In a town, in South India, two farmer brothers, lived in their ancesteral house. The elder brother was blessed and was doing well in life, while the others lot was not so rosy, and he found it hard to make the ends meet.
The Brothers were blessed with two daughters each, with time, they came to their marriageable age. Soon the elder brother's daughters were married well off while the younger brother's daughters did not find a ideal match. But as the days were getting on the younger brother, searched and got his daughters married to boys fit to his standards and stations.
The youngest of the daughters called Rukmani, was a woman blessed with unparalleled beauty, delicately fair complexioned, doe eyed, docile and mannerred, she entered her husband's house and immediately took control of the household which everybody was happy to hand over to her.
Slowly she managed and regulated the people and brought everything in a systematic order. Now everyone worked together, During the day when the menfolks away working in the fields the wives got together and went to the nearby forest to get Tendu leaves used to make hand rolled Beedees ( mini cigars) and rolled very high quality beedees which soon became famous all over the town. They had two square meals a day everyday, and enjoyed comforts they did not before Rukmani came.
One day, as Rukmani was sitting, in the open inner-courtyard, cleaning the rice, suddenly a beautiful Gold Chain fell upon the rice heap, which she quickly picked up and hid it within the folds of her sari. After a while the kings announcer cameby, and announced, that the Queen had lost her Golden Necklace. Finders, who returns it in person, will suitably rewarded.
Rukmani new the chain she had found, could belong to the Queen alone, and no one else. So she pondered and called the family together, and told them of the matter. Next day Rukmani along with her father-in-law and husband went to the Kings court and returned the necklace.
Happily the King announced that he would give her anything her heart desired,only she had to ask for it.
Rukmani then very humbly said, "Your majesty, on the comming Purnima (Full moon night)
let not a single light burn in the entire kingdom, not even your own palace Sire. Only light will allowed to burn in my hut. Thats all l ask."
King and his courtiers were taken aback, but having announced his gift, he ordered what Rukmani has asked.
Returning home, she called the angry family together, and said.
"My father, elder brothers, sisters and respected husband, I know you all are angry at me for asking such a silly request from the king, when we could have the riches of the seven worlds.But please bear with me and after the full moon night you all shall have blessings of Lakshmi Goddess on our house, forever. But you all will have to do what I say."
Rukmani's father-in-law who knew her to be intelligent, ordered everyone to listen and do what she asked.
"Not an Order, dear father, but a request. First we must apply white wash the house, pave the floor properly, shine all the brass utensils and clean the copper ones till they glitter like pure and burnished gold. Then on the full moon night father you, and appa (elderbrother) and Chechi (Sister-in-law) will stand the front door, and you brother, dear hushband and sister will stand at the rear enterance. I will be busy in performing worship. By midnight three ladies dressed in all the fineries come to the door, and demanding to enter the house, to which you must say, Okey we will allow you to enter our house but you must promise to forever stay in our house and never leaveit for a single moment. (this she said to her father-in-law) and turning to her husband, she continued, you will go the rear door and as soon the three beautiful ladies enter our house you will find three ladies dressed in old tattered saries, dirty and unkempt wanting to leave from the rear door. which you must not allow, when the insist then you must make them promise that they would not return to this house ever in there life time. and once they promise only then allow them to go saying go then and take all your belongings and go".
So everybody got together and did what Rukmani directed and soon the hut began looking prosperous and brightly done up. The utensils glowed as if they belonged a gold merchant.
On the night of the full moon, the entire kingdom was dark with not a single light burning anywhere, Soon at midnight, Goddess Lakshmi, in the company of her sister Prosperty and Good health, came to the doors of Rukmani's house, and demanded entry, the old man said then, "Mothers, we can allow you to enter the house only if you promise to stay in this house forever and never leave it for a moment." the three ladies willing promised, and they were allowed to enter, as soon as they entered, the three dirty unkempt ladies tried to run out of the rear door, but were stopped from doing so, till they promised never to return to the house even for a moment for the entire period of their life." the ladies quickly promised to do so, and the husband then said, "Ok you troublesome creatures, leave and take all your belonging with you. and never return." So hasitly, Poverty, ill-luck, and sickness left running out of the house in great speed.
As soon Goddess Lakshmi entered the house, the entire house glowed with goodness, prosperity and good health.
From following day, the conditions of Rukmani's house changed well being, seemed to glow out of each nook and corner of the house, soon their days of poverty hardship passed away. and they gained a very high place in the society.
Rukmani glowed with pride and her family basked in its radiance.
The Brothers were blessed with two daughters each, with time, they came to their marriageable age. Soon the elder brother's daughters were married well off while the younger brother's daughters did not find a ideal match. But as the days were getting on the younger brother, searched and got his daughters married to boys fit to his standards and stations.
The youngest of the daughters called Rukmani, was a woman blessed with unparalleled beauty, delicately fair complexioned, doe eyed, docile and mannerred, she entered her husband's house and immediately took control of the household which everybody was happy to hand over to her.
Slowly she managed and regulated the people and brought everything in a systematic order. Now everyone worked together, During the day when the menfolks away working in the fields the wives got together and went to the nearby forest to get Tendu leaves used to make hand rolled Beedees ( mini cigars) and rolled very high quality beedees which soon became famous all over the town. They had two square meals a day everyday, and enjoyed comforts they did not before Rukmani came.
One day, as Rukmani was sitting, in the open inner-courtyard, cleaning the rice, suddenly a beautiful Gold Chain fell upon the rice heap, which she quickly picked up and hid it within the folds of her sari. After a while the kings announcer cameby, and announced, that the Queen had lost her Golden Necklace. Finders, who returns it in person, will suitably rewarded.
Rukmani new the chain she had found, could belong to the Queen alone, and no one else. So she pondered and called the family together, and told them of the matter. Next day Rukmani along with her father-in-law and husband went to the Kings court and returned the necklace.
Happily the King announced that he would give her anything her heart desired,only she had to ask for it.
Rukmani then very humbly said, "Your majesty, on the comming Purnima (Full moon night)
let not a single light burn in the entire kingdom, not even your own palace Sire. Only light will allowed to burn in my hut. Thats all l ask."
King and his courtiers were taken aback, but having announced his gift, he ordered what Rukmani has asked.
Returning home, she called the angry family together, and said.
"My father, elder brothers, sisters and respected husband, I know you all are angry at me for asking such a silly request from the king, when we could have the riches of the seven worlds.But please bear with me and after the full moon night you all shall have blessings of Lakshmi Goddess on our house, forever. But you all will have to do what I say."
Rukmani's father-in-law who knew her to be intelligent, ordered everyone to listen and do what she asked.
"Not an Order, dear father, but a request. First we must apply white wash the house, pave the floor properly, shine all the brass utensils and clean the copper ones till they glitter like pure and burnished gold. Then on the full moon night father you, and appa (elderbrother) and Chechi (Sister-in-law) will stand the front door, and you brother, dear hushband and sister will stand at the rear enterance. I will be busy in performing worship. By midnight three ladies dressed in all the fineries come to the door, and demanding to enter the house, to which you must say, Okey we will allow you to enter our house but you must promise to forever stay in our house and never leaveit for a single moment. (this she said to her father-in-law) and turning to her husband, she continued, you will go the rear door and as soon the three beautiful ladies enter our house you will find three ladies dressed in old tattered saries, dirty and unkempt wanting to leave from the rear door. which you must not allow, when the insist then you must make them promise that they would not return to this house ever in there life time. and once they promise only then allow them to go saying go then and take all your belongings and go".
So everybody got together and did what Rukmani directed and soon the hut began looking prosperous and brightly done up. The utensils glowed as if they belonged a gold merchant.
On the night of the full moon, the entire kingdom was dark with not a single light burning anywhere, Soon at midnight, Goddess Lakshmi, in the company of her sister Prosperty and Good health, came to the doors of Rukmani's house, and demanded entry, the old man said then, "Mothers, we can allow you to enter the house only if you promise to stay in this house forever and never leave it for a moment." the three ladies willing promised, and they were allowed to enter, as soon as they entered, the three dirty unkempt ladies tried to run out of the rear door, but were stopped from doing so, till they promised never to return to the house even for a moment for the entire period of their life." the ladies quickly promised to do so, and the husband then said, "Ok you troublesome creatures, leave and take all your belonging with you. and never return." So hasitly, Poverty, ill-luck, and sickness left running out of the house in great speed.
As soon Goddess Lakshmi entered the house, the entire house glowed with goodness, prosperity and good health.
From following day, the conditions of Rukmani's house changed well being, seemed to glow out of each nook and corner of the house, soon their days of poverty hardship passed away. and they gained a very high place in the society.
Rukmani glowed with pride and her family basked in its radiance.
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