A History of Indian Literature v2.c19.s3.t2.251

v2.c19.s3.t2.251

In a shorter narrative the Bodhisatta is a master of the smith's craft, and obtains in marriage, the beautiful daughter of a smith, by fashioning a marvellous needle, enclosed in such a fine case, that the smiths of the village take the case to be the needle.² The Mahā-Ummagga Jātaka (No. 546) is, as it were, a reservoir of such stories of extraordinary cleverness and art. This is a lengthy romance in which numerous anecdotes, riddles and narratives are included, truly a popular book such as we still find in India to-day, which is of especial interest because it exhibits points of contact with the stories of the wise Ahiqār (Haikar or Heykar in the "Arabian Nights" and with the "Life of Æsop" of Planudes.¹)