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358
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[DECEMBER, 1895.
"Nothing," said Ebhya; "but I wish all vegetables to be flavoured with castor oil, for Dhanvantri-the master of medicine has said that castor oil is the destroyer of windErandatailak vétagħnam."
The dinner time approached. Scented oil to rub on the body and lukewarm water to bathe in were placed in the court-yard, and according to the Hindu custom Ebhya was requested to undergo this happy bath (mangalasnána), and prepare himself for the meal. Refusal would have been regarded as extremely impolite, so Ebhya bathed and had the scented oil rubbed over his body. Now the rule runs :-"praváhábhimukham snanam - bathe facing the current," and how was this to be done in a court-yard with all the water available stored up in a big vessel? But Ebhya would not give up his rules; so he upset the vessel, and running to the end of the yard, where the water would find its outlet, laid himself down on the ground to let it pass over his body. The brothers who witnessed this mad act did not understand him for a moment. They were stupified by these unprecedented actions. But as they had contracted relationship with Ebhya, they merely mildly rebuked him, and gave him fresh water
to bathe in.
At last even the dinner was over and then, at bed-time, his beautiful young wife for the first time was sent into his room. Now the saying is "bháryá rúpavati satruḥa beautiful wife is an enemy." Ebhya saw she was very beautiful, and at once concluded that a beautiful wife must always be an enemy. He looked round him and found a small iron wire with which lamps are trimmed up. He took hold of it and making his wife sit by him he thrust it into one of her eyes. The pain was more than she could bear. She raised a cry and her brothers, suspecting something serious, ran up to the door, which was bolted inside. They knocked, but Ebhya would not open it. He was not going to stop there. He took up the light and gazed at her writhing in pain.
"You are no more beautiful. You are no more my enemy. You are my good friend and chaste wife from this moment," said Ebhya.
"Open the door for God's sake," roared the brothers, but Ebhya had not completed his idiotic proceedings. He surveyed his wife a second time. She had still one eye. The saying is "ekakshi kulanasini - the one-eyed woman is a destroyer of the family;" so Ebhya put out the remaining eye also. The doors were now rooted out by force, and the wretched blind girl discovered.
"What hast thou done, thou scoundrel, thou idiot, thou ass?" roared all the people. Ebhya in his own cool way quoted authorities for his actions. They thrashed him from head to foot.
"I am lord of my own wife, and who are you to beat me ?" said Ebhya in reprimand. "Come out, you fool, we will take you to the king," cried they. And Ebhya, not giving up his own rights, said: -
"Very well, proceed; let us go to the king himself, and let me see whether he will deny the rights of a husband over his wife."
Thus they all went that very night to the palace. Everything in the streets, even every dog, was sound asleep. The palace and the harem was reached, and the crowd stopped outside; but Ebhya went on undaunted, for he was a fool, and he had no fear of the consequences of his actions. The swiftness with which he proceeded made it impossible for the guards to oppose him without disturbance, and a disturbance in the harem premises was dreaded. The king, if disturbed in his rest, would come down heavily upon the disturbers. So Ebhya, unarrested, entered the very inner rooms of the palace. The queen was sitting there in silence, and with his royal head on her right thigh the monarch was sleeping soundly. Even the air feared to blow hard there, for such was the dread the king inspired. Silence reigned. Ebhya,
