An expensive line of wisdom
A merchant’s son spends a hundred rupees on a book containing a single line about receiving what is destined for oneself. His father, appalled at the purchase, expels him. In a distant city the young man gives that sentence as his answer whenever people ask his name or origin. Ryder renders the nickname that follows as Mister Duly.
Princess Moonlight arranges a secret meeting with a handsome prince, leaving a strap hanging from her window. The intended visitor thinks better of it and stays away. Mister Duly notices the strap, climbs it from curiosity, and is welcomed by the princess, who assumes he is the man she invited.
Source: Panchatantra, Book 2: The Winning of Friends · Panchatantra, Book 2, Mister Duly, pp. 247–260
Mistaken meetings and a real intervention
His habitual reply eventually reveals the mistake, and she sends him away. Seeking shelter in a deserted temple, he meets a policeman who wants the place for a private rendezvous. Directed elsewhere, Mister Duly enters the wrong bed and is mistaken for the policeman’s daughter’s expected lover. Again his sentence exposes the misunderstanding, and he is dismissed.
He next joins a wedding procession. A runaway elephant drives the bridegroom and guests away, leaving the bride unprotected. Mister Duly stays beside her, reassures her, and rebukes the animal, which departs. When the others return, she declares that only her rescuer shall hold her hand. Unlike the earlier encounters, her preference follows an action she has actually witnessed.
Source: Panchatantra, Book 2: The Winning of Friends · Panchatantra, Book 2, Mister Duly, pp. 247–260
The city assembles the story
The dispute draws a crowd, including the princess, the policeman’s daughter, and the king. Mister Duly repeats his line; the women answer with the successive lines of its verse. The king promises protection, hears their accounts, and reconstructs what happened. He gives Mister Duly his daughter and a substantial grant, then, having no son, makes him crown prince.
The tale makes destiny its recurrent refrain, yet its turning point includes a deliberate act of courage. It also exposes how expectation can substitute for recognition in darkness and secrecy. The ending rewards the young man without fully resolving the discomfort of the mistaken intimate encounters. Reporting the prosperous conclusion should not turn those mistakes into informed choices by the women involved.
Source: Panchatantra, Book 2: The Winning of Friends · Panchatantra, Book 2, Mister Duly, pp. 247–260
- Period / witness
- Pūrṇabhadra recension dated 1199 CE; Arthur W. Ryder translation, 1925. The tales have differing earlier histories.
- Recording context
- Original synopsis and commentary on Ryder’s translation of the Pūrṇabhadra recension, edited by Johannes Hertel. This selected literary witness does not represent all Indian traditions.
A recording location is not necessarily a story’s origin. Dates of texts, copies, and translations answer different questions.
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These references support the explanation above. Rights and edition notes are recorded individually.
Panchatantra, Book 2: The Winning of Friends ↗
Pūrṇabhadra recension (1199 CE); English translation by Arthur W. Ryder (1877–1938), based on Johannes Hertel’s Sanskrit edition · Pūrṇabhadra recension 1199 CE; Hertel edition 1908; Ryder translation 1925
Edition & rights note