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THE 
 
 BAITAL PACHCHISI; 
 
 TWENTY-FIVE TALES OF A SPRITE. 
 
 TBANSIiATED PBOM 
 
 THE HINDI TEXT OF 
 
 DR. DUNCAN FORBES. 
 
 JOHN PLATTS, ESQ., 
 
 ONE OP SEE majesty's ITTSPBOTOES OE SCHOOLS IN THE 
 CENTRAL PEOVmCBS OP INDIA. 
 
 LONDON : 
 
 Wm. H. ALLEN & Co., 13, WATERLOO PLACE, 
 PALL MALL, S.W. 
 
 1871. 
 
London : Wm. H. Allen & Co. 13, Waterloo VhXse, Pall Mall, S.W.— L 
 
TRANSLATORS PREFACE. 
 
 The 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. Dun- 
 can 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 without 
 doing unpardonable violence to English idiom. All 
 difficulties have been boldly, if not successfully, met ; 
 and explanatory and other notes have been added, 
 wherever the text appeared to call for such. The 
 study of the translation must not be supposed to 
 dispense with that of the Grammar of the- language ; 
 it vdll be found, however, to prove of the highest 
 utility to a student who has mastered the elementary 
 principles of Grammar, and uses it — not as a mere 
 "crib" but — for the purpose of discovering what 
 light it sheds on the application of those principles. 
 

PREFACE. 
 
 The orfgin of these tales^'is as follows : — In the reign 
 of the Emperor Muhammad Shah, Raja Jaisinh Sawa'i 
 (who was the ruler of Jainagar) ordered the eminent 
 poet, named Surat, to translate the Baital 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 Shahi 'Alam, and in 
 the time of the lord of lords, the cream of exalted 
 princes, the Privy-Counsellor of the Monarch of Eng- 
 land, whose court stands as high as Satm-n; the 
 noblest of the noble, the Governor- General, Marquis 
 Wellesley (may his government be perpetuated !) ; 
 and in accordance with the bidding of His Honour, 
 Mr. John Gilchrist (may his good fortune endure !) ; 
 to the end that illustrious gentleman may learn and 
 understand, the poet Mazhar AK Khan (whose nom de 
 plume is Vila), with the aid of the poet Shri Lallii 
 Lai, rendered the same into easy language, such as 
 high and low use in speaking, and which the learned 
 
VI PEEFACE. 
 
 and the ignorant, the talented and the obtuse, would 
 all comprehend, and which would be easy to the mind 
 of every one, no difficulty of any kind presenting 
 itself to the intellect, and wherein the dialect of Braj 
 frequently occurs. 
 
 Now, in conformity with the command of the Pro- 
 fessor of Hindi, the bounteous patron, His Honour, 
 Captain James Mouat, (may his prosperity last long !) 
 Tarinicharan Mitra, (in preparing the work) for the 
 press, has struck out such Sanskrit and Braj words as 
 seldom occur in the Urdii dialect, and introduced 
 words in current use. Some words, however, in use 
 among the Hindus, the exclusion of which he regarded 
 as detrimental, he has preserved intact. He trusts 
 that the work may meet with a favourable reception. 
 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Introductory Tale 
 
 Tale I 
 
 Tale II 
 
 Tale III 
 
 Tale IV.- ... 
 
 TaleV 
 
 Tale VI. ... 
 
 Tale VII 
 
 Tale VIII. 
 
 Tale IX 
 
 TaleX 
 
 Tale XI 
 
 
 
 PAGE 
 1 
 
 
 
 15 
 
 
 ... 
 
 30 
 
 
 
 36 
 
 
 ... 
 
 45 
 
 
 
 62 
 
 
 ... 
 
 67 
 
 
 
 74 
 
 
 ... 
 
 78 
 
 
 ... 
 
 83 
 
 
 . 
 
 88 
 
 
 
 93 
 
VUl 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 Tale XII. 
 Tale XIII. 
 Tale XIV. 
 Tale XV. 
 Tale XVI. 
 Tale XVII. 
 Tale XVIII. 
 Tale XIX. 
 Tale XX. 
 Tale XXI. 
 Tale XXII. 
 Tale XXIII. 
 Tale XXIV. 
 Tale XXV. 
 
 FAOE 
 
 98 
 
 ... 102 
 
 ... 108 
 
 ... 120 
 
 ... 130 
 
 ... 137 
 
 ... 143 
 
 ... 151 
 
 ... 158 
 
 ... 162 
 
 ... 165 
 
 ... 168 
 
 '... 175 
 
 ... 177 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHI8I. 
 
 INTRODUCTORY TALE. 
 
 There was a city named Dharanagar, the king of 
 which was Gandharb Sen. He had four queens, and 
 by them six sons, one more learned and more power- 
 ful than another. Fate ordaining, afte^ 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 govern- 
 ment on a firm basis, he estabhshed an sera. 
 
 After some time the king thought to himself that 
 he ought to visit those countries of which he had 
 
 ' Jambudmnp is the name of one of the seven divisions of the world, and 
 implies the central division, or the known world ; according to the Baud 
 dhas, it is confined to India. 
 
 1 
 
2 THE BATTAL PACHCHISI. 
 
 heard.' Having determined on this, he made over 
 his throne to his younger brother Bharthari, and him- 
 self assuming the guise of a devotee, set out to wander 
 from land to land and forest to forest. 
 
 A Brahman was practising austerities in that city. 
 One day a deity brought and presented to him the 
 fruit of immortality. He then took the fruit home and 
 said to his wife, "Whoever shall eat this will become 
 immortal ; the deity told me this at the time of giving 
 the fruit." Hearing this, the Brahman's wife wept 
 excessively, and began to say, "This is a great evil 
 we have to suffer ! For, becoming immortal, how 
 long shall we go on begging alms? Nay, to die is 
 better than this ; (for) if we die, then we escape from 
 the trials of the world." Then the Brahman said, 
 " I took the fruit and brought it ; but, hearing your 
 words, I am bereft of understanding. Now I will do 
 whatever you bid." Then his wife said to him, " Give 
 this fruit to the king, and in exchange for it take 
 wealth, whereby we may enjoy the advantages of this 
 world as well as that to come." 
 
 Hearing this speech, the Brahman went to the king 
 and gave him his blessing ; (and) after explaining the 
 circumstances of the fruit, said, " Great king ! do you 
 take this fruit and give me some wealth; there is 
 happiness for me in your being long-lived." The 
 
 i Lit.— The king thought in his mind, "I should travel over those 
 countries whose names I am hearing.'" 
 
THE BAITAL PAdHCHISI. 3 
 
 king having given the Brahman a lakh of rapees and 
 dismissed him, entered the female apartments, and 
 giving the fruit to the queen vrhom he loved most, 
 said, " O queen ! do thou eat this, for thou wilt become 
 immortal, and wilt continue young for ever." The 
 queen, hearing this, took the fruit from the king, (and) 
 he came out into his court. 
 
 A certain kotwal was the paramour of that queen : 
 to him she gave the fruit. It so happened that a 
 courtesan was the kotwal's mistress ; he gave the fruit 
 to her and described its virtues. That courtesan 
 thought to herself that the fruit was a fitting present 
 for the king. Determining this in her mind, she went 
 and presented the fruit to the king. His majesty- 
 took the fruit and dismissed her with much wealth ; 
 and contemplating the fruit, and pondering within 
 himself, he became sick of the world, and began to 
 say, " The perishable wealth of this world is of no use 
 whatever ; for through it one must ultimately fall into 
 hell. Preferable to this is the practising of religious 
 duties and the biding in the remembrance of the Deity, 
 whereby it may be well in the future." 
 
 Coming to this determination, he entered the female 
 apartments and asked the queen what she had done 
 with the fruit (he gave her). She replied, "I ate it 
 xvp." Then the king showed the queen that fruit. 
 She, on the instant of setting eyes on it, stood aghast, 
 and was unable to make any reply. After that, the 
 
4 THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 
 
 king having come forth, had the fruit washed, and ate 
 it, and abandoning his kingdom and throne, assumed 
 the guise of a devotee, and betook himself unaccom- 
 panied, and without holding communication vdth a 
 soul, to the jungle. 
 
 The throne of Vikram became vacant. When this 
 news reached king Indra, he sent a demon to guard 
 Dharanagar. He kept watch over the city day and 
 night. To be brief, the report of this matter spread 
 from country to country, that king Bharthari had 
 abandoned his government and gone away. King 
 Vikram, too, heard the news, and immediately came 
 to his country. It was then midnight : he was enter- 
 ing the city at that hour, when that demon called out, 
 " Who art thou ? and whither goest thou ? Stand 
 still (and) mention thy name." Then the king said, 
 " It is I, king Vikram ; I am entering my own city : 
 who art thou, to challenge me?" Then the demon 
 replied, saying, "The deities have sent me to guard 
 this city : if you are really king Vikram, first fight 
 with me, and then enter the city." 
 
 On hearing these words the king girt tight his 
 waist-cloth and challenged the demon. Thereupon 
 the demon, too, stood up to him. The battle began. 
 At last the king threw the demon and sat upon his 
 breast. Then he said, " O king ! thou hast thrown 
 me ; I grant thy life as a boon."- Upon this the king, 
 laughing, said, " Thou art gone mad j whose life dost 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 5 
 
 thou grant ? Did I will, 1 could slay thee ; how canst 
 thou grant me life?" Then the demon said, "O 
 king! I am about to save thee from death; first attend 
 to a tale of mine, and thereafter rule over the whole 
 world free from all care." At length the king set 
 him free, and began to listen attentively to his tale. 
 
 Then the demon addressed him thus : " There was 
 in this city a very liberal king, named Chandrabhan. 
 One day he went forth casually into the jungle ; when, 
 what should he behold but an ascetic hanging, head 
 downwards, from a tree, and sustaining himself by in- 
 haling smoke alone — neither receiving anything from 
 any one, nor speaking to any one. Perceiving this 
 state of his, the king returned home, and seating him- 
 self in his court, said, "Whoever will bring this ascetic 
 -(here), shall receive a lakh of rupees." A courtesan 
 hearing these words, came to the king and spake thus : 
 " If I obtain your majesty's leave, I will have a child 
 begotten by that ascetic, and bring it here mounted 
 on his shoulder." 
 
 " The king was astonished at hearing this speech, 
 and binding the courtesan to (the fulfilment of her 
 contract to) bring the ascetic by giving her a flake of 
 betel-leaf,^ dismissed her. She went to that wild. 
 
 ' I am obliged to render thus periphrastioally the Words tapasm Ice 
 lane he vmste bird deTca/r. The Kra is a betel-leaf, made up with a pre- 
 paration of areoa-nut,*ohunam, elofes, &c. It is given and accepted as a 
 pledge for the performance of an act. 
 
6 THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 
 
 and reaching tlie ascetic's place, perceived that he was 
 really hanging head-downwards, , neither eating nor 
 drinking anything, and that he was withered up. In 
 short, that courtesan prepared some sweetmeat, and 
 put it into the ascetic's mouth : he, finding it sweet, 
 ate it up with zest. Thereupon the courtesan ap- 
 plied more (to his mouth). Thus for two days did 
 she continue feeding him with sweetmeat, by eating 
 which he gained a certain degree of strength. Then, 
 opening his eyes, and descending from the tree, he 
 inquired of her, ' On what business hast thou come 
 hither?'" 
 
 " The courtesan replied, ' I am the daughter of a 
 god ; I was practising religious austerities in heaven > 
 I have now come into this wild.' The devotee said 
 again, ' Where is thy hut ? Show me it.' Thereupon 
 the courtesan brought the ascetic to her hut, and com- 
 menced feeding him with savoury {lit. six -flavoured) 
 viands, so that the ascetic left off' inhaling smoke, and 
 took to eating food and drinking water daily. Even- 
 tually Cupid doubled him ; upon which he had carnal 
 intercourse with her, (and; vitiated his austerities; 
 and the courtesan became pregnant. In ten months 
 a boy was born. When he was some months old, 
 the woman said to the devotee, ' O saint ! you should 
 now set out on a pilgrimage whereby all the sins of 
 the flesh may be blotted out.' " 
 
 " Deluding him with such words, she mounted the 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISI, 7 
 
 boy on his shoulder, and started for the king's court, 
 whence she had set out, after taking up the gage to 
 accompUsh this matter. When she came before the 
 king, his majesty recognised her from a distance, and 
 seeing the child on the shoulder of the devotee, began 
 saying to the courtiers, ' Just see ! this is the very 
 same courtesan who went to bring the devotee ! ' 
 They replied, ' O king ! you are quite right ; this is 
 the very same; and be pleased to observe that all 
 that she had stated in your majesty's presence ere 
 she set forth, has come to pass.'" 
 
 "When the ascetic heard these remarks of the 
 king and courtiers, he perceived that the king had 
 adopted these measures to disturb his rehgious medi- 
 tations. With these thoughts in his mind, the de- 
 votee returned from thence, and getting out of the 
 city, slew the child, repaired to another jungle, and 
 began to perform penance. And after some time that 
 king died, and the devotee completed his penance." 
 
 " The short of the story is this, that you three men 
 have been born under one asterism, one conjunction, 
 and in one moment. You took birth in a king's 
 house ; the second was an oilman's (child) ; the third, 
 the devotee, was born in a potter's house. You stUl 
 govern here, while the oilman's son was the ruler of 
 the infernal regions; but that potter, bringing his 
 religious meditations to thorough perfection, has killed 
 the oilman, turned him into a demon in a burning- 
 
8 THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 
 
 ground and placed him hanging head-downwards on a 
 siris-tree, and is intent on killing you. If you escape 
 him, you will rule. I have apprised you of all these 
 circumstances; do not be careless with respect to 
 them." Having narrated thus much, the demon de- 
 parted. He (the king) entered his private palace. 
 
 When it was morn the king came forth, and took 
 his seat (on the throne), and gave the order for a 
 general court. As many servants as there were, 
 great and small, all came and made their offerings in 
 the presence, and festive music burst forth. An ex- 
 traordinary gladness and rejoicing possessed the whole 
 city, such that in every place, and every house, dance 
 and song arose. After this the king began to govern 
 justly. 
 
 It is related that one day an ascetic named Shant- 
 shil appeared at the king's court with. a fruit in his 
 hand, and, presenting the fruit to the king, spread a 
 cloth, and sat down there. After a short time he 
 went away again. On his departure the king thought 
 to himself that this was probably the person of whom 
 the demon had spoken. Habouring this suspicion, he 
 did not eat the fruit, and, summoning the steward, he 
 gave it to him, with instructions to keep it carefully. 
 The devotee, however, came constantly in this same 
 manner, and left a fruit every day. 
 
 It so happened that one day the king went to 
 inspect his stable, accompanied by some attendants. 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. « 
 
 During that interval the ascetic, too, arrived there, 
 and presented the king with a fruit in the usual 
 manner. He began tossing it in the air, when all of 
 a sudden it fell from his hand on the ground, ajid a 
 monkey took it up and broke it in pieces. So ex- 
 quisite a ruby came out of it that the king and 
 his attendants were astonished at the sight of its 
 brilliance. Thereupon the king said to the devotee, 
 " Why hast thou given me this ruby ? " 
 
 On this he said, " O great king ! it is written in 
 the Shastra that one should not go empty-handed to 
 the following places, viz., those of kings, spiritual 
 teachers, astrologers, physicians and daughters, for at 
 these places one obtains benefit for benefit. Sire ! 
 why do you speak of a single ruby ? As many fruits 
 as I have given you, every one of them contains a 
 jewel." Hearing these words, the king told the 
 steward to bring all the fruits he had given to him. 
 On receiving the king's order, the steward immedi- 
 ately brought them; and, having had the fruits broken 
 open, he found a ruby in each. When he beheld so 
 many rubies the king was excessively pleased, and, 
 summoning a tester of precious stones, began having 
 the rubies tested, saying the while, "Nothing will 
 accompany one (from this world) ; integrity is the 
 great essential in the world ; tell me honestly, there- 
 fore, the exact value of each gem." 
 
 Hearing these words the jeweller said, " O king ! 
 
10 
 
 THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 
 
 you have spoken the truth. He whose integrity is 
 safe, his all is safe : integrity alone acompanies us, 
 and that it is which proves of advantage in both 
 worlds. Hear, O king ! each gem is perfect as to 
 colour, stone, and form. Were I to declare the value 
 of each to be a crore of rupees, even that would not 
 come up to the mark. Of a truth, each gem is worth 
 a clime." Hearing this, the king was pleased beyond 
 measure, and conferring a robe of honour on the jewel- 
 ler, dismissed him; and taking the devotee's hand, 
 he brought and seated him on the throne, and began 
 thus : " My whole realm is not worth even one of 
 these rubies; tell me, then, what is the explanation 
 of this, that you, a religious mendicant, have presented 
 me with so many gems?" 
 
 The ascetic said, " Your majesty ! it is not proper 
 to speak publicly of the following things, viz., magic 
 and incantations, drugs employed in medicines, religious 
 duties, family affairs, the eating of impure meats, evil 
 speech which one has heard — all these things are not 
 spoken of in public ; I will tell you in private. Attend ! 
 it is a rule, that whatever is heard by three pairs of 
 ears remains no secret; the words which reach two 
 pairs of ears no man hears ; while the contents of one 
 pair of ears are unknown to Brahma himself, not to 
 speak of man." On hearing- these words, the king 
 took the devotee apart and began to say, "O holy 
 man ! you have given rae so many rubies, and have 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHIST. 11 
 
 not once partaken of food even ; you have put me to 
 great shame ! Let me know what it is you desire." 
 The ascetic said, "Sire! I am about to practice magical 
 arts in a large body -burning-ground on, the bank of 
 the river Godavari, whereby I shall acquire super- 
 natural powers, and so I beg of you to pass one whole 
 night with me; by your being near me my magic 
 arts will succeed." Then the king said, "Very well; 
 I will come : leave word with me of the day." The 
 ascetic said, " Do you come to me, armed and un- 
 attended, on the Tuesday evening of the dark half of 
 the month Bhadon." The king replied, "You may go ; 
 I will assuredly come, and alone." 
 
 Having thus exacted a promise 'from the king and 
 taken leave, he, for his part, went into a temple and 
 made preparations, and taking all necessaries with 
 him, went and fixed himself in a place for burning 
 bodies; while here the king began to ponder (over 
 what had happened). In the meantime the moment 
 (for him to depart) too, arrived. Upon this the king 
 there and then girt on his sword, tightened the cloth 
 he wore between his legs, and betook himself alone to 
 the devotee by night, and greeted him. The devotee 
 requested him to be seated, whereupon the king sat 
 down, and then perceived goblins, evil spirits, and 
 witches, in various frightful shapes, dancing around ; 
 while the ascetic, seated in the centre, was striking 
 two skulls together by way of music. The king felt 
 
12 THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 
 
 no fear or alarm on beholding this state of things; 
 but said to the devotee, " What command is there for 
 me ? " He replied, " O king ! now that you have come, 
 do this ; — at a distance of two kos south of this place 
 is a burning-ground, wherein is a siris-tree, on which 
 a corpse is suspended; bring that (corpse) to me at 
 once to this place, where I shall be performing my 
 devotions." Having despatched the king thither, he 
 himself settled down in devotional attitude and began 
 muttering prayers. 
 
 For one thing, the darkness of the night was in 
 itself terrifying ; more than this, the downpour of the 
 rain was as unceasing as if it would rain for once and 
 all that night; whilst the goblins and ghosts, too, 
 were creating such an uproar, that even daring heroes 
 would have been agitated at the spectacle ; — the king, 
 however, went on his way. The snakes, which kept 
 coming and twining themselves about his legs, he used 
 to disentangle by repeating incantations. At length, 
 when after passing somehow or other over a perilous 
 road, the king reached the burning-ground, he per- 
 ceived that goblins were constantly seizing men and 
 destroying them; witches continually munching the 
 livers of children ; tigers were roaring, and elephants 
 screaming. In short, when he noticed the tree, he 
 perceived that every leaf and branch of it, from the 
 root to the topmost twig, was burning furiously, while 
 from all four sides arose a tumultuous cry of "Kill 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 13 
 
 him! kill him! Seize him ! seize him ! Take care 
 he does not escape ! " 
 
 The king had no fears on beholding that state of 
 things ; but he said to himself, " It may or may not 
 be so, but (I am convinced) this is the same devotee 
 about whom the demon spoke to me." And having 
 gone close and observed, he perceived a corpse fas- 
 tened by a string, and hanging head downwards. He 
 was glad to see the corpse, thinking his trouble had 
 been rewarded. Taking his sword and shield, he 
 climbed the tree fearlessly, and striick such a blow 
 with the sword that the rope was severed and the 
 corpse fell down, and instantly began to weep aloud. 
 On hearing his voice the king was pleased, and began 
 to say to himself, "Weill this man at least is alive." 
 Then, descending, he enquired of him who he was. 
 He burst out laughing as soon as he heard> (the ques- 
 tion). The king was greatly astonished at this. Again 
 the corpse climbed up the tree and suspended himself. 
 The king, too, that instant climbed up, and clutching 
 him under his arm, brought him down, and said, "Vile 
 wretch ! tell me who thou art." He made no reply. 
 The king reflected and said to himself, " Perhaps this 
 is the very oilman whom the demon said the devotee 
 had deposited in the place where bodies are burnt." 
 Thus reflecting, he bound him up in his mantle and 
 brought him to the devotee. The man who displays 
 
14 THE BAITAL PACHCHXSl. 
 
 such courage will (be sure to) succeed in his under- 
 takings. 
 
 Then the sprite * said, "Who art thou ? and whither 
 art thou taking me?" The king replied, " I am king 
 Vikram, and am taking thee off to a devotee." He 
 rejoined, " I will go on one condition, — if thou utterest 
 a word on the way, I will come straight back." The 
 king agreed to his condition and went off with him. 
 Then the sprite said, " O king ! those who are learned, 
 discerning, and wise — their days are passed in the de- 
 light of song and the shastras, while the days of the 
 unwise and foolish are spent in dissipation and sleep. 
 Hence, it is best that this long road should be beguiled 
 by profitable converse : do you attend, O king ! to the 
 story I relate." 
 
 ^ Betal or baitdl, is a sprite haunting cemeteries (or, rather, places where 
 bodies are burned,) and animating dead bodies. 
 
TALE I. 
 
 " There was a king of Banaras, named Pratapmukut ; 
 and Bajra-mukut was the name of his son, whose 
 queen's name was Mahadevi. 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, brahmani 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 bloom : on the 
 sides were planted trees of different kinds, under the 
 dense shade of which the breezes came cool and re- 
 freshing, while birds were warbling on the boughs ; 
 and in the forest bloomed flowers of varied hues, on 
 which whole swarms of bees were buzzing; — (such 
 was the scene) when they arrived by the margin of 
 that tank, and washed their hands and faces, and re- 
 ascended." 
 
 "On that spot was a temple sacred to Mahadeva. 
 Fastening their horses, and entering the temple, they 
 paid adoration to Mahadeva, and came out. While 
 
16 THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 
 
 they were engaged in adoration, the daughter of a 
 certain king, accompanied by a host of attendants, 
 came to another margin of the tank to bathe; and, 
 having finished her ablutions, meditations and prayers, 
 she, with her own maidens, began to walk about in 
 the shade of the trees. On this side the minister's 
 son was seated, and the king's son was walking about, 
 when, suddenly, his eyes, and the eyes of the king's 
 daughter, met. As soon as he beheld her beauty, the 
 king's son was fascinated, and began saying to him- 
 self, ' You wretch, Cupid ! why do you molest me ? ' 
 And when the princess beheld the prince, she took in 
 her hand the lotus-flower which she had fixed on her 
 head after her devotions, placed it to her ear, bit it 
 with her teeth, put it under her foot, then took it up 
 and pressed it to her bosom, and, taking her maidens 
 with her, mounted (her chariotj and departed home." 
 "And the prince, sinking into the depths of despair, 
 and overwhelmed with grief on account of her absence, 
 came to the minister's son, and with a feeling of shame 
 laid before him the actual state of affairs, saying, ' O 
 friend ! I have seen a most beautiful damsel ; (but) I 
 know neither her name nor her abode : should I not 
 possess her, I will give up my life : this I am firmly 
 resolved upon in my mind.' Hearing these circum- 
 stances, the minister's son caused him to mount, and 
 brot^ht him home, it is true ; but the king's son was 
 so restless from grief at separation, that he entirely 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 17 
 
 abandoned writing, reading, eating, drinking, sleeping, 
 the business of government — everything. He used 
 to be constantly sketching her portrait and gazing at 
 it and weeping; not speaking himself, nor listening 
 to what others said." 
 
 " WhenJIe minister's son saw this state of his, the 
 result ^^^aration from his flame, he said to him, 
 'WhosTOVw treads the path of love doth not sur- 
 vive ; or if he surviye, he suffers great sorrow.' On 
 this account the wise avoid treading this path.' 
 The king's son, on hearing his words, replied, ' I, in 
 sooth, have entered upon this path, be there joy in it 
 or be there pain.' When he heard so determined a 
 speech from him, he (the minister's son) said, ' Great 
 king ! at the time of leaving did she say anything to 
 you, or you to her?' Upon this he made answer, 
 saying, ' I said nothing, nor did I hear anything from 
 her.' Then the minister's son said, ' It will be very 
 difficult to find her.' He said, 'Tf she be secured, my 
 life will be preserved ; otherwise, it is lost.' " 
 
 " He enquired again, 'Did she make no signs even ? ' 
 The prince said, ' These are the gestures she made, — 
 suddenly seeing me, she took the lotus -fiower from 
 her head, put it to her ear, bit it with her teeth, placed 
 it under her foot, and pressed it to her bosom.' On 
 hearing this, the minister's son said, ' I have compre- 
 
 ' Lit. — Whosoever has placed his step in the path of love has not sur- 
 vived after it ; or if he has survived, then hehas experienced great affliction. 
 
 2 
 
18 THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 
 
 hended her signs, and discovered her name, habitation, 
 and all about her.' He (the prince) replied, ' Explain 
 to me whatever you have discovered.' He began to 
 say, ' Attend, king ! Her having taken the lotus- 
 flower from her head and put it to her ear, is equiva- 
 lent to her having informed you that she is an inha- 
 bitant of the Karnatak (Carnatic) ; and in biting it 
 with her teeth, she intimated that she is the daughter 
 of king Danta-vat ; and by pressing it under her foot, 
 she declared that her name is Padmavati ; and in again 
 taking it up and pressing it to her bosom, she informed 
 you that you dwell in her heart.' When the prince 
 heard these words, he said to him, ' It is advisable 
 that you take me to the city in which she dwells.' 
 No sooner had he said this than both dressed them- 
 selves, girt on their arms, and taking some jewels 
 with them, mounted their horses and took the road to 
 that quarter." 
 
 " Having reached the Karnatak after several days, 
 and having arrived below the palaces of the king in 
 their stroll through the city, what do they see there 
 but an old woman sitting at her door and plying her 
 cotton-wheel. The two, dismounting from their horses, 
 approached her, and began to say, ' Mother ! we are 
 travelling merchants, our goods are following us ; we 
 have come on ahead to seek a lodging ; if you will 
 give us a place, we will abide.' On looking at their 
 faces and hearing their words, the old woman took 
 compassion on them and said, ' This house is yours ; 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. J 9 
 
 remain here as long as you please.' In short, they 
 took possession of the house on hearing this; and 
 after some delay the old woman came and kindly sat 
 with them, and began chatting with them. On this, 
 the minister's son enquired of her, 'What family and 
 relations have you got? and how do yoii subsist?' 
 The old woman said, ' My son is very comfortably 
 provided for in the king's service, and your humble 
 servant is the wet-nurse of Padmavati, the king's 
 dtaghter ; in consequence of old age having overtaken 
 me I remain at home, but the king provides for my 
 maintenance. Once a day, however, I go regularly 
 to see that girl; it is on my return from thence, in 
 my home, alone, that I give vent to my woe.' " 
 
 " Hearing these words, the prince rejoiced at heart, 
 and said to the old woman, ' When you are starting 
 to-morrow, please carry a 'message from me too.' 
 She replied, ' Son ! what need to defer it till to- 
 morrow? I will this moment convey any message 
 of yours that you cocnmunicate to me.' Then he 
 said, 'Do you go and tell her this, — The prince 
 whom you saw on the margin of the tank on the 
 fifth day of the light half of the month Jeth has 
 arrived here.' " 
 
 "On hearing these words the old woman took her 
 stick and went to the palace. When she got there 
 she found the princess sitting alone. When she ap- 
 peared before her, she (the princess) saluted her. 
 
20 THE BAITAL PACHCHIST. 
 
 The old woraau gave her her blessing, and said, 
 'Daughter! I tended you in your infancy, and 
 suckled you. God has now caused you to grow up : 
 what my heart now desires is, that I should see you 
 happy in your prime, then should I, too, receive com- 
 fort.' Addressing her in such affectionate words as 
 thesci she proceeded to say, ' The prince whose heart 
 you took captive on the fifth day of the light half of 
 Jeth, by the side of the tank, has alighted at my 
 house, (and) has sent you this message, for you to 
 perform the promise you made him, now that he has 
 arrived. And I tell you, for my part, that that prince 
 is worthy of you, and is as excellent in disposition 
 and mental qualities as you are beautiful.' " 
 
 " On hearing these words she became angry, and 
 applying sandal to her hands, and slapping the face 
 of the old woman, began to say, ' Wretch 1 get out 
 of my house ! ' She rose annoyed, and went, in that 
 very condition, straight to the prince, and related all 
 that had happened to her. The prince was astounded 
 at these words. Then the minister's son spoke, say- 
 ing, ' Great king 1 feel no anxiety ; this matter has 
 not come within your comprehension.' Hereupon he 
 said, 'True; do you then explain it, that my mind 
 may obtain rest.' He said, ' In smearing sandal on 
 the ten fingers, and striking the (woman on the) face, 
 she intimated, that when the ten nights of moonlight 
 shall come to an end, she will meet you in the dark.' " 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHTSI. 21 
 
 " To be brief, after ten days the old woman again 
 went and announced him; then she tinged three of 
 her fingers with safiron, and struck them on her 
 cheek, saying, ' Get out of my house ! ' After all, the 
 old woman moved from thence in despair, and came 
 and related to the prince all that had occurred. He 
 was engulfed in an ocean of sorrow as soon as he 
 heard it. Seeing this state of his, the minister's son 
 said again, 'Be not alarmed, the purport of this 
 matter is something else.' He replied, 'My heart 
 is disquieted ; tell me quickly.' Then he said, ' She 
 is in the state which women are in every month, and 
 hence has stipulated for three days more; on the 
 fourth day she will send for you.' In short, when 
 the three days elapsed, the old woman made en- 
 quiries after her health on the part of the prince. 
 Then she brought the old woman angrily to the 
 western wicket, and turned her out. Again the old 
 woman came and informed the prince of this event : 
 he became cast-down at hearing it. On this the 
 minister's son said, ' The explanation of the affair is, 
 that she has invited you to-night by way of that 
 wicket.' He was pleased beyond measure at hearing 
 this. To be brief, when the hour arrived, they took 
 out brown suits of clothes, arranged them, fastened 
 on their turbands, dressed themselves, placed their 
 weapons in order about them, and were ready; by 
 this time midnight had passed. At that time an 
 
22 THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 
 
 universal stillness prevailed, vsrhen they, too, pursued 
 their way in unbroken silence." 
 
 " When they arrived near the wicket, the minister's 
 son remained standing without, and he (the prince) 
 entered the wicket. What does he perceive, but the 
 princess, too, standing there expecting him ! ' Thus 
 their eyes met. Then the princess laughed, and, 
 closing the wicket, took the prince with her into the 
 festive chamber. Arrived there, the prince behejd 
 censers filled with perfume alight in different parts of 
 the room, and maidens dressed in garments of various 
 colours standing respectfully, with hands joined, each 
 according to her station; on one side a couch of 
 flowers spread; atr-holders, pan-boxes, rose-water 
 bottles, trays and four-partitioned boxes arranged in 
 order; on another side, compound essences, prepared 
 sandal-wood, mixed perfumes, musk, and saffron filled 
 in metal cups ; here, coloured boxes of exquisite con- 
 fections laid out ; there, sweetmeats of various kinds 
 placed in order ; all the doors and walls adorned with 
 pictures and paintings, and holding such faces, that 
 the beholder would be enchanted at the very sight of 
 each single one. In short, everything that could con- 
 tribute to pleasure and enjoyment was got together. 
 The whole scene was one of an extraordinary character, 
 of which no adequate description can be given." 
 
 " Such was the apartment to which the princess 
 Padmavati took the prince and gave him a seat, and 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCIIISI. 23 
 
 having his feet washed, and applying sandal to his 
 body, and placing a garla^d of flowers round his 
 neck, and sprinkling rose-water over him, began 
 fanning him with her own hands. Upon this the 
 prince said, ' At the mere sight of you I have become 
 refreshed ; why do you take so much trouble ? These 
 delicate hands are not fit to handle a fan ; give me 
 the fan ; you be seated.' Padmavati replied, ' Great 
 king! you have been at great trouble to come here 
 for my sake, it behoves me to wait upon you.' Then 
 a maiden took the fan from the princess's hand, and 
 said, ' This is my business ; I will attend on you, and 
 do you both enjoy yourselves.' They began eating 
 betel-leaf together, and engaging in familial con- 
 versation, when, by this time, it became morning. 
 The princess concealed him ; (and) when night came 
 on, they again engaged in amorous pleasures. Thus 
 several days passed away. Whenever the prince 
 showed a wish to depart the princess would not per- 
 mit him. A month passed thus ; then the prince be- 
 came much disturbed, and very anxious." 
 
 " Once it happened that he was sitting alone by 
 night and thinking thus to himself, ' Country, throne, 
 family, — everything had already been separated from 
 me; but such a friend as mine, by whose means I 
 found all this happiness, even him have I not met for 
 a whole month ! What will he be saying in his 
 heart ? and how do I know what may be happening 
 to him ? ' He was sitting occupied with these anxious 
 
24 THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 
 
 thoughts when, iu the meanwhile, the princess too 
 arrived, and seeing his predicament, began to in- 
 quire, ' Great king ! what grief possesses you that 
 you are sitting so dispirited here ? Tell me.' Then 
 he said, ' I have a very dear friend, the son of the 
 minister; for a whole month I have received no ac- 
 counts of him : he is such a clever, learned friend, 
 that through his talents (it was that) I obtained thee, 
 and he (it was who) explained all thy secrets.' The 
 princess said, ' Great king ! your soul is really there ; 
 what happiness can you enjoy here ? Hence, this is 
 best, — I will prepare confections and sweetmeats, and 
 all kinds of meats, and have them sent ; do you, too, 
 go there and feast and comfort him well, and return 
 with your mind at ease.' " 
 
 " On hearing this the prince rose up and came forth ; 
 and the princess had different kinds of sweetmeats, 
 with poison mixed, cooked and sent. The prince had 
 but just gone and sat beside the minister's son when 
 the sweetmeats arrived. The minister's son enquired, 
 'Great king! how did these sweetmeats come here?' 
 The prince replied, ' I was sitting there anxious con- 
 cerning you, when the princess came, and looking at 
 uie, asked, ' Why do you sit cast-down ? Explain 
 the reason of it.' On this 1 gave her a full account 
 of your skill in reading secrets.' On hearing this ac- 
 
 ' In thus translating, I take ihed-chaturai as a compound : other trans- 
 lators render it, " the secrets of your cleTerness,'' which seems to me to be 
 grammatically inadmissible, and to lose the sense. 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 25 
 
 count, slie gave ine permission to come to you, and 
 had these sent for you; if you will partake of them, 
 my heart, too, will be rejoiced.' Then the minister's 
 son said, 'You have brought poison for me; it is 
 well, indeed, that you did not eat of it. Sire 1 listen 
 to a word from me, — a woman has no love for her 
 lover's friend : you did not act wisely in mentioning 
 my name there.' On hearing this the prince said, 
 ' You talk of such a thing as no one would ever do : 
 if man have no fear of man, it is to be presumed he 
 fears God at least.' " 
 
 " With these words he took a round sweetmeat from 
 among them and threw it to a dog. As soon as the 
 dog ate it he died convulsed. Seeing this turn of 
 affairs, the prince became incensed, and began to say, 
 ' It is unbecoming to associate with so false a woman ; 
 up to this hour her love has found place in ray h.eart ; 
 now, however, it is all over.' ' On hearing this the 
 minister's son said, ' Your majesty ! what has hap- 
 pened, has happened {j,.e., let bygones be bygones) ; 
 you should now act in such a manner that you may 
 be able to get her away to your home.' The prince 
 said, ' Brother ! this, too, can be accomplished by 
 you alone.' The minister's son said, ' To-day do this 
 
 ' This translation may seem rather free, but it is not wide of the sense, 
 which is, " I know well that I have no love for her now." This peculiarly 
 idiomatic use of the word mailim occurs in the Bagh-o-bahar, Arayishi 
 Mahfil, and many other Urdu worts, and has ever proved a stumbling- 
 block to translators. 
 
26 THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 
 
 one thing, — go again to Padmavati, and do just what I 
 tell you, — first go and display much regard and affec- 
 tion for her ; (and) when she falls asleep, take off her 
 jewels, and strike her on the left thigh with this tri- 
 dent, and instantly come away from thence.' " 
 
 " Plaving received these instructions, the prince went 
 to Padmavati at night, and after much affectionate 
 conversation, they both lay down together to sleep; 
 but he was secretly watching his opportunity. To be 
 brief, when the princess fell asleep, he took off all her 
 ornaments, struck her on the left thigh with the tri- 
 dent, and came to his own house. He recounted all 
 the occurrences to the minister's son, and laid the 
 jewels before him. He then took up the jewels, took 
 the prince with him, and, assuming the guise of a de- 
 votee, went and sat in a place for burning bodies. 
 He himself took the part of a spiritual teacher, and 
 making him (the prince) his disciple, said to him, 
 ' You go into the market and sell these jewels ; if 
 anyone should seize you while doing this, bring him 
 to me.' " 
 
 " Receiving his instructions, the prince took the jewels 
 with him to the city, and showed them to a goldsmith 
 in close proximity to the king's palace-gate. As soon 
 as he saw them he recognised them, and said, ' These 
 are the princess's jewels ; tell me truly, where did you 
 get them?' He was saying this to him when ten or 
 twenty more men gathered round. To be brief, the 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 27 
 
 kotwal, hearing the news, sent men and had the prince, 
 together with the jewels and the goldsmith, seized and 
 brought before him, and inspecting the jewels, asked 
 him to state truly where he had got them. When he 
 said, ' My spiritual preceptor has given them to me 
 to sell, but I know not whence he got them,' — then 
 the kotwal had the preceptor also apprehended and 
 brought before him, and taking them both, together 
 with the jewels, into the presence of the king, related 
 all the circumstances." 
 
 " On hearing the narrative the king addressed the 
 devotee, saying, 'Master! whence did you obtain 
 these jewels ? ' The devotee said, ' Your majesty ! 
 on the fourteenth night of the dark lunar fortnight I 
 visited a burning-ground to perfect some spells for a 
 witch : when the witch came, I took off her jewels and 
 apparel, and made the impression of a trident on her 
 left thigh ; in this way these ornaments came into my 
 possession.' On hearing this statement of the devo- 
 tee's, the king went into his private apartments, and 
 the devotee to his seat^ (in the burning-ground). The 
 king said to the queen, ' Just see if there is a mark 
 on Padmavati's left thigh or not, and (if so) what sort 
 of a mark there is.' The queen having gone and 
 looked, found the mark of a trident. She returned 
 
 ' The dscm is, generally, the slin of a deer, or leopard, or tiger, which 
 religious mendicants carry with them to sit upon. The hide of a black 
 antelope is commonly preferred. Some of the gods are fabled to use the 
 lotus-flower for the purpose. 
 
28 THE BAITAL PACHCHIST. 
 
 and said to the king, ' Your majesty ! there are three 
 parallel marks ; indeed, it appears as if some one had 
 struck her with a trident.' " 
 
 " On hearing this account, the king came out and sent 
 for the kotwal, and told him to go and bring the de- 
 votee. The kotwal set off to bring the devotee on the 
 instant of receiving the order; and the king began 
 , reflecting thus, — ' The afiairs of one's household, and 
 the intentions of one's heart, and any loss which has 
 befallen one — these it is not right to disclose to any- 
 one;' when, in the interval, the kotwal brought the 
 devotee into the presence. Then the king took the 
 devotee aside and questioned him, saying, ' Spiritual 
 guide ! what punishment is laid down in the scrip- 
 tures for a woman ? ' On this the devotee said, ' Your 
 majesty ! if a Brahman, a cow, a wife, a child, or any 
 one dependent on us, be guilty of a disgraceful act, it 
 is prescribed that such should be banished from the 
 country.' " 
 
 " On hearing this the king had Padmavati conveyed 
 away, in a litter and left in a jungle. Thereupon both 
 the prince and the minister s son started from their 
 lodging on horseback, went to that jungle, took the 
 Princess Padmavati with them, and set out for their 
 own country. After some days each reached his 
 father's house. The greatest joy took possession of 
 all, high and low ; and these {i. e., the prince and the 
 princess,) entered upon a life of mutual happiness." 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 29 
 
 After relating so much of the tale the sprite asked 
 King Vikfamajit, " To which of those four does guilt 
 attach ? If you do not decide this point, you will be 
 cast into hell." King Vikram said, " The guilt attaches 
 to the king." The sprite replied, "How does the 
 sin fall on the king?" Vikram answered him thus, 
 " The minister's son simply did his duty to his 
 master; and the kotwal obeyed the king's com- 
 mand; and the princess attained her object; hence, 
 the guilt falls on the king for having inconsiderately 
 expelled her from the country." 
 
 On hearing these words from the king's mouth, the 
 sprite went and suspended himself on that same tree. 
 
TALE 11. 
 
 On 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, " king ! the second 
 story is as follows : — " 
 
 " On the bank of the Yamuna (Jamna) is a city 
 named Dharmmasthal, the king of which is named 
 Gunadhip. Moreover, a Brahman named Kesava 
 lives there, who is in the habit of performing his 
 devotions and religious duties on the banks of the 
 Jamna ; and his daughter's name was Madhiimavati. 
 She was very beautiful. When she became marriage- 
 able, her mother, father, and brother, were all three 
 intent on getting her married. It happened that 
 while her father had gone one day, with one of his 
 supporters,^ to a marriage ceremony somewhere, and 
 
 ' Jajman, from the Sanskrit Yajamana, is ". person who institutes a 
 sacrifice, and pays for it. In a village where there is a hereditary priest, 
 the priest's fees are paid by the villagers (who constitute hisya;'ma»), and 
 that whether they choose to employ his services, or those of any other 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 31 
 
 her brother to his teacher's in the village, for in- 
 struction, in their absence a Brahman's son came to 
 the house. Her mother, seeing the youth's beauty 
 and excellent qualities, said, ' I will give my daughter 
 in marriage to thee.' And there the Brahman had 
 agreed to give his daughter to a young Brahman ; 
 vfhile his son had given his VFord to a Brahman at 
 the place where he had gone to study, that he would 
 give him his sister." 
 
 " After some days those two {i. e., the father and 
 son) arrived with the two youths, and here (at home) 
 the third youth was stopping from the first (awaiting 
 them). One's name was Tribikram, the other's 
 Baman ; the third's Madhusiidan ; they were all on a 
 par in point of good looks, moral excellence, learning, 
 and age. On seeing them, the Brahman began to 
 reflect thus, ' One girl, and three suitors-elect ! To 
 whom shall shall I give her, to whom not ? And we 
 have all three given our words to the three of them : 
 this is a strange piece of business that has happened ! 
 What shall I do?'" 
 
 " He was sitting reflecting thus when in the mean- 
 time a snake bit the girl, (and) she died. Oh hearing 
 the news, her father, brother, and the three youths, all 
 five ran ofi" in a body, and, after much toil and 
 trouble, brought all the snake-charmers, conjurers, 
 
 priest. I object, therefore, to the meaning of " employer " as being inexact, 
 and to that of " customer " as being both inexact and inelegant. 
 
32 THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 
 
 and as many practisers of magic arts for the purpose 
 of expelling poison, as there were (in the place). 
 They all looked at the girl, and said she could not be 
 restored to life. The first said, ' A man bitten by a 
 snake on the fifth, sixth, eighth, nine, or fourteenth 
 day of the lunar month does not survive.' A second 
 said, ' One who has been bitten on a Saturday or 
 Tuesday, too, does not Hve.' A third said, ' Poison 
 which has ascended (into the system) when the moon 
 is in the fourth, tenth, ninth, sixteenth, nineteenth, 
 and third asterisras of its path, does not descend.' ' 
 A fourth said, 'One bitten in any of the following 
 members, viz., an organ of sense, the lips, the cheek, 
 the neck, the abdomen, or the navel, cannot escape.' 
 A fifth said, ' In this instance even Brahma could not 
 restore to life; of what account are we then? Do 
 you now perform her funeral rites ; we are off.' 
 Having said this, the conjurers went away ; and the 
 Brahman took the corpse away, burnt it in the place 
 for such rites, and went off." 
 
 " Now, after he had gone, those three youths acted 
 in this wise : — One of them picked up and fastened 
 together her charred bones, and becoming a religious 
 mendicant, went forth to wander from forest to forest. 
 
 ' Any one who has seen the conjurers at wort will know that the operator 
 always pretends to work the poison out of the system dowmaards, from the 
 head towards the feet ; hence the expressions " ascending " and " descend" 
 in connection with the action of the poison. 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 33 
 
 The second, having tied her ashes up in a bundle, built 
 a hut, and began living on that very spot. The 
 third became a devotee, furnished himself with a 
 wallet and neck-band, and set out to wander from 
 land to land. One day he went to a Brahman's 
 house in some country for food. The resident' Brah- 
 man, on seeing him, began to say. ' Very well ; eat 
 food here to-day.' On hearing this he sat down 
 there. When the food was ready, he had his hands 
 and feet washed, and took and seated him in the 
 square place where the food was cooked, and himself 
 sat down near him ; and his wife came to serve out 
 the food. Some was served, some remained, when 
 her youngest son cried, and seized the border of his 
 mother's mantle. She was trying to make him let 
 it go, but he would not ; and as much as she tried to 
 •soothe him, he but cried the more, and became more 
 obstinate. On this the Brahman's wife, becoming 
 angry, took up the child and threw him into the 
 burning fire-place ; the child was burnt to ashes." 
 
 " When the Brahman (the guest) witnessed this oc- 
 currence, he rose up without eating anything. Then 
 the master of the house said, ' Why do you not eat ? ' 
 He replied, 'How can one partake of food in his 
 house where a diabolical deed has been perpetrated.' 
 On hearing this the householder arose, and going to 
 
 ' The v/ordi grihasti means properly a Brahman who is settled in a house 
 and performs the duties of the father of a family. 
 
 3 
 
34 THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 
 
 another part of his house, brought a book on the 
 science of restoring to life, took a charm from it, 
 muttered some prayers, and brought his son back to 
 life. Then that Brahman, seeing this wonder, began 
 to ponder in his mind, ' If this book were to fall into 
 my hands I, too, could restore my beloved to life.' 
 Having made up his mind on this point, he ate the 
 food, and tarried there. To be brief, when night 
 came on, after some time all partook of supper, and 
 went and lay down in their respective places, and 
 were chatting together' on one subject or another. 
 The Brahman, too, went and lay down apart, but 
 kept lying awake. When he thought that the night 
 was far advanced, and all had gone to sleep, he arose 
 quietly, softly entered his (host's) room, took that 
 book, and decamped; and in the course of several 
 days he arrived at the place where he (the father) had 
 burnt the Brahman's daughter. He found the other 
 two Brahmans there also, sitting and conversing to- 
 gether. Those two also, recognising him, approached 
 and met him, and inquired, saying, ' Brother ! you 
 have wandered from land to land, it is true; but, tell 
 us, have you learned any science as well?' He said, 
 ' I have learned the science of restoring the dead to 
 life.' As soon as they heard this, they said, ' If you 
 have learned this, restore our beloved to life.' He 
 replied, ' Make a heap of the ashes and bones, and I 
 will restore it to life.' They gathered together the 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 35 
 
 ashes and bones. Then he took a charm out of the 
 book, and muttered prayers ; the girl rose up alive. 
 Thereupon Cupid so blinded the three ,of them that 
 they began wrangling among themselves." 
 
 Having related so much of the tale, the sprite said, 
 " O king ! tell me this ; to whom did that woman (by 
 right) belong? (or, whose wife was she?)." King 
 Vikram replied, " To him who built the hut and 
 stayed there." The sprite said, " If he had not pre- 
 served the bones, how could she have been restored 
 to life? And if the other had not returned in- 
 structed in the science, how could he have restored 
 her to life?" The king made answer thus: — "He 
 who had preserved her bones, occupied the place of 
 her son; and he who gave her Ufe, became, as it 
 were, her father ; hence, she became the wife of him 
 who built a hut and remained there with the ashes." 
 On hearing this answer, the sprite went again and 
 suspended himself on that tree. The king, too, arrived 
 close at his heels, and, having bound him, and placed 
 him on his shoulder, started off with him again. 
 
TALE III. 
 
 The sprite said, " king ! there is a city named 
 Bardwan, wherein is a king named Rupsen. It hap- 
 pened one day that the king was seated in an apart- 
 ment 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 gate- 
 keeper 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 come and 
 sit at it for the sake of money, and converse on a variety 
 of topics ; this is their noise. ' " 
 
 "On hearing this the king kept silent; In the mean- 
 while a traveller, named Birbar, a Rajpiit, came from 
 the south to the king's gate, in the hope of obtaining 
 service. The gate-keeper, after ascertaining his cir- 
 cumstances, said to the king, 'Your majesty! an 
 armed man has come in the hope of entering your 
 service, and stands at the door : with your majesty's 
 leave he shall come before you.' Having heard this. 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 37 
 
 the king gave the order to bring him in. He went 
 and brought him. Then the king asked, '0 Rajput ! 
 How much shall I allow thee for daily expenses?' 
 On hearing this Birbar said, 'Give me a thousand 
 tolas (about 833 oz.) of gold daily, and I shall be able 
 to subsist.' The king enquired, 'How many persons 
 are there with you (dependent on you) ? ' He replied, 
 'Pirst, my wife; second, a son; third, a daughter; 
 fourth, myself: there is no fifth person with me.' 
 Hearing him speak thus, all the people of the king's 
 court turned away their faces and began laughing; 
 but the king began to consider why he had asked for 
 a large sum of money. Ultimately he thought it out 
 in his own mind, that a vast sum of money given away 
 will some day prove of advantage. Coming to this 
 conclusion, he sent for his treasurer and said, ' Give 
 this Birbar a thousand tolas of gold daily from my 
 treasury.' " 
 
 " On hearing this order, Birbar took a thousand tolas 
 of gold for that day, and brought it to the place where 
 he was staying, and dividing it into two parts, distri- 
 buted one half among the Brahmans; and again di- 
 viding the remaining half into two parts, distributed 
 one portion thereof among pilgrims, devotees, the wor- 
 shippers of Vishnu, and religious mendicants ; and of 
 the one part which remained he had food cooked and 
 fed the poor, and what remained over he consumed 
 himself. In this way he, with his wife and children, 
 
38 ' THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 
 
 used regularly to subsist. And every night he used 
 to take his sword and shield and go and mount 
 guard over the king's couch; and when the king, 
 roused from sleep, used to call out, 'Is any one in 
 waiting?' then he used to answer, 'Birbar is in 
 attendance; what may be your commands?' Thus 
 answered he whenever the king called out, and there- 
 upon, whatever he (the king) ordered to be done, he 
 executed." 
 
 " In this way, through eagerness for wealth, he used 
 to keep awake the whole night long; nay, whether 
 eating, drinking, sleeping, sitting still, or moving 
 about (that is to say) during the whole twenty-four 
 hours (lit. eight watches), he used to keep his lord in 
 mind. The practice is, that if one person sells another, 
 this one becomes sold ; but a servant, by entering ser- 
 vice, sells himself; and, when sold, he becomes a de- 
 pendant ; and once dependant, he has no prospect of 
 peace. It is notorious, that;however clever, wise, and 
 learned he may be, still, when he is in his master's 
 presence, he remains quite silent, like a dumb person, 
 through fear. So long as he is aloof from him, he is 
 at rest. On this account it is that the learned say, ' To 
 perform the duties of a servant is more difficult than 
 to perform religious duties.' " 
 
 " (To) the story : It is related, that one day the weep- 
 ing voice of a woman chanced to come at night-time 
 from the burning-ground. On hearing it the king 
 
' THE BAITAIi PACHCHISI. 39 
 
 called out, ' Is any one in waiting?' Birbar instantly 
 answered, ' I am here ; your commands.' Thereupon 
 the king gave him this order, — 'Go to the spot whence 
 yon weeping voice of a woman proceeds, and enquire 
 of her the cause of her weeping, and return quickly.' 
 Having given him this order the king began to say to 
 himself, 'Whosoever desires to test his servant should 
 order him to do things in season and out of season; 
 if he execute his order, know that he is worth some- 
 thing ; and if he object, be sure that he is worthless. 
 And in this same way prove brethren and friends in 
 days of adversity, and a wife in poverty.' " 
 
 '''In fine, on receiving this order,. he took the direc- 
 tion whence the sound of her weeping proceeded ; and 
 the king also, after dressing himself in black, followed 
 hipa secretly, for the purpose of observing his courage. 
 In this interval Birbar arrived there. What does he 
 behold in the burning-ground, but a beautiful woman, 
 lavishly decked with jewels from head to foot, crying 
 aloud and bitterly ! At one moment she was danc- 
 ing, at another leaping, at another running ; and not 
 a tear in her eyes ! And while repeatedly beating her 
 head, and crying out, ' Alas ! alas ! ' she kept dash- 
 ing herself on the ground. Seeing this her condition, 
 Birbar asked, ' Why art thou crying and beating thy- 
 self so violently ? Who art thou ? and what trouble 
 has befallen thee?' " 
 
 " On this she said, ' I am the royal glory.' Birbar 
 
40 THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 
 
 said, 'Why art thou weeping?' Upon this she be- 
 gan relating her case to Birbar, saying, 'Impious 
 acts {lit. acts such as a Shudra performs) are commit- 
 ted in the king's house, whence misfortune will find 
 admission therein, and I shall depart thence ; after the 
 lapse of a month the king will suffer much affliction 
 and die; this is the sorrow which makes me weep. 
 Further, I have enjoyed great happiness in his house, 
 and hence this regret : and this matter will in nowise 
 prove false.' " 
 
 " Birbar then asked, ' Is there any such remedy for 
 it, whereby the king may escape, and live a hundred 
 years ? ' She said, ' Towards the east, at a distance 
 of four kos (eight miles), is a temple sacred to (the 
 goddess) Devi ; if you will cut off your son's head 
 with your own hand, and offer it to that goddess, then 
 the king will reign a hundred years precisely as he 
 now reigns, and no harm of any kind will befall the 
 king.' " 
 
 "As soon as he had heard these words, Birbar went 
 home, and the king also followed him. To be brief, 
 when he got home, he awoke his wife, and minutely 
 related the whole story to her. On hearing the cir- 
 cumstances, she roused the son alone ; but the 
 daughter also awoke. Then that woman said to her 
 boy, 'Son! by sacrificing your head the king's life 
 will be saved, and the government, too, will endure.' 
 When the boy heard this, he said, ' Mother ! in the 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 41 
 
 first place, it is your command ; in the second, it is 
 for my lord's service ; thirdly, if this body come of 
 use to a deity, nothing in the world is better for me, 
 in my opinion, than this : it is not right to delay any 
 longer now in this business. There is a saying, 'If 
 one have a son, to have him under control, — a body, 
 free from disease, — science, such that one benefits 
 thereby, — a friend, prudent, — a wife, submissive, — if 
 these five things are obtainable by man, they are the 
 bestowers of happiness and the averters of trouble : if 
 a servant be unwiUing, a king parsimonious, a friend 
 insincere, and a wife disobedient, these four things 
 are the banishers of peace and the promoters of 
 misery.' " 
 
 " Birbar again addressed his wife, saying, ' If thou 
 wilt willingly give up thy child, I will take him away 
 and sacrifice him for the^ king.' ' She replied, saying, 
 ' I have no concern with son, daughter, brother, 
 kinsfolk, mother, father, or any one ; from you it is 
 that ray happiness proceeds ; and in the moral Code, 
 too, it is thus written, — 'A woman is purified neither^ 
 by offerings nor by religious offices ; her rehgion con- 
 sists in serving and honouring her husband, no matter 
 whether he be lame, maimed in the hands, dumb, 
 deaf, blind of both eyes, blind of one eye, a leper, 
 hunch-backed,— of whatever kind he be, if she per- 
 form any description of virtuous action in the world, 
 while she does not obey her husband, she will fall into 
 
42 THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 
 
 hell.' His son said, 'Father! the man by whom 
 his master's business is accomplished — Ms continuing 
 to live in the world is attended with advantage ; and 
 in this there is advantage in both worlds.' Then his 
 daughter said, 'If the mother give poison to the 
 daughter, and the father sell the son, and the king 
 ?eize everything, then whose protection shall we 
 seek?'" 
 
 " The four, deliberating with one another somewhat 
 after the above fashion, went to the temple of Devi. 
 The king also secretly followed them. When Birbar 
 arrived there, he entered the temple, paid his adora- 
 tion to Devi, and joined his hands in supplication, 
 and said, ' O Devi ! grant that by the sacrificing of 
 my son the king may live a hundred years.' Saying 
 • so much, he struck such a blow with the sword that 
 his son's head fell upon the ground. On witnessing 
 her brother's death, the daughter struck a blow with 
 the sword on her own neck, so that her head and 
 body fell asunder. Seeing her son and daughter 
 dead, Birbar's wife struck such a stroke with the 
 sword on her own neck, that her head was severed 
 from her body. Further, seeing the death of those 
 three, Birbar, reflecting in his mind, began to say, 
 ' When my son is dead, for whose sake shall I retain 
 service ? and to whom shall I give the gold I receive 
 from the king?' Having reflected thus, he struck 
 such a blow with the sword on his own neck, that his 
 
TIM BAITAL PACHCHISI. 4^ 
 
 head was severed from Ms body. , Again, beholding 
 the death of these four, the king said to himself, 
 ' For my sake the lives of his family have perished ; 
 accursed is it any longer to govern a realm for which 
 the whole family of one is destroyed, while one holds 
 sovereignty; it is no virtue thus to reign.' Having 
 deliberated thus, the king was on the point of killing 
 himself with the sword ; in the meantime, however, 
 Devi came and seized his hand, and said, ' Son ! I 
 am well pleased at thy courage, and will grant thee 
 whatever boon thou mayest ask of me.' The king said, 
 ' Mother ! if thou art pleased, restore aU these four 
 to life.' Devi said, ' This same shall take place,' and 
 on the instant of saying it, Bhawani brought the water 
 of life from the nether regions, and restored all four 
 to life. After that the king bestowed half his kingdom ' 
 on Birbar." 
 
 Having related so much, the sprite said, " Blessed 
 is the servant who did not grudge his life, and that of 
 his family, for his master's sake ! And happy is the 
 king who showed no eagerness to chng to his dominion 
 and his Ufe. O king! I ask you this,— Whose virtue, 
 of those five, was the most excellent?" Then King 
 Vikramajit said, " The king's virtue was the greatest." 
 The sprite asked, " Why ?" Then the king answered, 
 saying, " It behoves the servant to lay down his life 
 for his master, for this is his duty ; but since the king 
 
44 THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 
 
 gave up his throne for the sake of his servant, and 
 valued not his life at a straw, the king's naerit was 
 the superior." Having heard these words, the sprite 
 again went and suspended himself on the tree in that 
 burning-ground. 
 
TALE IV. 
 
 The 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 
 Rupsen is the king, and he has a parrot named 
 Churaman. 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 there is a king named Magadheshwar, and 
 his daughter's name is Chandravati; you will be 
 married to her. She is very beautiful, and very 
 learned.' " 
 
 " On hearing these words from the parrot, the king 
 summoned an astrologer named Chandrakant, and 
 asked him, 'To what maid shall I be married?' 
 He also, having made the discovery through his 
 knowledge of astrology, said, ' There is a maiden 
 named Chandravati j you will be married to her.' 
 
46 THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 
 
 Hearing these words, the king summoned a Brah- 
 man, and after explaining all, said to him at the 
 ■ moment of despatching him to King Magadheshwar, 
 'If you return, after placing the arrangements for 
 my marriage on a firm basis, I will make you happy.' 
 Having heard these words, the Brahman took leave." 
 
 " Now, in the possession of King Magadheshwar's 
 daughter was a maind, whose name was Madanman- 
 jari. In the same way the princess, too, one day 
 asked Madanmanjari, 'Where is there a husband 
 worthy of me?' On this the maind said, 'Uiipsen 
 is the King of Bhogwati ; he will be thy lord.' To 
 be brief, unseen (of one another), the one had become 
 enamoured of the other, vvhen, in the course of a few 
 days, the Brahman also arrived there, and delivered 
 his own sovereign's message to that king. He too 
 consented to his proposal, and summoning a Brahman 
 of his own, entrusted to him the nuptial gifts and all 
 customary things, sent him along with that Brahman, 
 and gave him this injunction, 'Do you go and pre- 
 sent my compliments to the king, and having marked 
 his forehead with the usual unguents, return quickly : 
 when you return I will make preparations for the 
 wedding.' " 
 
 " The short of the story is, the two Brahmans set 
 but thence. In the course of some days they arrived 
 at King Riipsen's, and related all the occurrences of 
 that place. On hearing this the king was pleased. 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCiflSI. 47 
 
 and after making all (necessary^ preparations, set-out 
 to be married. Reaching that country after some 
 days, he married, and after receiving the bridal gifts 
 and dowry, and bidding adieu to the king, started for 
 his own kingdom. When leaving, the princess took 
 Madanmanjari's cage with her too. After some days 
 they arrived in their own country, and commenced 
 living happily in their palace." 
 
 " It happened one day that the cages of both the 
 parrot and the maind were placed near the throne, 
 and the king and queen entered into conversation, 
 saying, ' No one's life passes happily without a com- 
 panion ; hence it is best for us to marry the parrot 
 and maind to one another, and put them both in one 
 cage; then will they also live happily.' After con- 
 versing together thus, they had a large cage brought, 
 and put both into it." 
 
 " Some days after, the king and queen were seated 
 conversing with each other, when the parrot began to 
 talk to the maind, saying, ' Sexual intercourse is the 
 essence of all bhss in this world; and he who, on 
 being born into the world, has not enjoyed sexual 
 intercourse — his life has been passed in vain. Hence, 
 do thou let me copulate with thee.' On hearing this 
 the maind said, ' I have no desire for a male.' There- 
 upon he inquired 'Why?' ' The maind said, 'The 
 male sex are sinful, irreligious, deceivers, and wife- 
 killers,' Hearing this, the parrot said, ' The female 
 
48 THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 
 
 sex, too, are deceitful, false, stupid, avaricious crea- 
 tures, and murderesses.'" 
 
 "When the two commenced wrangling in this 
 manner, the king asked, ' Why are you two quarrel- 
 ling with each other ? ' The inaind replied, ' Great 
 king ! the male sex are evil-doers and wife-killers, 
 and hence I have no desire to have a male partner. 
 Your majesty ! I will tell you a tale, do you be pleased - 
 to hearken ; for such (as I describe them) are men.' " 
 
 The Maina's Stort. 
 
 " ' There was a city named Ilapur, and a merchant 
 named Mahadhan dwelt there, who could not get a 
 family. On this account he was continually making 
 pilgrimages and keeping fasts, and always hearing the 
 Puranas read, and he used to give gifts largely to the 
 Brahmans. - In fine, after some considerable time, by 
 God's will, a son was born in that merchant's house. 
 He celebrated the event with great pomp, and gave 
 large gifts to the Brahmans and bards, and also gave 
 away a good deal to the hungry, thirsty, and indigent. 
 When he reached the age of five yeai's, he placed him 
 (in school) for instruction. He used to leave home 
 for the purpose of learning, but used to gamble with 
 the boys when he got there." 
 
 " ' After some time the merchant died, and he (the 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 49 
 
 son), becoming his own master, used to spend his 
 days in gambling and his nights in fornicfation. Thus 
 he dissipated his whole wealth in a few years, and 
 having no alternative, quitted his country, and pro- 
 ceeding from bad to worse, arrived at the city of 
 Chandrapur. In that place dwelt a merchant named 
 Hemgupt, who possessed much wealth. He went to 
 him, and mentioned his father's name and circum- 
 stances. He (the merchant) felt instant pleasure on 
 hearing these accounts ; and rising and embracing him, 
 inquired, 'How came you here?' Then he said, 
 'I had engaged a vessel, and set out for an island 
 to trade, and having arrived there, and sold the 
 goods, had taken in other goods as cargo, and left 
 with the vessel for my own land, when suddenly so 
 violent a storm arose that the ship was wrecked, and 
 I was left seated on a plank ; and so, drifting on, I 
 have reached this shore. But I feel a sense of shame 
 at having lost all my property and wealth. How can 
 I now return and show my face to my fellow-citizens 
 in this state ? ' " 
 
 " ' To be brief, when he uttered such words in his 
 presence, he (the merchant) too began to think to 
 himself, ' God has relieved me of any anxiety without 
 any effort of my own (Jit. I sitting at home) ; now, a 
 coincidence like this occurs through the mercy of God 
 alone; it behoves me to make no delay now. The 
 
 4 
 
50 THE BAITAIi PACHCHISI. 
 
 best thing to be done is to give my girl in marriage' 
 to him ; whatever is done now is best ; as for the 
 morrow — who knows what it may bring forth ! ' Form- 
 ing this grand design in his mind, he came to his wife 
 and began to say, ' A merchant's son has arrived ; if 
 you approve, we will give Ratnavati in marriage to 
 him.' She, too, was delighted on hearing (this), and 
 said, ' Sir merchant ! when God brings about a coin- 
 cidence like this, then alone does it occur; for the 
 desire of our hearts has been obtained without our 
 bestirring ourselves in the least {lit., we sitting quietly 
 at home) ; hence, it is best not to delay, but quickly 
 send for the family priest, have the auspicious moment 
 determined, and give her away in marriage.' Here- 
 upon the merchant sent for the priest, had the for- 
 tunate planetary conjunction determined, and gave 
 his daughter away, bestowing a large dowry upon 
 her. In fine, when the marriage had taken place,, 
 they commenced living together there." ^ 
 
 " ' To proceed : — After some days, he said to the 
 merchant's daughter, ' A long time, has passed since 
 I arrived in your land, and no news of my household 
 has reached me, and my mind remains troubled in 
 consequence. I have told you my whole case ; you 
 should now so explain matters to your mother that 
 
 ' Lit. " make the girl's hands yellow." Among the Hindus, for some 
 days before marriage, the hands of a betrothed couple are stained yellow 
 with turmeric. 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 51 
 
 she may, of her own free will, allow me to depart, 
 that I may return to my own city. If it be your 
 wish, do you also come.' On this, she said to her 
 mother, ' My husband desires permission to depart to 
 his own land ; do you, too, act in such a manner now 
 that his mind may receive no pain.'" 
 
 " ' The merchant's wife went to her husband, and 
 said, 'Your son-in-law asks leave to return home.' 
 On hearing this, the merchant said, 'Very well; we 
 will let him go, for we can exercise no authority over 
 a stranger's son ; we will do that alone wherein his 
 pleasure consists.' Having said this, he sent for his 
 daughter, and asked^ ' Will you go to your father-in- 
 law's, or remain at your mother's ? Speak your own 
 mind.' At this she blushed, and gave no answer, 
 (but) returned to her husband, and said, ' My parents 
 have declared that they will do that wherein your 
 pleasure consists ; don't you leave me behind.' To 
 be brief, the merchant summoned his son-in-law, 
 loaded him with wealth, and dismissed him, and 
 allowed his daughter to accompany him in a Utter, 
 together with a female servant After this, he set 
 out from thence." 
 
 " ' When he reached a certain jungle, he said to the 
 merchant's daughter, ' There- is great danger here ; if 
 you will take off your jewels and give them to me, I 
 will fasten them round mv waist ; when we come to a 
 town you can put them on again.' She no sooner 
 
52 THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 
 
 heard this than she took off all her ornaments, and he 
 having taken them, and sent away the bearers of the 
 litter, killed the woman-servant and threw her into a 
 well, and pushing her (his wife) into a well also, went 
 off to his own country with all the jewels." 
 
 " 'In the meantime, a traveller came along that road, 
 and hearing the sound of weeping, stopped, and began 
 to say to himself, ' How comes the weeping voice of 
 a human being (to be heard) in this jungle ? ' Having 
 reflected thus, he proceeded in the direction of the 
 .sound of the crying, and perceived a well. On looking 
 into it, what does he behold but a woman weeping! 
 Then he took out the woman, and commenced ques- 
 tioning her on her circumstances, saying, 'Who art 
 thou, and how didst thou fall into this (well) ? ' On 
 hearing this, she said, ' I am the daughter of Hem- 
 gupt, the merchant, and was accompanying my hus- 
 band to his country, when thieves waylaid us, killed 
 my servant and threw her into a well, and bound and 
 carried off my husband together with my jewels. I 
 have no intelligence of him, nor he of me.' When he 
 heard this, the traveller took her along with him, and 
 left her at the merchant's door." 
 
 " ' She went to her parents. They, at the sight of 
 her, began enquiring, ' What has happened to thee? ' 
 She said, ' Robbers came and plundered us on the 
 road, and after killing the servant and casting her into 
 a well, pushed me into a dry well, and bound and 
 
THE BAITAL. PACHCHISI. 53 
 
 carried off my husband, together with my jewels. 
 When they began demanding more money, he said to 
 them, ' You have taken all I possessed, what have I 
 now left? ' Beyond this, whether they killed him or 
 let him go, I have no knowledge.' Then her father 
 said, ' Daughter ! feel no anxiety ; thy husband lives, 
 and, God wiUing,. will join thee in a few days, for 
 robbers take money, not life.' " 
 
 " ' In fine, the merchant gave her other ornaments in 
 place of all that had disappeared, and comforted and 
 consoled her greatly. And the merchant's son, also, 
 having reached home, and sold the jewels, spent his 
 days and nights in the company of loose women, and 
 in gambling, so much so, that all his money was 
 expended. Then he came to want bread. At last, 
 when he began to suflTer extreme misery, he one day 
 bethought himself of going to his father-in-law's, and 
 pretending that a grandson had been born to him, 
 and that he had come to congratulate him on the 
 event. Having determined on this in his mind, he 
 set out." 
 
 " ' In the course of several days he arrived there. 
 When he was about to enter the house, his wife saw 
 from the front that her husband was coming (and said 
 to herself), 'He must not be allowed to turn back 
 through any apprehension he may feel.' Upon this 
 she approached him and said, ' Husband ! be not at 
 all troubled in mind ; I have told my father that rob- 
 
54 THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 
 
 bers came and killed my servant., and after making me 
 take off all my jewels, and casting me into a well, bound 
 and carried off my husband. Do you tell the same 
 tale ; feel no anxiety ; the house is yours, and I am 
 your slave.' After speaking thus she entered the 
 house. He went to the merchant, who rose and em- 
 braced him, and questioned him on all that had befallen 
 him. He related everything precisely as his wife had 
 instructed him to do." 
 
 " ' Rejoicings took place throughout the house. Then 
 the merchant, after providing him with the means of 
 bathing, and placing food before him, and after minis- 
 tering much comfort, said, ' This house is yours, abide 
 (here) in peace.' He commenced living there. In 
 brief, after several days the merchant's daughter came 
 and lay with him one night with her jewels on, and 
 fell asleep. When it was midnight, he perceived that 
 she had fallen into a sound sleep. He then inflicted such 
 a wound on her neck, that she died; and after strip- 
 ping her of all her jewels, he took the road to his own 
 country," 
 
 " ' After narrating so much the maind said, ' This, 
 your majesty ! I saw with my own eyes. For this reason 
 I have no wish to have anything to do with a male. 
 You see, your majesty ! what villains men are ! Who 
 would love such, and so cherish a serpent in her own 
 home ? Will your majesty be pleased to consider this 
 point, — What crime had that woman committed ? ' " 
 
THE BAITAI; PACHCHISI. 55 
 
 " Having heard this, the king said, ' parrot ! do 
 you tell me what faults there are in women.' There- 
 upon the parrot said, ' Attend, king ! ' 
 
 The Parrot's Story. 
 
 " ' There is a city (called) Kanchanpur, where (dwelt) 
 a merchant, named Sagardatt, whose son's name was 
 Shridatt. The name of another city is Jayshrlpur, where 
 there was a merchant, named Somadatt, and his 
 daughter's name was Jayshri. She had married the 
 son of that merchant, and the son had gone to a cer- 
 tain country to trade. She used to live at her parents' 
 house. In fine, when he had spent twelve years in 
 trading, and she arrived at woman's estate here, she 
 one day addressed a companion of hers thus : ' Sister ! 
 my youth is being wasted ; up to this moment I have 
 tasted none of the world's joys.' On hearing these 
 words, her companion said to her, ' Be of good cheer ! 
 God willing, thy husband will soon come and join 
 thee.' " 
 
 " ' She got vexed at these words, and ascending to 
 the upper chamber, and peeping through the lattice, 
 saw a young man coming along. When he drew near 
 her, his eyes and hers suddenly met. The hearts of 
 both went forth to one another. Then she said to her 
 companion, 'Bring that man to me.' On hearing this, 
 the companion went and said to him, 'Somadatt's 
 
56 THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 
 
 daughter wishes to see you in private ; but do you 
 come to my house.' She then put him on the track 
 to her house. He said, ' I will come at night.' The 
 companion came and informed the merchant's daughter 
 that he had promised to come at night. When she 
 heard this, Jayshri said to her companion, 'You go 
 home ; when he arrives, let me know, and I will also 
 come when free to leave home.' " 
 
 " 'On hearing her words, her companion went home, 
 and seating herself at the door, began watching for 
 his coming. In the meantime he arrived. She seated 
 him in the doorway, saying, ' You sit here ; I will go 
 and give notice of your arrival.' And she came to 
 Jayshri and said, ' Your sweetheart has arrived.' On 
 hearing this she said, 'Wait awhile ; let the household 
 go to sleep, and then I will come.' And so, after 
 some delay; when it was near midnight, and all had 
 gone to sleep, then she arose softly and accompanied 
 her, and arrived there in a very short time ; and the 
 two met in her house without restraint. When nearly 
 an hour and a half* of night remained, she rose and 
 returned home, and went quietly to sleep ; and he also 
 went to his house at daybreak." 
 
 "'Many days passed thus. At last her husband, 
 too, returned from foreign parts to his father-in-law's 
 house. When she beheld her husband she became 
 
 • Lit. — " Four ghcms." A ghan is equal to twenty-four minuteB ; and 
 hence the exact time would be six minutes more than " an hour and a half." 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 57 
 
 troubled in mind, and said to her companion, ' Such 
 is my anxiety, what shall I do ? whither shall I go ? 
 Sleep, hunger, thirst, all, are forgotten ; nothing is 
 agreeable to me [lit. neither hot nor cold pleases me). 
 And she told her the whole state of her heart. To be 
 brief, she got through the day somehow or other ; but 
 at night, when her husband had finished supper, his 
 mother-in-law had a bed made for him in a separate 
 building, and sent word to him to go and take repose, 
 while she said to her daughter, ' You go and do your 
 duty to your husband.' " 
 
 " ' She turned up her nose and knitted her brows on 
 hearing this, and remained silent. On this her mother 
 rebuked her sharply, and sent her off to him. Being 
 powerless, she went there, but lay on the bed with her 
 face turned away. The more he kept addressing her 
 in words of tenderness, the more vexed would she be- 
 come. On this he presented her with all the various 
 descriptions of apparel, and the jewels which he had 
 brought for her from different places, and said, 'Wear 
 these.' Then, in truth, she became still more vexed, 
 and frowned and turned away her face. And he, too, 
 went to sleep in despair ; for he was fatigued with the 
 journey. To her, however, thinking of her lover, sleep 
 came not." 
 
 " ' When she thought that he was in an unconscious 
 sleep, she arose softly, and leaving him asleep, went 
 fearlessly in the dark night to the abode of her lover ; 
 
58 THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 
 
 and a thief seeing her on the way, thought to himself, 
 'Where can this woman be going, alone, with her 
 jewels on, at this midnight hour.' Thus soliloquising, 
 he followed her. In short, she managed somehow to 
 reach her lover's house. Now, there, a snake had bitten 
 and left him; he was lying dead. She thought he 
 was sleeping. Being, as it was, consumed with the fire 
 of separation, she clasped him to her without restraint, 
 and began caressing him ; and the thief from a distance 
 was watching the fun." 
 
 " ' An evil spirit, too, was seated on a pipal tree there, 
 looking on at the scene. All at once it came into his 
 mind to enter his (dead) body and have carnal inter- 
 course with her. Having resolved on this, he entered 
 the body, and after having intercourse with her, bit off 
 her nose with his teeth, and went and sat on the same 
 tree. The thief observed all these occurrences. And 
 shCj in despair, went as she was, all stained with blood, 
 to her companion, and related all that had happened. 
 Whereupon her companion said, ' Go quickly to thy 
 husband ere yet the sun rise, and, arrived there, weep 
 aloud and bitterly. If any one should question thee, 
 say, ' He has cut off my nose.' " 
 
 " ' She went thither on the instant of hearing her 
 companion's words, and commenced weeping and wail- 
 ing excessively. Hearing the noise of her weeping, 
 all her relations came, and lo ! she had no nose, — was 
 sitting noseless! Then they exclaimed, 'O you shameless, 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 59 
 
 wickeS, pitiless, mad wretcli ! Why have you bitten off 
 her nose without any fault on her part ? ' He, too, 
 became alarmed on witnessing this farce, and began 
 to say to himself, ' Trust not a wanton-minded woman, 
 a black .snake, an armed man, an enemy, — and fear the 
 wiles of a woman. What can an eminent poet not 
 describe ? What does he not know who has acquired 
 supernatural power ? What absurd nonsense does a 
 drunkard not chatter? What can a woman not ac- 
 complish ? True it is, that the defects of horses, the 
 thunder of the clouds, the wiles of woman, and the 
 destiny of man, — these things even the gods do not 
 comprehend; what power has man, then (to under- 
 stand them) ?'" 
 
 " ' In the meantime her father gave information of 
 the occurrence to the city magistrate. Policemen 
 came from the station there, and bound and brought 
 him before the magistrate. The magistrate of the 
 city gave notice to the king. The king having sent 
 for him, and questioned him about the case, he de- 
 clared he knew nothing. And on his summoning the 
 merchant's daughter, and interrogating her, she re- 
 plied, ' Your majesty ! when you see plainly (what 
 has happened), why do you question me?' Then 
 the king said to him, 'What punishment shall I 
 inflict on thee?' On hearing this, he rephed, 'Do 
 unto me whatever you deem just.' The king said, 
 ' Away with him, and impale him ! ' On receiving 
 
60 THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 
 
 the king's order the people took him away to impale 
 him." 
 
 " ' Observe the coincidence ; — that thief was also 
 standing 'there, looking on at the scene. When he 
 was convinced that this man was about to be un- 
 justly put to death, he raised a cry for justice. The 
 king svtaimoned him, and asked, 'Who art thou?' 
 He said, ' Great king ! I am a thief; and this man is 
 innocent; his blood is about to be unjustly shed; 
 you have not given judgmlent at all wisely.' Here- 
 upon the king summoned him (the husband) also, and 
 questioned the thief, saying, 'Declare the truth on 
 •thy honour ! What are the facts of this case ? ' 
 The thief then gave a detailed account of the cir- 
 cumstances; and the king, too, comprehended the' 
 thoroughly. Ultimately he sent attendants, and ha 
 the woman's nose brought from the mouth of her 
 Idver, who was lying dead, and inspected it. Then 
 he was assured that the man was guiltless^ and the 
 thief truthful. Hereupon the thief said, ' To cherish 
 the good, and punish evil-doers, has from of old been 
 a duty of kings.' " 
 
 "After relating so much of the tale, the parrot 
 Chiiraman said, ' Great king ! such embodiments of 
 all crime are women ! The king having had the 
 woman's face blackened and her head shaved, had her 
 mounted on an ass, and taken round the city, and 
 then set at liberty ; and after giving betel-leaf to the 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 61 
 
 thief and the merchant's son, he allowed them to 
 depart.' " 
 
 Having related so much of the story, the sprite 
 said, " O king ! to which of these two does the greater 
 guilt attach ?" Then King Bir Vikramajit said. " To 
 the woman." On this the sprite said, " How so ? " 
 On hearing this, the king said, " However depraved 
 a man may be, still some sense of right and wrong 
 remains in him ; but a woman does' not give a thought 
 to right and wrong ; hence great guilt attached to the 
 woman." Hearing these words, the sprite went again 
 and hung himself on the same tree. The king went 
 again and took him down from the tree, tied him up 
 in a bundle, placed him on his shoulder, and carried 
 him away. 
 
TALE V. 
 
 The sprite said, " O king ! there is a city named 
 Ujjain, of which Mahabal was king. Now, he had 
 an envoy named Haridas. The name of that envoy's 
 daughter was Mahadevi. She was extremely beauti- 
 ful. 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 ac- 
 quainted with all science.' " 
 
 " One day subsequent to this, the king summoned 
 Haridas, and said, 'There is in the south a king 
 named Harichand; go and ask after his health and 
 welfare for me, and bring me news thereof.' On 
 receiving the king's command he took leave, and 
 arriving at that king's after some days, delivered to 
 him the whole message of his royal master, and took 
 up his permanent abode near that monarch." 
 
 "To be brief, it happened one day that the king 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 63 
 
 questioned him, saying, ' Haridas ! has the Iron Age 
 (i. e., the fourth age of the world, or the age of vice) 
 begun yet or not?' On this he put his hands to- 
 gether and said, ' Your majesty ! we are already in 
 the Iron Age (lit. the Iron Age is present) ; for false- 
 hood is rife in the world, and truth has decreased ; 
 people utter soft words to one's face, while they 
 harbour deceit in their hearts ; virtue has vanished ; 
 vice has increased ; the earth has begun to yield less 
 fruit; -kings have begun levying contributions by 
 violence ; Brahmans have become covetous ; women 
 have abandoned modesty; the son obeys not the 
 father's command; brother trusts not brother; friend- 
 ship has departed from amongst friends ; faith is no 
 longer found in masters, and servants have cast aside 
 the duty they owe to masters, and every description 
 of impropriety meets the eye.' " 
 
 " When he had said all this to the king, his majesty 
 arose and went into the private apartments, and he 
 (the ehvoy) came and sat down in his own place. 
 In the meantime a Brahman's son came to him and 
 said, ' I have come to solicit something of you.' On 
 hearing this, he. said. 'What request have you to 
 make ? Mention it.' He replied, ' Give me your 
 daughter in marriage.' Haridas said, ' I will give 
 her to him in whom all accomplishments exist.' 
 Hearing this, hq rejoined, ' I am acquainted with all 
 the sciences.' Then said the envoy, ' Show me some- 
 
b4 THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 
 
 thing of thy knowledge ; I shall thus be able to judge 
 whether thou art versed in science,' Hereupon the 
 Brahman's son said, 'I have made a car which has 
 this marvellous property, that it will convey you in a 
 moment to any place you may wish to go to.' Then 
 Haridas replied, 'Bring the car to me in the morning.' " 
 
 " In fine, he brought the car to Haridas early in 
 the morning. Then the two mounted the car, and 
 arrived in the City of Ujjain. Here, however, it so 
 happened that, previous to his arrival, another- Brah- 
 man's son had come, and said to his eldest son, 
 ' Give me your sister in marriage ;' and he also had 
 replied, saying, ' I will give her to one who is learned 
 in all the sciences ;' and that Brahman's son, too, had 
 said, ' I am acquainted with all knowledge and science.' 
 On hearing this, he had said, ' To you will I give her.' 
 Another Brahman's son had said to the girl's mother, 
 ' Give me your daughter.' She, too, had given him 
 the same answer ; viz., ' I will give my girl to him 
 who is acquainted with all science.' That Brahman's 
 son also had replied, ' I am acquainted with the 
 whole body of science contained in the Shdstras, and 
 can shoot an arrow which will hit an object which is 
 merely heard, and not seen.' On hearing this, she, 
 too, had said, ' I consent, and will give her to thee.' " 
 
 " In short, all the three suitors had come and met 
 together in this way. Haridas began to think to 
 himself, ' One girl and three suitors ! to whom shall 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 65 
 
 I give her, and to whom not?' He was troubled 
 with this thought, when a demon came at night and 
 carried off the girl to the summit of a mountain in the 
 Vindhya range. It is said that too much of anything 
 is not good. Sita was exceedingly beautiful, and 
 Ravan carried her off; King Bali gave gifts largely, 
 — he became indigent; Ravan utterly ruined his 
 family by his excessive pride." 
 
 " In brief, when morn arrived, and none of the 
 household found the girl; they began to fancy all 
 sorts of things ; and the three suitors, too, on hearing 
 of the matter, came there. One of them was a wise 
 man, — him Haridas questioned, saying, ' O wise man ! 
 tell me whither the girl has gone ? ' He considered 
 for a moment or so, and said, ' A demon has carried 
 off your daughter, and lodged her on a mountain.' On 
 this, the second said, ' I will kill the demon and bring 
 her back.' Then, again, the third said, ' Mount my 
 car and bring her back.' On the instant of hearing 
 this, he mounted the car, reached the place, slew the 
 demon, and forthwith brought her back. And then 
 they began quarrelling with one another. Thereupon 
 the father pondered over the matter in his mind, and 
 said, ' All of them have conferred obligations on me, 
 to whom shall I give her, and to whom not ? ' " 
 
 Having related so much of the story, the sprite 
 said, " Now, king Vikram ! whose wife, out of the 
 three, did the maiden become ? " He replied, " She 
 
 5 \ 
 
66 THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 
 
 became the wife of him who slew the demon and 
 brought her back." The sprite said, " The good 
 qualities of all were on a par, — how came she to 
 become his wife ? " The king replied, " The other 
 two simply conferred favours, for which they were 
 recompensed ; but this one fought with and slew him 
 (the demon) and brought her away, hence she became 
 his wife." On hearing this the sprite went again to 
 the same tree, and suspended himself on it, and the 
 king, too, went immediately, bound the sprite, placed 
 him on his shoulder, and carried him off as before. 
 
TALE VI. 
 
 Again 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 Shdstra 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 without 
 having worshipped." 
 
 " When a considerable time had passed thus, the 
 minister said one day, ' Great king ! the saying is 
 well known, — The house of a sonless man is , empty, 
 a fool's mind is empty, and everything pertaining to 
 an indigent person is empty.' On hearing these 
 words, the king went to the temple of Devi, and 
 joining his hands in supplication, began to extol her, 
 saying, ' Devi ! Brahma, Vishnii, Rudra, Indra 
 await thy bidding the livelong day ; and thou it was 
 
68 THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 
 
 who didst seize the demons Mahish-asur, Chand, 
 Mund, Raktbij, and slaying the evil spirits, relieved 
 the earth of its burthen ; and wheresoever trouble has 
 befallen thy worshippers, there thou hast gone and 
 aided them ; and in this hope I have approached thy 
 threshhold; fulfil now the desire of my heart also.'" 
 
 " When the king had celebrated the praises of the 
 goddess to this extent, a voice issued from the temple 
 of Devi, saying, ' King ! I am well pleased with thee ; 
 ask any boon that thou may'st desire.' The king 
 said, ' Mother ! if thou art pleased with me, grant me 
 a son.' Devi replied, ' King ! thou shalt have a son 
 (who shall be) very powerful and very glorious.' 
 Then the king made offerings of sandal, unbroken 
 rice, flowers, incense, lamps and consecrated food, and 
 paid adoration. Moreover, he made it a practice of 
 worshipping thus daily. To be brief, after some days 
 a son was born to the king. The king, with his 
 family and kindred, proceeded with music and song, 
 and worshipped at the shrine of Devi." 
 
 "In the meantime, it happened one day that a 
 washerman, accompanied by a friend of his, was 
 coming from a certain town towards this city, and the 
 temple of Devi met his eye. He resolved on pros- 
 trating himself (before the shrine). At that moment 
 he beheld a Avasherman's daughter, who was very 
 handsome, coming towards him. He was fascinated 
 at the sight of her, and went to worship Devi. After 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 69 
 
 prostrating himself, he joined his hands in supplication, 
 and said in his heart, ' O Devi ! if, through thy favour, 
 my marriage to this beautiful being should take place, 
 I will devote my head as an offering to thee.' After 
 making this vow, and prostrating himself, he took his 
 friend with him, and went to his own city." 
 
 " When he arrived there, the separation (from his love) 
 so troubled him that sleep, hunger, thirst — all were 
 forgotten. He spent the whole day in thoughts of 
 her. On perceiving this woful state of his, his friend 
 went and told his father all the circumstances. His 
 father also became alarmed on hearing these things, 
 and reflecting on the matter began to say, ' From ob- 
 serving his state it seems (to me) that if his betrothal 
 to that maiden does not take place, he will grieve to 
 death ; wherefore it is better to marry him to the girl, 
 that thus he may be saved.' " 
 
 " Having thus considered, he took his son's friend 
 with him, and on reaching that town, went to the girl's 
 father and said, ' I have come to solicit something of 
 you; if you will grant my request, I will make it 
 known.' He replied, ' If I possess the thing, I will 
 give it ; speak out.' Having secured his promise thus, 
 he said, ' Give your daughter in marriage to my son.' 
 On hearing this, he too agreed to the proposal ; and 
 having had a priest called in, and the day, the auspi- 
 cious conjunction, and the moment determined, said, 
 - Bring your son ; I, for my part, will stain my daugh- 
 
70 THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 
 
 ter's hands yellow . ' ' On hearing this, he arose, returned 
 to his own house, got ready all the requisite? for the 
 marriage, and set out for the ceremony ; and on reach- 
 ing the place, and having the marriage ceremony per- 
 formed, he took his son and daughter-in-law with him 
 and returned home ; and the bride and bridegroom 
 commenced a happy life together." 
 
 "Again, after some time, an occasioli of rejoicing 
 arose at the girl's father's, and so an invitation came 
 to these (the bride and bridegroom) also. The wife 
 and husband got ready, and taking their friend with 
 them, set out for that city. When they arrived near 
 the place, the temple of Devi came in sight, and then 
 his vow came to his mind. Thereupon he reflected 
 and said to himself, ' I am a great liar, and a very irre- 
 ligious wretch,, for I have lied to Devi hersdf 1 ' 
 Having said this to himself, he spoke to his friend, 
 saying, 'Do you tarry here while I pay a visit to 
 Devi.' And to his wife he said, 'Do thou also stay 
 here.' Having said this and gone to the temple, he 
 bathed in the pool, went before Devi, joined his 
 hands in supplication, addressed her reverentially, and 
 raised a sword and struck himself on the neck. His 
 head "was severed from his body, and fell upon the 
 ground." 
 
 "To be brief, after some delay, his friend thought 
 that as he had been gone a very long while and had 
 
 ' See note at page 50. 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 71 
 
 not yet returned, he ought to go and see (what had 
 happened) ; so he said to the wife, ' Stay here ; I will 
 soon hunt him up and bring him here.' Having said 
 this, he went into the temple of Devi, and lo ! his 
 (friend's) head was lying apart from his body ! On 
 beholding this state of things there, he began to say 
 to himself, ' The world is a hard place ! No one will 
 suppose that he, with his own hand, offered his head 
 as a sacrifice to. Devi ; on the contrary, they will say, 
 that, as his wife was very beautiful, he (the friend), in 
 order to possess her, killed him, and is practising this 
 artful trick. Therefore it is preferable to die here ; 
 whereas to obtain an evil reputation in the world is 
 not desirable.' " 
 
 " Having said this, he bathed in the pool, came into 
 the presence of Devi, joined his hands and made obei- 
 sance, and taking up the sword, struck himself on the 
 neck, so that his head was severed from his body. 
 And she, weary of standing there alone, and watching 
 for their return till she quite despaired, went in quest 
 of them into the temple of Devi. Arrived there, what 
 does' she behold but the two lying dead ! Then, see- 
 ing them both dead, she thought to herself, ' People 
 will not believe that these two have voluntarily offered 
 themselves as sacrifices to Devi. Everybody will say 
 tbat the widow was a wanton wretch, (and) that she 
 killed them both and left them that she might indulge 
 
72 THE BAITAL PACHCHISl. 
 
 in her depravity. It is better to die than to endure 
 such infamy.' " 
 
 "After reflecting thus, she plunged into the pool 
 (and bathed), and coming into the presence of Devi, 
 bowed her head in obeisance; (then) takiilg up the 
 sword, was about to strike herself on the neck, when 
 Devi descended from the throne, and came and seized 
 her hand, and said, 'Daughter! ask a boon; I am 
 well-pleased with thee.' On this she said, ' Mother ! 
 if thou art pleased with me, restore these two to life.' 
 Then Devi said, ' Unite their heads to their bodies.' In 
 the tumult of her joy she changed the heads in putting 
 them on. And Devi brought the water of life and 
 sprinkled it upon them. The two rose up alive, and 
 began disputing one with another ; one saying, ' She 
 is my v\dfe ;' the other, ' She is mine.' " 
 
 Having related so much of the story, the sprite 
 said, " Now king Vikramajit ! of which of these two 
 is she the wife?" The killg said, "Hearken! The 
 guiding principle for this is laid down in the book of 
 law, thus : ' The Ganges is the best of rivers, and 
 Sumeru is the most excellent of mountains, and Kal- 
 pavriksh * is the most excellent of trees, (and) the head 
 is supreme among all the members of the body. Ac- 
 cording to this judgment she becomes the wife of him 
 
 ' Kalpavriksh is a fabulous tree, yielding all wishes, said to exist in the 
 paradise of India. 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 73 
 
 who possesses the superior member.' " On hearing 
 these words the sprite went and again suspended 
 himself on that tree ; and the king having gone and 
 bound him, placed him on his shoulder and carried 
 him off. 
 
TALE VII. 
 
 The sprite said, "0 king ! there is a city named Cham- 
 papur, the king of which is Champakeshwar. And the 
 queen's name is Sulochana, and the daughter's Trib- 
 huvan-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 handurl,^ whose waist is like 
 a leopard's, hands and feet like the tender lotus, com- 
 plexion like the champa-flower ; in short, the bloom of 
 her youth was daily on the increase." 
 
 "When she became marriageable, the king and 
 queen began to feel anxious in their minds. And the 
 news spread among the monarchs of the different coun- 
 tries (round about) that so beautiful a girl had been 
 born in the palace of king Champakeshwar that, at a 
 mere glance at her beauty, gods, men, and holy sages, 
 
 ' The JcandAri is a cuoui-bitaceous plant with red fruit, or the gourd of 
 the momordica monadelpha. Its Hindi name is hinib. 
 
THE BAITAL PACHOHISI. 75 
 
 remain fascinated. Thereupon the kings of the diffe- 
 rent countries had each his likeness painted, and 
 ■sent it by the hands of a Brahman to king Cham- 
 pakeshwar. The king received and showed the 
 portraits of all the monarchs to his daughter, but 
 none of them suited her fancy. Thereupon the king 
 said, 'Do thou, then, make a public choice of a 
 husband.' To this, too, she did not agree, but said 
 to her father, ' Father ! give, me to him -who pos- 
 sesses the three qualities of beauty, strength, and 
 superior knowledge.' " 
 
 "In fine, when several days had elapsed, four 
 suitors came from four different countries. Then the 
 king said to them, ' Do each of you set forth clearly 
 before me the superior qualities and knowledge, he 
 possesses.' One of them said, ' I possess such know- 
 ledge that I manufacture a cloth and sell it for five 
 rubies. When I realise the price, I give one of the 
 rubies to Brahmans, of another I make an offering to 
 the gods, a third I wear on' my own person, a fourth 
 I reserve for my wife, the fifth I sell, and constantly 
 support myself with the money so obtained. No one 
 else possesses this knowledge. And as to the good 
 looks I possess, — they are open to view.' The second 
 said, ' I am acquainted with the languages of both 
 land and aquatic beasts and birds ; have no equal in 
 strength ; and my beauty is before you.' The third 
 said, ' So well do I comprehend the learned writings 
 
76 THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 
 
 that no equal of mine exists ; and my beauty is before 
 your eyes.' The fourth said, 'I stand alone in my 
 knowledge of thp use of weapons ;^ there is no one 
 like me; I can shoot an arrow which will strike an 
 object which is heard, but not seen ; and my beauty 
 is famous in the world, — you, too, must surely 
 see it.' " 
 
 " On hearing the statements of the four of them, 
 the king began to think to himself, ' All four are on 
 a par as to excellences; to which should I give the 
 girl ? ' Having reflected thus, he went to his daughter 
 and set forth the virtues of the whole four of them^ 
 and said, 'To which of them shall I give thee (in 
 marriage) ? ' On hearing this, she hung down her 
 head .through modesty, and kept silent, making no 
 answer." 
 
 After relating so much of the story, the sprite said, 
 " Now, King Vikram ! for which of them is this 
 woman suited?" The king replied, "He who makes 
 cloth and sells it is a sudra by caste ; and he who 
 knows the languages is a bais by caste ; he who has 
 studied the learned writings is a Brahman ; and he 
 
 ' I suspect an error in the text here; -viz., shdstra for shastra; for the 
 third suitor had Edready claimed the possession of unrivalled excellence in 
 the sMstras, while the fourth boasts of his superior skill in archery, which 
 would certainly seem to accord better with shastra than shdstra. More- 
 over, the judgment of King Vikram shows satisfactorily, I think, that 
 shastra is the word intended. 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 77 
 
 who hits with an arrow an object which is simply 
 heard, and not seen, is of her caste : the woman is 
 suitable for him." On hearing these words, the 
 sprite went again and hung himself on that tree ; and 
 the king, too, went thither, bound him, placed him 
 on his shoulder, and carried him off. 
 
TALE VIII. 
 
 Then the sprite said, " O king ! there is a city named 
 Mithalavati, the king of which i? Gunadhip. A young 
 rajpiit, 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 the chase, and Chiramdeva also joined his 
 cavalcade. The king became accidentally separated' 
 from his followers in a forest, and the attendants lost 
 themselves in another jungle ; one, however, Chiram- 
 deva, was following the king. At length, he called 
 out, and said, ' Your majesty ! all the attendants have 
 remained behind, while I am accompanying you, making 
 my horse keep pace with yours.' On hearing this, 
 the king reined in his horse, and so he came up (to 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 79 
 
 the king). The king looked at him, and asked, 
 ' How hast thou become so emaciated?' " 
 
 " Then he replied, ' If I live with a master, such 
 that he cherishes thousands of people, while he takes 
 no thought of me, no blame (attaches) to him for 
 this, but rather my own fate is to blame. As, for 
 example, by daylight the whole world is clearly 
 visible ; yet it is not visible to the owl ;— what blame 
 can be imputed to the sun for this ? It is astonish- 
 ing to me that he who caused the means of sub- 
 sistence to reach me in my mother's womb, should 
 take no thought of me now, when I have been born, 
 and ana capable of enjoying worldly aliment. I know 
 not whether he sleeps or is dead. And, in my 
 opinion, it is better to swallow deadly poison and die, 
 than to ask for goods and money from a great man 
 who, while giving the same, makes a wry face, and 
 turns up his nose (in contempt), and raises his brows. 
 Now these six things render a man contemptible, — 
 first, the friendship of a perfidious man; second, 
 •causeless laughter ; third, altercation with a woman ; 
 fourth, the serving a bad master; fifth, riding a 
 donkey; sixth, unpolished (or uncouth) speech.' And 
 the following five things the Creator records in a 
 man's destiny at the time of his birth, — First, length 
 of life ; second, acts ; third, wealth ; fourth, know- 
 
 ' Lit.— A. dialect without Sanskrit. 
 
80 THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 
 
 ledge ; fifth, reputation. king ! so long as a man's 
 virtues^ are conspicuous, all continue to be his servants ; 
 but when his virtues decrease, his very friends become 
 his enemies. This one thing, however, is certain ; by- 
 serving a good master one derives benefit sooner or 
 later; he does not remain unbenefited.' " 
 
 " On hearing this, the king pondered over all these 
 words, but did not then make any reply. He said 
 this to him, however, ' I feel hungry ; bring me some- 
 thing to eat from somewhere.' Chiramdeva said, 
 'Your majesty! bread" is not to be obtained here.' 
 Having said this, he went into the jungle, killed a 
 deer, took out a flint and steel from his pocket, 
 kindled a fire, broiled some slices of meat, and served 
 up a plentiful meal to the king, and partook of it 
 himself as well. To be brief, when the king was 
 quite satisfied,' he said, ' Now, Rajpiit ! conduct me 
 to the city, for the road is not known to me ' He 
 conducted the king into the city, and brought him to 
 his palace. Then the king appointed him to an office, 
 and bestowed many robes and jewels upon him. After 
 that, he continued in close attendance upon the king." 
 
 ' I should muoh prefer translating " so long as a man's fortunes are in 
 'the ascendant," were it not that none of the lexicons I have seen sanctions 
 the sense of " fortunes " for ptmya. 
 
 ^ Lit. — " Grain-food," which might mean boiled rice, or calies of bread 
 and boiled pulse. 
 
 ' Lit. — When the king's belly was filled. 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 81 
 
 " In short, the king one day sent that Rajput on 
 some business to the sea-side. When he reached the 
 sea-shore, he beheld a temple (dedicated) to Devi. 
 He entered it, and worshipped Devi. But, on the 
 instant of his coming out thence, a beautiful damsel 
 came up to him from behind, and began questioning 
 him, saying, 'Oman! why hast thou come here?' 
 He replied, ' I have come in quest of pleasure, and at 
 the sight of thy beauty I am fascinated.' She said, 
 ' If thou hast any design on me, first go and bathe in 
 this pool; after that I will listen to whatever thou 
 shalt say to me.' " 
 
 " On the instant of hearing this, he took off his 
 clothes, entered the pool and dipped, and came out, 
 and lo ! he was standing in his own city ! On 
 beholding this marvel, he was filled with fear, and 
 returning home in his helplessness, clothed himself, 
 and went and related the whole story to the king. 
 The king no sooner heard it than he said, ' Show me 
 this wonder also.' This said, he ordered the horses, 
 and both mounted and set off. After several days, 
 they reached the sea-shore, and entered the same 
 temple of Devi, and paid adoration. Farther, when 
 the king came out, the very same damsel, accompanied 
 by a female friend, came and stood beside the king, 
 and on , beholding the king's handsome appearance, 
 became fascinated, and said, ' king ! I will execute 
 any command you may give me.' The king replied,. 
 
 6 
 
82 THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 
 
 saying, ' If thou wilt obey my command, become the 
 wife of my servant.' She said, ' I have become the 
 slave of thy beauty, how then can I become his wife?' 
 The king replied, ' It was but this instant thou saidst 
 to me, ' I will obey any command you may give me.' 
 Now, whatever the good promise they perform. Keep 
 thy plighted word, (and) become the wife of my 
 servant.' On hearing this, she said, ' Your word is 
 law to me.' Thereupon the king married his servant 
 to her without the usual ceremonies,^ and brought 
 them both with him to his palace." 
 
 Having related so much of the story, the sprite 
 said, " Tell me, O king ! Of master and servant, 
 whose was the greater virtue ? " The king said, 
 " The servant's." The sprite said again, "Was not 
 the merit of the king greater, who obtained so beauti- 
 ful a woman, and bestowed her on his servant ? " 
 Thereupon king Bir Vikramajit said, " What superior 
 merit is there in their conferring favours, whose ofBce 
 it is to do so ? But he who, while having his own 
 interests to attend to, promotes the interests of 
 another — he is the greater. For this reason, the 
 servant's merit was the greater." On hearing these 
 words, the sprite went and hung himself on that 
 same tree ; and the king went and again took him 
 down from thence, placed him on his shoulder, and 
 carried him away. 
 
 ^ A gandJmrh marriage is one wliere the usual formalities are dispensed 
 with, and the parties become man and wife bj mutual consent. 
 
TALE IX. 
 
 The sprite said, "0 king! there is a city named 
 Madanpur, where was a king named Birbar. Novy, 
 in that same country there was a merchant named 
 Hiranyadatt, whose daughter's name was Madansena. 
 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 Dharm- 
 datt, had come, with a friend, to take a stroll in the 
 forest. On his return thence, he came into that 
 garden ; (and) on beholding her, became enamoured, 
 and began to say to his friend, ' Brother ! Should she 
 ever be united to me, then my living will be to some 
 purpose ; and if not, then my living in the world is 
 in vain.' " 
 
 " Addressing these words to his friend, (and) being 
 distracted by the pangs of separation, he involuntarily 
 approached her, and seizing her hand, began to say, 
 ' If thou wilt not love me, I will sacrifice my life on 
 
84 THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 
 
 thy account.' She replied, ' Act not thus ; that 
 would be a sin.' Then he said,,' Thy amorous glances 
 have pierced my heart, and the fire of separation from 
 thee has consumed my body ; my whole consciousness 
 and understanding have been destroyed by this pain ; 
 and at this moment, through the overpowering 
 influence of love, I have no regard for right or wrong ; 
 but if thou wilt give me thy word, new life will enter 
 my soul.' She said, ' On the fifth day from this day 
 my, marriage will take place ; but I will first have 
 intercourse with thee, and afterwards abide at my 
 husband's.' After giving him this promise, and 
 taking her oath (to keep it) she departed to her home, 
 and he to his." 
 
 "To be brief, on the fifth day her marriage took 
 place. Her husband brought her to his home after 
 the marriage. After some days the wives of her hus- 
 band's younger and elder brothers compelled her to 
 go to her husband at night. She entered the nuptial 
 chamber, and sat quietly down in a corner. In the 
 meantime, her husband seeing her, took her hand, 
 and made her sit on the bed. In fine, as he was 
 about to embrace her, she shook him off with her 
 hand, and related to him all that she had promised 
 the merchant's son. On hearing this her husband 
 said, ' If thou really desirest to go to him, go.' " 
 
 "Having received her husband's permission, she 
 started for the merchant's place. A thief seeing her 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 85 
 
 on the road, came up to her in delight, and said, 
 ' Whither goest thou alone, at this midnight hour, in 
 this pitch-darkness, bedecked with such garments and 
 jewels ? ' She replied, ' To the place whei;e my dearly 
 beloved dwells.' On hearing this the thief said, 'Who 
 is thy protector here?' She began to say, 'Cupid, 
 my protector, with his bow and arrows, is with me.' 
 Having said this, she then related her whole story to 
 the thief, from beginning to end, and said, 'Do not 
 spoil my attire ; I give thee my word that, when I re- 
 turn thence, I will deliver ray jewels to thee.' " 
 
 " On hearing this, the thief said to himself, ' She 
 leaves me, in truth, with a promise to deliver up her 
 jewels to me; then why should I spoil her attire?' 
 Thus reflecting, he let her go. (He) himself sat down 
 there, while she went to the place where Somdatt was 
 lying asleep. She having suddenly roused him as 
 soon as she got there, he arose bewildered, and com- 
 menced saying, ' Art thou the -daughter of a god, or 
 sage, or serpent?' Tell me truly, who art thou? and 
 whence art thou come to me ? ' She replied, ' I am 
 the daughter of a man — the daughter, of the merchant 
 Hiranyadatt; Madansenais my name; and dost thou 
 not remember that thou didst forpibly seize my hand 
 in the grove, and didst insist on my giving thee my 
 oath ; and I swore, at thy bidding, that I would leave 
 
 1 Nag is the name of tie fabulous serpents (said to have a human face), 
 inhabitiDg Patala, or the infernal regions. 
 
86 THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 
 
 the man I was married to and come to thee? I have 
 come accordingly; do unto me whatever thou pleas- 
 est.' " 
 
 " On this he asked, ' Hast thou told this story to 
 thy husband, or not ? ' She replied, saying, * I have 
 mentioned the whole affair, and after becoming ac- 
 quainted with everything, he has allowed me to come 
 to thee.' Somdatt said, 'This matter is like jewels 
 without apparel, or food without clarified butter, or 
 singing out of tune — all these things are alike. Simi- 
 larly, dirty garments mar beauty, bad food saps the 
 strength, a wicked wife deprives of life, a bad son 
 ruins the family. Whereas a demon takes life on his 
 being enraged, a woman, either as a friend or a foe, 
 is in both cases the occasion of sorrow. What a wo- 
 man does not do is of little moment ; for she does not 
 give utterance to the thoughts of her mind; and what 
 is at the tip of her tongue she does not reveal ; and 
 what she does, she does not tell of. A wonderful 
 creature has God created in the world in woman.' " 
 
 "After uttering these words, the merchant's son 
 answered her, saying, 'I will have nothing to do 
 with another's wife.' On hearing this she took her 
 way back home again. On the way she met the thief, 
 (and) told him the whole story. The thief, on hear- 
 ing it, applauded her highly, and let her go. She 
 came nigh her husband and told him all the circum- 
 stances; but her husband evinced no affection for 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. , 87 
 
 her, and said, ' The beauty of the cuckoo consists in 
 its note alone ; a woman's beauty consists in her fide- 
 lity to her husband; and the beauty of an ugly man 
 is his knowledge ; the beauty of a devotee is his pa- 
 tient suflFering.' " 
 
 Having related so much of the story, the sprite 
 said, " O king ! v^hose is the highest merit of these 
 three ? " King Vikramajit replied, " The thief's merit 
 is the greatest." The sprite said, "Hovir?" The 
 king replied, " Seeing her heart set on another man, 
 her husband gave her up ; through dread of the king, 
 Somdatt let her alone ; whereas there was no reason 
 for the thief's leaving her unmolested. Hence the 
 thief is the superior." On hearing this, the sprite 
 went again and suspended himself on that tree ; and 
 the king also went there, took him down from the 
 tree, bound and placed him on his shoulder, and once 
 more carried him away. 
 
TALE X. 
 
 The sprite said, " O king ! in the country of Gaur 
 there is a city called Baradman, and ^he 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, gamb- 
 ling and intoxicating liquors — all these he interdicted : 
 no one was allowed to practise them in the city, 
 and no one could carry away bones to the Ganges. 
 And the minister, too, with the king's sanction for 
 these matters, had it proclaimed in the city, that who- 
 ever performs these acts, the king will confiscate all 
 his property, and inflict punishment on him, and expel 
 him from the city." 
 
 " Thereafter the minister said one day to the king, 
 
 ' These oblations consist of balls (pmd) of meat, or rice mixed up with 
 milk, curds, flowers, &c., and offered to the manes at the several Shraddhas 
 (or funeral ceremonies and worship of the manee) by the nearest surviving 
 relations. 
 
THE BAITAIi PACIKJHISI. 89 
 
 ' Attend, O king ! to an exposition of the sacred law : — 
 Whosoever takes the life of any one, this same takes 
 his life also in another state of existence. It is on 
 account of this sin that living and dying are insepar- 
 able from man on his entering this world. He is 
 born again and again, and again he dies. Hence, it 
 behoves man, on his being born into the world, to 
 treasure up virtuous deeds. Observe (how) Brahma, 
 Vishnu, Mahadeva, in one form or another, become 
 incarnate in the, world under the influence of love, 
 anger, covetousness, or infatuation ! A cow, forsooth, 
 is superior to them, for she is free from passion, hatred, 
 pride, anger, covetousness, infatuation ; moreover, she 
 sustains the subjects. And the sons which are born to 
 her also impart the utmost ease to the living things of 
 the earth, and cherish them. It is for this reason that 
 all the deities and holy sages hold the cow sacred. 
 Therefore, to worship the gods, is not well : worship 
 the cow in this world. And it is a duty to protect 
 the life of every animal, from the elephant to the ant, 
 including, beasts, birds, &c., up to man; there is no 
 duty equal to that in the world. Those who add to ' 
 their flesh by eating the flesh of other creatures, ulti- 
 mately sufler the torments of hell. Hence it is incum- 
 bent on man to preserve life. Those who regard not 
 the sufferings of others, but go on destroying the life 
 of other creatures, and eating them — their lives are 
 shortened on the earth, and they are born cripples, or 
 
90 THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 
 
 lame, or blind of one eye, or blind of both eyes, or 
 dwarfs, or hunch-backed, or with some such bodily 
 defect. According to the limbs of beasts and birds 
 which they devour, they eventually lose similar mem- 
 bers of their own. Further, the drinking of intoxi- 
 cating liquors is a great sin. Hence the consumption 
 of flesh and intoxicating drinks is not right.' " 
 
 " Thus unfolding to the king the wisdom stored up 
 in his mind, the minister made him so sound a con- 
 vert to the Jain faith, that whatever he advised the 
 king did ; and he paid no respect to any Brahman, 
 ascetic, itinerant devotee, or religious mendicant ;^ and 
 governed his kingdom according to this religion. One 
 day, coming under the power of death, he died. 
 Thereupon his son, Dharm-dhwaj by name, ascended 
 the throne, and began to reign. One day, having 
 had the minister, Abhaichand, seized, and seven plaits 
 made of the hair on his head, and his face blackened, 
 and (the. minister) himself seated on a donkey, and 
 a drum beaten. and hands clapped (in derision) after 
 him, he then banished him from the kingdom, and 
 carried on his government free from all anxiety." 
 
 " One day, in the spring-time, the king, accom- 
 panied by his queens, went to take a stroll in a 
 garden. There was a large tank in that garden, and 
 
 ' The sewra, eanyasi, and dwrwesh, are all religious mendicants ; the 
 first is of the Jain religion, the second a Brahman, and the third a Muham- 
 madan. 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 
 
 the lotus was in full bloom therein. On beholding 
 the beauty of the tank, the king stripped off his 
 clothes, and went down to bathe. Having plucked a 
 flower, and come to the side, he was handing it to 
 one of the queens, when, it slipped from his hand 
 and fell on the queen's foot; and by the blow it 
 inflicted the queen's foot was broken. On this the 
 king became alarmed, and forthwith coming out from 
 the tank, began applying remedies ; and in the mean- 
 time night came on, and the moon shone forth. No 
 sooner did the moon's beams fall, than bHsters arose 
 on the body of the second queen. Farther, just then 
 the sound of a wooden pestle from some householder's 
 suddenly reached the third queen, and she was in- 
 stantly attacked with so severe a headache, that she 
 fainted away." 
 
 After narrating so much, the sprite said, " king ! 
 which of these three was the most delicate?" The 
 king replied, " The one who got the pain in the head 
 and fainted away, she was the most delicate." On 
 hearing these words, the sprite again went and sus- 
 pended himself on that tree ; and the king went there 
 and took him down, and, making a bundle of him, 
 placed him on his shoulder, and walked off with him. 
 
TALE XL 
 
 The sprite said, "Your majesty! there is a city 
 named Punyapur, the king of which was named Bal- 
 labh, 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 the 
 state, and commenced spending his days and nights 
 in enjoyment." 
 
 "It so happened that, one day, the minister was 
 sitting dejected at home, when his wife asked him, 
 ' Husband ! you seem to me to be very weak ? ' He 
 replied, saying, ' Night and day the cares of govern- 
 ment weigh heavily on me, and hence my body has 
 become feeble ; while the king is the whole day long 
 occupied with his own pleasures and enjoyment.' 
 The minister's wife said, ' O husband ! you have 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 93 
 
 carried on the government for a long time, now take 
 leave of the king, and undertake a pilgrimage for a 
 iew days.' " 
 
 " He remained silent on hearing this speech of 
 hers. Afterwards, when he stirred out (lit. when he 
 rose thence), he went to the king at the time of his 
 holding a coui-t, and, obtaining his permission to go, 
 set ont on a pilgrimage. Journeying on, he reached 
 Setband Rameshwar,' on the sea-coast. As soon as 
 he arrived there, he visited the shrine of Mahadeva, 
 and came out (of the temple), when, his gaze hap- 
 pening to stray towards the sea, what does he behold, 
 but a (marvellous) tree of gold come up out of it, the 
 leaves of which were emeralds, the blossoms topazes, 
 the fruits corals,^— it presented a most beautiful sight! 
 And seated on the tree was a very beautiful woman, 
 holding a lute in her hands, and singing in most soft 
 and sweet strains. After a few minutes the tree dis- 
 appeared in the ocean." 
 
 " After beholding this spectacle there, the minister 
 turned back and came to his own city, and, proceed- 
 ing to the king, made obeisance, and joining his hands, 
 
 ' Sethcmd (from the Sanskrit setu-hemdha) signifies a dike or bridge, and 
 is applied to tlie ridge of rooks between the Coromandel coast and Ceylon. 
 This dike or bridge is said to have been built by the allies of Kama (i.e., 
 the monkey army under the leadership of Hanuman), when he invaded 
 Ceylon to recover his wife Sita, who had been carried off thither by Kavan. 
 It is said that, as fast as the monkeys buUt up the dike, Eavan destroyed 
 it J so, to prevent his doing this, Eama erected a temple to Shiva (the god 
 adored by Ravan) at the extremity of the dike. Thenceforth Setband 
 Rameshwar became a place of pilgrimage. 
 
94 THE BAITAL PA.CHCHIST. 
 
 said, ' Your Majesty ! I have witnessed a marvellous 
 sight!' The monarch said, 'Describe it.' The 
 minister said, ' Yom* majesty ! men of olden time 
 have said that one should not speak of such things 
 as are beyond the comprehension of any one, and 
 which no one would credit. But this thing I saw 
 plainly with my eyes, and hence I speak of it. Your 
 majesty ! at the place where the Lord Raghunath^ 
 has bridged the ocean, lo ! a golden tree came up out 
 of the sea, which was so splendidly loaded with 
 emerald leaves, topa;z flowers, and coral fruit, that a 
 description of it is impossible ! And upon it was a 
 very beautiful woman, with a lute in her hands, sing- 
 ing the sweetest of strains. But after a few minutes 
 that tree was lost to sight in the ocean.' " 
 
 " On hearing these words, the king entrusted the 
 government to the minister, and set out alone for the 
 sea-shore. After several days he arrived there, and 
 entered the temple to pay adoration to Mahadeva ; 
 and having bowed down and worshipped, he came 
 out,- when lo ! the same tree, woman, and all, rose up 
 (out of the sea). As soon as the king saw her, he 
 leaped into the sea, and went and sat on the same tree. 
 She, together with the king, descended to the nether 
 regions.^ She looked at him (the king) and said, 
 
 ' Raghunath (i.e., the lord of the family of Eaghu,) is a title of Kama, 
 who, as an incarnation of Yishnii, was born in the family of Baghu. 
 
 ' Falala is one of the seven Hindu hells, and the region under the earth 
 which is the abode of the Nagas, or serpents with human faces. 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 95 
 
 /' 
 
 ' Valiant man ! Why hast thou come hither ? ' The 
 king replied, ' I have come, attracted by thy beauty.' 
 She rejoined, ' If thou wilt not have intercourse with 
 me during the dark fortnight of the lunar month, I 
 will marry thee.' The king consented to this arrange- 
 ment. Notwithstanding this, however, she took the 
 king's solemn promise, and then married him." 
 
 "To be brief, when the dark nights set in, she 
 said, 'Your majesty is not to remain near me to- 
 day.' On hearing this, the king left her, taking his 
 sword with him ; and going apart, kept secret watch. 
 When it was midnight, a demon came, and, on the 
 instant of arriving, folded her in his arms. No 
 sooner did the king witness this, than he rushed for- 
 ward with his sword, and said, ' Foul fiend ! lay not 
 thy hand on my wife before my eyes ! First fight 
 with me. It was only ere I had set my eyes on you 
 that fear possessed me ; now I have no fear.' " 
 
 " This said, he drew his sword, and struck such a 
 blow, that the head (of the demon) was severed from 
 the body, and lay quivering on the ground. On 
 beholding this, she said, ' gallant man ! thou hast 
 done me a great kindness ! ' After saying this, she 
 spoke again, saying, ' It is not every mountain that 
 contains rubies, nor every city that holds true men, 
 nor does the sandal-tree grow in every forest, nor do 
 pearls exist in the head of every elephant.' Thereupon 
 the king enquired, 'Why did this demon come to thee 
 on the fourteenth night of the waning moon ? ' " 
 
96 THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 
 
 " She said, ' My father's name is Vidyadhar. I am 
 said Vidyadhar's daughter. Suudari is my name. 
 Now it was an established custom for my father not 
 to partake of food without me. One day I was not 
 at home at meal-time ; thereupon father became angry 
 and pronounced a curse on me, saying, 'A demon 
 will come and embrace thee every fourteenth night of 
 the waning moon.' On hearing this, I said, ' Father ! 
 you have indeed given me your curse ; but now have 
 mercy on me ! ' He replied, ' When an intrepid man 
 shall come and slay that demon, thou wilt escape from 
 this curse.' Now, therefore, I have escaped from that 
 curse ; and I will now go and pay my respects to my 
 father.' " 
 
 " The king said, ' If thou appreciatest the kindness 
 I have done thee, come at once and visit my dpmi- 
 nions ; after that, go and visit thy father.' She said, 
 ' Very well ; I consent to what you say.' Thereupon 
 the king brought her with him to his capital. Festive 
 music and rejoicing began to take place. The news 
 spread throughout the city that the king had arrived. 
 Then songs of congratulation and merry-making com- 
 menced in every house ; and after that, all the musi- 
 cians and singers of the city came and offered their 
 congratulations at the court. The king gave away 
 many presents, and performed many pious acts." 
 
 " Again, after some days that fair one said, ' Now, 
 your majesty ! I will go to my father's.' The king 
 said in sadness, 'Very well : go.' When she perceived 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISl. 97 
 
 the king to be sad, she said, ' Your majesty ! I will 
 not go.' The king said, 'Why hast thou given up 
 the idea of going to thy father?' She replied, 'I 
 have now become one of the human race, and my 
 father is a demi-god ; ^ were I to go now, he would 
 show me no respect : this is my reason for not going.' 
 On hearing this the king was highly delighted, and 
 gave away lacs of rupees in presents and religious 
 offerings. Hearing of these matters touching the 
 king, the minister died broken-hearted." 
 
 Having told so much of the tale, the sprite said, 
 "0 king! why did the minister die?" Then king 
 Bir Vikramajit said, " The minister perceived that the 
 king had taken to sensual enjoyments, and banished 
 all the cares of government from his mind ; that the 
 subjects had lost their master (or protector) ; and so, no 
 one would heed what he (the minister) said. This is 
 the anxiety of which he died." Having heard this, 
 the sprite went again and hung himself on that tree. 
 The king went again, as on previous occasions, and 
 placed him on his shoulder, and carried him away. 
 
 ' The Gcmdhwrvas are demi-gods inhabiting Indra'a heaven, and serving 
 as celestial musicians. 
 
TALE Xil. 
 
 The sprite said, " king Bif Vikramajit ! There is a 
 city named Churapur, where a king named Churaman 
 ruled, whose spiritual teacher's name was Devaswami, 
 and he had a son named Hariswami. He was as 
 beautiful as Cupid, equalled Brihaspati ^ in his know- 
 ledge of scientific and religious treatises, and was as 
 wealthy as Kuvera. He wedded and brought home a 
 Brahman's daughter, whose name was Lavanyavati." 
 
 "To be brief, one night in the hot season they 
 were both sleeping soundly on the flat roof of a sum- 
 mer house. The woman's veil accidentally slipped off 
 her face, while a demi-god, seated on a car, was pro- 
 ■ceeding somewhere through the air. His gaze sud- 
 denly falling upon her, he lowered the car, and placing 
 her, asleep, on the car, flew off with her. After some 
 time the Brahman also awoke, and lo ! his wife was 
 not (beside him). On this he became alarmed, and 
 coming down from thence, searched throughout the 
 
 ' Srihaspati is the regent of the planet Jupiter, and the preceptor of 
 the gods. Kuvera is the god of wealth. 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHIST. 99 
 
 house. When he did not find her there either, he 
 went about seeking her through all the streets and 
 lanes of the city, but did not find her. Thereupon he 
 began to say to himself, 'Who has carried her ofi"? 
 and whither has she gone ? ' " 
 
 "In short, when his efforts were of no avail, he 
 returned home helpless and regretful, and searched 
 for her there a second time, but did not find her. 
 When the house appeared desolate to him without 
 her, he lost all self-control in his disquietude and 
 misery, and began crying out, Oh, darling of my soul! 
 oh, darling of my soul ! Purther, being exceedingly 
 agitated by her separation from him, he gave up the 
 position of a householder, renounced the world, girt 
 a simple waist-cloth round his loins, rubbed the ashes 
 of burnt cow-dung on his body, put on a necklace of 
 beads, quitted the town, and set out on a pilgrimage. 
 Proceeding on his pilgrimage from town to town, and 
 village to village, he reached a certain town at mid- 
 day." 
 
 " When extreme hunger left him no alternative, he 
 made a cup-shaped vessel of the leaves of a dhak-tree, 
 and carrying it to the house of a Brahman, said to 
 him, ' Give me some food in alms.' (The fact is, 
 when a man comes under the influence of love, he has 
 no thought of duty, caste, or food ; and, regardless of 
 everything, he eats food wherever he can obtain it.) 
 When he begged alms of the Brahman, he (the Brah- 
 
100 THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 
 
 man) took the cup-shaped vessel from him and entered 
 the house, and brought it (back) to him filled with 
 rice boiled in milk. He took the cup, and came to 
 the margin of a tank. There was a large banyan- 
 tree there. He placed the cup at the root of that, 
 and went to wash his face and hands in the tank." 
 
 "A black snake came out from the roots of the 
 tree, and having dipped its mouth into the cup, went 
 away ; and so the whole contents of the cup had be- 
 come poisoned, when, in the meantime, he also returned 
 after washing his hands and face. This matter, how- 
 ever, was unknown to him ; while hunger, on the other 
 hand, beset him sorely. (Thus) he ate the rice and 
 milk as soon as he came, and the poison instantly 
 entered his system. Thereupon he went to the Brah- 
 man and said, ' Thou hast given me poison, and I am 
 now dying of it.' Having said so much, he reeled and 
 fell, and died. Again, the Brahman, seeing him dead, 
 turned his own wife out of the house, and said, ' Go 
 thou hence, thou murderess of a Brahman ! ' " 
 
 Having told so much of the tale, the sprite said, 
 " king ! to which of these does the guilt of killing 
 a Brahman attach ? " The king said, " Poison exists 
 in a snake's mouth as a matter of course ; therefore 
 no guilt attaches to it. Again, the Brahman gave 
 him alms, considering him to be hungry; (therefore) 
 guilt does not attach to him. Further, the Brahman's 
 wife had given him alms at the bidding of her hus- 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. J 01 
 
 band ; she, too, is without sin. And he ate the milk 
 and rice unwittingly, and hence he also is guiltless. 
 In short, whoever imputes guilt to anyone of these, is 
 himself a sinner." On hearing this, the sprite went 
 again and hung on to that tree ; and the king also 
 went there, and taking him down and binding him, 
 placed him on his shoulder, and carried him away 
 from there. 
 
TALE XIII. 
 
 The sprite said, " 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 expe- 
 rienced much vexation at the hands of the thieves, they 
 all went to the king in a body and said, 'Your majesty ! 
 thieves have committed great outrage in the city ; we 
 can no longer dwell in the place.' The king rephed, 
 saying, ' Well ; what has happened is beyond remedy 
 {lit, what has happened, has happened) ; but hence- 
 forth you shall suffer no annoyance ; I will take vigor- 
 ous measures against them.' After saying this, the 
 king summoned a number of people and told them off 
 to keep guard, and directed them how to keep watch, 
 and commanded them to slay the thieves wherever 
 they found them, without asking any questions." 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 103 
 
 "People began to keep watch over the city, by 
 night, and yet robberies took place. All the mer- 
 chants proceeded in a body to the king, and said, 
 •Your majesty has sent watchmen, and yet the thieves 
 have not decreased in number, and thefts occur daily.' 
 The king replied, ' Do you take your leave now ; from 
 to-night I will go forth to watch over the city.' On 
 hearing this, they left the king, and went each to his 
 own home. Now, when it was night, the king took 
 his sword and shield, and, on foot and alone, began 
 his watch over the city. Having advanced some dis- 
 tance in the course of his watch, and looked closely, 
 he perceived a thief coming towards him. On seeing 
 him, the king called out, 'Who art thou?' He re- 
 plied, saying, 'I am a thief; who art thou?' The 
 king said (in reply), ' I also am a thief.' He was 
 pleased on hearing this, and said, 'Let us commit a 
 robbery together.' " 
 
 " Settling this matter between them, the king and 
 the thief, conversing with one another, entered one of 
 the quarters of the city, and after committing thefts 
 in several houses, carried off the articles, and came to 
 a well without the city, and having gone down into it, 
 ultimately reached the chief city of the nether regions. 
 Thp thief stationed the king at the gate, and took the 
 money and treasures to his own house. In the mean- 
 time a woman-servant came out of his house, and, 
 seeing the king, began to say, ' Your majesty ! what a 
 
104 THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 
 
 place you have come to with that miscreant ! Well 
 will it be if, ere he return, you fly hence as fast as 
 you possibly can ; otherwise he will kill you as soon as 
 he arrives.' The king replied, ' But I do not know 
 the road ! In which direction should I go ? ' Then 
 the servant showed him the road, and the king came 
 to his palace." 
 
 "In fine, on the following day the king, with all 
 his forces, went to the chief city of the nether regions 
 by the road down the well, and surrounded the entire 
 household of the thief; but the thief, escaping by some 
 other road, went to the ruler of that city, who was a 
 demon, and said, ' A king has led an attack against 
 my house with the view to kill me ; at this moment, 
 either you must aid me, or I will give up dwelling in 
 your city, and take ray abode in some other place.' 
 On hearing this, the demon said, graciously, 'You 
 have supplied me with food; I am well pleased 
 with you.' Having said this, the demon went where 
 the king was with his army, surrounding the house, 
 and began devouring the men and horses. And the 
 king fled on beholding the form of the demon ; and 
 all such as were able to run away, escaped ; and the 
 rest the demon devoured." 
 
 " To be brief, the king was running off alone, when 
 the thief came and cried out, ' Art thou, a Rajput, 
 flying from the battle ? ' On the instant of hearing 
 this, the king halted again, and the two confronted 
 
THE BATTAL PACHCHISI. 105 
 
 one another, and began to fight. At length the king 
 overcame him, and bound his hands behind his back, 
 and brought him into the city. After that, having 
 had him bathed and vpashed, and clothed in fine 
 apparel, and mounted on a camel, he sent him all 
 round the city, accompanied by a crier, and ordered 
 the impaling stake to be erected for him. Whoever 
 among the people of the city saw him said, 'This 
 same thief has plundered the whole city, and the king 
 will now impale him.' " 
 
 "When the thief arrived near the house of the 
 merchant Dharmdhwaj, the merchant's daughter hear- 
 ing the sound of the crier's drum, asked her hand- 
 maid, 'What is this proclamation about?' She re- 
 plied, 'The king has brought captive the thief who 
 used to commit robberies in the city. Now he will 
 impale him.' On hearing this, she also came running 
 (to the lattice) to see. No sooner did she behold the 
 thief's comeliness and manly form than she became 
 fascinated ; and, coming to her father, said, ' Do you 
 go to the king this moment, and return with that 
 thief released.' The merchant said, ' How can it be 
 expected that, at my request, the king will release the 
 thief who has robbed his whole city, and on whose 
 account his whole army has been destroyed?' She 
 again urged, 'If you have to give up even all you 
 possess for the king to release him, do you bring him 
 away free ; and should he not come, I too will sacri- 
 fice my life.' " 
 
106 THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 
 
 " On hearing this, the merchant went to the king, 
 and said, ' Your majesty ! receive five lacs of rupees 
 from me, and set the thief at liberty.' The king said, 
 ' This thief robbed the whole city, and my whole' army 
 was swallowed up through him. I will not on any 
 account let him go.' When the king did not heed 
 his request, he returned home in despair, and said to 
 his daughter, ' I said all that it was right to say, but 
 the king did not consent.' " 
 
 " In the meantime, having had the thief taken round 
 the city, they brought him to a stand-still near the 
 impaling stake. Now, the thief having heard of the 
 predicament of the merchant's daughter, first laughed 
 aloud, and then wept bitterly. The people the while 
 pulled him down on the stake. And the merchant's 
 daughter, receiving intimation of his death, came to 
 the same place to devote herself to death for his sake. 
 She had a funeral pile constructed, and sitting thereon, 
 had the thief taken off the stake, placed his head on 
 her lap, and quietly seated herself to be burnt. She 
 was on the point of having the torch put to it (the 
 pile), when (a temple sacred to Devi happening to be 
 on the spot) Devi instantly came out of her temple 
 and said, ' Daughter ! I am pleased with thy courage ; 
 request a boon.' She said, ' Mother ! if thou art 
 pleased with me, restore this thief to life.' There- 
 upon the goddess said, ' Even so shall it be.' Having 
 said this, she brought nectar from the under- world, 
 and restored the thief to life." 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISl. 107 
 
 Having told so much of the story, the sprite in- 
 quired, " Say, king ! why the thief first laughed, 
 and why he afterwards wept?" The king said, "I 
 know the reason why he laughed, and I know also 
 why he wept. Attend, sprite ! The thief thought 
 within himself, — ' Now that she is giving up all that 
 she possesses to the king for my sake, what return 
 can I make?' He wept at the thought of this. 
 Again, however, he reflected, ' She loved me when I 
 •was about to die : the ways of God are altogether 
 inscrutable ; He bestows wealth on the unlucky, know- 
 ledge on one of low origin, a beautiful wife on a fool, 
 and He causes rain to fall in showers on the mountains.' 
 Thinking of such things, he laughed." On hearing 
 this, the sprite went again and hung on to that tree. 
 The king returned there, and unloosing him, made a 
 bundle of him, placed him on his shoulder, and took 
 him away. 
 
TALE XIV. 
 
 The sprite said, " Attend, King Vikram ! There is a 
 city named Kusmavati, of which one Subichar was 
 king, whose daughter's name was Chandra-prabha. 
 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 hand- 
 some, had come into the garden in the course of his 
 wanderings, and meeting with cool shade under a 
 tree, had fallen asleep there. The king's attendants 
 came and made arrangements for the ladies of the 
 seraglio in the garden, but it so happened that none 
 of them saw the Brahman's son sleeping there ; and 
 so he continued sleeping under that tree, and the 
 •princess entered the garden with her attendants. 
 StrolUng about with her companions, where does she 
 come but to the place where the Brahman's son was 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 109 
 
 sleeping ! She no sooner arrived there than he also 
 awoke at the sound of the people's footsteps. The 
 eyes of both met ; and to such a degree did they come 
 under Cupid's power, that on the one side the Brah- 
 man's son fell upon the ground in a swoon, on the 
 other, she too was so beside herself, that her legs 
 began to tremble. Her companions, however, quickly 
 laid hold of her on the very instant. At last, they 
 laid her down in a litter, and brought her home. 
 And the Brahman's son was lying in so complete a 
 state of insensibiUty here, that he had no conscious- 
 ness whatever of his body or mind." 
 
 " During this interval two Brahmans, named Shashi 
 and Miildeva, from the country of Kanvru, where they 
 had studied the (occult) sciences, happened to pass by 
 there. Muldeva, seeing the Brahman's son lying, 
 said, ' Shashi ! how is it that he is lying in such utter 
 unconsciousness?' He rephed, 'A damsel has shot 
 forth the arrows of her eyes from the bow of her eye- 
 brows ; hence he is lying insensible.' Miildeva said, 
 ' We ought to rouse him.' He replied, ' What need 
 is there for you to rouse him?' He did not heed 
 Shashi's words, but sprinkled water over him, and 
 restored him to consciousness, and asked, ' What has 
 been the matter with thee?' T^he Brahman said, 
 ' One should relate his troubles to him who can re- 
 move them ; for what is to be gained by relating your 
 sorrows to him who, on hearing of them, is unable to 
 
110 THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 
 
 remove them ? ' He said, ' Well, tell me your troubles ; 
 I will remove' them.' " 
 
 " On- hearing this, he said, ' It was but now that 
 the princess came here with her companions ; and it 
 was through seeing her that I have fallen into this 
 state. Should I obtain possession of her, I will pre- 
 serve my life ; otherwise I will abandon life.' Then he 
 replied, ' Come to my abode ; I will exert myself to 
 the utmost to obtain her ; and, if I should not suc- 
 ceed, I will bestow great wealth upon thee.' There- 
 upon Manswi said, ' God has created many a jewel in 
 the world ; but the jewel, woman, surpasses all ; and 
 for her sake it is that man treasures up wealth. 
 When I have lost the woman, what will I do with 
 the wealth ? Brute beasts are better ofiT in the world 
 than those who do not possess themselves of hand- 
 some wives. The fruit of merit is wealth, and the 
 advantage of wealth is ease, and the consequence of 
 ease is (the taking) a wife ; now, what happiness can 
 there be where there is no wife ? ' On hearing this, 
 Muldeva said, ' I will give thee whatsoever thou may'st 
 ask for.' Then he said, ' Brahman obtain that 
 same maiden's hand for me.' Miildeva thereupon 
 said, * So be it ; come along with me ; I will have 
 that very maiden bestowed on thee.' " 
 
 "In short, ministering much comfort to him, he 
 took him to his house ; and when he reached there, 
 he prepared two magic pills. One pill he gave to the 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. Ill 
 
 (young) Brahman, saying, ' When thou puttest this 
 into thy mouth, thou wilt be turned into a girl of 
 twelve years; and when thou takest it out of thy 
 mouth, thou wilt become the self-same man thou 
 wert before.' He said further, 'Put this into thy 
 mouth.' On his putting it into his mouth, he be- 
 came a girl of twelve years. And he, (Muldeva) 
 having put the other pill into his own mouth, became 
 transformed into an old man of eighty years; and 
 taking that young girl with him, he proceeded to the 
 king." 
 
 " The king, seeing the Brahman, saluted him, gave 
 him a seat, and another to the young girl also. Then 
 the Brahman gave him his blessing in verse, saying, 
 ' May he whose glory pervades the three worlds ; and 
 who, taking the form of a dwarf, deceived^ King 
 Bali; and who, taking monkeys with him, bridged 
 the ocean f and who, supporting the mountain (Go- 
 
 ' BaK was a powerful king, who, by his austerities and devotion, dveroame 
 Indra in battle, and obtained power over heaven and earth. The gods 
 became alarmed at this, and sought the aid of Vishnu, who visited the 
 earth in the form of a dwarf, and went before BaH, who, according to 
 custom, offered him presents. These the dwarf, affecting utter contempt 
 for worldly wealth, declined, saying he merely wanted as much territory 
 as could be comprised in three of his paces. BaK laughed, and granted his 
 request ; whereupon the dwarf increased his stature to prodigious dimen- 
 sions, and, at one step, placed his foot on the heavens ; at the next, on the 
 earth ; and, no room remaining for the third step, he placed his foot on 
 BaFs head, and so, pressed him down to the region of Ifaga-loka, beneath 
 the earth, where he was kept in confinement, and bound with bonds made 
 of twisted serpents. 
 
 2 Vide note at page 93. 
 
112 THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 
 
 vardhan) on his hand,' protected the cowherds from 
 the bolts of Tndra, — may the same Vasudeva protect 
 you!' On hearing this, the king inquired, 'Whence 
 has your highness come?' The Brahman, Muldeva, 
 repUed, 'I have come from the other side of the 
 Ganges, and my home is there j and I had gone to 
 bring away my son's wife, (and) in my absence, a 
 general flight from the village took place; and so I 
 know not whither my wife and son have fled to. 
 And now, with this girl with me, how shall I seek 
 them? It is, therefore, advisable that I leave this 
 (girl) with your majesty. Keep her with the greatest 
 care until I return.' " 
 
 " On hearing these words of the Brahman's, the 
 king began thinking to himself, ' How shall I take 
 charge of a very beautiful young woman ? And if I 
 do not take her, this Brahman will curse me, (and) 
 my dominion will be overthrown.' Having thought 
 this over in his mind, the king said, ' Your highness ! 
 the command you have given me shall be obeyed.' 
 On this, the king summoned his daughter, and said, 
 ' Daughter ! take this Brahman's daughter-in-law and 
 keep her with you, with all care and attention ; and, 
 whether sleeping or waking, eating or drinking, or 
 moving about, do not let her be away from you for a 
 moment.' On hearing this, the princess took hold of 
 
 * This allusion to the exploits of Erishna the curious reader will find 
 fully explained in the 26th chapter of the " Prem Sagar." 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 113 
 
 the hand of the Brahman's daughter-in-law, and led 
 her away to her own apartment. At night, the two 
 slept in one bed, and began conversing with each 
 other. In the course of conversation, the Brahman's 
 daughter-in-law said, ' Tell me, O princess ! to what 
 trouble is it owing that you have become so worn and 
 feeble?'" 
 
 "The princess said, ' I went one day in the spring, 
 accompanied by my female friends, to stroll about in 
 the garden, and there beheld a very handsome. Cupid- 
 like Brahman, and our eyes met. He swooned away 
 on one side, and I became unconscious on the other. 
 Then my companions, seeing my predicament, brought 
 me home. And I am totally ignorant of both his 
 name and his abode. His image fills my eyes, and I 
 have not the least desire for food and drink. It is 
 through this trouble that my body has been reduced 
 to the state you see.' On hearing this, the Brahman's 
 daughter-in-law said, ' What wilt thou give me if I 
 bring thy beloved and thee together ? ' The princess 
 said, ' I will remain thy slave for ever.' Hearing this, 
 he took the magic pill out of his mouth and became a 
 man again ; and she was abashed at beholding him. 
 After that, the Brahman's son married her after the 
 fashion of Gandharb marriages^ ; and used constantly 
 to convert himself thus into a man at night, and to 
 
 • Vide note at page 82. 
 
114 THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 
 
 remain a woman by day. At length, after six months, 
 the princess became pregnant." 
 
 " They say that, one day, the king went with his 
 whole family to a marriage festival at his minister's 
 house. There the minister's son beheld that Brahman's 
 son disguised aS a woman, and fell in love as soon as 
 he saw her (or him), and began to say to a friend of 
 his, ' If this woman does not become mine, 1 wiU 
 sacrifice my life.' In the interval, the king having 
 partaken of the feast, returned to the palace with his 
 family. But the condition of the minister's son 
 became most painful through the anguish of separation 
 from his beloved, and he gave up food and water. 
 Seeing this state (of his), his friend went and informed 
 the minister. And the minister, on hearing the 
 story, went and said to the king, ' Your majesty ! 
 love for that Brahman's daughter-in-law has brought 
 my son to a wretched state. He has given up eating 
 and drinking. If you would kindly give the 
 Brahman's daughter-in-law to me, his life would be 
 saved.' " 
 
 " On hearing this, the king said angrily, ' Thou 
 fool! It is not the nature of kings to do such a 
 wrong. Hearken ! Is it right to give away to another 
 that which is given in trust, without the permission of 
 the person making over the trust, that you mention 
 this matter to me ?' On hearing this, the minister 
 returned home in despair. But perceiving the suffer- 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 115 
 
 ing of his son, he also gave up meat and drink. 
 When three days passed without the minister's eating 
 and drinking, then, indeed, all the officials combined, 
 and said to the king, ' Your majesty ! the, minister's 
 son is in a precarious state, and in the event of his 
 dying, the minister, too, will not survive. And on 
 the minister's dying, the affairs of the state will come 
 to a stand-still. It is better that you consent to that 
 which we state.' Hearing this, the king gave them 
 permission to speak. Then one of them said, ' Your 
 majesty! it is long since that old Brahman left this, 
 and he has not returned ; God knows whether he is 
 dead or aliVe. It is therefore right that you give that 
 Brahman's daughter-in-law to the minister's son, and 
 so uphold your kingdom ; and should he return, you 
 can give him villages and wealth. Should he not be 
 satisfied with this, get his son married (to another 
 maiden) and let him depart.' " 
 
 " On hearing this, the king sent for the Brahman's 
 daughter-in-law, and said, 'Go thou to the house of my 
 minister's son.' She said, ' The virtue of a woman is 
 destroyed by her being gifted with excessive beauty, 
 and a Brahman's character is lost by his serving a king, 
 and a cow is ruined by grazing in remote pastures, and 
 wealth vanishes on meeting with abuse.' After saying 
 so much, she added, ' If your majesty would give me 
 to the minister's son, settle this matter with him, 
 .viz., that he will do whatever I tell him ; then will I 
 
116 THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 
 
 go to his house.' The king said, ' Say ! what should 
 he do.' She repHed, ' Your majesty ! I am a Brahman 
 woman, and he is a Kshatri by caste ; hence it is best 
 that he first perform all the prescribed pilgrimages ; 
 after that I will cohabit with him.' " 
 
 " When he heard this speech, the king sent for the 
 minister's son and said to him, ' Go thou, first, and 
 visit all the places of pilgrimage ; after that I will give 
 the Brahman's girl to thee.' On hearing these words 
 from the king, the minister's son said, ' Your majesty ! 
 let her go and take up her abode in my house, and 
 then I will go on pilgrimage.' After hearing this, 
 the king said to the Brahman's girl, 'If thou wiU first 
 go and take up thy abode in his house, he will set out 
 on pilgrimage.' Having no alternative, the Brahman's 
 girl went at the king's bidding and took up her abode 
 in his house. Then th,e minister's son said to his wife, 
 ' Do you both live together in one place, on terms of 
 the greatest afiection and friendliness, and on no ac- 
 count quarrel and fight with each other, and never go 
 to a strange house.' " 
 
 " Having given them these instructions, he, for his 
 part, set out on a pilgrimage ; and here (at home), his 
 wife, whose name was Saubhagya-sundari, lying at 
 night on one bed along with the Brahman's daughter- 
 in-law, began conversing on various topics. After 
 some tinie the wife of the minister's son spake as fol- 
 lows: — 'O friend! at this moment I am consumed 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 117 
 
 with the flame of love ; but how can my desire be at- 
 tained ?' The other said, ' If I accompUsh thy desire, 
 what wilt thou give me?' She replied, 'I will be 
 thy humble and obedient slave for ever.' On this he 
 took the magic pill out of his mouth and became 
 transformed into a man. Thus he regularly trans- 
 formed himself into a man by night, and into a woman 
 by day. After that, indeed, great love existed between 
 the two of them." 
 
 " In short, six months passed away in this manner, 
 and the minister's son returned. On the one hand, 
 the people hearing of his arrival, began to rejoice ; and 
 on the other, the Brahman's daughter-in-law, having 
 taken the magic pill out of her mouth and transformed 
 herself into a man, came out from the house by way 
 of the wicket, and went off. Again, after some time, 
 he came to the same Brahman, Mfildeva, who had 
 given him the magic pill, and told him his whole story 
 from beginning to end. Then Miildeva, after hearing 
 all the circumstances, took the magic pill from him 
 and gave it to his companion, Shashi, and each of them 
 put the pill (he had) into his mouth. One was trans- 
 formed into an old man, and the other a young man of 
 twenty. After this the two went to the king's.' " 
 
 " The king saluted them on the instant of seeing 
 them, and gave them seats. And they, too, gave (the 
 king) their blessings. After inquiring after their 
 health and welfare, the king spake to Miildeva, say- 
 ing, 'Where have you been detained for so many days? ' 
 
118 THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 
 
 The Brahman said, ' Your majesty ! I went to search 
 for this son of mine, and having discovered him, I' 
 have brought him to you. If you will now give up 
 his wife, I will take both daughter-in-law and son 
 home.' Then the king related the whole story to the 
 Brahman. The Brahman became very angry on hear- 
 ing it> and said to the king, 'What proceeding is this, 
 for thee to give my son's wife to another ? Well ! thou 
 hast acted as thou pleasedst ; but now receive my curse.' 
 Thereupon the king said, ' O holy man ! be not angry ; 
 I wiU do whatever you bid me.' The Brahman said, 
 ' So be it ; if, through fear of my curse, thou wilt do 
 as I say, then give thy daughter in marriage to my 
 son.' On hearing this, the king summoned an astro- 
 loger, and after having the auspicious conjunction and 
 moment determined, gave his daughter in marriage to 
 the Brahman's son. Then he took, leave of the king 
 and came to his own village, bringing the princess, 
 together with her dowry, along with him." 
 
 " On hearing this intelligence, the Brahman Man- 
 swi also came there, and commenced quarrelling with 
 him, saying, ' Give me my wife.' The Brahman named 
 Shashi said, ' I have married her before ten witnesses 
 and brought her home ; she is my wife.' He replied, 
 'She is with chUd by mej how can she become thy 
 wife ? ' And they went on wrangling with each other. 
 Muldeva reasoned much with both of them, but neither 
 heeded what he said." 
 
 After relating so much of the story, the sprite said, 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 119 
 
 " Say, king Bir Vikramajit ! whose wife was she ? " 
 The king replied, " She became the wife of the Brah- 
 man Shashi." Then the sprite said, "Pregnant by 
 the other Brahman, how could she become the wife of 
 this one?" The king said, "No one was aware of 
 her being with child, by that Brahman ; whereas this 
 one married her in the presence of ten arbitrators; 
 therefore she became his wife. And the child, too, 
 will have the right to perform his funeral obsequies." 
 On hearing this, the sprite went and hung on to the 
 same tree. Again did the king go, and, after binding 
 the sprite, and placing him on his shoulder, carry him 
 away. 
 
TALE XV. 
 
 The sprite said, " O king ! there is a mountain named 
 Himachal, where there is a city of the demigod? (or ' 
 celestial musicians) ; and king Jimutketu ruled there. 
 Once upon a time he worshipped Kalpabriksh •' a 
 great deal for the sake of a son. Thereupon Kalpa- 
 briksh was pleased, and said, ' I am pleased at per- 
 ceiving thy services to me ; ask any boon thou desir- 
 est.' The monarch replied, saying, ' Grant me a son, 
 so that my kingdom and my name may endure.' It 
 (the tree) said, ' Even so shall it be.' " 
 
 " After some time the king had a son. He expe- 
 rienced extreme joy, and held rejoicings with much 
 noise and display. After making numerous presents 
 and charitable gifts, he summoned the priests and 
 fixed on a name for him. The priests named him 
 Jimiit-bahan. When he became twelve years of age 
 he began to worship Shiva; and having completed 
 the study of all the learned writings, became a very 
 
 ' Vide note, p. 72. 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 121 
 
 intelligent, meditative, resolute, intrepid, and learned 
 man ; there was no equal of his in those times. And 
 as many people as dwelt undpr his sway, all were aUve 
 to their respective duties." 
 
 " When he attained to manhood, he, too, worshipped 
 Kalpabriksh assiduously ; whereupon Kalpabriksh was 
 pleased, and said to him, 'Ask whatsoever thou de- 
 sirest, I will give it to thee.' On this, Jimut-hahan 
 said, ' If you are pleased with me, take away all po- 
 verty from my subjects, and let all those who dwell in 
 my dominions become equal in point of possessions 
 and riches.' When Kalpabriksh granted the boon, 
 all became so well off by the possession of wealth, 
 that no one would obey the order of any person, and 
 no one would do work for any one." 
 
 " When the subjects of that realm became such as 
 has been described, the brothers and kinsfolk of the 
 king began to reason together, saying, 'Both father and 
 son are completely under the influence of religion, and 
 the people do not obey their commands ; it is there- 
 fore best to seize and imprison the pair of them, and 
 take their kingdom from them.' In fine, the king 
 was not on his guard against them ; and they having 
 plotted together, went with an army and surrounded 
 the king's palace." 
 
 " When this news reached the king, he said to his 
 son, ' What shall we do now ? ' The prince said, 
 ' Your majesty ! you be pleased to abide here in peace ; 
 I will away and destroy them this instant.' The king 
 
122 THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 
 
 said, ' O sou ! this body is frail, and riches, too, are 
 unabiding; when a man is bom, death, too, attends 
 him; hence we should now give up dominion, and 
 practise religious duties. It is not right to commit a 
 heinous sin for the sake of such a body, and for the sake 
 of a kingdom ; for even king Yudhishthir experienced 
 remorse after his great war vdth the descendants of 
 Bharat.' On hearing this, his son said, ' So be it ! 
 make over the government to your kinsmen, and you 
 yourself depart and practise religious austerities.' " 
 
 " Having resolved on this, and summoned his bro- 
 thers and nephews, and handed over the government 
 to them, father and son both ascended the mountain 
 Malayachal, and on reaching the summit, built a hut 
 and dwelt there. A friendship arose between Jimut- 
 bahan and a holy sage's son. One day the king's 
 son and the son of the sage went out together for a 
 stroll on the top of the mountain. A temple, sacred 
 to Bhawani, came in sight there. Within the temple, 
 a princess, with a lute in her hands, was singing in 
 front of the goddess. The eyes of the princess and 
 those of Jimiit-bahan met, and both became smitten 
 with love. But the princess, restraining her feelings, 
 and stricken with shame, turned her steps homeward ; 
 and he, too, for his part^ being put to shame by the 
 presence of the sage's son, came to his own place. 
 That night was passed by both the lovers {lit. rose- 
 cheeked ones) in extreme restlessness." 
 
 "As soon as morn appeared, the princess set out 
 
THE BAITAL PAOHCHISI. 123 
 
 from her quarter, for the temple of Devi, and the prince, 
 too (starting from this side), no sooner arrived than he 
 perceived that the princess was there. Then he asked 
 her female companion, 'Whose daughter is she?' The 
 companion said, ' She is the daughter of king Malay- 
 ketu; her name is Malaya vati, and she is a virgin as yet.' 
 After saying this, the companion (spoke) again (and) 
 asked the prince, ' Say, handsome man ! vrhence have 
 you come ? and what is your name ? ' He replied, ' I 
 am the son of the monarch of the demi-gods,'whose name 
 is Jimut-ketu ; and my name is Jimut-bahan. In conse- 
 quence of our Government being overthrown, we, father 
 and son, have come and taken up our abode here.' " 
 
 " Again, the companion, after hearing these words, 
 related all to the princess. She was much pained at 
 heart on hearing them, and returned home; and at 
 night she lay down with a load of care on her mind. 
 But her companion perceiving this state of her's, dis- 
 closed the story to her mother. The queen, on hear- 
 ing it, mentioned it to the king, and said, 'Your 
 majesty! your daughter has become marriageable; 
 why do you not seek a husband for her ? ' On hear- 
 ing this, the king thought the matter over in his mind, 
 and that very moment summoned his son Mitravasu, 
 and said, ' Son ! seek a husband for your sister and 
 bring him here.' Then he spoke, saying, ' The king 
 of the demi-gods, Jimiit-ketu by name, and whose son 
 is named Jimut-bahan, having abandoned his king- 
 
124 THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 
 
 dom, has, I hear, come here with his son.' On hearing 
 this, king Malay-ketu said, 'I will give the girl to 
 Jimiit-bahan.' " 
 
 " Having said this, he bade his son go and bring 
 Jimiit-bahan from the king's. He, on receipt of the 
 king's command, set out for that house, and, on 
 arriving there, said to the father, 'Let your son 
 accompany me, as my father has sent for him to 
 bestow his daughter upon him.' On hearing this, king 
 Jimiit-ketu sent his son along with him, and he came 
 here (to King Malay-ketu's house). Then King 
 Malay-ketu celebrated his marriage Gandharb fashion. 
 When his marriage had taken place, he brought the 
 bride and Mitravasu with him to his own house. 
 Then the three of them paid their respects to the 
 king, and the king also gave them his blessing. Thus 
 did that day pass.' " 
 
 " On the morrow's morn, however, the two princes 
 went out, as soon as they rose, to take a walk on that 
 mountain of Malayagir.^ On reaching the place, 
 what does Jimut-bahan perceive but a very lofty heap, 
 of something white. Thereupon he questioned his 
 brother-in-law, saying, ' Brother ! how is it that this 
 white heap is seen here ? ' He replied, ' Millions of 
 
 ' This mountain has abeady been called Malay achal j the change of name 
 is merely apparent, however, for acJial and giri both signify hill or mown- 
 tain ; Malaya Is the actual name. It is a mountain south of the If arbada, 
 and is made famous in Sanskrit poetry for the cool southerly breeze which 
 always prevails there. 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 125 
 
 young nags (or serpents with human faces) come here 
 from the infernal regions ; these Gamf comes and 
 devours ; this heap is composed of their bones.' On 
 hearing this, Jimut bahan said to his brother-in-law, 
 ' Friend ! you go home (alone) and take your food ; 
 for I always engage in worship at this hour, and the 
 time for me to worship has now arrived.' " 
 
 " On hearing this, he did go ; and Jimut-bahan 
 having advanced further, the sound of weeping began 
 to reach him. When, continuing his advance in the 
 direction of the sound of the voice, he reached the 
 spot, what does he behold but an old woman weeping 
 with the burden of her trouble. He went up to her 
 and asked, ' Why weepest thou, mother ? ' There- 
 upon she said, ' To-day comes the turn of the serpent 
 Sankhchur, who is my son ; Garur will come and eat 
 him up ; it is on account of this trouble that I weep.' 
 He said, ' mother ! weep not ; I will give up my 
 life in lieu of thy son's.' The old woman said, ' Pray 
 do not so! thou art my (son) Sankhchur.' " 
 
 " She was saying this, when, at that moment, 
 Sankhchur arrived; and hearing (her words), said, 
 ' Your majesty ! worthless wretches like myself are 
 born and die in vast numbers ; but a just and com- 
 
 ' Qarwr ia a gigantiq bird with a human face, said to be the vehicle of 
 Vishnu. He is the elder brother of Indra, being the produce of the second 
 egg laid by Bauita. This will account for Garur's possessing the power to 
 bring nectar from the nether regions. 
 
126 THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 
 
 passionate being like you is not born every day {lit. 
 every hour) ; do not, therefore, sacrifice your life for 
 mine ; for, thousands of human beings will be bene- 
 fited by your remaining alive ; whereas it makes no 
 difference whether I live or die.' Then Jimiit-bahan 
 said, ' It is not the way of true men to say (that they 
 will do a thing) and (then) not to do it. Go thou 
 whence thou earnest.' " 
 
 " When he heard this, Shankhchiir, for his part, 
 went to pay adoration to Devi, and Garur descended 
 from the sky. In the meantime, the prince perceived 
 that each leg of his was as long as four bamboos, and 
 his beak was as long as a palm-tree, his belly like a 
 mountain, his eyes like gates, and his feathers like 
 clouds. All at once he rushed with open beak upon 
 the prince. The first time the prince saved himself ; 
 but the second time he flew off" with him in his beak, 
 and began wheeling upwards in the air. While this 
 was going on, a bracelet, on the jewel of which the 
 prince's name was engraved, became unfastened, and 
 fell, all covered with blood, before the princess. She 
 fell down in a swoon at the sight of it." 
 
 "When, after a few minutes, she recovered her 
 senses, she sent word of all that had happened to her 
 father and mother. They came (to her) on hearing of 
 this calamity, and on seeing the ornament covered 
 with blood, burst into tears. Now, the three of them 
 set out in quest (of him), and, on the road, Shankhchiir 
 too joined them, and advancing beyond them, went 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 127 
 
 to the place where he had seen the prince, and began 
 calling out repeatedly, saying, ' Garur ! let him 
 go ! let him go ! He is not thy food. My name is 
 Shankchur. I am thy food.' " 
 
 " On hearing this, Garur descended in alarm, 
 and thought to himself, 'I have eaten either a 
 Brahman or a Kshatri ; what is this I have done ! ' 
 After this, he said to the prince, ' O man ! tell me 
 truly ; why art thou giving up thy life ? ' The prince 
 replied, 'O Garur! trees cast their shade over 
 others ; and while they themselves stand in the sun, 
 blossom and bear fruit for the benefit of others. 
 Such is the character of good men and trees. What 
 is the advantage of this body if it do not come of use 
 to others ? The saying is well known that, ' The 
 more they rub sandal-wood, the more it gives out its 
 perfume ; and the more they go on peeling the sugar- 
 cane, and cutting it up into pieces, the more does its 
 flavour increase • and the more they pass gold through 
 the fire, the more surpassingly beautiful does it be- 
 come. Those who are noble do not give up their 
 natural qualities even on losing their lives. What 
 matters it whether men praise them or blame them ? 
 What matters it whether riches abide with them or 
 not ? What does it signify whether they die this 
 moment, or after a length of time ? The men who 
 walk in the path of rectitude place not their feet in 
 any other path, happen what may. What matters it 
 
128 THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 
 
 whether they are fat or lean ? In fact, his living is 
 bootless whose body proves of no benefit (to anyone) ; 
 while those who live for the good of others — their 
 - living is advantageous. To live for the mere sake of 
 living, is the way in which dogs and crows, even, 
 cherish life. Those who lay down their lives for the 
 sake of a Brahman, a cow, a friend; or a wife, nay, 
 more, for the sake of a stranger, assuredly dwell in 
 paradise for ever.' " 
 
 " Garur said, ' Everyone in the world cherishes his 
 own life ; and scarce, indeed, are those in the world 
 who lay down their own lives to save the lives of 
 others.' After ' saying this, Garur added, 'Ask a 
 boon ; I am pleased with thy courage.' On hearing 
 this, Jimiit-bahan said, ' O god ! if you are pleased 
 with me, then henceforth eat no more serpents, and 
 restore to life those you have eaten.' On hearing 
 this, Garur brought the water of life from the in- 
 fernal regions, and sprinkled it over the bones of the 
 serpents, so that they rose up alive again. And he 
 said to him (the prince), ' O Jimut-bahan, by my 
 favour thy lost kingdom will be restored to thee.' " 
 
 "After granting this boon, Garur departed to his 
 own abode, and Sankhchur also went home; and 
 Jimut-bahan too left the place, and met his father-in- 
 law and mother-in-law and wife on the road Then 
 he came in their company to his father. When they 
 heard of these circumstances, his uncle and cousins, 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 129 
 
 and indeed all his kinsfolk, came to visit him, and 
 after falling at his feet (to implore forgiveness), took 
 him away, and placed him on the throne." 
 
 After relating so much of the story, the sprite 
 asked, " king ! whose virtue was greatest among 
 these?" King Bir Vikramajit replied, "Sankh- 
 chur's." "How so?" asked the sprite. The king 
 said, " Sankhchur, who had gone away (and so, got 
 safe off,) returned to give up his life, and saved him 
 (the prince) from being eaten by Garur." The sprite 
 said, " Why was not the virtue of him greatest, who 
 laid Jdown his life for another?" The king replied, 
 "Jimut-bahan was a Kshatrl by caste. He was ac- 
 customed to holding his life in his hand, and hence 
 he found it no hard matter to sacrifice his life." On 
 hearing this, the sprite went again and hung on to 
 that tree; and the king, having gone there and 
 bound him, placed him on his shoulder, and carried 
 him off. 
 
TALE XVI. 
 
 The sprite said, " O King Bir Vikramajit ! there is a 
 city named Chandra-shekhar, and a merchant named 
 Ratandatt was an inhabitant thereof. He had one 
 only daughter, whose name was Unmadini. 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, and said to them, ' Glp and inspect 
 the appearance of the merchant's daughter.' They 
 came to the merchant's house at the monarch's bid- 
 ding, and aU became fascinated at the sight of the 
 girl's beauty, — such beauty, as if a brilliant light was 
 placed in a dark house ; eyes like those of a gazelle ; 
 plaits of hair like female snakes ; eyebrows like a 
 bow ; nose like a parrot's ; a set of teeth (lit. the set 
 of thirty -two) like a string of pearls; lips like the 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 131 
 
 kandwn-^ throat like a pigeon's; waist like the 
 leopard's ; hands and feet like a tender lotus ; a face 
 hke the moon, a complexion of the colour of the 
 champd, a gait like that of a goose, and a voice Hke 
 the cuckoo's ; at the sight of her beauty the female 
 divinities of India's paradise vpould feel abashed." 
 
 " On beholding beauty of this kind, so abundantly 
 rich in all graces, they decided among themselves, 
 (saying), ' If such a woman enter the king's household, 
 the king will become her slave, and will not give a 
 thought to the affairs of government. Hence, it is 
 better to tell the king that she is ill-favoured, (and) 
 not worthy of him.' Having determined thus, they 
 came thence to the king, and gave the following ac- 
 count : — ' We have seen the girl ; she is not worthy 
 of you.' On hearing this, the king said to the mer- 
 chant, 'I will not wed her.' Thereupon what does 
 the merchant do on returning home, but give his 
 daughter in marriage to one Balbhadra, who was the 
 commander in-chief of the king's army. She took up 
 her abode in his house." 
 
 "It is said that, one day, the royal cavalcade 
 passed by that way ; and she too was standing, fully 
 attired, on her house-top, at the moment ; (and) her 
 eyes and those of the monarch chanced to meet. The 
 king began to say to himself, ' Is this the daughter of 
 a god, or a female divinity, or the daughter of a 
 human being ? ' The short of it is, he was fascinated 
 
 ' Vide note, page 74. 
 
132 THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 
 
 at the sight of her beauty, and returned thence to his 
 palace in a state of extreme agitation. The warder, 
 on beholding his countenance, said, ' Your majesty ! 
 what bodily pain are you suffering from?' The 
 monarch replied, 'While coming along the road to- 
 day I saw a beautiful woman on a house-top. I 
 know not whether she is a houri, or a fairy, or a 
 human being; but her beauty drove my mind dis- 
 tracted all at once; and hence (it is that) I am 
 agitated.' " 
 
 "On hearing this, the door-keeper said, 'Your 
 majesty ! she is the daughter of that same merchant 
 (who offered his daughter to you). Balbhadra, your 
 majesty's commander-in-chief, has brought her home 
 as his wife.' The king said, ' Those whom I sent to 
 see her appearance have deceived me.' After saying 
 this, the king ordered the mace-bearer to bring those 
 persons before him without delay. On receiving this 
 order from the king, the mace-bearer went and brought 
 them. In short, when they came before the king, his 
 majesty said, ' The errand on which I sent you, and 
 that which was the desire of my heart — these things 
 you failed to accomplish ; on the contrary, you fabri- 
 cated a false story, and gave it to me as an answer. 
 Now, to-day, I have seen her with my own eyes. She 
 is so beautiful a woman, rich in all distinguishing 
 qualities, that it would be difficult to meet with her 
 equal in these times.' " 
 
 " On hearing; this, they said, ' What your majesty 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 133 
 
 says is true; but graciously listen to the object we 
 had in view in representing her to your majesty as ill- 
 favoured. We decided among ourselves that, if so 
 beautiful a woman enter the royal household, your 
 majesty would become her slave on the instant of be- 
 holding her, and would neglect all the affairs of the 
 State, and so the kingdom would go to ruin. It 
 was in consequence of this apprehension that we in- 
 vented such a story^ and laid it before you.' " 
 
 " When he heard this, the king said to them, ' You 
 speak the truth j' but he experienced the greatest un- 
 easiness thinking of her. Now, the king's distress of 
 mind was known to everyone, when, at the moment, 
 Beflbhadra, too, arrived, and putting his hands to- 
 gether (in humble supplication), stood before the king, 
 and said, ' lord of the earth ! I am your servant, 
 she is your hand-maid, and you to suffer so much 
 pain on her account ! Be pleased, therefore, to give 
 the order that she may be brought before you.' On 
 hearing these words, the king said very angrily, 'It 
 is a grievous wrong to approach another's wife ! 
 What is this thou hast said to me ? What ! am I a 
 lawless wretch, that I should commit an infamous 
 deed ! The wife of another is as a mother, and the 
 wealth of another is on a par with mud. Hear me, 
 brother 1 As a man regards his own heart, so should 
 he regard the hearts of others.' Balbhadra spoke 
 again, saying, ' She is my servant. When I give her 
 
134 THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 
 
 to your majesty, how can she any longer be the wife 
 of another?' The king replied, 'I will not commit 
 an act whereby reproach would attach to me in the 
 world.' The commander-in-chief said again, 'Your 
 majesty ! I will turn her out of the house, and place 
 her somewhere else, and after making a prostitute of 
 her, will bring her to you.' There,upon the monarch 
 said, ' If thou makest a harlot of a virtuous woman 
 I will punish thee severely.' " 
 
 " After saying this, the king pined at the recollec- 
 tion of her, and, in the course of ten days, died. 
 Then the commander-in-chief, Balbhadra, went and 
 asked his spiritual teacher, ' My master has died for 
 the sake of Unmadini ; what is it right for me to do 
 now ? Favour.me with your commands in this matter.' 
 He said, ' It is the duty of a servant to give up his 
 life also after his master's.' This servant gladly went 
 to the place where they had conveyed the king for 
 cremation. During the time in which the king's 
 funeral pile was got ready, he, too, had quitted himself 
 of his ablutions and devotions; and when they lighted 
 the pile, he too drew near the pile, and raising his 
 joined hands to the sun, began to say, ' O Sun-deity ! 
 in thought, word and deed, I soUcit the gratification 
 of this desire, viz., that at every successive birth I 
 may meet with this same master, and (for this) hymn 
 your praises.' Having uttered this, he bowed in 
 adoration, and leaped into the fire." 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 135 
 
 "When Unmadini received this intelligence, she 
 went to her spiritual teacher, and telling him all, asked, 
 saying, 'Your highness ! what is the duty of a wife?' 
 He replied, ' It is by doing her duty to him to whom 
 her father and mother have given her that she is 
 termed a woman of good family ; and it is thus written 
 in the book of. law, viz. — The woman who in her hus- 
 band's lifetime practises austerities and fasting, shortens 
 the life of her husband, and is finally cast into hell- 
 But the best thing is this, that a woman by doing her 
 duty to her husband, no matter how wanting he may 
 be, secures her own salvation. Moreover, the woman 
 who entertains the desire to sacrifice herself for her 
 husband in the burning-ground, most undoubtedly 
 derives as much benefit from as many steps as she 
 takes towards this as would be derived from an equal 
 number of horse-sacrifices.' Further, there is no virtue " 
 equal to that of a woman's sacrificing herself for her 
 husband on the funeral pile.' On hearing this, she 
 made her salutation, and returned home; and after 
 bathing, and performing her devotions, and giving 
 large gifts to Brahmans, went to the funeral pile, and 
 going once round to the right in adoration, said, ' 
 Lord! I am Thy servant in each succeeding birth,' 
 Having said this, she, too, went and seated herself in 
 the fire, and was consumed." 
 
 ' The ashuMmedha, or horse-sacrifice, is one performed by powerful 
 kings alone, as it involves a vast expense. It is regarded as of the highest 
 efficacy, and as far excelling all ordinary sacrifices. 
 
136 THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 
 
 After relating; so mucli of the story, the sprite said, 
 " king ! whose virtue was greatest of these three ? 
 King Bir Vikramajit replied, "The king's." The 
 sprite said, " How so?" The king replied, " He left 
 alone the wife given to him by the commander-in-chief, 
 while he sacrificed his life on her account, and yet 
 preserved his virtue. It behoves a servant to lay down 
 his life for his master; and it is right for a wife to 
 sacrifice herself for her lord. Therefore the virtue of 
 the king was greatest." Having heard these words, 
 the sprite went and hung on to that same tree. The 
 king, too, followed him, and again bound him, and 
 placed him on his shoulder, and carried him away. 
 
TALE XVII. 
 
 The sprite said, " Your majesty ! there was a king of 
 Ujjain, named Mahasain ; and an inhabitant of that 
 place was a Brahman, Devasharma, whose son's name 
 was Gunakar. He (the son) tm"ned 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 Gunakar out of house 
 and home. And he coqld not help himself in any 
 way; (so) having no other resource, he took his de- 
 parture from the place, and in several days' time came 
 to a certain city. What does he see there but a de- 
 votee sitting over a fire, and inhaling smoke by way of 
 penance. After saluting him, he, too, sat down there. 
 The devotee asked him, ' Wilt thou eat anything ? ' 
 He replied, ' Your highness ! of course I will eat, if 
 you give me (something).' The devotee filled a hu-* 
 man skull with food and brought it to him. On 
 seeing it he said, 'I'll not eat food out of this skull.' " 
 " When he did not partake of the food, the ascetic 
 
138 THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 
 
 repeated such an incantation, that a fairy' appeared 
 before him with joined hands, and said, ' Your high- 
 ness ! I will execute any command you may give me.' 
 The ascetic said, ' Give this Brahman whatever food 
 he desires.' On hearing this, she built a very fine 
 house, and furnishing it with all comforts, took him 
 away with her from that place, and seating him on a 
 stool, placed various kinds of condiments and meats, 
 by dishfuls, before him. He ate whatever he Hked 
 to his heart's content. Again, after this, she placed 
 the pan-box before him, and after rubbing down safiron 
 and sandal in rose-water, applied (the mixture) to his 
 body. Farther, she clothed him in garments scented 
 with sweet perfumes, threw a garland of flowers round 
 his neck, and bringing him away thence, seated him 
 on a bed. Now while this was taking place it became 
 evening, and she, too, having first decked herself out, 
 went and sat on the bed, and the Brahman passed 
 the whole night in pleasure and enjoyment." 
 
 " When morn arrived, the fairy went away to her 
 own place, and he came to the devotee and said, 
 'Master! she's gone away; what shall I do now?' 
 The ascetic said, ' She came through the power of 
 magic art, and abides near him who possesses the art.' 
 He replied, ' Impart this art to me, your highness ! 
 that I may practise it.' Then the devotee gave him a 
 
 ' Yakshani is a female Yalcsha, or kind of demi-god, attendant on Ku- 
 vera, the god of wealth. 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. ■ 139 
 
 charm, and said, ' Practise this charm for forty days, 
 at midnight, sitting in water, and with a steadfast 
 mind.' Thus used he to go to prs^ctise the charm, 
 while many and various frightful objects appeared in 
 view ; but he felt no alarm at any of them. When 
 the time expired, he came to the devotee and said, 
 ' Your highness ! I come from practising (the charm) 
 for the number of days you prescribed.' He said, 
 ' Now practise it for that number of days, sitting in 
 fire.' He replied, ' Master ! I will go and pay a visit 
 to my family, and then return and practise it.' " 
 ' "After saying this to the devotee, he took leave 
 and went home ; and when his relations saw him, they 
 embraced him and commenced weeping; while his 
 father said, ' Gunakar ; where have you been so 
 many days, and why did you forget your home ! 
 my son, it is said that, he who leaves a faithful wife 
 and, hves apart, and turns his back on a youthful 
 woman, or he who does not care for one who loves 
 him, is on a level with the lowest ^ of the low. It is 
 - said, farther, that no virtue equals the domestic virtues, 
 and no woman in the world imparts happiness equal 
 to that which the mistress of one's house imparts ; and 
 those who slight their parents are impious men, and 
 their future state will never, never be one of salvation ; 
 thus has Brahma declared.' " 
 
 "On this Gunakar spoke, saying, 'This body is 
 
 ' IM.—\i equal to a chandil, or man of the lowest of the mixed tribes. 
 
140 , THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 
 
 composed of flesh and blood, which same is food for 
 worms ; and its nature is such that, if you neglect it 
 for a day, a fetid smell proceeds from it. Fools are 
 they who feel affection for such a body, and wise are 
 they who set not their heart on it, Further, it is of 
 the nature of this body that it is repeatedly born and 
 destroyed. What dependence can one place on such 
 a body ! Cleanse it ever so much, it does not become 
 clean ; Just as an earthen vessel, filled with filth, does 
 not become clean by washing the outer surface; or 
 however much one washes charcoal, it does not become 
 white. Again, by what means can that body become 
 clean, in which the fount of impurity is never-failing ? ' 
 Having said so much, he spoke again, saying, 'Whose 
 father (is one) ? Whose mother ? Whose wife ? WTiose 
 brother ? ' The way of this world is such, that num- 
 bers come and numbers depart. Those who offer 
 sacrifices and burnt-offerings consider Agni (fire) their 
 god ; while those who are deficient in understanding 
 make an image and worship it as god ; but the class 
 of ascetics regard god as in their very bodies. I will 
 not practise such domestic duties (as those you have 
 mentioned), but will practise religious meditation.' '"^ 
 " Having said this, he bid adieu to his kindred, and 
 
 ' This may also be rendered, " Wlio has a father," &e. 
 
 ° YogaVhyas may mean, either " the particular practice of deyotion by 
 which union with Q-od is supposed to be obtained," or " the practice of 
 the magic art." 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 141 
 
 came where the devotee was, and practised the charm, 
 seated in fire. The fairy, however, did not come. 
 Then he went to the devotee, and the devotee said 
 to him, 'Hast thou not acquired the art?' There- 
 upon he said, ' Just so, Master ! I have not acquired 
 it ! '" 
 
 Having related so much of the story, the sprite said, 
 ' Say, O king ! why did he not acquire the art ? ' The 
 king repHed, saying, ' The practiser was of two minds, 
 {i.e., did not give his undivided attention to the task), 
 and hence he failed to acquire it. And it is said that 
 a spell is perfected by (the operator's) being of one 
 mind (or by his giving his entire mind to it), and 
 does not succeed on his thoughts being divided. Fur- 
 ther, it is also said that those who are wanting in 
 liberality do not obtain celebrity ; and those who lack 
 truthfulness are without shame ; those who are want- 
 ing in justice do not acquire wealth ; and those who 
 lack meditation do not find God." 
 
 "When the sprite heard this he said, 'How can 
 the operator who sat in fire to work his spell be 
 termed two-minded?' The king replied, 'When, at 
 the time of praijtising the spell, he went to visit his 
 family, the devotee said to himself in vexation, ' Why 
 did I teach the magic art to so vacillating an operator?' 
 and it was in consequence of this that he did not ac- 
 quire- the art. And it is said, that however much a 
 man may exert himself, destiny attends him all the 
 
142 THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 
 
 same ; and whatever number of things he may achieve 
 by force of his intellect, he, nevertheless, obtains that 
 alone which fate has recorded." On hearing this the 
 sprite went again and hung on to that tree ; and the 
 king, too, followed him, and having bound him, and 
 placed him on his shoulder, took him away. 
 
TALE XVIII. 
 
 The sprite said, " Your majesty ! There was a city 
 named Kubalpur, tlie name of the king of which was 
 Sudakshi, Now, a merchant named Dhanakshi 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 pro- 
 perty. She, in her helplessness, left the house in the 
 darkness of the night, and taking her daughter with 
 her, set out for the house of her parents." 
 
 " After proceeding but a short distance, she lost the 
 road, and came upon a burning-ground, where a thief 
 was stretched upon an impaling-stake. Her hand 
 quite unexpectedly came in contact with his foot. He 
 called out, 'Who is it that put me to pain just now?' 
 On this she replied, 'I have not willingly inflicted pain 
 on you; forgive my fault.' He said, 'No one gives 
 
144 THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 
 
 either pain or pleasure to another ; according as the 
 Creator decrees one's fate shall be, so he experiences ; 
 and those.who affirm that they did such and such things, 
 are very unwise ; for men are fixed to the cord of fate, 
 which draws them after it whithersoever it pleases. 
 The ways of the Creator are utterly inscrutable ; for 
 men propose a thing to themselves, and He brings 
 something quite different to pass.' " 
 
 " On hearing this, Dhanvati said, ' man ! who 
 art thou?' He replied, 'I am a thief; this is my 
 third day on the impaling-stake, and life will not quit 
 the body.' She, said, 'For what reason ? ' He replied, 
 saying, ' I am unmarried ; if thou wilt give me thy 
 daughter in marriage, I will give thee ten millions of 
 gold-mohurs.' It is notorious that greediness of gain 
 is the root of all evil, pleasure the source of pain, and 
 love the source of sorrow. Whoever keeps clear of 
 these three lives happy. It is not every one, however, 
 who can give them up. Eventually, Dhanvati, through 
 greed, became willing to give him her daughter, and 
 asked, * It is my desire that thou shouldst have a son ; 
 but how can this be ? ' He replied, saying, ' When 
 she attains to womanhood, send for a handsome 
 Brahman, and give him five hundred gold-mohurs, 
 and place her with him ; thus will she have a son.' " 
 
 " When she heard this, Dhanvati married the girl 
 to him by giving her four turns round the stake. 
 Then the thief said to her, ' There is a banyan -tree 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISX. 145 
 
 near a large well of masonry to the east of this ; the 
 gold-mohurs lie buried beneath it ; go thou and take 
 thera.' He said this, and died. She went in the 
 direction indicated, and on arriving there, took a few 
 gold-mohurs from those buried, and came to, her 
 parents' house. After relating her story to them, she 
 brought them with her to her husband's land. Then 
 she built a large, house and began living in it ; and the 
 girl increased in stature daily." 
 
 " When she had become a woman, she was standing 
 one day with a female companion on the house-top, 
 and casting her eyes along the road, while just at 
 that moment a young Brahman passed that way, and 
 she, at the sight of him, was smitten with love, and 
 said to her friend, ' O my friend ! bring this man to 
 , ray mother.' On hearing this, she went and brought 
 the Brahman to her mother. She said, on seeing 
 him, ' O Brahman ! my daughter is young ; if thou 
 wilt lie with her, I will give thee a hundred gold- 
 mohurs for a son.' On hearing this, he said, ' I will 
 o so. 
 " Whilst they were conversing thus, evening came 
 on. They gave him food to his mind, and he supped. 
 It is a well known saying that enjoyment is of eight 
 kinds, — 1. Perfume ; 2. Woman ; 3. Apparel ; 4. Song ; 
 5. Pan; 6. Food; 7. The couch; 8. Ornaments. 
 All these existed there. To be brief, when the first 
 watch of the night was at hand (or, was nigh passed), 
 
 10 
 
]46 THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 
 
 he repaired to the nuptial chamber, and spent the 
 whole night in pleasure and enjoyment with her. 
 When it became morning, he went home, and she 
 arose and came to her companions. Then one of 
 them enquired, ' Say ! What pleasures did you enjoy 
 with your love in the night?' She replied, 'When 
 I went and sat near him, a kind of tremour made 
 itself felt in my heart ; (but) when he smifed and took 
 hold of my hand, I was quite overcome, and no 
 consciousness of what took place remained to me. 
 And it is said that if a husband be — 1. possessed 
 of renown; 2. brave; 3. clever; 4. a chief; 5. 
 liberal ; 6. endowed with good qualities ; 7. a pro- 
 tector of his wife, — such a man a wife never forgets 
 even in the world to come, much less in this world." 
 
 " The gist of the story is, that on that very night, 
 she conceived. When the full time came, a boy was 
 born. On the sixth night, the mother saw in a vision 
 an ascetic, with matted hair on his head, a shining 
 moon on his forehead, ashes of burnt cow- dung rubbed 
 over him, wearing a white Brahminical thi'ead; seated 
 on a white lotus, wearing a necklace of white snakes, 
 with a string of skulls thrown round his neck, and 
 with a skull in one hand and a trident in the other, 
 thus assuming a most terrifying appearance, come 
 before her, and begin to say, ' To-morrow, at mid- 
 night, place a bag of one thousand gold-mohurs in a 
 large basket, and enclosing this boy therein, leave it 
 at the gate of the palace.' " 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. ]47 
 
 As soon as she saw this, her eyes opened. And 
 on its becoming morning, she told all the circumstances 
 to her mother. When her mother heard this, she, on 
 the following day, put the boy in a basket in the 
 very manner directed, and left him at the king's gate. 
 Now, here (at the palace) the king saw an apparition 
 with ten arms, five heads, each head having three 
 eyes in it, and a moon upon it, very large, teeth, a 
 trident in his hand — a most terrifying form, which 
 came before him and said, 'O king! a basket is 
 placed at thy door; bring away the child that is in it ; 
 he it is who vsriH maintain thy dominion.' " 
 
 "As soon as the king heard this, his eyes opened. 
 He then related the whole affair to the queen. After 
 that, rising up thence, and coming to the door, he 
 perceived the basket placed there. On the instant of 
 opening the basket and peering into it, he beheld a 
 boy and a bag of one thousand gold-niohurs in it. 
 He took up the child himself, and told the door- 
 keepers to bring in the bag, He then went into' the 
 female apartments, and placed the child on the 
 queen's lap." 
 
 " By this time the day broke. The king came out, 
 and summoning the sages and astrologers, questioned 
 them, saying, * Tell me, what marks of royalty are 
 perceptible in this child ? ' Thereupon one of the 
 sages, who was acquainted with the science of inter- 
 preting the spots on the human body, spoke, saying, 
 
148 THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 
 
 ' Your, majesty ! three marks are distinctly perceived 
 on this child ; La broad chest ; 2. a high forehead'; 
 3. a large face ; in addition to these, your majesty ! 
 the whole thirty-two marks which are assigned to 
 man exist in this one. Have no apprehensions on 
 his account ; he will rule over the kingdom.' On 
 hearing this, the king was pleased, and taking off a 
 chaplet of pearls from his own neck, presented it to 
 that Brahman ; and after giving large gifts to all the 
 Brahmans, he bade them name the child. Then the 
 sages said, ' Your majesty ! be pleased to sit down 
 with the queen fastened to you ; let her majesty sit 
 with the child in her lap ; and summon all the 
 musicians, sing'ers, and others employed on festive 
 occasions, and cause rejoicings to take place ; then 
 will we give him a name after the manner prescribed 
 by the sacred writings.' " 
 
 " When the monarch heard this, he ordered hi^ 
 minister to do whatever they bid him. The minister 
 had rejoicings for the birth of the child forthwith 
 proclaimed throughout the city. On hearing this, all 
 the professional rejoicers were in attendance, and con- 
 gratulatory songs rung forth from every home ; festive 
 music began to strike up in the king's palace, and re- 
 joicing to take place. Then the king and the queen, 
 with the child in her lap, came and sat within a 
 square filled with coloured meal, perfumes, and sweet- 
 meats, and the Brahmans began reading the scrip- 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 149 
 
 tures. An astrologer from among the Brahmans, 
 having first determined the auspicious planetary con- 
 junction and time, named the child Hardatt. After 
 that, he grew daily. At length, at the age of nine 
 years, he finished the study of the six learned volumes, 
 and fourteen sciences, and became a profound scholar. 
 In the meantime, according to what was willed by 
 God, it happened that his father and mother died. He 
 ascended the throne, and began to goverh justly." 
 
 " After several years, the king one day thought to 
 himself, ' What have I done for my parents in return 
 for being born in their family ? The saying is that, 
 — Those who are compassionate, deal compassion- 
 ately with all ; they it is who are wise, and to them 
 it is that Paradise is allotted. And the gifts, worship,^ 
 rejigious penances, pilgrimages, and listening to the 
 scriptures of those who are not pure of heart, is all in 
 vain. And those who perform the funeral ceremonies 
 and worship of the Manes without faith, and in pride, 
 derive no advantage thereby, and so, their fathers go 
 with their desires unfulfilled.' Reflecting and ponder- 
 ing on this matter, the king decided that he ought 
 now to perform the funeral ceremonies of his fathers. 
 Thereupon King Hardatt proceeded to Gaya, and on 
 arriving there, invoked the names of his fathers, 
 and began offering oblations^ to them on the bank of 
 
 1 These oblations consiet of balls (pind) or lumps of meat, or rice 
 mixed up with milk, curds, flowers, &c. 
 
150 THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 
 
 the River Phalgu, when the hands of all three* came 
 up out of the river. He was troubled in mind on 
 seeing this, wondering to which of the hands he 
 should give (the oblations), and to which not." 
 
 Having reached this stage of the story, the sprite 
 said, " O King Vikram ! to which of the three was it 
 right to give the oblations?" Then the king said, 
 "To the thief." The sprite said again, "For what 
 reason?" Thereupon he (the king) said, "The seed 
 of the Brahman had been bought ; and the king took 
 a thousand gold mohurs and brought up the boy; 
 and therefore neither of these two had any right to 
 the oblation." On hearing these words, the sprite 
 went again and hung on to that tree, and the Idng 
 carried him away bound from thence. 
 
 ' That is the thief's, the Brahman's who begat him, and the king's who 
 adopted him. The Hindus beUeve that when a son performs the ceremony 
 in question, the father is permitted to come from the other world and 
 rdceiye the oblation. 
 
TALE XIX. 
 
 The sprite said, " O king ! there is a city named 
 Chitrakut, 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 
 tool 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) he tied his 
 horse to a tree, and spread the saddle-cloth, and sat 
 down. A half-hour or so had passed when the 
 daughter of a holy sage, very beautiful, and in the 
 prime of youth, came to gather flowers. Seeing her 
 plucking the flowers, the king became deeply en- 
 amoured. When she was returning to her abode, 
 after gathering the flowers, the king said, ' What con- 
 duct is this of yours,'^ for you not to attend to me 
 when I have come as a guest to your abode?' " 
 "On hearing this she stood still again. Then 
 
152 THE BAITAIi PACHCHISl. 
 
 the king said, ' They say that if one of low caste come 
 as a gaest to the house of one of the highest caste, 
 even he is entitled to respect ; and whether he be a 
 thief, or an outcast, or an enemy, or a parricide, — if 
 such a one even comes to one's house, it is right to 
 show him honour ; for a guest is more to be honoured 
 than anycme else.' When the king spoke thus, she 
 stood still. Then, in truth, the two began to ogle 
 one another. In the meantime the holy sage also 
 came up. The \ing saluted the devotee on seeing 
 him, and he (in return) blessed him, saying, ' May 
 you live long.' " 
 
 " Having said so much, he asked the king, ' Why 
 have you come here?' He replied, ' Your holiness ! 
 I have come a hunting.' He said, ' Why dost thou 
 commit a great sin ? It is said that one man com- 
 mits a sin and many men reap the fruits thereof.' 
 The king said, ' Your holiness ! kindly favour me 
 with your judgment of right and wrong.' Thereupon 
 tlie sage said, ' Attend, your majesty ! A great wrong 
 is done in killing an animal that lives in the forest, 
 supporting itself on grass ^ and water ; and it is a 
 very meritorious act in man to cherish beasts and 
 birds. It is said, moreover, that those who render 
 unapprehensive the timid and refuge-seeking, receive 
 the reward of those who are most liberal givers. It 
 is also said, that no religious austerity equals forbear- 
 
 ' The text has tan, by mistake, for triti. 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 153 
 
 ance, and no happiness equals that of contentment, 
 and no wealth equals friendship, and there is no 
 virtue like mercy. Moreover, those men who are 
 conscious of their duties, and show no pride on ac- 
 quiring riches, accomplishments, learning, renown, or 
 supremacy; and those who are content with their 
 own wives, and are truth-speakers — such men obtain 
 final salvation hereafter. And those who kill ascetics 
 with matted hair, and without clothes and arms, ex- 
 perience the torments of hell at the last. And the 
 king who does not punish the oppressors of his sub- 
 jects, he also experiences the torments of hell. And 
 those who have carnal intercourse with a king's wife, 
 or the wife or daughter of a friend, or with a woman 
 eight or nine months advanced in pregnancy — they 
 are cast into the (lowest and) greatest hell of all. 
 Thus is it declared in the book of law and religion.' " 
 " On hearing this, the monarch said, ' The sins 
 which I have heretofore committed in ignorance are 
 done, and are beyond recall ; henceforth, God willing, 
 I will not commit such again.' The holy sage was 
 pleased at the king's speaking thus, and said ' I will 
 grant thee any boon thou may'st ask for ; I am highly 
 pleased with thee.' Then the king spoke, saying, 
 ' Your holiness ! if you are pleased with me, give me 
 your daughter.' When the sage heard this, he 
 married his daughter to the king, after the manner 
 of Gaudharb marriages, and departed to his own 
 
154 THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 
 
 place. Then the king took the saint's daughter and 
 set out for his capital. On the road, about mid-way, 
 the sun set and the moon rose. Then the king, 
 seeing a shady tree, alighted beneath it, and tying 
 the horse to its root, spread his saddle- covering and 
 lay down along with her. Thereupon, at the hour 
 of midnight, a Brahman-devouring demon came and 
 awoke the king, saying, ' O king ! I will devour thy 
 wife.' The king said, 'Act not so; whatever thou 
 askest for, I will grant.' Then the demon said, 
 ' O king ! if thou wilt cut off the head of a Brahman's 
 son seven years' old, and give it to me with thine 
 own hand, I will not eat her.' The king replied, 
 ' Even so will I do ; but do thou come to me seven 
 days hence in my capital, and I vpill give it thee.' " 
 
 " Having bound the king by a promise thus, the 
 demon departed to his own place ; and on the morn 
 arriving, the king also left and came to his palace. 
 The minister hearing of it (J, e., the king's arrival) 
 made great rejoicings, and came and presented gifts ; 
 and the king, after telling the minister of the ad- 
 venture (with the demon), asked, ' Say, what ex- 
 pedient shall we adopt in the matter, for the demon 
 will come on the seventh day ? ' The minister said, 
 ' Your majesty ! feel no anxiety whatever ; God will 
 make all right.' After saying so much, the minister 
 had an image made of a maund and a quarter of gold, 
 and jewels studded therein, and having it placed on a 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 155 
 
 cart, and (conveyed away, and) set up at a point 
 where four roads met, he said to the keepers thereof, 
 ' If any persons come to look at this, say to them that 
 any Brahman who will allow the king to cut off the 
 head of a seven-year-old son of his may take pos- 
 session of this.' Having said this, he came away. 
 Thereupon the keepers used to say this to those who 
 came to look at it (the image)." 
 
 " Two days passed away without any result. On 
 the third day, however, a weakly Brahman, who had 
 three sons, hearing of ■ this matter, came home and 
 began saying to his wife, ' If thou wilt give a son of 
 thine to the king for a sacrifice, an image of a maund 
 and a quarter of gold, and studded with jewels, will 
 come into the house.' On hearing this, his wife said, 
 'I will not give the youngest son.' The Brahman 
 said, 'The eldest I will not part with.' When the 
 second son heard this, he said, ' Father ! give me up.' 
 He replied, 'Very well.' Then the Brahman spoke 
 again, saying, 'Wealth it is which is the source of 
 all happiness in this world. Now, what happiness 
 can reach him who ladks wealth ? and if one be poor, 
 his coming into the world is useless.' 
 
 "Having said this, he took the second son, and 
 gave him up to the guards, and brought away the 
 image to his house; and the people, for their part, 
 took the boy to the minister. Further, when seven 
 days passed away, the demon, too, came. The king 
 
156 THE BAITAL PACHOHISI. 
 
 took sandal, unbroken rice, flowers, perfumes, lamps, 
 food for the . deity, fruits and betel-leaf, and paid 
 adoration to him ; and, summoning the boy, took his 
 sword in his hand, and stood ready to sacrifice him. 
 Thereupon the boy first laughed, and then wept. 
 While he was doing this, the king struck him a blow 
 with the sword, so that his head was severed (from 
 his body). True it is, as the sages have said, — 
 Woman is the source {Jit. mine) of misery in the 
 world, the abode of imprudence^ (or immorality), the 
 destroyer of courage (or daring), and the occasioner 
 of infatuation, (and) the bereaver of virtue. Who 
 has pronounced such a source {}it. root) of venom to 
 be the highest good? Again, it is said, — Store up 
 wealth against adversity, and disburse wealth to 
 guard your wife, and give up wealth and wife to 
 save your own life." 
 
 Having related so much of the story, the sprite 
 said, " Your majesty 1 a man weeps at the moment of 
 dying ; will you account for this, — Why did he (the 
 boy) laugh?" The monarch replied, "He laughed 
 at the thought of this, — ^viz.. That in infancy a mother 
 protects (her child), and on his growing up the father 
 cherishes him; (and) in both good and bad times a 
 king befriends his subjects, — such is the way of the 
 
 ' Tbe only meanings assigned to hintl in the vocabulary are, "sub- 
 mission," "respects,"' "solicitation," none of which seem to apply here. 
 Deriving the word from the Sanskrit vi-nlii, I prefer giving it the significa- 
 tion I have done. 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 157 
 
 world; whereas, my predicament is such that my 
 father and mother have deUvered me over to the king 
 through greed of wealth, and he stands, sword in 
 hand, ready to slay me, and the demon desires a 
 sacrifice; no single one of them feels (a spark of) 
 pity." On hearing this, the sprite went and hung 
 on to that same tree ; and the king also speedily 
 arrived there, and binding him, placed him on his 
 shoulder, and carried him off. 
 
TALE XX. 
 
 The sprite said, " O king ! there is a city named 
 Bishalpur, the king of which was named Bipuleshwar. 
 In his city hved a merchant whose name was Arth- 
 datt, 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 son named Kamalakar was coming along. 
 The eyes of the pair met, and they became enamoured 
 of each other at first sight. Again, after a quarter of an 
 hour or so, recovering self-possession, the Brahman's 
 son, in the restlessness consequent on separation from 
 his beloved, proceeded to the house of his friend ; and 
 here she, too, was in extreme distress through the 
 pain of separation from him, when, in the meantime, 
 a female companion came and took her up ; she had. 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHrSI. 159 
 
 however, no self-consciousness remaining. Then she 
 (ihe companion) sprinkled rose-water (over her) and 
 made her smell perfumes, and while so doing, her 
 senses returned, and she said, ' Cupid ! Mahadeva 
 burnt thee to ashes,^ and yet thou wilt not desist from 
 thy knavish tricks, but comest and inflictest pain on 
 innocent, feeble women/ " 
 
 " She was uttering these words, when evening came 
 on, and the moon appeared. Then she said, while 
 gazing at the moonlight, ' moon ! I used to be told 
 that the water of life is in you, and that you shed it in 
 your beams ; to-day, however, even you have begun 
 to pour down venom.' She then said to her com- 
 panion, ' Take me up, and lead me away from this 
 place, for I am being burnt to death by the moonlight.' 
 Thereupon she raised her and took her to the pavilion, 
 and said, ' Dost thou feel no shame at uttering such 
 words ? ' Then she said, ' friend ! I am fully aware 
 of all ; but Cupid has wounded me, and rendered me 
 void of shame ; and I make great efforts to be patient, 
 but the more I continue to be consumed with the fire 
 of separation, the more venom-like does home appear 
 to me.' The companion said, ' Keep thy mind at 
 ease ; I will relieve thee of all thy suffering.' " 
 
 ' Mahadeva, or Shiva, was once engaged in religious meditation, when 
 Kamdeva, or Cupid, excited amorous desires within his breast ; whereupon 
 the angry god reduced him to ashes by a fiery glance. The curious reader 
 will find a detailed account of the circumstance in the fifty-sixth Chapter 
 of the trem Sagar. 
 
160 THE BAITAL rACHCHISI. 
 
 Having said thus ranch, the companion went home, 
 and she (the love-lorn) determined in her mind that 
 she would quit this body for his sake, and, being born 
 again, enjoy life well with him. With this longing in 
 her mind, she threw a noose on her neck, and was 
 about drawing it tight, when the companion arrived, 
 and instantly taking the rope off her neck, said, 
 'Everything can be attained by living, not by dying.' 
 She replied, ' Better is it to die than suffer such pain.' 
 The companion said, 'Repose awhile, and I will go 
 and bring him.' " 
 
 " Having said this, she went to the place where 
 Kamalakar was, and taking a secret look at him, per- 
 ceived that he also was much disturbed by the separa- 
 tion from his beloved, while his friend was rubbing 
 down sandal in rose water and applying it to his body, 
 and fanning him with tender leaves of the plantain- 
 tree; despite M'hich, he was crying out all aflame 
 (with passion) and saying to his friend, 'Bring me 
 poison, I will sacrifice my life and be released from 
 this suffering. Observing this state of his, she said 
 to herself, ' However courageous, learned, sagacious, 
 discreet, and patient a man may be, Cupid reduces 
 him to a state of distraction all the same.' These 
 thoughts having passed through her mind, the com- 
 panion said to him, ' Kamalakar ! Anangmanjari 
 has sent word to thee to come and bestow life on her.' 
 He replied, ' She, indeed, has given hfe to me.' " 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. IGl 
 
 After saying this, he rose up, and the companion 
 went to her (the love-sick maiden), taking him along 
 with her. When he got there, lo ! she was lying 
 dead ! Thereupon he also uttered a cry of anguish, 
 and therewith his spirit fled. And when it became 
 morning, her household took both of them to the 
 burning-ground, and arranging the pile, placed them 
 thereon and set fire to it, when, in the meantime, her 
 husband also arrived at the burning-ground, on Jiis 
 return from abroad. Then, hearing the sound of the ^ 
 people's weeping, he went there, and what does he 
 behold but his wife burning with a strange man ! He, 
 also, being distracted with love, burnt himself to 
 death in the same , fire. The people of the city, 
 hearing this intelligence, began saying one to another, 
 ' Neither has eye seen, nor ear heard of so wonderful 
 an event ! '" 
 
 After relating so much of the story, the sprite said, 
 " O king ! whose love, of these three, was greatest ? " 
 The king said, " Her husband was the deepest lover." 
 " Why ? " said the sprite. The king replied, " He, 
 who, on seeing his wife dead for another's sake, put 
 aside anger, and cheerfully laid down his life through 
 love for her — he is the deepest lover." Hearing these 
 words, the sprite went again and hung on to that 
 tree. The king, too, went there, bound him, placed 
 him on hisjhoulder, and carried him off. 
 
 It 
 
TALE XXI. 
 
 The sprite said, "Your majesty ! there is a city named 
 Jaysthal, the king of which was named Varddhaman. 
 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, say- 
 ing, ' It is said in the Rajnit (or book of policy), Cut 
 off the nose and ears of a gambler, and expel him from 
 the land, so that others may not gamble ; and although 
 the gambler may have a wife and family in his house, 
 do not consider them as in the house, for there's no 
 knowing when he may lose them (at play). Again, 
 those who are attracted by the wiles of courtesans 
 purchase suffering for their own souls, while they part 
 with their all under the influence of harlots, and take 
 to stealing in the end. It is said, farther, that wise 
 men keep far away from such women as ensnare their 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 163 
 
 hearts in a moment ; whereas the unwise give up their 
 liearts, and so lose all their honesty, good disposition, 
 reputation, conduct, judgment, piety, and moral cha- 
 racter. Moreover, the exhortation of their spiritual 
 preceptors is unpalatable to them. It is also said 
 that — When one has lost his own sense of shame, why 
 should he fear to dishonour any one else ? And there 
 is a proverb to the effect that — When will the cat that 
 devours its own young allow a rat to escape!' He 
 went on to say, ' Those who do not acquire knowledge 
 in their childhood, and who on attaining to manhood 
 become engrossed in amorous pleasures, and continue 
 to pride themselves on their youth, — those persons, in 
 their old age, are consumed with regretful longings 
 (for that which they have neglected in their youth).' " 
 "On hearing these words, all four of them came 
 mutually to the decision that it was better for an igno- 
 rant man to die than live ; and hence, it was best for 
 them to visit some other land and study science. Deter- 
 mining on 'this, they went to another city, and after 
 some time, having studied and become learned, they 
 set out for their home. What do they see on the 
 road but a Kanjar,' who, after skinning and cutting 
 up a dead tiger, and making a bundle of its bones, 
 was about to take them away. Thereupon they said 
 
 • Kanjar is the name of a low caste of people generally employed in mean 
 offices, such as carrying away carcasses, &e. The snake-charmers are of 
 his caste. 
 
164 THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 
 
 to one another, ' Come, let each of us put his know- 
 ledge to the proof.' Having determined on this, one 
 of them called him (the Kanjar) and gave him some- 
 tHng, and taking the bundle, sent him away 4 and, 
 quitting the road, they opened the bundle. One of them 
 arranged all the bones in their proper places, repeated 
 an incantation and sprinkled something over them, so 
 that they became united. In the same way the second 
 brought the flesh together on the bones. The third, 
 in the same manner, fixed the skin on the flesh. The 
 fourth, in the same way, raised it to life. Thereupon it 
 devoured the whole four of them as soon as it arose." 
 After reaching this point of the story, the sprite 
 said, " Your majesty ! who was the greatest fool of 
 those four ? King Vikram replied, " He who restored 
 it to life was the greatest fool. And it is said, that 
 knowledge without wisdom is of no use whatever ; on 
 the contrary, wisdom is superior to learning; and 
 those who lack wisdom die just as he who raised the 
 tiger to life died." When the sprite heard these 
 words, he went and suspended himself on that same 
 tree. Again did the king bind him, place him on his 
 shoulder, and carry him away as before. 
 
TALE XXII. 
 
 The sprite said, " Your majesty ! there is a city named 
 Biswapur, the king of which was named Bidagdha. 
 A Brahman, named Narayan, 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 hfe.' When 
 he had determined on this in his mind, he set about 
 entering a youthfnl body ; but first he wept, and 
 then he laughed, and after that he entered it and came 
 home. All his kinsfolk, however, were aware of what 
 he had done, and thereupon he said to them, ' I have 
 now become an ascetic' " 
 
 " Having said this, he began to recite (as follows) : 
 ' He who dries up the fountain of hope with the fire 
 of austere devotion, and placing bis soul therein, 
 (thus) deadens his senses — he may be termed a wise 
 
166 THE BAITAL PACHCHISl. 
 
 devotee. But the way of the people of this world is 
 (such), that the body may waste away, the head 
 shake, the teeth drop out, and they walk about with 
 a stick in their old age, yet, even then, desire is not 
 quenched. And thus it is that time passes away — day 
 comes, night arrives, a month is over, a year is com- 
 pleted ; one is a child, then a:n old man, while nothing 
 is known as to who one himself is {lit. I am), and who 
 others are, and why one grieves for another. One 
 comes, another goes, and ultimately all life must 
 depart — not one of these will remain. Many and 
 various bodies are there, and many and various minds, 
 and many and various affections, and various kinds of 
 delusions has Brahma created; but the wise escape 
 these, and quenching hope and desire, shaving their 
 heads, taking a staff and water-pot in their hands, 
 subduing the passions of love and anger, become 
 ascetics, and wander barefooted from one place of 
 pilgrimage to another ; these same find eternal salva- 
 tion. This world, moreover, is as a dream ; to 
 whom can you impart pleasure in it, to whom pain ? 
 It is even like the new leaf shooting from the centre 
 of the plaintain tree, wherein is no pith whatever. 
 And those who pride themselves on riches, youth, or 
 knowledge, are unwise. Again, they who turn 
 devotees, and, taking a water-pot in hand, beg alms 
 from door to door, and nourishing their bodies with 
 milk, clarified butter, and sugar, become lustful, and 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 167 
 
 have sexual intercourse with women, they nulHfy 
 their rehgious meditations.' After repeating so much, 
 he proceeded, saying, ' I will now go on a pilgrimage.' 
 On hearing these words, his relations were much 
 pleased." 
 
 " Having told so much of the story, the sprite said, 
 " Your majesty ! why did he weep, and why did he 
 laugh?" Then the king said, "Calling to mind his 
 mother's love in his infancy, and the happiness of his 
 youth, and from a feeling of affection in having 
 remained so many days in that body, he wept ; and 
 having succeeded in his art, and entered a new body, 
 ' he laughed with pleasure." On hearing these words, 
 the sprite went and hung on to the same tree ; (and) 
 again did the king bind him as before, place him on 
 his shoulder, and carry him away. 
 
TALE XXIII. 
 
 The sprite said, " Your majesty ! there was a city 
 named Dharmpm*, 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 Brah- 
 madatt 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 him." 
 
 "At that time, Vishnusharma, the king's family 
 priest, came and began reasoning with him, saying, 
 'When this (being) man enters the mother's womb, 
 he first suffers pain there ; secondly, falling under the 
 influence of love in youth, he endures the anguish of 
 separation from his beloved ; thirdly, becoming old, 
 he is involved in suffering through his body being 
 feeble. In brief, many are the sorrows attendant on 
 (uian's) being born in the world, and few (are) the 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 169 
 
 joys ; for the world is the source of sorrow. If a 
 man were to climb to the top of a tree, or go and sit 
 on the summit of a mountain, or remain hiding in 
 water, or sneak into an iron cage and remain therein, 
 or go and conceal himself in the infernal regions — even 
 then death would not let him escape. Moreover, what- 
 ever one may be — whether learned or a fool, rich or 
 poor, vpise or unwise, strong or weak — still, this all- 
 devouring death lets no one escape. The full duration 
 of a man's life is a hundred years ; of this, half passes 
 away in night, and half of the half in childhood and 
 old age; the remainder is spent in contention, the 
 (distress arising from) separation from those we love, 
 and affliction. Further, the soul that is, is as restless as 
 a watery wave; how, then, can it yield man any peace ? 
 'And now, in this Iron Age, to meet with truthful men ' 
 is a difficult matter ; while countries are daily laid 
 vFaste, kings are avaricious, the earth yields little fruit, 
 thieves and evil doers commit violence on the earth, 
 and but little of religion, devotion, and truth remain 
 in the world ; kings are tyrannical, Brahmans covetous, 
 men have fallen under the influence of women, wives 
 have become wanton, sons have begun reviling their 
 fathers, and friends (have begun to display) enmity. 
 Observe, further, that death did not even spare the 
 great Chimanyu, whose maternal uncle was Kanhaiya, 
 and father Arjun. And when Yama^ carries off a 
 
 ' Tama is the judge of the deceased, and ruler of the infernal regions ; 
 also, the god of death. 
 
170 THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 
 
 man, wealth remains behind in his house, and father, 
 mother, wife, son, brothers and kindred — no one 
 proves of any avail ; his good and evil deeds, his vices 
 and his virtues alone accompany him; while those 
 same kinsfolk take him to the burning-ground and 
 burn him. And see (how) the night comes to an end 
 on one side, while day dawns on the other ; here the 
 moon sets, there the sun rises. In the same way 
 youth departs, old age comes on ; thus, also, time goes 
 on passing away, and yet, even while perceiving this, 
 man does not learn wisdom. Observe, again, in the 
 First, or Golden Age, Mandhata, a great king, who 
 filled (Jit. covered) the whole earth with the fame of 
 his virtue; and in the Second, or Silver Age, the 
 glorious monarch Ramchandra, who, bridging the sea, 
 destroyed such a fortress as Lanka, and slew Ravan ; 
 and in the Third Age, Yudhisthir reigned in such a 
 manner that people sing of his renown to this day — 
 yet death did not spare even these. Moreover, the 
 birds which fly in the air, and the animals which 
 dwell in the sea, when the hour arrives, even these fall 
 into trouble. No one has escaped sorrow on coming 
 into this world. To grieve on this account is folly. 
 It is best, therefore, to practise religious duties.'" 
 
 "When Vishnusharma had reasoned with him in 
 this manner, it came into the Brahman's mind that he 
 would thenceforth perform meritorious and pious acts. 
 Having thought this over in his mind, he said to his 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 171 
 
 sons, • I am about to sit down to a sacrifice ; you go 
 and bring rae a turtle from the sea.' On receiving 
 their father's command, they went to a fisherman, 
 and said, ' Take a rupee, and catch a turtle for us.' 
 He took it, and caught one, and gave it to them. 
 Then the eldest of the brothers said to the second, 
 'Do thou take it up.' He said to the youngest, 
 ' Brother ! do thou take it up.' He replied, saying, 
 'I will not touch it; a bad smell will cling to my 
 hands, and I am very nice^ in (my) eating.' The 
 second said, ' I am very particular in my intercourse 
 with women.' The eldest said, 'I am particular in 
 (the matter of) sleeping on a bed.' " 
 
 "Thus did the three of them begin wrangling; 
 and leaving the turtle where it was, they proceeded, 
 quarrelling the while, to the king's gate, and said to 
 the gatekeeper, ' Three Brahmans have come seek- 
 ing justice ; go thou and tell this to the king.' 
 On hearing this, the doorkeeper went and informed 
 the king. The king summoned them, and asked, 
 ' Why are you quarrelling one with another ? ' Then 
 the youngest of them said, ' Your majesty ! I am very 
 particular as to food.' The second said, ' Lord of the 
 earth! I am very particular as to women.' The 
 
 ' I hazard this meaning for chatu/r in the teeth of the Tooabulary and 
 the dictionaries, as, the meanings contained therein do not seem to me to 
 apply. The student, howeyer, may, if he pleases, substitute "shai-p" or 
 "clever" for "nice." 
 
172 THE BAITAL PACHOHISI. 
 
 eldest said, ' Incarnation of justice ! I am particular 
 in the matter of beds.' " 
 
 " When the monarch heard this, he said, ' Each of 
 you submit to a trial.' They said, 'Very well.' The 
 king sent for his cook, and said, ' Prepare various 
 kinds of condiments and meats, and give this Brah- 
 man a thoroughly good repast.' On hearing this, the 
 cook went and prepared food, and taking with him 
 the one who was nice in the matter of food, seated 
 him in front of the dishes. He was on the point of 
 taking up a mouthful and putting it into his mouth, 
 when an offensive smell came from it. He let it go, 
 washed his hands, and came to the king. The king 
 asked, ' Didst thou enjoy thy repast ? ' Then he said, 
 ' Your majesty ! I perceived a disagreeable smell in 
 the food, (and) did not eat.' The king said again, 
 ' State the cause of the offensive smell.' He replied, 
 ' Your majesty ! it was rice which had been grown on 
 a burning-ground; the smell of corpses ^proceeded 
 from it, and hence I did not eat it.' " 
 
 " On hearing this, the king summotied his steward, 
 and asked, ' Sirrah ! from what village does this rice 
 come?' He replied, 'From Shibpur, your majesty !' 
 The king said, ' Summon the landholder of that 
 village.' Thereupon the steward had the landholder 
 brought before the monarch. The king asked him, 
 ' On what land was this rice grown ? ' He replied, 
 ' On a burning-ground, your majesty ! ' When the 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 173 
 
 king heard this, he said to that Brahman, ' Thou art 
 indeed a connoisseur in the matter of food.' " 
 
 " After this, he had the one who was nice in the 
 matter of women sent for, and having a bed laid out 
 in an apartment, and all the requisites for enjoyment 
 placed therein, had a beautiful woman brought and 
 placed near him, and the two while lying down began 
 conversing with each other. The king was secretly 
 looking on through a lattice. Now, the Brahman 
 was about to give her a kiss, when smelling her 
 breath, he turned away his face, and went to sleep. 
 The king having witnessed this conduct, entered his 
 palace and sought repose. Rising early in the morn- 
 ing, he came into the court, and summoned that 
 Brahman, and asked, ' Brahman ! didst thou pass 
 the night pleasantly?' He replied, ' Your majesty 1 
 I found no pleasure.' ' Why ? ' asked the king again. 
 The Brahman replied, ' The smell of a goat proceeded 
 from her «nouth, and my mind was much distressed 
 in consequence.' When the king heard this, he sum- 
 moned the procuress, and inquired, ' Whence didst thou 
 bring this (woman)? and who is she?' She said, 
 ' She is my sister's daughter ; her mother died when 
 she was three months old, and I brought her up on 
 goat's milk.' On hearing this, the monarch said, 
 ' Thou art indeed a connoisseur in respect of women.' " 
 
 " After that he had a very fine bed prepared, and 
 caused the Brahman who was a nice jildge of beds to 
 
174 THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 
 
 sleep thereon. On its becoming morning, the king 
 sent for him, and asked, ' Didst thou sleep comfort- 
 ably through the night ? ' He replied, ' Your majesty ! 
 I had no sleep the whole night long.' 'Why?' 
 asked the king. He replied, 'Your majesty! in the 
 seventh fold of the bedding there was a hair, which 
 was pricking my back, and I had no sleep in con-' 
 sequence.' On hearing this, the king looked into the 
 seventh fold of the bedding, and lo ! a hair was found. 
 Thereupon he said to him, ' Thou art indeed a nice 
 judge of beds.' " 
 
 After relating so much of the story, the sprite 
 asked, "Who was the greatest connoisseur of those 
 three ? " King Bir Vikramajit replied, " He who was 
 the connoisseur in the matter of beds." When the 
 sprite heard this, he went again and hung on to that 
 tree ; (and) the king also went there on the instant, 
 and bound him, placed him on his shoulder, and 
 carried him away. # 
 
TALE XXIV. 
 
 The sprite said, "Your majesty! in the country of 
 Kaling there was a Brahman named Yagya Sharma, 
 whose wife's name was Somadatta. 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 teach- 
 ing him the Shdstras. At the age of twelve years he 
 had finished the study of all the Shdstras, and become 
 a great scholar; and he began to be in constant attend- 
 ance upon, and to help his father." 
 
 " Aftei^-the lapse of some time the boy died, and in 
 their sorrow for him his parents uttered loud cries of 
 lamentation and wailing. On receiving this news all 
 his kinsfolk hastened thither, and fastening the boy 
 upon a bier, took him away to the burning-ground ; 
 and when there, began repeatedly gazing at him, and 
 saying to one another, ' See ! even in death he ap- 
 pears beautiful ! ' They were uttering words like 
 these, and arranging the pyre, while an ascetic was 
 also seated there engaged in religious austerity. He 
 
176 THE BAITAL PACHCHtSI. 
 
 hearing these words began to think to himself, ' My 
 body has become very old ; if I enter this boy's 
 body, I can practise religious meditation with ease 
 and comfort.' " 
 
 " Having thought thus, he entered the body of the 
 child, turned round, and pronouncing the names of 
 Ram (Balaram) and Krishn, sat up as one sits up 
 from sleep. When the people witnessed this, they 
 all returned to their homes in astonishment ; while his 
 father lost all desire for the world on witnessing this 
 marvel ; first he laughed", then he wept." 
 
 After relating so much of the fetory, the sprite said, 
 " Say, your majesty ! why he laughed, and why he 
 wept." Thereupon the king said, " Seeing the as- 
 cetic enter his body, and so learning the art (of 
 changing one's own body: for another) he laughed; 
 and through regret at having to quit his own body he 
 wept, thinking, ' Thus shall I too some day have to 
 abandon my own body.' " Hearing this, the sprite 
 went again and suspended himself on that tree ; and 
 the king, too, arriving close at his heels, bound him, 
 put him on his shoulder, and carried him away. 
 
TALE XXV. 
 
 Then the sprite said, " Your majesty ! there is a city 
 in the south named Dharmpur, a king of which was 
 named Mahabal. 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) into the jungle, the 
 day broke, and a village came in view. Then, leav- 
 ing the queen and princess seated beneath a tree, he 
 went himself towards* the village to get something to 
 eat, and in the meantime (a body of) Bhils came and 
 surrounded him, and told him to throw down his 
 arms." 
 
 "On hearing this,, the king commenced discharging 
 arrows, and they did the same from their side. Thus 
 did the fight last f'^i" +>''°" hours, and several of the 
 
 12 
 
178 THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 
 
 Bhils were slain. In the meantime an arrow struck 
 the king's forehead with such force that he reeled and 
 fell, and one of them came up and cut off the king's 
 head. When the queen and princess saw the king 
 dead, they took their way back to the jungle weep- 
 ing and beating their breasts. After having pro- 
 ceeded a kos or two thus, they got tired and sat 
 down, and began to be troubled with many an anxious 
 thought." 
 
 " During this time a king, named Chandrasen, to- 
 gether with his son, while pursuing the game, came 
 into that jungle, and the king noticing the foot-prints 
 of the two (women), said to his son, ' Whence have 
 the foot-prints of human feet come in this vast forest ? ' 
 The prince replied, ' Your majesty ! these are women's 
 foot-prints ; a man's foot is not so small.' The king 
 observed, ' True, man has not got such delicate feet.' 
 The prince said again, ' They have just this moment 
 passed.' The monarch said, ' Come, let us seek them 
 in the jungle ; if we find them, I will give her whose foot 
 this large one is to thee ; and I will take the other.' 
 Having entered into this mutual compact, they went 
 forward, and perceived the two seated. They were 
 delighted on seeing them, and seating them on their 
 horses in the manner agreed upon, they brought them 
 home. The prince took possession of the queen, and 
 the king of the princess." 
 
 Having related so much of the story, the sprite said. 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 179 
 
 "Your majesty! what relationship will there be be- 
 tween the children of these two ? " On hearing this, 
 the king held his tongue through igiiorance. 
 
 Then the sprite said in great glee, " Your majesty ! 
 I have been highly pleased at witnessing your patience 
 and courage ; I tell you one thing, however ; do you 
 attend thereto, — viz. : one, the hairs of whose body 
 are like thorns, and whose body (itself) is like wood, 
 and whose name is Shantshil, has come into your city, 
 and he it is who has deputed you to fetch me, (while) 
 he himself is seated in the burning-ground working 
 his spells, and desires to kill you. I therefore fore- 
 warn you, that when he has finished his devotions, 
 he will say to you, ' Your majesty ! prostrate yourself 
 so that eight parts of your body may touch the ground.' 
 You should then say, ' I am the king of kings, and 
 all potentates bow low in salutation before me ; up to 
 this hour I have not bowed in adoration to any one, 
 and I know not how to do so ; you are a spiritual 
 teacher, kindly show me how to do so, and then will 
 I do it.' When he bows down, give him such a blow 
 with your sword that his head may become severed 
 (from his body) ; then will you reign uninterruptedly; 
 whereas, if you will not do this, he will slay you, and 
 reign permanently." 
 
 Having warned the king in these words, the sprite 
 came out of that corpse, and went his way ; and while 
 somewhat of night still remained, the king brought 
 
180 THE BAITAL PACHCHIST. 
 
 the corpse and placed it' before the ascetic. The as- 
 cetic became glad on seeing it, and lauded the king 
 greatly. After that, he repeated incantations and 
 raised the corpse to life, and offered up a burnt- 
 offering in sacrifice : and sitting with his face south- 
 wards, offered to his god all the- materials he had pre- 
 pared; and after offering up betel leaf, flowers, in- 
 cense, lamps, and consecrated food, he said to the 
 king, " Make obeisance ; very glorious will ttiy dignity 
 become, and the eight supernatural faculties' will 
 always abide in thy house." 
 
 On hearing this, the king called to mind the words 
 of the sprite, and joining his hands, said with the 
 utmost humility, " Your reverence ! I know not how 
 to bow in adoration ; you, however, are a spiritual 
 teacher ; if you will kindly teach me , I wOl do it." 
 As the ascetic, on hearing this, lowered his hpad to 
 prostrate himself, that instant the king struck him such 
 a blow with his sword that his head was severed ; and 
 the sprite came and showered down flowers. It is 
 declared that there is nothing unlawful in slaying him 
 who would himself slay another." 
 
 ' These powers are— 1. Mahimd, or the faculty of making one's self as 
 bulky as one pleases. 2. LaghititS, or the feoulty of making one's self as 
 light as one pleases. 3. Anima, or the power of making one's self infinitely 
 small. 4. PraioBiya, or the power of gratifying one's desires. 5. Vashita, 
 or power of subjecting all things to one's will. 6. Ishita or supreme sway. 
 7. Prapti, or the power of obtaining everything. 8. Kamavasayitwam, or 
 the power of subduing and quenching natural desire. 
 
THE BAITAL PACHCHISI. 181 
 
 At that time Indra and the rest of the gods, having 
 witnessed the king's courage, mounted their cars and 
 began to raise shouts of victory and exultation. And 
 king Indra said in pleasure to king Bir Vikramajit, 
 "Ask a boon." Then the king joined his hands and 
 said, " Your majesty ! Let this story concerning me 
 become famous in the world." Indra repUed, "So 
 long as the moon, sun, earth and sky endure, this story 
 shall be famous; and thou shalt be ruler over the 
 whole earth." 
 
 After saying this, king Indra went to his place, and 
 the king took those two corpses and threw them both 
 into the oil-cauldron. Thereupon the two heroes 
 came and presented themselves, and began to say, 
 " What command is there for us ? " The king replied, 
 " When I remember you, then do you come." Taking 
 from them their promise to do this, the king returned 
 home, and began to attend to his government. It is 
 said that, — Whether one be learned or a fool, a child 
 or a man, he alone who is wise will win success. 
 
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