There was a Brahman in Ajjayini (Oojein) whose name was Harisvamin; he had a son named Devasvamin and a daughter far famed for her wondrous beauty and rightly called Somaprabha (Moonlight).  When the maiden had attained marriageable age, she declared to her parents that she was only to be married to a man who possessed heroism, or knowledge, or magic power.  It happened soon after this that Harisvamin was sent by the king on state business to the Dekkan, and while there a young Brahman, who had heard the report of Somaprabha’s beauty, came to him as a suitor for the hand of his daughter.  Harisvamin informed him of the qualifications which her husband must possess, and the Brahman answered that he was endowed with magic power, and having shown this to the father’s satisfaction, he promised to give him his daughter on the seventh day from that time.  In like manner, at home, the son and the wife of Harisvamin had, unknown to each other, promised Somaprabha to a young man who was skilled in the use of missile weapons and was very brave, and to a youth who possessed knowledge of the past, the present, and the future; and the marriage was also fixed to take place on the seventh day.  When Harisvamin returned home he at once told his wife and son of the contract he has entered into with the young Brahman, and they in their turn acquainted him of their separate engagements, and all were much perplexed what course to adopt in the circumstances.

On the seventh day the three suitors arrived, but Somaprabha was found to have disappeared in some inexplicable manner.  The father then appealed to the man of knowledge, saying, “Tell me where my daughter is gone?” He replied, “She has been carried off by a rakshasa to his habitation in the Vindhya forest.”  Then quoth the man of magic power “Be of good cheer, for I will take you in a moment where the possessor of knowledge says she is.”  And forthwith he prepared a magic chariot that could fly through the air, provided all sorts of weapons, and made Harisvamin, the man of knowledge, and the brave man enter it along with himself, and in a moment carried them to the dwelling of the rakshasa.  Then followed a wonderful fight between the brave man and the rakshasa, and in a short time the hero cut off his head, after which they took Somaprabha into the chariot and quickly returned to Harisvamin’s house.  And now arose a great dispute between the three suitors.  Said the man of knowledge, “If I had not known where the maiden was how could she have been discovered?” The man of magic argued, “If I had not made this chariot that can fly through the air, how could you all have come and returned in a moment?” Then the brave man said, “If I had not slain the rakshasa, how could the maiden have been rescued?” While they were thus wrangling Harisvamin remained silent, perplexed in mind.  The Vampyre, having told this story to the King, demanded to know to whom the maiden should have been given.  The King replied, “She