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The Tale of Vyāghramārí
355
The earliest version of the tale is found in a Vinaya text of the Buddhists, viz., the Bhiksuni-vinaya of the Arya-MahasanghikaLokottaravādin. The Buddhist Sanskrit text of the tale and its outline in English are reproduced below from Roth's edition of the Bhiksuņi-vinaya.
इय स्त्री रात्रौ दारिकां स्कन्धेनादाय गच्छति । सिंहो च पुरतः प्रत्युपस्थितो । सा दानि दारिका दृष्ट्वा रुदिता । ताय स्त्रियाय दारिका चपेटया आहता-‘एको ते सिंहो खादिता एत पि खादितुकामासि' ] सिंहः पश्यति-'यादृशी एषा खी ध्वांक्षा च मुखरा च खादत्येषा ममायीति । भीत: प्रपालयति । पुरती मर्कटः आगत्वा सिंह पृच्छति-'मृगराज-पुत्र कहिं गमिष्यसि' । सिंहो जल्पति-'भय' में उपपन्न । वानरः पृच्छति-'कीदृश भयं' । सिंहा विस्तरेणाचिक्षति । सो जल्पति नैवं वक्तव्यं । सिंहस्त्व मृगराज । कस्त्वां प्रहरिष्यति । आगच्छाहि निवर्ताहि' । स नेच्छति । सिंही वानरेण केशेहि गृहीतः । 'आगच्छाहीति' । सा दारिका दृष्ट्वा प्ररुदिता । सा स्त्री जल्पति । 'मा रोदाहि दारिके एषो तव मातु: केनानीतो केशेहि गृहीत्वा इदानी यन् न इच्छसि तं से खादाहीति' । सिंहः पश्यति-'मा हैवं संकेत-कृत' भविष्यति । एवमेवानीयानीय देति एषापि खादति । यत् तावदह एकं वार प्रपलान: किं भयो निवर्तित.' । सो दानि तस्य मर्करस्य अबधुनित्वा प्रपलानः ।
**(The Lord) relates the story of a woman who walks at night carrying her child on her shoulder. All of a sudden a lion stands before them. The child starts crying. The woman gives a slap to the child saying: 'One lion has already been eaten by you, and now you want to eat this one also'. The lion notes how forwardly eloquent and bold the woman is in regard to him. He gets frightened and runs away. A monkey sees the lion fleeing. Astoni. shed, he asks, 'How it happened that the king of deers is running away'. The lion tells his story. The monkey says this is not the behaviour of a king and asks him to return. He refuses. After this the monkey jumps down and drags the lion by his mane to the place where mother and child are walking. Again the child cries. The woman says, 'Don't cry, the lion has been brought back by his mane to your mother; if you want to eat him, now eat him.' On hearing this, the lion turns the monkey from his neck, and runs away".
