A Girl Who Married a Snake

In the village of Rapi, there lived a Brah and his wife. They were childless and very unhappy about it.

One day, the wife cried to the Brah, “All our neighbours have children and I yearn to have a child too. Please pray to the gods so that they may bless us with a child.”

Their prayers were soon answered. The Brah’s wife gave birth to a baby. Alas, the baby was no ordinary baby. It was a snake!

“Oh my God It is not a human being!” cried one of the relatives when she came to visit the baby.

“You cannot bring up the snake as your son. Get rid of it immediately. It is a bad omen.”

“One day it will bite you to death,” warned another relative.

But the Brah’s wife was not ready to listen to any of them. “I can’t part with my son. So what if he is a snake?”

She took care of her son and gave him the best of things. Years passed by and the snake had grown to its full size. Now the Brah’s wife told her husband, “It is high time we think of our son’s marriage”.

“Which girl is going to marry our son?” asked the Brah in shock. “Only an insane person would agree to get his daughter married to a snake.”

The Brah’s wife became very sad. She loved her son dearly and wept at his fate. Seeing his wife’s condition, the Brah decided to go out in search of a bride for his son. He decided to go to the city where his best friend lived.

“What made you come so far from your village?” asked his friend.

“Well, my friend I am looking for a bride for any son,” replied the Brah.

You need not look any further,” said his friend. “You can get your son married to my daughter.”

Before you decide, you must come to my place and meet my son,” insisted the Brah.

“My friend, we know each other so well. I don’t find any need to see your son.” He fixed up his daughter’s marriage with the snake.

The girl’s friends were shocked. “How can you marry a snake?” they asked her. “Your life will be ruined.”

“I will honour my father’s words,” she told her friends. “I trust that everything happens for the good.”

They were soon married. She was a devoted wife and she kept the snake in a well-decorated pot. She showed him proper respect, and served him milk and fruits everyday.

One night the girl woke up with a start. She saw a handsome young man in the room. She got scared and screamed, “Help! Help! There is someone in the room!”

She was about to run out of the room but the man stopped her saying, “Don’t be afraid. I am your husband.”

The wife asked, “How could I trust you?”

To convince her, the man went back into the snake’s skin and came out of it again. Seeing this, the wife was elated. Her joy knew no bounds. Tears of joy rolled down her cheeks and she embraced him.

The Brah, who had risen very early that morning, overheard the entire conversation. He saw the snake turning into a handsome man and realized immediately that it was his son. Without wasting a single moment he rushed to the room, picked up the snake skin and burnt it in a fire.

Seeing his father the young man said, “Thank you father!

It is the immense and unconditional love that has freed me from the curse. I was forced to stay as a snake until somebody destroyed the snake’s skin without asking me.”

Later that day, the Brah introduced his son to the entire village. The handsome young man and his beautiful bride lived happily ever after.

The Brah was happy for his devoted daughter-in-law for her.

Trust never fails.