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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY,
A JOURNAL OF ORIENTAL RESEARCH.
BENGALI FOLKLORE LEGENDS FROM DINAGEPORE. BY THE LATE G. H. DAMANT, M.A.
1. The Brahman and the Merchant.
a seer of rice daily and nothing more. So he IN a certain village lived a poor Brahman agreed to sell his chance, and asked the merwho by begging all day collected half a seer of rice; whether he begged at ten houses or at one, or whether he remained at home, he still had half a seer of rice and nothing more, and he and his wife used to eat it. At the extremity of the village was a temple of Ganesa where he used to worship Śiva and Durga. One day Siva and Durga came down from heaven, and after visiting many places went to the temple of Ganesa.
chant what he would give for it; the merchant said he could afford to give Rs. 15,000. The Brâhman then went to consult his wife, and she told him not to take less than a lâkh. He then informed the merchant, who being under the impression that he would still gain a lâkh agreed to give it him. Early the next morning the merchant weighed out the rupees, and sent men with them to the Brahman's house, and he then went to the temple of Gaṇeśa. The whole day passed, but he received no money, and thought. "Do Siva and Durgâ speak falsely, or is Gaṇeśa acting treacherously ?" Thinking this he became very angry, and gave a kick at the temple door, and his foot went through, so that he could not extricate it. Some time after the merchant was caught in this way, Siva and Durgâ came, and asked Gaṇeśa, "Has the Brahman we spoke of received the two lakhs of rupees; have you paid him or not?" Ganesa answered, "One lakh bas been paid him this morning, the remaining lakh has not been paid, but the defaulter's foot is held fast in the door." The merchant hearing this thought that he had already paid the Brahman one lakh, and would be obliged to give him another, or his foot would not be released, so he ordered some of the people who lived with him. to take another lakh to the Brahman's house. His foot was then released. The Brahman took his two lâkhs of rupees, and lived in wealth and
Durga said to Siva, "This poor Brahman has been worshipping you for a long time, show him a little favour to-day and free him from his poverty." Śiva hearing this said, "Ganesa, the day after to-morrow before sunset give the poor Brahman two lakhs of rupees." Gaṇeśa said. he would do so, but the poor Brâhman heard nothing about it. In the village lived a very wealthy man who had that day lost one of his cows, and gone to look for it; a storm of rain happened to come on, and he went into the temple of Ganesa, and overheard everything that Siva and Durga said from the beginning to the end. When he came out he thought that he might as well buy the Brahman's chance of receiving anything on the next day but one, so he went to the Brahman's house and said, "Sir, will you sell me the chance of what you may receive the day after to-morrow ?" The Brahman considered that he only received half
