Part 17

"Go and eat this somewhere on the bank of the lake, for this place is unfit to eat in, as it is filled with feasting Brahmans." He said "I will do so," and took the vessel of rice and placed it at no great distance under a banyan-tree on the edge of the lake; and he washed his hands and feet in the lake, and rinsed his mouth, and then came back in high spirits to eat the rice. But while he was thus engaged a kite, holding a black cobra with its beak and claws, came and sat on that tree. And it so happened that poisonous saliva issued from the mouth of that dead snake, which the bird had captured and was carrying along. The saliva fell into the dish of rice which was placed under the tree, and Harisvamin, without observing it, came and ate up that rice. As soon as in his hunger he had devoured all that food, he began to suffer terrible agonies, caused by the poison. He exclaimed:--

"When fate has turned against a man, everything in this world turns also; accordingly this rice has become poison to me." Thus speaking, Harisvamin, tortured with the poison, tottered to the house of that Brahman who was engaged in a sacrifice, and said to his wife:--

"The rice which you gave me has poisoned me; so fetch me quickly a charmer who can counteract the operation of poison; otherwise you will be guilty of the death of a Brahman." When Harisvamin had said this to the good woman, who was beside herself to think what it could all mean, his eyes closed and he died.

Then the Brahman who was engaged in a sacrifice drove his wife out of the house, though she was innocent and hospitable, being enraged with her for the supposed murder of her guest. The good woman, for her part, having incurred groundless blame from her charitable deed, and so become burdened with infamy, went to a holy bathing-place, to perform penance. Then there was a discussion before the superintendent of religion as to which of the four parties, the kite, the snake, and the couple who gave rice, was guilty of the murder of a Brahman; but the question was not decided.

It will be seen that our story differs very considerably from the foregoing, which we must regard as the original. The same story occurs in all the Eastern versions of the Book of Sindibad, but in most of these it is not a traveller who is thus poisoned, but a wealthy man and his guests; having sent a domestic to the market to buy sour curds, which she carried back in an open vessel, poison from a serpent in a stork's mouth dropped into the curds, of which the master of the house and his guests partook and died. The story is probably more than 2,000 years old.

"Eating up the Protector." Akin to this, but with a very different conclusion, is the well-known story of the traveller who released a tiger from a trap into which he had fallen. The Brahman's fidelity to his pact with the serpent reminds one of the Arabian story of the Merchant and the Genie. In a Tamil tale, a cow having given herself up to a tiger to redeem her owner (it is to be understood, of course, that both animals are human beings re-born in those forms) she obtains leave to go and suckle her calf, after which she returns when the tiger, moved by her fidelity, lets her go free.

The serpent's emitting gems recalls Shakespeare's allusion to the popular notion of the "toad, ugly and venomous, which bears a precious jewel in its head." It is a very ancient and widespread belief that serpents are the guardians of hidden treasures. Preller, in his work on Grecian mythology, refers to a Servian story in which a shepherd, as in our tale, saves the life of a snake in a forest fire, and, in return for this service, the snake's father gives him endless treasures and teaches him the language of birds. There is a very similar story in Dozon's "Contes Albanais."

In the charming tale of "Nala and Damayanti," which occurs in the third part ("Vana Parva") of the grand Indian epic "Mahabharata," the exiled king perceives a snake with a ray of jewels in its crest, writhing in a jungle fire, and lifting it out, carries it some distance, and is about to set it down, when the snake says to him, "Carry me ten steps farther, and count them aloud as you go." So Nala proceeds, counting the steps--one, two, three--and when he said "ten" (dasa, which means "ten" and also "bite") the snake took him at his word, and bit the king in the forehead, upon which he became black and deformed.

An abstract of a considerably modified form of our romance orally current among the people of Bengal may be given in conclusion: A king appoints his three sons to patrol in turn the streets of his capital during the night. It happens that the youngest Prince in going his rounds one night sees a beautiful woman issuing from the royal palace, and accosting her, asks her business at such an hour. She replies:--

"I am the guardian deity of this palace; the king will be killed this night, therefore I am going away."

The Prince persuades the goddess to return into the palace and await the event. As in our story, he enters his father's sleeping chamber and discovers a huge cobra near the royal couch. He cuts the serpent into many pieces, which he puts inside a brass vessel that is in the room. Then seeing that some drops of the serpent's blood had fallen on his step-mother's breast, he wraps a piece of cloth round his tongue to protect it from the poison, and licks off the blood. The lady awakes, and recognises him as he is leaving the room. She accuses him to the king of having used an unpardonable freedom with her. In the morning the king sends for his eldest son, and asks him: "If a trusted servant should prove faithless how should he be punished?"

Quoth the Prince: "Surely his head should be parted from his body; but before doing so you should ascertain whether the man is actually guilty."

And then he proceeds to relate the following story:--"Once upon a time there was a goldsmith who had a grown-up son, whose wife was acquainted with the language of animals, but she kept secret from her husband and all others the fact of her being endowed with such a rare gift. It happened one night she heard a jackal exclaim: 'There is a dead body floating on the river; would that some one might give me that body to eat, and for his pains take the diamond ring from the finger of the dead man.'

"The woman arose from her bed and went to the bank of the river, and her husband, who was not asleep, followed her unobserved. She went into the water, drew the corpse to land, and unable to loosen the ring from the dead man's finger, which had swelled, she bit off the finger, and leaving the corpse on the bank, returned home, whither she had been preceded by her husband. Almost petrified with fear, the young goldsmith concluded from what he had seen that his wife was not a human being, but a ghoul (rakshasi), and early in the morning he hastened to his father and related the whole affair to him--how the woman had got up during the night and gone to the river, out of which she dragged a dead body to the land, and was busy devouring it when he ran home in horror.

"The old man was greatly shocked, and advised his son to take his wife on some pretext into the forest and leave her there to be destroyed by wild beasts. So the husband caused the woman to get herself ready to go on a visit to her father, and after a hasty breakfast they set out. In going through a dense jungle, where the goldsmith proposed abandoning his wife, she heard a serpent cry, 'O, passenger, I pray thee to seize and give me that croaking frog, and take for thy reward the gold and precious stones concealed in yonder hole.' The woman at once seized the frog and threw it towards the serpent, and then began digging into the ground with a stick. Her husband quaked with fear, thinking that his ghoul-wife was about to kill him, but she called to him, saying, 'My dear husband, gather up all this gold and precious gems.'

"Approaching the spot with hesitation he was surprised to perceive an immense treasure laid bare by his wife, who then explained to him how she had learned of it from the snake that lay coiled up near them, whose language she understood. Then he said to his wife--'It is now so late that we cannot reach your father's house before dark, and we might be slain by wild beasts. Let us therefore return home.' So they retraced their steps, and approaching the house the goldsmith said to his wife--'Do, you, my dear, go in by the back door, while I enter by the front and show my father all this treasure.'

The woman went in by the back door and was met by her father-in-law, who, on seeing her, concluded that she had killed and devoured his son, and striking her on the head with a hammer which he happened to have in his hand, she instantly expired. Just then the son came into the room, but it was too late."

"I have told your Majesty this story," adds the eldest Prince, "in order that before putting the man to death you should make sure that he is guilty."

The king next calls his second son and asks him the same question, to which he replies by relating a story to caution his father against rash actions.

"A king, separated from his attendants while engaged in the chase, saw what he conceived to be rain-water dropping from the top of a tree, and, being very thirst, held his drinking cup under it until it was nearly filled, and, just as he was about to put it to his lips, his horse purposely moved so as to cause the contents to be spilled on the ground, upon which the king in a rage drew his sword and killed the faithful animal; but afterwards discovering that what he had taken for rain-water was poison that dropped from a cobra in the tree, his grief knew no bounds."

Calling lastly his third son, the king asks him what should be done to the man who proved false to his trust. The Prince tells the story of the wonderful tree, the fruit of which bestowed on him who ate of it perennial youth, with unimportant variations from the version in our romance.

Then the Prince explained the occasion of his presence in the Royal bedchamber, and how he had saved the king and his consort from the cobra's deadly bite. And the king, overjoyed and full of gratitude, strained his faithful son to his heart, and ever after cherished and loved him with all a father's love.

NOTES

[1] Soothsaying.

[2] An Indian hour equal to twenty-four minutes.

[3] It is the custom amongst widows to use betel leaves instead of plates.

[4] In English, Benares.

[5] The Deccan.

[6] A small vessel.

[7] Storey is here put for divisions in an Indian well. These divisions are little projecting ledges of stone made for natives to stand on so that they can get down close to the water if the well is not full. There are sometimes six or seven divisions, or ledges, of this sort.

[8] The first serpent--the king of serpents.

[9] Literally the stealer of gold--a practice very common in India among that class. There is a proverb to the effect that even from the gold given by their mothers to be turned into jewels, they will pilfer a little.

[10] The distance of a kas being equal to 2000 Indian poles.

[11] Dungeon.

[12] A period of time equal to an hour and a half.

[13] King of tigers.

[14] A ghatika is equal to twenty-four minutes.

[15] Siva.

[16] The eldest son of Siva commonly known as the belly god.

[17] Another name of Ganapati.

[18] Worship.

[19] Attendants of Ganesa.

[20] Classical name of Karur, a small, but very ancient, town in the Koyambatur District of the Madras Presidency.

[21] Naraka of Put--Naraka is hell, and Put is a certain kind of hell to which, according to Hindu mythology, son-less persons are hurled down.

[22] Putra-son, so-called as he protects the father from the hell of Put.

[23] Ficus religiosa.

[24] The fair.

[25] Voluntary cremation of widows with the dead bodies of their husbands on the funeral pile.

[26] Karor is equal to ten lacs (lakhs); mohur is an old gold coin.

[27] Spring.

[28] The king's court.

[29] Council chamber.

[30] My darling prince.

[31] The creator of the Hindu mythology.

[32] A Hindu feast.

[33] Fee.

[34] Vedas--The sacred books of the Hindus.

[35] Minister.

[36] The chief officer of the realm next to the minister.

[37] The image of the belly-god.

[38] The world of Indra, the regent of the sky.

[39] Names of divine damsels.

[40] Cinnamon-stone.

[41] Diamond.

[42] A precious stone (cat's eye).

[43] A sort of paint for the eye (Hindustani--Surma).

[44] A mark on the forehead.

[45] Serpent sacrifice.

[46] Sacrifice.

[47] Brahman woman.

[48] Throne.

[49] Tevai is the classical name of the modern town of Ramnad in the district of Madura.

[50] Kodamundan.

[51] Vidamundan.

[52] Vayalvallan.

[53] Kaiyalvallan.

[54] There is no such word as kuta in Tamil. The Tamil and other Dravidian languages allow rhyming repetitions of word, like this--bhuta-kuta.

[55] [Compare the tale of Fattu, the Valiant Weaver, Indian Antiquary, Vol. XI., p. 282 ff.--R. C. T.]

[56] Which in Tamil are exclamations of lamentation, meaning, Ah! Alas!

[57] A place of public feeding.

[58] Among high caste Hindus, when girls leave one village and go to another, the old woman of the house--the mother or grandmother--always places in her bundles and on her head a few margosa leaves as a talisman against demons.

[59] A ghatika is twenty-four minutes. The story being Hindu, the Hindu method of reckoning distance is used.

[60] A "watch" is a yama, or three hours.

[61] Tamil, to'sai.

[62] A fragrant herb, held in great veneration by the Hindus; Ocymum sanctum. This herb is sacred alike to Siva and Vishnu. Those species specially sacred to Siva are--Vendulasi, Siru-tulasi, and Siva-tulasi; those to Vishnu are Sendulasi, Karundulasi and Vishnu-tulasi.

[63] Compare the Singalese folktale given on p. 62, Vol I. of the Orientalist.--Ed.

[64] Uparani or upavastra, an upper garment.

[65] This kind of statement often occurs in stories in proof of the just reign of a monarch. The Hindu idea is that so long as justice and equity characterise a king's rule, even beasts naturally inimical are disposed to live in friendship. When timely rain fails or famine stalks through the land, turning his eyes from the natural causes, the orthodox Hindu will say that such a king is now reigning over them unjustly, and hence the calamity.--Translator.

[66] "Distinguishing the peculiarities of an animal by its footsteps, &c., is often met with in Indian stories. Precisely the reverse of this is the tale of the four blind men who disputed about the form of an elephant. One of them had felt only the elephant's ears, and said it was like a winnow; another examined the breast and a foreleg, and said it was like a thick stump of wood; the third felt the trunk, and said it was like a heavy crook; while the fourth, having touched only the tail, declared it was like a sweeping rake."--W. A. Clouston.

[67] The night-watch hearing the tutelary goddess of the village mourning, is a very ancient idea. It also occurs, for example, in the story of Viravara, in the Sanskrit book of fables entitled "Hitopadesa." Sambhavi and Mahamayi are different names of Kali--a fierce goddess, much worshipped as the presiding deity of cholera and smallpox.--T.

[68] A ghatika = 24 minutes.--T.

[69] Apparently the arrows were attached to some kind of mechanism which discharged them on the opening of the jar. There is "nothing new under the sun." Dynamite is perhaps a discovery of our own times, but "infernal machines," which served the purpose of king-killers, are of ancient date.

[70] The Hindus, at their meals, squat on the ground, with leaves in place of earthenware dishes, on which their food is served.--T.

[71] A sum of money varying in different localities of the South of India. In the Chola grants "pon" also occurs.

[72] An Indian word meaning clumps of trees.

[73] It is a very common practice to dupe the ordinary people in this manner in Hindu temples. Some impostor will proclaim to the crowd that the spirit of a god, or goddess, is upon him, and utters whatever comes uppermost in his mind. He occasionally contrives to accomplish his private ends by such "revelations." The ignorant are greatly misled by these impostors, and learned Hindus condemn the practice as gross superstition.--T.

[74] Corresponding to the English proverb: "Quarrelling with one's bread and butter."

[75] Full grown and ripe bamboo bears a kind of corn which when collected and shelled resembles wheat. Hunters cook a most excellent food of bamboo grain and honey.--T.

[76] Compare the story of "The Rat's Wedding" from the Panjab, The Indian Antiquary, Vol. XI., pp, 226ff: where, however, a better moral from the tale is drawn.

[77] A low caste man; Pariah.

[78] In response to the sound of the tom-tom.

[79] Traders have also certain secret symbols for marking their prices on their cloths.

[80] This story, apart from its folklore value, is specially interesting as showing that the customs mentioned in the Indian Antiquary, Vol. XIV., pp. 155ff., as being prevalent at Delhi, regarding secret trade language are universal in India.

[81] i.e., lover of his wife.

[82] i.e., a shudder at sin.

[83] Worship of the household gods or devotion.

[84] The eleventh lunar day of every fortnight, on which a fast is observed by orthodox Hindus.

[85] Bhusura, bhudeva; a generic name for a Brahmin.

[86] Oil of sesamun; til and gingely oil are the ordinary names for this common product of India.

[87] Dvadasi is the twelfth lunar day, on which early in the morning, before even the fifth ghatika is over, every orthodox Hindu is obliged by his religious codes to break the previous day's fast.

[88] Lit. a "chombu-full;" the chombu is a small vessel.

[89] A sacred hymn.

[90] A panam is generally worth two anas.

[91] See also the second tale in this series.

[92] Learned woman.

[93] There would of course be no real marriage between a dancing girl and a Brahmin. Hence the insult.

[94] In stories of a master falling in love with the girl he has been teaching, he is usually himself made a soothsayer. In that capacity he asks the guardian (father or mother) to put the girl in a light box and to float her down a river. The girl in the box is taken by a young man, sometimes a prince, and becomes his wife. A tiger or a lion is then put into the box, and when the teacher, a great way down the river, takes the box and wishes to run away with the girl inside, he is torn to pieces, as a fit reward for his evil intentions, by the beast. But here the story takes a different turn.

[95] From this point up to the end we shall find the story to be similar to "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" in the Arabian Nights, though the plot is different.

[96] Ganga snana Tunga pana. The Ganges for bath and Tunga (Tungabhadra) for drink.

[97] A Kanarese tale related by a risaldar.

[98] Headman of the village.

[99] Dakshinas (fees given in donation to Brahmins) are ordinarily given to priests.

[100] A yellow grain, peculiar to India.

[101] It is not generally known that the "Birnam Wood" incident in Shakespeare's "Macbeth" occurs in the same Arabian historical work.