Note.
Oesterley (p. 210) tells us that a boy is in the same way sold to a king as a victim in the 32nd tale of the Turkish collection of tales, called “The Forty Viziers.” When the king is about to rip up the child’s body, the child laughs for the same reason as in our text. The cause of the sacrifice is however different. The king is to be healed by placing his feet in the body of a boy.
The promise of a golden image to any one who is willing to sacrifice his life is also found in the Bengali edition of the Sinhásana-dvátrinśati. A rich man makes a golden image, with an inscription on it to the effect that whoever is willing to sacrifice his life shall have it. Vikramáditya goes to the place disguised, and cuts off his head, but the goddess heals him, (Benfey’s Panchatantra, Vol. I, p. 109.)
[1] i. e., wonderful peak.
[2] Here there is probably a pun. The phrase may mean that the king delighted in the dark-grey skins of the pigs.
[3] This alludes to Indra’s clipping with his bolts the wings of the mountains. The Śarabha is a fabulous eight-legged animal.
[4] The natives of India beckon in this way.
[5] The Sanskrit College MS. reads váhyasya, which I have followed.
[6] The Sanskrit College MS. gives dúrádhva-gamana-klántam̱ vikshya tam̱ nṛipatim̱ tadá, having seen that the king was wearied with his long journey.
[7] The passage is full of puns; “darkness” means the quality of darkness in the mind: and illuminated means also “calmed.”
[8] There is also an allusion to the circle of the sun’s rays.
[9] See Vol. I, p. 166.
[10] Vináśyaiva should be vináśyeva.
[11] I follow the Sanskrit College MS. which reads etenátyasáreṇa.
[12] Tejas means courage and also brightness.
[13] Asṛikkaṇim̱ is probably a misprint for sṛikkaṇím̱.
Chapter XCV.
(Vetála 21.)
Then king Trivikramasena again went and took the Vetála from the aśoka-tree, and carried him along on his shoulder. And as he was going along, the Vetála again said to the king, “Listen, king, I will tell you a story of violent attachment.”