प्रथम मैथिली पाक्षिक ई पत्रिका

Gajendra Thakur

The Science of Words- English Translation of Maithili Short Story- ShabdaShastram by the Author himself

Issue No. 88 (November-December 2019) of Muse India at http://museindia.com/Home/PastIssue displays Maithili literature in a very poor light. Moreover, it wrongly claims to be a representative review of Maithili Literature, whereas it was only in line with the Sahitya Akademi, Delhi; a mere representation of the so-called "dried main-drain". It is expected that Muse India will correct itself by announcing an issue exclusively devoted to the parallel tradition of Maithili literature. -Editor
 

T.K. Oommen writes in the "Linguistic Diversity" Chapter of "Sociology", 1988, page 291, National Law School of India University/ Bar Council of India Trust book: "... the Maithili region is found to be economically and culturally dominated by Brahmins and if a separate Maithili State is formed they may easily get entrenched as the political elite also. This may not be to the liking and advantage of several other castes, the traditionally entrenched or currently ascendant castes. Therefore, in all possibility the latter groups may oppose the formation of a separate Maithili state although they also belong to the Maithili speech community. This type of opposition adversely affects the development of several languages."
 

T.K. Oomen further writes: "... even when a language is pronounced to be distinct from Hindi, it may be treated as a dialect of Hindi. For example, both Grierson who undertook the classic linguistic survey of India and S. K. Chatterjee, the national professor of linguistics, stated that Maithili is a distinct language. But yet it is treated as a dialect of Hindi". (ibid, page 293)

The Science of Words (ShabdaShastram)

The Sun is in the fifth sign of the zodiac, normally between the sixteenth of August to the sixteenth of September. If you want to dry something then it is the best time to do so, since during this period the most intense light and heat of the Sun falls on earth.

During this fifth sign of the zodiac the palm leaves remain under the Sun, a part of Milu's fathers annual preservation plan, to instill life in these palm leaves. Ananda used to help in preservingthese palm leaves. She would carefully place the palm leaves where they would get the maximum heat, Milu remembered vividly. Ananda's life was mostly spent with Milu. But before the onset of this year's fifth sign of Leo, of the sun-zodiac, Ananda had departed .. and now when she is not present, how will the preservation of life be possible, the life of Milu's and of these palm-leaf inscriptions..

Fallacy, the fallacy of words, we ascribe our personal emotions to words,and after that confusion begins.

In the courtyard of Lukesari there is a tree of sandalwood
Beneath that the cuckoos clamour
I will cut the sandalwood tree and will encircle the courtyard
Cuckoo, your clamouring will end

The cuckoo of the jungle began crying
The cuckoos clamour stopped
Oh! cuckoos, cuckoos of youthfulness, do not cry
Clamour cuckoo, clamour
Whichever jungle you would go
Your marks would remain there
Tears do not come out of eyes
I will wrap both your wings with gold, o cuckoo
I will wrap both your lips with silver
O my cuckoo dear, whichever jungle you would go
The maks of 'garland of blood' would remain

Some voice seemed to be coming from the village quarters where thetanners lived .. it was Ananda's voice.

But Ananda was dead, only a fewhours earlier! Bachlu had seen her dead body. After informing Milu, he returned to the village quarters. Ananda had died when she was quite old. But the voice that was heard was of a young Ananda..
It may be a fallacy, fallacy of words. Srikar Mimamsak, Milu's father, often said many things on the 'science of words'. We ascribe meaning to the words and then the confusion begins...

I


There was a tumult.
The turmoil began. In the river Balaan, a corpse was found floating. Besides the washerman's quay, the corpse had got stuck on the edge.

From where it had come nobody knew. It was a dead body of an old woman. But the washerwoman recognised it. She informed Bachlu, who in turn gave the news to the dead woman's family. Only an old man lived in that house .. the house of Milu. Milu's village people brought the dead body to the village. Milu performed the last rites.

In the village, this incident became a hot topic of discussion. The old Bachlu knew something more. He knew who the dead woman was. The new generation did not know all these things..

The dead body of Ananda was consigned to the flames...

Ananda was kind, she understood things quickly. Her daughters were married into well-to-do families. Her son was educated. Milu, Ananda's husband, son of Srikar Mimamsak, was also highly educated. Never had they asked anything from anybody, even in times of need.

Bachlu was also old.. In this village only Milu was older than him. The people regarded these two as "old men".

Old man Bachlu knew many things...
....
Discussions between Milu and Srikar were common. Sometimes I understood and sometimesI did not...
"Milu, in the book Bhamati, Vachaspati tells that the base of ignorance of living becomes the subject. You will accept which method for self-introspection? How can the untruth be the cause for something? The existence of something, how can this fact, prove something as true; and how it can prove its existence in three ages? That which is neither true nor false; and which is also not both, only that is unspeakable. Without any subject and the knower of that subject, how the concept of zero can be explained."
-Milu, Kumaril says that the Atman (soul) is living inertia. During awakened stage, it is knowledgeable and during sleep, it is without knowledge.

-Milu, Vachaspati says in Bhamati that a person expert in a science that is without self-introspection behaves with society in the same way as an animal behaves with it. He flees on seeing a person coming holding a stick; and if he sees someone coming with a basket of food, then he goes near to him. It means that he fears fear.
............
***
It was the season of mango fruits.

Monkeys and nilgais leaped from tree to tree,and the bison trampled vegetables growing in the fields behind the housesin the village.

"Everything has been destroyed, Bachlu. I will go to the orchard in the morning. The nilgais have already bitten a lot of fruits and crops, now these monkeys are after the mango fruits."

I did remember that during the mango season monkeys and nNilagayas had a great feast every year.

It was the mango season. So Milu would have to begin guarding the mango orchard. The flowers had just begun turning into fruits. Milu had to construct a loft, I also helped him. We were just returning after cutting the bamboos.It was early in the morning, the red in the sky had a yellowish hue. Near the small pond, I saw Bachlu..
-
I began to come forward through the pathway in the field.Then I saw some blood. . I became nervous after seeing the blood.
But I relaxed soon. I then saw the sharp leaves of bamboo had bruised the girl's hand.

The girl had tears in her eyes. Milu cleaned the blood and put some damp soil onto her bruises.

-"What are you doing?"
-"The flow of blood will stop, it will stop bleeding now."
The girl had run through field.-"What is your name?"
-"Ananda".
-"From which village have you come from?"
-"From this village."
-"From this village?" Both of us exclaimed together.
Yes, Ananda was her name. And it was their first meeting, of Milu and Ananda.

............

The loft in mango orchard was constructed. But Ananda was not seen after that.
Milu often asked about her.
-To which quarter of the village does she belong? She is neither from the quarter of the Mishras, nor from the quarters of the Westerners or the Thakurs, he kept thinking.
-If she had been from the quarter of scavengers, then I would have known her.
-Then how she is from our village, and if she is from our village then why have we not met her till now?

But in between these events, a coincidence occurred. In Milu's quarter, an investiture ceremony of Phude's son was held.On that auspicious day, I had gone outside the village to the tanner's quarters to cut bamboo. I also had to call the men who would play the pipes.
-I heard someone call me.
"Hirua brother,O Hirua brother".
-"He is coming".
A woman's voice was heard. The voice seemed familiar to me.
-"Who are you?"
-"I am Hirua's daughter. What do you want?"
-"Your father did not come for bamboo cutting ceremony; the voice of his pipe is missing there. I have come here to call him."
-"He is preparing for that occasion".
-"What is your name?"

At that very moment a girl came outside, pushing aside the creepers which were hanging from their house enclosure made of bamboo.
-"I am Ananda. I recognised you. What is your name?"
I was feeling cold. But I had to answer.
-"Bachlu."
-"And your friends name?"
-"Milu, son of Pandit Srikara."

I told Milu's father's name to Ananda, although she did not ask for it. Not knowing why ..I told her.
At that moment Hirua came out with his pipe. I accompanied him to Milu's quarter of the village.On the way, I asked Hirua -"Ananda is your daughter but I havenever seen her."
"She has lived, most of the time, at her maternal uncle's place. But now she has come of age. So I brought her to the village."
-"When will she go to her maternal uncle's place?"
-"No! Now she is of marriageable age She will remain with us."
Milu, my friend, had been asking a lot about her. I kept thinking how he would react after hearing about the news of marriage. I wished that Ananda would go back to her maternal uncle's village and then I would be free from Milu's repeated questioning.
But now since Ananda would remain in the same village as Pandit Srikar's son Milu, what would he do?
Oh ..I, myself, am thinking out of context. Milu had asked about Ananda in a natural way. That does not mean that ..but does it means.., then?

The son of a Brahmin and the daughter of a tanner..
Will Pandit Srikar approve this relationship? Will the village people approve this relationship?
Oh ..I am again thinking out of context. I could hear the pipe blowing. Men and women moved forward towards the bamboo plantation, through the field, Milu and I accompanied them. On the way I tried to locate that place. The place where Milu and Ananda first met ..we could hear a faint voice ..a beautiful musical sound. .. The boy, whose investiture ceremony was going on, had marked thebamboos. The bamboos now had to be cut. Construction of the sacred loft in the courtyard had to be completed today as it wasan auspicious day. After much labour and sweat, we finally completed the work and only then my mind was at peace. After thatMilu and I started walking through the field.

But Milu started asking me questions about Ananda again. He was my Lord Rama and I was his follower, Hanuman.

Sitting on the loft in the orchard one day, I said to Milu:

-"Milu. Please forget her. Why are you bent upon giving her a bad name. Ananda is Hirua's daughter. Although she asked only your name, I told her both your and your father's name".
-"She asked for my father's name?"
-"No, but.."
-"Then why did you tellher my father's name?"
-"One day she would come to know .."
-"That day I would have faced .. now she will ignore me .. now I have to put in some extra effort."
"What effort? You are Brahmin Srikar's son and she is the daughter of Hirua, the tanner. Why are you bent upon giving her a bad name?"
"I will marry her, why I would give her a bad name?"
"Who you are deceiving?"
-"I am deceiving nobody, dear friend."
Milu took decisions impulsively. He was Pandit Srikar's son., Srikar was an exponent of the Mimamsa school of Indian philosophy. I had seen the palm-leaf inscriptions lying everywhere in his house; so I did not believe my friend.
-"I have never seen her in the village."
-"You never stay in the village for long. You returned only last year from the school of your teacher."
-"But you had also not seen her."
"She has been living at her maternal uncle's village."
-"Willshe go to her maternal uncle's village again?"
-"No, I had enquired again about that. She willnow remain in the village."

***
Last year, Milu's mother died.
Srikar Mimamsak became almost crazy. The village people were worried: How would there be preservation of palm leaves in this year's Leo zodiac of the sun? Srikar had been grappling with this anxiety and so he became almost crazy..it was being discussed by the people of his quarter of village.

....
Hirr..hirr..hirr..
From my quarter of the village, Domasi, Milu and I were shouting hirr..hirr and following the pigs. We reached the tanner's quarters in the village. Ananda, however, met us midway. Alongwith the pigs I moved forward. After a while I turned my head around to overhear the talk between Ananda and Milu.

Hirr..hirr..

This time Ananda shouted "hirr" and I smiled and moved further along with the pigs.
This went on for quite some time. Hirua was agitated and came to me several times. Hiru's wife began praying for her daughter.

How distant is the temple of Goddess
How distant is the temple of Lukesari
Many miles I went for appeal
Goddess, look unto me.

Many miles I went for appeal
Goddess, look unto me.

Four miles is the temple of Goddess
Eight miles is the temple of Lukesari
Ten miles I went for appeal
Goddess, look unto me

Ten miles I went for appeal
Goddess, look unto me

Which flower for the temple of Goddess?
Which flower for the temple of Goddess Bandi?
Which flower for my chosen appeal?
Goddess, look unto me

Which flower for my chosen appeal?
Goddess, look unto me

This flower for the temple of Goddess
That jasmine flower for the temple of Lukesari
Marigold flower I chose for appeal
Goddess, look unto me

Marigold flower I chose for appeal
Goddess, look unto me

....

Hirua came to Domasi, the village quarter of the scavengers.
-"What will happen? How it will happen?"
-"All false.."
"I promised him that I would accompany him to Srikar Pandit."

And I did accompany him one day to Srikar Mimamsak. "Srikar's wife died soon after the Leo zodiac of the Sun. After that Mimamsak became crazy .. people say," I said to him on the way.
"Which people? Those people who were from his quarter of the village? The people of the village and the learned people of the area respected him. I am telling you what I have seen with my eyes.."
Talking thus, we reached pander Srikar's house.
"Come Bachlu. Hirua, come and sit down.." Saying that Srikar relapsed into silence. After the death of his wife, he had become like this. He seemed normal but suddenly would become lost in silence.
"Uncle, the courtyard of your house is empty. How long will you let it remain so? Why don't you get your son Milu married?"Milu has already made his decision about his marriage."
"When and where?" I became agitated and asked. Hirua seemed to look towards me with relieved eyes.
"He has decided to marry Ananda. Her father has come with you."
Oh...And Srikar Pandit was that type!
And Milu was of that type too! He has already hypnotised his father. But a person from Srikar's quarter of the village overheard this talk.

We all were seated when that person came to Srikar's house, accompanied with some other persons. An argument ensued among Srikar Pandit and these people. The opposite argument, word for word, ensued.
"Srikar, what type of demeanour is this?"
"Which type of demeanour?"
"You do not have any sense in distinguishing high and low Mimamsak?"
"Dear learned folks! What is this high and lowdifferentiation? "That means that high and low are only meanings of words? And the analysis that we have done after making it a sentence is selfishness?"
"If you do not believe then surrender the selfish content from the sentence. All fallacy would be falsified."
"Does this mean you are hell bent upon carrying out the marriage between Milu and Ananda?"
"Dear Learned Folks! You confuse snake for rope because both of these have separate existence. If you squeeze your eyes shut, then you would see two moons; then you place moons in two real places of the sky. The reason for fallacy is not the subject but the attachment, although both purpose and result are true. And here also the knowledge of all subjects cannot give knowledge of the self. One's nature is described by knowledge of self through the concept of self. Self is subject and object both, of knowledge. The knowledge of self is both subject and object. The meaning of substance is obtained through attachment. The meaning of a word is near its inference after we hear a word.
-You are creating a fallacy of words. We all see that you are determined to get them married.
- "When desire does not get fulfilled then it is envy," Pandit Srikar commented.
-"Do you think that all this that we are saying is out of envy? Don't you give any value to caste?"
-"See, Ananda is full of good qualities.My caste and her's are the same; and that is the truthand known to all. She will be able to preserve my legacy that I believe. And that is my decision."
"And that is my decision" - these words did not enter my and Hirua's ears. I had known Srikar and Milu for a long time. But this type of unexpected decision I was not accustomed to. Hirua realised what these words meant after some time. He was amazedwhen he turned and looked towards me.

Then Srikar Mimamsak pointed a finger towards one person, an astrologer.
-"Jyotishiji, you select one auspicious day. In this season this holy marriage should be held. The Leo zodiac of the sun is arriving, before that. Anyone of you have any objection?"

All stood on their feet with bowed heads. Who would dare to oppose Srikar Mimamsak?
"All of us came here to discuss. But if you havealready taken a decision then there remains nothing to oppose."
Mimamsak's raised his hand and all became silent.

I and Hirua moved slowly away from there.
Hirua took such a deep breath that I could feel it.

....

It was not that any other obstruction did not come.
But that crazy Srikar Mimamsak was a scholar of repute. Ananda became his daughter-in-law. She was acceptednot only inMilu's quarter of the village but also among all the scholars in the vicinity.

....

In Ananda's father's house, the marriage ceremony was organised. I had heard the songs, full of life, I still remember:

The black bee that slept over the hill
Gardener-daughter sleeping in garden
Get up gardener-daughter, keep the garland
The black bee that slept over the hill
Gardener-daughter slept in the garden
Get up gardener-daughter, keep the garland.

With what flower I would cover Goddess Lukesari
With what I would make her clothes
With what flower I will knot to make it an ornament

Get up gardener-daughter, place the garland
With Arabian jasmine flower I will cover Bandi
With Spanish jasmine I will clothe her
China rose would be the ornament of Lukesari
Get up gardener-daughter, thread the garland
Get up gardener-daughter, thread the garland

....

Srikar Mimamsak became more composed after assigning the task of preserving the palm leaf inscriptions to Ananda. After his wife's death, the poor man was really apprehensive regarding that important work of his.

Ananda's role inpreservinge these palm leaves seemed like a divine interference. In a sudden turn of events Milu told me how he had convinced Srikar Pandit about this marriage. The daughter of a Brahmin would be busy cleaning utensils and Pooja materials; she would be busy making an earthen image of the Lord Shiva; and by then the palm leaves would get damaged.
He could not allow these palm leaves to be destroyed; Ananda had to get married to his son andcome to his home, Srikar Mimamsak had decided.
Milu was grateful for his decision.
Srikar had aged. Srikar and Ananda were still very much active in holding their philosophical discussions.
Ananda sang:
When twelve years passed and thirteenth arrived
When twelve years passed the thirteenth arrived
Folks my mother-in-law calls me tigress
She would banish tigress from her house.

Folks my mother-in-law calls me tigress
She would banish tigress from her house.

Outside the courtyard of yours is standing the moneylender
Folks, give me Madar and Thorn-apple, I will grind and will drink it
Folks, give me Madar and Thorn-apple, I will grind and will drink it

The beloved has come from outside and sat on bedstead
The beloved has come from outside and sat on bedstead

Folks, tell the thoughts of your heart; after that I will drink poison
Folks, tell the thoughts of your heart; after that I will drink poison

When twelve years passed and thirteenth arrived
Folks, mother-in-law calls me tigress
I will banish tigress from home.

My mother-in-law beats me, my sister-in-law beats me
My mother-in-law beats me, my sister-in-law beats me

Folks, these will go and all the wealth would be mine
Folks, these will go and all the wealth would be mine

Keep silence; keep silence proud women you are great, proud women
Keep silence; keep silence proud women you are great, proud women

Poud women, I will perform holy-basil-plant oblation and will squander all my wealth
Folks; I will perform pond oblation and will squander all my wealth.

Srikar Mimamsak would jokingly ask- "Ananda, you do not havea mother-in-law, then can you say that she is calling you a tigress?
-"Therefore I am singing, everything I have, but .."
While speaking Ananda's eyes were full of tears. I still remember this.
-"I caused you pain by telling this."
-"What pain; I do not have mother-in-law but I do have father-in-law."
Seeing Srikar happy, Milu always felt satisfaction.

....

Even after Srikar Mimamsak's death, Ananda continued to instill life in these palm leaves.
In due course, Milu had two daughters, Vallabha and Medha.
I had seen joy on Ananda's face. She had gone to her mother's place, where she gave birth to the twins.

You Red Fairy. O Pink fairy
You Red Fairy. O Pink fairy
O Over the sky would dance the Indra Fairy
O. On the rose would dance the Indra Fairy

In due course, he had a son. When his son Megha grew up, Milu sent him to Benaras for studying.

The days passed, his daughters grew up,and both Medha and Vallabha were married. Milu knew inner satisfaction and peace.

His son's marriage was also performed in the meantime. Megha began teaching in Benaras. Megha, Medha and Vallabha all three came to the village at least once in a year.

People forgot many things about them.

2

The stage of Bhamati

Ananda was busy preserving the palm leaves of Milu's father; even in the intense heat, Milu still remembers.
Ananda's whole life was spent with Milu and when she was not present then how could Milusurvive? .. Milu did not listento the holy Garur Purana. Milu liked to hear Mandan's Brahmsidhi and Vachaspati's Bhamati, when he felt in the mood to listen to something. If his daughters insisted, then he would hear Kumaril's philosophy on the subject of self.
Srikar often spoke many things about the science of words and on the philosophical writing of Bhamati. We ascribe too much of meaning to words and then begins the confusion.
-"Teacher; after my wife's death I am in distress. What is this life? Where will Ananda be?"
-"Milu; be composed. This lesson of Brahmasidhi will remove all your illusion. In Brahmsidhi there are four divisions - Brahma, Logic, Command and Accomplishment. In Brahma division the discussion is on forms of Brahma, in Logic division it is on proof, in Command division it is on the liberation of living being and in Accomplishment part there is discussion on the proof of Upanishadic thoughts.
-Milu, there is no subject apart from liberated knowledge. Liberation is knowledge itself. Mandan gives value to the mean knowledge of Man's intellect. He values work. But these alone are not enough for liberation. The sound-word was given a meaning through the explosion that Mandan saw. So he is different from Shankar in a way that he identifies this explosion and gives identity to it; but Shankar does not believe in any identity less than that of Brahma. So Mandan is purer non-dualist as compared to Shankar.
-Milu, Mandan does not believe in able and not-able as mutually opposed. This sometime means action based difference; but that difference will not become an original element. So that Bahma would remain in all differences and still would do every work.
-Look, the thought at the Bhamati stage of Vachaspati and the philosophy of Mandan, they are in coherence. On Brahmsidhi of Mandan Mishra Vachaspati has written an elucidation called Epistemology Critique. Although that work is now not available".
-"Then how did epistemology critique come forward?"
-"In Bhamati of Vachaspati, there is discussion about it."

-But before knowing thoughts of Mandan I feel that when he lost discussion with Shankaracharya then how one would benefit from his defeated theories and how one would get peace.
-See, Mandan was defeated; the evidence of this is not available in the writings of Mandan. Mandan was supporter of the theory of explosion, but Shankaracharya denied it. Mandan was supporter of opposite fame of Kumaril Bhatt; but Shankaracharya's pupil Sureshvaracharya, whom people often identify with Mandan Mishra, opposes opposite fame theory.
-That is right. If Mandan had lost he would have followed Shankaracharya.
-Now tell me, the Sureshvaracharya, who was appointed as head of Sringeri Math by Shankaracharya, says that ignorance is not of two types; but Mandan mentions two types of ignorance in Brahmsidhi as non-acceptance and wrong-acceptance. Mandan tells living one's as abode of ignorance but Sureshvaracharya disagrees with it. Mandan opposes Shankarachaya but Sureshvaracharya follows him.


....

Monkeys and nilgais are tearing down the fruit treesand the male buffalows are trampling the cultivated land behind the dwelling houses. Now for my sake the village people would not stop rearing buffaloes.

"Four monkeys are in the orchard and they are damaging the mangoes. I had gone there. In the evening, all the monkeys were perched on top of the trees. Till evening we, father and son duo, took careof the orchard. Now the monkeys have fled when we threw wooden missiles; but then they went towards your orchard." -
"All has been damaged, Milu. In night they are not able to see. In the morning I will go to the orchard. The nilgais have also damaged a lot. And now these monkeys are after mangoes. Let them damage when.."
"The nilgais were completely gone from our area for some time. How have they have resurfaced again? They must have crossed the river from the next village during night.."
"I don't think that is true. These nilgais have come from the Nepal side during the floods. Let them come when.."
"I told you about the monkeys."
"That would be done."
"All right, brother: then I am going." I remember the year, when Ananda and Milu had met for the first time, when during the month of mangoes, the monkeys and nilgais had suddenly disappeared. Now when Ananda has departed, these monkeys and nilgais have resurfaced again from nowhere. Not even fifteen days have passed since Ananda's death ..
....

Bachlu left the place and on Milu's forehead thick lines of anxiety began moving, one towards the another like waves do, interfering mutually, the old waves turning into new waves and moving forward. He calls his daughters, his voice reaching across the courtyard.
"Daughters! Jayakar and Vishwanath had gone to the orchard today; have both returned or not? I heard that the monkeys are up to mischief there. From tommorow Jayakar and Vishwanath will not go to the orchard, tell them. Today monkeys came to the orchard; you did not tell me this. What should I do after hearing this when .."
"I did tell you, father, but these days you remain in your own thoughts. Then I got tired after repeating it, so I stopped."

Yes, Milu nowadays lost in his own world. The mangoes had begun ripening soon after the Ananda's death.. After so many years these monkeys and nilgais have again resurfaced to remind us of something!

....

Vallabha, the mother of Jayakar, and Medha, the mother of Vishwanath - both the sisters have come to their mother's house after a long time. They have met each other after so many days. The son-in-laws of Ananda have also come: Visho, the husband of Vallabha; and Kanh, the husband of Medha. Megha has also come with his wife and children.

Milu is calling for his wife .. Ananda .. Ananda. Then he remembers that she is gone now. Then he begins to call .. where is Vallabha ... where are you Medha? Where are you Jayakar and Vishwanath?
Vallabha and Medha both come and Milu begins singing. The song often sung by Ananda: the songs that Ananda sung for Vallabha and Medha.

Red fairy. O . The Pink fairy
Red fairy. O . The Pink fairy
O. Over sky would dance the Indra fairy
The Goddess of the garland of red-blood is standing on door, the devotee has become poor
O after she became poor she is standing near the door of the blood-garland goddess
Mother we would have to give money to the poor
Mother we would have given money to the poor
Mother we had given money to the poor

Red fairy o pink fairy
Mother, O after she became blind she is standing near the door of the blood-garland goddess
Mother O, give eye to the blind immediately
Mother O, give eye to the blind immediately

The father and both daughters began crying.
....

Ananda's death has been a disaster for you. Even though you are from Brahmin caste and Ananda is from the tanner's caste, the love between you two is incomparable. Do not be unhappy over her death. Brahma is without sorrow. The fanciful face of Brahma is pure joy. Thereafter your unhappiness over Ananda is inappropriate. Brahma is he who oversees. The visible ones are changeable that does not have any relation with the overseer. This world is not simply a fallacy but it does have an existence. But this practical existence is not true.
-Milu, there is a difference between conscious and unconsciousness; but that is not absolutely true. The living beings are of many types and ignorance is also of many kinds. Ignorance is one vice but the reference to it cannot be Brahma, it cannot be a complete soul. Its reference can only be an incomplete soul. Ignorance then is not true but it is not a major untruth either.
-Milu; please remove this ignorance; that is called liberation, that liberation which Ananda has achieved.

And on Milu's face, complete peace could be seen.

....

Milu
remembers the discussion he had once with Ananda, a long, long time ago...
"Ananda, when I am talking to you again and again, I am gripped with a fear. My father's weakness is his possessiveness for the palm leaf inscriptions. So please remember all this: when my father asks you how should these palm leaves be preserved, then your reply should be: by protecting the books from water, oil and loose binding, by drying these under shadow. These books containfive hundred to six hundred leaves. I will bring some of those books for you to see. One leaf is a hand long and around four fingers broad. These are covered with wooden frames on top and bottom. On the left side there remains a hole through which a rope passes thereby binding the leaves together."
"Your father would agree?"
-He will have to agree. He does not have the means to bring a Bahmin bride. I once gave a farmer two rupees in advance for buying some land. But my father brought the advance back. He is saving money. He will have to spend seven hundred rupees to have his son married to a good Brahmin family and his superior geneology is preserved. And that Brahmin bride would come and preserve his palm leaf inscriptions?

After the death of Milu's mother, Srikar became almost crazy; the people of his quarter of village often said.
In the village the plaguedestroyedtwo quarters of the village; those of the Mishras and those of the westernes almost got annihilated. How many people in the surrounding areas died, nobody could count.
Milu got an opportunity so that his father could meet Ananda. Srikar saw in Ananda much more besides the quality of palm leaf preservation techniques.
Milu was victorious. Milu, of the Nyaya School of Philosophy, had won over Srikar of the Mimamsa School of Philosophy!
And the marriage of Ananda and Milu was thus solemnised.

***
He remembers his love talks with Ananda. Milu, it seems, is going to meet her. Ananda has died. She slipped into the Balaan river. The marks of her feet slipping into the river are quite visible.
Milu sees that mark and his heart fills with joy, he slips into the wave of emotion ..
Ananda and Milu's would meet very often, take walks in the fields, the orchards, grazing grounds, besides the river. Milu did not jump into the river. This slope hadbecome slippery, thanks to the young boys. Milu has lot of memories of thisplace, he had often sat over here and then rushed forward in great speed into the river, cutting the waves in forward direction.
-"Hey, come and do this," he said.
-"That is not a big deal."
- "Perform first, then only I would believe."
Ananda tried carefully but ..
He could not stop her, especially beside the river.
***
She must have come here ..and then she slipped .. and drowned.
She might have come to remember something.
Yes. Ananda has arrived. Bachlu, listen,, listen to this song.

Behind the house is the tree of china-rose flower
It is laden with fruits and flowers
A parrot came from the northern state
The parrot sat on the china-rose tree
The parrot eats neither fruit nor flower
It is destroying branches and leaves
The parrot eats neither flower nor seed
It has destroyed branches and leaves

Beside the house there lives a jackal
O Jackal, please capture this parrot sitting over the tree

Once tried
Twice tried
Third time the parrot flies
Neither this parrot is a mystic
Nor is the partridge
It is like a conveyance for hen-sparrow.

-Brother; are you not able to hear this song?
-Brother, I am hearing and seeing. Ananda sister-in-law is singing. I also heard this song the day she died; it was she, singing-

In the courtyard of Goddess Lukesari there is a tree of sandalwood
Beneath that the cuckoos clamour.

-It was not the fallacy of words.

Next day after the ritual of fish and meat and after the Pooja of Lord Satyanarayan, Ananda neither cut the sandalwood tree nor encircled her courtyard.

The next day beneath that sandalwood tree the villagers saw two dead bodies in the tanner's quarter of the village. The voice of Ananda echoed in the sky, all the village folks heard this:

Whichever jungle you would go dear lovable cuckoo
A mark of garland of blood would be left

It was not the fallacy of words.
 

 

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