Read the previous part here…
The king, impressed by his appearance and his confidence, decided to give him the salary that he had demanded. But he felt curious, and wanted to know what Vīravara would do with so much money, given that he had a small family and hardly any other visible expenses. And so he asked his spies to follow Vīravara, and asked them to report back as to what he did with the coins that he earned.
स च वीरवरः प्रातः कृत्वा भूपस्य दर्शनम् ।
स्थित्वा च तस्या मध्याह्नं सिंहद्वारे धृतायुधः ॥ १२,११.१५ ॥
गत्वा स्ववृत्तिलब्धानां दीनाराणां शतं गृहे ।
भोजनार्थं स्वभार्याया हस्ते प्रादात् किलान्वहम् ॥ १२,११.१६ ॥
वस्त्राङ्गरागताम्बूलं क्रीणाति स्म शतेन च ।
शतं स्नात्वा च पूजार्थं व्यधाद् विष्णोः शिवस्य च ॥ १२,११.१७ ॥
विप्रेभ्यः कृपणेभ्यश् च ददौ दानं शतद्वयम् ।
एवं विभेजे पञ्चापि तानि नित्यं शतान्य् असौ ॥ १२,११.१८ ॥
ततः कृत्वाग्निकार्यादि भूक्त्वा गत्वैकको निशि ।
सिंहद्वारे पुनस् तस्थौ पाणौ करतलां दधत् ॥ १२,११.१९ ॥
एतां सततचर्यां च तस्य वीरवरस्य सः ।
राजा चारमुखाच् छ्रुत्वा तुतोष हृदि शुद्रकः ॥ १२,११.२० ॥
The spies kept a close eye on their target, and this is what they saw.
Vīravara started his day by coming to the palace and offering his respects to the king, and then took up his position at the palace gates, sword-in-hand, and stayed there till late in the evening. He then collected his daily wage of five hundred coins, and went home.
He gave his wife one hundred coins for maintaining the house and their family, with another hundred he purchased essentials, including food and sandalwood paste. He had a bath and then set aside a hundred coins to donate to the temple nearby, and another two hundred coins he distributed among the poor Brahmins who sat in the temple complex for charity.
This is how Vīravara spent his five hundred coins, every single day.
He then performed Agni puja, had food and then went back to the palace at night to keep guard alone, sword in hand.
निवारयामास च तांश् चारांस् तस्यानुमार्गगान् ।
मेने विशेषपूजार्हं पुरुषातिशयं च तम् ॥ १२,११.२१ ॥
अथ यातेषु दिवसेष्व् अवहेलावलङ्घिते ।
ग्रीष्मे वीरवरेणात्र सुप्रचण्डार्कतेजसि ॥ १२,११.२२ ॥
तदीर्ष्यात इवोद्भूतविद्युत्करतलां दधत् ।
धाराप्रहारी निनदन्न् आजगाम घनागमः ॥ १२,११.२३ ॥
तदा च घोर मेघौघे प्रवर्षति दिवानिशम् ।
सिंहद्वारे तथैवासीत् सो ऽत्र वीरवरो ऽचलः ॥ १२,११.२४ ॥
तं च दृष्ट्वा दिवा राजा प्रासादाग्रात् स शूद्रकः ।
निशि भूयस् तदारोहज् जिज्ञासुस् तस्य तां स्थितिम् ॥ १२,११.२५ ॥
जगाद च ततः को नु सिंहद्वारे स्थितो ऽत्र भोः ।
तच् छ्रुत्वाहं स्थितो ऽत्रेति सो ऽपि वीरवरो ऽब्रवीत् ॥ १२,११.२६ ॥
अहो सुदृढसत्त्वो ऽयं भक्तो वीरवरो मयि ।
तद् एष प्रापणीयो मे ऽवश्यम् एव महत् पदम् ॥ १२,११.२७ ॥
इति संचिन्त्य नृपतिः प्रासादाद् अवतीर्य सः ।
शूद्रकः शयनं भेजे प्रविश्यान्तःपुरं ततः ॥ १२,११.२८ ॥
अन्येद्युश् च भृशं मेघे धारासारेण वर्षति ।
प्रदोषे गुप्तभवने काले तमसि जृम्भिते ॥ १२,११.२९ ॥
पुनः स राजा जिज्ञासुः प्रासादम् अधिरुह्य तम् ।
सिंहद्वारे स्थितः को ऽत्रेत्य् एकाकी प्राह तं स्फुटम् ॥ १२,११.३० ॥
अहं स्थित इति प्रोक्ते पुनर् वीरवरेण च ।
यावद् विस्मयते सो ऽत्र राजा तद्धैर्यदर्शनात् ॥ १२,११.३१ ॥
तावद् विदूरे शुश्राव सहसा रुदतीं स्त्रियम् ।
विषादविकलाम् एकां प्रलापकरुणस्वनम् ॥ १२,११.३२ ॥
न मे राष्ट्रे पराभूतो न दरिद्रो न दुःखितः ।
कश् चिद् अस्ति तद् एषा का रोदित्य् एकाकिनी निशि ॥ १२,११.३३ ॥
The summer came and went, and even the powerful rays of the sun could not budge Vīravara from his post. The rains arrived, roaring with energy, with lightning striking like a unsheathed silver sword, but that too could not make Vīravara move an inch. He stayed as always, at the palace gate, guarding it day and night.
The king had kept observing him, and once,in the middle of the night, he shouted out towards the gate…
“Who is there at the palace gate?“
“It is me, Vīravara, o king!”, came the reply.
King Śūdraka thought to himself “Vīravara is so honest and devoted to his duty. He is also very loyal to me. I should give him some better responsibilities.”
He then went to bed.
The following night, there was a huge storm. Torrents of rain fell onto the palace ramparts, and it was dark all around. The king wanted to check if the guard would be still at his post, in spite of the poor weather, and so he went up to the roof of his palace and cried out…
“Who is there at the palace gate?“
“It is me, Vīravara, o king!”, came the reply.
And while the king was lost in the admiration of his loyal guard, he suddenly heard the sound of a woman weeping in the distance.
” There is no person who is not happy in my kingdom, nor is anyone oppressed, nor poor, nor diseased…then who is this woman weeping so late in the night?” thought the king to himself.
He then called out to Vīravara and said…
to be continued…