BAITAL PACHCHISI
or
The Twenty-five Tales of the Vampire:
a famous Fort William College story (1802)
presented in Hindi, Urdu, and
English
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Prefatory
material:
*Hindi*;
*Urdu
part 1*, *Urdu part 2*; *appendix*
*English*
Introduction:
*Hindi*;
*Urdu*;
*English* (The king of Dharanagar makes a bargain
with the Baital)
Tale 1:
*Hindi*;
*Urdu*;
*English*
(How the minister's son managed to get a bride for
the prince)
Tale 2:
*Hindi*;
*Urdu*;
*English*
(Madhumavati is restored to life by three suitors)
Tale 3:
*Hindi*;
*Urdu*;
*English*
(The virtues of king Rupsen of Burdwan)
Tale 4:
*Hindi*;
*Urdu*;
*English*
(The parrot, the mynah, and the "wiles of women")
Tale 5:
*Hindi*;
*Urdu*;
*English*
(A kidnapped princess is rescued by three suitors)
Tale 6:
*Hindi*;
*Urdu*;
*English*
(The transposed heads) [inspiration for the Thomas
Mann version]
Tale 7:
*Hindi*;
*Urdu*;
*English*
(Four suitors from four "castes")
Tale 8:
*Hindi*;
*Urdu*;
*English*
(The virtuous king and the virtuous servant)
Tale 9:
*Hindi*;
*Urdu*;
*English*
(The virtuous thief)
Tale 10:
*Hindi*;
*Urdu*;
*English*
(Which queen was the most delicate?)
Tale 11:
*Hindi*;
*Urdu*;
*English*
(The broken-hearted minister)
Tale 12:
*Hindi*;
*Urdu*;
*English*
(Who was guilty of the murder?)
Tale 13:
*Hindi*;
*Urdu*;
*English*
(How the merchant's daughter saved the life of the
thief)
Tale 14:
*Hindi*;
*Urdu*;
*English*
(The pregnant bride)
Tale 15:
*Hindi*;
*Urdu*;
*English*
(The noble prince, the noble serpent, and Garuda)
Tale 16:
*Hindi*;
*Urdu*;
*English*
(The king, the commander-in-chief, and Unmadini)
Tale 17:
*Hindi*;
*Urdu*;
*English*
(How Gunakar failed to learn the art of magic)
Tale 18:
*Hindi*;
*Urdu*;
*English*
(Who deserves the oblations?)
Tale 19:
*Hindi*;
*Urdu*;
*English*
(Why did the boy laugh?)
Tale 20:
*Hindi*;
*Urdu*;
*English*
(Whose love was the greatest?)
Tale 21:
*Hindi*;
*Urdu*;
*English*
(The four foolish Brahmins and the tiger)
Tale 22:
*Hindi*;
*Urdu*;
*English*
(Why did the Brahmin weep, and why did he laugh?)
Tale 23:
*Hindi*;
*Urdu*;
*English*
(Who was the greatest connoisseur?)
Tale 24:
*Hindi*;
*Urdu*;
*English*
(Why did the ascetic laugh, and why did he weep?)
Tale 25:
*Hindi*;
*Urdu*;
*English*
(The Baital finally baffles the king, and then gives
him good advice
before departing)
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VIKRAM AND THE VAMPIRE,
eleven of the tales translated by Richard Burton
(1870): [site];
also [site]
TWENTY-TWO GOBLINS,
translated from the Sanskrit by Arthur W. Ryder
(1917): [site]
Other South Asian
folk
narratives: [on this
site]