In the city of Nahrwála there was a Ráí who was called Jai
Sing. He was one of the greatest and wisest princes of the time.
Before his time there was no Ráí in Guzerat and Nahrwála.
He was the first man who possessed dominion and claimed sovereignty
there. He ruled over the country with great gentleness,
and controlled the other chiefs. When his fame had
reached all quarters of the world, the Ráí of Daur,*
who was the
head of all the Ráís of Hindustán, heard of him and sent
ambassadors to ascertain upon what grounds he had assumed
royalty; for in former times there was no Ráí in Nahrwála,
which had only been a den of thieves, and threatening that if he
did not relinquish his pretensions he would lead an army against
him, and hurl the very earth of Guzerat into the air with the
hoofs of his horses. When the ambassadors arrived and delivered
the message, the Ráí showed them the greatest civility and
hospitality. One night the Ráí changed his clothes, putting on
such as were worn by soldiers, and having buckled a sword
round his waist, he went out and proceeded to the house of a
courtezan, and having bargained with her, he stayed in her
house that night, but kept himself under control, When the
woman was fast asleep, the Ráí took away all the clothes and
property he could find, and buried them in a certain place. He
then turned homewards, but as he was going along he saw a
weaver, who was engaged in weaving cotton. He called him and
said, “If to-morrow you are brought before the Ráí, and are
charged with having committed a theft in the night preceding,
you first deny it, but afterwards confess and say that you buried
the property in such and such a place. Rest assured that you
shall receive no harm, but shall be made happy by my reward.”
Next morning, the Ráí mounted an elephant, and the ambassadors
of the Ráí of Hind rode out with him, intending to go to
the forest. When they had gone a little way, the Ráí saw the
courtezan worrying the chief police officer of the city, and saying,
“Last night my clothes were stolen; find out who the thieves
were, or make good the loss.” The Ráí asked what the woman
was saying, and what she was complaining about. He replied
that she complained of a man who came to her house in the
previous night, and consorted with her, and when she was asleep
stole her clothes. I want time to find the thief or the clothes,
but she will not hear of any delay. The Ráí said, “She is
right. She had only those clothes, and it is your duty to
be vigilant, and as you have been negligent you must pay the
penalty.” The police officer replied, “It is as the king says;
still if a man goes at night to the house of a prostitute and
carries off her clothes, how am I to blame? I promise, however,
that if I do not find the thief within a week I will pay the value
of the things.” The Ráí replied, “You must find the thief
instantly, or I will punish you as a warning to others.” The
police officer said it was not in his power to produce him. The
Ráí asked him, “Would you like me to find him?” and the
poor man replied, “Yes.” There was an idol of stone in Nahr-
In the city of Nahrwála there lived a Hindú merchant who having deposited nine lacs of Bálotras in the hands of a certain person, after some time died. The trustee then sent for the merchant's son and said,—Your father left with me nine lacs of Bálotras. The son replied that he knew nothing about it, but that there would probably be mention made of the transaction in his father's accounts. These he sent for but could find nothing about nine lacs! on this he observed: “Had my father entrusted anybody with so large a sum, surely mention would have been made of it in his account book; this not being the case, I cannot feel myself justified in taking possession of the money.” The trustee urged the youth to take the money, but he still refused, and the contention grew hot between them. At last they agreed to refer the matter to the arbitration of Ráí Jai Sing Deo, who gave it as his opinion, that since the two could not agree as to the disposal of the money, it was advisable that it should be expended on some work of lasting utility, so that the real owner would reap the reward of virtue and charity. Accordingly, the ‘nine-lac reservoir,” the finest in the world, hitherto unsurpassed by all that the cleverest and wisest have executed or imagined, was built; and remains to be seen to this day.
A certain Ráí of Hind conferred on his brother the chieftainship of Nahrwála. This brother was of an exceeding cruel and wicked disposition. He made counterfeit dirhams and circulated them in different parts of the country. After the lapse of some time, a certain person became acquainted with this dishonest act, and reported it to the Ráí, who, on hearing it, sent a powerful force which captured and sent this brother to him.
It happened curiously enough, that this brother had given one of his servants some poison with instructions to go and seek employment in the Ráí's kitchen, and, when opportunity offered, to administer some of the poison to the Ráí, in order to procure his death, so that he himself might succeed to the vacant throne. On his employer's capture and imprisonment, it occurred to this servant that, as things had so fallen out, it was advisable that he should inform the Ráí of the circumstance. So he went to the king and having showed him the poison, told him of the plot his brother had laid against his life. On hearing this, the Ráí returned thanks to Almighty God for his great escape, and punished his brother for his intended crime. Thus by this act of royal justice was he saved from assassination, and the fame of his goodness spread abroad through all nations.