Book Title: Indological Studies
Author(s): H C Bhayani
Publisher: Parshva Prakashan

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Page 344
________________ .334 Prakrit and Apabhraíśa Studies (5) Five 'devine agents' select the elder brother for a king in place of the former one, who has just then died childless. (6) The younger stays with a courtesan, whose mother once steals his wonder-gem, but she finds it to be useless without the proper rite. (7) He kills an ascetic-magician and comes in possession of his magic shoes. (8) The courtesan's mother cheats him of his magic shoes. (9) He acquires two magic pills through service rendered to a semi-divine being : One has the power to turn a human being into an ass, the other reverses this effect. (10) By means of the first pill he turns the bawd into a she ass, rides on her back and whips her. (11) The complaint reaches the king. The brothers are reunited. The bawd is restored to her human form. The magic gem, shoes and the courtesan are returned to the younger brother, who is appointed heir-apparent. 8. Version IV. represented by Asāita's Old Gujarati versenarrative Harnsāuli, 10 is found as the second part of a composite story. The first part relates to the acquisition of a princess seen in a dream and has several other well-known tale motifs. This part is without any organic connection with the second part. The acquired dream princess (called Haṁsāull) gives birth to twin boys. The king arranges for bringing up and educating them secretly at a place outside the capital. They return as strong young men. One of their step-mothers falls in love with the younger prince, who spurns her request. Like Potipher's wife she accuses him of rape and the princes are handed over to the minister for being secretly executed. The story from this point onwards is summarized below : 8.1. Taking pity on them the minister lets the princes escapeand successfully deceives the queen by producing deer's eyes for evidence. The fleeing brothers enter a dense forest. The elder goes in search of water for the sake of the thirsty younger brother. He returns to find him 'lifeless due to a deadly serpent-bite. Tying his *body to a branch overhanging a lake, he goes to a nearby city to get sandalwood for the funeral pyre. In the meanwhile Garuda,

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