The Ghost Brahman

Once upon a time there lived a poor Brahman. He did not belong to the high-ranking Brahman families known as Kulins. For him, getting married was the hardest thing in the world.on a time there lived a poor Brahman, who not being a Kulin, found it the hardest thing in the world to get married.Explanation: Kulin refers to high-ranking Brahman families, rather than a separate caste. Brahman names a traditional Hindu social group; it does not by itself establish this character’s occupation. The historical distinction explains the opening marriage difficulty. He went to rich people and begged them for money so he could marryof them to give him money that he might marry a wife. And a large sum of money was needed, mainly to pay the bride’s parents, rather than for the wedding itselfnot so much for the expenses of the wedding, as for giving to the parents of the bride. He begged from door to door, flattered many rich folk, and at last succeeded in scraping together the sum needed. In due time, the wedding took place, and he brought his wife homeThe wedding took place in due time; and he brought home his wife to his mother.

After a short time he said to his mother—“Mother, I have no means to support you and my wife. So I must go to distant countries and find some way to earn money.wife; I must therefore go to distant countries to get money somehow or other. I may be away for years, because I won’t return until I have earnedfor I won’t return till I get a good sum. In the meantime I’ll give you what I have; makeyou make the best of it, and take care of my wife.” After receiving his mother’s blessing, the BrahmanThe Brahman receiving his mother’s blessing set out on his travels.

In the evening of that very day, a ghost took on the Brahman’s exact appearance andassuming the exact appearance of the Brahman came into the house. The newly married woman thought it was her husband andwoman, thinking it was her husband, said to him—“How is it that you have returned so soon? You said you might be away for years; why have you changed your mind?”

The ghost said—“Today is not a lucky day, so I came home. BesidesTo-day is not a lucky day, I have therefore returned home; besides, I have already got some money.” The mother had no doubtdid not doubt but that it was her son. So the ghost lived in the house as if he was its owner, and as if he was the son of the old woman and the husband of the young woman. As the ghost and the Brahman were exactly like each other in everything, like two peas, the people in the neighbourhood all thought that the ghost was the real Brahman.

After some years the Brahman returned from his travels. How surprised he was to find another man just like him in the house!travels; and what was his surprise when he found another like him in the house. The ghost said to the Brahman—“Who are you? What business do you have comingwhat business have you to come to my house?”

“Who am I?” replied the Brahman, “let me ask who you are. This is my house; that is my mother, and this is my wife.” The ghost said—“Well, thisWhy herein is a strange thing. EveryoneEvery one knows that this is my house, that is my wife, and over thereyonder is my mother; and I have lived here for years. And you pretend this is your house, and that woman is your wife. You must have lost your mindYour head must have got turned, Brahman.”

With these words, the ghost drove the Brahman out ofSo saying the ghost drove away the Brahman from his house. The Brahman was speechless with amazementbecame mute with wonder. He did not know what to do. At last he thought of going to the king and presenting his casebethought himself of going to the king and of laying his case before him. The king saw both the ghost-Brahman and the Brahman. They were the exact image of each other, so he was in a fix: he did not know how to settlethe ghost-Brahman as well as the Brahman, and the one was the picture of the other; so he was in a fix, and did not know how to decide the quarrel.

Day after day the Brahman went to the king and beggedbesought him to give him back his house, his wife, and his mother. Each time, the king did not know what to say and; and the king, not knowing what to say every time, put him off to the following day. Every day the king tells him, “Come tomorrow.” And every day the Brahman leaves the palace weeping, striking his forehead with his palmhim to—“Come to-morrow”; and every day the Brahman goes away from the palace weeping and striking his forehead with the palm of his hand, and saying—“What a wicked world this is! I am driven from my own house, and another fellow has taken possession of my house and of my wife! And what a king this is! He does not give medo justice.”

Now, as the Brahman left the court outside the town each dayit came to pass that as the Brahman went away every day from the court outside the town, he passed a spot at which a great many boys who herded cattlecowboys used to play. They let the cows graze on the meadow, while they themselves met together under a large tree to play. And they pretended to be a royal courtplayed at royalty. One cowherdcowboy was elected king; another, prime minister or vizier; another, kotwal, or chief ofprefect of the police; and others, constables. For several days in a row, they saw the Brahman passing by weeping every day.Every day for several days together they saw the Brahman passing by weeping.

One day the cowherdcowboy king asked his vizier whether he knew why the Brahman wept every day. When the vizier could not answerOn the vizier not being able to answer the question, the cowherdcowboy king ordered one of his constables to bring the Brahman to him.

One of them went and said to the Brahman—“The king wants you to come at oncerequires your immediate attendance.” The Brahman replied—“What for? I have just come from the king, and he put me off until tomorrowtill to-morrow. Why does he want me again?”

“It is our king that wants you—our cowherdneat-herd king,” rejoined the constable. “Who is this cowherdneat-herd king?” asked the Brahman.

“Come and see,” was the reply. The cowherdneat-herd king then asked the Brahman why he went away weeping every dayevery day went away weeping.

The Brahman then told him his sad story. After hearing the whole story, the cowherd kingThe neat-herd king, after hearing the whole, said, “I understand your case; I will restoregive you again all your rights. JustOnly go to the king and ask his permission for me to decide your case.”

The Brahman went back to the king of the country and begged His Majesty to let the cowherd king, who had offered to decide the case, judgecountry, and begged his Majesty to send his case to the neat-herd king, who had offered to decide it. The king, whom the case had greatly puzzled, gave his permissiongranted the permission sought.

The trial was set for the following morning. The cowherd king, who had seen through the whole affair, brought a small bottle with a narrow neck the next day.following morning was fixed for the trial. The neat-herd king, who saw through the whole, brought with him next day a phial with a narrow neck.

The Brahman and the ghost-Brahman both appeared before the courtat the bar. After much questioning of witnesses and many speeches, the cowherda great deal of examination of witnesses and of speech-making, the neat-herd king said—“Well, I have heard enough. I’ll decide the case at once. Here is this bottlephial. The court will declare whoever can enter it the rightful owner of the disputed houseWhichever of you will enter into it shall be declared by the court to be the rightful owner of the house the title of which is in dispute. Now, let me seesee, which of you will enter.” The Brahman said—“You are a cowherd, and you think like a cowherd.neat-herd, and your intellect is that of a neat-herd. What man can enter into such a small bottlephial?”

“If you cannot enter,” said the cowherdneat-herd king, “then you are not the rightful owner.” Turning to the ghost-Brahman, he asked, “What do you say to this, sir?” What do you say, sir, to this?” turning to the ghost-Brahman and addressing him. “If you can enter into the bottlephial, then the house and the wife and the mother become yours.”

“Of course I will enter,” said the ghost. True to his word, he turned himself into a small creature like an insect and entered the bottle, to everyone’s amazement.And true to his word, to the wonder of all, he made himself into a small creature like an insect, and entered into the phial. The cowherd king immediately put a cork in the bottle,neat-herd king forthwith corked up the phial, and the ghost could not get out.

Then the cowherd king said to the Brahman,Then, addressing the Brahman, the neat-herd king said, “Throw this bottle down tophial into the bottom of the sea, and take possession of your house, wife, and mother.” The Brahman did so, and lived happily for many years and hadbegat sons and daughters.

Here my story endsendeth,
The Natiya-thorn witherswitherethExplanation: This is a traditional closing formula recorded in the collector’s preface. He did not know its full meaning or connection with the story. The thorn’s name is retained without identifying a plant species., etc.