3-3-1 Three
Qalandar and Five Women of Bagadaad
The
Story of the First Qalandar:
The Story of the Eye That Paid For an Eye
The
first Qalandar started - "First you should know, Madam, that I am a
son of a King, before you know that how I lost my right eye and why did I
wear such clothes. My father's only brother ruled over a neighboring
country and had two children - a son and a daughter who were of similar
age as myself.
As I
grew up I usually went to my uncle's court and stayed there for two
months. That is we, my cousin and myself, were very attached to each
other. Last time I went there, he was very happy and gave a very grand
feast in my honor. When we had finished our food, he said to me -
"Dear brother, You can never think that what I have been doing since
you met me last time. After you had gone, I set a number of men to work on
a building of my own design. It is now completed and one can live in it. I
should like to show it to you, but you must keep it secret and be faithful
to me."
I
could not say "No" to him and I said "Yes" without the
least hesitation. He then asked me to wait and disappeared; in a while
reappeared with a beautiful richly dressed lady. Since he did not tell me
her name, I also didn't think proper to ask her name. We sat down at a
table to eat and drink, and we talked on various topics, that suddenly he
said - "Brother, We have no time to lose, please take this lady to a
certain spot, where you will find a newly built dome like tomb. Go there
and wait for me, I will not be long."
I took
the lady by the light of the Moon to the place he told me. As we reached
there, he also joined us. He was carrying a small pot of water, a pick axe
and a little bag containing plaster. He at once began the destroying the
sepulcher in the middle of the tomb with the pick axe. After he had
destroyed the sepulcher, he started digging the earth and a little after I
saw a trap door. Down the trap door was a spiral stair case. He said to
the lady - "This is the trap door which will take you the place I
told you about." The lady started climbing down the stairs, he
followed her, and following her he raised his head to me and said -
""I don't know how to thank you for this. Bye." I cried -
"What do you mean? I don't understand." "Doesn't matter,
you may go back the way you came here." Surprised and sad I came back
to the palace and slept.
When I
woke up in the morning, it seemed to me like a dream. So I sent a servant
to see the prince if he was up. The servant told me that he did not sleep
in the home. I ran away to the cemetery. There most domes were so alike
that I could not identify the one I came to last night. I spent four days
there, but could not find the one. Unfortunately, my uncle was on a
hunting trip for all these days and nobody knew when he would be back. I
returned home without telling anything to anybody.
When I
came home I found that many guards were gathered at the palace's gate.
They surrounded me and I asked them the reason of this strange behavior. I
was horrified to learn that my father was killed and the Vazeer was
crowned as the King, and by his order I was under arrest. This Vazeer
hated me since I was a child. Once when I was shooting a bird with a bow,
I shot the arrow at his eye by mistake. Although I offered him my regrets
and apologies but all in vain. Since he was in power now, I thought that
he wouldn't show any mercy to me. I was rigt, because he came to me in
prison and tore my right eye - that is how I lost it.
Then
he shut me up in a large case and sent to a lonely place to cut off my
head. The case, in which I was shut, was kept on a horse and was taken to
deserted place. But those people were soft hearted so they freed me saying
- "Go from here immediately, and never come back here other we will
also lose our heads along with yours." I thanked them gratefully and
escaped. This fear made me so cautious that I walked slowly and only in
the night and stayed at odd places. At last I came to my uncle's kingdom
where I was sure to get protection.
When I
came home, I found my uncle in great trouble because of the disappearance
of his son. We both wept for our own reasons. Then I thought that "my
father was already dead, he could not come back; but his son was alive, he
could come back" so I should break my vow I took with the prince. I
told everything to my uncle what I knew. He got a great relief and said -
"Son, Your words have comforted me a lot. I knew that he was building
a tomb, so I think I can find the spot. But as he wished to keep the
matter secret, we both should go there alone."
We
both changed our guise and sneaked out of the palace through a garden door
which opened in the cemetery. It didn't take us long to identify the tomb
I looked for so long in vain. We had great difficulty to raise the trap
door as the prince had fastened it from the down as he went away with the
plaster he brought with him. My uncle went down first, I followed him, and
when we reached the bottom of the stairs the place was filled so dense
smoke that It was difficult to see anything around.
We
went through the smoke and came to another chamber which was brilliantly
lighted. We saw a platform there on which the bodies of the Prince and
that lady were kept. Both bodies were half-burnt, as if they were dragged
out of some kind of fire. I was surprised to see them like this, but my
uncle did not show any surprise at all, but a little anger. He said -
"I knew that my son was attached to this lady to whom he could never
marry. I tried to divert him by showing many beautiful princesses but he
did not agree with me and now he has ended his life like that."
Saying this he broke into tears, I also wept with him." As he
recovered, he drew me close to him and said - "Dear nephew, You have
come to me in place of my son. I will try to forget my son that I ever had
a son like him who could his life to an end like this."
We
came back to our palace and shortly after many instruments were played to
our surprise. A thick cloud was coming fast towards us. It was an army
which was coming towards us. I found that the army belonged to my own
Vazeer who was now coming to take the kingdom of my uncle. The King was
unprepared for this, resistance was useless, so the gates were opened. My
uncle fought very bravely, but fell; I managed to escape, shaved my head
and took refuge with an officer I trusted. I then shaved my beard and
eyebrows and put on the clothes of a Qalandar and wandered around. It was
easy now because nobody could recognize me in this guise.
Traveling,
I came to the kingdom of Haroon-al Rasheed. Here I had no fear of my
enemies. It was my intention to ask his protection in Bagadaad. IT took me
months to come here, and I was thinking that which way to go, that I met
this another Qalandar who stopped to greet me - "You look like me, a
stranger?" "Yes." and the third Qalandar joined us. He was
also a stranger to Bagadaad. Being similar in misfortune we decided to
share whatever we might get.
By
this time we were very late, we did not know where to go. Luckily we saw
this door, took the liberty to knock the door and ask for shelter which
was given to us immediately for which we are grateful. This is my
story." Zubaidaa said - "Strange, You may go whenever you
like."
This
Qalandar begged to stay until the other two Qalandar told their story.
This was granted.
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