Life’s Secret – A Tale from Bengal

In a small village on the banks of the Ganges, there lived a poor Brahmin named Satyacharan and his wife Vidya. Though they had little in the way of worldly possessions, they were content with their simple life. Satyacharan spent his days teaching sacred texts to the village children, while Vidya kept their modest home and tended to a small garden.

Their peaceful existence was disrupted one day when a wandering sadhu appeared at their doorstep. His matted hair hung down to his waist, and his body was covered in ash. Despite his fearsome appearance, his eyes held a gentle wisdom that immediately put the couple at ease.

“I have traveled far and am weary,” the sadhu said. “Might I trouble you for shelter for the night?”

Without hesitation, Vidya welcomed him into their home. She prepared their best meal for him, though it was humble by most standards. Satyacharan engaged their guest in conversation about philosophy and the sacred texts.

As night fell, the sadhu observed the couple closely. “You have shown great kindness to a stranger,” he said. “Your hearts are pure, yet I sense a deep sorrow within you both.”

Vidya and Satyacharan exchanged glances. “It is true,” Vidya admitted. “We have been married for twenty years, but the gods have not blessed us with children. We have accepted this as our fate, but the longing remains.”

The sadhu nodded thoughtfully. “Not all is determined by fate alone. Sometimes, with the right knowledge, one can change what seems unchangeable.”

From his satchel, the holy man produced a small golden mango. “Take this fruit,” he instructed Vidya. “Eat it, and within a year, you will bear a son. But remember this: your son’s life will be bound to a golden lotus. As long as the lotus remains fresh, he will live. Should it wither, he will fall ill. And if it dies, so too will your son.”

With these words, the sadhu departed before sunrise, leaving the couple with the miraculous fruit and his cryptic warning.

Vidya ate the mango as instructed, and true to the sadhu’s prediction, she soon found herself with child. Nine months later, she gave birth to a beautiful boy with skin that seemed to glow with a golden hue. They named him Sonadev – the golden one.

On the day of his birth, they discovered a golden lotus floating in their water pot. Remembering the sadhu’s words, they carefully transferred it to a crystal vase filled with clean water. Each day, Vidya would change the water and place the vase in sunlight, watching with relief as the lotus remained as fresh as the day it appeared.

Sonadev grew into a handsome and intelligent young man, beloved by all in the village. Though his parents never told him about the lotus that contained his life’s secret, they raised him with extraordinary care, always watchful for any sign of danger.

In a neighboring kingdom ruled the powerful King Vikram. He had a beautiful daughter named Chandralekha, whose grace and wisdom were known throughout the land. When she came of age, the king announced a swayamvara – a ceremony where the princess would choose her husband from among the assembled suitors.

News of the swayamvara reached Sonadev’s village, and though he was not of royal blood, he felt drawn to attend. His parents worried about him traveling so far from the protective watch they kept over his lotus, but seeing the determination in their son’s eyes, they reluctantly agreed.

“We cannot keep him forever sheltered,” Satyacharan said to his wife. “He must live his life, even with the risk it entails.”

Before Sonadev departed, Vidya gave him her blessing and a small pouch of sacred ash. “Keep this with you always,” she said. “It is blessed and will protect you from harm.”

At the swayamvara, princes and nobles from many lands gathered in King Vikram’s court. Sonadev stood among them, dressed in simple but clean clothes, his natural nobility shining through despite his humble origins.

When Princess Chandralekha entered the hall, a hush fell over the crowd. She carried a garland of flowers, which she would place around the neck of her chosen one. Slowly, she walked past each suitor, her eyes searching for something only she could recognize.

When she reached Sonadev, their eyes met, and something passed between them – a recognition of kindred spirits. Without hesitation, she placed the garland around his neck, choosing him above all the wealthy and powerful suitors.

King Vikram was displeased that his daughter had chosen a commoner, but he honored the tradition of the swayamvara. “If this is your choice,” he told Chandralekha, “then so be it. But he must prove himself worthy through three tests of my choosing.”

The first test was to tame a wild elephant that had been terrorizing the kingdom’s borders. The second was to retrieve a rare pearl from the bottom of a lake said to be home to water spirits. Sonadev passed both tests with courage and cleverness, earning the reluctant respect of the king.

For the final test, King Vikram said, “Bring me a strand of hair from the demon Rakshasa who lives in the forest beyond the mountains. Only then will I accept you as worthy of my daughter.”

This was no ordinary challenge. The Rakshasa was known to be invincible, with the power to destroy entire armies. Many brave warriors had ventured into his forest, but none had returned.

Before setting out on this perilous journey, Sonadev sent a message to his parents, telling them of his success in the first two tests and of the final challenge that lay ahead. When they received the news, Vidya and Satyacharan were filled with dread.

“The Rakshasa is too dangerous,” Vidya cried. “We must tell him about the lotus and call him home.”

But Satyacharan shook his head. “Our son has found love and purpose. We cannot take that from him now. We will simply guard his lotus with even greater care.”

Meanwhile, Sonadev journeyed to the forest of the Rakshasa. Using the sacred ash his mother had given him, he disguised himself as a holy man and entered the demon’s territory. The Rakshasa, seeing what appeared to be a harmless sadhu, allowed Sonadev to approach.

“What brings you to my forest, holy one?” the demon asked, his voice like thunder.

“I seek wisdom,” Sonadev replied. “They say you are as ancient as these mountains and know secrets hidden from mortal men.”

Flattered by these words, the Rakshasa invited Sonadev to stay in his cave. For several days, Sonadev served the demon, preparing food and listening to his boastful tales. Gradually, he earned the Rakshasa’s trust.

One evening, as the demon dozed by the fire, Sonadev asked casually, “Great Rakshasa, they say you are invincible. Is this true, or merely a tale to frighten children?”

The demon laughed. “It is true. No weapon can harm me, for my life is not contained within my body.”

“How fascinating,” Sonadev remarked. “But surely this is impossible. All living things carry their life within them.”

“Not I,” boasted the Rakshasa. “My life is hidden far from here, where no one can find it. It resides within a bee, which lives inside a red lotus, floating on a lake at the world’s end. Only by destroying that bee can I be killed – and no one will ever find it!”

Sonadev’s heart raced at this revelation, but he kept his expression calm. That night, while the Rakshasa slept, he carefully cut a single strand of hair from the demon’s head and slipped away from the cave.

Upon his return to the kingdom, Sonadev presented the hair to King Vikram, who was astonished that he had survived the encounter. True to his word, the king granted his blessing for Sonadev to marry Princess Chandralekha.

The wedding was a joyous occasion, attended by people from throughout the kingdom. Vidya and Satyacharan traveled to witness their son’s happiness, bringing with them the crystal vase containing the golden lotus – never letting it out of their sight.

After the celebrations, Sonadev shared with Chandralekha the story of the Rakshasa and the secret of his invincibility. “I believe we should seek out this lotus and bee,” he said. “As long as the Rakshasa lives, he remains a threat to all.”

Chandralekha agreed, and with the king’s blessing, they prepared for a journey to the world’s end. Before they departed, Sonadev visited his parents to bid them farewell.

It was then that Vidya and Satyacharan finally revealed to him the secret of his own life – how it was bound to the golden lotus they had guarded so carefully all these years.

Sonadev was stunned by this revelation. “So my life, like the Rakshasa’s, exists outside my body?”

“Yes,” his father confirmed. “The sadhu who gave us the golden mango told us this would be both your blessing and your vulnerability.”

Sonadev fell silent, contemplating this new understanding of himself. Then he smiled. “Perhaps this is why I felt such a connection to the Rakshasa’s tale. We are not so different, he and I.”

With this new knowledge, Sonadev and Chandralekha set out on their quest, taking the golden lotus with them for safekeeping. After many months of arduous travel, they reached a vast lake at what seemed indeed to be the edge of the world. In its center floated a single red lotus.

Using a small boat, they approached the flower. Inside, just as the Rakshasa had described, buzzed a bee – the container of the demon’s life.

Chandralekha looked at her husband. “What will you do?”

Sonadev gazed at the bee, then at his own golden lotus. “I understand now why the sadhu bound my life to a lotus. It was not a curse but a lesson – to teach me that all life is connected, fragile, and precious.”

Instead of killing the bee, Sonadev carefully captured it in a small golden cage. “We will not destroy the Rakshasa’s life,” he declared. “Instead, we will use this knowledge to ensure he never harms another soul.”

They returned to King Vikram’s kingdom with the caged bee. Sonadev sent a message to the Rakshasa, who arrived at the palace gates in a fury, having discovered his secret had been compromised.

“Return what is mine,” the demon demanded, “or I will destroy everything you hold dear.”

Sonadev stepped forward, holding the caged bee in one hand and his own golden lotus in the other. “Look,” he said. “My life, like yours, exists outside my body. I understand your fear better than anyone.”

The Rakshasa stared in disbelief at the parallel between them.

“I offer you a choice,” Sonadev continued. “Swear to use your great power to protect rather than terrorize, and your life will remain safe in my keeping. Break this oath, and your life is forfeit.”

The demon, seeing no alternative, reluctantly agreed to the terms. From that day forward, the Rakshasa became a guardian of the kingdom’s borders, keeping away other malevolent forces.

Sonadev and Chandralekha ruled wisely after King Vikram, becoming beloved monarchs known for their compassion and understanding. They kept both the golden lotus and the caged bee in a special chamber in the palace, tended with equal care – a reminder that all lives, even those of former enemies, deserved protection.

And throughout Bengal, the story spread of the king whose life resided in a lotus, teaching the profound truth that life itself is the most precious secret of all – to be guarded, respected, and cherished, whether it belongs to friend or foe.

Adapted from “Life’s Secret” in Lal Behari Dey’s “Folk-Tales of Bengal” (1883), one of the first collections of authentic Bengali folktales published during the British colonial era.