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SUMMARY OF CONTENTS
 
35
 
of the sage Jābāli. The sage looked at me with a smile
and said: 'King Tärāpīḍa of Avanti had a son named
Candrāpīḍa. The minister Sukanāsa had a son of the name of
Vaiśampāyana. Candrāpīḍa and Vaiśampāyana studied together
in a gurukula outside the city and became proficient in all
sciences. When the prince was sixteen years old the king
anointed him crown-prince and presented him with a horse
called Indrayudha. The prince started for the conquest of
regions with an army with Vaiśampāyana at the head. At the
foot of the Himalayas Candrāpīḍa encamped the army; and
hearing the music of a pair of Kinnaras he pursued them on
his horse leaving his followers far behind. He met a heavenly
nymph named Mahāśvetā on the shore of the lake Achhoda.
She received him kindly; and, on being asked to tell her story,
she sighed deeply and said: 'I am the daughter of the king of
the Gandharvas and my name is Mahāśvetā. I cherished love
for a young Brahman of the name of Pundarika, and he also
loved me deeply. At the rising of the moon he became
desperately sick with love and gave up his life. When I
could do nothing but weep and wail over the lifeless form
of my lover, a man descended from the orb of the moon, and
taking his body flew up into the sky saying that I would later
be reunited with my lover. Soon after Kapiñjala, the friend
of my lover, pursued the man from the moon and I was left in
heavy affliction.
 
(Av. Sāra V. 112-24; Av. pp. 243; full of lacune)
 
'Prince Candrāpīḍa consoled her with words of encourage-
ment; and she took him to her friend Kādambari, daughter of
Citraratha, another Gandharva chief. Love sprang up
between the prince and Kādambarī at first sight. The next
day the prince returned to his camp where he received the
summons from his father to return. He left the camp imme-
diately, leaving Patralekhā, his maid-in-wait, with Kādambarī.
After a few days, Patralekhā returned and told him that
Kādambarī was pining for love of him. He swooned
to hear the state of love of Kādambarī and became anxious
to see her. At that time, a messenger (Manojava) came
from the camp and said: "(Prince! Vaiśampāyana, having sent
Patralekha in advance with Meghanāda thought of return-
ing to the capital with the army. On the eve of leaving the
camp, he offered worship to the god Hara in the shrine near
the hermitage of Mahāśvetā and suddenly fell ill.) Then the