Vikram and Vaitaal Stories-2
- Story 8 (Keral
Version)
"Captain
Sir Richard R Burton's Vikram and the
Vampire: classic Hindu tales of
adventure, magic and romance" / edited by his wife Isabel Burton. [etext
Conversion Project, Nalanda Digital Library, NIT Calicut, Kerala State,
India]
8-Use and
Misuse of the Magic Pills
Vaitaal
again started speaking - "There was a king named Suvichaar who had a
very beautiful daughter named Chandrprabhaa. Once she went to her father's
garden for a stroll in spring season. The fair troop wandered around and
enjoyed themselves. It so happened that there roamed around a youth,
un-noticed by king's men, named Manaswee. He got tired
wandering around so he lay down under a tree and slept. Chandraprabhaa was
also got tired so she proceeded towards her summer house. Aroused by the
footsteps of the princess, Manaswee woke up and sat up. The princess
seeing a stranger in her garden got startled. Both saw at each other and feel
in love instantly."
Vaitaal
further said - "Now listen to the word of wise. In the olden times,
one of the great philosophers invented a fluid mixed with all matter,
strongly self-repulsive like the steam of a brass pot and widely spreading
like the breath of the scandal. Repulsiveness is greatly modified by its
second property, namely an energetic attraction to all material bodies.
Thus every substance contains a part, more or less, of this fluid,
pervading it throughout and strongly bound to each component atom. He
called it "Ambericity" as it had no connection to Amber, and it
could not be weighed.
He
said that whenever two bodies containing that unweighable substance in
unequal proportions happen to meet, a current passes from one to the other
producing a kind of attraction This operation takes place instantaneously
when the force is strong and much condensed. Thus the vulgar call this
phenomenon as "love at first sight" and the wise call it
"phenomenon of Ambericity".
So the
effect of this Ambericity was that the boy just lay where he was sitting
like a dead, and the girl's feet trembled and she got unconscious. Her
friends came and took her home. Just then Maldev and Shashi named Pandit
stumbled upon the body. Maldev said to Shashi - "How this boy is
lying here unconscious?" Shashi said smilingly - "Surely he must
have seen some girl." Maldev rushed to a nearby pond, brought some
water and sprinkled it over him. When he had gained his senses, the old
men asked him the reason of his unconsciousness. He said - "What is
the use of telling one's own grief to those who cannot help." Those
Pandit pushed him hard to tell what had happened to him. He told them that
since he saw the princess, his condition was like that. If he would get
her, he would live, otherwise not.
Maldev
assured him that he would do everything to get her, and if he could not
get her, he would make him very wealthy. Manaswee said - "God has
created many jewels but the pearl, woman, is the chief of all. What value
of riches for whom who has abandoned his wife? Wealth is the fruit of
virtue, ease of wealth, a wife of ease. And where there is no wife, there
is no happiness." Maldev said - By God's grace whatever you want, you
will get the same."
He
took him to his own house and made him seated comfortably. Then he left
him there, went inside, and when he came back, he held two pills in his
hands. He showed them to Manaswee and told their virtues like this -
"We have a boon to our family, by which I try to do good of the
people, but my success wholly depends of the purity of the person who
seeks my help. If you take this pill in your mouth, you will be changed into
a 12-year old girl, and when you have taken it out, you will return to your
original form. But you have to take care that you will have to use only
for good cause, otherwise some great calamity may fall on you. That is why
you must think twice before using it." The boy assured him that he
was the most innocent, earnest and well-intentioned man. So the Braahman's
son made no delay in doing so. Maldev warned him not to swallow it and
took the other one into his own mouth. This changed the boy into a girl
and Maldev into an 80-year old graceful man.
Manaswee
Goes to the King
Both
went to the palace of Suvichaar, then passing through seven courts came to
the royal court. Seeing a Braahman entering the court, the King rose from
his seat and made them sit on Aasan. Maldev blessed him. The king asked
him - "From where have you come here?" The old Braahman said -
"I live on the northern side of
Gangaa River. I traveled to a far place and found my daughter-in-law in
this girl, so I came back home. Meanwhile a flood has destroyed our
village and my wife and son have to flee somewhere, now I cannot wander
with this girl everywhere. Hearing your name I came here to leave this
girl with you till I come back. Please take care of this girl."
The
king got in a flux, because first, the girl was so beautiful; second, the
Braahman might curse him. So he agreed to keep her with him and sent her to
his daughter's palace instructing her to take every care of her and not to
separate her even for a moment. The Braahman went away. The princess took
her to her own apartments. The apartment was not decorated at all except
for a flower vase with withered flowers. Seetaa (as Manaswee liked to be
called) found that the princess was very sad, so when everybody went from
there, she asked her the reason of her sadness. The princess told her the
incident occurred in the garden and said - "Since then I have no desire
to eat or enjoy anything. The beginning of the next month, I will end
up my life."
Seetaa
asked her - "What will you give me if I will show you your beloved at
this very moment?" "I will be your lowest grade servant."
Manaswee took out the pill from his mouth and he changed into his original
form. He kept the pill safely in a pouch hung from his neck.
Chandraprabhaa got amazed to see this change. Then Manaswee described
eight types of marriage briefly - (1) Brahm Vivaah - When a girl is given
to a Braahman or to a higher caste boy without any reward; (2) Daiv Vivaah
- In which the girl is presented as a gift or a fee to an officiating
priest at the close of a sacrifice; (3) Aarsh Vivaah - When a girl is
married by giving two cows to the groom; (4) Praajaapatya Vivaah - When a
girl is married on the request of a Braahman, and father says to his
daughter, "Go and fulfill the duties of religion"; (5) Asur
Vivaah - When money is received by the father in exchange of the bride;
(6) Raakshas Vivaah - When the girl is captured in a war, or when the
bridegroom overcomes his rival to get the girl; (7) Paishaach Vivaah - When the girl is
taken away from her father's house by craft; and (8) Gandharv Vivaah -
Marriage that takes place by mutual consent.
Manaswee
preferred the latter one that the girl should call upon her father to
organize a Swayamvar for her and allow her to choose her own husband, but
it was not possible. They
never went out for five months. Manaswee stayed there as a woman in the
daytime, and as a man in the nighttime. Now he was going to become a
father. But soon both got tired living like this, because both wanted to
appear as husband and wife before the world and they could not do this
because they were not husband and wife in the eyes of the world.
One
day Chandraprabhaa told a young woman an old nursery tale in which a girl
unconsciously married a friend who became a handsome boy in the night and
an utterly ugly boy in the daytime." Vikram further said - "Now
you can think of the concluding story. Once Chandraprabhaa and Seeta asked
the permission of the King to go out and he readily gave it. They began a
new life.
Treasurer's
Son is Attracted to Manaswee
It so
happened one day that the whole family went to attend a marriage ceremony
at King's treasurer's place. There his son saw Seetaa and fell in love
with her. This was the third case of "love at first sight". He
said to his friend - "I will have to marry her, otherwise I will
die." As the King's family came back to their house the treasurer's
son's situation got worse. He left eating and drinking. His friend then
told all this to his father. The treasurer went to the King and presented
his case - "Because of the love of the Braahman's daughter-in-law my
son's condition is very bad, if you give her to my son, my son will be
saved."
The
King got very angry and said to him - "O Fool, When somebody takes
charge of someone, he has to protect him by all possible means." Now
the treasurer knew that the King wouldn't be able to manage his kingdom
without him, so he said to himself, "Without she, he will not be able
to live." and he started moving towards the door. While passing
through it he said - "It will cost me 10 days of fasting, Sir."
He
came home and went to his son's room along with his several servants and
said to him - "Sorry Son, I could not do anything for you, but to
perish with you." The servants went out of the room and spread this
news around and came back to see if their master kept his word. When the
treasurer did not eat or drink anything for three days, the cabinet
members decided that they would resign if the King did not agree with
them. Next morning they all went to the King and said that the treasurer's
son was at the point of death and the treasurer had also not eaten anything
because of his son. If he dies who will take care of the accounts? It will
be in your favor if you agree for what we say to you. Please, do not lose
your temper."
Then
the ministers gathered their courage and told him to marry the Braahman's
daughter-in-law to the treasurer's son, because the Braahman had not
returned for so many months, maybe he was not even alive. And even if he
returns he might bestow him with wealth, villages etc. and if he is not
satisfied with it, he might give him any other beautiful wife for his son.
A person should be sacrificed for the sake of a family, a family for the
city, a city for the country, and a country for the king.
He
told the ministers to go and that he would reply them the next day.
Ministers understood that the king would ask his wives. They were sure
that the king would agree with their proposal and the girl also would not
sacrifice her present for the future. That evening the treasurer and his
son ate food together.
The
King immediately went to Chandraprabhaa's palace and asked Seetaa to go to
his treasurer's house. Although Chandraprabha and Mansawee were frank with
each other, but Chandraprabhaa and Seetaa were hardly on speaking terms.
Both were shocked to hear this order. They did everything to revoke his
order. Seetaa said - "The virtue of a woman is destroyed through too
much beauty; the religion of a Braahman is destroyed is by serving kings;
a cow is spoiled by distant pastures; wealth is lost by committing
injustice; and prosperity departs from the house where promises are not
kept." The king admired her sentiments but was firm to send her to
treasurer's house.
Seetaa
again spoke - "If you are determined to send me to the treasurer's
house, then take a promise from that he will do whatever I will say to
him." "Speak, What he has to do?" "I am a Braahman and
he is a Kshatriya, the law says that he should go to Teerth Yaatraa before
we can marry me." The King got very happy to hear this; and
Chandraprabhaa and Manaswee also got very happy to postpone the matter for
some time. The king sent this message to treasurer but then the
treasurer's son also put a condition that he would go to pilgrimage but
till he returns, Seetaa would live in his house. The King had to send
Seetaa to his house and Seetaa left Chandraprabhaa weeping bitterly.
Seetaa
was handed over to his third and youngest wife Saubhaagya Sundaree who was
about her own age. He prohibited them to go out of the palace till he
comes back and he went away for pilgrimage.
Now
Seetaa got tired of being Seetaa in six days. She took out the pill from
her mouth, and she became Manaswee again. He met the punishment for this
with which Maldev had warned him. The pill had slipped down his throat and he
could not change himself to Seetaain the morning, so he had to run from Saubhaagya
Sundaree's room through a window. He broke his ankle and lay down on the
ground for some time.
The
Braahman Returns
After
leaving Manaswee at the King's palace, Maldev changed himself into his original form and told his friend Shashi
what he had done. Shsshi scolded him badly that he committed a grave sin
by showing this kindness to him. Maldev said - "I have warned him about the
calamity he might face." Shashi said - "You have put a sharp
weapon in a fool's hand." "I have not." "Yes, You
have, and you will suffer for it." "He will not, by Brahmaa."
"He will, by Vishnu. And if within six months he does not disgrace
himself, you will have my whole book case; and if he does then
philanthropic Maldev will use all his skills to procure the King's
daughter as a wife for his faithful friend Shashi." And they decided
not to talk about it until Fall.
One
day they found out secretly that Seetaa had disappeared from Treasurer's
house mysteriously and had not been heard since then. This convinced
Maldev that his friend had won the bet. So he gave one pill to old Shashi
who became a 20-year old young man as he put that pill in his mouth; and
he put another pill in his mouth and went to the King in the same guise in
which he appeared before the king first time. The King at once recognized
the priest and understood the purpose of their coming. He welcomed them.
After the formal greetings the king asked him where he had been for such a
long time. The old Braahman said - "I have found my son, I have come
now to take my daughter-in-law. Where is she?" The King told him
everything.
Maldev
got very angry at this. He said - "What have you done? Why did you
give his wife to another man? You have done what you wished, now accept my
curse." The King immediately fell on his feet because of fear of his
curse and said - "I will
do whatever you will say, please, do not curse me." Maldev said -
"Then give your daughter to my another son. Only on this condition I
can forgive you. To me now, a necklace of pearls and a poisonous Krishn
snake; the most powerful enemy and the kindest friend; the most precious
gem and a clod of earth; the softest bed and the hardest stone - all are
the same. All I want that now I should spend my remaining days in some
holy place."
The
King immediately called the astrologer and asked him to tell him the
auspicious moments to marry his daughter to this Braahman's son. He did
not consult the princess. So the Braahman took the King's daughter and his
dowry and went away to his home.
Hardly
Chandraprabhaa was married to Shashi, Manaswee went to Shashi and asked
him to return his wife. Shashi said - "She is my wife, not yours. I have married her ceremoniously in front of
several Pandit and people, therefore she is my wife." Manaswee swore
that he had been legally married to her, and he was the father of her unborn child also, how could she be his spouse? He tried to look for
Maldev but he had already disappeared by then. He called Chandraprabhaa, but she also put
on an innocent face and denied that she had ever seen this man."
Vaitaal
said - "But many people believed Manaswee's story and still think
that he was legally married to the King's daughter. Nobody knew that
Manaswee was the father of that unborn child. Now since Shahshi was
legally married to her, she was his wife, the child was his, he would
perform his last rites etc etc.
"Which
justice is often unjust enough." And Vaitaal ran away from Vikram's
bundle. When Vikram had brought him again, he started telling another
story.
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