In this episode, we’re doing a folktale from Karnataka. It’s a rather famous one, so it’s possible some of you may have already heard of it. In fact, it was made into an Opera some years ago.
Anyway, more on that during the show notes.
Let’s begin our story as we often have with a rather poor family. And this family consisted of a mom and her two daughters. They were so poor they could not afford a square meal. Or a meal of any other shape either. They managed on handouts. Sometimes the mother, Amma, would do odd jobs for the neighborhood and get leftovers which they would share. Sometimes that would be half an apple or a roti. But they struggled and managed. In reality, they need not have.
The two daughters were perfectly capable of working. But Amma had explicitly forbidden them from doing any such thing.
But the daughters could clearly see that this was not a sustainable model. The older daughter, Akka, would have liked to contribute but did not know how to. The younger daughter, Pushpa, on the other hand, was a bit more resourceful.
She said to her sister – “Akka, I know exactly how we can make some money. For this, I will need your cooperation. You’ll have to pluck some flowers and sell them”
“Oh, and what will you do, Pushpa? Push… pa? He’s not even around”
“That’s a terrible joke Akka. But I’ll let it slide. I need you. I’ll make the flowers and….”
“You’ll make the flowers? Make them? How?” interrupted Akka.
“There are many steps in this recipe. First I need you to wash and clean the whole house. Then take a bath, and fetch two pitchers of water. Just make sure you don’t let your fingernails touch the water. Then pour one pitcher of water all over me. When you do, I’ll change into a tree, with lots of flowers. You must pick the flowers carefully. Make sure you do not harm any branches or tear any leaves. When you’ve collected enough, you can pour the water from the other pitcher. I’ll change back then.”
“How and where did you learn all this?” Akka asked astonished at her little sister.
“Look, it’s perfectly simple and at the same time, it’s quite complicated. I’ll explain later” replied Pushpa. “Just do this won’t you?”
“Alright,” said Akka. “But watch out if this is just all a dirty trick to get me to clean the house and bathe!”
But this was no prank. When Akka carefully went through the whole procedure, Pushpa really did turn into a tree. Akka quickly gathered as many flowers as she could manage to fit into the largest basket they had. When she was done, she poured the second pitcher of water and restored Pushpa.
They marveled at the flowers. So far they had only seen flowers at a distance in the gardens of the rich. But even then they could tell that these flowers were more beautiful, more colorful than anything else they could have imagined. And they smelled amazing!
Akka took the flowers to sell. She figured near the rich neighborhoods was a good start. She had expected to sell these to a few rich ladies or maybe their housekeepers. So she was surprised when the person she sold it to was probably the richest woman in the land – the Queen herself. Now the Queen did not normally go about buying items from street vendors. But she was passing by and caught a whiff of the fragrant flowers. She had her carriage stopped at once so she could determine and perhaps own the source of this enchanting aroma.
Akka would have given the flowers to the queen for free. But she did not object when the Queen insisted she pay 10 gold coins for it.
Akka rushed home delighted and showed the money to her sister. Pushpa was delighted but a second or two later she frowned. “We can’t actually use this money for anything. If we tell mom, she’ll think we stole it or worse that we worked for it. We have to think of something. Until then don’t tell Mom anything!”
The sisters agreed to keep mum and not tell mum.
But the mom was going to find out another way.
Back in the palace, the Queen gifted the flowers to the apple of her eye, her youngest daughter. The princess, Nirdayi, was a bit of a spoiled brat, but the Queen did not pay that much mind. What was the point of being supreme ruler of the land if you did not get to flex in such aspects as letting your child do whatever they want?
Her son, the Prince, too was enamored by the smell of the flowers. The Prince, whose name was Rajkumar, needed to find the source. He dug around secretly in his mother’s desk until he found the receipt.
He went to the address on the receipt and was surprised to see a small and shabby-looking hut – its occupants were definitely very poor. How could they afford such beautiful flowers? He decided to hide out in a tree and observe.
And observe them, he did. He saw how Pushpa changed into a tree and how Akka gathered the flowers and ultimately how Pushpa changed back into a woman. At least Rajkumar assumed her usual form was that of a woman and not a tree.
He made up his mind right then and there. This was the source of the flowers, Pushpa would be the only one he would marry.
He went back to the palace and had a conversation with his mother.
“Remember Mom, how you’re always asking me to consider marrying?” he asked her
“I never said that!” said the Queen
“But you’ve thought of it. And I’m sure you want to see a successor to the throne”
“You’re not even on the throne yet. We’ve got plenty of time” the Queen said
But Rajkumar wouldn’t agree. He wanted to marry and he had already chosen the right woman.
“And has she chosen you as well?” asked the Queen skeptically.
“She hasn’t said so, but I know she will not refuse.” The Prince was technically right on both counts. Pushpa hadn’t said anything to him because she didn’t even know he existed. And she would not refuse Rajkumar’s proposal because he would threaten her if he had to. Or he could always just grab her in her vulnerable tree form and transplant her into his own private garden in the palace. What would she do then?
“Oh alright,” said the Queen. “It will be nice to have another woman in the Palace. I’ve been missing your elder sister ever since she got married and moved out”
When the Prince revealed who it was that he wanted to marry, the Queen almost fainted out of shock.
“I’m all for bridging the economic gap, and all that but are you sure you want to go through with this?” she asked.
But Rajkumar’s mind was made up.
Amma was summoned to the palace. When she heard that the Prince wanted to marry Pushpa, she was not in disbelief or joy. Rather, she was angry, for she was sure Pushpa had done something against her rules.
She went home and demanded an explanation. Akka and Pushpa reluctantly supplied it. Pushpa explained everything. Amma was in disbelief now. She demanded a demonstration, and Pushpa and Akka showed her.
Amma’s reaction isn’t very clear in the original folk tale. But she let the wedding continue. It’s not like she had a choice. Besides the temptation of climbing several rungs of the socio-economic ladder must have been too strong. Regardless, Amma and even Akka dropped out of the story at the conclusion of the wedding ceremonies.
Pushpa decked out in fine clothes and jewelry looked every bit a royal so the Queen was satisfied with the situation. As long as the topic of her past did not come up.
Rajkumar demanded something from Pushpa the moment they were alone after all the celebration. “I want those flowers. I want our room to be covered in those beautiful flowers that you make when you turn into a tree”
“Turn into a tree? What are you talking about? Can a human being ever turn into a tree? Both can turn into fossils but people turning into trees? Never heard of that” replied Pushpa
“Don’t lie to me. I saw you. I saw all that your sister did and how you transformed” the Prince countered.
“Oh alright,” she said reluctantly. “Fetch me two pitchers of water and don’t let your fingernails touch the water.”
“Wait, I saw your sister had to clean the house and bathe and all that. Why didn’t you ask me to do that?” asked Rajkumar
“That was just a trick, so I didn’t have to help clean the house. And as for the bath, this was my way of getting her to take one,” replied Pushpa with a sly smile.
Rajkumar did exactly that and after his wife transformed into a tree, he collected lots and lots of flowers. They filled the whole room with those sweet-smelling flowers of all colors, shapes, and sizes. The variety was odd considering they all came from the same tree.
The next morning Nirdayi noticed all the flowers in her brother and sister-in-law’s chambers.
She was sure they weren’t there the night before.
Investigating more, she also found a clump of dirt in the middle of the chambers and some damp portion of the carpet as if someone had spilled water there. In what is a clear demonstration of her indecency, she eavesdropped on a conversation between Rajkumar and Pushpa. It went like this.
Rajkumar asked his wife “what if you are outside without an umbrella and it rains? Won’t you just change into a tree?”
“I won’t. It only works if I’m also muttering a spell at the same time. I don’t often do that when it rains” replied Pushpa
“Pushpa, how did you get this ability to change into a flowering tree in the first place?”
“Well, it’s perfectly simple. At the same time, it’s rather complicated. It starts….” began Pushpa.
“Spare me the details. I’ve got to go on my hunting trip. Let’s make more flowers when I’m back tonight. Oh, and by the way, Nirdayi asked me to pass on a message to you. She wants you to go with her and her friends to the Orchard for a picnic”
“Do I have to?” asked Pushpa
“Yes, I think it would be better to. You know she’s Mom and Dad’s favorite child. To upset her is to upset Mom and Dad. And I’d try to avoid that”, proving what a spineless husband he was.
So Pushpa did go to the Picnic with Nirdayi and her friends. To Pushpa’s surprise, the first order of business was not sandwiches or games on the sprawling lawn. Nirdayi and her friends all circled around Pushpa and asked her to change into a tree.
“Don’t be crazy! Can a person really turn into a tree?” asked Pushpa.
But Nirdayi nodded that a person could. If the person was Pushpa who had been steadily supplying everyone with those flowers.
Reluctantly, and worried about Rajkumar’s reaction if Nirdayi were to leave upset, Pushpa agreed and ran them all through the procedure. She emphasized that they must be careful not to break any branches or tear any leaves. Unfortunately, the girls did exactly the opposite. They gathered all the lovely flowers they could, but carelessly so several branches broke and leaves tore off of the tree. And when it was time to transform, they hastily splashed the pitcher in her direction, missing most of her, before scampering back home.
Poor Pushpa in tree form was so badly mutilated that when she tried to transform back, it was a heartbreaking sight. She collapsed, could barely even stand, let alone walk. Her arms and legs were badly truncated. She tried to go back to the palace. But the best she could manage was a slow crawl. No one was around to help her.
Nirdayi and her friends had made it back to their homes long ago. And when the Queen asked Nirdayi where Pushpa was, all she got in answer was a shrug.
If the Queen had acted decisively and quickly, they could have rescued Pushpa from the Orchard. But she did not want to be aware of the crime even and therefore pretended ignorance to her son to avoid his rage.
So that by the time Rajkumar went looking for her in the Orchard, he could not find her anywhere.
It’s not that Pushpa had managed to crawl out of the area quickly. It’s just that the driver of a passing bullock cart took pity on her and gave her a ride. She muttered the word palace over and over so he took her to the Palace of the city of his destination. This was not the same palace that Pushpa had lived in. But it was the palace of Rajkumar’s older sister and her husband.
The cart driver left Pushpa outside the palace gates and went on his way. Pushpa lay there helpless. Until the royal cook saw her. Pushpa’s body was mutilated but her face was glowing. It amazed the cook who took pity on her and took her on and cared for her.
Over time, everyone got accustomed to Pushpa. She couldn’t do anything to help the Cook, but her presence and her beautiful glowing face were somehow comforting to the palace staff.
Meanwhile, in the other palace, Rajkumar was not in it. He had not been in it for a while now. Soon after he realized he had no solid leads in finding Pushpa, he decided to renounce everything and go just wander the world. He would just walk aimlessly until something happened. Or didn’t.
It was during this aimless wandering that he happened upon his older sister’s palace.
The staff recognized and escorted him in. His sister did her best, but he was determined not to have any fun. So he grumbled through the cute puppies acrobatics act show and refused to even smile while a famous standup comic in the land unleashed his most hilarious jokes. Only once did his ears perk up when a fortune teller promised she could reveal every secret. But the light in his eyes went out when she accidentally dropped her crystal ball which smashed into bits.
Nothing seemed to cheer him up. His sister had the cook prepare a meal with all of his favorite dishes. But he grumbled that he would eat in the privacy of his own room instead.
In his room when the cook came in with the food cart, accompanied by Pushpa on a wagon.
Rajkumar and Pushpa stared at each other in shock. The Prince then picked up Pushpa gently and put her on his own bed. She told him the whole story, every bit of it.
Rajkumar asked if there was any way to fix this.
Pushpa replied that they could try. He could go fetch two pitchers of water. He could pour one on her to transform her into a tree again. Wherever there was a broken branch he would have to fix it. If there was a torn leaf, he would have to set it right somehow. And then they could try transforming her again.
The prince did that patiently. He went through every leaf, every branch, setting it right, providing fertilizer, removing worms. When he felt the tree looked reasonably close to normal he poured the second pitcher of water on her. And she transformed back! And this time she was her normal self again!
Rajkumar and Pushpa were ecstatic! They went back to their palace. Rajkumar’s Dad, the King, had not been featured in the story so far. But now at the very end of the story, he made an appearance just to punish Nirdayi. I’ll skip the details on that punishment. It’s a little gory.
Rajkumar did ask his wife: “how exactly did you get your ability to transform in the first place?”
“Don’t you have a hunting trip or something to go to?” she asked, remembering his interruption the last time she had started to explain.
“No, I could listen to you talk all day, all week, and all my life” he replied
“That is sweet. Well, I’ll tell you then. Like I’ve said before – it’s pretty simple and at the same time it’s rather complicated. You see….” and she paused
“What?” he asked
She replied “It’s just that we’re at the end of the episode. The story is already a bit longer than the past few episodes. So Narada will have to stop narrating”
Well, she’s right. We are at the end of the episode.
Some notes on the show
Yes, this story was adapted into an Opera. Check out these links about it:
Opera details
Some more details
Audio sample
Pushpa means flower, an appropriate name for the Queen. Akka is just the Kannada word elder sister. Amma means mother in the same language. Rajkumar is Prince, and Nirdayi means callous or pitiless.
There are some parallels with Rapunzel’s story from the Grimm brothers’ fairy tales. If you think about it, both Rapunzel and Pushpa had a secret ability that was kept shut away by Mother Goethel in one case and by Amma in the other. In each case, a prince discovered the girl and her ability, fell in love with her, but was separated from her. In one case because of Mother Goethel and in the other because of Nirdayi. The evildoers paid for their crime but not before a lengthy and painful separation for the couple. In one case, it was a bird that helped reunite them and in the other, it was the Prince’s older sister.
The reasons for Amma’s strong opposition to letting her daughters work are never explained. And of course, it’s also not clear how Pushpa got this secret in the first place.
An interesting theme here is that Pushpa might symbolize nature and people’s exploitation of it. The damage we have done to the ecology needs great care to repair it, similar to how the Prince has to painstakingly fix each branch, each stem, and each leaf.
Consistent with this is the fact that except at the very beginning Pushpa’s transformation into a tree was not voluntary. She was reluctant to transform when urged by her mother, then her husband, and then her sister-in-law. Her final transformation towards the end was out of necessity.
There is a deeper analysis of the story by A.K. Ramanujam if you’re interested in reading further.
That’s all for now.
Next Time
In the next episode, we’ll continue the Ramayan with Ram and Laxman investigating how Sita had disappeared when they returned from their hunt of the golden deer.