The tale of the incomparable prince

the long version

The Tale of the Incomparable Prince, is the only Tibetan novel and a classic work in that country, comparable to China's Dream of the Red Chamber or Japan's The Tale of Genji. This is the first time this epic work has been translated into any other language, although it is well known by Tibetans and the subject of much critical study and debate by scholars. Written in an ornate eighteenth-century style, The Tale of the Incomparable Prince combines intrigue, romance, war, and religion in a rousing story of adventure within the context of a traditional Buddhist worldview. The story revolves around a prince named Kumaradvitiya, who wishes to marry Manohari, the princess of a neighboring country. But Manohari is already betrothed to the vicious, unprincipled Prince Devatisha. After many adventures and battles, Kumaradvitiya and Manohari are happily married, but then Kumaradvitiya is exiled from his kingdom through the cunning of his stepmother. In his remote hermitage, Kumaradvitiya studies Buddhism and eventually reaches the spiritual perfection of a bodhisattva. Kumaradvitiya's life mirrors that of the Buddha, and his story is an elucidation of Buddhist religious ideals.