________________
The Faithful Parrot Couple' 153 king's love, she desired to be convinced that he would die in the event of her own death. The nun gave her a'root' (mūlikā) which produced a death-like trance when put into the nose, promised at the same time to revive her by means of a second mūlikā 22 (317). The queen did as bidden. The king, in despair, after his doctors and wizards had failed to revive her, ascended the pyre with her, as she was about to be cremated (327). The nun then turned up and revived the queen. The king, delighted, offered her a great reward, which she refused, asking only for the privilege of begging in his city. He had a sumptuous pavillion built for her, and, when she died in evil thought (ārtadhyāna), she was born again as that very she-parrot which was begging the king for the life of her offending mate. At that very moment she had remembered the events of her former birth (339).
The king then granted the life of the male parrot, as well as provision for their sustenance. They returned to their tree, where the female, her pregnancy whim satisfied, laid a pair of eggs. Just then a co-wife who lived on the same tree also laid an egg. It happened that the cowife went out for grain, whereupon the first she-parrot, jealous of her, stole her egg. When the cowife on returning exhibited her distress by rolling on the ground like a carp (çapharī), the first wife grew penitent, returned the egg, and thus gained merit. The parrots and their offspring then lived happily (357). A wandering ascetic (cāraṇaçramaņa) happened along, and praised the Jinen
Devices of this sort are discussed by the author in Proceedings of American Philosophical Society, vol. lii, p. 627, note 22. See also ZMDG. Ixi. 45; Hertel, Das Pañcatantra, p. 109, note 4; Kathăs, 12. 42 (cf. Tawney, vol. i, p. 572); Daçakumăracarita, ii, p. 26; Parcadandachattraprabandha, 4 (pp. 42, 44, where the magic pill is called guţika); Samaradityasaṁksepa 6. 114 (again, guţika).
