The ocean of story, being C.H. Tawney's translation of Somadeva's ...

126 THE OCEAN OF STORY
like the full moon he became beautiful by the possession of
all noble parts ;
of the whole world ;
like the God of Love he excited the longing
in obedience to his father he came to
surpass Jimutavahana, and he was distinctly marked with
the signs of a great emperor.
Then his father, the King Chandravaloka, brought for
that son of his the daughter of the King of the Madras,
named Madri. And when he was married, his father, pleased
with the super-eminence of his virtues, at once appointed him
crown prince. And when Taravaloka had been appointed
crown prince, he had made, with his father's permission,
almshouses for the distribution of food and other necessaries.
And every day, the moment he got up, he mounted the
elephant, Kuvalayapida, and went round to inspect those
almshouses. 1 To whosoever asked anything he was ready
to give it, even if it were his own life : in this way the fame
of that crown prince spread in every quarter.
Then he had two twin sons born to him by Madri, and the
father called them Rama and Lakshmana. And the boys
grew like the love and joy of their parents, and they were
dearer than life to their grandparents. And Taravaloka and
Madri were never tired of looking at them, as they bent before
them, being filled with virtue, like two bows of the prince,
being strung. 2
Then the enemies of Taravaloka, seeing his elephant,
Kuvalayapida, his two sons, and his reputation for gener-
osity,
said to their Brahmans : "Go and ask Taravaloka to
give you his elephant, Kuvalayapida. If he gives it you,
we shall be able to take from him his kingdom, as he will
be deprived of that bulwark ; if he refuses to give it, his
reputation for generosity will be at an end." When the
Brahmans had been thus entreated they consented, and asked
Taravaloka, that hero of generosity, for that elephant.
"
Taravaloka said to himself : What do Brahmans mean
by asking for a mighty elephant ? So I know for certain that
1 I read satrani or sattrani for patrani, which would mean (t fit recipients."
I find sattrani in MS. No. 1882.
2 A perpetually recurring pun !
Guna
in Sanskrit means u bowstring "
and also "virtue," and is an unfailing source of temptation to our author.