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圣人纳拉达是个坚定的单身主义者，但他见到斯瑞马蒂公主时坠入了爱河。令他沮丧的是，另一位叫图姆布鲁圣人也爱上了公主，并且想跟她结婚。 两人都是毗湿奴®的信徒，都请他帮忙。纳拉达请求在公主选丈夫的司瓦亚姆瓦仪式®上把图姆布鲁的脸变成熊的模样。 图姆布鲁不知道自己的对手已找过毗湿奴。他向毗湿奴提了一个类似的请求:把纳拉达的脸变成猴子的脸。 在司瓦亚姆瓦仪式上，公主带着花环走过长长的求婚队伍。纳拉达和图姆布鲁比其他人都引人注目，但是当公主靠近时，纳拉达的脸突然好像变成了一张猴子脸。她慌忙转向图姆布鲁，但让她害怕的是，他的脸看上去像一张熊的面孔。正当她站在那儿不知所措时，突然看到纳拉达和图姆布鲁之间站着一个人。此人正是毗湿奴本人。他是过来看看自己的信徒进展如何的。然而，公主并不在乎他是谁，来干什么。她看到一张正常的人脸感到松了一口气，立刻把花环戴到了他的脖子上。 纳拉达和图姆布鲁并不介意输给了毗湿奴神。二人都在窃喜对方没有得到公主。 ①注释: 毗湿奴:印度主要神灵之一，作为世界的保护和维持者受到崇拜。 ②司瓦亚姆瓦仪式:女子选择意中人的仪式。 The Two Bachelors Narada, the celestial sage, was a confirmed bachelor, but one day he saw Princess Shrimati and fell in love with her. To his dismay, another sage, Tumburu, was also smit¬ten by her and wanted to marry her. Both were devotees of— Lord Vishnu1 and both sought his help. Narada asked that Tumburu’s face should change into a bear’s at the Swayamvar2 at which the princess would select her husband. Tumburu, not knowing that his rival had already approached Vishnu, made a similar request. He asked that Narada should appear to have a monkey's face. At the Swayamvar, the princess trooped downs the long line of suitors with her gar¬land. Narada and Tumburu stood out among the others, but when she went closer, Narada’s face suddenly seemed to change and take on a simian look. She hastily turned to Tumburu, but to her horror he now looked like a bear. As she stood there in confu¬sion, she suddenly saw another man standing between Narada and Tumburu. It was Lord Vishnu himself. He had come to find out how his devotees were faring. The prin¬cess, however, did not care who he was and why he had come. She was so relieved to see a normal human face that she immediately put the garland round his neck. Narada and Tumburu did not mind losing to Lord Vishnu, but each was secretly glad that the other had not got the princess. |
