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尼泊尔

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Once in a certain village lived two brothers, one much older than the other. When the younger was still a child, their fa- ther died, and the eldest inherited all of his property-his fields and his house, his yak and his chickens. He shared none of these with his younger brother. Instead he beat him and made him do all the work.

Life was hard for the younger brother, and each year it grew worse. Finally, when the days became too difficult for him to bear, he decided to run away. One morning, in the dark before dawn, he crept quietly from the house, leaving his older brother snoring in the bed.

The younger brother walked for days until he came to a dense forest. At the edge of the forest stood an abandoned dharmsala, its boards rotting, its top floor leaning out over a cliff. He decided to rest there for the night and climbed the rickety stairs to the garret floor. There he lay down and immediately fell asleep.

As he slept, the serpent Naga slithered onto the ground floor of the dharmsala and coiled himself in a corner. Soon after, a mouse entered, then a tiger, then a mountain goblin. It was midnight on the Night of the New Moon and, as was their custom, the four creatures had come to sleep in the dharmsala. This night, before closing their eyes, they talked for a while, each creature bragging in his turn. The mouse spoke first. "Friends, there is no one as happy as I! My wives and I have more food than we can eat because of what we steal from the king's granary."

[1]dharmsala-inn
[2]Naga-serpent linked with obscure forces of the underworld which guards the treasures hidden in the womb of the earth and the springs that give it life

The tiger spoke next, twirling his whiskers. "Ah ha! I am far happier than you. As I roam the forest, all the animals tremble before me. For my dinner, I prowl the king's cattle farm and take my pick of his fattest heifers."

The Naga, listening quietly to the boasts of his friends, cried out, "Poor fellows! You think you are fortunate because you eat the king's grain and devour his heifers? Why, I am luckier than you,for I lie at the bottom of a pond on a bed of precious jewels, which I have taken, one by one, from the royal treasury.

When the serpent had finished, the goblin laughed out loud. "None of you have the least idea what happiness is,"he said. "You all know that the king has a severe pain in one of his eyes and that to ease this pain, the jlankri offers a fresh chicken and a well-cooked rice pudding to the jungle goddess every day. Every day I feast on that. Little does the king know that to be cured he must sacrifice a large black ram and worship the jungle goddess with a mixture of rice grains, yogurt, and vermilion. Only then will his pain go away. It grew later on the Night of the New Moon, and one by one the creatures fell asleep. The youth on the garret floor above had been awakened by their voices and listened carefully to their every word. Now he knew that the king was in trouble and that he could help him.

At dawn a cock in a nearby village crowed. The four creatures awoke and went on their way. As the sun climbed higher in the sky, the young man arose, remembering clearly all he had heard from the night before. He descended the rickety steps of the dharmsala and ran straight to the palace, where he introduced himself at the gates as a healer and soothsayer. The guardsmen brought him before the king, who listened to him with interest.

The younger brother said, "The grain in your granary gets lower every day, your cattle are disappearing, and your precious jewels vanishing. Worst of all, you are suffering from a severe pain in your eye." The king was astounded at what the young man knew. "If you wish to regain your good fortune," the youth went on, "you must do as I tell you."

[3]jhankri-witch doctor or traditional healer

"I will do whatever you ask," said the king, "if only you will rid me of my troubles. I am ready to offer my daughter in marriage and half of my kingdom."

"Your Majesty, I am a poor man, but I need no reward. I only wish to rid you of your suffering. The king felt hopeful.

Late that night, the youth went to the royal granary and blocked up all of the holes. Then he ran to the king's cattle farm and built a strong wall around it, higher than any tiger could leap. Just before dawn, he went to the pond and drained it of all its water. At the bottom he found the king's precious jewels, which he brought back to the palace.

In the morning, the young man asked the king for a large, black ram and some rice grains mixed with yogurt and vermilion powder. Gladly, the king gave him what he asked. Then the young man led the ram to a crossroads and, scattering the rice mixture about, performed the ritual before a sacrifice. He then sacrificed the ram and offered its blood to the jungle goddess.

When the younger brother returned to the palace, everyone ran out to greet him. They couldn't believe what had happened. The pain in the king's eye was gone, his grain and cattle remained untouched, and his jewels rested safely in the royal treasury.

The king was happier than he'd been in a long while and rewarded the young man with half of his kingdom. The princess, standing at her father's side, offered her hand to the younger brother. Now the young man's fame spread throughout the land. His older brother heard the news and set out for the capital to see for himself. When he arrived in the city, he discovered that his younger brother was indeed prince. He hurried to the palace to see him. "How have you become so fortunate?" the older brother asked. The younger brother was honest and told his brother every- thing, exactly as it had happened.

The older brother's heart was filled with envy. He wanted to become even richer and more powerful than his younger brother, so he decided to do exactly what his brother had done.

On the next Night of the New Moon, the older brother went to the dharmsala and climbed the rickety stairs to the garret floor. Immediately he fell asleep. At midnight the four friends came to-gether again. This time they did not brag.

The mouse spoke first. "Friends, I am now the most unfortunate of creatures. The holes of the granary are sealed. My wives and Ihave eaten nothing for days."

The tiger, the Naga, and the goblin each told of their misery, all suspecting that on the last Night of the New Moon, someone had overheard their conversation and gone to tell the king.

"Let us go upstairs,"said the mouse. "We may catch someone hiding." Just as they suspected, they saw a man sleeping on the garret floor. The creatures took him to be the spy and the cause of their misfortune. The mouse bit him on the heel, the tiger began to roar, and the Naga slithered around the man's waist, squeezing tight. Then the goblin jumped on his shoulders and began to pluck at his hair.

The older brother leapt up in pain and terror and ran down the rickety steps of the dharmsala. He was never to be seen or heard of again. But the younger brother, prince of far and wide, lived happily all of his days, the lovely princess at his side.