Читать книгу The Lady of the Jewel Necklace & The Lady who Shows her Love - Harsha - Страница 24

after the damage has been done, and Kalinga·sena is punished, and calumniated, for not seeing through the trick sooner. Vasava·datta plays no active role; the prime minister, assisted by the demon and, inadvertently, the magician, intervenes to get rid of the feared co-wife—who must, even at the end, still defend herself from the lustful Udayana.

But Vasava·datta plays an active role in other episodes in the cycle about Udayana, which begin with the same premise as the story of Kalinga·sena: for political reasons, Udayana must take a second wife (or wives). Before the encounter with Kalinga·sena, Udayana had become involved with:

Padmavati, the Lady with the Lotus

King Udayana, King of Vatsa, married to Vasava·datta, daughter of the king of Avanti, was so in love with her that he neglected his royal duties. His ministers decided to save him from himself by getting the King of Magadha, their enemy, to give his daughter Padmavati (“the Lady with the Lotus”) to the king and to make the king believe that Vasava· datta was dead. The ministers gave the queen a charm that enabled her to change her shape, and she disguised herself as a Brahmin woman, under the name of Avantika (“The Woman from the City of Avanti,” Vasava·datta’s kingdom), and went to serve Padmavati at the court of Magadha.

When the king of Magadha offered Padmavati to Udayana, he accepted her. Vasava·datta made garlands for Padmavati, using a special technique that the king had taught her. The bridal couple returned to Vatsa, and Vasava·datta followed in the rear. The king asked Padmavati where she ________