Read Ebook: Oral Tradition from the Indus Comprised in Tales to Which Are Added Explanatory Notes by Barlow Thomas Lambert McNair John Frederick Adolphus Fenn L Illustrator

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In former years there lived a very learned old "Guru," or spiritual teacher, and he had five very earnest disciples who had become so imbued with his knowledge, and so attached to his person that they agreed to follow him wherever he led the way, even if it were to travel all the country round.

"Well," he replied, "if I do leave this enamoured spot where I have spent most of my life, we shall all have to undergo many privations, and perhaps hardships, but I confess I have now a thirst for seeing more of the world: so will you go with me under the prospect of such circumstances?"

"Yes," they said, "we certainly will, and no matter what frowns of fortune come upon us we shall at least gain knowledge every hour that we are in your company."

He then proposed that they should visit the various Hindu shrines and the places that had been hallowed by old associations connected with the founders of their Faith.

To this they readily consented, and having sought for a propitious day, they set forth on their travels.

They had visited many holy places consecrated by age and sanctity, and as they were everywhere made welcome by devotees of their religion, they had few deprivations to encounter.

One day they were approaching a very populous city where a devout Hindu King resided, and the "Guru" said to his disciples, "I am much fatigued by the journey; go you all into the city and buy bread, and return to me here," for he had determined to rest under a large clump of trees just outside the city walls.

It was not long before they all returned to the "Guru" with a wonderful account of the city, "For," said they, "we have never known so remarkable a place, for, strange to relate, every article of merchandise is of the same price. In every shop and market all the goods are of one and the same value: gold, silver, precious stones, wheat, fruit, vegetables, and, indeed, everything that man can wish for and want, can be had for the same sum."

The "Guru" said, "You much surprise me; and although I am very tempted to see for myself such a wonderful place, yet I am convinced that such a state of things must bring about great laxity and vice, and that justice there must be at a very low ebb, for that too I suppose is classed with the other commodities. No! let us at once quit this city and make the best of our way to some other more inviting place." Whereupon they all agreed to accompany the "Guru"; but one disciple, a tall strapping fellow, and fond of the good things of this life, said that on second thoughts he would like to spend two or three days in that city, and that he would join them some marches off if they would only promise to go by easy stages.

It was in vain that the "Guru" tried to dissuade him from his purpose; he had made up his mind, so he parted company with his fellows, and went off alone into the city.

He had not been there more than two or three days when a burglary, attended with murder, was committed in the city, and the "Kotwal," or chief Police officer, began to set on foot enquiries as to the whereabouts of the perpetrators of the crime. He came across this disciple of the "Guru," and finding that he was a strong powerful fellow, and a stranger to boot, he was at once taken up on suspicion, and very soon witnesses were found who had seen him loafing about the place, and he was there and then tried for the crime, condemned and sentenced to death and the sentence was confirmed by the King in due course.

This avaricious, this greedy disciple, was then cast into prison to await his execution, and bitterly did he repent that he had not followed the advice of his "Guru." Thus mourning over his fate, he aroused the sympathy of his gaoler, who good-naturedly offered to send a messenger to tell his "Guru" what had happened to him, and to bid him return.

This messenger went off in great haste, and managed to come up with the "Guru" and his party at no very great distance from the city. He gave them a full and distinct account of all that had passed, and how that his disciple had been tried and sentenced to death; "But," he added, "the day of execution was not fixed when I left the city." He told the "Guru" moreover, that the King always made it his business to be present at all times when there was capital punishment to be carried out.

The "Guru" and his disciples then hurriedly returned with the messenger to the city, and when they entered the walls they ascertained that the execution had been arranged for the day following.

When the morning broke they hastened to the place of execution, and all the city turned out to witness it. The "Guru" shortly after saw his disciple, surrounded by a number of police, being brought from the prison. He at once accosted the Chief Officer and asked his permission to say just a word or two to the prisoner before his death. It was not usual to allow this, but as he was a "Guru" and a spiritual teacher and held in great reverence by all Hindus, leave was granted him to do so.

He had only just time to say to his disciple, "See what you have brought on yourself by your greediness and avarice; and now do as I tell you. When you see me prostrate myself before the King, call out at the top of your voice, 'No, I will not suffer my holy "Guru" to die for me; I must and will die, so go on with the execution.' Mind you do this, for I intend as I prostrate myself to offer my life in exchange for yours."

He had scarcely spoken the words when there was a stir amongst the people, for the King was approaching; and now the King had reached the spot prepared for him, and with him was a large concourse of nobles and courtiers, indeed a goodly retinue, accompanied with all the pomp and display so essential to all Oriental potentates when they move from their Palaces in State and on Public occasions. As soon as the tumult had ceased the "Guru" approached as near the Presence as he dared, the people making way for him as he was a "Guru." He then bowed in submission and made the usual obeisance, and asked leave to speak.

When the Prisoner saw his "Guru" prostrating himself before the King, he called out in a loud voice the very identical words that he had been instructed by his "Guru" to pronounce. The King was beyond all measure astonished, for he heard the Prisoner's words distinctly, and motioning to the "Guru" to come nearer, His Majesty said, "This is a most remarkable thing; I have never known anything before like this to take place at an execution. You, a learned "Guru" of our Faith, offer your life as a substitute for the Prisoner's, and the Prisoner asks to die at once, and seeks no mercy! It is usual rather for one condemned to death to solicit pardon at my hands. Can anyone solve this mystery?" And turning to his nobles and courtiers he sought for a reply, but none was then given. Then, appealing to the "Guru," His Majesty said, "Can you interpret this wonderful procedure, for it passes man's understanding?" Whereupon the "Guru" said, "Yes, oh King! I can; for is not this the very day, and almost the very hour of the day, when, by our ancient Sanscrit "Vedas" it has been foretold that whosoever on this day and hour shall suffer death, or die in a public place, shall in very truth be transported to endless happiness and bliss?"

"Is it so?" responded the King, and then summoning to his side his own learned "Gurus," who in his belief could work miracles and forgive sins, he demanded of them if such had been predicted. Quite oblivious as to what was passing in the King's mind at the time, they one and all replied, "True, oh King! such is the record."

So died the devout King of this wonderful City, and was gathered to his fathers, to the unutterable grief of all his Court and people.

EXPLANATORY NOTES.

Amongst the Mahomedans a "Guru" would be termed a "Pir," a Persian word, and in some parts "Murshud," from the Arabic, and their disciples "Mureed," also from the Arabic.

All communities, either Hindu or Mahomedan, have their "Gurus" or "Pirs." The disciples usually attend their "Gurus" to the Shrines in the case of Hindus, and to the Mosques and Shrines in the case of Moslems.

The sacrifice of human life to the gods prevailed amongst the early Aryans of India, and there is evidence of expiatory sacrifices to "Chandika" to save the life of a king. In this Folk Tale it is the King who gives his life, in hope of reward from the gods.

In China both the figures Five and Seven are in everything felicitous. They say that all the forces and phenomena of Nature are based upon the number Five .

Hence, Five active organs of the body: the stomach, the lungs, the liver, the heart, and the kidneys. Five primary colours: red, yellow, green, black, and white. Five varieties of taste: sweet, acrid, sour, bitter, salt. Five elements: earth, metal, wood, fire, and water. Five primary planets: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. Five regions of the heavens: Centre, North, South, East, and West.

Similarly, as sounds belong to the phenomena of Nature, they must invariably resolve themselves into Five.

Kukkah Kase The long hair.

Kukkah Kurd The small iron knife kept in the hair.

Kukkah Kurrah The iron bangle.

Kukkah Kunghah The comb kept in the hair.

Kukkah Kachah The loose drawers to the knee.

"Five of them were wise, and Five of them were foolish." And again, in the religion of the Jews, how the number Seven is used as a number of perfection; and again, the number Five in the appeal of Abraham, "Wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five?"

THE DONKEY-MAN AND THE PRECIOUS STONE.

The sun had gone down one day in the Mahomedan village of "Huzro," in the Hazara district, and it had become too late to work and too early for sleep, when the young men and others in the village congregated together to while away the time by narrating tales of the past.

Though really a Mahomedan village, there were several Hindu shops there, and some of the Hindus joined the company.

It was not long before one of the number was encouraged to tell a tale, and he began by saying "Yek vella: Once upon a time," and then he stopped; then there was a general laugh, and he made bold to begin again, and then said:

Many years ago there was a Donkey-man, a poor man, who used to carry grain from place to place somewhere in the Punjab. One day as he was crossing a small river he picked up a stone of a reddish colour, and as it looked pretty and out of the common he thought he would keep it; and so to preserve it he tied it on to the neck of his best donkey, and there it hung as a sort of ornament. He did not know it was a gem, you see, but only thought it was a nice-looking stone, and that he had never seen one like it before.

As he journeyed on with his donkeys he had to cross the "Chen?b" river, and went down to the ferry, where he got into conversation with the Ferryman while they were all waiting for sufficient passengers and goods to cross the stream. Looking at the donkeys the Ferryman came at last to the donkey with the ornament on his neck, and he said to the grain-carrier, "Where did you find this pretty stone?" He told him that he was crossing the bed of a little river and saw it. The Ferryman looked at it again, but he did not know that it was a precious stone, yet he wanted it to decorate one of his oars; so he said to the Donkey-man, "You do not seem to care much for the stone; give it to me, and I will take you and your donkeys across for nothing." So the Donkey-man agreed, and the Ferryman tied it on to his oar, and kept looking at it as he went on with his work, singing his usual song, "Chiko bh?yo, Chiko bh?yo, Chik!" and beating time with his feet.

Some days after this a Jeweller, or "Johari," was crossing by the ferry, and his eye at once caught sight of the stone on the Ferryman's oar, and taking a look at it , he in a moment became convinced that it was a ruby of a very large and unusual size, and he made up his mind that before he left the ferry he would get it into his possession in some way or another. He was, in fact, quite excited about it, and feared that at any moment it might drop into the water and be lost; but he was a cunning man and did not show his feelings, but said quietly to the Ferryman, "That is a very pretty sort of a stone you have on your oar; are you not afraid to lose it? Will you sell it to me?" Now, the Ferryman was not quite sure that he was a jeweller, or he might have been on his guard, but thought him to be only an ordinary traveller, and he too was almost as ignorant as the Donkey-man. The Jeweller said to him, "You might turn it into rupees!" "Well, some day I shall, perhaps, when I want money," said the Ferryman, "but it is not worth very much, and I got it from an old Donkey-man for taking him across the stream one day." When they got to the opposite shore the Jeweller said before leaving, "I will give you five rupees for that stone." "No!" said the Ferryman, "I don't want money now," "But," said the Jeweller, "If I give you ten rupees? and I am not coming this way again, you had better take it." To this the Ferryman agreed, and the Jeweller obtained possession of this precious and valuable ruby for so small a sum as ten rupees, and he went away very rejoiced at his bargain.

When the Jeweller got home he handled it over and over again and felt sure that he had got a great prize; so he folded it in several rags, folds of rag, as the custom of lapidaries, or jewellers is, as you know, and put it very carefully by in a little box where he kept his best jewels.

It happened a year or two after this that the Rajah of the country not far from where the Jeweller lived, wanted some precious stones for a new Chair of State, or "Takht," and he sent his trusted messengers to all the jewellers round about the neighbourhood to make enquiries for gems, and especially for rubies.

The messengers came to the Jeweller who had the stone I have been telling you about, and they asked him whether he had any fine stones to sell. At first the Jeweller said, "No, my friends," for he feared that the Rajah might take his jewels by force; but when they told him not to be afraid, for the Rajah was very rich but was in need of precious stones for his Chair of State, the Jeweller went to his little box, and bringing to them the stone that he had set such value upon, he proceeded to untie and unwind the soiled rags one by one, in the presence of the messengers.

When he had untied the last rag, what was his grief and agony of soul to find that the precious ruby was in two distinct pieces!

He gazed in amazement for a little, when suddenly, in the hearing of them all, a voice came from the broken ruby, saying, "Now, behold! I have on purpose made myself of no value or service to you! When I was on the donkey's neck I was in the hands and charge of one who knew not my real value; when, again, I was on the Ferryman's oar, he was just as ignorant of his treasure; when I came into your hands, who knew well my worth, you estimated my price at five to ten rupees only! Learn, therefore, not to undervalue what is good for a mean and selfish object; nor to disparage your best friend, or you will live to rue the day, and repent as bitterly as you now do and will do, for the remainder of your life."

EXPLANATORY NOTES.

Their best oxen or donkeys are held in high esteem, and they decorate them with all kinds of ornaments, such as shells, tassels of silk or wool of different colours, and frequently with bells.

The sacks used for carrying grain are usually made from goats' hair, "Jutt," and are woven by the Barber class, or "Nais." Two are united over the back of the animal, and fitted so that when full the weight shall be balanced and carried with ease. A good donkey will carry from two to three "maunds," after the Arabic word "mun." A "maund" is equal to about 80 lbs.

In days gone by, though in some parts of India it is still the custom for lapidaries to wrap up their stones in bits of soiled rag, the more warily to secrete them from the agents of Rajahs and others, who might wish to despoil them.

Naie nay sun?h Sorray graunt nay sun?h.

The Barber has heard the news, so no fear but that all the village has heard it too.

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