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diff --git a/11167-0.txt b/11167-0.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..aa95a96 --- /dev/null +++ b/11167-0.txt @@ -0,0 +1,2411 @@ +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 11167 *** + + Deccan Nursery Tales + or + Fairy Tales from the South + + + by + + C.A. Kincaid, C.V.O. + + + + 1914. + + + + + To my little son + + Dennis + + Whose interest in these stories + first induced me to offer them to the public + this little volume is affectionately inscribed + + + +PREFACE + +These stories first appeared in the Times of India newspaper, and my +acknowledgments are due to the editor for his courtesy in permitting +their publication. + +I have translated all of them as literally as possible from the +original Marathi. But, owing to the difference between Marathi and +English canons of taste, I have had in a very few places slightly +to change the sense. In some places, owing to the obscurity of the +original text, I have had to amplify the translation. In other places +I have had to cut short the descriptions of Hindu rites and ceremonies +so as to avoid wearying the English reader. + +It may not be out of place to say just a word about the Indian gods +mentioned in the stories. It must be remembered that the main Hindu +gods are three in number. They are all sprung from a common origin, +Brahma, but they are quite separate beings. They do not form a trinity, +i.e. three in one or one in three. And each of them has a wife and a +family. The following genealogical tree will, I hope, help the reader. + + + Brahma + Shiva = Parwati + Ganpati + = the daughters of Agni + Kartakswami [1] + Vishnu = Mahalaxmi + Brahmadev = Saraswati + + +Of the above gods, Shiva, his son Kartakswami, and his wife Parwati, +Vishnu and his wife Mahalaxmi only are mentioned in the following +stories. Besides these, however, the Sun and Moon and the five +principal planets obtain a certain amount of worship. The Sun is +worshipped every morning by every orthodox Hindu. And Shani or Saturn +inspires a wholesome fear, for his glance is supposed to bring ill +fortune. Then again, besides the main gods, the world according +to Hindu belief, which in this respect closely resembles that of +the ancient Greeks, is peopled with Asuras (demons), Devkanya +(wood-nymphs), Nag-kanya (the serpent-maidens of Patâla), and +Gandharwas (a kind of cherubim). The first three of these find a +place in the ensuing fairy tales. + +The scientific doctrine is that Shiva is the destroyer and Vishnu +the preserver of life, and that Brahmadev is the creative spirit. In +practice, however, Brahmadev is almost entirely disregarded, while the +Hindus worship Shiva, Vishnu, Parwati, or Mahalaxmi just as they feel +inclined, or as the particular sect to which they belong requires them. + +Lastly, it must be borne in mind that the Hindu year consists of +twelve lunar months. In the Deccan the year begins with Chaitra, +corresponding roughly with April. The months then succeed each other +in the following order: Vaishak, Jesht, Ashad, Shravan, Bhadrapad, +Ashwin, Kartih, Margshish, Paush, Mag, Phalgun, Each month begins on +the first day of the new moon and is divided into two parts. The first +half comprises the period from the new moon to the full moon. This is +the bright half of the month. The second half comprises the period +from the full moon to the new moon. This is the dark half of the +month. The lunar months are made to correspond with the solar year by +the interposition of an "adhik" or intercalary month every third year. + +C.A.K. + + + +CONTENTS + + + I. The Sunday Story + II. The Monday Story + III. The Tuesday Story + IV. The Wednesday and Thursday Story + V. The Friday Story + VI. The Saturday Story + VII. Mahalaxmi and the Two Queens + VIII. The Island Palace + IX. Nagoba, the Snake-King + X. Parwati and the Beggar-Man + XL Parwati and the Brahman + XII. Soma, the Washerwoman + XIII. Vasishta and the Four Queens + XIV. The Lamps and the King's Daughter-in-Law + XV. Parwati and the Priest + XVI. The Rishi and the Brahman + XVII. The King and the Water-Goddesses + XVIII. The Lid of the Sacred Casket + XIX. The Brahman Wife and Her Seven Sons + XX. The Golden Temple + + + +ILLUSTRATIONS + + +"Gave memorial honours to his dead father" +"It curled itself up inside the earthen jar" +"And fill her lap with wheat cakes and bits of cocoa-nut" +"And stuck them into a corner of the eaves" +"They no longer wished to kill or bite the little daughter-in-law" +"They asked her what the reason was, and she told them" +"She has lived here just as if she had been in her father's house" +"The god revealed himself to the king and his companions in all his +glory and splendour" + + + + + + +CHAPTER I + +The Sunday Story + +When Englishmen and Englishwomen are little boys and girls, they +listen with open ears to the tales of Golden-hair and the three Bears, +of Cinderella and the Prince, and of the Wolf and Little Red Riding +Hood. As the boys and girls grow up, the stories fade gradually from +their minds. But a time comes when they have children of their own. And +then, to amuse the children, they can find no tales more thrilling +than those which fascinated them in their own childhood. Thus the +old nursery tales are handed down for centuries from generation to +generation. Exactly the same process goes on in India, There, too, when +little Indian boys and girls grow up and have little boys and girls of +their own, they too tell to wide-eyed audiences the tales which they +themselves found so thrilling in their own childhood. Indian nursery +tales, it is true, have a more religious tinge than those of Europe, +but they are none the less appreciated on that account. The first six +stories in this little book purport to explain the connexion between +the heavenly bodies and the days of the week. So each day of the week +has its separate tale. And all through Shravan or August, probably +because it is the wettest month in the year, Deccan mothers tell afresh +every week-day that day's story. And little Deccan children listen +to the tales as they fall due with the same unvarying attention. For +in nurseries, Indian as well as English, tales are loved the better +when no longer new, and where the end is well known to, and therefore +the better understood by, the tiny round-eyed listeners. + +Now this is the tale which is told every Sunday [2] in Shravan: Once +upon a time there was a town called Atpat, and in it there lived a +poor Brahman. Every day he used to go into the woods to fetch sticks +and to cut grass. One day he met there some nymphs and wood-fairies, +who said that they were performing holy rites in honour of the sun. He +asked, "What are these rites?" They replied, "If we tell you, you will +become proud and vain and you will not perform them properly." But the +Brahman promised, "No, I shall not become proud or vain and I shall +observe the rites you tell me." They then told him that the month of +Shravan was coming, and that on the first Sunday of Shravan he was +to draw a picture of the sun with red sandal paste, that he was to +offer to the drawing flowers and fruit, and that he should continue +doing this for six months. Thereafter he should in various ways, +which they told him, entertain guests and give alms to the poor. + +The Brahman went home and performed the rites to the letter, so that +the sun-god was very pleased. Wealth came to the Brahman and he grew +richer and richer, and at last the queen of the land sent for him. The +poor Brahman began to tremble and shake all over, but the queen said, +"Do not shake or tremble, but give your daughters in marriage to our +house." The Brahman said, "My daughters are poor; you will make them +slaves or maid-servants." "No," said the queen, "I shall not make +them slaves or maid-servants; I shall marry one to a king, and one to +a minister." The Brahman agreed, and when the month of Margashish, +or December, came he gave his two daughters in marriage, one to the +king and one to the minister. Immediately after the marriage the +Brahman said good-bye to his daughters, and did not see them again +for twelve years. Then he visited the elder one, who had married the +king. She gave him a wooden stand on which to sit while eating, and +water in which to wash his feet, and then said, "Papa, papa, there +is pudding to eat, there is water to drink." But the Brahman said, +"Before I eat or drink, I must tell you my story." But his daughter +said, "Papa, I have no time to listen to your story; the king is +going a-hunting, and I must not keep him waiting for his dinner." The +Brahman thought this very disrespectful and went off in a great rage +to the house of his other daughter, who had married a minister. She +welcomed her father and gave him a wooden stand on which to eat, +and water to wash his feet, and said, "Papa, papa, here is pudding to +eat and here is water to drink." But the Brahman said, "Before I eat +or drink I must tell you my story." His daughter said, "Of course, +papa, tell it to me, and I shall listen as long as you like." Then +she went into an inner room and she fetched six pearls. She took three +herself and three she put in her father's hand. And he told her how he +had met the nymphs and wood-fairies, who had told him to worship the +sun-god, and she listened to it all without missing a syllable. Then +the Brahman ate and drank and went back to his own house. His wife +asked him about their two daughters. He told her everything and said, +"The elder one who would not listen to my story will come to grief." + +And so she did. For the king, her husband, took an army into a +far country and never came back. But the daughter who had listened +to the story lived well and happy. As time went on the undutiful +daughter became poorer and poorer, until one day she said to her +eldest son, "Go to your aunt's house and beg of her to give you a +present, and bring back whatever she gives you." Next Sunday the +boy started and went to the village where his aunt lived. Standing +by the village tank he called out, "O maids, O slave-girls, whose +maids and slave-girls are ye?" They answered, "We are the maids and +the slave-girls of the minister." The boy said, "Go and tell the +minister's wife that her sister's son is here. Tell her that he is +standing by the village tank, that his coat is tattered and that +his garments are torn, and ask her to let him come into her house +through the back door." The slave-girls took him in through the +back door. His aunt had him bathed, and gave him clothes to wear, +and food to eat, and drink, and a pumpkin hollowed out and filled +with gold coins. As he left, she called to him, "Do not drop it, do +not forget it, but take it carefully home." But as the boy went home, +the sun-god came disguised as a gardener and stole the pumpkin filled +with gold. When the boy reached his mother's house she asked, "Well, +my son, what did your aunt give you?" He said, "Fortune gave, but Karma +[3] took away; I lost everything my aunt bestowed on me." Next Sunday +the second son went and stood by the village tank and called out, +"O slave-girls and maid-servants, who is your master?" They said, +"Our master is the minister." "Then tell the minister's wife that +her nephew is here." He was taken in by the back door. He was bathed +and clothed and given food and drink. As he was going, his aunt gave +him a hollow stick full of gold coins and said, "Do not drop it, +do not forget it, mind it carefully and take it home." On the way +the sun-god came in the guise of a cowherd and stole the stick. When +the boy got home his mother asked him what he had brought. He said, +"Fortune gave, but Karma took away." On the third Sunday a third son +went and stood by the village tank. His aunt received him like the +others and had him bathed, clothed, and fed. As he was going away, +she gave him a hollow cocoa-nut stuffed with gold coins and said, +"Do not drop it, do not forget it, but mind it carefully and take it +home." On the way back he put down the cocoa-nut on the edge of a well, +and it toppled over and fell into the water with a great splash. When +he reached his mother's house she asked him what his aunt's present +was. He said, "I have lost everything which fortune brought me." On +the fourth Sunday the fourth son went. His aunt welcomed him like +the others, and had him bathed and fed. When he left she gave him an +earthen pot full of gold coins. But the sun-god came in the guise +of a kite and snatched the pot away. When the boy reached home his +mother asked him whether his aunt had given him anything. He said, +"I have lost everything which my aunt gave me." On the fifth Sunday +the mother herself got up and went to her sister's village and stood +by the tank. The minister's wife took her in through her back door +and had her clothed and fed. Then the minister's wife told her that +all her trouble had come through not listening to her father's story, +and the minister's wife repeated it to her. The king's wife listened +to it, and stayed with her sister until the following month of Shravan, +or August, when she did fitting worship to the sun. + +Instantly good fortune came to her. After years of weary fighting, her +husband, the king, at last overcame his enemies, and after taking great +wealth from them turned homewards with his army. As he went towards his +capital, he passed the village where the minister's wife lived. There he +learnt that his queen was with her sister, so he sent for her with a +befitting escort. "O auntie, auntie," cried all the queen's little +nephews and nieces, "umbrellas have come for you, and horse-tails and +guards and foot-soldiers." Every one rushed out to see, and the king and +queen greeted each other after years of separation. The sisters gave +each other gifts of clothes, and the king and his queen went away +together. At the first halting-place the servants cooked the food. The +queen filled the king's plate and then her own, and then she thought of +the story which her sister had told her. She ordered her servants to go +through the neighbouring village and bring in any one who was hungry and +too poor to buy food. They found none such in the village, but on the +way back they met a starving wood-cutter, and, bringing him to the +queen, told him to listen to the tale which she would tell him. The +queen brought six pearls. Three she gave to the wood-cutter, and three +she kept herself. Then she told him the story of her father and the +wood-fairies. The wood-cutter listened with all attention, and as he +listened his faggot of wood became all of gold. He went away delighted, +promising to worship the sun in the way the wood-fairies had shown to +the Brahman. + +Next day the cavalcade reached the second halting-place. Food was +cooked; the queen filled the king's plate and then her own plate, and +again she told her, servants to bring from the neighbouring village any +one who was hungry and too poor to buy food. They came upon a petty +farmer, whose well had dried up and whose crops had withered. He was +sitting sadly by his field when they called him to go with them and +listen to the queen's tale. He went with them to the camp. There the +queen brought six pearls and gave three of them to the farmer and +kept three of them herself. Then she told the story of her father +and the wood-fairies. And as the farmer listened, all attention, +the water began to pour into the well, and the crop began to look +fresh and green. He went away delighted, and promised to worship the +sun in the way the wood-fairies had told the Brahman. Next day the +cavalcade reached the third halting-place. Food was cooked, and the +queen filled the king's plate and then her own plate. Then she told +the servants to search in the neighbouring village for any one who +was hungry and too poor to buy food. They met an old woman. Her eldest +son had been lost in the forest. Her second son had been drowned in a +pond. Her third son had died of snake-bite. They told her to come and +listen to the queen's story. She went with them, and as she listened, +all attention, first the son who had been lost in the forest walked +into the camp, next the son who had been drowned in the pond, and +last of all the son who had died of a snake-bite. The old woman went +away crying with joy, and promising to worship the sun in the way +the wood-fairies had instructed the Brahman. Next day the cavalcade +reached the fourth halting-place. Food was cooked, and the queen first +filled the king's plate and then her own. After dinner she sent her +servants as before to bring in some poor and hungry man from the +neighbouring village. They found a man whose eyes were so crooked +that he could hardly see, who had no arms or legs, and who had not +even a name. For he was only known as "Lump of flesh." He was lying +on his face, but when they brought him into camp, the queen had him +placed on his back and had a jug of water poured over him. Then she +took six pearls. Three she kept herself, and three she placed on the +stomach of "Lump of flesh." Then she told him the tale of her father +and the wood-fairies. He listened, all attention, and as he listened +his arms and legs grew out of his body, and hands and feet appeared +at the ends of them. He too went away delighted, and he promised to +worship the sun in the way the wood-fairies had told the Brahman. + +At the end of the next day's march the king and queen reached their +home. Food was cooked, and as they sat down to dinner the sun-god +himself appeared and joined them at their meal. The king had all +the doors flung wide open, and ordered a fresh and far more splendid +dinner to be prepared, with any number of dishes, each dish having +six separate flavours. When it was served the sun-god and the king +began to eat, but in the first mouthful the sun-god found a hair. He +got very very angry, and called out, "To what sinful woman does this +hair belong?" Then the poor queen remembered that during her twelve +years of poverty she had always sat under the eaves combing her hair, +and knew that it must have been one of her hairs which had got into +the sun-god's food. She begged for mercy, but the sun-god would +not forgive her until she had clothed herself in a black blanket, +plucked a stick out of the eaves, and had gone outside the town and +there thrown the stick and the hair over her left shoulder. Then the +sun-god recovered his good-humour, and finished his dinner. And the +Brahman, the king and queen, and the wood-cutter and the farmer whose +well had dried up, and the old woman who had lost her children, and +"Lump of flesh" with the cross eyes, they all remained in the favour +of the sun-god and lived happily ever afterwards. + + + +CHAPTER II + +The Monday Story + +Once upon a time there was a town called Atpat. In it there lived a +very saintly king. One day he formed the wish to fill the shrine of +Shiva, the moon-god, with milk up to the ceiling. He consulted his +chief minister, and the latter sent a crier through Atpat ordering, +under terrible penalties, all the townspeople to bring every Monday all +the milk in their houses and offer it to the god Shiva. The townspeople +were frightened at the threatened punishments, and the next Monday +they brought all the milk in Atpat to Shiva's shrine, not keeping a +drop for their calves or even for their children. But although all the +milk in Atpat was every Monday poured into Shiva's shrine, it yet did +not become full to the ceiling. But one day an old woman came to the +shrine. She had done all her housework. She had fed all the children +and had bathed all her little daughters-in-law. Then she took a few +drops of milk, a little sandal-wood paste, and a few flowers, and +half-a-dozen grains of rice and went to worship at Shiva's shrine. She +prayed to Shiva, "The little milk that I can offer is not likely to +fill your shrine, seeing that all the milk offered by the king could +not. Nevertheless I offer the milk with all my heart." She then got +up and went back to her house. Then a strange thing happened. Directly +the old woman turned her back, the shrine filled with milk right up to +the ceiling. The priests ran and told the king, but none of them could +say how it happened. The following Monday the king placed a soldier +by the door; and again the old woman came and worshipped, and again +the shrine filled with milk to the ceiling. The soldier ran and told +the king, but could not explain the cause. The third Monday the king +himself went and watched by the shrine. From his hiding-place he saw +the old woman come up and noticed that the shrine filled with milk +immediately after she had worshipped. He ran after her and caught +her. The old woman begged the king to spare her life, and this he +promised to do if she told the truth. She said, "O King! you ordered +all the milk in Atpat to be brought to Shiva's shrine. But what was +the result? All the calves began lowing and all the children began +crying, because they could get no milk. And all the grown-up people +were so worried by the noise that they did not know what to do. Shiva +was displeased at this, so He would not let the shrine fill. This, +therefore, is what you should do. Let the children and the calves +have their milk. Then take whatever is over to the shrine, and it +will at once fill up to the ceiling." The king let the old woman go, +and had it proclaimed by beat of drum that the townspeople were to +bring to the shrine on the following Monday only the milk remaining +after the children and the calves had been fed. The townspeople were +delighted. The children stopped crying and the calves stopped lowing, +and all the milk left by them was brought to Shiva's shrine. The +king prayed long and earnestly, and when he looked up he saw that +the shrine was full right up to the ceiling. He gave the old woman +a handsome present. And she went back to her home, and she did her +housework, and then she bathed all her little daughters and all her +little daughters-in-law. + + + +CHAPTER III + +The Tuesday Story + +Once upon a time there was a town called Atpat. [4] In it there lived +a bania who had no son. Every day a religious mendicant used to come +to his house and call out, "Alms! Alms! In the name of God, give me +alms." But when the bania's wife offered him alms he refused them, +because she had no children. She told her husband, who advised her +to play a trick on the mendicant. She hid behind her door, and as he +called out "Alms! alms!" she slipped a gold piece into his wallet. But +the mendicant caught her and became very angry. He cursed her and +told her that she would always remain without any children. She +was terrified and fell at his feet and begged for forgiveness. Then +he pitied her and said, "Tell your husband to put on blue clothes, +mount a blue horse, and ride into the jungle. He should ride on until +he meets a horse. He should then dismount and dig in the ground. He +will in the end come to a temple to Parwati. He must pray to her and +she will bestow a child on him." When her husband came back she told +him what had happened. So he at once put on blue clothes, mounted a +blue horse, and rode into the forest. He met the horse, dismounted, +and began digging. At last he discovered a temple to Parwati, all of +gold, with diamond pillars and a spire made of rubies. Inside was a +statue of the goddess, and to it he prayed, saying, "I have houses and +cottages, cattle and horses, money and goods of all kinds, but I am +very sad because I have no son." The goddess pitied him and asked, +"Which will you have, a son who will be good but will die young, +or a son who will live long but will be born blind?" The poor bania +became greatly perplexed, but at last said, "I choose a son who will be +good but will die young," The goddess said, "Very well. Step behind +me. There you will find an image of Ganpati. Behind it is a mango +tree. Climb upon Ganpati's stomach and pick one mango. Go home and give +it to your wife to eat, and your wish will be gratified." Parwati then +disappeared. The bania climbed upon Ganpati's stomach and ate as many +mangoes as he could. He next filled a large bundle full of mangoes +and stepped down. But when he reached the ground he found that there +was only one mango in the bundle. He climbed up again and refilled his +bundle, but when he stepped down he again found only one mango. This +happened three or four times. At last Ganpati got very sore and angry +with having his stomach trampled on. So he shouted out, "One mango is +all you'll get. So be off home!" The bania was frightened out of his +wits and galloped home with his one mango. His wife ate it, and in nine +months she presented her husband with a son. When the little boy was +eight years old his sacred thread was put on, and his mother said, +"It is time to think of his marriage." But the bania said, "I dare +not marry him unless he first makes a pilgrimage to Benares." His +maternal uncle agreed to take the little boy to Benares. + +So off they started together, and some days later the uncle and nephew +halted at a village where some little girls were playing. One of +the little girls said to the other, "You are nothing but a wretched +little widow." But the other little girl said, "Oh no! there are +never any widows in our family. Mother worships Parwati and so I +can never be a widow." The uncle heard this, and thought that if his +nephew could only marry a little girl who could not become a widow, +he would not die young. So he began to think how he could bring +about the marriage. Now it so happened that the little girl was +to be married that day. But in the morning the boy to whom she was +betrothed fell ill. Her parents were in great trouble, but at last +they thought that, rather than postpone the wedding and disappoint +all the guests, it would be better to marry their little daughter to +the first traveller who passed through the village. So they went to +the rest-house to inquire if any one was there. There they found the +uncle and nephew, and they married their little girl to the latter +that very evening when the cows were homing. They drew on the wall +a picture of Shiva and Parwati, and they put the children to bed +beneath it. Parwati appeared to the little girl in her sleep. The +goddess said, "My child, a snake will come to bite your husband: give +it milk to drink. Then put near it a new earthen jar. When the snake +has finished drinking, it will enter the earthen jar. Then at once +pull off your bodice and stuff it into the jar's mouth. Next morning +give the jar to your mother." Next evening everything happened as +Parwati had said. The snake came to bite her husband as he slept. But +the little girl offered it milk, which it drank. After drinking, +it curled itself up inside the earthen jar, and, the moment it did +so, the little girl slipped off her bodice and stuffed it into the +mouth of the jar. Next morning her husband gave her a ring, and she +in exchange gave him a sweet-dish, and he and his uncle continued +their journey to Benares. When they had gone, the little girl gave the +earthen jar with the snake inside it to her mother. The mother took +out the bodice, but instead of a snake a garland lay inside, and the +mother put it round her little daughter's neck. Some weeks passed, +but neither uncle nor nephew returned. So the little girl's parents +grew anxious. The sick boy who was to have been her husband recovered, +but she could no longer marry him, and the boy whom she had married +had gone away and might never return. In despair the parents built +a house, in which they entertained every traveller who passed by, +hoping that sooner or later one of the travellers would prove to be +their daughter's husband. To all of them the mother gave water; the +daughter washed their feet; her brother gave them sandal-wood paste; +and her father gave them betel-nut. But it was all in vain; none of +the travellers' fingers fitted the ring given to the little girl by +her husband, nor could any of them produce the sweet-dish which she +had given him in exchange. + +In the meantime the uncle and nephew had reached Benares and had +given large sums in charity, and had visited all the holy places +and had received the blessings of all the Brahmans. One day the +little boy, fainted. And in a dream he saw the messenger of Yama, +the god of death, come close to him as if to carry him off. Next he +saw the goddess Parwati come to his rescue and, after a struggle, +drive away Yama's messenger. When the boy woke up he told the dream to +his uncle. The latter was overjoyed because he felt certain that now +the boy would no longer die young. He told his nephew to get ready, +and next day they left Benares. On their way home they passed by +the village where the nephew had been married. As they were having +breakfast near the village tank, a maid-servant invited them to come +to the house which the girl's parents had built for the reception of +travellers. At first the uncle declined, but when a palki was sent +for them, he and his nephew entered it. When the little girl began to +wash her husband's feet, she recognised him. She tried on the ring, +which fitted his finger, and he in turn showed her the sweet-dish +which she had given him. The parents were as pleased as possible, and +they sent a messenger to invite the boy's parents. They came, and the +boy's mother threw herself at her daughter-in-law's feet and thanked +her for saving her son. Then there was a great feast and everybody +was very happy indeed, and at the end they all worshipped Parwati, +[5] so she became as pleased as everybody else. + + + +CHAPTER IV + +The Wednesday and Thursday Story + +There was once upon a time a town called Atpat. In it there lived +a prince who had seven sons and seven daughters-in-law. Every day +there used to come to the prince's house two Brahmans, an uncle and a +nephew. But when they asked for alms the daughters-in-law sent word +that they were too busy to give them any. Some time afterwards the +prince lost all his riches and became very poor. The two Brahmans +again came to beg, but the elder daughter-in-law said to them, +"We are no longer busy, but we have nothing to give you. If we had, +we should give it to you." The youngest daughter-in-law, however, +was a clever little girl, and she thought to herself, "The Brahmans +will get very angry with us. When we had money, we gave them nothing; +and now we give them nothing because we have nothing to give." So she +fell at the elder Brahman's feet and said, "We have been very wicked +and have deserved to become poor. But please forgive us and tell me +how we may become rich as we were before." The elder Brahman said, +"Every Wednesday and every Thursday you must invite a Brahman to +dinner. And if you have no money to pay for the dinner, draw a pair +of cow's feet on your money-box. If you want grain for the dinner, +draw a pair of cow's feet on your corn-bin. Then worship the feet and +welcome the Brahmans. For you will find that you will have money in +your box and grain in your corn-bin. And in time you will all get as +rich as you were before." The little girl did what the Brahman told +her. And whenever she invited Brahmans to dinner, she drew the cow's +feet on the cash-box and on the corn-bin, and there was always money +and grain sufficient for the meal. + +But some days later she fell asleep and dreamt that Budh [6] and +Brahaspati came to her bedside and said, "Little girl, little girl, +your husband has been made king over a great country. Go to him, and, +when you have found him, do not forget to worship us and to give feast +to the Brahmans." Then the little girl woke up and she told the other +six daughters-in-law. But they were jealous of her, and they became +very angry; and they kicked her so often and boxed her ears so hard +that she forgot all about drawing the cow's feet on her money-box and +on the corn-bin. So she never found any money in the box or any corn +in the bin. And every day they became poorer and poorer. First all the +men servants ran away, then the male members of the family left, and +at last the seven daughters-in-law were left alone in the house. They +were starving, but they did not know how to get any food. One day +they heard that a king in a neighbouring country wished to construct +a tank and was calling for labourers. So they decided to go to the +tank and work there just like common coolie women. Now who do you +think the king was? He was the youngest son of the prince of Atpat +and the husband of the youngest daughter-in-law. When the prince had +lost all his money, his youngest son left the house and set off on +a journey. As he travelled he came to a city, the king of which had +just died without leaving any children or relatives. His subjects +did not know how to choose a successor. At last they gave a garland +of flowers to a she-elephant and turned it loose. The elephant walked +straight to the prince's son and put the garland round his neck. The +townspeople were very angry. They snatched away the garland and drove +away the prince's son. They again gave the garland to the elephant, +but the elephant again put the garland round the neck of the prince's +son. The townspeople again snatched away the garland. But when the +elephant put it round the young man's neck for the third time, they +lifted him high in the air and declared him to be their king. At first +he was so pleased at being king that he forgot all about his poor +little wife. But one night Budh and Brahaspati appeared to him in a +dream and reminded him of her and told him how poor she was. But he +could not leave his kingdom to go and look for her. So he thought that +he would dig a tank and call together labourers from every quarter. And +every day he used to go to the tank and search among the labourers to +see if his wife was there. One day he recognised his wife and called +her to him. Then they told each other how Budh and Brahaspati had +appeared to each of them in a dream. And the king was so delighted at +finding his wife that he at once proclaimed her queen of the country. + +So the little daughter-in-law was crowned queen, but she did not let +the other daughters-in-law who were also working at the tank know of +her good fortune. As queen, she gave a great feast to all the workers +on the tank. But in her own palace she took some wheat flour, and +she kneaded it into shapes resembling human feet and human fists. And +when the other daughters-in-law were with the crowd of workers eating +at the feast, she went up to them, and to each daughter-in-law who +had kicked her she gave a flour foot, and to each daughter-in-law +who had struck her with her hands she gave a flour fist. Then the +daughters-in-law recognised who the little queen was, and they fell at +her feet and begged for her forgiveness. So the little queen forgave +them and took them back with her into her husband's palace. And they +all lived together happily ever afterwards. + + + +CHAPTER V + +The Friday Story + +Once upon a time there was a town called Atpat. In it there lived a +miserably poor Brahman. He had a wife who was as poor as he was. One +day she felt her poverty so much that she went to a gossip of hers +who lived close by and told her all about her troubles. The neighbour +could suggest nothing better than that the poor woman should worship +the goddess Shukra or Venus. So she told the Brahman woman to fast +every Friday through the month of Shravan. Every Friday evening she +should invite a married lady friend to her house. She should bathe her +friend's feet. She should give her sweetened milk to drink and fill +her lap with wheat cakes and bits of cocoa-nut. She should continue +to worship Shukra in this way every Friday for a whole year, and in +the end the goddess would certainly do something for her. The Brahman +woman thought the advice good, and every Friday she worshipped Shukra +and had a married friend to dine with her just as her neighbour had +advised her. + +Now the Brahman woman had a rich brother living in the same town, +who one day invited one thousand Brahmans to dine. At the same +time he invited all the townspeople with the single exception of +his sister. The poor lady thought that she must have been left out +by accident, and that there would be no harm in going, even although +uninvited. She put on her silk dining-clothes, and, taking her children +with her, went off to the dinner. She seated herself close to her +children, and was eating away when her brother came round serving +ghee. When he saw his sister he shouted at her, "You have neither nice +clothes nor nice jewelry. You have made me a laughing-stock by coming +as you have come. I shall not turn you out, but do not come to-morrow." + +Next day she did not want to go, but her children, who had enjoyed +the previous day's feast, persuaded their mother to take them again +to her brother's house. Once more she went and sat down with her +children among the rows of feasters. Her brother saw her as before +when he came round serving the ghee. He shouted at her, "A beggar +woman must, I suppose, act like a village sow, and will not go away +although told to. But do not come to-morrow. If you do, I'll have you +turned out." Next day, however, she again went with her children to +her brother's house. But near the entrance his servants caught her +and turned her out before she could eat anything. She went home sad +and hungry and prayed to Shukra. Now the goddess had been pleased +with her devotion and so took pity on her. She helped the poor +woman's husband so that he rapidly acquired great wealth. When her +husband had become very rich she asked her brother to dinner. But +the brother remembered how he had treated her and was ashamed to +accept. He pressed her to dine with him first, and begged so hard +that she at last consented. Next day she put on all her jewels and +her finest clothes. Her brother gave her a wooden platform to sit on +and plates made out of leaves from which to eat her dinner. Before +she sat down she took off her gold-embroidered shawl and put it +close to her plate. Her brother saw her, but thought she did it +because she felt the room hot. She then placed her jewelry on the +wooden platform. Her brother thought that she did it because she +felt the jewelry heavy. She took a portion of rice and placed it on +her necklace. She put a portion of vegetables on her pendant, and a +sweet ball she placed on her jewelled star. + +Her brother at last asked her, "What are you doing?" She said, +"I am giving to the guests whom you really invited." But he did +not understand, and asked, "Why do you not begin to eat?" She said, +"I have not been invited to this dinner. It was given in honour of +my finery and not of me. I had my dinner the day when you gave the +feast to the one thousand Brahmans." + +The brother felt thoroughly ashamed of himself. He threw himself at +his sister's feet and begged for her forgiveness. So she forgave him +and sat down to dinner. And the brother in turn went to her house and +dined with her. And Shukra was pleased with both sister and brother, +and they all lived happily ever afterwards. May I and my readers do +the same. + + + +CHAPTER VI + +The Saturday Story + +Once upon a time there was a town-called Atpat. In it there lived a +poor Brahman who had three daughters-in-law. He rose early even during +the rainy season, and every day immediately after his morning meal he +used to go to his field with his children and his daughters-in-law. One +first Saturday in Shravan he got up as usual and said to the youngest +of his daughters-in-law, "To-day is Saturday; you had better stay +at home, and although there is very little in the house, you must +try to get some sort of a dinner ready. Go upstairs and scrape +together all the grain there is in the grain-jars and make bread +with it. For vegetables you had better gather grass and make some +chutney out of clover leaves." When the Brahman had left, his little +daughter-in-law followed his orders as best she could. There was in the +jar upstairs only grain for half an ordinary loaf. So she made tiny, +tiny loaves and prepared some vegetables out of grass and made some +clover chutney. Then she sat down to wait for the family's return +from the field. As she did so, Saturn came disguised as a beggar all +covered with sores, and cried, "O Lady! I am aching all over: give +me hot water to bathe in and oil to rub myself with, and then give me +something to eat." The little daughter-in-law felt very sorry for the +poor beggar. She went inside and got him a few drops of oil and warmed +some water for his bath, and then gave him one of the tiny loaves to +eat. The beggar ate it, and then gave her his blessing, saying, "You +will never want for anything." He then folded up the leaves from which +he had eaten, stuck them into a corner of the eaves, and disappeared. + +Shortly afterwards the family came home and found a splendid dinner +waiting for them. They said to themselves, "Where did this all come +from? There was practically nothing in the house." Next Saturday +another daughter-in-law stayed at home. Again Saturn in the guise +of a beggar covered with sores came to the house. He asked as +before for hot water, oil, and food. But his daughter-in-law said, +"I have nothing to give you." The god pressed her, saying, "Give me a +little of anything that you have." But the daughter-in-law repeated, +"I have nothing." The god replied, "Very well, you will lose that +little you have." With this threat he disappeared. But, when the +daughter-in-law went upstairs to fetch grain for dinner, she could +find nothing in any of the jars. Shortly afterwards the family came +home, but there was no dinner for them. So they all got angry with +the daughter-in-law, and, although she told them about the beggar, +they scolded her harder than ever. A third Saturday came round, and +a third daughter-in-law remained at home. Again Saturn came, and the +third daughter-in-law behaved just as the second had done. She gave +the god neither hot water, oil, nor food. And the god told her that +she should lose the little she had. When the family came home there +was no dinner for them, and they scolded the third daughter-in-law +just as hard as they had scolded the second one. + +The fourth Saturday it was once more the +turn of the youngest daughter-in-law. Again +Saturn came in the guise of a beggar covered +with sores and asked for hot water, oil, and +food. The little daughter-in-law gave them +as she had done before, and the god blessed +her, saying, "God will make you rich and +happy." Then he folded up the leaves from +which he had eaten and stuck them into a +corner of the eaves. When the little daughter-in-law +went upstairs, she saw any amount of +grain in the jars, and she prepared a splendid +dinner. So when the family came home they +were delighted. They could no longer restrain +their curiosity, and exclaimed, "Where did all +this food come from?" The little daughter-in-law +told them about the beggar covered with +sores and about his blessing. To test her +story, they looked for the folded leaves which +he had stuck into a corner of the roof. They +found them, but when they pulled them out +they were full of pearls and diamonds. Then +the old Brahman guessed that the beggar was +Saturn in disguise, and he also understood why, +when the other two daughters-in-law gave him +nothing and were cursed by him, there was +nothing for dinner. So they all knelt down +and prayed to Saturn, and the god forgave the +two-daughters-in-law who had given him +nothing. And he was more pleased than ever +with the little daughter-in-law who had befriended +him. And so they all lived happily +ever afterwards. And may Saturn be pleased +with us all as he was with the little daughter-in-law. + + + +CHAPTER VII + +Mahalaxmi and the Two Queens + +Once upon a time there was a town called Atpat. In it there lived +a king who had two queens. Of one of them he was very fond, but +the other one he did not care for. The name of the favoured one was +Patmadhavrani, and the name of the unloved one was Chimadevrani. Now +the king had an enemy called Nandanbaneshwar. Such a terrible enemy +he was too! He could jump into the clouds or dive into the bottom of +the ocean. At one moment he would shoot up into heaven. At another he +would sink down into hell, and through fear of his enemy, the king had +become as dry and as thin as an old bit of stick. One day the king, in +despair, assembled all his subjects and ordered them to seek out and +kill Nandanbaneshwar. All the subjects said, "Certainly, certainly, +O King," and began to search everywhere for Nandanbaneshwar. Now in +Atpat there lived a poor woman who had one son. On hearing the orders +of the king, he said to her, "Mother, Mother, give me some bread, +for I am going out to kill the king's enemy." The old woman said, +"Do not be silly; you are only a poor boy, and people will laugh +at you. Here, take this bit of bread and go and eat it behind a +tree." The boy said, "Very well," and took the bread. But, after +taking it, he joined the other villagers and went at their head to +seek out and kill Nandanbaneshwar. But when evening fell they had +not yet met Nandanbaneshwar, so all the villagers returned home. And +when the king heard of their ill-success he was greatly grieved. But +the old woman's son stayed in a wood outside the village. And lo +and behold! just about midnight the serpent-maidens from Patâla [7] +and the wood-nymphs came close to where he was and began to worship +Mahalaxmi. The boy was at first terribly frightened, but at last he +plucked up courage enough to ask, "Ladies, ladies, what does one gain +by worshipping Mahalaxmi?" "Whatever you lose you will find," said the +serpent-maidens from Patala; "and whatever you want you will get." The +boy resolved that he too would worship Mahalaxmi. And he joined the +serpent-maidens from Patâla and the wood-nymphs, and all night long +they blew on earthen pots to do the goddess honour; and the woods +echoed and re-echoed with the deep-booming noise which they made. [8] + +At dawn Mahalaxmi revealed herself, and all of them, the boy included, +prostrated themselves before her and asked for her blessing. She first +blessed the serpent--maidens from Patâla and then the wood-nymphs. And +then she blessed the poor old woman's son and said, "You will get half +the kingdom of Atpat and half the king's treasure. He will build you a +house as high as his own, and he will give you the name of 'Navalvat' +or 'Wonderways.' For this very morning the king's mighty enemy will +break his neck and be found lying dead in the king's courtyard," +With these words the goddess vanished and flew to Kolhapur, [9] and +the old woman's son went home. Now at dawn Queen Patmadhavrani got up +and went into the king's courtyard, and there she saw Nandanbaneshwar +lying dead from a broken neck. She was overjoyed, and ran back +into the palace to tell the king. The king inquired who had killed +Nandanbaneshwar. Every one said that the old woman's son must have +killed him, because he stayed behind when the others went home. The +king sent for the old woman's son. He was very frightened, and when +he reached the royal hall he called out, "I have made no false charge +against any one. I have done no one any harm. Why, therefore, O King, +have you sent for me?" "Do not be afraid," said the king. "My enemy +Nandanbaneshwar is dead, and every one says that it is you who killed +him. Tell me if this is true." "No, O King," said the boy, "he was +killed by the arts of Mahalaxmi." "Where did you meet her?" asked the +king. The boy said, "I stayed when the other villagers returned home, +and during the night there came the serpent-maidens from Patâla and the +wood-nymphs. They taught me how to worship Mahalaxmi. In the morning +she revealed herself and promised me that Nandanbaneshwar would be +found lying dead, that you would give me half your kingdom and half +your treasure, that you would build me a palace as high as your own, +and that you would call me Navalvat or Wonderways." The king did as +the goddess had foretold. He handed half his provinces and half his +treasuries to Wonderways, and built him a palace of which the roof +was exactly on the same level as that of his own palace. + +When Queen Patmadhavrani heard what had happened, she sent for +Wonderways and asked him how to worship Mahalaxmi. And he told +her all that he had seen the serpent-maidens of Patâla do, and +he also told her on the eighth day of the month of Ashwin [10] to +tie on her wrist a thread with sixteen strands in it, and to wear +it continually for the rest of the month. When the 8th of Ashwin +came, Queen Patmadhavrani dutifully tied round her wrist a thread of +sixteen strands, and resolved to wear it every day for the rest of the +month. But a day or two later the king came to Queen Patmadhavrani's +apartments and began to play saripat [11] with her. As they played +he noticed the thread on her wrist and asked what it was. She told +him how Wonderways had instructed her to tie it on. But the king got +very angry and roared out, "I have in my palace garlands and twine, +bracelets, and hobbling-ropes. So throw away that wretched piece of +thread. I will not let you wear it." The queen did as she was bid, and, +pulling off the thread bracelet, threw it on the floor. Next morning +the maids and the slave-girls began to sweep the palace, and among +the sweepings one of them noticed the queen's thread bracelet. She +picked it up and showed it to Wonderways, and he grew very wroth with +Queen Patmadhavrani. He took the thread and at once went with it to +the palace of the unloved Queen Chimadevrani. He told her what had +happened, and she begged him to give the thread to her and to tell +her how to worship Mahalaxmi. But he said, "You will grow vain and +get so conceited that you will not do what I tell you to do." But +she promised that she would obey him in everything. So just as he had +told the Queen Patmadhavrani, he told Queen Chimadevrani all the rites +which he had seen the serpent-maidens from Patala and the wood-nymphs +perform. Everything went on just the same for a whole year. But the +next year on the 8th of Ashwin a very strange thing happened. The +goddess Mahalaxmi disguised herself as an old beggar-woman and +came to Atpat. First she went to the part of the palace where Queen +Patmadhavrani lived. But no one there was paying the least honour +to the goddess Mahalaxmi, although it was the 8th of Ashwin, and +therefore specially sacred to her. Mahalaxmi was dreadfully put out +at this, and when she saw Queen Patmadhavrani she said, "Lady, lady, +Patmadhavrani, mother of sons, what have you in your house to-day?" The +queen replied, "I have nothing in my house to-day." The old woman +went on, "Lady, lady, Patmadhavrani, mother of sons, if you give +this beggar-woman a little water, you will acquire merit sufficient +for all your kingdom." But the queen replied, "Even if I were to +give you a copper cauldron of water it would not suffice for all my +kingdom." The old woman then said, "Lady, lady, Patmadhavrani, mother +of sons, if you give this old beggar-woman a little rice and curds, +you will gain enough merit for all your kingdom." The queen replied, +"Even if I were to give you a big dinner of nothing but rice and curds, +I should not gain enough merit for all my kingdom." Then the old woman +got very angry and cursed the queen, saying, "You will become half a +frog and half a human being, and you will stand outside your co-wife's +bath-room and croak like a frog." But the queen did not mind her the +least little bit, and she laughed so loud at the old woman that the +noise was like two chains rattling together. Mahalaxmi went off in a +great rage and entered Queen Chimadevrani's part of the palace. There +she saw all the accessories of worship ready, and there was a beautiful +image of Mahalaxmi leaning against the wall; The old woman cried, +"Lady, lady, Chimadevrani, mother of sons, what have you in your house +to-day?" "To-day," said the queen, "we are worshipping Mahalaxmi." Then +the old beggar-woman said, "I am Mahalaxmi." But the queen doubted and +asked her, "By what sign shall I know you?" The goddess replied, "In +the morning I shall take the shape of a little girl. In the afternoon +I shall take that of a young married woman. In the evening I shall +become an old hag." After the goddess had taken all three shapes, +Queen Chimadevrani called her into the palace and bathed and anointed +her. She gave her a silk skirt and a platform to sit upon. Then she +sent for Wonderways, and both of them worshipped the old beggar-woman +and blew on earthen pots in her honour. The king heard the blowing +on the pots and told a sepoy to find out why there was such a noise +in Queen Chimadevrani's quarters. The sepoy went there, and when he +saw what was happening joined also in the worship. After a little +while he went back and told the king. The king said that he would +go there too. He followed the sepoy, and Queen Chimadevrani came +to the steps and met him and took him upstairs, where both played +at saripat until dawn. And all the time Mahalaxmi sat by and watched +them. At dawn Queen Chimadevrani asked Mahalaxmi for her blessing. She +blessed the queen and said, "The king will take you back with him to +the palace, and your co-wife will become half frog, half human being, +and will have to croak outside your bath-room while you bathe." But +Queen Chimadevrani begged the goddess not to place such a terrible +curse on Patmadhavrani. The goddess relented a little, but said, +"The king will drive her into the jungle for twelve years." At these +words she vanished and flew to Kolhapur. When the sun rose the king +placed Queen Chimadevrani in his chariot and drove her to his own +part of the palace. He then sent a message to Queen Patmadhavrani +asking her to join them. Shortly afterwards Queen Patmadhavrani +appeared, dressed all in rags with a skirt round her legs and her +hair all unfastened. On her head was a pot full of burning coal, +and she began to shout and scream at the top of her voice. The king +became very angry and roared out, "Who is this that is shouting +and screaming? Is it a ghost or a she-devil or what?" The sepoys +replied, "O King, it is neither a ghost nor a she-devil, it is your +Queen Patmadhavrani." "Take her into the jungle," roared the king, +"and kill her there." Then he went back into the palace and began +to live in great happiness with Queen Chimadevrani. But the sepoys +took Patmadhavrani into the jungle and told her that they had been +ordered to kill her. She began to weep. The sepoys were kind-hearted +men and they felt very sorry for her. They said, "Lady, lady, do not +weep. We have eaten bread and drunk water at your hands so we cannot +kill you. We will leave you here, but you must never come back into +the kingdom again." The sepoys left her and returned to Atpat. But +the poor queen wandered on until she came to a distant town, where +she entered a coppersmith's lane. Therein a coppersmith was making +bangles for a beautiful young princess who had just been crowned +queen of the city. But suddenly none of the bangles would join. He +began to search for the cause, and asked his workmen whether any +stranger had come near his house. The workmen looked about and found +Queen Patmadhavrani in hiding close by. They told the coppersmith, +and he and his men beat her soundly and drove her away. She ran +into the lane of some weavers who were weaving a sari for the new +queen. Suddenly none of the looms would work. They began looking +about to see if any stranger had come. After a little while they found +the queen. So they beat her soundly and drove her away. Then she ran +out of the town back into the jungle. There she wandered about until +she came to the cave of a rishi or sage. The rishi was sitting lost +in meditation. But she bided her time, and, when he went to bathe, +she slipped into the cave and swept it and neaped it and tidied up +all the utensils used by him for worship. Then she slipped out of +the cave and ran back into the jungle. This went on every day for +twelve years without the rishi showing that he was aware of what she +was doing. But in his heart he was really pleased with her. And one +day he called out in a loud voice, "Who is it who sweeps and neaps my +cave? Whoever she is, let her step forward." The queen stepped into +the presence of the rishi and threw herself at his feet and said, "If +you promise not to punish me, I shall tell you." The rishi promised, +and she told him her story. The rishi took out his magic books and, +consulting them, learned that Mahalaxmi had cursed her. So he taught +her how to worship Mahalaxmi, and all night long they blew on earthen +pots and performed rites in her honour. At dawn she revealed herself +and the queen asked her for her blessing. But the goddess was still +very angry with the queen. Then the rishi joined her in begging the +goddess's pardon, and at last she relented. She said to the queen, +"Put under that tree a foot-bath full of water, sandal-wood ointment, +plates full of fruit, a stick of camphor, fans made of odorous +grasses; and handle them all so that they retain the fragrance of +some scent which the king will remember you used. To-morrow the king +will come. He will be thirsty. He will send his sepoys to look for +water. They will see all your things ready. And when they go back and +tell him, he will come himself." Next morning, as the goddess had +foretold, the king came. He saw the cool shade of the tree. He was +tired with hunting, so he sat down and rested. He washed his feet +in the foot-bath. He ate up all the fruit, drank the cold water, +and sucked the stick of camphor. When he had rested to his heart's +content, he asked the sepoy, "How is it that in the water I drank, +in the fruit I took, in the camphor I ate, I noticed a scent which +Patmadhavrani always used?" The sepoys replied, "If the king promises +to pardon us, we will tell him." The king promised. The sepoys then +told him how they had not killed the queen, because they had eaten +bread and had drunk water at her hands, but had let her go. The king +told them to look and see if she was anywhere about. They searched +and searched until they came to the rishi's cave. Then they ran back +and told the king. The king rose, and going to the cave did homage to +the rishi. The rishi accepted the homage and lectured him at great +length. At last he ordered the king to prostrate himself before the +queen. The king obeyed, and the rishi handed Patmadhavrani back to +his care and blessed both her and her husband. The king put her in +his chariot and took her to Atpat. Outside the town the king stopped +his chariot and sent for Queen Chimadevrani Chimadevrani bathed +and anointed herself, and put on all her silk clothes, her shawls, +her embroideries, and her jewels. In front of her she placed all the +horn-blowers of Atpat. And as she went to meet the king they blew their +very loudest on their horns. The king was amazed when he heard the +noise, and roared out, "Who is coming with such pomp and splendour? Is +it the serpent-maidens of Patâla or is it the wood-nymphs who live +in the heart of the forest?" The sepoys said, "O King, it is neither +the serpent-maidens of Patâla nor is it the wood-nymphs who live in +the heart of the forest. It is Queen Chimadevrani, who is coming to +meet you as you ordered." The king turned to Patmadhavrani and said, +"If you had come in this guise to meet me, instead of coming like a mad +woman, you would never have suffered as you did." Queen Patmadhavrani +said nothing, but sat still in the chariot, and the king lifted Queen +Chimadevrani into the chariot, and all three entered the city. And as +they entered, the horn-blowers blew so loud that every one was quite +deafened. And the king lived from that time forth in perfect happiness +with both his wives. And because of his happiness, he ruled so well +that his subjects thought that King Ramchandra of Ayodhya had come +back to rule over them. + + + +CHAPTER VIII + +The Island Palace + +Once upon a time there was a town called Atpat. In it there lived a +Brahman. He had a disciple who used every day to go to the village pond +and bathe and worship the god Shiva. On the way he had to walk through +the sandy island in the dry bed of the river. And, as he went home +across the island, he used to hear a voice cry, "Shall I come? Shall I +come? Shall I come?"; but when he looked round he could see no one. The +Brahman's disciple at last got so frightened that he withered up until +he became as dry and as thin as a bone. At last the Brahman said, +"You have no wish to eat or drink; yet you are so thin. What is the +reason?" The boy replied, "I neither wish to eat, nor want to eat, +nor crave to eat. But I am frightened out of my wits. For whenever +I come back from my bath I hear a voice behind me call out, 'Shall I +come? Shall I come? Shall I come?'; but when I look round there is no +one there." The Brahman said, "Do not be afraid, and when you next hear +the voice, do not look behind you, but call out as boldly as you can, +'Come along, come along, come along.'" Next day the disciple went as +usual to his bath in the village pond. He worshipped the god Shiva, +and as he came home he heard the cry behind him, "Shall I come? Shall +I come? Shall I come?" The boy was very frightened, but he did not +look behind him. In a short time he mastered his fears, and then in +a voice like a bull roaring he cried out, "Come along, come along, +come along." At last he reached home, calling all the time and without +once looking behind him. + +The Brahman looked up as the disciple came in, and he saw that just +behind was walking a young girl. He at once married the girl to his +disciple and gave them a house to live in close by his own. Now, on +the first Monday in the month of Shravan, or August, the disciple +got up and said to his wife, "I am going out to worship the god +Shiva. But do not wait for me. Just eat your breakfast directly you +feel hungry." He went out, and in a little time his wife began +to feel hungry. Nevertheless, she knew that, in spite of what +her husband had said, she ought not to eat anything while he was +worshipping Shiva. So she waited for a little time, but at last she +got so terribly hungry that she could not wait any more. So she sat +down and cooked her breakfast, and had just put one mouthful into +her mouth when her husband came to the outer door. "Wife, wife," he +called, "open the door!" Then the little wife got very frightened. She +pushed the uneaten breakfast under the bed, got up, washed her hands, +and opened the door. She then told her husband that she had waited +for him, and she cooked a fresh breakfast, which both ate one after +the other. Next Monday exactly the same thing happened. The little +wife cooked her breakfast and was just beginning it when her husband +came. She then hid her uneaten breakfast under her bed and pretended +that she had waited for his return. And on the two following Mondays +the naughty little wife deceived her husband in just the same way. + +Now on the last Sunday in Shravan, when husband and wife went to lie +down, the former noticed a light shining under the bed. He looked to +see what it was, and saw several platefuls of jewels. He asked his wife +whence they had come. Now they were really the uneaten breakfasts, +which the god Shiva had turned into gold and jewels. But the naughty +little wife got very frightened and told her husband a bigger story +than ever. "They are presents," she said, "from my mother and father +and their family." "But where is your father's house?" asked the +husband. "It is in the sandy island," said the little wife, "which +lies in the dry bed of the river." "You must take me there," said her +husband. Next morning they started off together. And the naughty little +wife could hardly walk, she was so frightened. For she knew quite well +that her father had no house in the sandy island. But on the way she +prayed to Shiva, "Please, please, god Shiva, create a house for my +father in the sandy island which lies in the dry bed of the river, +even if it be only for half an hour." + +At last the husband and wife came to the sandy island. And there, lo +and behold! they saw a great big palace, and a splendidly dressed young +man came forward and greeted the disciple as his brother-in-law. And +a handsome old knight came forward and greeted the disciple as his +son-in-law. And a beautiful young woman greeted the naughty little +wife as the sister of her husband. And a lovely little girl ran up and +embraced her and called her "sister." And slave girls and maid-servants +ran forward to offer her their service. A guard of soldiers kept +watch by the palace, and at the door there were sentries, who made +way for them as they passed. Inside the house the little wife and +her husband were given platforms to sit upon, and a splendid feast +was all ready prepared for them to eat. After they had feasted, they +got up and said good-bye to the little wife's father and mother, and +garlands of flowers were placed round their necks, and they started +for their home. When they had gone half-way, the naughty little wife +remembered that she had hung her garland on a peg and had forgotten +to bring it with her. So she and her husband went back to the sandy +island. But when they got there, there was no palace, there were no +soldiers to guard it, there were no sentries at the door, there were +no maid-servants nor slave girls. There was nothing there but just +a sandy island in the middle of a dry river-bed. And on the sand lay +the garland which the naughty little wife had forgotten. She took it +up and put it round her neck. + +But her husband asked her, "What has happened to your father's +house?" The naughty little wife replied, all in tears, "As it came, +so it went. But if you promise to forgive me, I shall tell you." The +husband promised. So she told him how every Monday she had felt so +hungry and how she had cooked her breakfast, and then, on hearing her +husband's voice, had pushed it under their bed. She also told him that +the god Shiva had turned the food into gold and jewels. "Then when you +asked me," she went on, "I felt so frightened that I said they were +presents from my father and mother and the rest of my family. And +when you made me take you to my father's house, I prayed the god +Shiva to create, if only for half an hour, a house for my father on +the sandy island in the dry river-bed. And he graciously granted my +request." Then the husband forgave the naughty little wife. And she +became quite good and never told him any more stories. And they both +went home and lived happily ever afterwards. + + + +CHAPTER IX + +Nagoba, the Snake-King + +Once upon a time there was a town called Atpat. In it there lived +a Brahman who had seven little daughters-in-law. In the fulness of +time the month of Shravan came and with it Nagpanchmi Day [12]. In +honour of the festival, one little daughter-in-law went to her +grandpapa's house, another went to her great grandpapa's house, +another went to her father's house, until at last only the youngest +daughter-in-law remained behind. Her father and mother were dead, +and she had no uncles and no aunts and no little brothers or +sisters. So the poor little daughter-in-law felt very sad and +sat down and cried in a corner. Then she remembered that it was +Nagpanchmi Day, and that it was a festival in honour of Nagoba, the +great snake-king. So she prayed under her breath, "Please, please, +snake-king, come and pretend that you have been sent to fetch me +to my father's house!" And the great snake-king heard the prayer +and felt quite sorry for the poor little daughter-in-law who was +crying in the corner. He assumed the guise of a Brahman and came to +the house where the little daughter-in-law was, and said that he had +been sent to fetch her to her father's house. Her father-in-law was +very much astonished. For he wondered why, if the new-comer really +was a relative of the little daughter-in-law, he had never paid him +a visit before. At last he asked the little daughter-in-law who the +new-comer was. She did not know in the least. But she was so overjoyed +that some one should have come for her that she at once answered, +"He is my mother's brother." Her father-in-law believed her and sent +her off in the care of Nagoba, the snake-king. Still disguised as a +Brahman, he took her to the entrance of his underground palace and +there he told her who he was. He then reassumed his true appearance, +and, expanding the mighty hood behind his head, he seated the little +girl on it and took her down to his splendid dwelling-house beneath +the earth. In the central hall he presented her to the snake-queen +and to all the snake-princes, and told them that in no circumstances +whatever were they to bite the little daughter-in-law. + +One day the snake-queen was about to be confined. So she asked +the little daughter-in-law to sit by her side with the lamp in +her hand. The little daughter-in-law did so, and a little time +afterwards the snake-queen gave birth to a fresh litter of little +snake-princes. When the little daughter-in-law saw them all wriggling +about, she was frightened out of her wits. She let the lamp slip +out of her hands. It fell on the ground and burnt all the little +snakes' tails off. The snake-queen did her best to comfort them, +but the stumps of the little princes' tails ached so dreadfully that +it was ever so long before the snake-queen could put them off to +sleep. When the snake-king came home that evening, she told him what +had happened. And she was so cross with the little daughter-in-law, +that the snake-king had to promise that she should go back to her +father-in-law's house. A few days later, the snake-king assumed once +again the guise of a Brahman, and, loading the little daughter-in-law +with presents, took her back to her husband's home. In the course of +time the little snake-princes grew up, but their tails never grew +again. So their father, the snake-king, called one little prince, +No-tail; and the second little prince, Cut-tail; and the third little +prince, Dock-tail. And one day they asked the snake-queen how it was +that their tails had been broken off. She told them how the little +daughter-in-law had burnt them off by dropping the lamp on them. + +The snake-princes, when they heard their mother's answer, were +terribly cross with the little daughter-in-law, and they vowed that +they would be revenged on her. So they found out where she lived, +and they sent a message to her house, saying that they were coming to +pay her a visit. But they really meant to bite her to death directly +they saw her. The little daughter-in-law was overjoyed when she heard +that the snake-princes were coming to visit her. For ever since the +snake-king had pretended to be her uncle, she always thought of little +No-tail and little Cut-tail and little Dock-tail as if they had been +her own cousins. Now it so happened that the very day on which they +were expected at the little daughter-in-law's house was Nagpanchmi +Day. The little daughter-in-law was sitting in the house all alone +waiting for little Prince No-tail, little Prince Cut-tail, and little +Prince Dock-tail. They were late in coming, so to pass the time she +drew pictures of Nagoba, the snake-king, on her dining-platform and on +the wall. When she had finished the pictures, she worshipped them and +offered them milk and food. Then she prayed to the great snake-king, +"Please please, King Nagoba, guard from all hurt, wherever they may +be, my little cousins No-tail and Cut-tail and Dock-tail." And last +of all she prostrated herself at full length before the pictures +which she had drawn on the wall and on her dining-platform. + +In the meantime little Prince No-tail and little Prince Cut-tail and +little Prince Dock-tail had come up without the little daughter-in-law +noticing them. But when they saw the honour which she was paying +their father, King Nagoba, and heard the prayer which she had offered +on their behalf, they no longer wished to kill or bite the little +daughter-in-law. On the contrary, they made themselves known to +her and stayed all that day in the house and were as good and as +nice as possible. When night fell, they drank the milk which she +had offered to the snake-king. And in its place they put a necklace +with nine beautiful jewels in it. Before day broke they went away +quietly and returned to their father's palace under the ground. Next +morning when the little daughter-in-law woke up she saw the lovely +necklace lying where the milk had been. She gave a shout of delight, +and putting it round her neck, she ran all over the house showing it +to everybody. And every one was perfectly charmed with it. And the +snake-princes never again came to bite any one in that household. And +the little daughter-in-law and her husband and her father-in-law and +little Prince No-tail and little Prince Cut-tail and little Prince +Dock-tail, they all lived happily for ever so long afterwards. + + + +CHAPTER X + +Parwati and the Beggar-Man + +Once upon a time there was a town called Atpat. In It there lived +a Brahman. He had seven daughters, and when they had reached a +marriageable age he asked them who would arrange their marriages +and bring them handsome husbands and make their fortunes. The six +eldest daughters said, "Papa, Papa, you of course. You will arrange +our marriages and bring us handsome husbands and make our fortunes +for us." But the youngest daughter was a naughty little girl. She +got into a temper all about nothing, and she stamped her foot, and +she turned her back on her father and said, "I will arrange my own +marriage, and I will get a handsome husband for myself, and I will +make my fortune myself." The Brahman was very angry with her, and so +how do you think he punished her? He first searched about and found +six rich and handsome boys. Then he married them with great pomp and +display to his six eldest daughters. But the youngest girl he gave in +marriage to a miserable beggar-man. You never saw such a beggar-man +as he was! There was not a spot on his skin that was not black with +leprosy, and his feet and hands had rotted right off. If you had seen +him you would have said, "If that beggar-man does not die to-day +he will certainly die to-morrow. For he cannot possibly live any +longer!" When the marriage was celebrated, the little girl's mother +filled her lap with pulse and then handed her over to the beggar-man +to see what sort of fortune would be hers. But in a few days the +beggar-man died. His corpse was taken to the burning-ground, and +his little widow followed it. But when his relatives wanted to burn +the body, she forbade them and told them to go away. For she said, +"My fortune is still to come, whatever it may be." They all got round +her and tried to persuade her that there was no use in her staying by +the corpse, but she would not mind what they said. At last they were +quite tired out and went home, leaving her in the burning-ground. When +they had gone she took her husband's corpse on to her lap. Then she +prayed to the god Shiva and said: + + + "My parents disown me. O why was I born + Both as orphan and widow to live all forlorn?" + + +As she prayed, she put the pulse which her mother had put into her +lap grain by grain in the dead man's mouth. Then she sat there crying +until midnight. Now it happened that on that very night Shiva and +Parwati were in their chariot driving through the air over that very +place. Parwati said suddenly to her husband, "I hear a woman crying, +let us go and see what it is." The god Shiva drove his chariot down to +earth. He and Parwati got out and saw the Brahman's youngest daughter +crying. They asked her what the reason was, and she told them. Then +Parwati pitied her and said, "Your aunt has acquired great merit by +her piety and devotions. You go to her and get her to give you all +her merit and so you will bring your husband back to life." The god +Shiva and Parwati then mounted on their chariot and disappeared. Next +morning the little widow left her husband's body, went to her aunt's +house and begged her to give her all the merit which she had acquired, +and told her the cause of the request. The aunt was very good and +gave her all her own merit. The little widow then went back to the +burning-ground and with its aid brought her husband back to life. But +this time he was no longer a beggar-man black with leprosy and with +feet and hands that had rotted away. He was a beautiful young man +with well-shaped feet and a beautiful fair skin, and the little widow +took her husband back to her father's house. "Papa, Papa," she said, +"you turned me out, but the gods have brought me back, and good fortune +came to me without your bringing it." The father was too frightened +of Parwati to say anything, so he held his peace. And the little girl +and her husband, the beggar-man, lived happily ever afterwards. + + + +CHAPTER XI + +Parwati and the Brahman + +Once upon a time there was a town called Atpat. In it there lived a +poor Brahman. When the month of Bhadrapad came round, every household +bought little images of Parwati, and the women began to walk about +the streets and sound gongs. When the poor Brahman's children saw +this they went home and said to their mother, "Mummy, Mummy, please +buy us little images of Parwati like the other little boys and girls +have." But their mother said, "What is the use of my buying images +of Parwati? If I do we shall have to make offerings, and there is +absolutely nothing in the house. You run to papa and tell him to go +into the bazaar and buy grain. If he buys grain I'll buy you images of +Parwati." The children got up and ran to their father and cried out, +"Papa, Papa, Mama says that she will buy us images of Parwati if you +will go into the bazaar and get food to offer to them." Their father +at first searched all over the house but could find no grain. And +then he looked in his purse but he could find no money with which to +go to the bazaar and buy grain. But although he tried to explain this +to his children, they would not listen to him. They screamed at him +and shouted, "Papa, Papa, Mummy says that she will buy us images of +Parwati if you will get food to offer to them." "Papa, Papa, why should +we not have images of Parwati like the other little boys and girls." At +last they bothered the poor Brahman so much that he felt worried to +death. "I love," he said, "my children as if they were made of gold, +but they will not mind what I say. They will not understand that it +is nothing but poverty which prevents my buying food and offering it +to Parwati. I might go out and beg, but when I do, no one ever gives +me anything. Death is better than a life like this." With these words +he got up and walked to the edge of the village pond and determined +to drown himself. It was dark when he started, and half-way he met +an old woman. She heard him coming and asked him who he was. He told +her all his trouble, and said that he meant to jump into the pond to +escape from his children. The woman comforted him and prevailed on him +to turn home again. He took her home. His wife came to the door with +a lamp and asked who she was. The husband did not like to say that he +had only just met her on the road, so he said to his wife, "She is my +grandmother." The wife thereupon welcomed her and invited her to come +in and stay to supper. But her heart felt as heavy as lead, for she +knew that there was nothing to eat inside the house. When the old woman +had seated herself inside the house, the Brahman's wife got up and, in +despair, went to look inside the grain-pots. She knew they were empty, +but she thought that she would first look into them once again. But, +lo and behold! when she looked this time she found the grain-pots +brimming over with grain. She called her husband, and they were both +perfectly delighted. And the wife prepared bowls full of rice-gruel, +and every one, children and all, ate the rice-gruel till the skins +on their stomachs felt quite tight. And they went to bed as happy as +possible. Next morning the old woman called to the Brahman, "My son, +my son, get me water for my bath and cook me a nice hot dinner, and +please be quick about it, and do not start making objections." The +Brahman got up and called his wife, and they got water for the old +woman's bath, and then the Brahman went out to beg. When he had gone +out before, no one had ever given him anything. But to-day every one +ran out and gave him food and molasses and copper coins. Then he went +back home in splendid spirits. His wife prepared a glorious dinner, and +the children ate so much that the skin on their stomachs felt as tight +as a kettle-drum. After breakfast the old woman said to the Brahman, +"To-morrow I want a milk-pudding for dinner." "But, Grandmamma," said +the Brahman, "where shall I get the milk from?" The old woman said, +"Don't worry about that. Just get up and hammer down as many pegs as +you can in your courtyard. Then this evening, when the cattle come +home, call to the village cows and buffaloes by name, and they will +come to you, and if you milk them you will get enough milk for my +pudding to-morrow." The Brahman did as the old woman ordered him, +and that evening he called to the cows and buffaloes by name to come +to his courtyard. And from every direction the cows and buffaloes came +running up. And behind them galloped all the little calves with their +heels in the air and their tails stuck out straight behind them. At +last the Brahman's courtyard was filled so full that no more cows or +buffaloes could enter. And he milked them all, and next day his wife +cooked a milk-pudding such as one would not see again if one lived a +thousand years. And the children ate until they were so tired of eating +that they just rolled over and went fast asleep. But that evening the +old woman said, "My son, my son, I want you to take me home." "But, +Grandmamma, Grandmamma," said the Brahman, "how can I take you home, +for I have had all this good luck only because of you. Directly you go +away my good luck will vanish." "Do not be afraid," said the old woman, +"for I am Parwati. If I bless you your good luck will never +vanish. Therefore you must come with me and see me home." But the +Brahman said, "I do not want my good luck only to continue. I want +it to increase." The old woman said, "If you come with me I shall +give you some sand. When you go back home, scatter it all over the +house and over your jars and your pots, and put it inside your boxes +and your cupboards, and scatter it all over your courtyard too, and +you will find that your good luck will never be any less than it is +now." The Brahman was satisfied with this. He worshipped the old woman +and went with her towards the tank until she suddenly disappeared. He +returned home and scattered sand all over his house and over his +jars and his pots and inside his boxes and his cupboards, and from +that day on, his good luck never left him. And his wealth increased, +and his children increased. And they all lived happily ever afterwards. + + + +CHAPTER XII + +Soma, the Washerwoman + +Once upon a time there was a town called Atpat. In it there lived a +poor Brahman who had seven sons and seven daughters-in-law. He had also +one daughter called Gunvanti and a wife called Dhanvanti. Whenever +a mendicant Brahman came to this house, it was the custom of all +the ladies to give him alms and then prostrate themselves in front +of him. One day a Brahman came, tall as a tree and shining like the +sun. The seven daughters-in-law ran out as usual and gave him alms +and then threw themselves at full length at his feet. The Brahman +blessed them and said, "Increase of children be yours; increase of +wealth be yours; may your husbands cherish you all your lives." But +the Brahman's daughter Gunvanti was a lazy little girl, and when the +mendicant came she was still in bed. Her mother, Dhanvanti, rushed +into her room and cried, "Daughter, daughter, get up and give the +Brahman alms," The little girl jumped up in a fright and ran out and +put alms before him and prostrated herself at his feet. The mendicant +blessed her and said, "Observe the precepts of religion." + +The little girl ran back to her mother. "Mother, Mother," she cried, +"Bhatji [13] did not give me the same blessing as he gave to my +sisters-in-law," Her mother said, "Go back again and give him some +more alms and see what he does," The little girl ran back, put +some more alms before the mendicant, and again prostrating herself +asked for his blessing. Once more he said, "Observe the precepts +of religion," Then Dhanvanti asked him why he gave her daughter +such a strange blessing. The mendicant replied, "Because widowhood +will come upon her immediately after her marriage," Dhanvanti threw +herself before the Brahman and grasped his feet and cried, weeping, +"Tell me how I may escape this evil; what shall I do to save my one +little girl from becoming a widow?" The Brahman pitied her and said, +"Lady, lady, do not weep; I shall give you a remedy by which to cure +this evil. Across the seven seas there is an island. In it there lives +a washerwoman called Soma. If you can fetch her to your daughter's +wedding, she will escape the evil that threatens her. When the wedding +is over, you must send Soma back with all honour to her house." With +these words the mendicant took up his wallet and went to collect alms +elsewhere. When her husband returned home Dhanvanti told him what had +happened. "Some one," she added, "must go across the seven seas, to +fetch Soma, the washerwoman." The father and mother called up their +sons and said, "Those of you who honour your parents will take your +sister and cross the seven seas to bring Soma here." But all the +sons turned to their mother and said, "All you care about is your +daughter. You do not love us the least little bit. So we shall not +cross the seven seas and bring Soma here just on her account." The +mother began to cry, and the father got very cross. He turned to his +wife and said, "From henceforth you have no sons. To me our seven sons +are as if they had never been born. But do not get frightened about +our little girl I myself shall cross the seven seas and fetch Soma, the +washerwoman." Then the youngest of the seven sons said to his father, +"Daddy, Daddy, you must not say that you have no sons when here we are, +all seven of us. I shall take my sister Gunvanti with me, and we shall +go and fetch Soma, the washerwoman." A few days later the two children +prostrated themselves before their parents and began their voyage. + +In course of time they came to the seashore. But the wind was +blowing, the waves were rolling in, and the foam was splashing over +the rocks. The brother and sister could not imagine how they were to +continue their journey. There was no one near to give them food, there +was no one near to give them drink, and they could think of nothing +better than to lie down and die. But they first resolved to pray to +the god Shiva, "Please, please, God Shiva," prayed the two children, +"get us out of this terrible trouble." After praying they went and +sat under a banian tree, and all day long they had nothing to eat or +drink. Now on the very top of the banian tree was an eagle's nest, +and in it there were several little eagles. When evening came, father +eagle and mother eagle came home and began to feed their young. But +the little eagles would not eat anything at all. Mother eagle said, +"Children, children, what is the matter?" "O Mummy, Mummy," cried +the little eagles, "two strangers have come to our house, and they +are sitting under our tree, and they have had nothing to eat all +day!" Father eagle and mother eagle flew to the ground and began to +ask the boy what his trouble was. "Do not be frightened," said father +eagle; "whatever your business, I'll help you to get it done. Do not +go to bed without supper. I'll bring you some fruit. Eat some of it +yourself and give the rest to your little sister." + +The boy told father eagle what had happened, and how it was that they +had to cross the seven seas. Father eagle said, "I shall carry you +both across directly you wake up to-morrow, and I shall put you down +at Soma the washerwoman's door." Then the two children felt very happy +and thanked the god Shiva. And after eating father eagle's fruit, +they lay down under the tree and fell fast asleep in no time. Next +morning father eagle and mother eagle came down the tree, and father +eagle took the boy on his back, and mother eagle took the girl on +her back, and off they flew across the seven seas. The wind blew, +and the waves rolled mountains high, and the foam splashed over the +rocks. But father eagle and mother eagle flew straight on until they +came to the door of Soma, the washerwoman. There they left the boy and +girl and went back to the tree where the little eagles were waiting +for them. The boy and girl were too frightened to walk into Soma's +house, so they hid all that day, and next morning they got up at dawn +and they swept the courtyard and neaped the floor with cow-dung. And +then, before any one could see them, they ran away and hid. And this +they did every day for a whole year. + +At last Soma one day called all her children and all her little +daughters-in-law and said, "Who among you gets up so early? Who sweeps +my courtyard? Who clears my floor?" All the children and all the +little daughters-in-law said, "It is not I," "It is not I," "It is not +I." Then Soma became very curious to know who it was. So the following +night she did not go to bed. She sat up, but nothing happened until +just after dawn. Then she saw the little Brahman girl sweeping the +courtyard and her brother cleaning the floor. Soma got up and said, +"Children, who are you?" They replied, "We are Brahmans." "But I am +only a washerwoman," said Soma; "I am a low-caste woman, why do you +sweep my courtyard and neap my floor? It will be reckoned unto me +as a sin If I accept the service of Brahmans." The boy said, "This +is my sister, and a Brahman has told us that unless you come to her +wedding she will be widowed shortly after marriage. Our father and +mother told us to go and bring you back with us. So, in order to make +you pleased with us, we have been working as your servants." "Do not +work for me any more," said Soma, "I shall gladly go to your wedding," +She then called to her daughters-in-law and said, "I am going to this +child's wedding. But if any one of our relations dies when I am away, +do not burn his body until I come back." She went with the two Brahman +children to the seashore. The wind was blowing, and the great waves +were rolling in, and the foam was splashing over the rocks. But Soma +took the boy under one arm and the girl under the other. She jumped +far up into the sky and right over the seven seas, and when she got +to the opposite shore she put the children down again. They led her to +their father's house. Their mother Dhanvanti welcomed the washerwoman +and fell at her feet to thank her for her coming. The youngest brother +then went to Ujjain, and after making inquiries brought back a boy of +suitable caste and age to be a husband for his sister. On an auspicious +day the wedding was celebrated. But as the bridegroom and bride were +throwing rice [14] over each other, the bridegroom fainted. He fell +on the ground and lay there motionless. The little bride did not know +what to do, she was so frightened. And all the grown-up people were +almost as frightened as she was. But Soma, the washerwoman, stepped +forward and said, "It is nothing, do not be afraid." She took some +water in her hand and sprinkled it over herself. Now the secret of +Soma's power was this:-- + +She had acquired great merit by observing every Monday the following +practices: She would get up early, bathe, dress in silence, make +various gifts to Brahmans, and then walk one hundred and eight times +round a peepul tree. But now by sprinkling water over herself she had +transferred the whole of her merit to Gunvanti. By this means the +little bride had been able to restore her husband to life, and the +wedding ceremony finished amidst the happiness of all. Soma then took +leave to go, and started on her homeward journey. When she reached the +seashore, the wind was blowing, and the great waves came rolling in, +and the spray was splashing over the rocks. But now that she had given +away all her merit to Gunvanti, she had none left by means of which she +could jump across the seven seas. She sat down forlorn by the bank of +a river. Then she got up, bathed in the water, and prayed to the god +Vishnu. Next she took one hundred and eight sand-grains in her hand, +and then walked one hundred and eight times round a peepul tree by +the river's edge. Instantly her powers returned to her, and going back +to the shore, she sprang into the heavens and over the seven seas and +alighted close to her own door. There all her little daughters-in-law +ran out to meet her and cried, "O Mother-in-law, Mother-in-law, we +have been watching for you. For while you were away your sons, your +husband, and all your sons-in-law died. But just as you told us to do, +we did not burn their corpses, but kept them in the house. And now +they have all suddenly come back to life." Soma questioned the little +daughters-in-law and learnt that her sons and husband and sons-in-law +had all died at the very moment when she gave her merit to Gunvanti, +and that they had come back to life precisely when she finished her +one-hundred-and-eighth turn round the peepul tree. And they were all so +glad to have Soma back with them again, and for ever such a long time +afterwards she and her family lived happily together. And the Brahman +in his joy at his son-in-law's recovery forgave his disobedient sons, +and they too all lived happily together ever afterwards. + + + +CHAPTER XIII + +Vasishta and the Four Queens + +Once upon a time there was a town called Atpat. In it there ruled +a king who had four wives. They were always quarrelling over the +housework; so, in order to get some peace at home, the king himself +divided the work between them. To the first queen he gave all the +dairy work, to the second queen he gave all the cooking, to the +third he gave the nursery, and he ordered the fourth to look after +the royal wardrobe. At first all went well. But in a little while +the first queen said to the third queen, "Why should you have charge +of the nursery? Why should you not work in the dairy?" The second +queen said to the fourth queen, "Why should I have to do all the +cooking?" The third queen asked, "Why should I have always to look +after the children?" And the fourth queen stamped her foot and said, "I +won't look after the king's clothes." And all day long they quarrelled +and screamed at each other, and the poor king was more uncomfortable +than ever. His face grew sad and careworn, and, from the time he got +up to the time he went to bed, he could think of nothing but the way +that his four queens were squabbling with each other. + +One day the rishi, or sage, Vasishta [15] paid the king a visit. The +king prostrated himself before the great sage and gave him a throne +to sit upon. Vasishta looked at the king's face and saw how sad and +careworn it was. He asked the cause, and the king told him. Then +the rishi rose, and the king went with him to the palace of the +four queens. When they reached it, they called to the queens to come +out. The rishi then asked them why they quarrelled. The first queen +cried out, "Why should I have to do the dairy work?" And the second +queen cried out, "Why should I be only a cook-woman?" And the third +cried out, "Why should I have all the children to look after?" And the +fourth cried out, "Why should I have all the bother of sorting out all +the king's clothes?" The king said, "You must do these things because +I ordered you to." But the queens did not mind a word that he said, +and they all screamed together so loud that the king and the rishi +had to put their fingers in their ears to save themselves from being +deafened. For a while the rishi became absorbed in thought, and then +he turned to the first queen and said, "You have been placed in charge +of the dairy, have you not?" The first queen assented. "Then listen +to me," said Vasishta. "In a former life you were a cow, and near the +spot in the jungle where you used to graze was an altar to Shiva. And +every day at noon you used to come and stand near it and let milk +drop upon it. And, because in this way you honoured the god Shiva, you +have in this life become one of the queens of the king of Atpat. But +you did not in your former life attain to full merit. So the god +Shiva directed the king to place you in charge of his dairy, and the +king conveyed the god's directions to you. You should therefore obey +them, and you should honour the king as if he were Shiva himself. In +this way you will attain to full merit and ascend to Shiva's heaven, +Kailas." Vasishta then blessed the first queen. She prostrated herself +before him, and, giving up all thought of quarrelling, went away and +busied herself with her dairy work. + +Then Vasishta turned to the second queen and asked, "What are +you quarrelling about?" She replied, "Why should I be just a +cook-woman?" The rishi thought for a while and said, "Lady, in a +former life you were the wife of a poor Brahman, and you used to beg +your food from door to door. But every Monday you used to fast, and +whatever grain you begged that day you used to cook and offer to the +god Shiva. And he was pleased with your devotion. Therefore in this +life he made you one of the queens of Atpat. And because you cooked +for the god Shiva, he directed the king to put you in charge of his +kitchen. Therefore, obey the god's directions and give a great feast +to all in Atpat. In this way you will gain the favour of Shiva, and he +will take you with him to Kailas." Then he blessed the second queen, +and she prostrated herself and went off quite cheerfully to cook the +king's dinner. + +The sage next turned to the third queen and asked, "What are you +quarrelling about?" The queen answered, "Why should I do nothing but +fiddle about the nursery?" Vasishta thought for a while and said, +"In a former life, O Queen, you were a maid of a jungle tribe. Every +Monday you used to fast yourself and offer the choicest fruits that +you picked to the god Shiva. In return for them he has made you a +queen, and he has entrusted the king's children to you. Therefore +look after them and be kind to them, and in the end he will take you +to live with him in Kailas." The rishi then blessed the third queen, +and she prostrated herself before him. Then she ran off, her face +all smiles, to play with the king's children. + +Vasishta last of all turned to the fourth queen and said, "What are +you quarrelling about?" She answered, "Why should I do nothing but +look after the king's clothes?" The rishi said, "In a former life, +O Queen, you were a kite that flew high up in the heavens. Beneath +where you used to fly was an altar to Shiva, and every day at noon +you would spread your wings over it and shade it from the sun's +heat. So the god was pleased with you and in this life made you one +of the queens of Atpat. As you spread your wings over Shiva's altar, +so now a canopy hangs over your bed. And just as you served Shiva, +now do service to the king, your husband. And you will thereby gain +full merit and in the end reach Kailas." Then the rishi blessed her, +and she went off quite gaily to attend to the king's clothes. + +And the four queens never quarrelled any more, but lived happily ever +afterwards with the king. And all little girls who hear this story +should try to be as good as the queens were after Vasishta had cured +them of their squabbling. + + + +CHAPTER XIV + +The Lamps and the King's Daughter-in-Law + +Once upon a time there was a town called Atpat. In it there lived a +king who had one little daughter-in-law. Now she was a very greedy +little girl, and one day when some sweetmeats were got ready for all +the family she went quietly and ate them all up herself. Then she +got very frightened, for she knew that, if the king knew what she +had done, he would order her to be well slapped. So, when the family +began asking where the sweetmeats were she said that the mice had +eaten them. And then every one began abusing the mice, saying what +horrid little wretches they were, and what a good thing it would be +if the cat caught and ate them up. But, when the mice heard all this, +they were very angry with the little daughter-in-law for bringing a +false charge against them, and they all met together and vowed that +they would be revenged on her. Some days later the king invited a +guest to his house, and the same night the mice went into the little +daughter-in-law's room and dragged out one of her bodices and put +it across the guest's bed. Next morning the bodice was discovered +in the stranger's bed, and the little daughter-in-law was utterly +disgraced. Her father-in-law and all her brothers-in-law scolded her +dreadfully, and at last the king drove her out of the house. Now it +so happened that it had till then always been the work of the little +daughter-in-law to look after the lamps in the king's palace. Every +morning she used to rub them well and trim the wicks. She used to light +them herself and neap the burners with sugar-candy, and on Divali [16] +Day she used to worship them and make them suitable offerings. But, +directly the little daughter-in-law was driven away, none of the +lamps were any longer cared for. On the next Divali Day the king was +returning from a hunt, and he camped under a tree. Suddenly he saw all +the lamps in his town of Atpat come and settle on its branches. One +lamp after another told what was happening in its house--when there had +been a dinner party, what there had been to eat, who had been invited, +how they themselves had been cared for, and what honours they had +received on Divali Day. After all the other lamps had told their story, +the big lamp from the king's palace began, "Brother lamps, I do not +know how to tell you. For none among you is so wretched as I am. In +former years I was the most fortunate of all the lamps in Atpat. No +other lamp had such honours paid it as I had, and this year I have +to drag out my days In unspeakable misery." All the other lamps tried +to comfort it, and asked it how it was that ill-fortune had overtaken +it. "O brother lamps, how can I tell you?" repeated the big lamp. "I +am the chief among the lamps that shine In the palace of the King of +Atpat. One day the king's little daughter-in-law ate some sweetmeats +and to save herself blamed the mice. To revenge themselves, they in +turn brought a false charge against her by putting her bodice on the +bed of one of the king's guests. So she was disgraced and driven out +of the house. And after she left ill-fortune came upon me. For every +year it was she who worshipped me and paid me honour; and wherever she +is I wish her well, and I give her my blessing." The king listened +attentively to the talk between the lamps, and thus he learnt that +his daughter-in-law was innocent. He went home and asked whether +there was any other evidence against her besides her bodice. And +when he learnt that there was none, and that no one had seen anything +happen between her and the king's guest, he sent a messenger for her +and had her brought home. And he begged her pardon for the past, and +gave her full authority over all his household; and the king lived +and ruled ever afterwards as wisely and as well as King Ramchandra +of Ayodhya. And if any one brings a false charge against any of us, +may the lamps save us as they did the king's little daughter-in-law. + + + +CHAPTER XV + +Parwati and the Priest + +Once upon a time there was a town called Atpat. In it there was a +temple to the god Shiva. One day when Shiva and his wife Parwati +were walking about they happened to come to this temple. They sat +down there and began to play saripat. [17] After some time Parwati +seeing a priest close by asked him who had won, she or Shiva. "Shiva," +the priest replied. Parwati became very angry and cursed him, so that +he became a leper, and the pains which overtook him were absolutely +unendurable. One day a band of Apsaras [18] came down from heaven to +the temple. They saw that the priest who lived in it was a leper, +and they asked him the reason. He told them how Parwati had cursed +him. They replied, "Do not be afraid; do as we tell you and you will +get rid of your leprosy. Fast all next Monday, bathe that evening, +worship the god Shiva, and then get half a pound of flour and mix +it with treacle and ghee and eat it for dinner. But whatever you do, +eat no salt all day. Do this for sixteen Mondays in succession, and +on the seventeenth Monday get five pounds of flour, mix with it ghee +and treacle, and offer it to Shiva inside this temple. Then divide it +into three parts; leave one for the god, distribute a second among +the Brahmans or give it to your cows, and take the third home to +be eaten by you and your family." The Apsaras disappeared, and the +priest followed their instructions and became quite well. Some time +afterwards Shiva and Parwati came again to the temple. Parwati saw +the priest cured of his leprosy and asked him how he had got rid of +it. He told her exactly what he had done. She was very much surprised, +and thought that if she did the same she might win back her son +Kartakswami, [19] who had quarrelled with her and had run off in a +rage. On the seventeenth Monday Kartakswami suddenly appeared, and +both of them were reconciled. Later on, Kartakswami asked Parwati how +she had brought him back, and Parwati told him. Now Kartakswami had a +Brahman friend who had gone into a far-off country, and Kartakswami +met him by accident shortly afterwards. He told the Brahman how the +priest had cured himself of leprosy, and how he and Parwati had become +reconciled. So the Brahman also practised the same rites for seventeen +Mondays. He then set out for a distant country. As he travelled he +came to a town. Now it happened that in that town arrangements were +being made for the marriage of the king's daughter. Several princes +had come from far-off countries to compete for her hand, and the king +had erected a splendid pavilion for the royal betrothal. But he would +not himself choose a prince to be his daughter's husband. He ordered +that a garland should be placed on a she-elephant's trunk, and that +the prince round whose neck the she-elephant threw the garland should +be chosen to marry the king's daughter. But the she-elephant passed +by all the princes in turn, until she came to where the Brahman +stood. For he had come with the crowds of people to see the royal +betrothal. Then the she-elephant stopped and put the garland round +the Brahman's neck. The king ordered the Brahman to step forward, and +he married him to his daughter. Some years later when the princess +grew up, and she and the Brahman began to live together, she asked +her husband by what merit he had succeeded in winning her for his +wife, and he told her. And she in turn practised the same rites for +seventeen Mondays. Nine months later a beautiful baby boy was born to +her; and when he in turn grew up she told him the rites which she had +practised to obtain him. And he in turn began to perform them. On the +sixteenth Monday he set out for a journey. As he travelled in a distant +country he came to a town over which ruled a king who had no son and +only one daughter. The king had for a long time past been searching +for a beautiful and virtuous young man, resolved when he found him to +hand over to him his kingdom and marry him to his daughter. As the +Brahman's son entered the town the king saw him and noticed on him +all the marks of royal origin. So he summoned him to his house and +married him to his daughter and seated him on his own throne. Now +the next Monday was the seventeenth Monday since the Brahman's son +had begun the rites which the Apsaras had told to the priest. That +morning he got up and went to the temple and sent a message home to +his wife that she should send him five sers of flour mixed with ghee +and treacle. But the queen was too proud to do this. For she feared +that the people in the street would laugh at her if she sent her +husband five sers of flour mixed with ghee and treacle. So instead +she sent him five hundred rupees in a plate. But because the flour +and ghee and treacle were not sent, the king was unable to complete +his ceremonial, and it was all spoilt. And the god Shiva instead of +being pleased became very angry indeed. And he told the king that, +if he kept the queen as his wife, he would lose his kingdom and die +a beggar. Next day the king sent for his chief minister and told him +what had happened. At first the minister said, "The kingdom belongs +to the queen's father. If you drive her out your subjects will hate +you." But the king replied, "Yes, but not to obey the god's command +is a worse thing still." At last the minister agreed with the king, +and the order went forth that the queen should be driven out of the +city. So the queen was driven out and became quite poor and wandered +along the road. At last she came to a distant town and lodged there +with an old woman, who gave her food and drink. One day the old woman +sent the queen out to sell fruit puddings. As she went into the bazaar +a great wind came and carried off the fruit puddings. When she returned +to the old woman's house, the queen told her what had happened, and +the old woman drove her out of the house. Then she went and lodged +with an oilman, who had great jars full of oil. But one day she went +and looked inside the jars, and all the oil disappeared. So the oilman +drove her off out of the house. The queen left the town and walked +along until she came to a river with abundant water in it. But directly +her eyes fell on the water, it all flowed away and left the water-bed +quite dry. She then journeyed on until she came to a beautiful lake, +but when her glance rested on the lake, it became full of worms, and +the water began to stink. And, when the cowherds came as usual to +water their cattle, the cattle would not drink the stinking water, +and they had to go home thirsty. By chance a Gosavi, or holy man, +came that way and saw the queen, and she told him her story. The +holy man took her to his house and treated her as his own daughter, +and she did her best to serve him faithfully. But, at whatever thing +she looked, it would either disappear or become full of worms and +maggots. At last the holy man searched for the cause of this by means +of his inner knowledge. And thus he learnt that she had incurred the +sin of spoiling the worship of Shiva, which the Apsaras had first +taught the priest. Unless that sin were atoned for, her evil glance +would never be purified. So the holy man prayed to the god Shiva, +and the god was pleased with him; and when the holy man interceded +with him on the queen's behalf, the god said that he would forgive her +if she began and completed properly the rites which she had spoiled +when her husband was performing them. The queen did so, and the god's +anger vanished. Suddenly there rose in the heart of her husband, the +king, a wish to see his queen, and he sent out messengers on every +side to look for her. At last one of the messengers saw the queen in +the holy man's hermitage and went back and told the king. The king +was overjoyed, and, taking his chief minister with him, he journeyed +to the hermitage. He threw himself at the holy man's feet and then +loaded him with presents. And the holy man was pleased and said, +"O King, I have treated your wife exactly as if she had been my own +daughter. She has lived here just as if she had been in her father's +house. Now take her with you back again and once more go through the +marriage ceremony with her." The king consented, and both he and the +queen prostrated themselves before the holy man, and then they both +returned to Atpat. And they celebrated their home-coming with the +greatest splendour. And the rest of the king's reign was as happy as +possible. And we shall be just as happy if we honour Shiva like the +King of Atpat did. + + + +CHAPTER XVI + +The Rishi and the Brahman + +Once upon a time there was a town called Atpat. In it there lived a +Brahman. For many years he lived happily and cultivated his fields of +rice and grain. But one day his wife gave up the observances imposed +on her, and, as a result, the whole house was stained by her conduct, +and pollution hung like a black cloud over it. Her husband should +have driven her out, but he had not the heart to do so. So he, too, +incurred the blame of his wife's sin. In course of time they died, +and, as a punishment for their wickedness, the husband became in his +next life a bullock, and the wife became a dog. But the gods so far +relented as to find them a home in the house of their only son. + +Now the son was a very pious man, who never failed in his religious +rites. He worshipped the gods, gave memorial honours to his dead +father, and welcomed to his house every Brahman who passed by. One +year, on the anniversary of his father's death, he told his wife +to prepare a milk-pudding in honour of the dead, and announced that +he would invite Brahmans to partake of it. The wife was as pious as +her husband and never failed to obey his commands. So she made a big +milk-pudding, and she boiled vegetables and stewed fruits. But just as +she had finished and was about to invite her husband and his Brahman +guests to begin their feast, the dog saw that a snake had entered the +grain-jar, which had not been properly shut, and that it had left its +poisonous trail all over the grain from which the milk-pudding had been +prepared. The dog at once realised that, if the Brahmans who had been +invited to the memorial feast ate the poisoned grain, they would die, +and that the sin of Brahman murder would be incurred by the host, +her son. So she suddenly rushed up and put her foot right into the +middle of the milk-pudding. The son's wife was very angry. She threw +a red-hot coal at the dog with such skill that it dropped on to the +middle of her back and burnt a big hole in it. Then the son's wife +cooked a fresh milk-pudding and fed the Brahmans. But she was so +cross with the dog that she would not give her the smallest possible +scrap. So the poor dog remained hungry all day. When night fell she +went to the bullock who had been her husband and began to howl as +loudly as she could. The bullock asked her what the matter was. She +told him how she had seen that a snake had poisoned the grain, and +how, to prevent the Brahmans dying and her son incurring the sin of +their death, she had put her paw into the middle of the milk-pudding; +how her daughter-in-law had been angry and had burnt a hole in her +back with a live coal, and how her back hurt so that she did not know +what to do. The bullock answered, "You are suffering for the pollution +with which you darkened our house in a former life, and, because I +let you remain in the house and touched you, I too am suffering, and +I have become a bullock. Only to-day my son fastened me to his plough, +tied up my mouth, and beat me, I too have, like you, had nothing to eat +all day. Thus all my son's memorial services are useless." Now the son +happened to be passing by the stable and heard this conversation. He +at once fetched the bullock some grass and the dog some food, and he +brought them both water to drink; and then he went to bed very sad at +heart. Next morning he got up early and went into a dark forest until +at last he came to the hermitage of a rishi. He prostrated himself +before the rishi, who asked him why he was so sad. The Brahman's son +said, "I am sad because my father has been born again as a bullock +and my mother as a dog. Pray tell me how I can get their release," The +rishi said, "There is only one way to help them. You must worship the +seven sages who have their home in the Great Bear." [20] And he told +the Brahman's son the ceremonies which he should observe, and how he +should worship the seven sages continually every month of Bhadrapad, or +September, for seven years. The Brahman's son obeyed the rishi, and at +the end of the seven years a fiery chariot came down from heaven. The +bullock suddenly became a handsome man, and the dog became a handsome +woman. They both seated themselves in the chariot and were carried off +to live with the sages who have their home for ever in the Great Bear. + + + +CHAPTER XVII + +The King and the Water-Goddesses + +Once upon a time there was a town called Atpat. Over it there ruled +a king. One day he founded a new village, and close by he built a +village tank. But no matter how hard he tried he could not get it +filled with water. So he prayed to the water-goddesses to help him, +and the water-goddesses were pleased and said, "O King, O King, +sacrifice to us the eldest son of your daughter-in-law, and the +tank will fill with water." The king heard it and went home very +troubled. He was ready to sacrifice his grandson; for though he loved +the boy, yet he knew that the life of one was less than the welfare of +many. But he knew that his daughter-in-law would never agree. At last +he thought of a trick. He went up to her and said, "Daughter-in-law, +it is a long time since you went to see your parents. You had better +go and pay them a visit and leave your eldest boy behind. I shall look +after him here." The daughter-in-law consented and went to visit her +parents, leaving her son behind. The king waited for a favourable +day and then bathed and anointed his grandson. He gave a feast in +his honour and covered his body with costly jewelry. He then took +him into the middle of the pond and made him lie down on a bed and +told him not to stir. The water-goddesses were pleased, and a great +mass of water suddenly rushed into the tank, and it was filled right +up to the brink. After a time the daughter-in-law came back from her +father's house and brought her brother with her. They asked where her +son was, but they could get no information. Whenever they asked the +king, he did nothing but say how the water had come into the tank, +and what a beautiful tank it was, and how happy it would make all +the villagers. At last the daughter-in-law guessed what had happened, +and when the seventh day of the bright half of the month of Shravan, +or August, came round, she and her brother went to the edge of the +tank and began to worship the water-goddesses. She took a cucumber +leaf, and on it she placed some curds and rice. Next she mixed +with them some butter and a farthing's worth of betel-nut. Then she +told her brother to pray, "O Goddess, Mother of All, if any one of +our family is drowned in the tank please give him back to us." He +did so and then threw the offering into the lake. Then they both +turned to go home. But as she was turning homewards, she felt some +one pull her by the legs. She looked down and saw that it was her +missing son. When she saw him she dragged him with all her might to +the bank, and then she and her brother walked home with him. When +the king heard that she was coming, together with her missing son, +he wondered greatly, and going to her he fell at her feet and said, +"O my daughter, I offered your son to the water-goddesses; how has +he come back again?" She said, "I worshipped the water-goddesses +and made offerings to them. Then my son came out of the water, and +I lifted him up and drew him to the shore." The king was overjoyed +and showed the greatest favour to his daughter-in-law. And she and +her little son lived happily ever afterwards. + + + +CHAPTER XVIII + +The Lid of the Sacred Casket + +Once upon a time there was a town called Atpat. In it there lived a +Brahman who had two twin sons. While they were still quite young, +the twins' parents died, and their relatives stole from them all +their property and then turned them out of the house. The twins +wandered along until they came to a town. It was then noon, and +the boys were weary with walking and were tortured with hunger and +thirst. As they entered the town, a Brahman came out of his door +to throw food to the crows. He saw the two boys and called them in, +fed them, and then made them tell him their story. When he heard it +he resolved to provide for them, and he lodged them in his house and +taught them to recite the Vedas. On Lalita Panchmi Day the Brahman +began to perform certain ceremonies. His pupils asked him why he did +so. The sage replied that by doing so one could attain to wealth, +knowledge, and to the wish of one's heart. The boys begged him to +instruct them, and they quickly learnt how to worship the goddess +Parwati. Not long afterwards the Brahman provided them with wives, +and they returned to their own city, acquired wealth, and were very +happy. A year or two later the twins separated. But the elder was a +wise boy and never forgot to worship the goddess Parwati on Lalita +Panchmi Day. So he retained the riches which he had gained. But the +younger was foolish and forgot all about it, so the goddess began to +dislike him, and he lost all his money. And at last he became so poor +that he and his wife had to give up their house and go and live on +the charity of his elder brother. One day the elder brother's wife +spoke so crossly and said such nasty things to the younger twin, +that he felt that he could not stay in the house any longer. And he +remembered then that of recent years he had entirely forgotten to +worship Parwati. He felt very penitent, and he decided that somehow or +other he would win back the goddess's favour. Taking his wife with him, +he left his brother's house and journeyed to a distant country. At +last he came near a town, and, meeting a cowherd, the younger twin +asked him what its name was. The cowherd said, "The town is called +Upang." "Who is the king?" asked the younger twin. The cowherd replied, +"He also is called Upang." The wanderer then asked whether there was +any place where he and his wife could lodge. The cowherd told him +that in the town there was a temple of Parwati, and close to it +was a rest-house where the wanderer and his wife could lodge. The +cowherd directed them to the rest-house. And before lying down the +younger twin worshipped Parwati in the temple and begged her pardon +for his previous neglect. Parwati felt sorry for him, and that night +she appeared to him in a dream. She told him to go to King Upang's +palace and to beg from him the lid of the sacred casket in which +the accessories of worship were kept. He should, thereafter, always +pray to it, and in the end he would come by his heart's desire. The +younger twin woke up, and the same morning he went to King Upang's +palace and begged from him the lid of the sacred casket in which were +kept the accessories of worship. The king at first refused, but when +the younger twin told the king of his dream the king consented. The +Brahman took the lid home, worshipped it, and, just as the goddess +had foretold, he came by his heart's desire. Property and happiness +returned, and a year later his wife bore him a daughter. As the years +passed the little girl grew up. One day she took the lid of the sacred +casket and went with some playmates to play and bathe by the bank of +a river. Suddenly the corpse of a Brahman came floating by. Seeing +it, the little girl took the lid of the casket and for fun began to +splash water on it. Such was the power of the sacred lid, that the +corpse instantly became alive again and became a Brahman, tall as a +tree and beautiful as the sun. The little girl fell in love with him +on the spot and told him that he must become her husband. "But," said +the Brahman, "how shall I manage it?" The little girl said, "Come home +with me at dinner-time, take as usual water [21] in your hand, but do +not sip it. Then my daddy will ask you, 'Bhatji, Bhatji, why do you +not sip the water in your hand?' You must reply, 'I am ready to dine +if you marry me to your daughter. If you will not, I shall get up and +go away.' Then he will consent to our marriage." The Brahman agreed, +and he went home with the little girl, and everything happened as she +had planned. To prevent the Brahman from getting up without any food, +the little girl's father agreed to their marriage. When a favourable +day came they were married, and when she was old enough the little +girl went to her husband's house. As she went she carried off the +lid of the sacred casket of King Upang. But, because it had gone, +her father lost all his wealth and fell once more into the greatest +poverty. His wife went to her daughter's house and asked for it +back, but she refused to give it up. The wife was very angry and +every day began to hate her son-in-law more and more. But for him, +as she thought, the little girl would never have married and would +not have stolen the lid of the sacred casket. One day the wife met +her son-in-law on the road, and she gave him such a fearful slap in +the face that he instantly fell on the ground and became a corpse +again. His mother-in-law then-snatched from him the lid of the casket, +which he happened to have in his hand, and ran away home. There he +lay until the little girl, his wife, began to search for him. When +she found him she prayed to the goddess, and by her aid and by means +of the merit which she had acquired by worshipping the lid of the +casket while she had it, she restored her husband to life. But the +twin and his wife went on becoming poorer and poorer. And at last +they went back to his brother's house and asked him why it was that +the younger twin was always losing his wealth as fast as he gained +it. The elder brother listened to the whole story and then he said, +"I do not wonder at it. First you lost the lid of the casket, then, +in order to get it back, your wife killed a Brahman. Your only chance +now is to worship Parwati harder than ever, and perhaps in the end +you may recover your good estate." So the younger brother went home +and worshipped Parwati with greater vigour than ever. And at last +she relented and gave him her blessing. He recovered his wealth and +came by all that his heart desired. And he and his wife lived happily +ever afterwards. + + + +CHAPTER XIX + +The Brahman Wife and Her Seven Sons + +Once upon a time there was a town called Atpat. In it there lived a +poor Brahman who used always to perform Shradh or memorial ceremonies +to his father on the last day of the month of Shravan. When performing +these ceremonies he always invited other Brahmans to dine. But it so +happened that on every last day of the month of Shravan, [22] from the +day of his father's death onwards, his daughter-in-law gave birth to a +little boy. And just as the Brahmans had begun to enjoy their dinner, +the child would die. So all the Shradh ceremonies had to cease, +and the poor Brahmans had to be sent away feeling most dreadfully +hungry. This happened regularly for six years. But, when the seventh +little boy was born only to die just as his guests were beginning +to enjoy their dinner, the poor Brahman lost all patience. He took +the newly-born child and placed it in his daughter-in-law's lap and +then drove her out of the house and into the jungle. The poor woman +walked along until she came to a great, dark forest. In it she met the +wife of a hobgoblin, [23] who asked, "Lady, Lady, whose wife are you, +and why do you come here? Run away as quickly as you can. For, if my +husband the hobgoblin sees you, he will tear you to pieces and gobble +you up." The poor woman said she was the daughter-in-law of a Brahman, +and explained how every year she had given birth to a son on the last +day of Shravan, how it had died in the middle of the Shradh feast, +and how at last her father-in-law had put the child in her lap and +had driven her from home and into the forest. The hobgoblin's wife +repeated, "If you value your life at all, go away." The Brahman +woman began to cry, until at last the hobgoblin's wife had pity on +her and said, "Do not be afraid; walk a little way until you come to +an altar to the god Shiva, Close by is a bel [24] tree; climb into it +and hide among the branches. To-night the serpent-maidens from Patâla +and the wood-nymphs, together with a train of seven demon Asuras, +[25] will come and worship at the altar. After making their offerings +to the god, they will call out, 'Is there any uninvited guest present +to whom we can make a gift?' You must then call out in reply, 'Yes, +I am here.' They will see you and question you, and you must tell them +all your story." The poor Brahman woman agreed. She walked on until +she came to the god Shiva's altar. She climbed into the branches of +the bel tree. She remained there until midnight came. Suddenly the +serpent-maidens from Patâla and the wood-nymphs, accompanied by a +train of seven demon Asuras, came and worshipped at the altar. After +making offerings to the god they called out, "Is there any uninvited +guest present to whom we can make a gift?" The Brahman woman at once +climbed down the bel tree and called out in answer, "Yes, I am here," +The serpent-maidens from Pâtala and the wood-nymphs, greatly surprised, +asked her who she was, and she told them all her story. Then the +serpent-maidens of Pâtala and the wood-nymphs ordered their train +of demon Asuras to go and search for the seven sons of the Brahman +woman. The seven demon Asuras spurred their horses and rode off in all +directions. In a little time the giant captain of the demon guards +rode up carrying in his arms the body of a little boy of six. Then +another rode up carrying the body of a little boy of five. And four +others rode up carrying a little boy of four, a little boy of three, +a little boy of two, and a little boy only one year old. Last of +all the seventh demon Asura rode up with a newly-born baby boy. The +demons placed the bodies in front of the serpent-maidens from Patâla +and of the wood-nymphs. And first of all the little boy of six came to +life and got up and ran to his mother. Next the little boy of five, +and then the little boy of four, and then the little boy of three +came to life and ran to their mother. Then the little boy of two +came to life and got up, but he could only walk to his mother. Next +the little one-year-old boy came to life, but he could not get up, +so he lay on his back and kicked up his legs. And last of all the +newly-born baby came to life, but he could not even kick up his +legs. And they were all delighted to see their mother, and she was +overjoyed to have all her sons again. But the serpent-maidens from +Patâla and the wood-nymphs warned her that she must pray to the +sixty-four Yoginis, the attendants who wait on Durga, the Goddess +of Death, or else her children would be snatched from her again. And +they told her to pray her hardest, for her prayer had to travel down +to the depths of Hell. So the Brahman woman prayed her hardest to +the sixty-four Yoginis, and then she prostrated herself before the +serpent-maidens from Patâla, and the wood-nymphs, and their train of +demon Asuras. And then she took the little one-year-old boy on her hip, +and the newly-born baby boy in her arms, and she walked with her other +five sons to the village. When the villagers saw her coming they ran +and said to the Brahman, "Bhatji, Bhatji, your daughter-in-law is +coming back home." And the Brahman became very angry and vowed that +he would drive her away again. So he watched for her coming. But +first of all he saw walking towards his house a little boy of six, +and then a little boy of five, and then a little boy of four, and +then two other little boys of three and two. Last of all he saw his +daughter-in-law with a one-year-old boy on her hip and a newly-born +baby in her arms. He rose and fetched a cauldron of water and two +handfuls of rice from his house. And he waved his hands filled with +rice round the heads of his daughter-in-law and of all her children, +and last of all he washed their feet. In this way he welcomed back to +his house his grandchildren and their mother. And he made her tell +him all her story; and she, and her children, and the Brahman spent +the rest of their lives in great peace and perfect happiness. + + + +CHAPTER XX + +The Golden Temple + +Once upon a time there was a town called Atpat. In it there reigned a +king who had four daughters-in-law. He loved three of them very dearly, +but the fourth, who was an ugly little girl, he did not like at all. To +the three daughters-in-law he gave nice food and fine clothes. But +to the ugly little daughter-in-law he gave nothing but scraps from +his table and thick, coarse clothes to wear. He would not even let her +sleep inside the house, but made her sleep in the stable and look after +the cows. The poor ugly daughter-in-law grew so unhappy that, when the +first Monday in Shravan [26] came, she ran out of the palace, and out +of the town, and then away as fast as her fat little legs would carry +her. At last she went and hid herself in the woods. Now it so happened +that that very day a band of serpent-maidens [27] had come up from +Patala. After wandering through the forest and bathing in the running +streams, they had joined a bevy of wood-nymphs and were coming in her +direction. At first she was too terrified to say a single word. But at +last she asked, "Ladies, ladies, where are you going?" "To the temple +of Shiva," they replied, "to worship the god. For by doing that, one +wins the love of one's husband, one obtains children, and one comes by +the wish of one's heart." When the ugly daughter-in-law heard that by +doing what the serpent-maidens and the wood-nymphs were about to do +she could win love for herself, she at once thought that in this way +she, too, might win the love of her father-in-law. So she told the +serpent-maidens of Patala and the wood-nymphs that she would go with +them. They went deeper and deeper into the forest until at last they +came to a temple of the god Shiva. There the serpent-maidens and the +wood-nymphs offered to the god rice, betel-nut, incense, flowers, and +the leaves of the bel tree. The ugly little daughter-in-law did just +as they did. And when she had finished she cried out, "O God Shiva, +please, please vouchsafe my prayer also, and make my father-in-law +and my mother-in-law, my brothers-in-law and my sisters-in-law like +me as much as they now dislike me." That evening she went home and +fasted, and all the scraps which they threw to her from the king's +table she gave to her favourite cow. And then she sat by herself and +prayed to the god Shiva. The following Monday she once more ran out of +the palace and out of the town and into the woods as fast as her fat +little legs would carry her. There she met again the serpent-maidens +of Patâla and the bevy of wood-nymphs and went with them to the +temple of Shiva in the distant heart of the forest. The first time the +serpent-maidens and the wood-nymphs had given her the incense and the +flowers, the rice and the betel-nut, and the leaves of the bel tree, +with which to perform her worship. But they had told her that the +next time she must bring them herself. So when she ran away on the +second Monday in Shravan she brought with her incense and flowers, +rice and betel-nut and bel-tree leaves, and after offering them and +some sesamums to the god she once more prayed, "O God Shiva, please, +please grant my prayer and make my father-in-law and my mother-in-law, +my brothers-in-law and my sisters-in-law like me as much as they now +dislike me." Then she went home and fasted, and giving all her dinner +to her favourite cow she sat by herself and prayed to Shiva. That +evening the king asked her who the god was whom she was honouring, +and where he lived. The ugly little daughter-in-law replied, "Afar +off my god lives, and the roads to him are hard, and the paths to him +are full of thorns. Where snakes abound and where tigers lie in wait, +there is his temple." The third Monday in Shravan, the ugly little +daughter-in-law again started from the palace with her flowers and +incense, her betel-nut and bel leaves, her rice and sesamum, in order +to meet the serpent-maidens of Patâla and the bevy of wood-nymphs, and +with them to worship the god in the hidden depths of the forest. This +time the king and her other male relatives followed her and said +to her, "Ugly little daughter-in-law, take us with you and show us +your god." But the temple of Shiva was ever so far from the king's +palace. The ugly daughter-in-law did not mind, for she was used to +cruel treatment. She had also walked to the temple twice before, and +her feet had got as hard as two little stones. But the king and his +relatives were tired to death; and their feet swelled up to the size +of an elephant's, and they became as full of thorns as the back of a +porcupine. And they muttered to each other, "How on earth does that +ugly little daughter-in-law manage to walk as she does through the +heart of the forest?" The ugly daughter-in-law at last felt sorry for +them. She prayed to the god Shiva to build a temple near at hand. The +god consented, and, with the help of the serpent-maidens of Patâla +and of the wood-nymphs, he created suddenly a beautiful temple all of +pure, yellow gold. Its pillars were studded with jewels, and the jars +in it were all of crystal. In the middle there rose from the ground +an altar to the god Shiva. And last of all the god revealed himself +to the king and his companions in all his glory and splendour. For +a moment only they saw him; and then he vanished. The king and his +companions stared, too astonished to move or speak. But the ugly +little daughter-in-law prostrated herself and offered to the god +flowers and incense. Then she cried out, "O God Shiva, please, please +vouchsafe my prayer and make my father-in-law and my mother-in-law, +my brothers-in-law and my sisters-in-law like me as much as they now +dislike me." When the king heard her prayer his heart softened to her, +and he spoke kindly to her and gave her jewelry and trinkets. In a +little while he took off his turban and, placing it on a peg, walked +out to look at a lovely lake which, unnoticed by any one before, +now stretched out close by the temple. And behind him strolled out +his companions. But when they had gone out of sight, the beautiful +golden temple by the lake vanished for ever. After looking at the +lake the king came back to fetch his turban which he had left in +the temple. But he could not find the beautiful temple all of pure, +yellow gold, with its jewel-studded pillars and its crystal jars. The +king asked the little daughter-in-law the cause. She said nothing, +but straightway walked deeper into the forest. And the king and his +companions, although weary to death, followed her. At last they came to +the temple where she had worshipped, together with the serpent-maidens +from Patâla and the bevy of wood-nymphs. It was a tiny temple, +and inside it there was a rough altar. At the foot of the altar lay +the flowers which the ugly daughter-in-law had offered to the god, +and close by on a peg hung the turban left by the king. Again the +king asked his daughter-in-law the meaning of what had happened. She +replied, "This temple that you see is my own poor little temple. But, +because of my prayers, the god Shiva showed himself to you in the +beautiful temple, all of pure, yellow gold, with its jewel-studded +pillars and its crystal jars." When the king heard her reply, he grew +more pleased than ever with the daughter-in-law whom formerly he had +so disliked. And because the god had revealed himself at her prayer, +the king, to do her honour, sent for his royal palanquin and had her +carried home in state. And the ugly little daughter-in-law became out +of the four the king's favourite. And he was so much nicer to her than +he was to his other three daughters-in-law that they became as jealous +as cats. But the king and the ugly little daughter-in-law did not mind +them the least little bit. And they both lived happily ever afterwards. + + + +NOTES + +[1] For an account of the birth of Kartakswami see The Tale of the +Tulsi Plants p. 93. + +[2] In India days of the week have the same mysterious connexion +with the astral bodies that they have in Europe. Aditwar or Raviwar +is sun's day (Sunday); Somwar is moon's day (Monday); Mangalwar is +Mars' day (mardi); Budhwar is Mercury's day (mercredi); Brihaspatiwar +is the day of Diespiter or Jupiter (jeudi); Shukrawar is Venus' day +(vendredi); Shaniwar is Saturn's day (Saturday). + +[3] His bad actions in a former life. + +[4] All these stories take place in Atpat town. This literally means +"City Splendid." But in the tales it is simply a fabulous city. + +[5] Although Tuesday is really the day of Mars, Mangal, this tale +by a popular error connects the day with Mangalgauri or Parwati, +Shiva's wife. + +[6] Budh is Mercury; Brahaspati is Jupiter. + +[7] For serpent-maidens of Patâla see note to Story XX. + +[8] Mahalaxmi is always worshipped in this way. And it is a common +practice for anyone who wants anything to blow on a pot and then wish +for it. + +[9] Kolhapur is the chief seat of the worship of Mahalaxmi. + +[10] Ashwin corresponds approximately with October. + +[11] A kind of draughts. + +[12] Nagpanchmi Day falls on Shravan Sud 5, i.e. the 5th day of the +bright half of Shravan. + +[13] Bhatji is the name by which a mendicant Brahman is addressed. + +[14] This is called the akshataropan. + +[15] Vasishta was the family priest of King Dasaratha, father of +Ramchandra. After death he became one of the stars in the constellation +of the Great Bear. + +[16] Divali is the feast of lamps in the month of Kartih. + +[17] Saripat is a kind of draughts. + +[18] Apsaras are attendants on the gods. + +[19] Kartakswami was really Parwati's step-son (see Preface). + +[20] The Indians do not associate the Great Bear constellation with a +bear, but they believe it to be the habitation of seven rishis. The +seven rishis vary in different works. In the Mahabharat the names +given are Marichi, Atri, Angiras, Pulaha, Kratu, Pulatya, and Vasishta. + +[21] Aposhani. This is the water which a Brahman sips from his hand +before and after his meal. + +[22] Shravan corresponds roughly with August. The death of the child +nullified all the virtue of the Shradh feast, which had at once to +be stopped. + +[23] Zhoting is really the unquiet ghost of a Musulman, but hobgoblin +is probably a sufficiently close translation. + +[24] A tree sacred to Shiva. + +[25] The Asuras, who are now reckoned petty demons, had once upon +a time a much higher position. They are the same as Ahura-Magda, +the Jupiter of the Iranians. The latter, curiously enough, +degraded the Devas or Hindu Gods to the subordinate place of +demons. (Cf. Rawlinson's Bactria, page 21.) + +[26] Shravan = August. + +[27] Nag-kanya. These are the maidens of the race of the Nagas, who +are said to have sprung from Kadru, wife of Kasyapa. One of them, +Ulupi, married the hero Arjuna. They live in Patâla, the lowest of +the seven underground regions. + + +THE END + + + + + +End of Project Gutenberg's Deccan Nursery Tales, by Charles Augustus Kincaid + +*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 11167 *** |