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The Magle Bird-Heart
a wonder gem: This detail is wanting in the Hamsauli, its basic model.12
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11. Even from a casual comparison of these versions of the Magic Bird-Heart, several important points emerge.
11.1. Version I is the earliest available. But already it contains several non-original features. The gold giving bird has practically no function in the tale and so it becomes pointless. Instead of using two birds for two functions (one for each), to keep one quite useless and to assign three different functions to the other definitely smacks of secondary elaboration. This is further complicated and distorted in the variant of Version I (i.e. Version I A). There the magic effects of eating the middle flesh and the flesh about the bones are said to have two alternatives according as the eater is man or woman (in the first case) and a wordly man or a monk (in the second case).
11.2. In Version II the tale is given a highly ornate form with very elaborate descriptions in the greately sophisticated Kavva style. Here too we have an unmistakable clue for the story having been derived from some earlier source. After the narrative reaches the point where two brothers separate, the author tells us that 'as the story has it, the elder brother gets the kingship of Magadha.' This clearly means that Bhoja here deliberately skips over some portion of his source--tale, it being irrelevant to his purpose.
As compared to Version I the wonder birds here are not cocks, but doves (or pigeons) and they are not killed by one of the brothers, but they sacrifice themselves out of compassion for the guest'-brothers. This seems to be a modification of the original feature, introduced because killing of bird by a Brahmin was perhaps by this time felt to be improper. The exact character of the faked marvellous power (siddhi) of the younger brother in the counter trick employed by him to avenge himself and regain what he lost is not quite clear, as the text is defective. Quite probably it is the same as the power said to be possessed by the second wonder bird in Version III. There its eater wishes for a dinner
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