11-16] PADUMAWATI. 9 inereaset.h by a quarter, day by day, the Creator formed his beauty above the world. Comely is he with a jewelled (tiara) on his brow, and the moon waneth as he waxeth ; while the earth, craving to see him, standeth and humbly offereth its praises. 17. Again God hath made him so greatly generous, that none in the world hath ever given gifts like unto him. Bali^ and Vikramaditya' were famed for their generosity, and Hatim Tae ^ and Karna* were described as lavish ; but none of them cqualleth Sher Shah, for the very ocean and even Mount Meru, are ever minishing (as they give up their jewels and gold). The kettle-drum of his generosity soundeth at his court, and the fame thereof hath gone even across the ocean. The world touclied this Sun,' and became of gold compact, so that poverty fled and went beyond the borders of his kingdom. He who but once approacheth him and asketh, for all his life is free from hixnger and from nakedness. Even that ( King of old) who per- formed ten horse-sacrifices,* — even he gave not holy gifts like him. So generous hath Sultan Sher Shah been born upon the world, that none hath e'er been like him, or will be, nor doth anyone give such gifts. 1 The Tvell-known Daitya, who gave Visnu his famous three and a half paces of ground.
- ' Clarum et venerabile nomen.' The well-known king of Avanti, many legends of
whose generosity are given in the Simhnsatia Battisl. S Familiar to readers of the BSgh-o-Baliar (story of the second Darwesh). His liberality continued after his death. His tomb was surrounded . by stone images of . girls, which each night used to burst out into lamentations for so good a man. Kin" ZQ-l-kari'a camping near there one night, hearing the wailing, asked the reason, and was told it was the tomb of Hatim Tae. He then cried ont in jest, ' O Hatira Tae, we are thy guests, and hungry ' Shortly .afterwards one of his camels became violently ill and (as they say in Ireland) to prevent its dying, they killed it, and then, to make the best of a bad job, had a good feast on its flesh. Next day, while they were on the march, they were met by Hatim's son bringing a she-camel. He explained that his father h.ad appeared to liim on the preceding night, and said ' Zu-1-kara'a sought hospitality from me last night, and I had nothing to give him ; so perforce I killed his camel, and do thou now give him oue in e.^change for the one I took.' History does not relate how the son appre- ciated his father's vicarious hospitality, but he certainly did accept the responsibility.
- The famous Hero of the Mahabhiirata. The son of Kunti by Siirya. He was famous
for his generosity. Yudhisthira once asked Krsna, who was the most generous member of his family. To his mortification Krsna replied ' Karna.' The following is an example. A poor Brahman woman had a child born to her, and her husband went to Yudhisthira and begged for some wood to make a fire to warm her. Yudhisthira ordered his steward to supply the fuel, but on the latter reporting that there was none just then available, he told the Brahman to go away, and to come again in an hour or two, when he could be supplied. The Brahman went on to Karna and made a similar request. It happened that, here too, the supply of fire-wood was temporarily deficient, and the steward asked Karna to tell the man to come again in an hour or two (as Yudhisthira had done). ' Fool,' replied Karna, ' shall I leave the poor woman to die of cold, while you are searching for fuel ? Break up my beds till the Brahman has enough wood for to-day, and tell him to come to-morrow for more.' ' This,' said Krsna to Yudhisthira, ' is the difference between you and Karna. Had yoa no beds to break up ? ' The above legend is sung by the Vyasas at the passage in Maha-bhiirata where Karna divested himself of the ear-rings and armour (with which he had been born), and gave them to Indra, (See Maha-bharata, Adi-parvan, Adhyiiya 67, Qlokas 141-143). 6 Again the triple pun on the word siira. Sher Shah is compax-ed to a philosopher'.^ stone which clmnged all that touclied it into gold. 6 This is a reference to Brahma, who completed ten A9Ya-medha sacrifices at Benares. The site of the Sacrifice is the well-known Da9a9va-medha ghiit in that city. 3
