2023-05-06 01:35:19 by lakshmichalla
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52
AVANTISUNDARIĪ KATHĀ SĀRA
what he had justly obtained. I am a merchant and request
your majesty to see that no one steals the bag and to permit
me to worship the bag.' The King will give his consent.
Then you should go home and worship the bag. It will
have to be filled with the gold obtained by theft at night and
shown to the people in the morning. Then Kuberadatta will
come to you and offer you his daughter in marriage.' Dhana-
mitra did everything as I suggested.
(Av. Sāra VIII. 56-63)
"One of those days I happened to witness a concert
given by Rāgamañjarī, younger sister of Kāmamañjarī.
We fell in love with each other at first sight. She wanted to
be won by merit but her sister insisted on giving her away for
money. I therefore promised Käāmamañjarī that I would
steal the leather bag from Dhanamitra and give it to her in
return for Răāgamañjarī. The greedy courtezan agreed and
on my giving her the bag gave me her sister as wife. Then
Vimardaka, my friend, pretending to be a partisan of Arthapati
threatened Dhanamitra, in the hearing of the public, that he
would steal the leather bag. Dhanamitra reported to the King
that the bag was missing and that Vimardaka a friend of
Arthapati had threatened to steal it. The King called for
Arthapati and asked him to produce his friend Vimardaka. But
the latter could not be found as I had sent him away on the
same day to Ujjain in search of you. The angry King threw
Arthapati into prison as an accomplice in the theft.
"Meanwhile Kāmamañjarī, as a preliminary to wor-
shipping the bag, restored to Viruūpaka all the wealth she had
taken from him. Now Dhanamitra informed the King that
Kāmamañjarī, the greedy courtezan, had been giving away all
her wealth and that he had his suspicions that the bag was in
her hands. When summoned by the King she deposed at my
suggestion that Arthapati was the thief. The King was furious
and was about to sentence Arthapati to death. Then Dhana-
mitra made known to the King that Chandragupta Maurya had
granted to the n
granted to the merchant community immunity, from capital
punishment for offences like theft.[^¹] The King there fore
fore
banished Arthapati from the country. And Kuberadatta now
gave his daughter in marriage to Dhanamitra, with pleasure.
(Av. Sāra VIII. 64-77)
[^1]. See infra, p. 13, fn. 1.
what he had justly obtained. I am a merchant and request
your majesty to see that no one steals the bag and to permit
me to worship the bag.' The King will give his consent.
Then you should go home and worship the bag. It will
have to be filled with the gold obtained by theft at night and
shown to the people in the morning. Then Kuberadatta will
come to you and offer you his daughter in marriage.' Dhana-
mitra did everything as I suggested.
(Av. Sāra VIII. 56-63)
"One of those days I happened to witness a concert
given by Rāgamañjarī, younger sister of Kāmamañjarī.
We fell in love with each other at first sight. She wanted to
be won by merit but her sister insisted on giving her away for
money. I therefore promised K
steal the leather bag from Dhanamitra and give it to her in
return for R
on my giving her the bag gave me her sister as wife. Then
Vimardaka, my friend, pretending to be a partisan of Arthapati
threatened Dhanamitra, in the hearing of the public, that he
would steal the leather bag. Dhanamitra reported to the King
that the bag was missing and that Vimardaka a friend of
Arthapati had threatened to steal it. The King called for
Arthapati and asked him to produce his friend Vimardaka. But
the latter could not be found as I had sent him away on the
same day to Ujjain in search of you. The angry King threw
Arthapati into prison as an accomplice in the theft.
"Meanwhile Kāmamañjarī, as a preliminary to wor-
shipping the bag, restored to Vir
taken from him. Now Dhanamitra informed the King that
Kāmamañjarī, the greedy courtezan, had been giving away all
her wealth and that he had his suspicions that the bag was in
her hands. When summoned by the King she deposed at my
suggestion that Arthapati was the thief. The King was furious
and was about to sentence Arthapati to death. Then Dhana-
mitra made known to the King that Chandragupta Maurya had
granted to the n
granted to the merchant community immunity, from capital
punishment for offences like theft.[^¹] The King there
banished Arthapati from the country. And Kuberadatta now
gave his daughter in marriage to Dhanamitra, with pleasure.
(Av. Sāra VIII. 64-77)
[^1]. See infra, p. 13, fn. 1.