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LIFE SKETCH OF LALESHWARI.
303
NOVEMBER, 1921]
shall be reborn as a filly at the Marháma village with such and such marks. If you care to have the answer to your query, you may come to me at Marháma after one year from now and I shall give you the answer." The woman died just after uttering these words. Sidh, in order to satisfy this curiosity, went after one year to Marháma and searched for the filly. He found her and put the old question to her. She told him "Well, I would give you the answer, but I am to die just now, and am to be reborn as a pup with such and such marks at Bijbehára, and if you care to get the answer you may come to me at Bijbehára after six months from now and I shall give you the answer." After she had finished this talk a tiger jumped out of a bush and devoured the filly. Sidh's curiosity increased at this occurrence and after six months he went to Bijbehára. There he searched for the puppy and did find it. He put the same question to it, and it told him as before that it was to die just then and was to be reborn as such and such at such and such place, and he might come there to receive the answer. No sooner had it said this than a man riding on his pony passed by and the puppy came under the pony's hoofs and was killed. In this way'Sidh was dismissed by her without having the answer he required until she took six rebirths in different places, and being thus baffled he gave up the idea of making further attempts to satisfy his curiosity. He then went to Wastarvan (a hill near Avantipura 15 miles from Srinagar) to perform penances.
In the same family at Pándrenthan in which Laleshwari had died on the eleventh day of her confinement, she took her seventh rebirth. When she was twelve years of age her marriage was arranged by the son of Sidh in a Pandit family surnamed Nicha Bat, living at the Drangabal Mohalla at Pámpur (the ancient Padmapura founded in 812-849 A.D. by Padma, Minister of King Ajatapida).
It may be stated here, by the way, that at Pámpur there is now no one of the Nicha Bat pedigree living, but at Srinagar (Chundapur Mohalla) there is one man named Shiva Bat, at present employed as an Assistant in the Sericulture Department, who is of this lineage. His ancestors lived at Pámpur. His golra is Swámina Shandle.
The boy with whom Lal Ded was engaged had his father living, but had lost his mother, and his father had married a second wife. The date for the wedding was fixed. Just one day previous to that on which the wedding was to come off, Sidh returned from Wastarvan and he, being the priest of the girl's father, presided over the ceremony. While the ceremony was being performed, the bride whispered to Sidh: "That baby who was born to me and you were pursuing me in my several rebirths, anxious to know what relationship he bore to me, is this very boy who is the bridegroom here." Sidh recollected the matter and was much astonished.
However the marriage ceremony was finished. The bride was named Padinávati by her father-in-law. But the boy and Padmavati never lived together as husband and wife. The step-mother-in-law used to treat Padmavati very badly. The latter is held up as a model for patience, virtue and submissiveness by womankind. She bore the illtreatment without grumbling. When giving her the daily meal, the mother-in-law used to put a stone in her plate over which a little food was spread, so that it might appear to those who chanced to see it that a brimful plate of food was given to the daughter-in-law. Padmavati never complained of it, nor made it known to anybody for twelve years, giving back the stone secretly to her mother-in-law, after doing with her scanty meal. After twelve years it got about in this way. A sheep had been slaughtered to perform the ceremony of grahashanti in her father-in-law's house. One of the female neighbours met her while she was going to the river to fetch water, who told her in a jocular sort of way that she was to get a good feast that evening. Thereupon it escaped from her mouth "Hund máritan kinah kath noshi nalvat tealih nah záh"-meaning that whether they killed
