अवन्तिसुन्दरीकथासारः /71

SUMMARY OF CONTENTS
 
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"In those days I used to steal the wealth of the rich men

in the city and make them beg the poor who had grown

rich by the wealth I bestowed on them. One night under the

influence of excessive drink, I attempted to steal all the

wealth of the city and was arrested by a party of watchmen.

Coming to my senses I realized that the misfortune that

had overtaken me would also involve the innocent Raāga-

mañjariī and Dhanamitra. In a moment I made up my mind

what to do and began rebuking nurse Śrṛgālikā who was

following me : 'Get away, you old hag. You have brought

about a union between Dhanamitra and Rāgamañjarī

and I am happy that I have robbed him of his bag and her of

her jewels.' The clever nurse took the hint from me and

came near me to ask where I had kept the stolen property.

Then I whispered in her ear a plan on which she was to act

when she reached home. I was taken to the prison and

Kaṇṭaka, the jailor, threatened me with torture if I did not

return all that I had stolen.
 

 
(Av. Sāra VIII. 78-83)
 

 
"Later on, one evening, SŚṛgālikā told me that my plan

had borne fruit. 'Dhanamitra,' she said, 'thus petitioned the

King: My lord! a thief pretending to be my friend stole

my bag and was put in prison; he may be pursuaded to give

it back.' The King,' she added, will take the necessary

measures to restore the bag to Dhanamitra. For my part,

I have secured the favour of the princess through a nurse and

have made Kaṇṭaka believe that the princess had fallen in love

with him. Seeing that he was mad with love, I suggested to

him to enter into the princess' apartments through an under-

ground passage. He finds in you the proper man to dig an

underground passage from the prison to the palace. The

fool has asked me to induce you to do it for him and will

release you for the purpose.' Then the jailor set me free

and I dug a passage. As I was issuing out, he began to

fetter me again and I struck him on the chest and killed him.

Then through the same passage I entered the palace to steal

something there and found the princess sleeping. Her

beauty stole my heart and I painted her on a board in the

posture in which I saw her, with myself kneeling at her feet.

I also wrote below the picture an āryā giving expression to

my love for her. Then I returned to the prison and told my

esteemed friend, a fellow prisoner, that I had killed Kaṇṭaka
 
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