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28 chapters
TRANSLATORS PREFACE.
TRANSLATORS PREFACE.
T he English translation of these tales has been made by special request, to meet repeated demands for a translation of the text as edited by the late Dr. Duncan Forbes. The aim of the Translator has been to produce a work which would enable the student to study the original with facility and accuracy. It being considered that few save students who are compelled to study the Hindi original would be likely to peruse the work, the translation has been made as literal as it was possible to make it
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PREFACE
PREFACE
T HE origin of these tales is as follows:—In the reign of the Emperor Muhammad Shah, Rajã Jaisinh Sawãr (who was the ruler of. Jainagar) ordered the eminent poet, named Sürat, to translate the Baitãl Pachisi (which was in the Sanskrit) into the Braj dialect. Thereupon he translated it into the dialect of Braj, in accordance with the king’s command. And now, during the reign of the Emperor Sfãhi ’Alam, and in the time of the lord of lords, the cream of exalted princes, the Privy-Counsellor of the
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INTRODUCTORY TALE.
INTRODUCTORY TALE.
T here was a city named Dhãrãnagar, the king of which was Gandharb Sen. He had four queens, and by them six sons, one more learned and more powerful than another. Fate ordaining, after some days the king died, and his eldest son, Shank by name, became king in his stead. Again, after some days, a younger brother, Vikram, after slaying his eldest brother, himself became king, and began to govern well. Day by day his dominion so increased that he became king of all India; * and, after fixing his go
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TALE I.
TALE I.
T here was a king of Banãras, named Pratãpmukut; and Bajra-mukut was the name of his son, whose queen’s name was Mahãdevï. One day the prince, accompanied by his minister’s son, went to the chase, and advanced far into a jungle, in the midst of which he beheld a beautiful tank; on the margin of which wild geese, brãhmanï ducks, male and female, cranes and water-fowl were, one and all, disporting on all four sides ghats of solid masonry were constructed: within the tank, the lotus was in full blo
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TALE II.
TALE II.
O n looking about him, the king perceived that the sprite was not present; so he went straight away back, and, reaching that place, climbed up the tree, bound the corpse, and placing him on his shoulders, set off. Then the sprite said, “O king! the second story is as follows:—” “On the bank of the Yamunã (Jamnã) is a city named Dharmmasthal, the king of which is named Gunãdhip. Moreover, a Brahman named Kesava lives there, who is in the habit of performing his devotions and religious duties on t
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TALE III.
TALE III.
T he sprite said, “O king! there is a city named Bardwãn, wherein is a king named Rüpsen. It happened one day that the king was seated in an apartment adjoining the gate (of his palace), when, from without the gate, the loud voices of some people reached him. The king said, ‘Who is at the gate? and what noise is that taking place?’ Upon this the gatekeeper replied, ‘Great king! you have asked a fine question! Knowing this to be the gate of a wealthy personage, numbers of persons of all kinds com
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TALE IV.
TALE IV.
T he king, having gone there again, bound the sprite and brought him away. Then the sprite said, “O king! there is a town named Bhogwati, of which Rüpsen is the king, and he has a parrot named Chürãman. One day the king asked the parrot, ‘What different things do you know?’ Then the parrot said, ‘Your majesty! I know everything.’ The king rejoined, ‘Tell me, then, if you know where there is a beautiful maiden equal to me in rank.’ Then the parrot said, ‘Your majesty! in the country of Magadh the
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TALE V.
TALE V.
T he sprite said, “O king! there is a city named Ujjain, of which Mahãbal was king. Now, he had an envoy named Haridãs. The name of that envoy’s daughter was Mahãdevï. She was extremely beautiful. When she became marriageable, her father thought that he ought to seek a husband for her, and give her in marriage. In short, the girl one day said to her father, ‘Father! give me in marriage to some one who is possessed of all accomplishments. On this, he said, ‘I will give thee to one who is acquaint
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TALE VI.
TALE VI.
A gain the sprite said, “O king! there is a city named Dharmpur, of which Dharmshil was king; and his minister’s name was Andhak. He said one day to the king, ‘Your majesty! build a temple, and place an image of Devi therein, and pay constant adoration thereto, for this is said in the Shãstra to possess great merit.’ Thereupon the king had a temple built and (the image of) Devi placed in it, and began offering adoration after the manner prescribed by the Vedas; and he would not drink water witho
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TALE VII.
TALE VII.
T he sprite said, “O king! there is a city named Champãpur, the king of which is Champakeshwar. And the queen’s name is Sulochanã, and the daughter’s Tribhuvan-sundari. She is an eminently-beautiful woman, whose face is like the moon, hair like black clouds, eyes like a gazelle’s, eyebrows (arched) like a bow, nose like a parrot’s (beak), neck like a pigeon’s, teeth like the grains of a pomegranate; the redness of whose lips resembles that of the kandüri , * whose waist is like a leopard’s, hand
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TALE VIII.
TALE VIII.
T hen the sprite said, “O king! there is a city named Mithalãvatï, the king of which is Gunãdhip. A young rãjpüt, named Chiramdeva, came from a distant land to enter his service. He used to go daily to pay his respects to the king, but did not obtain an interview. And in the course of a year he consumed all the money he had brought (with him) while tarrying here without employment, and there (in his native land), his home went to ruin.” “It happened one day that the king mounted his horse for th
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TALE IX.
TALE IX.
T he sprite said, “O king! there-is a city named Madanpur, where was a king named Birbar. Now, in that same country there was a merchant named Hiranyadatt, whose daughter’s name was Madansenã. One day, in the spring-time, she went, with her female friends, into her garden, to stroll about and enjoy the scene. It so happened that, previous to her coming out, Somdatt, the son of a merchant named Dharmdatt, had come, with a friend, to take a stroll in the forest. On his return thence, he came into
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TALE X.
TALE X.
T he sprite said, “O king! in the country of Gaur there is a city called Baradmãn, and the king of that place was named Gunshekhar. His minister was a follower of the Jain persuasion, Abhaichand by name. Through his persuasion, the king, too, entered the pale of the Jain religion. He prohibited the worship of Shiva, as also that of Vishnu, and offerings of cattle, grants of land, oblations * to deceased ancestors, gambling and intoxicating liquors—all these he interdicted: no one was allowed to
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TALE XI.
TALE XI.
T he sprite said, “Your majesty! there is a city named Punyapur, the king of which was named Ballabh, and his minister’s name was Satyaprakash, (and) the name of the minister’s wife was Lakshmi. One day the king said to his minister, ‘If one who is a king does not enjoy himself with beautiful women, his holding sovereignty is in vain.’ Having said this, and made over the burthen of government to the minister, he himself gladly entered upon a course of amorous pleasures. He abandoned all cares of
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TALE XII.
TALE XII.
T he sprite said, “O king Bir Vikramãjit! There is a city named Chürãpur, where a king named Chürãman ruled, whose spiritual teacher’s name was Devaswãmi, and he had a son named Hariswãmï. He was as beautiful as Cupid, equalled Brihaspati * in his knowledge of scientific and religious treatises, and was as wealthy as Kuvera. He wedded and brought home a Brahman’s daughter, whose name was Lãvanyavatï.” “To be brief, one night in the hot season they were both sleeping soundly on the flat roof of a
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TALE XIII.
TALE XIII.
T he sprite said, “O king! there is a city named Chandra-hriday, and a king named Randhir ruled there. There was in the city a merchant named Dharmdhwaj, whose daughter’s name was Shobhani; and indeed she was very beautiful. Her youthful prime was daily developing itself, and her beauty was each moment increasing.” “It so happened that robberies became a nightly occurrence in that city. When the merchants experienced much vexation at the hands of the thieves, they all went to the king in a body
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TALE XIV.
TALE XIV.
T he sprite said, “Attend, King Vikram! There is a city named Kusmavati, of which one Subichãr was king, whose daughter’s name was Chandra-prabhã. When she became marriageable, she went out one spring day, along with her companions, to stroll about in the garden. Now, before arrangements had been made for the ladies to come out (i.e., before the garden had been cleared of all strangers and others not permitted to set eyes on the women), a Brahman’s son, named Manswi, of twenty years or so, very
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TALE XV.
TALE XV.
T he sprite said, “O king! there is a mountain named Himachal, where there is a city of the demi-gods (or celestial musicians); and king Jïmütketu ruled there. Once upon a time he worshipped Kalpãbriksh a great deal for the sake of a son. Thereupon Kalpabriksh was pleased, and said, ‘I am pleased at perceiving thy services to me; ask any boon thou desirest.’ The monarch replied, saying, ‘Grant me a son, so that my kingdom and my name may endure,’ It (the tree) stud, ‘Even so shall it be.’” “Afte
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TALE XVI.
TALE XVI.
T he sprite said, “Ô King Bir Vikramãjït! there is a. city named Chandra-shekhar, and a merchant named Ratandatt was an inhabitant thereof. He had one only daughter, whose name was Unmãdinï. When she attained to womanhood, her father went to the king of the place, and said, ‘Your majesty! I have a daughter ( lit . there is a girl in my house); if you desire to possess her, take her; otherwise I will give her to some one else.’” “When the king heard this, he summoned two or three old servants, an
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TALE XVII.
TALE XVII.
T he sprite said, “Your majesty! there was a king of Ujjain, named Mahãsain; and an inhabitant of that place was a Brahman, Devasharmã, whose son’s name was Gunãkar. He (the son) turned out a great gambler; so much so that he lost at play all the wealth the Brahman possessed. Thereupon all the members of the family turned Gunãkar out of house and home. And he could not help himself in any way; (so) having no other resource, he took his departure from the place, and in several days’ time came to
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TALE XVIII.
TALE XVIII.
T he sprite said, “Your majesty! There was a city named Kubalpur, the name of the king of which was Sudakshi. Now, a merchant named Dhanãkshi used also to live in that city, and he had a daughter whose name was Dhanvati. He gave her in marriage in her childhood to a merchant named Gauridatt. After a considerable time she had a girl, whom she named Mohani. When she attained to some years, her father died, and the merchant’s kinsfolk seized all his property. She, in her helplessness, left the hous
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TALE XIX.
TALE XIX.
T he sprite said, “O king! there is a city named Chitraküt, the king of which was Rupdatt. One day he mounted his horse and went forth alone to hunt; and, having lost his way, got into a great forest. What does he see on going there but a large tank, in which lotuses were flowering, and various kinds of birds were sporting. On all four sides of the tank cool and perfume-laden breezes were blowing under the shade of the dense foliage of the trees. He, for his part, was overcome with the heat, (so
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TALE XX.
TALE XX.
T he sprite said, “O king! there is a city named Bishalpur, the king of which was named Bipuleshwar. In his city lived a merchant whose name was Arthdatt, and his daughter’s name was Anaug-manjari. He had married her to a merchant of Kanwalpur, named Munni. Some days after, the merchant crossed the ocean on a mercantile venture; and when she attained to womanhood here (at home), she was standing one day in the pavilion, and observing what was going on in the road, when at that moment a Brahman’s
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TALE XXI.
TALE XXI.
T he sprite said, “Your majesty! there is a city named Jaysthal, the king of which was named Varddhamãn. In his city was a Brahman named Vishnuswami, who had four sons; one a gambler, the second a lover of women, the third a fornicator, the fourth an atheist. The Brahman was one day admonishing his sons, saying, ‘Wealth abides not in the house of him who gambles.’ The gambler became greatly annoyed at hearing this. And he (the father) spoke again, saying, ‘It is said in the Rãjnit (or book of po
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TALE XXII.
TALE XXII.
The sprite said, “Your majesty! there is a city named Biswapur, the king of which was named Bidagdha. A Brahman, named Nãrãyan, dwelt in his city. He one day began thinking to himself, ‘My body has become old, and I am acquainted with the science which enables one to enter another’s body; it is therefore better that I quit this old body, and enter the body of some young man and enjoy life.’ When he had determined on this in his mind, he set about entering a youthful body; but first he wept, and
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TALE XXIII.
TALE XXIII.
T his sprite said, “Your majesty! there was a city named Dharmpur, where a king named Dharmaj ruled. In his city was a Brahman named Govind, versed in the whole four Vedas and all the six learned treatises, and a careful observer of all his religious duties; and Haridatt, Somdatt, Yagyadatt and Brahmadatt were his four sons. They were very learned, very clever, and at all times obedient to their father. After some time his eldest son died, and he, too, was at the point of death through grief for
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TALE XXIV.
TALE XXIV.
T he sprite said, “Your majesty! in the country of Kaling there was a Brahman named Yagya Sharmã, whose wife’s name was Somadattã. She was very beautiful. The Brahman began offering sacrifices, whereupon his wife had a beautiful boy. When he attained the age of five years, his father began teaching him the Shãstras . At the age of twelve years he had finished the study of all the Shãstras, and become a great scholar; and he began to be in constant attendance upon, and to help his father.” “After
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TALE XXV.
TALE XXV.
T hen the sprite said, “Your majesty! there is a city in the south named Dharmpur, a king of which was named, Mahãbal. Once upon a time another king of that same region led an army against and invested his capital. He continued fighting for several days. When his army went over (in part) to the enemy, and a portion was cut to pieces, then, having no help for it, he took his wife and daughter with him, and went forth by night into the jungle. After he had penetrated several miles ( lit . kos) int
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