Chapter I
A certain man named Hari-Sarman lived in a small village in India, where wealth was scarce and everyone toiled hard for their daily sustenance. Growing tired of his strenuous life, Hari-Sarman, who had a wife named Vidya and a large family, found it challenging to provide for them, even if he had been hardworking. However, neither Hari-Sarman nor Vidya had a shred of industriousness; both were extremely lazy. They also failed to teach their children how to earn a living. Without the assistance of the other impoverished villagers, the family would have starved. Instead of working, Hari-Sarman sent his children out to beg or steal while he and Vidya idled at home.
One day, Hari-Sarman proposed to Vidya, "Let's leave this dull village and move to a big city where we can find some way to make a living. I'll pose as a wise man who can uncover secrets, and you can claim expertise in childcare, given our large family." Vidya eagerly agreed, and the family set off with their few belongings. Eventually, they reached a large town. Hari-Sarman boldly approached the wealthiest house, leaving Vidya and the children outside. He requested to see the master of the house and was granted an audience. The master, a wealthy merchant with extensive estates, was easily deceived by Hari-Sarman's fabricated story. He promised to find work for Hari-Sarman and Vidya and offered to send their children to his country farm, where they could be useful.
Elated, Hari-Sarman rushed out to share the good news with Vidya. The couple was warmly welcomed into the luxurious residence and given a small room of their own, while the children were sent to the farm, thrilled to escape their previous miserable existence.
- 1. Would Hari-Sarman and Vidya have been better off if their neighbors hadn't helped them?
- 2. Is Hari-Sarman solely to blame for his family's poverty?
Chapter II
Soon after the husband and wife arrived at the merchant’s house, a significant event took place: the marriage of the eldest daughter. The preparations were grand, and Vidya played a major role, helping in the kitchen to prepare various delicious dishes while living in luxury herself. The wealthy household spared no expense; even the lowliest servants were well taken care of. Vidya found herself happier than ever, with plenty to do and an abundance of good food. She became a different person, even starting to regret not being a better mother to her children. She thought, "After the wedding, I’ll check on how they’re doing." However, she barely thought of her husband and rarely saw him.
Hari-Sarman, on the other hand, experienced a starkly different reality. He had no specific tasks, and no one seemed to need him. The busy servants in the kitchen shooed him away, and he wasn’t welcomed by the house owner or the guests. The merchant forgot about him, leaving Hari-Sarman feeling lonely and miserable. He had anticipated enjoying the wedding feast but found himself grumbling instead: "I’m starving amidst plenty. I need to do something to change this awful situation."
While the wedding preparations were underway, Vidya stayed away from her husband. Hari-Sarman lay awake at night, pondering, "What can I do to make the master notice me?" Suddenly, an idea struck him: "I’ll steal something valuable and hide it. When the loss is discovered, the merchant will remember the man who can uncover secrets. But what should I take that will surely be missed? I know!" He jumped out of bed, dressed quickly, and crept out of the house.
- 3. What would you have done if you had been Hari-Sarman?
- 4. Do you think Vidya ever had any real love for her husband?
Chapter III
This is what Hari-Sarman decided to do. The merchant owned many beautiful horses, housed in splendid stables and cared for meticulously. Among them was a lovely little Arab mare, the bride's favorite, which she often visited to pet and feed with sugar. "I'll steal that mare and hide it in the forest," the cunning man thought. "Then, when everyone is searching for her, the master will remember the man who can reveal secrets and call for me. Ah! Ah! What a clever fellow I am! I know the stablemen and grooms are feasting because I saw them myself when I looked for my wife. I can climb through a window that’s always left open."
He was right. He encountered no one on his way to the stables, which were deserted. He easily got in, opened the door from the inside, and led out the little mare, which didn't resist. She was so well-treated that she wasn't afraid. Hari-Sarman took the beautiful creature deep into the forest, tied her up there, and returned to his room unnoticed.
Early the next morning, the merchant's daughter, accompanied by her maidens, went to see her beloved mare, bringing extra sugar. Her distress was immense when she found the stall empty. She immediately guessed a thief had struck during the night and hurried home to tell her father, who was furious with the stablemen for abandoning their posts and threatened to flog them. "But the first thing to do is get the mare back," he said, ordering messengers to be sent out in all directions, promising a substantial reward for any news of the mare.
Vidya, of course, heard all about it and instantly suspected Hari-Sarman's involvement. "I expect he has hidden the mare," she thought, "and plans to claim the reward for finding it." So she requested to see the master of the house, and when granted an audience, she said:
Why do you not send for my husband, the man who can reveal secrets, because of the wonderful power given to him to see what is hidden from others? Many times, he has surprised me with his abilities."
- 5. Do you think Vidya had any wish to help Hari-Sarman for his own sake?
- 6. Is there anything you think she should have done before seeing the master?
Chapter IV
On hearing Vidya's words, the merchant immediately told her to fetch her husband. However, to her surprise, Hari-Sarman refused to return with her. "You can tell the master whatever you like," he said angrily. "You all forgot me entirely yesterday, and now that you need my help, you suddenly remember my existence. I am not going to be at your beck and call or anyone else’s."
Vidya pleaded with him to be reasonable, but it was in vain. She had to return and inform the merchant that her husband would not come. Instead of reacting with anger, the master surprised her by saying, "Your husband is right. I have treated him poorly. Go and tell him I apologize and will reward him well if he comes to help me."
Vidya went back and this time succeeded. However, though Hari-Sarman agreed to return with her, he was very sulky and refused to answer any of her questions. She couldn't understand him and regretted leaving him alone for so long. His behavior was strange when the master, who received him kindly, asked if he could find the mare. "I know how wise and clever you are," the merchant said.
"It didn't seem like it yesterday," Hari-Sarman grumbled. "Nobody noticed me then, but now that you need something from me, you find out that I'm wise and clever. I am the same person I was yesterday."
"I know, I know," the merchant said, "and I apologize for my neglect. But when a man's daughter is about to be married, it's no wonder someone gets overlooked."
- 7. Do you think Hari-Sarman was wise to treat his wife and the merchant as he did?
- 8. If the mare had been found while Hari-Sarman was talking to the master, what effect do you think the discovery would have had on them both?
Chapter V
Hari-Sarman now thought it was time to take a different tone. He reached into his pocket and brought out a map he had prepared while waiting, confident he would be summoned. He spread it out before the merchant, pointing to a dark spot amid a maze of intersecting lines representing pathways through the forest. "Under a tree, at this dark spot, you will find the mare," he said.
Overjoyed, the merchant immediately dispatched a trusted servant to verify the claim. When the mare was brought back, the merchant lavished Hari-Sarman with gratitude and honor. At the wedding festivities, Hari-Sarman was treated as an esteemed guest, no longer wanting for food or attention. His wife, Vidya, hoped he would now forgive her for neglecting him, but he continued to sulk, and she remained uncertain about the truth of the mare's disappearance.
All went well for Hari-Sarman for some time. However, a significant problem arose when a quantity of gold and many valuable jewels disappeared from the king's palace. Unable to find the thief, someone recounted the story of the stolen mare and how Hari-Sarman had found it. The king ordered, "Fetch that man here at once." Hari-Sarman was soon brought before the king. "I hear you are so wise you can reveal all secrets," the king said. "Now tell me immediately who has stolen the gold and jewels and where they are."
Poor Hari-Sarman was at a loss. "Give me until tomorrow," he replied falteringly. "I need some time to think."
"I will not give you a single hour," the king retorted, suspecting deception. "If you do not tell me where the gold and jewels are at once, I will have you flogged until you find your tongue."
Terrified, Hari-Sarman realized he needed to convince the king to gain time. Drawing himself up, he responded, "The wisest magicians need time to discover the truth. Give me twenty-four hours, and I will name the thieves."
"You are not much of a magician if you cannot find out such a simple thing," the king replied. He then ordered the guards to imprison Hari-Sarman without food or drink until he came to his senses. Dragged away, Hari-Sarman soon found himself alone in a dark, gloomy room with no hope of escape.
In despair, he paced the room, struggling to find a way out. "I will die here of starvation unless my wife rescues me," he thought. "I wish I had treated her better instead of sulking." He tried the window bars, but they were too strong. He beat on the door, but no one responded.
- 9. What lesson does the trouble Hari-Sarman was in teach?
- 10. Do you think it would have been better for him to tell the king he could not reveal secrets?
Chapter VI
When it got quite dark in the prison, Hari-Sarman began to talk to himself aloud. "Oh," he said, "I wish I had bitten my tongue out before I told that lie about the mare. It is all my foolish tongue that has gotten me into this trouble. Tongue! Tongue!" he continued, "it is all your fault."
Now, a very strange thing happened. The money and jewels had been stolen by a man who had been told where they were by a young servant girl in the palace named Jihva, which is the Sanskrit word for tongue. This girl was in a great fright when she heard that a revealer of secrets had been brought before the king. "He will tell of my part in the matter," she thought, "and I shall get into trouble." It so happened that the guard at the prison door was fond of her, as well as the thief who had stolen the money and jewels. So when all was quiet in the palace, Jihva slipped away to see if she could get the guard to let her see the prisoner. "If I promise to give him part of the money," she thought, "he will agree not to betray me."
The guard was glad enough when Jihva came to talk to him, and he let her listen at the keyhole to what Hari-Sarman was saying. Just imagine her astonishment when she heard him repeating her name again and again. "Jihva! Jihva! You," he cried, "are the cause of this suffering. Why did you behave in such a foolish manner, just for the sake of the good things of this life? Never can I forgive you, Jihva, you wicked, wicked one!"
"Oh! oh!" cried Jihva in an agony of terror, "he knows the truth; he knows that I helped the thief." She entreated the guard to let her into the prison so she could plead with Hari-Sarman not to tell the king what she had done. The man hesitated at first, but in the end, she persuaded him to consent by promising him a large reward.
When the key grated in the lock, Hari-Sarman stopped talking aloud, wondering whether the guard had overheard him and half hoping that his wife had obtained leave to visit him. As the door opened and he saw a woman entering by the light of a lantern held by the guard, he cried, "Vidya, my beloved!" But he soon realized it was a stranger. He was indeed surprised and relieved when Jihva suddenly threw herself at his feet and, clinging to his knees, began to weep and moan. "Oh, most holy man," she cried between her sobs, "who knows the very secrets of the heart, I have come to confess that it was I, Jihva, your humble servant, who aided the thief in taking the jewels and the gold and hiding them beneath the big pomegranate tree behind the palace."
"Rise," replied Hari-Sarman, overjoyed at hearing this. "You have told me nothing that I did not know, for no secret is hidden from me. What reward will you give me if I save you from the wrath of the king?"
"I will give you all the money I have," said Jihva, "and that is not a little."
"That also I knew," said Hari-Sarman. "For you have good wages, and many a time you have stolen money that did not belong to you. Go now and fetch it all, and have no fear that I will betray you."
- 11. What mistakes do you think Jihva made in what she said to Hari-Sarman?
- 12. What would have been the best thing for her to do when she thought she was found out?
Without waiting a moment, Jihva hurried away to fetch the money. When she returned, however, the guard, who had overheard everything between her and Hari-Sarman, refused to let her back into the prison until she gave him ten gold pieces. Fearing that Hari-Sarman would notice the missing amount and be angry, Jihva admitted the truth immediately. “I brought all I had, but the man at the door took ten pieces,” she confessed. This vexed Hari-Sarman greatly, and he threatened to tell the king unless she brought the thief who had taken the money and jewels. “I cannot do that,” Jihva replied, “for he is far away. He lives with his brother, Indra Datta, in the forest beyond the river, more than a day’s journey from here.” “I was just testing you,” said the clever Hari-Sarman, who now knew who the thief was. “I can see him where he is at this moment. Now go home and wait until I send for you.”
Jihva, who loved the thief and did not want him punished, refused to leave until Hari-Sarman promised not to reveal the thief’s identity or location to the king. “I would rather bear all the punishment myself than let him suffer,” she declared. Even Hari-Sarman was moved by her devotion, and fearing that Jihva might be discovered in the prison, he promised her that no harm would come to her or the thief and let her go.
Shortly after this, messengers came to take Hari-Sarman back before the king. The king received him coldly and threatened him with a severe punishment if he did not reveal the thief’s identity and the location of the gold and jewels. Pretending to be reluctant, Hari-Sarman eventually said, “I will lead you to where the treasure is buried, but I will never betray the thief’s name.” The king, more interested in recovering his treasure than punishing the thief, immediately ordered his attendants to follow Hari-Sarman with spades.
Hari-Sarman led them to the pomegranate tree, where, deep in the ground, they found all that had been lost. Delighted, the king heaped riches and honors upon Hari-Sarman. However, some of the wise men at court suspected Hari-Sarman of being a fraud and sought to uncover the truth. They summoned the guard who had been on duty at the prison and questioned him thoroughly. The guard, fearing severe punishment, hesitated and aroused further suspicion.
Deva-Jnanin, a trusted advisor of the king, expressed his doubts: “I am uncomfortable with treating this man so highly when we know so little about him. He could have discovered the treasure’s location without any special powers. Let us test him in another way in the presence of your chief advisers.”
The king, valuing reason, agreed. After consulting with Deva-Jnanin, they devised a clever test for Hari-Sarman. A live frog was placed in a pitcher, and the lid was sealed. Hari-Sarman was then brought into the great reception room, where all the wise men of the court were gathered around the throne, on which the king sat in his royal robes. Deva-Jnanin, chosen by the king to speak, pointed to the small pitcher on the ground and said, “Great as the honors already bestowed upon you are, they shall be increased if you can say at once what is in that pitcher.”
- 13. What kind of man do you think the king was from his behaviour to Hari-Sarman?
- 14. Was it wise or foolish of Hari-Sarman to remain in the city after his very narrow escape?
Chapter VIII
Hari-Sarman stared at the pitcher and thought, "Oh no, it's over for me now! There's no way I can figure out what's inside. I should have left town with Jihva's money while I still had the chance!" As was his habit in times of stress, he began muttering to himself. By a stroke of fate, his father had called him "Frog" when he was a boy, and his mind wandered back to those innocent days. Out loud, he lamented, "Oh, Frog, look at the mess you're in! This pitcher will be the end of you!"
Deva-Jnanin and the other wise men were taken aback by his words. The king, thrilled to find his faith justified, called Hari-Sarman to the throne, announcing he would never doubt him again. He promised more wealth, a beautiful country house in addition to the town house, and to bring his children from the farm to live with him and their mother, who would be adorned with lovely dresses and ornaments.
Hari-Sarman was the most surprised of all. He correctly guessed there was a frog in the pitcher. After the king's speech, he asked, "May I keep the pitcher as a memento of this day, when my truthfulness was confirmed beyond doubt?"
His request was granted, and he left with the pitcher, relieved by his narrow escape. However, he was also anxious about the future. He knew he had narrowly escaped exposure by sheer luck, using "Jihva" in the first crisis and "Frog" in the second. He doubted he'd be so lucky a third time. Secretly planning to flee one night with all the money and jewels he could carry, he didn't share his plan with his wife. He pretended to forgive her for neglecting him in their poorer days and expressed joy that their children would be reunited with them. Before his children arrived from the farm, Hari-Sarman vanished, leaving no trace. The king, believing in his supposed powers to the end, allowed his family to keep everything given to him. Only Deva-Jnanin harbored doubts, but he kept them private, thinking, "Now that he's gone, it doesn't matter who or what he was."
- 15. What is the chief lesson to be learnt from this story?
- 16. What do you think it was that made Hari-Sarman think of his boyhood when he was in trouble?
- 17. Do you think he took the pitcher and frog with him when he left the city?
- 18. Do you think there was anything good in the character of Hari-Sarman?