Indological Studies

SR No.: 022756
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: H C Bhayani
Publisher: Parshva Prakashan
Publication Year: 1993
Total Pages: 376
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 25 MB

Page 323

On the Prakrit Sources of Tale-types and Tale-motifs
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princesses who too arrived there from three other quarters. The four princesses were regularly subjected to perform this forced service by a wicked Vidyādhara who had bound them by a pledge. The prince managed to steal a small bell that got loosened from an anklet of his wife during her dance performance. He returned home in the magic car along with the princess.
The next day the prince produced the token of the small bell before the princess. He repeated his performance on the second night, but this time he secured an anklet of the princess that slipped from her foot during the dance. This again was shown to the princess next day. She then guessed that the prince had somehow come to know about her clandestine nightly visits. On the third night the princess excused herself on the ground of indisposition, and sent her maids to the Vidyādhara. As the latter indignantly threatened them to kill, the pricce became visible and killed the Vidyādhara in a fight. The princess, thus freed from the slavish bondage, now accepted the prince with unbounded love.
The story continues further and turns into that of the faithless wife, but that seems to be quite obviously a secondary development, being on the same footing as the frame story in which the whole is placed.
A second version of this story is found as the prologue to the Tale of Pancadaņda-chatra that formed a part of the Vikamāditya cycle.6 We have several Medieval Gujarati versions beginning from the 16th century and one Sanskrit version (obviously based on an Old Gujarati version). Vikramāditya was promised Devadamani, the beautiful daughter of the courtesan on condition that he defeated her at the game of dice. She was invincible at that game because of a divine boon. Vikramaditya also obtains divine favour and invis'bly accompanying her finds out about her secret nightly visits for dancing at the court of Indra. Thus he succeeds in confusing and defeating her at the dice game by producing tokens of her clandestine visits and thereby winning her in marriage.