Naravāhanadatta and Gomukha bathed in the garden well, partook their meals in the middle court of the palace, drank well, and ate tāmbūla. That night, besotted by Karpūrikā, Naravāhanadatta was unable to fall asleep and Rājyadhara told him, "Why do you worry? You will obtain your beloved. Lakṣmī herself woos those with sattva and good character. I have seen this with my own eyes!" Then he narrated the following tale:
The Story of Sukhadhana
King...
The Story of Indīvarasena and Anicchāsena
In the town of Airāvati, there lived a king named Parityāgasena. He had two wives, of which one was his minister's daughter, Adhikasaṅgamā. The other was a princess from a royal family and was called Kāvyālaṅkārā. Being childless, he and his wives propitiated Devī Ambikā, who appeared in a dream gave him two fruits and instructed him as follows: “Mahārāja! Give these to your wives. Two valorous sons will...
Kathāmṛta - 51 - Ratnaprabhā-lambaka - The Story of King Ajara and the Story of Cirāyu and Nāgārjuna
The following day, when they all assembled in the court, Marubhūti hung his head down with shame. Looking at him, Ratnaprabhā said, “Ārya-putra! You are truly fortunate to have your childhood friends as ministers. They too are fortunate to have their childhood friend as the king of the land. This is indeed a fortuitous result of the (good) karmas from former births!” When he heard these words, Tapantaka remarked, “It is true that he has become...
The story continued from the previous episode...
The next day the wedding took place with Agni as the witness. It was like a rājahaṃsa – a royal swan - uniting with a lotus born in the marsh. He spent some time with her and then decided to go back to his place, Vardhamānapura along with her. Rūpaśikhā said, ‘This should happen covertly; my father shouldn’t even get a hint of it; he wouldn’t allow me; if he follows us, I’ll make his brain go dull...
Then Hariśikhā said “Yes, this is indeed so. Virtuous women don’t even think of any man other than their beloved husband!” and began to narrate this story-
The Story of Guṇavarā and Rūpaśikhā
The prosperous kingdom of Vardhamānapura was ruled by the mighty King Vīrabhuja. He had hundreds of wives. Among them all, Guṇavarā was his dearest, whom he loved more than his own life. Vīrabhuja had everything, but there was still a big void in his life...
The Story of Bhavaśarmā
‘Dear friend, never get caught by women. Their minds are always hard to understand.’
A beautiful brāhmaṇa woman named Somadayā lived in Vārāṇasī. Unbeknownst to anyone, she was a yoginī. Egged on by fate, I came to befriend her and fell in love with her. One day, in a fit of jealousy and anger, I struck her. She could not tolerate me beating her but stomached her anger. The following day, under the pretext of love-play,...
Upon listening to this story Gomukha said, “Women are lustful by nature and a pativratā is rare to find. It is true that women are never to be trusted!” and narrated the following tale –
Story of Niścayadatta and Anurāgaparā
There lived a merchant named Niścayadatta in Ujjayinī. Every day, he bathed in the Kṣiprā river, worship Mahākāla, perform dāna to brāhmaṇas and the needy, and anointed himself with sandalwood paste. He would dab the unguent...
The next day Gomukha and other friends of Naravāhanadatta came to see him. The door keeper made them wait till she obtained the permission and then allowed them inside. Ratnaprabhā ordered the door keeper thus, ‘Henceforth don’t make them wait; they are close friends of my husband; we don’t insist on such strict protocols and protection for the inner chambers.’ She then addressed her beloved, ‘O son of noble one! Since this came up I want to...
केलिकेशग्रहव्यग्रगौरीकरनखावृतम्|
शिवायानेकचन्द्राढ्यमिव शार्वं शिरोऽस्तु वः||
[May that head of Śiva which looks as though it bears many moons, as the hairs are being pulled by the (moon-like) nails of Gaurī playfully, bring you fortune.]
करं दानाम्भसार्द्रं यः कुञ्चिताग्रं प्रसारयन्|
ददत्सिद्धिमिवाभाति स पायाद्वो गजाननः||
[Let the elephant-faced deity who is stretching his trunk - drenched in ichor - as though bestowing success/fruition...
The Story of King Indradatta
There lived a king named Indradatta in the country of Cedi. He had a grand temple constructed in a tīrtha-kṣetra called Pāpaśodhana and often visited the place. Many pilgrims visited the place to take a dip in the tīrtha. Once, during his visit to the place, he spotted a lady belonging to a merchant’s family. He fell in love with her and visited her residence. Her husband was not in town. She said ‘Mahārāja! You are...