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= Vetala_Panchavimshati =
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Introduction
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The 'Vetala Panchavimshati' (, IAST: ), or 'Betal Pachisi'
("'Twenty-five (tales) of Betal'"), is a collection of tales and
legends within a frame story, from India. Internationally, it is also
known as Vikram-Vetala. It was originally written in Sanskrit.
One of its oldest recensions is found in the 12th book of the
'Kathasaritsagara' ("Ocean of the Streams of Story"), a work in
Sanskrit compiled in the 11th century by Somadeva, but based on yet
older materials, now lost. This recension comprises in fact
twenty-four tales, the frame narrative itself being the twenty-fifth.
The two other major recensions in Sanskrit are those by Śivadāsa and
Jambhaladatta.
The Vetala stories are popular in India and have been translated into
many Indian vernaculars. Several English translations exist, based on
Sanskrit recensions and on Hindi, Tamil, Bengali, and Marathi
versions. Probably the best-known English version is that of Sir
Richard Francis Burton which is, however, not a translation but a very
free adaptation.
Plot
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The legendary king Vikramāditya (Vikrama) promises a 'digambara' (a
naked Jain ascetic) or 'vamachari' (a tantric sorcerer) that he will
capture a 'vetala,' who hangs upside-down from a tree and inhabits and
animates dead bodies.
King Vikrama faces many difficulties in bringing the vetala to the
tantric. Each time Vikram tries to capture the vetala, it tells a
story that ends with a riddle. If Vikrama cannot answer the question
correctly, the vampire consents to remain in captivity. If the king
knows the answer but still keeps quiet, then his head shall burst into
thousand pieces. And if King Vikrama answers the question correctly,
the vampire would escape and return to his tree. He knows the answer
to every question; therefore the cycle of catching and releasing the
vampire continues twenty-four times.
On the twenty-fifth attempt, the Vetala tells the story of a father
and a son in the aftermath of a devastating war. They find the queen
and the princess alive in the chaos, and decide to take them home. In
due time, the son marries the queen and the father marries the
princess. Eventually, the son and the queen have a son, and the father
and the princess have a daughter. The vetala asks what the relation
between the two newborn children is. The question stumps Vikrama.
Satisfied, the vetala allows himself to be taken to the tantric.
On their way to the tantric, Vetala tells his story. His parents did
not have a son and a tantric blessed them with twin sons on a
condition that both be educated under him. Vetala was taught
everything in the world but often ill-treated. Whereas his brother was
taught just what was needed but always well treated. Vetala discovered
that the tantric planned to return his brother to his parents and
Vetala instead would be sacrificed as he was an ' 'all-knowing kumara'
' and by sacrificing him the tantric could be immortal and rule the
world using his tantric powers. Vetal also reveals that now the
tantric's plan is to sacrifice Vikram, beheading him as he bowed in
front of the goddess. The tantric could then gain control over the
vetala and sacrifice his soul, thus achieving his evil ambition. The
vetala suggests that the king asks the tantric how to perform his
obeisance, then take advantage of that moment to behead the sorcerer
himself. Vikramāditya does exactly as told by the vetala and he is
blessed by Indra and Kali. The vetala offers the king a boon,
whereupon Vikram requests that the tantric's heart and mind be cleaned
of all sins and his life be restored as a good living being and that
the vetala would come to the king's aid when needed.
Variation
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A variation of this story replaces the vetal with a minor celestial
who, in exchange for his own life, reveals the plot by two tradesmen
(replacing the sorcerer) to assassinate Vikrama and advises Vikrama to
trick them into positions of vulnerability as described above. Having
killed them, Vikrama is offered a reward by the goddess, who grants
him two spirits loyal to her as his servants.
Films
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It was adapted into 1951 Hindi film 'Jai Maha Kali (Vikram Vaital)' by
Dhirubhai Desai starring Lalita Pawar, Nirupa Roy, Shahu Modak, Raj
Kumar, and S. N. Tripathi. It was remade in 1986 as 'Vikram Vetal', by
Shantilal Soni, starring Vikram Gokhale, Manhar Desai, and Deepika
Chikhalia.
The 2017 Tamil film 'Vikram Vedha' was a modern-day adaptation of the
story with the characterization of King Vikramaditya and the celestial
spirit Vetala derived from that plot. The title of the film was also
derived from the two key characters from the folktale. In 2022, the
film was remade in Hindi under the same title.
Television
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In 1985, the story was developed by Sagar Films as a television serial
titled 'Vikram aur Betaal', starring Arun Govil as Vikrama and Sajjan
Kumar as the Vetala. It was aired on Doordarshan, the public
television broadcaster of India. A remake of that serial by the new
generation of Sagar Films, titled 'Kahaniyaan Vikram aur Betaal Ki',
was aired on the Indian satellite channel Colors.
Indian animator Rajiv Chilaka directed 'Vikram Betal', a television
film for Cartoon Network in 2004 which was produced by his Green Gold
Animations. Another 2006 supernatural sitcom 'Vicky & Vetaal' was
inspired by the 'Baital Pachisi'. A web series titled 'The Vetala' was
released in 2009, written and directed by Damon Vignale. The series
reveals a CGI vetala character in the final episode.
2018 Hindi TV adaptation 'Vikram Betaal Ki Rahasya Gatha' was aired on
&TV, where actors Aham Sharma and Makrand Deshpande as playing the
role of King Vikramaditya and Betaal respectively.
Literature
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The children's 'Chandamama', featured a serial story titled 'New Tales
of Vikram and Betal' for many years. As the title suggests, the
original premise of the story is maintained, as new stories are told
by Vetala to King Vikrama.
In the novel, 'Alif the Unseen', a character named Vikrama the Vampire
appears as a jinn. He tells how thousands of years ago, King Vikrama
had set off to defeat the Vetala, a vampire jinn terrorizing one of
his villages. Vikrama won the Vetala's game of wits, but forfeited his
life. The Vetala now inhabits his body.
Sanskrit
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Both the Kṣemendra and Somadeva recensions derive from the unattested
'"Northwestern" Bṛhatkathā', and include the Vetala Tales as a small
part of their huge inventory. The recensions of Śivadāsa and
Jambhaladatta contain only the Vetala Tales and have an unknown
relationship to each other and to the other Sanskrit recensions.
;Kṣemendra's 'Bṛhatkathāmanjarī' (1037 CE)
*Anonymous Sanskrit summary of Kṣemendra
;Somadeva's 'Kathāsaritsāgara' (1070 CE)
* -- 'Books VI, VII & VIII'; and 'Books IX-XVIII' (1866)
**
** -- 'Tawney's translation of Brockhaus text, but with corrections
and additions based on Durgāprasād (below)'
** -- 'Tawney's translation of Brockhaus text, but with corrections
and additions based on Durgāprasād (below)'
*
**
** -- 'English translation of about half of Somadeva's Vetala Tales.'
;Jambhaladatta (11th-14th century CE)
*
;Śivadāsa (11th-14th century CE)
*
** -- 'Translation of Śivadāsa recension.'
** -- 'Translated from Uhle's Sanskrit edition.'
Hindi
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Some time between 1719 and 1749, Ṣūrat Kabīshwar translated Śivadāsa's
Sanskrit recension into Braj Bhasha; this work was subsequently
translated in 1805 under the direction of John Gilchrist into the
closely related Hindustani language by Lallu Lal and others. This was
a popular work that played an early role in the development of
Literary Hindi and was selected as a Hindustani test-book for military
service students in the East India Company. Thus it became the basis
of several Hindi editions, and Indian vernacular and English
translations; many of these frequently reprinted.
*
** -- 'Reprinted several times between 1848 and 1921 (some later
editions as 'Baital Pachisi').'
** -- 'A new edition of the Hindí text, with each word expressed in
the Hindústaní character immediately under the corresponding word in
the Nágarí; and with a perfectly literal English interlinear
translation, accompanied by a free translation in English at the foot
of each page, and explanatory notes.'
** -- 'A new and corrected Edition, with a vocabulary of all the words
occurring in the text.'
*** -- 'Translated from Dr. Forbes's new and correct edition.'
*** -- 'Translated from the Hindi text of Dr. Duncan Forbes.'
** -- 'Not a translation, but a retelling "more Burtonian than
Indian", based on one or more of the Hindustani editions or
translations.'
* -- 'Translated from the Brujbhakha into English.'
See also
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*'The Adventures of Massang', story from a Kalmyk/Mongolian version of
the compilation
*'The Girl Langa Langchung and the Rooster', story from a Tibetan
version of the compilation
*'The White Bird and His Wife', story from a Kalmyk/Mongolian version
of the compilation
External links
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*
*
[
https://archive.org/stream/1001Nights_201703/Vikram%20%26%20Vetaal#page/n101/mode/2up
Vikram & Vetaal] - containing the Singhasan Battisi and the Baital
Pachisi (Annotated): Translation by Arthur W. Ryder
*
*
*
[
https://web.archive.org/web/20090729123702/http://www.jambudvipa.net/etexts.htm
Original Sanskrit text] by Somadeva in Harvard-Kyoto transliteration
License
=========
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Original Article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vetala_Panchavimshati
