________________
APRIL 5, 1872.]
A BENGALI STORY.
115
the hundred verses, which begins Jam- bhâritibhakumbhodbhavam, &c.
When he had recited the sixth verse which begins Sirnagranaghripänin, etc,'--the witness of the world's deeds appeared visibly. Mayûra, bowing to him, said, Lord, deliver me from my leprosy? The Sun answered, Friend, I also suffer even now from leprosy on the feet, in consequence of a curse, because I had sexual intercourse with the horse-shaped Rannadevi against her will. Nevertheless, I will cover the leprosy caused by the curse of the faithful wife by giving you one of my rays ? Speaking thus, the Jewel of the Sky went away. That cne ray enveloping his (Mayûra's) body destroyed the lepra-spots. The people rejoiced. The King honoured him. Bâņa, being jealous of Mayûra's fame, caused his hands and feet to be cut off, and making a firm resolution, praised Chandikê with the hundred verses, beginning Má bhänkshîr etc,' at the recitation of the sixth syllable of the first verse Chandikâ appeared and restored his four limbs."
Here I break my translation off. The remain
der of the Katha states that the Jainas who were anxious to show that their holy men could work as great miracles, produced Mânatunga Säri to uphold their good name. This worthy allowed himself to be fet tered with forty-two iron chains, and to be locked up in a house. He then composed the forty-four verses of the Bhaktamarastotra, and freed himself thereby. He of course converted King Bhoja by this rairacle to the Jain a religion.
I may add that according to some Jaina Therávalis, Mânatunga lived in the be beginning of the 3rd century A.D. We know, however, that Bâna and Mayûra li ved four centuries later. It seems that there is great confusion in the earlier parts of the Theravalis. Mânatunga and Båna may after all turn out to be contemporaries. As regards the story of Bâna's self-mutilation, I think it not improbable that it has arisen from a misinterpretation of the words of his S'ataka "ityudyatkopaketûn prakritim avavayan präpayantyeva devyá," -Devi bringing to their natural state, the limbs which showed signs of rising anger.
BENGALI FOLKLORE-A LEGEND FROM DINAJPUR.
By G. H. DAMANT, B.C.S. THERE was once a king who had two queens offering the king much consolation, they asked named Duhân and Subâ. Suhâ had two sons, him why he refused to speak, and why he had but Duhâ had only one lame son. One night the slept in the house of anger.' Then the king king dreamed that he saw a tree whose stem told them all about the dream which he had was silver, its branches were of gold, the leaves seen, and how he had become blind, and how he were diamonds, the fruits were pearls, and pea- had been told that if any one would show him & cocks were playing in the branches and eating tree like that which he had seen in his dream, the fruits. When the king saw this he lost the he would recover his sight, otherwise he would sight of both his eyes, and he again dreamed remain blind for the rest of his life. The king's that if he could really see the silver tree with sons said that they would find some way to show golden branches, diamond leaves, pearly fruits, him the tree, and comforted him, so that he left and peacocks playing in the branches, his eyesight the house of anger and sat on his throne, and would be restored to him, otherwise he would began to attend to his public business as usual. remain blind for the rest of his life. Then Meanwhile the king's sons mounted their horses, he rose up, and retired to his house of anger' and started to search for the tree. When queen and slept there. Early next morning the prime Duhâ's lame son heard of it, he went to his minister with the officers and attendants came mother, and told her how his father had become to court, and not finding the king sitting on blind, and how his brothers had mounted their his throne as usual, they went to enquire what horses to search for the means of curing their had happened, but the king would not speak father by bringing the tree with the golden a single word to any of them. Shortly after branches, and that he wished to go with them and that the two sons of queen Suhâ came, and after help to search for the tree. His mother told him
The Mayura Sataka which like the Chandikds'ataka is This is apparently an allusion to the history of Viwritten in the Sardúlavikridita metre, exists now and is
| vasyata and Saranyú, which occurs already in the Rig
veda. Ranns is possibly a corruption of Surenu or Somna, being proted with a commentary by my learned friend as the goddess is called in the Mahabharata and the Yajnes'var Store
Puránas.
