The Brâhmaṇ Girl Who Married a Tiger: A Tale of Deception and Courage

Adapted from Tales of India: Folktales from Bengal, Punjab, and Tamil Nadu

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A Difficult Daughter

In a small village lived an old Brâhmaṇ with his wife, three sons, and a daughter. Being the youngest child and only girl, the daughter was pampered and indulged by her parents. As she grew, she developed a troublesome habit—whenever she saw a handsome young man, she would declare to her parents that she must marry him.

This behavior caused her parents great distress. They constantly needed to invent excuses to divert her attention from these passing infatuations. Years passed, and the girl approached womanhood. Her parents grew increasingly anxious, knowing that if they failed to arrange her marriage before she reached maturity, they risked being ostracized from their caste. They began searching earnestly for a suitable bridegroom.

The Tiger’s Scheme

Near their village lived a fierce tiger with extraordinary powers. Through the art of magic, this tiger could assume different forms at will. Having developed a taste for Brâhmaṇ food, he often disguised himself as an elderly, famished Brâhmaṇ to attend temples and public feedings.

The tiger had another desire—to find a Brâhmaṇ wife who could prepare meals according to Brâhmaṇ customs. One day, while eating at a public feast in his human disguise, he overheard talk about the Brâhmaṇ girl who fell in love with every handsome young man she saw.

“This is perfect,” the tiger thought to himself. “I shall transform into the most handsome Brâhmaṇ boy imaginable and win her heart.”

The next morning, the tiger assumed the form of a learned scholar, a Śâstrin proficient in the Râmâyaṇa. He positioned himself near the sacred river where villagers came to bathe. Covering his body with holy ashes, he opened the sacred text and began to read aloud in a melodious voice.

“The voice of the new Śâstrin is enchanting,” remarked several women who gathered to listen to his recitation.

A Hasty Marriage

When the Brâhmaṇ girl came to bathe in the river, she immediately noticed the handsome scholar. As had happened many times before, she fell in love at first sight. She hurried to her mother, insisting that she speak to her father about this new prospect.

The old woman, delighted by the distinguished appearance of the young man, rushed home to inform her husband. When the Brâhmaṇ came and saw the scholar, he raised his hands in praise of Lord Mahêśvara, grateful for such a promising match for his daughter.

They invited the disguised tiger to dine with them. When questioned about his family and background, he cleverly replied that he came from a village beyond the adjacent forest. The Brâhmaṇ, eager to secure such a handsome and learned son-in-law, arranged the marriage for the very next day without further investigation.

The wedding celebrations lasted a month. During this time, the tiger-bridegroom behaved impeccably, giving his new relatives no reason to suspect his true nature. He particularly enjoyed the Brâhmaṇic dishes, devouring everything placed before him with great enthusiasm.

The Journey Home

As the month of festivities drew to a close, the tiger began to miss his forest home and his natural diet. One day, he approached his father-in-law with a request.

“I must return to my parents soon, as they will be worried about my long absence,” he said. “Rather than bearing the expense of another journey to bring my wife home later, why not let me take her with me now? I will ensure she is well cared for by her new mother-in-law.”

The old Brâhmaṇ agreed, saying, “My dear son-in-law, she is yours now, and we entrust her to your care. Though sending her away feels like sending her blindfolded into the wilderness, we trust you to treat her kindly.”

The bride’s mother wept at the thought of parting with her daughter but spent the day preparing cakes and sweetmeats for the journey. Following tradition, she placed margosa leaves in her daughter’s bundles and on her head to ward off evil spirits.

Before the couple departed, the bride’s relatives made the groom promise to let her rest whenever she found shade and eat whenever she found water. He agreed, and they began their journey.

The Terrible Truth

For the first part of their journey, the couple conversed pleasantly. When the bride spotted a beautiful pond surrounded by singing birds, she asked her husband if they could rest and share some of the food her mother had prepared.

“Be quiet,” he snapped, “or I shall show you my original shape.”

Frightened by his sudden change in tone, she fell silent and continued walking. When they came upon another pond and she repeated her request, he gave the same threatening response.

Growing hungry and irritated by her husband’s strange behavior, which had changed dramatically since entering the forest, she finally demanded, “Show me your original shape.”

In an instant, her husband transformed before her eyes. His human features disappeared, replaced by four legs, a striped skin, a long tail, and a tiger’s face. The bride stood frozen in terror as the tiger addressed her in a human voice.

“Know that I, your husband, am a tiger—this very tiger that now speaks to you. If you value your life, you must obey all my commands. I can speak to you in a human voice and understand what you say. Soon we will reach my home, where you will be the mistress. In front of my house, you will find six tubs that you must fill daily with different dishes. I will provide all the ingredients you need.”

Life in the Tiger’s Den

Weeping silently, the girl followed the tiger to his forest home. Upon arrival, he went out and returned with pumpkins and meat, which she prepared into a curry. Before leaving again, he instructed her, “Every morning I will hunt for provisions and prey. You must cook whatever I bring back.”

The next morning, after the tiger departed, she cooked everything he had left and filled all the tubs with food. When the tiger returned at midday, he growled, “I smell a man! I smell a woman in my wood.” Terrified, his wife locked herself inside the house until he had satisfied his hunger.

Days passed in this manner, and eventually, the Brâhmaṇ girl gave birth to a son—who was also a tiger.

A Message of Hope

One day, while the tiger was away hunting, his wife sat alone in the house, weeping. A crow pecked at some scattered rice nearby and, noticing her tears, began to cry as well.

“Can you help me?” the girl asked.

“Yes,” replied the crow.

She quickly took a palmyra leaf and wrote about her suffering, begging her brothers to rescue her. She tied the leaf around the crow’s neck, and the bird, seeming to understand her plight, flew to her village and perched before one of her brothers. He untied the leaf, read the message, and shared it with his other brothers.

The Rescue Mission

The three brothers immediately prepared to rescue their sister. They asked their mother for food for the journey, but she had little rice to spare. Instead, she formed a large ball of clay, stuck what rice she had to its surface to make it appear like a rice ball, and gave it to them.

As they traveled toward the forest, they encountered an ass, which the youngest brother insisted on taking along despite his older brothers’ objections. Further on, they found an ant, which the middle brother collected. Nearby lay a large fallen palmyra tree, which the eldest brother took to use as a weapon against the tiger.

By midday, the brothers grew hungry and opened their food bundle, only to discover the ball was mostly clay. Extremely thirsty, they drank all the water from a nearby pond and continued their journey. Near the pond, they found a large iron washerman’s tub, which they also took with them.

Following the directions in their sister’s letter, they eventually reached the tiger’s house. Their sister ran out joyfully to greet them but quickly ushered them into the loft to hide, as the tiger would soon return.

A Clever Deception

When the tiger came home, he immediately sensed human presence by the smell. He questioned his wife, who denied that anyone had come. Meanwhile, the brothers hiding in the loft grew terrified at the sight of the tiger. The youngest, who had drunk much water from the pond, began to urinate, followed by his brothers, creating a flood in the tiger’s house.

“What is happening?” asked the alarmed tiger.

“Nothing,” his wife replied calmly. “It’s just the urine of your brothers-in-law. They arrived a while ago and wish to see you after your meal.”

“Can my brothers-in-law produce so much water?” the tiger wondered.

He asked to hear them speak. The youngest brother placed the ant he had collected into the ear of the ass, causing it to bray loudly in pain.

“Why do your brothers have such a hoarse voice?” the tiger asked his wife.

Next, he requested to see their legs. The eldest brother extended the palmyra tree.

“By my father, I have never seen such a leg!” exclaimed the tiger.

Finally, he asked to see their bellies. The middle brother displayed the iron tub.

Thoroughly intimidated, the tiger cried, “Such a flood of urine, such a harsh voice, such a stout leg, and such a belly—I have never heard of such beings!” With that, he fled into the forest.

The Escape

Taking advantage of the tiger’s fear, the brothers prepared to leave immediately with their sister. They ate what little food she had and urged her to depart. Her tiger-cub was asleep, so she tore it in two pieces, hung them over the hearth, and escaped with her brothers through the back door, bolting the front door from inside.

As the pieces of the cub roasted, they dripped onto the fire, causing it to hiss and sputter. When the tiger returned at midnight, he found the door locked and heard the fire’s noise, which he mistook for the sound of cooking.

“How clever you are,” he called out, “locking the door and cooking for your brothers! Let’s see if we can get some of those muffins.”

He entered through the back door and was horrified to discover his cub torn apart and roasting, his house deserted, and his possessions stolen—for his wife had taken as much as she could carry.

The Tiger’s Revenge

Grieving for his son and furious at his wife’s betrayal, the tiger vowed revenge. He decided to assume his human form again, making appropriate adjustments for the years that had passed since the marriage, and visit his in-laws’ home.

The next morning, he approached the Brâhmaṇ’s house. His brothers-in-law and wife recognized him despite his disguise and quickly devised a plan. The elderly parents, unaware of the deception, welcomed him warmly. The younger family members busied themselves preparing a feast in his honor.

Behind the house stood a ruined well. The eldest brother placed thin sticks across its mouth and covered them with a fine mat. Following the custom of offering guests a bath before dinner, the brothers invited the tiger to sit on the mat. As soon as he sat down, the sticks broke under his weight, and he fell into the well with a crash. The family immediately filled the well with stones and debris, ensuring the tiger could cause no more harm.

A Lasting Memorial

In memory of her marriage to the tiger, the Brâhmaṇ girl raised a pillar over the well and planted a tulasí shrub on top. For the rest of her life, she would smear the pillar with sacred cow-dung each morning and evening and water the tulasí plant.

This story explains the origin of the Śummaṭṭa proverb: “Śummâ irukkiraya, uruvattai kâṭṭuma,” which means “Be quiet, or I shall show you my original shape.”

This tale reminds us that appearances can be deceiving, and that courage and family bonds can help overcome even the most fearsome adversaries.