Bhanumati’s Trick
BHANUMATI’S TRICK
Hiradutta, the wealthy merchant of Vaishali, had no child. After performing several religious rites, his wife gave birth to a daughter. The parents were, naturally, extremely fond of their daughter, who was named Bhanumati. Unfortunately, their joy was short-lived. One day, when Bhanumati was just a year old, her maids placed her in a swing in the garden. Suddenly, a vulture swooped down and carried her away.
The maids raised a hue and cry; many men and women ran to try to keep pace with the vulture, but it was in vain. The vulture soon disappeared from sight.
The vulture landed on a hill at the center of a forest and placed the child inside a cave. As days passed, Bhanumati grew up under the vulture’s loving care. In truth, the vulture was a nymph cursed to live in that form. In her lonely life, Bhanumati became her sole source of happiness. Other nymphs who visited their friend taught Bhanumati various arts.
The Nymph’s Prophecy
Sixteen years passed. Bhanumati transformed into a beautiful young woman. One day, the vulture changed back into a nymph and told her, “My sweet daughter! The period I was doomed to live as a vulture has come to an end. I must return to my domain. You are beautiful and have mastered all the arts. I bless you and prophesy that you will soon be reunited with your parents, and even before that, you will find a worthy husband. Go westward.”
The nymph disappeared. Although Bhanumati was saddened by the loss of her companion and guardian, she felt happy that the nymph had finally been freed from her curse.
A Mysterious Castle
As instructed by the nymph, Bhanumati descended from the hill and began walking westward. After a few days of crossing the forest, she was amazed to discover a grand castle with its gates wide open. Curiously, she entered and was further surprised to find all its inhabitants lying in a coma. Even the horses and elephants appeared to be in a deep sleep.
Bhanumati crossed several apartments of the castle until she reached a room where a young man lay asleep on a bejeweled bed. “This must be the prince of this castle,” she thought to herself. “But what has happened to all these people? Why are they all lying frozen in time?”
Her attention was drawn to a portrait hanging on the wall. Upon examining it, she recognized that it depicted the prince, though the portrait showed him wearing a glittering necklace that the real prince was not adorned with. Bhanumati felt the absence of the necklace was connected to the prince’s unconscious state. She noticed a box at his feet and, upon opening it, found the missing necklace.
The Awakening
Bhanumati picked up the necklace and touched it to the prince’s forehead. He stirred slightly but remained asleep. Realizing he would awaken once she placed the necklace around his neck, she decided to change into clean clothes first. She entered another apartment, chose suitable garments for herself, and headed to a pool behind the castle to bathe.
As she prepared to dip into the water, she heard the sound of a woman weeping. Turning back, she saw a hunchback walking along the bank of the pool. “Who are you? Why are you crying?” Bhanumati asked.
“I’m distressed because a rogue mistook me for his wife and beat me. I don’t know where to go,” the woman replied.
Bhanumati felt pity for her and said, “Don’t worry. I will take you as my maid. Go to the castle and watch over the young man sleeping in a room. Guard him and the necklace that I’ve placed on his bed. I will return shortly.”
Deception and Truth
“I will do as you say,” the woman promised, and she went away. Once inside the castle, she soon found herself by the prince’s side. Curious about the necklace, she placed it around his neck to see what would happen.
Instantly, the prince awakened, along with all the inhabitants of the castle—and the animals too. “Whoever you are, if you’re unmarried, I will marry you,” he declared, turning to the woman.
“I am unmarried and a princess,” the woman replied. “I have a maid who will be here soon.”
Bhanumati soon arrived and was shocked. “What!” she exclaimed. “Aren’t you my maid? Did I not ask you to guard the prince until I returned?” She went on to recount everything that had happened.
The prince believed Bhanumati. However, she wasn’t satisfied until the woman admitted her deceit. “I will write on a number of small slips of paper, ‘Bhanumati is right,’ and on an equal or larger number, I will write ‘The other woman is right.’ You can mix them up. If I pick all the papers that state ‘Bhanumati is right,’ will you confess the truth?” she proposed.
“I will,” the woman replied, already showing signs of nervousness. The prince granted her a sheet of paper, which Bhanumati tore into three equal parts and made into several small strips. She wrote on some strips, ‘Bhanumati is right,’ while the others read, ‘The other woman is right.’ After folding each strip, she handed them to the woman who mixed them and placed them in a box.
Celebration and Reunion
Bhanumati, with her eyes shut, began picking up the strips that read ‘Bhanumati is right.’ The prince watched in amazement as she continually selected the correct papers. The woman, realizing Bhanumati’s extraordinary ability, broke down and confessed that she was Bhanumati’s maid and not the other way around.
The delighted prince then proposed to marry Bhanumati. Messengers rushed to bring Bhanumati’s parents, and Hiradutta and his wife were overjoyed to reunite with their daughter after so many years. Their marriage became a grand event.
One day, Bhanumati’s mother asked, “What was the magic trick you performed?”