विक्रम चरित (उज्जैन सम्राट् विक्रमादित्य - पराक्रम, न्याय एवं ३२ पुतलियों की कथा सटीक)

205 when his wife fell as it were into a swoon, and immediately expired in his arms. Charoo thought she had merely fainted, so he endeavoured by every means in his power to restore her to animation, but to no purpose—she was past all remedy. He cried loudly for help, and the attendants poured in forthwith from every side, some of them hastening to acquaint the king with the sad disaster. The king and queen soon burst into the room together, wild with frenzy and grief. Charoo communicated the circumstances attending the demise, or swoon as he all along took it to be, of the princess. A physician was instantly sent for, who arrived in all haste, but in vain was everything done that art and experience, combined with great professional skill, could suggest. The whole place, as may be supposed, was plunged into inconsolable grief by this sad occurrence. The cries of Charoo rent the air, and the king and queen were loud in their lamentations. As soon as the news got abroad, the king's relatives, courtiers, and officials all flocked round the corpse of the beautiful princess, and not a dry eye was visible amongst the vast number of men and women there assembled. After their grief had a little subsided, preparations were made for the funeral, at which Charoo himself performed the ceremony of applying fire to the pile. The other obsequies, as usual on such an occasion, were continued for twelve days, accord- ing to the prescribed form. "When Chitrangee's soul had re-entered her celestial frame on the Chitrakoot mountain, she awoke as though from a sound sleep, so sudden was the transition; and she began at once to enjoy, as she had done before, more perfect happiness than is ever known in the world, save in imagination. The people of the place were also freed from the temporary trance in which Charoo had found them when he visited the city; and they resumed their business exactly at the point at which it was discontinued when their anima- tion had been suspended. Charoo's disarrangement of the shopkeepers' goods caused now a disagreement between the