Tale Bearer : Gyan Mama
Once when times were old and coughing, there was a young prince looking for a girl to marry. Courtiers and soldiers set out in all directions to search for his bride-to-be and the prince also went accompanied by one such group. After travelling through many different places they came to a huge mansion, a beautiful girl stood in the balcony, eating paan.
Incidentally she spit out the paan while the prince was passing below. And some of the ‘peek’ fell on the prince’s clothes. The prince was extremely annoyed at her and said –
The senapati of the kingdom stepped forward saying he would himself ensure the thief was caught, and he went to the outskirts of the city. It was a still moonless night not a soul moved. He however continued to wait, when the clock struck midnight he saw there was a beautiful woman coming. She was wearing a colorful lehenga chunri, carrying a nicely decorated pooja thali, and wearing lots of ornaments she made her way alone in the night. The senapati was very surprised when he saw her, he walked up to her and said – “Who are you, where are you off to in the middle of the night? Don’t you know about the very dangerous and clever thief Behram Chor?” The woman replied – “I live around here in the outskirts, my husband was out of town for a very long time. And while I waited for his return I made a 'mannat' (oath) in my heart to Lord Shiva that if he came back safe I would go to the temple at midnight and do pooja. I am on my way to do it, who is this thief Behram Chor you talk about? I don’t know anything about him”
The woman replied – “Oh! that’s really very brave of you. But tell me how will you catch him using shackles? I don't know how thieves are caught. Do one thing, bind me up in them and show me”
The senapati replied –“Dear Sister how can I bind you up? here, you bind me and then you can free me” So the woman put the shackles on the senapati.
As soon as she was done, the woman raised a hue and cry – “Behram Chor is here, Behram Chor is here” soldiers who had come to assist the senapati, were hiding near by. They came running on hearing the woman’s cries for help. It was pitch dark so they did not recognize the senapati, they captured him and threw him in jail. When it was morning then people realized it was the senapati who had been captured and not the thief. The people thought –“Oh this is really a very clever thief, he got the senapati to be put in jail”
The next day there was a baniya who came to the king's court, he came complaining Behram Chor had cut off his thumb. Then king thought to himself –"The thief's becoming a bigger problem day by day, I will go and catch him myself.” And the king dressed himself as a commoner and went looking that night. The entire city slept but wandering he reached a small hut where there was a small lamp burning. Outside the hut there sat an old lady who went grinding corn and she went muttering –
“Why did you get me (the king) to grind corn?”
Once when times were old and coughing, there was a young prince looking for a girl to marry. Courtiers and soldiers set out in all directions to search for his bride-to-be and the prince also went accompanied by one such group. After travelling through many different places they came to a huge mansion, a beautiful girl stood in the balcony, eating paan.
Incidentally she spit out the paan while the prince was passing below. And some of the ‘peek’ fell on the prince’s clothes. The prince was extremely annoyed at her and said –
“ Agar meri iss ladki se shaadi hogi to main ise shaadi ke baad chhod dunga”
“If I get married to this girl, I will leave her after I get married”
The girl was much annoyed to be talked to this way, so when she heard the prince say this replied – “Agar meri is ladke se shaadi huyi, aur isne mujhe chhoda to main isse chakki piswanungi”
“If I get married to this boy and he leaves me, I will ensure I make him grind corn (a kind of punishment)”
But as luck had destined, the prince's father decided and the prince was married to the very same girl, when the old king passed away the young couple became king and queen. They lived happily for few years, but one day the king remembered his words, and he banished the queen to the forest.
When the queen was sent away she was due with a child, she made a hut in the forest and gave birth to a son, years passed and her son grew up, one day he asked his mother about his father and she told him all. The young boy was very clever he told her -"Don't worry Ma, I will take your revenge".He gathered people from the villages around and started a talk about a thug called Behram who went robbing and deceiving people at midnight. Soon the news spread to the city and the capital city was in chaos. The kingdom announced a big reward for anybody who nabbed the thief.
When the queen was sent away she was due with a child, she made a hut in the forest and gave birth to a son, years passed and her son grew up, one day he asked his mother about his father and she told him all. The young boy was very clever he told her -"Don't worry Ma, I will take your revenge".He gathered people from the villages around and started a talk about a thug called Behram who went robbing and deceiving people at midnight. Soon the news spread to the city and the capital city was in chaos. The kingdom announced a big reward for anybody who nabbed the thief.
The senapati of the kingdom stepped forward saying he would himself ensure the thief was caught, and he went to the outskirts of the city. It was a still moonless night not a soul moved. He however continued to wait, when the clock struck midnight he saw there was a beautiful woman coming. She was wearing a colorful lehenga chunri, carrying a nicely decorated pooja thali, and wearing lots of ornaments she made her way alone in the night. The senapati was very surprised when he saw her, he walked up to her and said – “Who are you, where are you off to in the middle of the night? Don’t you know about the very dangerous and clever thief Behram Chor?” The woman replied – “I live around here in the outskirts, my husband was out of town for a very long time. And while I waited for his return I made a 'mannat' (oath) in my heart to Lord Shiva that if he came back safe I would go to the temple at midnight and do pooja. I am on my way to do it, who is this thief Behram Chor you talk about? I don’t know anything about him”
The senapati replied – “You see Behram Chor is a very clever thief, we hear news of him from all over the kingdom so I am waiting here to catch him, see here I have these shackles, when I catch him I will bind him up”.
The woman replied – “Oh! that’s really very brave of you. But tell me how will you catch him using shackles? I don't know how thieves are caught. Do one thing, bind me up in them and show me”
The senapati replied –“Dear Sister how can I bind you up? here, you bind me and then you can free me” So the woman put the shackles on the senapati.
As soon as she was done, the woman raised a hue and cry – “Behram Chor is here, Behram Chor is here” soldiers who had come to assist the senapati, were hiding near by. They came running on hearing the woman’s cries for help. It was pitch dark so they did not recognize the senapati, they captured him and threw him in jail. When it was morning then people realized it was the senapati who had been captured and not the thief. The people thought –“Oh this is really a very clever thief, he got the senapati to be put in jail”
The next day there was a baniya who came to the king's court, he came complaining Behram Chor had cut off his thumb. Then king thought to himself –"The thief's becoming a bigger problem day by day, I will go and catch him myself.” And the king dressed himself as a commoner and went looking that night. The entire city slept but wandering he reached a small hut where there was a small lamp burning. Outside the hut there sat an old lady who went grinding corn and she went muttering –
“Abhi yahan aayega, Mere Paas Baithega, Chillum Ganja Peeyega”
“He will come, sit near me, and have a smoke”
The king went to her and asked –“Who will come, what are you saying?”. The old woman said – “I was saying that its about time that Behram Chor will come here and have a smoke”. The king was very surprised; he said “Really! does Behram Chor come here?" The old woman said "Yes, he comes here for a smoke in the night" So the king said "Give me your shawl Amma (mother), I will cover myself and sit here grinding corn in your place, when Behram Chor comes I will catch him”."But who are you?" the old lady asked. "I am the king I am out looking for Behram Chor" he replied, So the old woman gave him her shawl and went away, while the king sat in the middle of nowhere grinding corn waiting for the the thief to come. Nobody came for a long time.
When it was close to daybreak the king saw his queen coming from the distance. They were very surprised to see each other, the king asked her "Why are you here?" the queen replied "I am here looking for our son, Why are you here?". The king replied "I am here to catch Behram Chor"
The queen said – “Behram Chor? There is nobody named Behram Chor, our son took that name to take revenge on you". The king was very happy to see his queen, he had been very sorry for his actions all these years so he said- “That doesn’t matter now come let us go back”.
When it was close to daybreak the king saw his queen coming from the distance. They were very surprised to see each other, the king asked her "Why are you here?" the queen replied "I am here looking for our son, Why are you here?". The king replied "I am here to catch Behram Chor"
The queen said – “Behram Chor? There is nobody named Behram Chor, our son took that name to take revenge on you". The king was very happy to see his queen, he had been very sorry for his actions all these years so he said- “That doesn’t matter now come let us go back”.
The king and queen then made their way to the palace, but Behram Chor didn't come with them so the next day the king made an announcement that if Behram Chor would come on his own, he would not be punished.
On hearing the announcement the king's son, went to the bazaar, he bought himself some nice fine clothes dressed himself as richly as a prince, he hired some servants and musicians and came in a big procession to see the king. Now the king was very happy to see his son but he had matters to settle so the king asked "Why did you bind my senapati?"
The son replied "I asked him to tie me up first, but then he asked me to tie him up so I did as asked"
"Why did you cut the baniya's thumb?"
The son said – “His shop was closed but I wanted some supari, the Baniya passed it to me from a slit in the door before giving the money I was trying to cut a piece of it with my saronta to check if the supari was rotten, but the Baniya put his thumb in between and it got cut”
On hearing the announcement the king's son, went to the bazaar, he bought himself some nice fine clothes dressed himself as richly as a prince, he hired some servants and musicians and came in a big procession to see the king. Now the king was very happy to see his son but he had matters to settle so the king asked "Why did you bind my senapati?"
The son replied "I asked him to tie me up first, but then he asked me to tie him up so I did as asked"
"Why did you cut the baniya's thumb?"
The son said – “His shop was closed but I wanted some supari, the Baniya passed it to me from a slit in the door before giving the money I was trying to cut a piece of it with my saronta to check if the supari was rotten, but the Baniya put his thumb in between and it got cut”
“Why did you get me (the king) to grind corn?”
"That was for my dear mother”
Pleased with his answers the king was happy to find a very clever son.The king, queen and prince then lived happily ever after.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tale Bearer : Gyan Mama
