Story of King Lakshadatta and his Dependent Labdhadatta, from Somadeva's Katha Sarit Sagara (The Ocean of Streams of Story)

        There was on the earth a city named Lakshapura. In it there lived a king named Lakshadatta, chief of generous men. He never knew how to give a petitioner less than a lac of coins, but he gave five lacs to anyone with whom he conversed. As for the man with whom he was pleased, he lifted him out of poverty; for this reason his name was called Lakshadatta. A certain dependent named Labdhadatta stood day and night at his gate, with a piece of leather for his only loin-rag. He had matted hair, and he never left the king's gate for a second, day or night, in cold, rain or heat, and the king saw him there. And though he remained there long in misery, the king did not give him anything, though he was generous and compassionate.

        Then one day the king went to a forest to hunt, and his dependent followed him with a staff in his hand. There, while the king, seated on an elephant, armed with a bow, and followed by his army, slew tigers, bears and deer, with showers of arrows, his dependent, going in front of him, alone on foot, slew with his staff many boars and deer. When the king saw his bravery, he thought in his heart, "It is wonderful that this man should be such a hero," but he did not give him anything. And the king, when he had finished his hunting, returned home to his city to enjoy himself, but that dependent stood at his palace gate as before.

        Once on a time Lakshadatta went out to conquer a neighbouring king of the same family, and he had a terrible battle. And in the battle the dependent struck down in front of him many enemies, with blows from the end of his strong staff of acacia wood. And the king, after conquering his enemies, returned to his own city, and though he had seen the valour of his dependent, he gave him nothing. In this condition the dependent Labdhadatta remained, and many years passed over his head, while he supported himself with difficulty.

        And when the sixth year had come King Lakshadatta happened to see him one day, and feeling pity for him, reflected: "Though he has been long afflicted I have not as yet given him anything, so why should I not give him something in a disguised form, and so find out whether the guilt of this poor man has been effaced or not, and whether even now Fortune will grant him a sight of her or not?"

        Thus reflecting, the king deliberately entered his treasury and filled a citron with jewels, as if it were a casket. And he held an assembly of all his subjects, having appointed a meeting outside his palace, and there entered the assembly all his citizens, chiefs and ministers. And when the dependent entered among them the king said to him with an affectionate voice: "Come here." Then the dependent, on hearing this, was delighted, and coming near, he sat in front of the king. Then the king said to him: "Utter some composition of your own." Then the dependent recited the following Arya verse: "Fortune ever replenishes the full man, as all the streams replenish the sea, but she never even comes within the range of the eyes of the poor."

        When the king had heard this, and had made him recite it again, he was pleased, and gave him the citron full of valuable jewels. And the people said: "This king puts a stop to the poverty of everyone with whom he is pleased; so this dependent is to be pitied, since this very king, though pleased with him, after summoning him politely, has given him nothing but this citron. A wishing-tree, in the case of ill-starred men, often becomes a palasha-tree." These were the words which all in the assembly said to one another in their despondency when they saw that, for they did not know the truth.

        But the dependent went out with the citron in his hand, and when he was in a state of despondency a mendicant came before him. And that mendicant, named Rajavandin, seeing that the citron was a fine one, obtained it from that dependent by giving him a garment. And then the mendicant entered the assembly and gave that fruit to the king, and the king, recognising it, said to that hermit: "Where, reverend sir, did you procure this citron? "Then he told the king that the dependent had given it to him. Then the king was grieved and astonished, reflecting that his guilt was not expiated even now. The King Lakshadatta took the citron, rose up from the assembly and performed the duties of the day. And the dependent sold the garment, and, after he had eaten and drunk, remained at his usual post at the king's gate.

        And on the second day the king held a general assembly, and everybody appeared at it again, citizens and all. And the king, seeing that the dependent had entered the assembly, called him as before and made him sit near him. And after making him again recite that very same Arya verse, being pleased, he gave him that very same citron with jewels concealed in it. And all there thought with astonishment: "Ah ! this is the second time that our master is pleased with him without his gaining by it." And the dependent, in despondency, took the citron in his hand, and thinking that the king's good-will had again been barren of results, went out. At that very moment a certain official met him, who was about to enter that assembly, wishing to see the king. He, when he saw that citron, took a fancy to it, and, regarding the omen, procured it from the dependent by giving him a pair of garments. And entering the king's court he fell at the feet of the sovereign, and first gave him the citron, and then another present of his own. And when the king recognised the fruit he asked the official where he got it, and he replied: "From the dependent." And the king, thinking in his heart that Fortune would not even now give the dependent a sight of her, was exceedingly sad. And he rose up from the assembly with that citron, and the dependent went to the market with the pair of garments he had got. And by selling one garment he procured meat and drink, and tearing the other in half he made two of it.

        Then on the third day also the king held a general assembly, and all the subjects entered, as before, and when the dependent entered, the king gave him the same citron again, after calling him and making him recite the Arya verse. Then all were astonished, and the dependent went out and gave that citron to the king's mistress. And she, like a moving creeper of the tree of the king's regard, gave him gold, which was, so to speak, the flower, the harbinger of the fruit. The dependent sold it and enjoyed himself that day, and the king's mistress went into his presence. And she gave him that citron, which was large and fine, and he, recognising it, asked her whence she procured it. Then she said: "The dependent gave it me." Hearing that, the king thought: "Fortune has not yet looked favourably upon him; his merit in a former life must have been slight, since he does not know that my favour is never barren of results. And so these splendid jewels come back to me again and again." Thus the king reflected, and he took that citron and put it away safely, and rose up and performed the duties of the day.

        And on the fourth day the king held an assembly in the same way, and it was filled with all his subjects, feudatories, ministers and all. And the dependent came there again, and again the king made him sit in front of him, and when he bowed before him the king made him recite the Arya verse, and gave him the citron; and when the dependent had half got hold of it he suddenly let it go, and the citron fell on the ground and broke in half. And as the joining of the citron, which kept it together, was broken, there rolled out of it many valuable jewels, illuminating that place of assembly. All the people, when they saw it, said: "Ah ! we were deluded and mistaken, as we did not know the real state of the case, but such is the nature of the king's favour." When the king heard that, he said: "By this artifice I endeavoured to ascertain whether Fortune would now look on him or not. But for three days his guilt was not effaced; now it is effaced, and for that reason Fortune has now granted him a sight of herself."

        After the king had said this, he gave the dependent those jewels, and also villages, elephants, horses and gold, and made him a feudal chief. And he rose up from that assembly, in which the people applauded, and went to bathe; and that dependent too, having obtained his ends, went to his own dwelling.

From: Somadeva Bhatta, The Ocean of Story.  Vol. IV.  Translated by C. H. Tawney.  Edited by N. M. Penzer.  London: Privately printed, 1925, 168-173.