Madhumala — The Story: 1
There was a king who ruled a kingdom.
The royal palace was all agog with footfalls of courtiers, soldiers and servants as well as countless visitors. Diamonds and rubies spoke of the abundance in the palace. The gods in heaven worked as doorkeepers here.
The king was the master of his territory. Yet he was not happy. He was childless.
The seven-wicked ghee-lamp in the palace was going to be doused — who would rule the kingdom after him?
What’s more, the people in the entire land started gossiping about the barrenness of the king.
Once the sweeper was sweeping the palace courtyard at dawn; the king woke up hearing the sound of the broom, opened the door and ohhh! — He saw the sweeper.
Raising his head, also the sweeper saw the king. Instantly covering his face with both of his palms, he remembered the twelve deities with a sigh — “Ohh!”
“Seeing the barren king at the dawn.
Food will be spoiled today, my luck is gone!”
The king could hear that. To his sheer surprise, he discovered, “Even the hapless sweeper finds me an ill-omen — my face inauspicious!”
He did not scorn the sweeper. After all was it was his fate which kept him barren. With a heavy heart he closed his bed-chamber’s door. The king’s door remained shut. Water preserved for him in the golden kettle outside evaporated, the betel-leaves prepared for him dried in the tray. At the end of the day, entire palace was heard mourning his absence. All royal tasks like delivering verdicts and taking care of subjects were stalled at once.
Seven days and seven nights were over. All courtiers, ministers, officers and servants queued in front of the king’s closed door. The king uttered only one thing, “I do not want to show my face to anyone in this world. I do not want to live.”
That day, Bidhatapurush the god of fate was the doorkeeper at the lion gate. The king’s palace swept away by the tidal wave of tears of all the people in the kingdom. Cloud of dust covered the royal throne. And Bidhatapurush was touched by the overwhelming sorrow. Letting his club of judgment lean on the gate, he took his pen.
Drawing only one line with his pen, he smiled. Dressing as a monk and with a lamp of hope in hand, he arrived before the king’s closed door.
“Get up and come out!
You are King, the owner of the club of judgment,
Why are you wailing like wretched repugnant?
As the days of your misery is over
Get up, embrace your future in clover.”
The loud wake up call attracted everyone’s attention to the door — they found a monk with a lamp. Also the surprised king got up from bed.
The monk was singing:
“What was written in your fate has changed,
Look, for you twin fruits on the tree arranged
Go forward taking the lamp of hope in your hand
Find your luck, future ruler of the land!
Golden temple stands beside the water
Where you see the life-lake -
It’s not far from where comes your son -
With nine qualities to glorify your throne.”
The hope-lamp in the monk’s hand lighted on its own. The overwhelming mourning ended. After seven days and seven nights, the king opened the door.
The monk said, “Wipe your tears King. Go to your life-lake with this lamp of hope. You will see twin golden fruits in a golden tree. Keeping the lamp on your head bow before the tree, hold your breath and pluck the fruits. Those will fulfill your wish.”
Hopeful king went to the lake placing the lamp on his head.
He saw gravels had covered the way to the lake within those seven days, snakes and jackals had dug holes on both sides of it, flowers stopped blooming in the garden, the lake started drying, weeds covered the ground surrounding the trees.
Wiping tears with his tears, the king went under the golden tree. He bowed before the tree — but what happened? He let his hope fly by mistake as he exhaled instead of holding his breath. Hope returned without touching the fruit. Holding the lamp on his head, the king fainted on the ground. The monk called him again, “O mighty King! You shattered it all committing a mistake absent minded. Nevertheless –
Get up, o King, close your eyes
Open your palms — get a golden bird nice
Cut its claws, and wings; also its beak
Preparing seven dishes, all you eat.”
The king stood up, folded his hands, closed his eyes and then, opened his palms.
A golden bird from nowhere fell on his open palms.
His soldiers and guards were waiting in the courtyard with their newly sharpened swords. The chief Queen was waiting making fire in her wood-stove. The moment king entered the yard with the birds, all soldiers and guards chopped off its claws and wings and beak with their sharp swords. The ghee in the golden cooking pot began crackling on the sandalwood flame. It did not take long to prepare seven items. The king sat to have a meal with seven items together on seven golden plates.
The monk said –
“O king, eat the meat of bird from the family-tree;
Golden prince will bring kingdom in happiness-spree.
Ten months and ten days, calculating time -
Send queen to stone palace underground prime -
Away from planets and light for twelve years.
Golden son of yours, Madan is the name he bears.
Countless carts, carriages, rows of canopies
Will make his convoy conquer planetaries.”
More the king listened, more he became proud. His chaste grew sevenfold wide with pride till he finished eating seven items made of the bird-meat. The monk continued,
“Listen more, O king, stay yet cautious.
Don’t open the door before twelve years,
If opened, having his flags unfurl
Wayfarer Madan will roam in the world.”
The startled king looked at him, found none on the seat where the monk was seating.
His guards and soldiers ran off in all directions to find him out. The king came out of the palace. He saw the first ray of daylight coming splitting the dark night.
*****
The monk could never be found. The king called astrologer brahmins to calculate auspicious moments. Aromatic smoke of incense cones filled the quarter of the Queen of the queens. All corners of her chamber dazzled by freshly-lit Ghee lamps. She prepared welcome-tray for the king with fragrant Champa-flowers and the seven-wicked ghee-lamp. Taking auspicious bath, she gave alms to the poor. Then in the moonlit night, through the corridor decorated with flower bouquet, flower pots and floral canopies, the king entered the queen’s quarter.
Days passed, also the nights. After six months the king ordered to build an underground palace of stones as was directed by the monk.
His men rushed to kingdoms in all directions. All his miners, soldiers, guards, stone masons, wood cutters, wrestlers brought all kinds of red, white, black and blue stones from every corner of the world. As those colourful stones were piled in one place — a large mountain of stones was formed beside the palace. Then the best stone masons of the kingdom — Sonalal, Rupalal, Hiramanik and Joybijay came with their assistants to cut the stones — to build a beautiful stone palace under the ground.
What a wonderful palace they built! Setting the stones one after another, they made its foundation with thousand stones; another thousand were used to construct the wall. They created a brilliantly designed roof with one thousand stones and encircled the palace with stone boundary wall. They didn’t make any door or window except a small door towards north. The door was tightly close so that no light, even moonlight could enter through that. Also the wind was barred — darkness reigned there day and night.
Guarding that doorway of darkness stood expert saw-blade army. Even a honey-bee was to be chopped into thousand pieces by their saw blades if one tried to pass through the door. The saw blades in skilled hands cut from both sides. Hence the underground palace became impassable — none could enter or come out of that.
The king ordered everything three people might need in next twelve years to be placed inside. As ten months and ten days of her pregnancy completed, the queen entered the palace with only one loyal nurse. Drumbeats announced the upcoming celebration.
The moon from heaven took birth first time on earth — the offspring
As thousand lamps lit in the dark palace underneath — lucky is the king
As if thousand suns and moons play — in the palace underground
Thousands of flowers spread sweet aromas — leaving all astound.
The queen and the nurse fell unconscious in the midst of the fragrance of thousands and ten thousands flowers. The stone wall could not contain the glow of the baby as glittering as thousands of lamps together, the scent of his skin as fragrant as thousands of flowers. Also the doorkeeper outside the closed door of the stone-palace fainted. The King was informed.
Taking all his ministers, councilors, courtiers, singers, brahmins, astrologers, priests, musicians and singers, the king came to see his son with magnificent pomp. He immersed in tears of joy seeing his son. All the jewelry and gemstones he brought as a gift failed to match the radiance of the newborn.
The newborn prince was named as the monk suggested — Madankumar.
The king told the queen not to open the door in next twelve years, Madankumar should see neither the sunlight, nor moonlight till twelve.
The King returned his palace above the ground with his great pomp and ceremony. The queen shut the underground door to the world above in the name of twelve long years.
*****
Joy and happiness filled the kingdom. The king was no longer called barren. The glitter in the underground palace too went on growing every passing day. The King carried on counting days.
Abundance blessed the Kingdom after Madankumar’s birth. Number of elephants grew in the elephant shed, number of horses in the horse-shelter. Overflowing milk kept the ground of the cowshed wet, grains overflowed farmer’s granaries, flowers covered the roads in the flower gardens, excess fruits in the trees ripened in the trees, water in the rivers and lakes flowed forever, beggars and destitute built own homes, the precious stones in the kings treasury spilled over the roads and playgrounds, markets and ports. The kingdom became rich.
Prince Madankumar danced and played in the dark underground palace, He learned to read and write. He completed learning all twelve Vedas and eight lessons by the time the twelve-year period was almost over. Only three days were left — we do not know what revolved in his mind, what brought tears in his eyes — he went to his mother, sat on her lap and said, “Mother, I am twelve now, but do not know how the sun and the moon look like.”
Embracing him the queen said, “You waited so long, my gem of the heart! Only two more days are left. Then not only the planets, entire kingdom will be yours.”
Madankumar did not listen. Embracing his mother’s feet he cried:
“Please open the door, mother, shunning your sacred vow.
I will kill myself if I cannot see the planets now.”
The affectionate mother’s heart broke in fear, she fell unconscious. The nurse sent the doorkeeper to inform the king.
The king shuddered with fear recalling the words of the monk. His mouth dried. Calling all his priests, pundits, yogis and astrologers, he asked their opinion, “Three days are left to complete twelve years — shall we open the door or not?”
Counting and calculating a lot, the astrologers declared, “When Madan is telling he would commit suicide unless the door is opened, what else we shall do? The twelve year timeline is almost reached — you may open it now.”
The king too had no other choice. He ordered, “O-P-E-N!”
Hundred of axes, and hammers, and clubs broke the closed door of the stone-palace open.
Joyful Madankumar came out in the open — thousand flowers seemed blooming on earth, all splendour of the universe seemed arrived on the earth. Whoever seen the prince before, felt they had seen him on the first night of waning moon — the full moon on his glorious chariot finally arrived with his arrival from under the ground.
Those who did not see him before found him like the shining Sun-god stepping out from his underground palace. The kingdom dazzled with his rays.
People from everywhere came running to have a look of him. The queen came to give him a bath with aromatic oil. Madankumar, smeared with sandal-paste and brows lined with black kohl, having royal lunch of five Payas and eight delicacies along with his father, arrived in bejeweled dress of fourteen gemstones to adorn the royal court.
“Good luck and wow” — was that all the courtiers chanted. The conch-shells of the royal palace announced ascend of the crown-prince.
*****
One year after another passed. The doubt disappeared from their mind. The king ruled, looked after his subjects; happiness abounded.
One day, the kingdom was still flourishing; the royal court thronging; people prattling — all on a sudden prince Madankumar got up. His stick slipped from his hand. He said, “I am the prince –son of a king — my life has been a waste till date. Father! Please permit some people to accompany me — I will go hunting.”
All the noise in the court stopped at once. The King fell down fainted from his throne which was placed on fourteen steps -
“I cannot live without seeing you for moments
Don’t go hunting, Madan, flame of my lineage!
Flag bearer of family, apple of my eyes
Don’t go leaving us dear, ruining our lives.”
Courtiers and attendants pursued the prince for long against hunting. But Madankumar had made up his mind. He said, “What is the purpose of life if I don’t go hunting? How to prove my hands are strong enough to hold the club of judgment if I don’t shoot arrows using these? Let me leave, father! Being a prince, I don’t want to live a worthless life.”
The king jumped in panic hearing Madan’s commitment, “Don’t tell that, my dear son! Better go wherever you want. Let astrologers find an auspicious day. I will arrange people to accompany you.”
Madan said, “Good!”
In an auspicious moment of an auspicious day, touching his parent’s feet, Madan set off. The disheveled queen touched his head with blessings collected from a temple, dust from another. Then kings eyes burst into tears — his heart did burst in pain. He put elephants, horses, palanquins and carriages, wooden poles and tents, and as many people as possible together to accompany his son. Finally he called a minister’s son to request, “My son, take care of my Madan — make sure that the evening-drumbeat of my life returns safe at the lion-gate of the palace.”
Madankumar went hunting as if taking the daylight away from parent’s life and moonlight away from the courtier’s life with him.
*****
They had already crossed a long way before their royal cavalcade reached a mountain-forest. It was a large mountain-forest, but not a single bird was chirping there. Not even a shadow of a deer was seen.
At the end of the day, everyone was tired of the futile search for the hunt. None found anything that could be hunted.
The shadow of the sun in west elongated till east; slowly the sun went down; the arrow Madan was holding stayed with him — he didn’t find a chance to shoot.
He kept his horse under a tree; said to the minister’s son, “See what an inauspicious moment we have started in. We did not find any stalk in this vast forest area. I don’t want this bow and arrow any longer.” He threw his bow and arrow on the ground.
The minister’s son said, “Well prince! Let’s go back then as it is already evening.”
Madan protested, “What are you telling!”
“This is inauspicious as well as humiliating
Not finding a game after coming for hunting
I brought dishonor upon my family
Having failed in my first venture silly
Listen, Minister’s son! Pitch a camp here
I won’t go to meet father today for sure.”
The minister’s son replied, “My Prince! You are only son of the King — heir of the throne.
Not returning will force them bemoan.”
Madan remained resolute as before, “I am not going to listen to you.”
“Neither kingdom, nor king means anything
When Madankumar fails in life for first time.
No, that is not going to happen. Call the people — tell them to arrange tents here.”
Soon the rows of tents of royal troupe were set in the broad valley in the middle of the mountain forest. The prince ordered, “Let all take rest tonight.” Only the minister’s son had reason to worry.
In the evening, there was much noise; in the late evening, his people were still busy with cooking. In the middle of the night, everyone fell asleep. The tents of his force surrounded his tent; his was decorated with a silk-canopy with dangling gemstone-designs. On their golden royal beds, both the prince and the minister’s son fell asleep.
*****
In that bewitching hour of the night, the two fairy-sisters — one Time-fairy, another Sleep-fairy were on the way to Indra’s palace illuminating the sky with their aura. The stars were sparkling in the sky. The wind was blowing mild. The time-fairy called the sleep-fairy:
“Look sister, crossing so many forests, bushes and mountains.
Where we came, what are we seeing in the valley astounding?”
“True, every day we go through this route but never notice anything like this. What we are seeing today — fainted stars, faded moon, daitya and danav stopped moving, even the breeze is mild — what happened here today?”
Startled time-fairy said, “Look — downwards, there are lamps alit as if thousand moons blossomed in the earth. Or did anyone collect all the sparkling gemstones of the world here together? Did any of our gods from heaven come to stay here? — let’s have a look.”
Sleep denied, “Let’s not spoil our time here — the night passes fast.”
Time-fairy was not ready to move without exploring. Sleep-fairy discovered, “No, this is neither gemstone, nor a god — this is a mortal prince!”
“Prince! How come a mortal looks so beautiful? I am not going from here before seeing him once! — She started floating downwards. Her sister had no other choice but to follow. Coming down, they stood near the bed of Madankumar to see him properly.
Time-fairy was surprised:
“Did Fate-god create him to puzzle women on the earth!
Did he give his form using a paintbrush?
To draw lines, where did he find the ink?
Did he collect butter from the ocean of milk?
Why did he create a beauty so rare
If for him he didn’t make a suitable pair?”
Smiling Sleep-fairy answered:
“Madhumala, his match is the Tambul princess,
If this is gemstone, she gems-basket.”
As Time-fairy expressed doubt whether anything in the world can be more gorgeous than the prince, her sister informed:
“Entire kingdom laughs if she laughs,
All of them cry when she sighs
Making a golden palace in the middle of the sea
King of Tambul keeps her there, not everyone can see.”
The news cheered up the Time-fairy, “Is it so? Then let’s help the prince meet Madhumala. Hold the other side of bed.”
Sleep, her sister differed again, “No sister, the night will be over soon. We won’t be able to attend Indra’s festival if involve ourselves in mortal’s affairs.”
“No, we have to make sure that two of them unite once we have found one of the pair. Let Paradise go to hell! Let’s carry the bed to the land of Madhumala.”
“What a trouble you invite!” — Sleep sister expressed concern, but then — two of them flew in sky spreading their floral wings holding Madankumar’s bed from both sides amidst that lonely night.
*****
Crossing the sky from one corner to another, the sisters reached where Madhumala stayed. Only the sound of roaring and crashing of the waves in the sea was heard in the dead of the night. Silent but watchful guards were all alert. The golden palace having golden pot on the top of its dome was glittering even in darkness.
Madhumala’s chamber could be reached crossing seven thirty six thirteen rooms of the palace. Madhumala sleeps alone on thirteen layered mattress on the golden cot surrounded by 3 rows of ghee lamps.
Princess Madhumala was sleeping in peace -
Under the umbrella of thousand gemstone-snakes.
She was in deep sleep on her bed, her cloths ruffled
Like cloud in the sky looked her long hair disheveled.
Like sleeping moon, her skin as smooth as flower-petal -
Flowers adorning her hair, like a seabird she was special.
Broken moons on the sea-waves looked dull beside her — those are created and destroyed every moment. But the moon inside the golden chamber was tied by floral garlands forever — never to be diminished.
The fairy sisters entered her chamber making themselves invisible to place Madan’s cot near her’s. Both the full moon of the full moon night and the morning sun seemed shining beside each other as if sleeping in same carriage. The time-fairy’s thirst couldn’t be quenched even after seeing them together for long — “How come Bidhi (female form of Bidhata) could keep them separated so long? Let us wake them up and see what they do.”
“No, don’t!” — Sleep-fairy looked alarmed as she moved from there creating a mild floral breeze, “what are you doing, each of them will become distracted if one sees the other!”
The time-fairy did not listen; she was humming a tune:
“What is prettiness if I can’t see it with my own desire?
Unless I surrender my life to it — be it water of fire.”
First — it was Madhumala. She opened her eyes wondering why the parrot in the golden cage did not start talking, why the anklet-bells of her maid was still not being heard, why the three rows of ghee-lamps were still alight. She sat on her bed — and her eyes fell on whom?
“Seeing the morning sun so close before her eye,
The princess fainted at once as if lost in the sky.”
After some time her sense revived — she looked at him again. Her eyeballs were not moving; her long dark eyelashes seemed frozen. Gazing and gazing and gazing at him, Madhumala thought — “Is this a Devata? Who else can enter my chamber crossing the tidal waves of sea, so many guards and all these seven thirty six thirteen rooms in the palace?”
Removing her anklets and bangles and floral jewelry, she took the seven headed knife from the betel-leaf casket. Silently she held it on Madankumar’s chest –if he was a Devata, he would wake up; if he was a Daitya or Danav or sorcerer, blood would ooze out from his heart.
Madan woke up the moment the knife touched him. He saw the dark cloud hair, cloud-coloured saree and sandal-coloured shawl of the princess –
What an inexplicable gleam was hidden in the moon,
Like lightning from cloud it appeared by whose boon?
He looked at her long — to realise she was not the moon in the sky. He had heard of fairies from paradise; began crying thinking he had been fallen in their trap.
Madhumala kept the knife aside, said:
“Who are you, Devata or Danav, tell me wiping tears for Bidhata’s sake —
Golden face should tell the truth; death awaits if you settle for a fake.”
Madan replied, “Neither I am a Devata, nor a Danav. I am only a human being.”
Going back to her seat, the princess asked:
“Who are your parents — from where you came,
Tell me all about you, what is your name?”
Madan narrated:
“My home is in Ujaninagar, my father king Dandadhar
I am his only son, named Madankumar.”
The princess giggled happy as if she was showering flowers around. Madan asked her who she was.
“Bhatina Sea is where I live. My father is the king Tambula
I am the princess of the kingdom, named Madhumala.”
Both giggled together.
Princess said, “When Bidhata sent you inside my chamber in this golden palace crossing the barrier of the ocean and seven thirty six thirteen rooms, then I cannot think of marrying anyone else but you. Accept my finger-ring, give me yours.”
Both stood up; exchanged rings; the parrots from the cage sang auspicious song. The prince said, “Once we exchanged rings, let us exchanges our shawls too.” They looked like a pair of dazzling sun wrapped in transparent cloud and the gleaming moon in the fog.
The Sleep-fairy asked the Time-fairy, “Sister, how long the night will stay with us?”
Time fairy said, “Well sister, bring them sleep.”
Before they finished chewing betel-leaves from their casket, the prince and princess fell fast asleep.”
The time fairy said, “When we have done so much, why don’t we change their beds too? The two sisters placed the princess on the prince’s bed and the prince on the princess’s bed. Taking the prince on her bed, they flew again to that mountain-forest — to place the bed beside the minister’s son’s inside the prince’s tent.
The sleep fairy said, “How shall we go to paradise today? See the sun we have hidden under the ocean yesterday, is coming out from the east.”
*****
Everyone in the royal hunting troupe got up as the first ray of the sun called them in the morning. The noise of morning commotion filled the mountain. The minister’s son called:
“Madan, my dear, open your lotus eyes.
Let’s return home, for the sake of your parents.”
Waking up, Madan found himself inside the tent but on a different bed. He burst into tears lamenting — “Where is my Madhumala? I came for hunting first time and spent first night outside home. But did I spend the night in the forest or in Madhumala’s land? What a first night of love I have spent — the image of her face is still clear in my mind. How come all those can be a dream?”
The entire mountain-forest started mourning along with the prince — what kind of dream came to ruin him so bad? None of sandal paste, honey and butter, cold aromatic water from the golden pot, waving fans could help rejuvenate him. The prince went of lamenting, “O Madhumala, my Madhumala!”
The minister’s son went on pursuing, “What is in a dream, my Prince — one should not lament a dream. Let us return home — who knows how our parents are doing without seeing us.”
Madan could not be comforted anyway, “Who says dream is only a dream?”
“If dream is only a dream — how did we exchange rings?
How did we chew betel-leaves together in my dreams?
If dream is all untrue, how did we change shawls there?
How do I still remember the fragrance of her hair?
If dream is all false how did our cots exchanged?
O dear! How did I see in dream how she is dressed?”
“How do I still remember the beautiful name — Madhumala — my Madhumala?”
True — now the minister’s son realized the truth — the cot and the shawl and the ring were all different. “What sorcery happened with us last night! Did we enter a sorcerer’s land by mistake?” He ordered the troupe to move out of the place.
*****
The evening lamp could not be lit in the royal palace that day. The troupe came back devastated — Madankumar still crying loud, “O Madhumala — my Madhumala!”
The weeping king and queen began rolling on the dust if grief. Madan said, “Please listen to me. I did not dream — it was all true. Now I have to go to find that truth. Father! Please arrange fourteen boats to accompany my Madhukar ship. Mother! Please bless me showing your auspicious lamp before my journey once again. I will find out my Madhumala. Without her, I cannot live in this earth.”
“O Bidhatapurush, what did you do to us!” —the poor wailing parents fainted once again.
Only people, their subjects stopped calling them barren. But their happiness did not last long. Opening the door of the underground stone palace only three days before time became reason of their heartbreak.
