Sambodhi 1973 Vol 02

SR No.: 520752
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Dalsukh Malvania, H C Bhayani
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad
Publication Year: 1973
Total Pages: 417
Language: English, Sanskrit, Prakrit, Gujarati
Classification: Magazine, India_Sambodhi, & India
File Size: 14 MB

Page 53

SOME VERSIONS OF THE TALE OF VYAGHRAMĀRI
H. C. Bhayani
The tale of Vyaghramari (No. 32 and 43 in the Sukasaptati Textus Simplicior ed, R. Schmidt, 1893; reprinted, 1959) can be outlined as follows: A quarrelsome woman once picked up a quarrel with her husband and left home taking her two young sons alongwith her. While passing through a thick forest she saw a tiger about to charge at her. Putting up a bold. face she slapped her sons saying, "Why are you quarrelling to have cach of you a whole tiger for the dinner? You share this one for the time. We may shortly chance to get another one, Hearing these words the tiger thought her to be none else than the legendary Tiger-killer, and scared to death he fled. On the way a jackal tried to convince him that what he believed to be the Tiger-killer was a mere human being. The tiger, not quite trusting the jackal, agreed to go back with the jackal tethered on his neck. As the woman saw the strange pair approaching, she pointed an accusing finger at the jackal and shouted, 'You crook! Previously you supplied me three tigers and hence I trusted you How is that you have no brought just one? Hearing these words the tiger took
to his heels.
In the version presereved in a Kashmiri folk tale, it is a farmer's wife who posing as a, tiger-killer tries this trick, because her husband orced to promise a cow to the tiger (cheetah) in order to save himself. The scared tiger in his second approach ties up his tail with that of the ackal, who dragged and dashed on the ground by the fleeing tiger meets is death in the end.
In another version, expanded and mixed with another motif and urrent in Rajasthan and Gujarat, the animals are three instead of two viz., ion, hyena and monkey and each one is outwitted in turn.
The earliest version of the tale is found in a Vinaya text of the Luddhists, viz., the Bhiksunt-vinaya of the Arya-Mahasanghika-LokottaraAdin. The Buddhist Sanskrit text of the tale and its outline in English re reproduced below from Roth's edition of the Bhiksun-vinaya.
इयं स्त्री रात्रौ दारिकां स्कन्धेनादाय गच्छति । सिंह च पुरतः प्रत्युपस्थितो । सादानि दारिका दृष्ट्वा रुदिता । ताय खियाय दारिका चपेटया भाहता 'एको - ते सिंहो खादितो एवं पि खादितुकामासि । सिंहः पश्यति यादृशी एषा स्त्री ध्वांक्षा च मुखरा च खादत्येषा ममायीति । भीतः प्रपातयति । पुरतो मर्कटः भगत्वा