Brahman in nezvesta žena

Besedilo

Brahman in nezvesta žena

When this had been done, the Brahmin’s wife said, “Brahmin, whenever you go to another village without a companion, I have no one even to talk to. Let us take this lame man along.”

He replied, “I can scarcely carry myself. How could I carry this lame man as well?”

She said, “I shall put him in a basket and carry him myself.”

His mind beguiled by her deceitful words, he agreed. Some days later, while the Brahmin was resting beside a well, his wife, who was enamored of the lame man, pushed him in. Taking the lame man with her, she entered a certain city. There, some royal officers patrolling to prevent the evasion of tolls saw the basket on her head, seized it by force, and brought it before the king. When the king opened it, he saw the lame man inside. Meanwhile, the Brahmin’s wife arrived, wailing, close on the officers’ heels. The king asked her, “What is the meaning of this?”

She replied, “This is my husband. Afflicted by illness and harassed by his kinsmen, he had nowhere to turn. My heart overwhelmed with love, I carried him on my head and brought him to your city.”

Hearing this, the king said, “Brahmin lady, you shall be my sister. Take two villages, and live happily with your husband, enjoying their revenues.”

Now, by good fortune, a kindly man rescued the Brahmin from the well. In the course of his wanderings he came to that very city. His wicked wife saw him and reported to the king, “Your Majesty, an enemy of my husband has arrived.”

The king ordered his execution. The Brahmin said, “Your Majesty, this woman has taken something that belongs to me. If you cherish justice, have her return it.”

The king said, “Good woman, return whatever you have taken from this man.”

She replied, “Your Majesty, I have taken nothing.”

The Brahmin said, “Return the half of my life that I gave you with a threefold declaration.”

Afraid of the king, she declared three times, then and there, “The half of his life that he gave me is returned,” and fell dead. Astonished, the king asked, “What is this?” The Brahmin then told him the whole story from the beginning. ***********************************************************************

“That is why I say, ‘For whose sake I forsook my own family’ (44).”

The monkey continued, “There is another fine tale told in illustration of this:

What will a man not give, what will he not do, when women ask it of him?

Those who are not horses neigh, and heads are shaved when no holy day calls for it.

The crocodile asked, “How did that happen?” The monkey told the story: Story 6. There was once a king named Nanda, lord of the earth as far as the encircling sea. His strength and valor were renowned; his footstool was thickly woven with the rays from the crowns of countless kings who bowed before him; and his fame was as pure as the light of the autumn moon. His minister, named Vararuci, had mastered the essential truths of every branch of learning. One day, Vararuci’s wife became angry with him in a lovers’ quarrel. Though he tried every means of pleasing her, for she was exceedingly dear to him, she would not relent. At last he said, “My dear, tell me what would please you. I shall certainly do it.”

After some persuasion, she said, “If you shave your head and fall at my feet, I may be willing to forgive you.”

He did so, and she was appeased. Meanwhile, Nanda’s wife too had grown angry, and all his efforts to soothe her were in vain. He said, “My dear, I cannot live a moment without you. I fall at your feet and beg you to forgive me.”

She replied, “If you put a bridle in your mouth and let me mount your back and ride you about, and if, when I drive you, you neigh like a horse, then I shall be pleased.”

The king did exactly as she asked. The next morning, while he was seated in court, Vararuci approached him. Seeing him, the king asked, “Why, Vararuci, what holy day is this, that you have shaved your head?”

He replied, “What will a man not give…” (45), and recited the rest of the verse. “So, wicked crocodile, you too are ruled by a woman, just like Nanda and Vararuci. That is why, my good fellow, you came here and set about devising my death. But your own foolish words exposed you. Well indeed is it said:

Parrots and mynas are caught through the fault of their own mouths;

Herons are not caught that way. Silence accomplishes every purpose.

And again:

Though well concealed and carefully protected, displaying a fearsome shape,

An ass clad in a tiger’s skin was killed because he spoke.

The crocodile asked, “How did that happen?” The monkey told the story: Story 8. The Tale of the Washerman Named Shuddhapata. In a certain town lived a washerman named Shuddhapata. He owned an ass, which had grown very weak for lack of fodder. One day, while wandering in the forest, the washerman found a dead tiger. He thought, “Ah, what a stroke of luck! I shall cover the ass with this tiger’s skin and turn him loose in the barley fields at night. The field guards nearby will take him for a tiger and will not drive him away.” He did so, and the ass ate barley to his heart’s content. At dawn the washerman brought him home again. As time passed, the ass grew so fat that it was difficult even to lead him back to his stall. Then one day, full of high spirits, he heard a she-ass calling in the distance. The instant he heard her, he began to bray.

The field guards realized that this was an ass disguised in a tiger’s skin, and killed him with blows from clubs, arrows, and stones.

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“That is why I say, ‘Though well concealed and carefully protected’ (47). Will you then endure insult after insult like Shyamalaka, and leave only when you are seized by the neck and thrown out?”

The crocodile asked, “How did that happen?” The monkey replied: Story 9. The Tale of the Wealthy Merchant Ishvara. There is a city on this earth named Vikantaka. In it lived a very wealthy merchant named Ishvara. His four sons-in-law came from the region of Avanti to visit him in Vikantaka. He received them with great honor, providing food, clothing, and everything else they needed. In this way they stayed for six months. At last Ishvara said to his wife, “These sons-in-law of ours have been treated with such respect that they will not go home. What can be done? They will not leave without an insult. So today, at mealtime, do not give them water to wash their feet. Once they realize they are being slighted, they will leave.” This was done, and Garga departed because of the insult of being given no water for his feet; Soma left because he was offered an inferior seat; and Datta went away because the food was poor. Thus three of them left. But the fourth, Shyamalaka, still would not go, and had to be seized by the neck and thrust out. *********************************************************************** That is why I say:

Garga left for want of water to wash his feet; Soma, because his seat was low;

Datta, because the food was poor; and Shyamalaka, with a hand around his neck.

“Do you think I am as foolish as the wheelwright, that I should trust you after seeing your treachery with my own eyes? For it is said:

Even when wickedness is committed before his eyes, a fool is soothed by flattering words.

The wheelwright carried his wife and her lover on his head.

The crocodile asked, “How did that happen?” The monkey told the story: Story 10. The Tale of the Wheelwright. In a certain town lived a wheelwright whose wife was widely rumored to be unfaithful. He thought of putting her to the test. “How shall I test her?” he wondered. “Yet it is not proper to do so, for:

The origins of rivers, of noble families, and of great sages

Should not be investigated, nor should the misconduct of women.

A sage lay with the fisherman’s daughter, born of Vasu’s seed;

Thus Vyasa was born, the dwelling place of a hundred virtues. What more need be said?

He himself divided the Vedas and fathered those through whom the stricken Kuru line continued.

Such was that illustrious man! Ah, how strange are the ways of fate!

“As for noble families, even the origins of the great-souled Pandavas should not be investigated, for they were begotten by others upon their fathers’ wives. And probing women’s misconduct only brings many faults to light. For it is also said:

If fire should become cold, or the hare-marked moon grow hot,

If a wicked man should wish one well, then women too might be faithful.

“Still, I can learn from what people say whether she is faithful or not. For it is said:

What is not found in the Vedas or the learned treatises, what has never been seen or heard,

The world knows it all—whatever lies within the cosmic egg.

Having considered the matter, he said to her, “My dear, tomorrow morning I must go to another village, and I shall be away for a few days. Please prepare suitable provisions for my journey.”

Delighted to hear this, she eagerly dropped all her other work and prepared food rich in clarified butter and sugar. Well indeed is it said:

On a stormy day, in the deepest darkness, when the city streets are hard to travel,

And when her husband has gone abroad, a lustful woman is happiest.

At dawn he rose and left the house. Once she knew he had gone, she spent the day as best she could, smiling and attending to her appearance. Then she went to the house of a lover she already knew and invited him, saying, “That wretch of a husband of mine has gone to another village. Come to our house tonight when everyone is asleep.” Meanwhile, the wheelwright spent the day in the forest, returned home at dusk by a back door, and hid quietly beneath the bed. Presently Devadatta, the lover, arrived and sat on the bed. At the sight of him, the wheelwright’s heart blazed with anger. “Shall I get up and kill him?” he thought. “Or shall I wait until they are both asleep and kill them easily? No, first I shall watch what she does and listen to what she says to him.” Just then she quietly shut the door and climbed onto the bed. As she did so, her foot touched the wheelwright’s body. She thought, “That wretch of a wheelwright must be hiding here to test me. I must show him something of a woman’s cunning.” While she was thinking this over, Devadatta grew eager to touch her. But she joined her palms and said, “O

noble sir! You must not touch my body, for I am a faithful wife, utterly devoted to my husband. If you do, I shall curse you and reduce you to ashes.”

He said, “If that is so, why did you invite me?” She replied, “Listen carefully. At dawn today I went to Chandika’s shrine to worship the goddess. Suddenly a voice spoke from the sky: ‘Daughter, what can I do? You are devoted to me, but by the decree of fate you will become a widow within six months.’ I said, ‘Goddess, just as you know the coming calamity, surely you know its remedy. Is there any means by which my husband may live a hundred years?’ She replied, ‘Child, there is a remedy, yet there is none, for it rests entirely with you.’ Hearing this, I said, ‘Goddess, even if it costs my life, tell me what to do, and I shall do it.’ Then the goddess said, ‘If today you lie on the same bed with another man and embrace him, the untimely death that threatens your husband will pass to that man, and your husband will live another hundred years.’ That is why I invited you. So

do whatever you wish to do. I am certain that the goddess’s words cannot prove false.” His face brightening with a secret smile, he did what the occasion invited.

The foolish wheelwright, hearing her words, felt his whole body thrill with joy. He crawled out from beneath the bed and said to her, “Well done, faithful wife! Well done, pride of your family! Well done! My heart was troubled by the words of malicious people, so I pretended to go to another village and hid here beneath the bed to test you. Come, embrace me! You are foremost among women devoted to their husbands, for even in another man’s company you have kept this sacred vow. You have done this to prolong my life and avert my untimely death.” With these words he embraced her lovingly. Then he lifted her onto his shoulder and said to Devadatta, “Noble sir, it is through the merit of my past deeds that you have come here. By your favor I have today gained a lifespan of a hundred years. Come, embrace me too, and mount my shoulder.” As he spoke, though Devadatta was unwilling,

he forcibly embraced him and hoisted him onto his shoulder. Then, dancing to the rhythm of music, he went about to the doors of all the houses.

*********************************************************************** “That is why I say, ‘Even when wickedness is committed before his eyes’ (49). Fool! I have seen your treachery. How can I go to your home? Still, it is not your fault that you try to win back my trust. Your kind is naturally wicked, and even the company of good people cannot make you gentle. Such indeed is the nature of the wicked. For it is said:

Though instructed by the good, an evil-hearted man of wicked deeds

Never becomes pure, any more than charcoal becomes clean by scrubbing.

“Fool! Slave to desire! Ruled by a woman! Others like you abandon their work, their wealth, and their friends for a woman’s sake. For it is said:

She who always shrinks from me embraces me today!

Good luck to you, my benefactor! Take whatever I possess.

The crocodile asked, “How did that happen?” The monkey replied: Story 11. The Tale of Kamatura. In a certain town lived a very wealthy old merchant named Kamatura. His wife had died, and, his mind overcome by desire, he paid a great sum to marry the daughter of an impoverished merchant. But the girl was so unhappy that she could not bear even to look at her aged husband. Well indeed is it said: When the hair upon a man’s head turns white,

It becomes the very seat of humiliation.

Young women shun him from afar, as they shun a Chandala’s well

Marked with a piece of bone.

And again: His body is shriveled, his gait unsteady, his teeth are gone;

His sight wanders, his beauty fades, and his mouth dribbles.

His kinsmen ignore his words, his wife no longer tends him.

Alas, how wretched! A man overcome by age is despised even by his sons.

One night, as she lay beside him on their bed with her face turned away, a thief entered the house. At the sight of him she was so frightened that she clasped even her old husband tightly in her arms. Astonished, his whole body thrilling with delight, the merchant thought, “Why, what is this? She is embracing me today! How extraordinary!” Looking carefully around, he saw the thief standing in a corner. Then he thought, “Surely she is embracing me because she is afraid of that thief.” Realizing this, he addressed the thief: “She who always shrinks from me embraces me today!” (55), and recited the rest of the verse. As the thief was leaving, he added, “Thief, you must come here every night. All this wealth of mine is yours.” ***********************************************************************

“That is why I say, ‘She who always shrinks from me,’ and so on. What more need be said? So besotted was he with a woman that he handed all he owned over to a thief. You have behaved in just the same way.”

While the crocodile was talking with the monkey, another water creature came up and said, “Crocodile, your wife had refused to eat, and when you delayed so long, she died, overcome by her wounded love.” Hearing these words, which struck him like a thunderbolt, the crocodile was utterly distraught and began to lament: “Alas, what has happened to me, unfortunate creature that I am! For it is said:

A house is not what they call a home; it is the wife who makes the home.

A house without a wife is no better than the wilderness.

And again:

Even beneath a tree, wherever one’s beloved dwells, there is home;

Without her, even a palace is like a forest.

A man whose home holds neither a mother nor a sweet-spoken wife

Might as well go to the forest: his house is a wilderness already.

“So, my friend, forgive me. I have wronged you. Now, parted from my wife, I shall enter the fire.” “Fool!” said the monkey. “You grieve when you have cause to rejoice! The death of such a wife calls for a celebration. For it is said:

A wife of wicked conduct, forever delighting in quarrels,

Should be recognized by the wise as dreadful old age in a wife’s disguise.

Therefore, a man who wishes for his own happiness

Should make every effort to avoid even the mention of women.

What is in their hearts is not on their tongues; what is on their tongues is not expressed in deeds;

What they outwardly profess, they do not do. Strange are the ways of women!

Who does not come to ruin through delusion over a shapely woman?

Men approach her beauty as moths approach a flame.

Poison within, yet lovely to behold—

Who fashioned women like the bright seeds of the gunja vine?

Though beaten with sticks or cut with weapons,

Women cannot be brought under control, nor by gifts or praise.

But enough—what need is there to speak of women’s other cruelties?

They kill even their own sons, whom they have carried in their wombs.

A fool imagines affection in a girl who is cold, tenderness in one who is hard,

And passion in one who has no feeling for him.

The crocodile said, “My friend, let that be. But what am I to do? Two misfortunes have befallen me: first, the ruin of my home, and second, estrangement from a friend like you. Yet such things happen through the workings of fate. For it is said: