' The king thus addressed, considered for a while and replied,
'Recollect, Sir, with attention whether thou art not in a state of
defilement in consequence of contact with the impurities of a repast. My
Queen is a chaste wife and cannot be seen by any one who is impure owing
to contact with the leavings of a repast. Nor doth she herself appear in
sight of any one who is defiled.'
"Utanka, thus informed, reflected for a while and then said, 'Yes, it must
be so. Having been in a hurry I performed my ablutions (after meal) in a
standing posture.' King Paushya then said, 'Here is a transgression,
purification is not properly effected by one in a standing posture, not by
one while he is going along.' And Utanka having agreed to this, sat down
with his face towards the east, and washed his face, hands, and feet
thoroughly. And he then, without a noise, sipped thrice of water free from
scum and froth, and not warm, and just sufficient to reach his stomach and
wiped his face twice. And he then touched with water the apertures of his
organs (eyes, ears, etc.). And having done all this, he once more entered
the apartments of the women. And this time he saw the Queen. And as the
Queen perceived him, she saluted him respectfully and said, 'Welcome, Sir,
command me what I have to do.' And Utanka said unto her, 'It behoveth thee
to give me those ear-rings of thine. I beg them as a present for my
preceptor.' And the Queen having been highly pleased with Utanka's conduct
and, considering that Utanka as an object of charity could not be passed
over, took off her ear-rings and gave them to him.
Pages:
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93