HOW RAJA RASÂLU JOURNEYED TO THE CITY OF KING SARKAP
Raja Sarkap.—Lit. King Beheader is a universal hero of fable, who has left many places behind him connected with his memory, but who he was has not yet been ascertained.
Verses.—In original—
Bâre andar piâ karanglâ, na is sâs, na pâs. Je Maullâ is nûn zindâ kare, do bâtân kare hamâre sâth. Laihndion charhî badalî, hâthân pâiâ zor: Kehe 'amal kamâio, je jhaldi nahîn ghor?
The corpse has fallen under the hedge, no breath in him, nor any one
near.
If God grant him life he may talk a little with me.
The clouds rose in the west and the storm was very fierce;
What hast thou done that the grave doth not hold thee?
Verses.—In original—
Asîn bhî kadîn duniyân te inhân the;
Râjâ nal degrîân pagân banhde,
Turde pabhân bhâr.
Âunde tara, nachâunde tara,
Hânke sawâr.
Zara na mitthî jhaldî Râjâ
Hun sau manân dâ bhâr.
I, too, was once on the earth thus;
Fastening my turban like a king,
Walking erect.
Coming proudly, taunting proudly,
I drove off the horsemen.
The grave does not hold me at all, Raja:
Now I am a great sinner.
Chaupur, p. 256.—Chaupur is a game played by two players with 8 men each on a board in the shape of a cross, 4 men to each cross covered with squares. The moves of the men are decided by the throws of a long form of dice. The object of the game is to see which of the players can move all his men into the black centre square of the cross first. A detailed description of the game is given in The Legends of the Panjâb, vol. i. pp. 243, 245.
HOW RAJA RASÂLU SWUNG THE SEVENTY FAIR MAIDENS, DAUGHTERS OF THE KING
The daughters of Raja Sarkap.—The scene of this and the following legend is probably meant to be Kot Bithaur on the Indus near Atak.
Verses.—In original—
Nîle-ghorewâliâ Râjâ, niven neze âh! Agge Râjâ Sarkap hai, sir laisî ulâh!
Bhâla châhen jo apnâ, tân pichhe hî mur jâh!
Dûron bîrâ chukiâ ithe pahutâ âh:
Sarkap dâ sir katke tote kassân châr.
Tainûn banâsân wohtrî, main bansân mihrâj!
Grey-horsed Râjâ, come with lowered lance!
Before thee is Râjâ Sarkap, he will take thy head!
If thou seek thy own good, then turn thee back!
I have come from afar under a vow of victory:
I will cut off Sarkap's head and cut it into four pieces.
I will make thee my little bride, and will become thy bridegroom!
Hundredweight—Man in the original, or a little over 80 lbs.
Verses—In original—
Ik jo aia Rajpût katdâ mâromâr, Paske lârhân kapiân sittîâ sîne bhâr. Dharîn dharin bheren bhanîân aur bhane ghariâl! Taîn nûn, Râjâ, marsî ate sânûn kharsî hâl.
A prince has come and is making havoc;
He cut the long strings and threw us out headlong.
The drums placed are broken and broken are the gongs.
He will kill thee, Raja, and take me with him!
Verses—In original—
Chhotî nagarî dâ waskîn, Rânî wadî karî pukâr.
Jân main niklân bâhar, tân merî tan nachâve dhâl.
Fajre rotî tân khâsân, sir laisân utâr.
Princess, thou hast brought a great complaint about a dweller in a
small city.
When I come out his shield will dance for fear of my valour.
In the morning I will eat my bread and cut off their heads.
HOW RAJA RASÂLU PLAYED CHAUPUR WITH RAJA SARKAP
Dhol Râjâ—It is not known why the rat was so called. The hero of a well-known popular love-tale bears the same name. Dhol or Dhaul (from Sanskrit dhavala, white) is in popular story the cow that supports the earth on its horns.
Verses—In original—
Sakhî samundar jamiân, Râjâ lîo rud gar thâe: Âo to charho merî pîth te, kot tudh kharân tarpâe. Urde pankhî main na desân, jo dauran lakh karor. Je tudh, Râjâ, pârâ khelsiâ, jeb hâth to pâe.
O my beloved, I was born in the ocean, and the Râjâ
bought me with much gold.
Come and jump on my back and I will take thee off
with thousands of bounds.
Wings of birds shall not catch me, though they go
thousands of miles.
If thou wouldst gamble, Raja, keep thy hand on thy pocket.
Verses—In original—
Na ro, Râjiâ bholiâ; nâ main charsân ghâh, Na main tursân râh.
Dahnâ dast uthâeke jeb de vich pâh!
Weep not, foolish Râjâ, I shall not eat their grass,
Nor shall I go away.
Take thy right hand and put it in thy pocket!
Verses.—In original—
Dhal, we pâsâ dhalwin ithe basante lok! Sarân dharân han bâziân, jehrî Sarkap kare so ho! Dhal, we pâsâ dhalwen, ithe basanlâ lok! Sarân dharân te bâzian! Jehrî Allah kare so ho!
O moulded pieces, favour me: a man is here!
Heads and bodies are at stake! as Sarkap does so let it be.
O moulded pieces, favour me: a man is here!
Heads and bodies are at stake! as God does so let it be!
Verses.—In original—
Hor râje murghâbîân, tu râjâ shâhbâz!
Bandî bânân âe band khalâs kar! umar terî drâz.
Other kings are wild-fowl, thou art a royal hawk!
Unbind the chains of the chain-bound and live for ever!
Mûrtî Hills.—Near Râwal Pindî to the south-west.
Kokilân.—Means 'a darling': she was unfaithful and most dreadfully punished by being made to eat her lover's heart.
THE KING WHO WAS FRIED
The king who was fried.—The story is told of the hill temple (marhî) on the top of Pindî Point at the Murree (Marhî) Hill Sanitarium. Full details of the surroundings are given in the Calcutta Review, No. cl. p. 270 ff.
King Karan,.—This is for Karna, the half-brother of Pându, and a great hero in the Mahâbhârata legends. Usually he appears in the very different character of a typical tyrant, like Herod among Christians, and for the same reason, viz. the slaughter of innocents.
Hundredweight.—A man and a quarter in the original, or about 100 lbs.
Mânsarobar Lake.—The Mânasasarovara Lake (=Tsho-Mâphan) in the Kailâsa Range of the Himâlayas, for ages a centre of Indian fable. For descriptions see Cunningham's Ladâk, pp. 128-136.
Swan.—Hansa in the original: a fabulous bird that lives on pearls only. Swan translates it better than any other word.
King Bikramâjît.—The great Vikramâditya of Ujjayinî, popularly the founder of the present Sarhvat era in B.C. 57. Bikrû is a legitimately-formed diminutive of the name. Vikrâmaditya figures constantly in folklore as Bikram, Vikram, and Vichram, and also by a false analogy as Bik Râm and Vich Râm. He also goes by the name of Bîr Bikramâjît or Vîr Vikram, i.e. Vikramâditya, the warrior. In some tales, probably by the error of the translator, he then becomes two brothers, Vir and Vikram. See Postans' Cutch, p. 18 ff.
PRINCE HALF-A-SON
Half-a-son—Adhiâ in the original form; âdhâ, a half. The natives, however, give the tale the title of 'Sat Bachiân diân Mâwân,' i.e. the Mothers of Seven Sons.
THE MOTHER OF SEVEN SONS
Broken-down old bed.—This, with scratching the ground with the fore-finger, is a recognised form of expressing grief in the Panjâb. The object is to attract faqîrs to help the sufferer.
THE RUBY PRINCE
Prince Ruby.—La'ljî, Mr. Ruby, a common name: it can also mean 'beloved son' or 'cherished son.'
Snake-stone.—Mani the fabulous jewel in the cobra's hood, according to folklore all over India. See Panjâb Notes and Queries, vol. i. for 1883-84.