Note 7 — Chapter XLVI

And at night, Súryaprabha, as he was lying sleepless, saw a wonderful and beautiful maiden enter the chamber, in which he was occupying a solitary couch in accordance with his vow. She came boldly up to him, who pretended to be asleep, with his ministers sleeping round him, and said to her confidante, who was with her; “If he possesses such glorious beauty, when he is asleep, and all the graceful motion of his body is still, what must it be, my friend, when he is awake? So let be! we must not wake him up. I have gratified the curiosity of my eyes. Why should I fix my heart too fondly on him? For he will have a battle with Śrutaśarman, and who can say what will befall either party in it? For the feast of battle is for consuming the lives of heroes. And should he not be fortunate, we shall have to take some other resolve.7 And how could one like me captivate the soul of a man who, when roaming in the air, beheld Kámachúḍámaṇi?” When she said this, her confidante answered, “Why do you say this? Why, fair one, is it your duty not to allow your heart to attach itself to him? Why should not he, the sight of whom captivated the heart of Kámachúḍámaṇi, captivate the heart of any other lady, were she even Arundhatí in bodily presence? And do you not know that he will prosper in fight by the force of science? And when he is emperor, you, and Kámachúḍámaṇi, and Suprabhá of the same family, are to be his wives, so say the holy sages, and in these very days he has married Suprabhá. So, how can he be unsuccessful in fight? For the predictions of the sages are never falsified. And will you not captivate the heart of the man, whose heart was captivated by Suprabhá? For you, blameless one, exceed her in beauty. And if you hesitate through regard for your relations, that is not right, for good women have no relations but their husband.” That excellent maiden, when she heard this speech of her confidante’s, said—“You have spoken truth, my friend, I need no other relations. And I know my husband will conquer in fight by his science. He has obtained jewels and sciences, but my mind is grieved because up to the present time he has not obtained the virtuous herbs. Now they are all in a cave of the mountain Chandrapáda. But they are to be obtained by an emperor possessing virtue. So, if he were to go there and procure those mighty drugs, it would be well, for his great struggle is nigh at hand, even to-morrow.” When Súryaprabha heard this, he flung off all his feigned sleep, and rising up, said respectfully to that maiden—“Lovely-eyed one, you have shewn great favour to me, so I will go there, tell me who you are.” When the maiden heard that, she was abashed with shame, and silent, thinking that he had heard all, but her friend said—“This is a maiden named Vilásiní, the daughter of Sumeru, the prince of the Vidyádharas, who was desirous of beholding you.” When her friend said this, Vilásiní said to her, “Come, let us go now,” and went out of the room.