A GHOSTLY WIFE
LAL BEHARI DAY
Once on a time there lived a Brahman who had married a wife, and who lived in the same house with his mother. Near his house was a tank, on the embankment of which stood a tree, on the boughs of which lived a ghost of the kind called Sankchinni} One night the Brahman's wife had occasion to go to the tank, and as she went she brushed by a Sankchinni who stood near ; on which the she -ghost got very angry with the woman, seized her by the throat, climbed into her tree, and thrust her into a hole in the trunk. There the woman lay almost dead with fear. The ghost put on the clothes of the woman and went into the house of the Brahman. Neither the Brahman nor his mother had any inkling of the change. The Brahman thought his wife returned from the tank, and the mother thought that it was her daughter-in-law. Next morning the mother in- law discovered some change in her daughter-in-law. Her daughter-in-law, she knew, was constitutionally weak and languid, and took a long time to do the work of the house. But she had apparently become quite a different person. All of a sudden she had become very active. She now did the work of the house in an incredibly short time. Suspecting nothing, the old woman said nothing either to her son or to her daughter in- law ; on the contrary, she inly rejoiced that her daughter-in-law had turned over a new leaf. But her surprise became every day greater and greater. The cooking of the household was done in much less time than before. When the mother-in-law wanted the daughter-in-law to bring anything from the next room, it was brought in much less time than was required in walking from one room to the other. The ghost, instead of going inside the next room, would stretch a long arm—for ghosts can lengthen or shorten any limb of their bodies—from the door and get the thing. One day the old woman observed the ghost doing this. She ordered her to bring a vessel from some distance, and the ghost unconsciously stretched her hand to several yards' distance, and brought it in a trice. The old woman was struck with wonder at the sight. She said nothing to her, but spoke to her son. Both mother and son began to watch the ghost more narrowly. One day the old woman knew that there was no fire in the house, and she knew also that her daughter-in-law had not gone out of doors to get it ; and yet, strange to say, the hearth in the kitchen-room was quite in a blaze. She went in, and, to her infinite surprise, found that her daughter-in-law was not using any fuel for cooking, but had thrust into the oven her foot, which was blazing brightly. The old mother told her son what she had seen, and they both concluded that the young woman in the house was not his real wife but a she-ghost. The son witnessed those very acts of the ghost which his mother had seen. An Ojha was therefore sent for. The exorcist came, and wanted in the first instance to ascertain whether the woman was a real woman or a ghost. For this purpose he lighted a piece of turmeric and set it below the nose of the supposed woman. Now this was an infallible test, as no ghost, whether male or female, can put up with the smell of burnt turmeric. The moment the lighted turmeric was taken near her, she screamed aloud and ran away from the room. It was now plain that she was either a ghost or a woman possessed by a ghost. The woman was caught hold of by main force and asked who she was. At first she refused to make any disclosures, on which the Ojha took up his slippers and began belabouring her with them. Then the ghost said with a strong nasal accent — for all ghosts speak through the nose—that she was a Sankchinni that she lived on a tree by the side of the tank, that she had seized the young Brahmani and put her in the hollow of her tree because one night she had touched her, and that if any person went to the hole the woman would be found. The woman was brought from the tree almost dead ; the ghost was again shoe beaten, after which process, on her declaring solemnly that she would not again do any harm to the Brahman and his family, she was released from the spell of the Ojha and sent away ; and the wife of the Brahman recovered slowly. After which the Brahman and his wife lived many years happily together and begat many sons and daughters.
Thus my story endeth,
The Natiya-thorn withereth, etc.
To get the Bengali Meaning click here
Summary
Once there lived a Brahman who lived with his wife and mother near a tank (pond) that had a tree on its embankment. On that tree lived a female ghost called a Sankchinni.
One night, the Brahman’s wife went to the tank and accidentally brushed against the ghost. Angry at this, the Sankchinni seized the woman, took her up into the tree, and hid her inside a hollow in the trunk. Then the ghost took on the woman’s appearance and returned to the Brahman’s house. Neither the Brahman nor his mother realized the difference.
The next morning, the mother-in-law noticed strange changes in her daughter-in-law. Formerly weak and slow, she had suddenly become very energetic and could finish all the household work in no time. The old woman was pleased at first, but soon she became suspicious. She noticed that the new “daughter-in-law” could stretch her arms to fetch things from another room without moving and that she cooked food without firewood—by thrusting her own burning foot into the oven!
Realizing that she must be a ghost, the Brahman and his mother called for an Ojha (exorcist). To test her, the Ojha burned a piece of turmeric under her nose, as ghosts cannot bear its smell. At once, the woman screamed and ran away. She was caught and beaten with slippers until she confessed in a nasal voice that she was indeed a Sankchinni ghost. She explained that she had hidden the Brahman’s real wife in the hollow of her tree because the woman had touched her one night.
People went to the tree and rescued the real wife, who was almost dead. The ghost was beaten again and forced to swear that she would never harm the Brahman’s family. After being released from the Ojha’s spell, she left the place. The Brahman’s wife slowly recovered, and the couple lived happily for many years, blessed with sons and daughters.
বাংলা সারাংশ
একজন ব্রাহ্মণ ছিলেন, যিনি তাঁর স্ত্রী ও মায়ের সঙ্গে একটি পুকুরের ধারে বাস করতেন। সেই পুকুরের পাড়ে ছিল একটি বড় গাছ, আর গাছটিতে বাস করত এক নারীভূত — সাঁকচিন্নি নামে।
এক রাতে ব্রাহ্মণের স্ত্রী পুকুরে কিছু কাজ করতে গিয়ে হঠাৎ সেই ভূতের গায়ে লেগে যায়। এতে ভূতটি প্রচণ্ড রেগে গিয়ে তাকে ধরে গাছের ওপরে নিয়ে যায় এবং গাছের কোটরে লুকিয়ে রাখে। তারপর সে স্ত্রীর রূপ ধারণ করে ব্রাহ্মণের ঘরে ফিরে আসে। ব্রাহ্মণ ও তাঁর মা কেউই বুঝতে পারেননি যে এটি ভূত।
পরদিন সকালে শাশুড়ি লক্ষ্য করলেন, তাঁর বৌমা একেবারে বদলে গেছে। আগে যে অলস ও দুর্বল ছিল, এখন সে ভীষণ তৎপর—চোখের পলকে সব কাজ করে ফেলে। প্রথমে শাশুড়ি খুশি হলেও পরে নানা অদ্ভুত ঘটনার জন্য সন্দেহ জাগে। একদিন তিনি দেখলেন, বৌমা পাশের ঘরে না গিয়েই হাত লম্বা করে জিনিস আনছে। আবার একদিন তিনি দেখলেন, বৌমা কাঠ না জ্বালিয়ে নিজের জ্বলন্ত পা দিয়ে রান্না করছে!
তখন মা-ছেলে বুঝলেন, এটি আসল বৌ নয়—এক ভূত। তারা এক ওঝা ডাকলেন। ওঝা একটি পরীক্ষা করলেন—এক টুকরো হলুদ জ্বালিয়ে তার নাকে ধরলেন, কারণ ভূতেরা পোড়া হলুদের গন্ধ সহ্য করতে পারে না। হলুদের গন্ধ পেতেই ভূত চিৎকার করে পালিয়ে গেল। তখন তাকে ধরে আনা হলো, এবং ওঝা তাকে চটি দিয়ে মারতে লাগলেন।
শেষে ভূত নাকি সুরে স্বীকার করল যে সে এক সাঁকচিন্নি, এবং ব্রাহ্মণের স্ত্রীকে পুকুরের পাশের গাছের কোটরে লুকিয়ে রেখেছে। লোকজন গিয়ে সত্যিই সেখানে অজ্ঞান অবস্থায় ব্রাহ্মণের স্ত্রীকে উদ্ধার করল। ভূতকে আরও কিছু শাস্তি দেওয়া হলো, এবং সে প্রতিজ্ঞা করল যে আর কখনো কারও ক্ষতি করবে না।
তারপর ব্রাহ্মণের স্ত্রী ধীরে ধীরে সুস্থ হলেন। ব্রাহ্মণ ও তাঁর স্ত্রী বহু বছর সুখে সংসার করলেন এবং বহু পুত্র-কন্যার জন্ম দিলেন।
About the Author
About Lal Behari Dey (1824–1892)
Lal Behari Dey (also spelled Lal Behary Day) was a 19th-century Indian writer, journalist, and Christian missionary who wrote in English. He is best known for his collection of Bengali folk tales titled “Folk-Tales of Bengal” (1875), which introduced Bengal’s rich oral traditions to the English-speaking world.
Born in Burdwan (West Bengal) in 1824, Dey was originally a Hindu but later converted to Christianity under the influence of the Scottish missionary Alexander Duff. He studied at Duff’s College in Calcutta and later worked as a journalist, professor, and missionary.
His writings often reflected his deep interest in rural Bengal, its people, customs, and superstitions. Through his stories like “A Ghostly Wife”, “The Story of a Brahmadaitya”, and others, he preserved Bengali village folklore for future generations.
Lal Behari Dey died in 1892, but he remains an important figure in Indian English literature and Bengali cultural history for his pioneering effort in documenting folk traditions.
বাংলা অনুবাদ
লালবিহারী দে (১৮২৪–১৮৯২)
লালবিহারী দে ছিলেন উনবিংশ শতাব্দীর একজন বিশিষ্ট ভারতীয় লেখক, সাংবাদিক ও খ্রিস্টান মিশনারি, যিনি ইংরেজি ভাষায় লিখতেন। তিনি তাঁর বিখ্যাত গ্রন্থ “Folk-Tales of Bengal” (বাংলার লোককথা, ১৮৭৫)-এর জন্য বিশেষভাবে পরিচিত, যেখানে তিনি বাংলার গ্রামীণ লোকবিশ্বাস ও লোককাহিনিগুলো ইংরেজি ভাষায় সংকলন করেন।
তিনি ১৮২৪ সালে বর্ধমানে জন্মগ্রহণ করেন। মূলত হিন্দু পরিবারে জন্ম নেওয়া সত্ত্বেও, পরে তিনি স্কটিশ মিশনারি আলেকজান্ডার ডাফ-এর প্রভাবে খ্রিস্টধর্ম গ্রহণ করেন। কলকাতার ডাফ কলেজে শিক্ষালাভের পর তিনি শিক্ষকতা, সাংবাদিকতা ও ধর্মপ্রচারে যুক্ত ছিলেন।
তাঁর রচনাগুলিতে বাংলার গ্রামীণ সমাজ, লোকবিশ্বাস, রীতিনীতি ও কুসংস্কারের বাস্তবচিত্র ফুটে উঠেছে। যেমন— “A Ghostly Wife”, “The Story of a Brahmadaitya” প্রভৃতি গল্পে তিনি বাংলার লোকজ ঐতিহ্য সংরক্ষণ করেছেন।
১৮৯২ সালে তিনি পরলোকগমন করেন। লালবিহারী দে আজও স্মরণীয়, কারণ তিনি প্রথমদিকের সেই লেখকদের একজন, যিনি বাংলার লোকসংস্কৃতিকে বিশ্বমঞ্চে পরিচিত করেছিলেন।
