17 - Sounds a little Fishy to me

Summary

In this episode of 'Stories from India,' host Narad Muni explores a Kashmiri folk tale about a laughing fish and a woman turned to stone. The story involves a queen, a fisherman, a minister, and a misunderstood traveler named Rupak. The tale unravels with humor, irony, and metaphors, leading to a surprising revelation about a spy in the queen's service and a happy ending.

Takeaways

• 🎵 The podcast 'Stories from India' explores myths, legends, and folk tales from India, hosted by a character named Narad Muni, who is a traveling musician and storyteller with the gift of eternal life and knowledge of the past, present, and future.
• 😄 The episode features a folk tale from Kashmir involving a laughing fish and a metaphor about a lady turned to stone, who can only be turned back by a specific person kicking her stone form with his barefoot.
• 👑 The story involves a king and queen, with the queen's curiosity about a laughing fish leading to a quest for an answer, which is delegated by the king to his minister under a threat of execution if he fails to find the answer within six months.
• 📚 The minister's search for the answer includes consulting libraries, fish psychologists, research papers, and even living underwater, but to no avail.
• 🧐 The minister's son, Rupak, leaves home due to the impending execution of his father, and his journey leads him to meet an old farmer and engage in a series of metaphorical conversations.
• 🤔 Rupak's interactions with the farmer and later with the farmer's daughter reveal his use of metaphors and the daughter's understanding of them, which ultimately leads to the solution of the laughing fish mystery.
• 🕵️‍♂️ The daughter deduces that the fish laughed due to the presence of a spy among the queen's servants, who is a man disguised as a woman, which is ironic given the strict no man policy of the queen's quarters.
• 🏰 The daughter and Rupak manage to reach the palace in time to stop the minister's execution and reveal the truth to the king, thus saving him and uncovering the spy.
• 💑 The story concludes with the marriage of Rupak and the farmer's daughter, who continue to speak in metaphors, showcasing their unique connection and understanding of each other.
• 📖 The podcast also mentions other stories and characters, such as Aalia and Goth, and the tale of a giant crane, hinting at the richness of Indian mythology and folklore.
• 🎶 The podcast is supported by music from Purple Planet, and the host encourages feedback and interaction from listeners through various social media platforms.

Q & A

What is the theme of the podcast 'Stories from India'?

The podcast 'Stories from India' focuses on discussing myths, legends, and folk tales from India.

Who is the host of 'Stories from India' and what are some of his characteristics?

The host is Narad Muni, a mythological character with the gift of eternal life and knowledge of the past, present, and future. He is also a traveling musician and a storyteller.

What is the main plot of the folk tale from Kashmir discussed in the podcast?

The main plot involves a lady who has turned to stone and can only be turned back by a very specific person kicking her stone form with his barefoot.

Why did the queen in the story get involved in haggling with the fisherwoman?

The queen got involved in haggling because she heard the fisherwoman announcing fresh fish outside her window and, like regular queens, she started negotiating the price.

What unusual event occurred during the queen's interaction with the fisherwoman?

An unusual event was that a fish in the fisherwoman's basket laughed out loud when the queen asked if it was a boy or a girlfish.

What task did the king delegate to his Minister and what was the consequence if he failed?

The king delegated the task of finding out why the fish laughed to his Minister, with the consequence of execution if he failed to provide an answer within 6 months.

Why did the Minister's son, Rupak, leave home and wander the country?

Rupak left home to wander the country because his father was facing execution if he couldn't solve the king's riddle, and he wanted to avoid any potential harm from the king's anger.

What metaphorical language does the farmer's daughter use to explain Rupak's actions?

The farmer's daughter uses metaphorical language to explain that Rupak's actions were not foolish but misunderstood, suggesting that his words had deeper meanings, such as suggesting to share stories, using bamboo sticks as walking support, and commenting on the inhospitable nature of a city.

How does the fish's laughter lead to the discovery of a spy in the Queen's quarters?

The fish's laughter leads to the discovery of a spy because it laughed at the question of its gender, which the farmer's daughter interprets as irony, revealing the presence of a male spy in a place where men are not allowed.

What is the significance of the character Aalia in the script?

Aalia is a character in a separate story mentioned in the script. She was won as a prize by a Rishi named Goam, who circled a cow in a contest, and she later lived with him in a hut by the river.

What is the role of the giant crane in the upcoming episode of the podcast?

In the upcoming episode, the giant crane is a character that tried to eat a little boy but ended up biting off more than it could chew, implying a story where the crane learns a lesson.

Outlines

00:00

🐟 The Laughing Fish of Kashmir

This paragraph introduces a folk tale from Kashmir about a laughing fish. The story begins with a queen who haggles with a fisherwoman over the price of a fish. A large fish in the fisherwoman's basket laughs when the queen asks about its gender, leading to a quest to find out why. The king delegates this task to his minister, who has six months to find an answer or face execution. The minister's son, Rupak, sets out on a journey, encountering various situations and misunderstandings, but ultimately plays a crucial role in solving the mystery.

05:01

🌳 Rupak's Journey and Misunderstandings

Rupak, the minister's son, embarks on a journey where he meets an old farmer. They share a series of misunderstandings and humorous exchanges, such as Rupak suggesting they carry each other to pass the time and asking the farmer to cut bamboo sticks to use as walking aids. Rupak's literal interpretation of metaphors leads to further confusion, but the farmer's daughter later interprets his actions correctly, demonstrating her understanding of metaphors. This sets the stage for Rupak's eventual role in solving the mystery of the laughing fish.

10:01

🔎 Unraveling the Mystery of the Laughing Fish

The minister's daughter deduces the reason behind the fish's laughter, revealing that it was due to the presence of a male spy in the queen's all-female quarters. She and Rupak rush to the palace just in time to prevent the minister's execution and reveal the spy. The fish's laughter was an ironic response to the queen's question about its gender, highlighting the absurdity of the situation. The paragraph concludes with the king's acceptance of the explanation and the spy's exposure.

15:01

💍 Aalia's Story and Upcoming Tales

The final paragraph shifts focus to another character, Aalia, who wins a contest and is granted the opportunity to marry. However, she is tricked by Indra, the god of heaven, who disguises himself as her husband. As a result, she is cursed by her husband and turned into stone, with the condition that she will return to human form if touched by a specific person's feet. This condition is fulfilled by Ram, who recognizes her and restores her humanity. The paragraph ends with a teaser for the next episode, which will feature stories about monkeys and a giant crane.

Keywords

💡Narad Muni

Narad Muni is a mythological character in Hindu mythology known for his eternal life and omniscience. In the context of the video, he serves as the host of the podcast, 'Stories from India,' which focuses on myths, legends, and folk tales. His role is to introduce and narrate the stories, providing a connection to the rich tapestry of Indian mythology.

💡Folk Tale

A folk tale is a story originating in oral tradition that embodies characteristics of a community's culture, often involving supernatural elements or moral lessons. In the video, the folk tale from Kashmir about laughing fish and a lady turned to stone is the central narrative, illustrating cultural beliefs and the power of storytelling.

💡Metaphor

A metaphor is a figure of speech that describes an object or action in a way that isn't literally true but helps explain an idea or make a comparison. The video script uses metaphors extensively, particularly in the story where the fish's laughter is an ironic response to the queen's question about its gender, indicating a deeper, underlying message.

💡Kingdom

In the context of the video, a kingdom refers to a traditional ruling structure with a monarch and queen at its head. The story features a kingdom with a king and queen who are central figures in the narrative, setting the stage for the events that unfold in the folk tale.

💡Irony

Irony is a rhetorical device, event, or situation where there is a contrast between expectation and reality. The fish's laughter in the story is an example of irony, as it mocks the queen's question about its gender, highlighting the absurdity of the situation and the queen's ignorance of the fish's true nature.

💡Minister

A minister in the context of the video is a high-ranking official in the king's court, often responsible for advising or executing the king's orders. The minister in the story is tasked with finding an explanation for the fish's laughter, under the threat of execution if he fails, adding tension to the narrative.

💡Rupak

Rupak is the name of the minister's son in the story. His character is portrayed as misunderstood but ultimately reveals the reason behind the fish's laughter. His interactions with an old farmer and the farmer's daughter demonstrate the use of metaphors and the deeper meaning behind his seemingly nonsensical statements.

💡Espionage

Espionage refers to the practice of spying or using spies to obtain secret or confidential information. In the video, the revelation that there is an undercover spy among the queen's servants is a twist in the story, explaining the fish's laughter as an ironic response to the queen's question.

💡Rishi

A Rishi in Hinduism is a sage or seer who is revered for their wisdom and spiritual insight. In the script, a Rishi named Goam wins a contest by circling a cow, which is considered sacred, and is awarded the opportunity to marry Aalia, a character in another story mentioned in the podcast.

💡Indra

Indra is the god of heaven in Hindu mythology, known for his power and control over the elements, similar to Zeus in Greek mythology. In the script, Indra tricks Aalia by disguising himself as her husband, leading to a series of events that result in her being turned into stone.

💡Ramayana

The Ramayana is an ancient Indian epic that narrates the life of Rama, an avatar of the god Vishnu. In the script, Rama's knowledge is referenced when he identifies the stone as Aalia and touches it with his feet, restoring her to human form, demonstrating his divine wisdom and the power of his actions.

Highlights

Introduction to the podcast 'Stories from India' which explores myths, legends, and folk tales.

Host Narad Muni, a mythological character with eternal life and omniscience, presents the podcast.

The folk tale from Kashmir involves a lady turned to stone, with a unique condition for her return to human form.

A kingdom's unusual proximity to city life leads to an interaction between the Queen and a fisherwoman.

The Queen's haggling over a fish leads to an unexpected encounter with a laughing fish, challenging her authority.

The King's attempt to rationalize the fish's laughter with a possible non-binary gender perspective.

The Minister's desperate quest to find the reason behind the fish's laughter to avoid execution.

The Minister's son, Rupak, leaves home to wander the country, encountering various metaphors and misunderstandings.

Rupak's interactions with an old farmer, revealing his unique way of speaking in metaphors.

The farmer's daughter's interpretation of Rupak's metaphors, showcasing her intelligence and insight.

The revelation of the fish's laughter as an act of irony, linked to a spy within the Queen's servants.

The race against time to save the Minister from execution by revealing the truth to the King.

The happy ending where the hero and heroine marry and continue to speak in metaphors.

A brief note on the violent and misogynistic nature of the original story's method of detecting the spy.

Introduction of the next episode's theme, featuring monkey stories from the Jataka tales.

A teaser for the next episode's character, a giant crane with a story involving a little boy.

Invitation for listeners to provide feedback and interact with the podcast on various social media platforms.

Acknowledgment of the support from family, friends, and listeners, along with a note on the music source.

Transcripts

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

hello and welcome to stories from India

a podcast where we talk about myths

Legends and folk tales from India I'm

your host narad money and I'm a

mythological character

myself I have the gift of eternal life

and knowledge of the past the present

and the future by profession I am a

traveling musician and a Storyteller so

naturally I'm

podcasting this week we'll talk about a

folk tale from Kashmir about laughing

fish and metaphors gone

wild the character this week is a lady

who's turned to

stone and the only way she can be turned

back is if a very very specific person

kicks her stone form with his

Barefoot How likely is it that that will

happen by

accident now on to the

show there was once a kingdom and just

like a regular Kingdom it had a king and

a queen who lived in a

palace but unlike a regular Kingdom this

Palace wasn't far from the hustle and

bustle of city

life so much so that the Queen Once

heard a fisher woman loudly announcing

fresh fish right outside her

window as I'm sure you know what regular

Queens like to do the queen started

haggling with the fisherwoman over the

price it's not like the queen had

hundreds of servants and Cooks who could

worry about the price of fish or what to

cook for

dinner wait a minute she did in fact her

servants probably had Servants of their

own the fisher woman still had to sell

the rest of her fish and this queen was

taking up too much time arguing about

one tiny

fish just as she was about to give out

of sheer

desperation a big fish jumped up in her

basket the queen hadn't noticed it

before it looked

Splendid and the queen had to change

gears

I want that one she

said name your price said the exhausted

fisherwoman not wanting to get into

another long

argument Name Your Price It's usually

the buyer who says that well first I

need to know if it's a boy fish or a

girlfish before the fisher woman could

respond there was the sound of

laughter did that fish just laugh out

loud it did said the fishing woman just

take it I'll pack it for

you how dare it laugh is it making fun

of

me I don't know I don't care look do you

want the fish or

no if you put it that way I don't and

don't come selling your fish here ever

again said the

queen believe me it'll be a real

pleasure not to said the fisher woman as

she bounded

off the queen continued to think about

the incident though she told the king

about it and asked what he thought about

the fish

laughing the fish laughed when you asked

if it was a boy fish or a

girlfish maybe the fish doesn't believe

that gender is

binary you're speculating said the queen

I want a real definite answer

so the king set about finding an

answer and like a true leader he

delegated this job to his Minister upon

pain of death yeah if the minister

couldn't explain within the very

arbitrary time frame of 6 months the

king would have him killed if the

minister did find the

answer well what was he expecting a pat

on the back it was part of his job

didn't he read the job description when

he

applied oh and there was also no

resignation Clause so there was no way

the minister could get out of

it at this point I think an ordinary

person would simply have made up a story

about why the fish

laughed but the minister wouldn't lie

his way out of

this he tried to find the answer he

combed through every library book spoke

to every fishy psychologist he could

find read a lot of research papers and

even tried to live underwater and

communicate with other

fish nothing worked nobody had a

convincing

reply the one that came closest was that

probably there was a clown fish in the

same basket who had just told this fish

a

joke but there wasn't the fisher woman

was positive no clown fish in her basket

she had a strict policy of releasing any

clownish she caught she had watched

Finding Nemo after

all at the end of 5 months the minister

had run out of

options he knew the king would carry out

his promise and execute him so he

prepared his will sold all his property

and amongst other things asked his son

to go on a long holiday in in case the

king's anger extended to The Minister's

son the son let's call him rupak left

down and began wandering the country he

ran into an old farmer and since they

were going the same way they decided to

walk

together they were walking together when

rupok suddenly said wouldn't it be nice

if we carried each other for a

while huh said the farmer

on the whole not to put too fine a point

on it I think we better not he said this

was making him

uncomfortable they continued walking for

a

while then as they pass the bamboo

forest rupach handed the farmer a knife

and said here's a knife please cut and

bring us two horses with it and don't

lose

it no said the farmer and returned the

knife he had now decided that rupok was

just a simple

fool it would be amusing to see what

would happen

next they walked through a city where no

one paid them much

attention what a cemetery exclaimed

rupak daed he's staffed thought the

farmor then they passed through an

actual Cemetery where some people were

grieving for their dearly departed

ones they had food and wine of course

and they offered it to rupak and the

farmor because that's a

custom when they had had their fill and

moved on rupac commented what a great

city that

was the farmer felt

amused next rupach would be calling the

land the sky or the sky the

ocean they continued until they had to

cross a shallow

River the water wasn't very deep at

all the farmer took off his shoes folded

his trousers up a bit and crossed rupak

however crossed with his boots on so

they were quite

wet at this point the farmer began

feeling pity for this simpleton he

invited the boy home as they had just

reached the farmer's

Village rupac

replied I will come if the beam of your

home is strong

enough the farmer said nothing and

rupach walked off to the nearby Bed and

Breakfast the farmer went home and met

his wife and

daughter he said I've got the funniest

tale for

you he told them all that had happened

between him and

rupak the wife joined him in the

laughter but the daughter maintained a

serious face really father you're

calling him a fool but he's just a

misunderstood

genius oh can you explain all that he

said and did

then of course I can she said when he

talked about carrying each other he

meant you could tell each other a story

to pass the time when he talked about

cutting down two horses he meant for you

to cut two strong bamboo walking sticks

which would have been good support as

you walked and as good as having

horses oh said the farmer suddenly

realizing that this was

true the daughter continued a city that

ignores visitors is no better than if it

were full of dead

people zombies asked the

farmer no said the daughter I just meant

as inhospitable as if it were a

cemetery a cemetery that is full of

welcoming people people is like a city

with a good tourism

budget good points said the farmer but

what about the river

eh the daughter's reply was

quick different risk versus reward

calculation that's all people who take

off their shoes often Pierce their feet

on the sharp stones and end up falling

in the water and getting wet head to

foot oh and why do none of the villagers

realize this

we've been living next to the river all

our lives yet everyone still takes off

their

shoes well sometimes change comes from

without said the daughter the last one

was the most obvious by the strength of

the beam he was merely asking if you

could afford to host

him and we certainly can afford to host

him for dinner but first i'm going to

send him a packed lunch she packed bread

a jar of milk and a bowl of porridge and

had it sent to rupak along with a

message our beams are strong the moon is

full there are 12 months in a year and

the ocean is

full the messenger walked to the Inn but

on the way he was tempted to open the

package naturally seeing all the yummy

food he helped himself to some of it

rupach wouldn't even know he

thought when rupac received the message

and the package of food he ate it all

and sent a message back to the farmer's

daughter it's a chent moon there are

only 11 months in a year and the ocean

is nowhere near

full and when the messenger delivered

the message he got

punished because if you didn't already

guess by now the the farmer's daughter

was speaking in metaphor with

rupok the message was telling rupach

that the jar of milk was full because as

everyone knows the moon is made of

cheese and cheese is an approximation of

milk if you approximate

enough the ocean full of milk was

obviously talking about the bowl of

porridge I guess because it sloshes

around there should have been 12 pieces

of bread because bread and

mons well never mind I'm not even going

to try to justify this

one so that night as rupok explained his

backstory to the farmer's family the

daughter spoke up I know exactly why the

fish

laughed you do said

rupak yes said the

daughter rupak you may use metaphors all

all the time but now watch a real master

at

work note that the fish laughed when the

queen asked its gender it did so out of

irony irony said rupak is that like

Goldie and

bronzy no said the

daughter dude for a guy who spews

metaphors you sure are taking things way

too

literally the fish laughed because among

the Queen's servants is an undercover

spy

huh and you deduce that from just

knowing that the fish

laugh yep that's where the irony comes

in the Spy is a guy even though he's in

the Queen's CS which has a strict no man

allowed

policy that should not be a

surprise because the profession of

Espionage like most professions in

medieval Indian Society is barred to

women did you say your dad had 6 months

and that right now it's exactly one day

to the deadline and the kingdom is

exactly a day

away let's jump into the saddle shall

we the daughter replied this doesn't

feel like the kind of story that needs a

cliffhanger but okay that means there's

almost certainly going to be a happy

ending they did jump into the saddle on

real horses not bamboo

shoots they made it to the Palace just

in time to stop the execution and to

reveal Everything To The

King The King said okay and had the

servants checked discreetly until the

Spy was

revealed no one thought to ask how a

fish that had spent its entire life

under sea knew what was going on inside

the Queen's Quarters on

land it wouldn't be a folktale if the

hero and the heroine stayed single so

they got married they spoke in metaphors

forever when his wife announced that a

store could be visiting them rupak

bought diapers rather than bird

food that's it for now some notes on the

show the name I chose for The Minister's

son is not one I picked at random

a Rupa alankar is the Hindi equivalent

of a

metaphor the manner of detecting the Spy

is very violent and misogynistic and

also idiotic in the original story they

made all of the servants jump over a pit

the only one who didn't fall in the pit

and break a few bones was the Spy

because he was obviously

trained the theme of passing a coded

message along Ong with food does occur

in a few other unrelated stories as well

in both Indian and European folk

tales the character this week is

aalia The Story Goes that once there was

a Rishi who won a contest this was very

similar to the circle the world contest

from episode

6.5 in the sense that the contestants

had to circle the

world the winner was goam a a Rishi who

won when he circled a

cow because cows are sacred in much of

Indian mythology it was a bit of a

stretch to declare him the winner but

Ganesh had already done something

similar so there was a precedent for the

judges to

follow the prize was an opportunity to

marry

aalia I would like to think aalia had a

say in all this but that wouldn't be

true aalia and Goth lived in a little

Hut by the

river one day Indra the god of Heaven

who's also my brother tricked aalia he

was a bit like Zeus from Greek

mythology he disguised himself as Gotham

and entered aalia's Hut at a moment when

Gotham was away Gotham returned soon and

was angry when he saw his wife being

friendly to someone else who was

obviously not her husband

even though he looked and sounded

exactly like

him he couldn't curse Indra who was a

God so he cursed his wife instead

turning her into

stone even though this wasn't her fault

at

all he did add an escape Clause

though if Rah were to touch her with his

feet she would be human

again and that's precisely what happened

at the the end of the last episode when

rahen lakshman and vishwamitra were

heading to Sia's Kingdom they stumbled

on

her not literally otherwise that would

have been quite

painful Ram with his Vishnu knowledge

knew exactly what the stone was and he

touched it gently with his feet

instantly turning her

back she was

happy she had been a rock in a hard

place for too

long that's it for this week next week

we'll cover some monkey stories from the

jtic

tales you'll meet a monkey that can turn

cardiologist every day and another that

invented

straws the character next week is a

giant crane the bird kind not the

mechanical Contraption

kind we have already encountered this

Bird's namesake

before this giant crane tried to eat a

little boy and found he had bitten off a

little more than he could chew I'm

several thousands of years old and my

memory may be imperfect at times if you

see any errors in my podcast I'd

appreciate it if you could Point them

out to me you can leave a comment or a

review on the site SFI podcast.com or

tweet at SFI podcast I'm also available

on Instagram and

Facebook once again I'd like to thank

all my family and friends for all of

their support and especially to all of

you listeners for all the feedback that

you have

provided the music is from purp

planet.com that's

purple-planet.com see you next

[Music]

week

oh