Several years passed and Tilottama grew from a girl to a woman. The auspicious occasion of her marriage came. The wedding party arrived and the marriage ceremony took place. The moment finally arrived for Tilottama to go to her husband’s house.
The new bride was being dressed and there was commotion both inside and outside the house. It looked almost like a stampede. Tilottama’s heart was filled with the sorrow of parting. She wanted to sit in a solitary corner and cry her heart out. Today she would be separated from her parents, brothers and sisters and friends. She didn’t know when she would be able to meet them again. She didn’t know what kind of people she’d have to deal with now. What would their nature be and how would they treat her? Amma’s eyes would not stop shedding tears even for a moment. If I left home even for a day she would cry bitterly. How will she bear this separation for life? If she had a headache she felt comforted only when I gave her a gentle massage. Who will prepare paan for Babuji? He didn’t find anything to his taste if I did not prepare the milk. Who will prepare his meal now? How will I live without seeing him? Here, even if I had a mild headache, Amma and Babuji would feel upset and call the hakim or a vaid. I don’t know how they will treat me there. How will I live in an enclosed house? I have no idea whether they have an open terrace. Even if there is one, who will allow me to sleep there? I will die from suffocation. If I wake up a little late, people will taunt me. Here if someone tries to wake me in the morning, Amma asks him or her not to and allows me to sleep. If I wake up from incomplete sleep, she says I’ll get a headache. There I’ll have to listen to people’s taunts. ‘She’s very lazy, keeps on lying on her bed through the day.’ He looks very gentle, but somewhat wan. What if he turns out to be cruel-hearted?
Suddenly, her mother arrived and said, ‘Beti, I forgot to tell you something. You must worship the naag there and even if others in the family forbid you, consider it your duty. A little while ago my eyes had closed for a moment. Naag Baba had come to me in my dream.’
Tilottama replied, ‘Amma, he has also paid me a visit, but he showed me one of his terrible forms. It was a nightmare.’
‘Just see, no one should kill a snake in your house. And here you are, keep this mantra close to you always.’
Tilottama could hardly reply when someone among the bridegroom’s party started crying. The atmosphere changed in a moment. There was a terrible incident. The bridegroom was bitten by a snake. He was coming to arrange for the departure of the bride. In the palanquin, under the seat, was a black snake. The moment he sat in the palanquin the snake bit him.
There was commotion all around. It was as though Tilottama was struck by a bolt of lightning. Her mother started crying and beating her head. Her father, Babu Jagdish Chandra, lost consciousness and fell down. He was a heart patient. The sorcerers and doctors were called but the poison was fatal. The lips of the bridegroom turned pale. His nails became dark and he became unconscious. The body slowly turned cold. While the twilight sun illuminated the surroundings outside, this burning lamp was snuffed out.
Tilottama’s condition was somewhat like a man sitting in a boat loaded with sacks who wonders irrationally why the boat is not going faster, why there is no room for him to sit peacefully, and why it has tilted so much. But when the same boat enters a whirlpool he catches the mast to save his life. Although Tilottama was drowned in the sorrow of parting, she now realized that she was also drowning along with the boat. She was thinking of the difficulties and inconvenience that she would face in her husband’s house. The man she considered to be a robber became very dear to her. Without him her life was snuffed out like a lamp, like a tree without flowers or fruits. A moment ago, she had been an object of jealousy, now she was an object of kindness and pity.
In a few days she realized that, deprived of her husband, she was robbed of all the pleasures of life.3
A year passed. Jagdish Chandra was a truly religious person, but he couldn’t bear Tilottama’s widowhood. He decided to get her married again. The fun-lovers laughed but Jagdish Chandra took decisions from his heart. Everybody at home was deeply attached to Tilottama. Nothing was done against her wishes, and in fact she had been made the mistress of the house. Everybody took special care to keep her sorrow at bay. But there was sadness all over her face, which made the people around her sad.
Initially, even her mother didn’t agree to the idea of Tilottama’s remarriage, but as opposition from the community increased, her resistance lost steam. In principle, probably no one had any objection but nobody had the courage to implement it. After several months of searching, a high-caste, idealistic and educated groom was found. The members of his family also gave their consent. It made Tilottama sad to see her name discussed in society. She felt bad that her father was becoming a laughing stock. If I had domestic bliss in my destiny such calamity wouldn’t have befallen me. She had the apprehension that she’d once again become a widow. When the marriage was fixed and the groom’s photograph was brought before her, her eyes filled with tears. There was
