The dowry

A well-to-do man had two daughters. The man was very kind and affectionate to his daughters and both of them were very nice and very beautiful. The older one was extremely beautiful and she also knew how to sing and dance. In the Indian system we have something called a dowry, which is money that the bride’s family has to give to the bridegroom. In India, nobody will take someone’s daughter without a dowry. The young men are so proud. They will say, “Unless you give a dowry, I don’t need your daughter.”

When the time came for the older daughter to get married, the father gave ten thousand rupees to his future son-in-law. The young man took the money and he was quite happy. Since his father-in-law had given him so much money, he thought that he would not have to work for several years. The young man started leading a vagabond life, and everybody started saying nasty things about him.

The elder daughter was miserable and blamed her father for giving her husband so much money. Previously her husband had worked in a bank, but once he got the dowry he stopped working. The wife felt he should have kept at least some of the dowry in the bank to earn interest. But the husband was such a fool. He wanted to show off. So he resigned from the bank and tried to make the bank manager feel that he was richer than he was. He was spending money like anything and making everybody feel he was so rich that he didn’t have to work.

In a few months’ time he squandered all the money. Then again he had to go back to work at the bank as a clerk. The wife was happy that at least he was working and leading a modest life.

Several years passed by and the time came for the younger sister to get married. This time the father gave his future son-in-law fifteen thousand rupees. After the marriage took place, the daughter moved to her husband’s house, and they were living happily together.

The husband of the elder daughter had a few bad friends. They said to him, “Shame, shame, shame! Look, you are a third class son-in-law. You got only ten thousand rupees, whereas the fellow who married your sister-in-law got fifteen thousand. You are a useless fool. That is why you got only ten thousand rupees.”

The husband said, “If I am an idiot, then my father-in-law is a rogue. In what way am I inferior to my brother-in-law?” He got furious and insulted his father-in-law. He said, “You are such a rogue! Do you think I am inferior to your second son-in-law? I am working in a bank. I am a well-educated person. You deceived me. Who wants your daughter? I don’t need her. Unless you immediately give me five thousand rupees more, I will throw your daughter out of my house like a filthy rag.”

The father-in-law said, “It is too late. I won’t give you even one more rupee!”

The husband said, “Then I will sue you for having deceived me.”

The first daughter was miserable that her husband was suing her father, but what could she do? Finally the judge handed down his decision. He said to the husband, “Yes, you have a good case. Fifteen years ago you got only ten thousand rupees and now the second son-in-law has got fifteen thousand rupees. My decision is that your father-in-law shall give you five thousand rupees — but only on the condition that you give him the interest the ten thousand rupees would have earned, starting from the day of your wedding.”

The husband looked at the judge with eyes and mouth wide open. The judge said, “I am telling you to look at the goddess Lakshmi with your eyes and to keep your mouth shut. Since you are looking up with your eyes wide open, the goddess of wealth is descending. And since your mouth is wide open, I am telling you to keep it shut.”