Book Title: Indian Antiquary Vol 09
Author(s): Jas Burgess
Publisher: Swati Publications

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Page 362
________________ 304 THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY. and there she lies beautiful as the moon." The queen was not satisfied, but she could do no more. Now the king grieved for his fine young sons, and every day to try and forget his grief he went out hunting. Then said the queen, "Oh my lord, hunt if it pleases you to the east, and to the west, and to the south, but towards the north do not hunt or evil may befall you." This she said for fear he should find the dead Princess Aubergine who lay towards the north. Now one day the king hunted to the east and the west and the south, but no game was to be found, so, without thinking of what the queen had said, he wandered alone to the northwards. Soon he saw a curious high enclosure with no door, and he wondered what it was; he climbed over, and lo! there on a bed decked with flowers lay the Princess Aubergine beautiful as the moon, or lovelier than any living woman. He could not believe she was dead, he became so enamoured of her beauty that he stayed beside her all day, praying and beseeching her to open her eyes. At night he returned to the palace, but with the dawning. he took his bow, saying he was going out hunting alone, and ran to Aubergine. So he passed day after day kneeling by her bed, weeping and beseeching her to rise. Now after nine months had gone by, he one day found the most beautiful little boy imaginable lying by the side of the dead Aubergine. He was astonished, but taking the infant in his arms, he cared for it all day, and at night gave it back to its dead mother. After some time it began to talk, and one day the king said to it "Is your mother always dead ?" Then the child answered "No! at night she is alive, and cares for me as you do in the day." Then the king bid the child ask his mother what made her die. The next day the boy answered "It is the nine-lâkh necklace which the queen wears. At night she takes it off, and hangs it up beside her. Then my mother becomes alive again, but dies when the queen puts on the necklace next morning." At this the king was puzzled, and said, "Ask your mother to-night whose son you are." Next day the boy answered "Mother bids WESTERN CHALUKYA At p. 96 of Vol. VIII is given a transcription and translation of a grant of A m bera. By an oversight the facsimiles of the plates were not [DECEMBER, 1880. me say I am your son, sent to console you for the loss of the seven fair sons the queen foully murdered for the sake of Princess Aubergine." Then the king was very wroth, and said to the boy, "Ask your mother to-night how I am to recover the necklace from the wicked queen, and punish her." Next day the boy said "Mother says I am the person to take the necklace from the queen, only do you carry me to the palace to-night." So the king carried his little son back to the palace, and told all the courtiers that the child was his heir. Then the queen became mad with jealousy, especially when she thought of her own seven dead sons, and she determined to poison the child. So she prepared some beautiful poisoned sweetmeats, and caressed the boy, saying, " Here my son, eat these." But the child said "No, I will not eat them unless you let me play with that beautiful necklace you wear round your neck." The queen was determined to poison the child, and seeing no other way of inducing him to eat the sweetmeats, she gave him the necklace; no sooner had he got it than he fled away so fast that no one could catch him. He ran to where the Princess Aubergine lay dead, and threw it round her neck; she immediately became alive again, lovelier than ever. Then the king came and asked her to go to the palace as his wife, but she said "I will never come until the wicked queen is dead, she would only murder me and my son. This is what you must do. Dig a deep ditch on the threshold of the door, fill it with scorpions and snakes, fling the wicked queen into it, and bury her alive. Then I will walk over her grave and be your wife." So the king had the ditch dug and filled with scorpions and snakes. Then he went to his wife, and said, "Come and see something wonderful;" but she suspecting a trick would not come. Then they seized and bound her and flung her into the ditch amongst the scorpions and snakes, and covered her over with earth. Then Princess Aubergine and her son walked over the grave, and lived happily ever after. GRANT OF AMBERA. lithographed in time for that volume. They are now given in the accompanying plate for purposes of paleographic comparison.-ED,

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