Read the previous part here…
I left my family for her, and gave her half my life, she left me now without a second thought, what man can trust such a wife?
KarālaMukha said “How did that happen?”
RaktaMukha replied…
ब्राह्मणदम्पत्योः कथा
The story of the Brahmin couple
In a village, not so far away from here, lived a young Brahmin couple. The husband loved his wife more than anything else in the world. His wife though, quarreled with his family almost every other day, and this continued to no end. The Brahmin was frustrated by this, but he was too devoted to his wife, and so decided to leave his family and set out to another village, which was very far away from where they were.
They walked for many days. As they were crossing a huge forest, his wife felt dizzy and asked him to fetch her some water. He sat her down, went in search of water, and returned with a bowl full of it from a stream nearby. But he was too late. The Brahmin’s wife lay dead.
Overcome with emotion, the Brahmin wept inconsolably. When his weeping and wailing didn’t stop for many hours, a voice in the sky said “Listen to me, O Brahmin, if you will give half your own life, your wife may live.”
The Brahmin heard this, wiped his tears, and performed a ceremony of purification, then gave a half of his own life by repeating the sankalpa “I give you life.” The moment he finished, his wife stood up, alive.
They then ate some fruits, drank some water, and started walking again. In a while, they crossed the forest, and entered a garden in a city. “My dear, wait here – I will go and fetch us some food.” She sat down on a bench, and he left in search of something to eat.
In the same garden, was a cripple, turning a water-wheel and singing with a heavenly voice. Deeply smitten by his voice, the Brahmin’s wife approached him, and said “I am in love with you. If you don’t love me back, I will give up my life here and now, and you will incur the sin of being responsible of the death of someone who loved you.”
“But what happiness can you get from a cripple like me?”, he protested.
“You leave that to me’, she replied. Make love to me right now.”
And so he did.
After the deed was done, she looked at him lovingly and said “From this moment on, I am yours. And so, join us in our journey.”
The cripple had nothing to lose, and so he agreed.
In the meanwhile, the Brahmin came back with some food and sat down to eat with her. He didn’t notice the cripple, since he was hungry and the food was scrumptious. The Brahmin’s wife said “This cripple is hungry too. Please share some food with him.” He did.
She then said “You have no one to help you, once we reach the new village. I also wouldn’t have anyone to speak with, since I wouldn’t know anyone there. And so, I suggest that we take this cripple with us.”
The Brahmin said…
to be continued…