Parwati And The Beggar-man
: Deccan Nursery TalesOnce upon a time there was a town called Atpat. In It there lived
a Brahman. He had seven daughters, and when they had reached a
marriageable age he asked them who would arrange their marriages
and bring them handsome husbands and make their fortunes. The six
eldest daughters said, "Papa, Papa, you of course. You will arrange
our marriages and bring us handsome husbands and make our fortunes
for us." But the youngest d
got into a temper all about nothing, and she stamped her foot, and
she turned her back on her father and said, "I will arrange my own
marriage, and I will get a handsome husband for myself, and I will
make my fortune myself." The Brahman was very angry with her, and so
how do you think he punished her? He first searched about and found
six rich and handsome boys. Then he married them with great pomp and
display to his six eldest daughters. But the youngest girl he gave in
marriage to a miserable beggar-man. You never saw such a beggar-man
as he was! There was not a spot on his skin that was not black with
leprosy, and his feet and hands had rotted right off. If you had seen
him you would have said, "If that beggar-man does not die to-day
he will certainly die to-morrow. For he cannot possibly live any
longer!" When the marriage was celebrated, the little girl's mother
filled her lap with pulse and then handed her over to the beggar-man
to see what sort of fortune would be hers. But in a few days the
beggar-man died. His corpse was taken to the burning-ground, and
his little widow followed it. But when his relatives wanted to burn
the body, she forbade them and told them to go away. For she said,
"My fortune is still to come, whatever it may be." They all got round
her and tried to persuade her that there was no use in her staying by
the corpse, but she would not mind what they said. At last they were
quite tired out and went home, leaving her in the burning-ground. When
they had gone she took her husband's corpse on to her lap. Then she
prayed to the god Shiva and said:
"My parents disown me. O why was I born
Both as orphan and widow to live all forlorn?"
As she prayed, she put the pulse which her mother had put into her
lap grain by grain in the dead man's mouth. Then she sat there crying
until midnight. Now it happened that on that very night Shiva and
Parwati were in their chariot driving through the air over that very
place. Parwati said suddenly to her husband, "I hear a woman crying,
let us go and see what it is." The god Shiva drove his chariot down to
earth. He and Parwati got out and saw the Brahman's youngest daughter
crying. They asked her what the reason was, and she told them. Then
Parwati pitied her and said, "Your aunt has acquired great merit by
her piety and devotions. You go to her and get her to give you all
her merit and so you will bring your husband back to life." The god
Shiva and Parwati then mounted on their chariot and disappeared. Next
morning the little widow left her husband's body, went to her aunt's
house and begged her to give her all the merit which she had acquired,
and told her the cause of the request. The aunt was very good and
gave her all her own merit. The little widow then went back to the
burning-ground and with its aid brought her husband back to life. But
this time he was no longer a beggar-man black with leprosy and with
feet and hands that had rotted away. He was a beautiful young man
with well-shaped feet and a beautiful fair skin, and the little widow
took her husband back to her father's house. "Papa, Papa," she said,
"you turned me out, but the gods have brought me back, and good fortune
came to me without your bringing it." The father was too frightened
of Parwati to say anything, so he held his peace. And the little girl
and her husband, the beggar-man, lived happily ever afterwards.
More
-
Nonsense Alphabet
BY EDWARD LEAR A was an ant Who seldom stood still, And who made a nice house In the side of a hill. a Nice little ant! B was a book With a binding of blue, And pictu... Nonsense Rhyme
from the Negro quarters Jay-bird a-sittin' on a Hickory limb. He winked at me, I winked at him. 'Taint gwine to rain no mo'. Hawk and Buzzard went to law; Hawk fell down and broke his jaw. 'Taint gwine to... North Acre
The Lord Dacre Was slain in North Acre. North Acre is or was the name of the spot where Lord Dacre perished at the battle of Towton in 1461. He is said to have been shot by a boy out of an elder tree. ... Norwegian Bird-legends
The Norwegians have several quaint old legends connected with some of their birds. This is the story of the goldcrest, known in Norway as the "bird-king": Once upon a time the golden eagle determined to be publicly acknowledged as king of the b... Not Angles But Angels
In old days the people of England were not all free, as they are now. Sometimes young men, and women, and little children were sold as slaves, and had to work hard for their masters. Many of these slaves were sent to Rome, for the Romans thought... Noureddin And The Fair Persian
Balsora was the capital of a kingdom long tributary to the caliph. During the time of the Caliph Haroun-al-Raschid the king of Balsora, who was his cousin, was called Zinebi. Not thinking one vizir enough for the administration of his estates he ... Number Rhymes
1, 2, 3, 4, 5 One Two Three Four Five I caught a hare alive. Six Seven Eight Nine Ten I let it go again. ... Nursery Antiquities
Although the names of Scott and Grimm may be enumerated amongst the writers who have acknowledged the ethnological and philosophic value of traditional nursery literature, it is difficult to impress on the public mind the importance of a subject a... Nursery Songs
The earliest and simplest form in which the nursery song appears is the lullaby, which may be defined a gentle song used for the purpose of inducing sleep. The term was generally, though not exclusively, confined to nurses: Philomel, with m... Oeyvind And Marit
Oeyvind was his name. A low barren cliff overhung the house in which he was born, fir and birch looked down on the roof, and wild-cherry strewed flowers over it. Upon this roof there walked about a little goat, which belonged to Oeyvind. He was kept... Oh Where Are You Going?
Oh, where are you going, My pretty maiden fair, With your red rosy cheeks, And your coal-black hair? I'm going a-milking, Kind sir, says she, And it's dabbling in the dew Where you'll find me. ... Oh Where Do Fairies Hide Their Heads?
BY THOMAS HAYNES BAYLY Oh, where do fairies hide their heads When snow lies on the hills, When frost has spoiled their mossy beds, And crystallized their rills? Beneath the moon they cannot trip In circles o'er... Oisin's Mother
CHAPTER I EVENING was drawing nigh, and the Fianna-Finn had decided to hunt no more that day. The hounds were whistled to heel, and a sober, homeward march began. For men will walk soberly in the evening, however they go in the day, and dogs wi... Old Hopgiant
Once upon a time there were two neighbors: one of them rich and the other poor. They owned a great meadow in common, which they were supposed to mow together and then divide the hay. But the rich neighbor wanted the meadow for himself alone, and... Old King Cole
"Old King Cole was a merry old soul, And a merry old soul was he: He called for his pipe, and he called for his bowl, And he called for his fiddlers three. Every fiddler had a fine fiddle, And a very fine fiddle ... Old Mother Hubbard
Old Mother Hubbard Went to the cupboard To get her poor dog a bone; But when she came there The cupboard was bare, And so the poor dog had none. She went to the baker's To buy him some bread, ... Old Mr Owl Writes A Book
"Old Mr. Owl wanted to write a book and he asked the fairies how to set about doing it," commenced daddy. "'Well,' said the fairy queen, 'it makes a good deal of difference, old Mr. Owl, what you want to write about.' "'What nonsense!' he ... Old North Wind
Old North Wind lived away up in the North Pole Land in the winter, and there her children, the Icebergs, grew. Old North Wind was very proud of her huge children, and when the long, cold winter was at an end she said: "My big, strong children, ... Old Sultan
A shepherd had a faithful dog, called Sultan, who was grown very old, and had lost all his teeth. And one day when the shepherd and his wife were standing together before the house the shepherd said, 'I will shoot old Sultan tomorrow morning, for he... Ole-luk-oie The Dream God
THERE is nobody in the whole world who knows so many stories as Ole-Luk-Oie, or who can relate them so nicely. In the evening while the children are seated at the tea table or in their little chairs, very softly he comes up the stairs, for he wa... On Popular Education
I suppose each of us has had more than one occasion to come in contact with monstrous, senseless phenomena, and to find back of these phenomena put forward some important principle, which overshadowed those phenomena, so that in our youthful and e... Once I Saw A Little Bird
Once I saw a little bird Come hop, hop, hop, So I said, "Little bird, Will you stop, stop, stop?" I was going to the window To say, "How do you do?" But he shook his little tail And far away he f... One Little Girl
One little girl Said, "Oh, dear, dear, I want to go to school, I will be late, I fear. "I am sure I won't forget To brush my teeth to-night, Just to put off a while, ... One's Own Children Are Always Prettiest
A sportsman went out once into a wood to shoot, and he met a Snipe. "Dear friend," said the Snipe, "don't shoot my children!" "How shall I know your children?" asked the Sportsman. "What are they like?" "Oh!" said the Snipe, "mine are the p... Orianna
Bunny White, one night when the Fairies were holding a revel, peeped out of his window to see the frolic, for Bunny and the Fairies were the best of friends because members of Bunny's family had for ages drawn the carriage of the Queen. But to... Orion The Hunter And His Fight With The Bull
<p>In the 49th Tale I told you there were two giants among the mighty hunters in the sky, Boötes, whose adventure with the Bears you have already heard, and Orion. (O-ry´-on).</p> <p>Orion was the most famous of all. In his day men had no ... Our Baby
Mrs. Chang, Mrs. Lee, Mama has a small babee; Stands up firm, Sits up straight, Won't eat milk, But lives on cake. ... Our Baby
One head with curly hair, Two arms so fat and bare, Two hands and one wee nose, Two feet with ten pink toes, Skin soft and smooth as silk, When clean, 'tis white as milk. ... Our Little Enemies
"Hello, Central, give me 1882, Mrs. Consumption Germ. Oh, is that you, I am so glad to hear your voice. Do tell me what you have been doing this long time!" "Oh, my good friend Pneumonia, I have been hiding away all these years to keep the doct... Our Stories
A is Aladdin B is Little Boy Blue C is Cinderella D is A Year with Dolly E is Echo and Narcissus F is The Fisherman and his Wife G is The Gingerbread Boy H is The House that Jack Built I is Indian Le... Our Visitors
By Isabel Lyndall When grandma comes to visit, She very often brings Her satchel full of cookies, And ginger cakes and things. Grandpa carries in his grip For Dorothy and me, One of the newest toys th... Over In The Meadow
BY OLIVE A. WADSWORTH Over in the meadow, In the sand, in the sun, Lived an old mother toad And her little toadie one. "Wink!" said the mother; "I wink," said the one: So she winked and she blinked ... Owl With The Great Head And Eyes
Long ago, when Glooskap was the ruler of the Indians in Eastern Canada, and when the animals all worked for him and talked like men, Wolf was one of Rabbit's enemies. On the surface they seemed to be friends, but each was afraid of the ot... Owney And Owney-na-peak
BY GERALD GRIFFEN When Ireland had kings of her own--when there was no such thing as a coat made of red cloth in the country--when there was plenty in men's houses, and peace and quietness at men's doors (and that is a long time since)--there l... Pace-egging
It is a custom in some parts of England for boys to go round the village on Easter eve begging for eggs or money, and a sort of dramatic song is sometimes used on the occasion. The following copy was taken down from recitation some years ago in the ... Paperarelloo
Once upon a time there lived a king and a queen who had one son. The king loved the boy very much, but the queen, who was a wicked woman, hated the sight of him; and this was the more unlucky for, when he was twelve years old, his father died, and h... Parwati And The Beggar-man
Once upon a time there was a town called Atpat. In It there lived a Brahman. He had seven daughters, and when they had reached a marriageable age he asked them who would arrange their marriages and bring them handsome husbands and make their fortune... Parwati And The Brahman
Once upon a time there was a town called Atpat. In it there lived a poor Brahman. When the month of Bhadrapad came round, every household bought little images of Parwati, and the women began to walk about the streets and sound gongs. When the poor B... Parwati And The Priest
Once upon a time there was a town called Atpat. In it there was a temple to the god Shiva. One day when Shiva and his wife Parwati were walking about they happened to come to this temple. They sat down there and began to play saripat. [17] After som... Past History
BY EDWARD LEAR a A was once an apple-pie, Pidy, Widy, Tidy, Pidy, Nice insidy, Apple-pie! b B was once a little bear, Beary, Wary, ... Pat A Cake
Pat a cake, pat a cake, baker's man. So I do, master, as fast as I can. Pat it, and prick it, and mark it with T, And then it will serve for Tommy and me. ... Pat A Cake
A Froebel Finger Play Baby, would you like to make For yourself a little cake? Pat it gently, smooth it down. Baker says: "Now, in to brown; Bring it here, baby dear, While the oven fire burns clear." "Baker,... Pat-a-cake
"Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker's man Bake me a cake as quick as you can Pat it and prick it, and mark it with B, And put it in the oven for baby and me." Hurry it, hurry it, baker's man; Bring it to us as quick ... Peas
Children get the pods of a pea, and flinging them at each other, cry Pea-pod hucks, Twenty for a pin; If you don't like them, I'll take them agin. The hucks are the shells or pods, and agin the provincial pronuncia... Peerifool
There was once a King and a Queen in Rousay who had three daughters. When the young Princesses were just grown up, the King died, and the Crown passed to a distant cousin, who had always hated him, and who paid no heed to the widowed Queen and her... Persephone
Demeter had the care of all the plants, fruits and grains in the world. She taught the people how to plow the fields and plant the seeds. She helped them gather in their harvests. They loved the kind earth-mother and gladly obeyed her. Th... Peter Bull
From the Danish. There once lived in Denmark a peasant and his wife who owned a very good farm, but had no children. They often lamented to each other that they had no one of their own to inherit all the wealth that they possessed. They continu... Phaethon
Phaethon was the son of Helios, who drove the chariot of the sun. He lived with his mother, the gentle Clymene, in a beautiful valley in the east. One day when Phaethon was telling his companions about his father, the sky king, they laughed and... Pheasants
Wild fowls are called pheasants in the Caucasus. There are so many of them that they are cheaper there than tame chickens. Pheasants are hunted with the "hobby," by scaring up, and from under dogs. This is the way they are hunted with the "hobby."... Philemon And Baucis
On a high hill in Greece, long ago, lived Philemon and Baucis. They had always been poor but never unhappy. At the time of this story the people in the valley below them were very busy. Zeus, their king, had sent word that he was about to vis... Philip's Horse
Little Philip was very fond of horses, and as he was too old to sit on a chair or box or trunk and make believe a rocking-horse was pulling it along his bedroom floor, his father bought him a horse all spotted brown and white, with a beautiful wh... Pigeons
Pigeons never do know woe, Till they do a benting go. This means that pigeons are never short of food except when they are obliged to live on the seeds of the grass, which ripen before the crops of grain. The seed-stalk of grass is ca... Pimpernell
No heart can think, no tongue can tell, The virtues of the pimpernell. Gerard enumerates several complaints for which this plant was considered useful, and he adds, that country people prognosticated fine or bad weather by observing i... Pinkel The Thief
Long, long ago there lived a widow who had three sons. The two eldest were grown up, and though they were known to be idle fellows, some of the neighbours had given them work to do on account of the respect in which their mother was held. B... Pip's Adventure
ALL that little Philip Pirrip, usually called Pip, knew about his father and mother, and his five little brothers, was from seeing their tombstones in the churchyard. He was cared for by his sister, who was twenty years older than himself. She had... Pivi And Kabo
When birds were men, and men were birds, Pivi and Kabo lived in an island far away, called New Claledonia. Pivi was a cheery little bird that chirps at sunset; Kabo was an ugly black fowl that croaks in the darkness. One day Pivi and Kabo though... Places And Families
This division, like the last, might be greatly extended by references to Ray and Grose. ... Planning A Picnic
While he was only a fawn Nimble became very fond of water lilies. But he didn't carry them as a bouquet, nor wear one in his buttonhole. He was fond of lilies in a different way: he liked to eat them, and their flat, round, glossy pads. At night h... Plantation Stories
BY GRACE MACGOWAN COOKE I.--MRS. PRAIRIE-DOG'S BOARDERS Texas is a near-by land to the dwellers in the Southern States. Many of the poorer white people go there to mend their fortunes; and not a few of them come back from its plains, homesick... Pockets
Pockets are fine For marbles and twine, For knives and rubber bands; So, stuff them tight From morning till night With anything else but hands! ... Poison Ivy Or The Three-fingered Demon Of The Woods
<div> <img src="/images/i184.png" alt="The Poison Ivy" title="The Poison Ivy" height="400" width="275" /> The Poison Ivy </div> <p>You have been hearing about good fairies and good old Mother Carey and Medicine in the Sky. Now I am going to warn you a... Polly Was The Heroine Of The Fire
Jack and Evelyn had been to see a friend of theirs who owned a parrot. The parrot, whose name, of course, was Polly, had completely fascinated them. She could dance when a tune was whistled, she took sugar from her mistress's mouth, and she cou... Poor Old Mr Owl's Toothache
Evelyn had been eating a great deal of candy--so much that it had given her a very bad toothache--and when daddy came home he found her curled up on the bed looking very mournful. Jack had been trying to comfort her, but he hadn't been able to ... Pork And Honey
At dawn the other day, when Bruin came tramping over the bog with a fat pig, Reynard sat up on a stone by the moorside. "Good day, grandsire," said the fox. "What's that so nice that you have there?" "Pork," said Bruin. "Well, I have got a... Poussie Baudrons
"Poussie, Poussie Baudrons, Where hae ye been?" "I've been at London, Seeing the Queen!" "Poussie, Poussie Baudrons, What got ye there?" "I got a guid fat mousikie, Rinning up a stair." "Poussie... Preston
Proud Preston, poor people, Fine church, and no steeple. ... Prince Bayaya
THE STORY OF A MAGIC HORSE While the king of a distant country was off at the wars, his wife, the queen, gave birth to twin sons. There was great rejoicing throughout the court and immediately messengers were despatched to the king to carry him n... Prince Cherry
Long ago there lived a monarch, who was such a very honest man that his subjects entitled him the Good King. One day, when he was out hunting, a little white rabbit, which had been half killed by his hounds, leaped right into his majesty's arms. S... Prince Darling
ONCE upon a time there lived a king who was so just and kind that his subjects called him "the Good King." It happened one day, when he was out hunting, that a little white rabbit, which his dogs were chasing, sprang into his arms for shelter. Th... Prince Darling
Once upon a time there was a young Prince who was so well liked by everyone in the kingdom where he lived that they named him Prince Darling. This boy's father, the King, was a very good man, and his subjects loved and respected him for his jus... Prince Featherhead And The Princess Celandine
Once upon a time there lived a King and Queen, who were the best creatures in the world, and so kind-hearted that they could not bear to see their subjects want for anything. The consequence was that they gradually gave away all their treasures,... Prince Fickle And Fair Helena
There was once upon a time a beautiful girl called Helena. Her own mother had died when she was quite a child, and her stepmother was as cruel and unkind to her as she could be. Helena did all she could to gain her love, and performed the hea...