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Incidentally, Lakṣmīdatta was about to set out to SvarnaDeepa. The merchant greeted Yaśaḥketu, having noticed the signs of royalty that shone beyond the costume of the sadhu that the king had worn.
Yaśaḥketu returned the greeting, and then set out by ship, on the sea, towards the island of SvarnaDeepa.
मध्यम् अब्धेश् च संप्राप्ते वहने वारिमध्यतः ।
उदगात् कल्पविटपिस्कन्धस्था सात्र कन्यका ॥ १२,१९.७७ ॥
यावत् पश्यति तां राजा चकोर इव चन्द्रिकाम् ।
तावत् सा गायति स्मैवं वल्लकीवाद्यसुन्दरम् ॥ १२,१९.७८ ॥
And when the ship had reached the middle of the ocean, that maiden arose from the water, seated on the same kalpavriksh, playing the veena…The dumbstruck king’s eyes were transfixed on her, as she broke into a melodious song…
यत् कर्मबीजम् उप्तं येन पुरा निश्चितं स तद् भुङ्क्ते ।
पूर्वकृतस्य हि शक्यो विधिनापि न कर्तुम् अन्यथाभावः ॥ १२,१९.७९ ॥
तस्माद् यत्र यथा यद् भवितव्यं यस्य दैवयोगेन ।
तत्र तथा तत्प्राप्त्यै विवशो ऽसौ नीयते ऽत्र न भ्रान्तिः ॥ १२,१९.८० ॥
“He who has sown the seeds of karma, will surely reap it’s fruits, for even fate cannot alter the course of karma done in the past…”
And so what has to happen, where it has to happen, how it has to happen, to whom it has to happen…it will surely happen because of destiny….man has to experience it, and is powerless to oppose it…
इति सूचितभव्यार्थां गायन्तीं तां विभावयन् ।
निःस्पन्दः स क्षणं तस्थौ राजा स्मरशराहतः ॥ १२,१९.८१ ॥
रत्नाकर नमः सत्यम् अगाधहृदयाय ते ।
येन त्वयैतां प्रच्छाद्य विप्रलब्धो हरिः श्रिया ॥ १२,१९.८२ ॥
तत् सुरैर् अप्य् अलभ्यान्तं सपक्षक्ष्माभृदाश्रयम् ।
शरणं त्वां प्रपन्नो ऽहम् इष्टसिद्धिं विधत्स्व मे ॥ १२,१९.८३ ॥
एवं यावत् समुद्रं तं स नतः स्तौति भूमिपः ।
तावत् सा कन्यका तत्र निममज्ज सपादपा ॥ १२,१९.८४ ॥
तद् दृष्ट्वैवानुमार्गे ऽस्याः स राजात्मानम् अक्षिपत् ।
वारिधाव् अत्र कामाग्निसंतापस्येव शान्तये ॥ १२,१९.८५ ॥
The king heard her sing, and found himself motionless, struck by Kamadeva…all he could do was gaze at her for a while. And then, he bowed his head and sang to the sea…
“Hail the mighty sea, the store of everything priceless…you have so many treasures within you…like this maiden, who you managed to hide from Viṣṇu and gave him only Shree Lakṣmī instead!
I surrender to you, I take shelter in you, please grant me the strength to obtain what I desire!”
As he said this, the kalpavriksh started to descend into the sea, taking with it the veena, and the maiden.
Yaśaḥketu flung himself into the sea after her, as it to cool the flames of love and desire that had engulfed him…
तद् वीक्ष्याशङ्कितं मत्वा विनष्टं तं स सज्जनः ।
लक्ष्मीदत्तो वणिग् दुःखाद् देहत्यागोद्यतो ऽभवत् ॥ १२,१९.८६ ॥
मा कार्षीः साहसं नास्ति मग्नस्यास्याम्भुधौ भयम् ।
एषो राजा यशःकेतुर् नाम्ना तापसवेषभृत् ॥ १२,१९.८७ ॥
एतत् कन्यार्थम् आयातः पूर्वभार्येयम् अस्य च ।
एतां प्राप्य पुनश् चासाव् अङ्गराज्यं समेष्यति ॥ १२,१९.८८ ॥
इत्य् अथाश्वासितो वाचा तत्कालं गगनोत्थया ।
सार्थवाहो यथाकामं स जगामेष्टसिद्धये ॥ १२,१९.८९ ॥
Lakṣmīdatta, on the other hand, was very worried. His guest had plunged into the sea, and the poor man thought that he had perished in the process. This was too much for a good soul like him to bear, and in shame, Lakṣmīdatta decided to follow suit.
He had nearly jumped, when he heard a voice from the skies…
“Wait! The man who jumped in is not in danger. His name is King Yaśaḥketu, and he had come to you disguised as a sadhu, in pursuit of that very maiden you just saw.
She was his wife in their previous janma (birth), and hence his deep desire to have her. He will return to his kingdom once he has obtained his objective!”
This consoled poor Lakṣmīdatta, who bowed with folded hands, and continued on his journey.
But when the king plunged into the sea, suddenly…
to be continued…