--- title: Opening, part 1 — Indian tales of the great ones among men, women,… · full text with trees · page 2 description: Opening, part 1, «Indian tales of the great ones among men, women, and bird-people» by Cornelia Sorabji: the whole chapter, every sentence with its dependency tree and pragmatics. It begins: C 797 --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg69647/1/page/2/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [tales](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/) / [Indian tales of the great ones among m…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg69647/) / Opening, part 1 # Opening, part 1 · page 2 [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg69647/1/) **2** And the King looked within, and found his heart not as the heart of a child.[90](../../90/ "tree and pragmatics") “I am not worthy,” said the King.[91](../../91/ "tree and pragmatics") But he knew that the last eagle had solved the mystery of the green mound of grass.[92](../../92/ "tree and pragmatics") The throne of Vikramaditya, where the shepherd boy did justice, was denied to him, the great and mighty King.[93](../../93/ "tree and pragmatics") For he who would be perfectly just, must have the heart of a little child.[94](../../94/ "tree and pragmatics") Samyukta, or The Story of the Own-choosing.[95](../../95/ "tree and pragmatics") Samyukta, daughter of the King of Kanauj, was the most beautiful Princess in all India.[96](../../96/ "tree and pragmatics") And Prithi Raja, the King of Delhi, wanted to marry her.[97](../../97/ "tree and pragmatics") He knew that it would not be easy, because her father was his enemy.[98](../../98/ "tree and pragmatics") However, always and always he liked best to do what was not easy to do.[99](../../99/ "tree and pragmatics") So he meant to try.[100](../../100/ "tree and pragmatics") First he sought out her old nurse, who lived not far from the palace.[101](../../101/ "tree and pragmatics") Touching her feet with his forehead, as is the way of saluting mother-people, he asked her advice.[102](../../102/ "tree and pragmatics") The old woman loved Prithi Raja very dearly, and found a way of helping him.[103](../../103/ "tree and pragmatics") “Give me”, she said, “that picture which the great painter at Delhi has made of you, on ivory, in green and gold: and the rest I will tell you when I come again from my journey.”[104](../../104/ "tree and pragmatics") And the nurse who loved Prithi Raja, went a long way till she came to the gates of the palace of Kanauj.[105](../../105/ "tree and pragmatics") She asked to see the Queen.[106](../../106/ "tree and pragmatics") Now it happened that at that moment, the Queen wanted a new waiting-woman for the Princess.[107](../../107/ "tree and pragmatics") So she took the nurse, and gave her to the household of the Princess.[108](../../108/ "tree and pragmatics") Samyukta, the Princess, was indeed beautiful.[109](../../109/ "tree and pragmatics") Good was she also, and of a true heart.[110](../../110/ "tree and pragmatics") And as the old woman brushed her hair, or sat out with her on the roof-balcony on the still, hot nights when the Princess was sleepless, she told her tales of Prithi Raja, King of Delhi, and of his great love for Samyukta.[111](../../111/ "tree and pragmatics") And she showed Samyukta his picture painted on ivory in green and gold.[112](../../112/ "tree and pragmatics") And as the Princess looked on his face, her heart went out to meet the heart of the King who loved her.[113](../../113/ "tree and pragmatics") And presently the King of Kanauj said: “It is time for the Swayamvara”--that is the choosing of her husband by a Princess-Lady.[114](../../114/ "tree and pragmatics") And he sent his heralds to all parts of India, to call the princes of India to the great choosing.[115](../../115/ "tree and pragmatics") But to his enemy, Prithi Raja, the King of Delhi, he sent no message.[116](../../116/ "tree and pragmatics") Nevertheless the King of Delhi came to the choosing, he and his friend, disguised as minstrels.[117](../../117/ "tree and pragmatics") And the palace courtyard was gay and ready for the choosing.[118](../../118/ "tree and pragmatics") Garlands of roses and jasmine hung from the pillars, and garlands of yellow marigolds.[119](../../119/ "tree and pragmatics") The King and Queen sat on golden thrones on a marble balcony: and down below were the thrones of the princes who sought the hand of Samyukta.[120](../../120/ "tree and pragmatics") Each prince had his men-at-arms and his heralds; and all were dressed in jewels and cloth of gold.[121](../../121/ "tree and pragmatics") And the musicians sat in a watch-tower at the gate: and all who came and went, and all that happened, they saw best of all.[122](../../122/ "tree and pragmatics") And with the musicians sat Prithi Raja, the great prince.[123](../../123/ "tree and pragmatics") And now the bugles sounded: and Samyukta came from the inner courtyard.[124](../../124/ "tree and pragmatics") She wore a sari that flowed about her like golden water, and the golden anklets on her feet and the golden bracelets on her arms tinkled music.[125](../../125/ "tree and pragmatics") Her eyes were on the ground as she walked, and lightly she held the garland of fresh jasmine flowers, which she would place on the neck of him whom she chose to be her husband.[126](../../126/ "tree and pragmatics") As she reached the outer courtyard, she raised her eyes, and then she saw a wooden figure of Prithi Raja standing in the place of the King’s door-keeper.[127](../../127/ "tree and pragmatics") And she knew that her father had done this thing to hurt Prithi Raja, the true knight of her heart.[128](../../128/ "tree and pragmatics") From that moment her choice was made.[129](../../129/ "tree and pragmatics") Proudly she walked past one prince after another.[130](../../130/ "tree and pragmatics") Proudly and patiently she heard the long tale of his greatness sounded by the heralds: and silently and proudly she passed on.[131](../../131/ "tree and pragmatics") There was but one prince left, he who sat near the door-keeper.[132](../../132/ "tree and pragmatics") What would she do?[133](../../133/ "tree and pragmatics") The King and Queen leaned out of their marble balcony, and all the great crowd watched breathless.[134](../../134/ "tree and pragmatics") But the last prince also did Samyukta reject, and turning to the wooden image of Prithi Raja, who had had no invitation to the Great-Choosing, she placed on its neck the garland, kept for her true knight alone.[135](../../135/ "tree and pragmatics") Then was there a clash of steel, as the King and all the princes rose in wrath.[136](../../136/ "tree and pragmatics") Surely for this insult Samyukta would now be bound in chains and sent to the deepest dungeon of the palace.[137](../../137/ "tree and pragmatics") But quicker than wrath was love.[138](../../138/ "tree and pragmatics") Prithi Raja the Minstrel, mounted on Prithi Raja the King’s swiftest charger, was at her side, and stooping lifted her to his saddle, and rode away swiftly to the gates of Delhi.[139](../../139/ "tree and pragmatics") And this was in the days long ago, when men were knights and fought for their ladies, and did with their own hand the thing which was not easy to do.[140](../../140/ "tree and pragmatics") The Man who made himself an Archer[141](../../141/ "tree and pragmatics") There was a Master-Archer whose name was Drona: and it was he who taught all the princes of India to shoot, so that none could conquer them.[142](../../142/ "tree and pragmatics") Now he was jealous for the honour of the princes.[143](../../143/ "tree and pragmatics") And there came to him one named Ekalavya, the king of a caste that was not the soldier-caste, who said: “Teach me to shoot.”[144](../../144/ "tree and pragmatics") But Drona made answer: “You are not of the knightly caste.[145](../../145/ "tree and pragmatics") I cannot teach you.”[146](../../146/ "tree and pragmatics") For he was afraid that the low-caste man might become the equal of the high-born princes.[147](../../147/ "tree and pragmatics") Then Ekalavya went away very sadly to the forest, and built a shrine to Drona, the Master-Archer.[148](../../148/ "tree and pragmatics") And he thought about him, and fasted and prayed night and day for skill in shooting: and night and day he practised ceaselessly, shooting arrows into the distance--shooting and shooting.[149](../../149/ "tree and pragmatics") And he forgot the riches of his palace and all the pleasures of the world, in reaching out to his great desire.[150](../../150/ "tree and pragmatics") One day Drona and the high-born princes were out shooting in the forest, and they had with them a dog.[151](../../151/ "tree and pragmatics") And the dog strayed from the princes and lost his way, barking in the darkness for his masters, not far from the shrine of Ekalavya.[152](../../152/ "tree and pragmatics") And Ekalavya heard, and shot an arrow in the direction of the sound; and the arrow went straight into the dog’s mouth.[153](../../153/ "tree and pragmatics") And the dog ran howling to his masters.[154](../../154/ "tree and pragmatics") And they were very angry; for said they, “Someone who can shoot has sent this arrow into the dog’s mouth.”[155](../../155/ "tree and pragmatics") And they made the dog show them the way to the shrine, and there was Ekalavya shooting ceaselessly.[156](../../156/ "tree and pragmatics") “Who are you,” said the princes, “who have skill in shooting even as ourselves?”[157](../../157/ "tree and pragmatics") “I am Ekalavya,” said he, “a pupil of the great Master-Archer Drona.”[158](../../158/ "tree and pragmatics") So the princes went and told Drona, and he came back with them to the shrine in the forest.[159](../../159/ "tree and pragmatics") “How say you,” said Drona, “that you are my pupil?”[160](../../160/ "tree and pragmatics") “Because I have taught myself to shoot, thinking only of you and your great skill in shooting.”[161](../../161/ "tree and pragmatics") [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg69647/1/) **2** - ← previous: [page 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg69647/1/) - next →: [Opening, part 2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg69647/2/) - ↑ back to [Indian tales of the great ones among men, women, and bird-people](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg69647/)