The Woman He Was Told Not to Touch

After the meal Aśvatara offered the prince silver, gold, clothing, vehicles, anything rare he might want. The prince refused. While his father lived, he said, wealth was a blade of grass to him; he lacked nothing; he had touched the nāga king's feet with the jewel of his own crown, and that was enough. When Aśvatara pressed him, he asked for one thing only: May my heart never lose its bent for doing good. Wealth and women, food and music: to my mind, all of these are the fruit of the tree of merit.

So be it, said Aśvatara. But you must take something from my house that is hard to come by in the world of men.

The prince looked at his friends, and they told their father about Madālasā's death and his vow, and that what he wished for was to see her.

Aśvatara answered: How can one who has parted from the elements of the body be joined to them again, except in a dream, or in magic like that of Śambara, the demon famed for his illusions?

The prince said: If you would show me Madālasā, even made of magic, I would count it the highest favour.

Then look, if you want to see magic, said Aśvatara. To bewilder them he brought out the hidden Madālasā and said: Prince, is this your wife Madālasā, or not?

The prince forgot all shame and went toward her crying, Beloved! Aśvatara stopped him: It is magic, son, as I told you before. Do not touch her. Magic vanishes at a touch. The prince fell to the ground in a faint, crying Ah, my beloved!, and lay there thinking of her.

The nāga king brought him round and told him everything: how she had been raised from death and born again in that house. Overjoyed, the prince received his wife, bowed to the nāga king, and thought of his horse; Kuvalaya came the moment he thought of it, and he rode home with her.