Part VII | Rose Robin | The Sandman
Some say Sanskrit is the language of the gods.
~
That evening, the entire delegation sat around the dining table engaged in food, drink and lively discussion. Abraham told his story about Moses dropping his Commandments to the chagrin and disbelief of his attentive listeners. Noah told his tale about the wayward crocodile and his beloved animal pairs ending up here and there after the storm. The Buddha shares his story of the Dragon Girl's enlightenment to offer proof that women have the same potential as men, even in a dragon form. [1]
The delegations spend a few more days in discussion and leisure, but as they are preparing to leave the temple, the Hindu god Indra receives a note with strange news. A letter from a porter called “The Roving Mule” [2] describes a situation involving the Buddha's lamp that happened shortly after their arrival at the Water Temple.
~
Dear Indra,
A group of travelers discovered a single lamp still lit in the sand after all the other lamps were blown out on Meteor Night. They believed it to be a “magic lamp,” and, determined to find the source of the lamp's wealth, have tracked it to an elderly woman from India with a grandson named Aladdin or Mowgli whose parents were believed dead. The Indian woman is in grave danger. Please advise.
~
With his note in hand, Indra leaves to advise Aladdin's grandmother about the nature of the problems surrounding the lamp she had donated to the Buddha's procession. The grandmother has a choice, she can chose to be put to sleep by the Sandman until her safety can be assured, or she must submit to the judgement of the delegation. The Indian grandmother decides to take the sleeping potion and isn't woken up until over 2,500 years later.
~
Notes
[1] The Dragon King's daughter
"Devadatta" Chapter [12] p. 226 of the Lotus Sutra
https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/lsoc/Content/12
[2] The Roving Mule ~ p.89 Kindle edition
“The Story of the Porter and the Three Women of Baghdad” The Annotated Arabian Nights ~ Tales from 1,001 Nights translated by Yasmine Seale
[3] The Poor Woman's Lamp
“Shining With the Light of Gratitude” World Tribune April 5, 2013
Reply to Onichi-nyo
[4] Grandma and the Great Gourd ~ A Bengali Folktale
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (author) 2013 Roaring Book Press
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