Hindoo Tales Part 13

"Good qualities in a wife."

"What is love?"

"Imagination."

"What best accomplishes difficult things?"

"Cunning. Dhumini, Gomini, Ratnavati, and Nitambavati," I added, "are examples of what I have said."

"Tell me," said he, "who they were, and how they prove the truth of your answers?"

"Certainly," I replied; "you shall judge for yourself.

"There were formerly in the country of Trigarta three brothers, all wealthy, having several wives, many servants and slaves, and numerous flocks and herds. In their time it happened that there was a great drought; no rain fell for several years; the streams and fountains ceased to flow; the pools and lakes were turned to mud, the beds of rivers almost dry, plants burned up, trees withered; all mirth and festivity were at an end; bands of thieves roamed about; the dead lay unburied or unburnt, and their bodies were scattered over the fields.

At last the famine was so great that men began to devour each other.

The three brothers, from their great wealth, were able to hold out a long time; but when their stores of corn and rice were all consumed, and their cattle all slaughtered, they, like the rest, were driven to cannibalism. First they killed and ate their slaves; then, even their wives and children, till all were gone but themselves and their three favourite wives. The famine still continuing, they were driven to eat them also, and drew lots which should be killed first. The lot fell on Dhumini, the wife of the youngest brother, who, unable to bear the thought of devouring her, escaped with her in the night. After walking a long way, till they were quite exhausted, they came to a large forest, where they found a well of water, and many fruits and roots, besides deer and other animals, on which they were able to live without difficulty; and they built a hut there.

"One day when the husband of Dhumini was going about in search of game, he found a man who had been cruelly treated by robbers; they had cut off his hands, feet, and nose, and left him to perish. Having compa.s.sion on the poor wretch, he bound up his wounds as well as he was able, and carried him with much difficulty to his hut. There he and his wife nursed him till his wounds were healed, and took care of him afterwards.

"Now such is the depravity of women, that Dhumini fell in love with this poor mutilated wretch, and determined to have him whether he would or no.

"One day her husband came home from hunting, tired and thirsty, and asked her for water. She answered: 'I have a very bad headache, you must go and draw for yourself.' Then walking softly behind him as he went, she waited till he stooped down over the well, and pushed him in.

"Having thus, as she thought, got rid of her husband, she took the maimed man on her back and carried him till she reached an inhabited country, where there was no famine, telling those who asked her, that this man was her husband, and had been mutilated in that manner by a spiteful enemy.

"She thus became the object of much compa.s.sion, and praise, for devotion to her husband, and the king of the country bestowed on her a small pension on which she lived in the city of Avanti. Meanwhile her real husband had managed to climb up from the well, and wandered about a long time, not knowing where his wife was gone. At last he came to Avanti in great distress, and was begging for food when she chanced to see him. Going at once to the king, she said, 'That wicked wretch who mutilated my husband is now here; I have seen him going about as a beggar.'

"Upon this he was immediately seized, and, notwithstanding his protestations of innocence, condemned to death, and led away to execution.

"On the way, with but faint hopes of saving his life, he said to the executioner, 'I have been condemned on the evidence of one witness only; let that man whom I am accused of injuring be questioned; if he says I am guilty, then indeed I deserve to die.'

"The executioner saying, 'Perhaps he may be innocent--a few minutes'

delay can do no harm,' took him at once to the house of his wife, and there the poor mutilated wretch, with many tears, declared the kindness with which he had been treated by the supposed criminal, and the wickedness of the woman who had forced him to live with her as her husband.

"Thereupon the execution was stayed, and the king, having been made acquainted with the whole affair, ordered her to be cut in pieces and given to the dogs, and showed much favour and kindness to her husband.

"I say, therefore, there is nothing so cruel as the heart of a wicked woman."

The Rakshas appeared to be satisfied with this story, and said: "Go on, tell me about Gomini." I continued therefore:

"There was formerly in the country of the Dravidas a young brahman of great wealth. Somehow he was not married when a mere boy, as is often the case, and when he grew up he thought to himself: 'Those who have no wives and those who have bad wives are equally unfortunate, I will not let my friends choose for me, but travel about and look out for myself till I find a girl who may suit me.'

"Having formed this resolution, and changed his name, he set out alone, taking very little with him, but a small bag containing two or three pounds of rice in the husk.

"Whenever he saw a maiden of his own caste whose appearance he liked, either in the houses where he was admitted or elsewhere, he would say to her: 'My dear, could you make me a good dinner with this rice?'

This he did many times, but though parents in general would have been willing to give him their daughters, he was always laughed at, and often treated with contempt. One day, while sitting in a public place in a town which he had lately entered, he observed a young girl whose parents had fallen into poverty, which was shown by her scanty dress and slender ornaments. She pa.s.sed by him accompanied by an old woman, and stood for a time very near him.

"The more he looked at her the more he was pleased, and thought to himself: 'This is just the wife to suit me; she is neither too tall nor too short, too stout or too thin; her limbs are rounded and well knit; her back is straight, with a slight hollow; her shoulders are low; her arms plump and soft; the lines of her hands indicate good fortune; her fingers are long and slender; her nails are like polished gems; her neck is smooth and rounded as a slender sh.e.l.l; her bosom full and well shaped; her face has a sweet expression; her lips are full and red; her chin small and compact; her cheeks plump; her eyebrows glossy black, gracefully curved, meeting in the middle; her eyes are long and languishing, very black and very white; her forehead, adorned by beautiful curls, resembles a piece of the moon; her ears are delicately formed, and well set off by the ear-rings; her hair is glossy black, brown at the ends--long, thick, and not too much curled. My heart seems to be drawn towards her; if she is what she seems to be, I will certainly marry her; but I must not act rashly; I will first try her with my test. Then approaching her with a polite salutation, he said: 'My dear, are you clever enough to make a good dinner out of this bag of rice;' Without answering a word, she looked significantly at her old nurse, and taking the rice from his hand, signed him to sit down on a terrace close by; and sat down herself near him. Then, first spreading out the rice in the, sun that it might be quite dry, she rubbed it gently between her hands, so as to get off the husk unbroken, and giving it to the nurse, she said: 'Take this to some goldsmith; they use it when prepared in this way for polishing their gold, and you will get a few pence for it--with them buy a little firewood, a few cheap dishes, and an earthen pipkin, and bring also a wooden mortar with a long pestle.' On this errand the old woman departed, and soon returned, bringing the things required.

"Then the girl put the rice into the mortar, and very gracefully moving the pestle up and down, separated the rice thoroughly from the remaining particles of husk and awns; which she carefully winnowed away.

"After this she washed the rice thoroughly, and the old woman having meanwhile lighted a fire and placed the pipkin full of water on it, she threw the rice into the water as soon as it boiled, in such a manner that the grains lay loose and separate. When they began to swell and burst, she took the pot from the fire, which she raked together, and set it with the lid downwards near the embers, first carefully draining off the rice liquor, and stirring the grains several times with a spoon to prevent their sticking together.

"After this she put out the fire by throwing water on it, and taking the charcoal, sent the old woman to sell it, and with the money to procure some herbs, ghee, curds, tamarind fruit, spices, salt, myrobalan, and sesamum oil. When these things were brought, she mixed the myrobalan, finely pounded, with salt, and desired the nurse to give it with the sesamum oil to the young brahman, and tell him to go and bathe and anoint himself; and he having received these things, went to bathe.

"When he was returned and comfortably seated, she gave him to drink rice liquor, mixed with spices and cooled by fanning, and he was much refreshed by it; afterwards, soup made with some of the liquor, a few spoonfuls of rice, b.u.t.ter, and spices; and, lastly, the rest of the rice mixed with curds, b.u.t.termilk, and several condiments, and he had plenty, though some was left.

"When he had finished, he asked for drink. She gave him water in a new cooler, sweetened and perfumed with lotus and other flowers; and it looked and felt so cool, gurgled so pleasantly, and tasted so sweet, that all his senses were gratified, and he drank eagerly again and again.

"After waiting on him in this manner, as soon as the dishes and the remains of the meal had been removed by the old nurse, she sat down beside him, arranging her scanty patched dress as well as she was able.

"The young brahman having thus satisfied himself of the capabilities of the maiden, made known his real name and position to her parents, and they having gladly accepted him, he married the girl in due form, and took her home to his own house.

"Not very long afterwards, with very little consideration for her, he took to himself another wife, a woman of bad character; yet such was the sweetness of temper of the first, that she showed no anger at this, but continued to treat her husband with all due honour and respect, and so gained over her fellow-wife that she became her dearest friend. At the same time she managed the household admirably, keeping everything in order, yet making all the servants attached to her. In short, she acted in such a manner that she entirely gained the respect and affection of her husband, and he enjoyed great happiness, and trusted and consulted her in all affairs.

"Therefore I say that the best thing for a householder is to have a good wife."

Then, in ill.u.s.tration of the third answer, I related the story of Ratnavati. "There was, in a town in the country of Surat, a rich ship-captain who had a daughter named Ratnavati. She was married to Balabhadra, the son of a merchant living in another town. For some reason he took a sudden dislike to his bride on the very day of the wedding, and though she continued to live in his house, avoided her as much as possible, and would never speak to her, notwithstanding the remonstrances of his friends. The rest of the family and the servants, seeing this, treated her with neglect and contempt, so that she led a most wretched life.

"One day, wandering about disconsolate, she met with an old woman, a buddhist mendicant, who, seeing her weeping and looking miserable, asked her the reason. She, thinking that this woman might possibly be possessed of some charm capable of bringing back her husband's affections, half unwillingly told her the cause of her grief.

"'On the very day of our marriage my husband, from some cause or other, took a sudden dislike to me, and since then he has treated me with neglect and contempt, so that I hardly ever see his face, and then only by chance for a moment, for he avoids me as much as possible; his family also, following his example, behave to me with great unkindness. I have no comfort or happiness, and only wish for death. But you must not tell this to any one; I would not on any account have my misfortune talked about.'

"The old woman answered: 'Surely this must be a punishment for some great sin committed in a former existence, or such a charming person as yourself would never be thus treated by your husband. I recommend.

you to practise penance and prayer; perhaps the G.o.ds may be appeased, and a favourable change produced. Meanwhile, if there is any way in which I can help you, I will gladly do so. You seem very intelligent; cannot you think of some stratagem which may have the desired effect?'

"After reflecting for some time, she said Though my husband so neglects me, I know that he is very fond of women in general, and ready to be captivated by any one, especially respectable woman who will give him a little encouragement. Acting on this propensity, I think, with your help, that something may be done. There is a young lady, a neighbour, the daughter of a very rich man, in great favour with the Rajah; she is a friend of mine, and is very like me. As my husband hardly knows her by sight, and scarcely ever sees me, it might be possible to pa.s.s myself off for her. Do you, therefore, go to him and say that that young lady is in love with him, and that you will introduce him to her, only he must not give a hint that you have told him anything. Meanwhile I will arrange with my friend, and will be walking in her father's garden some evening, when you can bring him in.' The old woman was delighted with this contrivance, and promised to perform her part. She went, therefore, soon afterwards with a pretended message of love from the merchant's daughter to Balabhadra, who was delighted at having attracted the attention of such a charming young lady, and took care to be at the appointed time in the garden, where he saw his neglected wife playing at ball. As if by accident, she threw the ball towards him, and the old woman said: This is an invitation; pick up the ball, and take it to her with a pretty speech, and you will get acquainted with her.' In this way an intimacy began, and he often met his wife in the same place in the evening without in the least suspecting the deception. At last she gave him a hint that she was ready to run away with him. Madly in love, he eagerly caught at the proposal, and one night, having collected what money he could carry, he eloped with her, saying nothing to any of his friends. They were much astonished by his sudden disappearance; but when they found that Ratnavati was gone also, they readily believed the story told by the old woman, that he had fallen in love with his own wife; but was ashamed to acknowledge this after having so long neglected her, and was therefore gone to live in another place, where he was not known.

Believing this story, her relations and his thought it best to take no steps in the matter, and abstained from making inquiry after him.

"Meanwhile Balabhadra went to a town at some distance, and there by his skill and energy, though beginning with a small capital, ama.s.sed in a few years a considerable fortune, and was much respected in the place.

"When Ratnavati eloped under another name, she engaged a woman to accompany her as a servant; and this woman one day having committed some fault, was beaten by her master, who scolded her and told her she was lazy, thievish, and impudent. Smarting under the punishment, she determined to be revenged, and going to the magistrate told him: 'This man, who seems to you so respectable, is a wicked wretch who has abandoned his own wife, and run away in the night with the daughter of one of his neighbours, with whom he is now living.'

"The magistrate having heard this, and being very covetous, thought: 'If this man is convicted, his property will be confiscated, and I shall get a share of it.' He therefore began to take proceedings against Balabhadra, who was greatly alarmed. But his wife said to him, 'Do not be frightened; put a good face on the matter, and say: "This is not Kanakavati, the daughter of Niddhipatidatta; this is my own lawful wife, the daughter of Grihagupta, who lives at Valabhi. She was married to me with the proper ceremony and with the full consent of her parents. This woman's accusation is altogether false; but if you will not believe my a.s.sertion, send to Valabhi, to my wife's father, and hear what he will say--or send to the town where I formerly lived, and make inquiries there."'

"This was done, he was admitted to bail, and a letter was written to the father of Ratnavati, who answered it in person, and declared that the lady in question was really his daughter. Thus the matter was settled; but the husband, thinking that the old man was deceived by the likeness, held to his former belief, and continued to live happily with his wife, without ever discovering the delusion. Therefore I say that love is only imagination."

The Rakshas, though appearing to be satisfied with these stories, required me to relate that of Nitambavati, which I proceeded to do.

"In a city called Madhura, there dwelt a man named Kalahakantaka, of great strength and vigour, ready at any time to take up the quarrel of a friend, famed for deeds of violence, and devoted to pleasures and amus.e.m.e.nts.

"One day he saw a picture exhibited by a painter, a new-comer, and stopped to look at it. It was the portrait of a lady so beautiful that he fell in love with her at once. Desirous of finding out whom it represented, he praised the picture exceedingly, and having put the artist in good humour, got him to say who the lady was. 'Her name,'

said he, 'is Nitambavati; she is the wife of a merchant living at Avanti or Oujein, and I was so struck by her beauty that I sought and obtained permission to paint her portrait.'

"On hearing this, Kalahakantaka, taking another name, went to Oujein; and there, having disguised himself as a mendicant, got admission to the merchant's house, saw the lady, whose beauty exceeded even his expectation, and was confirmed in his wicked purpose.

"At this time a guardian or watchman was wanted for the public cemetery, and he applied for and obtained the office.

"With the clothes which he took from the bodies brought to be burnt there, he bribed an old woman to take a message from him. She went to Nitambavati, and said: 'A very handsome young man is much in love with you--pray let him see you if only for once.' On receiving this message, the merchant's wife was very indignant, and sent the old woman away with angry words. Kalahakantaka, however, was not discouraged, and said to his messenger: 'Go again, and say to the lady: "Do you imagine that a person like me devoted to religious meditation, who have pa.s.sed so many years in pilgrimages to holy places, would wish to lead you into sin? Far from it. I had heard that you were childless, and wishing for children, and I know of means through which your wish may be accomplished; but I thought it right to find out first whether you were worthy of such a service, and now that I have ascertained you to be virtuous and true to your husband, I will gladly a.s.sist you."'