Tales Of Wisdom - Queen Rampyari


A good king once visited a weave colony and entered one house to see for hi self how they live and work. The fat) weaver was so happy that his king I stepped into his house. The king saw a girl sitting at one corner, fair, beautiful a simple. The father of the girl was so happy that his daughter Rampyari was attracting the attention of the old king, and so the weaver started talking of the glories of his daughter.

He said, "She can spin golden threads o of even hay, and she does it very very fast."

When the king heard this, he said, "If this be true she shall be my daughter-in-law. Let her come with me to the palace." So said, the king departed. She, poor thing got only just time to pack a few things�her father was very unhappy, but could do nothing The daughter prayed to the Lord for help.

Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram
Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram
Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram
Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram

She prostrated at the feet of her parents and departed with the officers, who were waiting to take the girl to the-palace as wished by the king.

The king ordered immediately a whole room of hay, and Rampyari was given three spinning-wheels and the royal king commanded, "Come on, before dawn tomorrow you must spin the entire hay into gold threads." They closed the door upon the poor girl, and went away. The whole day she wept. She could not make even an inch golden-thread out of hay. How could she? And, surely, they would punish her and parents. All Rampyari could do was to pray.

Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram
Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram
Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram
Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram

The night came. She could not sleep. She had not even started spinning�and how could she? From straw what can we spin out? She wept . . . and weeping, Rampyari surrendered to her Lord, and chanted in her heart�

Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram
Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram
Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram
Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram

What is that? Is it true? May be thieves? May be the soldiers? May be the king himself has come in the night to see her at work�Lo! Again! It is clear! A soft knock? Is it a knock? Yes-Yes. It is Let me see who it is� thus, chanting the Lord's names for courage, the girl got up:

Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram
Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram
Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram
Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram

and opened the door!

Three ugly looking ladies were standing there! They were really ugly: one had big broad feet, another had a big hanging lower lip, and the third had a broad ugly big thumb. The poor girl was frightened. But the ugly ladies softly said: "We have been sent to you by the Lord to help you. You please close the door. We shall finish the work for you." The poor helpless girl was silent. She was so full of her devotion for the Lord. Rampyari felt overwhelmed by His Grace, and cried out in gratitude:

Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram
Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram
Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram
Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram

Then she noticed that the three ladies were working with miraculous speed. They were spinning out fine golden-threads from the hay! By morning the entire hay was spun into threads. Leaving the thread, in reels over reels, with the girl, the ugly ladies went away.

When the king came and saw that really the hay had been woven into golden threads the king was surprised. He said to his ministers, "May be there is some trick in it. Nobody can do such a thing. Therefore, fill up the room with hay, remove all these reels. Let her weave the entire hay by tomorrow morning." The guards around her room were doubled and alerted.

The king went away. The girl was again in trouble, but she was feeing a great confidence deep within her. Though she was also afraid of the king, she was sure her Ramchandraji will not desert her. Therefore, she started again crying to the Lord for help and protection. She sang:

Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram
Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram
Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram
Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram

The hay was brought in. The soldiers left. The girl was again alone. She was unhappy. She could not escape. She could do nothing. She had her food, and feeling sleepy laid down and slept. The prince saw the golden thread, a whole heap of them, spun by the smart girl. He wanted to see her. And the prince came in, saw the beautiful girl and thought: "Even if she won't spin so well I will marry her!" The prince went away.

The poor Rampyari was alone. She started weeping as evening came, for she had not spun anything. Night came. What else could she do! She started crying and singing, and again, singing and crying:

Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram
Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram
Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram
Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram

Lord's grace has no end. Again�the knock�Tuck-Tuck-Tuck�soft, sure, determined. Now Rampyari was not afraid. She went and opened the door. The smiling three ugly women were there�they walked in� took up the work�finished it�and at dawn they got themselves ready to go. The poor girl was all the night sitting in one comer, and mentally chanting in all devotion:

Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram
Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram
Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram
Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram

As the ladies were ready to leave, Rampyari went and fell prostrate at their feet, and said, "You know I am a poor helpless girl. You helped me two nights. I have nothing to give you except this simple ring. Please accept it from me." The ugly women laughed, and became more ugly. They replied, "No. We won't accept anything from you. If you want to show your gratitude then you can do one thing for us.

Rampyari said, "Oh! yes. Whatever you want you can get from me."

"Now listen," said the eldest of the ugly ladies, "tomorrow when the king sees the threads he will be convinced, and so the marriage with the prince will be fixed. After the marriage there will be the great banquet. In that invite us as your poor old cousins. See that we get seats nearest to you on the same table. That is what we want." Rampyari promised this�and why not? She was ready to give even her life for these women. They went away happy.

Next day when the king saw the threads woven out of hay, in reels and reels, he was himself with joy and admiration. Immediately the marriage was announced. Preparations were set on foot. In a week's time was the wedding.

On the wedding day the three ugly ladies came. Rampyari ran to them, received them, introduced them as her relations, conducted them to the dinner-table. Everybody was surprised how so beautiful a queen could have such ugly cousins! But nobody expressed it.

The most curious one asked one of the ugly three, why her feet were so broad. She replied, "Because I spin always." Another approached the other ugly lady and asked, "Why is your lip so large." She replied, "By wetting the thread that I spin." A third asked the last of the ugly one, "Why is your thumb so big." She, smiling horribly, replied, '(Because I use it to twist the threads into smooth shape."

All the time the prince was listening to these interesting talks. He cried out, "Then I will no more allow my charming wife to spin hereafter." Everybody was surprised. The queen Rampyari understood and looked at her "cousins." They winked at her knowingly. Rampyari got up and sang, and all the court joined with her:

Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram
Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram
Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram
Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram




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