STORY OF THE MANGO

There was a brahmin named Suddha mati. His parents died and he became an orphan an at young age. He went to Varanasi along with a saint and his disciples. He did not have any desire to study but he joined the group just so that he could get some food. Strangely his studies went faster and effective than any other pupils there.

Generally boys marry at an young age and leave their wives at home to go to Varanasi for studies and return home when they complete their studies. We can say the husband and wife would meet each other after becoming adults. But Suddha mati didn't have any family or relatives. So he remained there until he reached forty years of age. Generally people only get the title of student in Varanasi but never a teacher. But this guy, being there for a long time got the title as teacher and a popular one at that.

Now Suddha mati got the desire to go to his village even though there was no one waiting for him. He took few of his disciples and went to his village. Though none recognized him, the people who heard of his name and fame invited him to their houses for stay. Soon news spread in near by villages that a great person came from Varanasi and many students started coming to him to learn. Suddha mati is not much orthodox and he is good at handling things in nicer way without causing trouble to others. He is a smooth talker. So students who joined under him never left him for another teacher.

One brahmin heard of Suddha mati's fame and wanted to become his relative. Without caring for the age difference he married his seventeen year old daughter to Suddha mati. She came to live with him after four years of marriage. Since there was no other woman, she was shy at first. As the time passed, she started thinking the students as her own kids and so behaving closely with them.

Our old brahmin Suddha mati saw this and starting doubting her. He thought, 'This is my mistake letting her talk freely with students. Since she is young she is getting attracted to her own age grouped students.' Hence forth he started guarding his wife all the time. He thought his wife is having illegal relationship with the students and whenever she talks, laughs or even sees, he started thinking that it is for students.

Whenever someone talks on roads, he started feeling self conscious as if they are all talking about him and his wife. He couldn't bear this mental torture he created upon himself and one fine day left the house in the middle of the night.

Few students of his knew that the teacher is sad about something. They are ready to leave with the teacher wherever he goes. But since the teacher left in the middle of night while they were sleeping, they couldn't follow the teacher. Soon after they woke up, they started chasing after their teacher and soon saw him in a distance in the forest. Teacher saw them and thought the students were chasing to take him back and so he increased his pace.

Students, being younger and energetic soon caught up with teacher.

"Why are you chasing me?"

"Our education is not yet completed. We cant get another teacher like you. So, please let us follow you wherever you are going."

"I know that you are chasing me to take me back to my wife. You people want me to get insulted for having such woman as wife. I won't come. You people can go back."

"No master. You have misunderstood us. We thought you were just going to some other place on work. Your wife is like a mother to us. Trust us and take us with you."

Suddha mati was unable to convince the students who were adamant on following him. They continued their journey together until noon when they reached a town. They sat along the road and were fanning themselves with their clothes when a married woman who was on her way to carry water from a well approached them.

Woman : Who are you?

Group : We are foreigners.

Woman. No. you are not.

Group : We are travelers.

Woman : No. You are not.

They are surprised. They did not know what to answer her. They read many books but they could not answer this question. Since they are going to a new town they would come across many educated people. So they felt like they needed the answer for this question.

Group : We are idiots.

Woman : No, You are not.

Group : We gave you many answers but you rejected all answers. You look like a great person. Please tell us who we are.

Woman : It is so late now. Come to our house and eat your food. Then I will tell you.

Group followed her to her house. She served them well providing them things for their bathing and cooking. "Please do your works fast. My husband doubts me a lot thinking i seduce all men. He would come here by sharp Twelve in the noon. "

The clock soon ticked twelve but these brahmins did not even complete their prayers by then. The husband came home and saw this group in one room and his wife in another room. He quickly locked both the rooms and went running to the king. "Your majesty! You punish people for many mistakes. Why is there no punishment for cheating?"

"Tell me where such wrong thing is taking place. I will punish them."

"It is in my house my lord. When i came here to do prayers, my wife brought few men to the house and was seducing them."

The king inquired about his wife in the court if she is such person as her husband described or a loyal one. All said that she is a good person and loyal to his husband. The king asked the husband for explanation. Husband just lied again saying all the persons king inquired with are the customers of his wife.

"Show me when your wife is cheating with others. Then I will punish her. Don't talk with out proof now."

"She is cheating right now my lord. There are her customers at our house already. Please come with me now to our house."

King followed the husband to his house and saw the group of teacher and students and asked who they are and why they came there. They replied that they came here just to know who they are while telling the whole story of how they came to that house.

King thought this husband and that teacher are the same doubting the character of their wives. King went to that wife "You are elderly. Treat me like your son. I have long heard of your good character. I just want to know one thing from you. You said these people are not foreigners , not travelers or not even idiots. So who are they? "

She did not answer his question and said "I was blamed with out doing any wrong thing. So, I wanted to end this farce. That was the reason i asked them to come to our house for eating."

"I understood your meaning. Even i never doubted you. I just came so as to clear your husband's mentality. Now please explain who they are."

"Your majesty! These people did not sit on floor as it is. They put some grass on the floor and sat on it. So i recognized them as orthodox brahmins. Foreigners is the word only for the people who has different language, not to the people who speak the same language. Travelers is the word for the ones who travel all the time. That title only suits sun and moon. Idiots word does not suit them since they are educated."

"So for whom does the word idiots suit?"

"In the list of idiots, my husband is first. In broad day light he thought i was doing indecent things with people. Soon after he said so, You did not even think that how a person would do indecent things with five people and blindly believed him and came here. So you are the second idiot, your majesty."

King did not get angry at her but felt happy with this explanation. He turned to that husband and scolded him for doubting such a great woman and warned him not to repeat such thing. By then Suddha mati already heard a lot from his students how good his own wife is. So he also started regretting doubting his wife and went home to his wife.

Suddha mati and his wife resumed their happy life. One day he saw his wife sad for not having any kids. He pacified her saying he knew how to get a king like son and set on his journey to srisailam. Upon reaching Srisailam he prayed to Siva and went into a cave and spent half an year there eating only raw vegetables and roots. Then a goddess appeared in his dreams.

"Even if you prayed halfheartedly, it is necessary to grant your wish. Tomorrow morning when you return from your bath in the lake, you will come across a mango. Take it and do not keep it on the floor. Take that mango to your home and give it to your wife. She will get good kid. If you do not follow any of the rules, you wont get the fruit." goddess disappeared from the dream.

He followed what the goddess said in his dream and took mango. He started on his journey to home. One morning he was passing by a lake. He wanted to take a bath and so kept the mango in a tree hole and went to lake. The eagle which was on the tree saw the fruit and took it and flew away. The brahmin followed it for quite a distance before giving up and going home dejectedly.

That mango was the one which fell on the table in front of the king and his friends.