One of thy years, gentle and true. Be friends;
Take and give pleasure in glad company
Each with the other, keeping happy hearts.”
So went Sunanda joyous to her house,
Leading with loving hand the Princess in,
The maidens of the court accompanying.
Part II.
Not long (O Maharaja!) was
Nala fled
From Damayanti, when, in midmost
gloom
Of the thick wood a flaming
fire he spied,
And from the fire’s
heart heard proceed a voice
Of one imperilled, crying
many times:—
“Haste hither, Punyashloka,
Nala, haste!”
“Fear not,” the
Prince replied; “I come!” and sprang
Across the burning bushes,
where he saw
A snake—a king
of serpents—lying curled
In a great ring, which reared
its dancing crest
Saluting, and in human accents
spoke:—
“Maharaja, kindly lord,
I am the snake
Karkotaka; by me was once
betrayed
The famous Rishi Narada; his
wrath
Doomed me, thou Chief of men!
to bear this spell—
‘Coil thy false folds,’
said he, ’forever here,
A serpent, motionless upon
this spot,
Till it shall chance that
Nala passeth by
And bears thee hence; then
only from my curse
Canst thou be freed,’
And prisoned by that curse
I have no power to stir, though
the wood burns;
Nay, not a coil! good fellowship
I’ll show
If thou wilt succor me.
I’ll be to thee
A faithful friend, as no snake
ever yet.
Lift me, and quickly from
the flames bear forth:
For thee I shall grow light.”
Thereat shrank up
That monstrous reptile to
a finger’s length;
And grasping this, unto a
place secure
From burning, Nala bore it,
where the air
Breathed freshly, and the
fire’s black path was stayed.
Then made the
Prince to lay the serpent down,
But yet again it speaks:
“Nishadha’s Lord,
Grasp me and slowly go, counting
thy steps;
For, Raja, thou shalt have
good fortune hence.”
So Nala slowly went, counting
his steps;
And when the tenth pace came,
the serpent turned
And bit the Prince. No
sooner pierced that tooth
Than all the likeness of Nishadha
changed;
And, wonder-struck, he gazed
upon himself;
While from the dust he saw
the snake arise
A man, and, speaking as Karkotaka,
Comfort him thus:—
“Thou
art by me transformed
That no man know thee:
and that evil one
(Possessing, and undoing thee,
with grief)
Shall so within thee by my
venom smart,
Shall through thy blood so
ache, that—till he quit—
He shall endure the woe he
did impart.
Thus by my potent spell, most
noble Prince!
(Who sufferest too long) thou
wilt be freed
From him that haunts thee.