The only edition available of the otherworldy tales from a golden age of Indian civilization
In India, Vikramaditya is held up as a model of kingly virtue, and his reign as a golden age of peace and prosperity. Dating from the late thirteenth or early fourteenth century, these tales, narrated by the thirty-two statuettes of nymphs supporting his magic throne, describe Vikramaditya exploits and extol his extraordinary courage, compassion, and kindness. Against an exotic setting of adventures and miracles, the nymphs relate fights with ogres, occult rituals, and travels to other worlds, as well as very human incidents of betrayal and rivalry. The only edition available of these colorful and instructive tales, this is an important addition to a growing library of Sanskrit titles in Penguin Classics.
Books can be attributed to "Anonymous" for several reasons:
* They are officially published under that name * They are traditional stories not attributed to a specific author * They are religious texts not generally attributed to a specific author
Books whose authorship is merely uncertain should be attributed to Unknown.
The tales of Vikramadithya are entertaining, informative and thought-provoking. Many of the current bibliophiles started their reading journey from this book. C. Madhavan Pillai has done a brilliant job in writing all the stories of Vikramadithya in a single book. This will be a great gift for teenagers new to the world of books.
Such a joy to stumble upon a book that I read more than two decades back, as a school kid in the late 1990s. And, the same red and white cover too! The rating is also based on my faded memories of what I felt after reading this back then. The book is still there, somewhere in my shelf.
What a mesmerizing and enjoyable book. This is medieval Indian mythology and folklore about the mythical king Vikramaditya, who possessed unparalleled levels of courage, magnanimity, munificence, fortitude, and other virtuous traits that are illustrated in thirty two tales of adventure and fantasy and magic and occultism and philosophy.
The first section of the book details Vikram’s rise to the throne, brief episodes of his rule, his death, and then the discovery of his throne by a later king Bhoja’s men. The second part tells of King Bhoja’s attempts to mount the throne, each time being addressed by one of the thirty-two statuettes that warns him he shall not mount the throne unless he possesses the high qualities and merits of Vikramaditya. Each statuette then tells a whimsical, magical tale of Vikramaditya’s greatness. The final part tells of Bhoja’s last interactions with these statues, briefly tells us their story, and we then hear the ancient tale recounting the very origins of Vikramaditya himself.
The tales are not only very enjoyable and relatable, as well as imaginative and fantastical, but they tend to show a surprising amount of philosophical insight or principles upon which the behavior of the king seems to be based. This was maybe the first time while reading mythology that I found myself looking to one of its characters as a good model of what to strive for. Through these tales the life of the king comes to light and his deeds are in fact fantastic and morally astute, at times pretty epic, and are always interesting.
He goes on distant journeys or follows up on interesting tales he has heard from those in his kingdom or is willed to voyage far by some prophecy or reading or knowledge, to discover something magical or mysterious or magnificent, and with his selflessness, courage, and other virtues he performs some great feat, puts himself in harm’s way, and usually makes some great sacrifice for the benefit of others, achieving marvelous things and wanting none of the attention or reward that comes with it.
On multiple occasions he is stopped just short of decapitating himself or sacrificing his life, either by a god or another powerful, magical entity who is impressed by his character enough to grant him the boon others weren’t able to earn, which the king then hands over either to those who have yearned for this very thing, or to those who cross his path on his trek home with this newfound reward. Often he pontificates with those he meets, and we get some insight into what ideas medieval Indians valued. He stands as a virtuous and perfect mythological example of a ruler whose very existence seems devoted to increasing the wellbeing of his people.
I wish I knew more Indian mythology so that I would better understand many of the references made throughout this work. I was familiar with some of the gods and beings, at least in name, but there is such a deep well of background to these stories to explore that I suspect one’s experience with this book might be magnified depending on their level of knowledge of the culture.
For a lot of reasons this book was really fascinating to me right now, not the least of which was the contrast between this centuries-old model of the perfectly selfless and virtuous ruler and the current ruler of the United States. One is real and the other is imaginary, though possibly based on real rulers, but the differences between the “ideal” leader who is part of Indian mythology and the real leader who is part of American history are stark. In fairness, though, there is no American president or world leader who can hold a candle to Vikramaditya.
Really a great read. I originally intended this to be a bedtime read, where I’d read a couple of the tales before going to sleep each night. But soon I was so captivated by it I found myself reading it throughout the day.
“Just as life is dear to oneself, so it is to all creatures. Therefore the wise should protect all living beings from the fear of death.
Moreover, Just as you love your own life, so do others love theirs. Just as you guard your own life, do the same for the lives of others”
The throne of King Vikramaditya lies buried under the earth before its unearthed may years later by King Bhoja. When King Bhoja tries to ascend the throne after his coronation, he is stopped every time by each of the 32 statuettes.
Each of these statuettes (which are part of the throne) then recites a tale of King Vikram. Each tale glorifies the King by praising him as he espouses the virtues of honesty, chivalry, righteousness, generosity and bravery. The statuette then asks King Bhoja that he can ascend the throne if he possesses these virtues thus making him suitable to sit upon such a throne that once adorned the mighty king Vikram.
Each tale runs into 2 or 3 pages making this book a light read. I believe this book is an object lesson in the qualities an ideal leader should possess thus making him revered among his subjects.
Simhasana Dvatrimsika, thirty two tales about the legendary king Vikramaditya, in a translation by A. N. D. Haksar, based on a critical edition prepared by renowned Sanskritist Franklin Edgerton. The exact origin of the legend is unknown, but Edgerton merged together four different rescensions, and 33 different manuscripts of the Dvatrimsika spanning 400 years. [An interesting snippet of information from the fine introduction by the translator -- another set of 14 manuscripts, being sent to America were lost with the Titanic.] Clues in the different versions suggest that the original text was composed around the thirteenth or early fourteenth century.
The basic story of the discovery of Vikramaditya's throne is well-known to every Indian child. King Bhoja, a real historical figure, is the ruler of an central Indian state in the 11th century. He gets news that a villager is behaving erratically. While perched atop a mound in his field, he is well-spoken and generous; the moment he climbs down, he reverts to the ignorant and rude yokel that he is. Intrigued, King Bhoja correctly surmises that there is something under the mound -- excavations show a magnificent throne with 32 steps and on each a moonstone statuette. As King Bhoja tried to ascend the throne, each statuette stops him and relates a tale demonstrating Vikramaditya's valor, magnanimity, generosity or justice. Each statuette asks Bhoja "are you fit enough to ascend the throne belonging to Vikramaditya?" Each time, Bhoja hangs his head in shame and retires for the night, only to return the next day.
The stories themselves are repetitive and not very clever. The basic plot is the same - a traveler arrives at Vikramaditya's court with an account of some marvelous or magical happening. Vikramaditya travels to the place and, on learning that a virtuous man needs to be sacrificed to earn the deity's blessing, offers to kill himself. At the critical moment, the god or spirit emerges and stays Vikramaditya's hand and grants the boon. Vikramaditya generously gives the gift or boon to a needy person who conveniently turns up right at the spot.
Only a couple of stories are interesting. In the first story (technically not part of the 32 tales, since it relates the history of Vikramaditya himself), Bhartrihari obtains a golden fruit of immortality from a sage. In love with his wife, he offers the fruit to her, but she gives it to the captain of the guards with whom she was in love, and he to the chambermaid, and she in turn to the stable boy and he to the charwoman. Poor Bhartrihari, returning from a hunt sees the charwoman with the fruit thrown unceremoniously on top of her basket of trash. Questioning reveals the "chain of transmission" -- heartbroken that his beloved queen should cuckold him and disillusioned with human perfidy, he renounces the kingdom and leaves for the life of an ascetic.
The second story is after Vikramaditya's return (he had been sent away by Bhartrihari his brother, as punishment for some unnamed crime). In the meantime, a demon has moved into the palace threatening to kill anyone who ascends the throne. The demon needs to be placated with plentiful food and drink each night. One night, Vikramaditya's asks the demon who claims to be omniscient, how long he, Vikramaditya, has to live. The demon replies that he has a 100 years. The next night, when the demon comes, there is no food, no wine for him. Angered, the demon leaps towards Vikramaditya, but the latter says he is not afraid since he already knows the demon cannot kill him.
The vetala stories (25 in number) are mentioned in a few of the stories of the Dvatrimsika, but they form a separate collection, the Vetala Panchavimsatika. These are the stories with the riddles and moral dilemmas, that Vikramaditya successfully solves. In comparison to the wise and intelligent scholar of the Vetala stories, the Vikramaditya of the Dvatrimsika is a hot-headed and impulsive dolt, whose only response to any situation is to offer to cut off his own head.
A distinctive aspect of the book is the many couplets and poems quoted throughout the book. The introduction states that many are from Kautilya's Arthashastra, from Kalidas and many other sources. For the literate Indian of that period, reading the Dvatrimsika and coming across and recognizing a familiar quote might have been an added pleasure. The quotes are instructive, including moral precepts, advice on strategy, insight into human nature, etc. Perhaps, that was the real intent of the book - moral instruction - and the stories are only the sugar coating.
Through the "stage-setting stories" at the beginning and the epilogue, Vikramaditya's birth, ascent to the throne, and death at the hand of Salivahana are described. However, the well-known episode is missing in which a fortuneteller predicts that Vikramaditya will reign for 50 years, which the king proceeds to double by staying on the throne for six months and in incognito travel for the other six. The many stories in which the king is traveling alone all over the country make better sense in light of this episode.
If the stories are not interesting, the introduction by A. N. D. Haksar is excellent. It lays out the origins of the manuscript, aspects of India's geography and culture depicted in the stories, and the sources of the many quotes included in the book.
Simhasana Dvatrimsika is a classic tales of courage and compassion Vikramaditya(102 BCE to 15 CE, a legendary emperor of Ujjain, India, famed for his wisdom, valour and magnanimity. The original author of the work is unknown. The present text is dated to the thirteenth century AD. It exists in four main recensions, from which extracts have been compiled together for the first time.
Enjoyed this book thoroughly. Beautifully written, and English translation couldn't be any better. Footnotes were quite helpful. This book has made me interested into great Indian Mythology. Looking forward to read more such book.
I like reading mythologies and folktales from anywhere in the world. I knew next to nothing about ancient Indian stories, and I find them different and charming.
You'd think thirty-two stories of the same theme--the great deeds of the mythical king--would be boring by tale #10 or so. I was concerned about this point, too, but wait--there is a surprise! Tale #17 (the first of the second half of stories) hints that there is more to the narration of the statuettes and King Bhoja (the king who attempts to mount the magic throne)'s willingness to listen.
In these 32 Stories of Sinhasana Dvatrimsika, the Basics of Indian Jurisprudence is depicted. A book is highly recommended for the Lawyers and the Judges alike
Neat book. A King should have Magnanimity, Daring and Courage! Relates the tales of King Vikramaditya and the aspiring King Bhoja. Favourite one was the Stopping of Saturn.
വിക്രമാദിത്യ രാജാവിൻ്റെ സിംഹാസനം വർഷങ്ങൾക്കുശേഷം ഭോജ രാജാവ് കുഴിച്ചെടുക്കുന്നതിനുമുമ്പ് ഭൂമിക്കടിയിൽ കുഴിച്ചിട്ടിരിക്കുകയാണ്. കിരീടധാരണത്തിനു ശേഷം ഭോജ രാജാവ് സിംഹാസനത്തിൽ കയറാൻ ശ്രമിക്കുമ്പോൾ, 32 പ്രതിമകളിൽ ഓരോ തവണയും അദ്ദേഹത്തെ തടയുന്നു. ഈ പ്രതിമകളിൽ ഓരോന്നും (സിംഹാസനത്തിൻ്റെ ഭാഗമാണ്) പിന്നീട് വിക്രം രാജാവിൻ്റെ ഒരു കഥ പാരായണം ചെയ്യുന്നു. സത്യസന്ധത, ധീരത, ധർമ്മം, ഔദാര്യം, ധീരത തുടങ്ങിയ സദ്ഗുണങ്ങളെ പ്രതിനിധീകരിക്കുന്നതിനാൽ ഓരോ കഥയും രാജാവിനെ പ്രശംസിച്ചുകൊണ്ട് മഹത്വപ്പെടുത്തുന്നു. ഈ സദ്ഗുണങ്ങൾ കൈവശമുണ്ടെങ്കിൽ തനിക്ക് സിംഹാസനത്തിൽ കയറാൻ കഴിയുമെന്ന് പ്രതിമ പിന്നീട് ഭോജ രാജാവിനോട് ആവശ്യപ്പെടുന്നു, അങ്ങനെ ഒരിക്കൽ ശക്തനായ രാജാവായ വിക്രമനെ അലങ്കരിച്ചിരുന്ന അത്തരമൊരു സിംഹാസനത്തിൽ ഇരിക്കാൻ അവനെ യോഗ്യനാക്കുന്നു.
Somewhere between The Arabian Nights and Somadeva or even Valmiki. Only weaker. Though I'm no Sanskritist. Maybe approach it like this: if you're randomly hankering for some Scheherazade one day/night, try Vikramaditya instead. If it's your first foray into the brilliant plane of Indian thought and myth, you'll probably be blown away. If you already have the major Sanskrit classics under your belt, it'll maybe be more resonant, but, I'd bet, less amazing.
This is a book for anyone wanting to know more about Sanskrit literature with folk roots. The stories are repetitive; probably because they are based on folklore. The translation is, without a doubt, excellent.