Rabindranath Tagore, "The Trust Property" (Translated 1918) (Short Story)
Tags: Property/ inheritance, miserliness, greed, tragic misrecognition
THE TRUST PROPERTY
I
Brindaban Kundu came to his father in a rage and said: 'I am off this
moment.'
'Ungrateful wretch!' sneered the father, Jaganath Kundu. 'When you
have paid me back all that I have spent on your food and clothing, it
will be time enough to give yourself these airs.'
Such food and clothing as was customary in Jaganath's household could
not have cost very much. Our rishis of old managed to feed and
clothe themselves on an incredibly small outlay. Jaganath's behaviour
showed that his ideal in these respects was equally high. That he
could not fully live up to it was due partly to the bad influence of
the degenerate society around him, and partly to certain unreasonable
demands of Nature in her attempt to keep body and soul together.
So long as Brindaban was single, things went smoothly enough, but
after his marriage he began to depart from the high and rarefied
standard cherished by his sire. It was clear that the son's ideas
of comfort were moving away from the spiritual to the material, and
imitating the ways of the world. He was unwilling to put up with the
discomforts of heat and cold, thirst and hunger. His minimum of food
and clothing rose apace.
Frequent were the quarrels between the father and the son. At last
Brindaban's wife became seriously ill and a kabiraj[country doctor / without training] was called
in. But when the doctor prescribed a costly medicine for his patient,
Jaganath took it as a proof of sheer incompetence, and turned him
out immediately. At first Brindaban besought his father to allow the
treatment to continue; then he quarrelled with him about it, but to
no purpose. When his wife died, he abused his father and called him
a murderer.
'Nonsense!' said the father. 'Don't people die even after swallowing
all kinds of drugs? If costly medicines could save life, how is it
that kings and emperors are not immortal? You don't expect your wife
to die with more pomp and ceremony than did your mother and your
grandmother before her, do you?'
Brindaban might really have derived a great consolation from these
words, had he not been overwhelmed with grief and incapable of
proper thinking. Neither his mother nor his grandmother had taken any
medicine before making their exit from this world, and this was the
time-honoured custom of the family. But, alas, the younger generation
was unwilling to die according to ancient custom. The English had
newly come to the country at the time we speak of. Even in those remote
days, the good old folks were horrified at the unorthodox ways of the
new generation, and sat speechless, trying to draw comfort from
their hookas.
Be that as it may, the modern Brindaban said to his old fogy of a
father: 'I am off.'
The father instantly agreed, and wished publicly that, should he ever
give his son one single pice in future, the gods might reckon his act
as shedding the holy blood of cows. Brindaban in his turn similarly
wished that, should he ever accept anything from his father, his act
might be held as bad as matricide.
The people of the village looked upon this small revolution as a
great relief after a long period of monotony. And when Jaganath
disinherited his only son, every one did his best to console him.
All were unanimous in the opinion that to quarrel with a father for
the sake of a wife was possible only in these degenerate days. And
the reason they gave was sound too. 'When your wife dies,' they
said, 'you can find a second one without delay. But when your father
dies, you can't get another to replace him for love or money.'
Their logic no doubt was perfect, but we suspect that the utter
hopelessness of getting another father did not trouble the misguided
son very much. On the contrary, he looked upon it as a mercy.
Nor did separation from Brindaban weigh heavily on the mind of his
father. In the first place, his absence from home reduced the household
expenses. Then, again, the father was freed from a great anxiety. The
fear of being poisoned by his son and heir had always haunted him. When
he ate his scanty fare, he could never banish the thought of poison
from his mind. This fear had abated somewhat after the death of his
daughter-in-law, and, now that the son was gone, it disappeared
altogether.
But there was one tender spot in the old man's heart. Brindaban had
taken away with him his four-year-old son, Gokul Chandra. Now, the
expense of keeping the child was comparatively small, and so Jaganath's
affection for him was without a drawback. Still, when Brindaban took
him away, his grief, sincere as it was, was mingled at first with
calculation as to how much he would save a month by the absence of the
two, how much the sum would come to in the year, and what would be the
capital to bring it in as interest.
But the empty house, without Gokul Chandra in it to make mischief,
became more and more difficult for the old man to live in. There
was no one now to play tricks upon him when he was engaged in his
puja [ceremonial Hindu worship], no one to snatch away his food and eat it, no one to
run away with his inkpot, when he was writing up his accounts. His
daily routine of life, now uninterrupted, became an intolerable burden
to him. He bethought him that this unworried peace was endurable
only in the world to come. When he caught sight of the holes made in
his quilt by his grandchild, and the pen-and-ink sketches executed by
the same artist on his rush-mat, his heart was heavy with grief.
Once upon a time he had reproached the boy bitterly because he had torn
his _dhoti_ into pieces within the short space of two years; now
tears stood in Jaganath's eyes as he gazed upon the dirty remnants
lying in the bedroom. He carefully put them away in his safe, and
registered a vow that, should Gokul ever come back again, he should
not be reprimanded even if he destroyed one dhoti a year.
But Gokul did not return, and poor Jaganath aged rapidly. His empty
home seemed emptier every day.
No longer could the old man stay peacefully at home. Even in the
middle of the day, when all respectable folks in the village enjoyed
their after-dinner siesta, Jaganath might be seen roaming over the
village, _hooka_ in hand. The boys, at sight of him, would give up
their play, and, retiring in a body to a safe distance, chant verses
composed by a local poet, praising the old gentleman's economical
habits. No one ventured to say his real name, lest he should have to go
without his meal that day[15]--and so people gave him names after their
own fancy. Elderly people called him Jaganash,[16] but the reason why
the younger generation preferred to call him a vampire was hard to
guess. It may be that the bloodless, dried-up skin of the old man
had some physical resemblance to the vampire's.
[15] It is a superstition current in Bengal that if a man pronounces
the name of a very miserly individual, he has to go without his meal
that day.
[16] Jaganath is the Lord of Festivity, and Jaga_nash_ would mean the
despoiler of it.
II
One afternoon, when Jaganath was rambling as usual through the village
lanes shaded by mango topes, he saw a boy, apparently a stranger,
assuming the captaincy of the village boys and explaining to them
the scheme of some new prank. Won by the force of his character and
the startling novelty of his ideas, the boys had all sworn allegiance
to him. Unlike the others, he did not run away from the old man as
he approached, but came quite close to him and began to shake his own
_chadar_. The result was that a live lizard sprang out of it on to
the old man's body, ran down his back and off towards the jungle.
Sudden fright made the poor man shiver from head to foot, to the
great amusement of the other boys, who shouted with glee. Before
Jaganath had gone far, cursing and swearing, the _gamcha_ on his
shoulder suddenly disappeared, and the next moment it was seen on
the head of the new boy, transformed into a turban.
The novel attentions of this manikin came as a great relief to
Jaganath. It was long since any boy had taken such freedom with him.
After a good deal of coaxing and many fair promises, he at last
persuaded the boy to come to him, and this was the conversation
which followed:
'What's your name, my boy?'
'Nitai Pal.'
'Where's your home?'
'Won't tell.'
'Who's your father?'
'Won't tell.'
'Why won't you?'
'Because I have run away from home.'
'What made you do it?'
'My father wanted to send me to school.'
It occurred to Jaganath that it would be useless extravagance to send
such a boy to school, and his father must have been an unpractical fool
not to have thought so.
'Well, well,' said Jaganath, 'how would you like to come and stay
with me?'
'Don't mind,' said the boy, and forthwith he installed himself in
Jaganath's house. He felt as little hesitation as though it were
the shadow of a tree by the wayside. And not only that. He began
to proclaim his wishes as regards his food and clothing with such
coolness that you would have thought he had paid his reckoning in full
beforehand; and, when anything went wrong, he did not scruple to
quarrel with the old man. It had been easy enough for Jaganath to get
the better of his own child; but, now, where another man's child was
concerned, he had to acknowledge defeat.
III
The people of the village marvelled when Nitai Pal was unexpectedly
made so much of by Jaganath. They felt sure that the old man's end
was near, and the prospect of his bequeathing all his property to this
unknown brat made their hearts sore. Furious with envy, they determined
to do the boy an injury, but the old man took care of him as though
he was a rib in his breast.
At times, the boy threatened that he would go away, and the old man
used to say to him temptingly: 'I will leave you all the property I
possess.' Young as he was, the boy fully understood the grandeur of
this promise.
The village people then began to make inquiries after the father of the
boy. Their hearts melted with compassion for the agonised parents,
and they declared that the son must be a rascal to cause them so much
suffering. They heaped abuses on his head, but the heat with which
they did it betrayed envy rather than a sense of justice.
One day the old man learned from a wayfarer that one Damodar Pal was
seeking his lost son, and was even now coming towards the village.
Nitai, when he heard this, became very restless and was ready to run
away, leaving his future wealth to take care of itself. Jaganath
reassured him, saying: 'I mean to hide you where nobody can find
you--not even the village people themselves.'
This whetted the curiosity of the boy and he said: 'Oh, where? Do show
me.'
'People will know, if I show you now. Wait till it is night,' said
Jaganath.
The hope of discovering the mysterious hiding-place delighted Nitai. He
planned to himself how, as soon as his father had gone away without
him, he would have a bet with his comrades, and play hide-and-seek.
Nobody would be able to find him. Wouldn't it be fun? His father, too,
would ransack the whole village, and not find him--that would be rare
fun also.
At noon, Jaganath shut the boy up in his house, and disappeared for
some time. When he came home again, Nitai worried him with questions.
No sooner was it dark than Nitai said: 'Grandfather, shall we go now?'
'It isn't night yet,' replied Jaganath.
A little while later the boy exclaimed: 'It is night now, grandfather;
come let's go.'
'The village people haven't gone to bed yet,' whispered Jaganath.
Nitai waited but a moment, and said: 'They have gone to bed now,
grandfather; I am sure they have. Let's start now.'
The night advanced. Sleep began to weigh heavily on the eyelids of
the poor boy, and it was a hard struggle for him to keep awake. At
midnight, Jaganath caught hold of the boy's arm, and left the house,
groping through the dark lanes of the sleeping village. Not a sound
disturbed the stillness, except the occasional howl of a dog, when
all the other dogs far and near would join in chorus, or perhaps the
flapping of a night-bird, scared by the sound of human footsteps at
that unusual hour. Nitai trembled with fear, and held Jaganath fast
by the arm.
Across many a field they went, and at last came to a jungle, where
stood a dilapidated temple without a god in it. 'What, here!'
exclaimed Nitai in a tone of disappointment. It was nothing like what
he had imagined. There was not much mystery about it. Often, since
running away from home, he had passed nights in deserted temples
like this. It was not a bad place for playing hide-and-seek; still
it was quite possible that his comrades might track him there.
From the middle of the floor inside, Jaganath removed a slab of stone,
and an underground room with a lamp burning in it was revealed to the
astonished eyes of the boy. Fear and curiosity assailed his little
heart. Jaganath descended by a ladder and Nitai followed him.
Looking around, the boy saw that there were brass _ghurras_[17] on all
sides of him. In the middle lay spread an _assan_[18], and in front of
it were arranged vermilion, sandal paste, flowers, and other articles
of _puja_. To satisfy his curiosity the boy dipped his hand into some
of the _ghurras_, and drew out their contents. They were rupees and
gold _mohurs_.
[17] A water-pot holding about three gallons of water.
[18] A prayer carpet.
Jaganath, addressing the boy, said: 'I told you, Nitai, that I would
give you all my money. I have not got much,--these _ghurras_ are all
that I possess. These I will make over to you to-day.'
The boy jumped with delight. 'All?' he exclaimed; 'you won't take
back a rupee, will you?'
'If I do,' said the old man in solemn tones, 'may my hand be
attacked with leprosy. But there is one condition. If ever my grandson,
Gokul Chandra, or his son, or his grandson, or his great-grandson or
any of his progeny should happen to pass this way, then you must
make over to him, or to them, every rupee and every _mohur_ here.'
The boy thought that the old man was raving. 'Very well,' he replied.
'Then sit on this _assan_,' said Jaganath.
'What for?'
'Because _puja_ will be done to you.'
'But why?' said the boy, taken aback.
'This is the rule.'
The boy squatted on the _assan_ as he was told. Jaganath smeared
his forehead with sandal paste, put a mark of vermilion between his
eyebrows, flung a garland of flowers round his neck, and began to
recite _mantras_.[19]
[19] Incantations.
To sit there like a god, and hear _mantras_ recited made poor Nitai
feel very uneasy. 'Grandfather,' he whispered.
But Jaganath did not reply, and went on muttering his incantations.
Finally, with great difficulty he dragged each _ghurra_ before the boy
and made him repeat the following vow after him:
'I do solemnly promise that I will make over all this treasure to
Gokul Chandra Kundu, the son of Brindaban Kundu, the grandson of
Jaganath Kundu, or to the son or to the grandson or to the
great-grandson of the said Gokul Chandra Kundu, or to any other
progeny of his who may be the rightful heir.'
The boy repeated this over and over again, until he felt stupefied,
and his tongue began to grow stiff in his mouth. When the ceremony was
over, the air of the cave was laden with the smoke of the earthen lamp
and the breath-poison of the two. The boy felt that the roof of his
mouth had become dry as dust, and his hands and feet were burning. He
was nearly suffocated.
The lamp became dimmer and dimmer, and then went out altogether. In the
total darkness that followed, Nitai could hear the old man climbing up
the ladder. 'Grandfather, where are you going to?' said he, greatly
distressed.
'I am going now,' replied Jaganath; 'you remain here. No one will
be able to find you. Remember the name Gokul Chandra, the son of
Brindaban, and the grandson of Jaganath.'
He then withdrew the ladder. In a stifled, agonised voice the boy
implored: 'I want to go back to father.'
Jaganath replaced the slab. He then knelt down and placed his ear
on the stone. Nitai's voice was heard once more--'Father'--and
then came a sound of some heavy object falling with a bump--and
then--everything was still.
Having thus placed his wealth in the hands of a _yak_,[20] Jaganath
began to cover up the stone with earth. Then he piled broken bricks
and loose mortar over it. On the top of all he planted turfs of
grass and jungle weeds. The night was almost spent, but he could not
tear himself away from the spot. Now and again he placed his ear
to the ground, and tried to listen. It seemed to him that from far
far below--from the abysmal depth of the earth's interior--came a
wailing. It seemed to him that the night-sky was flooded with that
one sound, that the sleeping humanity of all the world was awake, and
was sitting on its beds, trying to listen.
[20] _Yak_ or _Yaksa_ is a supernatural being described in Sanskrit
mythology and poetry. In Bengal, _Yak_ has come to mean a ghostly
custodian of treasure, under such circumstances as in this story.
The old man in his frenzy kept on heaping earth higher and higher. He
wanted somehow to stifle that sound, but still he fancied he could hear
'Father.'
He struck the spot with all his might and said: 'Be quiet--people
might hear you.' But still he imagined he heard 'Father.'
The sun lighted up the eastern horizon. Jaganath then left the temple,
and came into the open fields.
There, too, somebody called out 'Father.' Startled at the sound, he
turned back and saw his son at his heels.
'Father,' said Brindaban, 'I hear my boy is hiding himself in your
house. I must have him back.'
With eyes dilated and distorted mouth, the old man leaned forward and
exclaimed: 'Your boy?'
'Yes, my boy Gokul. He is Nitai Pal now, and I myself go by the name
of Damodar Pal. Your _fame_ has spread so widely in the neighbourhood,
that we were obliged to cover up our origin, lest people should have
refused to pronounce our names.'
Slowly the old man lifted both his arms above his head. His fingers
began to twitch convulsively, as though he was trying to catch hold of
some imaginary object in the air. He then fell on the ground.
When he came to his senses again, he dragged his son towards the ruined
temple. When they were both inside it, he said: 'Do you hear any
wailing sound?'
'No, I don't,' said Brindaban.
'Just listen very carefully. Do you hear anybody calling out
"Father"?'
'No.'
This seemed to relieve him greatly.
From that day forward, he used to go about asking people: 'Do you hear
any wailing sound?' They laughed at the raving dotard.
About four years later, Jaganath lay on his death-bed. When the
light of this world was gradually fading away from his eyes, and his
breathing became more and more difficult, he suddenly sat up in a
state of delirium. Throwing both his hands in the air he seemed to
grope about for something, muttering: 'Nitai, who has removed my
ladder?'
Unable to find the ladder to climb out of his terrible dungeon, where
there was no light to see and no air to breathe, he fell on his bed
once more, and disappeared into that region where no one has ever been
found out in the world's eternal game of hide-and-seek.[21]
[21] The incidents described in this story, now happily a thing of
the past, were by no means rare in Bengal at one time. Our author,
however, slightly departs from the current accounts. Such criminally
superstitious practices were resorted to by miserly persons under the
idea that they themselves would re-acquire the treasure in a future
state of existence. 'When you see me in a future birth passing this
way, you must make over all this treasure to me. Guard it till then
and stir not,'--was the usual promise exacted from the victim before
he became _yak_. Many were the 'true' stories we heard in childhood of
people becoming suddenly rich by coming across ghostly custodians of
wealth belonging to them in a past birth.
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