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

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Page 346
________________ 336 Prakrit and Apabhraíša Studies The princess avails herself of this opportunity and narrates the whole story before the royal assembly. The king welcomes his brother and at the latter's instance pardons the wrong-doers. Both march forth in great pomp and meet their parents. 8.2. Haṁsāuli is a regular work of narrative literature. Strands of several folk-tales are utilized in the composition of this earliest available Old Gujarati verse narrative of about four hundred fifty stanzas divided into four cantos. The story is composed by the author with the purpose of illustrating the strange and diverse ways in which the courses of lives are shaped under the influence of the deeds of past births. 8.3. The following points are to be noted : (1) The two princely brothers have to leave their home for strange lands because of their step-mother's machinations. (2) The vital element (characteristically figuring in all other versions) of acquiring two magic objects which shapes differently the course of destiny for the two brothers, seems to be missing. (3) It is the younger brother who becomes a king, while the elder wanders through the maize of ups and downs of fortune. (4) The part relating to the wandering brother is remodelled under the influence of some another tale type illustrating primarily the strange working of the law of Karman. 9. Version IV A. Šāmala Bhatta's Vetāla-pacisill has the earlier well-known tale of Candana-Malayāgiri as its eighth story. The original account of the two brothers is here changed and brought in line with the account of the two brother as it is known to the Magic Bird-Heart type. But as in the Haṁsāuli here too the magic birds are missing, For the rest it follows the Hamsāuli. 10. Version IV B. Mänsih ane Abhesih is a much expanded variant of version IV. It is preserved in the bardic oral tradition of Gujarat. It has got one emboxed tale and an admixture of 'several well-known tale-motifs including that of the Dragon-killer. One significant point is that the wandering brother is given here

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