Based on मगध की लोक कथाएं : अनुशाीलन एवं संचयन by डॉ. राम प्रसाद सिंह
Tags: family, tragedy, jealousy, misunderstanding, hospitality
The story revolves around four brothers and their aunt, who visit the village and are initially unrecognized by the brothers. The aunt’s sister-in-law, in a bid to express hospitality, uses a winnowing basket as a metaphor for the aunt going hungry. Misunderstandings arise, leading the aunt to leave for the city to eat greens instead. The brothers eventually recognize their aunt and invite her back home, but tension escalates with jealousy and ill intentions from the sister-in-law. As the story unfolds, the sister-in-law contrives to manipulate situations against her mother-in-law, culminating in a tragic accident where she mistakenly pours hot water over her own mother, leading to her death. The story explores themes of recognition, miscommunication, jealousy, and the consequences of ill-intentions.
एगो गाँव में चार भाई रहऽ हलन। उनकर एगो काको बहिन हल जे हरमेसे ससुरार रहऽ हलन। एक रोज काको अपने नइहर आवइत हलन। भइवन बधारे में देखलन बाकि चीन्हलन नऽ । गाँव के लइकन देखलन तो उनकर घरे आन के कहलन कि ककोइया बहिनी आवइत हथुन। तब उनकर भउजाई एक सूप खँखरी पसार देलन । जब काको दुहारी पर पहुँचलन तो भउजाई बोललन- सुखूँ-सुखूँ खखरी। ननद अइहें भुखरी॥ न सुखिहें खखरी। ननद जइहें भुखरी॥
एतना सुन के काको सोचलन कि पहिलहीं तो भउजाई अइसे बोलइत हे, तब घरे कउची जाईं? तुरते दूरे पर से ऊ लौट गेलन, आउ नगरी में आन के खेसारी के साग खयलन। उनका भाई देखलन बाकि न चीन्हलन तो काको बहिनी बोललन- बाप भाई हीं अयली। साग खोंट खयली !! ''ए धरती माता, तू खूब फाट के उपजिहँऽ, तब फिर हम अप्पन नइहर आयम।'’ एकरा सुने पर भइवन के दया आ गेल आउ पूछलन कि तोर घर कहाँ हउ मइयाँ? तब ऊ बोलल कि हम तोहनी के बहिनी न हिअउ। तब भइवन चीन्हलन आउ घरे चले कहलन तो काको बहिनी कहलन कि ''अजवने नऽ भउजाई खखरी देखा के हाथ चमका-चमका के कहलथुन हे- सुखूँ-सुखूँ खखरी । ननद अइहें भुखरी ॥ न सुखिहें खखरी । ननद जइहें भुखरी ॥
भइवन कहलन कि ''अइसन बात हे? अच्छे, अबरी भर तू घरे चलऽ, हम तोरा मालो-माल कर देवो !'' बहिनी घरे गेल आउ भाई लोग भी हर खोल के घरे अयलन आउ मेहरारू के चार बात लगौलन। कुछ दिन के बाद ऊ मेहरारू से कहलन कि ''तोर घर में आग लग गेलवऽ हे, बाप-भाई खाय ला बाहर छछनइत हथुन से कुछ चाउर-उर हवऽ तो ले-ले जइअई । मेहररुआ बोलल कि आउ कुछ के जरूरत हई? मरदाना कहलक कि जे-जे हवऽ से सब कुछ दे देहूँ । मेहरारू सब समान बोरा में कस-कस के बान्ह देलक। चार अदमी आउ दूगो बैल पर लाद के काको के भइवन अप्पन बहिन के घर सब समान पहुँचा देलन। एगो बूढ़ अदमी समान पहुँचा के आयल आउ घरवा पर सब कह देलक, तऽ भउजइया के देह में आग लग गेलक । मेहररुआ सोचलक कि ''अबरी आवत तो राँड़ी के कच्चे चिबा जबई !''
फिनो एक तुरी भाई काको के खूब बढ़िया लुग्गा पेन्हा के घरे लिया आयल। मेहररुआ सोचलक कि अबरी ननदी के जान से मार देवे के चाहीं। से भइवा अपन बहिनी के साथे ले-ले चलऽ हल । बाकि एक रोज भइवा अपन मेहरारू के मना देलक कि हम तोरो माय के लेवे जाइत हीवऽ। से ऊ ससुरारी जाके कहलक कि तोर बेटी बीमार हथुन, जल्दी चलऽ। उहाँ से ऊ जइसे हलन तइसहीं डोली पर बइठ के चल देलन।
गाँव भिर पहुँच के डोली खड़ा कर देल गेल। मरदाना आन के घरे कहलक कि जाके अपन माय के ले आवऽ । मेहररुआ माय के घरे लिया आयल। तलगुल एने तीनछिया चूल्हा पर पानी गरम करइत हल। मइया आन के दरोजा में बइठल हलथिन । ककोइया बहिनी सान्ही में बइठल हल। भइवा बहिनी के सान्ही में से लिआ आयल, आउ सास के कहलक कि अपने भीतरे जाके बइठीं गन। सास जाके सान्ही में बइठ गेलन। बेटी तो इहे सोचलक कि ककोइये हे। से गरम पानी ला के अपन माय पर उझिल देलक। मइया कहलक कि बाप रे-बाप, हमरा काहे मारइत हें मइयाँ ! तब तक तो सब अदहन के पानी उझिला गेल हल, से माय मर गेलथिन तो बेटी रोवे लगलन आउ आपने बदनीयती आउ बुरा करनी के कोसे लगलन।
In a village, there lived four brothers. They had an aunt who was always in her in-laws' house. One day, the aunt visited her maternal home. The brothers saw her but did not recognize her. When they noticed the village children, they went to her house and said that their aunt was visiting. Then their sister-in-law spread a winnowing basket. When the aunt reached the courtyard, the sister-in-law said:
Dry and dry winnowing basket. The sister-in-law is coming hungry.
Not dry winnowing basket. The sister-in-law is going hungry.
Hearing this, the aunt thought that the sister-in-law was always speaking like this, so why should she go home? Immediately, she turned back from a distance and ate khesari saag (a type of green vegetable) in the city instead. Her brothers saw her but did not recognize her, so the aunt's sister-in-law said:
Father, brother, she has come! Having eaten greens!!
"O Mother Earth, may you produce well, and then we will come to our maternal home." Upon hearing this, the brothers felt pity and asked, "Where is your home, dear?" Then she said that she wasn't your sister. The brothers recognized her and went home to tell their aunt, who said, "Just the other day, sister-in-law showed the winnowing basket and was saying with hands waving that:
Dry and dry winnowing basket. The sister-in-law is coming hungry.
Not dry winnowing basket. The sister-in-law is going hungry.
The brothers said, "Is that so? Alright, now you come home; we will make you prosperous!" The sister-in-law went home, and the brothers also opened the latch and entered the house, setting things in order. A few days later, they told the lady, "A fire has broken out at your house, and your father and brothers are scraping the walls outside, so if there's any rice or anything there, take it along." The lady replied, "What more do we need?" The man said, "Whatever is there, I will give everything." The lady tied all the goods tightly in a sack. The four men and two bullocks loaded everything and delivered it to the aunt’s brothers' home. An elderly man brought the goods, and upon reaching the house, he announced everything, which caused the sister-in-law to be filled with rage. The lady thought, "Now this will surely burn the cooked meat!"
Then one of the brothers brought the aunt home dressed very well. The lady thought that now she had to kill her sister-in-law. So the brother took his sister along. However, one day the brother convinced his wife that he was going to take her mother. So she went to the in-laws' house and told them that their daughter was ill and they needed to hurry. As soon as she arrived, she sat in a palanquin and left.
When they reached the village, they set down the palanquin. The men told each other to go and bring their mother. The lady brought her mother. Meanwhile, there was a three-legged stove on one side, heating water. The mother was sitting by the doorstep. The aunt was sitting in the kitchen. The brother brought his sister into the kitchen and told the mother-in-law to sit inside. The mother-in-law went and sat in the kitchen. The daughter thought this was the aunt. So, she took the hot water and poured it over her mother. The mother exclaimed, "Oh my God, why are you hurting me, dear?" By then, all the hot water had been poured, and the mother died, and the daughter began to weep and blamed herself for her ill intentions and wrongdoing.