Reading Notes: Sacred Tales of India

For these last four weeks of free reading, I chose to read the Sacred Tales of India by D. N. Neogi. I am going to be doing my reading notes over part A today.

The Divine Brothers:

• Krisidhan was a farmer and a father to seven sons
• each son was married
• one rainy day the seven wives went out for a bath
• they each spoke what they wanted to do that day
• each of them went on talking about the beautiful things they could be doing
• the youngest sat in silence and said nothing
• she wept to say how they all had fathers and fathers houses to go but she had nothing
• the only wish that had come true was the youngest wife
• she took her time in making a wish
• she wished to have two kol fish without the stroke of any work
• and so she did
• she took the fish back home with her
• but the fish turned out to be serpents
• once they turned to their true form she was not scared, in fact, she decided to put them in a pot and take care of them
• one day she was no longer able to feed them
• food was scarce
• she let them go and apologized and hoped that they would do no harm
• they were not angry and returned to their homeland
• they told their mother how divine this lady on earth was to them
• they wanted to do good to her in return
• they asked their mother if they could invite her to live with them
• they wanted their mother to act as a mother figure to her since she had nothing
• and they wanted to offer their food to her
• the mother was hesitant for they were divine and she was merely a human
• the two brothers then returned to earth in human form
• they came bearing many gifts and food as well as servants
• they came to her house claiming they were her long lost brothers
• the family was confused for they knew she had no ties
• they explained they had left long before she was born and how just now discovered her
• the mother ordered her to feed all of her snakes
• the snakes were vicious and angry awaiting their mother
• the youngest daughter still proceeded and the youngest son struck his fangs into her
• she fell to the ground dead

Bibliography. Sacred Tales of India. D. N. Neogi. The Divine Brothers Part A

(Image of two snakes representing the brothers photographed by Nick Champlin)