The Kathá Sarit Ságara; or, Ocean of the Streams of StorySomadeva Bhatta, active 11th century
General
The Kathá Sarit Ságara; or, Ocean of the Streams of Story
Somadeva Bhatta, active 11th century
Folk literature -- Themes, motives; Hindu mythology; India -- Social life and customs; Tales -- India
The story of Harisarman resembles closely that of Doctor Allwissend
in Grimm's Tales. It is shown by Benfey to exist in various forms
in many countries. It is found in the Siddhikür, the Mongolian form
of the Sanskrit Vetálapanchavinsati. In this form of the story the
incident of the frog in the pot is omitted, and the other incidents
are considerably altered. Instead of the king's treasure we find a
magic gem, on which the prosperity of the country depends; it is not
stolen but lost by the king's daughter. Instead of the horse we have
the cure of a sick Khán who had been driven mad by evil spirits. The
folly of the man who represents the Bráhman consists in his choosing
worthless presents for his reward. (The story is the IVth in Sagas
from the Far East.) Benfey considers the fullest form of the story to
be that in Schleicher's Lithuanian Legends. In this form of the story
we have the stealing of the horse. In other points it resembles the
Mongolian version. The Bráhman is represented by a poor cottager,
who puts up over his door a notice saying that he is a Doctor, who
knows everything and can do everything. The third exploit of the
cottager is the finding of a stolen treasure which is the second in
the Indian story, but his second is a miraculous cure which is in
accordance with the Siddikür. The latter is probably a late work; and
we may presume that the Mongols brought the Indian story to Europe,
in a form resembling that in the Kathá Sarit Ságara more nearly than
the form in the Siddikür does. In the third exploit of the cottager in
the Lithuanian tale, which corresponds to the second in the Indian, the
treasure has been stolen by three servants. They listen outside while
the Doctor is alone in his room. When the clock strikes one,--he says,
"We have one." When it strikes two, he says--"We have two." When it
strikes three, he says,--"We have now three." In their terror they
go to the doctor and beg him not to betray them. He is richly rewarded.
But after all, Grimm's form of the tale is nearest to the Sanskrit. The
dish with crabs in it, the contents of which the Doctor has to guess,
makes him exclaim--"Ach ich armer Krebs." This might almost have been
translated from the Sanskrit; it is so similar in form. The guilty
servants, who stole the gold are detected by the Doctor's saying to
his wife--"Margaret, that is the first"--meaning the first who waited
at table, and so on.
The story is also found in the Facetiæ of Henricus Bebelius, 1506. Here
a poor charcoal-burner represents the Bráhman. He asks three days
to consider. The king gives him a good dinner, and while the first
thief is standing at the window, he exclaims "Jam unus accessit"
meaning "one day is at an end." The next day the second thief comes
to listen. The charcoal-burner exclaims "Secundus accessit" and so
with the third, whereupon they all confess.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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