THE TALE OF KING GOPI CHAND

Part I
Gopi Chand's Birth Story

Introduction

Just as we learn nothing of Bharthari himself in his birth story, we learn very little of Gopi Chand in the first part of his tale. However, Gopi Chand's destiny is shaped more explicitly than is Bharthari's by the circumstances of his birth. A number of critical motifs are introduced in this briefest of the tale's four parts: Gopi Chand's personal beauty, the guru's love for him, and most of all the fact that he is "borrowed" by his mother. Gopi Chand literally "owes" his life to the guru Jalindar. He was a yogi before his birth and is destined to return to that state. Gorakh Nath plays a backstage part in Bharthari's procreation, for it is his magic power that allows the donkey progenitor to win Pan De. But Jalindar is the direct agent of Gopi Chand's conception—reducing his handsome disciple to ashes (not for the last time) and giving them to Manavati Mother to "lick up."

Whereas Bharthari's birth story begins with a father's curse and continues with a tale of bride-winning from a male viewpoint, Gopi Chand's has a completely maternal perspective throughout. King Bharthari's sister, Manavati (called Manavati Mother or Manavati Mata), is the central character in Gopi Chand's birth story. Like his eventual initiation as a yogi, Gopi Chand's birth as a king is engineered by Manavati. Although his birth involves a divinity's personal intervention and a yogi's loan, the story is far less fanciful to villagers than that of the talking donkey and his gold and silver palaces. Indeed, to village audiences the barren woman's desperate search for divine assistance is deeply familiar.

Manavati's tale of running from deity to deity, and of making appropriately pleasing offerings to each, resembles personal experiences I often heard narrated and several times witnessed, while I was living in Ghatiyali (Gold 1988, 149–54). Even the queen mother's temporary disgust with the fruitlessness of such activities and the subsequent revelation—inspiring redoubled faith—that there is one god who has not been tried but who just may do the trick, are patterns well known to modern villagers.

Once Manavati presents herself in the yogis' camp in the Chapala Garden, we are in more exotic territory; few if any villagers have walked among crowds of yogis. Gorakh Nath strides through Bharthari's story as a lone apparition of striking and singular power, but Jalindar Nath is always surrounded by disciples (visible and invisible). Despite the extraordinary nature of their numbers and way of life, Jalindar's cohorts are portrayed in a manner that coincides with villagers' notions about run-of-the-mill yogis. They are not a terribly attractive lot. Rather, except for Gopi Chand, the two chief disciples, Charpat and Hada, and Jalindar himself, the massed yogis are deficient characters: crippled, ugly, aged. In the opinion of many Rajasthani peasants yogis are a scruffy group among whom one in a thousand might be the real thing.

Charpat Nath's encounter with Hira Dasi is almost a replica of Gopi Chand's future confrontations with two sets of slave girls, as well as of Bharthari's with Pingala's maidservants. Yet a few note-worthy and revealing differences stand out within the stock exchanges, insults, and misunderstandings. Gopi Chand and Bharthari want bread, but Charpat wants milk. Sharing daily bread represents the intimacy and substantial identity that is the hallmark of family unity in rural India. Milk does not transfer pollution in the way bread does; rather it is food that can be given to higher castes or even to deities.

Gopi Chand and Bharthari vent their anger by striking an impudent slave girl on her back, but Charpat contents himself with a blow to a rock. The effect is the same: the slave girl stops arguing and takes a message to the queen. But Charpat dazzles, rather than beating her into doing his errand. Gopi Chand and Bharthari, despite their yogis' costumes, react personally and viscerally to jibes from their "purchased" women. Charpat's relative self-restraint reflects his genuine noninvolvement in the householder's world; he has come on a mission for the guru that means nothing to him. In short, Gopi

Chand and Bharthari in the guise of begging yogis are still connected in several ways to palace life; Charpat Nath is not. Another salient factor, of course, is that neither Bharthari nor Gopi Chand is enough of a yogi to turn rocks to gold.

Text

"Gopi Chand, abide in prayer,^[1]  son,
Praise the true Master,^[2]  O Gopi Chand,
king and king's son, darling boy,^[3] Recite prayers, my dear darling boy,
and your body^[4]  will be immortal.
My son, be a yogi, my dear darling boy,
and your body will be immortal."

"My mother, the earth is ashamed, my birth-giver,
the sky is ashamed, Manavati Mother,
king's daughter.
My birth-giver, aren't you ashamed? Mother and birth-giver,
queen from the Color Palace.^[5] My mother, you have only one son, mother and birth-giver,
on whom you are forcing yoga.
My mother, God won't reward you, birth-giver,
Our stars favor prosperity.^[6]

[1] samaran samaran bhajanon. Samaran (H. simran ) means constant recitation of God's name or names; the verb bhajano has eighteen glosses in the RSK , including "to recite God's name" and "to be absorbed, to take refuge, to accept, to embrace." Manavati Mata is giving her son practical advice.

[2] sancha i nath . The term nath as used here is a name of God but also evokes the Nath yogis, among whom Gopi Chand is numbered, and the Nath jati , of which the singer is a member (see chapter 2).

[3] lala; a very affectionate word for male babies, used as a term of endearment for any male younger than the speaker.

[4] kaya; although explicitly perishable, kaya is more than sarir , the physical body; it is the perishable body endowed with a soul. Elsewhere (Gold 1988) I translated kaya , awkwardly, as "body-soul."

[5] rang mahal; to translate this as "ladies' palace" because it describes where the royal women dwell would take away the implications of rang or "color"—implications of enticement and pleasure.

[6] ugamai bhala satara . According to Bhoju, the message here is that only poor folk become yogis!

"My mother, who, when born a king,
turns yogi and departs?
Manavati Mother, king's daughter,
Tell me the hidden tale of such a one,
   my mother and birth-giver,
and I will do your bidding."

"My son, Rama was a yogi, son,
Lakshman was a yogi,
My darling boy, on Kailash Mountain, Bhola Nath,^[7]    my darling boy,
who created the earth.
My darling boy, I'll tell you someone closer,
   my dear darling boy,
your uncle Bharthari,
My son, in an instant he abandoned Ujjain's kingdom,
   darling boy.
He turned yogi and went."

"My mother, I have eleven hundred queens,
sixteen hundred slave girls,
My birth-giver, they will eat opium-poison and die, 
   birth-giver,
Why did you get me married?"

"My son, whose are the queens? Gopi Chand,
whose are the slave girls?
My darling boy, Time will eat them,^[8]  my dear darling boy.
But your body will be immortal.

"My darling boy, the kingdom you rule, Gopi Chand,
will dissolve.^[9] My darling boy, become a yogi, my dear darling boy,
and your body will be immortal."

[7] The first three examples that Manavati Mother glibly gives are not quite to the point; Rama and Lakshman spent twelve years exiled in the forest but did not renounce the world to become yogis. Bhola Nath is a name of the god Shiva, who was never a worldly king; he is, however, famous for straddling ascetic and worldly modes of being (O'Flaherty 1973).

[8] khal kha jave; Time (H. kal ) is death.

[9] parala ma jasi . Bhoju told me that parala meant a torrential rain, but in the RSK it is the Rajasthani for Sanskrit and Hindi pralay —the total cosmic dissolution that occurs cyclically in Hindu time.

"My mother, give me another twelve years.
Let me rule,
let me ride horseback,
My birth-giver, I won't break this promise to you, 
   birth-giver,
Later, I'll be a yogi."

"My son, twelve years? Gopi Chand,
Who gets them? My dear Gopi Chand,
My son, don't count on a moment, darling boy,
Time will eat you.
My son, be a yogi, my dear darling boy,
and your body will be immortal."

His mother had said all this,
now what did Gopi Chand declare?
"My birth-giver, without yogis, my mother and birth-giver,
you wouldn't have obtained a son,
My mother, yogis do tapas  in the woods, 
   my mother and birth-giver,
but you live in purdah.^[10] My mother, without yogis, my mother and birth-giver,
You wouldn't have obtained a son."

Sovereign Shiva! Indescribable! Indestructible!
                    (GC 1.1.s)

Gopi Chand was a king. His mother was childless. She had no son, so this is what she did: every day she feasted one hundred sadhus^[11] and one hundred Brahmans. She served them feasts fit for Brahmans. She also made gifts of one hundred cows. She did this for the sake of merit.^[12]

[10] Purdah, literally a curtain, "covers" a whole set of practices that are sometimes described as "the seclusion of women" although this seclusion is more symbolic than actual in rural life. A woman who "keeps purdah" would not normally leave her husband's house.

[11] Sadhu is a general term for any religious mendicant or monk or saint.

[12] pun; Sanskrit and Hindi punya . The concept of merit for rural North Indian Hindus is associated with intangible rewards gained through good works. Punya is understood as a kind of karma or action with effect, however refined. The accumulation of punya may help a soul toward a better birth without granting the ultimate aim of liberation from birth and death.

She gave one hundred cows every day. And she gave honorariums^[13] of gold to the sadhus and Brahmans, two golden coins to each.

After feasting them, she gave them honorariums of two golden coins.

[Aside to Ann and Daniel: Yes, she gave generously to them after feasting them, but you won't be able to give so generously to me, after having me sing. There is general laughter .]

Then she said to Gopi Chand, "Son, give up the kingdom and become a yogi. I brought you as a twelve-year loan. I brought you as a loan, after I served the guru and Lord Shankar. So be a yogi, son, and your body will be immortal."

"But Manavati Mother, I have fifty-two portals,^[14] I have fifty-three doorways, I have the rule over twelve districts, and a court of justice in my house. And I'm married to eleven hundred queens. Now I am the master of the kingdom."

And after him there was no younger brother, none at all.

"And now if I become a yogi, then to whom will I entrust the care of my kingdom? If I become a yogi, Manavati Mother, I won't be at all satisfied. I've ruled for twelve years and you say, 'Be a yogi.' Give me twelve more years to rule. And allow me to ride, to ride horseback. And later I won't break my promise to you, mother. Later I will be a yogi. Let me rule for twelve more years."

"Who gets eleven or twelve years, son?" his mother said. "Who gets twelve years, son, you can't count on a moment. And then there's the promise to the Guru Sovereign—that promise must be fulfilled or Time will eat you. If Time eats you, and you're dead, then who will enjoy these queens and slave girls? But if you become a yogi, son, your body will be immortal."

Then Gopi Chand said, "But mother, you live in purdah inside the palace, and yogis live in the jungle. They do tapas by their campfires in the jungle. But you live in the palace. So, how did you come to know any yogis?

[13] daksina; in Sanskrit ritual, an additional gift, a final pay-off to a priest or preceptor.

[14] dod yan; f.pl. of dodi , an architectural feature of Indian castles described as, among other things, a little room that one passes through to enter a big house; since this is one definition of portal, I settled on portal. Elsewhere (misled by village informants unfamiliar with palaces) I translated dodi as balcony.

"Within your domain, mother, are goddesses and gods: Mataji, Bhairuji, Salagramji.^[15] And there are a lot of ghosts and spirits, too. If you had worshiped them and taken a son, then you wouldn't be making me a yogi." That's what Gopi Chand said.

Manavati Mata said, "Look son, for twelve years I followed their rules,^[16] for twelve years." What rules? The ones about how to worship deities.

"Besides that, for twelve years I performed dharma^[17] and meditation, and besides that I feasted one hundred sadhus and one hundred Brahmans, and besides that I gave gifts to one hundred cows, and I built a temple for Salagramji. And for Mataji and Bhairuji and all the deities I built shrine-platforms.^[18] I staked flagpoles with waving banners above the temples at those deities' places,^[19] and every day I supplied soaked chickpea-offerings^[20] to all the deities. Whoever ate saltless bread and coconuts, to them I gave saltless bread and coconuts; whoever ate goats, to them I gave goats. If they ate buffalo, I offered up buffalo. Every day I offered up red paste^[21] and I worshiped them all for twelve years. I performed dharma and meditation. But it wasn't in my fate. There was no son written for me."^[22]

So twelve years went by, twelve years of dharma and meditation. And then she gave up dharma and meditation. She gave it up and

[15] Mataji may refer to any village goddess; Bhairuji is a particularly important minor deity in this part of Rajasthan and is often associated with cures for barren women; Salagramji is a small black stone, worshiped as a form of Vishnu.

[16] niyam rakhna; not perfectly translated by "follow the rules," for it implies internal discipline as well as external precision in maintaining the good habits and ritual observances demanded by any given deity.

[17] Moral conduct; here a coverall for appropriate religious acts.

[18] She distinguishes thus between Salagramji who, as a form of Vishnu, would reside in a temple and the regional deities who are usually enshrined on roofless platforms.

[19] A flagpole with a long pennant is one highly visible, moderately costly, and therefore pleasing offering often made to local gods in Rajasthan.

[20] bal bakal; bal is a sacrificial offering; bakala is defined in the RSK as boiled grains offered to gods or ghosts but in Ghatiyali refers to soaked chickpeas—of which Bhairuji is especially fond.

[21] kami; a paste made of red power and clarified butter that is smeared on icons to beautify and please them.

[22] See Gold 1988, 149–54, for barren women's transactions with deities in Rajasthan of which this is a realistic, if somewhat exaggerated, description.

made a resolution:^[23] "I won't give even a smidgeon of butter-offering^[24] to any god at all." She made a resolution: "Now I won't even give the raw ingredients for one meal to any Brahman. And I won't even give a scrap of bread to any indigent person." She made a resolution against doing dharma and merit.
(GC 1.1.e)

"Now, I won't even toss a scrap to a stray mutt. And if any Brahman should come, if any sadhu should come, I won't even hand out a pinch of flour." Thus she swore an oath.

For three days after making this resolution she did nothing for dharma or merit. The third night came, the third night ... and there was Lord Shankar, in the form of a boy, and he had locks like this on his head.

[As he said , like this, Madhu Nath gestured to Ann, who had curly, unruly hair: Like yours]

Like this, falling all over his head. And ashes, ashes were smeared on Baba, all over Lord Shankar.

[Addressing Ann: Do you know Lord Shankar?

Ann: Yes, I know Lord Shankar.]

Yes, it was Lord Shankar, Mahadev himself.

It was twelve midnight when he came, and the night watchman was making his rounds.

On his feet he was wearing wooden sandals, and in his hand he carried iron tongs. And on his shoulder he had a sack. And he cried "Alakh! " in the portal of the palace, at midnight, and sounded his horn.^[25] Lord Shankar sounded his horn and said, "Manavati Mata, give alms, my mother. A yogi is standing in the portal. Give alms!"

Then Manavati Mata said, "Yogi, just go away the same way you came. I have given up dharma and merit. I have made a resolution. I will not even toss a scrap to a stray mutt. I won't give any alms to any sadhu or saint. So go away. For twelve years I gave away much

[23] samkalp; a Sanskritic term for a vow or resolution normally made before some difficult religious undertaking such as a pilgrimage; its use here in the negative sense is clearly ironic.

[24] dhup; specifically clarified butter (ghi ) poured over smouldering cow-dung cakes; it is the most essential ingredient for the worship of local deities in rural Rajasthan.

[25] The description of Shiva's appearance and actions is typical of all descriptions of yogis in Madhu's tales.

wealth, and I had great faith in the deities, and I worshiped them a lot. But now I will give no burnt offerings to any deity, nor will I do anything for the sake of dharma or merit.

Then Lord Shankar said: "Hey Manavati Mata,

Don't give up truth, O brave one,
or you'll lose your honor too.
Bound to truth is Mother Lakshmi,
and she'll return to you.^[26]

Without a pillar the sky is buttressed. Truthful work is the channel for merit."^[27]

And she said, "Babaji, for twelve whole years, I feasted you sadhus but for three days I haven't given any feasts—that's why you have come to restore dharma. Isn't there a program for a feast somewhere else? It's three days since I've stopped giving daily feasts, as I did for twelve years, and you've come to restore truth. Just leave the same way you came. Yogi, I've given up truth and dharma. I worshiped the deities a lot and I also did a lot of dharma and meditation, but I met no son-giver on the face of the earth."

Then Lord Shankar spoke, "Manavati Mata, you must have worshiped pebbles and rocks—stones. If you had worshiped me, me, if you had worshiped me, then your job would have been perfectly done. What can come of worshiping rocks and pebbles?"

As soon as he said this, Manavati Mata opened the door of the palace and ran and clasped Shankar's feet. She fell at his feet saying "Hey, Grain-giver, who are you? Where have you been? I worshiped the thirty-three karor of deities, but who are you? Tell me, where is your place?"

"Manavati Mata, in the Chapala Garden,^[28] beneath a jasmine tree is an icon of Shankar. When did you ever worship that good Shankar?"

[26] This rhymed couplet or doha is a local saying.

[27] The cumulative meaning of these enigmatic statements seems to be that Manavati Mata should have faith (as the sky stays up without a pillar), and if she continues her truthful work she will receive what she desires; Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity and well-being, will not abandon her.

[28] The Chapala Garden is a place that recurs throughout both tales—usually as a campsite for yogis, but it is also where Pingala's cremation and return to life took place in Bharthari 2.

"Alas, Grain-giver, I never worshiped you. I never even remembered Shankar. I was lost, circling around the other deities. And I never even remembered Mahadev, nor did I worship him."

"So if you never worshiped me, why are you faulting me? When did you ever worship me? And you are faulting me, and I never even ate your burnt offerings."

Manavati Mata took five Brahmans with her, and she took a tin of clarified butter. In with the butter she mixed saffron and musk, raisins and dates, almonds, raisins, and dates. And she took fine milk sweets. And she began to perform fire oblations over there. Where? In the Chapala Garden, Shankar's place.

And Manavati Mata stood on one foot. For three nights and three days, she remained standing, "Shiv, Shiv, Shiv, Shiv" she kept on praying all night and day. "O Shankar, O Shankar, O Shankar." And she had an altar set up by Brahmans. And they made butter oblations and milk-sweet oblations into the fire.

After only three days Lord Shankar was pleased, and as soon as he was pleased he came to Manavati Mata and said: "Ask and what you ask will be. If your kingdom is too small then I will double or quadruple it; if your riches and property are too little, then I will fill your treasury with diamonds and rubies; just ask, and whatever you ask will be."

She said, "O Baba, my kingdom is great, and I haven't the least shortage of riches or property, so give me a protector of the kingdom,^[29] a boy, give a child, because I have no protector of the kingdom."

Lord Shankar said, "Manavati Mata, it's not in your fate. It's not written by Fortune. So where can I get you a son? You came from God's house a totally barren woman."^[30]

She said, "Grain-giver, why not, why isn't it written for me?"

"It's not in your fate."

"So, Grain-giver, your promise is broken, your promise is broken, the one you made me, you gave me a promise. Over there, in the palace, you said that my job would be perfectly done. So, do my job perfectly, Baba, or else your promise is broken."

"Manavati Mata, I won't break my promise. There's another yogi

[29] That is, an heir.

[30] banjhari; a term used for a barren woman, often as an insult or a curse.

doing tapas , one Jalindar Nathji. Where? Right over there, in this garden. That yogi has fourteen hundred disciples doing tapas secretly, and fourteen hundred disciples doing tapas visibly, on the earth. Jalindar Baba. /Jalindar Nath/ Yes, the one with saffron burning^[31] in his campfire. Go to him, fall at his feet, and that yogi will be pleased. Then I will have one of his disciples given to you."

Manavati Mata turned and left Mahadev and now—Jalindar Baba's feet.

/She falls at his feet./
(GC 1.2.e)

Manavati Mata went to Jalindar Baba, whose eyelids were lowered as he was repeating prayers. She prostrated herself, respectfully greeting the Guru Sovereign. But he didn't speak. He had lowered his eyelids. Who? Jalindar Baba.

Fourteen hundred disciples of his were doing tapas secretly, within the earth, and fourteen hundred disciples were doing tapas visibly. Among the visible disciples Charpat Nath^[32] was the chief, and he stood by the campfire. Jalindar Baba had closed his eyelids.

Saffron was burning in his campfire, crackling, and Baba had shut his eyelids. As soon as Manavati Mata came she prostrated herself respectfully. "Hey Guru Sovereign," she implored him. She prostrated herself three or four times, and then she stood there for about an entire hour, but the Guru Sovereign didn't awaken. He didn't awaken, so Manavati Mata got mad. She said, "Well! A very surprising thing has happened! I am a queen, and I have prostrated myself in greeting to him, but he has taken no notice. Well, yogi, I am no less than you. You keep your eyelids closed for six months, but I will shut mine for twelve years."

Then Manavati Mata took the shawl with which she was wrapped and folded it up into a pillow and went to sleep beside the campfire.

Now Manavati Mata shut her eyes and did not awaken for twelve years. And rain poured down, in the rainy season, from Sravan to Bhadva .^[33] So Manavati Mata disintegrated. Termites ate her; scor-

[31] Saffron is in India, as in the West, highly precious, so to burn it is a sign of profligacy in which only a very powerful yogi would indulge.

[32] Charpat Nath is a figure mentioned in other Nath lore; verses attributed to him appear in collections of Rajasthani devotional literature.

[33] June-July and July-August, when rainfall is heaviest in Rajasthan.

pions hatched in her mouth. And mango, lemon, and orange trees sprang up in the middle of her stomach, in her intestines.

She died, she actually died, and a termite hill of clay rose there.^[34] She died. She went to sleep in that yogi's shelter,^[35] and twelve years passed. Twelve years passed and a great big tree grew in her stomach.

Twelve years were over, and Jalindar Baba's eyelids opened. As soon as they were open, he said to Charpat Nath, "Oh no, Charpat my son, you've neglected sweeping around my campfire. Look, over here's a termite hill, and over there a tree has sprung up."

"Hey, Guru Sovereign, I sweep around the campfire every day, but King Taloki Chand's^[36] queen, Manavati Mata, came into your shelter and went to sleep. She threw herself into your shelter, and you didn't wake up. Twelve years have gone by, father of a daughter! In twelve years she became a termite hill, right here. She died, so lemon and orange trees grew in her intestines. Now what will I do with her? If I sweep out the refuse, then where will I dump this queen?"

"Oh, so she's a queen is she?"

"Yes, she is King Taloki Chand's queen, Manavati Mata."

"OK, son, then uproot these trees and plant them in the garden and quickly search through that termite hill and take out her bones—find the ribs and wristbones of that one eaten by termites."

So he put Manavati Mata's fleshless bones back together, joint by joint, and over them he circled his tin with life-giving elixir.^[37] As soon as he circled that tin, she was standing there, and she prostrated herself and then stood with her hands pressed together. "Hey Baba, Jalindar Baba, I did not awaken before you did. You woke up first. So now, Baba, twelve years have gone by. I've been doing tapas , and now I am standing at your service. Twelve years have gone by, and now you have opened your eyelids."

Having heard that much,Jalindar Baba said, "Manavati Mother, ask and whatever you ask will be. If you want wealth, then you will

[34] The image of a person in meditation so deep that termites build hills on top is a conventional one in Rajasthani folklore.

[35] To be in the shelter (saran ) of a deity or powerful person has particular implications of surrender and asymmetrical reciprocity (Wadley 1975).

[36] One of the few references in the text to Gopi Chand's father.

[37] sarajivan kunpo; a kunpo (kupi, RSK) is a type of metal can in common use in the village. It is small and round with a long narrow spout in the center.

have no shortage; if you want a greater kingdom, then I will double or quadruple it; and if you want liberation then I will send you to the city of heaven."^[38]

"I have no lack of wealth, and my kingdom is great. Just give me a protector of the kingdom, give me a boy. I need a child to rule the kingdom."

"Hey Manavati Mata, it's not written in your fate. You came from God's house a barren woman, and a son is not written for you."

"Baba, your promise is broken. I spent twelve years doing tapas , and Lord Shankar promised: 'Serve that yogi and he will be pleased, and you will get a son.' So, Baba, you're breaking Shankar's promise."

Then Jalindar Baba said, "Hey, Manavati Mata, it's not written for you, it's not written in the womb. But I can give you one of my disciples, who, after ruling for twelve years must be given back to be a yogi. I will give him for only twelve years. Twelve years as a little boy, a mere boy, laughing and playing, those I will not count. When he becomes the kingdom's king, master of the throne—he has another twelve years—let him rule. Then make him a yogi and his body will be immortal. If not, Time devours him. You may take him from among my disciples."

Then Manavati Mata said, "Hey Grain-giver, better than sonlessness is twelve years. If that's all, well, OK. If all you can give is twelve years, Grain-giver, then give it. It's not written for me, so give me twelve years only, right now, and at least the stigma of barrenness will be removed, and I will have some pleasure. Afterwards I will make him a yogi."

"Manavati Mata, come tomorrow. Now go back to your palace. In the morning a yogi will come, and you should have him served alms of milk. That's all, pour in alms of milk and your job will be done."

So Manavati Mother went back to the palace, and in the morning he sent a yogi, he sent a disciple.
(GC 1.3.e)

[38] Liberation (moksa ) refers to release from endless rounds of birth and death—the ultimate aim of life for Hindus. This sentence of Jalindar's shows the merging in popular understanding of "liberation" with "heaven" (see Gold 1988, 233–41).

The next day dawned, and the Guru Sovereign ordered Charpat Nath: "Son, go and get alms of milk from the palace of Manavati Mata. Bring back alms of milk."

So Charpat Nath took his sack-and-stuff, his iron tongs-and-stuff, and he put on his sandals-and-stuff. Then he took his gourd-and-stuff in his hand. A seated yogi's a stake in the ground, but a yogi once up is a fistful of wind. The Nath took the wind's own form and turned his face toward the land of Bengal.

As soon as he entered the city he went to the palace. He passed through one portal, he passed through a second portal, and in the third portal he called, "Alakh! " He called "Alakh! " and he sounded his horn instrument. Who? Charpat Nath. As soon as he called "Alakh! " his voice came to Manavati Mother's ears. And as soon as she heard it, she said to her slave girl, "Slave girl, today a yogi is calling "Alakh! " at the gate. Fill a platter with diamonds and rubies and take it to him, give him alms. Ask for a blessing, and give him fine alms."

Then the slave girl filled a golden platter with diamonds and rubies and placed it on the palm of her hand. She passed through one portal, she passed through the second portal. In the third portal was a yogi to whom she called: "Hey, yogi, from which city do you come and go, for you strike me as an established Nath.^[39] Raise your eyelids, Baba Nath, I have come to take your darsan ."

Once she had said this, Charpat Nath raised his eyelids. Then she said, "Take these alms, Baba, I have come to take your darsan , and I have brought a platter filled with diamonds and rubies."

"Oh slave girl, why have you brought these pebbles and rocks, why have you brought a platter filled with stones? I will take alms of milk."

Then the slave girl said, "Is this a holy man or a prankster—a yogi or what? You're not a yogi at all, you seem to me to be sick. A yogi, father of a daughter! Yesterday or day before yesterday, troubled by hunger, you were a householder's boy, dying of hunger, and that's why you became a yogi, so it seems. So now you desire a scrap of bread for your alms. You're no yogi! I brought a platter filled with diamonds and rubies. If you took them, yogi, you could bathe

[39] thakana halo; literally, someone from a large estate in other words not a piece of human flotsam.

in Malva,^[40] go to Gujarat, go to all Four Established Places.^[41] For the rest of your lifetime, all you'd have to do would be sleep and eat, and still you wouldn't use it up—a platter of diamonds and rubies. But you have called them pebbles and stones. Yogi, if there were leaves in the middle of your destiny, then they would fly away, but it seems that a big rock is tangled there. That's why you have called diamonds and rubies 'pebbles.'"^[42]

As soon as she had spoken, Charpat replied, "OK, slave girl, there's a big stone caught in my fate. Do these rocks serve the purpose of food, huh? Nowadays do we wander about for money? Do we wander about for currency notes? Are they something to eat? What use are these pebbles and stones, these diamonds and rubies? They are hardly good for eating. Slave girl, bring me some alms of milk."

"Look at the yogi! It's a platter of diamonds and rubies and he's crying for milk."

Then Charpat Nath got angry. There was a big flat stone lying there, weighing five or ten maunds,^[43] and he struck it with his tongs, saying, "If you want wealth, take this from me," and he turned the entire stone to gold.

As soon as he turned it to gold, the slave girl shut her eyes. "Uh oh! This yogi is some weird miracle-worker!" And the slave girl ran away. She ran away and said to the queen, "Hey Grain-giver, honored queen, today it's your son-giver. He struck a flat rock with his tongs and turned it to gold, so go at once."

Manavati Mata rushed to the balcony to see the baba: "Hey Baba, what can I do for you?"

"Hey Manavati Mata, I have a desire for milk, bring me milk."

She said to the slave girl, "Bring our kingdom's twelve huge milk pots, and fill his gourd."

[40] Malva is a region of Madhya Pradesh—idyllic pastoral country in Rajasthani lore.

[41] char dham; four major pilgrimage centers (Badarinath, Puri, Rameshvaram, and Dvarka) located in each of the cardinal directions on the subcontinent; to journey to all four sites is beyond the financial means and adventurous spirit of most rural Rajasthanis.

[42] This speech is almost identical with other speeches made by slave girls to Gopi Chand in parts 2 and 3. Charpat's response, however, is very different from Gopi Chand's.

[43] One maund, a unit of weight that seems to have passed from India into British usage at some point, is currently considered equal to forty kilograms.

Then the slave girl emptied one milk pot into his gourd but the milk didn't even cover the bottom. She emptied the second, and the bottom was not covered. She emptied seven or eight pots. Then Queen Manavati Mata came: "Girl, let's see if there isn't a hole in this gourd."

"Manavati Mother, when this gourd overflows with milk, then your promise will be fulfilled. If not, then it won't be."

She said to the slave girl, "Pour in all the milk from our twelve milk pots, and run to the village, and demand the villagers' milk. Have it collected, for ... 'When the king gives a summons old women come running'^[44] ... so we'll be able to fill the gourd."

"No, Manavati Mother, I won't take the milk of others."

/I will take only yours./

"That's enough, I will take only yours." So she emptied in seven pots, she emptied eight, she emptied ten, she emptied eleven. As soon as she emptied the twelfth pot the gourd overflowed.

That was enough. Baba was pleased and said, "Enough, you have filled up my gourd."

She said, "Baba, your desire is fulfilled, so now what?"

"Manavati Mata, the Guru Sovereign orders you to come in the morning to his campfire in the garden."

So Charpat Nath left, and his gourd was full. He went back to the garden and emptied his gourd into a huge cauldron, and all the yogis filled their gourds from it. He gave all the yogis milk to drink. The disciples drank alms of milk, and the Guru Sovereign drank too, and all of them were pleased. And as soon as day broke, Manavati Mata came back. She came to get a son.
                    (GC 1.4.e)

Manavati Mata
at the break of day
went into the garden.^[45] Mother went to the campfire,
the guru's campfire.
Mother went to the campfire
and fell at the yogi's feet.

[44] Here this proverb may simply imply that as queen, Manavati can commandeer the villagers' milk if she desires.

[45] This is the final sung segment of GC 1.

As soon as she fell at his feet,
what did Baba Jalindar say?
"Mother, no son is written for you, birth-giver,
I shall give you one disciple.

"For twelve years
have him rule the kingdom,
Have the kingdom ruled, Mother.
Later make him a yogi, my mother and birth-giver,
as a yogi he'll be immortal.

"If you don't bring him to yoga,
then Time will eat him,
Time will eat him.
But if you make him a yogi, my mother and birth-giver,
as a yogi he'll be immortal.

"Fourteen hundred disciples of mine
are doing tapas  visibly,
Mother, doing tapas  visibly.
Go, and pick one of these fourteen hundred disciples, 
   the one that pleases you,
and that's the disciple you will receive."

Now Manavati Mata looked at
the fourteen hundred disciples,
their campfires were burning,
as the yogis recited prayers.
Seated amidst them all
was Gopi Chand.
Gopi Chand's campfire was in the center;
there he stayed amidst the yogis.

On his foot a lotus
sparkled,
on his left arm a jewel
gleamed, it gleamed
on Gopi Chand,
And on his forehead a moon so bright, it seemed as if 
   the sun were rising in the garden;
Mother was pleased.

"Baba, a boy has pleased me today, yogi,
now you please me.

"Baba, on his foot a lotus
sparkles, and on his left arm
a jewel gleams.
Baba, on his forehead a moon, yogi,
so that's the boy for me."

When Manavati Mother had said this much,
what did Jalindar Baba say 
   to Mother?
"Mother, don't tear out my liver, my mother 
   and birth-giver,
many disciples fill the garden."

"Baba, lend me that disciple,
give that very one to me.
If not you break your promise, Baba Nath yogi,
you break your promise to me.

"How can you break your promise, yogi,
how can you break it?"
So Baba called to Gopi Chand,
"Come here,
Son, go now, Gopi Chand, my darling boy,
Now you must rule the kingdom."

Baba called Gopi Chand,
called Gopi Chand,
and seated him by the campfire.
The yogi took his ashes-armband,^[46]  
   circled it over him,
and turned Gopi Chand to ashes.

He turned him to ashes
and gave them to Mother.

[46] A well-known demon in Hindu mythology possessed such an armband and was finally tricked into destroying himself with it; usually Madhu Nath refers not to an armband but to a "tin" that reduces to ashes, just as Jalindar's other tin brings the dead to life.

"Mother, now eat them, my mother, then go,
and you will have a son.

"Mother, you asked for only one,
you asked for one,
but I give you two.
Mother, one is Gopi Chand, but this sister of his,
Champa De, I also give.

"For twelve years take this bliss
in your hands, take it,
and have the kingdom ruled, too.
Later, make him a yogi, my mother and birth-giver,
as a yogi he'll be immortal."

Shivji Sovereign!
                    (GC 1.5.s)

At daybreak Manavati Mata went to the Chapala Garden. There, fourteen hundred of Jalindar Baba's disciples were doing tapas secretly and fourteen hundred were doing tapas visibly. At once, she fell at his feet: "Hey, Guru Sovereign, for twelve years I did tapas ." Manavati Mata fell at his feet, "Hey Baba, give me a son, Graingiver. Now my twelve years of service are complete. So now, Baba, fulfill your promise."

"Manavati Mata, these fourteen hundred disciples are doing tapas . Whichever one of them pleases you, that's the boy I will give to you."

So Manavati Mata went into the garden where the fourteen hundred disciples were doing tapas . She went among them, but some had twisted limbs and some were bearded, and some were longhaired, and some were crooked-mouthed—such sons! Some were old and some had white hairs. But Gopi Chand was a boy like Shambhurya [Nathu Nath's nephew, a handsome well-groomed youth present at the time], and on his foot a lotus was sparkling and on his left arm a jewel was gleaming and on his forehead was a moon, as bright as if the sun were rising—just as if in the middle of the garden the sun were rising. He was in the center of everything, in the midst of the campfires, and on both sides of him the other sadhus sat—but the light stayed only with him—with Gopi Chand.

Manavati Mata was pleased with him: "Oh my oh my! This is the very boy I will take for myself. What will I do with such bearded

fellows? What will I do with such twisted limbs, or ones like this who don't even understand speech? [Madhu Nath gestures toward Ann and there is general laughter .] What will I do with them?"

Manavati Mata said, "After my twelve years of tapas , I will take a boy like this one." She was pleased with Gopi Chand alone, among all the fourteen hundred disciples. She went to the Guru Sovereign's campfire, and stood there: "Hey, Guru Sovereign, a disciple has pleased me, and Grain-giver, the one who pleases me, that is the very one I ought to receive."

"Yes, Manavati Mata, which disciple? Which disciple pleases you?"

"Hey, Guru Sovereign, on his foot a lotus is sparkling and on his left arm a jewel is gleaming and on his forehead is a moon giving light—that's the boy that I will take."

Jalindar Baba said, "Manavati Mata, you are sonless. I am giving you a loan, and yet you have put your hand into my liver. The light of my entire assembly—that light is his only. He is the moon,^[47] Gopi Chand, and if I give him to you then I will live in darkness."

"Well Baba, then you break your promise. I did twelve years of tapas , I gave up my life-breath completely. Then your eyelids opened. What's your pain in the liver compared to mine? Trees grew in me, termites ate me! And now you are giving a disciple, and you say I have put my hand in your liver? If you don't give this boy then your promise is broken!"

/It's true!/

"How can you break your promise?"

"All right, Manavati Mother, go ahead and take the one who pleases you." The guru had given a promise.

"Son, Gopi Chand, come here." As soon as the guru gave the command, Gopi Chand came over there, asking, "Guru Sovereign?"

"Go, son, for twelve years rule the kingdom; marry queens and slave girls and rule the kingdom."

"Hey Guru Sovereign, why are you making me leave my devotional prayers? I won't go! What do they have over there in the

[47] The second half of Gopi Chand's name, Chand, means "moon" but is also a very common Kshatriya surname. Other legendary heroes in India, such as Chandra Lekha, also have moons on their foreheads.

kingdom? In the householder life stage^[48] one only falls into the noose of maya 's net."^[49]

"No son, go; recite your prayers and go, son. Rule the kingdom for twelve years, and enjoy yourself among the queens and slave girls. Rule, son, I am sending you."

"Guru Sovereign, I didn't expect this."

"No son, sit down." And he sat Gopi Chand down and circled his turn-to-ash tin over him, and burned him up into one pinch of sacred ash.^[50] Who? Gopi Chand. Then he took the sacred ash and gave it to Manavati Mata. "Lick it up," he said, and she licked it up with her mouth.

"Go, Manavati Mata, this Gopi Chand will be yours, and he will have a sister, too, Champa De. Go, I promised you one but I have given you two, sister and brother. Champa De is yours for her entire life, but Gopi Chand is given as a loan. Have him rule the kingdom for twelve years, and then make him a yogi. If you don't make him a yogi, Time will devour him."

Now he is born. These were the circumstances of Gopi Chand's birth.
                    (GC 1.5.e)

[48] A reference to the theory of four stages of life (char asrama ) in Hindu social codes.

[49] maya jal; maya or illusion encompasses all the pleasures and concerns of a householder's existence. Its snares are a recurrent theme in the tale.

[50] Although the word bhasm is used for ashes in the preceding phrase, those that Jalindar feeds to Manavati are called bhabhut —often translated as "sacred ash"—a term applied only to ashes of burnt offerings made to deities. This sacred ash has a variety of ritual uses and curative properties; yogis smear their bodies with it.

Part 2
Gopi Chand Begs from Queen Patam De

Introduction

As part 1 closes, Manavati has completed her account to Gopi Chand of how she acquired him as a loan from Jalindar Nath. The point of this narrative is to persuade Gopi Chand of the necessity to submit to his destiny and renounce his kingdom. Part 2 opens, then, with Gopi Chand's response to his mother's advice: he pushes his guru down a well. Following his performance of the birth story, Madhu had informally previewed these events for me. From that telling I had gathered that Gopi Chand alone had conceived this bright idea of how to dispose of Jalindar. Several weeks later, when Madhu performed the episode as it appears here, he made it clear that it was "Royal Servants and relatives" who "misguided" Gopi Chand in advising this remedy for his distress.

No matter whose idea the mischief is, the opening events of part 2 hardly follow the course that Manavati had in mind. Gopi Chand marches in pomp to the guru's camp and boldly attempts to do away with him. Note that the sung portion refers in one verse only to Jalindar's captivity in the well and then takes up the consequences in greater detail. In the explanation, however, Madhu Nath elaborates considerably on the well episode, to everyone's enjoyment. This is a no-lose entertainment situation. Since nothing can really hurt or shame a powerful yogi like Jalindar Nath, to picture him buried under horse manure offers unmitigated delight.

That Jalindar, despite being buried under horse manure, is able

to smoke a pipe with Gorakh Nath and—between the two of them—to free Gopi Chand from Death's Messengers is also an enjoyable representation and trumpeting of yogis' superior power. Neither Death's Messengers nor the anonymous "god" who deployed them puts up much of a fight when Gorakh Nath brandishes his tongs. Note too the unstated causal connection between Manavati's vow to Jalindar that she will spend one and one-quarter lakh of rupees on good works should Gopi Chand come back to life, and the yogis' prompt rescue of her son. This link sustains her role as Gopi Chand's protectress and birth-giver. Also sustained is the familiar pattern of bargaining materially with divine powers established in the birth story. When Gopi Chand regains consciousness and tells Manavati with poignant simplicity and wonder what it was like being dead, she insists that he carry out her vow and distribute the cash even before fulfilling his destiny as a yogi.

The melodrama of Gopi Chand's tale reaches one of its several peaks in his encounter with Patam De Rani and the multiple keening chorus of concubines and slave girls. The conflicted identity experienced by Gopi Chand—who despite all Jalindar's efforts to make him a firm disciple never seems fully transformed (Gold 1989)—emerges vividly as he approaches his former palaces as a begging yogi.

Spatially, this entire episode is a movement inward. Gopi Chand's emotional crises grow more intense as he travels from forest to waterside to Jewel Square to portal to the interior of the Color Palace. There—surrounded by wailing queens and slave girls, his little daughter clinging to his neck—he is completely drowned in sound and sentiment. Patam De's reproaches to Gopi Chand are different from Pingala's to Bharthari. Pingala accuses Bharthari of ruining her life by marrying her when he was born to be a yogi. She had plenty of other suitors. She could have stayed a virgin.

Patam De's reproaches have less to do with status, more with relationship, and thus are more intimate. "You like the guru better than you like me" seems to be her most acute complaint. Unlike Pingala she has a daughter, so she cannot lament her childlessness, nor does she care that Gopi Chand has left the kingdom without a male heir. Rather, for her the crux of misery is that her husband, her man, has denied their former marital bond by calling her "Mother" and spurned her charms in favor of the guru's. Everything Patam De says is reinforced by the hundreds of other wailing women; her final

acceptance of Gopi Chand's new status is forced on her by her mother-in-law.

Whereas Bharthari succeeds in walking away from Pingala with alms for the guru, Gopi Chand fails. From his complete immersion in an inner abyss of emotional rhetoric and copious tears, he cannot emerge on his own. He needs help from both his motherly guru and his mother to extricate himself. Reduced to ashes for the second time, he is restored to life a third time in Manavati Mother's palace, where she is able to feed and advise him. As she hurries off to succor her son, Manavati's parting words to the queens—"You've killed my son, now take a rest!"—are biting but also true. The destructive, burning power of passionate love has taken its toll. By the grace of Jalindar's infinite patience, however, Gopi Chand escapes death once again.

It is in keeping with the maternal bias of Gopi Chand's entire tale, versus the paternal stress and scheme of Bharthari's, that Jalindar is a soft, forgiving, "motherly" guru where Gorakh Nath is hard and strict. Gorakh Nath is Bharthari's father's guru. He shocks Bharthari into enlightenment and neither coaxes nor coaches him. Jalindar is Gopi Chand's mother's teacher and benefactor. He nourishes, encourages, and supports his disciple in every way. In one of Madhu's rather rare asides during an arthav , he noted and praised the special quality of Jalindar's care for Gopi Chand, contrasting it with the indifference of contemporary gurus.

Text

"Gopi Chand, abide in prayer, son,
Praise the true Master, O Gopi Chand,
king and king's son, darling boy.
Recite prayers, my dear darling boy,
and your body will be immortal.

"My son, from piling up pebbles
the castle was built, Gopi Chand,
the castle was built.
But it's not our lot to live there, 
   my dear, darling boy
You must take fakirhood."

Jalindar Baba was covered up

with horse manure,^[1] completely covered up with horse manure.
Gopi Chand was sleeping in the palace, Lord, 
   in the early afternoon,
when Death's Messengers^[2]  came.

The eleven hundred queens
were fanning him,
the sixteen hundred slave girls
were standing in the Color Palace.
When Death's Messengers came for Gopi Chand,
they grabbed him and took him.

They took Gopi Chand, and
he truly died.
Eleven hundred queens were wailing
in the Color Palace,
Sixteen hundred slave girls were wailing
in the Color Palace.
Manavati Mata came from her Color Palace:
"Why are you wailing, slave girls and queens?"
Mother came into Gopi Chand's castle 
   while eleven hundred
queens and slave girls were wailing.

As soon as she came
Manavati saw;
and she placed her hand on Gopi Chand's chest,
she placed her hand, but
Gopi Chand had no heartbeat at all,
He had truly died.

What did Manavati Mata
say to Jalindar Nath?
"Baba, I shall make a resolution,^[3]

[1] Only here does the singing refer to Gopi Chand's attempt to get rid of his guru; the arthav that follows will explain what happened.

[2] jam ka dut; these are familiar figures in Hindu mythology.

[3] Manavati's resolution in part I was ironically conceived, but this one is sincere and reflects the usual practice of village religion where a large offering is promised if and only if a greatly desired boon is granted.

of one and one-quarter  lakh ,^[4]  Baba,
I shall make a resolution.
If Gopi Chand returns to life, my guru,
I will have that much distributed for dharma."

This much had happened,
when the yogis Jalindar Baba
and Gorakh Baba
were smoking hashish
in the Chapala Garden.
What did Gorakh Baba say
to Jalindar?
"My guru Jalindar,
You said you gave Gopi Chand,
But where did you give him?

"Death's Messengers
are taking Gopi Chand, look!
Death's Messengers took him."
When Gorakh Nath had said this much,
what did Jalindar Baba
say to Gorakhji?
"Gorakh Nath, I did give Gopi Chand,
I gave him to Mother.
Set Gopi Chand free, Gorakh Baba,
hurry up, set Gopi Chand free."

When Jalindar Nath had said this much,
Gorakh Baba the yogi
took the form of the wind,
took his iron tongs,
and flew up in the sky.
As soon as he got there he gave Death's Messengers
a couple of whacks with his tongs.

"Why are you taking
this disciple of ours?

[4] One lakh equals 100,000; presumably Manavati means she will spend 125,000 rupees. The amount "one and one-quarter" (sava ) is commonly used in offerings both of cash and kind at Rajasthani shrines and is often associated with the removal of inauspiciousness.

Did God give him to you?
He was given from my disciples, so
How can God ask for one of ours?"
                    (GC  2.1.s)

So, the first time when he went to become a yogi there were seventy-three hundred drums, and seventy-two hundred noblemen. They went with great drums and flags and armies, to a military drumbeat. He was going to be a yogi, and many Royal Bards and Genealogists were calling out respectful greetings. They were wailing, "Hey Grain-giver, you are the Hindu Sun!" Seven hundred thousand horses were going before him and seven hundred thousand were going behind him, and Gopi Chand was enthroned on an elephant's back.

"Grain-giver, are you going to become a yogi?"

He said, "Brothers, my mother is forcing me."

"Burn your mother.^[5] Where did your mother get this notion?"

Then they misguided him. Who? His companions. Who were they? His relatives, and the Royal Servants: "Grain-giver, where is your guru?"

"On the edge of the blind well in the Chapala Garden."

"You prostrate yourself to him and I'll get behind him and push him into the well. Then, after that, who will make you a yogi?"

So they pushed him into the well from behind, brother. They pushed him and now they came and said to Gopi Chand, "Graingiver, your mother keeps crying like this, but now your guru is dead. We have pushed him in the well and put a flat rock on top of him. So tomorrow get the dung of seven hundred and fifty horses, fill up carts with it, and use it to fill up the well. Press it down thoroughly. Fill up the well with horse manure. So the Guru Sovereign really will die. Who then will make you into a yogi?"

"Yes, this is also a good idea." The next day he gave an order. Gopi Chand commanded all the Cultivators and Gardeners^[6] in his kingdom to give free labor^[7] —and fill the blind well with horse

[5] thanki mata badi lagavo; a conventional curse.

[6] Two populous peasant castes in the bard's village and area are loda (cultivators) and mali (gardeners).

[7] begar; labor conscripted by the ruler from his peasants with no pay.

manure. Those Cultivators got up at the time of flour-grinding^[8] and called to one another, "Brother let's go and do the king's labor." Laboring for the king, they filled carts with horse manure and pressed it all into the blind well and filled it up. They worked for four or five days. They made an entire heap. They filled it and pressed it down, so that was it: the problem of the Guru Sovereign was finished. And Gopi Chand continued to rule the kingdom.

Gopi Chand did not become a yogi although Manavati Mata had ceaselessly pleaded with him.

"I sent Gopi Chand to be a yogi. Why has he come back?"

Then some Royal Servant or other said, "Mother, he threw his guru down the well and then he covered him up with horse manure and pressed it down thoroughly. Gopi Chand won't be a yogi."

"What, Gopi Chand won't be a yogi?"

"No, he won't."

"Alas, he'll die, my son will die, now what can I do, he will die. Things have turned out strangely. O sorrow-makers, oh dear, what to do?"

She kept after him for a few days, but the last chance came and went. Whose? Gopi Chand's. Now the twelve promised years were over, and on that very day Gopi Chand was sleeping in the early afternoon. He had eaten a good meal and he lay down for a comfortable siesta. His eleven hundred queens were fanning him; his sixteen hundred slave girls were in attendance.

Then Death's Messengers arrived. As soon as they came up to Gopi Chand they touched him with their sticks.^[9] They yanked out Gopi Chand's breath and took out his soul.

They threw down a palanquin and laid him on it and then four of Death's Messengers took Gopi Chand. As soon as they took him, he died. Death's Messengers took him.

Now all eleven hundred queens and sixteen hundred slave girls were crying hard, their eyes filled with Indra's misty rain; they were wailing.^[10] The sixteen hundred slave girls' resonant weeping^[11] filled the whole palace.

[8] A convention of traditional time-reckoning: about 4 A.M. , the hour when, before the introduction of electric flour-mills, all village women used to rise to grind grain for the day's bread.

[9] kutera ; 3- to 3 1/2-foot-long sticks, such as policemen carry.

[10] The first two references to the ladies' weeping are exactly the same as those applied again and again to Gopi Chand's own crying; the third, kurlari , is by contrast never done by Gopi Chand. One of its meanings is the wailing that women do at death. More generally, it is any crying out in unison.

[11] ranohi jagari . The aural image here is of a resonant echoing within buildings.

Now his mother's palace was separate. She thought to herself, Uh oh! The queens and slave girls are happy and content. So why are they wailing? With a little stick in her hand and wooden sandals on her feet^[12] Manavati Mata went to Gopi Chand's palace. The eleven hundred queens and sixteen hundred slave girls were beating their chests. What had happened? Gopi Chand had died. Oh my! Manavati Mata saw that something very strange had happened. Just today he was very happy and content. He had neither pain nor flatulence.^[13] So what happened to Gopi Chand?

Quickly Manavati Mata went and grabbed his hand, but she found no signs of life whatsoever, no pulse. She laid her hand on hischest, but there wasn't any heartbeat.

/He had arrived./^[14]

"Oh no! He's gone, Gopi Chand. O son, Gopi Chand, for many days I've been telling you, 'Be a yogi, son, and your body will be immortal.' But you didn't accept what I said, and you had the Guru Sovereign pushed into a well and covered him up with horse manure.

"Hey Guru Sovereign, I vow to give one and one-quarter lakh , Grain-giver, one and one-quarter lakh of rupees. If my Gopi Chand comes back to life, Guru Sovereign, then I will distribute one and one-quarter lakh for dharma and merit, and then straightaway I myself will make him a yogi. But he must come back to life, Guru Sovereign. I was heedless for too long, but now I won't let him go with anyone else—I'll take him myself. As soon as Gopi Chand comes back to life, first I'll have one and one-quarter lakh distributed for dharma; then I will go with him. I'll take him to the garden and make him a yogi. But Guru Sovereign, my Gopi Chand ought to come back to life, Guru Sovereign."

Over here, then, Manavati Mata made a vow to spend one and

[12] Why the queen mother carries a little stick is unclear; she wears wooden sandals, perhaps because of her affinity with yogis.

[13] koi khai dukhyo na padyo na; a common expression meaning that not the least thing was wrong with him.

[14] That is, he had arrived elsewhere, left this world.

one-quarter lakh for dharma. And over there were Jalindar Baba and Gorakh Nathji, smoking hashish. Where? Over there in the garden. On the edge of that blind well.

When he meets water, then he's water. Who? Jalindar Baba. And when he meets wind, then he's wind. And when he meets flame, then he's flame.^[15] So he hardly remained buried in the well—he also came out.^[16]

So, Jalindar Baba and Gorakh Nath Sovereign were smoking hashish, and Death's Messengers had seized and taken Gopi Chand. Then Gorakh Nath Sovereign looked up. "Jalindar Baba, you said, 'I have given Gopi Chand.' You said, 'From my disciples I gave one disciple to Manavati Mother.' But Death's Messengers have taken Gopi Chand."

"What?"

"Yes, they are taking him."

"Oh, the sister-fuckers! Why are they taking my disciple, my disciple that I myself gave. To whom? I gave him to Manavati Mother. And that little-God-fellow,^[17] why is he asking for him? He is hardly the one who gave him."

"They've taken him, Death's Messengers have grabbed him."

"Oh, run, Gorakh Nath. Beat those sister-fuckers with your tongs and free Gopi Chand and bring him here."

Then Gorakh Nath Sovereign took the wind's form. He took his tongs and flew up in the sky. Meanwhile, inside the palanquin, the four Death's Messengers had thrown Gopi Chand face down, with his hands bound behind his back, and they carried him like a rolled-up banner. Thus they were taking him when Gorakh Nath Sovereign came along and gave each of them a whack with his tongs. He struck Death's Messengers: "Oh, you sister-fuckers! Why are you taking our disciple? Do you think God gave him? He is our disciple! We gave this disciple, and that sister-fucker God is hardly the one who gave him, so why has God demanded him?"^[18]

As soon as he said this, and as soon as he dealt them one or two

[15] According to Bhoju, these phrases describe a "siddh purus " or perfected being who may at will take on the characteristics of any medium. The meaning here is that Jalindar Baba is not affected by being pushed down a well.

[16] As we will see in part 4, he did remain buried and must be excavated.

[17] bhagvanyo; a disrespectful diminutive of bhagvan .

[18] Recall that Manavati Mata came from God's door a barren woman.

blows with his tongs, Death's Messengers released Gopi Chand and went far away.

As soon as they released him, he came back into the palace and returned to life at once. "Oh my! I've slept very deeply." The wailing queens saw him. "Oh my! I've slept very well." And Manavati Mother was standing near.

"O son, Gopi Chand. What came over you? For many days I've been telling you to be a yogi, and then your body would be immortal. And the Guru Sovereign's deadline arrived, and you did not become a yogi. Son, what came over you?"

"Mother, they really took me."

"Look, the queens and the slave girls are wailing. Where is your royal throne, and your horse-drawn chariot and palanquin? Did they go with you? Just now they took you and if the guru hadn't freed you, then who would have freed you?"

"Mother, there was a sadhu with hair this long and with tongs this big, and he came. I was bound with my hands behind my back, and they were taking me. And he gave them each one blow with his tongs. He told Death's Messengers: 'Hey, it's our disciple and hardly yours, hardly God-given—it's our disciple. And you sister-fuckers, why has God demanded him? And why are you taking him, sister-fuckers? Let go!'

"Then he let them have it with his tongs, and they released me and ran away."

"Son, they released you. Now be a yogi or else Death will eat you. And these queens and slave girls will remain right here, and your royal throne will remain right here. Nothing goes with you. I made a resolution to distribute one and one-quarter lakh for dharma—so you must do that."

So he distributed one and one-quarter lakh for dharma, in order to fulfill her resolution.

Then the son and mother went together, informing no relatives, informing no queens and slave girls, informing no one.
                    (GC 2.I.e)

Hurriedly, before dawn, Manavati Mata grabbed Gopi Chand by the hand: "Let's go, son, I will make you a yogi." So Manavati Mata pushed Gopi Chand in front of her, saying, "There is no meaning in these things, son, Time will eat them. The queens and slave girls will

stay over here wailing. You died, but if you become a yogi your body will be immortal."

This sermon affected Gopi Chand, because he had died. From dying, he really found out^[19] that we must all die. So Manavati Mother took Gopi Chand into the Chapala Garden.

They entered through the gateway. In the distance they could see Gorakh Nathji Sovereign and Jalindar Baba, over there, doing tapas by the campfire. Gopi Chand went before her, and Manavati said, "Go, son, sit by your guru, clasp his feet." But suddenly both gurus became nine-hand-tall lions. They became nine-hand-tall lions and came at Gopi Chand as if to kill him, in order to frighten him, brother, to scare him away. They both came at him, roaring.

Gopi Chand said, "Hey Guru Sovereign, it was my fault, Graingiver. I pushed you down under horse manure. Forgive my error, Grain-giver."

Gopi Chand shut his eyes tight. And then he clasped the paws of those who had become lions. "If they want to eat me, let them eat me. There's nothing left for me to do but die or become a yogi. So, fine, let them eat me, and my misdeed will be removed."

As soon as he clasped their paws, then Jalindar Baba and Gorakh Nath Sovereign turned back into yogis. When they were yogis,Jalindar Baba said, "Son, Gopi Chand."

"Yes, Guru Sovereign."

"Go son, your desires are not yet satiated.^[20] Go rule the kingdom for another twelve years. You've had twelve years of queens and slave girls, but your desires are not satiated. So go, son, rule for another twelve years. Go, run away."

"Guru Sovereign, now I won't go. Now, I will be a yogi. I will become your disciple, I won't go back."

"Oh go back, sister-fucker, you will ruin my karma.^[21] Sisterfucker, your cravings for queens and slave girls have not yet been

[19] marnau jach gi; jachno means "to examine and find out" or "to learn through experience."

[20] dhapyo; the common village term for having had enough, used at the end of a meal, for example.

[21] The Rajasthani karam is sometimes equated with an uncontrollable fate or destiny (kismat, lekh, takdir , etc.). But at times its meaning approaches that of Hindi and Sanskrit karma —in that responsibility for all individuals' destinies is attributable to their past or present actions. Here Jalindar Nath is worried that his karma will be stained by initiating someone who is unprepared for renunciation.

removed. And your desires for the throne of rule are not satiated. Go back!"

"No, Guru Sovereign, I won't go."

"You won't go?"

"I won't go."

"OK, then sit down by the campfire." He seated him in a posture of meditation. And Jalindar Nath Sovereign took out his dagger with four blades. As soon as he took out his four-bladed dagger he told Gopi Chand, "Say 'Shiv! Shiv!'"

So first Jalindar Nath Sovereign pierced Gopi Chand's left ear. As soon as he pierced the left ear, milk came out. And he drove a wooden peg into it. As soon as he had driven in the peg, he then turned to put the dagger in the second ear. But Gopi Chand thought, "Now, the game of life is spoiled. That's it. He gives one blow with the dagger and the game of life is spoiled ... queens and slave girls ... the whole kingdom has turned to dust."

While Gopi Chand's imagination was running on like this, the guru raised the dagger and pierced his right ear and blood came out. Blood came out, and the Guru Sovereign was incensed: "You sister-fucker! I told you that your mind wasn't satiated with queens and slave girls, your mind wasn't satiated with ruling the kingdom. I told you to go and rule for another twelve years and, sister-fucker, you didn't go. But still your spirit is led astray in the net of illusion."^[22]

"Guru Sovereign, what is to happen happens."

"You have spoiled my karma. Milk used to come out of my yogis' ears. Milk came out; but now blood has begun to come out. It's a sign of things to come."^[23]

He inserted a wooden peg in the ear, made from nim ,^[24] and then he put an iron platter weighing one and one-quarter maunds^[25] on

[22] maya jal ma jiv na dula diyo; dularno is to be caused to be restless, demoralized, nervous, fickle, unsteady, deviated, or astray. The suggestion is that Gopi Chand is more helpless than culpable.

[23] lag jay ainda se; according to Bhoju the phrase implies that from this day only blood will come out.

[24] The nim tree's leaves and wood have many ritual and healing uses in rural Rajasthan.

[25] suvaman; as noted above, the sum of one and one-quarter is associated with the removal of inauspiciousness; here, the heat of the flames cooks or heals the wounds in Gopi Chand's ears and averts inauspicious influences thought to threaten the healing process.

Gopi Chand's head. On top of the platter he ignited a wood fire and the flames rose up. He put the platter on a cloth pad on Gopi Chand's head, and took him on a pilgrimage tour. The flames rose up, so that the fire at times hung down over his ears.

After the pilgrimage tour the Guru Sovereign took him to our campfire.^[26] Where? In the Kajali Woods. Over there in the Kajali Woods, fourteen hundred of the Guru Sovereign's disciples were doing tapas invisibly. And fourteen hundred visible disciples were doing tapas .

As soon as they got there, the Guru Sovereign took the iron platter down from Gopi Chand's head and said, "Son, you have become a firm^[27] disciple. Now you have become a yoga-holder. So take your tongs, son, and take this sack, and take this deer-horn instrument, and wear these wooden sandals on your feet.^[28] Now son, this is the kind of work that needs to be done. You have become a yogi."

"Yes sir."

"Go into your castle and get alms. Say 'Mother' to your special wife, Patam De Rani, and beg for alms and bring them back. Then your yoga will be fulfilled."

"Hey Guru Sovereign, Patam De Rani is my woman. How can I call her 'Mother'? I have scattered all her leaves and smelled all her flowers.^[29] She is my woman, Guru Sovereign. It would shame my saintly guru^[30] and my mother's milk. How can I call her 'Mother'?"

"Yes, son, Gopi Chand. Patam De Rani was your woman, but that was in your ruling time. Now you have become a yogi, a yoga-holder, so son, now in the time of yoga she is your mother. Call her 'Mother' and bring back alms, and then your yoga will be fulfilled."

"Well, you have given the order, the Guru Sovereign's order, and if you say it, it must be done."

"Yes. So son, come on the roads and go on the roads and call all

[26] Here the singer identifies himself with the legendary Nath yogis.

[27] pakko chelo; H. pakka has many meanings including ripe, cooked, unassailable, genuine, fried.

[28] Thus the guru bestows the emblems of a yogi's identity on his cooked disciple.

[29] Unai pana pana baroli phula phula dhumari; according to Bhoju, this poetic saying means that he knows each part of his wife's body as well as a gardener knows the leaves and flowers on his plants.

[30] guru-pir; actually a pairing of Hindu and Islamic terms for a religious teacher.

women 'Mother' and 'Sister.' And don't bring shame to your yogi's robes. Hurry and get alms from Patam De."

So let's see what happens to Gopi Chand, and what alms he will bring.
                    (GC 2.2.e)

So Gopi Chand put on his wooden sandals, picked up his tongs, picked up his sack, and took his deer-horn instrument. A seated yogi's a stake in the ground, but a yogi once up is a fistful of wind. The Nath took the wind's form and turned his face toward Gaur Bengal.^[31]

He crossed one woods, he crossed a second woods, in the third woods Gopi Chand came to the border. As soon as he came to the border, his white, white castles came into view, and Gopi Chand remembered the things of his ruling time. As soon as he remembered, it was just like when a spark falls into one hundred maunds of gunpowder. When a wick is set to one hundred maunds of gunpowder—then flames shoot up. Just so, flames rose up violently in Gopi Chand's mind.

He thought, Oh, a very astonishing thing has taken place! There was a day that once rose for me when I would sport at hunting lions in the jungle. Seven hundred thousand horses were in my company, and I rode in a throne on the back of an elephant, whisks waving over me. Many Royal Bards were shouting my praises.

But today look at the splendor with which Gopi Chand was going into the palace. On his fair body he was wearing a loincloth, and on his fair neck spread matted locks, and his whole body was smeared with ashes. In his hand he had tongs and on his shoulders was a sack and there was no one to herald his coming.

Remembering the things of his ruling time, Gopi Chand was crying hard, his eyes filled with Indra's misty rain. Water poured from his eyes. "Hey Guru Sovereign, how has my condition changed so fast? There is no one to herald my coming. No one to say 'Victory to Shiva!'"

He was crying over there. Gopi Chand cried a lot, he cried so much. There used to be fifty-two portals and fifty-three doorways and twelve districts' rule and a home court of justice and today—nothing at all.

"Today sacred ash is smeared all over me, look, and on my

[31] Madhu pronounces this location Gor; see chapter 2.

shoulders there's a sack and in my hand tongs. I'm wearing a loincloth, and I am all alone in the jungle, wailing. But if things hadn't turned out like this, thousands, hundreds of thousands of men were in my service."

Gopi Chand was crying hard, his eyes filled with Indra's misty rain. Water poured from his eyes. And he besought^[32] his guru. "Hey Guru Sovereign, I beseech you, quickly come, Baba Nath. Your fireplace in Kajali Woods is far away, and Guru Sovereign, my castle also is far away, and Grain-giver, now in the jungle I'm wretched."

So he besought his guru with body and mind, and as soon as he besought the guru, Jalindar Baba came. As soon as he came, he rebuked Gopi Chand:

"O son, if you're already wretched here in the jungle, what will your condition be when you're near the queens and slave girls?"

Gopi Chand was crying hard, his eyes filled with Indra's misty rain. Water poured from his eyes. He said to his guru, "Hey, Guru Sovereign, you have no knowledge of these things, to cry or not to cry about them. What do you know? I have eleven hundred queens in the castles weeping, sixteen hundred slave girls weeping, and Manavati Mata, my old mother, she is crying very hard. And in my kingdom were fifty-two portals, fifty-three doorways, twelve districts' rule, and a home court of justice. But now the court is deserted and the great drum lies upside down. And Guru Sovereign, you have no knowledge of these things. You were thrown down from the sky and caught by Earth Mother,^[33] and you have neither mother nor father, nor any woman, nor any nanny goats, nor any sister, nor any nieces."^[34]

"Calm down, son. Go on reciting prayers and keep your attention on those prayers. Go thus to your palaces, meet your queens and slave girls, get some alms and hurry back, son."
                    (GC 2.3.e)

[32] arodhya; a variant of aradhno , meaning to pray or praise. This term always occurs when Gopi Chand implores Jalindar Nath for help and in no other context in the two tales. To distinguish it from samaran or the calm recitation of prayers, I shall translate it "beseech" throughout.

[33] Gopi Chand refers to Jalindar's presumably mythic birth and elaborates the argument in subsequent encounters when the guru chides him for "tangling in maya 's net." See Gold 1989.

[34] Note that, except for "father," everything the guru lacks is female.

A seated yogi's a stake in the ground, but a yogi once up is a fistful of wind. The Nath took the wind's own form, and turned his face toward Bengal. Gaur Bengal, that was his village, and Dhak Bengal was his sister's place, her marital home.^[35] He crossed one woods, he crossed a second woods, and in the middle of the third woods he reached the waterside. As soon as he reached the waterside in Bengal, Gopi Chand set up his meditation seat and ignited his yogi's campfire. He sat in a meditation posture and began reciting prayers.

So, Gopi Chand had lowered his eyelids and was reciting prayers when the sixteen hundred slave girls came from the palace with their double water pots, to fetch water.

They emerged from the village and looked out over the waterside. There they saw a yogi doing tapas . Among them was Hira Dasi.^[36] They were talking of other things when Hira Dasi spoke: "Hey, slave girls, burn up all other matters. Today there's a yogi doing tapas on the waterside. Today's our lucky day! Our king became a yogi. So we will ask this yogi about him, we will ask for news of our king—where our yogi king went and where he didn't go—whether he's well, whether he's sad or happy, we'll find out about our king."

They didn't know if he had really become a yogi, or if he had just got angry and left. The queens and slave girls knew nothing at all. So right away the sixteen hundred went and set their double water pots down on the waterside, and surrounded Gopi Chand, as I am surrounded here [Madhu refers to the audience surrounding him at the time of telling]. He had set up his campfire, and on all four sides of him were women, nothing but women, slave girls. Now what did they say to Gopi Chand? As soon as they had surrounded him, Hira Dasi spoke.
                    (GC 2.4.e)

"Hey, yogi, from which city do you come and go? You seem to be an established Nath. Raise your eyelids, Baba Nath, we have come to take your darsan ."

As soon as this much was said, Gopi Chand thought, Brother, some truthful servant^[37] has come to serve me. Someone has brought flour and things, things to cook with. Let me see. And he raised his

[35] Madhu offers this clarification of geography as an aside.

[36] When Dasi is part of a name I do not translate it.

[37] sevak; derived from seva or service, a term with religious implications.

eyelids and saw that his campfire was surrounded by nothing but slave girls—sixteen hundred were standing there. As soon as he saw them, Gopi Chand knew. "Brother, these are my own slave girls who have come. But if they recognize me, then look out! Illusion's net will spread here."

As soon as he raised his eyelids, Hira De Dasi spoke: "O, Guru Sovereign, O Great Soul, O noble Grain-giver, our king became a yogi, and went away. Noble Grain-giver, tell us about him. We will take you into the palace, and Guru Sovereign, we will serve you. Our king became a yogi. Is he happy or is he sad? In what country are he and his guru? Did he pierce his ears or didn't he pierce them?" These are the kinds of things she asked.

"O brother, I know nothing about your king and I know nothing about any queen. I am a wandering sadhu who has come, what should I know?"

There were sixteen hundred slave girls surrounding him. And they were crying hard. And as they cried they were asking him news of Gopi Chand. "Hey Guru Sovereign, our king had sixteen hundred slave girls and eleven hundred queens, and because of him all of us in the Color Palace are wearing long blouses.

"And his Manavati Mother—may she burn up!—she made her son a yogi secretly. Our king had fifty-two portals and fifty-three doorways, twelve districts' rule, and seven hundred thousand horses were raised in his company. He rode in a throne on an elephant's back, with whisks waving over him. But the kingdom has become desolate. And the great drum is lying upside down.

"Noble Grain-giver, please tell us about our king! We will take you into the palaces and serve you." The sixteen hundred slave girls were crying very hard. "Noble Grain-giver, our king resembled you. He had a face just like yours. Our king became a yogi, and we yearn for him. Where is our king?"

Gopi Chand was wretched. "Now if these sluts recognize me here then maya 's net will spread." So Gopi Chand braced himself and lifted his tongs from the middle of his campfire. He brandished his tongs at the slave girls, the sluts who kept on crying. "Get out of here, I have no knowledge of your king or of any queen. Why have you come here bothering me? Get going or else I will beat each one of you with my tongs, you sister-fuckers."

After he had rebuked them, the slave girls filled their water pots.

Lifting up their pots, they returned to the palace. As soon as they entered the palace, they put down their double pots. Queen Patam De took her whip from its peg and gave Hira De a couple of whacks.

"Slave girl, you left in the morning to get water, so where have you been sitting the whole day? Wanton slut, who knows where? Maybe you went to see some show? Where were you sitting, getting water, for the whole day, all sixteen hundred of you?"

So she gave her a couple of whacks. Then, crying, Hira De said, "O Mistress, send me away if you like, or if you like take away my life, but there's a yogi doing tapas . Where? At the waterside. So I joined my hands in greeting to that yogi and asked him to tell me some information about our king, and I offered to serve him and to bring him into the palace. I asked, 'Is the king sad or happy? In what country is he? At whose campfire has he become a disciple? Who is his guru? Where is he? Give me information about my king.' I only asked for this kind of information, Grain-giver, and that's why I was late."

"You slut, I was burned and now you're putting salt in my wounds. You'll be the death of me, if every day you go to get water and meet some yogi and ask him for information. You're putting salt in my burns, and you'll be the death of me. My king became a yogi, and that's why you feel free to taunt me."

Such was her justice.^[38]                     (GC 2.5.e)

Meanwhile, Gopi Chand picked up his sack and his tongs from the waterside. He put on his sandals and ... a seated yogi's a stake in the ground, but a yogi once up is a fistful of wind. The Nath took the wind's own form and fixed his consciousness in Gaur Bengal. He entered the city. Gopi Chand was wearing a loincloth on his fair body, and matted locks spread over his fair neck. He had tongs in his hands and a sack on his shoulder.

As Gopi Chand was going along, he remembered the times when he ruled. "Oh my! What an amazing thing has happened!"

Gopi Chand was crying hard, his eyes filled with Indra's misty rain. In the center of the city, he entered the marketplace. It used to be that people went before him crying "Grain-giver, greetings!

[38] nyay hoyo; an ironic comment on her treatment of the slave girls, who were only trying to help.

Grain-giver!" They would cry "Greetings, Giver of grain!" But today, no one even glanced.

"I'm still the same man I was before. But look! No one even says 'Victory to Mahadev!' [People could at least remark,] 'Brother, there's a sadhu going along, and for this reason we will cry victory to Mahadev!'"

Gopi Chand was crying hard, his eyes filled with Indra's misty rain. Water poured from his eyes. He entered the main market. Crying hard he went along, thinking, No one even says, "Sovereign, where do you live? Victory to Mahadev! Come and be seated please." No one even says "Ram Ram ."^[39]

Gopi Chand was crying hard, his eyes filled with Indra's misty rain. Water poured from his eyes. He went into the Jewel Square, and after passing through the gateway, he saw an elephant tied up. Where? To the fodder trough. It was Mangano Hathi, the one he used to ride.

From this side Gopi Chand was coming, crying hard, and as soon as he saw Mangano Hathi, Gopi Chand shrieked. From the other side Mangano Hathi too began to bellow. "Hey Grain-giver, O king, what have you done? You became a yogi and left and there is no one to feed me bread and no one to give me fodder and water. Grain-giver, what troubles have come into my life! I don't even get any water, there is no one to look after me at all."

"O brother Mangano, now what to do? Fortune has inscribed this destiny in my karma with thick writing: immortal fakirhood. There is no one to remove it."

"But Grain-giver, what is to become of me?"

"Son, this was written for me, in my kismat .^[40] Yours also is written: to die of hunger. So go and die."

Gopi Chand passed through one portal and a second portal, and then he came to the third portal, where he lit his campfire. And he set up his meditation seat. Then Gopi Chand gave a rousing "Alakh! " He gave a rousing "Alakh! " and sounded his deer-horn instrument in the portal. As soon as he sounded his horn, the sound reached the

[39] Ram Ram is the most common greeting between equals in the bard's region. Thus Gopi Chand seems to crave any human intercourse, not just the adulation he received as a king or should receive as a yogi.

[40] Yet another word for fate, from the Urdu-Persian tradition, and one very common in village talk.

ears of Patam De Rani. As soon as the sound reached the ears ofPatam De Rani, she spoke to Hira De Dasi.

"Slave girl!"

"Yes, Grain-giver."

"Go! Today, after many days, a yogi has come and given us a rousing 'Alakh! ' Our king became a yogi and left. Previously, many yogis used to come but this is the first yogi to come since our king left. So fill a platter with diamonds and rubies, and give very fine alms to the yogi. And ask for a fine blessing and bring it from the yogi. Go right away and do it. Go at once, because it's a yogi and he might get angry and go away, and then he will curse us."^[41]

As soon as she said this, the slave girl put on a skirt with eighty pleats and wrapped herself in a flowered Gujarati sari and put on her nose ring and her toe rings and a three-ring set of hollow anklets. She put on many delicate ankle chains, and eyeliner and henna, and she threaded pearls in her hairs. She smeared on eyeshadow, and she put on necklaces—one strand, two strands, seven strands, so she became like the flame of Holi, and like lightning in a black cloud.^[42]

If the wind blows this way she bends this way, and if the wind blows that way she bends that way, and if the wind should blow in all four directions then that slave girl would break into pieces.^[43] And if an opium-eater like brother Hardev [a member of the audience] met her, then he would take her for a dose of opium and eat her up.
                    (GC 2.6.e)

The bondwoman now filled a platter with
diamonds, rubies, and pearls.^[44] Hira, my slave girl,

[41] If a yogi goes away empty-handed, he may well curse the uncharitable house. Patan De seems to have forgotten her previous rage at the slave girls' mentioning yogis.

[42] Metaphors of fire and lightning evoke danger as well as beauty and are particularly appropriate for a dangerous woman.

[43] This same image of extremely delicate yet dangerous female beauty occurs in the Rajasthani Dev Narayanji epic to describe Rani Jaimti—an incarnation of the goddess whose aim is to destroy the heroes.

[44] This sung portion is more than double the length of most, indicating that Madhu may have simply become carried away while singing and neglected to break at the usual place. He begins his arthav at a point in the narrative that omits a portion of the sung story. I therefore translate the singing until the arthav catches up with it.

passed through one portal,
the bondwoman passed the second portal,
now she came to the third portal.
When she reached the third portal, Lord,
what did she say to the yogi?

"Take these, Baba,
spread open your sack,
and hold out your cup, yogi.
I have a platter filled with diamonds and rubies, yogi,
now your poverty has fled."

When Hira had said this much,
Gopi Chand raised his eyelids
and gazed at the slave girl.
"My bondwoman, why have you brought a platter 
   filled with stones and pebbles?
What will I do with these pebbles?

"Such stones and pebbles
l left behind at home,
Hira De, my slave girl.
Slave girl, bring me a stale, leftover scrap,
a feast from Patam De Rani's hands."

"O Yogi, you don't seem to be a yogi,
it seems to me you're sick,
princely yogi.
Yesterday or the day before you were
a householder's boy, dying of hunger,
and that's why you became a yogi.
Up until now your hunger hasn't left you, yogi,
and that's why you crave a scrap of bread.

"Yogi, were there leaves
in the middle of your fate
they might fly away,
but there must be a boulder in the middle of your fate, yogi,
if you're calling diamonds 'pebbles.'"

When Hira De had said this much,
what did Gopi Chand reply?

"Hira De, my bondwoman,
O bondwoman, there was once a day
that rose for me when
they would gnaw on my polluted^[45]  scraps,
but today, bondwoman, people speak to me any old way."

"O Yogi, you don't seem to be a yogi,
it seems to me you're sick,
princely yogi.
Yogi, quit saying 'bondwoman,' yogi,
or I'll let fly my bamboo.
Yogi, I will hang you high from the bitter  nim  tree,
and rub your wounds with salt.

"Yogi, I am the queen,
Yogi, I am the queen.
Yogi, I alone am mistress of the fort:
You won't get away with calling me 'bondwoman'!"

"Bondwoman, your front teeth stick out
and your forehead's ugly!^[46] Bondwoman, your fate is shattered.
Bondwoman, where have you come from,
claiming to be my Queen Patam De?"

"Yogi, the mistress of the kingdom
doesn't call me 'bondwoman,'
yogi, nor do the city people call me 'girl,'
princely yogi.

"You just quit this 'bondwoman' business, yogi,
or I will split your skin with my bamboo.
Yogi, I will hang you high from the bitter  nim  tree,
and rub your wounds with salt."
                    (GC 2.7.s)

[45] uthyara; Rajasthani for jhutha, or polluted by saliva. Presumably he refers in the third person to the slave girls, who would have eaten his leftovers.

[46] thari bhundi cha ye laladi; bhundi can mean ugly or inauspicious or improper; laladi is another of the many words that in rural Rajasthan refer to preordained fate. Literally, however, it means the "forehead"—where fate is written. This phrase thus carries a double meaning: your face is ugly, your fate is inauspicious.

So this is what happened with the bondwoman. She said to Gopi Chand, "Yogi you aren't really a yogi, it seems to me you're sick! I will hang you high from the bitter nim and rub your wounds with salt."

But it was Gopi Chand. Gopi Chand was muttering, dizzy, all in a flurry, till he burst out in rage and fury.^[47] Gopi Chand thrust his tongs into the middle of his campfire, right in the burning coals, until they got red hot. Then he struck the bondwoman in the middle of her back, and she went rolling. Her platter of diamonds and rubies scattered all over the portal, and the bondwoman went rolling and falling. He had struck her once on the back, but two streaks swelled up just as when a sick animal is branded.^[48] And she was weeping loudly, she was crying very hard, her eyes filled with Indra's misty rain. Water poured from her eyes.

She returned to the Color Palace and went lamenting to Patam De Rani. Then Patam De Rani spoke:

"Slave girl, Hira De, I sent you laughing; why have you come crying? What kind of a yogi is it, a magician? a death-spell wielder? Did he feed you roasted hashish, so that you've come wailing and stoned?"

Then the slave girl said, "Mistress, you can have your job, and I will take two oxen and be a farmer. Should I eat blows from any yogi's tongs?"

Then Patam De Rani spoke, "Bondwoman, are you making useless excuses? Where did the yogi shove his dagger in you?"^[49]

Hira was wrapped in that flowered Gujarati sari, but the pearls in her hair had scattered when he whacked her with the tongs. Now when Patam De said this, Hira De unwrapped her sari and balled it up and tossed it behind the queen. Then she ran and threw herself face down, and as soon as she did, Patam De Rani looked at her back.

From her neck right down to her buttocks were swollen welts like

[47] This is a stock phrase: Gopi Chand ka ayo sarnato ar ghasgyo bharnato ar ros agyo gado. Sarnato refers to the sound of a loud or rushing wind and may imply angry muttering; it is also an intoxication resulting from excitement and restlessness. Bharnato means chakkar or dizziness. Ros translates literally as anger.

[48] A tongs has two strips of iron, but Bhoju interprets the two welts from one blow to result from the blow's prodigious force. The term I translate "streaks" evokes lightning. Branding is a treatment still practiced on livestock.

[49] I was convinced that by this statement Patam De suggests that the yogi might have sexually assaulted Hira De; according to Bhoju she only asks sarcastically, "Where does it hurt?"

lightning streaks. "Bondwoman, he gave you one whack but two streaks have swollen on your back. It looks just like when a sick animal is branded in the middle of the back. What kind of a pitiless yogi is this? How could he treat you this way? That yogi has no compassion inside his hollow frame,^[50] if he uses his tongs like this. Suppose you die, then what?"

Hira De kept crying, "Mistress, what does that yogi understand? He understands nothing of pity, there's no pity at all in his heart. Mistress, run him out of the portal. He almost took my life away. And if he had taken my life away, then who would take care of my children?"

And she wept like a waterfall. "Mistress, that yogi almost took away my life."

Patam De got angry and said, "Girl, what use is a yogi like that who doesn't even have compassion? A yogi is supposed to have compassion inside of him. But this one is a wicked one. He's not a yogi at all, he's sick! So, slave girl, go and call the sixteen hundred slave girls. All of you beat him with bamboo sticks and make that yogi's skin fly. Chase him out of the castle."

Hira De went running at once to call the sixteen hundred slave girls. She called them and they gathered in the presence of the queen. The queen ordered Hira to give each of them one bamboo stick, but instead she gave each of them two. Oh son of a ...! She gave two bamboo sticks to each person. "Now let's go get that yogi!"
                    (GC 2.7.e)

As they were going, she called to them from the balcony above—who?—Patam De Rani: "Hey, girls, wait, and listen to what I say. Don't kill the yogi, just frighten him and chase him out of the palace. O sluts, if you kill a Brahman, then you meet destruction, for age upon age.^[51] And if you kill a yogi, then your lineage will truly sink, sluts, he'll curse us. And our kingdom is without a son, our kingdom is without a ruler, so if the yogi gives a curse, the kingdom will be

[50] ghat; literally a clay jug, often a reference to the body as a container of something more important; here, however, is the opposite implication—the yogi has nothing inside.

[51] jug jug hatya hojya; hatya is literally murder or slaughter. Powerful beings must be treated with care, for to damage them is to incur great damages to oneself in the Hindu karmic economy.

lost. Don't kill the yogi but just frighten him and chase him out of the palace."^[52]

They passed through one portal, they passed the second portal, and they came to the third portal and challenged the yogi.

"Yogi, now pack up your bag and baggage, your club and gourd. We will make you remember the whack you gave with your tongs. Many days have gone by, and who knows whom you have beaten with your tongs. But today, we will make you remember it. We'll hang you high from the bitter nim tree and rub your wounds with salt. We'll beat you with bamboo sticks, and then you'll understand what kind of slave girls we are!"

While they were saying this, Gopi Chand raised his eyelids and gazed around the portal. In the month of Sravan , clouds of Indra the Great King mount in the sky; thus were the sixteen hundred slave girls like a red and yellow^[53] cloud bank. And their bamboo sticks overshadowed him.

Gopi Chand squeezed his eyes shut. Oh my! If all these sluts hit me with their bamboo sticks then I will die.

"Look, you bondwomen, once the day rose for me when I had fifty-two portals and fifty-three doorways, twelve districts' rule and a home court of judgment. And today look at me ! I have fallen into the company of poverty and you sixteen hundred slave girls—you who were brought up on my scraps—are raising bamboo sticks over me. You have become ungrateful wretches, you who are my bought goods."

"Yogi, you're no yogi at all, you're sick! We will make you remember the blow you gave with your tongs. Now you try to make yourself into our king. Now you're afraid of being beaten so you pretend to be our king. But we don't count such a king. We will make your skin fly off with our bamboo sticks and we will rub your wounds with salt."

Meanwhile, son of a ...! They had surrounded Gopi Chand, and some prodded him, and some grabbed his matted locks, and some

[52] Obviously Patam De Rani is a little overexcited and confused here. Her kingdom is already in big trouble, her lineage already "sunk" with no male heir and the king a renouncer. Her statement reflects the culturally prevalent fear of angry yogis.

[53] These colors are favored by Rajasthani women for outer wraps.

began to toss his club and gourd and all his bag and baggage here and there.

Gopi Chand thought, Son of a ...! These sluts won't accept me. Gopi Chand was crying hard, his eyes filled with Indra's misty rain. Water poured from his eyes. And he besought his guru. "O Guru Sovereign, I beseech you, come quickly Baba Nath! OJalindar Baba, these sluts who were nourished on my scraps are going to spoil my honor."

He mediated on the guru with body and mind, and he besought the guru with body and mind. "Jalindar Baba, Guru Sovereign, come quickly." He was such a truthful manly disciple, and Jalindar was such a truth-speaking guru, that immediately upon Gopi Chand's beseeching him, he was standing there.

[As an aside, Madhu adds: The gurus of today have become such that even if their disciples cry out in agony, still they don't glance in their direction.]

The guru came at once, and as soon as he came he said, "Well, Gopi Chand?"

"Guru Sovereign, these sluts, raised on my scraps, have spoiled my honor."

"O son, Gopi Chand, they will not accept you as you are. So take a square of cloth and get it wet; in your gourd is water—wet a square of cloth with it, and remove all the offering-ash from your body. Reveal the face of your ruling times, son, and right away all of those sluts will fall at your feet."

So, Gopi Chand took water from his gourd and wet a square of cloth and began to wipe off the offering-ash with the wet cloth.

As soon as he had wiped off the offering-ash—on his foot a lotus sparkled, and on his left arm a jewel gleamed, and on his head was the moon, so that it seemed as if the sun had risen in the portal. As soon as the sun rose, as soon as they saw the face of his ruling times, all of the sluts immediately threw down their bamboo sticks and fell at his feet.

They said to Gopi Chand, "Hey, Grain-giver, King, Baba, we are your purchased goods, and we have become ungrateful wretches. We came holding bamboo sticks above you, Grain-giver, and we are sluts reared on your scraps."
All sixteen hundred slave girls went falling and rolling and weeping into the Color Palace. Then Queen Patam De spoke: "O slave

girls, first I sent one and she came back weeping, and just now I sent sixteen hundred and they all have come back crying.

"O girls, O bondwomen, I sent you laughing. Why have you come weeping like this? What kind of a yogi is it, a black magician? a death-spell wielder? Did he feed you roasted hashish, that you have come stoned—all sixteen hundred slave girls crying, huh? Is it some kind of a yogi magician who fed you powdered green hashish and you have come weeping, stoned on hashish?"
                    (GC 2.8.e)

So Hira De Dasi said to Queen Patam De, "Mistress, you may scold me or beat me or take away my life. But your fate is shattered. Your husband has come as a yogi. Gopi Chand is standing here as a yogi. Meeting is good and parting is bad and the noose of maya 's net is always very bad. Mistress, it's a carnival of parting. Your husband has come to your door, and if you want to take his darsan then go to the balcony. If you don't, then it's a yogi's bane.^[54] If he gets up and goes, you'll never even have seen his face.

"Mistress, break and scatter these pearls in your hair; break and scatter these ivory bangles, too; break and scatter the sixteen kinds of ornaments you are wearing, for now you must put on a long blouse. Gopi Chand has come as a yogi. On his foot a lotus sparkles, and on his left arm a jewel gleams, and on his forehead is the moon so bright that it's as if the sun had just risen in the midst of the portal. Go onto the balcony and take your husband's darsan . If you like, beat me with the whip, and then go and look with your eyes.

"If the yogi gets up and goes empty-handed, he might give a yogi's curse. If he goes empty-handed, then the desire to see his face will stay with you the rest of your days."

Patam De Rani thought, Let's see, let's see from the balcony. She put wooden sandals on her feet and took a little stick in her hand.^[55] And she went onto the balcony and looked into the portal. On his foot a lotus sparkled, and on his left arm a jewel gleamed, and on his

[54] jogi ki phatkar; this can mean the influence of yoga but here seems analogous to worry about any ordinary yogi, leaving empty-handed and sending back angry emanations.

[55] Why does the queen wear wooden sandals and carry a little stick? Later Manavati Mother comes in this fashion, more appropriate for a female yogi than a queen. Perhaps Madhu describes Patam De as shortly he will describe Manavati.

forehead the moon was as bright as if the sun had just risen in the portal.

Oh my! She went and saw his face, Gopi Chand's face, and Patam De Rani was satisfied. Oh my, look, how beautiful! What a king he is! But he has come under the spell of yogis.^[56]

"Hey, King, so I seem bitter to you. And these Color Palaces and everything seem bitter to you and you met some yogi who seemed good. So you smeared yourself with offering-ash, and put great big rings in your ears. So I seem bitter to you, but that yogi seems good."

As she was saying this, Gopi Chand was looking up at the balcony, and Gopi Chand cried "Alakh! " and sounded his deer-horn instrument. He sounded it, and he held out his begging bowl in his hand: "Hey Patam Mother, drop in alms, my mother. This is my guru's strict order: Give me alms."

Oh my! As soon as he had said this, Patam De Rani beat her head against the wall, and said, "My own husband has called me 'Mother.' Better to die than to live." She beat her head against the wall and jumped off the balcony, and she fell into the portal.

As soon as she fell the queen lost consciousness. Then the sixteen hundred slave girls picked her up and began to massage her. They took her into the palace and wrapped her in a bedroll and massaged her. She had fainted. The eleven hundred queens were weeping and the sixteen hundred slave girls were weeping, and the combined resonance echoed through the palaces.

Manavati Mata lived in a different palace. "Why are the queens and slave girls weeping? What has happened?" Manavati Mother put on her sandals and picked up her little stick and hurried to Patam De's palace. As soon as she came, she asked, "O girls, why oh why are you weeping today? What has happened to make all the queens and slave girls weep? Are you in some kind of pain?"

Then the slave girls spoke, "Hey Mother-in-law, our Grain-giver is in the portal. Your son has come as a yogi. It's Gopi Chand: on his foot a lotus sparkles and on his left arm a jewel gleams and on his forehead is the moon so bright it seems as if the sun had just risen in the portal. Patam De Rani went to take his darsan and fell from above into the portal. She fell from the balcony and we have taken her into

[56] jogyan ki phatkar ma agyo; phatkar here is less yogis' evil emanation than their influence. Thus Patam De explains to herself her husband's desertion.

the palace to massage her. Grain-giver, Gopi Chand has come as a yogi."

"Why are you stirring up mischief? Many yogis come into the portal. What would Gopi Chand come here to take? Gopi Chand will not come here."

"Mistress, accept it if you like, or don't accept it. Mother-in-law, go out on the balcony and see for yourself."
                    (GC 2.9.e)

Manavati Mata
went onto the balcony.^[57] Mother now saw Gopi Chand in the portal,
and bowed her head to him.

She bowed her head
to Gopi Chand,
and spoke to Gopi Chand:

"My son tell me what news
is in your heart?
Son, why did the guru send you here?
Why did you come to these castles?"

"For nine months, mother,
you kept me in your womb, Manavati Mother,
daughter and sister of kings.
It shames my saintly guru that my birth-giver
bows her head to me.

"Moreover, my birth-giver,
it shames your milk
if you prostrate yourself to me."

When Gopi Chand had said that much,
now what did Mother say?
"My Gopi Chand, King,
my darling boy, I didn't bow to you, my son,
I bowed to the guru's robes.

[57] This sung part is also oversize. As above, I give the singing for which there is no arthav .

"Son, it's no shame to your saintly guru,
nor does it shame
your mother's milk.
My son, tell me your heart's news:
Why did the guru send you?"

"My mother, the guru sent me for this:
  'Son, go to your Queen Patam De's palace,
 and cry "Alakh! " in the palace.
Gopi Chand, go and call Patam De "Mother,"
Gopi Chand, bring back alms.

"'Then your yoga
will be fulfilled.'
Thus the guru sent me.
Mother, if I get alms
from Patam De,
Then my yoga will be fulfilled."

When Gopi Chand had said this much,
then his mother said,
"Gopi Chand, I'll have alms given you,
but you must brace yourself.

"Illusion's net will fiercely spread,
so you must fiercely brace yourself.
When she gives you alms,
my son,
your yoga will be fulfilled."^[58]

So, as soon as she had said this much, Manavati Mother went back into the palaces. As she was going she rebuked the queens and slave girls. "O you sluts, why are you crying for no reason? Many yogis come this way into the portals, calling "Alakh! '"

But the slave girls said, "Mistress, we didn't believe what we heard, but we came and saw for ourselves."

[58] The following paragraphs are not sung but spoken: Madhu keeps strumming the sarangi as he talks and at the end resumes his singing. Because the passage advances rather than recapitulates the tale, it is not arthav . This is one of only two occasions when Madhu Nath's performance style thus briefly shifted.

"Shut up your useless wailing, sluts!"

Then she went over to Patam De, lifted off the bedding, grabbed her hand, and sat her up.

Manavati Mata now lifted the bedding
from Patam De Rani.
"Patam De, give alms, my son,^[59] many yogis come.

"Son, why are you choosing misery?
Patam son,
many yogis come into the portals."

"O Mother-in-law, I didn't believe
what I heard from others,
Mother-in-law, I didn't believe
what the girls said.
But Mother-in-law, I saw from the balcony today:
your son has come as a yogi.

"Mother-in-law, my husband
called me 'Mother.'
Better to die than to live."

When Patam De had said this much,
what did Mother say?
"A yogi's breathed upon him,^[60] Son, but your husband is hungry and thirsty.

"Son, your husband has come
to your house,
you must feed him a good meal.
My son, make a meal for him,
Patam son,
Then bring him into the palace."

[59] In affectionate affectation, a Rajasthani mother-in-law or mother may call a daughter-in-law or daughter "son." Manavati Mata uses this device now when the greatest strength is required of her daughter-in-law.

[60] jogi ki lagari ye ukai ab phuk; this phrase means that Gopi Chand is under a guru's control, has received a mantra at initiation. Meaning 2 in the RSK for phuk is mantra parte hue muh se chhori jane vale vayu: "the breath that leaves the mouth when reciting mantras."

"Mother-in-law, I will feed him a good meal,
I will feed him a good meal.
Mother-in-law, if he doesn't speak the sound 'Mother,'
then I will feed him a good meal."

"Patam, son, a yogi's breathed
upon Gopi Chand.
Feed your husband a good meal, son,
he has come to your door in hunger and thirst.

"Or else, son, the yogi will get up
and quit the portal today.
As he came, hungry, he'll leave.
Your husband has
given you darsan ,
now you give him a good meal!"
                    (GC 2.10.s)

So the eleven hundred queens and the sixteen hundred slave girls prepared a feast, and Manavati Mata took the fresh warm food, nine kinds of festive food, and placed it on a platter. She placed a golden water jug on the platter. Then she took it to the portal. The eleven hundred queens and the sixteen hundred slave girls went weeping. And there was Gopi Chand, who immediately called "Alakh! " and sounded his deer-horn instrument. "Patam Mother give me alms, my mother, it is the guru's strict order."

But as soon as he said "Mother," she about-faced and went back. "If he is going to call me 'Mother' then I won't give it, I won't give him alms. I t would be better to die than to live. Why has my husband called me 'Mother'?"

So Gopi Chand won't take alms without saying "Mother." And Patam Mother won't give alms.

When Patam De came back, Manavati Mata said, "Son, he is under the spell of yogis. Give him alms, and then afterwards we'll bring him into the palaces. And we'll give him a bath and we'll dress him in clothes. He's become a yogi, but now we'll keep him here.^[61] Son, give him alms."

"Mother-in-law, he is calling me 'Mother,' so I won't give him alms."

[61] Clearly this speech is intended to deceive Patam De.

"He has come under the spell of yogis, son, and you must give them." Pushing her, she brought her near to Gopi Chand.

"Patam Mother give me alms, my mother. It is the guru's strict order."

The queen backed up again, but Manavati Mother grabbed her wrist and pulled her and forced her to empty the platter. As soon as she had spilled the food into his cup, he took the alms, and as soon as he had taken them, the eleven hundred queens surrounded him and the sixteen hundred slave girls surrounded him, and took him in their midst.

Patam De said, "Grain-giver, I taste bitter to you, but you think that yogi's just swell. He shoved a loincloth up your ass and put these earrings on you. He pierced your ears and put these great big earrings^[62] in them, and he gave you these long, spreading, matted locks of hair. You used to wear a fine coat and shirt, but now in their place you've smeared ashes. Grain-giver, these palaces taste bitter to you because the guru made you think the jungle's swell."

They took him in their midst, and then they brought the little princess, just so big—Phulam De, Gopi Chand and Patam De Rani's daughter—and they flung her on to him. As soon as they flung her, she recognized her father, because he used to play with her, and so she clung to his neck. She clung to his neck, holding on with intertwined fingers. The girl was weeping and nearby the queens and slave girls were weeping too.

And Gopi Chand too was crying hard, his eyes filled with Indra's misty rain. Gopi Chand was miserable.

"Hey Guru Sovereign, if you want to take care of me, then do it, or else, Guru Sovereign, I will go back and take care of my kingdom. Yes, I will take care of my kingdom, because over here the net of illusion is spreading fiercely.

"And the queens and slave girls are weeping. Hey, Guru Sovereign, as I beseech you, come quickly, Baba Nath. If you want to take care of me then do it, or else I will go back to taking care of my kingdom.

[62] muraka; a special term for a man's car ornament but not one of the several special terms for yogis' earrings defined in the RSK simply as a "small earring" worn by men. Patam De says "great big murakas " either because she disdains yogis' earrings and will not accept Gopi Chand's having them (my theory) or because she is ignorant of the correct terminology (Bhoju's opinion).

And as for these earrings-and-stuff,^[63] I'll get rid of them.

"Yes, I'll take care of my kingdom. Keep taking care of me, do."^[64]

So he besought his guru with body and mind. And as soon as he besought him, then the Guru Sovereign, who had gone to the Kajali Woods, picked up his turn-to-ash tin and hurried to see what was happening.

The eleven hundred queens had surrounded Gopi Chand and the sixteen hundred slave girls were there too, and little princess Phulam De was hanging on his neck. And she was weeping, and the queens and slave girls were weeping, and from their mingled cries a single resonance arose.

Manavata Mata forbade them, but they wouldn't accept it.

The Guru Sovereign saw that whirlpool^[65] and said, "Uh oh! Illusion's net is spreading very fiercely around here." So the Guru Sovereign took his turn-to-ash tin and circled it over Gopi Chand and burned him into a pile of ash.

Over here he turned Gopi Chand into ashes; at the same time he pushed him over there into his mother's palace. But right in front of the queens' and slave girls' faces he turned him to a pile of ashes. Manavati Mother looked toward her palace and saw Gopi Chand ascending into it. As soon as she saw him going in,^[66] she said, "Weep, sluts! You've killed my son, now take a rest. May you all burn up! How many times did I explain to you, 'Don't cry, sluts, don't cry, don't surround him!' But you've killed my son, so take a rest, sluts! Now you can rest in comfort. You grabbed him and surrounded him, weeping. Now you've really killed him, he's dead."

Gopi Chand was seated in his mother's castle. When his mother got there, she lit the stove and prepared food. She prepared food and gave Gopi Chand a good meal.
                    (GC 2.10.e)

What did Manavati Mother say to Gopi Chand?^[67]

[63] murakyan vurakan; here Gopi Chand seems to follow Patam De's lead in speaking disrespectfully of the sacred earrings.

[64] The consecutive but contradictory statements are typical of Gopi Chand's perpetual uncertainty about his renunciation.

[65] chakkar; also dizziness, circle, confusion.

[66] Manavati therefore knows Gopi Chand is all right; she makes the following speech to deceive his women.

[67] This is the final segment of GC 2; no arthav follows.

"Feast on this meal, my darling boy,
and take the guru his special portion.
Don't go forward my son,
don't go backwards.^[68] Yes, my darling boy, don't go to the land of Bengal,
your mother forbids it.
My son, don't go to the land of Bengal,
your mother forbids it."

"Mother, I've looked ahead, my birth-giver,
and I have looked behind,
Manavati Mata, king's sister and daughter.
But I've never seen the land of Bengal.
Birth-giver, who lives over there?

"Reveal their mystery to me,
my mother,
and I will do your bidding."

"My son, on one branch
were two fruits,
King Gopi Chand,
King's son and brother.^[69] My darling boy, younger than you is your sister:
Now she will die in tears.

"My darling boy she'll eat
opium-poison and die:
'My brother has come as a yogi.'"

"My mother, eleven hundred queens,
my birth-giver, sixteen hundred slave girls
Yet, birth-giver, none of these ate poison and died.
So why will my sister die?
Reveal this mystery to me,
my mother,
and I will do your bidding."

[68] The sense is probably something like, "Don't leave the straight and narrow path; don't vacillate."

[69] Of course, Gopi Chand has no brother; the phrase "king's son and brother" is a convention.

"My darling boy, those eleven hundred queens, Gopi Chand,
those sixteen hundred slave girls
were born of others,
King Gopi Chand,
King's brother and son.
But, my darling boy, you and your sister had 
   the same birth-giver,
my darling boy, she will die in tears.

"My son she will eat
opium-poison and die:
'My brother has come as a yogi.'"

"For nine months, my mother,
you kept me in your womb,
Manavati Mata,
King's sister and daughter.
Yes, my birth-giver, you slept in the wet,
and you laid me to sleep in the dry.^[70]

"But mother, you didn't eat poison,
you didn't die, so
Why should my sister die?
Reveal this mystery to me,
my mother,
and I will do your bidding."

"My son for twelve years
I served the guru,
Gopi Chand King.
My darling boy, I served Shankar, Bhola Nath,
and brought you as a loan.
My son, be a yogi,
my dear,
and your body will be immortal."

"My mother, meeting is good, my birth-giver,
parting is bad,

[70] That is, she slept with him when he was a wetting infant, and when he soaked the sheets she traded places with him.

It's a carnival of parting, my birth-giver, so I will surely
meet with my sister, Champa De."

"My son, if you go
to Bengal today
don't show them your king's face.
My darling boy, or Champa De is dead,
your sister.
Gopi Chand, don't show your face.
Son, now take a special portion
for the guru,
and go and make prostrations to him,
from me as well.
Go, son, and reach his campfire."

When Manavati had said this much,
Gopi Chand crossed one woods,
the yogi crossed a second woods,
then he came to the third woods.
In the Kajali Woods was the guru,
he bowed his head to the guru.

[Madhu Nath's signature ]^[71]

The village, oh the city, is Ghatiyali,
Madhu Nath sang Gopi Chand.
Now praise Ram,
all brothers,
and recite Shankar's name.

Speak victory to Lord Shankar!
Victory to King Gopi Chand!
                    (GC 2.11.s)

[71] This is the only closing where Madhu actually sang a formal chhap or signature.

Part 3
Gopi Chand's Journey to Bengal

Introduction

Madhu Nath's account of Gopi Chand's journey to Bengal is twice as long as any other segment of the tale.^[1] Moreover, the actual encounter with his sister, Champa De, accounts for a minute portion of this bulk. Elaborated, rather, are the several ways in which Gopi Chand is tormented by female Bengali magicians, and how his guru sends one rescue party that fails and then accompanies another that succeeds in rescuing him and subduing the rebellious women. Comedy and adventure as much as pathos set the mood here.

Initially, the contest between innocent Gopi Chand and his accomplished enemies is thoroughly one-sided. For the village audience, Gopi Chand's travails as an ox prodded in the rear end by a magician's slave girls, or as a donkey loaded with dirty skirts and mounted by a laundress, are exuberant fun. The magicians themselves are gleefully bad characters, completely duplicitous not only toward Gopi Chand but toward one another. Their magic, just like that of the yogis, is subsumed in ordinary life. Thus they use their magically acquired slave to aid in their tedious low-caste labors.

When required to explain the origins of their new work beast, Gangali Telin and Kapuri Dhobin in succession respond by fabricating stories of a newborn nephew and the return gift that a brother makes to his sister for her participation in protective rituals for his

[1] The original title for this part was "Gopi Chand Goes to Dhak Bengal to Get Alms from His Sister, Champa De." It is the only one of Madhu Nath's titles that I modify.

child. In rural Rajasthan such rituals are indeed appropriate occasions to make valuable gifts to sisters. The lady magicians, wild and dangerous as they are, are not so different from ordinary women—a message that has a double edge: don't dismiss female power; or, watch out for female treachery.

The conflicts between Gopi Chand's fellow disciples and the Bengali women plus their disciples eventually escalate into a global battle of the sexes. These escalating conflicts offer a hyperbolic catastrophic vision of what would happen if a few independent women were allowed to influence the rest. When the women are finally defeated there follows an anticlimactic and unsuspenseful battle between male householders and renouncers. If the lady magicians were almost a match for Jalindar Nath and his yogis, the men of Bengal are pushovers.

Like the village audience, I too reveled in the temporary but glorious victories of the Bengali lady magicians when I first heard this part performed. The Rajasthani women I knew were high-spirited and outspoken but in my view a bit too dedicated to their household chores. After more than a year of living in their company, I was completely enchanted by the spunk and playfulness of Madhu's "Bengali women," ready to drop their babies and rolling pins and play games with yogis at a moment's notice. These were thrilling visions.

In the end, however, the women are defeated and punished. After at last transforming the Bengali women into donkeys, the guru tells his disciples, "Take your revenge," and they beat the she-asses until "marked ... with all sorts of lines and stripes" they "dropped piles of shit all over." This scene is described with gusto, if no more than was the magicians' previous victory over the yogis. But I had filtered it out of my conscious memory, until I did the word-for-word translation. Then it made me unhappy. When I listened to the tapes and heard both Madhu and his audience chuckling happily during this moment of revenge, I was troubled.

Gopi Chand part 3 raises issues of anger, violence, and misogyny, even as the yogis raise their red-hot tongs to beat various adversaries. Beyond the collective violence against the she-asses, there are also individual blows—the first struck by Charpat Nath upon the male gardener's back, the second by the meek and mild Gopi Chand upon his sister's slave girl.

What is the point of these moments of violence? In part, I fear, they are funny. But why? Violence is a low form of action; wise yogis with restrained passions are not supposed to get mad. It is therefore comical when Jalindar rouses his disciples by declaring, "If you can't win with magic and spells, then use your tongs, give those sluts your tongs, beat them." But it is also shocking.

The lady magicians, regarding the welts on the gardener's back, sum it up: "What kind of pitiless yogi is that? ... If they've given such a brand, these yogis don't understand pity. They don't even know the word for pity." Patam De in part 2 and Champa De later in part 3 make similar comments upon regarding the damage done by a yogi's tongs. Any involvement in the world is degrading for yogis, but violence is a particularly low form of involvement.

Just as there is a stock phrase for weeping—"Gopi Chand was crying hard, his eyes filled with Indra's misty rain. Water poured from his eyes"–so there is for anger: "X was muttering, dizzy, all in a flurry, till he [or she] burst out in rage and fury." The stylization of overwhelming emotion may be a trick to deny its disruptive, internal, individualistic dimension. Once again, the tale has it both ways. These yogis are not uncontrollably angry; they are acting a part. So the audience can laugh at a brutal yogi, feel disgusted with him, but at the same time reserve judgment.

Issues of kingship surface once more in Gopi Chand part 3. Just as in Bharthari I, the dreaded specter of a kingdom without subjects is raised. In Bharthari the king must give up his daughter to set matters right with yogic powers. Here it requires rather more complex negotiations, and these are managed by a woman. Gopi Chand's sister, Champa De, tells her husband the king just how to abase himself sufficiently before the yogis, of whom he is frankly terrified. The result is to make the kingdom safe for begging yogis, as it surely was not while the wishes of the lady magicians held sway.

Gopi Chand's sister stands out even among the outstanding women of the epic. She demonstrates a sagacious diplomacy in instructing her husband in his dealings with Jalindar. Her intimacy with Gopi Chand is clearly unique. Not only is she the only woman who dies for him but, once revived by Jalindar's elixir, she is the only one who will eventually follow him, herself dressing as a female renouncer and wandering the forest in search of her yogi brother. She thus confirms Manavati's pronouncement that a sister, a fruit from the same

branch, is the one who will display the greatest devotion. Yet even with Champa De the yogi's sustained ambivalence toward women is voiced. She is momentarily vulnerable when, in a split second of concern for her home, she lets Gopi Chand slip away. Madhu does not miss this chance to castigate her as "just like a woman"—with all the phrase's attendant implications of fickleness and material-mindedness.

Gopi Chand's emotional persona really dies when Champa De, his twin, dies in his arms. His parting from her is virtually the end of his story (Gold 1989). He will reappear, but not in a speaking role, only at the very end of part 4 where he passively partakes of the immortality that Gorakh Nath tricks Jalindar into giving him.

Text

Gopi Chand came from Manavati's palace with alms. ^[2] He had called Patam De Rani 'Mother' and brought alms from her hand. He had begged for the guru's special portion. Gopi Chand came to the guru, prostrated himself, and greeted him respectfully. He said, "Guru Sovereign, I have called my Queen Patam De 'Mother,' and I have brought alms from her, and I have brought alms from my mother's palace, too. I have brought you a special portion from my mother's palace. Guru Sovereign, it's enough, my aim has been fulfilled."

"Good, son. Now, Gopi Chand, praise God, son, and do tapas by the campfire."

"But Guru Sovereign, I still have one more desire. Grain-giver, my sister is in Dhaka, in Bengal, my sister, Champa De. My heart is set on meeting her.^[3] So I will go and meet my sister, Guru Sovereign, and then come back."

Then Jalindar Baba said, "Gopi Chand, son, why are you tangling in illusion's net? You ought to praise God and recite his name. You are missing the chance to pray. Sister-fucker, why are you tangled up in illusion's net? How can you possibly wander in sorrow to your sister's place?"

[2] Madhu strums the tune on his sarangi but talks rather than sings; note that no sung segment begins this part.

[3] Literally, "the desire to meet with her is affecting my mind very powerfully." Indian psychology does not consider the "mind" (man ) a good guide for the religiously inclined; rather it is often a willful opponent.

"No, Guru Sovereign, my consciousness^[4] won't adjust to prayer until I have met with my sister."

Then the Guru Sovereign said, "Look, son, Gopi Chand, your sister, Champa De, lives in Dhaka. Over there, they won't allow you to meet your sister."

"Who won't allow me to meet her, Baba?"

"Over there is a land of magicians ... seven lady magicians."

"Who?"

"Behri Yogin and Gangali Telin and Kapuri Dhobin, Setali Khamari and Luna Chamari and Bajori Kanjari and Chamani Kalali.^[5]

/There are seven sisters./

"There are that many lady magicians, so, son, they will never allow you to meet with your sister."

Then Gopi Chand spoke, "Hey Guru Sovereign, I have in you such an all-powerful guru—so should I be afraid of magic spells?"

Then the Guru Sovereign said, "OK, Gopi Chand, so go and visit your sister. Come on the road and go on the road, and call all women 'Mother' or 'Sister.' " That was the Guru Sovereign's order. He gave it, and Gopi Chand bowed his head to the Guru Sovereign and left.
                    (GC 3. 1.e)

Gopi Chand, abide in prayer, my son,
Praise the true Master,
Gopi Chand, king and king's son.
Yes, darling boy, from prayers and praises, my darling boy, your body will be immortal.

Gopi Chand took his sack, his sack,
the yogi picked up his iron tongs.
Gopi Chand put on his sandals
and sounded his deer-horn instrument.

[4] cat (H. cit ); consciousness with a potential for enlightenment that mind lacks.

[5] The caste names of these women translate as Yogin, Oil-presser, Washerwoman, Potteress, Leatherworker, Butcher, and Wine-seller. See Crooke 1926, 134, 437–38, for references to a "noted witch," called Lona Chamarin (the salt one), who strips naked in order to plant rice seedlings. I am indebted for this reference to David White, whose research on alchemical imagery in yogic teachings convinces him that "she is in some way a demonization of the corrosive powers of caustic substances" (personal communication 1987). Lun is the Rajasthani word for salt.

A seated yogi's a stake in the ground,
but a yogi once up is a fistful of wind.
Yes, the Nath took the wind's own form
and turned his face toward Bengal.

Gopi Chand crossed one forest,
the yogi crossed a second forest,
now he came to the third forest.
Yes, in the third forest, Lord,
he reached the borders of Bengal.
When he reached the borders
his sister's
white, white palaces appeared.
[Madhu mutters something and changes melodies .]
The palaces appeared, and Gopi Chand,
the yogi, remembered things
about his ruling time.
Gopi Chand was crying hard, his eyes filled with
Indra's misty rain.
Water poured from his eyes.

"How did such a day arise
for me, Gopi Chand,
how did it arise?
Seven hundred thousand horses
used to ride in my company,
used to ride in my company!
And I'd sit in a throne on an elephant's back,
whisks waving over me.

"There once was a day when
I'd arrive at my sister's
with such magnificence.
But with what magnificence have I come
to my sister's today?
On my fair body
a loincloth is wrapped,
on my fair neck
matted locks have spread,
now my whole body is smeared with ash, Lord,
today I come in poverty."

Gopi Chand was crying hard,
his eyes filled with Indra's misty rain.
Water poured from his eyes.
"There was a day when I hadfifty-two portals,
I had fifty-three doors,
I had twelve districts' rule, Lord,
but today I come in poverty."

Gopi Chand was crying hard,
his eyes filled with Indra's misty rain. Water poured from his eyes, and he meditated on the guru.
"Guru, my sister's palaces
are still distant,
my Guru Jalindar,
Guru, your campfire too,
is far away,
my Guru Jalindar.
Guru, in the jungle I feel great misery, Honored Guru,
from my beseeching please come.
Guru, as I beseech you, come, Baba Nath, sorrow-giver,
Oh please take care of me!"
                    (GC 3.2.s)

So Gopi Chand put on his sandals, took his tongs, took his sack, picked up his deer-horn instrument, called "Alakh! " and bowed his head to the Guru Sovereign. As soon as he had bowed his head ... a seated yogi's a stake in the ground, but a yogi once up is a fistful of wind. The Nath took the wind's own form and turned his face toward Bengal, in order to visit his sister.

He crossed one forest and a second forest, and within the third forest he reached the borders of Bengal. As soon as he reached the borders, his sister's white, white castles appeared. As soon as he saw the white, white castles ... for Gopi Chand it was as if a flaming wick were set to one hundred maunds of gunpowder. Flames exploded, like that.

"Oh ho, what an amazing thing has happened! There was a day when I used to arrive at my sister's with such magnificence. There were seven hundred thousand horses riding in my company and I sat

in a throne on an elephant's back with whisks waving over me and bards chorusing, 'Have mercy, Grain-giver, giver of grains!' And with what magnificence have I come to my sister's today!"

So Gopi Chand remembered his ruling times. Gopi Chand was crying hard, his eyes filled with Indra's misty rain. Water poured from his eyes. In the midst of the jungle he was weeping and wailing.

[Gopi Chand laments his changed condition and weeps for the guru here just as he did on approaching his wives' palaces. And, just as he did then, Jalindar comes and spurs him onward.]
                    (GC 3.2–3.e)

Gopi Chand continued on his way. A seated yogi's a stake in the ground, but a yogi once up is a fistful of wind. The Nath took the wind's form. He crossed one forest, he crossed the second forest, in the third forest he came to Bengal's waterside.

As soon as he reached the waterside, he set up his campfire-andstuff, and he set up his meditation seat, and at once he began to meditate, began to turn his prayer beads, lowered his eyelids. So, Gopi Chand had come to Bengal's waterside and was meditating.

From over there all seven lady magicians were coming to get water. Lady magicians.

/All seven./

Seven, seven were coming.

/Ann: Of different castes?/

Of different castes. One was Behri Yogin, and Gangali Telin, and Kapuri Dhobin, Setali Khamari, Luna Chamari, Bajori Kanjari.

/Ann: Women?/

Yes, women: Setali Khamari and Chamani Kalali. The seven lady magicians were coming to the waterside to get water, and they were talking. In front of all the rest was Behri Yogin, for she was the guru-queen of them all. Among them was Gangali Telin, who looked onto the waterside and spotted Gopi Chand. That yogi appeared to be doing tapas .

Now Gangali Telin spoke: "Sisters, listen! Burn up all othermatters and listen to me."

"What is it?"

"Look, over on the waterside, there's a yogi doing tapas . Many days have gone by since we've played a contest,^[6] but today's our lucky

[6] bad rachasya; literally, create a dispute.

day. So burn up all other matters and let's hurry to the waterside, for today we'll have a contest with this yogi."

As soon as she said this everyone got excited and, going to the waterside, they put down their double water pots. There was Gopi Chand, seated in meditation, his eyelids lowered, reciting prayers. So they surrounded Gopi Chand, all seven of them.

Then Behri Yogin said to Gopi Chand, "Yogi, where are you from? You look like an established Nath. Raise your eyelids, Baba Nath, I have come to take your darsan ."

As soon as she said this, Gopi Chand thought, Brother, some devotee has come to offer service to me. He was hungry too, and thought, Someone must have brought food for me to cook, and then I will eat.

Gopi Chand raised his eyelids and looked around, and everywhere he looked he saw women . Silently he counted them and there were a full seven.

As soon as he had counted a full seven, Gopi Chand, who was hungry, stopped feeling hungry. Uh oh! Guru Sovereign said something about "seven lady magicians" and they seem to have come right here to the waterside. They didn't even let me into the city. They look like lady magicians and I don't even know magic, I don't even know spells. And now, who knows what they will do? Oh brother! So right away he lowered his eyelids again.

As soon as he had lowered his eyelids, Behri Yogin spoke: "Hey yogi, where are you from? Raise your eyelids, Baba Nath, I have come to take your darsan . Why do you shut your eyes now? Talk a little with your mouth. Who is your guru? What is your village and what is your name? Tell everything, or else we will play a contest with you."

As soon as she had said this, Gopi Chand spoke: "O sisters, I don't know contests nor do I know contesting, O Bengali women. And I am a yogi who was shaved only yesterday; I am a new-made yogi. So I know neither contests nor contesting. And I have come wandering aimlessly into Bengal."

Then Behri Yogin said, "Yogi, it seems you are a knowledge wielder, a love-spell wielder, a death-spell wielder,^[7] since you have come into

[7] jann jugaro (someone who possesses knowledge), kaman garo (often refers in the village to the magic used by Rajput women on bridegrooms), and mustgaro (can refer to the action of injuring or killing with a particular mudra or hand gesture).

Bengal; otherwise you wouldn't even have glanced over here in Bengal. If you knew nothing, then how did you come into Bengal?"

"O sisters, I came to wander."

"Does this look like some public meeting place?^[8] Without asking you have come to Bengal, and this is hardly a public meeting place. This is Bengal! How did you arrive if you know no magic and spells?"

"O sisters, I know nothing. I came only to wander."

"Yogi, now watch out for your magic, watch out for your spells! If you don't tell me all about yourself, then I will send you flying, I will send your campfire flying, I will turn your iron cane into a crow, I will turn your sack into a vulture, and that gourd of drinking water I will turn into a tortoise.^[9] And I will send you flying in the sky. How did you come here into Bengal if you know nothing?"

Then Gopi Chand said, "Sister, I am a new-made yogi. Do as you please with me, sister. If you wish to fly me in the sky, that's fine; and if you wish to keep me on the earth, that's fine. But I have come as a new yogi, and sisters, chhot^[10] is striking my ears, so keep away from me."

Behri Yogin said, "Brother, nobody is allowed to come here."

"So is this your father's kingdom? Do you give the orders here?"

"Yes, I give the orders."

"Fine, sister, I won't come again, sister, I've come and now I'll go."

"Yogi, you seem to be a knowledge wielder, a death-spell wielder, and now watch out for your wisdom."

So right away Behri Yogin recited magic, and she recited spells, and she struck the magic blow.^[11] Gopi Chand, poor thing, he knew nothing, he was a new-made yogi. And no one had taught him magic spells, and he had just come to visit his sister. Behri Yogin struck the magic blow and turned Gopi Chand into a parrot. Yes, she turned him into a parrot and put him in her sack.

[8] The term used is patelan ki pol —the entranceway to a headman or patel 's house. Inevitably involved in factional politics and settling disputes, a patel must keep open house for enemies as well as friends.

[9] Behri Yogin address her threats to virtual emblems of yogic identity (Gold 1989).

[10] An emanation harmful to any healing wound, one particularly associated with mentruating women.

[11] jadu ki phatkar; in the RSK phatkar may be a vital blow, a shock, a curse, an angry look.

Then at the waterside all seven lady magicians filled their double water pots, put them on their heads, and returned to the city. They returned to the city, and there they went their separate ways. They each were heading home, but at just this moment, Gangali Telin spoke to her Guru Sovereign—to whom? to Behri Yogin.
                    (GC 3.4.e)

Gangali Telin said to Behri Yogin, "Hey, Guru Sovereign."

/She was the chief disciple./

Yes, she said, "Guru Sovereign, what are you going to do with this parrot?"

"Sister, I will put him in a hanging cage in my house and give him food to peck; what else will I do? What's on your mind?"

"Guru Sovereign, give me this parrot, and I will put him in a hanging cage, and I'll have fine conversations with him."

"Look, Gangali Telin, if I give the parrot to you, then you will give the yogi sorrow."

"Grain-giver, would I give the yogi sorrow? I will give him lentils mixed with butter to peck and sweet sweet Ganges water to drink. I promise not to give this yogi any sorrow. I will love this parrot better than my own soul. Guru Sovereign, give me this parrot."

"Well, you'll really keep him with love, you'll love him better than your own soul?"

"Yes, Guru Sovereign, give me this parrot."

So Behri Yogin took him out from her sack and gave him to the Oil-presser woman. Then they split up, each going to her own house. Gangali Telin put him in her sack and went home. At her home she had three hundred fifty oil presses going. When she got there she took down her double water pots and put them in the water niche.^[12] Then she put her hand in her sack and took out the parrot.

She took the parrot out of her sack, put him down, and recited magic. She recited spells and struck the magic blow and spoiled the parrot. She turned him into a young ox. She made an ox, and she pierced his nose and inserted a thick nose rope.

She had sixteen hundred slave girls. Who did? That Oil-presser woman. And she said to them, "You sluts, how can you be so slack,

[12] Notice this homey detail, which also shows that the lady magicians, despite their dirty dealings with yogis, follow the life patterns of ordinary women.

when I am standing here with a virgin^[13] ox? Take this ox and yoke him to the oil press and drive him day and night. Don't let this ox go, because he cost a lot of money. He was very expensive, and he is a virgin ox."

After she said this several of her slave girls came running and surrounded the ox. They grabbed him and bound his eyes,^[14] and making soothing sounds they took him to the circular track and delicately put the yoke on him. They put on the yoke and the leather harness and struck his back with the nine-tailed whip, and as soon as they struck him, Gopi Chand leaped forward so that twenty kilos of oil seeds were pressed in just a few minutes. After all, he had been a ruler.

"Girls," said Gangali Telin, "don't set the ox free. Grind oil seeds in twenty-kilo batches, one after another. Make him go day and night, and if he goes slowly then beat him with the nine-tailed whip and poke him with the iron spike. Push him forcefully from behind. Don't let him go, this is a virgin ox."

Gopi Chand ground up one batch of seeds and a second one and a third. While he was grinding the fourth batch Gopi Chand's spirit withered.^[15] Gopi Chand was crying hard, his eyes filled with Indra's misty rain. Water poured from his eyes. Plop, plop, his tears were falling, and he went slowly, and they beat him with the nine-tailed whip and shoved him from the rear with the toothed iron spike, so that the moon and the sun were printed on both his buttocks.^[16] Gopi Chand was beginning to get hungry and he was tired; he had pressed four batches of seed, and the fifth was poured into the press. Now how far could he go? Gopi Chand was crying hard, and he besought his Guru Sovereign:

"Hey Guru Sovereign! Oh, father of a daughter! How nicely I have

[13] asudho; can refer to a virgin, to one who has not worked for a long time, to a man who has not had sex with a woman in a long time, to a field that has lain fallow, or to one who cannot be exhausted in any way.

[14] Oxen attached to oil presses are normally blindfolded—the only way, I was told, to fool them into walking in endless circles.

[15] khamalagya; Bhoju describes this as "to be finished like a flower after blooming."

[16] Recall that in his ruling condition Gopi Chand is described as having the moon on his forehead, giving off such brightness that it is as if the sun were rising. Therefore, this branding of his rump has especial pathetic and ironic power. The conjunction of sun and moon carries sexual significance in Tantric yoga (Dasgupta 1969, 238).

visited my sister! Here I am yoked to the oil press and the sluts are poking all over my body. Wherever they please they are sliding the iron spike and striking me with the whip, and I am dying of hunger. Hey Guru Sovereign, now my life's breath will leave me. Guru Sovereign, I beseech you, come quickly, Baba Nath, for my breath is leaving me, and now I am in no condition to turn the oil press."

Gopi Chand was crying hard, his eyes filled with Indra's misty rain. Water poured from his eyes. He was turning the press very slowly. And such grace came to pass^[17] that Kapuri Dhobin arrived to fetch some oil from the Oil-presser woman's house. There she saw the ox going, and a stream of his tears flowing, Gopi Chand's tears. They were beating him with the nine-tailed whip and welts were raised on his hide. And the moon and sun were printed on his buttocks by the iron spike.

"Hey you sluts, this ox is crying ceaselessly, his condition is completely spoiled. The moon and the sun are printed on his two buttocks, and his tears are falling, plop plop, and his complexion has blackened and the hairs of his body are standing on end. Now let the poor thing go."

"Mistress, how can we let him go?"

"Sluts, you will make him breathe his last. Let him go, his condition is ruined, he's crying hard."

"Mistress, Kapuri Mother, how shall we let him go, mistress? You know she ordered us to drive him night and day, and not to let him go, because he cost a lot of money. She said, 'Whip him with the nine-tailed whip, and prod him with the iron spike; drive this ox night and day!' So how can we let him go without her command?"

"Hey, let me in, who does your mistress think she is? Let me in to see that slut." So Lady Kapuri went in to see Gangali.
                    (GC 3.5.e)

She went up to Gangali Telin and asked her, "O Lady Gangali, Gangali lady, where did you get this ox? Yesterday I came to your house and there was none. So where did this ox come from today? This ox you have brought is a handsome one. Where did you get it?"

[17] asi kripa hoi; a remark perhaps intentionally ironic, because the Washerwoman saves him from the oil press only to give him even more wretchedness. In the sung version Kapuri Dhobin comes to take laundry rather than to fetch oil.

Then what did Gangali say? "Kapuri Dhobin, don't keep saying 'handsome, handsome' lest the evil eye strike my ox. You said it two or three times, so now spit from your mouth, spit lest the evil eye strike my ox.^[18]

"My brother went to a lot of trouble to give it to me, so that I could live off its earnings. Look, Kapuri, in my natal home my nephew was born. So I took bracelets and necklaces, and my brother gave me the ox as a return gift.^[19] So, spit from your mouth, lest the evil eye strike my ox and my ox die. Spit then."

When she had said this much, Kapuri Dhobin was muttering, dizzy, all in a flurry, till she burst out in rage and fury. Thus enraged, Kapuri Dhobin began to recite magic, and having recited magic she recited spells, and having recited spells she struck the magic blow and spoiled the ox. She released it from the oil press and turned it into a donkey, and she grabbed the donkey's ears and brought it home with her. She brought it home and tied it to a stake and went running all around Bengal.

She ran around Bengal, and from some she took skirts and from some turbans; she took skirts and wraps from all the women of Bengal. She took them in order to wash them. She brought them and loaded them on top of the donkey. She piled them on the donkey, and she sat herself on top of the pile and went to the pond. She tied up the donkey and washed the clothes, and she piled the wet clothes back on him, and she, the Washerwoman, sat on top. Gopi Chand was crying hard, his eyes filled with Indra's misty rain. Water poured from his eyes.

Gopi Chand wailed, "Oh me oh my, Guru Sovereign, you must come. Your eyelids are closed over there in the Kajali Woods, but I am your disciple, and how my condition has been spoiled today! The clothes from all of Bengal, skirts and wraps, are on top of me, on top of the king. It doesn't seem possible that someone would pile up skirts and wraps on top of King Gopi Chand, but there it is, Guru

[18] nazar or the "evil eye" refers to the destructive effects of looking with admiration on another's prized possession. Spitting is an antidote.

[19] dhund ma; literally, in the dhund . That is, she brought ornaments to her brother's wife and child on the occasion of dhundana —a ritual for the protection of a new son to which sisters must bear gifts. An ox would be an exceptionally fine but not unheard of return gift from a brother.

Sovereign.^[20] And what's more, the Washerwoman has seated herself on top of me—a Washerwoman is seated on top! So Grain-giver, if this were my ruling time, and a Washerwoman sat down on top of me, then I would bury her deep and have horses trample her, or else I would make her fly from a cannon's mouth. But I am being controlled by others, and Guru Sovereign, I beseech you to hurry today, Baba Nath, O sorrow-giver, take care of me!"

Gopi Chand was crying hard, his eyes filled with Indra's misty rain. Water poured from his eyes. The Washerwoman kept on driving Gopi Chand back to her house. There she tied him to a stake and put the clothes out to dry. So he spent the night there and the next day came. On that day, who came to the house? The Washerman had drunk wine, so Chamani Kalali, the Wine-seller woman, came to ask for payment.
                    (GC 3.6.e)

As soon as she got there, she saw the donkey tied up. And she said to Kapuri Dhobin, "Kapuri, lady, where did you get that donkey? Yesterday you hadn't a donkey. So where did you get it? Lady, that donkey strikes me as handsome! You have brought a very fine thing."

When she had said this, Kapuri Dhobin spoke. "Look, sister, spit from your mouth, lest the evil eye strike my donkey. If my donkey dies now then what of yours will be spoiled? In my natal home my nephew was born. I brought them auspicious designs and auspicious hangings, and I also brought puffed grains.^[21] I went to my nephew's protection rite and my brother gave me this donkey so I could live off its earnings. Chamani Kalali, spit from your mouth, slut, lest the evil eye strike my donkey. Spit, because my brother is a great miser, and he gave it unwillingly. Yes, and you will kill it, the evil eye will strike it."

When she had said this much, Chamani Kalali was muttering, dizzy, all in a flurry, till she burst out in rage and fury. Thus enraged,

[20] In Rajasthan the mention of soiled skirts cannot but evoke the potential of menstrual pollution. I was told that even the skirt of a non-menstruating woman was polluting because it must have come into contact with menstrual blood.

[21] Colored designs (satya ) are made on paper and placed by the door of a new mother, usually not for dhundana but on the day of the postpartum cleansing ritual and sun god worship. Wreaths (bandarval ) are hung over the doorway during celebrations of childbirth. Grains (dhani ) are usually barley or wheat.

she recited magic, Chamani recited spells, and she struck the magic blow. As soon as she struck the magic blow, she spoiled the donkey and turned him into a rooster, a cock. She made him a rooster and put him in her sack and took him to her house. And the Washerwoman just stood there staring.

She took him and began to teach the rooster. She taught him to speak—"Cockadoodle doo!"—and sat him on the rooftop.

Gopi Chand had fifty-two portals, he had fifty-three doorways, he had twelve districts' rule, and a court of judgment in his home—and he had seven hundred thousand horses. When he went out with his horse company, seven hundred thousand horses went out. And he rode on an elephant, upon a royal seat, and whisks were waved over him, and his praises were constantly shouted out by numerous bards. How did a condition like Gopi Chand's get ruined?

Chamani Kalali had made Gopi Chand into a rooster and seated him up on her rooftop and taught him to speak in a fine voice as the sun was rising.

Now Behri Yogin's husband was Asamal Yogi. So he was the Wine-seller's elder sister's husband.^[22] Who?—Asamal Yogi. He lived at Asan where Ogar Nath lives.^[23] Behri Yogin lived there, at Asan, and there Asamal Yogi had set up his campfire, for doing tapas . He kept on doing tapas all day. And all alone he played sixteen flutes at once.^[24] Who? Asamal Yogi. And he remained absorbed in the melody. So at daybreak Behri Yogin would take her sack and go begging for flour. Begging for flour, she went to Chamani Kalali's.
                    (GC 3.7.e)

Behri Behri Yogin, the slut,^[25] took her sack, the slut
took her tongs,
put on her sandals and

[22] jijaji; because of the guru-sister relationship that unites the lady magicians.

[23] This is another instance of Madhu's half-joking location of his story in local scenery; Ogar Nath is a member of Madhu's family who lives as a renouncer on the grounds of a village Shiva temple called Asan—literally "Meditation Seat." See Gold 1988, 48–50.

[24] sola pungyan na ekalo bajavai; I thought this might allude to some difficult meditation practice, but villagers understand it to mean that he actually has sixteen flutes in his mouth.

[25] A few lines of singing are not covered by arthav .

sounded her deer-horn instrument.^[26] Now throughout Bengal, today the lady yogi
is going to beg for flour.

Begging for flour
she arrived at
Chamani Kalali's house.
The lady yogi arrived at the house,
and called "Alakh! "
and sounded her deer-horn instrument.
She sounded her horn and
looked up on the roof
and saw a rooster
sitting there.
The lady yogi saw the rooster, and what did Behri Yogin say
to the Wine-seller woman?
"Wine-seller woman, where did you pick up
this extra yogi, slut?

"One slut turned him
into an ox,
and yoked him to the oil press.
One slut turned him
into a donkey
and one made him a rooster.
O slut, where did you pick up
this extra yogi, slut?"

When Behri Yogin had said this much,
Chamani came outside.
Chamani came outside, prostrated
to the lady yogi,
then stood with her palms joined.
"My guru, I have given your yogi
no trouble at all.
My guru, yesterday I went to the Washerwoman's
and she kept him as a donkey.
My guru, I turned the donkey into a rooster,

[26] Note that she prepares to go begging just as a male yogi would.

I only brought him yesterday.
My guru, I have given this yogi no trouble, dear guru,
what do I want with a yogi?
My guru, take away the yogi, dear guru,
what do I want with him?"

When Chamani had said this much,
the slut Behri Yogin
began to recite magic,
the lady yogi began to recite spells.
The lady yogi struck the magic blow
and turned the rooster back into a parrot.
                    (GC  3.8.s)

So Behri Yogin turned him into a parrot and put him in her sack and brought him from Chamani Kalali's place. Begging flour as she went she continued on her way until she came to Asan. As soon as she came to Asan, there was her husband, playing one melody on sixteen flutes. He was filled with the flutes' melody and was sitting in a meditation posture, like this, and the crackling fire was burning, and the yogi was intoxicated by the melody. Just then Behri Yogin came and said, "Hey, my husband, you are intoxicated by the melody, but I have brought a surprise for us."

As soon as she said this, Asamal Yogi stopped the melody of all the flutes and raised his eyelids and said to Behri Yogin, "Ho, lady yogi, what surprise have you brought? Tell me. What have you brought?"

At once, Behri Yogin put her hand into her sack and took out the parrot. She took out the parrot and put it at the feet of Asamal Yogi. As soon as she put down the parrot, Asamal Yogi looked at it. He looked at the parrot with attention, and he shook his head, like this [in disapproval, as Madhu demonstrates ]. "You've done something awful, lady yogi. You've done something awful! Why have you brought it? O, you sorrow-giving slut, what crime did it do?"

"O Grain-giver, what happened, tell the truth. Why are you shaking your head?"

"O slut, why have you brought your death? Your death has come. Put him back where you got him."

Behri Yogin said, "What do you mean, my death?"

"He is the king of Gaur Bengal. His name is Gopi Chand, and he is the real brother-in-law of our own king, and he is our queen's real

brother. So when king finds out he will bury you deep and have horses trample you, or he will send you flying from a cannon's mouth. Whom? All seven of you sluts. And if it so happens that our king and queen don't find out, well he is Jalindar Nath's disciple, Jalindar Nath! In the Kajali Woods his fourteen hundred invisible disciples are gathered, doing tapas , and his fourteen hundred visible disciples are doing tapas , and his fire burns with saffron. So Jalindar Baba will come and lay waste to the whole city. And he will turn you all into donkeys and beat you with tongs until your skin flies off. Braying 'Tibhu tibhu' you will wander here and there.

"Put him back where you got him. He is your death. Take him back wherever you found him. Let him go. There's no use keeping him, so hurry up and put him back. If you are saved from the sword's blade you will be slain with the point, and if you are saved from the point, then you will be slain with the blade."^[27]

After Asamal Yogi had said this much, Behri Yogin was muttering, dizzy, all in a flurry, till she burst out in rage and fury. Picking up the parrot she put him in her sack, saying, "My pockets are filled with many such as Jalindar Baba. I keep them in my pockets. But you, Baba, you are uselessly absorbed in the melody of sixteen flutes."

She put him in her sack. There was a two-story building there, in Asan, and she climbed upstairs, saying to herself, "Many like Asamal Yogi play in my pockets." But as she was running, Asamal Yogi spoke, "Ho, lady yogi, one day your pockets will split and Jalindar Baba will emerge. Your pockets will burst, and on that day I won't come to help you."

"Fine, don't come! My pockets are filled with many such as him, Babaji." And she climbed to the top floor, set out her cot, hung the parrot in a cage, and lay down to sleep.
                    (GC 3.8.e)

Behri Yogin tossed this way and that, but she couldn't get to sleep. A train of thought^[28] filled her mind. Her thoughts ran on about what Asamal Yogi had said. Her eyes were shut, but she couldn't get to sleep. She thought, My husband Asamal Yogi said: "This is the king

[27] That is, if you escape the king then Jalindar Baba will get you, and vice versa.

[28] veg or beg ; literally "speed," but used for an interior stream of thought that is uncontrollable.

of Gaur Bengal, and put him back where you got him." So let's see, is it the king of Gaur Bengal? He said it was Gopi Chand, so let's see, a king's face is hardly unrecognizable. Let's make him into a man and look at his face and see if his face is a king's beautiful one.

In the attic Behri Yogin quickly took down the cage and took the parrot out of the cage. At once she recited magic and recited spells and struck the magic blow, and she turned the parrot into a man. As soon as she made it a man, it was Gopi Chand, the king's son. On his foot a lotus sparkled and on his left arm a jewel glittered and on his forehead was the moon, so it seemed as if the sun had risen on the top floor. As soon as that sun rose, Behri Yogin turned her full gaze in his direction, Behri Yogin looked, and as soon as she looked she became dizzy, dazzled by the king's radiance, she fell face down. Behri Yogin was not able to endure the king's heat, so she fell on her face and for two hours she remained without consciousness, without knowledge.

Gopi Chand saw. "Now she's unconscious. But if I kill her, then what will happen? There are too many others—what good will it do to kill just one? Brother, if I kill this lady yogi the others are ready. Asamal Yogi is ready, and there are seven lady magicians ready, there is all of Bengal full of powerful magic-wielders. They will not let me go safely. So what's the use of killing her? Let me beseech the guru!

"By now, so many days have passed when I've been in animal bodies. Some days I was a donkey, and some days I was a parrot, and some days I was a rooster, and some days I was an ox and yoked to the oil press. But now I'm inside a human body, so with body and mind let me meditate on the guru."

So Gopi Chand besought the guru with body and mind, "Hey Guru Sovereign, from my beseeching quickly come, Baba Nath, O sorrow-giver, if you would take care of me then please do, because my soul is very confused.

"And Baba, I have endured so many troubles. Just now I am in a human body, and in my human body I am meditating on you. Guru Sovereign, remove my troubles, Guru Sovereign, then I will never come back to Bengal."

So with his body and mind Gopi Chand remembered and praised his guru, up on the top floor. As soon as he remembered him, the guru's meditation seat in the Kajali Woods began to shake. There were fourteen hundred disciples doing tapas invisibly and fourteen

hundred doing tapas visibly. Among these, Charpat Nath, was the chief disciple. Charpat Nath stood at the campfire, serving the guru, and right away the Guru Sovereign's eyelids opened, and as soon as he opened his eyes, he said to Charpat Nath, "Son, Charpat?"

"Yes, Guru Sovereign?"

"Son, what king's kingdom is swaying? Son, what ascetic's asceticism has diminished, what truthful person has swayed from truth? Say, son, my meditation seat trembled and my eyelids opened—what's going on?"

Then spoke who? Charpat Nath. Palms joined together, he spoke, "Hey Guru Sovereign, hey Jalindar Baba, you made Gopi Chand, the king of Gaur Bengal, your disciple. You made him your disciple, Baba, and you put yogis' earrings in his ears and caused him to put on renouncers' clothes and caused his hair to grow and spread and smeared him with ash and sent him into Bengal to visit his sister. But he hasn't met his sister, and, Guru Sovereign, over there he met the other sisters, on the road, the other sisters, the seven lady magicians. And, Guru Sovereign, Gopi Chand's condition has been greatly spoiled. Grain-giver, take care of him at once. You made him a disciple and you sent him, and he knew nothing at all, nothing. You sent him to visit his sister and he has suffered a great deal of sorrow, a great deal. His tears are flowing. You had better take care of Gopi Chand right away."

"Good, good, son, let's do it right now."

Meanwhile, two hours passed completely, and Behri Yogin regained consciousness. As soon as she regained consciousness, "Oh me oh my, the father-eater! If he had wanted to kill me, he could have done it, he could have kicked me. It's weird that I lost consciousness."

Having regained consciousness, she recited magic and she recited spells and she struck the magic blow. As soon as she struck the magic blow, she turned Gopi Chand back into a parrot. She made him a parrot and shut him in the cage and took it to a dark pit^[29] in the middle of Asan. It was a chest-deep hole, and she buried him with the cage, so deep, and pushed a flat stone on top.

"We'll see, if Jalindar Baba comes, how will he search and who will give him the address?

[29] khai ; according to Bhoju this can refer to a ditch, moat, or trench, such as rich people have beneath their houses to hide money and valuables.

/Even the wind can't go near him./

"We'll see who will give him Gopi Chand's address."

And now let's see about Jalindar ourselves.
                    (GC 3.9.e)

Jalindar Nath said to Charpat Nath, "Call the fourteen hundred disciples. We will send them into Bengal to search for Gopi Chand and bring him back." So as soon as he got the Guru Sovereign's order, Charpat Nath went. And he brought the fourteen hundred disciples who were doing tapas , and they stood in the exalted presence of the Guru Sovereign. The Guru Sovereign said, "O sons, fourteen hundred disciples, go to Bengal now, and search for Gopi Chand and bring him back at once."

The fourteen hundred disciples said, "Guru Sovereign, we will shit right here but we won't put a foot in Bengal!" [Laughter ]

"Why, what's the matter?"

"Grain-giver, we know nothing and—son of a ....!—as soon as we get there, they will make us into donkeys. What can we do by going there? We won't have the tiniest effect. As soon as we get there, they'll turn us into donkeys, so we won't go to Bengal at all."

Then the fourteen hundred disciples said, "Guru Sovereign, send Charpat Nath with us to Bengal, send the chief disciple, and then we will go otherwise, as soon as we get there, my son's ... they will make us into donkeys. So send Charpat Nath with us and then we will go."

When they had spoken the Guru Sovereign said, "OK, son, Charpat Nath?"

"Yes, Guru Sovereign?"

"You go, son, and search for Gopi Chand and take care of him and quickly bring him back."

Then Charpat Nath said, "Hey Guru Sovereign, send me too, but later take care of me quickly, so I won't end up a donkey braying in the wilderness, because of those sluts. I don't want to bray in the wilderness while you're over here with your eyelids lowered."

"That would be a big surprise. The sister-fuckers ... go! How can those sluts make donkeys out of you?"

Then the fourteen hundred disciples took their sacks, picked up their tongs, put on their sandals and lifted their horn instruments. Then they bowed their heads to their Guru Sovereign. A seated yogi's

a stake in the ground, but a yogi once up is a fistful of wind. The Naths took the wind's own form and turned their faces toward Bengal. They crossed one forest, they crossed a second forest, and in the third forest they reached the garden of Bengal. As soon as they reached the garden, there was the garden-keeper^[30] standing in the entranceway, Bhairu Mali.

"Hey garden-keeper."

"Yes, Sovereign."

"OK, brother, open the gate. Here are fourteen hundred yogis, who will do tapas in the garden."

Then the garden-keeper said, "Loincloth-wearers, what connection does this place have with Babajis? If I let you in, you will spoil the king's garden. Scram into the jungle! Do tapas in the jungle. If you set up your campfires here, you will break the mango and lemon and orange trees. So go into the jungle. What business do Babajis have in the garden?"

Then Charpat Nath said, "Garden-keeper, these yogis don't do tapas in the jungle, they do tapas only in gardens. So open the gate."

"O loincloth-wearers, didn't I say you have no business in this garden? Go in the jungle to heat yourselves at fires. This is the king's garden and you will spoil it. There is no order to let you enter it."

"So, there's no order?"

"Yes."

At this point Charpat Nath was muttering, dizzy, all in a flurry, till he burst out in rage and fury. He gave the garden-keeper a blow on the back with his tongs that sent him rolling. Falling and rolling went the Gardener. He had given just one blow to the Gardener, but two welts rose up on his back, just like when sick livestock are branded.

And he went rolling and wailing, he fled into Bengal. Over there at the waterside all seven lady magicians—Gangali Telin, Kapuri Dhobin, Setali Khamari, Luna Chamari, Bajori Kanjari, and Chamani Kalali, all seven lady magicians^[31] were filling their pots with water. And here came the garden-keeper, crying and crying.

[30] bagavan; I translate this term, referring to a particular post, as "gardenkeeper," and for the caste name Mali I use Gardener. Bhairu is the name of a member of the audience who is of the Gardener caste.

[31] He has left out Behri Yogin, probably by accident.

/After having been branded./

After having been branded. [Laughter ]

Then all seven love-spell wielders spoke. "O garden-keeper, Bhairu, Oh father of a daughter! What happened? Why are you crying? What terrible trouble has befallen you? What's the matter? Tell the truth—what are you crying about?"

"What am I crying about? I am crying to you, O sluts, to you. You did it, you must have committed some crime and what has happened? Well, you are lady magicians and you have suspended all of Bengal in midair with your magic.^[32] But what's the big accomplishment of doing magic here in our own village? Fourteen hundred yogis have come into the garden. Do some magic on them, and then I'll know your magic is true. O sluts, you can frighten anyone in the village, but let's see you do some magic on these yogis who have come, fourteen hundred of them. Make them run away, and then I will know that your magic is true."

"Hey, we will go at once."

"Uh uh! Don't say you're going yet—first look at my back." Then he ran right up to them and spread himself face down before them. From the back of his neck right down to his hips, there appeared two stripes.

/He was branded./

He was branded. As soon as they saw the brands, they shut their eyes. "O garden-keeper, Bhairu, father of a daughter! What kind of pitiless yogi is this? He gave you one blow on the back, but two welts have risen, just like when sick livestock are branded. If they've given such a brand, these yogis don't understand pity. They don't even know the word for pity."

"Now don't you go, in forgetfulness and trust. Don't go. They gave me one blow, but if you go they will decorate^[33] you. Don't go in forgetfulness and trust, for they'll beat you with their tongs until your skin flies off. That's the kind of yogis they are."

"They're like that?"

"Yes, like that. Don't you go."

[32] akha Bangala na adhar kar melyo ho jadu ka ghalya; as noted previously, to be in midair, or betwixt and between, is a bad condition.

[33] mandna; to make designs of white paste such as women use to enhance the beauty and auspiciousness of their courtyard floors.

After hearing this much they decided, "Let's go back to the village and get everyone together. We'll send around invitations."

So, they returned to the village, and each of the seven lady magicians bought seven maunds of rice and stained it yellow, tossed it in the frying pan and made it yellow. Then they sent invitations, each to her own disciples.^[34] Each one of them had seven hundred disciples.
                    (GC 3.10.e)

Well, brothers, they brought along those who weren't disciples, too, just to see the show. "Come along with us, we'll have a contest with the Babajis." So they gathered at the waterside, some wrapped in striped wraps or wraps with silver trim, some wearing flowered skirts. Dressed like that they came, in splendid multicolors, on the pretext of getting water. They gathered from the whole village, from the whole city.

In front of them all were the seven lady magicians, and in front of the seven was the guru-queen, Behri Yogin. They hurried to the garden. They went through the gate, and the fourteen hundred yogis had lowered their eyelids, and their campfires were crackling. They had put logs in their campfires and they had lowered their eyelids, and they were reciting "Shiv Shiv."

The garden filled with all the women of Bengal. Behri Yogin went up to the yogis and said, "Hey yogis, from which city do you come and go, because you seem to be established Naths. Open your eyelids, Baba Nath, for I have come to take darsan ."

Meanwhile, Charpat Nath raised his eyelids and looked. As soon as he raised his eyelids he saw. "Oh my! Just as clouds mount in the month of Sravan coming from the place of Indra, like those clouds, mounting and mounting, are these women dressed in red and yellow." The garden was filled and a procession of women spanned the village reaching all the way to the waterside. "O Lord, if they are all magicians, then there won't be enough of us to go around — how will they share us out?"

Charpat Nath closed his eyes, "Hey Lord, are there so many blasted lady magicians here? No matter, it's all to be done by the Guru Sovereign."

[34] Even today traditional Rajasthani invitations are sent via messengers bearing grains of yellow rice.

Behri Yogin had come, and she said, "Hey yogis, where do you come from and where are you going? You seem to be established Naths. Raise your eyelids, Baba Nath, I have come to take your darsan . At which campfire were you initiated, who is your guru? What is your name and what is your village? How is it that you have come in such a mass? Give me this information; if not I'll play a contest with you."

"O sisters, I don't know contests and I don't know contesting, O Bengali women. Why have you come to quarrel with meditating sadhus ? Go home. I have lost my central and priceless pearl^[35] and I've come to Bengal to search for it."

"O yogis, you must be knowledge wielders, you must be love-spell wielders, you must be death-spell wielders, for you have come into Bengal, and if you weren't then you couldn't have come. What priceless pearl have you lost? You must be knowledge wielders and for this reason have come here to give us a test. Now tell everything, or else, yogi, I will play a contest with you."

"O sisters, I don't know contests and I don't know contesting."

"You don't know? Does this look like some public meeting place where you can come without asking?"

"I didn't know, lady, that your wishes were commands here, or I wouldn't have come."

"O yogi, knowledge wielder, love-spell wielder, death-spell wielder, watch out for your wisdom now. Because I am going to send you and your campfires and your gourds and your iron tongs and your sacks all flying in the sky."

"Let them fly." As he said this, Charpat was muttering, dizzy, all in a flurry, till he burst out in rage and fury. And Charpat Nath recited magic and recited spells and struck the magic blow and turned all the sluts into donkeys—every single one of them. Charpat Nath made them all into donkeys. But, my son's ...! Behri Yogin remained standing.

She stood there and challenged Charpat Nath: "Yogi, if you are holding back some of your wisdom, then swear on your guru a hundred thousand oaths! As much wisdom as you've got, let it come over

[35] khan; according to Bhoju, this is a variant spelling of kann , one of the names of Krishna, and implies that Gopi Chand is as special among Jalindar's disciples as Krishna was among the Gopis.

me. You have made all the city's women into donkeys. But now let your wisdom come on me, let it come now!"

Charpat Nath once more recited magic, recited spells, struck the magical blow. He said spells into many pebbles and threw them, but not one struck Behri Yogin. After a bit she said, "Have you finished?"

"Lakshmi,^[36] my magic doesn't work on you."

"So, Charpat Nath, better be careful because my skill is coming." And Behri Yogin recited magic, she recited spells, she struck a magic blow, and as soon as she had struck a magic blow, she turned all the disciples into donkeys. After this clash, Charpat Nath alone remained standing. And on the other side, only the lady yogi. That's it, the others were made into donkeys. But sister-shamed Charpat Nath! While she alone remained standing, if only he had given her a couple of blows with his tongs, then he might have been able to stop the lady yogi. But he missed his chance. Charpat Nath again recited magic and recited spells, but nothing happened. That was it, he was defeated. "Enough, enough, now what can I send over you, Lakshmi?"

She said, "Charpat Nath, be careful, now my skill is coming." And she recited magic. After reciting magic she recited spells, and she struck the magic blow. Son of a ...! The lady yogi turned Charpat Nath into a camel. She made him a camel and then the lady yogi turned the women who were donkeys back into women. Who? Behri Yogin.

Yes the fourteen hundred disciples were made donkeys, and the women beat them soundly with sticks, and they threw clumps of earth at them. "Run off, let's go!" They drove them into the wilderness and left them there.

Having left them in the jungle they came back. They had won, and came singing victory songs, son of a ...! They were happy! And they went into the village. And the women said to those who had not gone, "My sister-in-law, if only you had come with us! Fourteen hundred yogis were made into donkeys and driven into the jungle. We played a contest today and had a lot of fun."

"O big sister-in-law, take me with you next time, take me with you. Next time, sister-in-law, don't leave me behind." So right away the others were ready. The women were talking like that, and

[36] It is common in the village to address a woman who is giving you a hard time as the goddess of good fortune and prosperity.

the fourteen hundred disciples were braying, "Tibhu tibhu," and beseeching the Guru Sovereign. "Hey, Guru Sovereign, we beseech you, come quickly, Baba Nath."
                    (GC 3.11.e)

So, the fourteen hundred disciples had eaten up all the grass. And now what was left to eat in the wilderness? Charpat disciple, who was turned into a camel, had stripped off and eaten the leaves of all the nim and khejara trees. And he besought the Guru Sovereign. He was crying hard, his eyes filled with Indra's misty rain. Water poured from his eyes. He besought the guru, "Hey Guru Sovereign, come here quickly, Baba Nath, O sorrow-giver, now take care of us. Those lady magician sluts have turned our fourteen hundred disciples into donkeys and driven them into the jungle."

The fourteen hundred disciples were crying hard, their eyes filled with Indra's misty rain. Water poured from their eyes. Whose eyes? The donkeys'. They had turned the fourteen hundred into donkeys, and the chief disciple, Charpat Nath, they turned into a camel. The camel in the jungle was crying and beseeching the guru with body and mind, and the fourteen hundred disciples were beseeching the Guru Sovereign: "Baba, we pray, come here quickly, Baba Nath, we are turned into donkeys and Grain-giver, you have your eyelids lowered over there, but the seven lady magicians of Bengal turned us into donkeys and drove us into the jungle."

As soon as they besought the guru with body and mind, the Guru Sovereign's eyelids rose in the Kajali forest. There were fourteen hundred disciples doing tapas invisibly, among whom the chief disciple was Hada, the king of Bundi's prince. He was a Hada Rajput.^[37] He was Guru Jalindar Baba's disciple. [Hada has an exchange with Jalindar identical to Charpat Nath's previous conversation. Jalindar, as before, commands his fourteen hundred disciples to go and rescue Gopi Chand, and when they protest he orders Hada to go with them. When Hada expresses his own reluctance to deal with the lady magicians, Jalindar is annoyed.]
                    (GC 3.12.e)

[37] Bundi was a small princely state not far from Ajmer district. The name of Bundi's ruling clan was Hada.

"Sister-fucker! Are there thousands and millions of lady magician sluts in Bengal that you can't win? Well, sister-fuckers, if you can't win with magic and spells, then use your tongs, give those sluts your tongs, beat them. Fourteen hundred and fourteen hundred is twenty-eight hundred.^[38] So lift up my meditation seat, I will go with you."

Wonderful! The Guru Sovereign's coming too.

At once they picked up the Guru Sovereign's meditation seat, and they took their sacks, they took their tongs, they put on their sandals ... a seated yogi's a stake in the ground, but a yogi once up is a fistful of wind. The Naths took the wind's own form and turned their faces toward Bengal. They crossed one forest, they crossed another forest, in the third forest they came to the Bengal garden.

As soon as they entered the Bengal garden and passed through its gates, they came to where the fourteen hundred yogis had been doing tapas . Then they saw that the campfires were burning like this [Madhu and his listeners are seated around a fire] — the campfires of the first ones who were made into donkeys. Fourteen hundred campfires were just as they had left them, with the wood burning, but not a single disciple.

Jalindar Baba looked and laughed. He said, "O Hada disciple."

"Yes, Guru Sovereign?"

"Fourteen hundred campfires are burning but there's not one disciple! The sluts have eaten all of them, they have eaten up all fourteen hundred disciples, those lady magicians, my daughters!"

"Oh, who knows what happened, Baba."

"Well, sons, sit at these fourteen hundred campfires, they are burning. Set up your meditation seats, and Hada disciple, let's see, let's lower our eyelids and take care of our disciples."

Saffron is burning in the Guru Jalindar Baba's campfire. He fixed up his meditation seat and burned saffron in his campfire. And all the other disciples sat at the burning campfires and Hada disciple set up his meditation seat and lowered his eyelids and began to take care. He set his mind to take care of the fourteen hundred disciples who were turned into donkeys in the jungle. They were braying in the wilderness, here and there. And Charpat Nath, who himself was a

[38] That is, we must outnumber them.

camel, was stripping and eating the bark from the nim and khejara trees.

As soon as he raised his eyelids, Hada disciple said, "Hey Guru Sovereign, your fourteen hundred disciples are turned into donkeys and Charpat Nath has become a camel and is stripping the nim and khejara trees and eating them."

Fine! Now let's see the orders given to Bhairu and Hanuman.^[39] Guru Sovereign!
                    (GC 3.13.e)

He gave an order to Bhairu and Hanuman. "Sons, go and bring the fourteen hundred disciples." Bhairu and Hanuman went at once, and they gathered the fourteen hundred disciples together and brought them into the garden. As soon as they entered, then Hada disciple began to recite magic, he began to recite spells, he struck the magic blow, and as soon as he struck the magic blow he turned the donkeys back into disciples. And Charpat Nath who was a camel, he made him back into Charpat Nath, and as soon as he was himself again Charpat Nath prostrated to the guru. "O Guru Sovereign, even though I have an all-powerful guru such as you, still those sluts were able to do magic on me. They made me into a camel, Grain-giver. And they made all the other disciples into donkeys."

Then the Guru Sovereign said, "Sons."

"Yes?"

"Each of you set up a separate campfire and cut wet green wood from the garden trees, mango, lemon, orange, and all. Cut it and put it on the campfires. And all together call "Alakh! " and all together sound your horn instruments. Now day will become night in Bengal. And the whole of Bengal will shiver, shake, and tremble. And right away, without our calling them, the seven lady magician sluts will come here."

So they each lit separate campfires and cut the green, wet wood of mango, lemon, and orange trees and piled it on their campfires, and

[39] Bhairu is an agent of Shiva; Hanuman's mythological persona is—like Bhairu's—an active errand-doer, but he is associated with Rama. To my inquiry on their pairing, Madhu Nath said, "These two always stay together." Philip Lutgendorf has clarified this association: "Though a Vaishnava figure, the celibate, physically immortal Hanuman is considered to be a Mahayogi and full of shakti. Hence he has great appeal to Shaivas" (personal communication 1990).

smoke rose up from within the Chapala Garden.^[40] Billows of smoke rose up and went into Bengal; Bengal became filled with smoke, and day became night in Bengal. As soon as day became night in Bengal, they all called "Alakh! " and they all sounded their horn instruments so the whole of Bengal trembled and shook and swayed.

Then the seven lady magicians thought, A powerful yogi seems to have come. Like Ladu Nath.^[41] Right now a powerful yogi has come, day has turned to night in Bengal, and the whole of Bengal trembles and shakes. Right now a yogi who is very powerful seems to have come.

And they thought, This time we must take all our disciples with us. So at once they purchased seven maunds of rice and made invitations, they made yellow rice and sent around invitations.

Behri Yogin had seven hundred disciples and Kapuri Dhobin had seven hundred and that Oil-presser woman, Gangali Telin, had seven hundred, and Setali Khamari had seven hundred and Luna Chamari had seven hundred and Bajori Kanjari and Setali Khamari and Phula Malin^[42] —each one of them had seven hundred disciples. And they sent yellow rice to all of them: "Let's go at once. Come quickly onto the waterside. Many yogis have come, more than before."

"Hey, big brother's wife, last time you didn't take me with you. The first time fourteen hundred yogis were turned into donkeys, and this time I want to go too." So at once, without delay, in order to see the fun and play the contest, for the thrill of it, all of them took their double pots and they gathered at the waterside.

They were dying from anticipation. If one slut was grinding flour, she left the flour in the mill; and if one was rolling bread, she left the flour in the dough dish, she left the dough: "Later I will roll it." And if one was nursing a boy or girl, she tied him in the cradle: "We will be late for the show and miss the fun, so let's go now and nurse later." The sluts, all the women of the city, acted this way. The women gathered at the waterside. Now let's see them go into the garden.
                    (GC 3.14.e)

[40] Either Madhu misnames the "garden of Bengal" here, or any garden full of yogis becomes a "Chapala Garden."

[41] Madhu jokes with his relative Ladu Nath.

[42] This is the first we hear of a Gardener magician; she would be the eighth.

[The encounter between Behri Yogin with her cohorts and Jalindar and Hada Nath with theirs proceeds in an identical fashion to the earlier encounter between the lady magicians and Charpat. Hada, not Jalindar, acts as yogi spokesperson, until Behri announces:]

"I will send all of you twenty-eight hundred yogis flying and spinning in the sky."

As soon as she said this, Hada disciple thought, Oh, son of a ...! She will send us flying in the sky! [Much laughter ] That's pretty amazing!

Then the Guru Sovereign said, "All right, I will tell. Shall I tell you all about myself?"

"Yes, tell about yourself."

"But, brother, if I tell you everything about myself, then you won't send me flying in the sky?"

"I won't send you flying if you tell everything."

"Sister, on Kailash Mountain, Lord Shankar's campfire burns nine jojans tall.^[43] That is my guru's place! And Lord Shankar, the king of Kailash, is my guru. And every day we are gathered ... so where do we come from? From over there, on Kailash Mountain, where there is a masterworker who fashions human forms^[44] out of rocks. As he fashions them, he places them on the road to Bengal. So they come into Bengal. You imagine that you will wipe out yogis so not a seed remains—that you will finish off yogis. But we yogis are taking birth from rocks. The masterworker keeps fashioning us out of rocks, and we set out immediately on the road to Bengal. So you might think that you will finish off yogis, but let me tell you that when the stones of the earth are finished, that's when we yogis will be finished. So now I have told you all about my campfire; and Bhola Nath of Kailash Mountain is my guru!"^[45]

"O yogi, knowledge wielder, love-spell wielder, death-spell wielder, then we will have a contest with you."

"I told you all about myself and you still want to have a contest?"

[43] Kailash is the traditional dwelling place of Shiva; one jojan equals 12 kos or 24 miles.

[44] The term used here is murti , but it refers less to an icon than to a stone figure.

[45] Innocent or Simple Nath, one of Shiva's most common epithets. Although by familiar tradition Shiva is Jalindar's guru, I found no other references to yogis being made of stone; I interpret this speech as an imaginative expression of Jalindar's bravado in the face of the threatening Bengali magicians.

"Yes, brother, we will have one."

Then Jalindar Nath said to Hada disciple, "OK, Hada disciple, play a contest with them, but be careful!" Then Hada disciple recited magic, and after reciting magic he began to recite spells and he struck the magic blow. As soon as he recited spells, he turned every single one of those Bengali sluts, all the women, into donkeys. But during this clash, Behri Yogin was not affected. My daughter! She alone remained standing.

"Yes, yogi, swear a hundred thousand oaths on your guru, and then let as much knowledge as you have come over me."

At this, Charpath Nath said, "Hada Grandpa, those other sluts don't mean anything—I made them into donkeys myself! But, son of a ...! This Behri Yogin is a bag of hot chilis! Hada Grandpa, she turned me into a camel! This one's a magician, and my magic didn't work on her."

Meanwhile, Hada disciple once more recited magic, and having recited magic he began to recite spells, and he struck the magic blow and turned Behri Yogin into a she-camel.

Then the Guru Sovereign said to all the disciples, "There are burning coals in your campfires, so make your tongs red hot. Then, sons, close the gates for a little while, and take your revenge." So they closed the gates and—all the sluts were turned into donkeys—and they began to beat them with iron canes, red hot ones, until they marked them with all sorts of lines and stripes [Told with great zest and laughter ].

They looked like they were wrapped in decorative blankets. Braying and braying, "Tibhu tibhu," they ran around the garden, and they dropped piles of shit all over.

Afterwards the Guru Sovereign said, "Now, sons, open the gates and drive them into the wilderness where you were grazing and leave them." Then they rounded them up and drove them into the jungle, where the disciples had already eaten up all the green grass fodder. And now the sluts licked the dust and wandered in the jungle, braying "Tibhu tibhu."

All the women of the city were turned into donkeys! You couldn't have the vision of a Bengali woman anywhere. In the villages there was nothing you could even call a woman. The Guru Sovereign drove them into the jungle and left them there. Not a woman remained to be seen in the city, so that you could say, 'Brother, at so-and-so's

house a woman remains." Now they were not women, they were donkeys.

Now only men were left; they were searching among themselves, and the boys and girls in the cradles were crying. And Hardev [a member of the audience] said, "Oh no, my son Nathu's wife hasn't come. I myself will go and search for her."

Some said, "My sons' and daughters' mother hasn't come back." And some said, "Oh no! Mine left the dough in the kneading bowl." Others said, "O dear, at my house the bread is burning on the griddle." But others shouted: "Let the bread burn, but my boys and girls are crying in the cradle and whose breast will suckle them, where has she gone?"

Talking in this way all the men of Bengal gathered at the council place.^[46] When they had gathered there, that gardener who was still burning like red peppers—the one who was beaten with the tongs yesterday—joined the assembly. Then the gardener said, "Your women are in the jungle."

"What do you mean, 'in the jungle'?"

"Many yogis came into the garden, and the women went to play a contest with them. The first time your women made all the yogis into donkeys and drove them out. But this time a big guru came and they gathered again. They went to play another contest, and the yogis made your women into donkeys, and they are braying in the berry wilderness.^[47] If you don't believe me, then look at my back."

Who said this? The gardener. "Look at my back, it has welts like streaks of lightning, and the same kind of stripes are on your sluts. Those who were the lady magicians' disciples went and those who weren't came along to see the show."

So now, what to do? Ladu Nath said, "Let's all take ear-high sticks. And let's all go, all the men of the city, and aim our sticks at the yogis. We will show them our magic spells! We men may not have any magic spells, but we have plain stick magic, and from one blow with a stick five loincloth-wearers will fall." [Much audience response and hearty laughter ].
                    (GC 3.15.e)

[46] hatai; usually refers to a designated neighborhood or caste meeting spot.

[47] bor k?? mangara; another example of local setting that refers to an area just outside Ghatiyali where berries used to be plentiful.

And they all took sticks as tall as their ears, and said, "We don't know magic spells, but let's all go search for every single one of our women, my son's Babaji!^[48] They have plucked all our women."

So grouped together, all the men of the whole city went to the garden. They took ear-high sticks and went through the gateway, and then the leader of the whole village and city spoke: "Hey yogis, how is it that so many of you have come and gathered here? And tell me where our women are."

Then the Guru Sovereign Jalindar Baba said, "O brothers, what do I want with your women? It was because of women trouble that I first became a yogi. I became a yogi to get away from women. What need have I of women? There aren't any women around here, and we don't even know your women. And what would women have come to get from sadhus like us?"

"O yogis, we don't know magic and we don't know spells but we have plain stick magic. So tell us nicely about our women or else, with one stick, right now, five loincloth-wearers will fall. Tell us nicely about our women; you may have magic spells, but we have clubs!"

As soon as he had said this, Jalindar Baba said to Hada disciple, "Oh son, Hada."

"Yes Guru Sovereign."

"Son, they don't know spells. They are bumpkins like Hardev. They beat with sticks as soon as they come. As soon as they raise their sticks, they apply them, and afterwards, son, we won't remember any magic spells, after sticks have fallen. So will you speak spells or eat sticks? You won't remember magic spells, son, so take care in advance: the sticks are about to start flying."

Hada disciple recited magic, and he recited spells, and he struck the magic blow. As soon as he struck the magic blow, all the men of Bengal were turned into donkeys. Then Charpat Nath said to the fourteen hundred disciples: "Now let them take care of their women, sons. Round them up and take them into the wilderness, so that the he-asses shall be with the she-asses." They began braying, "Tibhu, tibhu," and went running and running throughout the whole wasteland.

Enough, the jungle of Bengal was now populated, but over there in the city just a couple of old folks were left. All of Bengal was deserted. Then the old folks talked among themselves, "The children

[48] This is an insult to the yogis.

are howling and dying of hunger." The old folks gathered together, "Brother, now what to do? Where did the men go? The men don't come and the women don't come, and something strange has happened."

Later they got the news: many yogis came to the garden and they're the ones who caused the whole city to become deserted. And they made the women and the men into she-asses and he-asses. And they drove them into the wilderness and left them.

Then the old folks gathered and went to the king, to Gopi Chand's sister's husband, to his elder sister's husband. He was on his way to meet with his sister. Gopi Chand's elder sister's husband was the king, and the old folks went to him to lodge a complaint.

"We have a complaint, Grain-giver."

"Old folks, who has committed a crime against you?"

"Grain-giver, out of the whole population of the city, only us, a couple of old folks are left. All that there are, have come."

"So where are all the men and women of the village?"

"Even if you search, you won't find them anywhere."

"Why, where have they gone, old folks?"

"Grain-giver, fourteen hundred and another fourteen hundred yogis came to the garden. And they made all the women into sheasses. And afterwards the men went to search for them, and they made all the men into he-asses and drove them into the jungle and left them. Your jungle has become populated, but your whole city is deserted. Grain-giver, only us, a few old folks remain—and you remain, so do as you will."

"Why, old folks, now what do you want?"

"Grain-giver, we will go and you come along with us, and together we'll get the city repopulated: we'll fall at the yogis' feet."

The king said, "Old folks, why, I'm the only man left and it seems as if you want me to be made into a donkey, too. I'm the only man left in Bengal and you're thinking, 'Brother, let's make the king into a donkey, too.' This seems to be your desire."

"No, Grain-giver, but you are the king, and if you join your hands to them then they will repopulate the city."

"Old folks, I will shit right here but I won't put my foot there. They will make me a donkey. And my queen will be left here in the palace. And I'll wander braying in the jungle over there. We can settle another city. Let them burn up."

But Lady Champa De spoke. Who? Gopi Chand's sister. Gopi

Chand's sister spoke to the king. "Hey King, on account of our subjects, we are called kings. Over what will we rule when Bengal has become deserted? This is what you must do. Your rule is luckless. It's all because there were lady magicians in the city, and they played a contest with the yogis. That's why they made the whole of Bengal deserted. In my natal home, yogis came every day, calling 'Alakh! ' in the portals. And alms were set out for them. But I have been given in marriage into a luckless kingdom, a luckless land. And I haven't had the vision of a single yogi. Yogis never call 'Alakh! ' at my door. In my natal home, every day, every other day, a yogi came, calling 'Alakh! ' I always set out alms for them, and my brother was given as a loan. Ours was the maya of yogis.^[49] But over here in your kingdom, what is going on?

"King, this is what you must do: take these old folks with you, tie your hands behind your back with raw thread, and go over there bare-headed and bare-looted, and fall at the yogis' feet."
                    (GC 3.16.e)

The queen explained it all to him: "Go, he will never ever make you a donkey. It's becaue of the lady magicians never letting yogis into the city—that's why he made your city deserted by turning everyone into donkeys.

"Tie your hands behind your back with raw thread, O King, and take a couple of old ladies with you and go bare-headed and bare-footed and fall at the yogis' feet.

Humility is great, so in the world bow low,
as the green grasses bend in the river's flow.
Why does the erand  climb so high with its haughty power,
Why does the mango bend so low, with its humble power?^[50]

[49] makai to jogya ki hi maya; this lovely phrase seems ambiguous. It could mean "we got our prosperity from yogis" or "we lived our illusory lives by the good grace of yogis."

[50]    nuvan bari hai sansar ma ra na nubai jyo nich,
phani melo gundalo nubai  nandi ka bic;
erand to kyo charhai hai uchau ka uni  kararayi ka pan,
ar am nicho kyo lulai uki  naramai ka pan

The message of these couplets is that one must be humble in order to survive, like grasses or mango trees. A mango bends low and people can reach its fruit without harming the tree, but people cut down the erand (whose seeds are used for machine oil) because otherwise they cannot reach its fruit.

"Even if the yogi looks darkly at you, say 'Grain-giver' and fall at his feet. Prostrate yourself to him and admit your mistake. And he will repopulate your city. Whatever he says, agree with him."

On hearing this the king began to hope, but he said, "Look here, Queen, he will turn me into a donkey, and then I will wander hungry in the jungle and you will remain in the palace."

"He won't turn you into anything. Humility is great. Fall at the yogi's feet."

So, at once the king had his hands tied behind his back with raw thread, and he went bare-headed and barefoot, taking a few old ladies with him. With his hands tied behind his back, the king went to the garden. As he was about to enter, from the gateway, he saw the yogi doing tapas , but to the king it looked like a nine-hand-tall lion seated there, and he began to tremble. He stood trembling in the gateway and did not go inside. The king had no strength to speak. "Now if I speak, he'll make me a donkey, then what?"

So Jalindar Baba raised his eyelids and there was the king, it was King Bhoj.^[51] Jalindar Baba noticed that he was trembling, so Jalindar Baba said, "Hey, King, why are you trembling here? What do you want?"

"Grain-giver, later I'll tell you many things, but first, don't make me into a donkey. I agree to everything else, but don't make me a donkey, Grain-giver."

"Good, I won't make you one. What do you want?"

"Grain-giver, whatever you say, that I'll do, and I will serve you. But, Grain-giver, repopulate my city."

"King, anything else, whatever strikes you as fine. But if you speak of repopulating the city, then I'll make you a donkey."

So the king began to tremble, "Hey Grain-giver, don't make me a donkey. If you prefer it that way, don't repopulate the city."

"Sister-fucker! Your rule is such a blind one! You're the king but your rule is such a blind one. In your village you have such trouble-making sluts—Behri Yogin, Gangali Telin, Kapuri Dhobin, and all the rest of those lady magicians. When our yoga-born come, they don't let them beg and eat. They make some into roosters, and they make some into parrots, and they make some into oxen and yoke

[51] According to Bhoju, King Bhoj was a king of Ujjain; Madhu just used the first king's name that came into his head.

them to the oil press. Those trouble-making sluts made my disciple into a rooster, yoked him to the oil press, made him into a parrot, and buried him in a hole. Your rule is such a blind one."

"O Great King, I will have an edict engraved: 'No sluts will play any games with any robe-wearers.' The punishment is burial and to be trampled by horses. The edict will require them to vow, Hindus on cows and Muslims on pigs,^[52] not to play any contests with any yogis at all. In this way, Grain-giver, I will serve you. So please repopulate the whole city."

Then Jalindar Baba spoke, "Fine, King, have an edict engraved."

"Yes, I will erect a stone edict."

"Yes, so go, order an edict to be engraved and have it erected."

So he called the workmen from several villages, and had an edict engraved. Hindus had to swear on cows and Muslims on pigs: "If any yogi comes, no slut will play a contest with him." Anyone who did would be buried deep and horses set to trample her from above. And each one had to swear a hundred thousand oaths on her own guru: "If any robe-wearer comes, I won't play a contest." Thus an edict was engraved and erected in the ground.

Now the Guru Sovereign gave an order to Bhairu and Hanuman. "Sons, go get the he-asses and she-asses and bring them back."
                    (GC 3.17.e)

Here's what Bhairu and Hanuman did: they produced bees, and they sent them. The bees went to where the he-asses and she-asses were grazing and braying. The bees attacked them and brought them. Then the garden was filled with he-asses and she-asses.

As soon as the garden was filled, the Guru Sovereign said: "Hada disciple, turn the men back into men and the women back into women." But Charpat Nath spoke: "Wait, Guru Sovereign, you're going to repopulate the city? But you still haven't taken care of Gopi Chand, and the whole affair was on account of Gopi Chand. You have begun to repopulate the city but no—Gopi Chand ought to come first."

Then the Guru Sovereign said, "Right, son. OK, Hada, call Gopi Chand." Hada disciple began to meditate, he began to recite and

[52] That is, should they break the vow, Hindus must eat cow and Muslims must eat pig flesh—equally abhorrent although for different reasons.

pray. There was a dark pit, with a slab of stone pushed over its top, and he made that slab fly off. Inside the chest-deep dark pit, inside a cage, made into a parrot, Gopi Chand was buried. By the power of magic, he took the cage out from inside the dark pit and made it fly. Gopi Chand was shut up in that cage, and Hada disciple made it fly into the garden.

"Look," said the Guru Sovereign, "Look, King, at what those sluts did. This is a king. This is Gopi Chand, the son of King Taloki Chand."

At once he recited magic and he recited spells and he struck the magic blow and turned the parrot into Gopi Chand. As soon as he made him into Gopi Chand, on his foot a lotus sparkled, and on his left arm a jewel gleamed, and on his forehead was the moon. It was just as if the sun had risen in the garden. Gopi Chand was crying hard, his eyes filled with Indra's misty rain. Water poured from his eyes. He fell at the Guru Sovereign's feet: "Hey Guru Sovereign, it took you so many days to take care of me. But I have died. Some days I was yoked to the oil press, and some days I was turned into a donkey, and some days I was turned into a cock. And this Behri Yogin is a real slut—she shut me in a cage, and Guru Sovereign, she put me in a deep pit."

Then the Guru Sovereign said, "Son, you are just one single soul but, Gopi Chand, just look at your revenge: the garden is completely filled with he-asses and she-asses. I have made the whole city desolate, and these he-asses and she-asses are standing right before you. I made the whole city desolate for your soul's revenge. And now an edict has been engraved and erected so these lady magician sluts will never play with anyone again, now no one need fear."

Then the Guru Sovereign gave the order to Hada disciple and Hada disciple recited magic, he recited spells, and he struck the magic blow—turning the he-asses into men and the she-asses into women. "Sisters, take care of your boys and girls, and roll out bread and eat." And, to the men, "Take care of your women."

And he separated the seven lady magicians. He separated them and Charpat Nath began to beat the sluts with his tongs. Now with grass blades in their mouths and their hands before their faces,53

[53] ghas ka thunakalya levai ra hath khavai; according to Bhoju these are abject gestures. The women are pleading for mercy.

they fell at his feet. "Grain-giver, we won't play any more contests. No more contests. Grain-giver, we are your cows, but give us the gift of life. Now even if a yogi or a sadhu comes and gives us five shoebeatings—even then we will not play contests with them. Graingiver, the edict is erected. And we each swear a hundred thousand oaths on our gurus to play no contests with any robe-wearers."

And they made vows as required by the edict.

"Then go back and repopulate the city!" Everyone went to their own villages and houses, and they took care of the boys and girls.

Now, the Guru Sovereign said to Gopi Chand, "Good, son Gopi Chand, now these fourteen hundred yogis can go, and, son, now you go and visit your sister. Now visit your sister."

"Guru Sovereign, I tried to visit her before, and the mark is still lying here on my rump—the moon and the sun are printed—and so I've had enough of a visit with her!"

"No, son, you've come this far, so brother, meet with your sister."

Jalindar Baba's assembly went back to the Kajali Woods. The city was repopulated. And now Gopi Chand is going to his sister's.
                    (GC 3.18.e)

[Gopi Chand for a second time experiences sorrow at his changed condition while approaching his sister's domain. However, this time when he reaches the portals of her palace and calls "Alakh! " Champa De sends her slave girl Moti De with jewels for the yogi. Gopi Chand's encounter with Moti De, the girl's return to her mistress, the subsequent attack of all Champa De's eleven hundred slave girls on the yogi, and his revelation—after Jalindar tells him what to do—of his true identity all follow exactly the same pattern as the encounter with Patam De's slave girls in GC 2. I return to the text with the final sung segment of GC 3, at the moment when the slave girls, aware of who has come, go wailing to the queen.]

The eleven hundred slave girls
went wailing,
they went stumbling and falling.^[54]

All eleven hundred bondwomen, the sluts,
went wailing into the palace.

[54] This is the final sung portion of GC 3.

"O girls, I sent you off laughing, bondwomen,
why do you now come crying?
What kind of yogi is this,
a magician?
What kind of yogi is this,
a death-spell wielder?
O bondwomen, did he feed you roasted hashish,
that you have come stoned and wailing?"

When the queen had said this much
what did Moti De Dasi, the bondwoman,
say to her mistress?
"No, Mistress, the yogi is no
magic-worker, Mistress,
the yogi is no
death-spell wielder.
No, Mistress, he didn't feed us roasted hashish.
Mistress, your brother has come as a yogi.
Mistress Champa De, your fortune has burst, your brother
Gopi Chand stands as a yogi."

When Moti De had said this much,
Lady Champa De took down
a whip from its peg.
The lady struck Moti De twice:
"Slut, you're making my brother a yogi!
Slut, I'll use my bamboo to make your skin fly off!
How can you make my brother a yogi!"

When the queen had said this much:
"Mistress, beat me if you wish,
drive me away if you wish,
take away my life, Mistress,
take away my life.
Meeting is good,
parting is bad,
Mistress, it's a carnival of parting, oh Lord!
Mistress, you won't meet your brother again.

"On your brother's foota
lotus is sparkling,

on his left arm
a jewel is gleaming.
On his forehead is the moon, Lord,
Now go, sister, and meet with your brother!"

When Moti De had said this much,
Lady Champa De went to the portal,
she went to the portal
and saw Gopi Chand's countenance.
On her brother's left arm
a jewel was gleaming,
and on his forehead the moon.
Gopi Chand stood shining,
and this sister, Champa De, ran and
wrapped herself around Gopi Chand's shoulders.

"Brother, you had eleven hundred queens
and sixteen hundred slave girls,
when did you leave them?
And our old mother,
when did you leave her and come?
O my brother, to whom did you entrust the kingdom?"
And she gave her brother a hug.

Both sister and brother
are crying hard.
Champa De hung on his shoulders,
dying of anguish,
Champa De stopped breathing.
Champa De, his sister, died,
but remained stuck to his shoulders.
Gopi Chand is crying hard in the portal,
"Now what has happened to me?"
                    (GC 3.23.s)

The slave girls went falling and stumbling and wailing into the Color Palace. When they got there, Queen Champa De said, "O girls, I sent you laughing so why have you come crying? What kind of a yogi is he, a magician? a death-spell wielder? Did he feed you roasted hashish that you have come stoned and wailing, all you eleven hundred slave girls?"

They were crying hard, all eleven hundred slave girls, their eyes filled with Indra's misty rain. They kept wailing, and then one said to the queen, "Mistress, that yogi is no magician, no death-spell wielder and he did not feed us roasted hashish. O Mistress, your fortune has burst, your brother Gopi Chand has come as a yogi."

As soon as she said this, Champa De took the whip down from the peg and gave a couple of blows ... to whom? ... to that Moti De who had already been beaten before with the tongs. She was the chief slave girl. "Why, slut, are you making my brother a yogi? I have only one brother, you wicked slut!"

"Mistress, beat me if you wish, or even take away my life. But meeting is good and parting is bad and the noose of maya 's net is always very bad. It's a carnival of parting. Gopi Chand has become a yogi and come into the portal; if you like, take away my life ... but it's a carnival of parting from your brother—go and meet him. On his foot a lotus is sparkling and on his left arm a jewel is gleaming and on his forehead is the moon, as if the sun had risen in the portal. And meeting is good but parting is bad. Meet with your brother, go and meet him, or else if he picks up his campfire and leaves, then afterwards you will never meet again."

While she was saying this, sister Champa De got up. She got up and went to the portal and there—on his foot a lotus was sparkling and on his left arm a jewel was gleaming and on his forehead was the moon. As soon as she saw Gopi Chand's countenance, she wept and weeping she went and at once threw her arms around Gopi Chand.

"O my brother, you had eleven hundred queens and sixteen hundred slave girls, fifty-two portals, fifty-three doorways, twelve districts' rule, and our old mother—when did you leave them and come? And how did you come to take on yoga, and what caused you to put yogis' earrings^[55] in your ears? What is this you have done?"

Saying these things, she threw her arms around him and embraced him, and she began to wail. Then she really breathed her last. Really, clinging to his shoulders, Champa De died.

Gopi Chand was crying hard, his eyes filled with Indra's misty rain. Water poured from his eyes. He was wailing in the portal, "Hey Guru Sovereign, hey Grain-giver, I came to visit my sister and my

[55] mandara; note that unlike Patam De, Champa De uses one of the correct terms.

sister has died but remains stuck to my shoulders. Something very inauspicious has happened to me. My sister has died. And now what will the world^[56] say? They'll say, 'Her brother became a yogi and came, and then Queen Champa De died. A crime has occurred.'"

Then with his body and mind he besought the Guru Sovereign. Who did? Gopi Chand. "Hey Guru Sovereign, I am beseeching you so come quickly, Baba Nath, Grain-giver, why have you afflicted me with this lifelong blemish?" He besought the Guru Sovereign with his body and mind and while he was beseeching him, the Guru Sovereign came. "Son?"

"What's happened, Grain-giver? See me before you. You sent me to visit, but did you send me to kill my sister? Moreover, as I was on the way to meet her I had a lot of trouble. And Grain-giver, now what sorrow have you given to my spirit? My sister, Champa De, really died and remains stuck to my shoulders, and the world will call it evil: 'Who knows what Babaji came and really killed her?' Why have you afflicted me with this lifelong blemish, the stain of a virgin?"^[57]

At once, the Guru Sovereign took his tin with the elixir of life. He sprinkled the chameli tree and took out Gopi Chand's sister's soul.^[58] He grabbed it and put it back inside her and sprinkled her with the elixir of life.

As soon as he sprinkled her, he made Lady Champa De stand right up again. And she brought her brother into the palace and they had a good time, laughing and chatting, both sister and brother for a few days. She kept him very comfortably inside the palace, and thus sister and brother remained. But she would not let Gopi Chand go. If he went, then she would go with him. "Take me with you, and I will be a yogini, too."

Gopi Chand was standing in the portal, ready to go, but she wouldn't let him go. "I'll go with you, brother. I will be a yogini, and go."

[56] samsar; even as a yogi, Gopi Chand seems worried about what people will think, about his reputation. Bhoju modifies my judgment: he's worried about yogis ' reputations.

[57] That is, a sin resulting from killing a chaste woman.

[58] Apparently Champa De's soul had entered this tree (a fact not previously mentioned); chameli is a type of jasmine, and champa is also a sweet-smelling flower.

Now how could Gopi Chand take his sister with him?

/He can't take her./

In the portal he said, "Lady, look out, your palace is on fire. Fire struck, your palace is burning!" So she looked back to see if it were true ... just like a woman.^[59]

She looked back. "Is it really on fire? He said fire had struck, so let's see if our palace has burnt." In that much time Gopi Chand disappeared. He turned into wind. Becoming wind, that's all, he left.

Later she became a lady yogi. She put on ochre clothing and for six months she searched, wandering in the jungle. But she didn't find Gopi Chand. For six months she wandered, searching in the jungle as a lady yogi, but she didn't find Gopi Chand.

[Madhu to Ann: Now go to sleep, it's over.]
                    (GC 3.23.e)

[59] tariya ki jat hai; literally, "That's the species of women."

Part 4
Instruction from Gorakh Nath

Introduction

A persistent legend in India tells of a land to the east that is "ruled by women." For Rajasthanis this is imagined to be in Bengal; for Bengalis it is in Assam; for Assamese, it is probably Burma. The story of how the Nath yogi Gorakh Nath goes to rescue his guru, Machhindar, from entanglement or enslavement in such a kingdom is one of the most popular pieces of Nath folklore. I have even seen it enacted in the Hindi film Maya Macchendra . In Madhu Nath's version, as elsewhere in Nath literature, the episode is initiated by mutual taunting between Gorakh Nath and Jalindar's disciple Kanni Pavji—who makes his first appearance here—concerning their respective gurus' current conditions. "Your guru is in Bengal ruling a kingdom and enjoying women," one of Kanni Pav's disciples taunts Gorakh Nath with ill-advised rancor. "Your guru is smothering under horse manure," returns Gorakh Nath. This horse manure provides the direct link between the main action of Gopi Chand 4 and the preceding three parts of the tale. Gopi Chand is, after all, responsible for Jalindar Nath's being at the bottom of a well covered with horse manure in the first place.

Other than the manure, the backstage role of Manavati as patron of yogis, and the reappearance of Gopi Chand at the end when it comes time for him to be made immortal, several evident thematic patterns link this final segment of the Gopi Chand epic to the preceding three. Most obviously, the motif of royal renunciation is replayed yet again in the wrenching of Machhindar Nath away from his Bengal. Here, however, rather than a born king who must be persuaded to

turn yogi we have a born yogi who has turned king and must be lured back to the ascetic fold. Like Gopi Chand, Machhindar is reluctant to leave the pleasures of royal life. And, even after quitting throne and wives under Gorakh Nath's persuasive entreaty, he clings first to his sons and, after they are lost, even more absurdly and tenaciously to his four gold bricks.

Echoes of Gopi Chand's adventures in part 3 are certainly evident in Machhindar's captivity by female magicians in a place called Bengal, and Gorakh Nath's rescue mission. Whereas the low-caste lady magicians' sexual use of captive Gopi Chand was only implied by their prodding, riding, and "teaching him to sing," Machhindar's queens explicitly "keep him a parrot by day but make him a man at night" until he settles into domestic life so nicely that they feel it safe to stop enchanting him. They have not, however, reckoned on the determination of Gorakh Nath and are quite readily disposed of by that master. This outcome contrasts strongly with the preceding two parts of Gopi Chand's tale where the aspiring yogi grapples endlessly with females and the victory is often less stunning than the fray. Gorakh has a much more difficult time, however, detaching Machhindar from his two sons.

The violence of Gorakh Nath toward Machhindar's sons may be more disturbing than the iron tong whacks delivered by various yogis in part 3. Rather than the result of explosive and stylized anger, it is premeditated, calculated, and truly devoid of human feeling on Gorakh Nath's part. Madhu employs a fair amount of realism in describing Nim Nath's and Paras Nath's sufferings ("drops of blood sprinkled and splattered.... The boys ... were calling in a terrible way"). The non-Indian reader may well be able to understand how much little boys are loved in the village and appreciate this fearsome example of a truly detached yogi's indifference to human feelings. Perhaps less accessible to the foreigner is the shock that will tangibly ripple through an Indian audience when Gorakh Nath—who needs a dead animal as a prop for his plot to pollute his guru's sons—walks up to a "Cow Mother" and tells her politely to die. (He does, of course, conscientiously restore her life after her carcass has served his purposes.)

Most of Gopi Chand part 4 concerns rivalries among males, beginning with Gorakh Nath's conflict with Kanni Pavji's party, continuing through his extermination of Machhindar's sons, and finally coming

back to the internecine quarrels of the yogi gurus. This brings the gender stresses in the epic cycle full circle. Bharthari began with male rivalries but concluded with the machinations of women. Gopi Chand begins with women's affairs and female characters are its motivating force until the very end when it returns to a male world.

Gopi Chand 4 is, among other things, about the caste identity of its performer. It contains a number of origin stories for objects and groups important to Naths. These include the crystal used to fashion yogis' earrings; the locusts over which the Naths' power was once a major source of their livelihood; the Jain yogi sect founded by Nim Nath and Paras Nath; and the nomadic Snake Charmers (kalbeliya) led by Jalindar's disciple Kanni Pavji.^[1]

Out of the blind well where Jalindar Nath was buried come two rather different products: seven species of locusts and the fruit of immortality. These could be thought of as representing the Nath caste's occupational identity and the Nath sect's claims to religious achievements. The Nath caste's control over locusts provided their traditional claim to worth and salary in rural Rajasthan (see chapter 2). Here Gorakh instructs the locusts to "maintain the honor" of yogis' robes and "keep their stomachs full of bread." The fruit of immortality transforms Gopi Chand and Bharthari into eternal immortals. Full stomachs and immortality are coexistent goals, it would seem, in these popular yogis' stories. Just as the contrapuntal values of love and detachment have been interwoven and interplayed throughout the two tales, so the renouncer's triumph over bodily limits and the householder's need to satisfy bodily hunger both have a place in the finale.

Text

"Gopi Chand, abide in prayer, son,
Recite prayers with devotion, son,
Praise the true Master, King Gopi Chand.
O my son, recite prayers, my dear darling boy,
and your body will be immortal."

"My mother, the earth is ashamed, my birth-giver,

[1] Kalbeliya is a caste in modern Rajasthan. Many of its members still live nomadic lives and perform as musicians and snake charmers. Kanni Pavji is known as this caste's guru.

the sky is ashamed, Manavati Mother,
O King's Queen.
My birth-giver, I will stake my word:
Later I'll be a yogi!

"Mother, give me twelve years more,
and let me rule the kingdom.
Let me ride horseback,
Manavati Mother,
king's daughter and sister.
My birth-giver, I won't break this promise I'm making,
Birth-giver, later I'll be a yogi."

"My son, twelve years? Gopi Chand,
who gets them, King Gopi Chand,
king's brother and darling boy?
My son, death is buzzing^[2]  around you
and it won't leave you.

"My son, the guru's promise,
Gopi Chand, will be fulfilled,
Gopi Chand King,
and king's darling boy.
O my son, recite prayers, my dear darling boy,
and your body will be immortal."

Now Gorakh, Gorakh Baba
in Gaur Bengal
was doing tapas  at a Potter's house.^[3] Gorakh Baba was doing tapas .
Kanni Pavji, Jalindar Baba's disciple,
Jalindar Baba's disciple,
Kanni Pavji, came with his assembly
into the Chapala Garden.

The fourteen hundred disciples
ignited their campfires,

[2] bhunvai; Gopi Chand is like a flower, and death is a bee buzzing around him.

[3] Potters are frequently portrayed as devotees, Bhoju says, because of their traditional role as water-givers. To supply water to thirsty people is highly meritorious.

added more wood,
and praised God.

He sent one disciple to the palace,
he sent him to Manavati Mata.

"Mother, an assembly has come
of fourteen hundred yogis
in the Chapala Garden.
Mother, send them a feast, my mother and birth-giver,
and send wood for their campfires too."

When the disciple had said this much,
she summoned the people
to give free labor.
Mother had them hitch up their carts,
she had them hitch up their carts.
"Fourteen hundred yogis are doing  tapas  in the garden,
so fill up these carts with their feast."

She had the carts filled
with five festive treats,^[4]laddus  and jalebis^[5] she sent to the garden,
Mother sent to the garden.
Now Gorakh came
from the Potter's door.
He had set up his campfire,
and was doing tapas
by the road.
Baba was doing tapas
when a cart came along, loaded with goods.
What did Gorakh Baba say?
"O Cart-man, what load do you carry, brother?
Reveal to me what you've brought."

[4] panch pakvan; in the village this is the most elaborate feast given, consisting of fried wheat bread, three fried sweets, and one crisp spicy treat.

[5] Laddus are round balls of sugary, deep-fried chickpea flour. Falebis are often described as "sweet pretzels" because of their shape. They are made of deep-fried dough that is soaked in sugar syrup.

"Baba, many yogis have come
to the Chapala Garden.
From the palace the queen sends them blessed food:^[6] We're loaded with laddus  and jalebis ."

When the cart-man had said this much,
now what did Gorakh Baba
say to the cart-man?
What did he say to the driver?
"O son, I too am a yogi, so you should give me
just as much stuff.
Now you'd better fill my cup, because all the yogis
will feast in the garden."

When Gorakh had said this much,
what did Hardev Patel^[7]  say?
"Babaji, if you want to feast then
let's go to the garden, yogi.
Here it would all get polluted.
We're serving food at the campfires, yogi,
that's where we're serving it!
If I give you blessed food in the middle, yogi,
the blessed food will all get polluted."^[8]                     (GC 4.1.s)

So Jalindar Nath's disciple ... Who? Kanni Pavji—the guru of the Snake Charmers—Kanni Pavji was Jalindar Nath's disciple, and a great miracle-worker. He had fourteen hundred disciples. Now Gopi Chand was a loan from Jalindar Baba—so now she always serves yogis. Who? Manavati Mata. No matter how many yogis come into the garden, she gives them all tea and water and feasts them. As many yogis as come, that's how many she feasts, Manavati Mata, Gopi Chand's mother. She sends the food into the Chapala Garden.

So there were fourteen hundred disciples. Whose? Kanni Pavji's. His assembly came. And Kanni Pavji too came. They entered the

[6] prasad; the treats are so called because they are offered to god-like yogis and, according to Bhoju, because they are not a whole meal.

[7] Once again, an audience member's name is incorporated into the story.

[8] Here is another reference to "the middle" as a bad place. A plate of food once eaten from is polluted. But if Gorakh were to eat from his own cup, that should not by ordinary definitions pollute the rest of the cart load.

Chapala Garden and they lit their campfires. They were eating and sounding their conch shells a lot and reciting God's names
Kanni Pavji sent a disciple into Gopi Chand's palace. "Go to Manavati Mother and tell her 'Fourteen hundred yogis are doing tapas here, in your garden, so please send them blessed food. And send them wood for their fires, and send things for tea and water.'"

One yogi went into Manavati Mother's palace and he called "Alakh! Manavati Mother, fourteen hundred yogis, Kanni Pav's assembly, have come. Fourteen hundred yogis are doing tapas in the garden, so send them treats and tea and water, and send them equipment for preparing hashish and bhang ."^[9]

"Fine, brother, I'll send it all." Then she summoned the Cultivators and the Gardeners^[10] to give free labor. She told them to bring their carts. And she had them fill these with laddus and jalebis and sent them to the garden.

But on the way they met Gorakh Nath Sovereign. He was staying with a Potter, doing tapas at his house. In that very city. Gorakh Nathji learned that that sister-fucker Kanni Pavji's assembly had come, and all these things were being sent for them. So he said to the Potter, "Prajapat?"

"Yes, Guru Sovereign?"

"Your donkeys are tied up and hungry. Untie them, and I will take them to graze."

"What, Guru Sovereign, you will graze the donkeys?"

"Oh untie them, they're hungry."

So the Potter untied the donkeys. He untied them and Gorakh Nath took five or so and he came to a road. Near the road was some shade, where he set up his campfire. Then he sent a stream from his penis, and he made green grass spring up right there, so the donkeys could graze on it. He let the donkeys graze, right there, on that green grass.

Now the carts came along. What was in them? They were filled with laddus, jalebis, satalya, puris, petha-vetha .^[11] Now as soon as the

[9] Bhang is a drink made with marijuana. Shaivite ascetics often partake of these intoxicating substances, as the deity Shiva is thought to do.

[10] As in GC 1, labor is conscripted from lodas and malis .

[11] Here Madhu elaborates on the delicious tempting treats, adding three more. Satal ya is a deep-fried and crunchy sweet made of white wheat flour; puris are fried wheat breads; petha is a milk sweet, and the echo-word implies still other delicacies.

first cart came along, Gorakh Nathji Sovereign said to the driver, "Hey, what have you got in there?"

Then Hardev brother spoke, "I'm loaded up with laddus and jalebis ."

"Where are you taking them?"

"To the Chapala Garden. Fourteen hundred yogis are doing tapas there, and so blessed food is going there. Sovereign, you should go too."

"Oh but I'm grazing donkeys, and if these donkeys get loose, then there will be a lot of trouble. I will eat as much stuff as you put in my cup. You're taking blessed food there for the sake of yogis. I too am a yogi, and I will eat as much stuff as you can fit in my cup."

Then the cart-man spoke—who? Him, Hardev Patel. "Babaji, if you want to feast, then let's go over there. If I give it to you here, then you will pollute the blessed food. Over there are yogis and we're serving this feast at their campfires. I'm not going to make it polluted in the middle of the road. I won't put any in your cup now. Let's go to the garden where the yogis are; you're a yogi too, so feast!"

"But brother, my donkey will get lost."

"Where will he get lost? Now, brother, feast or graze your donkey. You can't do both. Let's go over there, Sovereign, and feast."

He didn't give Gorakh Nathji Sovereign any.

Later along came another cart-man with tired oxen, lagging behind.
                    (GC 4.1.e)

"O brother, What is your cart filled up with?"

"Sovereign, I've got laddus, jalebis, satal ya, puris , and all kinds of vegetables too."

"O child, I too am a yogi. What yogis are you taking these things for?"

"Yes, Sovereign, you're a yogi. Fourteen hundred yogis are doing tapas over there. So I am going for those yogis."

"Oh, but I too am a yogi, sister-fucker! I too will eat. Give me as much stuff as my cup will hold."

"Go over there, Sovereign."

"But I am grazing this donkey and it might go astray. Sister-fucker, I'm only one human body. So fill my cup one time."

He was compassionate. "Sovereign, over there yogis are eating—

but if you won't come, well, you too are a yogi, so I will fill your cup."

So he took the cup and filled it, Gorakh Nathji Sovereign's. As soon as he filled it, Gorakh Nathji Sovereign said, "Hey landi! " and clapped his hands.^[12] "Let all the prosperity^[13] come into this cart and let the one ahead be filled with pebbles and stones, the sister-fucker!"

Baba said, "Let all the good things from the first cart come into this one." But in the first cart where once there were laddus and jalebis and satalya and puris and such things, nothing remained of them: they had turned into speckled stones, rocks, and white pebbles.

Now the fourteen hundred yogi disciples were doing tapas , and Ladu Nath, too, was there with them. So as soon as the first cart came, he was hungry, and he went over to the cart. Ladu Nath picked up his tongs and asked, "What all have you brought?"

"Sovereign, I have brought what will satisfy you: laddus, jalebis, satalya, puris , all these things."

But he lifted the cover and looked to see what was in it. "It is rocks, only rocks—that's what you have loaded and brought."

"Sovereign, I brought laddus, jalebis, satal ya, and puris . They must not be in your fate. What shall I do about it? On the road they turned into rocks. What can I do?"

The driver had uncovered his cart, and piled up there were speckled rocks, pebbles, and stones. The whole assembly of yogis got up. "O you sister-fucker, what have you brought?"

"Great kings, I brought satal ya puris, laddus, jalebis , all seven kinds of festive food. If they're not written in your fate, what can I do about it?"

"Oh that sister-fucker Manavati Mata sent rocks for us, now did she?"

"Manavati Mother sent feast-food. But on the road this happened ... what can we do about it?"

"Oh my, a weird thing has happened."

In the meantime the driver with tired oxen, the last one, was coming from behind. All the yogis were feeling very regretful: "Sister-

[12] As in Bharthari 2, Gorakh Nath summons the female spirits or saktis who serve him.

[13] riddhi; a term used for Lakshmi.

fucker, how did we end up with rocks? You are saying that you brought laddus and jalebis ."

Then the last driver, the one with the tired oxen, arrived.
                    (GC 4.2.e)

In the first cart there were pebbles and stones. When the rear cart came, they looked inside it—they were hungry, those sadhus , so they thought, Let's look in the last cart and see if it too has nothing but pebbles and stones.

/They were feeling a great craving./

So they uncovered the cart, and it was filled up with laddus and jalebis and satalya and puris —all nine kinds of festive food, all five fried treats. It was filled to the brim!

"The other one came first, but only you have delivered the goods."

"Yes Sovereign, but both were filled with the same stuff."

"But this sister-fucker brought rocks, he brought pebbles and stones, the sister-fucker. Where did he drop the goods, and pick up these pebbles and stones?"

"Sir, I have no idea. I was going very slowly with my oxen, so I have come from behind."

"Oh, and who did you meet? Did you meet anyone on the way? Did you meet any sadhu or saint?"

"Yes, Sovereign, there was one over there on the road doing tapas , one sadhu ."

"So did you give him some?"

"Yes, he said, 'O brother you have laddus and jalebis in your cart, and I'm a sadhu too, I'm a yogi too. You're bringing this for yogis, so fill my vessel, or else my donkey will go astray.' So I filled it, Sovereign."

"Good." Then Kanni Pavji asked the first driver, "Did he beg from you too?"

"Yes, he begged from me, but I forbade it. I said, 'Let's go over there and feast. If I serve it here, it will get polluted; we are serving the feast at the campfires."

"Then ... my son! he turned them into rocks. But for the one who gave him alms, he kept the laddus and jalebis ."

Then Kanni Pavji said to his disciples, "Ask the cart-men if there were people with him."

"No, he was a solitary human form."

"Good, then you seven hundred disciples go and grab Gorakh Nath^[14] and bring him here." Kanni Pavji ordered seven hundred disciples.

Then the seven hundred disciples picked up their sacks and took their iron tongs and put on their sandals. A seated yogi's a stake in the ground, but a yogi once up is a fistful of wind. The Naths took the wind's own form. They were going to where Gorakh Nathji was doing tapas .

As they approached him, Gorakh Nathji Sovereign saw that seven hundred were coming, so Gorakh Nathji made fourteen hundred disciples stand up. He lifted his tongs, like Ladu Nath, like this. [Madhu gestures as if brandishing tongs .] Gorakh Nathji thought, Let the sister-fuckers come, and we'll see how they are going to grab me!

Then the seven hundred disciples approached, but from a distance they saw fourteen hundred and thought: Our beans won't cook^[15] —let's go back. Because we are seven hundred and they are fourteen hundred—they will beat us up. Let's go back. So they went back and said to Kanni Pavji, "Grain-giver, you sent us, Guru Sovereign, but we are just seven hundred and over there near Gorakh Nathji fourteen hundred disciples are standing."

"What, fourteen hundred? But the cart-men said that he was alone. Then he was alone, ask the cart-men, he was alone. He must have created them—that sister-fucking Gorakh Nath—so all fourteen hundred of you go."

"Sovereign, if we go as fourteen hundred then he will make twenty-eight hundred. He is Gorakh Nath. We won't be able to do this."

"OK, so you can't do it?"

"Nope."

"OK, then I will go alone, and speaking with sweet tones I will bring him. Yes, I will go alone, for we won't get him to come by fighting."
                    (GC 4.3.e)

[14] They realize immediately that it must have been the rival guru, Gorakh Nath, who has played such a trick on them.

[15] na galai ápani dal; literally, "our dal won't soften"—a phrase meaning, "we won't succeed."

Kanni Pavji took his sack and picked up his tongs and put on his sandals. A seated yogi's a stake in the ground, but a yogi once up is a fistful of wind. The Nath became the wind's own form. Gorakh Nathji had set up his campfire by the road, by the wayside. He was chanting, "aman sanma rama saman. "

Kanni Pavji greeted him respectfully. "Guru Brother, blessed food has come from Mother in the castle. And my assembly is in the garden. Let's go, Guru Brother, and let's eat blessed food over there. Let's feast on blessed food and let's smoke hashish and drink bhang —we'll smoke a hash pipe together. We'll prepare bhang and almond milk.^[16] Let's go, Guru Brother."

"O, brother, Kanni Pav ... if we go over there, what about your disciples, what will they say? I won't be able to stand it."

"No, Guru Sovereign, let's go, Guru Brother, you've got to come, surely you'll come."

"OK, brother, let's go."

So Gorakh Nathji Sovereign too took his sack and his tongs and ... a seated yogi's a stake in the ground, but a yogi once up is a fistful of wind. The Naths took the wind's own form. And Kanni Pavji and Gorakh Nathji Sovereign went to the Chapala Garden.

"Indescribable, indestructible, take some, Baba, Lord Shankar.^[17] Gorakh Nathji Sovereign, you have some too."

So Kanni Pavji used sweet talk and soothed Gorakh Nathji and he began to prepare hashish and bhang . The two guru brothers fixed up their meditation seats at the campfire and sat down. They were preparing a hashish pipe, and Kanni Pavji said, "Fix some bhang and almond milk, too, because I have brought Gorakh Nathji Sovereign as our guest."

So the two guru brothers, Gorakh Nathji Sovereign and Kanni Pavji, were smoking dope together. But there was a bastard^[18] among Kanni Pavji's fourteen hundred disciples who said, "This is a bad thing. Look at this Gorakh Nath. He turned our blessed food into

[16] thandai;  milk-based drinks rich with ground almonds and sweet spices. These are either mixed with bhang or used as "chasers" to counteract its heating effect (Roxanne Gupta, personal communication 1991).

[17] Alakh alakh abhinyasi baba lena Shankar Bhagvan; a prayer or dedication spoken while smoking.

[18] dogalo; not an insult that I often heard. According to the RSK it can refer to a person whose parents are of different castes or to one fathered by the mother's lover.

rocks. Manavati Mother sent us blessed food from her castle—laddus, jalebis, satal ya , and puris —and he turned it into speckled stones, pebbles, and white rocks. And he doesn't even know about his guru. Machhindar Nathji, Gorakh Nathji's guru, is over there in the land of Bengal enjoying himself with sluts—and he has had two sons! But look, Gorakh Nath's not even ashamed, and he spoiled our blessed food."

Gorakh Nathji Sovereign is over here smoking dope, but his ears are listening over there: "Let's see what kind of gossip they're telling about me."

They were connected like brothers, but still there was enmity between them.^[19] Kanni Pavji's disciples were whispering, but Gorakh Nathji Sovereign heard, and so he asked, "Hey brother, my guru is in the land of Bengal, enjoying sluts, and he has two sons?"

"Yes sir, he has."

"He has had two sons, and he's enjoying sluts over there? Machhindar Nathji? Well, Ladu Nath, maybe my guru is enjoying sluts, but your guru is smothered under horse manure. Jalindar Nathji is smothering under horse manure. He is smothered under Gopi Chand's seven hundred and fifty horses' shit. He is smothered, sister-fucker, and he hasn't come out. My guru's alive and enjoying sluts and ruling the kingdom. And your guru is smothering under horse manure, buried in the blind well. The sister-fucker, he hasn't come out from there."

As he was saying this, they thought, Let's get our guru out now! We'll get him out of the blind well filled with horse manure, right now.

"And I'll bring back my guru, too. I'm hardly any worse off than you are. So get your guru out of the horse manure in the blind well, and I'll bring my guru right now."

Then the fourteen hundred disciples took up their pickaxes and their shovels, and Kanni Pavji told them to take baskets and begin. "Let's dig him out right now, today!"
                    (GC 4.4.e)

Gorakh Nathji Sovereign was smoking dope, and meanwhile the fourteen hundred disciples started in. My witch! They took shovels and pickaxes and baskets and started in. So they emptied half the

[19] In families brothers are similarly rivals, so this is not really a contradiction.

well. It was filled with horse manure and Jalindar Baba was inside, smothered underneath. Beneath the horse manure he was reciting God's names.

Kanni Pavji's fourteen hundred disciples started right in, using their shovels to fill up basket after basket with horse manure and then dumping it. It took quite a while for the well was filled to the top. They would throw down fourteen hundred baskets all together.

Gorakh Nathji Sovereign was smoking dope. He got up and put on his sandals and took his tongs and took his sack and stood and looked at the well. By the time he came, stoned, half the well was emptied. And Gorakh Nathji Sovereign thought, My son! They've already half emptied it by now. And I haven't even left this place. I must go to get my own guru. And it is fifteen hundred miles away from here. My Guru Sovereign is in Bengal, fifteen hundred miles away. I will go to Bengal, and who knows what will happen over there—will the guru come or won't he come? Who knows what kind of mess he's snared in? My son! They'll empty it in just one day, but my guru ought to come before theirs does.

So Gorakh Nathji Sovereign took off his sandal: "Landi , double in the day and quadruple in the night!" He struck his sandal three times: "Double in the day and quadruple in the night until I come back, sister-fucker! I shall come, even if it takes six months. Whatever they dig out from there, it will refill; in the day it will double, and in the night it will quadruple."

And ... a seated yogi's a stake in the ground, but a yogi once up is a fistful of wind. The Nath took the wind's own form and turned his face toward Bengal. He crossed one forest; he crossed a second forest; in the third forest Gorakh Nathji Sovereign came to the borders of Bengal. He reached Machhindar Nathji Sovereign's borders.

Machhindar Nathji Sovereign had gone to Bengal to wander. But Rajput lady magicians,^[20] Rajput women, took him into their power. They made Machhindar Nath into a parrot. They made him into a parrot and hung him up. For a few days they kept him as a parrot only. Later, in the night they made him a man, and in the day they made him a parrot. They kept on doing this until Machhindar

[20] They are thus clearly distinguished from the other Bengali lady magicians who are low-caste.

Nath's enchantment held firm. After that they didn't make him into any parrot, and they fell in love with him. The Rajput ladies made him their king. They made Machhindar Nathji their king and he fathered two sons, Nim Nath and Paras Nath—boys of five and seven years of age. Now Machhindar Nathji Sovereign had become a king.

He thought, If that sister-fucker Gorakh Nath comes, then he will take me away; he will make me leave my kingdom; he will make me leave these queens. If Gorakh Nath comes, he will take me. So I'll place watchmen on our borders. And if any Babaji comes, anyone with even a scrap of ochre cloth,^[21] he can't enter. So that's why he placed watchmen everywhere a road crossed his boundaries.

"Brother, no yogis can come into Bengal. Fine, let others come and go, but no yogi, no one wearing matted locks, no one carrying tongs and a sack, no one in ochre cloth, no yogi ought to be able to come."

"Good, sir, we won't let them come."

Now Gorakh Nathji Sovereign came along and he went up to the border, walking along heedlessly. The watchman was sitting there.

"Ho Sovereign!"

"Brother?"

"Where are you going?"

"Brother, I am going into the land of Bengal."

"By the king's order, you may not go."

"Who may not?"

"You."

"Why?"

"No one in ochre can come over here, it is the king's order."

"Oh, I'm just going to wander."

"Sovereign, there are many countries around here, and you should wander in them. Wander in other countries, but I won't let you come into this one."

"So, you won't let me come?"

"Yes, I won't let you come. I can't let ochre-cloth wearers come.

[21] bhagavan thekali; bhagavan is the red-orange color of cloth that distinguishes renouncers' robes and that the Nath caste wears only as turbans. The implication here is that no one with even a patch of ochre-colored cloth upon his person will be allowed into Machhindar's kingdom.

This is the king's will, and I get my salary for enforcing it. Please go somewhere else to wander, not here. There are many other countries around."

Gorakh Nathji saw the situation: Son of a ...! Now what will I do?

"You won't let me in, brother?"

"Sovereign, please go back."

"OK, brother, I'll go back, brother ... Now they won't let me in, now what?"

Gorakh Nathji Sovereign very regretfully turned back. "Sister-fucker! My son! I wandered all this way and now they won't let me in! It's turned out strangely. And they've probably emptied the well—they will take out Jalindar Nathji."

Thinking in this way, he went back about two miles. Who? Gorakh Nathji Sovereign.

Some performers were on their way, five or ten of them, theater people. They had loaded up some oxen, they had a couple of pack oxen. The performers were going along.

"O brothers, who are you?"

"Sovereign, we are performers."

"What will you do, and into what land will you go?"

"Sovereign, we are performers and we put on plays. We are going into Bengal."

"Good, you are going into Bengal?"

"Yes, we are going to Bengal, Sovereign."

"O brothers, do what I say."

"Yes, say it, Sovereign."

"Take me with you. I will watch over your camp, and I will bring fodder for your oxen."

"What pay will you take?"

"Oh, nothing at all, what do I need with a salary? I will watch over your camp and I will graze your oxen. I will take no salary."

Then the players said, "Oh a man without a salary is fine with us. You can be the camp watchman. When we put on our plays then you keep watch over the camp and graze our oxen."

"Yes, I will graze the oxen."

He bundled up his ochre robes and everything else in a white cloth—and he didn't keep his long locks. He bundled up his stuff and put it on an ox. Now who could tell he was a yogi?

/He changed his costume./^[22]

He changed his costume and went with the players. They came to where the watchman was sitting: "O brothers, who are you?"

"We are all players."

"Is there any yogi among you, any person with ochre cloth, any yogi at all? Because if there were a yogi, there is an order against him."

"No, we have seen no yogi at all. We are theater people."

"OK, then go."

They went, sir. When they came to the first village on this side, they put on their play. They put on the play and he grazed the oxen. In the day he went and sent a stream from his penis. Then right there grass spread. Grass spread and the oxen were satiated. And then he gathered and tied up bundles of fodder and loaded them on the oxen and brought them back. And in the night he watched over the camp.

The players saw. "My witch! This man without a salary is good, our oxen are completely satisfied. He brings dark green grasses even in the hot season. This man is good for us; he applies his hand even without a salary."
                    (GC 4.5.e)

So they went on their way, putting on plays in Bengal. Machhindar Nath was ruling the kingdom, in the capital city. When the performers reached that city and went into the bazaar, everyone came running: "The performers have come, today the performers have come! They're about to put on a play."

/They decided to hold it at Four-Arms./^[23]

They chose Four-Arms Temple as the site for the play. They called to one and all, throughout the village: "Brothers, today the performers will put on a play!" All the women and men gathered.

[22] bhes badalgya; a nice play on the double meaning of bhes as disguise and yogis' robes.

[23] A member of the audience suggests the most appropriate location in our village for such a production—before the temple of Four-Armed Vishnu. In the part of Rajasthan where Madhu comes from almost every village, including his own, has a centrally located Temple of Four-Armed Vishnu where public performances, most often on religious subjects, occur.

Gorakh Nathji Sovereign spoke to the players: "O brothers, today I too will join the show."

"Sovereign, what will you do?"

"Whatever you say, I will do."

"But tell us what kind of things you do?"

"Well, if you say so, then I will play the drum. I know how to play the drum, or I will play the tabla . If you say so, I will play the sarangi . If you say so, I will play hand cymbals. I can play everything. If you say 'Sing,' then I will sing too."

"OK brother, let's go."

Gorakh Nath Sovereign went along with the performers, and the play began. As soon as the play began, Gorakh Nathji Sovereign played the drum. He played the drum, and its beat went far. With one drumbeat the Word^[24] resounded in the netherworld, and one drumbeat resounded in the sky, and the third drumbeat resounded in the play. Those who were watching the play watched, but they became absorbed in the drumming. Who? The entire village was entranced by that drum's attractions, spreading around.

Whoever heard that drumbeat became entranced: "Oh my, such a player has never come to us before."

They made five hundred rupees in the city. The players knew that it was all because of that man, our Gorakh Nathji. "Our fortune is made! Today he came and today we earned five hundred rupees." They were totally satisfied and they thought that their days of hunger were past.

Everyone in the village was very pleased. The Royal Servants, their brothers, and sons had come to see the play, and the next day they went into the fort.

"Oh, Grain-giver," they said to the king, Machhindar Nath. "Grain-giver, excellent performers have come."

"Uh huh?"

"They put on a play in the bazaar, and it made everyone blissful. The drummer gave a great deal of pleasure. One of his drumbeats made the Word resound in the netherworld, and one of his drumbeats resounded in the sky, and one resounded in the play. Our stomachs ache from laughing so much, and from the effects of the drumbeat. It was really a great play!"

[24] sabad; can and here certainly does refer to divine sound.

Then Machhindar Nathji spoke. "Today let them perform their play in my own Jewel Square."

"Whatever the Grain-giver orders should be."

"Then go right away and say to the performers, 'Brothers, today your company will perform in the fort.' If they like, then I will serve them food and supply their water."

So now let's see how the players perform in the fort ...
                    (GC 4.6.e)

The players went to prepare for the show, and Gorakh Nathji Sovereign went too. As they were going, people said, "O brother, today they'll put on the play in the fort!" They were dying of excitement. "Last night he played the drum in three different ways, so today let's go to the fort!" Dying of excitement, the whole village crowded into the fort, and the performance began, and the drummer gave the beat.

Gorakh Nathji Sovereign played his drum so that one drumbeat resounded in the netherworld, and one resounded in the sky, and one resounded in the play. The play had started, and as the play was starting, everyone who was near him became very affected. Gorakh Nathji Sovereign took everyone into his power.^[25]

Now half the play was over, and Machhindar Nathji was sitting on a chair, and his Nim Nath and Paras Nath were seated on his knees. Then when half the play was over, Gorakh Nathji Sovereign changed the drumbeat.

He changed the first drumbeat, and he changed the second drumbeat, and that drumbeat of its own accord began to play:

Wake Machhindar, Gorakh has come!
Wake Machhindar, Gorakh has come!
From East and West I've called to you,
Why sleep such sleep, O great guru?
I'm a disciple but you're the guru true.^[26]

Now the drumbeat was talking like that, and everyone was

[25] basikaran; this same expression was used to describe the lady magicians' conquest of Machhindar Nath. Gorakh Nath is their match.

[26] jag Machindar Gorakh aya.
ar agam pachham diya hela ji.
asori nind kai suta parem guru
ap satguru ma cela hu.

laughing, "Oh this drum, what has it started saying?"

Wake Machhindar, Gorakh has come!
Wake Machhindar, Gorakh has come!
From East and West I've called to you,
Why sleep such sleep, O great guru?
I'm a disciple but you're the guru true.

Now the drum began to talk like this, and Machhindar Nathji paid attention: "That sister-fucker Gorakh Nath has come. Brother, no one but Gorakh Nath could do this mischief. That sister-fucker Gorakh Nath must be among the players."

And the drumbeat was saying:

Wake Machhindar, Gorakh has come!
Wake Machhindar, Gorakh has come!
From East and West I've called to you,
Why sleep such sleep, O great guru?
I'm a disciple but you're the guru true.

Machhindar Nathji thought, O, sister-fucker Gorakh Nath has come. Nobody else could play such a drumbeat except for that sister-fucker.

Meanwhile, Gorakh Nath got up, and he prostrated himself and respectfully greeted the Guru Sovereign. As Gorakh Nath was doing this, Machhindar took Nim Nath and Paras Nath, who had been sitting in his lap, and put them aside. He set them on a table. "Sit over here." And he seated Gorakh Nathji on his knees, because he was his first disciple.

He seated him, and said to the players, "Brothers, keep playing. Later on we can talk together. But you players, don't ruin the play, don't wreck it, keep the play going."

So they went on watching the play. Nim Nath and Paras Nath, the boys five or seven years of age, were sitting there. And Gorakh Nathji saw them—Nim Nath and Paras Nath—watching the play. So a little while later, Gorakh Nathji contrived to make them need to piss and shit. Who? Those two boys.

The play was going on and they said to Machhindar Nathji, to the ruler, "Father ..." And one said, "I want to shit," and one said, "I want to pee."

"Oh, right now watch the play."

"Uh uh, Father, I have to poop." And the other said, "I have to pee."

Then Machhindar Nathji Sovereign said, "O, Gorakh Nath."

"Yes, Guru Sovereign."

"Take them to shit and pee."

"Sure," so he grabbed them by the wrists: "Let's go, I will take you to shit and I will take you to pee." He took them out, and he sat them down, both boys. He took his dagger out of his sack, and he said: "Just shit or just pee or else I will stab you with this dagger, sister-fuckers. Do one work, don't do two, either shit only or pee only. If you do both, then I will stab you with the dagger."

Now, son of a ...! Shit comes, and then pee also comes, doesn't

it? /It comes./

[There is a great deal of laughter and many audience comments here .]

Now the boys were frightened. They thought, If we shit, then pee will come and then he will stab us with his dagger. So they didn't shit or pee, they were dying of fright.

"Let's go back, that's enough, did you shit?"

"Yes I shit."

"You didn't pee?"

"Uh uh, I didn't pee."

But neither one of them had shit or peed. They were dying of fear. So he brought them back and seated them. And they began to watch the play. They began to watch the play, but a little while later, he made them want to shit and pee even worse. Who did? Gorakh Nathji.

As soon as they felt it one said to Machhindar Nathji, "Father, I have to poop." And the other one said, "I have to pee."

"But Gorakh Nath just took you to shit and pee."

"Yes, but we have to go again."

Gorakh Nathji afflicted them very very strongly with the need to shit. "Oh no, we have to go we have to go." One said, "I have to shit," and the other said, "I have to pee." So they were very miserable, while they were watching the play.

Then Machhindar Nathji said, "Gorakh Nath."

"Yes, Guru Sovereign."

"Take those sister-fuckers to shit. Take them nicely and help them shit."^[27]

[27] yannai jhar pachhat hangar lya bhenchod na. jhar pachhat ra juva ra lya ka yannai hangalya ka .

"Yes, Guru Sovereign, I'll go."
                    (GC 4.7.e)

"Make sure they shit nicely."^[28]

Now the Guru Sovereign's words^[29] came to Gorakh Nath. So should it be done or not done?

/It must be done./

"Gorakh Nath, go' and make sure they shit nicely."

Gorakh Nathji Sovereign got up and grabbed both boys by the wrists and took them to a platform outside the fort. It was made of stone, and he took them onto it and began to smash both boys. And he took off their skins and piled up their bones and flesh, stripping off the skins.

He took off the skins and hung them on the back of the Guru Sovereign's chair. And then he began to watch the play. Machhindar Nathji saw that Gorakh Nathji had come; why hadn't he brought Nim Nath and Paras Nath?

"O Gorakh Nath."

"Yes, Guru Sovereign."

"Where are Nim Nath and Paras Nath?"

"They are watching the play, Guru Sovereign."

Then he looked here and there. That's the way mothers and fathers worry. He didn't see the children. So how could he enjoy the play?^[30] Then he said, "Gorakh Nath, where are Nim Nath and Paras Nath? You took them to shit and piss, so where are they? They're not here at the play."

"Guru Sovereign, they are watching the play."

"Where?"

"They are hanging on the chair. Their skins are drying, I hung up their hides over there."

"Gorakh Nath, you sister-fucker, you just got here and you've killed my Nim Nath and Paras Nath. You sister-fucker, what crime have you committed, you so-and-so!"

"Guru Sovereign, remember your words! What did you say? You said, 'Gorakh Nath, go and smash them thoroughly!'^[31] I acted upon

[28] yannai jhar pachhant ra juvalya

[29] vachan; can be more powerful: vow, promise.

[30] Note the un-yogi-like mentality depicted here.

[31] ja kha ka yannai Gorakh Nath jhar pachhant ra juva ra lya ; a play on words is involved here. The dictionary meaning of jharno is "to strike a blow; to beat; to erase; to destroy." Pachatno is "to beat as when slapping clothes on a rock to get the dirt out of them." Thus the destructive instructions are easy to read. It is more difficult to find "Make sure they shit nicely," in the words jhar pachhant ra juvalya . This is local language and I have to accept Bhoju's interpretation on faith. However, in Ghatiyali jharai refers to a runny bowel movement and the RSK gives "to send" for pachathno .

the words you said. If you tell me to smash them thoroughly, then I smash them. Your words are powerful, words said by the Guru Sovereign, right out of your mouth. So I acted upon them."

"Oh, sister-fucker, I was talking about having them shit and piss,^[32] but you really smashed them thoroughly, you didn't spare a bone, and you brought back nothing but skins."

"Guru Sovereign, I only did what you said to do."

"Yes, sister-fucker, you've sure done a lot for me! Burn up, you sister-fucker! I didn't allow any renouncers to cross my boundaries but you joined the performers and came in. And now, you just got here, and you killed my Nim Nath and Paras Nath, you killed them, sister-fucker, you caused me a lot of trouble and you interrupted the play too."

"Guru Sovereign, are you angry?"

"Yes, and if you didn't want me to be angry then you shouldn't have killed the children."

"Guru Sovereign, don't be angry." Then he took the skins and filled them back up with the bones and things he had piled up, and then he circled his tin with the elixir of life over them. No sooner had he done this than the boys came to life, just as they had been before.

"Guru Sovereign, don't be angry."

The Guru Sovereign was happy. There were his boys, just as before: Nim Nath and Paras Nath.

The play was over, it was light.^[33] Gorakh Nath bade farewell to the performers. "Go, brothers, that's enough, this is where I wanted to be."

"But Guru Sovereign, all our play's profits are due to you. It's been just incredible!"

"But I just wanted to come to this village."

"It would have been better for us if we had taken you somewhere else."

[32] mun to jharai juvaba vastai mutba vastai khiyo .

[33] As is often true in India, this was an all-night performance.

"Enough, brothers, all I wanted was to come here."

So the performers left. Gorakh Nathji stayed a few days with his Guru Sovereign and began to tell tales to him. "Guru Sovereign, you have to go. Over there, I had a bad quarrel with Kanni Pavji's assembly. I said, 'Brother your guru is smothering under horse manure,' and they said, 'Your guru is in Bengal ruling a kingdom and enjoying women.' So Grain-giver, we had some harsh words among us, and I said, 'Now I'll bring my guru,' and they said, 'Now we'll get out our guru.' That's the quarrel that we had, so Guru Sovereign, we really must go. Later if you want to come back, that's fine."

"O Gorakh Nath, these lady magician sluts won't let us go."

"The lady magician sluts won't let you go?"

"They will do magic. They will transform us magically. They will make us into roosters, they will make us into donkeys, these lady magicians. They'll do magic on me, and if you try to take me and they find out, the sluts will kill you."

"O Guru Sovereign, I'm just telling you to go. You shouldn't even think about those sluts. You come with me because I have a quarrel to settle over there, with Kanni Pavji's assembly. So it is necessary for you, the Guru Sovereign, to go."

So he persuaded him. But then he said, "O brother, I want to take Nim Nath and Paras Nath. I will leave my kingdom and my queens, but I will take both my boys, my Nim Nath and Paras Nath."

"Yes Guru Sovereign, take them. Let Nim Nath and Paras Nath live here or take them, as you like—it's up to you. But over there the yogis have gathered together."

"OK, Gorakh Nath, let's go. We'll leave in the middle of the night. At midnight. Then the sluts will be sleeping. And I'll send Nim Nath and Paras Nath ahead. At midnight no one will see, no dogs will bark. Let's go."

"OK."

"But, Gorakh Nath, if the sluts catch us before we get to the boundaries, then they will kill us."

"You go in front, Guru Sovereign, and don't give any thought to those sluts."
                    (GC 4.8.e)

They left at midnight. Machhindar Nath Sovereign filled his bag with four golden bricks. "Brother, there's an assembly of sadhu s and

saints over there, and I'll give them a feast of blessed food. I'll pay for one day's feast." He put four golden bricks in his bag, and took his sack, took his tongs, put on his sandals, and sounded his deer-horn instrument. He sent Paras Nath and Nim Nath ahead.

A seated yogi's a stake in the ground, but a yogi once up is a fistful of wind. The Naths took the wind's own form. And now they left Bengal. They crossed one forest, they crossed a second forest, and in the third forest, they came to the border.

Now Machhindar Nath's queens were four lady magicians. And one of them realized that Gorakh Nath had taken them.

"Why are you sleeping, sluts, he took him! And he took the princes Nim Nath and Paras Nath, too. He took them and he has reached the border."

"Yes he took them!" Throughout the whole palace there was a great commotion.

"O sluts, what are you doing sleeping? He took them, the father and the princes, too! He took Machhindar Nathji, Gorakh Nath took them!"

"Oh, he took them and now they've reached the border."

Son of a ...! One queen became a she-ass and one became a big vulture, the kind with a red neck,^[34] and one became a white vulture.^[35] And they came flying, whizzing after them, when they had reached the border.

As soon as they came flying after them, Machhindar Nath spoke: "Gorakh Nath, they have come. The sluts will kill us right now."

"I understand that they have come. Guru Sovereign, don't look back, don't give it a thought."

So they kept coming and one had became a she-ass and was braying as she came, and he struck her with his tongs. She was a she-ass so he gave her to the Potters: "Load her heavily and feed her little."^[36]

And one had become a white vulture, and he struck her with his

[34] khanchar banyo u ratya galta ko kanvalo; khanchar is not in the RSK , but kanvalo is identified as a kite, a white vulture, or a large crow. I am not certain of the zoology in khanchar 's case, but it is an unpleasant bird of prey.

[35] Note that only three transformations have been identified here, although there are four queens. Madhu forgot to mention the queen who became the smallpox goddess, Sitala Mother, as we will learn shortly.

[36] An accurate description of a donkey's existence.

tongs and even today she still flies in the sky. The one who became Sitala, Gorakh Baba installed her outside the village.^[37] That was Nim Nath and Paras Nath's mother. She is worshiped over here.

Then the fourth came, the one who had become a big vulture with a long neck—the kind that eats the bones of dead animals, that one with a red neck. He made her stay a vulture and said, "Slut, you keep flying in the sky." So she keeps flying in the sky.

So Gorakh Nathji Sovereign finished off all four lady magicians just like that and came along with Nim Nath and Paras Nath and Machhindar Nath.

So they went along, and when they came to a city or a village they would set up their campfires at dusk. Then Gorakh Nathji Sovereign would go into the settlement to beg and bring back cold stale scraps — for the guru and to feed Nim Nath and Paras Nath.

One day they came to a certain city and were going to spend the night there. Now Gorakh Nathji Sovereign said to Machhindar Nath, "Guru Sovereign."

"Yes son?"

"Grain-giver, should I go alone into the settlement? We are four persons, and what use is it if I go alone into the settlement? We ought to teach these boys, Nim Nath and Paras Nath, to beg. It is our yogis' work so we ought to teach them, and take them around the settlement."

"But they are king's sons! [Spoken with a perfect sense of delicate outrage ] What do they know of begging, Gorakh Nath you sister-fucker?"

"Guru Sovereign, it is necessary to teach them."

"Yes, we'll have to teach them, but they'll learn little by little."

"Come Guru Sovereign, I'll take them into this neighborhood. Let them fill their own bellies, guru. I'll take the disciples and let them get as much flour as they need to live."

But Gorakh Nathji was thinking , I'll destroy them on the way, so those sons of penis-eaters^[38] over there don't see them and say, "Look, your guru enjoyed sluts and had sons." Yes, I'll get rid of them so no one can say that.

[37] Sitala Mother is the goddess of smallpox; her shrine is outside the village.

[38] phodakhani; this harsh insult refers to Kanni Pavji's group of yogis who taunted Gorakh with his guru's laxity. As an insult to the mother, it implies not sexual perversity but excessive desire.

But to Machhindar Nathji Sovereign he said, "Grain-giver sir, we should put wooden sandals on them and give them tongs to carry and sacks and smear them with ashes. And let them go into the settlement to beg and I'll go a different way. Let our disciples bring enough to fill their stomachs."

"All right, son, go. Nim Nath, Paras Nath you go too."

"But Guru Sovereign, we have never begged, 'Alakh! Alakh! '"

"Yogis' begging is easy, isn't it, sister-fuckers? If people are true they'll come forward and give to you, and those without truth won't give."

[spoken with sarangi background music ] Gorakh Nath Sovereign took them forward—whom? Nim Nath and Paras Nath. There was a Merchant's funeral feast^[39] going on over there in that city, and the place was filling up with Merchants and Brahmans.
                    (GC 4.9.e)

Gorakh Nath took Nim Nath and Paras Nath into the city. "You go into that neighborhood, and I'll go into this neighborhood. Afterwards, you come back to the campfire, and I'll come back there too. That's the order."

"Alakh alakh alakh alakh! " they went calling.

Gorakh Nathji Sovereign called "Alakh! " as he went into the bazaar that was filled with many Merchants and Brahmans. "O it looks like a feast!"

"Yes it's a Merchant's feast, sir."

"So which house is the feast-giver's?"

"It's this one, sir."

A cow was standing over here, near Ratan Well.^[40]

"Cow Mother, what are you doing over here? Go to the feast-giver's gateway and die in the gateway." So Cow Mother did this, she went to the gate, right near the threshold, and sat down and died.^[41]

And Gorakh Nathji Sovereign went on to the next street.

[39] Funeral feasts are of great importance in village social life; they often involve feeding hundreds or even thousands of guests. Madhu uses two words that I translate "Merchant": Majana and Banya; in Ghatiyali both refer to members of a relatively wealthy caste who act as shopkeepers and are all Jains.

[40] This is a named well in Ghatiyali, near the Brahman neighborhood.

[41] Gorakh Nath's ruthlessness toward the cow foreshadows his ruthlessness toward the boys.

Now, where the food lines were set up,^[42] the Merchants' and Brahmans' feasting shut down.

"O, Ram Ram Ram a cow died! Where can we eat if a cow died?^[43] And there's no one to take it away. How can the platter-bearers serve the feast? A cow died, and you've got to remove it first, brother. Then we'll feast."

Now who is going to remove a cow all of a sudden?

So this strange thing had happened, and in the midst of the confusion, Nim Nath and Paras Nath came calling "Alakh! Alakh! Hey brother, Merchant Father, you're doing some big cooking today! Feast us and give us a special portion for our Guru Sovereign."

Those boys were making a racket. "O brother Merchant Father, feast us, and give us a special portion for our Guru Sovereign."

There was one bastard of a Merchant there, and he said, "Hey boys, don't make such a hullabaloo."

"O Merchant Father, then feast us. And give us a special portion for our Guru Sovereign."

He said, "This cow died, and, sure, we'll feast you and we'll give you a special portion for your Guru Sovereign. But first one of you grab the horn and one of you grab the tail and push the cow over by Ratan Well, by the wall. Then we'll start feasting again, and we'll feast you too and we'll fill your cups for the Guru Sovereign. This cow died over here by the gate, and so the feasting has stopped. If you want to eat then you must pull."

One of them, Nim Nath, said, "If Gorakh Nathji sees us then he'll beat us."

But Paras Nath said, "Oh, who knows what alley Gorakh Nath has gone into. You grab the horn and I'll grab the tail and then they'll feast us and they'll fill our cups too. Otherwise, these are Merchants and my son! they'll never feast US!"^[44]

So one brother grabbed the horn and one brother grabbed the tail. And they pulled that cow over by the wall of Ratan Well and put it down there. As soon as they had pulled it, the Merchants set

[42] At village feasts, guests are seated before leaf plates in lines that may be in the courtyard but usually extend outside into the street.

[43] A dead animal is polluting and food must not be eaten in its vicinity. The very essence of low-caste service in the village is the removal of dead animals.

[44] Merchants are notoriously stingy and almost always badly portrayed in folklore.

up their eating lines again. "Brother, now the cow is removed, brother, now be seated."

They sat down in the eating lines, and they made the boys sit down too. "Here, boys, you feast too." So they feasted them.

"Give us a special portion for our Guru Sovereign."

"Brothers, take this special portion." And so they filled their cups. As soon as they had their cups filled, and they had eaten their fill, they went back to the Guru Sovereign's campfire.

They got there and said to the Guru Sovereign, "Guru Sovereign, look, take this. Gorakh Nathji brings stale cold scraps and today we have brought five fried treats. Today we went for the first time and we brought five fried treats!"

When they told this to the Guru Sovereign, he was very happy. "Yes, my sons, today you have brought some excellent goods, but that sister-fucker Gorakh Nath brings stale cold scraps that I can't even chew."

Meanwhile, Gorakh Nathji Sovereign had been making his rounds, and then he came back to the Merchant's gate. The dead cow was lying there, and Gorakh Nathji Sovereign sprinkled it with the elixir of life and said, "Cow Mother there's no grazing over here, what are you doing?" She came back to life and Cow Mother went on her way.^[45]

No one had feasted Gorakh Nathji. He had stale cold scraps in his bag when he went back to the campfire. At the campfire he said, "Take some, Guru Sovereign, eat."

"Yeah, sister-fucking Gorakh Nath, you bring sister-fucking cold stale scraps that an old man like me can't eat. But today my Nim Nath and Paras Nath went, and they brought five fried treats."

"Guru Sovereign, these cold stale scraps are Truth's. And these five fried treats are Untruth's."

"Sure sister-fucker, my Nim Nath and Paras Nath brought them and that's why they've become Untruth's, but your scraps are Truth's."

"Yes Guru Sovereign, those are Sin's and these are Dharma's."

"Sister-fucker, how are these Sin's?"

"Guru Sovereign, cover them up. And cover up these scraps too."

So he covered them up with a sheet. He covered the boys' cups

[45] Gorakh Nath thus repairs his sin of cow-killing, however anticlimactically.

and he covered the scraps too. As soon as he covered them, sister-fucker! Prosperity entered the scraps, but the boys' turned into pus and blood. So their cup had pus and blood, but Gorakh Nath's scraps turned into five treats.

"All right, Gorakh Nath, what's the meaning of this?"

"Guru Sovereign, they brought this for pulling a cow. They brought it for pulling a dead cow, so that's why it has pus and maggots. Now these two can't be our disciples any longer. They're dead, the sister-fuckers. They have turned into Leatherworkers.^[46] They are low cow-pullers.^[47] They have no more meaning for us. They have become Leatherworkers."^[48]

"Well, sister-fuckers, you removed a cow?"

"Yes, Grain-giver sir. There was a Merchant, and he wouldn't feast us, and there was a dead cow lying there, outside his house, and we grabbed its horns and tail and dragged it aside. We just gave it a little push."

"Well, sister-fuckers, you're spoiled. You have become low cow-pullers."

Gorakh Nath said, "Guru Sovereign, they're spoiled, and they're no use to us anymore, so now what will we do with them? What will we do with the sister-fuckers? What do we need them for? They have become cow-pullers and they can't live with us. They can't smoke or share tobacco with us."

"So those Merchants, those cunts—why did they spoil our disciples?"

"Let's take them there."

So Machhindar Nath grabbed one of their wrists and Gorakh Nath grabbed the other one's wrist. And they went to the Merchant's gate. There was a big flat rock lying there and they began striking them on it. They grabbed their feet and threw them against it, and drops of blood sprinkled and splattered.

The Merchant and his wife fell at their feet and joined their hands and begged forgiveness. "Oh, Grain-givers, don't kill them."

[46] regar; one of the two leatherworking castes in Ghatiyali.

[47] dhed; the RSK gives the caste name chamar for this, but according to Bhoju it is less a caste name than an insulting designation specific to the work of pulling dead animals.

[48] chamar; the other local leatherworking group.

"O you sister-fuckers, you didn't feast them. Why did you ruin our disciples, why did you have them pull a cow from your place? O sister-fuckers why did you turn them into Leatherworkers? O cowards,^[49] you didn't feast them, you sister-fuckers. Why did you have our disciples pull a cow? What good are they to us now? They're no good at all. So we are going to kill them at your gateway. Why did you make them into Leatherworkers? Why did you have them pull a cow?"

"O Guru Sovereign, who told you this story? I didn't even talk to them at my party."

"O yes, you sister-fucker, you turned them into Leatherworkers. We are yogis and what good are they to us now? We will kill them at your gateway, sister-fucker."

"Hey Grain-giver, don't kill them."

"So what should I do then?"

"Grain-giver, leave them with us, and we will feed them plenty of bread in a nice way and take good care of them."

"Sure, sister-fucker, you did this to our disciples and you'll give bread! I'll kill them right here at your gateway, sister-fucker."

So he struck them and struck them. He grabbed their feet and smashed them, again and again, the way we smash a blanket.^[50] Blood spattered, and the boys Nim Nath and Paras Nath were calling in a terrible way. The Merchant and his wife begged forgiveness and fell at his feet, "Oh Grain-giver don't kill them."

"So if I don't kill them what will I do with them?"

"Hey Grain-giver, don't kill them and we will make them our deities, we will call them Thakurji."^[51]

"So, you will make them Thakurjis?"

"Yes sir, we will make them Thakurjis, and we will worship them with rice. That's what we'll do from one generation to another."

"Good, show me the temple."

So right away he took them to the temple. There was a temple

[49] led yavo; an insult meaning "coward" that is particularly appropriate for Merchants, according to Bhoju, because Merchants are notoriously unwilling to fight.

[50] That is, slap it down again and again, as clothes are washed in rural India.

[51] A title used for deities in many local temples of Rajasthan, its primary meaning is a local landlord or ruler.

with no icons, in which they put both brothers standing side by side. Gorakh Nathji Sovereign turned them to stone.

Then he said to the Merchants and Brahmans, "Offer up water on these and drink the nectar from their dicks^[52] or else you'll be destroyed. Worship them with rice and serve them well, or else you'll be destroyed."

So the Merchants and Brahmans offered water and accepted it from their penises,^[53] saying, "Grain-giver, Thakurji Sovereign, Grain-giver."

So that's how the Merchants' sect came to be, and Nim Nath and Paras Nath became Thakurjis.^[54] And Gorakh Nathji Sovereign's sorrow was erased. "Now nobody can say, 'Look, brother, your guru enjoyed sluts and had sons.'"

Now they left that place where they had made Nim Nath and Paras Nath into Thakurjis.
                    (GC 4.10.e)

The guru and disciple were going along together. As they went down the road, Gorakh Nathji said, "Guru Sovereign, you're walking like a cripple with that sack, you're going as slowly as an old man. Give that sack to me. It must have something heavy in it, so let me carry it."

But the Guru Sovereign wasn't about to give up his gold bricks. Brother, that Gorakh Nath, who knows where he'll throw them down, my son!

/And who knows how he'll trick me!/

Yes, he'll play a trick with my gold bricks. He's not likely to give them to Gorakh Nath!

He said, "No, no, Gorakh Nath."

"Come, Guru Sovereign, it looks like there's a weight in there, give me your sack."

"No."

So the Guru Sovereign went slowly along. And on the road they came to a banyan tree and a step-well.^[55]

[52] Because the icons in Jain temples are naked, water poured on their heads is likely to run over their penises. The word for male organ here is not lingam but indari , which Bhoju tells me villagers use for little boys' penises.

[53] langi; another term probably related to lingam .

[54] According to Bhoju, Nim Nath and Paras Nath are included among the twenty-four Jain tirthankars.

[55] bar bavari; in Rajasthani folklore travelers often come upon these two paired comforts of shade and water.

Machhindar Nath said, "Gorakh Nath let's take a little rest here. Let's have a smoke and let's take an afternoon rest and wash our hands and faces."^[56]

"Yes, Guru Sovereign, let's wash our hands and faces."

"They sat down in the shade of the banyan tree over there by the step-well. And they smoked the hashish pipe, and Machhindarsaid, "Gorakh Nath, I shall go wash my hands and face."

"Yes, Guru Sovereign, go wash."

"Brother Gorakh Nath, this is the thing."

"Yes, Grain-giver, tell me."

"You beat time. [Madhu claps to demonstrate. ] And while you're clapping I'll wash my hands and face and come back."

Now whatever the guru says must be done. Mustn't it be done?

/It must be done./

The Guru Sovereign thought, To protect my sack I will start him clapping first, and then go. Otherwise he'll throw the bricks that I've loaded in it into the step-well, and then what will I do?

So he started him clapping. [Madhu continues to demonstrate and laughs. ] "As soon as he's keeping time I'll go over there." The Guru Sovereign said to him, "Yes, son, you beat time and I'll go into the jungle."

"Yes, go Guru Sovereign." Gorakh Nathji began to keep time.

"You keep on counting and we'll see if I come back in the beat."

"Yes, Guru Sovereign, I am counting." The Guru Sovereign went and after a while he squatted on the other side of the thorn bush. As soon as he squatted, Gorakh Nath Sovereign kept beating time. [Madhu claps. ] But he began to beat his thigh. And with one hand only he checked out the sack: And he didn't skip a beat.

"Let's see what weight the Guru Sovereign has crammed into his sack that makes him walk so slowly. Let's search it."

So he searched the sack and found inside it so much golden money! Four bricks were lying there. Oh the Guru Sovereign has filled his sack with stones. So then how can he walk—the son of a penis-eater? He has loaded this burden of rocks in his sack. The Guru Sovereign has put them there improperly, sinfully. Why has he filled his sack with these stones? [Madhu is laughing, enjoying this story a lot. ]

That cunt—with one hand he kept time and didn't skip a beat and with one hand only he took them and Splash! Splash! Splash!

[56] hath munda dholyan; a standard euphemism in the village for defecation.

Splash!—with four separate splashes he threw them in the well.

As soon as he heard the four separate splashes outside the beat, the Guru Sovereign didn't care if he had shit or not shit, he washed his ass and got up. He got up so fast he didn't even tie up his loincloth, like Ladu Nath, he didn't knot his loincloth.

And the Guru Sovereign rushed back to check on his sack. As soon as he checked it out, he found out it was empty. "Sister-fucker, Gorakh Nath, you threw my four gold bricks into the well, you sister-fucker!"

"What, Guru Sovereign? What did I throw where?"

He said, "Where did you throw them? There were four splashes just now. You threw all four bricks; they broke the rhythm."

"Oh my, Guru Sovereign, why did you fill your sack with this senseless burden of rocks? Guru Sovereign, you were walking like a cripple and that's how I knew, brother. 'Why did he bring these rocks?' Guru Sovereign, I threw them away."

"Sister-fucker Gorakh Nath, I won't go with you. Sister-fucker, you made me leave my kingdom and my queens, too. You made some into donkeys and some into vultures and you spoiled my kingdom and my court. And Nim Nath and Paras Nath were my princes, whom you caused to be killed, sister-fucker, and had made into Merchant deities. And the little bit that I brought for my expenses you threw in the well. Yes, sister-fucker, you suppose that I'll go with you?"

He had made the Guru Sovereign angry.

Now Gorakh Nathji Sovereign thought, My witch! Look, the old man is angry, brother, now what am I going to do? He prostrated himself and blocked his path. He blocked the Guru Sovereign's path and joined his hands. But he turned his back on him and passed him.

"No, Gorakh Nath, don't block my path, I won't go with you. You are a knave, sister-fucker!"

And now Gorakh Nathji Sovereign said, "Guru Sovereign, you've become angry?"

"Yes, sister-fucker, you've ruined my house, sister-fucker. And now you even took my gold that I brought for expenses."

/Yes he made him leave his place and ruined everything!/

"You ruined everything, and you had my princes killed, and you made me leave my kingdom, and you made me leave my queens, and you had my princes killed. And, sister-fucker, I brought four

golden bricks for my expenses, that I was going to use to feast the sadhus and saints, and even those you threw in the well, sister-fucker! You have left me empty-handed, resourceless."^[57]

Then Gorakh Nathji Sovereign got angry and said, "Guru Sovereign, you're really distraught?"

"Yes, sister-fucker, I'm distraught."

Just then Gorakh Nathji Sovereign threw down his tongs on the hill of Jaypalji.^[58] And as soon as he threw down his tongs, the whole hill began sparkle-sparkle-sparkling: it had turned to gold!

"Guru Sovereign, take as much as you can pack. Pick up the whole hill and take it. You were going away mad, believing in four golden brick-pebbles. Now pick up this whole hill and take all this gold, nothing but gold."

Oh my! The Guru Sovereign was happy. "Hey, Gorakh Nath."

"Yes, Guru Sovereign?"

"Son, it has become permanent."^[59]

"It was the grace of the Guru Sovereign that made it that way. So pick it up. Pick up the hill."

"Hey sister-fucker, you think I can carry this hill?"

"OK, Guru Sovereign, just pick up as much as four bricks' worth. Pick up four rocks and put them in your sack. And then let's go, take them and go. Guru Sovereign, are you happy now?"

"Yes, son, I'm happy."

"Good, so take them and let's go."

They began to go and then they looked back. Machhindar Nathji looked back and saw the form of riches^[60] —the golden hill was sparkling.

"Oh, Gorakh Nath."

"Yes, Guru Sovereign."

"Son, spoil this golden hill again."

"Why, Guru Sovereign?"

[57] abhyagat can be a renouncer, as well as just a poor person. Both meanings could merge here, as Gorakh Nath takes away Machhindar's resources to make him, once again, a renouncer.

[58] Jaypalji is a shrine tended by the Nath caste located on a hill so named behind the Nath neighborhood.

[59] pakka; cooked, firm, used to distinguish houses and roads made of concrete or brick or stone from those made of mud and dirt.

[60] maya rupi; could also be rendered "form of illusion."

"O sister-fucker, the king of over here will say, 'It's within my borders' and the king of over there will say, 'It's within my borders,' and then, sister-fucker, many armies will cut one another, and, sister-fucker, the sin will be ours. The slaughter will be our fault, sister-fucker—thousands of men cutting one another, sister-fucker. So spoil it again."^[61]

So Gorakh Nath Sovereign hawked and spit on it—on that hill. As soon as he had spit, it turned into Kashmiri stones—from which these marble icons come.^[62] And these darsani that we wear in our ears. Our yogis' darsani that we wear in our ears are made from that hill, from that Kashmiri stone. Like the darsani I wear in my ears, like that.

So he spoiled it, and they went on their way: "Let's go."

The Guru Sovereign was happy. So now Gorakh Nathji and Machhindar Nathji Sovereign are going along.
                    (GC 4.11.e)

A seated yogi's a stake in the ground, but a yogi once up is a fistful of wind. The Naths took the wind's own form and fixed their consciousness on Gaur Bengal. They crossed one woods, they crossed a second woods, and in the third woods they came to the garden of Gaur Bengal, the Chapala Garden.

When they reached the Chapala Garden, they saw Kanni Pavji's disciples looking down-at-the-mouth. They had filled their shovels again and again, but it doubled in the day and quadrupled in the night so they were miserable, and six months had gone by since that day. The well wasn't empty—it doubled in the day and quadrupled in the night.

So Gorakh Nathji Sovereign said, "O sister-fuckers, I have brought my guru fourteen hundred miles, and, sister-fuckers, you haven't taken out your guru. It's been six months and you still haven't got your guru out."

"Father of a daughter! Gorakh Nath! You've beaten us. It doubles in the day and in the night it quadruples. Son of a penis-eater. We do the same kind of work every day, but it is never finished."

[61] This is the only moment when Machhindar seems wiser than Gorakh; he understands the ways of kings.

[62] According to Bhoju the Kashmiri stone is the same as Hindi billauri , a kind of quartz or crystal. Madhu is confused here; the crystal for earrings and marble for icons are two different kinds of stone.

"Yes, sister-fuckers, you'll never finish it. Quit trying. This is what you should do. Call all the gurus' disciples. Jalindar Baba has fourteen hundred disciples doing tapas underground. Call them. And call too his fourteen hundred disciples who do tapas visibly. Fourteen times two is twenty-eight. Twenty-eight hundred disciples of Jalindar Baba. And fourteen hundred disciples of Gorakh Nathji Sovereign and fourteen hundred disciples of Machhindar Nath, and fourteen hundred of Kanni Pavji."

The garden filled up completely.

Now this is what Gorakh Nathji Sovereign did. He struck seven times with his sandal. And he took out seven groups of locusts from that horse manure in the blind well.

He took out one green group, he took out one white group, he took out one black group, he took out one red group, and one dappled group. He took out one oil-colored group. And so he took out seven kinds of locusts. He took those separate groups from inside there.

He took out the groups of locusts and made them swear an oath: "Brothers, when yogis tell you go, then go. And maintain the honor of robe-wearers. Help them to earn their livings. Keep wandering around in the world, and when yogis and yoginis come, accept their magic circles^[63] and maintain the honor of their robes. And keep their stomachs full of bread."

He took the locusts out of the horse manure. So we speak spells like "Om guru in the western land is the deep well where the locusts were born."^[64]

The locusts were born in the blind well. In Gopi Chand's horses' dung.

And now the groups of locusts were emptied out, and the well was completely emptied. Inside it was the big flat stone upon which he had set up his meditation seat. Who? Jalindar Baba. And he was reciting God's names.

"Now take out your Guru Sovereign," he said to them.

"How shall we take out the Guru Sovereign? He won't come out."

[63] kar dhar; a circle inscribed on the ground and empowered by spells that can keep locusts inside or outside its line.

[64] Aum guruji paccham des majj ka go jyan tidi ka jalam hoya; this is a fragment of an actual spell used to remove locusts. There is no harm in revealing the spells because their potency derives as much from the sayer's accumulated meditative prowess as from the words themselves.

"All right brother." So they called Gopi Chand and Bharthari. And Gorakh Nathji Sovereign asked for dab grass. He asked for dab and he used it to make dolls of both of them,^[65] of Gopi Chand and of Bharthari. Then he set down a big drum. Where? He set down a big drum on the edge of the blind well, and Gopi Chand and Bharthari began to play it. And now they will become immortal, right here, Gopi Chand and Bharthari.
                    (GC 4.12.e)

He made these dolls,
and set down the drum on the edge.^[66] He set down the drum on the edge,
and Gopi Chand and Bharthari
began to play the drum.
They began to play,
they played "dam dam " on the drum
and the sound went into the blind well.

From the blind well
Jalindar Baba spoke:
"Who is going 'dam dam '?"
Gorakh Baba said,
"Baba, Gopi Chand and Bharthari,
Baba, Gopi Chand and Bharthari."
A voice emerged from Baba's mouth: "Ashes!
Gopi Chand and Bharthari are ashes."

As the speech "Ashes" emerged
the dolls burned up.
The dolls burned up, and then
a second time
he made dolls
and gave them their names,
and they began playing.
Baba yelled, "Wasn't my speech accepted?
Now who's going 'dam dam '?"

[65] Dab is a special green grass used in Sanskritic rituals; in other versions of Gopi Chand's story these dolls are made of seven metals, or of three metals, hinting at associations with an alchemical pursuit of immortality.

[66] This is the final sung segment of GC 4.

"My guru, it's Gopi Chand and Bharthari, Baba,
Gopi Chand and Bharthari."
The guru's voice came out of the well, "Ashes!
Let Gopi Chand and Bharthari be ashes!"

Outside the dolls
burned up, outside
they burned up.
For the third and last time
the yogi made dolls,
he made dolls.
Then Gopi Chand and Bharthari
played the drum,
he had them play the drum.
Now the sound "dam dam " went into the well
and Jalindar Baba demanded:

"Who's going 'dam dam ' today?
Who is doing it,
who is doing it?"
"My guru, Gopi Chand and Bharthari are doing it, Guruji,
It's Gopi Chand and Bharthari."

After this had happened,
the guru's promise emerged:
"As long as earth shall be
live Gopi Chand and
Bharthari! O sons,
Bharthari will live."^[67] The guru's speech "Immortal" emerged,
and Gopi Chand became immortal.
                    (GC 4.13.s)

So the blind well was emptied of the locusts, and Jalindar Baba was in there doing tapas , reciting God's names.^[68] Now to get the Guru Sovereign out ...

"Do this: call Gopi Chand and Bharthari. Gopi Chand and Bharthari are in this company, among Jalindar Baba's disciples."

[67] An echo of the proverb, jab tak akas dhartari tab tak Gopi Chand Bharthari.

[68] This begins the final spoken segment of Madhu Nath's Gopi Chand epic.

Then Gorakh Nath made dolls out of dab grass. He made two grass dolls: one was Gopi Chand and the other was Bharthari. He named them separately. And he had Gopi Chand and Bharthari start to beat the drum. "Dam dam dam dam ," they beat the drum. And the sound of the drum playing "dam dam " went into the blind well, and Jalindar Baba's eyelids opened. From inside came a voice. "Hey, sister-fucker, who is going 'dam dam ' over here?"

Then Gorakh Nathji Sovereign said, "Sovereign, it is Gopi Chand and Bharthari."

"Sister-fuckers—ashes!"

As soon as the speech "Ashes" emerged then, crackle crackle those dolls burned up. The dolls Gorakh Nath had made ... because Jalindar said, "Let Gopi Chand and Bharthari burn to ashes!" but Gorakh Nathji had given their names to the dolls.

So as soon as the dolls burned up, then he made a second set of dolls. So we'll try, and third time proves all.^[69] Yes, let's see, if they will become immortal with three chances.

The first set of dolls turned to ash, and then he made more dolls of dab grass. "That one's Gopi Chand and that one's Bharthari," and he had them begin to play the drum.

"Dam dam dam " it went, and as soon as it went "dam dam dam " then the Guru Sovereign said, "Hey sister-fuckers, who is there? What sister-fucker is making this 'dam dam dam ' racket?"

Gorakh Nathji Sovereign said, "Sovereign, Guru Sovereign, it's Gopi Chand and Bharthari."

"Those sister-fuckers—ashes!"

Then the dolls burned up right there. And as soon as the dolls burned up, then Gorakh Nath made more dolls. "Let's see! Now comes the third, and the third time proves all. If the speech 'Immortality' emerges, then they'll be immortal. But if the speech 'Ashes' emerges, then they're dead."

So he made the dolls for the third and last chance. "Brother, that one's Gopi Chand and that one's Bharthari."

And he had Gopi Chand and Bharthari begin to play the drum.

[69] lok patijan; according to Bhoju this expression occurs in contests where the "best of three" is the winner. I cannot explain the literal meaning, which may concern the three "worlds" (lok ) in cosmology. I translate as "third time proves all" rather than "best of three" because in two out of three times Jalindar gave the curse of "ashes."

And it went "dam dam dam " and as soon as it did, then Jalindar Baba yelled, "Hey sister-fucker, who is going 'dam dam dam ' and isn't accepting what I say?"

"Guru Sovereign it's Gopi Chand and Bharthari."

"Yes, you sister-fuckers, as long as the earth remains, so will Gopi Chand and Bharthari."

That word^[70] emerged from the Guru Sovereign. That did it. The speech "Immortality" emerged and they became immortal. Then Gorakh Nath stretched out his arm. "Come out, Guru Sovereign."

"Why?"

"Why? Because the whole assembly is watching and calling you. So come out."

Then Gorakh Nath stretched out his arm and grabbed the guru's hands with his and brought out Jalindar Baba.

He had been doing tapas for years in the blind well, he had been doing tapas for so long that from his truth's complete success a fruit of immortality had been produced there.^[71]

He brought that fruit of immortality in his sack, and as soon as he came out, he took it out and with his own hand he gave the immortal fruit to Gopi Chand and Bharthari. He fed half to Gopi Chand and he fed half to Bharthari, so they became immortal, brother.^[72]

So they took out Jalindar Baba. As soon as they took him out, he set up his campfire, and fixed up his meditation seat ... he had saffron burning in his campfire. Everyone was saying, "The Guru Sovereign has come, the Guru Sovereign has emerged!"

So then they said, "The whole assembly is here, Guru Sovereign. We ought to have a big feast, of all the gurus."

Jalindar Baba was the senior guru,^[73] and so he had to provide the first feast. It was a wish-feast.^[74] "Eat a lot, a lot of laddus and jalebis ."

[70] sabad .

[71] jika satt ka parman se amar phal paida hogyo uthai; this could also be construed as "from the evidence of his truth." It is the only mention in either of Madhu's epics of an amar phal —around which certain versions of Bharthari's story revolve (see chapter 3).

[72] The events that follow were not included in the singing, but Madhu's narrative flowed into them without pause.

[73] Machhindar Nath is usually identified as the first of the Nath yogi gurus, but Madhu Nath says Jalindar is the eldest.

[74] Here the expression "wish-feast" (manasa bhojan ) involves a nice assortment of desirable sweets; see below for Gorakh Nath's magical wish-feast.

So all the assemblies of yogis had a feast at the guru's expense. They cooked masses of food and all the yogis feasted well.

/They had a wonderful time!/

Now the next day—whose turn was it? Machhindar Nath Sovereign's. Machhindar Nath was junior to Jalindar Nath. So Machhindar Nath took his four bricks, his gold bricks. He gave them and said, "Brothers, take these four gold bricks and bring all the stuff and then eat plenty of laddus and jalebis ." That was it: the stuff came and then Machhindar Nath Baba's feast took place, in a very fine way ... his cooking ... his party.

So now? Now it was Kanni Pavji's turn. And Kanni Pavji also gave a great party for everybody.

But now his number^[75] comes up. Now Gorakh Nathji is left.

Gorakh Nathji's number came up. And he thought, Brother, I haven't any feast stuff, nothing at all. I haven't any cash, and I haven't any firewood, and I haven't any beans, and I haven't any stuff at all ... I'm a yogi, I am. Let the sister-fuckers drink offeringash tomorrow!

When evening came, Gorakh Nathji Sovereign called, "O assemblies, listen, all you assemblies. Tomorrow Gorakh Nathji Sovereign invites you at twelve o'clock for a feast, for a wish-feast. The invitation is for whatever you desire.

"Everyone bring his own cup right side up, covered with a cloth. Whatever you desire to eat, then put your hand on your cup and ask for it. That very food will come."

So he gave that invitation, and then Gorakh Nathji Sovereign went to sleep.

Now day dawned. And as soon as day dawned, and they had washed their hands and faces, the yogis turned their prayer beads. At eleven o'clock they went to Gorakh Nathji Sovereign and said, "The time has come. Get up, you don't have any stuff yet, nothing at all! Where are you going to get stores of grain, cooking pots, flour, all the things? You promised twelve o'clock. O brother, where are the goods going to come from?"

"You just take your baths, brothers, and wash your hands and faces."

[75] This is one of the few moments when Madhu Nath uses an English word; "number" commonly means "turn" in rural Rajasthan.

"Well, we already bathed and washed and we're hungry. Yesterday you said there would be a feast at twelve o'clock. So it's twelve o'clock and Sovereign, we're dying of hunger!"

"Good, brothers, you're hungry?"

"Everyone is hungry."

"Good, then sit down. Sit down in eating lines. Let each guru's own disciples sit in separate eating lines."

So they sat down in separate lines. In one line were Jalindar Baba's disciples. In one line were Machhindar Nath's disciples. In one line were Gorakh Nath's. In one line were Kanni Pavji's.

"Now, brothers, this is what you should do. There are leaf plates set out. Everyone hold his own cup right side up and sit down. Take your cup and sit down, everyone."

Now Kanni Pavji's disciples were feeling enmity. Why? Because he had turned their food into rocks previously. Gorakh Nathji had turned that cartload of cooked food that was coming into rocks. They were feeling enmity.

Gorakh Nathji Sovereign said, "OK, brothers, set down your cups, with their mouths up, and cover them, cover them with a cloth." They covered them with a cloth.

This was his wish-feast, Gorakh Nathji's cooking.

"Everyone put your hand on your cup and ask for your desire, whatever you want to eat. And that very thing will come."

Now one of Kanni Pavji's disciples said, "That cunt—let's ask for improper things. He spoiled our feast-food. He turned it into rocks. So let us spoil his cooking. How? Some of you ask for snakes in your cup, and some of you ask for scorpions, and some of you ask for goats' heads, and some of you ask for buffalo, buffalo heads. Some of you ask for big snakes and some for jackals, foxes, lizards, fat lizards ... we'll ask for all these different things and see where Gorakh Nath will grab them."

"Yeah, then it will be spoiled, where will he get living animals and bring them? He said we'd have a feast in our cups. But where will Gorakh Nath get scorpions, poisonous lizards, snakes, or water snakes?"

So they covered them up, and my son! They were dying of enmity. And some asked for snakes, and some asked for lizards, and some asked for goats' heads and some buffalo heads, and some asked for jackals and foxes and fat lizards. They asked for them in their cups.

Gorakh Nathji Sovereign said, "Yes, brothers, everyone is invited

to my wish-feast. Put your hands on your cups, which are curtained, and ask for any kind of food. Ask!"

Well, Machhindar Nath's and Gorakh Nath's and Jalindar Nath's disciples asked for satal ya and puris , and laddus and jalebis , and delicate breads and lentils. They asked for what they wanted. And they asked only for things to eat.

But Kanni Pavji's disciples ... some asked for jackals and some for foxes and scorpions, poisonous animals, lizards and poisonous lizards and goats' heads and big snakes. They asked for black snakes and things like that, brother!

And it all came into their cups. Gorakh Nathji Sovereign made everything come, because he had invited them to a wish-feast.

Now which gurus were senior to Gorakh Nathji Sovereign? The one whom he took out from the blind well, Jalindar Baba. And Machhindar Nathji—and he went to their campfires.

He said, "Guru Sovereigns?"

"Yes, brother Gorakh Nath?"

"Well, Guru Sovereigns, I made a promise in the night. I gave invitations to a wish-feast of mine. So, Guru Sovereigns, whatever they desire they ask for it, and it comes into their cup."

"So they eat what they ask for."

"And suppose they ask for something improper, then, Guru Sovereigns, what should they do?"

"Let the sister-fuckers eat it, or beat them with tongs! It was an invitation to a wish-feast so why should they ask for improper things? And if they ask for improper things, the sister-fuckers have to eat them!"

Then Gorakh Nathji Sovereign said, "Yes, brothers, everyone uncover his own cup and feast."

So everyone took off the piece of cloth. And Machhindar Nathji's and Gorakh Nathji's and Jalindar Baba's disciples began to feast. They had asked for good feasts. Some had laddus and satal ya and puris , things to eat. And if they asked for vegetables, then they got vegetables. And if they asked for vegetables with puris —whatever they asked for, all five festive foods, they got.

But those who asked for other things had piles of lizards and scorpions. Some had fat snakes and some had goats' heads and some had buffalo heads and they looked ...

"Eat Eat!" [Laughter ]

Now how would they eat?

Gorakh Nathji Sovereign said, "Jalindar Baba ..."

"Yes, brother Gorakh Nath."

"Why aren't these disciples of Kanni Pavji eating?"

"Hey, you should eat!"

"Yes, Guru Sovereign." [Spoken in a nasal whine ]

"Stand up, all you Guru Sovereigns, stand up ... Machhindar Nathji, Jalindar Baba, look! What things have they got to eat? Improper, improper things to eat are lying there in their cups.

"So they looked in them.

"O sister-fuckers, what have you done? So feast on it!"

"Grain-givers, how can we feast on this? Snakes and lizards, look! Goats' heads and buffalo heads."

"O sister-fuckers," the Guru Sovereigns said. "Did it come without asking or did you ask for it?"

"Guru Sovereigns, we asked!" [Spoken like terrified children confessing to a prank ]

"How would it come without asking? Gorakh Nathji made a promise: 'Ask for whatever you wish, ask and eat.' So you asked and now the things have come. There are snakes and lizards and buffalo heads, goats' heads, sister-fuckers, foxes and jackals. Fat lizards and poisonous lizards ... sister-fuckers! That's what you'll eat! You asked for them to eat."

"Guru Sovereigns, we asked out of enmity."

"What kind of enmity?"

"From before, when he turned our feast into rocks."

"If you had asked for rocks, maybe we could have helped you.

But you asked for jackals and foxes. Eat them, sister-fuckers."

"Grain-giver, how can we eat them?"

"Now I'll make my tongs fly, sister-fuckers, why did you ask? Were you trying to destroy Gorakh Nath's wisdom? Where will he get scorpions, where will he get fat lizards, where will he grab jackals, where will he get snakes, where will he cut off animals' heads?' Well, sister-fuckers, he put them in your cups, you have really spoiled his honor! Eat them, sister-fuckers!"^[76]

So he beat them with his tongs and fed them, the Snake Charmers.

[76] Jalindar seems to be the speaker and actor here, but the text is ambiguous.

He fed them and gave them a fraction of knowledge, but to us he gave a full measure.^[77]

"Go, sister-fuckers, and don't settle in any village. You have to live in the jungle and play the flute.^[78] And catch snakes, sister-fuckers, and make them dance. Eat snakes, search for lizards, kill jackals and foxes and eat them. Sister-fuckers, live in the jungle only."

That's it, this will be their destiny. When any Snake Charmer comes, we keep him outside. He gave them a fraction of knowledge, and to us he gave a full measure of knowledge.

And our sect settled many retreats and could make lions and cows live together. In many places we turned the hills to gold, and sometimes five hundred bighas^[79] of land were assigned for our retreats, for the service of Mahadev. We could keep a cow with a lion, that's the kind of wisdom we had! When armies die, then we make the king a disciple and bring his army back to life. We bring it back to life and make the king a disciple.

That's it. Now Gopi Chand has become immortal, and that's it, Gopi Chand is complete.
                    (GC . 4.13.e)

[77] Literally he gave the Snake Charmers "one and one-quarter of one-quarter of a ser " and gave the rest "one and one-quarter of a whole ser ." A ser is a little over two pounds.

[78] pungi; an instrument associated with tribal groups.

[79] One bigha equals five-eighths of an acre.