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Queen Rampyari |
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A good king once visited a weaver's colony and entered one house to see for himself how they live and work. The father weaver was so happy that his king had stepped into his house. The king saw a girl sitting at one corner, fair, beautiful and simple. The father of the girl was so happy that his daughter Rampyari was attracting the attention of the old king, and so the weaver started talking of the glories of his daughter.
He said, "She can spin golden threads out of even hay, and she does it very very fast."
When the king heard this, he said, "If this be true she shall be my daughter-in-law. Let her come with me to the palace." So said, the king departed.
The girl, poor thing got only just time to pack a few things - her father was very unhappy, but could do nothing.
And prayed to the Lord for help: "Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram"
The king ordered immediately a whole room of hay, and Rampyari was given three-spinning-wheels and the royal king commanded, "Come on, before dawn tomorrow you must spin the entire hay into golden threads." They closed the door upon the poor girl, and went away. The whole day she wept. She could not make even an inch of golden-thread out of hay. How could she? And, surely, they would punish her and her parents.
The night came. She could not sleep. All Rampyari could do was to pray; "Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram"
And suddenly she heard a knocking sound - What is that? chanting the Lord's names for courage, the girl got
up and opened the door!
Three ugly looking ladies were standing there! They were really ugly: one had big broad feet, another had a big hanging
lower lip, and the third had a broad ugly big thumb. The poor girl was frightened. But the ugly ladies softly said: "We have been sent to you by the Lord to help you. You please close the door. We shall finish the work for you." The poor helpless girl was silent. She was so full of her devotion for the Lord. Rampyari felt overwhelmed by His Grace, and cried out in gratitude:
"Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram"
She noticed that the three ladies have spun with miraculous speed all the hay
into fine golden- threads from the hay! and Leaving the thread, in reels over reels, with the girl, the ugly ladies went away.
When the king came and saw could not believe it and he said to his ministers, "May be there is some trick in it. Nobody can do such a thing. Therefore, fill up the room with hay, remove all these reels. Let her weave the entire hay by tomorrow morning." The guards around her room were doubled and alerted.
The girl was again in trouble, but she was confident that her Ramchandraji will not desert her. Therefore, she started
chanting again for help and protection. She sang: "Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram"
Now the king's son, wanted to see the girl who spun such a golden thread. The
prince came into the girl's room, and saw the beautiful girl chanting and thought: "Even if she won't spin,
I will marry her!"
Rampyari was alone and scared that she did not dot spun anything. But Lord's grace has no end. Again - the knock -
soft, sure, determined. Rampyari went and opened the door. The smiling three ugly women were there - they walked in - took up the work - finished it - and at dawn they got themselves ready to go. The poor girl was all the night sitting in one corner, and mentally chanting in all
devotion.
As the ladies were ready to leave, Rampyari went and fell prostrate at their feet, and said, "You helped me two nights. I have nothing to give you except this simple ring. Please accept it from me." The ugly women laughed, and
became more ugly. Then replied, "No. We won't accept anything from you. If you want to show your gratitude then you can do one thing for
us. Tomorrow when the king sees the threads he will be convinced, and so the marriage with the prince will be fixed. After the marriage there will be the great banquet. In that invite us as your poor old cousins. See that we get seats nearest to you on the same table. That is what we want." Rampyari promised
to do so.
Next day when the king saw the threads woven out of hay, in reels and reels, he was himself with joy and admiration. Immediately the marriage was announced.
On the wedding day the three ugly ladies came. Rampyari ran to them, received them, introduced them as her relations, conducted them to the dinner-table. Everybody was surprised how so beautiful a queen could have such ugly cousins! But nobody expressed it.
The most curious one asked one of the ugly three, why her feet were so broad. She replied, "Because I spin always." Another approached the other ugly lady and asked, "Why is your lip so large." She replied, "By wetting the thread that I spin." A third asked the last of the ugly one, "Why is your thumb so big." She, smiling horribly, replied, "Because I use it to twist the threads into smooth shape."
All the time the prince was listening to these interesting talks. He cried out, "Then I will no more allow my charming wife to spin hereafter." Everybody was surprised. The queen Rampyari understood and looked at her "cousins." They "winked" at her knowingly. Rampyari got up and sang, and all the court joined with her:
Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram
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