|| An Indian folktale ||
In a certain town there lived a clever old Brahman, named Madhav. He used to go out daily to beg in the houses around, under the pretence that he had to feed several poor Brâhmaṇs in his own house. Good people, that believed in his words, used to give him lot of rice and curry, with which he would bring home and keep for himself and his wife. But if any hungry Brahman, who had heard of his empty boast of feeding Brâhmaṇs at home, came to him, he was sent away with some excuse or other.
In this way Madhav brought home a basketful of rice and other necessaries every day, of which he only used a small portion for himself and his wife, and converted the reminder into money. And thus, by his cunning tricks, he managed to live well for years.
In an adjoining village there lived another very clever Brahman, named Krishna. Whenever he found any man reluctant and unwilling to give him anything that he begged of him, he would persist in bothering him until he had his way.
Krishna had heard of Madhav and his charity. He came to see him one day, and requested him to give him a meal. Madhav told him that for that day, ten Brahmans had already been settled, and that if he came the next day he would have his meal without fail. Krishna agreed to this, and left. Madhav had, of course, told him the very lie he was accustomed to tell. Now Krishna was not easy to fool. He stood before Madhav’s door precisely at the appointed hour the next day.
Madhav was surprised at Krishna’s determination and said, “Sir, unfortunately, my wife fell ill last night. Owing to this unforeseen incident I have had to postpone my charitable feeding till her recovery, so do not trouble me, please, for some days more.”
Krishna heard these words with growing suspicion and then with an expression of sincere, or rather, seemingly sincere, sorrow in his face, and replied:— “Respected sir, I am very sorry for the illness of the mistress of the house, but to give up charity is a great sin. For the last ten years I have been studying the art of cooking, and can now cook for a hundred people; so I can assist you now in preparing the food”
Madhav could not refuse such a request, but he deceitfully determined in his mind to get Krishna to cook for him, and then to drive him away without giving him his rice. And so he said:— “Yes, that is a very good idea. Come in; let us cook together.”
So saying, he took Krishna inside and they both went into the kitchen, while Madhav’s wife, at the command of her husband, pretended to be ill. Both of them cooked rice and lentils. And then the difficulty was to drive the fellow out, for the long-maintained rule of never feeding a single Brahman must not be broken that day. So, when the cooking was all over, Madhav gave a kasu (copper coin) to Krishna, and asked him to bring some banana leaves from the market.
Once he left, Madhav went to his wife, “My dear, food is cooked. I have now sent the fellow out to fetch us some leaves, and it won’t look well if we shut our doors against him or drive him away; so we must make him go away of his own accord. As soon as he comes, pretend to quarrel with me. I shall then pretend to beat you. The guest will find this very disturbing, and will leave us of his own accord.”
Krishna returned with the leaves. Madhav’s wife, as pre-arranged, shouted at her husband: “How will we manage if you empty the house of everything through charity? Must you be so particular as to invite them, even when I am sick?” Madhav pretended to get angry and with his hands gave successive blows on the floor.
At every blow on the floor the wife cried out that she was being murdered, and that those who had mercy in their hearts should come to her rescue.
Krishna stood at the court-yard of the house and listened to what was taking place inside. He thought it must be surely another plan to drive him away. But, not wishing to interfere in a private matter between husband and wife, he hid himself in the loft or the attic in the verandah.
After sometime, Madhav came out of the room. He looked around and to his joy he could not find the guest. Of course, having had no reason to think that his guest would be sitting in the loft, he did not look up there.
Madhav now carefully bolted the main gate, and called out to his wife: “At last we have succeeded in driving him out; come, you too must be hungry; let us have our dinner together.”
Two leaves were spread on the ground, and all the dishes were equally divided into them. Meanwhile Krishna was watching all that took place below him and, being himself very hungry, was slyly watching for an opportunity to jump down.
His mouth was watering!
Below, Madhav said to his wife “Well, my love, did I not beat you without hurting you?” to which she replied: “Did I not continue to cry without shedding tears?”
They heard a third voice adding: “And did I not leave without having a meal?” and down jumped Krishna, from the loft, and took his seat beside them. Both Madhav and his wife were startled and initially disappointed on seeing him.
But Madhav was impressed by Krishna’s cleverness and persistence, he had finally met his match!
Surely, both of them could do better in each others’ company! One who won’t give and one who won’t leave.
And they did and they lived well afterwards.
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