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| Sunday, 21 November 2004 |
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Sunday parable The stranger from the other world by Sunanda Mahendra In a certain village, there lived a man and a woman who had an only
daughter. Although they looked after her with much care, she fell ill. The villagers believed that a person would be re-born in a suitable place. As she was kindhearted, the parents thought that she would be born in the best possible place with all the comforts they failed to give her in her present birth. Thinking in this manner they tried to impart merit on her to fix her into a better abode in the next world. On the seventh day after her death, a certain man who looked like a beggar visited the house of the dead girl's parents. He had a turban tied round his head that gave him the look of a person coming from a strange place. His way of speaking too was strange. For one he said: "Oh I am too tired and too hungry" At this, the mother of the dead girl asked, "From where did you come?" "I came from the other world" "Oh did you really?" At this moment the father was not at home. "Yes I came from the other world, and why do you want to know all these?" "Why don't you know that our daughter Kaluhami departed? She was such a nice girl." "Oh I know Kaluhami quite well. She is one of my closest friends and I want to pass on something to you about her". The mother was anxious to know what this was all about. "Tell me all about her. Is she leading a happy life? Is she still as pretty as she was when she was with us here? What does she want from us? When do you return there?" This series of questions was well received by the stranger and he tried to answer one by one in the best possible manner. "First of all, let me tell you that we are engaged to get married in the other world quite soon" "Oh is that so? I am so pleased to hear that." "She is prettier than she was and she lives a comfortable life but there is just one hitch." "What is that dear son-in-law tell me what does she want?" "She needs some clothes and jewels. She is badly in need of some money too." "Oh we can do that as we have some of her jewellery and clothes and some money saved for her. I can give all that. Let me make a parcel of all that and give you before you leave this world." "So I will take all that carefully and hand them over to her as soon as I meet her". The mother went inside the house and packed all the jewellery and clothes and some money safely and handed the parcel over to the stranger. Then he ate a hearty meal cooked by the mother. Having finished all that, he got ready to go. "I should not get late now that I have met you," he said getting ready to leave the place as soon as possible. "See you dear mother-in-law and thank you so much for all your presents." No sooner he left, the father of the dead girl arrived. When the mother came out with what happened a few minutes before, the father retorted at once. "You stupid woman, can't you understand that this man who came is a culprit of the first order? I want to catch hold of him and hand him over to the headman of the village. Tell me the direction he ran and how did he look like." Then the mother said that the stranger had a turban tied round his head and showed the direction. The father, who had a horse, put the saddle without wasting much time and rode fast. Halfway through he saw a man walking with long strides looking back in an uneasy manner. "Stop you rascal, you culprit how dare you deceive my wife. I am going to teach you a good lesson," he cried. As the man was passing under a tall tree he climbed it. The father of the dead girl also came right under the tree and dismounting the horse climbed the tree. Then the stranger, who had climbed the tree jumped on to the saddle of the horse and rode as fast as possible. The father of the dead girl Kaluhami, felt miserable and found that the culprit had outwitted him too. In utter dismay and frustration he cried clenching his fists. "Oh my son-in-law tell the daughter that the clothes and jewellery are from the mother and the horse is from the father". |
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They tried all manner of ways and means to cure her. They performed devil
dances in order to ward off any evil eye or any mystical effect. She was
so beautiful that when she reached marriageable age, she was destined to
leave this world. The father and mother were very grieved over her death
as she was not only pretty but was also kindhearted.
