FOLK LORES

The Magic Seeds

 

It was a dark, moonless night. Occasional flashes of lightning lit up the sombre scene and caused an eerie dance of jerky and frightening shadows in the cremation ground. Occasionally, the spine-chilling howl of a jackal or the blood-curdling laughter of evil spirits cut into the silence that hung, shroud like over the area. Altogether, it was a scene that could strike terror into the bravest of hearts. But nothing could daunt the intrepid King Vikram. Once again, he made his way to the ancient gnarled tree where the corpse was hanging. A bone crunched under his feet and a screeching ghost rose from the dust in shuddering frenzy as he marched ahead.

Unperturbed, the king reached the tree and brought down the corpse. Slinging it astride his shoulder, he had just begun his return journey when the vampire that possessed the corpse said, “O King! I fail to understand why you are toiling like this. Is it for your own benefit, or to help someone else? If it is in the name of service that you are risking life and limb, it is an utterly foolish pursuit. To illustrate, let me tell you the story of Parmeshwar who ruined not only his own life but that of his son, all in the name of charity and service.” The vampire then narrated the following story.

There once lived, in a village named Jagannathpuri, a man named Parmeshwar. People knew him as a great philanthropist; he went out of his way to help others, even by selling off or mortgaging his property. Soon he became a pauper. On his deathbed, he told his son, Arjun, “I’ve done you a great injustice, my son. A father is expected to leave a good legacy for his son; but I’m leaving you a terrible legacy of debt! But don’t lose heart. Continue helping others, as I have done. If ever you find yourself in need of help or guidance, go to our village priest, Ramanand. It was he who introduced me to this way of life.” Those were his last words.

Soon after Parmeshwar’s death, his house was besieged by his creditors who stormed in and took away whatever they could lay their hands on. But all the debts could not be liquidated with this; Arjun found that he still had to repay a loan of a thousand gold coins; and he did not have a single paisa to pay up. He was in utter despair.

Suddenly, he remembered his father’s advice. He decided to call on Ramanand to see if he could help him. The priest welcomed him and said, “Your father performed many acts of charity. You will surely reap the benefits of his piety!”

Arjun, who by now was in depths of despair, bitterly retorted, “Sir, my father spent a whole lifetime helping others; but what did he gain? Nothing!”

“My boy, it appears that you don’t know how your father lived,” said Ramanand. “In his childhood, he was stricken by a terrible disease that caused its victims waste away until they died. The patient would also suffer excruciating pain, as if his body were being endlessly

pricked by needles. It was then that your father took to practising charity as a way of life, and it was this which cured him

  However, Arjun did not believe this story. He demanded some proof. The priest directed him to meet Raghunath the physician, who had treated Parmeshwar for his illness. Raghunath confirmed the story, telling Arjun that Parmeshwar had indeed been beset by a terrible disease. “I had to tell your father that it was incurable,” he told Arjun. “I’ve no idea how he finally got cured; it’s nothing short of a miracle! Not only did he get completely cured, but afterwards he never had a day’s illness for the rest of his life! I believe the priest, Ramanand, had something to do with it.”

Now Arjun was convinced of Ramanand’s claim. He went back to him and asked for guidance. Ramanand handed him a bagful of seeds. “These are magic seeds. If you sow one seed, it will grow into a plant in a day. Within a week, the plant will grow to a gigantic tree, providing shelter to men and beasts and a home to birds. Planting these seeds amounts to an act of piety.”

Arjun thanked him and took the bag of seeds. Going in search of a suitable spot to plant the first seed, he reached the outskirts of the village. His eyes fell upon a barren, arid plot with not a tree in sight. ‘This seems to be an ideal place,’ he thought and began digging there.

While digging, a gold coin came into his hands. It had the figures of Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Vishnu embossed on its sides. ‘What a lucky break! This must be my reward for my first good deed,’ Arjun said to himself.

After planting the seed, he continued his journey. Soon he reached the neighbouring village. Feeling tired, he sat down on the verandah of the first house he saw.

Just then the owner of the house, Ramesh, came out. He suspected that the stranger might be a thief. Despite Arjun’s protests, Ramesh searched his person.

“My God!” shouted Ramesh as he came upon the gold coin. “Why, this is the sacred coin from my pooja room. I had lost it six months ago! So I was right, after all. You are a thief!”

Ramesh summoned the rest of his family. They identified the coin, and showered abuses on Arjun.

 Poor Arjun, unable to bear the unjust accusations any longer, cried out at last. “Please listen to me! I’m no thief. I’m the son of Parmeshwar of Jagannathpuri. Arjun then told them his story. “While digging, I came across the gold coin. I did not steal it!”

Arjun’s story took Ramesh by surprise. Like others in his village, he too had heard much about Parmeshwar. the famous philanthropist of Jagannathpuri. Arjun’s story had an unmistakeable ring of truth to it and Ramesh realised that he himself had erred in his judgment. The son of such a great man could not possibly be a thief.

Ramesh apologised to Arjun for his misbehaviour. He offered him refreshments and requested him to be his guest for a while. Arjun agreed. As they were chatting, on his host’s prompting he related the whole story of his misfortune.

Ramesh listened attentively. He was feeling quite guilty for having harassed an honest and good-natured man, and wished to make amends. At the end of the narration, an idea struck him. He said, “I shall take you to our village zamindar. A meeting with him would benefit both of you.” Arjun agreed.

While on their way, Ramesh told him all about the problem the zamindar was facing. Two years ago, his young and beautiful daughter, Radhika, had been suddenly beset by a debilitating disease. Apparently it was the same disease which had afflicted Arjun’s father, for, the symptoms were the same. She had wasted away to a mere skeleton, and was suffering excruciating pain as if she was pricked by needles all over her body, to boot! The physicians attending on her had given up all hope. They had given her a month or two to live, at the most.

Ramesh said to Arjun, “This is where you come in. A learned physician, who was specially called in from afar to examine the patient, has told the zamindar that there was only one cure for the disease. If Radhika could spend a day in a grove of a hundred trees, all sprouted from the magic seeds that grow in a week’s time, and breathe in that air, she would be cured! Now, you have the magic seeds which can save her life. If you cure her, you will not only have done an act of great service but also earned the zamindar’s goodwill and gratitude – both of which would surely benefit you!”

They met the zamindar, who was delighted by Arjun’s story. He quickly identified a plot on his vast estate which was suitable for growing a hundred trees, and directed Arjun to plant his seeds there.

Alas! Arjun had only ninetynine seeds with him (as he had already sown one seed outside the village). After he had finished his task, the zamindar sent word to the physician, asking him if that would do. Back came the reply that it would most certainly not do – for the cure to take effect, there had to be exactly a hundred trees, not even one less!

As the crestfallen zamindar was wondering what to do, unexpected help arrived in the form of a tantrik who claimed to have a remedy for the disease. But it was a somewhat bizarre remedy. “The girl can be cured if her disease is transferred to someone else,” he declared. “I have the power to do this transfer. But there is a condition – the other person has to come forward voluntarily and be fully ready to accept all the consequences!”

For a moment, there was a stunned silence. Then, both the zamindar and his wife stepped forward, proclaiming their willingness to take upon themselves their daughter’s ailment. But the tantrik, after staring at each one in turn, finally declared, “I’m sorry, but neither of you is fit for this experiment!”

The next moment, Arjun stepped forward to tell the tantrik that he was ready to accept the disease so that Radhika would get cured. The tantrik muttered some incantations and splashed some water on him. Lo and behold, the next moment Radhika got up from her bed, the picture of perfect health! But Arjun groaned in pain and collapsed on the ground as if he was about to die.

Before long, the priest Ramanand heard of what was happening in the next village and reached the zamindar’s house to meet Arjun. He said, “Surely Arjun could be cured by the air of the hundred-tree grove. But what a pity that I have no more seeds left! Ah, well, Arjun is as

great a philanthropist as his father. May God come to his rescue!”

As the days passed, the seeds sown by Arjun took root and grew into large trees. Arjun was taken to sit in the shade of the grove. By evening, he was fully cured of the disease!

Meanwhile, Radhika had fallen in love with the largehearted young man who had so selflessly taken her sufferings on himself to help her. Her parents, who too were impressed by Arjun’s sacrifice, fell in with her wishes and got the two married.

Concluding the story at this point, the vampire shot the following questions at King Vikram: “Parmeshwar might have got his disease cured by his philanthropy, but he lost all his wealth. As for Arjun, his selfless service caused him to reach the verge of death by a dreaded disease! So, what good did it do him? Secondly, how did Arjun get cured by the trees though there were only

99 of them? And finally, why did the tantrik say that Radhika’s parents were unfit to take the disease on themselves? Answer my questions, O King, or else your head would explode into a thousand fragments!”

King Vikram calmly replied, “Helping others is definitely a noble and desirable thing. Although initially it might be difficult to practise, ultimately it brings good results. Remember that Parmeshwar was cured of a dreaded, incurable disease only by virtue of his philanthropy! In Arjun’s case, too, although he had to undergo so many travails, eventually he was rewarded for his nobility by becoming the heir to the zamindar’s wealth. This is the answer for your second question also – obviously, the merit earned by his piety was what cured Arjun though there were only 99 trees. And lastly, Radhika’s parents volunteered to take on her disease out of selfish motives – because she was their daughter and it was, after all, their duty to look after her. But Arjun’s readiness to accept the disease speaks volumes about his totally unselfish nature!”

As soon as he had finished speaking, the vampire, along with the corpse, got off his shoulder with a jerk and flew back to the tree. With a little sigh, King Vikram squared his shoulders and retraced his steps towards the tree, his dogged determination evident in his steady gait. 

The Melody Flower

A determined KingVikramaditya walked up to theancient tree again. He broughtthe corpse down and carryingit on his shoulder, started offtowards the cremation ground insilence. Then the Vetala spokefrom inside the corpse: "OKing, normally monarchs areused to an easy life. During theirreign, they wish to experienceas many pleasures of life as theymay. You, too, are a monarchand yet you're staying awayfrom these worldly pursuits,undergoing here the mostterrible hardships. Surely, theremust be a compelling reasonbehind this. Probably, it is inorder to fulfil the wishes of someemperor and, thereby, to attain somegoal that you are pursuing me withoutfear for your life. You forget thatcremation grounds are abodes ofdemons, ogres, poisonous snakes,and bloodthirsty beasts. You may ormay not succeed in your pursuits, butthrough them you shall forever bebound to the present and shall beunable to attain immortality. It isimpossible for a king like you to livea life that even monks and sageswould find hard. You seem to haveundertaken a task unbecoming of aking. It is, however, not too late. Turnback and live a life of comfort. Payheed to this story of musicianGandharva."

The Vetala began the narration: Inthe village of Chandanpur lived twoprosperous men, Kubera and Suchela.They owned magnificent mansions,with large courtyards and gardens.Each possessed vast tracts of fertileland. More than everything else, theywere both good natured and kind.However, they differed in theirmanner and behaviour.

While Kubera was extremelybusiness minded, Suchela was apatron of the arts. He would inviteartistes who visited Chandanpur tohis home. Before they went away, hewould also shower them with gifts.Although Kubera did not shy awayfrom doing the same, he would do soonly if asked.

 There was a musician namedGandharva in Gangapur who haddiscovered that in Chandanpur was hisoriginal ancestral village, although hisforefathers had migrated and settleddown in Gangapur.

No one knew what Gandharva'sreal name was. Many years earlier aking had, in appreciation of histalent, named him thus. He had goneand sung at many towns and villages.He was now keen to visit his ancestralvillage in Chandanpur and give arecital.

He, however, faced a dilemma.Over the years, he had become usedto a life of comfort and luxury. Every 21 September 2001 day he would bathe in rosewater ina pond specially dug for him. For hisfood, he would have new recipes totickle his palate. As he could not bearheat, he would stay in rooms withchicks on the windows constantlysprinkled with cool water.

Therefore, Gandharva performedonly for people who could afford toprovide such luxuries. Now that hehad decided to visit Chandanpur, hesent his servant Pulinda to find out ifthere were rich persons who wouldbe ready to look after his needs.

In Chandanpur, Pulinda was told about Kubera and Suchela. He wentto Kubera first and told him aboutGandharva's 

 Kubera said, "My house has allsuch facilities and luxuries and Idon't mind Gandharva staying withme. But I'm not an admirer of musicnor of any other art. So I won't beable to spend any time with him norshall I attend any of his concerts. Iwould suggest your meetingSuchela."

Pulinda then went to meetSuchela. He was overjoyed. "It's anhonour to the village and my extremegood fortune to have such a famoussinger visiting us. I shall get a ponddug for him and arrange for the bestcooks and dancers for his pleasure.And I shall be at hand as long as hestays here."

Pulinda returned and explained tohis master whatever he had learnt.Gandharva was pleased, too, and hesent word to Suchela to await hisarrival in Chandanpur in a month'stime.

As Gandharva prepared for hisjourney to Chandanpur, he wassummoned by the King of Gangapur.The Queen Mother had taken ill andwished that Gandharva sang for her.

So Gandharva postponed his visitto Chandanpur, and went to performfor the Queen Mother. She wasoverjoyed. "No medicine hasprovided me with such peace of mind.Please sing for me every day for amonth."

 Gandharva spent the next sixmonths in the forest and did exactlyas directed by the Royal physician.He felt all discomforts for the first few days, but he soon gotaccustomed to his new environs. Infact, every day a new raaga rose inhis lips and his voice became moremellifluous.

When the first flower hadblossomed, he took it to the capital.The potion made from the flowercured the Queen Mother of heraffliction, much to everyone's joy andamazement.

The news of Gandharva and his‘Melody Flower' reached the ears of the ruler of neighbouringViswapuri. He requested the King of Gangapur to allow the singer to visit his kingdom. Gandharva then left forViswapuri. Before leaving,Gandharva told Pulinda not to inform Suchela about his trip to Viswapuri.

The King of Viswapuri was spell bound by Gandharva's voice. He had never experienced such a state of blissful peace. He very much wished to keep Gandharva in his palace. But he feared the King of Gangapur might not agree to let him go. He consulted his own physician.

He said, "Your majesty, for many years now, you've been seeking such peace of mind. Where my medicines failed, Gandharva's music ha ssucceeded. True, there's something very special about his voice. It could possibly be its novelty. Once then ovelty wears out, you might lose thispeace that you have discovered. One of the ancient texts refers to the‘Melody Flower'. Just as the King of Gangapur obtained this flower for his mother, you should also obtain it and get cured of your worry and anxiety."

At the request of the King of Viswapuri, Gandharva spent another six months in the forests. He collected the Melody Flower, gave it  to the king, and returned home to his life of luxury.

One day Pulinda reminded him of his promise to visit Chandanpur. Immediately Gandharva said, "Inform Kubera that I'm visiting Chandanpurand that I shall stay with him as his guest."

The Vetala now turned to King Vikram aditya and said, "O King, Gandharva's decision indicates that he was confused. Suchela had for along time dutifully awaited his visit. Doesn't it seem odd that he forsook Suchela's hospitality and decided to stay with Kubera? Doesn't he appear to have lost his mind? Having lived an austere life in the forests, Gandharva indulged himself after returning to the town. Isn't it possible that he now believed he could adapt to any sort of life? I'm sure that you know the answers to my doubts, but if you remain silent, your head shall explode into smithereens."

Vikramaditya had the answers ready: "Without external pressures and compulsions, when a human being willingly changes himself, the fact that he rejoices in the novelty of a changeis very true. However, what guided Gandharva's ‘strange' decision is the Melody Flower. It was enough excusefor him to postpone his visit to Chandanpur twice. And he was notcertain if a visit wouldn't be postponed again. Gandharva wisely knew that journeys are always suncertain and indefinite. He had begun to like Suchela, but did not want to trouble him. Gandharva could guess that as soon as Suchela heard of his visit, he would again startpreparations and would suffer heavy losses in the event of another postponement. He, therefore, decided to become Kubera's guest as he would not waste any effort preparing for his visit. Neither was Gandharva mentallyun sound nor was his decision in anyway strange."

Having successfully brokenVikramaditya's vow of silence, the Vetala disappeared along with the corpse and flew back to the ancient tree.

The Prince And The Gandharvas

The cremation ground presented an eerie spectacle on that dark night. The pitch darkness was relieved only by occasional flashes of lightning that lit up the sombre scene. Occasionally, a jackal's spine-chilling howl or the blood-curdling laughter of some invisible evil spirit cut into the silence that hung like a shroud over the area. But nothing could daunt King Vikram. Once again, he made his way to the gnarled tree from which the corpse (Vetal) was hanging.

Oblivious to everything but the mission at hand, he brought the hanging corpse down by cutting the rope with his sword. Slinging it astride his shoulder, he had just begun his return journey when the Vetal said, "O King! This is a very difficult task that you are performing. Perhaps you have taken it on yourself as a favour for someone else. But I hope that when the person offers to reciprocate by doing something that will benefit you, you won't rashly decline the offer in a fit of emotion, as Prince Vasant of Kirtipur did. Listen to his story."

 "Shaktiteja, the king of Gandharvaloka (the domain of the gandharvas , or demi-gods), had a beautiful daughter named Swarnamanjari. However,Chitravarnika - another nymph was considered to be the most beautifulin Gandharvaloka. This caused Swarnamanjari much heartburn. She becamebitterly jealous of Chitravarnika, and was forever looking for anopportunity to hurt her in some way.

Swarnamanjari's opportunity came when her father took her on a visitto earth. She was so taken in by earth's beauty that she lost no timein boasting to all her friends about the marvelous sights she had seenwhen she went back home. It was not long before her stories of theearth reached Chitravarnika's ears. The vivid description caught herfancy, and filled her with a longing to visit this new place and seeits wonders with her own eyes. She told her friends that she had madeup her mind to leave for earth soon.

When King Shaktiteja heard the news from his daughter, he summonedChitravarnika to his court and curtly announced, "Chitra, no denizen ofGandharvaloka may descend to earth without my permission. If you stillinsist on going, you shall lose all your celestial powers. However, ifyou are able to worship at a sacred pilgrim spot within fifteen days ofreaching earth, you will regain your powers. Only then can you returnto Gandharvaloka."

The king's warning did not daunt Chitravarnika; if anything, it onlystrengthened her determination to make the journey. Floating throughair, she made her descent to earth. She landed beside a beautiful brookin the midst of a forest. The crystal clear water of the brook enticedher to take a dip. She stepped into the water and had a refreshingbath. As she emerged from the brook and tried to soar into the air, sherealised that she had lost her power to fly.

The gandharva king's words had come true. Just then, a youngman came riding a horse. On seeing Chitravarnika, he reined his horseand asked, "Young lady, may I know who you are and what you're doing atthis lonely spot? You don't look like an ordinary woman, but like somecelestial nymph." With a sigh, Chitravarnika answered, "You're right,I'm agandharva maiden. But I have lost my celestial powers,only because I committed the crime of visiting your land!" Seeingsympathy in the young man's eyes, she then told him the whole story.

The young man introduced himself. "I am Vasant, the crown-prince ofKirtipur. With a week left for my coronation, I'm currently out on atour of my kingdom to get to know it better. I shall take yousightseeing and show you the most beautiful places on earth. In return,I'd like you to take me to Gandharvaloka. I wish to study theadministrative policies there, so that I can implement them in my ownkingdom when I become the ruler."

"Your aim is a lofty and commendable one indeed," praisedChitravarnika. "But O prince, I myself have lost the power to fly backto Gandharvaloka. Unless I worship at the holiest pilgrim spot on earthwithin fifteen days, I cannot get my power back. So how can I take youthere - much as I would love to?"

Vasant assured her that he would help her. "The holiest destination that I can think of is Mount Kailas , abode of Lord Siva and Goddess Parvati ," he said, "I can take you there."

On hearing this, Chitravarnika's eyes lit up with hope and sheasked, "But would we be able to make it there in just fifteen days?""Why not? It can be done if we leave right away," he repliedconfidently.

Concluding the story, the Vetal said, "O king, Prince Vasant took the trouble to escort Chitravarnika all the way to Kailas , as a result of which she was able to regain the powers she had lost. In return, he requested a chance to visit Gandharvaloka, not for his personal enjoyment, but for the noble cause of studying the methods of administration used there, with the intention of implementing them in his own kingdom. Then why did he change his mind and turn down Chitravarnika's offer of taking him there? Wasn't it the height of foolishness to turn down this golden opportunity? Was it out of fear of the gandharva king's wrath? Or was it an impulsive decision spurred by hurt pride and anger? If you know the answer, speak out - otherwise, your head shall shatter into pieces!"

 Calmly and unhesitatingly, King Vikram answered: "The reason Prince Vasant wished to study the administration of Gundharvaloka was because he had considered it an exemplary domain, inhabited by ideal beings. But the gandharvaking Shaktiteja's unjust and unreasonable behaviour, goaded by his daughter's jealousy, which Vasant subsequently witnessed made him understand the gandharva s were far from ideal. They too had the same weaknesses as human beings - perhaps to a worse degree! So, there was nothing to be learnt from their methods of administration. This, coupled with the thought that Chitravarnika would have to suffer her king's punishment for taking him to Gandharvaloka, made him drop the idea of visiting that land. There is nothing foolish about his decision."

On hearing this, the Vetal nodded in approval and moved off the king's shoulder with a jerk and flew back to the tree. King Vikram gave a little sigh as he gazed upon the scene. Then, he squared his shoulders, drew his sword and retraced his steps towards the ancient tree.