The Hermit’s Daughter

# The Hermit’s Daughter

*Adapted from Hindu Tales from the Sanskrit, translated by S. M. Mitra (1919)*

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Near the town of Ikshumati in India, on the banks of a beautiful wide river bordered by trees from a great forest, lived a holy man named Mana Kanaka. He spent much of his life in prayer and had lost his wife when their only child, a lovely girl named Kadali-Garbha, was just a few months old.

Kadali-Garbha grew up to be a very happy girl with many friends in the woods surrounding her home. These weren’t children like herself, but wild creatures who knew she would never harm them. They loved her, and she loved them in return. Birds were so tame they would eat from her hand, and deer would follow her about hoping for the bread she carried in her pocket for them.

Her father taught her everything she knew, which was considerable. She could read quite learned books in the ancient language of her native land. Even more valuable than what she learned from books was what Mana Kanaka told her about the loving God of all gods who rules the world and all living beings. Kadali-Garbha also learned a great deal through her friendships with wild animals. She knew where birds built their nests, where baby deer were born, where squirrels hid their nuts, and what food all the forest dwellers preferred.

She helped her father work in their garden, which provided all their food, and she enjoyed cooking the fruits and vegetables for both of them. Her clothes were made from tree bark, which she herself wove into thin, soft material suitable for the hot climate.

Kadali-Garbha never thought about other children because she wasn’t accustomed to having them around. She was perfectly content and never wished for any change. But when she was about sixteen, something happened that completely altered her life.

One day, her father had gone into the forest to cut wood, leaving her alone. She had finished tidying their home and prepared everything for the midday meal. She was sitting at the door reading to herself, with birds fluttering about her head and a pet doe lying beside her, when she heard the sound of approaching horse’s hooves.

Looking up, she saw on the other side of the fence a very handsome young man seated on a great black horse, which he had reined in when he caught sight of her. He looked at her without speaking, and she returned his gaze with her large black eyes, full of surprise at his sudden appearance. She made a beautiful picture, with green creepers covering the hut behind her and the doe, which had started up in fear of the horse, pressing against her.

The man was the king of the country, Dridha-Varman. He had been hunting and become separated from his attendants. He was very surprised to find anyone living in the depths of the forest and was about to ask the young girl who she was when Kadali-Garbha spotted her father coming along the path toward home.

Jumping up, she ran to meet him, glad for his return. She had never before seen a young man and was as shy as any wild creature of the woods. Now that Mana Kanaka was with her, she felt safe, clinging to his arm as he and the king conversed.

Mana Kanaka immediately recognized the man on horseback as the king, and great fear entered his heart when he saw how Dridha-Varman looked at his beloved only child.

“Who are you, and who is that lovely girl?” asked the king.

“I am only a humble woodcutter, and this is my only child, whose mother has long been dead,” Mana Kanaka replied.

“Her mother must have been a very lovely woman if her daughter resembles her,” said the king. “Never before have I seen such perfect beauty.”

“Her mother was indeed as you say,” replied Mana Kanaka, “and her soul was as beautiful as the body in which it dwelt all too short a time.”

“I would have your daughter for my wife,” declared the king. “If you give her to me, she shall have no wish unfulfilled. She shall have servants to wait on her and other young girls as companions, beautiful clothes to wear, the finest food to eat, horses and carriages as many as she desires, and no work to do with her own hands.”

Kadali-Garbha clung closely to her father, hiding her face against his arm and whispering, “I will not leave you. Do not send me away, dear father.”

Mana Kanaka stroked her hair and said gently, “But, dear child, your father is old and must leave you soon. It is a great honor for his little girl to be chosen by the king for his bride. Do not be afraid, but look at him and see how handsome he is and how kind he looks.”

Then Kadali-Garbha looked at the king, who smiled at her and appeared so charming that her fear began to fade. She still clung to her father but no longer hid her face. Mana Kanaka asked her to leave them so he could speak with the king alone about his wish to marry her. The king agreed, and Kadali-Garbha gladly ran away. But when she reached the door of her home, she looked back and knew in her heart that she already loved the king and did not want him to leave.

It did not take long for the marriage to be arranged. Though Mana Kanaka was sad to lose his dear only child, he was glad she would become a queen and have someone to care for her when he was gone. After this first visit to the little house in the forest, the king came every day to see Kadali-Garbha, bringing all kinds of presents. She grew to love him so much that she became as eager as he was for the wedding to happen soon.

When the day was set, the king sent several ladies of his court to dress the bride in clothes more beautiful than she had ever imagined, and in them she looked even lovelier than when her future husband first saw her.

Among these ladies was a very wise woman who could foresee the future. She knew troubles awaited the young queen in the palace because many would be jealous of her happiness. The wise woman was charmed by the beautiful, innocent girl and wanted to help her. She managed to get Kadali-Garbha alone for a few minutes and said:

“I want you to promise me something. Take this packet of mustard seeds, hide it in the bosom of your dress, and when you ride to the palace with your husband, scatter the seeds along the path as you go. You know how quickly mustard grows. It will spring up soon, and if you need to come home again, you can easily find the way by following the green shoots. Alas, I fear they will not have time to wither before you need their help!”

Kadali-Garbha laughed when the wise woman spoke of coming troubles. She was so happy she couldn’t believe she would want to return home so soon. “My father can come to me whenever I want him,” she said. “I need only tell my dear husband to send for him.” Nevertheless, she took the packet of seeds and hid it in her dress.

After the wedding, the king mounted his beautiful horse and, bending down, took his young wife up before him. Holding her close with his right arm, he held the reins in his left hand, and away they went, soon leaving all the attendants far behind, the queen scattering mustard seeds as she had promised. When they arrived at the palace, there were great celebrations, and everyone seemed delighted with the queen, who was full of eager interest in all she saw.

For several weeks, no one in the world was happier than the bride. The king spent many hours each day with her and never tired of listening to her stories about life in the forest with her father. Every day he gave her some fresh proof of his love and never refused any request she made. But then a change came.

Among the ladies of the court was a beautiful woman who had hoped to become queen herself. She hated Kadali-Garbha so much that she determined to disgrace her in the king’s eyes. She asked one powerful person after another to help her, but everyone loved the queen. The wicked woman began to fear that those she had told about her wish to harm Kadali-Garbha would warn the king.

So she sought someone who didn’t know the queen and suddenly remembered a wise woman named Asoka-Mala, who lived in a cave not far from town. Many people sought her advice for their problems. The jealous courtier went to this woman one night and told a completely false story. The young queen, she claimed, didn’t really love the king and, with her father’s help (who was supposedly a magician), planned to poison him. How could this terrible thing be prevented, she asked, promising that if Asoka-Mala would help save Dridha-Varman, she would give her a great deal of money.

Asoka-Mala immediately guessed the story was untrue and that the woman was merely jealous of the beautiful young queen. But she loved money very much. Instead of refusing to get involved, she said, “Bring me fifty gold pieces now and promise me another fifty when the queen is sent away from the palace, and I will tell you what to do.”

The wicked woman agreed at once. The very next night, she brought the first fifty gold pieces to the cave, and Asoka-Mala told her to get the royal barber, who saw the king alone every day, to tell him he had discovered a secret about the queen.

“You must tell the barber everything you’ve told me,” she instructed. “But be very careful to provide some proof of your story. If you don’t, you will have wasted the fifty gold pieces you’ve already given me, and worse, you’ll be severely punished for trying to harm the queen, whom everyone loves.”

The wicked woman returned to the palace, wondering, “How can I get proof of something that isn’t true?” At last, an idea came to her. She knew the queen loved to wander in the forest and wasn’t afraid of wild creatures, seeming to understand their language. She would tell the barber that Kadali-Garbha was a witch who knew forest secrets, that she had been seen gathering wild herbs, some poisonous, and had been heard muttering strange words as she did so.

Early the next morning, the cruel woman visited the barber and promised him a reward if he would tell the king what she had “discovered” about his wife. “He won’t believe you at first,” she said, “but you must keep telling him until he does. You’re clever enough to make up something he’ll believe if what I’ve thought of doesn’t work.”

The barber, who had served the king for many years, initially refused to help make him unhappy. But he too loved money, and eventually agreed to see what he could do if well paid. He was indeed clever and knew from long experience exactly how to approach his master.

He began by asking the king if he had heard of the lovely woman sometimes seen by woodsmen wandering alone in the forest, followed by wild creatures. Remembering how he had first encountered Kadali-Garbha, Dridha-Varman immediately guessed she was the woman in question. But he didn’t tell the barber so, for he was so proud of his dear wife’s beauty that he enjoyed hearing her praised and wanted the man to continue. He simply asked, “What does she look like? Is she tall or short, fair or dark?”

The barber readily answered these questions, then continued, saying it was obvious the lady was as clever as she was beautiful, for she knew not only about animals but also about plants. “Every day,” he said, “she gathers quantities of herbs, and I’m told she makes healing medicines from them. Some even claim she makes poisons too. But personally, I don’t believe that—she’s too beautiful to be wicked.”

The king listened, and a tiny doubt about his wife crept into his mind. She had never mentioned gathering herbs, though she often chatted about her forest friends. Perhaps it wasn’t Kadali-Garbha the barber was describing. He would ask if she knew anything about making medicines from herbs.

When they were alone together, he did so, and she replied immediately, “Oh, yes! My father taught me. But I haven’t made any since I married.”

“Are you sure?” asked the king.

“Of course I’m sure,” she answered, laughing. “How could I be anything but certain? I have no need to think about medicine-making now that I’m the queen.”

Dridha-Varman said nothing more at the time, but he was troubled. When the barber returned, he immediately asked about the woman seen in the woods. The wicked man was delighted and invented an elaborate story. He claimed one of the waiting women had followed the lady home one day, and that home wasn’t far from the palace. She had seen her bending over a fire with a large pot of water hanging above it, into which she threw some gathered herbs, singing in a strange language as she did so.

“Could it be,” the king wondered, “that Kadali-Garbha had deceived him? Was she perhaps a witch after all?” He realized he didn’t really know who she was or who her father was. He had fallen in love with her immediately because of her beauty. What should he do now? He was certain from the barber’s description that the forest woman was his wife. He would watch her himself but say nothing that might make her suspect his surveillance.

Although the king said nothing to his wife about the barber’s story, he couldn’t treat her exactly as before, and she soon began to wonder what she had done to upset him. The first thing she noticed was that one of the court ladies always followed her when she went into the forest. She disliked this because she loved being alone with the wild creatures, and they wouldn’t approach when others were present.

She told the lady to leave, and the woman pretended to do so but merely kept a greater distance. Though the queen could no longer see her, both she and the forest animals knew she was there. This continued for a while until Kadali-Garbha asked her husband to tell everyone that she wished to be alone in the forest. He refused, saying it wasn’t safe for her to wander about with no one to protect her.

This answer made the queen very sad. She knew now that something was seriously wrong and began to wonder if she would ever be happy again. She thought of her old home and her father, wishing she could see him and tell him about her troubles. She remembered the mustard seed and was glad she had scattered it along the path as the wise woman had advised.

The wicked lady of the court, seeing that her plan was working well, went again to the barber and told him to say to the king that the beautiful woman he had spoken about had been seen gathering poisonous herbs and had been heard saying, “The king will die soon, and then I can go back to my father.”

The barber told this to Dridha-Varman, who became so angry that he decided to find out for himself whether his wife was true or false. He would follow her secretly to the forest and watch what she did there. He had not long to wait for an opportunity. The very next day, Kadali-Garbha, looking very unhappy, started for the woods. The king, keeping out of sight, followed her, taking the same path she had taken.

When she reached the depths of the forest, the queen sat down on the ground, and her husband, hiding behind a tree, heard her talking to the birds and animals in their own language. This increased his suspicion, for it seemed to confirm she was a witch. Presently a deer approached her, laid its head on her lap, and began to lick her hands. She stroked it gently and said, “Dear friend, I wish I could live in the forest always with my father and you. I am so miserable in the palace, for the king no longer loves me.”

These words at first surprised the king, and he began to think he had been mistaken. Then he became angry again and thought, “She is deceiving the animals as she has deceived me.” He was about to rush out and seize her when the deer suddenly lifted its head, and looking toward the tree behind which Dridha-Varman was hiding, bounded swiftly away. At the same moment, all the other creatures who had come close to Kadali-Garbha darted off in different directions.

The queen knew from the behavior of the animals that someone was watching her. Rising to her feet, she called out, “Whoever you are, show yourself! You need not be afraid. A helpless girl will do you no harm.”

The king was ashamed of having doubted his wife and was about to reassure her with loving words when the wicked woman who had followed them both, rushed out from behind another tree, and bowing low before him, cried, “Oh, master, I have found you at last! Go not near the witch! She has been deceiving you all this time, and she is planning to poison you.”

Kadali-Garbha stood perfectly still, her face growing very pale and her eyes full of fear. She did not try to defend herself but looked from her husband to her accuser in deepening distress. The king, too, was silent, not knowing what to believe or do. Then the lady of the court fell on her knees before him, crying, “Let me prove to you that she is a witch and that she wishes to kill you that she may go back to her father.”

“How can you prove such a terrible thing?” asked the king.

“Bid her,” said the cruel woman, “give you the little bag she wears around her neck. See for yourself what it contains.”

The king turned to his wife and noticed for the first time the little bag hanging from a gold chain around her neck. “What is in that bag?” he asked.

“Only some mustard seed,” she replied, “that I have been told to use if I am unhappy.”

“Show it to me,” he commanded.

“I cannot,” she said. “For if I open the bag, the seed will all be gone, and the charm will be broken.”

“What charm?” asked the king. “Tell me at once, or I shall believe that you are indeed a witch, as this woman says.”

“I am no witch,” replied Kadali-Garbha, “but the daughter of a wise and good man who taught me much of the lore of plants and animals. If you will let me go back to him, I will never trouble you again. If you will not let me go, I must bear whatever you choose to do to me, for I am your wife, and I will keep the promise I made to honor and obey you.”

“Tell me,” said the king, “what is the charm of which you speak? What is this mustard seed meant to do?”

“I cannot tell you,” she replied. “For that would also break the charm.”

The king, who had begun to believe in his wife’s innocence, was again filled with doubt. He looked at her sternly and said, “I command you to open that bag and show me what is in it.”

Kadali-Garbha made no further resistance. She took the chain from her neck, opened the bag, and held it out toward the king. “See,” she said, “it is, as I told you, only mustard seed.”

The king looked at what lay in the palm of her hand and saw that it was indeed nothing but mustard seed. He no longer doubted his wife, but taking her in his arms, he said, “Oh, my dear one, I have been cruel to you; but I will make up for it. Tell me what the charm is, and I will help you to observe it.”

At that moment, the wicked woman who had accused the queen fell down on the ground in a fit, and Kadali-Garbha, forgetting all the wrong she had done her, hurried to her aid. She took her head in her lap, and bending over her, whispered in her ear, “I forgive you: may all your wrong-doing be forgotten.” Then, looking up at her husband, she added, “This poor creature is very ill. Let us take her back to the palace and do all we can for her.”

The king, full of remorse for having doubted his wife, was ready to do everything she asked. The woman was carried to the palace, where she soon recovered. When she was quite well, she confessed all her evil intentions and told the king about the wise woman who had helped her. She was allowed to leave the palace, and from that time forward, no one heard anything more of her.

Kadali-Garbha and her husband lived happily together for many years. The king never again doubted his wife, and she never had any need to use the mustard seed to find her way back to her old home. She often sent for her father to come and stay with her, and he gave her his blessing on his deathbed.

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*This ancient tale reminds us of the destructive power of jealousy and the importance of trust in relationships. Through Kadali-Garbha’s story, we see how innocence and goodness can be threatened by those who envy what others have, yet ultimately prevail through patience and forgiveness. The story also illustrates how wisdom often comes from unexpected sources, whether from a forest hermit, a court lady who foresees trouble, or even from our connection with the natural world.*