One rajah had seven ranis (wives, in India - noble women). The elder Rani were so proud that when they walked on the ground, they barely touched it with their feet. The younger Rani was very modest, and the Raja loved her more than anyone.
For a long time the Raja had no children. “Who,” he thought, “will be my heir? Who will get my kingdom?
Days passed. And so the youngest Rani was about to have a child. Raja could not contain his joy. He summoned his servants and guards and announced throughout the kingdom that he was opening all his treasured storerooms. Whoever wants sweets and jewelry, let him come and take it.
The older ranis began to envy the younger ones.
And the Raja handed a gold chain from his chambers to the chambers of the younger Rani and said:
- When the baby is born, pull this chain - and I will come to look at the newborn.
With these words, he left for the durbar (durbar - council of the nobility, ceremonial reception).
And the youngest Rani began to expect the baby. Who would dare enter her chambers? But the older ranis decided: “Why should we send strange women to the younger ranis? It’s better we go to her ourselves.”
When they entered her, they touched her gold chain. The Raja, having interrupted the durbar, accompanied by the priest and retinue to the beat of drums, immediately went to the chambers of the younger Rani. There were jewelry in his hands. But, seeing that what he expected did not happen, he left.
Before the Raja could begin the reception again, the gold chain began to jingle again. Raja again hurried to the Rani, but this time in vain. Having become agitated and angry, he decided: “If the chain is pulled a third time and the baby does not appear, I will kill the Rani.” With such thoughts, the Raja left his wife’s chambers.
Meanwhile, the youngest Rani gave birth to seven sons and a daughter one after another. The children were beautiful, like the moon, like flower buds. They waved their arms and legs impatiently, and their mother’s chambers were illuminated with bright light.
The younger Rani said in a weak voice:
- Didi, why don’t you show my son? But the older Rani made a contemptuous grimace and waved her hands:
- What kind of son is this?! Could you give birth to a son?! You gave birth to either a mouse or a crab.
Hearing this, the younger Rani fell into unconsciousness. And the insidious elder Rani no longer pulled the chain. They secretly brought a clay pot, put the boys and the girl in it and buried the pot in a pile of ash. Then, returning to the young mother, they pulled the chain. The drums thundered again, and the Raja, accompanied by a priest, with jewelry in his hands, appeared in the chambers of his beloved wife.
The older Rani, who had already washed their hands and face, showed him several baby frogs and mice, as if they had been born to the younger Rani. Seeing them, the rajah became furious and kicked the young mother out of the palace.
And the faces of the elder ranis bloomed with smiles. The ringing of the bracelets on their legs did not stop. Their happiness knew no bounds. Having fanned the flames of hatred in the palace and achieved victory by cunning, the six ranis began their usual business.
The unfortunate younger Rani lived in poverty and deprivation; she went into the forest to chop wood, cleaned ditches, crushed gravel - she did all the dirty work.
Time passed, but happiness did not smile on the Raja; there was no happiness for his state either. The palace was deserted, flowers did not bloom in the royal garden, and the Raja did not perform puja (puja is a worship service).
One day a gardener came to the Rajah and said:
“I don’t have flowers to perform daily puja, but on the seven champa trees and on the parul tree that grow on the ash heap, seven very delicate champa flowers and one parul blossomed.
“So bring me these flowers for the service,” replied the Raja.
The gardener went to buy flowers.
Seeing him, the flower on the Parul tree shouted to the Champa flowers:
- Seven Champa brothers, beware!
Immediately the seven champas rustled their leaves:
- What happened, sister parul?
“The Raja’s gardener is coming here, will you give him flowers for the puja?” - Parul answered.
The trees shook their tops and raised their flowers to the top.
“No, we won’t, we won’t give flowers to the gardener,” the Champa whispered.
Hearing this, the gardener was dumbfounded, then in fear he threw his basket and started to run. Running to the palace, he told the Raja about everything. Raja was surprised by his story and decided to go with his retinue to the wonderful trees.
When the Raja approached the seven Champa trees to pick flowers, the Parul tree cried out:
- Seven Champa brothers, beware!
- What happened, sister parul? - asked the seven champas with alarm.
— The Raja himself has come. Will you give him flowers? - Parul shouted.
“No, we won’t, we won’t give him flowers, we’ll raise them even higher,” the Champa answered. - Let the elder Rani come for the flowers!
And the champa flowers, together with the parul flower, rose even higher.
The Raja called the elder Rani. She came, jingling her anklets. The Champa trees became agitated.
- We will not give, we will not give flowers to the elder Rani, we will raise the flowers even higher! Let another Rani come for them!
Another Rani came, then a third Rani, a fourth, a young Rani, but none of them could get the flowers; they rose higher and higher above the ground, sparkling like stars in the sky. The saddened rajah, hanging his head, sank to the ground. The last Rani had already arrived, and the trees kept repeating the same thing.
- We won’t give, we won’t give flowers, we’ll rise even higher! Let the poorest maid come for the flowers.
They began to look for this maid. The Raja sent a palanquin for her. The servants and porters with the palanquin went to the field and returned from there with the maid. Her hands and feet were stained with manure, and her sari was torn.
But the wonderful trees immediately recognized her as a younger Rani. The seven champas rustled welcomingly, and their flowers began to descend lower and lower. The parul flower also joined them. And suddenly seven princes and a princess jumped out of the flowers - beautiful, like the full moon, and shouting “mother!” rushed to the younger Rani maid.
Everyone froze in surprise. Tears of joy flowed from the rajah's eyes. The elder Rani trembled with fear. Then the Raja ordered the elder Rani to kneel on the thorns and cover them with the same thorns, and he himself, together with his sons-princes, his daughter-princess and his beloved Rani, went to the palace.
And the timpani sounded solemnly in the palace.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru