Raja

“ Then the Brahman went forth, and standing in the presence of the Raja, told him all things touching the fruit, concluding with "O, mighty prince! vouchsafe to accept this tribute, and bestow wealth upon me. I shall be happy in your living long!"
Bhartari Raja led the supplicant into an inner strongroom, where stood heaps of the finest gold-dust, and bade him carry away all that he could; this the priest did, not forgetting to fill even his eloquent and toothless mouth with the precious metal. ”

“ Can there be poison in nectar? Can there be nectar in poison? Can there be a dog in human shape? Is it possible for a donkey to rule a kingdom? On the answering aright of these questions depended the tributary Raja's life, for the Emperor's order was that, in case of failure, the Raja should forfeit his head. ”

“ Lucilla Crespin asked him in a low voice. (How like deep blue stars her eyes were! both he and Traherne thought.) “That seems to me—forgive me, Raja—the last word of impiety.”
“Possibly, Madam,” the Raja of Rukh said with a grave laugh. “How my esteemed fellow-creatures were ever bluffed into piety is a mystery to me. Not,” he added, “that I’m complaining. If men could not be bluffed by the Raja above, how much less would they be bluffed by us rajas below. And though life is a contemptible business, I don’t deny that power is the best part of it.” ”

“ The raja's orders could not be disobeyed. Moreover there was no occasion for fearing to enter Raja Madan Deva's palace. The Raja enjoyed the highest reputation for kindness and virtue. Not only was he virtuous himself, but owing to his vigilance no woman ran any risk of insult or annoyance under his roof. ”

“ O great king! when Bruhmù, having restored Roohitas to life, and seated the Raja and Ranee, together with their son, on a chariot, gave the order to proceed to the celestial paradise, Raja Hurchund joining his hands, said to Bhugwan, ‘O brother of the poor, purifying the guilty and kind to the wretched! how can I go and dwell in paradise without Soopuch?’ Having heard this speech, and knowing the Raja’s secret wishes, Huri, the benefactor of his worshippers, the sea of compassion, granted deliverance to Soopuch, together with the city in which he abode, and to the Raja, Ranee and their son. ”

“ And, behold! when the goldsmith lad and the carpenter lad saw the awful, dreadful, unspeakable horror Raja Rasâlu had slain, they were exceedingly afraid, and falling on their knees, begged to be allowed to return to the city, saying, 'O mighty Rasâlu, you are a Raja and a hero! You can fight such horrors; we are but ordinary folk, and if we follow you we shall surely be killed. ”

“ By the prayer of Raja Donan all the troops of Raja Chamar Lant and Raja Petukal were restored to life, and his little boat was turned into a magnificent palace. He called all the restored warriors together, and, putting chiefs over them, he set out on his journey on foot, taking with him his sword and his magic flute. When on his way, a certain princess, named Linggam Chahya, who resided in heaven, but came down often to the earth to amuse herself, met and fell in love with him, and sent her favourite bird to ask him to come to see her. ”

“ On the other hand, take the Raja of Hell Island, and he isn’t a bad sort in his way; one of the good kind of rulers, in fact! If you’ll trust to him, he’ll see you through, by hook or crook.”
The gray eyes widened. “Who is this raja? I never heard of him! ”

“ No more beautiful place could be imagined. Flowers of every kind, delicious fruits, and on every side the most pleasing prospects, together with perfect love, made their hermitage a paradise on earth. Here the exiles led an idyllic existence until sought out by Bharata, who, learning from his mother on his return home the ruin she had wrought in the Raj, had indignantly spurned her, and hastened to Dandaka. The old Raja had died from grief soon after the departure of the exiles, and Bharata now demanded that Rama should return to Ayodhya and become Raja, as was his right, as eldest son. ”

“ Raja! you are very fortunate in constantly beholding Shree Krishnù Chund, and obliterating the sins of each birth; the lord, whom Shivù, Bruhmù and all the other gods wander about seeking, continually protects you; the Huri, whose mysteries jogees and sages, or whose passions are under complete subjection, and saints and wise men cannot discover, comes to receive your orders ”

“ There was once a very rich and powerful Raja and in his heart he thought that there was no one so powerful in the world as himself; thus he thought but he told no one of his thought. One day he made up his mind to see whether others could guess what he was thinking, so he called together his officers and servants and dependants and bade them tell him what thought was in [193] his heart. Many of them made guesses, but not one gave an answer which satisfied the Raja. ”

“ The prince then returned to the old woman's house; and when morning came the princess said to her mother, "The son of a great Raja has come to this country, and I wish to marry him." Her mother told this to the king.
"Good," said the king; "but if this Raja's son wishes to marry my daughter, he must first do whatever I bid him. If he fails I will kill him. I will give him eighty pounds weight of mustard seed, and out of this he must crush the oil in one day. If he cannot do this he shall die." ”

“ On hearing these words Shree Krishnù Chund was delighted, and said, “Raja! you have formed a good wish, by this gods, men, saints and sages will all be gratified; this will be agreeable to all, and it is not at all difficult for you to do this; because your four brothers, Urjoon, Bheem, Nukool and Suhdeo are very renowned and powerful; there is not any one in the world now who can oppose them; first send them forth to conquer, and bring under subjection the Rajas of the ten quarters of the world, and after that perform the sacrifice at your ease.” ”

“ On taking off his crown, the Raja recovered his knowledge, and reflecting began to say, the abode of the Black Age is in gold, he was upon my head, and this is the reason of my having performed so vicious an act, as throwing a dead snake on the neck of a chief of the saints; I now know, that the Black Age has taken his revenge upon me; how shall I escape from this great sin; why have I not been deprived to-day of my caste, wealth, family, wives and kingdom—I know not in what birth, this injustice of my having vexed a Brahmin will be effaced. ”

“ He goes to the palace, and presenting the fruit to the Raja, acquaints him of its nature, and is rewarded with a lakh of rupees. The Raja gives the fruit to his wife, telling her that [301] if she ate it her beauty would increase day by day, and she should be immortal. The Kani gives it to her paramour, the chief of police, who, in his turn, presents it as the choicest of gifts to a courtesan, who, after reflecting that it would only enable her to commit innumerable sins, resolves to offer it to the Raja, in hope of a reward in a future life. ”

“ I had a fine estate and herds of cattle and fine clothes; now that is all gone and you have scarcely enough to eat. I am old and like to die and before I leave you I wish to give you this advice: there are many Rajas in the world, Raja above Raja; when I am dead do you seek the protection of some powerful Raja.” As there was not enough to eat at home Kara had to take service as goat-herd under a neighbouring Raja; by which he earned his food and clothes and two rupees a year. ”

“ In fact, there were so many horrors and such a tumult and noise that even a brave man would have faltered, yet the king kept on his way.
At length having passed over, somehow or other, a very difficult road, the Raja arrived at the smashana, or burning place pointed out by the jogi. Suddenly he sighted the tree where from root to top every branch and leaf was in a blaze of crimson flame. And when he, still dauntless, advanced towards it, a clamour continued to be raised, and voices kept crying, “Kill them! kill them! seize them! seize them! take care that they do not get away! ”

“ After some days, Raja Hurchund’s son, Roohitas, died; and his mother went with her son’s corpse into the burying place; and as she was on the point of lighting the funeral pile she had erected, the Raja came, and asked for the tax; the Ranee being displeased and grieved said, ‘Consider and reflect, O Raja! this is your son, Roohitas, and I have nothing wherewith to pay the tax, except this cloth, which I am now wearing.’ The Raja replied, ‘I have no option in the matter; I am employed on my master’s business, and if I do not do his work, my character for truth will be lost.’ O great king! ”

“ All governments are capable of anything. Ommony, as an individual, is not to be judged by that standard. But he was no such fool as to answer outright, and so set the raja dickering with shroffs again. He tickled hope, that springs eternal in a raja’s breast as with the rest of us. ”

“ The King replied, "I don't want to marry a raja's daughter, for any other raja may marry a raja's daughter; but I want to marry one to whom no other Prince can aspire." "Inform us then," said the nobles, "whither your wishes tend, and we will do our utmost to carry them into effect."
Then said the King, "I want to ask the Princess Gunung Ledang." Then they asked him whom he wished to send as his messengers. He said, "I will send the laksamana, Sang Satia, and Tun Mamed." ”

“ I ask the young lady who sits uppermost;" but, he did not know that she was the natural daughter of the raja. Then loud laughed the raja, saying, "Whichever of them you please, you are welcome to her." The raja then ordered a hundred prows to be prepared, and sent his daughter Putri Ganggang under the care of Tun Parekpatih Pand to the land of Samadra. ”

“ He came on his elephant, attended by his brother-in-law and another person employed in his service chiefly as a legal adviser, on account of his supposed knowledge of the Regulations. The Raja is an active, intelligent man, and manages and looks minutely into all his own affairs. ”

“ The Raja helped the Englishwoman out of her litter as deferentially as he had assisted her into it. Servants hurried to meet them at the opened door—women among them, and at a flicker of the ruler’s hand, one more handsomely dressed than the others came to Lucilla and salaamed before her.
“She will attend you to your apartments, Madam,” the Raja said, “and wait upon you. She has my command to obey you in all things, and she will. You will find her not unskillful, and she is trustworthy. She is yours.”
Mrs. Crespin looked at the native woman searchingly, afraid to go, afraid to refuse to do so. ”

“ Is not he the man to fight stoutly whenever an enemy makes his appearance? That is the reason that I give him all the weapons I can find, which are excellent, that he may bulwark us all. Besides, is he not our raja's champion, and consequently our own champion?"
In a short time the bandahara Paduca Raja fell sick, for he was now an old man, and all his family who were at the distance of one or two days' journey assembled, and all his grand-children and great-grand-children, and he announced unto them his will. ”

“ The young Maharaja of Kuch Parwani assures me that it is not considered the thing for a Raja at the present day to govern. "A really swell Raja amuses himself." One hoards money, another plays at soldiering, a third is horsey, a fourth is amorous, and a fifth gets drunk; at least so Kuch Parwani thinks. Please don't say that I told you this. The Foreign Secretary knows what a high opinion I have of the Rajas, and indeed he often employs me to whitewash them when they get into scrapes. "A little playful, perhaps, but no more loyal Prince in India!" ”

“ But as he could not discover the Rani, he again addressed the Raja, saying, 'it is not proper that I should be treated by thee with deceit. Thy Rani is not in the private apartments, for I could not find her.' The Raja, thus addressed, considered for a while and replied, 'Recollect, Sir, with attention whether thou best not in a state of defilement in consequence of contact with the impurities of a repast. ”

“ An old man told them that the king had been dethroned years ago by seven lying astrologers, who were living like rajas far up the river. Raja Donan found his parents occupying a poor hut in a wood; but, having slain the lying astrologers, he put his parents on the throne again, and made Mandi Angin as prosperous and peaceful as it had ever been. Having done this, Raja Donan sailed away to his kingdom, where he ever after dwelt in peace and happiness. He was absent for a short time, however, when he kept his word and visited the Princess Linggan Chahya in the heavens. ”

“ The Raja hired for the performance of the religious ceremonies Bhurdooaj, Goutum, Bisist, Biswamittrù, Bamdeo, Purasur, Byas, Kusyp and other great priests, sages and brahmins; who, having repeated incantations from the Vedas, summoned all the gods; and, having caused the Raja to make a vow of giving alms of the sacrifice, they began to prepare the burnt offerings. ”

“ The jackal kept his word and went to a city where a Raja lived. There he sat down on the bank of one of the Raja’s tanks. To this tank the servants from the palace brought the pots and dishes to be washed, and to this tank also came the Rani and princesses to bathe. Whenever the servants came to wash their dishes, the jackal kept on repeating: “What sort of a Raja is this whose plates are washed in water in which people have bathed? there is no Raja like Raja Jogeshwar: he eats of golden plates and yet he never uses them a second time but throws them away directly he has eaten off them once.” ”