Part 13 (1/2)

Thus spoke his friend, and Papabhiru, out of regard to his father's order never to spurn a morning meal, ran in haste into his friend's house to oblige him; the king's order all the while sitting heavily on his mind.

Meanwhile the minister was most anxious to hear the news of the Brahmin's death, but was afraid to send any one to inquire about it, lest he should arouse suspicion. So he went himself to the east gate, as soon as the sun had risen, and asked the executioners, sitting by the side of the caldron, by way of a simple question: ”Is the business all done?” And as they were instructed not to observe who the person was that came to question them, but to tie him up and boil him in the oil, they, notwithstanding his howls, bound him and threw him in. As soon as he was dead, they extinguished the fire, poured out the oil, turned over the caldron, corpse and all.

The Brahmin finished his dvadasi breakfast, in great haste, and, with the betel leaf still in his hand, ran to the gate to inquire of the persons seated by the caldron whether it was all done. When he put them the question, they smilingly replied:--

”Yes, Sir, it is all done. The minister is boiled to death. We gave full execution to the king's orders. You may go and report the affair to him.”

The Brahmin, not knowing the reason for the course events had taken, ran back and reported the reply of the executioners to the king. The minister's interference in the affair at once kindled suspicion in the king's mind. He unsheathed his scimitar, and holding it in his right hand, twisted the lock of hair on the Brahmin's head into his left. He then asked him whether he had not tried to get his wife away from him the previous morning, and told him that, if he concealed the truth, he would make an end of him. The poor Brahmin now confessed what he had seen, on which the king threw down the scimitar and fell down on his knees before him.

”The words of thy benediction, O respected Brahmin, have only now been explained to me. Thou hast sown nothing but good; and good in having thy life preserved, hast thou reaped. The wicked minister--whose conscious guilt made him so very anxious to hear about thy death--because he sowed a bad intention in his heart has reaped evil, even a death that he never expected. Another victim of evil sowing, remains in my queen, in whom I placed an undeserved love.”

So said he, and ordered her to the gallows. The old Brahmin he appointed his minister and reigned for a long time.

XVII.

LIGHT MAKES PROSPERITY.

There is a Tamil proverb dipam lakshmikaram, meaning, ”light makes prosperity,” and the following story is related to explain it:--

In the town of Govindapathi there lived a merchant named Pasupati Setti, who had a son and a daughter. The son's name was Vinita and the daughter's Garvi, and while still playmates they made a mutual vow, that in case they ever had children that could be married to each other, they would certainly see that this was done. Garvi grew up to marry a very rich merchant, and gave birth in due course to three daughters, the last of whom was named Sunguni. Vinita, too, had three sons. Before, however, this brother and sister could fulfil their vow an event happened which threw a gloom over all their expectations.

Pasupati Setti died, and his creditors--for he had many--grew troublesome. All his property had to be sold to clear his debts, and in a month or two after his father's death Vinita was reduced to the condition of a penniless pauper. But being a sensible person he patiently bore up against his calamity, and tried his best to live an honest life on what little was left to him.

His sister Garvi was, as has been already said, married into a rich family, and when she saw the penniless condition of her brother the engagements she had entered into with him began to trouble her. To give or not to give her daughters in marriage to the sons of her brother! This was the question that occupied her thoughts for several months, till at last she determined within herself never to give poor husbands to her children. Fortunately for her, two young merchants of respectable family offered themselves to her two eldest daughters, she gladly accepted them and had the weddings celebrated. The last daughter, Suguni, alone remained unmarried.

Vinita was sorely troubled in his heart at this disappointment, as he never thought that his sister would thus look down upon his poverty; but, being very sensible, he never interfered and never said a word. The vow of his childhood was, however, known to every one, and some came to sympathise with him; while others spoke in a criticising tone to Garvi for having broken her promise, because her brother had become poor through unforeseen circ.u.mstances. Their remarks fell on the ears of Suguni, who was as yet unmarried, and also was a very learned and sensible girl. She found her uncle Vinita extremely courteous and respectful, and his sons all persons of virtue and good nature. The thought that her mother should have forgotten all these excellent and rare qualities in the presence of fleeting mammon (asthiraisvarya) vexed her heart very greatly. So, though it is considered most contrary to etiquette for a girl in Hindu society to fix upon a boy as her husband, she approached her mother and thus addressed her:--

”Mother, I have heard all the story about your vow to your brother to marry us--myself and my sisters--to his sons, our cousins; but I am ashamed to see you have unwarrantably broken it in the case of my sisters. I cannot bear such shame. I cannot marry anyone in the world except one of my three cousins. You must make up your mind to give me your consent.”

Garvi was astonished to hear her youngest daughter talk thus to her.

”You wish to marry a beggar?” said she. ”We will never agree to it, and if you persist we will give you away to your penniless pauper, but we will never see your face again.”

But Suguni persisted. So her marriage with the youngest son of Vinita was arranged. He had never spoken a word about it to his sister, but he had waited to make matches for his children till all his sister's daughters had been given away, and when he heard that Suguni was determined to marry his youngest son, he was very pleased. He soon fixed upon two girls from a poor family for his other sons, and celebrated the three weddings as became his position.

Suguni was as n.o.ble in her conduct as in her love for her poor cousin. She was never proud or insolent on account of having come from a rich family. Nor did she ever disregard her husband, or his brothers, or father.

Now Vinita and his sons used to go out in the mornings to gather dried leaves which his three daughters-in-law st.i.tched into plates (patravali), which the male members of the family sold in the bazar for about four panams each. [90] Sometimes these leaf-plates would go for more, sometimes for less; but whatever money the father-in-law brought home his daughters-in-law used for the day's expense. The youngest of them was Suguni, who spent the money most judiciously, and fed her father-in-law and his sons sumptuously. Whatever remained she partook of with her two poor sisters-in-law, and lived most contentedly. And the family respected Suguni as a paragon of virtue, and had a very great regard for her. Her parents, as they had threatened, never returned to see how their last, and of course once beloved, child was doing in her husband's home. Thus pa.s.sed a couple of years.

One day the king of the town was taking an oil bath, and pulling a ring off his finger, left it in a niche in the open courtyard. A garuda (Brahmani kite) was at that moment describing circles in the air, and, mistaking the glittering rubies in the ring for flesh, pounced upon it and flew away. Finding it not to be flesh he dropped it in the house of Suguni's husband. She happened to be alone working in the courtyard, while her sisters-in-law and the others were in different parts of the house. So she took up the sparkling ring and hid it in her lap.

Soon afterwards she heard a proclamation made in the street that the king had lost a valuable ring, and that any person who could trace it and give it back to him should obtain a great reward. Suguni called her husband and his brothers and thus addressed them:--

”My lord and brothers, I have the king's ring. Exactly at midday a garuda dropped it in our courtyard and here it is. We must all go to the king, and there, before you three, I shall deliver up the ring, explaining how I got it. When his majesty desires me to name my reward I shall do so, and beg of you never to contradict or gainsay my desires, if they appear very humble in your opinion.”