Bole Bandhnarni Kathao - Book Summary

Here's a comprehensive summary of the provided Jain text, "Bole Bandhanarni Kathao" by Hasu Yagnik, in English:

This article, "Bole Bandhanarni Kathao" (Tales of Word-Trappers), by Hasu Yagnik, delves into the significant contributions of medieval Gujarati literature to Jain narrative traditions. It highlights two key aspects:

Formation of Written Literature from Spoken Language: Jain narratives played a crucial role in shaping and establishing spoken languages as mediums for written literary works.
Transmission and Transformation of Narratives: These narratives facilitated the movement of important and engaging stories from Sanskrit, Prakrit, and Apabhramsa into medieval Gujarati. Crucially, they also documented contemporary oral traditions, giving them a written form.

The author emphasizes a critical point: when an oral tradition is documented in writing, it transitions from the fluid realm of folklore into a more structured literary form. The "floating" and ever-changing nature of oral tales becomes fixed in definitive words and texts. Characters, settings, and events become solidified. Despite this formalization, oral traditions continue to exist and evolve with variations.

Yagnik draws a parallel to how modern documented folktales can often be traced back to ancient Sanskrit or Prakrit story collections. However, he cautions that these ancient texts are not necessarily the absolute origin but rather themselves drew from the oral traditions of their time. The example of the Pururavas-Urvashi love story in the Rigveda, which is considered an ancient form of the modern tale of Odha Jam and Hothal Padmani, illustrates this point. The Rigvedic story, in turn, is seen as a variation of an even older Proto-Indo-European tale of a love affair between an Apsara and a human.

Therefore, Yagnik establishes two fundamental principles:

Stories found in Sanskrit, Prakrit, and Pali texts are not necessarily the ultimate origin, as these texts too assimilated stories from contemporary oral traditions.
Oral traditions, once written, become fixed and immutable texts. However, they continue to survive in various forms through oral retelling, with regional and linguistic variations.

The article then focuses on "Bole Bandhnav" (Word-Trapping), a specific type of cleverness tale within the broader category of wit and cunning stories. "Bole Bandhnav" refers to the act of skillfully interpreting someone's words to one's advantage, often to get oneself out of trouble or to prove innocence.

Yagnik identifies two main categories of word-trappers:

Unintentional Trappers: In these cases, the word-trapper's intention is not to deceive for personal gain. Rather, they become entangled due to fate or circumstances, leading to an unintended negative consequence (e.g., the "Gamnicand" tales in Pali).
Intentional Trappers: Here, the word-trapper deliberately manipulates words to trap others, either for mischief, jest, or to achieve personal gain through cleverness (e.g., tales from "Tanak," "Vachansar," and "Chipitanas" in Prakrit).

The article then proceeds to analyze specific tales that exemplify these concepts:

The Pali Jataka Tale of "Gamnicand" (257th tale): This story illustrates the unintentional word-trapper. Gamnicand, a village chief, borrows oxen and ties them securely. When they are stolen, his friend accuses him. The narrative then unfolds with a series of unfortunate events and accusations, leading Gamnicand to attempt suicide and consequently implicating others. The king's clever judgment reveals the underlying causes of each person's distress, which are often related to unrighteousness, moral failings, or personal circumstances. This tale combines elements of "Panoti Katha" (tales of misfortune) and "Vidhaata ni Shodh" (investigation of destiny).
The Prakrit "Upadespad" Tale: This tale, found in the "Nirbhagini" section, shares similarities with the Gamnicand story, involving borrowed oxen that are stolen and subsequent accusations. The king's minister's judgments are also presented, mirroring the cunning resolutions seen in other tales.
Gujarati Folk Tale "Sada Tran Divas ni Panoti" (Three and a Half Days of Misfortune): This tale, documented by Zoravarsinh Jadhav, features a gambler who is cursed with three and a half days of misfortune. While trying to gamble, he makes a bet involving his flesh. A series of unfortunate events occur, similar to the previous tales, involving death and injury. The clever judgment at the end resolves the situation. This tale is presented as an example of how misfortune can lead to false accusations, but cleverness can bring justice.
The Prakrit "Aakhyanak-Mani-Kosh" Tale (about mischievous wordplay): This tale, found in a commentary by Amrdev Suri, showcases the intentional word-trapper. A young man, after a quarrel with his wife, travels abroad. He cleverly manipulates the words of some women carrying pots of yogurt, causing them to fall and creating a dispute. Later, he also manipulates an old prostitute by taking her offer to "show" the Ramayana's Lanka Kand literally and physically enacting it, causing her harm. The author notes that such tales likely originated from contemporary folk traditions and were then documented with variations by scholars like Amrdev Suri.
The Prakrit "Manorama Katha" Tales of Vachansar and Chipitanas: These tales feature two wicked and cruel tricksters. Vachansar sells a magical blanket to a merchant, then tricks a wealthy man into buying a goat that supposedly defecates gold coins. When this fails, he further deceives the man with a remedy involving the goat's ear, costing the man a fortune. Vachansar continues to employ cunning tactics, even tricking a shepherd into giving him his goods by pretending to be married and in need of his father's help. These stories highlight how intentional trickery and manipulation of words lead to the downfall of the greedy and foolish.

Yagnik concludes by emphasizing the following:

Origin of Tales: Many stories in Sanskrit, Prakrit, and Pali literature are rooted in traditional folk narratives, with authors adapting them for their specific purposes.
Transition and Adaptation: Oral tales transitioning into written form undergo further modifications. Even after being documented, these stories continue to evolve in oral traditions with regional and linguistic variations.
Endurance of Folk Tales: The compelling elements within tales, whether the dramatic "striking element" of trickster stories or the local flavor and emotional resonance of love stories, contribute to their enduring popularity across centuries.
Narrative Devices and Story Chains: Clever story devices can create self-contained short narratives, which then combine with characters like fools, tricksters, or flawed individuals to form longer story chains.
Combination of Narrative Elements: The "Bole Bandhnav" tales often combine with narratives of royal or ministerial cleverness, where the protagonist traps others with their own words, leading to complaints to the king or minister who then delivers a wise judgment.
Interplay of Oral and Written Traditions: While the oral tradition is a primary source for written literature, the written tradition also shapes and influences the oral tradition. This relationship is likened to that between a dialect and a language, where the dialect forms the language, but the language also influences and reinforces dialects.

The article underscores the need for objective and neutral study of both oral and written traditions, noting a decline in such research after Dr. Bhayani. It argues that a comprehensive understanding can only be achieved by studying these distinct yet equally valid forms of literature and folklore.