Mahi-pala was a person of noble birth， endowed with shining abilities， popular， dexterous in business， acquainted with foreign parts， famed for eloquence and intrepidity， and as Menu the Lawgiver advises， remarkably handsome.

　　Bhartari Raja， as I have said， became a quietist and a philosopher. But Kama，[FN#21] the bright god who exerts his sway over the three worlds， heaven and earth and grewsome Hades，[FN#22] had marked out the prince once more as the victim of his blossom-tipped shafts and his flowery bow. How， indeed， could he hope to escape the doom which has fallen equally upon Brahma the Creator， Vishnu the Preserver， and dreadful Shiva the Three-eyed Destroyer[FN#23]？

　　[FN#21] The Hindu Cupid.

　　[FN#22] Patali， the regions beneath the earth.

　　[FN#23] The Hindu Triad.

　　By reason of her exceeding beauty， her face was a full moon shining in the clearest sky； her hair was the purple cloud of autumn when， gravid with rain， it hangs low over earth； and her complexion mocked the pale waxen hue of the large-flowered jasmine. Her eyes were those of the timid antelope； her lips were as red as those of the pomegranate's bud， and when they opened， from them distilled a fountain of ambrosia. Her neck was like a pigeon's； her hand the pink lining of the conch-shell； her waist a leopard's； her feet the softest lotuses. In a word， a model of grace and loveliness was Dangalah Rani， Raja Bhartari's last and youngest wife.

　　The warrior laid down his arms before her； the politician spoke out every secret in her presence. The religious prince would have slaughtered a cow——that sole unforgivable sin——to save one of her eyelashes： the absolute king would not drink a cup of water without her permission； the staid philosopher， the sober quietist， to win from her the shadow of a smile， would have danced before her like a singing-girl. So desperately enamoured became Bhartari Raja.

　　It is written， however， that love， alas！ breeds not love； and so it happened to the Regent. The warmth of his affection， instead of animating his wife， annoyed her； his protestations wearied her； his vows gave her the headache； and his caresses were a colic that made her blood run cold. Of course， the prince perceived nothing， being lost in wonder and admiration of the beauty's coyness and coquetry. And as women must give away their hearts， whether asked or not， so the lovely Dangalah Rani lost no time in lavishing all the passion of her idle soul upon Mahi-pala， the handsome ambassador of peace and war. By this means the three were happy and were contented； their felicity， however， being built on a rotten foundation， could not long endure. It soon ended in the following extraordinary way.

　　In the city of Ujjayani，[FN#24] within sight of the palace， dwelt a Brahman and his wife， who， being old and poor， and having nothing else to do， had applied themselves to the practice of austere devotion.[FN#25] They fasted and refrained from drink， they stood on their heads and held their arms for weeks in the air； they prayed till their knees were like pads； they disciplined themselves with scourges of wire； and they walked about unclad in the cold season， and in summer they sat within a circle of flaming wood， till they became the envy and admiration of all the plebeian gods that inhabit the lower heavens. In fine， as a reward for their exceeding piety， the venerable pair received at the hands of a celestial messenger an apple of the tree Kalpavriksha—— a fruit which has the virtue of conferring eternal life upon him that tastes it.

　　[FN#24] Or Avanti， also called Padmavati. It is the first meridian of the Hindus， who found their longitude by observation of lunar eclipses， calculated for it and Lanka， or Ceylon. The clepsydra was used for taking time.

　　[FN#25] In the original only the husband ''practiced austere devotion." For the benefit of those amongst whom the "pious wife" is an institution， I have extended the privilege.

　　Scarcely had the god disappeared， when the Brahman， opening his toothless mouth， prepared to eat the fruit of immortality. Then his wife addressed him in these words， shedding copious tears the while：

　　"To die， O man， is a passing pain； to be poor is an interminable anguish. Surely our present lot is the penalty of some great crime committed by us in a past state of being.[FN#26] Callest thou this state life？ Better we die at once， and so escape the woes of the world！"