Week 5: Storytelling- Raja Rasulu, the Chaupur Master

            "Poor Raja Rasulu," thought Raja Sarkap, " he has no idea that I am about to take everything he own, even his head! Little does he know that Chaupur, this game of chance is no game of luck for me! My rat, Dhol Raja, along with my enchanted dice will insure my victory."

    

       Raja Rasulu came in, and he sat himself down to play. "Well Raja Sarkap, what will our stakes be?"

            Feeling extremely confident, Raja Sarkap replied, "On the first game, I bet my kingdom. On the second game, I wage the wealth of the whole world. On the last game, however, I offer my own head as a prize! What would you bet Raja, as a counter to these?"

            "We play for high stakes indeed. On my side, I offer my armor for the first game, my faithful steed for the second, and, of course, my own head for the third. Do you agree to my terms?"

            "Yes of course! I'll even allow you to make the first move. You can even my own dice."

            Raja Sarkap struggled to contain his smile, as Raja Rasulu took the dice from his hand. He knew that there was no way for Rasulu to beat him, so long as his own dice were used. "That arrogant, would be king is no match for me," he thought savagely. As the first game was coming to a close, his faithful rat scurried across the board, upsetting the pieces. So Raja Sarkap won the first game, claiming Raja Rasulu's brilliant armor as his own.

            "Would you like to continue, my friend?"

            "Do not think that one loss will deter me, dear king. I am Raja Rasulu and I am not so easily beaten! Come, give us the dice, the next game is upon us!"

            Tragically, the second game went just the same as the first. Raja Sarkap ordered his men to take away Raja Rasulu's horse, Bhaunr Iraqi. As it was being escorted out, the horse began to whinny at its master. "What in the world is going on," thought Raja Sarkap? "It appears that Raja Rasulu understands the groans of his horse."

            "Remove that horse immediately! He interferes with our game!"

            Looking supremely confident, despite the loss of his faithful companion, Raja Rasulu addressed Raja Sarkap. "Let us continue. Only this time, I request that we use my own dice."

            Not wanting to look the fool, Raja Sarkap agreed. He was growing nervous. Why would Raja Rasulu be so confident? So he ordered that the women of his court to come in and attempt to distract his opponent. It was to no avail, with his own dice, Raja Rasulu won that game handily.

            "Where is my rat?! My destruction seems imminent, and my greatest advantage is nowhere to be seen," thought Raja Sarkap, his eyes revealing the terror in his heart.

            In reality, Raja Rasulu had released a kitten to keep watch on the cheating rat. With his new advantages, Raja Rasulu quickly won back his armor, his horse, and then won all that Raja Sarkap had wagered.

            Realizing that he had lost his head in these games, Raja Sarkap begged for mercy, "Please great Raja, have it in your heart to show me mercy. I vow to never play for another man's head, so long as my head is still attached to its body!"

            "I shall grant your request. However, you must pledge your daughter to me. In twelve years, I shall return for her hand in marriage."

            And so, Raja Sarkap was defeated at his own game by Raja Rasulu. It was the greatest game of Chaupur ever played!

(Ancient Game of Chaupur, Source: Wikipedia)

Author's Note-

This story is based of the legends of Raja Rasulu, specifically Raja Rasulu: How He Played Chaupur with King Sarkap. It recouts the story of how the hero, Rasulu, plays a game of chance with the evil king, Sarkap. Rasulu overcomes Sarkap's cheating, and wins the evil king's head. He show him mercy, however, in return for his daughter. I tried to tell this story from the viewpoint of Sarkap. What would be going through his head, as he started to lose for the first time?

Bibliography-

Tales of the Punjab

Flora Annie Steel, with illustrations by J. Lockwood Kipling

1894

Week 5: Reading Diary- Raja Rasulu

My thoughts on the stories of Raja Rasulu....

The King and His Two Queens:

This is a pretty interesting back story. One of the king's queens had a son, Prince Puran, and the other was barren. So the one without a child plotted to kill the king's son, but instead he was rescued by the gods. I wonder if divine intervention will be a theme for all the stories? Also, the Prince becomes a priest, and pays back his aunt in kind.

How Raja Rasulu was Born:

So this son promised to Queen Lona is prophesied to be a great man, but they king and queen are forbidden to ook on him for twelve years, because it would kill him. He tries visit before the twelve years are up, so his parents spurn hum.

How Raja Rasulu's Friends Forsook Him:

When Rasulu leaves his father's city with his friends, the carpenter and the goldsmith, they are attacked at night by two snakes. The carpenter kills the smaller of the two, and Rasulu kills the scarier of the two. His friends leave him out of fear of the monsters. Desertion seems to be a theme of his life.

How He Killed the Giants:

Rasulu comes to a city that is being terrorized by giants. They ask for tribute, just like the Minotaur in Ovid. Of course Rasulu volunteers to go in place of a woman's son, and then he kills all the giants, who are terrified of him. How did they know about him?

How he became a Jogi:

So, he goes to the palace of a beautiful queen and pledges himself a student of a Jogi. He entices the the queen to come out through his singing, and she falls in love with him for his beauty. The, when he leaves, she kills herself. He must've been pretty attractive!

The Dice and the Cricket:

On his way to another city, Rasulu talks with a headless corpse, who warns him about the evil king there. He tells Rasulu to fashion dice out of bones. Then, along the way Rasulu rescues a cricket from a fire, and the cricket pledges to help him at some point. He's got some magical allies!

The Maidens Test Rasulu:

He is tested by the King's daughters. They ask him to separate seed from sand, so Rasulu calls in his favor from the cricket, who takes care of the task in one night. Before all of this, Rasulu promises to marry the youngest of the daughters.

Rasulu Swings the Maidens:

The number 70 must have some significance. There are 70 daughter, 70 drums, and 70 gongs. Anyways, Rasulu overcomes the second task of the maidens, swinging them all at once, and then he destroys the king's drums and gongs. The king then prepares to ride out and meet him.

The Dog and the Cat:

Scared of Rasulu, Raja Sarkap attempts to poison him, but it ultimately results in the killing of his dog. Later, Rasulu sees a mother cat unable to rest, so he asks what is wrong. She says that her kittens are about to be baked in a kiln, so Rasulu saves them. The mother then gives him one of her kittens, saying that it will help him later. Rasulu's kindness always earns him favors that seem to save his life.

How He Played Chaupu with King Sarkap:

Rasulu forgets about his two advantages, his kitten and his dice, for the first two games, so he loses. However, he eventually wins the king's kingdom, the wealth of the whole world, and the king's head. He spares the king's life in return for his daughter's hand in marriage. He returns twelve years later to marry her. This mirrors his own upbringing in a way.

The Hunter (Swynnerton):

Rasulu travels to a forest in hopes of finding a renowned hunter, Mirshikari. The hunter was expecting him, and he asked to be Rasulu's disciple. Rasulu agree, giving him three conditions, but Mirshikari quickly breaks the first condition, which is that he was not supposed to tell anyone he met Rasulu.

The Hunter (cont.):

Naturally, the hunter breaks Rasulu's second condition. He sets up to hunt with his lute on the south side of the forest, where a buck and a doe reside, which he is not supposed to kill. This is the third condition that I'm sure he will break.

The Hunter (cont. again):

The hunter's disobedience leads to a of death. He kills the buck, and then is stung by a viper, which kills him. Then he kills the viper. Then the doe kills herself on her husband's horns. Lastly, a jackal kills itself by trying to break the hunter's bow. All the while, Rasulu is watching from the trees as the tragedy unfolds.

The Hunter (end):

When Rasulu tries to return the hunter's things to his widow, she accuses him of killing her husband. However, Rasulu proves himself innocent at the trial, and eventually erects a tomb for the hunter. For how powerful Rasulu is, it seems like he could have very easily prevented the deaths. He doesn't seem very heroic.

The Swans (Swynnerton):

This is kind of a weird story, because it's not really about Rasulu. It's about a two crows seeking shelter from a storm. Two swans allow them to stay in their home, but in the morning, the crow accuses the swan of stealing his wife. When it goes to the king, he decides that the crow is in the right. Also, talking animals is the norm for these stories.

The Swans (cont.):

The animals in this story seem to be smarter than the humans, except for Rasulu. Rasulu encounters a jackal, who tells him many stories, and eventually exposes the crow's treachery. Rasulu then kills the crow as punishment for his fraud.

Raja Rasulu and Raja Bhoj (Swynnerton):

Rasulu was enjoying the company of Raja Bhoj, but when he asked to leave, the king bid him stay for awhile longer. He then asks Rasulu to tell him the five most cursed things in the world,w hich Rasulu does. Then the whole company runs into a band of dangerous women, who threaten them.

Raja Rasulu and Raja Bhoj (cont.):

Rasulu escapes the dangerous woman, and he and his company go on their way. One thing that I have noticed about these stories is that the characters often speak in verse. It almost seems like any argument is more convincing in verse.

Raja Rasulu and Raja Bhoj (end):

Rasulu is very clever in his verse. He improves another king's poetry, showcasing his own wisdom. He is greatly admired for his strength, but it also seems that he is extremely wise. I wonder which of the two is more commendable?