Once upon a time there was a town called Avanti on the banks of the
river Kshipra. It was a famous town and in it lived very many rich men.
But all the inhabitants were not rich, some were very poor. Among the
latter was a pious old Brahman called Vishnupriya or dear to the Lord
Vishnu. He had two sons named Deval and Madhav. The former he married
to a proud and lovely girl called Rupvati. For Madhav he got a pure and
saintly girl called Magadha. In course of time the good old Brahman
died and after his death the family became so poor that the two
brothers resolved to leave Avanti and seek their fortune elsewhere.
Before they left, they handed over the whole management of the house to
Rupvati. Even Madhav said to Magadha in Rupvati’s presence “You must
obey Rupvati in everything. She is my elder brother’s wife. You are but
a foolish, ignorant girl. She is clever and wise in the ways of the
world.” Magadha was not vexed at what her husband said. She felt sure
that what he ordered was for the best and she promised to do everything
that Rupvati told her.
Now Rupvati for all her beauty was really a bad hearted woman and
directly her husband had gone, she began to take as her lovers all the
handsome young men of the neighbourhood. But she feared that Magadha
would tell tales about her, so she resolved to turn her out of the
house. She told Magadha that she had been born under an unlucky star
and was the cause of her husband’s and her brother’s poverty. After
rating her well, she beat her and pushing her into the street slammed
the door in her face.
Poor Magadha was at first broken hearted at the way Rupvati had treated
her. But after shedding some tears, she took courage and began to earn
her living as a day labourer. From time to time, too, she used to go to
Rupvati’s house and work for her; for so gentle was her nature that she
never bore Rupvati any ill-will. One day in Purshotam Mas she saw
Rupvati worshipping the God Krishna. As she had never seen this done
before, she asked Rupvati to tell her all about it. Rupvati flew into a
temper and screamed at her “You wretched girl, fancy not knowing how to
worship Shri Krishna! Why your very presence is a sin!” With these
words she drove her sister-in-law into the street. As poor Magadha was
going home in tears, she met one Bhamini, a friend of Rupvati and just
as unkind and cruel as she was. Bhamini asked her why she cried.
Magadha told her. But Bhamini instead of taking Magadha’s part, thought
it a good chance to play a cruel practical joke on her. She told her
that it was Purshotam Mas and that therefore she should worship the God
Krishna. “Most people,” added Bhamini, “bathe in a river and burn a
ghee lamp in a corner of their house in front of images of Krishna and
Radha. Thereafter they feed Brahmans. But I know a much better way to
worship Krishna than that. Choose the dirtiest, nastiest pool that you
can find. Bathe in it and after bathing eat nothing but cold, stale
food. Next worship the pipal tree, thinking all the while of Krishna
and Radha. Then give to Brahmans alms wrapped in pipal leaves.” Now
this was all wrong; for Shri Krishna does not live in the pipal tree,
which is only the abode of devils. But the cruel Bhamini hoped that in
this way Magadha would incur both God’s displeasure and the curses of
the Brahmans.
Poor Magadha was far too trusting to guess Bhamini’s wickedness and
went home very pleased with her new knowledge. She looked about until
she found a pool full of dirty rain water and swarming with water
insects. She bathed in it, then worshipped a pipal tree, thinking all
the while of Shri Krishna. Lastly she went home and ate some cold,
stale food, which she had put by on purpose. Having done this for
several days she invited 108 Brahmans to dine at her house. After she
had invited them, she suddenly remembered that she had no money with
which to buy them food, still less to give them alms afterwards. She
did not know what to do, so she prayed all that night and all next
morning to the God Krishna to help her honour the Brahmans when they
came. A little before noon the 108 Brahmans began to collect outside
Magadha’s house. But poor Magadha, who had no dinner to give them, had
not the heart to go to the door and welcome them; so she just stayed
inside and prayed to the God Krishna. At last the Brahmans got very
angry and said “What is the use of waiting outside this wretched little
hut? Even if the door was opened, there would be nothing inside to
eat.” They were about to go away when three other Brahmans came up and
one of them asked which was Magadha’s house. Hopes of a good meal once
more sprang up in the breasts of the 108 hungry guests and they pointed
it out to the newcomers. “We are guests,” they said, “but she has shut
her door in our faces. Are you her relative?” The Brahman who had
spoken, said “Yes, I am Magadha’s brother and these two are our
kinsmen. Please wait outside and I shall go in and see. My sister must
be getting ready your dinner.” With these words he went inside the
house, but he found nothing ready. In the middle room was poor Magadha,
praying with all her might to the God Krishna to help her. “Why do you
not serve the dinner for the 108 Brahmans?” asked the newcomer. “There
is no worse sin than to send away Brahmans hungry from your door.” “I
know that,” replied poor Magadha, “but what can I do? I have no food
and no money to buy any.” “Look in your kitchen,” said the newcomer,
“and you will find plenty of food.” Magadha looked and sure enough the
kitchen was as full as it could be. She was so pleased that she began
cooking at once; and two maid-servants, whom she had never seen before
helped her and swept the floor of the dining room and got baths ready
for the Brahmans; when dinner was ready the newcomer called in the 108
other Brahmans and he and his two kinsmen served the dinner on leaves,
which turned into gold plates when the guests touched them. The
Brahmans had never eaten so rich or so big a dinner before. They got
back their good spirits and instead of cursing poor Magadha, they
blessed her from the bottom of their hearts. As they rose to go, the
newcomer gave each guest a packet of pipal leaves as a parting present.
The guests thought this a very odd “dakshina” but when they opened the
leaves they found them full of diamonds and pearls and rubies.
When all the guests had left, Magadha begged the three Brahmans who had
so wonderfully helped her, to have their meal also. They excused
themselves, pleading that they had already eaten. But they pressed
Magadha to eat and she did so. Directly she had finished, her eyes were
opened and she saw the three Brahmans and the two maid-servants as they
really were. For the Brahman, who had said he was her brother was none
other than Shri Krishna himself and his two so called kinsmen were his
two friends Uddhav and Akrur; while the two maid-servants were Shri
Krishna’s queens Rukmani and Satyabhama. Magadha threw herself at Shri
Krishna’s feet; but the great God raised her and said “The ceremonies
you performed in my honour were all wrong. But ceremonies are of little
value. The true worth of worship is in faith; and your faith was such
that I granted you your prayers.” With these words he took Magadha by
the hand and led her back with him to his heaven Vaikunth. But what
happened to the wicked Rupvati and Bhamini? They were very properly
punished. Rupvati in order to humble poor Magadha still more, had on
the same day asked another 108 Brahmans to dinner, intending to give
them a splendid feast and get their blessing, while poor Magadha fell
under the curses of her 108 guests. But the very opposite happened.
Rupvati cooked her dinner and had her house swept and garnished and
went out to welcome her guests. But when she took them into her house
there was nothing to eat at all. All the fine dinner which she had
cooked for them had gone. She looked everywhere but she could not find
it. At last she had to send the Brahmans away as hungry and cross as
could be. As they went they called down the most frightful curses on
her, so that she died soon afterwards and went straight to Hell. Nor
did Bhamini fare any better. The God Krishna was very angry with her
for telling Magadha to worship him in the way she did. She lost all her
money and became very poor; and when she died she went to Hell too, and
she and Rupvati are still there, keeping each other company.