Hindu Tales from the Sanskrit · Character

Subha Datta

A woodcutter whose family was happy on honest wages until a magic pitcher filled his house with food, wine, and the boastfulness that ruins him.

major

Also known as VII Subha Datta, III Subha Datta, Poor Subha Datta, VI Soon Subha Datta

First appearance: III

As a major figure in Hindu Tales from the Sanskrit, Subha Datta is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Introduced as a woodcutter who meets fairies and receives a magic pitcher.

In the storyHindu Tales from the SanskritOpen this moment free

Subha Datta is a kind father and steady provider whose life changes the moment he gains a pitcher that supplies whatever he asks. He hides it from his wife and children, dodges the neighbors who follow him into the woods, and grows prouder with every feast he spreads for his old friends. His flaw is not greed but vanity — the need to be seen as clever — and it is that vanity, loosened by wine, that hands his secret to the very men who want it.

See Subha Datta in Hindu Tales from the Sanskrit Book page

Free preview opens at this moment — character cards, Character Web, and themes sit beside the text as you read.

Character Web

15 connections

A slice of how Subha Datta sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Friendship
Other

Character groups

Patience and Magical Beings
Brahman and Servant Dynamics

+10 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

Putraka’s acquisition of flight and his subsequent decision to descend into the city mark the story’s dramatic…

Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.

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Relationships

Fairies
friendship · positive
The fairies befriend and assist Subha Datta, often intervening to help him in his… How this plays out →
The Woodcutter
friendship · positive
Fairies
friendship · positive
The fairies befriend and assist Subha Datta, often intervening to help him in his… How this plays out →
Fairies
friendship · positive
The fairies befriend and assist Subha Datta, often intervening to help him in his… How this plays out →
The Woodcutter
friendship · positive

Fairies
The fairies befriend and assist Subha Datta, often intervening to help him in his adventures.
The Woodcutter
Subha Datta and the Woodcutter are companions who share trials and help each other in times of need.
Fairies
The fairies befriend and assist Subha Datta, often intervening to help him in his adventures.
Fairies
The fairies befriend and assist Subha Datta, often intervening to help him in his adventures.
The Woodcutter
Subha Datta and the Woodcutter are companions who share trials and help each other in times of need.

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See Subha Datta in III

In the story

Subha Datta appears across 16 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Hindu Tales from the Sanskrit
Introduced as a woodcutter who meets fairies and receives a magic pitcher.
The Magic Pitcher
The poor woodcutter who receives the magic pitcher but loses it due to his own folly.
I
The woodcutter and father who goes alone into the deep forest and does not return by nightfall.
II
The poor woodcutter who encounters the fairies while cutting wood in the forest.
III
Tempted by the fairies, he agrees to stay and work for them, showing his hesitation and eventual consent.
IV
The woodcutter who is tired, hungry, and astonished by the fairies' laughter and the magic pitcher.
V
The woodcutter who is initially happy but begins to miss his family and work.
VI
Torn between his desire for the fairies' company and guilt over his abandoned family; he dreams of his wife's sorrow and confesses his distress.
VII
Stays with the fairies, cheered by their sympathy, and continues to enjoy the magic pitcher daily.
VIII
Grows more selfish and decides to leave the fairies to return to his family.
The Woodcutter's Choice
The woodcutter who stubbornly chooses the magic pitcher over all other treasures.
X
The woodcutter who stubbornly insists on taking the magic pitcher despite the fairies' warnings, showing selfishness.
Subha Datta's Return and the Hidden Pitcher
Returns home and deceives his family about the source of the food.
XII
Now proud and boastful, he drinks too much wine and nearly reveals the magic pitcher's hiding place.
XIII
The woodcutter who retrieves the magic pitcher but breaks it in a drunken dance.
XIV
The woodcutter who learned to trust his wife after losing the magic pitcher.

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for Subha Datta unlock in the free preview.

See Subha Datta in III

See Subha Datta in Hindu Tales from the Sanskrit