Note 3 — Chapter XLIX

But queen Aśokavatí did not cease from importunately soliciting Guṇaśarman day and night. But he would never consent to that crime; good men prefer death to immodest conduct. Then Aśokavatí, finding out that he was resolved, one day out of enmity to him affected to be unhappy, and remained with tearful countenance. Then Mahásena, coming in, and seeing her in that condition, said—“What is this, my beloved? Who has offended you? Tell me the name of the man whose life and property I am to take by way of punishment?” Then the unforgiving queen said with affected reluctance to the king, who had thus addressed her, “You have no power to punish the man who has injured me; he is not a man you can chastise, so what is the good of revealing the injury to no purpose?” When she said this, the king pressed her, and she said deceitfully—“My husband, if you are very anxious to know, listen, I will tell you. Guṇaśarman, who pretends to be a loyal servant,3 made an agreement with the King of Gauḍa, and in order to get money from him, undertook to do you an injury. The wicked Bráhman secretly sent his confidential messenger to Gauḍa, to make the king hand over treasure and so on. Then a confidential servant, seeing the king despondent, said to him—‘I will manage this affair for you, do not waste your wealth.’ When the king of Gauḍa heard this, he had that messenger of Guṇaśarman’s cast into prison,4——