Rajatarangini of Kalhana:Kings of Kashmira/Appendix I
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Being A Translation of the Sanskrit Work
Rajatarangini of Kalhana Pandita
By Jogesh Chunder Dutt
1887
London: Trubner & Co.[p.xiii]: Once upon a time a Brahmana woman appeared in the court, and, when asked by a Justice as to the reason of her coming, replied to the king that her husband had been murdered, while the punisher of the wicked still reigned. It was a shame to a holy king that an untimely death should overtake his subject. If you attribute it to Kali yuga," she continued, still you should not be indifferent to such a heinous crime, I do not remember that my husband had quarrels with any one. He was neither envious, nor arrogant, nor avaricious, but of sweet words, and spoke with every one, nor did he bear malice to any." She then said, that she suspected one Brahmana who lived near Makshikasvami, who was of the same age with her husband, and way his fellow-student, though inferior to him in learning , and who knew magic. "The ignorant and the low," she said, "oppose out of envy the doings of the great, in order to dim their reputation. He who frequents not
[p.xiv]: the house of prostitutes is not a bad character, he who injures not others, does not remain in constant fear, he who tallks not much, speaketh no lie, he who is not a Kayastha, is not ungrateful, he who is not born in the house of a bountiful man, is not avaricious, he who is not envious is not ever unhappy, he who is not henpecked is not laughed at, he who is not old, speaks not politely, he who is not illegitimate, does not blame his father, he who is not in love is not bashful, he who is not half-educated is not vicious. This is the fine saying." When she had said thus, the king ordered the suspected Brahmana to be brought and to be examined by ordeal. Whereupon, the Brahmana woman again said " O king ! he knows magic, and can remain under water, so that examination by ordeal will be useless for him." "How can we act" replied the king, " against law, when the crime is not proved, punishment cannot be awarded to any one, far less to a Brahmana, who, even when guilty, cannot be killed." But the Brahmana woman said that she hail taken food for four nights, and had not followed her husband to the other world, only to have that criminal punished ; and if he was not punished, she would starve herself to death.
When the Brahmana woman remained without food, the king also remained in the same state, trusting on the god Tribhuvanasvami. When three nights were thus passed, at about dawn, the king learnt the truth from Tribhuvanasvami in a dream. " You should not," said the god, " thus seek for divine revelation in Kali yuga, for who can bring the sun in the middle of the night? But only on account of your virtues, you will be favored with the revelation for once. Scatter in the yard of my temple the powdered dust of shali grain, and let every one go round over it, and then you will he able to know the murderer by his foot-marks which will be like those of the Brahmana-slayer, and he should be punished. Do this during night, for in the day time the sun eliminates sins." The king, accordingly, found out the criminal and punished him, though he did not kill him for he was a Brahmana. When the man was punished, the woman blessed the king, and said that of all kings he and Kartaviryya alone had punished offenders for sins done in secret. " While you reign, O ! king ! who can live -without feeling for you lave or friendship."