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FOLK TALES IN MEDIEVAL PRAKRIT LITERATURE
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cowdung, or rice, or clod of earth. If an Oraon is suspected of theft, a burning charcoal is kept on his palm. Chastity is tested by withering of flowers. As long as the flowers handed over to the husband, setting out for a journey, remain fresh, he should be sure of chastity of his wife left at home. There are numerous tales in which a beautiful clever woman cheats her husband and runs away with her paramour, a begger, a blind man, a lame man, an elephant keeper or a robber. Such stories are found in world literature. How a merchant's wife, who had illicit connections with a young man, entered a Yaksa temple and got out proving her innocence is popular throughout the world.
2. Conversation of Birds
Conversation or sounding of birds and animals play a significant role in the development of folk tales. Bloomfield has aptly remarked, “The imaginary conversation of birds is the standard source of information ... the chirp and twitter and cluck of birds is the prime and natural source of otherwise inaccessible information. This motif comes to pour rescue when the reader or the hearer is perplexed and does not know what will happen next. At this crucial point the hero will overhear the language of birds and thus the motif helps to release the impasse in the story.10 Parrot finds a most significant place among birds in ancient folklore. In the Sukasaptati the parrot is said to have guarded the chastity of a merchant's wife by narrating stories to his mate. Parrot is also employed as a love messenger. The parrot Hiraman (Hiramani in Sanskrit : a goldencoloured legendary parrot) is mentioned in later literature.
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