Pod Insights Myths and Legends 439: Indian folklore: Guess I'll Die About this episode ✏️Gaṅgâdhara's astrologer dad has some bad news for his boy: he's going to die.
Well, first he'll spend a decade in prison, and then die. Then things will get better? It's the story of the Soothsayer's Son.
😈 The Creature: Denpachi Kitsune
Are you sure the best student in your school isn't a secret monster? Really? Ok, then, it's probably just Denpachi.
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🎵 Music Credits
India Melody by Breakmaster Cylinder
Lovin You is Easy Cause You're Chewable by Breakmaster Cylinder
Time's Arrow by Breakmaster Cylinder
On a Straight Down Train Car by Breakmaster Cylinder
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Izeah by Blue Dot Sessions
Transcript 0:00 Speaker 00 This week on Myths and Legends, we have a story from India about fate, trust, and how if you ever get tossed into a corpse hole prison, you want to remember who your friends are. The creature this time is the best student in your school, who might actually be a secret monster.
0:24 Speaker 00 This is Myths and Legends, episode 439, Guess I'll Die.
0:32 Speaker 00 This is a podcast where we tell stories from mythology and folklore. Some are incredibly popular tales you might think you know, but with surprising origins. Others are stories that might be new to you, but are definitely worth a listen. Today, we're in the folklore of South India, specifically Hindi folklore. And that's really as specific as I can get without guessing. The story today was collected from oral tales by a Tamil pundit named Matisa Sastry, and told to the writer Georgiana Kingscott, to be published in English in 1890. We'll jump in with a soothsayer on his deathbed, which, of course, he definitely saw coming.
1:21 Speaker 00 The sons of the soothsayer held their father's hand as he lay on his deathbed. The physician said this day would be his last, but they didn't know the hour. They weren't, well, fortune tellers, like the man lying in bed. "I have 1 minute and 45 seconds left, my boys," he said to the young men. Rolling his eyes, the physician at the foot of the bed muttered that he couldn't possibly know that. Oh, that physician will question it. And then he'll see the horoscope and be silenced. The soothsayer stated. It's nearly time. No person can see beyond this life. So I know not what I'll do next, but I will do what I can for you in this life.
2:05 Speaker 00 Eyes growing dim, the soothsayer called for his older son. I'm here, father. The son choked back the tears. To you, I give my home, my estate, my horses, my gold, my silver, all my property. Everything. The soothsayer mustered a smile. I'm not ready to say goodbye. I would give it all back for another year, another day with you. The son cried, his face bursting as he buried it in his father's chest. It was sad, definitely. But the younger son, Gangata, he had questions.
2:44 Speaker 00 He didn't care about stuff, truly. It's just, well, his brother's inheritance was everything? And the definition of everything was, well, everything. And to you, my second son, the father gestured to the cupboard. I, I get the cupboard? The father vigorously shook his head, though it pained him. That was how ridiculous he found the idea of his second son getting the cupboard. Something inside? The physician said. And the soothsayer nodded. Sliding the drawer open, the physician pulled out some papers and gasped. He's dead. The physician read and looked up to confirm. It was true.
3:27 Speaker 00 The soothsayer was dead at just the moment he had predicted.
3:42 Speaker 00 I mean, it's technically my money now? The older brother informed the younger. So I can split it with you. The younger, Gangatra, sipped the tea, looking over the horoscope once more. No, he appreciated it, but it was not what dad wanted. Their father had never been wrong, ever. Even managing to predict the moment of his death. It would be foolish to defy him now. Well, okay, but can you make heads or tails of the horoscope? Older brother asked. Gangatra said, it was actually really straightforward and also completely confusing here.
4:18 Speaker 00 He read the words, which I won't attempt, but it said essentially, "From the father's death, poverty that tracks," technically, older brother said, "you were in your father's house and now I have all his money, so..." Yeah, Gungathara agreed. Then the prophecy said, "For ten years, imprisonment, a fate harder than poverty." That's not great. Oh, just wait, Gungathara said, then pointed to the next line, "Death on the seashore." Oh, then there's this, Gungathara pointed to the last line, "I'll have some happiness afterward?" Both brothers sat in silence.
5:00 Speaker 00 Well, I, I guess you don't have to worry if there's an afterlife because you'll be happy, older brother said, that his best consolation was also his most tepid, was not lost on his younger brother. I don't think that's what that means, Gungathara said. The father had spoken about how no one could see beyond the veil of death, so even he had no idea what waited in the hereafter. Also, some happiness doesn't sound like paradise, does it? Father could be wrong? No, he was never wrong, Gungathara folded the paper. Older brother took a deep breath. Okay, now more than ever, younger brother needed to take his share of the father's estate.
5:42 Speaker 00 That way, he wouldn't be in poverty, therefore, the chain would be broken. Or, you lose half of your inheritance because I'm destined to live in poverty, Gungathara said. No, there was no way out. Now, I'm leaving. I will prepare for my death. I will bathe in the holy Ganges, washing away my sins. I won't hasten my death, though. I'll avoid the sea. Imprisonment, if it truly lasts only ten years? That I can manage. So after his father's funeral, Gangathara took leave of his older brother and started for Varanasi, where he would bathe in the Ganges. The trip was long, but he was fine with that. I don't want to generalize too much,
6:23 Speaker 00 but I feel like death to a normal young man is still a concept, a theoretical. It's coming for all of us, of course, but it seems far off. Not to Gangathara, who had to confront his own mortality. Yes, he had 10 years, but after that, he would be gone. And those 10 years that he was guaranteed would be in prison. So he didn't mind a bit of an extra walk through the mountains and, it seemed, a desert. All this talk of death was actually a comfort because until he was imprisoned for 10 years, he was functionally immortal. When his water ran out in the middle of the desert, he reasoned that he couldn't be farther, in a figurative sense, from the seacoast. So he was safe.
7:08 Speaker 00 Safe but thirsty. According heat stroke, he jogged along the desert until, off in the distance, he spotted a ruined well. The good thing about wells was that if the hole was still going down to water, it was kind of hard for it to not be working. It's like an old Mitch Hedberg joke about how an escalator can't break, it can only become stairs. A well was still a hole in the ground, so if you had a canteen and a rope, like Gangathara did, congrats, you had a well. "Oh, relieve me," a voice called back. "I am the king of tigers, dying here of hunger. For the last three days, I have had nothing. Fortune has sent you here. If you assist me now, you will find a sure help in me throughout your life.
7:51 Speaker 00 Do not think that I am a beast of prey. When you have become my deliverer, I can never touch you. Pray kindly lift me up." So if it were me, I would try to get my canteen back immediately and put some distance between myself and that well, but, you know, my dad wasn't a soothsayer, that I know of. And the young man had a choice to make. Jogging across the desert was one thing. Rescuing a live tiger from a well was very much another. Did he have faith in his father's prediction that this animal, who had been starving for three days, wouldn't pop off his head like the top of a Pringles can and feast on the layers within, also like a Pringles can? After a few moments of thought, Gengothra told the tiger to grab onto the rope.
8:36 Speaker 00 As both the animal and the younger brother strained against gravity, Gengothra did think that there were actually a lot of ways the tiger could attack him without killing him, eat him too. Maybe he had made a horrible mistake. When the hooked claws gripped what remained of the stone wall of the well, the tiger's head popped over and he pounced. Gengothra tumbled and, thinking that his father was wrong and he had left home for nothing, was surprised to see the tiger on top of him making biscuits. After nearly being suffocated by the tiger's gratitude, Gengothra managed to communicate that he was low-key dying, and the tiger jumped off. Pacing in the cooling evening sun,
9:20 Speaker 00 the tiger said that he never thought he would be so happy to see a desert. "I will stand by you in all calamities," the tiger said with a serious nod. "Whenever you are in difficulty, just think of me, and I'll be there to help you with any means I can." "Oh, are you like, a magic tiger? I mean, I know you're talking, but just thinking of you?" Gengothra stood puzzled. "Well, no, I can't read your mind," the tiger laughed. "I'll just always be watching you, ready for you to call out for my aid." "Always watching?" "Always watching." "Even in the bathroom?" "Especially in the bathroom."
10:02 Speaker 00 "You know how many snakes like a quiet, cool place to sleep?" The tiger informed the young man. "Oh, well, all that's unnecessary. I rescued you because it was the right thing to do. Also, you couldn't eat me if you wanted to, so..." "I'm sorry, what?" The tiger looked at him. "Oh, it's like this whole thing with my dad and a prophecy, I'm in no danger." Gengothra assured the tiger. Okay, just to be clear, I could eat you right now, the tiger growled. Yeah, but you won't. Gangathara shrugged and looked down to the well. Were there, wait, were there more things down there? You're right, I won't, but it's because I don't want to, the tiger assured the young man.
10:43 Speaker 00 Okay, I'm just saying that even if you did want to, you wouldn't be able to, but I really don't want to get into a free will and determinism thing here. Seriously, are there other things down there talking to us? Gangathara kept looking down the well. Oh, yeah, but you can never rescue that goldsmith, the tiger said. What? Yeah, just don't do it. He'll betray you. He's actually the reason I was stuck down there? The jerk didn't want to be eaten, so he jumped down a well? Okay, so there's a human down there? Gangathara began to grow worried. That you can never rescue. I just have a feeling about this guy, you know? The tiger said. You're a tiger, Gangathara informed the tiger.
11:29 Speaker 00 Yeah, and I don't have any illusions about who I am or what I do. Same with the serpent, who will kill you with a single bite, or the rat king, who will do a thousand bits of mischief to your house. Those guys are down there also, but just on different levels. Gangathara clasped his hands together and said, okay. Now he really needed to know what was going on.
12:02 Speaker 00 It was, apparently, quite a roomy well. There were at least four levels with locked doors, because after the human goldsmith hit the bottom, moderately scared, he rushed down to the next level when he saw the tiger's shadow descending from above. That next level was occupied by the king of the serpents, who had jumped in after a rat who was on the next level down. Rushing past both of them, the human barricaded himself on the fourth level down. That was three days ago. Gangathara didn't want to leave helpless people and animals starving in the darkness. Also, nearly as important, he himself was very thirsty. So the sooner he got everyone out of that well, the better.
12:45 Speaker 00 Maybe the serpent was the king of serpents, who knows? As trustworthy as talking snakes are, he could just be saying that. He made the same pledge as the tiger, though, when Gengathra helped him up and, curiously, gave the same warning about the goldsmith. There was just something about that guy. The rat rode up next, and that one was the easiest. He, too, pledged help. I think I heard you guys. You told him about the goldsmith, right? The rat asked. The tiger nodded. I mean, you're literally a rat, Gengathra said, cranky from thirst and how wordy these animals were. Yeah, so I mean, I should know, right? All right, I'm gonna get going. I don't like the way this tiger's looking at me, the rat said.
13:29 Speaker 00 With that, Gengathra lowered the rope one last time. Seriously? The tiger asked. I'm not just gonna leave him to die based on all of your prejudices, Gengathra said. Well, you can do what you want, but I don't want to be here when he gets out. Let me know if you need my help, the tiger said, and loped off. Will do, Gengathra lied and lowered the rope.
14:04 Speaker 00 I won't betray you, Manikashari, the goldsmith said, sitting next to Gengathra, as both men caught their breath after the climb/pull up the side of the well. Oh, okay, Gengathra forced a smile. I'm just saying, you don't have to worry about that from me. I'm like, such a good guy that I never betray people, Manikashari said. Yeah, I mean, cool. Most people who don't betray other people don't make it the absolute first thing they say, but great. I appreciate it. Gengathra smiled, and rose to go dip the canteen in the now vacant well and try not to think of what all these living things used for a bathroom for the last three days.
14:49 Speaker 00 About all those guys had a lot to say, but, but it's a snake, a rat, and a man eating tiger. I mean, they're archetypal traitors. Gangathara finally got the canteen up. Oh, thanks. Menakashri snatched the canteen and took a gulp. Several, actually. All of the gulps. He belched and turned back to Gangathara. The tiger too, though, did he say anything? He didn't tell you about it? Never mind. Thanks for the rescue and the water. Stop by my shop in Ujaini. It's not too far south of here. I'll give you a kind of remembrance for your assistance. Menakashri said. Tapped the last few drops out of the canteen and tossed it onto the sand. And said he should be getting home. Remember? Ujaini, East Main Street.
15:34 Speaker 00 He gave the kid something nice. Gangathara brushed the sand off his canteen with a groan and went to finally get a drink of that water.
15:54 Speaker 00 We'll make a time jump to the other side of Gangathara's religious development, but that will be right after this.
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17:19 Speaker 00 Ten years later, Gangathara reasoned that he was good. He was ready to die. Or at least, he had secured enough merit through religious observances like bathing, prayer, and other ceremonies. Basically, ritual immersion in the Ganges, daily prayer and repeating mantras, and stuff like fasting and giving alms and such. His thoughts returned to his home, though, and his brother, and, fully prepared to meet his end, or as prepared as anyone is, Gangathara made his way home. Once again, though, he was prepared, but not eager, so he made sure to avoid any shoreline, the place of his prophesied demise. That's how, once again, he ended up back in the middle of the desert, at the ruined
18:04 Speaker 00 well, and, while sitting there drinking from his old canteen, he remembered that weird tiger from a decade earlier. Hmm, yeah, it was probably just overly enthusiastic to not be starving in a well. There's no way the cat had actually been watching him for ten years, right? Tiger? Gangathara called out to the wide expanse of desert. King of tigers? Tiger king? Silence. The horizon in front of him still empty, Gangathara chuckled. No time you called, he heard behind him, and spun. It was the tiger.
18:48 Speaker 00 He looked basically the same as he had ten years prior, except now he was wearing a bunch of jewels. And he held a gold crown in his mouth? Setting the crown down at Gangathara's feet, the tiger said he thought that the formerly young man had forgotten about him. But Gangathara should be assured, he, the tiger, never forgot about Gangathara.
19:14 Speaker 00 Gengathra remembered why he had put the memory of the tiger out of his head, as it became clear the tiger had been keeping tabs on him for the last decade. "All the times you think you're alone, you're never alone." The tiger looked into Gengathra's eyes. It was meant to be reassuring, but it definitely wasn't. "Oh, silly me," the tiger king said. "I got you something. Here." He nuzzled the crown over to the soothsayer's son. "I feel like you humans love your shiny stuff, and the people who have more shiny stuff generally are more comfortable and better fed, so I figured I'd get you some shiny stuff," the tiger said. "I passed along the message to the serpent and the rat, so I think they got you some shiny stuff, too."
19:58 Speaker 00 "Tiger!" a voice squeaked from Gengathra's side, as the rat king hobbled up under an armful of coins and jewels. "Way to ruin the surprise." The serpent was just as annoyed when he slithered up and literally coughed up several necklaces, and also part of a mouse, with all the animals saying, once again, how grateful they were to have been rescued all those years ago. They then left Gengathra at the well, making it abundantly clear that they were with him... always. After he washed off the gold and jewels from the serpent and the rat, those fit easily in his shoes and in the hidden pockets of his pack. But that crown, that crown was a different issue. It did not fit in his pack at all.
20:42 Speaker 00 It threatened to tear through if he shoved it to the bottom, and if he left it peeking out the top, it might as well be a big, anachronistic neon sign that said, "Rob me." Then, he remembered. Just south of here, in Ujaini, the goldsmith, the fourth thing he rescued from the well, who also owed him a favor. Well, offered him a favor. Gengathra would take him up on it and ask him to melt down the crown, so he could take it with him in the form of bars. Knowing that he must remain impoverished, he reasoned that it was better for the money to be given away as alms or go to his brother than line the pockets of highwaymen. So, Gengathra made his way to Ujaini.
21:39 Speaker 00 Sorry, doesn't ring a bell, Menakashri, the goldsmith said when he answered the door. I didn't say anything yet, Gangathara pointed out. He just knocked. Menakashri answered and jumped part of the way into a conversation where he was pretending to not know the man. Gangathara, I assure you, we've never met before, Menakashri said, then swore. Yep, he heard it too. Man, why did he have to be so good with names? Come on in. So, I have a favor to ask, Gangathara said, but Menakashri was already eyeing the crown-shaped object in the man's pack. Gangathara pulled out the crown. He explained to Menakashri that it was actually their mutual friend the tiger kings gift to him.
22:24 Speaker 00 One, not my friend. Two, did he say where it came from? Menakashri interrupted. Gangathara thought about the question. He did not. And it wasn't that Gangathara wanted to live in ignorance or anything and thus try to absolve himself. It was just that tigers are gonna tiger. And whatever royalty this was, was already dead. Even if the tiger did know the deceased's name and location, which he wouldn't. So it was better that the golden jewels just go to the impoverished rather than play tiger detective. Fair enough, Menakashri said. To melt this down and recast it into something that would travel well, it would take a few hours. Gangathara could wait here. Menakashri would just be out in the forge, out back.
23:06 Speaker 00 Gangathara thanked him for his kindness. And Menakashri shrugged. A debt is a debt. He left out the back door, tossed a couple of logs on the fire, waited a few minutes to make sure the curious holy man wasn't gonna get chatty and wanna hover around him the whole time, and then slipped off into the street via an alley. The crown under his cloak, he made it just as the hours with the prince were finishing up. And the young man sat atop a high throne with rings under his bloodshot eyes. Despite being half delirious with lack of sleep, the prince could see what was right in front of his face. And even if he couldn't, the goldsmith was more than happy to explain it.
23:48 Speaker 00 I am the goldsmith off of East Main. This was brought into my shop this morning by the man who killed your father.
24:07 Speaker 00 Gengathra was still in the goldsmith's house when the prince's guards picked him up. Literally. They dragged him up from the ground after they put him there with a spearbutt to the face. Gengathra, it seemed, was clumsy and kept just running into punches on his way to see the prince. The prince wouldn't even look at Gengathra's quickly swelling face, instead pacing the throne room and declaring that he knew it. "He knew those hunters had been lying when they said his father, the king, challenged a tiger on their hunt, was killed by the tiger, and carried off by the tiger." "Is this the man?" the prince asked the goldsmith, who nodded. "It is," the goldsmith said. "He confessed to it. Said he bribed the hunters to lie for
24:51 Speaker 00 him. Wanted me to melt down your father's crown so he could bribe more people to kill you. That's how much he loves Regicide." The goldsmith held his hands open as the prince waved over the reward the monarch had announced for bringing in his father's murderer. "You've done a good thing here today," the prince said to the goldsmith, and then addressed his vizier. "Take it to the cellar to starve without food and drink." The vizier said, "Oh, the accused murderer. He was further dehumanizing the man. Sorry, it. Got it. No trial? This is how things are gonna be in the prince's administration? Fun, fun time to be the closest and most visible of your underlings."
25:45 Speaker 00 Gengathra's hands were bound and his eyes were covered as his feet descended stairway after stairway. Finally, they came to a room where Gengathra could feel the torches burning on either side of him. The scrape of metal preceded a warm updraft that smelled like if you stewed the contents of a dumpster and poured a potty water. "Okay, now, very carefully so you don't get hurt, take two steps forward," the voice of the guard said, as he unlocked Gengathra's cuffs. Rubbing his wrists, Gengathra took two steps forward. And dropped. It was a miracle that hitting the ground 10 feet below only knocked the wind out of him, and he ripped off the blindfold as the guards above him laughed
26:27 Speaker 00 and slammed the lid to the room shut. Gengathara looked around to, well, despair is the wrong word, because it's not quite intense enough. Hopelessness was obvious. Devastation was actually accurate in two different ways, because the whole scene was horrifying. This was where the worst of the worst suffered the king's justice. The pit. It was a room dug out of the deepest portion of the dungeon and lined with stone walls. There was only one way out, a locked hatch 10 feet up. The purpose of anyone thrown in the hole was to die. Slowly. No one went in other than the criminals and no one came out, ever.
27:09 Speaker 00 So the room was peppered with corpses. Some were decades old and mere bones at this point. Some still had the worms working through. There were slits in the ceiling above to let the torchlight in, so darkness couldn't shield the interred from what awaited them. But the only thing worse than the dead was the living. Eyes opened in front of him from the man he thought was a fresh corpse. A half-toothless smile said, "Fresh meat." Gengathara staggered back as the man rose and walked forward. Then more arms found him from the darkness and he tripped, stumbling backwards. As the fingers of the man in front
27:52 Speaker 00 of him found his neck and the teeth on the one behind him, his shoulder, he wondered if he had made a grave mistake. If his father had been wrong all along, if... Gengathara paused his dire final thoughts. The man's face above him was contorted in murderous rage as his thumbs pressed in on Gengathara's windpipe, but that was all the effort he seemed to be putting out. "What are you doing?" Gengathara asked. "I'm strangling you, and then I will eat you and use your bones to build a ladder out of here." "Oh," Gengathara said. What's the best way to put this? You aren't strangling me?
28:33 Speaker 00 "You will die soon," the man grunted. "I'm really not. I'm totally fine." "This is maybe as strangled as, like, wearing a turtleneck shirt," Gengothra said, and I can't claim credit for that comparison, because I think this is my second Mitch Hedberg reference this episode. And yeah, it wasn't doing anything. The strangling, that is. Same with the man biting him. The force of the bite had knocked out the man's own teeth, and now he was just gumming Gengothra's shoulders, which was actually kind of like a nice massage. He had to admire the grit of the prisoners, even if they were trying to murder him, because it took another few minutes until they finally gave up, resigning themselves once again to starvation.
29:16 Speaker 00 Gengothra, though, knew that today was day one. His father's prophecy had said nothing about the past decade of religious preparation. Today was the first day with a timeframe, quote, "for 10 years imprisonment." Without food or water, though, no one lived longer than a few days in this place, or a few weeks if they managed to find something to drink. How would he possibly last 10 years? Then, he had a thought. He quickly dismissed it as ridiculous, though. He was in the middle of a city, in the ground underneath a palace. There was no way. Why not?
29:59 Speaker 00 "Tiger? Tiger, can you hear me? I need help," Gengothra uttered, and there was a response. That response, though, was the laughter of his fellow prisoners. For the next few days, they made fun of him for calling out to a tiger. The mockery didn't last long, though, because, having been in there the longest, they starved before tiring of the joke.
30:37 Speaker 00 The silence was the worst thing. After the men were gone, Gangathara almost missed them trying to bludgeon him in his sleep. It was what amounted to a few light taps before they gave up and took a nap. The guards above kept silent, so it was just Gangathara in a room full of corpses. Then he heard the scratching. "This it?" Gangathara heard from the other side of the room. "You're literally in front. How would I know if this is it, Gary?" Another voice answered. "H- Hello?" Gangathara whispered. There was more silence. "Was that the guy? I think that was the guy. Okay, go get the boss." The first voice, Gary presumably, squeaked. And then more silence.
31:21 Speaker 00 Gangathara found the source of the voices by clearing out some remains against the far wall and uncovering a hole. A small one, maybe four inches in diameter, chewed straight through the rock wall. "Gangathara!" A voice cried in the hole. Gangathara squinted. "Rat King? Hey, Tiger heard you crying out, and we've been digging for days to find you. Gross room, by the way, and that's by rat standards. How'd you end up down here?" "Oh, crime. I dig crime." Gangathara said. "Nice. I thought for sure it was that goldsmith that did something traitorous and underhanded to get you locked up in here. You know, like all the court records said and he did at your trial." The Rat King shrugged.
32:04 Speaker 00 "Oh," Gangathara replied. "Nah, I'm just messing with you. I can't read. Um, we vowed to help you, though, so what do you need?" Gangathara explained his situation, and while he would like to leave prison, he had a feeling he would be stuck here for 10 years. Next best thing was not starving to death. So the rats would help him. An army of rats would raid everything in the city, bringing him feasts of sweetmeats and tiny rat-handled chunks. They would tear any fabric they found and dip it in water, bringing it so that Gangathara could wring it out in his cell and stay alive. I have, thankfully, never been starving to the point where food held close to the greasy,
32:46 Speaker 00 disease-ridden fur of a rat looks appetizing, but Gengathara was grateful. He also learned that, from those first utterances on that first day of his imprisonment, the Tiger King and the Serpent King had been busy. The Tiger King was beside himself with grief, and, knowing that his wanton disregard for human life and inadvertently giving Gengathara evidence that placed him at the scene of the crime had led to his savior's imprisonment, he vowed to fix it with more wanton disregard for human life. Humans, he posited, were a superstitious and cowardly lot. Those big brains of theirs were their best assets, sure, but they were also their worst
33:29 Speaker 00 enemies, drawing connections and billion anxieties when none were warranted. Case in point, on the first day of Gengathara's imprisonment, tiger attacks in the wild increased threefold, and they hadn't let up. The Serpent King wanted in on the fun and sent his minions out to shoes, beds, baskets, and toilets. Each day, people were dying from snakebites or being carried off by tigers. The plan was twofold. For the people, they would see nature itself crying out against the reign of the new ruler. The prince, now the king, in search of a solution and to quell the growing discontent, would draw his own connections to the young man he had put in prison unjustly, who said
34:12 Speaker 00 it was a tiger attack and not a murder. So, I mean, that was the plan, the Rat King explained two weeks later. The people, definitely, they hate the prince, but I thought for sure he would make the connection. He is, however, very incurious. I think you need to be a little more obvious. So, Gengathara was obvious. Looking up and crying as loud as he could, he said, day after day, "The wretched prince imprisoned me on the false charge of having killed his father, while it was a tiger that killed him. From that day, these calamities have broken out in his dominions. If I were released, I would save all by my powers of healing poisonous wounds and by incantations."
35:02 Speaker 00 The new guard craned his neck and then put his ear to the ground. Wait, was, what was that guy saying? His two coworkers looked at each other and snickered. Oh, the new guy had so much to learn. He says he can save us from tigers and snakes. They've been attacking people relentlessly for 10 years now. Don't you think we should tell someone about this? The new guy stood. That, my friend, is a ghost, the guard said, before crouching and checking the lock on the hatch. I'm not a ghost, a voice cried from below. Nice try, the guard yelled down the slats. No one's gonna fall for your spooky tricks, ghost. He turned to the new guy. That prisoner starved years ago.
35:46 Speaker 00 I don't know what this ghost's game is, but he's not getting up here. Seriously, I'm not dead. I'm magic? Gengothara called up. Yeah, that's what all the corpses say. The second guard shook his head. You could tell his heart wasn't in it, though. Hey, is that Viripa? You're back. How you doing? How's the new baby? Gengothara yelled from below. Oh, she's great, the guard said. You know, the first few weeks are tough, but then... He stopped when he saw the other guard scowling that he was fraternizing with a ghost. Well, we'll talk later, the guard said. The new guy fell into the routine, getting to know Gengothara bit by bit. Pretty sure he wasn't a ghost, but not having the seniority to go over the other guard's head,
36:30 Speaker 00 until the princess opened her closet door one fateful morning. She didn't see the coiled mass at the bottom. She didn't even cry out from the bite before collapsing.
36:54 Speaker 00 He's been saying what for 10 years? Why has no one told me this before? The prince, the king for the past decade, slammed his fist on the throne. The new guy looked at his superior. Well, we thought it was a ghost. It's not, though. They opened the cell this morning and looked at him. He's a man, stinky and shaggy, and, from the rocks they lobbed at him, very much corporeal.
37:18 Speaker 00 He's a divine being, the king whispered. Oh, oh, he made a grave, grave error. Pull the man out. We'll see that the king will still refuse to look at Gengathra, but that will, once again, be right after this.
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38:25 Speaker 00 They couldn't even see Gengathra's face without a haircut and a shave, but after that, he appeared to be in perfect health. Well, except for his bright red skin, but we'll get to that. The brightness of the palace, even the interior, burned Gengathra's eyes, and, as he changed, he put the two vials carefully into the ornate robes. "Okay, so, Serpent King has this for you," the Rat King had told him earlier that day, upon presenting the vial. "It will counteract the effects of the serpent's venom on any human body, even one that has died. One drop of this anywhere on the skin, even the dead would come back to life." Gengathra studied the vial.
39:10 Speaker 00 How did that work? Yeah, I was a little confused too, but I guess if serpents have the power to kill things, they could conceivably have the power to do the opposite, you know, reverse their own venom? The Rat King shrugged. Okay. Then he had this one. The Tiger King saw this. Serpent King give the vial and gave a vial of his own. He says it does the same, counteracting the effects of tiger teeth and claws. His words. Gengathara studied the vial. Tiger King does know that poison is different from lacerations and blood loss, right? The Rat King held up a paw. Actually venom, but no, I'm pretty sure he doesn't. I probably wouldn't stake my reputation on that vial.
39:53 Speaker 00 Then, the Rat King turned to scurry back up and collapse the hole as the key turned in the lock on the hatch above. Gengathara washed, shaved and dressed, was brought before the king, who again wouldn't look at him. This time, though, it was out of deference. The king bowed on the floor before Gengathara. To live for ten years with no food, to be able to heal the sick, Gengathara must be a divine being. Where is the princess? Gengathara demanded. After a drop of the serpent's potion soaked into her skin, the princess's eyes opened and she gasped. The king scooped her up in an embrace and said he would be honored if Gengathara joined his family.
40:37 Speaker 00 Gengathara only replied that he needed to see the corpses. Dozens, all of them that hadn't been burned or buried for more than two days, were brought before Gengathara, who, with the touch of the potion and some nonsense words, restored them all to life. The people praised him and he raised his hands to silence them. Now, Gengathara would see if the attacks could cease. Come. The entire city followed him to the forest, where, after a few more nonsense words and a "hey, tiger and serpent, thanks for the potions, we're just about there," spoken when no one was within earshot, the trees shook and the people screamed as tiger after tiger emerged.
41:21 Speaker 00 The ground itself seemed to move with serpents, who sat up in attention. Why should you, my children, thus trouble these poor subjects? Vujani, reply to me and henceforth desist from your ravages. He looked up at Tiger King, who sat in front, staring at him blankly. Wait, oh, shoot, uh, hmm.
41:42 Speaker 00 Line. Why should this base king? Gangathara whispered and waved. Oh, right. The Tiger King said, and then cleared his tiger throat. Why should this base king imprison your honor? Believing the mere word of a goldsmith? That your honor killed his father? All the hunters told him that this father was carried away by a tiger. I was the messenger of death, sent to deal the blow on his neck. I did it and gave the crown to your honor. The prince makes no inquiry and at once imprisons your honor. How can we expect justice from such a stupid king as that? Unless he adopts a better standard of justice, we will go on with our destruction. There was a wail from the king behind Gangathara.
42:24 Speaker 00 He cursed the day he believed the goldsmith, tore his hair and shirt, and asked Gangathara a thousand pardons, swearing to rule with justice from that day forward. A full 10 years into his reign, but hey, better late than never. Not that he would need it. But the tigers and the serpents vowed to hold him accountable, bowed and took their leave. The goldsmith, who really should have read the writings on the wall before right now, backed away quietly before bolting to jam as much riches as he could into his go bag and leave town forever. He was clotheslined approximately 20 feet later by the king's guards, who were already closing in. Gangathara, though, knew that the goldsmith was only playing his part
43:07 Speaker 00 in the role that fate cast for him and asked the king to pardon the man. So this is Jason. For me, I'm all for forgiveness. That being said, the goldsmith showed absolutely zero remorse for leaving Gangathara to die in a corpse hole for a little extra money and didn't ask for forgiveness, but tried to flee. His lack of morals and character were so obvious that even a rat and snake were like, I know worthy animal symbols of betrayal and all, but something's up with that guy. Basically, to me, it seems like pardoning someone for malicious behavior if they haven't changed or expressed remorse at all is probably going to lead to more malicious behavior. All the people that the goldsmith would hurt in the future, though,
43:50 Speaker 00 were apparently beyond Gangathara's concern. He was getting married.
43:56 Speaker 00 Eventually, he wanted to go home and tell his brother everything that happened. Then he would return. Outfitted with a pack and provisions, Gengathara left the city and began his journey. You don't forget the death prophecy that for the last 20 years has defined your life? I do think it's possible to overestimate the control you think you have over your own life and fate, though. Gengathara left on a road he didn't recognize and traveled south for a few days. He went slowly. He was protected from death in the dungeon, but he still spent a decade in a corpse hole, so he was at least extremely deconditioned for walking dozens of miles per day.
44:38 Speaker 00 He was also red and puffy, which seems like a problem and probably is, but we'll get to that. For his part, Gengathara was just grateful to be alive. After a decade in a hole, he thought he would never tire of seeing the endless expanse and creativity of the clouds with a tapestry of stars at night. Each breeze and birdsong brought his heart full to bursting. Then he noticed two things. The first was his brother. Now, Gengathara's brother, when the man didn't return for 20 years, began to get a little worried. Maybe it doesn't say. He might have just been traveling between cities, but before him on the road, he couldn't
45:22 Speaker 00 mistake the form and walk of his younger brother. The red sheen and puffiness notwithstanding, the joy of seeing his brother was too much for Gengathara's weak heart. He gasped and crumbled to the ground. It was then that he noticed the second thing. Glancing under the plants that lined the road, he saw the waves. In 10 years, the paths between cities had changed, and he had taken the one that led him by the sea. His brother's face filled his vision. Gengathara smiled and closed his eyes in death.
46:17 Speaker 00 It wasn't easy for the older brother to drag his younger to the temple of Ganesh, where the older brother worshipped Ganesh, the four-armed, elephant-headed god of beginnings, who brings good luck and removes obstacles. He's the son of Parvati and Shiva, and lord of the Gunas. And apparently, he takes personal requests. At his temple, through tears, the elder brother prayed for Ganesh's presence, and the god appeared. He listened intently to the brother's pleas, watch over his brother while he worshipped Ganesh. As Ganesh knew, he must be worshipped first. The brother couldn't leave Gengathara for the wolves or the demons. Afterward, he would cremate his brother. The elephant head nodded, and
47:02 Speaker 00 Gengathara's elder brother went to prepare himself. There are many stories regarding Ganesh's birth. One version has his mother, the goddess Parvati, wanting to take a bath without Shiva, to whom she was a consort, barging in on her. She forms the dirt she rubs from her skin into the shape of a child, who came to life after he was complete. Shiva did barge in, but saw the handsome boy in the room with his consort bathing, and cut off the kid's head. To fix things, and apparently proving that two wrongs can, in fact, make a right, he cut off an elephant's head and placed it on the body. That's a roundabout way of saying that, even though he's not
47:43 Speaker 00 technically the son of Shiva, he's considered to be and actually commands Shiva's Gunas. So I struggle to find a sufficient definition for the Gunas. The Encyclopedia Britannica calls them the "goblin host of Shiva," which seems simplistic, and I mean, I respect the Encyclopedia Britannica as a source, but let's just say I'm wary of leaning too heavily on a British source when it comes to India, even for the optics alone. The sites I found to research this either look like they were made in 2005, or they're so stuffed with AI images that I have a hard time trusting anything they say. What I can glean is this: they're kind of the Goblin Host of Shiva. There are different types
48:24 Speaker 00 of them, but the version in today's story, according to the writing, and it really does fit, is the chaotic, distorted beings that have undying loyalty to Shiva, and thus, they were commanded by his son, who, upon calling them to the temple... Told the Gunas that a very nice man had brought his brother's corpse here and asked Ganesh to look after it. He was now delegating that task to them. Did they understand that word? Delegating? The creatures, some versions of them don't have bones and have weird limbs sticking out all over, shrieked the garbled cacophony that was their language. Okay, I'm going to assume that that is a yes, Ganesh said, and left.
49:07 Speaker 00 Okay, so Jason here, I like cake. I know, pretty controversial stuff. When I'm walking through the kitchen and there's part of a cake there, oh, well, I'm not proud of this, so of course I'm telling hundreds of thousands of people, I'll take a look and maybe if someone didn't cut it quite straight the last time, I'll grab a fork and even it out. Then, well, I've gotten a taste for cake. What's a small piece that anyone will miss? Then, what's the definition of a small piece? Is it a quarter of the remaining cake? It isn't, by the way. And it's like, well, what's worse? Leaving like half a piece of cake? Or leaving no cake? It's like leaving half a scoop of ice cream in the bottom of the container, which I'm
49:51 Speaker 00 also thoughtful enough to not do, by the way. Because I'm so helpful, I'll also take the trash out. Definitely not to remove the evidence of the box the cake came in. With the Gunas, it was kind of like that, but with Gengathara's corpse. And this is not at all a justification, but an explanation for why that corpse was so irresistible to anything inclined to eat a corpse. Remember how I said that Gengathara was red and shiny? Well, it's because he ate nothing but rat-secured sweetmeats for a year and, by the logic of you are what you eat, the all-sweet-meat diet meant he was sweetmeat.
50:33 Speaker 00 And I'll confess, I didn't know what sweetmeats were until I looked them up literally 15 seconds ago. My first and main exposure to the word was the orcs in Lord of the Rings, I think referring to the hobbits as sweetmeats, so I just figured it was maybe a very rich and flavorful meat. Apparently meat in sweetmeats comes from the Old English word, M-E-T-E, meat, meaning food. And sweetmeats, in literally any context other than Lord of the Rings, means sweet food. Literally confection, so like cake, spreads, not meat at all. So my cake metaphor was more apt than I thought.
51:13 Speaker 00 Because as we're supposed to understand it, Gengathara at this point was something literally akin to cake. So the Gunas devoured his corpse. When the elder brother returned, he found a few red specks in the Gunas, wiping their mouths. He called upon the god, Ganesha. He looked into Ganesha's elephant eyes and asked where his brother was. Ganesha was just as confused as he was, until one of the Gunas burped. "Are you serious?" Ganesha said. "I left you alone for 10 minutes and you ate him?" "Wait, they ate my brother?" the elder brother cried. "This was what he got for worshiping Ganesha?
51:58 Speaker 00 He was unable to even watch his brother's corpse?" Ganesha, for a god, seems pretty chill. Zeus, for sure, would lightning bolt the elder brother instantly for daring to call out his insufficiencies, because Zeus has no insufficiencies, so the man was lying. Thor would punt him into a fire. Ganesha clasped his pink, sometimes red, hands together and said he was going to make this right. They walked outside, and Ganesha raised his hands. As he did, water flowed from deep within the earth to meet the dirt of the ground, and a form rose. Seconds later, Gengathara gasped awake.
52:42 Speaker 00 His brother caught him as he found himself standing not by the sea, where he remembered dying, but outside the temple. "Death on the seashore," Gengathara said, astonished.
52:56 Speaker 00 And some happiness afterward. His brother smiled and embraced him. As they walked back to Eugenie, Gengathra told how his father's prophecy had been perfect. Ten years, death, now, again, he lived. And he did have some happiness afterward. Gengathra was married to the princess he saved, and together they ruled the kingdom after her father abdicated the throne for them. Gengathra was seen as an enlightened ruler, having studied and suffered so much, and he was an inspiration to other kings with his kindness and magnanimity. All sought his wisdom, even the goldsmith, who came one day to beg forgiveness and learn from the king.
53:40 Speaker 00 And Gengathra was happy to teach him and inspired, in turn, by the goldsmith's own change of heart. Never really ended up as friends, though. Gengathra didn't think the man would betray him again, but there was just something about that guy. What he absolutely never did again, though, was talk to a soothsayer. Gengathra had lived enough years, both running to and running from his fate, and thus wanted the future to remain a mystery.
54:20 Speaker 00 As I was reading this, I was like, oh, okay, this story fits firmly in that famous Greek tradition of person tries to avoid a prophecy and ends up doing the thing that leads to said prophecy's fulfillment. But it really wasn't. In fact, as soon as Gengathra hears the prophecy, he submits to it. He learns how to make peace with death, and it's because of his faith in the prophecy that he has the strength to do the right things when it comes to rescuing everyone in the well, and it gives him hope for surviving in prison. His resurrection has nothing to do with him, but by showing that even the powerful and eternal both struggle with appetite and temptation and have the desire to make things right. Gengathra was right. There truly was no enemy in this story.
55:03 Speaker 00 Like the prophecy needed the long-suffering brother to bring Gengathra to the temple, it also needed the traitorous goldsmith and the capricious king. Next week, we're back in the story of the Monkey King. For the Tang monk, Xuanzong, damages his soul by taking too much pleasure in doing nice things and sweeping temples and stuff, so watch out, I guess. Real quickly, Myths and Legends has a book coming out this year. It's the first of a three-book series telling a comprehensive version of the King Arthur Legends. And the first book comes out in December of this year. You can preorder it now, but you can also enter to win a free copy beforehand. There was so much demand for the other two giveaways that the publisher has started a third.
55:46 Speaker 00 There are links in the show notes where you can sign up to win one of 15 galley copies. And honestly, please sign up. We would love these to go to the Myths and Legends audience. I feel like you're the perfect audience for this book. I mean, obviously. Anyway, the book is For the King by Carissa Weiser. The links are in the show notes. This giveaway ends on July 24th of this month, so check it out. Thanks so much.
56:14 Speaker 00 The creature this time is Dempachi Kitsu-ne, a yokai from Japan. In the Kanto region in eastern Japan, a famous Buddhist seminary was founded in the year 1580, and it was, apparently, different. They said they were open to everyone of any background or ability, as long as they were hardworking and had a passion for the sutras. One student, Dempachi, wandered in one day. The leaders of the school could see that he was young and didn't seem to have any parents or family that he would speak of, but everyone means everyone, so they admitted him. For 10 years in this university that took students from anywhere and everywhere, Dempachi was the youngest and the quietest, but he was also the best.
56:59 Speaker 00 He was always the first in the temple studying the scriptures and the last to leave. And not only did he study them, but he applied the knowledge and treated everyone with respect and compassion. The 10 years were not without incident, though. Around year seven, after a heavy rain, one of the priests confided in him. There was something in the school that didn't belong. After the rain, they had seen tracks going from the school to the dormitory. Fox tracks. It wasn't meandering or going this way and that like a normal animal, but following the paths of the students. There was a kitsune, a fox spirit, here among them.
57:41 Speaker 00 Curiously, that was the one and only time the fox prints were found. So while the rumor persisted among the students, the faculty didn't think about it again. Then, there was graduation, or a new headmaster, depending on the version. Regardless, it was a time for celebration, and the students were allowed to drink alcohol. The new headmaster must have uncorked the wine barrels and then just gone to bed, because things got out of hand. The students started laughing and singing and dancing. Then, the competition. We don't know what the bet was, but we do know that Dimpachi won it. When the kid across the table from him passed out with a thud, Dimpachi slammed his cup down
58:25 Speaker 00 and noticed that it wasn't a hand that did so, but a paw. His paw. The deception that had taken just a small amount of focus to maintain all of these years was gone. He was in his fox form, his true form. The whole school saw him for what he was. Dimpachi, the kitsune. If they had teachers with them, if they had remembered their teachings, if they hadn't all been drunk, they might have acted differently. But the students grabbed the yokai before he could flee and bound him to his chair. The fox's cries awoke the new headmaster, and the abbot, and the temple, Nokke Sejin, who rushed in to put a stop to the beating and get an explanation.
59:09 Speaker 00 The fox, the kitsune, said his name was Konoha. He was a fox that grew up in a hole not far from the temple. He heard the temple was accepting everyone, but he knew it couldn't be everyone. So he took a human form, a student, Dimpachi. The abbot and the headmaster were moved almost to tears. That the Lotus Sutra could work on the heart of even this lowly beast, a yokai? Dempachi not only studied, but he was the best of the students. They ordered Dempachi unbound, and as he began to reapply his deception, the abbot stopped the fox. No, Dempachi was to remain as he was.
59:53 Speaker 00 Dempachi graduated from the school soon after, and before he left, pledged to the leaders of the temple that he would use his powers to protect the school and the temple. The school built a shrine for him that apparently still stands to this day near the school, the modern day Risho University in Shinigawa, Tokyo.
1:00:19 Speaker 00 That's it for this time. Myths and Legends is by Jason and Carissa Weiser. Our theme song is by Broke for Free, and the Creature of the Week music is by Steve Colmes. There are links to even more of the music we used in the show notes. Thank you so much for listening, and we'll see you next time.
1:00:37 Speaker 04 Hey, this is Mario Lopez from all Mario Lopez Daily Podcast. Buy smart, drive for less, and trade for more. That's Toyota affordability, and it starts with a great deal on an all-wheel-drive Camry, Corolla Cross, or a Corolla sedan with the latest features in tech. Or test drive a spacious Grand Highlander or adventure-ready RAV4. And with so many hybrid models available, you can enjoy longer trips without all the stops, while Toyota's legendary resale value means you could get more at traded. So get a great deal today and great value tomorrow. Shop toyota.com for deals and details. Toyota, let's go places.
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