Better to be Reborn the Daughter of a Cow / गाय के बाछी मनुखक धीया स नीक

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

Teller: Vineeta Jha
Location: Rampur
Date: 9/8/16

September 8, 2016: Session B2
Maithili Folklore 16_09_08_b_2

View the transcription in Maithili.

एकटा प’रवार म+, एकटा बे/टयो-ला बहूत रहेछे तप8या जे एकटा बे/टयो ने होयेछे । आर बेट= पर. . . सास कॅ अपन बेट= बहुत सCुदर लागेछे, और पतू ोहुके बेट= बहू त खराब लागेछे ।

In a family, for the sake of having a child – even if one were to have a girl – a family has

to go through a lot. One needs to do a lot of penance for bringing up even a girl-child. With regards to daughters…a mother-in-law immensely adores her pretty daughter, but she

intensely abhors her daughter-in-law.

ओए पर छे . . . जेहमरा सबके जीवछ नद= छै । औतऽ /हनका घर म+ बे…बाल-बMचा ने होयेछलन

रहे त पतू ोहुके कमला-जी के पजू ा करवैछOथन – जीवछ मैया के – तऽ जीवछ मैया आशीवाRद देय छOथन

। तऽ ऊ गभRवती होयेछे । तो ओकरा बMचा होयेछे ।

In that context…so, we have a river called Jīvach. There, in their house…she was unable

to give birth to a child, so the mother-in-law made her daughter-in-law worship the Goddess

Kamalā – the goddess of River Jīvach – then, Mother Jīvach gave a blessing to her. She became pregnant. Then a child was born to her.

ओकरा घर म+ एकटा गाय पालल रहे । ओय गाय-यो कॅ बUछया होयेछे । एकरो बMचा होयेछे आ

गाय-ओ कॅ बUछया होयेछे । धीरे-धीरे ओ बMचा के पैग होयेछे ।

A cow was being tended in her house. She too gave birth to a female calf. The

daughter-in-law had a girl child, the cow too had a female calf. That child was gradually

growing up.

ओकरा खाय ल देयछे । गभRवती रहेछे त फल-फूल-सब । खबू ओकरा मान-दान होयेछे । ओकरा

घर म+ बेट= होयेछे । त ओकरा…ओकर दाद= ओकरा खबू सCुदर सामान आदर करेछे – ओय बMचा के ।

रखेछे दादा दाद=, खबू घमू ाबे-Xफराबेछे । ओय गाय के बाछY होयेछे, त ओकरो खाय ल भेटैछे ।

They fed her. Since she was pregnant, they gave her fruits and delicacies. They

respected her, and they took good care of her. A girl child was born in her home. To her…her

grandmother treated her – the girl child – with much affection and respect. Their grandfather

and grandmother took care of her. They traveled and played together a lot. That cow who gave

birth to a female calf, her calf was also fed properly.

जहन उ पगै भो जायेछे, घमू छै े – खेलैछे, पैग होयेछे, त ओकर बाबा कहेछे Xक एकरा आब…आब

[बबाह के लेल बर खोजल जाय । तो ओकरा [बबाह होयेछे । [बबाह होयेछे । [बबाह होयेछे, दरुांगमन

होयेछे, त ओकरा उ बUछया दॅ देल जायेछे । ओकरा संगे जे गाय के बMचा भेल रहे, उ…पैग बाछY भो

जायेछे, उहो ओकरा दो देल जायेछे…जे “इ हमर पोती भेल, तओ ओकरा बाछY भेल, उ पोती के हम देब ।”

दॅ देयछे ।

When she grew older, she used to roam around and play some sports. Once she was grown, then her grandfather said that now…now they should search a groom for her marriage. So she was wed. Her wedding took place. Her wedding ceremony was completed, she

was given to her husband, and she was gifted with the female calf. This calf was the one who was born at the same time when she was herself born. That calf…that calf too was grown-up, and her grandfather gifted the calf to her…on the pretext that ”when my granddaughter was born, my cow too had a calf, and I will give the calf to my granddaughter.” He gave the calf to her.

सासरु जायेछे, खबू सCुदर, खशु ी रहेछे । जखन खशु ी से रहे चलछै े, ओ लड़कa रOधया गभवR ती

होयेछे । ओ जे गभRवती होयेछे, आ बUछया, सेहो ओकर रहेछे गभRवती ।

She went to the home of her in-laws. It was all nice and good, and everyone was glad.

When everything was going well, then that girl, Rādhiyā, became pregnant. When she

became pregnant, her calf, she too became pregnant.

तऽ ओकरा बेट= होयेछे। त ओकर सास मँहु घमु ा के चल जायछे, देख कॅ, “एह, बेट=-ये भेलै । एह

बेट=-ये छे ।”

Then a girl was born to her. Her mother-in-law turned her face away and she walked off.

After seeing her newborn girl, she said, “Alas, a girl is after all born. What a shame, this child

is girl!”

त कहेछे दोसर, “है, एना Xकया करैछY ?”

Others responded to her, “Hey, why are you behaving in this way?”

पड़ोस के लोग, “बेट= छै त कa छै, सCुदर बdड-य, रहॅ /दयौ, अपन करम भाग छै ।” बेट= कॅ देख

कॅ चल जायेछे ।

Her neighbors said, “How does it matter that the child is a girl? She is very beautiful. Let

her be what she is. Everyone comes with their apportioned fate.” They saw the girl, and they

went away.

ओय गाय कॅ बाछY होयेछे, ओकरा खबू सCुदर स काड़ी कपड़ा लपेट क गदRन म+ बाँधल जायेछे, जे

गाय के ने नज़र लागे । “हमर बेट= के कोनो मोल नै । गाय के नै नज़र लागे, गाय-यो क बाँधल जायेछे,

अ ओकरा बMचो क बाँधल जायेछे, काड़ी कपड़ा, गला म+ ।”

A female calf was born to the cow. A female calf was born to the cow. She was dressed

beautifully, and a black cloth was tied to her neck so that she might be protected from evil eye.

The daughter-in-law wondered, “My daughter has no worth for my in-laws. So that the cow may

not suffer from evil eye, they tied a black cloth to the cow and they tied it to her calf too,

a black cloth, around her neck.”

ओकर बMचा जे बीमार रहेछे, संजोग छै, ओकरा बMचा क खबू तजे बखु ार भौ जायेछे । रOधया

बMचा के तजे बखु ार भौ जायेछे । त ओकर सास के कहेछे, “बdड बखु ार छे, देhखयो नऽ ।”

Her daughter fell sick – as chance would have it – her child suffered from high fever.

Radhiyā’s daughter had high fever. She told her mother-in-law, “She has high fever, please see

her.”

“है, हमर अपने गाय के बMचा बीमार ए ।” मढ़ु = झाँएठ कॅ चल जायेछे । “हम ने एखन देखबै ।

हमर अपने गाय के बMचा बीमार ए ।”

Her mother-in-law said, “Go away, the child of my cow is sick as well.” She tossed her

head in disgust, and she left. Her mother-in-law declared, “I won’t see your girl now,

my cow’s child itself is sick.”

इ अपने तलु सी के रस, lडबीया जड़ा के, तखन अपन बMचा कॅ दॅ रहल छै । गाय के बMचा, सेहो

बीमार भौ जायेछे । त गाय के बMचा ले, गाय OचOचया रहल छै । कान रहल छै । “इ कान रहल छै, त

एकरा मढ़ु = घमु ा क जा रहल छै ।”

“हमरा स…टाईम नै य…हमर गाय के बMचा बीमार य ।” गाय के बMचा बीमार छै, त अपने कान

रहल छै । ओकरा गदRन…डॉoटर सब पकड़ क गदRन म+ कपड़ा लगबैछै जे नजऱ नैलागे, और डॉoटर सब

इCजेoशन लगबैछे जे मरै न इ गाय के बMचा । फे र पोती के छोड़ क चल जायेछे । तखन इ रOधया कहेछे

जे “हे भगवान, अगला जनम हमरो गाय-ए बनायेब ।”

She got the juice of the tulsī plant, she lit an earthen lamp, then she gave the juice to

her daughter. The cow’s child – it too had fallen sick. So, the cow was baying for her child. She

was crying. The daughter-in-law noticed, “My girl too is weeping, but my mother-in-law turns

her face away from her.” Her mother-in-law said to her, “I don’t have…I don’t have time…my cow’s child is sick.” Since the cow’s child was sick, she was crying. The doctors held her neck…her neck, and they put cloth on her neck so that she could be saved from evil eye, and the doctors gave an injection to the cow’s child. The mother-in-law again left their room without paying any attention to her granddaughter. Then Radhiyā prayed, “O God, in the next birth, please do make me a cow.”

पजू ा करेछन भगवान स ।

She prayed to the God.

[ गाय के जीवन हमरा से बेसी नीक छै । ]

[ The life of a cow is much better than my life. ]

“बेसी नीक छै एकटा गाय के जीवन हमरा स ।” जे, “ओकर बMचा लॅ कान रहलछे, ओकरा दवाइ

पर दवाइ पड़ रहल छै । ओकरा गदRन म+ नज़र नैलागे से काड़ी कपड़ा बनहा रहल छै । और हमर बMचा

बीमार य, त कहेय, ‘एखन ने देखबो ।’ आय जे हमहूगाय रहतs, तखन फaल होयेछे जे हम औरत छYये

ताँय हमर बMचा कॅ ने देखेय । आय जे हम जानवर रहतs, गाय रहतs, त हमर बMचा के त एहना इलाज

होइते । डॉoटर लग लै जायल जेते, सईुया लगवाएल जेते ।” तtकहेछे, “हे भगवान, अगला जनम हमरो

गाये बनायब ।”

A cow is much better off than I am in my life. She said, “My mother-in-law cries for the

cow’s child, and the calf is given all kinds of medicine. So that evil eye not be cast on her calf,

they are preparing a black cloth for her. And my daughter is sick, she says, ‘I won’t be able to

see her now.’ If only I were a cow today! At such moments, one feels it, since I am a woman, no

one pays attention to my child. If I were an animal, if I were a cow, then my child too would have

gotten proper medical attention. They would take her to the doctor, they would give her a shot.”

That’s why she prayed, “O God, please make me too a cow in my next birth.”