विक्रम चरित (उज्जैन सम्राट् विक्रमादित्य - पराक्रम, न्याय एवं ३२ पुतलियों की कथा सटीक)

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Vickram Charitra; OR, ADVENTURES OF VICKRAMADETEA, KING OF OUJEIN. TRANSLATED FROM THE PRAKRIT POEM OF HURRIDASS INTO THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, BY RAGOBA MOROBA. BOMBAY, 1855.

. 3 1 MAR 1970 . (' Printed at the "Bombay Gazette" Press. 00152486

PREFACE. IN presenting to the public an English version of the Adventures of King Vickramadetea, and the four Tales related by Veytal the demon king, comprised in this volume, the translator does not claim for himself anything more than what may be fairly his due. The work will, he trusts, be appreciated for its own merit. It is amusing, and well calculated to afford to juvenile readers, if indeed it may not prove as useful to those of riper years, wherewithal to wile away a few dull hours. It will also, he ventures to think, help to foster that taste for reading in the Natives of India which is now showing itself among them. To Europeans and others the work will, he hopes, be found acceptable, in so far as it contains a description of some of the forms and usages of Oriental life; and though the language in which it is clothed cannot, perhaps, be said to bear comparison with that of modern English authors, it will be found at least grammatically correct, the sheets having been revised by a friend who has had considerable experience in such matters, to whom the translator takes this opportunity of expressing his obligation. The translator is aware that others have preceded him in the field in which he now courts the favor of the public; but that circumstance cannot, he thinks, deprive him of any ASIATIC SOCIETY OF BOMBAY

iv PREFACE. merit which may be due for the labour he has ventured upon. Emulation is at all times praiseworthy, more particu- larly in cases of the present kind. The enlightenment of the age, aided in a great measure by the encouragement received, has placed the translator of the present work in a position to carry out his design more satisfactorily, if not more successfully, than is likely to have fallen to the lot of any of his predecessors. It is therefore with some little confi- dence, not untempered with diffidence, that he appears before the public. No originality of thought or sentiment is claimed : the Prakrit Poems of Hurridass have supplied the subject, which, as has been stated, is now for the first time clothed in the English garb for the benefit of the reader. The translator has taken some pains to expunge such passages as in his opinion bordered on immorality or inde- cency ; and he will now let the work speak for itself, feeling confident that its shortcomings will be kindly dealt with by his friends and patrons, as well as by the public at large, who, keeping in view the fact that it can scarcely be expected of a Native so thoroughly to master the English idiom as one who has from his infancy lisped its accents, will deign to look upon his humble efforts with kind approbation, and, by a generous and liberal support, indemnify him for the trouble and expense he has necessarily incurred in this undertaking.

CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. PAGE King Vickramadetea—His military talents, intellectual accom- plishments, and love of justice—The wisdom and integrity of his Prime Minister—Precautions taken to avert the effects of an adverse prediction made at Vickramadetea's birth—The hermit Soodow—The king obtains from him a practical know- ledge of the science of transmigration—A sentinel, by following the king, also becomes possessed of the secret ... 1 CHAPTER II. King Vickramadetea sets out upon a journey, attended by the sentinel who had acquired the knowledge of transmigration— The king, anxious to test the efficacy of the hermit's instruc- tions, causes his own soul to reanimate the body of a dead serpent—The sentinel enters into the king's body, mounts his horse, and returns to Oujein, the capital of Vickramadetea's dominions—He personates the king, and assumes the reins of government, but departing from his master's policy, he be- comes as much hated as Vickram had formerly been loved—The king discovers the duplicity of his servant, and fearing to con- tinue in the shape of a serpent, assumes that of a parrot, and proceeds to the Fort of Sendoornuggry—He falls in with a troop of Bahooroopees—The strange metamorphoses which the king enables them to effect, and their extraordinary conse- quences ... ... ... ... 8 CHAPTER III. The same subject continued—Tale of the Alligator and the Travel- ler—The chief of the Bahooroopees disposes of the parrot to a wealthy merchant—A dancing-girl endeavours to extort money from the merchant by a false accusation, which is frus- trated by the ingenuity of the parrot—The dancing-girl pre- vails upon the merchant to make her a present of the parrot— In revenge, she orders her slave to put him to death; but Vey- tal, the king of the demons, saves his life, and enables him to escape—The parrot flies to the temple of the goddess Kallika. 19

vi CONTENTS. CHAPTER IV. PAGE The dancing-girl comes to the temple to perform her devotions— The parrot (in the character of the goddess) addresses her, pro- mising to gratify her with anything she may desire—He then ridicules and disgraces her, under the pretext of imposing cere- monies necessary for the realisation of her wishes—Koobjuck the sentinel, who personated King Vickram, becomes tyrannical, and oppresses his subjects—A brahmin threatens him with the vengeance of heaven, and sets out in search of King Vickram— He arrives at a temple dedicated to Shiva, where he meets a young prince named Duntsain, who relates his sorrows—The Brahmin proceeds towards the city of Sendoornuggry, and halts at the temple of the goddess Kallika—The parrot overhears the brahmin's lamentations and prayers, and converses with him—He owns himself to be Vickram, and sets out for Oujein, with the brahmin—On the way they meet Prince Duntsain at the temple of Shiva, and engage in an attempt to gain the Princess Pudmavuntty as his wife—The princess imposes a difficult task upon King Vickram, who has assumed the form of a brahmin, and the brahmin that of a parrot—He calls upon Veytal, who appears, and promises to assist him... ... 44 CHAPTER V. Vickram reposes in the palace of Princess Pudmavuntty—Veytal appears, in the form of a parrot, and commences to relate the history of King Bhudrasain, his son Soorsain, and the princess his wife ... ... ... ... 61 CHAPTER VI. Veytal concludes his narration, and disappears ... ... 86 CHAPTER VII. Veytal re-appears, in the form of a bird called Shaloonky, and commences to relate the history of Queen Shoodhamutty, her son Soomunt, and the Princess Malattee ... ... 102 CHAPTER VIII. Veytal concludes his tale, and disappears ... ... 121 CHAPTER IX. Veytal returns, in the shape of a peacock, and commences to relate the history of King Rutnamanee, his son Sewdass, Hurridass the Prime Minister's son, and the Princess Moheeny ... 136

CONTENTS. VII CHAPTER X. PAGE Continuation of Veytal's tale ... ... .. 156 CHAPTER XI. Veytal concludes the history, and disappears ... ... 174 CHAPTER XII. Veytal re-appears, in the form of a peculiar description of swan, and commences to relate the history of the Princess Chitrangee and Charoo, the merchant's son ... ... 185 CHAPTER XIII. Veytal proceeds with his tale ... ... ... 196 CHAPTER XIV. Continuation of the tale—Being interrupted by the Princess Pudmavutty, Veytal relates the story of the Angel of the Sea and the Two Birds ... ... ... 209 CHAPTER XV. Veytal concludes his story and disappears—King Vickramadetea celebrates the marriage of Prince Duntsain with the Princess Pudmavutty, after which he departs from their palace with the brahmin Somedut, who is still in the form of a parrot ... 222 CHAPTER XVI. Vickramadetea re-assumes the form of a parrot, and the brahmin that of a human being—The brahmin sells the parrot to the king of Wishnoopoory, and returns to Oujein—The parrot decides an important cause between a Zotinge or goblin and a brahmin's son ... ... ... ... 245 CHAPTER XVII. The brahmin Somedut and Vickramadetea's Prime Minister arrive at Wishnoopoory as mendicants, and obtain the parrot from the king as a gift—They return to Oujein, and deliver Vickramadetea to the queen his wife—The usurper Koobjuck, wishing to initiate the queen into the mysteries of transmi- gration, enters into the dead body of a hare, on which Vickra- madetea instantly resumes his own body, causes the hare to be destroyed, and re-ascends the throne ... ... 255

VIII CONTENTS. CHAPTER XVIII. PAGE The inhabitants of Oujein once more enjoy the blessings of good government under King Vickramadetea—The king's mind continuing disturbed by reflections on the prediction that he should be killed by the son of a virgin aged seven years, he sends emissaries into various countries to make enquiries if any such were known—Soometra, the youthful daughter of a brahmin, becomes pregnant by the king of the serpents, and bears a son whom they name Shalivahan—He early displays great martial talents, as well as extraordinary wisdom as a councillor—In repelling an attack by Vickramadetea, Shalivahan, provided with an army by his father, puts the enemy to rout and slays the king—From this date the Shalivahan era begins to be computed ... ... ... ... ... 205

Cooverjee Coyajee ADVENTURES OF VICKRAMADETEA, KING OF OUJEIN. CHAPTER I. King Vickramadetea—His military talents, intellectual accomplish- ments, and love of justice—The wisdom and integrity of his Prime Minister—Precautions taken to avert the effects of an adverse prediction made at Vickramadetea's birth—The hermit Soodew—The king obtains from him a practical knowledge of the science of trans- migration—A sentinel, by following the king, also becomes possessed of the secret. In the capital city of Oujein there once reigned a king named Vickramadetea, who was so liberal that none could be compared with him; he delighted in virtuous actions, and was exact in the administration of justice; he was a care- ful protector of his subjects; his riches were immense, his army very numerous and efficient, and in personal courage and valour he himself was unsurpassed. The people were virtuous and generally moral. The city was extensive and populous, and filled with well-designed and magnificent buildings. The people were happy and contented under the reign of this happy monarch, and they were pious and thank- ful to the Almighty for the blessings vouchsafed to them. They were at peace with their neighbours, and united in the bonds of love and amity. No thoughts of disloyalty or disaffection ever found place in their hearts. By the aid of a bountiful Providence the seasons were prolific, and the harvests plentiful; the trees were always green, and yielded innumerable fruits and flowers, which disseminated their B

2 fragrance around the place. The rivers, lakes, and wells were full. The temples were built in the most costly man- ner, and no expense had been spared to add to their beauty and splendour. The king was greatly commended for his generosity and bravery, and all the rajahs subject to him paid him homage, and were regular in their tributes, and preserved to the very letter the terms of their treaties. The Veytal was also propitious to the monarch,—he always presented himself invisibly, when the king invoked his pre- sence. King Vickramadetea was handsome in his person, excelled in learning, and accomplished in every respect. He was well acquainted with the occult and sacred sciences, and possessed a kind and affable disposition. He loved his minister as a brother, and placed every reliance upon him. No suitor or seeker after justice ever returned from the presence of this noble monarch without realising his wish, as the king delighted to relieve, and rejoiced in such acts of justice and benevolence. It so happened, that in the midst of so much prosperity and happiness a cloud hung over the king. An able and experienced astrologer, a person of some note and reputa- tion, had appeared among them, and predicted at the time of his birth, that the king would receive his death-blow at the hands of a person born of a virgin seven years old. This, as may well be imagined, caused the monarch considerable consternation ; and when he ascended the throne he had a number of spies placed in and around the palace, and also in various parts of his dominions, with strict injunctions to watch narrowly all suspicious characters, and to bring such before him, so as by a timely warning to avert the impend- ing danger, if possible. Being apprehensive lest he should fall a victim to the threatened fate, he had his emissaries even at the courts of the petty rajahs ; and he once travelled from city to city, through forests and glens, en- quiring of all he met whether a virgin seven years old had been delivered of a son ; a journey which extended over a period of upwards of six months.

3 King Vickramadetea, it must be said, was an incarnation of Virbhudru, son of the god Shiva.* It was in this wise :— In Kailas† lived Shiva, who, with his consort Girja, was once engaged in playing at chess. At the end of the game Girja was the winner, but Shiva jestingly denied it, and persisted, against all truth and reason, that the game was his. For some time they warmly disputed the point, till at length it was decided that they should play it over again in the presence of a third person, and abide by the issue ; Virbhudru was accordingly selected as the umpire. They began the game, and fortune again favored Girja. Shiva nevertheless stoutly maintained that he was the winner also the second time, and so exasperated his consort that in a fit of rage she appealed to Virbhudru, calling upon him to declare the truth. Virbhudru seemed unwilling to give his opinion, lest by so doing he should irritate his father Shiva, and bring down his curse, whilst on the other hand he was afraid that by siding with his father he should enrage his mother, and provoke her to inflict some severe injury upon him. However, after communing with himself, he came to the conclusion that it would be safer to have the strongest party on his side, and so, with an utter disregard to truth, he faltered out to his mother that “ Shiva had won the game.” Scarcely had he expressed himself thus than she launched forth a curse upon him, exclaiming fiercely, “ Go, wretch ! and be transformed to a mortal, and henceforth live with mortals on the earth below !” Virbhudru on this immediately began to entreat her, and with tears in his eyes conjured his mother to recal her malediction, and to restore him to his position. After some hours spent in supplica- tion he made an impression on Girja, when her anger was cooled down. Availing himself of this favorable turn in his case he redoubled his entreaties and tears, until she was

• One of the three principal Hindoo gods, to whom the power of destruction is attributed. He is represented in different characters. † The paradise of Shiva.

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persuaded to mitigate in some measure the punishment she had inflicted upon him. She said, “ Thou shalt live alternately for a brief period with us and then reign in the kingdom and city of Oujein, provided thou be- comest an incarnation of the Virbhudru in the shape of Vickramadetea.” When several years had prosperously rolled on, unmarked by any event worth notice, a hermit from Dwarka, named Soodew, presented himself at King Vickramadetea's court. His handsome mien and commanding carriage attracted the attention of all. He was besides, as if in contrast, of a willing disposition, possessed of much learning, and a great admirer of the fine arts. The king, on his appearance, granted him an immediate audience at court. He was so struck with his person, that he rose from the throne and prostrated himself before the hermit. The hermit lost no time in raising the king from the humble position into which he had thrown himself, and prayed him to resume his seat. The king insisted that the hermit should sit be- side him on the throne, which he accordingly did. Thus seated, they conversed some time, during which the king. extolled the hermit's wisdom, which appeared favorably in his conversation. After dismissing the court, the king led the hermit into an inner apartment of the palace, and placed a sumptuous repast before him, after which he perfumed the hermit's person with scents of the sweetest odour, and again entered into conversation with him on various topics, in- cluding science and the arts. The hermit, observing the vast and varied knowledge possessed by the king, asked, “ Will your majesty, who is no doubt familiar with the several arts and sciences, inform me whether you possess any knowledge of the art of transmigration, or the power of changing ourselves or others into any shape or form, by the use of certain montru* ?” The king replied that he was wholly unacquainted with it, but that he had a great and .

* An incantation or mystical verse, a charm or spell.

5 anxious desire to have the mystery, in which it was (to him at least) shrouded, cleared up. The hermit’s conversation greatly roused the curiosity of the king, and he entreated him to instruct him in it before he left the court. The hermit being thus solicited, and considering that it would be far better to impart his knowledge to a king than to any one else, consented to instruct him; and so with a smiling coun- tenance said, “I will initiate you into this mystery tomorrow night, as there will be an auspicious hour then for the pur- pose. Your majesty must come unattended to the temple of Shiva, situated without the town walls, where I will be in waiting to receive you.” The following morning the her- mit repaired to the appointed place of meeting with the king, it being considered a sacred and secure spot, free from all intrusion. In the evening, when the sun had gradually sunk below the horizon, and night had spread its sable veil over the face of creation, the hermit might have been seen in the dusk, his figure extended to its full height, and lis- tening eagerly for every sound, expecting the arrival of the king. The king’s impatience would not admit of his waiting until the time fixed for his starting. He left the palace a little earlier, and wended his lonely way in the direction of the temple. Arriving at the small gate of the town, he found a sentinel named Koobjuck stationed there. He directed him not to leave the spot until his return, as he had some very important business to transact out of town. The sentinel respectfully bowed an assent; but as the sovereign walked past him, he could not but reason in this wise, being an acute man: ‘The king would certainly not venture to leave the city without the attendance of some officer or slave; and even were it so, I should be rendering a piece of valuable service by following him unknowingly, observing the direction he takes, and keeping myself at a respectful distance; for should any accident happen to him, I shall be ready at hand to render him assistance.’ He therefore resolved to follow the king. He watched him

6 trudging along, and his curiosity being at its height, he made up to within a respectful distance of him, and kept him in view till he came near to the temple. Koobjuck here slightly hesitated, but at last, plucking up his courage, he entered the ground on which the temple was situated, close upon the heels of the king, and as the sovereign closed the door after him, Koobjuck leaned forward, and gave an attentive ear to the conversation that passed within between the king and hermit. At the close of the conference, when he found the king was about to retire, Koobjuck made all possible haste to regain his post, which he did without any one suspecting his temporary absence; and as the king returned back to the town, Koobjuck saluted him with his usual equanimity, as though nothing in the world had happened to disturb it. The following day his majesty, as was his usual practice, spent in regu- lating the affairs of his kingdom, and when night drew on he set forth again for the temple of Shiva, having pre- viously issued an order that the vigilant Koobjuck should be placed, as on the previous day, to watch the suburbs of the town. The wily sentinel was punctual to his time, having anticipated the hour of the king’s departure, and taken up his place. Thence he saw the king depart the second time to meet the hermit, and he also followed, and, as before, might have been seen listening with as much eagerness as on the former occasion, beside the temple door. Three successive visits were paid by the king to the hermit in this way, and at all three Koobjuck managed to be present in the manner described, until, at the end of the third visit, the hermit had made the king thoroughly acquainted with the mysteries of transmigration, and every portion of the instruction thus imparted to the sovereign had become equally familiar to the sentinel, so that, without even the shadow of a suspicion, he had been able clandestinely to acquire the knowledge. The day following that on which the last of the visits was paid to him by the king, the hermit left the court,

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having been loaded with magnificent presents, and set forward on his journey. King Vickramadetea accom- panied him with his retinue for about a mile, and at parting expressed a deep sense of gratitude for the kind- ness the hermit had shown him in initiating him into the rare art of transmigration. Meanwhile, the spies who had been placed in different parts of the country to obtain information as to the virgin of seven years old, who, it had been foretold, would give birth to a son who would end the king's days, returned without being able to render any satisfactory account of their labours. Nothing was known or heard of this extra- ordinary virgin ; and, as a matter of course, in the absence of any knowledge of the mother it was impossible to ascertain whether the child fated to cause the death of the king was in existence or not. Thus was the king plunged into a wild maze of conjecture, without a clue to assist him in arriving at a satisfactory solution of the mystery.

8 CHAPTER II. King Vickramadetea sets out upon a journey, attended by the sentinel who had acquired the knowledge of 'transmigration—The king, anxious to test the efficacy of the hermit's instructions, causes his own soul to reanimate the body of a dead serpent—The sentinel enters into the king's body, mounts his horse, and returns to Oujein, the capital of Vickramadetea's dominions—He personates the king, and assumes the reins of government, but departing from his master's policy, he becomes as much hated as Vickram had formerly been loved—The king discovers the duplicity of his servant, and fearing to continue in the shape of a serpent, assumes that of a parrot, and proceeds to the Fort of Sendoornuggry—He falls in with a troop of Bahooropees—The strange metamorphoses which the king enables them to effect, and their extraordinary consequences. KING VICKRAMADETEA'S'mind was racked with anxiety as to his dreaded fate, as expressed at the end of the last chapter. In this state he sent for his minister 'and bosom friend, and gave orders to make preparations for a journey ; he also consulted with him on the affairs of the state, and requested him to carry them on during his absence in the most impartial manner possible, and with strict attention to justice. He said that he was fully aware of the zeal the minister displayed in the welfare and well-being of his kingdom and people, and had therefore no hesitation in confiding to him the responsible task. The preparations for the journey being completed, the tents pitched on the plain, and a propitious hour ascertain- ed, the king set out with a small retinue towards the north. Among those who followed in his train 'was Koobjuck the sentinel, whom the king added to the number of his follow- ers expressly for his tact and ingenuity. After travelling a few days they arrived at a stage near the capital city of Sendoornuggry, which was situated on the banks of a beautiful lake, surrounded with a variety of large and spreading trees, which formed a cool and refreshing shade.

This lake was full of the sweetest water, and as clear as crystal; they bathed in it, therefore, and after the usual ceremonies, partook of dinner. Shortly after the meal, the king went towards a flower-garden situated near the lake, for the avowed purpose of examining more closely its beau- ties; on approaching it he discovered a dead serpent lying amongst the bushes. The moment he saw it, he felt inclined to try the extent of knowledge which had been imparted to him by the hermit, fully believing that the Gooru* could not have practised any imposition on him. With this intention he returned to his tent, and prepared to give the subject, then uppermost in his mind, a fair trial. He ordered Koobjuck to wait for him while he slept a little, and positively forbade his disturbing him whilst in the arms of Morpheus, but to allow him to awake refreshed from his sleep. He then laid himself down in an alcove prepared for him, and was soon asleep. A certain charm had been pre- viously applied, and it now began to take effect. As the monarch's sleep became heavy, the serpent began gradu- ally to move; when it had regained its full strength, it rushed along furiously over the bank of the lake in the garden into the adjoining woods, attracted by the beauty of the landscape and scenery around the neigh- bourhood. These creatures are said to be susceptible of sylvan beauties; what amount of truth there is in this we do not presume to say, but give it merely as a popular as- sertion. The king's attendant, Koobjuck, perceiving the wonderful miracle achieved by his lord and master, namely, that of entering the body of a dead serpent, and conscious of the powers he himself possessed, (for which, it will be re- membered, he was indebted to his eaves-dropping propensi- ties, if we may so call them,) determined also to test their efficacy. He accordingly assumed the form of the king, who was lying near him asleep, and issued forth before the body of retainers. He ordered the tents to be struck, and

• A spiritual preceptor.

10 the whole equipage to return to Oujein ; and, mounting the king’s horse, he quitted the place with them. In a few days he arrived at the capital, and it becoming known, the minister and all the courtiers assembled in the audience- hall to wait upon their king, and to congratulate him upon his safe return, which they did with every possible degree of esteem, love, and regard. The counterfeit Vickram then held a council with the members of the court, and told them that when he left the city it was not his intention to return so speedily, but that his follower Koobjuck having deserted, he was loath to proceed any further. “ I thought,” said he, “ of setting out again on my tour, but there are reasons the urgency of which prevent my doing so at present.” He then left the court and proceeded to the apartments of the queen. The queen was a person of great merit, and of much beauty. The accomplishments of her mind were also far above the common calibre ; and, above all, she was possessed of much solid virtue. She saw the king approaching her, and prepared to receive him. After the usual interchange of civilities, into which she threw much of that winning soft- ness of manner peculiar to her sex alone, and not sus- pecting the person before her to be other than her lawful king and husband, she entered into that free and confidential mode of talk pertaining to a wedded life, although surprised at seeing Vickramadetea enter her apartments at an hour of the day to him quite unusual. She said she was very anxious to see the trial of what the hermit had instructed him in, and pressed him much to set about it. She said, “ Your majesty need not come into these rooms allotted to me for the next six months at least, unless you satisfy me in what I now solicit at your hands. I am desirous equally with you to derive the pleasure to be found from the knowledge of such a wonderful secret. I shall then only— that is, after you satisfy me on this head—willingly obey your majesty in all that it may be your pleasure to direct me.” The base usurper thus replied to the queen : “ Oh, my lovely angel ! the desire of my soul ! if it be your wish