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20
 
AVANTISUN DARI KATHĀ SĀRA
 
forest. With the desire of worshipping the god, I gathered
flowers, placed my flower basket at the foot of a tree and went
to bathe in a mountain torrent close by. There I saw a
woman in distress; she was carrying this child in her arms,
and crying aloud, 'Is there fire here.' I consoled her saying
that I would kindle.fire for her and questioned her as to what
brought her to that sorry predicament.
 
(Av. Sāra IV. 71-74; Av. p. 186)
 
'Sir,' said the woman, 'I am a nurse of the daughter of
Kālagupta, the head of the merchant guild (Srenimukhya) in
the island of Kalayavana. When my mistress grew into
a young woman, she became a hater of males in general. One
day I took her to a garden to amuse her where she fainted;
and recovering consciousness, she cried, 'Samudradatta! my
love! where are you?' Later on she lold me in confidence,
'Good mother! I remember that I was in my former life
Suvrata the daughter of a poor merchant named Kṛṣṇagupta
in this island. I heard once from behind a wall the following
conversation between a stranger and my father:
Story of Samudradatta
 
'Sir,' said he, 'I am a merchant named Samudradatta
(of Ujjain). I had occasion to contract the friendship of
Karṇiputra (Müladeva); and, as illuck would have it, I fell
in love with his coustesan wife (Madanasenã and had secret
relations with her). In indignation he said (that he would
not take away the life of a friend, but) that he would steal my
wife in the event of my marrying a well-born girl. For fear
of him I have not married. I desire to marry your daughter
in secret, so that I may have a son to prepetuate my race.
(Please take this price in gold.)' My father gave me in
marriage to that young man; and he took me to Ujjain and
kept me in secret, in his house.
 
(Av. Sāra IV. 75-81; Av. pp. 186-87)
 
Story of Karniputra
 
'After a while I found myself in quite a different place
and a stranger was addressing me politely with folded hands:
'Good Lady! know that I am Karnīputra. I swore in the
presence of my enemy Samudradatta to abduct his wife. I
learnt from my spies that you had been kept in secret in his
house. I reached you through an underground passage and
found you every inch a chaste woman. By means of a spell
I made you stupefied and obey my will, Having given out