rying,
let us go and see what it is." The god Shiva drove his chariot down to
earth. He and Parwati got out and saw the Brahman's youngest daughter
crying. They asked her what the reason was, and she told them. Then
Parwati pitied her and said, "Your aunt has acquired great merit by
her piety and devotions. You go to her and get her to give you all
her merit and so you will bring your husband back to life." The god
Shiva and Parwati then mounted on their chariot and disappeared. Next
morning the little widow left her husband's body, went to her aunt's
house and begged her to give her all the merit which she had acquired,
and told her the cause of the request. The aunt was very good and
gave her all her own merit. The little widow then went back to the
burning-ground and with its aid brought her husband back to life. But
this time he was no longer a beggar-man black with leprosy and with
feet and hands that had rotted away. He was a beautiful young man
with well-shaped feet and a beautiful fair skin, and the little widow
took her husband back to her father's house. "Papa, Papa," she said,
"you turned me out, but the gods have brought me back, and good fortune
came to me without your bringing it." The father was too frightened
of Parwati to say anything, so he held his peace. And the little girl
and her husband, the beggar-man, lived happily ever afterwards.

CHAPTER XI

Parwati and the Brahman

Once upon a time there was a town called Atpat. In it there lived a
poor Brahman. When the month of Bhadrapad came round, every household
bought little images of Parwati, and the women began to walk about
the streets and sound gongs. When the poor Brahman's children saw
this they went home and said to their mother, "Mummy, Mummy, please
buy us little images of Parwati like the other little boys and girls
have." But their mother said, "What is the use of my buying images
of Parwati? If I do we shall have to make offerings, and there is
absolutely nothing in the house. You run to papa and tell him to go
into the bazaar and buy grain. If he buys grain I'll buy you images of
Parwati." The children got up and ran to their father and cried out,
"Papa, Papa, Mama says that she will buy us images of Parwati if you
will go into the bazaar and get food to offer to them." Their father
at first searched all over the house but could find no grain. And
then he looked in his purse but he could find no money with which to
go to the bazaar