The Fakir Nanaksa Saves the Merchant's Life

In a country there was a grain merchant who was a very good man. Now a
fakir named Nanaksa, who was also a very good man, came constantly to
talk with him.

One day he came as usual, and the merchant and his wife were very glad
to see him. As they were all sitting together, they saw a goat led
away to be killed. The goat escaped from the man who was leading him
and hid behind the merchant, but he was caught and marched off to
death.

At this the merchant said nothing, but the fakir laughed.

A little later they saw an old woman who had done something wrong,
and, therefore, the king had ordered her to be taken to the jungle and
there put to death. The old woman escaped from the men who were
leading her and took refuge behind the merchant, but she was seized
and led away to die.

The merchant said nothing; the fakir laughed, and the merchant's wife
saw him laugh.

At this moment the merchant's little daughter woke and began to
scream. Her mother took her in her arms; the child was cross and
pulled her mother's clothes all awry.

The fakir laughed.

The mother put her dress straight and held her child in her arms and
stopped her crying. She then took a knife and went up to the fakir,
saying, "Why did you laugh three times? Tell me the truth. What made
you laugh three times?" Nanaksa answered, "What does it signify
whether I cry or laugh? Ask me no questions, for I am a fakir, and it
does not matter in the least whether I laugh or cry." However, the
merchant's wife insisted on knowing why he laughed, and she said, "If
you do not tell me, I will kill you with my knife." "Good," said
Nanaksa; "if you really do wish to know, I will tell you." "I really
do wish to know," she answered.

"Well," said Nanaksa, "you remember the goat took refuge behind your
husband? That goat in his former life was your husband's father, and
your husband would have saved him from death had he given the man who
was taking him to be killed four rupees, for the man would then have
gone away contentedly without the goat."

"Good," said the woman. "Why did you laugh the second time?"

"Well," said Nanaksa, "that old woman who hid herself behind your
husband was his grandmother in her former life. Had your husband given
the men who were taking her to the jungle twenty rupees, they would
have given her up to him, and he would have saved her from death.
Should a wild beast or a man ever take refuge behind us, it is our
duty to save his life."

"Well," said the merchant's wife, "you have told me why you laughed
the first two times. Now tell me why you laughed the third time."

"Listen," said Nanaksa. "You remember your husband's sister whom you
tormented so much? She died, but then God caused her to be born again
as your daughter, that she might torment you and punish you for having
been so unkind to her in her former life when she was your
sister-in-law."

"Is that true?" said the woman.

"Quite true," answered the fakir, "and that is why I laughed the third
time. But now would you like to hear something I wish to tell you? If
you promise not to cry, I will tell it you."

"I promise not to cry, so tell me," she said.

"Then listen," said Nanaksa. "God has decreed that your husband shall
die to-morrow morning at ten o'clock. He will send four angels to
fetch him."

At this the poor woman began to cry bitterly.

"Do not cry," said the fakir. "I will tell you something more. Listen
to me. To-morrow morning at four o'clock you must get up, and make
your house quite clean and neat. Then buy new dishes and make all the
nicest and most delicious sweetmeats you can."

"I will do so," she answered.

When it was yet night she rose, and did all the fakir had bidden her.
Then she went to him and said, "The sweetmeats are ready." "Now," said
Nanaksa, "go and get a fine, clean cloth; take it and the sweetmeats
with you, and set out and walk on and on till you come to a plain
which is a long way from this. But you must go on till you reach it,
and on it you will see a tank and a tree. By the tank and the tree you
must spread your cloth and lay out your sweetmeats on it. At nine
o'clock you will see four men, who will come and bathe in the tank.
When they have bathed they will come towards you, and you must say to
them, 'See! you are four angels, therefore you must eat some of my
sweetmeats.'"

The woman set out for the plain and did all Nanaksa had told her to
do; and everything happened as he had foretold. When the four men had
bathed, they came towards the woman, and she said to them, "See! you
are four angels, and therefore you must eat some of my sweetmeats."
The chief of the four angels, who was called Jabra'il, and the three
other angels answered, "We have no money, wherewith to buy your
sweetmeats, so how can we eat any of them?" "Never mind the money,"
said the woman; "you can pay me another day. Come now and eat some."
So the four angels sat down and ate a great many of her sweetmeats.

When they had finished they stood up and said to each other, "Now we
must go to the village and fetch the merchant." Then the woman made
them a great many salaams and said, "That merchant is my husband.
Still, if it is your pleasure to take him away, take him away."

At this the angels were sad, and said to her, "How can we take your
husband's life now that we have eaten your food? But stay under this
tree till we return, and then we will pay you for your sweetmeats."

So the angels left her, and the wife waited under the tree. She was
very sad; and after some time she thought, "Now I will go home:
perhaps these angels are gone to take his life;" and then she cried
bitterly and remained under the tree.

Meanwhile the four angels had gone back to God, who asked them, "Have
you brought the merchant?" They were sorry not to have brought him,
and told God all that had happened. And God was very angry; but he
said to them. "Never mind. I know the fakir Nanaksa is with the
merchant and his wife just now, and it is he who has played you this
trick."

Then God wrote a letter in which he promised the merchant twenty years
more life, only at the end of the twenty years he was really to die
and not to be allowed to live any longer. This letter he gave to the
angels, and bade them take it to the merchant's wife and tell her to
have a silver box made, into which she was to put the letter, and
then hang it round her husband's neck, so that he should live for
twenty years more.

The four angels came down to earth again, and went to the tree under
which they had left the woman. They found her waiting for them, and
gave her the letter saying, "You must get a silver box made and put
this letter in it; then hang it round your husband's neck, so that he
may live for twenty years more."

The woman thanked them, and was very happy. She took the letter and
went home. There she found her husband quite well, and with him was
Nanaksa. She gave Nanaksa the letter and told him what the angels had
bidden her do with it. Nanaksa read the letter, and was very much
pleased. Then he said to her, "Call a silversmith here, and let him
make you the silver box. Then you must get a great dinner ready, and
ask all your friends, rich and poor, to come and eat it."

All this she did, and when the dinner was ready and all their friends
had come, the fakir said, "None who are here, men, women, or children,
must eat, till they have put their hands before their faces and
worshipped God." Everybody hid his face in his hands at once and
worshipped God: while they did this the fakir stole away from them, so
when they uncovered their faces he was nowhere to be seen. No one knew
where he had gone, and no one had seen him go. Some of the men went to
look for him, but they could not find him, and none of them ever saw
him again.

But the merchant and his wife lived happily together.