Why Brahmans cannot eat in the Dark

Among Hindus, especially among Brahmans of the Madras Presidency--and I

now see from personal observation that it is the same in the Bombay

Presidency also--there is a custom, while taking their meals,

of leaving their food uneaten when it so happens that from any

cause the light is blown out. Of course this could occur only in the

night-time. Such mishaps now-a-days take place only in poor families,

sitting down to supper with a single light. Hence the following story,

told as the origin of this custom, is beginning to be forgotten. It

runs as follows:--

In a certain village there lived a Brahman who had an only

daughter. She was deeply read in Sanskrit, and was of the most

charming beauty. He procured a husband for her as deeply read as

herself. The betrothal had already taken place; the muhurta or

auspicious time for her marriage was fixed at the tenth ghatika [2]

of that night. On that very evening the son-in-law went to a tank

to perform his Sandhya vandana or evening prayers. It swarmed with

crocodiles. People never went near it. The son-in-law, being quite

new to the village, entered the tank without knowing anything of

the danger. Unfortunately, there was none near to warn him. He had

set his foot in the water when a crocodile caught him by the leg,

and began to drag him into the water. That very night was fixed for

his nuptials, and a crocodile was taking him to feast on his flesh. He

was extremely horrified at his position, and said humbly to his enemy,

"My friend crocodile! Listen to my words first, and then decide for

yourself. A wife, the only daughter of an old Brahman, is waiting for

me to-night. If you eat me now, you take me away without my seeing

her, my father-in-law, and other relatives. Their hearts may break

at the news of my death on the very day of the wedding. They may all

curse you. If, on the contrary, you leave me now, I shall go home,

speak to my wife and others about the sad calamity that has come over

me, and after embracing and taking leave of her will come to you

for your supper at the fifteenth ghatika. Till then leave me." The

cruel crocodile, though very fond of human flesh, and himself dying

of hunger, spared him for a few ghatikas at his humble request. After

extracting several oaths from him that he would return in accordance

to his promise, the crocodile went into the water.

The son-in-law also went home. All his joy vanished; how could he be

happy after his promise to the crocodile. Still, to give no uneasiness

to the aged parents of his wife, he underwent all the ceremonies of

the marriage. Only five more ghatikas remained for him to live in the

world, as he thought. He, in a few words, explained everything to his

wife, and asked her permission to leave her. She showed no sign of

sorrow, preached to him about the iron hand of fate, and that he must

undergo what was written on his forehead. She most willingly gave him

permission to go, and he returned to the tank even a ghatika earlier,

and called the crocodile, who came and seized him.

At this moment a certain light glittered before the eyes of the

crocodile and vanished. It was a woman that did it. The wife, after

consoling her husband, and preaching to him about the supremacy of

fate, had accompanied him unobserved with a lighted lamp concealed

in a vessel. Just when the crocodile applied its teeth to the leg of

her husband, she took the lamp out, flashed it before the crocodile's

eyes, and quenched it. Nor was it without its intended effect. The

crocodile left the husband to himself, and said, "You had better go

now; I will never touch you after seeing a lamp extinguished when

I began my meal to-day." The husband was astonished at the device

of his wife, and still more at the faithful observance of a rule in

an unreasonable beast. From that day it was fixed that men, who are

still more reasonable, should never eat when the lamp is blown out.

Another story is told. In a remote village there lived a poor woman,

who laboured from morning till night in different houses, and returned

to her hut with two measures of rice. That quantity would serve

for ten ordinary persons. Being extremely poor, she used to keep no

lamp, but cook her rice in the dark, only guided by the light of the

fire. When she sat down for her meal even the light of the fire faded;

so she had to eat in the dark. Though she used the full two measures of

rice that she brought away every day, her hunger was never satisfied;

she was always in extreme want.

Now it so happened that she had a younger sister, who was somewhat

richer than herself. The younger came to see her elder sister. The

former never used to be without a light, and so asked her sister to

buy some oil that night and light a lamp. The elder was compelled by

necessity to do so; for that, she devoted a portion of her two measures

of rice, and returned home with great uneasiness and perplexity of mind

as to how less than two measures would furnish their supper that night,

while full two measures were found insufficient on former occasions

for herself alone. The lamp was set for the first time in her house,

and she cooked the remaining rice. The younger sister was astonished

to see her using so much for two. The elder, thinking within herself

that the younger would soon see her mistake, cooked everything. Two

leaves were spread, and they sat down to their supper. [3] Not even a

fourth part of the rice in the pot was consumed, but already they were

satisfied. The younger sister laughed at the foolishness of her elder,

who now said, "I do not know what magic you have in you. Every day I

cook two measures of rice, and fast the whole night, without finding

them sufficient for myself. Now a fourth of less than two measures

has satiated both. Please explain the cause." The younger sister,

who was very intelligent herself, wanted to find out the cause, and

asked next day if she might serve the meals without the lamp. Instead

of eating she stretched out her hand and caught hold of a lock of

hair. She asked the other at once to light the lamp, which, being

done, they found a devil sitting by their side. On being questioned

how he came there, he said that he was in the habit of going to every

one who ate without a lamp, and swallowing his meals fast without

leaving him a morsel. The elder sister perceived her mistake, and used

a lamp from that day. The demon ceased to come. She had abundance

for herself and something to spare. So when the lamp is blown out,

devils are said to come and eat out of our leaves. Hence the custom

of rising whenever such mishaps occur.