The Destiny of King Nal and Queen Devyanti / नल-देवयंती आ सप्ता-बिप्ता

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

Teller: Unknown
Location: Rampur
Date: 1/6/2017

January 6, 2017: Session A1
Maithili Folklore Story 17_01_06a_01

View the transcription in Maithili.

एकटा राजा नल छलखिन हैं आ एकटा देवयंती। तऽ ओ दुनू एकटा फेस्टिवल रहय छै सपता विपता के तऽ ओइमे देवयंती ने राजा नल लै आ अपना लै सपता विपता के डोरी अनलखिन तऽ राजा नल नै पहिरलखिन फेक देलखिन ओकरा। 

There once was a king called Nal and there was  a Devyanti.  Now, both of them went to a festival, the festival of Sapta-Vipta. Devyanti brought Sapta-Vipta threads, one each, for herself and for King Nal. But King Nal didn’t wear his and threw it away. 

ओ जे देवयंती पहिनने छलखिन्ह हे ओकरो सुतऽ टाइममे जड़ा देलखिन। हँ तऽ सपता विपता रुष्ट भऽ गेलखिन हुनका सबसे, जला देलखिन हुनका। तऽ भाग्य के कहलखिन सपता विपता कि राजा नल के भाग्य खराब कऽ दय लै। 

And while she was sleeping, he also burnt the one that Devyanti had worn. Thus, Sapta and Vipta became angry at them; they had been burnt by them. Then they, Sapta and Vipta, asked the God of Fate to ruin the fate of King Nal.

तऽ ओ अप्पन भाई सब संगहि राजा नल चेस खेलेलखिन तऽ ओइमे हारि गेलखिन तऽ ओइमे हारि गेलखिन तऽ ओ अप्पन राज मतलब पूरा किंगडम सबटा हारि गेलखिन तऽ फेर ओ सब जाय लगलखिन दोसर जगह सिस्टर मतलब बहिन ओइ ठाम जाय लगलखिन ओ सब। 

So, King Nal played a game of chess with his brothers and lost. Once he lost, seeing as the king had lost the entire kingdom, he started out for a different place, his sister’s place. They began to journey there.

तऽ हुनकर बहिन के बेटा के शादी छलैन। तऽ न ओ रानी देवयंती आ राजा नल मतलब पूरा सब किछु हारि गेल छलखिन्ह तऽ ओ अप्पन बहिन ओतऽ गेलखिन ने तऽ ओ बहिन हुनका अनाज सब चावल वगैरह सब देलखिन तऽ राजा नल एकटा कमरामे गेलखिन कहलखिन धरती माता अहाँ फाटू मतलब फाटि जाउ

तऽ ओ फाटि गेलखिन जमीन तऽ ओइमे कि केलखिन सारा अनाज के जमा कऽ कऽ सारा अनाज के जमा कऽ कऽ  राखि लेलखिन। फेर धरती जुटि गेलखिन तऽ अप्पन जाय लगलैथ दोसर ओतऽ।

His sister’s son’s wedding was there. King Nal and Queen Devyanti had lost everything, and they went to King Nal’s sister’s place. His sister gave him cereal, rice and such. Then  

King Nal went to the room and prayed, “Hey, Mother earth, please tear yourself open.” And thus she tore herself open and took in all the grains. And as she fused together again, the king started out for somebody else’s home.

रानी के पापा ओतऽ जाय लगलय छोड़ऽ तऽ राजा नल कहलखिन अहाँ अप्पन पप्पा ओइ ठाम चलि जाउ हम चलि जाय छी दोसर ठमान। 

As he started to take leave for his father’s place, King Nal said, “You go to your father’s place, and I will go to some other place.”

तऽ फेर ने देवयंती कहलखिन नै हमहूँ अहीं संगे चलब तऽ कनी अराम करऽ बैसलखिन ओ सब तऽ राजा, देवयंती सुति रहलखिन तऽ राजा नल कहलखिन जे एतबे देरमे ई थाकि गेलैथ तऽ आगे केना चलितैथ। तऽ फेर ओकरा ओतय छोड़ि कऽ अप्पन चलि गेलथि ओ।

To which Devyanti replied, “No, I will go along with you.” Later, the king and his entourage were sitting and taking some rest. And when Devyanti fell asleep, King Nal said, “She became tired in such a small amount of time, how will she be able to walk further?” And leaving the queen right there, he left.

तऽ देवयंती उठलैत सुबहमे तऽ देखलथि नै छथिन्ह ओ। तऽ अप्पन पप्पा ओतय ओ चलि गेलखिन। 

Devyanti woke up in the morning and saw that he was not there. So she went to her father’s place.

तऽ फेर राजा नल गेलखिन दोसर ओतऽ चलि गेलखिन आ नौकरकेँ काम करऽ लगलखिन। 

And King Nal went to some other place, and started working as a servant there.

तऽ देवयंती कि कहलखिन हुनकर पप्पा कि कहलखिन जे हम अप्पन स्वयंवर फेरसँ करब। तऽ जिनका ओतऽ नौकर छलखिन्ह राजा नल तऽ हुनके ओतऽ ओ देवयंती गेलखिन स्वयंवर करय लै। 

Devyanti said to her father, “I would like to have my swayamvar¹ [competition for her hand in marriage] again.” And [it turned out that] Devyanti went for her swayamvar to the very house where King Nal was working as a servant.

ओ राजा नल ने खाना बनबय छलखिन्ह सब मेहमान सब लै सब रानी सब लै। 

King Nal was cooking for guests and queens there.

तऽ देवयंती के नऽ दोस्त सब छलखिन्ह से देख लेलखिन खाना बनबैत। देवयंती कहने छलखिन्ह कि ककर हाथकेँ खाना छै जा कऽ सब ओकरा तकही। 

Now, Devyanti’s friends had seen him cooking there. Devyanti had told them to find out by whose hands such food had been prepared.

तऽ हुनकर दोस्त सब कहि देलखिन कि एना एना एकटा आदमी छै।

Her friends had told her that such and such a person was there.

तऽ राजा, देवयंती ने स्वयंवर ओतय करेलखिन तऽ बहुत सारा देवता सब सब राजा सब अप्पन आयल छलथि राजा नलकेँ भेष राखि कऽ आ राजा नल अप्पन खाना बनबैत छलथि। राजा नलकेँ एकटा साँप काटि लेने छलनि है जइसँ हुनकर भेष बदलि गेल छलनि।

Now as Devyanti’s swayamvar was undertaken there, all sorts of gods and kings arrived there taking King Nal’s form, but King Nal himself was actually cooking there. King Nal had been bitten by a snake; that is why his face looked different.

एहि दुआरे रानी देवयंती नहि पहचानलखिन। त’ पता छलनि जे  खाना बनेने छथिन्ह तऽ पुछलखिन सबसँ के खाना बनेलक है?

That’s why Queen Devyanti didn’t recognise him. But she knew that he had cooked there, so she asked, “Who cooked the meal?”

तँ देखलखिन जा कऽ जे खाना बनबय बलाकेँ तकलखिन। हुनका माला पहिना देलखिन फेर स्वयंवर कऽ लेलखिन। तऽ फेर सपता विपतासँ राजा नल और देवयंती माफी मंगलखिन।

She went there and found out who had cooked the meal. She put a garland on his neck and did the swayamvar. After this, King Nal and Devyanti asked for forgiveness before Sapta and Vipta.

तऽ फेर ओ साँप जे कटने छलनि है फेर काटि लेलकैन तऽ फेर अप्पन भेषमे आबि गेलखिन। हुनकर भाग्यो नीक भऽ गेलनि। फेर अप्पन राज्य जा कऽ फेरसँ खेलेलखिन चेस तऽ ओइमे जीत गेलखिन आ सारा किंगडम सब हुनका फेरसँ भेट गेलनि। फेरसँ ओ सब सपता विपताकेँ पूजा कऽ कऽ अप्पन पहिन लेलथि।

Once again the snake that had bitten him before bit him again, and he came back to his original appearance. His fate also reversed. He went to his province and played the chess game again and won, and thereby gained his kingdom back. From then on, they worshiped Sapta and Vipta and properly wore the thread.