The unnamed wife of Viśākha (Chapter 021)

Role: wife · First appears: Chapter XXI

In Chapter XXI, after marrying Viśākha, she fled with him into the desert when the brothers agreed to kill their wives for food. At a mountain, Viśākha gave her flesh from his thighs and blood to keep her alive; later, he entrusted a handless and footless cripple to her care, and the man recovered. She repeatedly tempted the cripple, and he accepted her advances.

The woman and the cripple plotted to conceal their affair. At a ravine, she tricked Viśākha into descending by rope for wolf’s-milk, then let go, and he fell into the water below. Fearing hunger, she carried the cripple on her back to villages and begged for alms. At the capital, Viśākha recognized them and exposed her betrayal; she stood “with drooping countenance and heart full of shame.” After the king heard what had happened, the ministers drove her out of the city.

Relationship record

Life events

• The four brothers took kings’ daughters from other lands as wives.(Chapter XXI)
  • With: Śākha Gulma Anugulma Viśākha (Chapter 021) The unnamed wife of Śākha (Chapter 021) The unnamed wife of Gulma (Chapter 021) The unnamed wife of Anugulma (Chapter 021)
  • “After having all grown up, and taken to themselves as wives kings’ daughters from other lands, they began to behave disrespectfully to the king.”
• The brothers agreed to kill their wives one after another and eat their flesh to survive.(Chapter XXI · 📍 a desert place)
  • With: Śākha Gulma Anugulma Viśākha (Chapter 021) The unnamed wife of Śākha (Chapter 021) The unnamed wife of Gulma (Chapter 021) The unnamed wife of Anugulma (Chapter 021)
  • “So they made an agreement among themselves to put their wives to death one after another, and by feeding on their flesh to make their own way through the desert.”
• Viśākha fled with his wife rather than participate in killing her.(Chapter XXI · 📍 a desert place)
  • With: Viśākha (Chapter 021)
  • “Viśākha, however, was of opinion that it would be better to sacrifice his own life than to take away another’s, and instead of waiting to see who was to die he determined to escape along with his wife. So he fled away with her.”
• Viśākha gave his wife flesh from his thighs and blood to keep her alive.(Chapter XXI · 📍 a mountain)
  • With: Viśākha (Chapter 021)
  • “So he sliced some flesh off his hams and gave it to her to eat, and then he opened the veins of both his arms and gave her the blood to drink.”
• Viśākha gave the cripple to his wife’s care, and the cripple recovered.(Chapter XXI)
  • With: Viśākha (Chapter 021) The handless and footless cripple (Chapter 021)
  • “Viśākha spoke words of solace to him, satisfied his hunger with roots and berries, and then handed him over to his wife, thanks to whose care he recovered entirely.”
• Viśākha’s wife repeatedly tempted the cripple, and he finally accepted her advances.(Chapter XXI)
  • With: The handless and footless cripple (Chapter 021)
  • “But as she repeatedly tempted him, and it was hard for him to master passion, he finally acceded to her request.”
• The wife and cripple plotted precautions against Viśākha discovering their affair.(Chapter XXI)
  • With: The handless and footless cripple (Chapter 021)
  • “In accordance with these ideas, he began to take counsel with her, saying, ‘If your husband finds out that we have lived together, he will undoubtedly do you some injury and put me to death.’”
• Viśākha’s wife tricked him into descending a ravine for wolf’s-milk, then dropped the rope.(Chapter XXI · 📍 a ravine)
  • With: Viśākha (Chapter 021)
  • “When he had let himself down with the rope, she let go of the rope with her hand, whereby he also lost hold of it and fell into the water at the bottom.”
• Viśākha’s wife carried the cripple on her back and begged for alms.(Chapter XXI · 📍 the villages)
  • With: The handless and footless cripple (Chapter 021)
  • “Thereupon the woman, fearing to perish in the hour of hunger, having taken the cripple on her back, betook herself to the villages, and asked for alms in the streets, market-places, cross-roads, and by-roads.”
• Viśākha recognized his wife and the cripple, exposed her betrayal, and she stood ashamed.(Chapter XXI · 📍 the capital)
  • With: The handless and footless cripple (Chapter 021) Viśākha (Chapter 021)
  • “‘Thou who hast eaten the flesh of my loins, who hast drunk my blood, and hast taken the cripple on thy back, wilt thou not now be blamed by thy husband?’ ‘After having, for the sake of wolf’s-milk, flung me down the precipice, after having taken the cripple on thy back, wilt thou not now be blamed by thy husband?’ She stood still with drooping countenance and heart full of shame.”
• The ministers drove Viśākha’s wife out of the city.(Chapter XXI · 📍 the city)
  • “When the ministers had asked the king about this matter, and he had given them a full account of all that had taken place, they drove the woman out of the city with contumely.”

Chapter XXI

• married with Viśākha (Chapter 021) “After having all grown up, and taken to themselves as wives kings’ daughters from other lands, they began to behave disrespectfully to the king.”
• with The handless and footless cripple (Chapter 021) (interaction) “But as she repeatedly tempted him, and it was hard for him to master passion, he finally acceded to her request.”

Also listed in Other Figures — Minor Figures

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Extracted from the original text of Tibetan Tales, Derived from Indian Sources. Made with Rho MD.