The Samurai’s Daughter - Part One

 

Once, there was a beautiful and good girl who was the daughter of a Samurai. Her name was O Cho San. O Cho San’s father was dead and her mother was ill. O Cho San worked very hard to support her mother.

O Cho San worked very well and she had no trouble finding work.

Once, a nobleman of the place needed a maid and he came to O Cho San.

O Cho San nodded. “What would my job be?”

The nobleman shrugged. “All the work of a maid. But..” The nobleman looked grave. “There is one extra work though. My father had some precious porcelain plates.”

O Cho San smiled in an assured tone. “I have washed porcelain dishes even before this. I will be careful.”

The nobleman shook his head. “It is not that simple. These porcelain plates are priceless. My ancestor in fact made a law that whoever broke a plate had to have a finger cut.”

O Cho San was surprised. 

The nobleman still looked grave. “Those plates have to be washed with care and this law made by my ancestor still holds good.”

O Cho San was nervous. But she finally agreed to the nobleman’s offer because the man paid a lot of money and O Cho San needed the money to take care of her mother. She consoled herself because she was sure that the chances that the nobleman used the precious porcelain everyday was impossible.

So O Cho San went to work for the nobleman.

She worked so well that soon all the people in the nobleman’s house were pleased with her.

However, there was a problem for O Cho San.

Adapted from Japanese Folktales

King Yasahketu and Dirghadarsin – Part Nine

 

The king came into the palace with Mrigankavati beside him.

Dirghadarsin saw the entire scene and a second later, he collapsed and died of a heartbreak.

This was where the Vetala stopped narrating the story to King Trivikramasena.

Vetala looked expectedly at the king. “King Yasahketu had found his wife and a celestial beauty at that. The entire kingdom rejoiced along with King Yasahketu. But why was Dirghadarsin, the minister so unhappy?”

King Trivikramasena nodded sadly. “This was bound to happen especially to a man like Dirghadarsin who had worked so hard to carry out his work without trying to spoil his reputation.”

“Why, your majesty?”

“Even before this, King Yasahketu barely carried out any of the duties of the king and left most of the work to his minister. In fact, Dirghadarsin had to go on a pilgrimage tour on the advice of his wife Medhavathi just to make sure that no one thought that he was trying to usurp the throne.” King Trivikramasena shook his head. “But things were much worse now. The king was in a love and this was no ordinary woman. She was a celestial being. That meant that the king was never going to spend any time for the kingdom. There was a very high chance that the king spent all his time with his wife and ignored his kingly duties. That would mean that Dirghadarsin would have to take care of the kingdom.” King Trivikramasena shook his head. “If that happened, there was no way that the minister could again convince the people of the kingdom that he was just carrying out his duties to the best of his abilities.”

King Trivikramasena looked sad. “That was the reason that Dirghadarsin was so sad and died broken-hearted.”

Having heard the right answer, the Vetala left the king and flew back to the tree.

Adapted from the Katha Sarith Sagara

King Yasahketu and his minister Dirghadarsin - Part Eight

Now that her curse had been lifted, Mrigankavati turned to her husband. “After cursing me and leaving me here, my father has gone to the Nishada mountains. According to our laws, after our curse ends, we have to return to our own kingdom.” Mrigankavati nodded at her husband. “So I must go back to my father and you can go back to your own kingdom.”

The king frowned for a few seconds. “Before you leave me and go to your father, I ask one thing from you.”

Mrigankavati was surprised as the king continued. “We are husband and wife and we shall separate because your curse has ended. But spend seven days with me. After that you are free to go your way.”

Mrigankavati agreed to this.

For six days the king and Mrigankavati lived happily in the palace.

On the seventh day, the king fooled Mrigankavati and led her to the pavilion which opened the gates into the land of humans. The king made sure that he and Mrigankavati stepped through the pavilion and both of them stepped away from the kingdom and appeared on the other side from which there was no going back.

It happened so fast that soon the king and Mrigankavati found themselves in the gardens of the kingdom of Anga.

At first, Mrigankavati was surprised, but then she realized that the king had done what he had because he did not have to be separated from her.

The people of the kingdom of Anga saw that their king had returned with a celestial beauty as his wife.

All the people in the kingdom rejoiced, except the minister Dirghadarsin.

Adapted from the Katha Sarith Sagara

King Yasahketu and his minister Dirghadarsin - Part Seven

Fury burnt through the king’s heart when he saw that beloved had been swallowed by the Rakshasa. Without thinking, the king pulled out his sword and in a single swift move, the king killed the unsuspecting Rakshasa.

The Rakshasa fell dead with a thud.

The king pushed himself back, heaving and panting for breath and he just realized that he had lost his wife.

That was when the king was stunned when he saw that Mrigankavati emerged from the dead body of the Rakshasa and she was alive and well.

“What sort of sorcery is this?” The king demanded in a dazed voice.

Mrigankavati stood beside her husband. “This is my father’s curse and you have freed me from that.”

Mrigankavati told her story to the king.

“My king is a king in the Vidhyadharas. My king had many sons but he always waited for me before having food. But I was always engaged in the worship of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathi. Once, during one of my prayers, my father was delayed in having his meals. For that, my father cursed me that I will be the food of a Rakshasa for two days in a month and he cursed me to live alone since then. I do not have any memory of the incident after being eaten by the Rakshasa and brought back alive.”

The king still looked dazed as Mrigankavati continued. “My father told me that eventually King Yasahketu of the Anga kingdom would free me from this curse.”

The king realized that he had done what he could to save Mrigankavati from the curse and he was meant to do this.

Adapted from the Katha Sarith Sagara

King Yasahketu and his minister Dirghadarsin -Part Six

“I am Mrigankavati.” The girl told the king shyly. “My father is Mrigankasena, and he is a king of Vidyadharas.”

King Yasahketu frowned and looked around. “Where is your father? Where are the others?”

Mrigankavati suddenly looked sad. “My father has left me all alone in this city and I do not know why he has done that.”

The king was speechless as Mrigankavati continued. “I am alone, so when I feel melancholy, I rise up to the sea and sing about the fate of people.”

The king felt that he had to marry this girl and decided to marry the girl then and there. The gandharva form of marriage is a form of marriage which is carried out only with the permission of the two people who want to get married. So to carry out this type of marriage, he asked for her permission.

Mrigankavati happily agreed, but with a caveat. “On four days of every month, I will have to leave you and give you no explanations. You must not ask me any questions about where I go on those days.”

Mrigankavati and the king married by the gandharva form of marriage.

Some days later, there was the time that Mrigankavati had to leave the king. Before leaving however, the girl warned the king. “There is a crystal pavilion there. Beyond that is a lake. If you fall into that, you will return to the land of humans.” She shook her head. “Then you cannot come back, so please do not go near the crystal pavilion.”

When Mrigankavati left the city, the king pulled out his sword and secretly followed her to know the mystery of this girl.

As soon as Mrigankavati left the city, a huge and terrible Rakshasa - a monster attacked on the girl. 

In a single swoop, the rakshasa opened its mouth and swallowed the girl.

Adapted from Katha Sarith Sagara

King Yasahketu and his minister Dirghadarsin - Part Five

Just like the previous journey, when the king was in Lakshmidatta’s ship when the beautiful girl with the wishing tree sprang up the ocean.

This time too she sang about fate.

No sooner had the king seen her, the king was smitten. 

When the girl and her wishing tree vanished into the sea, the king could not stop himself and he also jumped into the sea after her.

Lakshmidatta was shocked that an ascetic who had come with him had suddenly jumped into the ocean. He nearly panicked not knowing what to do when a heavenly voice was heard.

“That is not an ascetic, that is King Yasahketu who was disguised as an ascetic. The girl on the wishing tree had been his wife in his previous life. If the king finds her then he shall return to the kingdom of Anga with her and you have nothing to fear.” The voice finished in a firm voice. “You can leave this place and have nothing to fear.”

Lakshmidatta felt grateful to the heavenly voice and continued with his journey to the Island of Gold.

Meanwhile the king had an adventure of his own.

Under the waters, the king was stunned to see a splendid city. The city had beautiful palaces which were placed with bright precious stones.

The king entered every single house and palace in the city, but he could not find the girl anywhere.

There in the middle of the city, he came across an even more grand palace.

The king entered the place and there in the house, he found the beautiful girl fast asleep on the couch.

When the king entered her room, the girl suddenly got up too.

When the two of them saw each other, it was love at first sight for both of them.

Adapted from the Katha Sarith Sagara

King Yasahketu and his minister Dirghadarsin - Part Four

Meanwhile King Yasahketu had been looking after the affairs of the kingdom himself. But he had his spies on the lookout who were to report to him as soon as his minister Dirghadarsin had stepped into the kingdom.

When Dirghadarsin took leave of Nidhidatta and came to Anga, the king’s spies immediately spotted the minister. They told the king about it immediately.

The king traveled to the place and embraced the minister and took him to the palace.

The king immediately wanted to know about Dirghadarsin’s trips.

Dirghadarsin told the king about his sea trip to the Island of Gold and how he had seen that beautiful maiden on the couch under the wishing tree.

No sooner had King Yasahketu heard the description of the girl, he had fallen in love with the girl. “Please tell me how to find this girl. I must find her and make her mine.”

Dirghadarsin had come back home but he was sad. He knew that the king was going to embark on another adventure and find about the girl and would not rest until he found her. The minister was sad because this meant that the minister had to take care of the kingdom during the time that the king was absent.

Needless to say the next day the king disguised himself as an ascetic and traveled towards the Island of Gold.

There, the king meant another hermit called Kusanabha who told the king about a merchant called Lakshmidatta who was sailing towards the Island of Gold.

The king went to meet the merchant and soon the king found himself on a sea trip to the island of Gold.

Adapted from the Katha Sarith Sagara