22.15
After the ministers had pondered the path of political strategy with their powerful minds, they gave the king the following reply:
“Hope for happiness draws creatures
away from their various abodes.
The report of a remarkable source
of happiness may therefore lure them.
Your Majesty should have a lake constructed in an area of the wilderness, similar but even more splendid than the lake in which these handsome geese are reported to dwell. And every day you should have it proclaimed that you offer immunity to every bird. Perhaps the rumor that this exceptional lake offers a source of happiness will rouse the curiosity of the geese and draw them here. For Your Majesty should consider that,
once obtained and no longer esteemed,
happiness usually loses its taste.
But happiness made delightful by rumor
captivates the mind by its invisibility.”
The king agreed and soon had a huge lake constructed not too near the city park, rivaling Lake Manasa in the richness of its quality. Captivating the mind, the lake’s pure waters were covered by various lotuses and water-lilies, includ- ________
22.19 22.20 [8] 22.22 [10]
ing padmas, utpalas, kumudas, pundarikas, saugandhikas, tamarasas, and kahlaras.
22.20
Trees draped with flowers
surrounded the lake’s shore
with bright quivering sprigs,
as if come to gaze at the waters.
Swarms of roaming bees
crowded the lake in disarray,
seduced by lotuses jostled by trembling ripples,
opening their petals as if with a smile.
Over here the lake was adorned by white lilies
sleepless from the touch of moonshine,
resembling splinters of moonlight
fragmented by the canopy of trees.
Over there the shore was decorated by strands
of pollen dust from red and blue lotuses,
pushed there by finger-like waves,
resembling threads of gold.
The bright petals and filaments
of lotuses and water-lilies
made the lake everywhere bear
an expansive beauty like a reverent gift.
22.25
So tranquil and still was the water
that shoals of roaming fish decorating
the lake with their fine colorful bodies
were as visible as if they swam in air.
In one area elephants emitted sprays
like broken strings of pearls,
the water seeming to transform into dust,
scattered when pulverized against rocks.
In another area the lake seemed perfumed
by the ointments of vidya·dhara nymphs,
the rut-juices of elephants
and the pollen dust of flowers.
The moon’s wives, the stars,
were reflected in the lake like a mirror,
which abounded with joyful birds
and echoed with their warbling.
Such was the lake that the king built as a gift for the entire flock of birds to enjoy with unimpeded pleasure. And to inspire trust in all the birds, he had the following announcement proclaimed every day, granting a gift of immunity:
22.30
“Its waters covered by petals
of lotuses and water-lilies,
this lake is joyfully given by the king
along with the gift of immunity.”
One day the season arrived when dark clouds draw aside their curtains and fine autumn doles out her glories. The sky allowed itself to be seen and lakes captivated the mind with their tranquil waters, glistening with clusters of awakened lotuses. The moon seemed to increase the power of its rays and took on an intense youthful splendor, while the earth became adorned by an abundance of crops.
22.32 22.32 22.32 22.33
It was the season when young geese take flight. And so it was that a pair of geese from that flock set out from Lake Manasa, wandering through regions that were bright with the serenity of autumn, until gradually they reached the land of King Brahma·datta. There they saw the lake, blazing with blooming lotuses and smiling with open waterlilies. Resounding with the racket of flocks of birds, the lake buzzed noisily with swarms of bees. Soft, soothing and cool breezes busied themselves by forming garlands of ripples, wafting the fragrance of lotus and lily pollen.
Even though they were accustomed to Lake Manasa, the two geese were filled with great wonder when they saw the intensely captivating glory of the lake. Remembering their flock, it occurred to them that the other geese should also go there.
When people find
a pleasure to share,
affection first usually turns
their thoughts to friends.
22.35
The pair of geese stayed at the lake, enjoying themselves as they pleased until the monsoon arrived. That is the season when cloud masses advance like demonic armies, their darkness not so thick that it cannot be cut by the sword slashes of quivering lightning bolts. It is the season when colorful flocks of peacocks dance with continuous piercing cries as if praising the triumph of the clouds, glorious as they open their fan of feathers and accompanied by the chatter of smaller birds. It is the time when soothing breezes ________
22.36 22.37 22.38 22.39 22.39
blow like deep breaths from the forest, infused by the fragrance of flowers from kadamba, sarja, arjuna, and ketaki trees.* Or when young cranes stand out like a row of teeth on a cloud and flocks of geese are anxious to migrate, warbling softly in their desire to depart.
When
