Part 27

After they came, because those Princes went in white clothes on the backs of white horses, this Prince said, "You must bring and give me very speedily an excellent [292] horse, and a white dress, and an excellent [292] sword." Thereupon with that speed they brought and gave them.

After they gave them, the Prince, having tied the old mare at a tree, putting on the [dress and] ornaments they brought, mounted on the back of the white horse. Having gone to a very large open place, and placed (that is, hung from his shoulder) the bag called Kokka, he thought, "A great number of all quadrupeds must assemble together in my presence." After that, all the quadrupeds that were in the midst of that forest, the whole having come, collected together.

Without those six Princes meeting with any animal whatever, they approached near the Prince who had collected these quadrupeds together. Having arrived and said, "O Lord, where is Your Majesty going in the midst of this forest?" [the Princes], having paid reverence to him, made obeisance.

Thereupon the Prince says, indeed, "I am the person who exercises sovereignty over the whole of the wild animals in the midst of this forest. Where are ye fellows going?" he asked falsely.

At that time these six Princes said thus regarding it, "O Lord, we six persons came hunting; we did not meet with any animal whatever," they said.

Thereupon this Prince says thus, "To you six persons I will give six deer should you cut off and give [me] six [pieces] of your cloths," he said.

Thereupon having cut and given six pieces from the six cloths which the six Princes had been wearing, killing six deer they came away.

Having allowed the party to come, this Prince descended from the back of the horse, and catching a rat and having killed it, brought it home; having come and having crept into the turtle-shell, he says thus [to his wife], "Give a half from this rat to your father the King, and cook the other piece for us two," he said.

At that time the Princess doing thus, went and gave a half to the King. Thereupon the King having become angry at it, put her also outside the [palace] gate. The Princess, feeling (lit., bringing) vexation at it, having come weeping and weeping, the two cooked and ate the other half.

In this way, six days they went hunting. On the whole of the six days the Turtle also having gone, gave hunting-meat to those six Princes, taking the jewelled rings from their fingers, ears, and the hairs of the head; all these when the seventh day was coming were finished.

What of this Prince's acting with so much ability! That he is a Prince even yet any person you like has no knowledge.

At the time when he is thus, having gone hunting and finished, on the seventh day making ready an eating like a very great feast they remained at the royal palace with the Kings [who had come for it]. Thereupon, on that day this Turtle was minded to bathe. Having become so minded, he told [his wife] to warm and give him water; having told her to give it, he told her to tie and give him mats also, round about [as a screen].

That day the Princess had boiled and boiled paddy at the hearth in the open space in front of the house. Having warmed water and tied the mats, she gave [it to him] to bathe. Having given it, this Princess went to light the fire [afresh] at the paddy hearth. When she was going, this Prince having gone to bathe, and having come out of the turtle-shell [within the screen], went outside from the place where the mats were tied, for the purpose of lowering water over his body.

When he was going, this Princess having seen that he was a Prince, went running, and taking the turtle shell put it on the hearth at which she boiled that paddy. Thereupon the Prince having gone crying out, got only the lute that was in the turtle shell. The turtle shell burnt away.

At that time the Prince, decorating himself, went to the royal palace. After he went he began to relate the manner in which he gave hunting-meat to the six Princes. While telling it he showed the [rings from the] fingers, ears, and hair, and the pieces of cloth of the six Princes.

After he showed them, [the King], having given the sovereignty to the Prince, made the other Princes servants of the Prince. He married those six Princesses also to that very Prince.

Finished.

North-western Province.

In The Story of Madana Kama Raja (Natesa Sastri), p. 141, a tortoise (turtle) Prince went to the Sun in search of divine Parijata flowers; see vol. i, p. 71. The Queen bore the turtle and the Minister's wife the girl. The Minister refused to agree to their marriage, but the girl told him that she had vowed to marry whoever brought the divine flowers. The Apsaras who gave him the flowers also presented him with a vina, or lute, playing on which would summon her. From the first sage who showed him the way and who opened his eyes at each watch he got a magic cudgel in exchange for it, from the second sage who opened his eyes after two watches a purse which supplied everything required, from the third sage who opened his eyes after three watches he received magic sandals which would transport their wearer wherever desired. After exchanging the lute for each of these articles he recovered it each time by the aid of the cudgel. Afterwards he left the articles with the Apsaras, returned as a turtle with the flowers, and was married to the Minister's daughter. After his marriage the husbands of his sisters-in-law went hunting, the turtle followed tied on the back of a horse, got his club from a banyan tree where he had hidden it, went to the hunt on the magic sandals, and got from his brothers-in-law (who thought him Siva) the tips of their little fingers and their rings. On regaining his Prince's form he produced these, but the brothers-in-law were not punished. His wife broke the turtle shell when he was bathing, and in the end he succeeded to the throne.

In The Indian Antiquary, vol. iv, p. 54, in a Bengal story by Mr. G. H. Damant, a Prince went in search of a beautiful woman seen in a dream by his father. An ascetic told him of five heavenly nymphs who came to bathe in a pool at the full moon, and instructed him to take their clothes and remain concealed. After being cursed and turned to ashes he was revived by the ascetic, again carried off their clothes, and sat in Siva's temple. They cursed him ineffectively and then agreed that he should marry one of them. He selected the ugliest, who was the disguised beauty; she gave him a flute by means of which he could summon her at any time. The rest of the story is unlike the Sinhalese one.

In Mr. Thornhill's Indian Fairy Tales, p. 15, a Prince went in search of his wife, an Apsaras who had left him, to a sage who slept six months at a time, and after attending on him for three months was accompanied by him to the pool in which the Apsarases bathed on the full moon night. After being once turned to ashes and revived by the sage, he again stole his wife's shawl and escaped with it to the sage's hut, where he was safe. The Apsarases then agreed to give up his wife if he could select her. He picked out the ugliest, and Indra afterwards turned her into a mortal.

In Indian Nights' Entertainment (Swynnerton), p. 343, a Prince secreted the feather dress of one of four fairies who, in the form of white doves, came to bathe at a pool in a palace garden. She was then unable to fly away, and he married her.

In the Katha Sarit Sagara (Tawney), vol. ii, p. 452, a person who was in search of his master, a Prince, was advised by a hermit to carry off the clothes of one of the heavenly nymphs who came to bathe in a river. He did so, was followed by her, and the hermit agreed to return her garments on her giving information of the Prince's whereabouts; she afterwards became the ascetic's wife. She is termed a Vidyadhari.

In the same work, vol. ii, p. 576, a gambler by order of the God Mahakala (Bhairava) similarly obtained a daughter of Alambusha, the Apsaras, as his wife.

In A. von Schiefner's Tibetan Tales (Ralston), p. 54, by the advice of a sage a hunter threw a magic unerring chain received from Nagas, over a Kinnara Princess when she bathed at a pool at the full moon; and she was unable to escape. She could fly only when wearing a head-jewel.

The female Jinn who in the form of birds visited pools in order to bathe in them, and could not fly without their feather dresses, have been mentioned in vol. i, p. 311. See the Arabian Nights, vol. iii, p. 417, and vol. v, p. 68. In the second story the hero obtained in the Wak Islands a cap of invisibility, and a copper rod which gave power over seven tribes of Jinn, and by their aid recovered his wife and sons. He got the articles by inducing two sons of a magician to race for a stone which he threw; while they were absent he put on the cap and disappeared. On his return journey he presented the articles to the two magicians who had helped him.

In the same work, vol. iv, p. 161, a man from Cairo obtained for a magician three magical articles, and received from him as a reward a pair of inexhaustible saddle-bags which provided any foods.

In Folk-Tales of Hindustan (Shaik Chilli), p. 72, a Prince who was wandering in search of his fairy wife received from an ascetic, a musician, and a youth respectively, an iron rod which could beat anyone, a guitar that entranced all, and a cap of invisibility; from a Yogi he obtained balsam for healing burns, and slippers that transported him where desired.

In Les Avadanas (Julien), No. lxxiv, vol. ii, p. 8, each one of two demons (Pisacas) had a box which supplied everything desired, a stick that rendered him invincible, and a shoe that enabled the bearer to fly, and each one wanted to possess those of the other demon. A man who offered to divide them put on both the shoes and flew off, taking the other articles.

In Chinese Nights' Entertainment (A. M. Fielde), p. 10, a pious man who was wrecked and cast on an island obtained food and clothing from the inhabitants, and an apparent outcast gave him a hat of invisibility, a cloak of flight, and a basket that when tapped filled with gems. He left them to his three sons, and the power of the articles gradually declined.

At p. 58, a woman had a son encased in a chank shell, which he could leave at will. His bride one night hid the shell, and he remained with her for some years, until her grandmother put it out to dry. He got into it, crawled into the sea, and disappeared.

In Sagas from the Far East, p. 148, in a Kalmuk story, an inexhaustible bag was stolen from Dakinis (female evil spirits) by a man. When his brother went to get one the spirits seized him, drew out his nose to a length of five ells, and made nine knots on it.

In Folk-Tales of Kashmir (Knowles), 2nd ed., p. 365, a Prince who worked as an under-gardener was selected by a Princess and married to her. The King's sons and sons-in-law through jealousy arranged a hunting expedition, and left him only a mare that no one could ride. He reached the jungle first, shot a jackal, bear, and leopard, cut off the tail, nose, and ear respectively, and when the others, who found no game, took back these animals and showed them as their own game, he produced his trophies. It was settled that he should succeed to the throne.

In Indian Fairy Tales (M. Stokes), p. 41, the son of the youngest Queen, who was born with a removable monkey skin, three times performed the task of hitting a Princess with an iron ball in his Prince's form, and was married to her. After saving his life when the sons of the other six Queens threw him out of a boat into the water, his wife burnt his monkey skin, and he retained his human shape.

At p. 130, the hunting incident is given, six Princes taking part in it and meeting with the Prince who, while disguised as a labourer, had been selected and married by the youngest daughter of their father-in-law. The others found no game, begged a meal from him, and were burnt with a red-hot pice on their backs, "the mark of a thief." The Prince rode home in his own form, and afterwards exposed the six Princes who had mocked him on account of his low origin.

At p. 156, a Prince found four fakirs quarrelling over four articles, a flying bed, an inexhaustible bag, a bowl which yielded as much water as was required, a stick and rope that would beat and tie up everyone. While they raced for arrows that he shot, he got on the bed and went off with the other things.

In Kaffir Folk-Lore (Theal), p. 170, a boy got a pair of inexhaustible horns which when spoken to supplied everything desired. They even provided him with a fine house.

NO. 152

THE STORY OF A KING AND A PRINCE

This is partly a variant of the story No. 22, in vol. i, called there "The Kule-Baka Flowers." The first part is a repetition of the narrative given in that one, up to the point where the King's sons were imprisoned at the gambling house. It then continues as follows:--

The Prince who also went afterwards having gone near a widow-mother of that very city [after] filling a bag with bits of plates, when he said, "Mother, a son of yours was lost before, is it not so?" the widow woman said "Yes." Then the Prince while weeping falsely said, "It is I myself."

After that, she said, weeping, "Ane! Son, where did you go all this time?" [293] Having gone inviting him into the house, and given him to eat, after he finished she asked, "What is there in this bag, son?"

The Prince says falsely, "In that bag are masuran, mother," he said.

The woman says, "What are masuran to me, son! Look at that: the heap of masuran which the King has given for my having worked."

After that, the Prince asks, "Whose house is that, mother?"

Then the woman says, "Ane! Son, at that house an extremely wicked [294] woman gambles. Should anyone go to gamble she gives him golden chairs into which she puts [magical] life, to sit upon. She has put [magical] life into the lamp also. [When gambling], the woman is sitting upon the silver chair," she said.

After that, after the woman went to sleep, the Prince having emptied the pieces of plate in the house, went to gamble [after] filling the bag with the [woman's] masuran.

Afterwards, that gambling woman just as on other days having brought a golden chair, placed it for the Prince. Then the Prince says, "I am not accustomed to sit on golden chairs. Give me the silver chair," he said.

The woman says, "It is not a fault to sit [on the golden chair]."

The Prince says, "Having given me that silver chair here, and put aside this lamp also, come to gamble, bringing a good lamp," he said.

Then the woman being unable [to effect] the punishment of the Prince, gave him the silver chair, and bringing a different lamp sat down to gamble. After that the Prince won. After he won he caused those aforesaid six Princes to be brought from the place where they were put in prison, and having burnt [their] names on their haunches, [295] sent them away.

After that, this Prince said he must contract marriage with that woman who gambled. The woman says, "If you are to marry me please bring the Surangana flowers." [296]

Then the Prince says, "That is not a journey for which I came here. The two eyes of my father the King have become blind. On account of it I am going to seek the Kule-Baka flowers. [After] finding them, on the return journey I will bring the Surangana flowers," he said.

Having said this, he went to ask the path going to the Kule-Baka garden. When he was going near the Yakas who were on guard on it, a Princess whom the Yakas had seized and carried off came up, and said to the Prince, "What came you here for?"

"Through news that you are here I came to marry you," [he replied].

Then the Princess says, "Should the Yakas come they will eat you up," she said.

The Prince then says, "By any possible contrivance save me," he said.

The Princess then opened the door of a rock house (cave), and having taken the Prince and put him in it, shut the door.

After that, the Yakas having come, ask, "Who came here?"

The Princess says, "Amme! I cannot be here [to be questioned] in this way. Seek and give me a husband."

Then the Yakshani says, "There is no seeking and giving [297] for me. If you can, seek and take one," she said.

The Princess says, "I will find one if you will not do any harm [to him]."

The Yakshani said, "We will do no harm to him."

"If you swear by the censure of your deity, I will show you my husband," she said. Afterwards she swore.

After she took the Prince into the light, she asks the Prince, "What do you eat?" The Yakshani asks.

The Prince said, "I eat ripe Jak, Waraka (a kind of Jak fruit), Sugar-cane, Pine-apples." The Yakshani went and brought and gave him them. Afterwards, after the Prince ate, she said, "Where are you going?"

Then the Prince says, "Tell me the path [by which] to go to the Kule-Baka garden."

Having informed him of the path, and given him also a robe [endowed] with the power of flying through the air, she told him to go. He went to the Kule-Baka garden, and [after] plucking the Kule-Baka flower that was in the pool, having come, calling the Princess, to the place where he gambled, he caused her to remain there.

The Prince, taking the Kule-Baka flower, was going near his father the King. At the time when he was going across a river those six Princes were [there], cooking and cooking rice. Also at that very place a rich man without his two eyes was saying and saying, "To a man who should cure my two eyes I will give goods [amounting] to a tusk elephant's load, and also a tusk elephant." He was saying and saying [this].

This Prince having heard it, said, "I will give you them. [Please] bring the presents you mentioned." After he brought them he rubbed [298] his eyes with the Kule-Baka flower; after that, he succeeded in seeing the light.

Those six Princes having seen it, spoke together: "Let us beat him, and snatch away the flower."

The Prince having heard that speech, said, "Taking this flower for yourselves, give me a little cooked rice." Afterwards, taking the flower they gave him cooked rice. Having eaten the cooked rice the Prince came back to the place where he gambled.

After that, while through hunger for them he was going to seek the Surangana flowers, three Princes who were coming mounted on horse-back asked this Prince, "Where are you going?"

Then the Prince says falsely, "I am going in hunger in the midst of this forest." Then a Prince having unfastened a packet of cooked rice and given the Prince to eat, they went away.

As they were going, this Prince went after them very softly. Having gone, when he looked he saw that those three Princes, having descended from horse-back, three times turned round the dewala (temple), and jumped into a vessel of boiling oil [and disappeared].

Having seen it, this Prince also having turned round the dewala three times, jumped into the oil vessel. After he jumped in, the deity, bringing that Prince out of the oil vessel, covered him with a white cloth when he had struck [him] three blows with a white wand. After he arose, when he asked, "What is the matter for which thou camest here?" [the Prince replied], "I came in order to seek and take Surangana flowers."

Then the deity told him the path:--"Look there. When you are going along that path [you will meet with a pool. When she has put her cloth on the bank and is bathing], take the cloth of the woman who comes after three others to bathe in the pool, and come back [with it]," he said.

After that, he took the cloth, and came. Afterwards that Princess having come running, gave him a chank shell into which she had put [magical] life, and taking the cloth went away.

When he was coming taking the chank shell, an ascetic begged for the chank shell. The Prince says, "If you will give me presents I will give you the chank shell," he said.

After that, he gave him a wallet (olo-payiya), assuring him that the things thought of will come into existence [in it]. After he gave it, the Prince, thinking of the things he wanted (the celestial flowers), put his hand into it, and when he looked they were inside the wallet.

After that, the Prince, having become satisfied, with pleasure went away [and rejoined his two wives].

North-western Province.

See the Notes appended to the previous story.

In The Indian Antiquary, vol. iii, p. 150, in a legend of the origin of Patna, by Mr. Basanta Kumar Ningi, two Rakshasas came to a boy with three articles left by their father, out of which he cheated them. One was a bag from which all kinds of jewels could be extracted when the hand was inserted. The story is stated to be from the Brihat Katha. In the Katha Sarit Sagara (Tawney), vol. i, p. 13, they were the sons of the Asura Maya, and were wrestling for the things. The boy suggested that they should race for them and while they were doing so he put on the magic shoes which were included in them, and disappeared with the staff and the vessel which supplied any required food.

In Folk-Tales of Kashmir (Knowles), 2nd ed., p. 378, a shipwrecked Prince arrived at a cave which was the residence of a Rakshasa who had carried off a Princess, and who kept her there. She received him well, and hid him in a strong box. When the Rakshasa returned he smelt the man, and insisted on being shown him; but the brave behaviour of the Prince pleased him, and he permitted him to live in the cave, and brought presents for the two when he returned from his expeditions in search of prey. As they still feared he might eat them, the Princess managed to ascertain from him that his life was in a queen-bee in a honey-comb which could be reached by anyone who sat on a magic stool that was in the cave, which transported the sitter where he wished. Next day, when the Rakshasa was absent, the Prince wrapped himself up, smashed the comb, crushed and killed the bee, the Rakshasa died, and they escaped on the stool.

NO. 153

THE STORY OF THE GOURD

The Queen of the King of Maeda Maha-Nuwara being without children, seven years went by. To obtain children she gave alms-halls (dan-sael). Having given them she obtained a child.

It was [necessary] for the King to go for a war. In sorrow for it, having called together women who assist [at child-birth], and many people, he gave them [to the Queen]. On his return journey she had not borne a child. On the very day on which he came, pains having seized her she gave birth [to a Gourd].

The women who were there, having taken the Gourd which this Queen bore, in order to throw it away at another city took the Gourd to a flower garden at the city, and put it there.

When the garland-making mother (mal-kara amma) went to pluck flowers, "May I also pluck flowers?" the Gourd asked.

"How will you, Gourd, pluck flowers?" she said.

"That does not matter to you; I will pluck flowers. I must go to the garland-making mother's house," it said.

Having gone [there], "I will plait flower chaplets (malwadan)," it said. To plait the chaplets it asked for the thread and needle. Better than the plaiting of the flower chaplets on other days it plaited the flower chaplets, and gave them.

Having seen [the beauty of] the flower chaplets [when the flower mother took them to the palace], the Princess asked, "Who plaited the flower chaplets to-day?" she asked; [she was informed that the Gourd did it].

The Gourd was minded to contract marriage with the young Queen (Princess). It asked the King of the city [to give his consent]. "If the Queen (Princess) [299] is willing I am willing," he said.

[When it asked the Princess, she said], "Having carried upstairs gold from the house of the garland-making mother, should you tie up [as a decoration] cloths [worked] with gold, in the morning I will celebrate the wedding festival."

In the morning the Gourd went upstairs. It having gone [with the gold and hung up the cloths], the wedding festival was celebrated.