ENTERING ANOTHER'S BODY. 27 



the Brahman was, and said to him : " Friend, look here, I have a 

 mind to disport myself by means of my Art: I shall enter into the 

 elephant so as to see something of what is going on within the 

 palace. Do you here act as guardian beside my body, so that, with 

 your help, I shall clearly recognize it." Thus he spoke, there left 

 his own body, and entered into the carcass of the elephant. Then 

 the prince of elephants as formerly disported himself blithely. Not 

 ■only was his own elephant thus revived by the king, but also the 

 entire royal court which had collapsed at its death was given life 

 anew. Many jubilant festivals were set afoot for the prince of 

 elephants, and these performances gave pleasure to the king even 

 though he was occupying a strange body. 



Then that base-souled man who had been set to watch the king's 

 body, violator of faith, betrayer of friend, reflected : " Of what use 

 to me is my own wretched body, plagued by racking poverty : I will 

 enter Vikrama's body and serenely rule the kingdom ! " Thus he 

 did. The false king entered the palace quivering like an animal 

 of the forest, because he did not know where to go. Holding on to 

 the arm of the minister who met him in a flurry, he sat down on 

 the throne in the assembly hall ; the king's retinue bowed before 

 him. The assembled multitude cried : " Fate has restored to life the 

 king of elephants, and the king of men has returned again. This is 

 indeed sugar falling into milk."^^ 



The False King's Bahavior and First Encounter with the 

 Queen {iSi-iy^). 

 But the false king did nothing for those who craved his custom- 

 ary conversation and favors, because he did not know their names, 

 business, or other circumstances. The Queen's favorites came on 

 rejoicing, but they did not find him, conditioned as he was, in the 

 mood for sport, dalliance, or coquetry. The minister who had 

 conserved the mighty kingdom obtained no audience ; neither did the 

 chief vassals, nor yet the citizens receive their meed of honor. 

 When they saw the king in this condition they wondered : " Has 

 some god or demon in the guise of the king taken possession of 



59 The same figure of speech, garkaradugdhasamyogah, in Pargvanatha 

 6. 1349. 



