अवन्तिसुन्दरीकथासारः /52

34
 
AVANTISUNDARIĪ KATHĀ SĀRA
 

 
fiery chariot (agniratha). Then a divine damsel of infinite

beauty approached the man in the chariot, cast a loving look at

him and thanked the prince for his kindness. She then took
them to her palace and related her story.
 

them to her palace and related her story.
 
(Av. Sāra V. 82-94; Av. portion lost)
 

 
Story of Mandaākini
 
ī
 
'I am Mandākinī, daughter of Namuci. After my

father's death I was brought up by Naraka along with his

daughter Yajñavatī; and we had a loving friend in Tilottamā.

Once Yajñavati became distracted with love and said, 'In my

former birth I had the happiness of being the consort of

Dharmadeva, son of god Purușṣottama. At the instance of our

parents my husband went abroad and I gave up my mortal

frame in fire in the Badarī forest. The memories of my

former life now make me sad.' Then Tilottamā brought her

an young man resembling her lover and said, Friend, here is

Saāmba son of god Kṛṣṇa by Jämbavatiāmbavatī and he is the object of

your love.' He came here for protecting the sages; and

seeing this forest, he cried out, 'Ah, my love, Yajñavati,'

and fainted. The loving couple recognised each other and spent

many happy days. When the Asuras carried away Yajnavatiñavatī,

Saāmba proceeded to Prāgjyotişa in search of her and then to
ṣa in search of her and then to
Dvārakā and there recovered her. When Naraka was slain

god Kṛṣṇa took me to this city to be a friend of Yajñavatiī,

his daughter-in-law. Mahāśvetā and other Gandharva

maidens were also my friends. Once on my way to worship

god Vişņṣṇu, I saw an young man and fell in love with him.

He at once plunged into the sea and turned into a horse. The

god seeing me in sorrow said that the young man would cer-

tainly become my husband. Mahāśveta and her husband paid a
visit to me and she cheered me up by telling me the long tale of
ā and her husband paid a
visit to me and she cheered me up by telling me the long tale of
her life. Then as desired by her, her husband told me the

story of his life and also that of Kādambari.
 
ī.
 
(Av. Sāra V. 95-111; Av. pp. 241-42, full of lacunae.)
 

 
Story of Kaādambarī
 

 
'I was born as the only child of a pair of parrots' said Punṇ-
d
ḍarīka 'that lived in an old SäŚālmali tree in the Vindhya forest.

As soon as I was born my mother died, and my father fostered

me tenderly. When one day hunters killed him I fell down

from the tree and an young hermit took me to the hermitage