The Two Lovers

There was once a young man who belonged to a respectable family and who, after finishing his studies and other duties, used to go out for a walk in the jungle each evening.

His parents loved him dearly because of his good character, amiable disposition, orderly habits and obedience. He was the pride of the family. One day he went farther than usual into the jungle. In fear that darkness might overtake him, he frantically tried to find his way.

Just as he reached the road, a wild beast attacked and wounded him. With his last strength, he drove off the beast, cried out for help and then collapse from shock and exhaustion.

Some distance away a beautiful girl was gathering firewood. When this horrible cry reached her ears, she was at first frightened, but she took courage and went to see who had cried out so desperately. She found the handsome young man lying half-conscious with no one nearby to help him. He was badly wounded and bleeding heavily. She pitied him and led him by the hand to the nearby river. She washed his wounds, and tearing her own dress, she bandaged them. Then she struggled to help him reach his own village.

Finally, they reached the house of the young man. His parents and relatives were shocked to see him in such a frightful state. They were also distressed to see him in the company of the girl who was obviously poor and, in their eyes, quite beneath his social position. When the young man and the girl told their story, the lads parents thanked the girl for her help and invited her to stay with them for the night, but they were actually eager to see her on her way. Early in the morning, the young man sent for her to express his deep gratitude. As soon as he saw her bright and beautiful face glowing in the morning light he was overwhelmed by her innocence, tenderness, and beauty. He fell in love with her in that instant and made up his mind to marry her at all costs. But the girl belonged to a very poor and low caste, and he knew this would be a great obstacle to overcome.

After hearing the young mans words of gratitude, the girl headed home. On her way through the jungle, she picked up the bundle of firewood she had left behind the day before and reached her village about midday. About the same time, her parents and relatives returned exhausted and desperate from their fruitless search through the night.

Needless to say, they were greatly astonished to find the girl at home. The girl told the whole story in all simplicity and honesty, but nobody believed her. Her elder brother doubted her character and chastity and thought that she had run away and disgraced the name of the whole family. Her father beat the innocent girl black and blue and forbade her to step out of the house.

In time, the young man heard about how she had been treated, and so he decided to visit her. He went to her village and told her parents the whole story, but they did not believe him either, for there was no witness to verify it. The girl, who was listening eagerly to the young man, remained silent. The sweetness of his words and the brightness of his face mesmerized her.

When he had left, she told her parents, If you doubt my chastity, then please let me marry this young man. But her parents were very angry and refused. On his return home, the young man told his parents that he loved the girl who had rescued him and wanted to marry her. They became red with rage, punished him severely, and said: Cant you find any better girl than this one of low and poor caste? Why do you want to disgrace our respectable family?

Eventually, the young man slipped away unobserved, and went to the village of his beloved. By chance, she was alone in the house that day. So they talked together freely and frankly.
They were able to meet a number of times in this way and their love grew ever deeper. But their parents were angry and bitterly spoke against their childrens wishes. It thus became increasingly difficult for them to see each other. So they arranged to meet late at night when others were asleep. Sometimes the young man waited outside the girls village and sometimes the girl waited near her lovers room.

One night there was an accident. The girl fell down a steep bank behind the boys house and injured her leg. The young man heard the noise and came out at once. He discovered that her leg was broken, took her to the hospital, and made all the necessary arrangements for her care. He went daily to see her. After some days she felt much better. When her parents finally found out where she was, they took her away from the hospital and hid her with some relatives in a distant village.


The next day the young man went to the hospital as usual, but was confused when he did not find her there. The doctor in charge of the ward told him that she had recovered and that her parents had taken her home. The young man ran at once to her village, but she was not there. He feared that she had deceived him and had run away with some other man.

Nevertheless, he missed her terribly and worried constantly. He could not find any clue where she might be. The girl also worried and wept bitterly day and night. Days passed but she heard nothing from her lover, so she also thought that perhaps he had forgotten her and had fallen in love with some other girl. In addition, her parents were arranging for her to marry another man. One day, when her family was asleep, the girl slipped out and ran to her lovers house. Calling at his window, she discovered that he was not there. She wept bitterly, saying: Alas! My parents and relatives are now my enemies. The man to whom I gave my heart has also left me. I cannot live another day in this world that is now hell to me. Thinking thus, she turned her steps toward the very river where she had once washed her lovers wounds. There, she jumped into the water, intending to end her life.

Nearby, her lover sat behind a large rock, absorbed in his thoughts and entirely unaware of the presence of his beloved. Hearing the sound of someone falling in the water, he leapt in and rescued the girl. It was all like a dream. He held the unconscious form of his beloved on his lap. After a few minutes, she revived and looked up into the dear face of her lover. All the bitterness of her life vanished in the twinkling of an eye. They embraced and kissed each other. At first, they were so overcome by joy that neither could speak. For half an hour they embraced each other with the deepest affection.

Then they began to converse:

Lover: My beloved, how did you fall into the water? If I had not been here, your life would have ended.

Beloved: My darling, I waited so long for you and you didnt come. Then I went to your house to see you. When I did not find you there, I came here in despair and jumped into the river. There was no other way to put out the fire of separation and end the bitterness of my life. Without you my life appeared to me like hell. But tell me, why did you come here?

Lover: I came here with a similar determination. When you disappeared from the hospital I wandered about, searching long for you, but you were nowhere to be found.
In my despair, I became weary of my life and wanted to die rather than face another day without you. I was on the point of committing suicide when I heard you leap into the water. Had you delayed even a few minutes, we both would have lost our lives in the same river, this river where you once washed my wounds. What a marvelous thing! Here you once saved my life and now it is I who have saved yours. Today we have both received a new life. Let us therefore lead it in a new way. Surely, it was not we ourselves, but God who has given us this new life and united us again. As a sign of our gratitude we should now worship him and walk according to his will, because he alone is the source of life.

Let us go to the man of prayer who once came to me and comforted me when I was lonely and heartbroken. His words of sympathy applied a wonderful and soothing balm to my aching wounds. It was he who told me that without the love of the Creator, the love of the creature is incomplete and can only breed restlessness and grief. I learned that God is always with us and that real happiness is found only in his presence. So, let us go to that man of prayer and he will marry us.

Beloved: My only longing is to follow you wherever you go and to serve you with all my heart and soul. Yes, I am ready to give my life to God and to you.

A widow willingly gives herself to be burnt alive with the dead body of her husband. Would it not be shameful, if I am not ready to give my life in service to the living God and to his servant, my dear husband? But what will become of us? I am of a very poor and low caste. Our parents are already very angry and will never accept our marriage. Lover: My beloved, had I taken pride in caste or social standing, I would never have loved you in the first place.

The class system is a curse that the proud and selfish use to separate people from one another. We are all children of the one God. If my parents will not welcome you, then we will move somewhere else and make our own way.

No one should separate what God has joined together. Let us simply trust in him. So they went to the man of prayer and explained the whole situation to him. He gladly married them and sent them on their way with his blessing. They returned to the city, rented a small house and worked hard to earn their living.

Even the richest people with their palaces and worldly comforts, would envy the life of peace, love, and happiness that those young lovers enjoyed in their poverty.

Along with their love for each other, they were also filled with the bliss of divine love. They gave themselves, heart and soul in the service of God and he blessed them in every way. .