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

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.

4

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,

7

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

11
to become mistress of the art I now possess, I solemnly de-
clare I shall not thwart your inclination in this respect, nor
in any other that you may ask me. I undertake to meet
them all; but I recommend you to think well, and not
insist on knowing that which, for reasons I cannot well
explain, had best remain locked up in my breast. I do not
wish to displease you, but I would fain not teach you the
art of transmigration. I give you time to recall your
thoughts, and ponder well upon what I have said; and if
you still persist in knowing it, I will satisfy you." In his
concluding remarks, the false king threw much warmth and
some displeasure into his manner, unlike the true sovereign.
In the latter, no trivial events, such as these, could have
ruffled his temper in the slightest degree. This circum-
stance did not pass unnoticed by the wise minister of those
realms, and he could not but ask himself, what could have
worked such a change in his sovereign? 'There is certain-
ly,' thought he, 'a wide difference between his former car-
riage and bearing and these he now displays;' and as he
had some slight belief in the power of transmigration, he
naturally enough concluded that he had only the body of
the king before him, with some other soul inhabiting it for
the present, a matter he was determined to ascertain. Mean-
while the new king commenced a reign, marked by the
grossest injustice, and the violation of all the rights and
privileges which previously tended so much to the well-being
and prosperity of each and all in the country, and to the
stability of the government itself. This occasioned much
bitterness and lamentation, where there formerly reigned
peace and happiness. Where it was once customary to
bestow commendations on the king, and to call down bless-
ings on him, every mouth was now filled with the direst
imprecations and curses. The minister, though much
averse to be made a tool in the hands of such a despot, was,
nevertheless, forced to submit to that which, under the cir-
cumstances, there could be no means for effectually putting
a stop to. All he could do, by his advice and suggestions,
3

12
were done most zealously ; but they went but a little way
with the king, who, to his other bad qualities, added that of
conceit. We will leave him for the present, and treat of
the serpent which had been brought into life, and which
we left in the woods.
The serpent, then, after coiling and sporting in the woods
for a time, returned, with the same speed that marked his
onward course, to the spot whence he first started, and
found there the body of Koobjuck alone in the place
where he had left him in life. At first sight, the serpent
(who it will no doubt be recollected was the rightful king
in disguise) was rooted to the spot, with rage and astonish-
ment contending within him. He could scarcely believe
his own eyes. After a long gaze at the body of Koobjuck,
he exclaimed, "How now! I am scarcely out of my na-
tural frame and within the woods, but thou committest such
a daring outrage upon my person!" While contemplating his
position, he became dejected and melancholy ; in a word, he
was quite beside himself. He again burst forth in terms of
mingled rage and disappointment, and casting his eyes on
the body lying before him, said, "What a dreadful and un-
paralleled instance of duplicity and mischief hast thou shown
towards me, in assuming my form and going away, and
leaving me the choice of yours, or retaining that of the ser-
pent! If I enter thy body, so cursed that if I look on it
I incur a great sin ; and if I converse with such as thee,
then my crime is equivalent to a murder; if I eat with
such it is even worse, for the murder will then be as that
of a brahmin; and equally unfortunate will it prove, should
I receive even a drink of water from such a person's hands.
The company of the wicked is ever pregnant with evils, and
places a man in danger. It is said in the law, that a man
should not approach to within five paces of a bullock, ten of
a horse, and a thousand of an elephant; but that one
should abandon the city altogether, when the residence in
it of a wicked man is fully ascertained. Oh! what mis-
fortune hast thou not brought on me!—thou hast injured

me both in soul and body by preventing a re-union of them.
Certainly—oh, unhappy destiny !—what has been fated
must come to pass, and I have therefore only to bear
it with patience. Oh, perfidious wretch ! Oh, most
ungrateful villain ! I will never appear in thy detestable
form, so full of deceit, ingratitude, and wickedness !"
In this state of grief, bordering on despair, a sudden
thought crossed his mind, which gave him some relief. He
knew that he had very kind and faithful friends in Soodew
and Veytal.* On this he endeavoured to restrain his
sorrow, and become more calm and collected. Believing
he would be preserved from all danger, he started for the
city of Sendoornuggry. While journeying along, he was
led into considering the great danger he ran by continuing
in the form of a serpent, a reptile held in deserved detestation
by mankind, in consequence of the bitter enmity between
them, and the venomous nature of the former. It chanced,
however, that he found, shortly after his musings, under a
Vurt† tree, a dead parrot, and knowing it to be a bird held
in high repute for its beauty, colour, and other estimable
qualities, he lost no time in taking its form, by which he
not only lessened his danger, but acquired speed in his
movements,—a thing by no means to be despised, situated
as he was. Having transformed himself into the parrot,
he ascended high into the air, and after having satisfied
himself in all that delighted him in his new form,—perching
on a tree here, picking a fruit there, and so on,—he arrived
just without the walls of Sendoornuggry in much less time
than he could have done without the wings of a parrot, and
its light and active frame. The parrot (that is, the king)
alighted on a tree, under the inviting shelter of which a
troop of Bahooroopees,‡ who were in very distressed cir-
cumstances, had shortly before taken up their residence.

* The king of demons.
† The Indian fig-tree.
‡ A wandering tribe, who go about as dancers, actors, maskers, &c.

14
They were bitterly complaining of their hard lot, and were
loud in their bewailings ; they were heard to raise their
voice and exclaim, “ Almighty Creator of all things ! consider
the vast and boundless difference between the rich and the
poor : while we are every day, every hour, and every mo-
ment of our lives, exposed to the most harassing fatigues,
painful privations, and the direst of calamities, which may
be summed in the brief monosyllable ‘ want,’—want of the
necessaries of life, of food and clothing for ourselves and
families—want of comfort—want of everything, in short,
that can make life desirable, or even tolerable,—the rich
are permitted to roll in wealth, with a superfluity of all
that is denied to us, and of the ‘things which are essential
to life. What have these done to secure for themselves so
enviable a lot, and what have we been found wanting in to
deserve so much misery ? We have parted with ‘ the little
we possessed, consisting of the ornaments used in our profes-
sion, and which were our all, in order to procure the bare
means of subsistence for to-day ; tomorrow we may meet
with death staring us in the face !”
Having disburdened themselves of their griefs in this
wise, they laid themselves down. The parrot, who had
heard every word they uttered from his lofty perch, was
much affected at the affliction of the poor and wretched
Bahooroopees, as expressed in their words. He deigned to
address them as follows :—“ Strangers,” said he, “ whence
come ye, and whither are you bound ? Pray inform me,
what are your respective callings or professions, the tribes
to which each belong, your countries and your religions, and
your reasons for thus bewailing ?” These sympathising
words, delivered also in a tone of voice peculiar for its
sweetness, caused the Bahooroopees to start up and listen
attentively whence the voice proceeded, but they could not
discover it ; at last, after much trouble and some little
delay, they saw the parrot perched up aloft on one of the
furthermost branches of the tree under which they were all
assembled. The chief of the company was delighted that