Tales of the Punjab: Folklore of India Part 30

I trade not jewels, east, west, north, or south; Take back thy gems, and give me food instead.

Thy gifts are rich and rare, but costly charms Scarce find fit placing in a Jogi's alms!'

Then Queen Sundran took back the jewels, and bade the beautiful Jogi wait an hour till the food was cooked. Nevertheless, she learnt no more of him, for he sat by the gate and said never a word. Only when Queen Sundran gave him a plate piled up with sweets, and looked at him sadly, saying--

'What King's son art thou? and whence dost thou come?

What name hast thou, Jogi, and where is thy home?'

then Raja Rasalu, taking the alms, replied--

'I am fair Lona's son; my father's name Great Salbahan, who reigns at Sialkot.

I am Rasalu; for thy beauty's fame These ashes, and the Jogi's begging note, To see if thou wert fair as all men say; Lo! I have seen it, and I go my way!'

Then Rasalu returned to his master with the sweets, and after that he went away from the place, for he feared lest the Queen, knowing who he was, might try to keep him prisoner.

And beautiful Sundran waited for the Jogi's cry, and when none came, she went forth, proud and stately, to ask the old Jogi whither his pupil had gone.

Now he, vexed that she should come forth to ask for a stranger, when he had sat at her gates for two-and-twenty years with never a word or sign, answered back, 'My pupil? I was hungry, and I ate him, because he did not bring me alms enough.'

'Oh, monster!' cried Queen Sundran. 'Did I not send thee jewels and sweets? Did not these satisfy thee, that thou must feast on beauty also?'

'I know not,' quoth the Jogi; 'only this I know--I put the youth on a spit, roasted him, and ate him up. He tasted well!'

'Then roast and eat me too!' cried poor Queen Sundran; and with the words she threw herself into the sacred fire and became _sati_ for the love of the beautiful Jogi Rasalu.

And he, going thence, thought not of her, but fancying he would like to be king a while, he s.n.a.t.c.hed the throne from Raja Hari Chand, and reigned in his stead.

HOW RAJA RASaLU JOURNEYED TO THE CITY OF KING SARKAP

Now, after he had reigned a while in Hodinagari, Rasalu gave up his kingdom, and started off to play _chaupur_ with King Sarkap. And as he journeyed there came a fierce storm of thunder and lightning, so that he sought shelter, and found none save an old graveyard, where a headless corpse lay upon the ground. So lonesome was it that even the corpse seemed company, and Rasalu, sitting down beside it, said--

'There is no one here, nor far nor near, Save this breathless corpse so cold and grim; Would G.o.d he might come to life again, 'Twould be less lonely to talk to him.'

And immediately the headless corpse arose and sat beside Raja Rasalu.

And he, nothing astonished, said to it--

'The storm beats fierce and loud, The clouds rise thick in the west; What ails thy grave and thy shroud, O corpse, that thou canst not rest?'

Then the headless corpse replied--

'On earth I was even as thou, My turban awry like a king, My head with the highest, I trow, Having my fun and my fling, Fighting my foes like a brave, Living my life with a swing.

And, now I am dead, Sins, heavy as lead, Will give me no rest in my grave!'

So the night pa.s.sed on, dark and dreary, while Rasalu sat in the graveyard and talked to the headless corpse. Now when morning broke and Rasalu said he must continue his journey, the headless corpse asked him whither he was going; and when he said. 'to play _chaupur_ with King Sarkap,' the corpse begged him to give up the idea, saying, 'I am King Sarkap's brother, and I know his ways. Every day, before breakfast, he cuts off the heads of two or three men, just to amuse himself. One day no one else was at hand, so he cut off mine, and he will surely cut off yours on some pretence or another.

However, if you are determined to go and play _chaupur_ with him, take some of the bones from this graveyard, and make your dice out of them, and then the enchanted dice with which my brother plays will lose their virtue. Otherwise he will always win.'

So Rasalu took some of the bones lying about, and fashioned them into dice, and these he put into his pocket. Then, bidding adieu to the headless corpse, he went on his way to play _chaupur_ with the King.

HOW RAJA RASaLU SWUNG THE SEVENTY FAIR MAIDENS, DAUGHTERS OF THE KING

Now, as Raja Rasalu, tender-hearted and strong, journeyed along to play _chaupur_ with the King, he came to a burning forest, and a voice rose from the fire saying, 'O traveller, for G.o.d's sake save me from the fire!'

Then the Prince turned towards the burning forest, and, lo! the voice was the voice of a tiny cricket. Nevertheless, Rasalu, tender-hearted and strong, s.n.a.t.c.hed it from the fire and set it at liberty. Then the little creature, full of grat.i.tude, pulled out one of its feelers, and giving it to its preserver, said, 'Keep this, and should you ever be in trouble, put it into the fire, and instantly I will come to your aid.'

The Prince smiled, saying, 'What help could _you_ give _me_?' Nevertheless, he kept the hair and went on his way.

Now, when he reached the city of King Sarkap, seventy maidens, daughters of the King, came out to meet him--seventy fair maidens, merry and careless, full of smiles and laughter; but one, the youngest of them all, when she saw the gallant young Prince riding on Bhaunr Iraqi, going gaily to his doom, was filled with pity, and called to him, saying--

'Fair Prince, on the charger so gray, Turn thee back! turn thee back!

Or lower thy lance for the fray; Thy head will be forfeit to-day!

Dost love life? then, stranger, I pray, Turn thee back! turn thee back!'

But he, smiling at the maiden, answered lightly--

'Fair maiden, I come from afar, Sworn conqueror in love and in war!

King Sarkap my coming will rue, His head in four pieces I'll hew; Then forth as a bridegroom I'll ride, With you, little maid, as my bride!'

Now when Rasalu replied so gallantly, the maiden looked in his face, and seeing how fair he was, and how brave and strong, she straightway fell in love with him, and would gladly have followed him through the world.

But the other sixty-nine maidens, being jealous, laughed scornfully at her, saying, 'Not so fast, O gallant warrior! If you would marry our sister you must first do our bidding, for you will be our younger brother.'

'Fair sisters!' quoth Rasalu gaily, 'give me my task and I will perform it.'

So the sixty-nine maidens mixed a hundredweight of millet seed with a hundredweight of sand, and giving it to Rasalu, bade him separate the seed from the sand.

Then he bethought him of the cricket, and drawing the feeler from his pocket, thrust it into the fire. And immediately there was a whirring noise in the air, and a great flight of crickets alighted beside him, and among them the cricket whose life he had saved.

Then Rasalu said, 'Separate the millet seed from the sand.'

'Is that all?' quoth the cricket; 'had I known how small a job you wanted me to do, I would not have a.s.sembled so many of my brethren.'

With that the flight of crickets set to work, and in one night they separated the seed from the sand.

Now when the sixty-nine fair maidens, daughters of the King, saw that Rasalu had performed his task, they set him another, bidding him swing them all, one by one, in their swings, until they were tired.

Whereupon he laughed, saying, 'There are seventy of you, counting my little bride yonder, and I am not going to spend my life in swinging girls; yet, by the time I have given each of you a swing, the first will be wanting another! No! if you want to swing, get in, all seventy of you, into one swing, and then I will see what I can compa.s.s.'

So the seventy maidens, merry and careless, full of smiles and laughter, climbed into the one swing, and Raja Rasalu, standing in his shining armour, fastened the ropes to his mighty bow, and drew it up to its fullest bent. Then he let go, and like an arrow the swing shot into the air, with its burden of seventy fair maidens, merry and careless, full of smiles and laughter.

But as it swung back again, Rasalu, standing there in his shining armour, drew his sharp sword and severed the ropes. Then the seventy fair maidens fell to the ground headlong; and some were bruised and some broken, but the only one who escaped unhurt was the maiden who loved Rasalu, for she fell out last, on the top of the others, and so came to no harm.

After this, Rasalu strode on fifteen paces, till he came to the seventy drums, that every one who came to play _chaupur_ with the King had to beat in turn; and he beat them so loudly that he broke them all. Then he came to the seventy gongs, all in a row, and he hammered them so hard that they cracked to pieces.