Story from: Folk-Tales of Bengal By: the Rev. Lal Behari Day
There was a poor Brahman who really wanted a wife, but for a long time he didn't have the money to "afford" one. Because not only were there expenses for a wedding, the Brahman is expected to give the bride's parents some money.
Eventually, after begging rich people for money he got enough and got his bride. But he then realized that he didn't have enough money to support his mother and his wife. So he left to go to various countries to find a way to bring home some money, it was expected that he'd be gone for some years.
The Brahman left but that very evening someone showed up to his mother and wife's house that looked exactly like him. It was a ghost assuming the role/appearance of the Brahman. The wife and mother were confused but they believed him when he said he had changed his mind and found some money on his way to leave.
Years passed and they lived together as if the ghost was really the Brahman. When the real Brahman came home years later, he was shocked to find someone that looked like him in his own house.
Of course, the wife and mother did not believe the real Brahman when he showed up. The real Brahman sought help from the country's King but the King was stumped on what to do. The real Brahman went to him daily but nothing ever came of it. Eventually another king the "neat-herd" king (I looked this up and the only explanation I could find was that it was a king who rode horses and herd cattle) saw him constantly upset and asked what was wrong. The real Brahman explained and the neat-herd king asked him to bring the ghost brahman because he would hear the case and get it settled.
The solution was the near-herd king presented a phial (vial) and said that whichever Brahman could fit into this, is the real Brahman and will get to keep the house, wife, mother, etc. The real Brahman was shocked because he knew he wouldn't be able to fit. The whole time the neat-herd knew what he was doing though. Eventually, the ghost Brahman went into the phial because he could fit because he was a ghost. The neat-herd trapped him in there and this proved that the real Brahman was in fact, the real Brahman and he got all of this life back.
There was a poor Brahman who really wanted a wife, but for a long time he didn't have the money to "afford" one. Because not only were there expenses for a wedding, the Brahman is expected to give the bride's parents some money.
Eventually, after begging rich people for money he got enough and got his bride. But he then realized that he didn't have enough money to support his mother and his wife. So he left to go to various countries to find a way to bring home some money, it was expected that he'd be gone for some years.
The Brahman left but that very evening someone showed up to his mother and wife's house that looked exactly like him. It was a ghost assuming the role/appearance of the Brahman. The wife and mother were confused but they believed him when he said he had changed his mind and found some money on his way to leave.
Years passed and they lived together as if the ghost was really the Brahman. When the real Brahman came home years later, he was shocked to find someone that looked like him in his own house.
Of course, the wife and mother did not believe the real Brahman when he showed up. The real Brahman sought help from the country's King but the King was stumped on what to do. The real Brahman went to him daily but nothing ever came of it. Eventually another king the "neat-herd" king (I looked this up and the only explanation I could find was that it was a king who rode horses and herd cattle) saw him constantly upset and asked what was wrong. The real Brahman explained and the neat-herd king asked him to bring the ghost brahman because he would hear the case and get it settled.
The solution was the near-herd king presented a phial (vial) and said that whichever Brahman could fit into this, is the real Brahman and will get to keep the house, wife, mother, etc. The real Brahman was shocked because he knew he wouldn't be able to fit. The whole time the neat-herd knew what he was doing though. Eventually, the ghost Brahman went into the phial because he could fit because he was a ghost. The neat-herd trapped him in there and this proved that the real Brahman was in fact, the real Brahman and he got all of this life back.
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