Week 5 Story: The Woman, Her Husband, and Her Sister-in-Law

Author's Note: As a quest by a monk, a king is to successfully bring back a goblin from a sissoo tree. The king gets to the sissoo tree, and obtains a goblin from a hanging man's dead body. The goblin tells the king a riddle. If the king gets the riddle wrong, the goblin leaves and he has to go back to the sissoo tree to get another goblin. If the king gets it right, then the goblin continues on the journey back with him to the monk. I only made minor changes to the characters and the plot with this one. With the character changes, the way the characters enter the temple ultimately changes the dynamic of the conflict at the end.

Story Source: The Girl, Her Husband and Her Brother, translated by Arthur W. Ryder

"The Goddess, Gauri"

Long ago there was a queen named Majesty Magnificence in the world. Her city was named Sterling. And in this city was a splendid temple to the goddess Gauri. And to the right of the temple was a lake called Bath of Gauri. And on a certain day in each year, a great crowd of people came there on a pilgrimage from all directions to bathe.

One day a maiden named Exquisite came there from another village to bathe. And Exquisite saw a youth who had also come there to bathe. His name was Tanner, and his mother's name was Spotless Sandra. He robbed the sun of its boldness and Exquisite of her heart. So she inquired about his name and family and went home lovesick.

When she got there, she was ill and could not eat without him. And when her father asked her, she told him what was in her heart, but did not change her habits. But he went and told his wife, whose name was Shiny.

So Shiny went and saw how her daughter was acting and said: "My daughter, why should you be upset? Your desire is not hard to obtain. For if I ask Spotless Sandra, she will surely give you her son. We are not inferior to her in birth, wealth, or social position. I know her and she knows me. So there is no difficulty about it."

Thus Shiny comforted her daughter, made her eat and take care of herself, went with her the next day to Spotless Sandra's house, and asked that the boy might be given to her daughter Exqusite. And Spotless Sandra graciously promised to give him to her.

Then when the time came, Spotless Sandra gave Exquisite her charming son, a husband worthy of her. And when she was married, Exquisite went happily to her father's house with her handsome husband.

Now as she lived there happily, Tanner's sister came to visit. And when they had all asked her about her health and her brother had greeted her with a kiss, and after she had rested, she said: "My mother sent me to invite Tanner and Exquisite to a festival in our house." And all the relatives said it was a good plan and entertained her that day with appropriate things to drink and eat.

The next morning Equisite set out for her mother-in-law's house, together with her sister-in-law and Tanner. And when she came to the city Sterling, she saw the great temple of Gauri. And she said to Tanner and his sister: "We will see this goddess. Tanner will go first and we will wait stay here."

So Tanner went in to see the goddess. He entered the temple and bowed before the goddess whose eighteen arms had killed the horrible demons and whose lotus-feet were set upon a giant that she had crushed.

And when he had worshipped her, an idea suddenly came to him. "People honour this goddess with all kinds of living sacrifices. Why should I not win her favour by sacrificing myself?" And he fetched a sword from a deserted inner room, cut off his own head, and let it fall on the floor.

Presently his sister entered the temple to see why he delayed so long. And when she saw her brother with his head cut off, she went mad with grief and cut off her own head in the same way with the same sword.

Then when she failed to come out, Exquisite was alarmed and entered the temple. And when she saw her husband and her sister-in-law in that condition, she cried: "Alas! This is the end of me!" and fell weeping to the floor.

But presently she rose, lamenting for the pair so unexpectedly dead, and thought: "What is my life good for now?"

Before killing herself, she prayed to the goddess: "O Goddess! One only deity of happiness and character! Partaker of the life of Shiva! Refuge of all women-folk! Destroyer of grief! Why have you killed my husband and my sister-in-law at one fell swoop? It was not right, for I was always devoted to you. Then be my refuge when I pray to you, and hear my one pitiful prayer. I shall leave this wretched body of mine on this spot, but in every future life of mine, O Goddess, may I have the same husband and sister-in-law."

Thus she prayed, praised, and worshipped the goddess, and then tied a rope to an ashoka tree which grew there.

"Arranging the Noose"

But while she was arranging the rope about her neck, a voice from heaven cried: "Do nothing rash, my daughter. Leave the rope alone. Though you are young, I am pleased with your unusual goodness. Place the two heads on the two bodies and they shall rise up again and live through my favour."

So Exquisite left the rope alone and joyfully went to the bodies. But in her great hurry and confusion she made a mistake. She put her husband's head on her sister-in-law's body and her sister-in-law''s head on her husband's body. Then they arose, sound and well, like men awaking from a dream. They continued on and worshipped the goddess, and began on their way. As they walked, Tanner exclaimed,"Oh my! I suddenly have the breasts of a woman!" Presently, Exquisite's sister-in-law screamed with the horror of no longer having a women's physique. Exquisite noticed that she had made a mistake in their heads. And she was troubled and did not know what to do.
~ ~ ~
When the goblin had told this story, he asked the king: "O King, when they were mingled in this way, which should be her husband? If you know and do not tell, then the curse I spoke of will be fulfilled."

And the king said to the goblin: "The body with the husband's head on it is her husband. For the head is the most important member. It is by the head that we recognize people."

Then the goblin slipped from the king's shoulder as before and quickly disappeared. And the king went back, determined to catch him.