The Upright King

There was a great Maharaja whose name was Harchand Raja, and he had an
only son called Manikchand. He was very rich and had a great deal of
money, and he also had a very large garden full of lovely flowers and
fruits which he prized greatly. Every morning before he bathed he used
to give some poor fakir two pounds and a half of gold. Now Harchand
Maharaja used to pray a great deal to God, and God was very fond of
him, so he said one day, "To see if Harchand Maharaja really loves me,
I will make him very poor for twelve years." And at night God came
down in the shape of a great boar, and ate up everything that was in
Harchand Maharaja's garden. The boar then ran away into the jungle.
Next morning the gardener got up and looked out into the garden, and
what was his astonishment when he saw it was all spoilt. Nothing was
left in it; it was not a garden any more. He went quickly to the
Maharaja and said, "Oh, master! oh, Maharaja! your garden is quite
spoilt. Last night a boar came and ate up everything in it."
"Nonsense," said the Maharaja, who would not believe him. "It is quite
true," said the gardener; "you can come and see for yourself." So the
Raja got up at once and put on his clothes, and went into the garden,
and found it all empty. He went back to the house very melancholy.
Then as usual he gave a fakir his two pounds and a half of gold. After
breakfast he went out hunting. The boar which had run away into the
wood changed himself into a very old fakir, who shook from old age. As
Harchand Maharaja passed, the old fakir held out his hand, saying,
"Please give me a few pice, I am so poor and hungry." The Maharaja
said, "Come to my palace and I will give you two pounds and a half of
gold." "Oh, no," said the fakir, "surely you would never give me so
much as that." "Yes, I will," said the Maharaja. "Every morning before
I bathe I give a fakir two pounds and a half of gold." "Nonsense,"
said the fakir, "you don't give away your money in that way." "Really,
I do," said the Maharaja, "and I promise to give you two pounds and a
half of gold." So the fakir followed Harchand Maharaja home, and when
they reached the palace, the Maharaja told his treasurer to give the
old fakir two pounds and a half of gold. The treasurer went into the
treasury, but all the Maharaja's gold and silver and jewels had become
charcoal! The treasurer came out again to the Maharaja saying, "Oh,
Maharaja, all your gold and silver and jewels are turned into
charcoal!" "Oh, nonsense," said the Maharaja. "Come and see,
Maharaja," said the treasurer, who was in a great fright. The Maharaja
went into his treasury, and was quite sad at the sight of the
charcoal. "Alas!" he said, "God has made me very poor, but still I
must give this fakir his money." So he went to the fakir and said,
"All my gold and silver and jewels are turned into charcoal; but I
will sell my wife, and my boy, and myself, and then I will give you
the money I promised you." And he went and fetched his wife and son,
and left his palace, his houses, servants, and possessions.

He then went to a merchant, who bought from him his Maharani, who was
called Hirali, that is, the diamond lady, for she was very beautiful,
and her face shone like a diamond. Her hands were very small, and so
were her feet. The merchant gave the Maharaja a pound of gold for the
Maharani. Next, Harchand Maharaja went to a cowherd and sold him his
son Manikchand. The cowherd gave him for the boy half a pound of gold.
Then he went to a dom, that is, a man of a very low caste, who kept a
tank into which it was his business to throw the bodies of those who
died. If it was a dead man or woman, the dom took one rupee, if it was
a dead child he was only paid eight annas. To this dom Harchand sold
himself for a pound of gold, and he gave the two pounds and a half of
gold to the fakir, who then went home. The dom said, "Will you stay by
the tank for a few days while I go home and do my other work, which is
weaving baskets? If any one brings you a dead body you must throw it
into the water. If it is the body of a man or woman, take one rupee in
payment; if it is a dead child, take eight annas; and if the bearers
have got no money, take a bit of cloth. Don't forget." And the dom
went away, leaving Harchand sitting by the tank.

Well, Harchand Maharaja sat for some days by the tank, and when any
one brought him dead bodies he threw them into it. For a dead man or
woman he took one rupee, for a dead child eight annas, and if the
bearers had no money to give him, he took some cloth. Some time had
passed, and Manikchand, the Maharaja's son, died; so Hirali Rani went
to the cowherd to ask him for her dead child. The cowherd gave him to
her, and she took him to the tank. Harchand Maharaja was sitting by
the tank, and when Hirali Maharani saw him she said, "I know that man
is my husband, so he will not take any money for throwing his child
into the water." So she went up to him and said, "Will you throw this
child into the tank for me?" "Yes, I will," said Harchand Maharaja;
"only first give me eight annas." "You surely won't take any money for
throwing your own son into the tank?" said the Maharani. "You must pay
me," said Harchand Maharaja, "for I must obey the dom's orders. If you
have no money, give me a piece of cloth." So the Maharani tore off a
great piece of her sari and gave it him, and the Maharaja took his son
and threw him into the tank. As he threw him in he cried out to the
king of the fishes, who was an alligator, "Take great care of this
body." The king of fishes said, "I will." Then the Maharani went back
to the merchant.

And the Maharaja caught a fish, and cooked it, and laid it by the
tank, saying, "I will go and bathe and then I will eat it." So he took
off his clothes and went into the tank to bathe, and when he had
bathed he put on fresh clothes, and as he took hold of his fish to eat
it, it slipped back alive into the water, although it had been dead
and cooked. The Maharaja sat down by the tank again, very sad. He
said, "For twelve years I have found it hard to get anything to eat;
how long will God keep me without food?" God was very pleased with
Harchand for being so patient, for he had never complained.

Some days later God came down to earth in the shape of a man, and with
him he took an angel to be his Wazir. The Wazir said to God, "Come
this way and let us see who it is sitting by the tank." "No," said
God, "I am too tired, I can go no further." "Do come," said the Wazir;
"I want so much to go." God said, "Well, let us go." Then they walked
on till they came to the place where Harchand Maharaja was sitting,
and God said to him, "Would you like to have your wife, and your son,
and your kingdom back again?" "Yes, I should," said the Maharaja; "but
how can I get them?" "Tell me truly," said God, "would you like to
have your kingdom back again?" "Indeed I should," said the Maharaja.
Then Manikchand's body, which had never sunk to the bottom of the tank
like the other bodies, but had always floated on the water, rose up
out of the water, and Manikchand was alive once more. The father and
son embraced each other. "Now," said God, "let us go to the dom."
Harchand Maharaja agreed, and they went to the dom and asked him how
much he would take for Harchand Maharaja. The dom said, "I gave one
pound of gold for him, and I will take two pounds." So they paid down
the two pounds of gold. Then they went to the merchant and said to
him, "How much will you take for Hirali Rani?" The merchant said, "I
gave a pound of gold for her; I will take four pounds." So they paid
down the four pounds of gold, took Hirali Rani, and went to the
cowherd. "How much will you take for Manikchand?" said they to him. "I
gave half a pound of gold for him," answered the cowherd; "I will take
one pound." So they paid down the pound of gold, and Harchand Maharaja
went home to his palace, taking with him Hirali Rani and Manikchand,
after thanking the strange man for his goodness to them. When they
reached the palace, the garden was in splendid beauty; the charcoal
was turned back into gold, and silver, and jewels; the servants were
in waiting as usual, and they went into the palace and lived happily
for evermore.