Vetalapancavinsati

by S. Sivadasa

Half mythical, heroic and sagacious, the emperor vikramaditya is widely regarded as indias greatest monarch this collection of stories tells of the rulers fabled encounter with a vetala, a genie who inhabits the body of a corpse the emperor begs the spirit for his help against a mighty necromancer and is told in return twenty-four tales, each of which presents a situation he might face as a king and culminates in a riddle that he must solve with each answer, vikramaditya displays his deep wisdom, proving himself to be the ideal monarch and winning, in the twenty-fifth tale, the guidance he needs from the vetala to destroy his powerful enemy written down in medieval times but inspired by an oral tradition stretching back centuries, these wise and witty tales rank amongst the great masterpieces of sanskrit literature

Paperback

First published October 28, 2005

Reviews

[Ashwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though the translator seems to believe that Sivadasa's version has more merit and substance. I think Jambaladatta's version of the same tales (sadly confined to an appendix in the current translation) reads better.

The author's translation of the poetry is quite brilliant, but the prose does not grip. It is probably too honest a translation that sacrifices the sheen of the original to maintain a sense of authenticity.

One particular verse was quite beautiful:

A man might hold a trident in his hand, or shave his head;
he might dwell in a cave, or on rocks, or under a tree;
he might read the ancient texts or glean the essence of the vedas;
but if his heart is impure, what use are these?

(Tale 18: Who is prince Haridatta's real father)

[Angelina Životić · Rating 5 out of 5]

Карактеристика индијске књижевности је оквирна прича, а преко Хиљаду и једне ноћи и сродних дела овај поступак постаје и део европске књижевности.
У Веталапањћавиншати оквир је понешто бизаран: испосник тантриста наводи краља да ноћу дође на спаљивалиште и помогне му у обредима који захтевају леш. Ветала, дух који улази у мртва тела, запоседа једно тело које се буди и краљу прича приче, а свака од прича садржи загонетку коју је потребно решити. Када се заврше приче, Ветала саопштава краљу да ће га испосник жртвовати и у том тренутку скида клетву (да буде зао дух) и помаже краљу који убија испосника.
Можда је ова комбинација нарације и загонетке најближа Јолесовом једноставном облику - казус.
Весна Крмпотић је већи део прича превела са енглеског у књизи Хиљаду лотоса.
Све у свему, ако вас интересује компаративна фолклористика, може бити занимљиво. По мом мишљењу, поред Пањћатантре и Шукасаптати, Веталапањћавиншати спада у врхунска дела на санскрту. Препоручујем. 9/10

[sid · Rating 2 out of 5]

meh

[Renuka · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this translation by Chandra Rajan. The stories are wonderful and this book is a good introduction to the tales. However, while the poetry reads well in English, reading the prose is like navigating a road with potholes at regular intervals. The introduction is tedious and the book is clearly targeted towards a Western audience, with its very rational explanation of the history of this work, which robs it of all its magic. For example, while the Brihatkatha, which is the original source of these tales, is mentioned, nowhere does it say that the work was said to be published in the 'language of the ghouls', Paiśācī. These little bits make these tales even more colourful and intriguing. Similarly, many mythological and philosophical concepts from Hinduism are explained in an extremely reductive manner, minus any nuance, often using parallels in Greek mythology to describe them. Also, calling 'vetala' a 'genie' wasn't as laughable as Richard F Burton's 'vampire', but it did feel quite strange. Why not leave the original term intact? The book devotes a whole chapter to explaining the concept anyway. There really is no alternative for it in the English language.
The hiccups aside though, the book still is a decent read, and sometimes, the poetry is just beautiful, particularly the one about death, that Viśnu  Śarma narrates in Tale 23. I can't help but say though, that I wish A N D Haksar had translated this work. His translation of Simhāsana Dvātrimśikā was delightful, as is his translation of the Hitopadeśā, which I am currently reading. His language is lyrical, the prose masterful and a lot more organic, without a single forced note.