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Overview
King Gandharva leaves his body beneath an image of Buddha before going to fight a prince of the Schimnus, thereby avoiding their piercing swords. His younger wife admires his radiant spirit appearance and burns the abandoned body, believing that this will make him remain beautiful at home. His other wife had warned her of its protective purpose.
Gandharva appears in the sky and explains that he can no longer visit the earth because his body is destroyed. Before entering what the narrative calls Nirvâna, he warns his household to flee an impending demon invasion with the infant Vikramâditja. Busk’s note allows that Nirvâna can be used poetically for death here. Gandharva is this king’s name; the passage does not identify him as one of the celestial musicians of the same name.
Origins & earliest records
Mongolian transmission of an Indian-derived tale, mediated by European editions and Busk’s adaptation
Records & interpretation
Busk’s 1873 Sagas from the Far East records Gandharva in Vikramâditja’s Birth, pp. 266–273, and Youth, pp. 273–291, with associated notes on pp. 398–404. His departure from his body belongs to the narrated heroic cycle.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Sagas from the Far East
Vikramâditja’s Birth266–273 and Youth273–291; notes398–404
Family, evolution & connections
Gandharva’s two sons — Busk’s Birth of Vikramâditja
Busk’s 1873 Birth narrative, pp. 266–273.
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- Unnamed earlier son — mother: second wife
Two wives and their separately stated sons; Gandharva’s explicit acknowledgement of the prince. The earlier son and second wife remain unnamed. Social rank is attributed to the narrative. The serpent-gods nurse the exposed prince but are not his biological parents. Other versions of Vikramaditya are not combined with this translated witness.
Vikramâditja in Busk’s throne cycle
The birth narrative identifies the prince as Gandharva’s son by Udsesskülengtu-Gôa-Chatun, and Gandharva expressly acknowledges himself as father when recovering the exposed infant. The serpent-gods tending the child are not identified as birth parents.
Udsesskülengtu-Gôa-Chatun in Busk’s Birth and Youth
The opening identifies the queen as Gandharva’s wife. His later second marriage does not erase this relationship; the two wives have separately identified sons.
The unnamed earlier son of Gandharva in Busk’s Birth
The text directly states that the wife described as of low degree bears Gandharva a son before the queen bears Vikramâditja. The source’s social ranking is a narrative category, not an assessment of either mother’s worth.
Primary records and illustrations
Rachel Harriette Busk, Sagas from the Far East (1873)
Vikramâditja’s Birth and Youth. 266–291; notes398–404
Complete birth and youth narratives with12notes each read. Human, foster kinship, transformation and mistaken demon accusation distinguished. Historical adaptation with European intermediary chain; original paraphrase.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Historical literary adaptationBusk, Vikramâditja’s Youth, pp.273–291 and notesResearch access: 2026-10-05
- Historical literary adaptationBusk, Vikramâditja’s Birth, pp.266–273Research access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.