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20
 
AVANTISUN DARIĪ 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 (SrenŚreṇimukhya) in

the island of Kaālayavana. 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<error> lold</error> me in confidence,

'Good mother! I remember that I was in my former life

Suvrataā 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

Karṇiīputra (Müūladeva); and, as illuck would have it, I fell

in love with his coustesan wife (Madanasenã and had secret
ā 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
 
ṇīputra
'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

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