Indira and Other Stories/The Two Rings/Chapter 3
III.
After the two years just mentioned, another year slipped by, and yet there was no talk of Purandar's return from Ceylon. But Hiranmayi's heart was still constant to his image, and the girl was sure that he too had not forgotten her. Else he would have returned.
When the third year had elapsed, Dhana Das suddenly announced that he had determined to take his family to Benares. A disciple had come from his Spiritual Instructor with orders to proceed to the ancient place of pilgrimage. Hiranmayi's marriage was at last to take place at Benares. The Spiritual Instructor had chosen a bridegroom there.
Dhana Das with his wife and daughter duly travelled to Benares. Soon after their arrival in the sacred city, Dhana Das's guru, Ananda Swami, paid them a visit, and, having fixed the date of the wedding, directed that all arrangements should be made in accordance with the holy Shastras. All preparations were duly performed, with one exception. There were none of the usual public announcements. Save the merchant's own family, none knew that a marriage was so soon to take place. The indispensable religious preliminaries alone were accomplished.
It was the evening of the wedding day. The auspicious junction of the stars was at nine in the evening. Up to the last moment, there was no one present except the ordinary occupants of the house. Not even any of the neighbours had been invited. So far, no one save Dhana Das himself knew who the bridegroom was, or whence he was coming. Still all were convinced that since it was Ananda Swami who had selected the bridegroom, the choice must necessarily be a wise one. If he chose not to announce the young man's name, that was his business. Who could pretend to comprehend the holy man's motives? After having made due arrangements for the officiating priest and the giving away of the bride, he was seated placidly by himself in a room apart. Dhana Das was waiting outside for the bridegroom. Hiranmayi, arrayed in her bridal costume, was seated alone in her chamber. The girl thought in her mind, "A curious wedding, truly. Yet if I may not marry Purandar, what does it matter to whom I am wedded? I shall never marry the one being whom my heart has chosen!" At this moment, Dhana Das came to summon his daughter. But before conducting her to the place where the ceremony was to be performed, he carefully tied her eyes with a cloth, so that she could not see. Hiranmayi asked, "What is this, my father?"
Dhana Das replied, "Such are the holy man's orders. Do you do as I tell you. Now recite the prescribed formulæ mentally."
The girl made no reply, and her father led her by the hand to the room prepared for the marriage.
If she had been able to see when she arrived there, she would have noticed that her future husband was also blindfolded. There was no one present save the guru, the officiating priest, and the girl's father. Bride and bridegroom being both blind-folded, the ceremony of causing them to take the first auspicious look at one another after marriage was perforce omitted.
After the completion of the ceremony, the guru-deva addressed the young couple. "You are now wedded to another, but have not seen one another. The sole object of this ceremony has been to relieve the bride of the reproach of prolonged and unseasonable maidenhood. Whether you will ever see one another in this life I cannot say. If it should happen that you meet, you would not be able to recognise one another as husband and wife. For this reason, I am about to provide you with a means of recognising one another hereafter. In my hand are two rings. The stones with which they are set are extremely rare and hard to obtain. Moreover on the inner surface of each ring a peacock is engraved. I give one ring to the bride and the other to the bridegroom. No one else possesses such rings, and, further, the device inscribed in them cannot be imitated, since I have engraved it with my own hand. If the bride should ever see such a ring on a man's finger, she will know that that man is her husband. If the bridegroom should find such a ring on a woman's hand, he will recognise his affianced wife. Take care lest either of you lose the ring I give you. Do not part with it to anyone; do not sell it even if you are reduced to starvation. Furthermore, it is my order that neither of you shall wear the ring I now give you for five years from this day. Today is the fifth day of the waxing moon of the month Asharh, and the eleventh hour. It is forbidden to you to wear your rings till the corresponding date and hour of the fifth year from to-day. If you disobey this solemn injunction, terrible misfortunes will befall you."
After this admonition, Ananda Swami took his leave. Dhana Das removed the cloth from his daughter's eyes. Looking round her, Hiranmayi saw that there was no one in the room except her father and the officiating priest. Her husband had disappeared. She spent her wedding night alone.