Folklore of the Santal Parganas, Cecil Henry Bompas [sad books to read .TXT] 📗

LXV. (The Good Daughter-in-Law.)

There was once a very rich man who had seven sons and the sons were

all married and lived with their father. The father was a miser: he

lived in the poorest manner in spite of all his wealth and hoarded

all his money. His eldest daughter-in-law managed the household and

she alone of the family did not approve of the miserly way in which

the family affairs were conducted.

 

One day a Jugi came to the house and asked for alms. The eldest

daughter-in-law happened to be away at the time, fetching water from

the stream. Those of the family who were at home flatly declined to

give the poor beggar anything and turned him away from the house. So

the Jugi went away, cursing them for their miserliness. On his way

he met the eldest daughter-in-law coming back with her jar of water

and she asked the Jugi why he seemed so angry. When she heard how he

had been treated, she at once besought him to return to the house and

explained that she was the housekeeper and that that was the reason

why none of the others had ventured to give him alms.

 

The Jugi returned with her and she gave him a _seer_ of rice to put

in his bag. At first the Jugi refused to take it, on the ground that

she was only giving it for fear of his curses but she assured him

that she never refused alms to anyone who begged. So the Jugi took

the rice and then asked what boon she would accept in return. The

woman at first said that she was in want of nothing, but, on the Jugi

pressing her, she said that she would like to be able to understand

the language of birds and beasts and to see the disembodied souls of

men. Then the Jugi took a feather from his bag and drew it across her

eyes and blew into her eyes and ears and she found herself possessed

of the powers for which she had asked. But before he left, the Jugi

told her that she must never reveal to any human being the boon he

had conferred on her, for if she did she would die.

 

Years passed and nothing happened but then it chanced that a Chamar

who lived at the end of the village died, and as he had been a good

and kind man his family wept bitterly at their loss. The woman saw the

spirit of the Chamar being taken away in a grand chariot and she also

wept for the death of so good a man. Her family became very suspicious

at her showing sorrow for the death of a stranger of another caste.

 

A few days later the miserly father-in-law died and the woman saw

three beings dragging him out of the house by his heels, and she

laughed to see him treated so for his sins. But the family were

shocked by her laughter and concluded that she was a witch and had

killed her father-in-law by her witchcraft; so after the funeral

they held a family council and called on the woman to explain why

she had laughed. She assured them that if she told she would die,

but they insisted and at last she told them of the boon conferred on

her by the Jugi, and what she had seen, and then she lay down upon

her bed and died.

 

 

LXVI. (The Raja's Dream.)

 

Once upon a time there was a Raja who had no children. So he and his

wife agreed that he should marry again. His second wife bore him two

sons, and they were very pleased that the Raja should have heirs and

all lived happily together. But after the two sons had been born,

the elder Rani also gave birth to a son. This caused discord in the

family, for the younger Rani had counted on her sons succeeding to

the Raja, but now she feared that the son of the elder Rani would be

preferred. So she went to the Raja and besought him to send away the

elder Rani and her son. The Raja listened to her and gave the first

wife a separate estate and a separate house and sent them away.

 

Time passed and one night the Raja had a dream, the meaning of which

he could not understand; he dreamt that he saw a golden leopard

and a golden snake and a golden monkey dancing together. The Raja

could not rest until he had found out the meaning of the dream,

so he sent for his younger wife and her two sons and consulted

them. They could give no explanation, but the younger son said that

he had a presentiment that his brother, the son of the elder Rani,

could interpret the dream. So that son was sent for, and when he

appeared before his father and heard the story of the dream, he said

"This is the interpretation: the three golden animals represent us

three brothers, for we are like gold to you. Thakur has sent this

dream in order that we may not fight hereafter; we cannot all three

succeed to the Raj and we shall assuredly fight if one is not chosen

as the heir. It is intended that whichever of us can find a golden

leopard, and a golden snake and a golden monkey and make them dance

before the people, he is your principal son and shall be your heir,"

The Raja was pleased with this interpretation and told his three sons

that he would give the Raj to whichever of them could find the three

animals by that day year.

 

The sons of the younger Rani went away, feeling that it was useless

for them to make any attempt to fulfil the conditions; even if they

got a goldsmith to make the animals, they would never be able to make

them dance.

 

But the other brother went to his mother and told her all that had

happened, and she bade him be of good courage and he would find the

animals; if he went to a Gosain who lived in the jungle, he would be

told what to do.

 

So the Raja's son set out, and after travelling for some days he found

himself benighted in a dense jungle. Wandering about, he at last saw

a fire burning in the distance, so he went to it and sat down by it

and began to smoke. Now the Gosain was sleeping near by and the smell

of the smoke awoke him, and he rose and asked who was there.

 

"O uncle, it is I."

 

"Really, is it you my nephew? Where have you come from so late

at night?"

 

"From home, uncle."

 

"What has brought me to your memory now? You have never paid me a

visit before. I am afraid that something has happened."

 

"You need not fear that, I have come to you because my mother tells

me that you can help me to find the golden leopard and the golden

snake and the golden monkey."

 

At this the Gosain promised to help the Raja's son to find the animals

and then put the cooking-pot on the fire to boil; and in it he put

only three grains of rice, but when it was cooked, they found that

there was enough to make a meal of. When they had eaten, the Gosain

said "Nephew, I cannot tell you what you have to do; but further in

the jungle lives my younger brother: go to him and he will tell you."

 

So when it was morning the Raja's son set out, and in two days he

reached the second Gosain and told him of his quest. The Gosain

listened to his story and put the cooking-pot on to boil and in it

threw two grains of rice, and this, when cooked, was sufficient for

a good meal. After they had eaten, the Gosain said that he could

not tell how the animals were to be found, but that he had a still

younger brother who could tell. So the next morning the Raja's son

continued his journey, and in two or three days he came to the third

Gosain and there he learnt what was to be done. This Gosain also put

the pot on to boil but in the pot he only put one grain of rice and

a bit of a grain, yet when cooked it was enough for a meal.

 

In the morning the Gosain told the Raja's son to go to a blacksmith

and have a shield made of twelve maunds of iron and with its edge so

sharp that a leaf falling on it would be cut in two. So he went to

the blacksmith and had a shield made, and took it to the Gosain. The

Gosain said that they must test it, and he set it edgewise in the

ground under a tree and told the Raja's son to climb the tree and

shake some leaves down. The Raja's son climbed the tree and shook

the branches, but not a leaf fell. Then the Gosain climbed up and

gave the tree a shake and the leaves fell in showers and every leaf

that touched the edge of the shield was cut in two. Then the Gosain

was satisfied that the shield was rightly made.

 

Then the Gosain told the Raja's son, that further on in the jungle

he would find a pair of snakes living in a bamboo house; and they

had a daughter whom they never allowed to come out of the house; he

must fix the sharp shield in the door of the house and hide himself

in a tree, and when the snakes came out they would be cut to pieces;

then, when the snakes were dead, he was to go to their daughter and

she would show him where to find the golden animals. So the Raja's

son set out and about noon he came to the home of the snakes, and he

set the shield in the doorway as the Gosain had said, and at evening,

when the snakes tried to come out of the house, they were cut to

pieces. When her father and mother were dead, the daughter came out

to see what had happened, and the Raja's son saw that she was very

beautiful. He went to her and began to talk and it did not take them

long to fall in love with each other. The snake maiden soon forgot

her father and mother, and she and the Raja's son lived together in

the bamboo house many days.

 

The snake maiden strictly forebade him to go anywhere to the west or

south of the house, but one day he disobeyed her and wandered away

to the west. After going a short distance he saw golden leopards

dancing, and directly he set eyes on them, he himself was changed

into a golden leopard and began to dance with the others. The snake

maiden soon knew what had happened, and she followed him and led him

back and restored him to his own shape.

 

A few days later, the Raja's son went away to the south and there he

found golden snakes dancing on the bank of a tank and directly he saw

them, he too became a golden snake and joined the dance. Again the

snake maiden fetched him back and restored him to his own form. But

again the Raja's son went out to the south-west and there he saw

golden monkeys dancing under a banyan tree, and when he saw them he

became a golden monkey; again the snake maiden brought him back and

restored him to human shape.

 

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