Read Ebook: Indian tales of the great ones among men women and bird-people by Sorabji Cornelia Goble Warwick Illustrator

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Ebook has 307 lines and 14221 words, and 7 pages

Prince Yudhisthira, being the eldest, was called first.

"Be ready to shoot," said Drona. "But tell me first what you see. Do you see the bird?"

"Yes," said Yudhisthira.

"What else do you see? Myself, your brothers, or the tree?"

"I see yourself, my brothers, the tree, and the bird."

Three times Drona asked this question, and three times was he thus answered. Then very sorrowfully he turned from Yudhisthira. Not by him was the bird to be shot.

Prince after prince, he questioned on this wise; and all alike made answer: "I see you, my brothers, the tree, and the bird."

And now there was but one prince left, Arjun, the master's favourite pupil.

"Tell me, Arjun, with bow bent, what do you see?"

"I see a bird."

"Do you not see myself, your brothers, the tree?"

"I see the bird alone," said Arjun, "not you, nor the tree, nor my brothers."

"Of what colour is the bird?"

"I see only a bird's head."

"Then shoot," said Drona joyfully; and even as he expected, as soon as the arrow sped from the bow, the bird was headless.

Draupadi and the Great Game

When Arjun grew to be a man, one of his first battles was against a King called Drupada. He and his four brothers, the Pandavas as they were called, put their soldiers in a ring round King Drupada's fortress, and let no one pass out or go in.

In a week all the King's servants were dead: and the brothers marched into the palace and took all that they wanted of gold and emeralds, of horses and chariots. The lady Draupadi also, the King's daughter, became theirs by the rules of war.

And Draupadi lived happily with her mother-in-law and the princes.

And all went well, till an enemy of the brothers, jealous of their happiness and their power, tempted Yudhisthira, the eldest of the five. He challenged him to a game of chance in which he put down all he possessed, to lose or win. And Yudhisthira lost. He lost his palace, his chariots and horses, and his whole kingdom. He lost his brothers and himself, and last of all he lost Draupadi also.

Draupadi was the most beautiful of women, and Yudhisthira's enemy was glad indeed when she was brought captive before him. But he was also afraid; for there was something so free in the spirit of Draupadi, that he knew it would not be well with the man who made her a slave.

So, thinking it were wiser to be content with the kingdom and let Draupadi go--

"Ask," he said, "a boon, and it shall be granted."

"I ask then," said Draupadi, "for the freedom of Yudhisthira."

"Granted," said the enemy, for he did not dare break his word. But he marvelled that she did not ask for herself; so, "Ask again" he said.

"And for the freedom of his brothers with their weapons and chariots of war."

"It is granted: but I give you a third boon. Will you not ask for your own freedom?"

The Self-Blinding

Everyone knows the name of Dhritarashtra, the uncle of the five great soldier-men, the Pandavas.

Dhritarashtra was blind; and Dhritarashtra was alone in his blindness.

And when Gandhari, his bride, saw the hurt of his loneliness--"Let me in to him behind his bars of darkness," she said to the gods.

And she bound her eyes tightly; and day and night were alike to her for ever. But Dhritarashtra was no more lonely in his night of sightlessness.

The Story of the Maiden-Knight

Drupada, the King of the Panchalas, had prayed for a son, that he might destroy his enemy the Master-Archer.

But his wife was childless. Then as he still prayed and prayed, Shiva appeared to him and told him that he should have a son who should first be a daughter.

And in due time a daughter was born to him. But the Queen said, "She is a son;" and so great was her faith that she prevailed on the King to proclaim the child a son, and to perform the son-ceremonies.

And the child was called Shikhandi. And she grew strong and beautiful: but was seen of none save her parents and her faithful nurse.

All too soon it was time for her to be married. And again by the advice of the Queen, they sought for her the most beautiful princess in all India. "We must believe the word of the gods," said the Queen.

But at last the secret was known, and the King whose daughter was sought in marriage was very angry. "I have", he said, "been insulted;" and he prepared to make war on the Panchalas.

And Shikhandi's father felt that he had done wrong, and had been deceitful: and he was afraid.

But Shikhandi's mother said, "We only relied on the word of the gods. Be unafraid as I am unafraid: and prepare to defend the kingdom. She shall be a son."

And Shikhandi, sad at heart that she was the cause of all this trouble, wandered forth to lose herself. "If I am not here any longer, the King and my father will make peace," was what she said in her heart.

And, wandering, she came to a great forest, and to a great house the doors of which were open. And the house smelt of smoke and incense, and yet no one was there: and it seemed to have a host, and yet was hostless.

And Shikhandi sat down in the house, and brooded, heeding not time nor self, in her great desire to save her people.

And to her presently came the kind Yakshas, whose the palace was, and he asked her what she wished.

"Make me a man," said she, "a perfect man. My father is about to be destroyed: and if I were a man this would not happen. Make me, oh, Yakshas! a man: and let me keep that manhood till my father is saved."

And the Yakshas was moved with pity: and gave her his manhood and his mighty form, till she should fulfil her object. So she went forth a warrior, in the form of Sthuna, the Yakshas.

And the King of Wealth, coming that way, found Sthuna the woman sitting alone in the palace: and between laughter and disgust--"You shall remain a woman," he said. But later he was sorry, and he added--"Till Shikhandi's death."

So was fulfilled the promise of Shiva--"She shall be first a daughter: and then a son, Shikhandi, Maiden-Knight."

And the mother of Shikhandi was full of a great gladness, that she had believed the word of the gods.

The Way of Friendship

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