Read the previous part here…
As she came of marriageable age, the king decided to find for her a suitable husband. And so he arranged for the portraits of all the kings in the world, so that she could choose her desired life-partner.
तेष्व् एको ऽपि न यत् तस्य तत्तुल्यः प्रत्यभासत ।
तेन राजा स वात्सल्यात् तां सुतां प्रत्यभाषत ॥ १२,१६.१५ ॥
अहं तावन् न पश्यामि सदृशं पुत्रि ते वरम् ।
तत् कुरुष्व नृपान् सर्वान् मेलयित्वा स्वयंवरम् ॥ १२,१६.१६ ॥
एतत् पितृवचः श्रुत्वा राजपुत्री जगाद सा ।
तात स्वयंवरं कर्तुं ह्रेपणान् नाहम् उत्सहे ॥ १२,१६.१७ ॥
किं त्व् एकं वेत्ति यो ऽपूर्वं विज्ञानं स्वाकृतिर् युवा ।
तस्मै त्वयाहं दातव्या नार्थो ऽन्येनाधिकेन मे ॥ १२,१६.१८ ॥
इत्य् अनङ्गरतेस् तस्याः श्रुत्वा स्वदुहितुर् वचः ।
तादृशं तद्वरं यावद् अन्विष्यति स भूपतिः ॥ १२,१६.१९ ॥
तावत् तल्लोकतो बुद्ध्वा चत्वारस् तम् उपाययुः ।
वीरा विज्ञानिनो भव्याः पुरुषा दक्षिणापथात् ॥ १२,१६.२० ॥
ते राज्ञा पूजितास् तस्मै स्वं स्वं विज्ञानम् एकशः ।
शशंसुः संनिधौ तस्या राजपुत्र्यास् तदर्थिनः ॥ १२,१६.२१ ॥
एको जगाद शूद्रो ऽहम् आख्यया पञ्चपट्टिकः ।
पञ्चाग्र्यवस्त्रयुग्मानि करोम्य् एको ऽहम् अन्वहम् ॥ १२,१६.२२ ॥
तेभ्य एकं प्रयच्छामि देवायैकं द्विजन्मने ।
एकं च परिगृह्णामि वाससोर् आत्मनः कृते ॥ १२,१६.२३ ॥
एकं ददामि भार्यायै यदि सा भवतीह मे ।
एकं विक्रीय चाहारपानादि विदधाम्य् अहम् ॥ १२,१६.२४ ॥
एवं विज्ञानिने ऽनङ्गरतिर् मे दीयताम् इति ।
इत्य् एकेनोदिते तेन द्वितीयः पुरुषो ऽब्रवीत् ॥ १२,१६.२५ ॥
भाषाज्ञो नाम वैश्यो ऽहं सर्वेषां मृगपक्षिणाम् ।
रुतं वेद्मि तद् एषा मे राजपुत्री प्रदीयताम् ॥ १२,१६.२६ ॥
As luck would have it, none of them seemed the right match for her, and so the king said to his daughter…
“My dear, I am unable to find a suitable match for you, so let us conduct a swayamvara. All the kings of Bhāratvarsha will attend, and you can choose the king of your liking, to be your husband.”
Anaṅgarati replied…
“Dear father, I am too modest to select my own husband, but I have a wish. He should be good-looking, and should be the master of one talent – the best in his field. That’s all I need – not riches!”
The king was happy when he heard this, and so he started the quest for the one man who would fit the requirements. It so happened that after some time, four young men arrived in the kingdom. They had heard of what the princess was looking for, and so thought of presenting themselves as potential suitors.
The king welcomed these young men, ensured that they were served good food and had good rest, and then met them individually.
The first said…
“My name is Pañcaphuṭṭika (the one who makes five), and I am a Śūdra. Everyday I make five sets of garments.”
“The first I offer to the devas, the second to a Brāhmin, the third I keep for myself, the fourth I will give to my wife, if the princess agrees to become mine, and the fifth I use to buy provisions to sustain myself. I am the best weaver there is, and so princess Anaṅgarati should be given to me.”
The second man said…
“My name is Bhāṣājña (the one who knows languages), and I am a Vaiśya.”
“I understand not just the languages spoken by humans, but also the speech of all the animals and birds. Such talent is unparalleled, and so princess Anaṅgarati should be given to me.”
एवम् उक्ते द्वितीयेन तृतीयः प्रोक्तवांस् ततः ।
अहं खड्गधरो नाम दोःशाली क्षत्रियो नृप ॥ १२,१६.२७ ॥
न खड्गविद्याविज्ञाने प्रतिमल्लो ऽस्ति मे क्षितौ ।
तद् एषा तनया राजंस् त्वया मह्यं वितीर्यताम् ॥ १२,१६.२८ ॥
इत्य् उक्ते तु तृतीयेन चतुर्थ इदम् अभ्यधात् ।
विप्रो ऽहं जीवदत्ताख्यो विज्ञानं च ममेदृशम् ॥ १२,१६.२९ ॥
जन्तूं मृतान् अप्य् आनीय दर्शयाम्य् आशु जीवतः ।
तद्वीरचर्यासिद्धं मां पतिम् एषा प्रपद्यताम् ॥ १२,१६.३० ॥
एवं वक्तॄन् स तान् पश्यन् दिव्यवेषाकृतीन् नृपः ।
वीरदेवः सुतायुक्तो दोलारूढ इवाभवत् ॥ १२,१६.३१ ॥
The third man said…
“My name is Khaḍgadhara (the one who holds the sword), and I am a Kṣatriya.”
“I am renowned for my might and my swordsmanship. It is said that such valor does not exist elsewhere, and I am the best swordsman on this earth. And so princess Anaṅgarati should be given to me.”
The fourth said…
“I am a Brāhmin, and my name is Jīvadatta (the one who gives life).”
“I am a Siddha, and can restore dead beings to life, and so princess Anaṅgarati should be given to me.”
When they had all spoken, the king Vīradeva, and his daughter who stood by his side, remained lost in doubt, as to who would be the best among the lot.
इत्य् आख्याय कथाम् एतां वेतालः पृष्टवान् नृपम् ।
स त्रिविक्रमसेनं तं दत्तपूर्वोक्तशापभीः ॥ १२,१६.३२ ॥
तद् भवान् वक्तु तावन् मे कस्मै देया विशाम्पते ।
तेषां चतुर्णां मध्यात् सा कन्यानङ्गरतिर् भवेत् ॥ १२,१६.३३ ॥
The Vetāla finished his story, and then addressed King Vikram and said…
Now I have a question for you. Which of the four youth deserved to be the husband of princess Anaṅgarati? Who would be the best choice? Remember, if you know the answer, and don’t tell me the truth, your head will burst into a hundred pieces!
King Vikram replied…
to be continued…