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

63 "In the great and flourishing town of Bhadravutty," said he, "there reigned once a just and noble king named Bhu- drasain. He was held in great repute for his virtues, and was endowed with qualities that rendered him deservedly esteemed by his subjects and all who knew him. It is therefore not to be wondered at that his kingdom was in profound peace, and the people contented and happy. They worshipped God according to their respective forms of religion, without let or hindrance, as this prince made it a point never to interfere with the consciences of his subjects, but to allow them to remain free and unshackled. In a word, they were mutually happy and free, both the sovereign and his subjects. Providence had in its liberality showered its choicest blessings upon this monarch, and there was but one drawback to the otherwise perfect bliss that he might be said to enjoy : this was nothing less than the want of a son to bear the weight of his crown and wield his sceptre during his declining years. The monarch was at this period advanced in years, though not to that extent when the hope of an issue is generally said to be lost. He was therefore very anxious to have the pleasure of seeing one of his line seated on the throne, ere he closed his earthly career. It was his constant practice to beseech heaven to grant his request, and no amount of charity was grudged in order to propitiate the gods, and to secure the prayers of the holy men to this end. One day, the king being seated in the audience hall, surrounded by his ministers and others, his mind still occupied with the paramount wish of his heart, a hermit called Soodew* arrived from the remote city of Dwarka. His form and person were far from prepossess- ing : with a face pale and languid, eyes sunken, and grisly hair, he might have been taken for one of those beings who are said to spend the best part of their lives in deserts, far from the habitations of man. But he was a sage, profoundly skilled in the sciences, and in all the branches of useful

• This hermit would seem to be the same who taught King Vick- ramadeten the art of transmigration. D