Bhukhana and Bhukhani / भुखनी-भुखना

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

Teller: Sagar Devi
Location: Narayan Patti
Date: 9/15/16

September 15, 2016: Session 5
Maithili Folklore 16_09_15_5

View the transcription in Maithili.

एकटा भुकना रहै l एकटा भुकनि रहै l भुकनि के बियाह क देने रहे गरीब घर में l भुकनि बियाह भेलय गरीब घर में l ओकरा चारि सांझ भ गेल रहै सासुर मेंl भुकनि चाल लगबै यै जाइ छी नइहर , नइहर जाइ छी त ओइ ठाम अपन भाई भौजाई लग रहब आ खैब l

Once there was a Bhukna. There was a Bhukni, as well. Bhukni had been married off into a poor family. She was already four days into her married life, at her in-laws’ house. Bhukni would call out, “Hey, I am going to my natal home, and will stay and eat with my brother and his wife.”

त जहाँ भुकनि एलय नइहर त भौजाई केलक कि खखरि बाहर क लेलक आ सुखय लै देलकयl बाहर क क ओ सुखय लै देलक आ पढ़ै कि, ” सुखु सुखु खखरि ननद एति भुकनिl आइ सुखु, कालि सुखु, परसु देब उखारि l”

So, as Bhukni arrived, her sister-in-law (brother’s wife) was spreading out the khakhri to dry outside and began singing, “Dry, dry, O khakhri, my sister-in-law Bhukni will turn up. Dry today, dry tomorrow; the day after I will pluck you out.”

भौजाई पढ़े जे, “सुखु सुखु खखरि ननद एति भुकनिl आइ सुखु, कालि सुखु, परसु देब उखारि l “त ननद सोचलक जे एक त हमरा चारि सांझ भ गेल अछि, आ आइ सुखेतय कालि सुखेतय परसु इ उखर में कूटतय त त हमरा कै सांझ भ जैत, त से नइ त जाइ छी अहु ठाम स, भाई बापक खेत इय, ओइ में साग इय, जाइ छी थोड़े तोड़ लेब आ थोड़े खाइओ लेब आ थोड़े नेने जैब l

So as Bhukni’s sister-in-law was singing, “Dry, dry,hey khakhri, my sister-in-law Bhukni will turn up. Dry today, dry tomorrow; that day after I will pluck you out,” Bhukni was thinking, “I am already into my fourth day there at my husband’s home, and now my brother’s wife plans to dry the khakhri today or tomorrow, and crush them all to cook only the day after, after plucking them out. I will end up spending so many days here! No. I prefer to go to my father’s place. My father and brother have cultivated fields. I will pick up some spinach from there, eat some and carry some along with me, as well.”

त भुकनि गेल अपन बाद l भाई के खेत में साग तोड़त रहै, त साग जे तोड़त रहै त अपन भाई ओकर चिन्हलकय नय, अपन दूरे से देखलकय त ओ गारि पढ़े लागलl ओ अपन ओइ खेत में रहबे करै, तब लग में एलय त कहलकय जे, “बौआ गाम पर किया नय गेलैं?”

So Bhukni went to her brother’s farm. As she was picking some spinach, her brother saw her, but from a distance, and didn’t recognize his sister. So he started yelling at her. Then, as he came closer, he recognized his sister, and said: “Hey child, why didn’t you go to the house rather than coming over here?”

आ त एना एना गाम पर गेलऊँ, ओता चारि सांझ हमरा भ गेल अछि, आ गेलऊँ ह अंगना त भौजी खखरि निकाल क सुखय लै देलकय आ कहय छै, “सुखु सुखु खखरि ननद एति भुकनिl आइ सुखु, कालि सुखु, परसु देब उखारि, परसु देब उखारिl” से ओइ दुआरे हम अपन चलि एलऊँ जे भै बापक खेत अइ, जाई छी दू टा साग तोड़ि लेब, खाईओ लेब,आ थोड़े नेनेओ जैब l

Bhukni replied, “Actually, when I reached the house, your wife told me that she had spread out the khakhri for drying and sang this to me: ‘Dry, dry, O khakhri; my sister-in-law Bhukni will turn up. Dry today, dry tomorrow; the day after I will pluck you out’. So I felt bad and thought I would rather go to your fields, where I can pick up some spinach and eat as well as take some with me.”

च्छा ठीक छै तू जो, हम से कालि आबइआ l भुकनि अपन चलि एल फेर सासुर l आ भुकना जे रहै से अपन गाम पर गेल ,घरवाली के कि कहलकय, “गै, थोड़े सनेस बना दही, जे तोरा नइहर से हम जाइ छियो जिज्ञासा क अबइ लै, आ कनी भुकनिओ लै बना दीहैंl”

Bhukna told Bhukni, “OK, go then.. I will meet you tomorrow.” Bhukni returned to her father-in-law’s house. Now Bhukna reached his own home and told his wife, “Hey, prepare some snacks and pack them as a gift. I want to go to meet your mother. Pack some for Bhukni as well, as I plan to go to meet her, as well.”

त सनेस बनौलक l आटा सनलक, सनेस बनौलक, चांदी के रुपिया द क फूटि परलय पूरी में,  अपन नइहर लै l आ भुकनि जे रहै तकरा लै  बिरनीह पतैया तौला में क बंद क क से रखलैंन जे ननद के पठाइब l

So, his wife prepared the gift of snacks and sweets. Made flour, prepared snacks, and stuffed those with silver coins for the packet marked for her natal place. And packed a live bee, instead of snacks, in a covered pot to be given at Bhukni’s place. 

त जाइ जो भुकना, त कहे छै भ गेलउ, आ त हां भ गेलय l त बाँधि दही,  बाँधि छाइन देलकयl त कहलकय घरवाला के जे पीरा कपड़ा से जे बांधल अइ से हमरा नइहर द देबय आ ललका कपड़ा से जे अइ से भुकनि के द देबय, अहां अपन बहिन के l

His wife said, “OK, then. You leave if you are fine with this much.” Bhukna replied, “Yes, this is enough.” Then Bhukna said, “Pack it all very well.” His wife did that. She told him, “Give the packet covered with a yellow cloth at my natal place, and the other one, the pot covered with a red cloth, to Bhukni, your sister.”

बस विदा भेल भुकना ल क l ओ ससुराइर किया जैत,  चांदी के रुपिया वाला जे फूटि वाला पूरी रहै, चलि गेल अपन बहिन ओइ ठाम ल क l पहुंचल, पहुंचला बाद कहलकय बहिन के जे, “गै, भुकनि, पूरिया जे तोड़ी तोड़ी बेनिया परसीहे,  बेनिया परसीहे गै भुकनिl” बहिन के कहलकय, ओ अपन तोड़लक त पूरी के देखइ यै खाली चांदी के रुपियाl अपन पूरी तोड़ क अपन बैन परैस लेलक आ बिरनीह पतैया जे रहे से ल क ससुराइर चलि गेल l

So, Bhukna started out with the gifts. Why would he go to his in-laws’ place first? He went to meet Bhukni first, with the packet that had silver coins stuffed in snacks and was supposed to be given at his in-laws’ house. As he arrived there, he sang to his sister, “Hey Bhukni, dole out the snack, but do so after breaking each one, hey Bhukni.” Bhukni did just that, and when she found the silver coins, she kept all of that. Meanwhile, Bhukna had left for his in-laws’ place with the bee gift pot.

आ साउस के कहलकय कि जे बेटी कहलक यै कि भगवती घर में क इ रखै लै,आ घर बंद क क खोलय लै, उ बिरनीह पतैया के l अपन गेल ससुराइर, साउस के कहि देलकयl  तब साउस अपन घर ल गेल आ इ भुकना रहै से अपन चलि आयल l त ओ घर बंद क क फेर ओ अपन से खोललक, खोललक त अपन उ बिरनीह पतैया सबटा उ बुढ़िया के अपन काटि क बेहाल क देलकय l आ भुकना अपन चलि आयल l

Upon arrival, he told his mother-in-law, “Your daughter requested that you keep this pot in the Goddess’s room, and open it only after shutting the room door from the inside.” He then departed for home. When his mother-in-law opened the pot following his instructions, the bee came out and bit her all over very badly, leaving her writhing in pain. Bhukna by then was back at his village.

तकर बाद में जा क फेर ओ गाम पर आयल भुकना l गाम पर जे आयल त फेर बहु के कहलकय कि,  ह गै, घर द्वार त जरि गेल छौअ नइहर में से नइ त थोड़े बांस काटि दही जे तोरा नइहर के हम पहुँचा देबऔ जे घर तर बांधल जेतयl

As Bhukna arrived, he requested of his wife, “Hey, can you cut and keep at the ready some pieces of bamboo? I saw at your natal place that the houses and all were gutted. I plan to go there again and give them these bamboo pieces so that they can rebuild the houses.”

सबटा उ काटि खूटि के देलकयl एक टेलर ल गेल l ओ ससुराइर किया जैत फेर चलि गेल बहिन ओइ ठाम l बहिन के घर द्वार अपन बाँधि देलकयl  फेर अपन गाम पर चलि आयल l

All the bamboo pieces were prepared by his wife, a trailer full of them. But why should he have gone to his in-law’s place? Instead he went to his sister’s. There he built a house for his sister before returning home.

हाँ घरवाली कहलकय जे हम पूजा करब l आ ओकरा समाद एले यै जे एना एना बात भेलय यै,  जे इ सबटा चांदी के रुपया से इ बहिन के द एल अए आ बिरनीह पतैया हमरा नइहर क द एल अए l त ओइ खिस स कहलक झूठे के जे हम पूजा करै छी से अहाँ अपना बहिन के नोत द अबीयोन l त सेहो नोत द एलय,त ओ नोत दइ लै गेलय फेर ससुराइरे, भुकना l त साउस के कहलकय कि जे पूजा छै से बेटी कहलकन है आबइ लै से ओइ ठाम विध हेतन l

Now, his wife told him, “I will organize a worship ceremony.” Actually by now she had received a message from her mother’s place and had come to know that such and such had happened there. She was angry and planned a worship ceremony. So she announced that she would organize the worship ceremony and suggested to Bhukna, “I am preparing for a worship ceremony. Why don’t you go and invite your sister to attend!” However, instead of going to his sister’s place, Bhukna went to his in-law’s house and invited her, saying “Your daughter is organizing a worship ceremony and has asked you to be there with us. Some of the rituals will involve you.”

विध यै हेतन जे कतबो हिनका विध करतन त इ बजीहथिन नइ l आ अइ ठान बेटी कि केलकय इन्होर पानि चढ़ा देलकय, खर्रा बारहैंन राखि लेलक जे खूब ननद आउत त मारबे करब l आ आउतै ओकर मै l आ कहलकन खूब अबेर  दबा क से आबइ लै l त ओ अबेर दबा क सांझ परैत में आयल l  त बेटी जे रहे से इन्होर पानि ओकरा पैर पर ढ़ारि देलकय l आ खर्रा ल क, बारहैंन ल क, आ इ कहि देलकय जे,  हे, कतबो विध करतन त इ बजीहथिन नइ ,  नइ त जमाय कि नातिये मरि जेतन, कतबो विध हिनका करतन तl

Bhukna said, “The ritual will be such that you needn’t utter a word while the ritual is going on.” Meanwhile, at home, Bhukna’s wife readied some hot water and a sharp broom, as she thought that her sister-in-law, Bhukni, would be coming and that she would treat her to that. She didn’t know that instead of her sister-in-law, her very own mother had been invited by Bhukna. And Bhukna had asked his mother-in-law to arrive around sunset. Now as she arrived, her daughter was ready with the hot water and a sharp broom. Thinking it to be Bhukni, she poured the hot water on her mother’s feet and started mopping her body with that sharp broom she had kept ready for Bhukni. Now her mother was under strict instruction from her son-in-law, Bhukna, that she shouldn’t say a word during the ritual, otherwise not just her son-in-law, but her grandson as well would die.  

त उ बेचारी के कतबो डेंगबै, कतबो किछ करै त ओ बजबे नइ करै, बजबे नइ करै l तहैन अंतिम में जहैन ओकरा बड चोट लगलै तब कहलकय जे आब जमायो मरे नातियो मरे हम त बजबे करबे l तखैन जा क ओ काना लगलै, तब बुझलकय जे हमर मै छी l मै के एते दशा केलऊं हैl

The poor mother didn’t say a word as she was being beaten. Finally, when she couldn’t bear it any longer, she opened her mouth, saying, “No matter if my son-in-law or grandson dies, I will speak now.” Then her daughter realised that she actually ended up beating her mother. She exclaimed, “Oh my God! It was my mother and I treated her so badly.” And thus she realised her mistake.

खिस्सा भ गेल l

The story is over.