Kathāmṛta - 46 - Ratnaprabhā-lambaka - The Story of the King Ratnādhipati

This article is part 46 of 133 in the series Kathāmṛta

The next day Gomukha and other friends of Naravāhanadatta came to see him. The door keeper made them wait till she obtained the permission and then allowed them inside. Ratnaprabhā ordered the door keeper thus, ‘Henceforth don’t make them wait; they are close friends of my husband; we don’t insist on such strict protocols and protection for the inner chambers.’ She then addressed her beloved, ‘O son of noble one! Since this came up I want to tell you something; it is a norm to protect women; but such protection arising from ignorance or envy doesn’t serve the purpose; for noble women their conduct itself is an infallible protection; who can stop an overflowing river or a woman? Even the creator Brahmā can’t save a wanton woman.’ to substantiate it she narrated a story--

The Story of the King Ratnādhipati

There is an island called Ratnakūṭa; it was ruled by a devoted vaiṣṇava king called Ratnādhipati. He performed severe austerities to please Viṣṇu and he obtained boons which allowed him to conquer the whole earth and also marry all the princesses. Viṣṇu told him, ‘Tomorrow morning, a white elephant will come to you; it is capable of flight; you can mount on it and travel to any kingdom and defeat the ruler there; the defeated king would offer his daughter’s hand to you in marriage.’ He did as told and was able to conquer everyone and he married eighty thousand princesses.

Once when he was making his visits to various distant islands and on his way back, a bird which was a descendent of Garuḍa pounced upon his elephant and struck its head with its beak. The elephant fainted and couldn’t be revived. Five days passed with it lying on the earth without partaking of food or water, the dejected king too stopped eating and to appease the deities of the cardinal directions. He positioned his sword to cut off his head as an offering and said, ‘O Dikpālakas! Give me some solution for my predicament or I’ll cut off my head!’ Immediately a heavenly voice cautioned him thus, ‘Stop right there, O king! The elephant will be revived if it is touched by a pativratā.’

The elephant will rise if any woman who has unwaveringly walked the righteous path of a dutiful wife were to touch it!” thundered the voice from the heavens. Gladdened at this, the king sent for his chief queen Amṛtalatā. To his shock, even as the queen touched it, the elephant just sat there on its knees. Then, one by one, each one of his eighty thousand wives took their turns. But the pachyderm did not move. Next, the king had all the women of the town give a go, but to no avail. The king was utterly dismayed. He cried “Are there no virtuous wives in our entire city!”

Around that time, a merchant called Harṣagupta had arrived from Tāmralipti. His servant Śīlavatī had come to know of the king’s predicament and was in the crowd. She stepped forward and asked out of curiosity “May I give it a try?” The king assented. Śīlavatī had but barely touched the elephant, and lo, behold! It miraculously rose up the very next instant! King Ratnādhipati’s joy knew no bounds. He felicitated her and gifted her with innumerable precious stones. He also offered his gratitude to her master, Harṣagupta. Disappointed with his queens, he first made arrangements for their comfortable living for the future and separated from them. The king summoned Śīlavatī in secret and asked her respectfully, “Lady, is there a comely maiden from your mother’s lineage who might be the right woman for me? If there is one, can you help me marry her? She would also be a righteous woman like you, I am sure of it!”. Śīlavatī replied “O king, in Tāmralipti, I have a sister called Rājadattā. If you wish, you may seek her hand”.

King Ratnādhipati departed the very next morning for Tāmralipti on his elephant, accompanied by Harṣagupta and Śīlavatī. There he consulted reputed astrologers to firm up an auspicious date and time to marry Rājadattā. The astrologers studied the stars of the prospective couple and declared “O king! We don’t see an auspicious day available for your wedding in the next three months! We must warn you. If you marry her before then, Rājadattā stands to lose her piety!” The king couldn’t bear to be alone for so long. He thought, “Rājadattā would never become an adulteress! For, after all, isn’t she the sister of the virtuous Śīlavatī? I shall make arrangements to ensure such a thing never comes to pass. I will have her sequestered on an island right in the middle of the ocean in a mansion protected by moats all around. She will have only women for companions. If there is no man around to even look at, how could even the possibility of infidelity ever arise?” Thus, disregarding the advice of the astrologers, king Ratnādhipati soon married Rājadattā. Then, right in accordance with his plan, he had her safely ensconced with a contingent of all female attendants on a faraway island which was hard to access. He had at his beck and call, his magical elephant which he used to ferry to them whatever they needed. The king would spend his nights with Rājadattā on the island and fly back to Ratnakūṭa the next morning, to resume his kingly duties.

Days passed. Then one night the king had a terrible nightmare and woke up with a start. To shake it off, both the king and Rājadattā drank too much wine and went back to bed. When the sun rose the next morning, Rājadattā was still in an intoxicated state. Despite this, the king left her and flew back to Ratnakūṭa in order to attend to his royal duties. Overlordship is after all, very addictive.

Meanwhile, back on the island, when all the maid servants were busy with their chores, as fate would have it, right at the door of Rājadattā’s chambers, a stranger arrived. She was taken aback to see a man whom she had never met before, standing right at her door. She confronted him and asked who he was and how he managed to get there. The stranger replied “O lady, I hail from Mathurāpura. My name is Pavanasena. I used to be a merchant. After my father’s passing, my cousins and relatives deceived me of my wealth and I was reduced to a state of penury. Mustering courage, I went overseas, took up odd jobs, toiled long and hard every day and managed to save some money. Just as I had accumulated enough to start my own business, I was robbed during my journey. Dejected, I wandered the streets begging for alms and somehow reached Kanakakṣetra, a place renowned for its jewels. I tried to follow the footsteps of many men who had successfully found their fortune in Kanakakṣetra. I secured a tract of land on contract and started excavating it to unearth precious stones.  Alas! Such was my ill luck that not even one precious stone came my way. Unable to bear this series of misfortunes which beset me at every step of my way, I decided to end my miserable life. Hence ,I set up a pyre at the sea shore and was about to jump into it when a merchant named Jīvadatta stopped me. The kind man offered me a job and took me aboard his ship and we set sail for Svarṇadvīpa.The ship broke down, mid-way. I caught hold of a plank floating in the ocean and landed in the vicinity of the forest that lies on the shore of this island. I spotted this house from there and have come here. I am pleased to see you and you appear like a shower of amṛta to me!”

She welcomed him and got him seated on the bed. She was alone and drunk. There was nothing to worry about – a young man had come as well. When these are the prevailing conditions, character will not remain strong and not for long.

The king, who grew curious came there and was surprised to see her with a man. Looking at this, he thought – ‘Is it even possible to clasp strong wind in one’s arms? The gaṇaka (fortuneteller) had told me at the very beginning and this is going to be the result. I let her stay thinking that she is the younger sister of the noble girl, but I forgot that poison can also take birth with amṛta.  Well, no human effort can undo what Fate has in store.’ With these thoughts, he let the merchant free.

The merchant caught hold of the same plank that had brought him to safety. He floated on the surface of the ocean clinging on to it. He spotted a boat at a distance and called for help. The owner of the ship was a person by name Krodhavarmā, who picked him up and put him in his ship. None can say who will die at the hands of whom and in what way! Pavanasena tried to please Krodhavarmā’s wife and was thrown into the ocean by him. He died drowning in the ocean.

Elsewhere, the King Ratnādhipati escorted Ratnadattā, handed her over to her sister and narrated everything that had taken place. Thereafter, he offered his kingdom and its wealth to Śīlavatī and brāhmaṇas. He wanted to retire to a tapovana as he was in deep sorrow. He got an elephant as the means for his transport and all of a sudden, it turned into a divine being. The king was astonished and asked – “What is this! Who are you?” The divine person replied – “You and I are gandharvas and I am your elder brother. My name is Somaprabha and you are Devaprabha. Once, when your wife Rājavatī, you and I were performing arcanā in the Keśavālaya which was the residence of many siddhas, one of them stared at your wife who was singing. You were enraged and said – ‘Being a siddha, is it right for you to stare at another’s woman in this manner?’ He replied ‘O fool! I was carried away by her music and I did not eye her out of lust! You are filled with jealousy. I curse you and your wife to take birth in the human world! You will see her in the company of another man.’ I was very angry. I struck him using a white elephant doll that was in my hand. He cursed me – ‘You be born as a white elephant in the human world and become the vehicle of your brother. He will procure eighty thousand wives and they will be revealed to the world as characterless women. Thereafter, he will marry his real wife! He will then realise that she too is a woman of tainted character and start heading towards tapovana, dejected. That is when my curse will end and you will be liberated.’ The very next moment, Ratnādhipati and Rājadattā overcame their human body, turned into gandharvas and went to the Malaya Mountains. Śīlavatī got the wealth that she wanted, reached Tāmpralipti and performed dhārmic activities there.

After narrating this story, Ratnaprabhā said – “None can force a woman to tread the path of dharma. It is only her sattva that can protect her. If men feel jealous, they will be gifted with sorrow and animosity!”

 

To be continued...

The current article is a translation of Prof. A R Krishnasastri’s Kannada classic Kathāmṛta along with additional segments added from the original Kathā-sarit-sāgara (of Soma-deva). Bṛhat-kathā-mañjarī (of Kṣemendra) and Bṛhat-kathā-śloka-saṃgraha (of Budha-svāmin) have also been referred to. The translation has been rendered by Raghavendra GS, Arjun Bharadwaj, Srishan Thirumalai, and Hari Ravikumar.

The original Kannada version of Kathāmṛta is available for free online reading. So are the other works of Prof. Krishna Shastri.

Author(s)

About:

Prof. A R Krishna Sastri was a journalist, scholar, polyglot, and a pioneer of the modern Kannada renaissance, who founded the literary journal Prabuddha Karnāṭaka. His Vacana-bhārata and Kathāmṛta are classics of Kannada literature while his Saṃskṛta-nāṭaka and Bankimacandra are of unrivalled scholarship.

Prekshaa Publications

Indian Perspective of Truth and Beauty in Homer’s Epics is a unique work on the comparative study of the Greek Epics Iliad and Odyssey with the Indian Epics – Rāmāyaṇa and Mahābhārata. Homer, who laid the foundations for the classical tradition of the West, occupies a stature similar to that occupied by the seer-poets Vālmīki and Vyāsa, who are synonymous with the Indian culture. The author...

Karnataka’s celebrated polymath, D V Gundappa brings together in the sixth volume of reminiscences character sketches of prominent public figures, liberals, and social workers. These remarkable personages hailing from different corners of South India are from a period that spans from the late nineteenth century to the mid-twentieth century. Written in Kannada in the 1970s, these memoirs go...

An Introduction to Hinduism based on Primary Sources

Authors: Śatāvadhānī Dr. R Ganesh, Hari Ravikumar

What is the philosophical basis for Sanātana-dharma, the ancient Indian way of life? What makes it the most inclusive and natural of all religio-philosophical systems in the world?

The Essential Sanātana-dharma serves as a handbook for anyone who wishes to grasp the...

Karnataka’s celebrated polymath, D V Gundappa brings together in the fifth volume, episodes from the lives of traditional savants responsible for upholding the Vedic culture. These memorable characters lived a life of opulence amidst poverty— theirs  was the wealth of the soul, far beyond money and gold. These vidvāns hailed from different corners of the erstwhile Mysore Kingdom and lived in...

Padma Bhushan Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam represents the quintessence of Sage Bharata’s art and Bhārata, the country that gave birth to the peerless seer of the Nāṭya-veda. Padma’s erudition in various streams of Indic knowledge, mastery over many classical arts, deep understanding of the nuances of Indian culture, creative genius, and sublime vision bolstered by the vedāntic and nationalistic...

Bhārata has been a land of plenty in many ways. We have had a timeless tradition of the twofold principle of Brāhma (spirit of wisdom) and Kṣāttra (spirit of valour) nourishing and protecting this sacred land. The Hindu civilisation, rooted in Sanātana-dharma, has constantly been enriched by brāhma and safeguarded by kṣāttra.
The renowned Sanskrit poet and scholar, Śatāvadhānī Dr. R...

ಛಂದೋವಿವೇಕವು ವರ್ಣವೃತ್ತ, ಮಾತ್ರಾಜಾತಿ ಮತ್ತು ಕರ್ಷಣಜಾತಿ ಎಂದು ವಿಭಕ್ತವಾದ ಎಲ್ಲ ಬಗೆಯ ಛಂದಸ್ಸುಗಳನ್ನೂ ವಿವೇಚಿಸುವ ಪ್ರಬಂಧಗಳ ಸಂಕಲನ. ಲೇಖಕರ ದೀರ್ಘಕಾಲಿಕ ಆಲೋಚನೆಯ ಸಾರವನ್ನು ಒಳಗೊಂಡ ಈ ಹೊತ್ತಗೆ ಪ್ರಧಾನವಾಗಿ ಛಂದಸ್ಸಿನ ಸೌಂದರ್ಯವನ್ನು ಲಕ್ಷಿಸುತ್ತದೆ. ತೌಲನಿಕ ವಿಶ್ಲೇಷಣೆ ಮತ್ತು ಅಂತಃಶಾಸ್ತ್ರೀಯ ಅಧ್ಯಯನಗಳ ತೆಕ್ಕೆಗೆ ಬರುವ ಬರೆಹಗಳೂ ಇಲ್ಲಿವೆ. ಶಾಸ್ತ್ರಕಾರನಿಗಲ್ಲದೆ ಸಿದ್ಧಹಸ್ತನಾದ ಕವಿಗೆ ಮಾತ್ರ ಸ್ಫುರಿಸಬಲ್ಲ ಎಷ್ಟೋ ಹೊಳಹುಗಳು ಕೃತಿಯ ಮೌಲಿಕತೆಯನ್ನು ಹೆಚ್ಚಿಸಿವೆ. ಈ...

Karnataka’s celebrated polymath, D V Gundappa brings together in the fourth volume, some character sketches of the Dewans of Mysore preceded by an account of the political framework of the State before Independence and followed by a review of the political conditions of the State after 1940. These remarkable leaders of Mysore lived in a period that spans from the mid-nineteenth century to the...

Bharatiya Kavya-mimamseya Hinnele is a monograph on Indian Aesthetics by Mahamahopadhyaya N. Ranganatha Sharma. The book discusses the history and significance of concepts pivotal to Indian literary theory. It is equally useful to the learned and the laity.

Sahitya-samhite is a collection of literary essays in Kannada. The book discusses aestheticians such as Ananda-vardhana and Rajashekhara; Sanskrit scholars such as Mena Ramakrishna Bhat, Sridhar Bhaskar Varnekar and K S Arjunwadkar; and Kannada litterateurs such as DVG, S L Bhyrappa and S R Ramaswamy. It has a foreword by Shatavadhani Dr. R Ganesh.

The Mahābhārata is the greatest epic in the world both in magnitude and profundity. A veritable cultural compendium of Bhārata-varṣa, it is a product of the creative genius of Maharṣi Kṛṣṇa-dvaipāyana Vyāsa. The epic captures the experiential wisdom of our civilization and all subsequent literary, artistic, and philosophical creations are indebted to it. To read the Mahābhārata is to...

Shiva Rama Krishna

சிவன். ராமன். கிருஷ்ணன்.
இந்திய பாரம்பரியத்தின் முப்பெரும் கதாநாயகர்கள்.
உயர் இந்தியாவில் தலைமுறைகள் பல கடந்தும் கடவுளர்களாக போற்றப்பட்டு வழிகாட்டிகளாக விளங்குபவர்கள்.
மனித ஒற்றுமை நூற்றாண்டுகால பரிணாம வளர்ச்சியின் பரிமாணம்.
தனிநபர்களாகவும், குடும்ப உறுப்பினர்களாகவும், சமுதாய பிரஜைகளாகவும் நாம் அனைவரும் பரிமளிக்கிறோம்.
சிவன் தனிமனித அடையாளமாக அமைகிறான்....

ऋतुभिः सह कवयः सदैव सम्बद्धाः। विशिष्य संस्कृतकवयः। यथा हि ऋतवः प्रतिसंवत्सरं प्रतिनवतामावहन्ति मानवेषु तथैव ऋतुवर्णनान्यपि काव्यरसिकेषु कामपि विच्छित्तिमातन्वते। ऋतुकल्याणं हि सत्यमिदमेव हृदि कृत्वा प्रवृत्तम्। नगरजीवनस्य यान्त्रिकतां मान्त्रिकतां च ध्वनदिदं चम्पूकाव्यं गद्यपद्यमिश्रितमिति सुव्यक्तमेव। ऐदम्पूर्वतया प्रायः पुरीपरिसरप्रसृतानाम् ऋतूनां विलासोऽत्र प्रपञ्चितः। बेङ्गलूरुनामके...

The Art and Science of Avadhānam in Sanskrit is a definitive work on Sāhityāvadhānam, a form of Indian classical art based on multitasking, lateral thinking, and extempore versification. Dotted throughout with tasteful examples, it expounds in great detail on the theory and practice of this unique performing art. It is as much a handbook of performance as it is an anthology of well-turned...

This anthology is a revised edition of the author's 1978 classic. This series of essays, containing his original research in various fields, throws light on the socio-cultural landscape of Tamil Nadu spanning several centuries. These compelling episodes will appeal to scholars and laymen alike.
“When superstitious mediaevalists mislead the country about its judicial past, we have to...

The cultural history of a nation, unlike the customary mainstream history, has a larger time-frame and encompasses the timeless ethos of a society undergirding the course of events and vicissitudes. A major key to the understanding of a society’s unique character is an appreciation of the far-reaching contributions by outstanding personalities of certain periods – especially in the realms of...

Prekṣaṇīyam is an anthology of essays on Indian classical dance and theatre authored by multifaceted scholar and creative genius, Śatāvadhānī Dr. R Ganesh. As a master of śāstra, a performing artiste (of the ancient art of Avadhānam), and a cultured rasika, he brings a unique, holistic perspective to every discussion. These essays deal with the philosophy, history, aesthetics, and practice of...

Yaugandharam

इदं किञ्चिद्यामलं काव्यं द्वयोः खण्डकाव्ययोः सङ्कलनरूपम्। रामानुरागानलं हि सीतापरित्यागाल्लक्ष्मणवियोगाच्च श्रीरामेणानुभूतं हृदयसङ्क्षोभं वर्णयति । वात्सल्यगोपालकं तु कदाचिद्भानूपरागसमये घटितं यशोदाश्रीकृष्णयोर्मेलनं वर्णयति । इदम्प्रथमतया संस्कृतसाहित्ये सम्पूर्णं काव्यं...

Vanitakavitotsavah

इदं खण्डकाव्यमान्तं मालिनीछन्दसोपनिबद्धं विलसति। मेनकाविश्वामित्रयोः समागमः, तत्फलतया शकुन्तलाया जननम्, मातापितृभ्यां त्यक्तस्य शिशोः कण्वमहर्षिणा परिपालनं चेति काव्यस्यास्येतिवृत्तसङ्क्षेपः।

Vaiphalyaphalam

इदं खण्डकाव्यमान्तं मालिनीछन्दसोपनिबद्धं विलसति। मेनकाविश्वामित्रयोः समागमः, तत्फलतया शकुन्तलाया जननम्, मातापितृभ्यां त्यक्तस्य शिशोः कण्वमहर्षिणा परिपालनं चेति काव्यस्यास्येतिवृत्तसङ्क्षेपः।

Nipunapraghunakam

इयं रचना दशसु रूपकेष्वन्यतमस्य भाणस्य निदर्शनतामुपैति। एकाङ्करूपकेऽस्मिन् शेखरकनामा चित्रोद्यमलेखकः केनापि हेतुना वियोगम् अनुभवतोश्चित्रलेखामिलिन्दकयोः समागमं सिसाधयिषुः कथामाकाशभाषणरूपेण निर्वहति।

Bharavatarastavah

अस्मिन् स्तोत्रकाव्ये भगवन्तं शिवं कविरभिष्टौति। वसन्ततिलकयोपनिबद्धस्य काव्यस्यास्य कविकृतम् उल्लाघनाभिधं व्याख्यानं च वर्तते।

Karnataka’s celebrated polymath, D V Gundappa brings together in the third volume, some character sketches of great literary savants responsible for Kannada renaissance during the first half of the twentieth century. These remarkable...

Karnataka’s celebrated polymath, D V Gundappa brings together in the second volume, episodes from the lives of remarkable exponents of classical music and dance, traditional storytellers, thespians, and connoisseurs; as well as his...

Karnataka’s celebrated polymath, D V Gundappa brings together in the first volume, episodes from the lives of great writers, poets, literary aficionados, exemplars of public life, literary scholars, noble-hearted common folk, advocates...

Evolution of Mahabharata and Other Writings on the Epic is the English translation of S R Ramaswamy's 1972 Kannada classic 'Mahabharatada Belavanige' along with seven of his essays on the great epic. It tells the riveting...

Shiva-Rama-Krishna is an English adaptation of Śatāvadhāni Dr. R Ganesh's popular lecture series on the three great...

Bharatilochana

ಮಹಾಮಾಹೇಶ್ವರ ಅಭಿನವಗುಪ್ತ ಜಗತ್ತಿನ ವಿದ್ಯಾವಲಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಮರೆಯಲಾಗದ ಹೆಸರು. ಮುಖ್ಯವಾಗಿ ಶೈವದರ್ಶನ ಮತ್ತು ಸೌಂದರ್ಯಮೀಮಾಂಸೆಗಳ ಪರಮಾಚಾರ್ಯನಾಗಿ  ಸಾವಿರ ವರ್ಷಗಳಿಂದ ಇವನು ಜ್ಞಾನಪ್ರಪಂಚವನ್ನು ಪ್ರಭಾವಿಸುತ್ತಲೇ ಇದ್ದಾನೆ. ಭರತಮುನಿಯ ನಾಟ್ಯಶಾಸ್ತ್ರವನ್ನು ಅರ್ಥಮಾಡಿಕೊಳ್ಳಲು ಇವನೊಬ್ಬನೇ ನಮಗಿರುವ ಆಲಂಬನ. ಇದೇ ರೀತಿ ರಸಧ್ವನಿಸಿದ್ಧಾಂತವನ್ನು...

Vagarthavismayasvadah

“वागर्थविस्मयास्वादः” प्रमुखतया साहित्यशास्त्रतत्त्वानि विमृशति । अत्र सौन्दर्यर्यशास्त्रीयमूलतत्त्वानि यथा रस-ध्वनि-वक्रता-औचित्यादीनि सुनिपुणं परामृष्टानि प्रतिनवे चिकित्सकप्रज्ञाप्रकाशे। तदन्तर एव संस्कृतवाङ्मयस्य सामर्थ्यसमाविष्कारोऽपि विहितः। क्वचिदिव च्छन्दोमीमांसा च...

The Best of Hiriyanna

The Best of Hiriyanna is a collection of forty-eight essays by Prof. M. Hiriyanna that sheds new light on Sanskrit Literature, Indian...

Stories Behind Verses

Stories Behind Verses is a remarkable collection of over a hundred anecdotes, each of which captures a story behind the composition of a Sanskrit verse. Collected over several years from...