A Raja ruled over a town where lived an old Baiga and his wife. The Baiga had been in the Raja’s service for many years, and to reward him the Raja gave him a large block of gold and sent him home to enjoy the remainder of his days.

On the way home, the old man came to a river. He set the gold down upon the bank and went to bathe. But a dog came by and stole the gold. The old man thought that Bhagavan had taken it and he got very angry and said, ‘I’ll kill Bhagavan for this.’ He shouldered his axe and went down the road in search of Bhagavan.

Soon he came to a great tank that a seth (rich trader) had made. It was very deep. But there was no water. ‘Where are you going?’ asked the seth. ‘I am going to beat Bhagavan.’ ‘When you see him tell him that there has been no water in the tank for five years.’

Then the old man came to a field and saw a horse standing there. ‘Where are you going?’ asked the horse. ‘I’m going to beat Bhagavan.’ ‘Then when you see him, tell him that no one has ridden me for 12 years.’

Then the old man came to a village where a Gond man was living. He had five wives, but they all had run away. Only his sister was with him. Then Bhagavan came in the form of a dewar (Baiga magician and healer who performs important rituals in the village) and said to the old man, ‘Where are you going, Father?’ ‘I’m going to beat Bhagavan.’

So Bhagavan said, ‘Why do you trouble to go further? Go home and you’ll find the gold in your own house.’ But the old man said, ‘I must first write a letter.’ So Bhagavan wrote it for him. In the letter the old man recounted the whole matter of the Seth, the horse, and the Gond. Then said Bhagavan, ‘Tell the Seth to bury a ring in the tank and water will spring up. As you go, saddle the horse and it will carry you home. Take the Gond’s sister with you and all his five wives will return to him.’

So the old man did as he was ordered and everything happened as Bhagavan had said. At last when he came to his own house, he found that the dog had carried his gold home. So he married the Gond’s sister and they lived happily together.

A Folktale sourced from Sahapedia.

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