AŚOKADATTA . Once the Vidyādhara (a class of
semi gods) named Aśokavega was going through the sky,
when the hermit maids of Gālavāśrama (the hermitage
of Gālava) were bathing in the Ganges. He hankered
after them. So the hermits cursed him and changed
him to a man. The name of Aśokavega in his human
birth was Aśokadatta. The story of Aśokadatta in
the “Kathāsaritsāgara” is as follows:
Long ago there lived a Brahmin named Govindasvāmī,
near the river Kālindī. He had two sons, Aśokadatta
and Vijayadatta. They were good men like their father.
Once there occurred a great famine in the country.
Scarcity prevailed everywhere. Govindasvāmī told his
wife, “I cannot bear to see the difficulties of our peo-
ple. So let us give everything we have for famine relief
and then go to Kāśī and live there.” His good-natured
wife agreed to it and giving everything for the relief
work, Govindasvāmī with his wife and children started
for Kāśī. On the way he met a hermit sage who had
renounced the world. He had his whole body besmear-
ed with ashes. With his tuft of hair and garment made
of the barks of trees, he seemed to be Śiva. Govinda-
svāmī bowed before him, and asked about the future
of his children. The Yogī (hermit) said, “the future of
your two sons is good. But this Vijayadatta will go away
from you. Reunion will become possible by the good-
ness of Aśokadatta.” Govindasvāmī felt glad and sad at
the same time. Leaving the hermit they proceeded to
Kāśī. They neared Kāśī. There was a temple on the
way. They stayed there and conducted worship in the
temple and took shelter for the night under a tree out-
side the temple. Other travellers also were there. Being
tired of walking all went to sleep. Vijayadatta the
second son of Govindasvāmī caught cold. So he woke
up in the night. When he began to shiver, because of
cold, he called his father and said, “Father, it appears
that I have caught cold and I am shivering. I would
grow better if I could get some fire. So please get some
twigs and make a fire. I don't think, I may complete
this night otherwise”. They saw a fire close by. It was
in a burial-ground. Govindasvāmī took Vijayadatta to
that place where a dead body was burning.
Vijayadatta sat near the fire and warmed himself. In
the meanwhile he was talking to his father. He said,
“Father, what is that round thing seen in the middle
of the fire?” “That is the head of a dead body burn-
ing” said his father who was standing close by. He took
a burning faggot and hit at the head. The head broke
into pieces and some viscous stuff from the head fell
into his mouth. There occurred a sudden change in
Vijayadatta. He became a fearful giant with huge
tusks and hair standing erect on the head. Somehow
or other he got a sword also. That giant took the burn-
ing head from fire and drank up all the viscous liquid
in it. With his tongue which looked like blazing fire he
licked the bones. Then he threw away the skull. Then
he approached his father with open mouth to swallow
him. “You! giant, Don't kill your father, come here!”
a voice shouted to him from the burial-ground. Thus
Vijaya became a giant and disappeared. “Oh dear!
my child! my son! Vijayadatta!”, cried his father
and came away from the burial-place, and went to the
shelter of the tree and told his wife, son and others
everything that had happened. Stricken with grief
they all fell on the ground. All those who came to
worship in the temple gathered round them and tried
to console them. Among them was a merchant named
Samudradatta, a native of Kāśī. He consoled Govinda-
svāmī and his family and took them to his house in
Kāśī. He showed hospitality and gave them a separate
place to live in. Noble men are kind to those who are
in distress. The great hermit had said that their son
would come back in due course. Hoping that such a
time would come soon Govindasvāmī and his family
dragged on their time. At the request of that wealthy
merchant they stayed there on. Aśokadatta got his
education there. When he grew up to a youth, he got
physical training. He became such an expert in wrestl-
ing and other modes of fighting that nobody on earth
could overcome him. During a festival there was a
contest in wrestling. A renowned wrestler had come
from the south to take part in the contest. In the con-
test which took place in the presence of Pratāpamukuṭa,
the King of Kāśī, the wrestler challenged every wrest-
ler in the country and had overthrown each one of
them. Having heard from the merchant Samudradatta,
the King sent for Aśokadatta and put him against the
wrestler from the south. A very serious fight began
between the two. They grappled each other with firm
and resolute grips. The audience was struck with won-
der at the variety of the modes of grappling and twist-
ing and turning they exhibited. Applause came from
everywhere. The fight lasted for a very long time.
Finally Aśokadatta threw the other to the ground,
and got much presents from the King. Gradually he
became a favourite of the King, and consequently
became wealthy. One day the King went to a temple
of Śiva, a little away from the capital to observe fast
on the fourteenth night of the Moon and while return-
ing he passed by a burial-ground and heard a voice
saying, “Oh Lord! The judge had ordered me to be
hanged, for a charge of murder, merely out of personal
grudge and without any proof, and this is the third day
since I was put on this scaffold. My life has not yet
departed from the body. My tongue is dried of thirst.
Have the kindness to give me a little water.”
“Punished without proof! It will appear only so to him
who is punished”. Thinking thus the King asked
Aśokadatta to give the man some water. “Who will go
to a burial-ground in the night? I myself shall take
water to him”. Saying so Aśokadatta took water and
went to the burial-ground and the King went to the
palace. The world was in darkness. With here and
there a spark of fire and light of fire-flies and lightning
mingled with the shouting of ghosts and the roaring of
the demons and occasional cries of birds and animals
the burial-ground was a dreadful place, where Aśoka-
datta came and asked, “Who asked the King for
water?” He heard a voice saying “Myself” and he
went to the place of the voice and saw a man lying on
a scaffold. An extremely beautiful woman also was lying
under the scaffold crying, and getting ready to jump
into the burning fire since she could not bear the
separation of her husband on the new moon day. She
had plenty of golden ornaments on her body. Aśoka-
datta asked her, “Madam! who are you, why are you
crying here?” She replied, “I, an unfortunate woman,
am the wife of the man on the scaffold. My intention
is to burn myself along with his body. I am waiting for
his life to depart. Because of my sin he is not dying.
This is the third day since he is lying like this. He will
be asking for water now and then. So I have brought
some water. But his face being high I cannot reach it
and I am seeing him burning with thirst, and am
swallowing the grief.” Aśokadatta said, “See! The
King has sent this water for him. Now climb on my
back and you yourself give him this water.”
The woman instantly took the water and got on the
back of Aśokadatta who had stooped down for her to
climb on his back. After a while he felt drops of blood
falling on his back and looking up he saw her cutting
flesh from the body of the man on the scaffold and eat-
ing it. He got wild with anger and catching hold of her
legs he was about to strike her on the ground, when
she shook her legs free and ran away and disappeared.
Because she dragged away her legs with force one
bangle came off from her leg and was left with
Aśokadatta. Her behaviour aroused in him at first com-
passion, detestation in the middle stage and fear in the
final stage, and when she had disappeared from his
sight he looked at the bangle she had left behind with
astonishment. When he reached home it was dawn.
After his morning ablution he went to the palace. “Did
you give him water yesternight?” asked the King and
he replied “Yes”, and placed the bangle before the King.
“Where did you get this from?” the King asked and in
reply he said everything that had happened in the
night. The King thought that Aśokadatta was an extra-
ordinary man and calling his queen showed her the
ornament and told her everything. She was filled with
joy and wonder. She praised Aśokadatta a good deal.
The King said, “Dear queen! This Aśokadatta is a
young man of greatness, learning, bravery, truth and of
good birth. He is handsome too. If he would become
the husband of our daughter what a good thing it will
be? I have a desire to give him our daughter Madana-
lekhā”.
The queen also said that the thought was pleasing to
her. “This youth is the most suitable person to be her
husband. Some days ago Madanalekhā had seen him in
Madhu garden and from that day a change is visible in
her. All laughing and playing is gone from her, and she
spends time in loneliness and thinking. I knew this from
her maids. Because of my thought about her I did not
sleep last night and only just closed my eyes in the
dawn. Then it seemed to me that a divine woman
appeared and said to me, “My daughter, Don't give
your daughter Madanalekhā to anybody else. She had
been the wife of Aśokadatta in previous birth”. I woke
up immediately. Believing in the dream I consoled our
daughter. I am glad that now you also think so. Let the
Jasmine creeper entwine round the Mango tree.”
When the King heard these things from his queen, with-
out wasting more time he gave his daughter Madana-
lekhā in marriage to Aśokadatta. They suited each
other so much that not only their relatives, but the
others also were delighted. Brahmā is well experienced
in joining suitable things together. As they were all
getting on well one day the queen said to the King,
“My lord! this Bangle being single doesn't shine well.
We must have another bangle made in the same shape
and design.”
The King immediately had some goldsmiths brought be-
fore him. He showed them the bangle and asked them
to make one of the same pattern. They turned it on all
sides and looked at it and said, “Please your highness!
This is not man-made. It is not possible for us to make
one of this kind. Precious stones like these are not
available in this earth. So the only possible way is to
search for its mate in the place where this was found.
On hearing these words the King and the queen were
crestfallen. Seeing this Aśokadatta said that he would
bring the mate of the bangle. Fearing danger the King
tried to dissuade him. But Aśokadatta was not prepared
to change his decision. He took the bangle and went to
the burial-ground that night. To get the bangle he had
to meet the same woman who had left the bangle. He
began to think of a means to find her out. He procured
a corpse took it on his shoulder and walked about call-
ing out “Do you want flesh?” He heard a voice say
“Bring it here”, and he walked in that direction. He
saw a beautiful woman who appeared to be the mistress,
sitting in the midst of so many servant maids on a tree.
He called out “Take the flesh”. She asked “How much
will it cost?” Aśokadatta said, “There is a bangle with
me. If you, will give me another bangle like this you shall
have the whole body”. Hearing the words of Aśokadatta
the beautiful woman laughed and said, “That is my
bangle. I have its mate with me also. I am the same wo-
man you saw when you came to give water to the man
on the scaffold. Now the situation is changed. So you do
not recognize me. Tonight is the fourteenth lunar night
too. It was good that you thought of coming to night.
Otherwise you would not have seen me. Now see; let
the flesh be there. If you will consent to do what I say I
shall give you the other bangle also.” Aśokadatta promis-
ed to do what she required. Then she began, “There is a
city in the Himālayas known as Trighaṇḍa. There lived a
giant in that city. His name was Lambajihva. I bearing
the name vidyucchikhā, am his wife. Only one daughter
was born to me. Then my husband was killed in a fight
with his overlord Kapālasphoṭa, who being kind did not
do us any harm; and I live in my house now. My daugh-
ter is now a young woman. I was roaming about thinking
of a way to find out a man of might and bravery as hus-
band for my daughter. Then I saw you going this way
with the King. The moment I saw you I knew you to be
the man I was searching for and I decided to give you
my daughter in marriage. What you heard as the words
of the man on the scaffold was a trick played by me. You
brought water to the scaffold and nobody needed water
then. With the knowledge I have in Sorcery and witch-
craft I put you into a little confusion. I gave you that
bangle to bring you again to me and it has served
the purpose today. Let us go to my house. It is my ear-
nest wish that you should be the husband of my daughter.
And I shall satisfy your immediate need also.”
The brave Aśokadatta agreed to the request of the
giantess. She, with her power, took him to their city
through the sky. Aśokadatta saw the golden city and
wondered if it was the sun taking rest after its tedious
journey. There he saw the daughter of the giantess and
thought her to be the incarnation of his adventurous
spirit. She was beautiful in every part of her body. She
was called Vidyutprabhā. He married her and lived with
them for a while. Then he said to his mother-in-law
“Mother! now give me the bangle. I must go to Kāśī.
I have promised the King to get the mate of this bangle.”
Vidyucchikhā gave her son-in-law her bangle and a
golden lotus flower which he accepted with great joy. As
before he came with the giantess to the burial-ground
through the sky. Then she said “I shall be here on every
fourteenth lunar night on the root of this tree in the
burial-ground. If you want to see me come on that day.”
“I shall do so”, so saying Aśokadatta came away and
went to his parents. They were stricken with grief at the
departure and exile of their remaining son. They were
overcome by joy at the return of their son. Not waiting
long he went to the King, his father-in-law, who embrac-
ed him with joy. Aśokadatta gave him the two bangles.
He presented the golden lotus flower also. The King and
the queen were amazed at the daring spirit of Aśokadatta
who told them in detail everything that had happened to
him. The fame of Aśokadatta grew higher and higher.
The King and the queen thought it a blessing that they
got so adventurous a son-in-law. Next day the King got
a casket made of silver and placed the golden lotus at the
mouth of the casket and placed it on the step of his own
temple for everyone to see. The white casket and the
red lotus were very charming to look at and they glistened
as the fame of the King and of Aśokadatta. One day the
King looked at it with pleasure and said “If we could
get one more lotus like this, we could make another casket
and place it on the left side of this”. As soon as he heard it
Aśokadatta said “If the King orders it shall be brought”.
But the King said “Ho’ you need not go anymore
on errands like this. This is not such an urgent need”.
After a few days the fourteenth lunar night came. Leav-
ing his wife the princess sleeping in the bed he left the
palace and reached the burial-ground. He saw his mother-
in-law the giantess and went with her to the city of the
giant and lived there happily for a while with his wife
Vidyutprabhā. When he was about to return he requested
Vidyucchikhā to give him one more golden lotus. She said
that there was no more lotus with her and that they grew
in the lake of the giant King Kapālasphoṭa. Aśokadatta
requested her to show him that lake. At first Vidyuc-
chikhā dissuaded him from this attempt. But he was
stubborn. So she took him to a place away from the
lake and showed it to him. The lake was full of golden
lotus flowers. It was a pleasing sight. Aśokadatta imme-
diately got down into the lake and began to pluck the
flowers. The guards came and opposed him. He killed
a few of them. The others went to their master and in-
formed about the theft. Kapālasphoṭa with his weapons
came shouting and roaring and saw his elder brother
Aśokadatta. He was overpowered by joy and wonder.
Throwing away his weapons, with love and devotion
towards his elder brother he bowed before him. “My
brother! I am Vijayadatta your younger brother. By
the will of God I lived as a giant so long. You might
have heard this from father. Because we have met now
by good luck I remembered that I was a Brahmin. My
giantness is gone. On that day something obscured my
mind. That is why I became a giant”. When he heard
the words of his younger brother Aśokadatta embraced
him. Both shed tears of joy. At that time Prajñapti
Kauśika the teacher of the Vidyādharas came to them
and said, “You are Vidyādharas. All this happened due
to a curse. Now you and your people are liberated from
the curse. So learn the duties and functions of your
class and with your people take your proper place in
the society.” Having taught them everything they re-
quired he disappeared. Thus the Vidyādhara brothers,
having plucked golden lotus reached the peak of the
Himālayas through the sky. Aśokadatta went to Vidyut-
prabhā who also having been liberated from curse be-
came a Vidyādhara girl. With that beautiful girl the
two brothers continued their journey and reached Kāśī
where they bowed before their parents. That reunion
appeared to be a dream or something nearing madness
to their parents. They could not believe their eyes.
Aśokadatta and Vijayadatta each saying his name bowed
before them. Their parents lifted them up and embraced
them and kissed them on the head, and cried for joy.
They did not know what to do or what to say. Their
minds were incapable of thinking. Everybody heard
this and was amazed at it. The King was also filled
with joy. He came there and took them to the palace.
Aśokadatta gave all the lotus flowers to the King, who
was happy and joyful at the achievement of more than
he had hoped for. Everybody appreciated them.
Govindasvāmī, in the presence of the King asked
Vijayadatta to tell his story from the moment he turned
a giant in the burial-place; “We are very curious to
hear it” he said. Vijayadatta began to say “Father,
you have seen how because of my mischief, I had brok-
en that skull and some viscous liquid fell into my
mouth and I changed to a giant. After that the other
giants gave me the name Kapālasphoṭa. They invited
me into their midst. We lived together. After a few
days they took me to the presence of the King of the
giants. As soon as he saw me he was pleased with me
and appointed me as the commander-in-chief of the
army. He who was overconfident in his power went to
war with the Gandharvas and was killed in the fight.
From that day onwards all the giants came under my
control. Then I met with my brother who came to
pluck the golden lotus flowers from my lake. With this
all the previous conditions of my life had vanished.
My brother will say the rest of the story. When Vijaya-
datta had finished saying Aśokadatta continued the
story.
Long ago when we were Vidyādharas both of us were
going through the sky and we saw the hermit maids
of the hermitage of Gālava, bathing in the Ganges. We
wished to get those girls. The hermits who saw this
with their divine eyes cursed that we would take birth
as men and in that birth we would be separated in a
wonderful way and both of us would unite again in a
place where man could not reach and we would
be liberated from the curse and learn everything from
the teacher, and would become the old Vidyādharas
with our people. And according to this curse we took
birth as men and separation was effected. You all have
heard it. Today I went to the lake of the King of the
giants, with the help of my mother-in-law the giantess
for plucking the golden lotus flowers and recovered my
brother, this Vijayadatta. There we learned everything
from our teacher Prajñapti Kauśika and became
Vidyādharas and have arrived here as fast as we could.”
Thus he informed them everything that had occurred.
Afterwards by the learning he received from his teacher
he changed his parents and the daughter of the King
into Vidyādharas and then bidding adieu to the King
Aśokadatta, with his two wives, parents and brother
went to the emperor of the Vidyādharas through the
sky. When they reached there Aśokadatta and Vijaya-
datta changed their names into Aśokavega and Vijaya-
vega. According to the orders of the emperor those
Vidyādhara youths went to the mountain of Govinda-
kūṭa with their people as it was their abode, and
lived with happiness and joy. King Pratāpamukuṭa
with wonder took one of the golden lotus flowers and
placed it in the temple and with the rest he made
oblations to god and considered his family to have
made wonderful achievements. (Kathāsaritsāgara,
Caturdārikālamba, Taraṅga 2).