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 54

H. C. Bhayani
सिंह पृच्छति-'मृगराज-पुत्र कहिं गमिष्यसि । सिंहो जल्पति-भयं मे उपपन्न । वानरः पृष्ठति-'कीदृशं भयं । सिंहो विस्तरेणाचिक्षति । सो जल्पति 'नैवं वक्तव्यं । सिंहस्व मृगराज । कस्त्वां प्रहरिष्यति । आगच्छाहि निवर्ताहि' । स नेच्छति । सिहो बानरेण केशेहि गृहीतः । 'आगच्छाहीति' । सा दारिका दृष्ट्वा प्ररुदिता । सा स्त्री अल्पति । 'मा रोदाहि दारिके एषो तव मातुः केनानीतो केशेहि गृहीत्वा इदानी यन् नै इच्छसि ते से खादाहीति' । सिंहः पश्यति-'मा हैवं संकेत-कृतं भविष्यति । एवमेवानीयानीय देति एषापि खादति । यत् तावदहं एकं वारं प्रपलानः किं भूयो निवर्तितः' । सो दानि तस्य मर्कटस्य अवधुनित्वा प्रपलानः ।
(The Lord) relates the story of a woman who walks at night carrying her child on her shoulder. All of a sudden a lion stands before them The child starts crying. The woman gives a slap to the child saying: "One lion has already been eaten by you, and now yov want to eat this onc also'. The lion notes how forwardly eloquent and bold the woman is in regard to him. He gets frightened and runs away. A monkey sees the lion fleeing. Astonished, he asks, How it happened that the king of deers is running away'. The lion tells his story. The monkey says this is not the behaviour of a king and asks him to return. He refuses. After this the monkey jumps down and drags the lion by his mane to the place where mother and child are walking, Again the child cries. The woman says,
Don't cry, the lion has been brought back by his mane to your mother; if you want to eat him, now eat him.' On hearing this, the lion turns the monkey from his neck, and runs away.
The Sanskrit text of the portion where the woman again consoles the weeping child seems to be slightly corrupt. In the sentence एषो तब मातुः केमानीतो केहि गृहीत्वा the words मातः केनानीdo not make any sense. In all probability the text is to be emended as मातुलेनानीतो. On sighting the lion being led by the monkey, she brilliantly remarks: My child, don't cry, Here comes your uacle dragging the escaped lion by the mane'. Referring to the monkey as the child's material uncle absolutely convinces the suspicious lion that the monkey was in leage with the woman. In a currea version too the jackal which takes the place of the monkey and which approaches the woman after having tied up its tail with that of the lion i similarly referred to. A search for other Prakrit and modern Indian foll versions and a systematic comparison of all the versions are obvlously th two aspects that invite further efforts to study this tale,