|
|
|
| Sunday, 31 July 2005 |
 |
|
 |
Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
|
The carpenter, his friends and the doll princess by Sunanda Mahendra "Once and for all I have decided to leave this country and go somewhere else in search of a better place to live. I am fed up, and everything seems to be going from bad to worse," said the carpenter to his three friends the tailor, the goldsmith and the scholar.
"I feel the same," said the goldsmith "these fellows have given me many awards for my skills over the years, but my service is not wanted. So I am in search of a place where my service will be valued and I will be looked after well". "You all are talking about your respective skills but see what has happened to me. I have spent all my time learning and teaching but what exactly am I doing here in this blessed country? I am just wasting my time here. I advocate peace and harmony to all the living beings with the use of charms or mantras, and I am experimenting on a better state of living. I feel that if I go to a better place I should be in a position to do my work in a better manner, so I will also join you." So they all agreed to leave the country of their residence in search of a better place. They had to walk across a thick jungle where highway-men were lurking, roaming and plundering the wealth of travellers, especially if they see them fast asleep or timid in their mannerisms. The four started off and walked half way in the thick forest. It was pitch dark and they had to light a candle while they stayed in a particular sheltering place. "It is necessary to be vigilant all throughout the night and we must keep awake in turn till the crack of dawn," said the carpenter to his mates. "As a starting point, I will keep awake until midnight and you had better go to sleep," he added. When the three friends went to sleep, the carpenter kept awake. But to keep wide awake he wanted to engage himself in some work. So he picked up a branch of a tree and pulled out his tool kit to make a nice little doll. He kept on working till midnight and found that the formation of the doll had come out well. Now he wanted to sleep and asked his tailor friend to keep watch for a few hours before dawn. "Come on, get up my friend, keep watch for a few hours and wake up the other," the carpenter told the tailor. The tailor got up and allowed the carpenter to sleep. The tailor found the doll made by the carpenter and wanted to make a nice dress for her. So he went on making a dress with his sewing kit. While engaged in this manner he found the time flying and wanted to wake up the goldsmith. "Hello friend, please get up and keep watch for a few hours as agreed by all of us, this is your turn. When you have kept watch wake up our friend, the scholar." The goldsmith got up and allowed the tailor to go to sleep. By his side, he saw the doll with a nice dress. The goldsmith pulled out his kit and started making ornaments to adorn the doll. He made earrings and a gold necklace and all other ornaments that will give an added attraction and charm to her. "Oh you look so beautiful now. You look like a real charming princess." Now it was around the morning hours and the goldsmith wanted to wake up the scholar. "Hello friend, this is the ideal time for you to get up and it is your turn to keep watch. Mind you, I need not tell you it is Brahma muhrta (the phase of the creator Brahma or the best hour of the day). The scholar got up with a book in his hand and allowed the goldsmith to sleep. The scholar after a moment of meditation looked around to see a princess-like doll. Then he thought of the work of his friends all throughout the night. "They have been doing something fantastic while I was fast asleep. What am I going to do now?", he thought. "I think I should give life to this princess-like doll." Then the scholar went on charming a mantra solemnly for a few hours until crack of dawn. "I have given life to you, come on, speak a few words to me," said the scholar looking at the quivering lips of the doll. "Thank you for giving me life," she said in a soft tone. Then the time came for all of them to get ready to go on their journey. But it so happened that the doll prevented them from moving further as each one of them was enticed by the lovely doll. "It is I who carved a mere piece of wood into the form of a doll. So she belongs to me, so I want to possess her and get married to her," said the carpenter. The tailor disagreed and said, "how can that be because I am the person who made a nice dress for her and as such she belongs to me?" Then the goldsmith said, "even a princess does not look nice without any ornaments. It was I who made her all these nice looking ornaments. So she belongs to me." The chance for the scholar to make his comment reached a climax in their conversation for he said politely, "when I saw she was just a wooden doll, I felt so sorry for her and it was I who gave life to her. Nobody else can possess her for she belongs to me." Then said the carpenter, "we are good friends. We have a clear- cut mission. We should not fight with each other in this manner. Let's settle this matter in consultation with an impartial person, a sage-like person." So they walked with the living doll to a judge who made certain observations and declared: "You are all quarrelling without much cause. In the first instance a doll was carved by this great carpenter, so he is the father of this princess-like doll. Then the tailor was good enough to be great and helped her to clad in the best of cloths. As such in keeping with the customs of the country, he becomes the uncle. Then the great goldsmith was kind enough to supply her with gold ornaments and he too becomes an uncle of this princess and finally this great scholar with his charms and scholarship brought her to life and she actually belongs to him and he too becomes a father or a creator. This is all I have to say whether you accept it or not." In fact they disagreed with the judge and went on arguing further, "she belongs to me for it was I who made her", argued the carpenter. Disagreeing with him, the others too argued each in turn talking about what they had done, blaming the judge for his judgement.The judge did not want to give up the case. "What have you got to say my little princess?", asked the judge from the doll. Then she murmured softly. "If you go on fighting with each other I only see a verbal combat and nothing great in you. So I got to say that if you fight with each other it is better for me to go back to my old status of a mere piece of wood." |
| News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security
| Produced by Lake House |
They were all well versed in their respective skills. "I feel the same
about my profession, because it looks as if my skills are not wanted any
more by these fellows. I don't mind joining you," said the tailor leaving
aside his measuring tape from his shoulder.