The Baitâl Pachchisi; Or, The Twenty-Five Tales of a Sprite
 Translated From the Hindi Text of Dr. Duncan Forbes

by John T. (John Thompson) Platts

"The Baitâl Pachchisi; Or, The Twenty-Five Tales of a Sprite" by John T. Platts et al. is a collection of tales originally written in Sanskrit, with its oldest recension found in an 11th-century compilation. Legendary King Vikramāditya must capture a sprite who inhabits dead bodies and hangs from a tree. Each time the king seizes the creature, it tells a story ending with a riddle. If Vikrama answers correctly, the sprite escapes; if he stays silent knowing the answer, his head will shatter. This cycle repeats twenty-four times before a final revelation changes everything.