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DECEMBER, 1881.]
MAITHILA FOLK-LORE.
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were taken down by me from the mouths of he summoned Sakatála, and gave him the two pandits of Maithila, and form part of the following order: "You must put Vararuchi vast amount of unwritten tradition current in to death for seducing the queen." Sakatala the mouths of such men. I do not think that said, “Your Majesty's orders shall be exethe verses quoted have been printed before, cuted," and went out of the palace, reflecting, but it is possible they may, and if any corre- "I should not have power to put Vararu. spondent can give me a clue to their whereabouts, chi to death, for he possesses godlike force of I shall be the first to welcome it.
intellect; and he delivered me from calamity; In the modern acrostic, the first letters of a moreover he is a Brahman, therefore I had series of words are taken, and these spell another better hide him, and win him over to my side." word having a distinct meaning. This word Having formed this resolution, he came and has first to be guessed, and then the key words, told me of the king's causeless wrath which all from more or less obscure descriptiong. had ended in his ordering my execution, and
In the present acrostics the Indian unit is thus concluded, "I will have some one else put the syllable and not the letter. A series of to death in order that the news may get abroad, verses is selected, and the first syllables of each and do you remain Baden in my house to are taken together and form a word of no protect me from this passionate king." In meaning. This last is given, and from it the accordance with this proposal of his, I remained verses have to be guessed.
concealed in his house, and he had some one In the Katha Sarit Ságara, Bk. I, Chapter else put to death in order that the report of V, occurs a portion of the story of Vararuchi. my death might be spread. Mr. Tawney's translation, somewhat condensed, runs as follows:
Then it came to pass that one day a son of A certain painter came to the court of Yoga- that Yogananda named Hiranyagupta, went out nanda in Pataliputra, whose court Vararuchi hunting, and when he had somehow or other attended. The rest of the story as told by Vara- been carried to a great distance by the speed of ruchi is "He painted on a sheet of canvas his horse, while he was alone in the wood, the the principal queen and Yogananda, and that day came to an end; and then he ascended a tree picture of his looked as if it were alive, it only to pass the night. Immediately afterwards, a lacked speech and motion. And the king bear, which had been terrified by a lion, ascended being delighted loaded that painter with the same tree; he, seeing the prince frightened, wealth, and had that painting set up on a wall in said to him with a human voice,"Fear not, thou his private apartments. Now, one day when I art my friend," and thus promised him immu. entered the king's private apartments, it nity from harm. Then the prince, confiding in occurred to me that the painting of the queen the bear's promise, went to sleep while the bear did not represent all her auspicious marks; remained awake. Then the lion below said to from the arrangements of the other marks I the bear, "Bear, throw me down this man, and conjectured, by means of my acuteness, that I will go away." Then the bear said, " Villain, there ought to be a spot where the girdle I will not cause the death of a friend." When in comes, and I painted one there. Then I de- course of time, the bear went to sleep, while the parted, after thus giving the queen all her prince was awake, the lion said again, "Man, lacky marks. Then Yogananda entered and throw me down the bear." When he heard Baw that spot, and asked his chamberlains who that, the prince, who through fear of his own had painted it; and they indicated me to him safety wished to propitiate the lion, tried to as the person who had painted it. Yogananda throw down the bear, but wonderful to say, it thus reflected while burning with anger; "No did not fall, since Fate caused it to awake. one except myself knows of that spot, which And then that bear said to the prince, "Become is in a part of the queen's body usually conceal- insane, thou betrayer of thy friend," laying ed, then how can this Vararuchi have come upon him a curse destined not to end until a thus to know it? No doubt he has secretly third person guessed the whole transaction. corrupted my harem." Foolish men often find Accordingly the prince, when he reached his Bach coincidences. Then, of his own motion palace in the morning, went out of his mind,
