Kathasaritsagara (the Ocean of Story)
by Somadeva | 1924 | 1,023,469 words | ISBN-13: 9789350501351
This is the English translation of the Kathasaritsagara written by Somadeva around 1070. The principle story line revolves around prince Naravāhanadatta and his quest to become the emperor of the Vidhyādharas (‘celestial beings’). The work is one of the adoptations of the now lost Bṛhatkathā, a great Indian epic tale said to have been composed by ...
Click the link to jump directly to the english translation of the ninth Vetāla. This page only contains the notes.
This story is practically a verbatim repetition of the first part of No. 38 (Vol. IV, p. 144 et seq.), which bears exactly the same title. It also has several points of resemblance to Vetāla 2 (Vol. VI, pp. 179-181 and 261-266). Sufficient references have already been given at the above pages.
In the Hindi version[1] the tale is No. 7. The differences are trifling. We first get a more detailed inventory of the lady’s charms:
“Her face was like the moon, her hair like clouds, her eyes like those of a deer, her eyebrows like a bent bow, her nose like a parrot’s, her neck like that of a pigeon, her teeth like pomegranate-grains, the red colour of her lips like that of a gourd, her waist like the leopard’s, her hands and feet like soft lotuses, her complexion like the Champā: in short, the splendour of her youth increased daily.”
She stipulates that her husband must be possessed of good looks, good qualities and good sense. The first suitor can make a certain cloth for which he can obtain five rubies. He disposes of them the same way as the Śūdra does in our version. The second understands the language of animals. The third knows all the Śāstras, while the fourth is a wonderful archer. They all draw attention to their good looks. No mention is made of what castes they belong to, but in his reply to the Vetāla the king shows to what castes each must belong, and that the princess should naturally marry the one of her own caste.
The story does not appear in the Tamil version, another one entirely different being substituted. See B. G. Babington, Vedāla Cadai, pp. 55-57.
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
W. B. Barker, Baitāl Pachīsī, pp. 157-173.