Loving Laili: A Tale of Devotion and Transformation

Adapted from Indian Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs

---

The Prince and the Princess

In a prosperous kingdom ruled by King Dantal, there lived a handsome young prince named Majnun. With his striking features—white teeth, red lips, blue eyes, and auburn hair—he was admired throughout the realm. Prince Majnun spent much of his childhood playing with Husain Mahamat, the son of the royal vizier, in the king’s magnificent gardens filled with delicious fruits, fragrant flowers, and towering trees.

As the boys grew into fine young men, their friendship remained strong. One day, Prince Majnun approached his father with a request: “Husain Mahamat and I would like to go hunting.” King Dantal granted permission, and the two friends prepared their horses and equipment for the journey. They traveled to the neighboring Phalana country, hunting along the way, though they found little more than jackals and birds.

The Phalana kingdom was ruled by Munsuk Raja, who had a daughter of extraordinary beauty named Laili. With her deep brown eyes and flowing black hair, she was considered the jewel of her father’s realm.

The Divine Message

One night, as Princess Laili slept peacefully in her chambers, Khuda—the divine creator—sent an angel to her in the form of a man. The celestial messenger delivered a clear directive: she was destined to marry Prince Majnun and no one else. This, the angel explained, was Khuda’s command.

When Laili awoke, she immediately told her father about the divine visitation, but Munsuk Raja dismissed her story as nothing more than a peculiar dream. From that day forward, however, Laili began repeating the same phrase over and over: “Majnun, Majnun; I want Majnun.” Even during meals, she would murmur his name continuously, much to her father’s frustration.

“Who is this Majnun?” Munsuk Raja would demand. “Who has ever heard of such a person?”

“He is the man I am to marry,” Laili would reply simply. “Khuda has ordered me to marry no one but Majnun.” Her obsession grew until she seemed half-mad with longing for a man she had never met.

The Fateful Encounter

As fate would have it, Prince Majnun and Husain Mahamat arrived in the Phalana country to hunt. While they were riding through the countryside, Princess Laili emerged from the palace on horseback to enjoy the fresh air. She followed behind them, continuously murmuring, “Majnun, Majnun; I want Majnun.”

The prince heard someone calling his name and turned around. “Who is calling me?” he asked.

When Laili saw him, she immediately fell deeply in love, recognizing him as the man Khuda had chosen for her. She returned to her father and declared, “Father, I wish to marry the prince who has come to your kingdom. I know he is the Prince Majnun I am destined to marry.”

“Very well,” Munsuk Raja agreed. “We will ask him tomorrow.”

But that night, Prince Majnun and his friend departed from the Phalana kingdom. When Laili learned of his departure, she was inconsolable. Refusing to listen to her parents or servants, she fled into the jungle, wandering from one wilderness to another, always calling out, “Majnun, Majnun; I want Majnun.” For twelve long years, she continued her desperate search.

The Fakir’s Guidance

At the end of those twelve years, Laili encountered a fakir—a holy man who was actually an angel in disguise. He asked why she constantly repeated the name “Majnun.”

“I am the daughter of the king of the Phalana country,” she explained, “and I must find Prince Majnun. Please tell me where his kingdom is.”

“I fear you may never reach it,” the fakir replied. “It is very far from here, and you must cross many rivers to get there.”

Laili insisted that she didn’t care about the difficulties; she must find Prince Majnun. The fakir then gave her specific instructions: “When you come to the Bhagirathi River, you will see a large fish called a Rohu. You must get him to carry you to Prince Majnun’s country, or you will never reach it.”

The Journey Inside the Fish

Laili continued her journey until she reached the Bhagirathi River, where she encountered an enormous Rohu fish. As the fish yawned, Laili seized the opportunity and jumped down its throat into its stomach, all the while calling, “Majnun, Majnun.”

The startled fish swam downstream as fast as it could. Eventually tiring, it slowed down, and a crow perched on its back.

“Oh, Mr. Crow,” pleaded the fish, “please see what is making such a noise in my stomach.”

The crow agreed and flew into the fish’s open mouth, but quickly returned. “You have a Rakshas (demon) in your stomach,” the crow declared before flying away.

This news terrified the poor Rohu, who continued swimming until it reached Prince Majnun’s country. There, a jackal came to the river to drink, and the fish asked what was inside it. The jackal jumped into the fish’s mouth to investigate but quickly emerged, claiming there was a Rakshas inside that might eat him.

Next came an enormous snake, whom the fish also asked for help. The snake went inside and returned with a diagnosis: “You have a Rakshas in your stomach, but if you let me cut you open, it will come out.”

“If you do that, I shall die,” protested the fish.

“No,” the snake assured him, “I will give you medicine that will make you well again.”

The fish agreed, and the snake cut it open. Out jumped Laili, now an old woman who had lost her teeth after twelve years in the jungle and another twelve inside the fish. The snake carried her on its back into the country and set her down.

The Reunion

Laili wandered until she reached King Majnun’s court. People heard her crying, “Majnun, Majnun; I want Majnun,” and informed the king that an old woman was asking for him.

“I cannot leave this place,” said King Majnun. “Bring her in.”

When Laili entered, she told him, “I want to marry you. Twenty-four years ago, you came to my father’s kingdom, and I wanted to marry you then, but you left without me. I went mad and have wandered all these years looking for you.”

“Very well,” said Prince Majnun.

“Pray to Khuda,” Laili requested, “to make us both young again, and then we shall be married.”

The prince prayed, and Khuda instructed him to touch Laili’s clothes, which would catch fire. Through this fire, both would become young again. When Prince Majnun touched her clothes, they ignited, and both he and Laili were transformed into their youthful selves.

There were great celebrations, and they were married. Together they traveled to the Phalana country to visit Laili’s parents, who had become blind from weeping for their lost daughter. Laili prayed to Khuda to restore their sight, which he did. When her parents saw her, they embraced her joyfully, and the wedding was celebrated again with even greater festivities.

The Test of Love

Prince Majnun and Laili lived happily with King Dantal for some time, often going hunting and traveling from country to country. One day, Prince Majnun suggested they explore a particular jungle.

“No,” Laili warned, “if we go through this jungle, some harm will happen to me.”

But Prince Majnun laughed off her concerns and entered the jungle anyway. As they traveled through it, Khuda decided to test the prince’s love. “I wonder how much Prince Majnun loves his wife,” Khuda thought. “Would he be very sorry if she died? Would he marry another?”

To find out, Khuda sent an angel disguised as a fakir into the jungle. The angel approached Laili and threw a magical powder in her face, instantly reducing her to a heap of ashes.

Prince Majnun was devastated. He returned home to his father and mourned deeply for a very long time. Eventually, after many years, he began to find some happiness again and resumed his walks in the garden with Husain Mahamat.

King Dantal suggested his son remarry, but Prince Majnun refused. “I will only have Laili for my wife,” he insisted. “I will not marry any other woman.”

“How can you marry Laili?” his father asked. “Laili is dead and will never return.”

“Then I’ll have no wife at all,” Prince Majnun declared.

The Second Transformation

Meanwhile, in the jungle where Prince Majnun had left her ashes, Laili had been restored to life. The fakir had cleaned her ashes and mixed them with clay and water to form a woman’s figure, into which Khuda breathed life. But Laili had once again become an old woman with a long nose and tusk-like teeth. She lived in the jungle, neither eating nor drinking, constantly calling, “Majnun, Majnun; I want Majnun.”

Eventually, the angel who had transformed her asked Khuda, “What purpose does it serve for this woman to sit in the jungle forever calling for Majnun? Let me take her to him.”

Khuda agreed but with conditions: “Tell her she must not speak to Majnun if he is afraid of her. If he fears her, she will become a little white dog the next day. Then she must go to the palace, and she will only regain her human form when Prince Majnun loves her, feeds her with his own food, and lets her sleep in his bed.”

The angel brought Laili to King Dantal’s garden and instructed her to wait for Prince Majnun but not to speak if he showed fear. The next day, when Prince Majnun and Husain Mahamat came to the garden, Laili approached them. Prince Majnun was terrified, believing her to be a demon, and fled to the palace.

The Little White Dog

The next day, Laili transformed into a pretty little white dog and entered the palace. Prince Majnun quickly became fond of her. The dog followed him everywhere, even on hunting trips, and he fed her from his own plate and let her sleep in his bed.

One night, the little dog disappeared, and in its place lay the old woman who had frightened him in the garden. Prince Majnun was terrified, but Laili explained, “Don’t you know me? I am your wife Laili. Don’t you remember how you insisted on going through the jungle despite my warnings? A fakir threw powder in my face, and I became ashes, but Khuda restored me to life.”

Prince Majnun, still frightened, refused to believe her. In the morning, she had turned back into the little dog, and the prince told his father what had happened. King Dantal advised his son to tell the old woman, “I will marry you if you can make yourself a young girl again.”

That night, when the old woman appeared, Prince Majnun gave her this condition. Laili replied, “That is quite easy. Khuda will make me young again. In two days, you must go into the garden where you will see a beautiful fruit. Gather it and bring it to your room. Cut it open gently when you are alone, for I shall be inside, without any clothes.”

Two days later, Prince Majnun found the fruit in the garden. Following Laili’s instructions, he took it to his room, closed the door, and cut it open gently. Inside was a beautiful, young Laili, exactly as she had been before her transformation into ashes.

Prince Majnun immediately sent for wedding clothes and jewels, and they were married once more. They lived together in great happiness for many years, and Khuda blessed them with two sons and two daughters.

This tale reminds us that true love endures through all transformations, and that devotion, when pure and steadfast, can overcome even the most formidable obstacles.