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Mahadev
Bishta: A Clever Thief
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Mahadev
Bishta: A Clever Thief
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Kashmiri
mothers often tell their children the stories of Mahadev at bedtime. It
is said that during the reign of Maharaja Partap Singh, Mahadev was considered
the leader of thieves in Kashmir. He was never caught in the act of stealing.
Mahadev had perplexed both the police and the government. Whenever Mahadev
went out to steal, he would do so like a cat, without making a sound. They
say that is why he was called Mahadev .
Kashmiri children refer to a cat as .
Mahadev would even mew to make people think that it was a cat. They would
shout ", "
- a sound made to scare away cats - while Mahadev took off with the loot.
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It is indeed a fact that
Mahadev was a well-known thief. It is also true that he would rob people
of their property and wealth. But, in spite of that, people used to sing
his praises. The people loved Mahadev because he would steal from the
wealthy to provide for the needy.
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There is a particularly
well-known story about Mahadev. One day the thieves decided that even
though Mahadev was, without a doubt, their leader, he would still have to
undergo a test. In a meeting, they also agreed upon the way he would be
tested. We shall now tell you the story of this test.
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One day Mahadev was
invited to a gathering of all the thieves. One thief stood up and
addressed Mahadev thus: "he:, mahdevju:, we all consider you
to be our leader. We are all in awe of you. But, in order to prove your
superiority, we would like you to take a test. If you agree, it will
enhance your reputation and our trust in you will increase."
Mahadev became very
serious and replied: "Yes, of course, I am ready for a test." As
soon as the thieves heard this reply, they blushed. One thief slowly stood
up and said:
"All right, Mahdevju:, we want
you to make our Maharaja take off his trousers. These trousers should then
be presented to this gathering. The Maharaja should know nothing about it
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Mahadev smiled and
said:
"All right, if that is what you want,
so be it. It is not a difficult task." On hearing this the thieves
were delighted and the conference of thieves came to an end.
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After this it took
Mahadev four or five days to think. He went to Shergadi to observe several
thingss. First, he found out the location of the Maharaja's bedroom, and
the location of the palace guards. He also found a way to reach the
Maharaja's bedroom without causing suspicion. After observing all these
things, he started his preparations.
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First, Mahadev went out
and filled a piece of reed with vicious red ants. Then he came home and
had his body massaged with oil. He then put on a
(loincloth) and looked at himself in the mirror. He was very pleased with
himself. And with a mischievous smile, he left for Shergadi. It was
midnight and pitch dark when he arrived. Mahadev swam across the .
Then, after reaching the royal palace, he entered the bathroom of the
Maharaja through a pipe. From there, like a cat, he entered the bedroom of
the Maharaja.
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Maharaja was sound
asleep. He slowly took out the reed and dropped the ants near the
Maharaja's feet. These vicious ants spread all over the Maharaja's legs.
They made him miserable with their bites. The Maharaja started scratching
his legs with both of his hands. He was so uncomfortable that, in his
sleep, he took off his trousers and threw them aside. Mahadev was
delighted. He quietly picked up the trousers, and, again like a cat,
walked out through the pipe through which he had entered.
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The next day Mahadev went
to the gathering of the thieves with the Maharaja's trousers. When Mahadev
arrived, the thieves were impatient to know if he had been successful in
obtaining the trousers. Mahadev haltingly opened a bundle, took out the
trousers, and placed them on a
with a smile. On seeing this, all the thieves stood up clapping their
hands and singing the praises of Mahadev .
Mahadev was deeply pleased. The thieves again accepted him as their clever
leader.
There are many other
stories about Mahadev
which entertain the Kashmiri children.
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