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Prakrit and Apabhramśa Studies
outside and the flesh about the bones. A wood-cutter who happens to hear the words of the cocks, gets the meat of the upper cock ready, but while he is bathing, the meat is washed away by the river and comes in possession of an elephant trainer who was then giving his elephants a bath. On the third day after eating the fleshy parts under the advice of a friendly ascetic the elephant trainer becomes king under the following circumstances: Invaded by a neighbouring king, the king of Benares sends the elephant trainer disguised as king to fight the invader. He himself too puts on a disguise, mingles with the ranks and gets killed in the battle. The elephant trainer manages to defeat and slay the invader, and gets kingship as his reward.
5.3. The tale is given to illustrate how luck at times changes hands.
5.4. The Jātaka tale summarized in 5. is obviously made up of two originally independent parts. The first part based on the simulated pregnancy motif hangs together quite tenuously with the second part. In the second part too the story up to the point where the three companions finish their studies and start to see the world at large is sort of an introduction that need not be an integral part of the original story. Similarly the sequel seems to some degree a later modification that turns the story into one of ungrateful friend. Leaving aside these obviously later accretions and analysing the story that is left, we can distinguish the following roints : (1) The hero (the son of a great merchant) and his two com
panions go out to foreign lands. (2) On their way, once they spend a night under a tree on
which two birds (cocks) with magical properties rested. (3) One bird has such properties that whoever eats its fat,
becomes a king next day; whoever eats his middle flesh becomes Commander-in-Chief; and whoever eats his flesh about bones becomes the Royal Treasurer. The other bird has such property that whoever eats his flesh gets One thousand gold pieces next morning. This second bird does. not play any further part in the story.
