Mahalaxmi And The Two Queens
:
Deccan Nursery Tales
Once upon a time there was a town called Atpat. In it there lived
a king who had two queens. Of one of them he was very fond, but
the other one he did not care for. The name of the favoured one was
Patmadhavrani, and the name of the unloved one was Chimadevrani. Now
the king had an enemy called Nandanbaneshwar. Such a terrible enemy
he was too! He could jump into the clouds or dive into the bottom of
the ocean. At one
oment he would shoot up into heaven. At another he
would sink down into hell, and through fear of his enemy, the king had
become as dry and as thin as an old bit of stick. One day the king, in
despair, assembled all his subjects and ordered them to seek out and
kill Nandanbaneshwar. All the subjects said, "Certainly, certainly,
O King," and began to search everywhere for Nandanbaneshwar. Now in
Atpat there lived a poor woman who had one son. On hearing the orders
of the king, he said to her, "Mother, Mother, give me some bread,
for I am going out to kill the king's enemy." The old woman said,
"Do not be silly; you are only a poor boy, and people will laugh
at you. Here, take this bit of bread and go and eat it behind a
tree." The boy said, "Very well," and took the bread. But, after
taking it, he joined the other villagers and went at their head to
seek out and kill Nandanbaneshwar. But when evening fell they had
not yet met Nandanbaneshwar, so all the villagers returned home. And
when the king heard of their ill-success he was greatly grieved. But
the old woman's son stayed in a wood outside the village. And lo
and behold! just about midnight the serpent-maidens from Patala [7]
and the wood-nymphs came close to where he was and began to worship
Mahalaxmi. The boy was at first terribly frightened, but at last he
plucked up courage enough to ask, "Ladies, ladies, what does one gain
by worshipping Mahalaxmi?" "Whatever you lose you will find," said the
serpent-maidens from Patala; "and whatever you want you will get." The
boy resolved that he too would worship Mahalaxmi. And he joined the
serpent-maidens from Patala and the wood-nymphs, and all night long
they blew on earthen pots to do the goddess honour; and the woods
echoed and re-echoed with the deep-booming noise which they made. [8]
At dawn Mahalaxmi revealed herself, and all of them, the boy included,
prostrated themselves before her and asked for her blessing. She first
blessed the serpent--maidens from Patala and then the wood-nymphs. And
then she blessed the poor old woman's son and said, "You will get half
the kingdom of Atpat and half the king's treasure. He will build you a
house as high as his own, and he will give you the name of 'Navalvat'
or 'Wonderways.' For this very morning the king's mighty enemy will
break his neck and be found lying dead in the king's courtyard,"
With these words the goddess vanished and flew to Kolhapur, [9] and
the old woman's son went home. Now at dawn Queen Patmadhavrani got up
and went into the king's courtyard, and there she saw Nandanbaneshwar
lying dead from a broken neck. She was overjoyed, and ran back
into the palace to tell the king. The king inquired who had killed
Nandanbaneshwar. Every one said that the old woman's son must have
killed him, because he stayed behind when the others went home. The
king sent for the old woman's son. He was very frightened, and when
he reached the royal hall he called out, "I have made no false charge
against any one. I have done no one any harm. Why, therefore, O King,
have you sent for me?" "Do not be afraid," said the king. "My enemy
Nandanbaneshwar is dead, and every one says that it is you who killed
him. Tell me if this is true." "No, O King," said the boy, "he was
killed by the arts of Mahalaxmi." "Where did you meet her?" asked the
king. The boy said, "I stayed when the other villagers returned home,
and during the night there came the serpent-maidens from Patala and the
wood-nymphs. They taught me how to worship Mahalaxmi. In the morning
she revealed herself and promised me that Nandanbaneshwar would be
found lying dead, that you would give me half your kingdom and half
your treasure, that you would build me a palace as high as your own,
and that you would call me Navalvat or Wonderways." The king did as
the goddess had foretold. He handed half his provinces and half his
treasuries to Wonderways, and built him a palace of which the roof
was exactly on the same level as that of his own palace.
When Queen Patmadhavrani heard what had happened, she sent for
Wonderways and asked him how to worship Mahalaxmi. And he told
her all that he had seen the serpent-maidens of Patala do, and
he also told her on the eighth day of the month of Ashwin [10] to
tie on her wrist a thread with sixteen strands in it, and to wear
it continually for the rest of the month. When the 8th of Ashwin
came, Queen Patmadhavrani dutifully tied round her wrist a thread of
sixteen strands, and resolved to wear it every day for the rest of the
month. But a day or two later the king came to Queen Patmadhavrani's
apartments and began to play saripat [11] with her. As they played
he noticed the thread on her wrist and asked what it was. She told
him how Wonderways had instructed her to tie it on. But the king got
very angry and roared out, "I have in my palace garlands and twine,
bracelets, and hobbling-ropes. So throw away that wretched piece of
thread. I will not let you wear it." The queen did as she was bid, and,
pulling off the thread bracelet, threw it on the floor. Next morning
the maids and the slave-girls began to sweep the palace, and among
the sweepings one of them noticed the queen's thread bracelet. She
picked it up and showed it to Wonderways, and he grew very wroth with
Queen Patmadhavrani. He took the thread and at once went with it to
the palace of the unloved Queen Chimadevrani. He told her what had
happened, and she begged him to give the thread to her and to tell
her how to worship Mahalaxmi. But he said, "You will grow vain and
get so conceited that you will not do what I tell you to do." But
she promised that she would obey him in everything. So just as he had
told the Queen Patmadhavrani, he told Queen Chimadevrani all the rites
which he had seen the serpent-maidens from Patala and the wood-nymphs
perform. Everything went on just the same for a whole year. But the
next year on the 8th of Ashwin a very strange thing happened. The
goddess Mahalaxmi disguised herself as an old beggar-woman and
came to Atpat. First she went to the part of the palace where Queen
Patmadhavrani lived. But no one there was paying the least honour
to the goddess Mahalaxmi, although it was the 8th of Ashwin, and
therefore specially sacred to her. Mahalaxmi was dreadfully put out
at this, and when she saw Queen Patmadhavrani she said, "Lady, lady,
Patmadhavrani, mother of sons, what have you in your house to-day?" The
queen replied, "I have nothing in my house to-day." The old woman
went on, "Lady, lady, Patmadhavrani, mother of sons, if you give
this beggar-woman a little water, you will acquire merit sufficient
for all your kingdom." But the queen replied, "Even if I were to
give you a copper cauldron of water it would not suffice for all my
kingdom." The old woman then said, "Lady, lady, Patmadhavrani, mother
of sons, if you give this old beggar-woman a little rice and curds,
you will gain enough merit for all your kingdom." The queen replied,
"Even if I were to give you a big dinner of nothing but rice and curds,
I should not gain enough merit for all my kingdom." Then the old woman
got very angry and cursed the queen, saying, "You will become half a
frog and half a human being, and you will stand outside your co-wife's
bath-room and croak like a frog." But the queen did not mind her the
least little bit, and she laughed so loud at the old woman that the
noise was like two chains rattling together. Mahalaxmi went off in a
great rage and entered Queen Chimadevrani's part of the palace. There
she saw all the accessories of worship ready, and there was a beautiful
image of Mahalaxmi leaning against the wall; The old woman cried,
"Lady, lady, Chimadevrani, mother of sons, what have you in your house
to-day?" "To-day," said the queen, "we are worshipping Mahalaxmi." Then
the old beggar-woman said, "I am Mahalaxmi." But the queen doubted and
asked her, "By what sign shall I know you?" The goddess replied, "In
the morning I shall take the shape of a little girl. In the afternoon
I shall take that of a young married woman. In the evening I shall
become an old hag." After the goddess had taken all three shapes,
Queen Chimadevrani called her into the palace and bathed and anointed
her. She gave her a silk skirt and a platform to sit upon. Then she
sent for Wonderways, and both of them worshipped the old beggar-woman
and blew on earthen pots in her honour. The king heard the blowing
on the pots and told a sepoy to find out why there was such a noise
in Queen Chimadevrani's quarters. The sepoy went there, and when he
saw what was happening joined also in the worship. After a little
while he went back and told the king. The king said that he would
go there too. He followed the sepoy, and Queen Chimadevrani came
to the steps and met him and took him upstairs, where both played
at saripat until dawn. And all the time Mahalaxmi sat by and watched
them. At dawn Queen Chimadevrani asked Mahalaxmi for her blessing. She
blessed the queen and said, "The king will take you back with him to
the palace, and your co-wife will become half frog, half human being,
and will have to croak outside your bath-room while you bathe." But
Queen Chimadevrani begged the goddess not to place such a terrible
curse on Patmadhavrani. The goddess relented a little, but said,
"The king will drive her into the jungle for twelve years." At these
words she vanished and flew to Kolhapur. When the sun rose the king
placed Queen Chimadevrani in his chariot and drove her to his own
part of the palace. He then sent a message to Queen Patmadhavrani
asking her to join them. Shortly afterwards Queen Patmadhavrani
appeared, dressed all in rags with a skirt round her legs and her
hair all unfastened. On her head was a pot full of burning coal,
and she began to shout and scream at the top of her voice. The king
became very angry and roared out, "Who is this that is shouting
and screaming? Is it a ghost or a she-devil or what?" The sepoys
replied, "O King, it is neither a ghost nor a she-devil, it is your
Queen Patmadhavrani." "Take her into the jungle," roared the king,
"and kill her there." Then he went back into the palace and began
to live in great happiness with Queen Chimadevrani. But the sepoys
took Patmadhavrani into the jungle and told her that they had been
ordered to kill her. She began to weep. The sepoys were kind-hearted
men and they felt very sorry for her. They said, "Lady, lady, do not
weep. We have eaten bread and drunk water at your hands so we cannot
kill you. We will leave you here, but you must never come back into
the kingdom again." The sepoys left her and returned to Atpat. But
the poor queen wandered on until she came to a distant town, where
she entered a coppersmith's lane. Therein a coppersmith was making
bangles for a beautiful young princess who had just been crowned
queen of the city. But suddenly none of the bangles would join. He
began to search for the cause, and asked his workmen whether any
stranger had come near his house. The workmen looked about and found
Queen Patmadhavrani in hiding close by. They told the coppersmith,
and he and his men beat her soundly and drove her away. She ran
into the lane of some weavers who were weaving a sari for the new
queen. Suddenly none of the looms would work. They began looking
about to see if any stranger had come. After a little while they found
the queen. So they beat her soundly and drove her away. Then she ran
out of the town back into the jungle. There she wandered about until
she came to the cave of a rishi or sage. The rishi was sitting lost
in meditation. But she bided her time, and, when he went to bathe,
she slipped into the cave and swept it and neaped it and tidied up
all the utensils used by him for worship. Then she slipped out of
the cave and ran back into the jungle. This went on every day for
twelve years without the rishi showing that he was aware of what she
was doing. But in his heart he was really pleased with her. And one
day he called out in a loud voice, "Who is it who sweeps and neaps my
cave? Whoever she is, let her step forward." The queen stepped into
the presence of the rishi and threw herself at his feet and said, "If
you promise not to punish me, I shall tell you." The rishi promised,
and she told him her story. The rishi took out his magic books and,
consulting them, learned that Mahalaxmi had cursed her. So he taught
her how to worship Mahalaxmi, and all night long they blew on earthen
pots and performed rites in her honour. At dawn she revealed herself
and the queen asked her for her blessing. But the goddess was still
very angry with the queen. Then the rishi joined her in begging the
goddess's pardon, and at last she relented. She said to the queen,
"Put under that tree a foot-bath full of water, sandal-wood ointment,
plates full of fruit, a stick of camphor, fans made of odorous
grasses; and handle them all so that they retain the fragrance of
some scent which the king will remember you used. To-morrow the king
will come. He will be thirsty. He will send his sepoys to look for
water. They will see all your things ready. And when they go back and
tell him, he will come himself." Next morning, as the goddess had
foretold, the king came. He saw the cool shade of the tree. He was
tired with hunting, so he sat down and rested. He washed his feet
in the foot-bath. He ate up all the fruit, drank the cold water,
and sucked the stick of camphor. When he had rested to his heart's
content, he asked the sepoy, "How is it that in the water I drank,
in the fruit I took, in the camphor I ate, I noticed a scent which
Patmadhavrani always used?" The sepoys replied, "If the king promises
to pardon us, we will tell him." The king promised. The sepoys then
told him how they had not killed the queen, because they had eaten
bread and had drunk water at her hands, but had let her go. The king
told them to look and see if she was anywhere about. They searched
and searched until they came to the rishi's cave. Then they ran back
and told the king. The king rose, and going to the cave did homage to
the rishi. The rishi accepted the homage and lectured him at great
length. At last he ordered the king to prostrate himself before the
queen. The king obeyed, and the rishi handed Patmadhavrani back to
his care and blessed both her and her husband. The king put her in
his chariot and took her to Atpat. Outside the town the king stopped
his chariot and sent for Queen Chimadevrani Chimadevrani bathed
and anointed herself, and put on all her silk clothes, her shawls,
her embroideries, and her jewels. In front of her she placed all the
horn-blowers of Atpat. And as she went to meet the king they blew their
very loudest on their horns. The king was amazed when he heard the
noise, and roared out, "Who is coming with such pomp and splendour? Is
it the serpent-maidens of Patala or is it the wood-nymphs who live
in the heart of the forest?" The sepoys said, "O King, it is neither
the serpent-maidens of Patala nor is it the wood-nymphs who live in
the heart of the forest. It is Queen Chimadevrani, who is coming to
meet you as you ordered." The king turned to Patmadhavrani and said,
"If you had come in this guise to meet me, instead of coming like a mad
woman, you would never have suffered as you did." Queen Patmadhavrani
said nothing, but sat still in the chariot, and the king lifted Queen
Chimadevrani into the chariot, and all three entered the city. And as
they entered, the horn-blowers blew so loud that every one was quite
deafened. And the king lived from that time forth in perfect happiness
with both his wives. And because of his happiness, he ruled so well
that his subjects thought that King Ramchandra of Ayodhya had come
back to rule over them.