanda if he knew that house which was surrounded by a white wall and whether he knew the woman who resided there whose beauty shines as it it were lightning in a white cloud.

"Your Majesty has a high official named Abhiparaga. His is that house, and she is his wife, the daughter to Kiriavatsa, Unmadayanti," answered the charioteer.

Upon hearing this news, the king's heart began to swoon and his sorrowful meditation made his eyes rigid at the thought that this woman was the wife of another. Heaving long and deep sighs, and thinking of nothing but her, he said in a low voice to himself:

"Alas! She bears her soft and lovely-sounding name rightly, indeed for sweet-smiling Unmadayanti has made me almost mad. I would forget her if I could, yet she is ever in my mind. My thoughts are always with her, or rather it is she who has become my mind's ruler.

"What is this weakness concerning the wife of another? No doubt, I have gone mad. For just as sleep now eludes me so also has all sense of shame departed.

Lost in the rapturous contemplation of the grace of her countenance, her smile, and her gaze, my wrath becomes aroused at the sudden sound of the metal plate, the bold tone of which ever reminds me of the regular order of my royal responsibilities."

Although the king endeavored to compose his mind, it proved to be impossible to do so. Enmeshed by the power of Unmadayanti's beauty, his appearance languished and the limbs of his body became emaciated. Moreover, the king's frequent absorption in thought--together with his sighs--indicated very clearly that the king was in love. However great his firmness in disguising his heart's disease, the truth of it manifested itself in his countenance and eyes rigid from thoughtfulness.

The king's officer Abhiparaga, was skilled in the interpretation of the expression of faces and of such gestures as betray a person's internal feelings. When he observed the behavior of his master and discovered its cause, he apprehended that evil consequences would come from it, for he loved the king very much and knew himself the excessive power of the God of Love. So he asked the king for a secret audience during which he addressed his sovereign with these words:

"While engaged in worshipping the Devas today, 0 lotus-eyed ruler of men, a Yaksha, presented himself before my eyes and said to me: 'How is it that you ignore the fact that the king has fallen in love with Unmadayanti?' After speaking so, he disappeared immediately, and I, solicitous on this account, have decided to approach you. If this is true, why, Your Majesty, do you show your disaffection to me by keeping silent? Do me the favor, Your Majesty, do of accepting her from my hand."

The king was confounded, and dared not lift up his eyes for shame. Nevertheless, even though he was smitten by the power of Love, he did not suffer his firmness to falter, thanks to his being conversant with the Law by long and good practice. Instead he refused that offer in plain terms.

"No, that may not be. For what reason? Hear. I would lose my merit and I know myself not to be immortal. Furthermore, my wicked deed would be known to the public. Moreover, if the fire of sorrow should burn your heart because of separation from your wife, it would ere long consume you, as fire consumes the grass.

"No one I know in the world is more worthy than you to be worshipped by a sacrificial offering 0 most mighty ruler of the earth," replied Abhiparaga. "Well then, with the object of increasing my merit, deign to accept, like an officiating priest, Unmadayanti as your sacrificial fee."

"No doubt it is your great affection for me that prompts you to the effort to promote my interest without considering what is right and wrong on your side," said the king. "But this very consideration induces me all the more to prevent you. Verily, indifference as to the censure of men cannot at any rate be approved. Look here!

"Who, neglecting Righteousness, does not mind either the censure of men or the evil consequences in the next world will be distrusted by people in this world. And after death he will be surely destitute of bliss. Therefore I press this upon your mind. Never delight in injuring Righteousness for the sake of life. The sin you would incur would be great and unquestionable, while the advantage would be trifling and doubtful. Moreover, you should also consider that the virtuous do not like to gain a pleasure for themselves that is procured at the expense of others, whom they have distressed by bringing them into disrepute and the like. For this reason, standing on the ground of Righteousness, I shall bear the charge of my private interests alone without causing pain to others."

Abhiparaga replied: "But how could there be any room for injustice here, after all, either on my side, if moved by attachment I should take care of the interest of my master, or on the side of Your Majesty receiving a present from my hand? All Sibis, townsmen and landsmen, would ask: 'What is the injustice of this?' Therefore, be pleased to take her, Your Majesty."

The king replied: "Verily, you have the intense desire of assisting me. But reflect well upon this: Which of us knows the Law best, the whole of the Sibis, you, or I?"

Then Abhiparaga hastily answered: "Owing to your assiduous and respectful watching of the wise, and your great regard for sacred lore, and the sagacity of your mind, Your Majesty ranks with Brhaspati as the most competent judge in all matters taught in the sciences concerning the Triad of objects."

The king said: "This being so, you ought not to mislead me in this matter. Why do I say so? The evil and the good of the people depend on the behavior of their rulers. For this reason--as well as taking into account the attachment of my subjects--I shall continue to love the Path of the Pious above all, in conformity with my reputation.

"As cows follow in the steps of the bull in any direction, whether it may be the right or the wrong one, in the very same manner the king's subjects imitate the behavior of their ruler without any scruple and undauntedly.

"You must also take this into consideration. If I should lack the power of ruling my own self, say, into what condition would I bring the people who long for protection from my side? Thus considering and regardful of the good of my subjects, my own righteousness, and my spotless fame, I will not allow myself to submit to passion for I am the leader of my subjects, the bull of my herd."

Then Abhiparaga, the king's official, appeased by the constancy of the king, bowed his head, folded his hands in reverence and said the following:

"O! Excessively favored by Destiny are these subjects, having such a ruler as you are, Illustrious King. Love of Righteousness utterly disregardful of pleasures is to be searched for even among those who dwell in the penance groves. In you the appellation of "great," 0 Maharaja is a brilliant ornament. For the name of a virtue conferred upon persons devoid of virtue, has a rather harsh sound, as if used in contempt. Nor is there any reason for me to be astonished or agitated by this grand deed of yours, who is a mine of virtues just as the sea is of jewels."

In this manner, then, the virtuous--even when sick with heavy sorrow--are disinclined to follow the road of the low-minded, being prevented from such actions by the firmness of their constancy and their being conversant with the Law by long and good practice. Thus considering, one ought to exert one's self in practicing constancy and the precepts of the Law.

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