Kalidas and Vidyottama / कालिदास आ विद्योत्तमा

Documented by Coralynn V. Davis and Carlos Gomez
Transcription and Translation by Pranav Prakash

Teller: Sushma Jha
Location: Town Club Field, Madhubani
Date: 1/4/2017

January 4, 2017: Session 2
Maithili Folklore Story 17_01_04_2

View the transcription in Maithili.

जे हुये से हमही कह दिये? अच्छा चलू…फेर तऽ इहो में राजै बला ऐब गेलै।

[You would like me to] say whatever comes to my mind? Okay, then, let’s commence…this too is a story relating to a king. 

एकटा राजा रहैथ। हुन्कर बेटी के नाम रहैन विद्योत्मा ।

There was a king. His daughter’s name was Vidyotama.

सेह नऽ रहे? कि तिलोत्मा?

[She confirms from someone in the audience] Wasn’t that [her name]? Or, was it Tilotma? 

विद्योतमा। अच्छा आब दिन्ह हुन्का…अच्छा जे कुछो हुन्कर नाम रहैन। 

Vidyotma. Okay, let her come…it doesn’t matter what her name was.

बहुत…मतलब…पढ़ल-लिखल…बहुत विदुषी ओ छल्खिन्ह, राजा के बेटी जे रहथिन्ह। 

She, who was the daughter of the king, was very erudite…that is…very learned. 

हुन्का एहन भाग्य में रहैन जे हुन्का बियाह भौ गेलैन एकटा कालीदास नाम के रहथिन्ह। ओ महामूर्ख। 

Such was her fate that she was married to someone name Kalidas. He was very stupid. 

किया तऽ ओ सबके ओ जे रहथिन्ह राजकुमारी से सबके रिजेक्ट कऽ देथिन। ककरो से नै ओ बियह करै नै चाहथिन्ह। 

As it happened, that princess had rejected several suitors. She was not willing to marry anyone of them. 

तऽ कहथिन्ह जे हमरे जे हमरा सनसन अथि हैथ, तकरे से…तकरे से हम बियाह करब। जे हमरा सन तेज हैथ। 

She maintained that I will marry someone only when I find someone like me. Someone who is as bright as me. 

तऽ ओहैन भेटै नऽ। तहन हुन्का किछु….

But she failed to find someone like her. Then she had something…

[Prof. Davis and Suman are talking in the background. The narrator is laughing at something they said.]

तऽ…अ…तऽ तकर बाद…तकर….तऽ हुन्का सबके मतलब बहुत गोटे के, ऐत्तै गोटै के रिजेक्ट उ केल्खिन नऽ त सब हुन्का कहल्खिन कि, “जे हीन्का ऐत्तैक मूर्ख से हीन्कर बियाह करा दहीन जे हीन्कर दिमाग जे छेन से ठिकाना लैग जेत्तै।”

Then…a…after that…then…then she had rejected many suitors. She had rejected so many peple that everyone said, “Get her married to somone so stupid that she is compelled to come to her senses.” 

तऽ एक गोटे के एक दिन ओ सब ताकैत रहै जे केहो महामूर्ख से भेटै, तऽ एक गोटे के देखल्खिन जेय डाएर पर से ओ…बैसल रहै, ओकरे काएट रहल छलैय। 

Then one day everyone was looking for someone who was extremely stupid. They chances upon a person who was cutting the very branch on which he…he was himself sitting. 

इ नै ओकरा ओतबा छलैय दिमाग जे, “हम इ जे कटबै त हमहु खैस पड़ब।” 

So utterly devoid of intelligence was he that he could not figure out that, “If I were to cut this branch, I will fall down.” 

तकर बाद…

Then

[Someone brings refreshments for the guests. The narrator requests that person to offer tea and snacks to Prof. Davis and Suman.]

हीनको दियोन नऽ?

Won’t you offer it to them? 

तऽ…कालीदास के…कन्या के नाम की रहैन? विद्योत्मा नै? विद्योत्मा नऽ रहैन? 

Then…Kalidas…what was Kalidas’s wife’s name? Vidyotma? Wasn’t it Vidyotma? [The narrator poses this question to an elderly gentleman in the audience.]

हँ।

[That elderly gentleman replies:] “Yes”

तऽ ओ…देखल्खिन सब मतलब…किछु गोटे सब मन्त्री सब जै रहैन…त ओ सब देखल्खिन जे इ ऐत्तै मूर्ख ऐच्छ जे कि जै पेड़ पर बेसल ऐच्छ, जे शाखा पर, ओही…ओकरो ओ काएट रहलै। 

Then he…everyone saw that…some of the ministers, who were there [to find a proper suitor for the princess]…they all saw that he was so ignorant that he is cutting the very branch of the tree on which he is sitting…that very branch…he was cutting it. 

एकरा एत्तै बुद्धि नै छै जे हम एकरा कि करब, त, “हमर हड्डी टूइट जाएत।” 

He does not have even this basic intelligence to perceive what he was doing, to [see] that, “My bones will break [if I were to fall down].” 

ओकरा उताएर कऽ पूछल्खिन। तऽ ओ कहल्खिन, “चल तोरा राजकुमारी स बियाह करा देबौ।” ओ ओही में…खुश जे हमरा राजकुमारी से बियाह हैत।

They made him get down the tree. And they said to him, “Come we will get a princess to marry you.” He was…he was very pleased that he will be married to a princess. 

ओकरा बियाह करा देल्खिन अ कहल्खिन कि, “जाबैत तक हम सब किछु कहियो नै, ताबै तक तू बजिहै नै।” 

They got him married to her. They told him, “Don’t utter a word until we ask you to say something.” 

ओकरा एक्को शब्द बाजैल मना क देल्खिन। 

They banned him from uttering even a word. 

त बियाह भौ गेलै। 

Their wedding took place. 

ओ जे कियो किछु कोनो चीज पूछै, त आन्सर दै ओकर जे मन्त्री सब रहथिन, से सब आन्सर दै और ओ मतलब हाथ के ईशारा स…एक दू तीन…एना कॅ क से उ बात करै। 

When the princess asked him anything, her ministers would answer her. They gave the answers. He would gesture something with his hands [but not speak anything]…one two three…this is how he spoke using sign language. 

त एय दुआरे…अ…ओकर बदला में ओ सब से किछु बुझै नै। जे इ सब रहथिन जे हुन्का फँसा रहल छलखिन राजकुमारी के, ओ सब कहै कि, “देखियो, इ इ बात के से इ कह रहल छैथ।” इ मतलब अखन मौन ब्रत धारण केरनै छैथ। खैर, बियाह भौ गेलै। 

That is how…she…she could not understand that the ministers were [making up answers] for him. These ministers were scheming to entrap the princess [into this wedlock]. They answered on his behalf, “Look, what he really means is this thing.” He has vowed to remain silent. Anyway, their wedding took place.

बियाह जखन भेलै, तऽ सब के कहल गेलै कि, “इ बहुत बिद्वान छैथ।” 

At the time of their wedding, everyone said, “He is a very erudite.” 

ओ त महामूर्ख रहै। 

But he was hopelessly stupid. 

अंत में बहुत फटकारल्खिन राजकुमारी ओकरा। 

In the end, the princess began chiding him harshly. 

ओकरा एत्तै फटकारल्खिन जे ओकरा तत्तै तकलीफ भेलै जे…मतलब…ओ अपन कन्या के छोड़ के ओ वापस अपन कत्तौ जैय लग्लै। समुद्र में से बहै जाए लग्लै। 

She shamed him so much that he was deeply hurt by her…that…he left behind his wife and went somewhere else. He went to the sea to drown himself. 

ओही टाइम में ओकरा कालीजी से दर्शन देल्खिन जे, “तू किया एना आत्म-हत्या करैल जाए लगली नदी में?” तऽ कहल्खिन जे, “तू किया एना?”  

At that point, Goddedd Kali appeared in front of him, “Why are going to commit suicide, in the stream?” She intervened, “What are you doing this?”

तऽ “हमरा सब मूर्ख कहैय, हमरा एत्तैक एहैन आहाँ किया बनैलों जे हमरा सब मूर्ख…एत्तैक मूर्ख हम छी जे हमरा कन्या तक हमरा फटकाएर क घर स बहर क देलक। हम आब जियै नै चाहेछी। हम एही में नदी में समा जाए चाहेछी।” 

He replied, “Everyone calls me stupid. Why did you make me such that everyone calls me idiot…I am so ignorant that my wife reprimanded me and expelled me from her house. I don’t want to live anymore. I will drown myself in this very river.” 

त कहल्खिन, “जो, तू एकटा काज कर।” एक जगह के लाइब्रेरी के ओकरा अथि बतैल्खिन…जगह…जे, “ओए में चएल जो, जत्तैक किताब छै, से ओ तू रात भएर में सूर्योदय से पहिले, तू ओ सारा किताब के से उलैट जो। तोरा जत्तैक ओए में छै लिखल, सबटा तोरा। तू प्रकांड बिद्वान भै जभी।” 

She replied, “Come, do one thing.” She gave him the address of a library and then instructed him, “You go there and, before the dawn, turn the pages of whatever books you can lay hands on. You turn their pages. You will acquire the knowledge everything that has been written on the pages turned by you. You will become exceptionally erudite.” 

त ओ गेलै, ओय में जे जगह के भगवती नाम बतैने रहथिन ओएठाँ में गेलै। 

So he went. He went to the address that the Gooddess have given to him. 

ओ सारा किताब जत्तैक रहै ओय लाइब्रेरी में य जे जगह के नाम बतैनै रहथिन, औइठाँ ओ सारा जे रहे से ओ देखल्कै ओइ में। ओ सूर्योदय होएत होएत ओ बहुत प्रकांड बिद्वान भौ गेलै। केयो ने कह सके छलै जे ओ मूर्ख छै। 

He turned the pages of all the books present in that library, which the Goddess had mentioned. He glanced over all the books. And by the time of the dawn, he had become a ver learned scholar. No one could tell now that he was stupid. 

ओय पर भगवती के बहुत कृपा भेलैन और औए नाम सॅ ओ रहथिन…उच्छैठ छ एइठाँ मिथिला में छै। 

So immense was the grace of the Goddess on him that everyone referred to him by the Gooddess’s name.…there is a place called Ucchaitha in Mithila.

आहाँ के कोन जगह? बेनीपट्टी के पास छै उच्छैठ, मधुबनियै से नजदीक भेलै। 

Where is that place located? It is located near Benipatti, not far from Madhubani.

बेनीपट्टी गेल छियै नऽ? 

[The narrator asks Prof. Davis:] Have you been to Benipatti?

गेल छीयै। 

[Prof.Davis replies:] Yes, I have been there. 

उच्छैठ गेल छीयै नऽ?

So, you have been to Ucchaitha?

नै। 

No. 

उच्छैठ नै गैल छीयै। औइठाँ में भगवती के छैन मंदिर छैन, ओहीठाँ हुन्कर छैन और ओहीठाँ बगल में पोखर छै। ओही पोखर में ओ से कालीदास से रहथिन से ओ आत्महत्या करैल जाए। 

You haven’t been to Ucchaitha. The Goddess’s temple is located there. Her temple is located there. And ther is a lake nearbay. It was in that very lake Kalidas intended to commit suicide. 

भगवती हुन्का साक्षात् दर्शन देल्खिन और हुन्का एत्तै आशीर्बाद देल्खिन जे ओ प्रकांड बिद्वान भो गेलैन। 

The Goddess herself appeared to him and gave him so many blessings that he became a very learned scholar. 

जे आए तक हुन्कर लिखल बहुतो किताब से छै…मतलब लोग पढ़ैछै। धिया पूता सब के पढ़ाएल जाए छै। हुन्कर एखन उपमा दैल जाएछै। लेकिन एक्चुअली ओ बहुत मूर्ख छलैन। हुन्का भगवती के कृपा स ओ प्रकांड बिद्बान भेला। 

Many of the books he wrote have survived even today…that is, people read them even today. These works are taught to children. He has become a model of scholarship today. But he was in reality very stupid. He became erudite with the grace of the Goddess. 

भेल्लै?

[The narrator asks Prof. Davis:] Will this do?

भेल्लै। 

[Prof.Davis replies:] “Yes, of course.”