Note 145 — B (continued 3)

Tribal legends. 3. The tribal legends do not throw much light on their history. Of these a whole cycle centres round Lâl Beg.145 The common legend, as told by the Chaudhari or headman of the Lâlbegis in Benares, runs as follows:—In the city of Hastinapur lived the five Pândavas, whose mother’s sister had one hundred and one sons. The Pândavas quarrelled with their cousins, who were all killed. In order to celebrate their victory, the Pândavas invited their gods to a banquet, but the gods refused to come, on the ground that the Pândavas had killed so many of their Brâhman kinsmen. The penance imposed upon the Pândavas was that they should be dissolved in the snows of the Himâlaya. They agreed to this, but as they were starting one of their cows died. They did not know how to dispose of the carcase, as it was a sin to touch it. So the other four conspired to induce their brother, Nakula, to perform the hateful duty. They addressed him thus: “Good lad (bâlnîk, whence his name Bâlnîk), remove the carcase, and we promise not to excommunicate you.” He obeyed, and hid the carcase under some leaves by the bank of a stream. But when he returned his brothers refused to admit him until he brought some mango wood to perform the fire sacrifice (hom), and while he was away in search of it they started on their journey to the Himâlaya. When Nakula found himself deserted, he returned to the place where he had buried the dead cow and wept, when lo! by the grace of the Almighty, the cow was restored to life.