Story 147 - The Loss That Occurred To The Nobleman’s Daughter

IN a certain country there is a nobleman (Sitano), it is said. There is a Princess of the nobleman’s, it is said. The Princess having become associated with the servant at the house, in secret they went to another country, it is said.

At the time when the two persons had been there a long time, the Princess became pregnant.^[1]

When the ten months were coming to be fulfilled she said to the Princess’s husband,

“Dear (sondura), let us go to seek our two parents.”

At that word her husband was displeased. Afterwards, in not many days the child was born.

When they had been some time thus, a fresh child was conceived.

At the time when the ten months were coming to be fulfilled for that child, she said,

“Dear, it is very difficult for me. Because of it, let us go to seek our two parents,”

she said.

After that procuring all [necessary] provisions, afterwards they began to go. Having gone thus, that day it became night. They stayed near a tree in the midst of the forest. Because rain was coming, having said he must construct a leaf [parturition] house (kolasun geyak) he went to cut sticks, creepers, etc. Having gone, at the time when he was cutting them sitting upon an ant-hill, the Naga King who stayed in the ant-hill bit (datta kala) her husband in the leg; the man died there.

At the time when that woman, placing the child near her, was staying [there], pain in the body having seized the woman she bore [a child]. Then rain began to rain. That night, until it became light, how much was her trouble for sleep ! After it became light in the morning she went to seek her husband. Having gone, at the time when she was going walking she saw that the man is dead.

From there, weeping and weeping, having walked [back] to the place where the children were, and having descended to the road carrying the two children, while she was going away to the very city of her two parents there was water in the river [that she must cross] on the road.

After that, having gone to that [far] bank carrying the elder child, and having made the child stay there, she came to the middle of the river [in order] to return to this bank. Then, having seen that an eagle striking the child she bore yester-night was taking it, she clapped her hands and shouted. Then the child who was on that [far] bank said,

‘ Mother is calling,” and sprang into the river. Then, of both children, one the eagle took away, one having fallen in the water died. The two children were lost, and the man was lost.

Well then, having said,

“I myself must still go to seek my two parents,”

at the time when she was going she met with a man of that city whom she knew. From the man this woman asked,

“Is the affliction of my two parents light, or what ?”

she asked.

The man said,

“Thy two parents’ mansion (prasada) having broken down and fallen last night on account of the rain, and the two having died, it is the smoke, indeed, of the funeral pyre which burns the two, that is visible there,”

he said.

After that, the woman lost her senses, and being without goods she began to go on still, quite like a mad person. The Devatawa taking as his dwelling-place the Banyan-tree near the road, thought,

“Should this woman go on this path, through that depression of spirits she will jump into the fire that burns those two persons. I must show this woman a different path.”

Having said [this], he showed [her it].

The woman went on that path. Having gone, she went to a pansala. Having gone to it and become a nun she remained there until she died.

(A variant agrees closely with this.)

North-western Province.

 

Note:

This is part of the story of the misfortunes of Krisha Gautami, one of the chief Buddhist nuns, as they are related in the Tibetan Kah-gyur (A. von Schiefner’s Tibetan Tales, Ralston, p. 216). Her father was a rich householder of Benares, by whom she was married to a young merchant. For her first confinement she returned home, afterwards rejoining her husband. For the second, she and her husband went ofi in a waggon in which she was confined when they had gone about half way. Her husband sat down under a tree to await the event, fell asleep, a snake bit him, and he died on the spot. When the woman got down she found he was dead. In the meantime a thief stole the oxen. She then walked on with the children till she came to a river, flooded by a sudden rain. She carried the infant across, and while returning in the water for the other saw a jackal carry off the baby. When she waved her hands to frighten the animal, the elder child, thinking she was calling him, sprang down a high bank into the river, and was killed. The mother pursued the jackal, which dropped the infant, but it was then dead. At about the same time her parents and all their household but one man were destroyed by a hurricane. She met the survivor and heard his sad story, after which she wandered to a hill village, and lived with an old woman, spinning cotton yam. After other unfortunate experiences she became a Buddhist nun.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Daru garbayek upanna.