Indian Antiquary Vol 07

Author(s): Jas Burgess
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 42

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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[JANUARY, 1878.
poison; and when she grew up she was considered | which he did not, for he came again and lost his 80 beautiful that the sight of her alone affected tail. Moreover, having lost his ears and his tail, many with) madness. The queen sent her to had he possessed a particle of heart he would have Alexander to espouse. He had no sooner beheld thought; but he did not think, for he entered a her than he became violently enamoured, and with fourth time and was killed. For these several much eagerness desired to possess her; but Aris. reasons I am confident he had no heart. The totle, observing his weakness, said, 'Do not touch emperor, satisfied with what he had heard, apher, for if you do you will certainly perish. She plauded the man's judgment." has been nurtured upon the most deleterious food, This reminds us in the most forcible way of the which I will prove to you immediately. Here is second story in the 4th book of the Panchatantra. a malefactor who is already condemned to death. There a jackal persuades an 898 to visit a sick He shall be united to her, and you shall see the lion; the lion wounds him, but the ass escapes. truth of what I advance. Accordingly the culprit The cunning jackal persuades the ass to visit the was brought without delay to the girl, and scarcely lion a second time, when he is killed. The lion had he touched her lips before his whole frame then goes to bathe, like a good Hindu lion, before was impregnated with poison, and he expired." making a meal off him. In the meanwhile the The editors of the Gesta illustrate this story jackal devours the ears and the heart. When the copiously, but no parallel is adduced from Sans- lion taxes him with making his food impure in krit literature. The notion is a very familiar one this way, the jackal replies that the ass had neiin Sanskrit literature, and readers of the Mudra ther ears nor heart, otherwise he would never Rakshasa cannot fail to remember how the visha have run into danger after he had had one narrow kanyd was employed against Chandragupta. On escape from destruction. The same story is found this occasion Aristotle's place was taken by Chl- in Babrius' fable 95. There the ass is represented nakya. The king of Banâras employs similar by a deer, and the jackal by a fox. The fox dedevices aprinst the king of Vatsa in the Kathdvours the heart only, which makes M. Wagener Sarit Ságara (taranga 19, 6l. 81). Numerous illus- remark that Babrius is plus conséquent compared trations might be quoted to show that the story with the Indian fabulist. The fox's defence is most is, as the commentators on the Gesta seem to sus- triumphant :pect, of Indian origin.
"Olk eixe martws' oncl" w rámy Chret. In the 115th tale of the Gesta we read of an « ποιην δ' έμελλε καρδίην έχειν, ήτις elephant that no one dared approach, but which was é devrépou déortos Bev eis oikovs ;" Julled to sleep by two chaste virgins. The same no- Possibly this story suggested to Shakespeare the tion of elephants being peculiarly affected by the chastity of women is found in the 36th laranga of "Cæsar should be a beast without a heart the Katha Sarit Sagara, where a chaste woman is If he should stay at home to-day for fear." able to raise up the white elephant Svetara mi, An incident in the 18th tale, p. 46 of the prethat had fallen down apparently dead.
sent edition of the Gesta, reminds us of the story The 83rd tale in the Gesta Romanorum contains of Pandu in the Mahabharata ; and one, in the 5th an incident found in the Panchatantra:
tale, p. 91, of that of Sridatta in the Katha Sarit "A boar devastates a garden belonging to Trajan. Ságara, taranga 10, ślokas 140-150. Numerous It is wounded three times and then killed. When other parallels would no doubt present themselves the cook was preparing it for the table, he reserv. to those better versed than the writer of the preed the heart for his own eating. This annoyed sent article can pretend to be in Sanskrit folklore. the emperor, and he sent to inquire after the But we have said enough to show that the faheart. The cook declared that the boar had no shionable neglect of Sansksit literature which preheart, and when called upon to justify this state- vails in England has detracted considerably from ment defended it in the following 'way - The the value of this edition of the Gesta. boar in the first instance entered the garden and • This collection of tales must always be interest. committed much injury. I, seeing it, cut off his ing to Englishmen, as from it Shakespeare drew left ear. Now if he had possessed a heart he the plot of at least two of his plays. would have recollected the loss of so important a The present edition contains much curious and member. But he did not, for he entered a valuable illustrative matter, though, if it had been second time: therefore he had no heart. Besides, revined by a scholar well read in Hindu folklore if he had had a heart, when I had cut off his right it might have contained a good deal more. ear he would have meditated upon the matter,
C.H. T.
This trait recalls the tale of Unmadini (Katha Sant Sagara, taranga 15, sloka 65).