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Once Suhasinibai, the wife of Rama Pratapbhai, was busy in the kitchen. She took off her ring from her finger and put it on a wooden seat. Child Ghanshyam decided to play a jest. He took the ring without the awareness of his sister-in-law. Then he went with the ring to a sweetmeat seller in the market. He said to the sweetmeat seller, “Take this ring and give me sweets to eat.” The sweetmeat seller was tempted to see the ring. He took it up and said, “Sit down, eat the sweets as much as you please.”
Ghanshyam began to eat sweets.

The sweetmeat seller will, to take time in serving sweets but Ghanshyam would finish eating them within no time. He completed eating all the sweets in the shop. He returned home. The search for the ring was going on. “My dear brother-in-law, have you seen the ring,” said the sister-in-law, “I left the ring on this wooden seat.” “Ask this wooden seat,” replied Ghanshyam, “why do you ask me?” The younger brother Ichharam said, “Only Ghanshyam himself has taken the ring. I have seen him.” Ghanshyam said, “Well, let us go to a sweetmeat seller’s house.

He has that ring.” All came to the sweetmeat seller’s place. Ghanshyam demanded the ring from him. “You have eaten sweets and given me the ring. You have not given it free. You have eaten all sweets in the shop. See, the whole shop is sweetless,” said the sweetmeat seller. Ghanshyam said, “I have not eaten the sweets. Look there, your shop is full of it.” The sweetmeat seller saw that the sweets were there and intact. His surprise knew no bounds. He returned the ring and said to Dharmdev, “Your son appears like some wonderful piece of life.” “Not a piece of life,” said Dharmdev, “He is the life of lives and God of Gods! I have not yet fully known him, then how are you going to know him?”

Brahmananda Swami has composed a beautiful song about this Anguthi Leela (the ring episode):
SUNO MATA JASODA - GORI, TERE LAL ANGUTHI CHORI.
[O, Hear, mother Jasoda, Your son has stolen the ring.]

EXERCISE

This is a fine episode of Ghanshyam’s naughtiness. This is not an incident of stealing, but it is an example of affection and love.

Can you answer the following questions.

(a) Where did the sister-in-law put the ring?

(b) How much sweet did Ghanshyam eat in bargain of the ring?

(c) Why did the sweetmeat seller return the ring even though he did not give it in the beginning?

(d) Quote the line of the song of Anguthi Leela [the ring episode] composed by Brahmananda Swami.