The Washerwoman’s Wifely Devotion / धोबिन के सोहाग

Documented by Coralynn V. Davis and Carlos Gomez
Transcription by Nidhi Anand and Translation by Neeraj Kumar

Teller: Mithilesh Devi
Location: Nazirpur
Date: 12/24/16

December 24, 2016: Session A2
Maithili Folklore 16_12_24_A_2

View the transcription in Maithili.

एकटा राजा रहैत l उनका सात टा बेटा रहैन l सात टा बेटा रहैन त रानी कि करैत चूल्हा जे खाना बनबैत ओइ ठाम उनका मूसक बिहरी रहैन l त सब दिन जे माड़ पसबैत भात ओ सब दिन बिहरी में धs देथिन l त सांप के जे जते बच्चा होइ सबटा मरि जाए l सब दिन मरि जाए l

There once was a king who had seven sons. He had seven sons, and what the queen would do…. The hearth where she cooked meals had a rat burrow closeby. Every day as she drained the rice cooking water, she poured it into that burrow. So all the baby snakes born to the snake living in the rat burrow burrow would die. They died every time. 

तs एक दिन नागिन कहलखिन कि जे हमरा इ से बड कष्ट दइ छैथ l हमर जते बच्चा होइयै तते सबटा मरल जाइयै, से आब हम हिनका नइ छोड़बन l हिनका हम डंसि लेबन l त नाग कहलखिन नइ नइ अखैन हिनका छोड़ि दियौन l

One day the female serpent said, “She gives me a lot of trouble. All the babies I give birth to keep dying. So I won’t spare her now. I will sting her.” To which the male serpent replied, “No, no. Leave her for now.”   

तब राजा के जे बेटा सब पईग भs गेलैन l त एकटा बेटा बियाह करs गेलैन l त बियाह कs कs  जे आबइत रहन त बड़क गाछ तर वट सावित्री के पुजा होइत रहय l वट सावित्री के जे पुजा होइत रहय तs ओतs लोक सब सावित्री पुजा करैत रहय l तs ओहि ठाम जे हुनकर डोली कहार एलैन, त रौदs रहय तs धूप में… ओतs बइस गेलय सब l

All the sons of the king grew up. One of them went to get married. As he was on his way back after getting married, the Vat Savitri rituals were going on under the Banyan tree. As the Vat Svaitri ceremony was taking place, people were engaged in Savitri rituals. So, when the bride’s palanquin with carriers arrived, all of them sat there under the scorching sun. 

तs नाग ओइ में से एलखिन हनहना कs ओइ बेटा पुतहु  दुनु के काटि लेलखिन l त दुनु  बेटा पुतहु  मरि गेलन l ओहो ओतय रहि गेलन l फेर दोसर बेटा के बियाह भेलन l फेर बियाह कs कs आबइत रहन त ओहि वट सावित्री तर पुजा होइत रहय तs उहो मरि गेलन l

Then the male serpent emerged hissing and bit the son and his bride. Both son and the daughter-in-law died. They remained where they died.. And next the second son’s marriage took place. Again as they were returning after the wedding, the Vat Savitri rituals were going on under the Banyan tree. Then they too died.

तेसर बेटा के फेर बियाह भेलन तs उहो मरि गेलन l चारिम जे बियाह कs कs आबइत रहन तs ओहि गाछ तर बैसलन तs उहो मरि गेलन l नाग सब के डसैत गेलखिन l पांचमों बेटा जे एलन तs डोली कहार ओतय रखलकन तs ओतय डंसि लेलकैन l छठमों बेटा एलन तs ओहि ठाम डंसि लेलकैन l

The third son, then, got married, and he too died. The fourth one who was returning after getting married sat under the tree, and he too died. The male serpent kept biting them all. He bit even the fifth son, who came and the palanquin was put in the very same place by its carriers. The sixth son as well came and was bitten in that very place.

तब बचलन एकटा बेटा l तs रानी के सब कहैन तs कहथिन हम बेटा के बियाह नइ करब l आ राजा जे रहैत तs ओ कि करैथ तs सब दिन रौद में जे जैथ तs छत्ता मोड़ि लैथ l आ गाछ तर जैथ तs छत्ता तानि ले l लोक कहय केहन पागल बताह छै जे रौद में जाइ छै त छत्ता मोड़ि लै छै आ पानि में छत्ता…कहथिन नइ नइ हमरा चील कौआ हsगि देतय तइ दुआरे l

Now only one son remained. So when people would ask the queen, she would reply, “I will not marry off my son.” And the king would keep his umbrella folded as he ventured out in the sun everyday. And he would open it when he arrived under the tree. People would say, “What a mad lunatic; he folds the umbrella when he goes out in the sun and in the rain… “No, no. Eagles or crows might poop on me, that’s why,” the king would reply.

पानि में जैथ तs जूता पहिन लैथ आ ऊपर अबैत तs जूता खोलि लैथ l तs कहथिन जे हय केहन छै जे एकरा जूता पानि में  पहिर लै छै आ ऊपर में खोलि लै छै l कहथिन नइ पानि में हमरा झिटका गड़त, रोका, घोन्गा गड़त ताऐं पहिर लइ छी l

He would wear his shoes when in water, and would remove them when up on the ground. Then people would say, “What kind of a person is this?. He wears his shoes in water and removes them when on the ground.” He would reply, “No, since pebbles, stones, and snails might cut my feet, so I wear my shoes in the water.”

सातम बेटा जे रहैन तs सातम बेटा जे बियाह कs कs एलन तs सातम बेटा रहैन तs सब कहय बियाह करs तs नइ करब l तs एकटा धोबिन के बेटी रहय l तs उ धोबिन के बेटी जे रहय से बेटी तs कहलकय हमरा स राजा बियाह करता बेटा के l

The seventh son there, when people would inquire about his marriage, the king would say, “I won’t do it.” There was a washerwoman’s daughter. Then the daughter of the washerwoman who was there, (her father) asked, “Would the king marry his son with my daughter?”

कहलखिन,  हाँ l अहाँ राजा छी, हम धोबी छी, केना कs बियाह हेतय l कहलखिन नइ हम करब राजा बेटा सs बियाह l राजा गेला धोबी ओतs l धोबी एलय l राजा कहलखिन हमरा अहाँ बेटी में बियाह केना कs हैत l ओ धोबिन के बेटी से जे बियाह केलखिन तs धोबिन बेटी के जे डोली कहार आबs लगलय तs ओ कि केलखिन तs मै के कहलखिन, जते वट सावित्री के पूजा के समान होय छै से सबटा हमरा अहाँ बना दियs l

The king replied, “Yes.” “No, you are a king, I am a washerman. How can the marriage happen?” asked the washerwoman. “No, I will do,” said the king. The king then went to the washerwoman’s house. The washerman came. The king said, “How will my son’s marriage be solemnised with your daughter?” Now (after the marriage took place, finally) as he married his son with the washerman’s daughter, the washerman’s daughter, as the palanquin with carriers came, requested her mother, “Get all the stuff for Vat Savitri rituals prepared for me.”

ओ बड़ बना देलकन ओ गेली बना देलकन कनिया बर बना देलकन l सब किछ फल फूल, लावा भुजि देलकन l सब किछ कs कs देलकन, दूध देलकन l सब चीज लs कs जे एली ओइ गाछ तर तs लोक सब जे पूजा करैत रहय तs ओहो बैसलैथ l

She made fritters of chickpea flour, and made a bride-groom of clothes and stuffings for her. Everything, fruits and flowers; fried some flattened rice. Gave her everything readied, gave milk. As she reached under the tree with all the stuff, people were performing rituals, so she too sat there.   

ओहो बइस गेलैथ ओइ गाछ तर l तs अपन पूजा करs बइस गेलैथ l ओ कि केलैथ तs खिरोदिनी के जांघ तर खूब कs दाबि देलखिन l कतबो नागराज फोफियाथिन तs इ जांघ के उठेबे नइ करथिन l जब पूजा भs गेलन हुनका दूध लावा दs देलखिन आ ओ बड़ खोटलखिन आ बड़क पात्त तs कहलखिन, “बड़ लियs, मरs दियs l बड़ लियs, मरs दियs l”

She too sat there under the tree. And sat for performing the rituals. What she did was she pressed the mouth of the burrow with her thigh. No matter how the serpent (male) king hissed (from inside the burrow) she wouldn’t move her thigh up. When her rituals got over, she gave him (the serpent king) the milk and the fried flattened rice, and cut off a portion of the chickpea flour fritters for him (the snake) on a banyan leaf, and then said, “Take fritters, give the dead one. Take fritters, give the dead one.”  

छह बेर कहलखिन त छबो टा बेटा हुनकर वापस चलि एलन l छबो टा बेटा वापस चलि एलन l तs छह टा डोली, छह टा कहार सबटा सातो बेटा सातो पुतहु एके बेर विदा भेलन l तs रानी के सब कहैन कि जे यइ, अहाँ के सातो डोली कहार, ओ कहय हय, हमर सब बेटा मsरि गेल l हमरा एकोटा नइ अइ l हमरा एना अहाँ सब कियै कहय छी l त कहलखिन नइ अहाँ के सब डोली कहार अबइ यैह l

She uttered this six times, so all six (dead) sons came back (alive). All six sons came back. Then with all palanquins, with carriers, all seven sons and daughters-in-law started off at once (for home). Then people told the Queen, “Hey, all your seven palanquins and carriers are arriving.” The Queen replied, “All my sons died. I don’t have even one. Why do you people tell me like this?” Then people said, “No, all your palanquins and carriers are arriving.”

तs ओ धोबिन के बेटी जे आयल तs ओ सातो घर में कोहबर कs कs सातो बेटा हुनकर पास एलन l

So as the washerman’s daughter came, she arranged all seven Kohbars, all the seven sons came back after attending that.