Part 16 (1/2)

Tears trickled down the eyes of Kapali when his sister was mentioned. Said he:--

”Do not, my patron, think of her. She is lost to the world. I am ashamed to think of her. Why should we think of such a wretch at this happy time?”

At once the inscription made by Brahma's nail rushed into Subrahmanya's mind and he understood what was meant. Said he:--

”Never mind; be open and tell me where she is.”

Then her brother, Kapali, with his eyes still wet with tears, said that his sister, the daughter of the sage Jnananidhi, was leading the worst of lives in an adjoining village, and that her name was Kalyani.

Subrahmanya took leave of Kapali and his wife, after blessing his little children and again warning his friend. He had conferred what happiness he could upon his master's son, and now the thought of reforming his master's daughter reigned supreme in his heart. He went at once to the village indicated and reached it at about nightfall. After an easy search he found her house and knocked at the door. The door was at once opened. But on that day she was astonished to see a face such as she could never expect to approach her house.

”Do you know me, Kalyani?” said Subrahmanya, and she in reply said that she did not. He then explained who he was, and when she came to know that it was a disciple of her father that was standing before her she wept most bitterly. The thought that after having been born of such a holy sage, she had adopted so wretched a life, the most shameful in the world, made her miserable at heart. She fell down at his feet and asked to be forgiven. She then explained to him her extreme misery, and the hard necessity which had compelled her to take to her present way of living. He then consoled her and spoke thus:--

”My dear daughter! My heart burns within me when I see that necessity has driven you to this wretched life. But I can redeem you if you will only follow my advice. From this night you had better shut your door, and never open it to any other person except to him who brings to you a large measure full of pearls of the first water. You follow this advice for a day and I shall then advise you further.”

Being the daughter of a great sage, and having been compelled by necessity to take to a wretched life, she readily consented to follow her father's disciple when he promised to redeem her. She bolted the door, and refused admission to anyone unless they brought a large measure full of pearls. Her visitors, fancying that she must have gone mad, went away. The night was almost drawing to a close and all her friends had gone away disappointed. Who was there in the village to give to her one measure full of pearls? But as the nail of Brahma had appointed for her such a life as stated, some one was bound to comply with her terms. And as there was no human being who could do so, the G.o.d Brahma himself a.s.sumed the shape of a young man, and, with a measure full of pearls, visited her in the last watch of the night and remained with her.

When morning dawned he disappeared, and when Kalyani explained to the disciple of her father the next morning that after all one person had visited her with a measure full of pearls on the previous night, he was glad to hear of it. He knew that his plan was working well. Said he:--

”My dear daughter, you are restored to your former good self hereafter from this day. There are very few people in this world who could afford to give you a measure full of pearls every night. So he that brought you the pearls last night must continue to do so every night, and he shall be hereafter your only husband. No other person must ever hereafter see your face, and you must obey my orders. You must sell all the pearls he brings you every day and convert them into money. This money you should spend in feeding the poor and other charities. None of it must you reserve for the next day, neither must you entertain a desire to h.o.a.rd up money. The day you fail to follow my advice you will lose your husband, and then you will have to fall back on your former wretched life.”

Thus said Subrahmanya, and Kalyani agreed to strictly follow his injunctions. He then went to live under a tree opposite to her house for a month to see whether his plan was working well, and found it worked admirably.

Thus, after having conferred happiness, to the best of his abilities, on the son and daughter of his former master, Subrahmanya took leave of Kalyani, and with her permission, most reluctantly given, he pursued his pilgrimage.

One moonlight night, after a long sleep, Subrahmanya rose up almost at midnight, and hearing the crows crowing he mistook it for the dawn and commenced his journey. He had not proceeded far, when on his way he met a beautiful person coming towards him, with a sack of corn on his head and a bundle of pearls tied up in the end of his upper cloth on his shoulder, leading a buffalo before him.

”Who are you, sir, walking thus in this forest?” said Subrahmanya.

When thus addressed, the person before him threw down the sack and wept most bitterly.

”See, sir, my head is almost become bald by having to bear to Kapali's house a sack of corn every night. This buffalo I lead to Kapali's shed and this bundle of pearls I take to Kalyani's house. My nail wrote their fate on their respective heads and by your device I have to supply them with what my nail wrote. When will you relieve me of these troubles?”

Thus wept Brahma, for it was no other personage. He was the creator and protector of all beings, and when Subrahmanya had pointed out the way for his master's children, and they had conquered fate, Brahma too was conquered. So the great G.o.d soon gave them eternal felicity and relieved himself of his troubles.

XX.

THE BRaHMAN PRIEST WHO BECAME AN AMILDaR. [97]

In the Karnata desa there reigned a famous king named Chamunda, who was served by an household priest, named Gundappa, well versed in all the rituals at which he officiated.

Chamunda, one day, while chewing betel-leaves, thus addressed Gundappa, who was sitting opposite him:--

”My most holy priest, I am greatly pleased at your faithfulness in the discharge of your sacred duties; and you may ask of me now what you wish and I shall grant your request.”

The priest elated replied: ”I have always had a desire to become the Amildar [98] of a district and to exercise power over a number of people; and if your Majesty should grant me this I shall have attained my ambition.”