Vikram and Baital

Vikram and Baital — 12 chapters, 120 questions. Baital Pachisi — Lallu Lal's Hindi Baital Pachisi (1805), in the text rendered by Duncan Forbes.

The tales of Vikram and Baital come from the 'Baital Pachisi' (Sanskrit 'Vetalapancavimsati'), best known today in its Hindi form: King Vikram carries a vetala (a spirit living in a corpse) on his shoulder from the cremation ground, and all the way the vetala tells him twenty-five stories, each ending in a riddle. This version differs from Somadeva's Kathasaritsagara, where the king is called Trivikramasena and the order of the tales is different. This telling is written from a direct reading of John Platts' full 1871 English translation of Lallu Lal's Hindi text, not from its notes.

The Fruit of Immortality — A fruit passed from king to queen, from queen to the city guard, from the guard back to the king — and because of it one king became a hermit and another walked toward the cremation ground
The Lotus Signs, the Bed of Ashes — A princess told a stranger where to find her with nothing but a lotus — and three young Brahmans quarrelled over one girl so bitterly that the vetala asked the king: whose wife is she?
The Servant's Bargain, the Demon on the Mountain — A servant who asked for a thousand tolas of gold a day, and one night a weeping 'Rajlakshmi' in the cremation ground — then a girl, three suitors, and a demon on a Vindhya peak
The Swapped Heads, the King's Servant — Breaking a vow made before the Goddess cost three lives, and when she revived them in a hurry the heads were swapped — and a king repaid his servant for a hungry night in an unusual way
The Thief's Restraint, the Delicate Queens — A new bride walking alone at midnight met three men — her husband, her lover and a thief — and the one with the least reason to let her go was the one who did
The Minister's Worry, the Snake's Poison — A singer on a golden tree rising from the sea, and a king who forgot his kingdom after winning her — why did the minister die? And who put poison in the milk-rice?
Laughter Before the Gallows — The thief the king caught at night laughed loudly as he neared the gallows, then wept bitterly — the vetala asked, why?
Jimutvahan and the Serpents — One prince went to be Garuda's meal in place of another, and the one who was to be the meal came back too — the vetala asked, whose sacrifice was greatest?
The Unfinished Spell, the Three Hands — A gambler Brahman's son who did not succeed in his spell, and a king at whose offering at Gaya three hands rose from the river — the vetala asked, why, and who gets the pinda?
The Deepest Love, Life in the Tiger — Three people reached one pyre and the vetala asked whose love was deepest; then four learned brothers made a tiger from bones — who was the greatest fool?
A New Body, Three Fastidious Brahmans — An old Brahman wept, then laughed, before entering a young body, to everyone's surprise; and three brothers put their fastidiousness to trial before a king — the vetala asked, who is the most delicate?
The Unanswered Riddle, the Ascetic's End — Vikram could not find the answer to the last tale's riddle, and just then the vetala told him the ascetic Shantshil's real plot — how did the night in the cremation ground end?

Questions about Vikram and Baital

How is Vikram and Baital divided here?

This retelling of Vikram and Baital has 12 chapters: The Fruit of Immortality, The Lotus Signs, the Bed of Ashes, The Servant's Bargain, the Demon on the Mountain, The Swapped Heads, the King's Servant, The Thief's Restraint, the Delicate Queens, The Minister's Worry, the Snake's Poison, Laughter Before the Gallows, Jimutvahan and the Serpents, The Unfinished Spell, the Three Hands, The Deepest Love, Life in the Tiger, A New Body, Three Fastidious Brahmans, The Unanswered Riddle, the Ascetic's End.

What is Vikram and Baital about?

A king, a corpse, a vetala — and at the end of every tale a question that, once answered, sends him flying back to the tree.

What is the source of this retelling?

Baital Pachisi — Lallu Lal's Hindi Baital Pachisi (1805), in the text rendered by Duncan Forbes.

Is there a quiz on Vikram and Baital?

Yes. Each chapter ends with 10 questions, and behind every right answer there is a short story that explains it. In all, 120 questions.