From the folklore of Kashmir
In a certain country there lived a king that had sixteen hundred wives, but only one son. This son the king very much wished to marry to a princess as beautiful as his son, and who was the only daughter of another king equal in honour with himself, and who also had the same number of wives.
The king who had the only son possessed a very wise and faithful parrot, whose counsel he very much valued, and whose help he generally sought on difficult occasions. Accordingly he sent for the bird at this time, and informing it of his wish, bade it go and seek for such a wife for his son. The parrot agreed, asked the king to fasten the likeness of the prince to one of its legs, and flew away. It soon reached one of the neighbouring countries, where, on account of the heavy rain, it was obliged to seek shelter in a wood. It espied an old hollow tree, and thought that it would be a most comfortable place to rest in; but just as it was flying into the hollow a voice came out therefrom, saying, “Enter not, for if you enter you will be deprived of your sight.” So the parrot alighted on a twig that grew by the trunk of the tree, and waited. Presently a maina bird came out of the hollow and flew down beside the parrot, and entered into a long conversation, during which it spoke of the errand on which it was then going. Their meeting was most opportune, as will be seen the maina was looking for a beautiful prince, the only child of a great king, who had sixteen hundred wives, to try to arrange for a suitable match for the only daughter of his royal master, who also had sixteen hundred wives. Of course, the parrot replied that his master must be that king, and his master’s only son the prince who should marry the princess. The parrot also showed the maina the likeness of the prince.
Then they went both together to the country of the king with the only daughter. On their arrival a servant of the palace saw them, and informed the king that the maina whom he had trusted had formed an alliance with a parrot, and was so taken up with its friend that it had altogether forgotten His Majesty’s order. When the king heard this, he immediately ordered both the birds to be shot. For envy, the servants had thus maligned the bird’s character. Expecting this, the maina had flown down by the upper window of the assembly-room, and heard the king’s cruel order. “Come away, come away; let us fly up out of reach of their arrows,” it said to the parrot. “The king has been made angry against us on a false charge.” so they flew together, and were presently out of reach and out of sight. The king’s servants went about to kill them; but when they had spent several hours in vain search for them they returned, comforting themselves with the thought that the birds had been apprised of the royal order, and had betaken themselves to safer regions.
For some days the birds waited, till they though the matter was almost forgotten; and then one morning they both flew into the palace, and perched themselves, the parrot on the right knee of the king, and the maina on his left knee. “Tell us,” they said, “why do you wish to kill us? We are faithful. These people envy us; therefore have they lied against us. See, O king, and judge this thing that has come to pass. We both belong to kings famous in valour, in wisdom, and in wealth. Both of these kings have sixteen hundred wives. One of the kings has one only son, and the other king has one only daughter. These two kings, though they had never seen or heard of one another, yet wish their children to be united in marriage. The one king is seeking for such a daughter as the other king possesses, and the other king is seeking for such a son as the first king possesses. Behold, O king, the servants of these two kings before you. By divine will we met in a wood just outside Your Majesty’s dominions, and have come to tell you this good news.” As they said these last words the parrot held up to the king the likeness of the beautiful prince.
The king was as much astonished as he was pleased. At first he could hardly believe the birds, but the likeness convinced him. He took the beautiful picture, and sent it to the royal zanana, with the request that his sixteen hundred wives would look at it and say whether they approved of it or not. Some days passed. The likeness was not returned to the king. The princess was so fascinated with it, that she would not let it out of her hands. After a while an answer came, saying that the prince was unanimously accepted, and should be quickly called for the wedding, as the princess was dying to see him.
As soon as this answer reached the king, he ordered the parrot to depart and tell his master that a suitable princess had been found, and that he should send his son prepared for the wedding within four months. The parrot bowed reverently and left.
On arrival in its country the bird informed the king of its successful journey. The king was very glad. He immediately ordered arrangements on a grand scale to be got ready for the coming event. The most costly raiments were to be provided for the prince; the most magnificent trappings were to be made for the horses; the soldiers were to have a splendid uniform; presents of various kinds – the most costly jewels, the finest cloths, the rarest fruits, the most expensive spices and perfumes were to be prepared. Everything was remembered and ordered. The months soon passed. What with preparations and expectations the time seemed to fly. But a few days remained before the prince had to start, when alas! His father fell sick and died. It was a terrible trial, a tremendous disappointment. The prince was obliged to defer his departure; for to have started at such a time would have shown a great want of respect for his father. Accordingly he waited awhile.
As soon as the days of mourning for his father were accomplished the prince started. The parrot showed the way. It was not far, so that the wedding company quickly reached the princess’s country. The prince pitched his tents in a garden near the palace. Would that he had never entered that garden, for there the parrot died! The faithful bird was shot by the gardener for throwing down dates to the king. And no sooner had this great trouble come upon him than the prince heard that the father of the princess had refused to sanction her marriage with him, now that his father was dead.
Some days after the prince had encamped in this garden, the princess was going for an airing in her duli, when she chanced to pass by that way, and looking into the garden, recognized the prince from the likeness that she had in her possession. She said nothing at the time, but at once had the duli turned round, and went back to the palace. She had seen her beloved. From that hour she began to get better. At meal-time that evening she ate only half her food; the other half she sent with the likeness to the prince. She ordered her maid to beg the prince to eat it, and if he would not, to ask him to thrust his finger into it. The maid obeyed. The prince declined to eat it, but had no objection to putting his fingers into the plate of good, on doing which he discovered his own likeness in the midst of the rice. “She loves me,” he said to himself; and having wiped his hands, he wrote a letter to the princess, and sent it by the hands of the maid. When the princess read the letter, she was filled with an intense longing to go to the prince. At midnight she ordered her horse to be go ready, and taking some bags of ashrafis, she rode to the garden where the prince was encamped. The prince was surprised to see her. “Be not surprised,” she said. “I love you, and therefore have escaped to you. The king, my father, will not sanction our marriage. Come, have your horse saddled, and fly with me to your own country. There nothing can harm us.”
Presently two people might have been seen riding hastily along the great road that led out of that city. For some hours they proceeded at this swift pace, and then lay down under a tree to rest. The next morning, refreshed and strengthened, they continued their journey. They had not proceeded far before seven robbers mounted on horseback met them. “Let us flee,” exclaimed the prince, “for we cannot fight them.” On this they both whipped their horses and rode at a tremendous rate. But the robbers were well mounted also, and their horses were fresh. “It is of no use,” cried the prince. “Look! They gain on us. What shall we do?”
“Then we must meet them,” replied the princess. And saying this, she turned in her saddle, and discharged an arrow in their faces, and then another, and another, until she had shot seven arrows and killed the seven robbers.
Glad and thankful, they then resumed their journey, and that night reached a certain village where lived a jinn, who had a son with only half a body. The prince and princess halted by a pond in this village. While they were sleeping the jinn told her son to go quickly and slay the prince, and afterwards bring back the princess and the horses and treasure to the house. The wretched man went, glad at the prospect of shedding blood. Scarcely had he performed the cruel deed, when the princess awoke. Looking about, she saw the dead body of her lover, and the horrible deformed man standing over it. She laughed, and said, “I am so glad that you have killed him. Now take me, and make me your wife. First, however, bury the corpse, and then we will go.” A grave was quickly got ready, and the princess was called to inspect it. “Too small,” she said; “dig deeper.” The man dug down another foot or so. “Still too small,” she said. The man dug yet wider and deeper; but while he was bending down over his work the princess seized his sword that was lying by, and cut off his head.
When she had avenged herself, she burst into tears. Her beloved was dead. She took up the corpse and carried it close to the brink of the pool, and there sat down beside it weeping and lamenting. It was a sad time for her. Fain would she have died.
While she was thus weeping, the wife of a very hold man who lived in that village passed the place. Seeing her great distress, the woman stopped and inquired what was the matter. The princess pointed to the dead body, and explained everything. “Have patience,” said the woman. “I may be able to help you. Wait here till I come again.”
On reaching home that evening, the woman told her husband the sad case of the princess, and begged him to restore the prince to life. “Sorrow, sorrow!” exclaimed the holy man. “Oh that the place were rid of this devilish woman and her dreadful son! I will go and comfort the princess by restoring the prince to life.” He went and found the princess most anxiously waiting for tidings of the help that had been half promised her in the morning. “I know your state,” said the holy man, “and have come to help you. I will give you back the prince.” Then he took the head of the corpse in one hand, and the body in the other hand, and pressed them together. The two parts reunited; the eyes opened; the lips unclosed; the tongue spoke. When the princess saw this she could not restrain herself: she rushed forward, fell on the prince’s breast, and wept for joy. It was an exceedingly glad time, and not the least joyous of the three was the holy man who had done this thing.
That night the prince and princess went to another place. Here the life of the princess was in great danger. A jadugaruni (witch) who lived in this place had a daughter, who on seeing the prince wished to have him for her husband. Accordingly she devised the following plan. She persuaded her mother to invite the prince and princess to their house, and while the prince was inspecting the rooms, she threw a cord round his neck and changed him into a ram. By day the ram followed her whithersoever she went, and at night, as soon as the cord was taken off its neck, it became a prince again, and slept with her. Several days thus passed.
The princess was in great distress. She did not know what to suppose. Sometimes she thought that he had deserted her, and sometimes she thought that he had been slain. At last she could bear it no longer, and therefore disguised herself as a man, and went to the king of that country and begged for employment. The king was pleased with her appearance and speech, and appointed her one of his deputy-inspectors of police. The princess was especially rejoiced at this appointment. It was just what she had desired, because in this position she was best able to find the prince. Many secrets of many houses were known to the deputy-inspector, and the whole body of the police were sharp and ready servants at his pleasure. The deputy-inspector had only to explain the height and appearance of any person, and bid the police to search for such a one, when the whole country would be scoured until the man was found. The princess, however, could not discover anything about the prince, although she got to know that the woman in whose house she and the prince had stayed was a jadugaruni. Constantly she visited this house, and saw the ram running about, but knew not that it was the prince, her beloved, and that the daughter of the jadugaruni had metamorphosed him. A great friendship sprang up between the deputy-inspector and this girl. Of course, the latter though that the deputy-inspector was a real man. She became very fond of the deputy-inspector, and gave her several presents, among which was a piece of the most beautiful cloth that had ever been seen.
We shall now see what this piece of beautiful cloth had to do with the princess’s future. One morning a servant from the palace happened to pass a window before which the deputy-inspector had hung some of this cloth. He was struck with its beautiful colour and texture, and, on returning to the palace sought an interview with the queen, and told her what he had seen. The queen desired very much to see some of the cloth, and so went to the king and begged him to speak to the deputy-inspector about procuring some of it for her. His Majesty did so, and the deputy-inspector sent him all the cloth that she had. When the queen saw it, she was fascinated with it and entreated the king to order some more.
“This is difficult, However, I will try to fulfill Your Majesty’s wish,” replied the deputy-inspector, when the king spoke to her of the queen’s order. On leaving the king she went straight to the house of the jadugaruni to inquire where she could get some more of the cloth.
“Alas! I am afraid I cannot help you,” said the jadugaruni. “My brother, who is a jadugarun, went a long time ago to a far country. He sent me this cloth.”
“Then write and ask him to send you some more,” said the deputy-inspector.
“I cannot,” replied the jadugaruni. “He has slain every human being in that country, and now, excepting himself, only lions dwell there. My brother keeps these lions in a state of semi-starvation by feeding them with a kind of grass, which they do not much like. Consequently, when any person approaches the place, a lion is certain to burst forth from some thicket or from behind some rock and slay him. Several venturesome folks have thus lost their lives. How can I send any one – I dare not send any one on such a risky errand.”
“Tell me,” said the deputy-inspector, “where your brother dwells, and I myself will go, for go I must; otherwise the king will take away my life. There is no safety for me here unless I can get this cloth. I dare not stay here another day. So tell me where your brother lives, and I will go and see him.”
“Stay,” said the jadugaruni. “Since your state is thus, I must help you. I have here a small earthen vessel, with which my brother’s life is bound up. As long as this earthen vessel continues safe in my keeping, he will continue well; but directly it is broken, he will be broken. However, I will break it, for my daughter loves you.” Saying this, she dashed the vessel on the ground. “Now go and fear not. The lions will now eat grass, or whatever they wish, and will not need to slay every human being that comes near them. Go, and may you prosper.”
Little did the jadugaruni think that the deputy-inspector was the princess, the betrothed of the prince whom her daughter had metamorphosed into a ram.
The following morning, having obtained leave from the king, the deputy-inspector started with a small company of soldiers. On reaching the country she at once sought for the jadugarun’s house. This was soon found, and as was expected, was filled with piles of cloth. Lots of other treasure was also discovered. The deputy-inspector took everything, and hastened back to the king. His Majesty was so pleased with the success of the expedition that he loaded the deputy-inspector with presents and appointed her his successor.
A few years have passed. The old king is dead. The deputy-inspector reigns. She had got an inkling of what has happened to the prince, and accordingly orders all the rams in the city to be gathered before her. All the rams are driven together into one place, and she herself examines them, and speaks to each, but not one of the rams responds to her call or is recognized by her. Then she orders the police to go and search diligently and see whether there are any that have disobeyed her order. Some policemen come to the jadugaruni’s house, and find that she has not sent her ram. They seize the ram by the cord and lead it away to the king. The jadugaruni tries very hard to keep possession of the charmed cord, but in vain. The police will not allow her to have it. Away they go, leading the ram by the piece of cord. The king notices their coming, and goes forward a little to meet them, when lo! The cord suddenly breaks, and a prince, young and beautiful, stands before her. “Surely,” she exclaimed, “this jadugaruni must be a very wicked woman. Such a woman ought not to live. Let her be executed tomorrow at dawn. Concerning the prince, let him stay in the palace.”
Sources:
Folk-Tales of Kashmir, J Hinton Knowles, 1893
Kotharian Lightning 