Story 229 - How the Gamarala drove away the Lion

IN a certain country the wife of a Gamarala had a paramour. Having given this paramour to eat and drink, because she wants him to stay there talking and associated [with her] the Gama-Mahan̆ge every day at daybreak tells the Gamarala to go to the chena, and at night tells him to go to he down at the watch hut; even having come to eat cooked rice, she does not allow him to stay at home a little time.

The Gamarala, having felt doubtful that perhaps there may be a paramour for the Gama-Mahan̆ge, one day at night quite unexpectedly went home and tapped at the door.

Then, because the paramour was inside the house, the Gama-Mahan̆ge practised a trick in this manner. During the day time the Gamarala had put in the open space in front of the house a large log of firewood that was [formerly] at a grave.

“A Yaka having been in this log of firewood, and having caused me to be brought to fear, go and put down that log of firewood afar. Until you come I cannot open the door,”

the Gama-Mahan̆ge said.

The Gamarala having been deceived by it, lifting up the log of firewood in order to go and put it away, went off [with it]. Then the paramour who was in the house having opened the door, she sent him out. When the Gamarala came back (apuwama) anybody was not there.

After this, one day when the Gamarala came at the time when the door had been opened, because the paramour was in the house the Gama-Mahan̆ge told the paramour to creep out by the comer of the roof [over the top of the wall], to the quarter at the back of the house, and go away.

But having crept a little [way], because he remained looking back the Gama-Mahan̆ge says,

“You are laughing. Should he even cut my body there will be no blood [of yours shed]. Creep quickly. If not, there will be great destruction for us both.”

But because he does not speak, when she came near and looked she saw that the paramour having stuck fast was dead. Because his mouth was opened, this woman thought,

“At that also he is laughing.”

Well then, when the Gamarala came into the house the Gama-Mahan̆ge said,

“Look here. A thidf having come and having prepared to steal the goods that are in the house, is dead on the path on which he crept from here when I was coming. It is a good work,”

she said. The Gamarala, taking this for the truth, buried the man.

After this the Gama-Mahan̆ge met with another paramour. The man said to the Gama-Mahan̆ge,

“We must kill the Gamarala. The mode of killing [shall be] thus:— Because it troubles men when a lion that is in the midst of such and such a forest in this country is roaring, to-morrow during the day the King will cause a proclamation tom-tom to be beaten [to notify] that he will give goods [amounting] to a tusk elephant’s load to a person who killed^[1] the lion, or to a person who drove it away. You having caused the proclamation tom-tom to halt, say that our Gamarala can kill the lion,”

the paramour taught the Gama-Mahan̆ge.

In this said manner, the Gama-Mahan̆ge on the following day having stopped the proclamation tom-tom, said,

“Our Gamarala can kill the lion.”

Well then, when the Gamarala came [home] they told him about this matter. Then the Gamarala, having scolded and scolded her, began to lament, and said,

“Why, O archer, can I kill the lion ?”

But because the King sent the message telling the person whom they said can kill the lion, to come, when the Gamarala, having submitted to the King’s command, went to the royal house [the King] asked,

“What things do you require to kill the lion ?”

Thereupon the Gamarala thought,

“Asking for [provisions] to eat and drink for three months, and causing a large strong iron cage to be made, I must go into the midst of the forest, and having entered the cage, continuing to eat and drink I must remain in it doing nothing.”

Having thought it, asking the King for the things and having gone into the midst of the forest, he got into the iron cage, and continuing to eat and drink stayed in it doing nothing.

While he was staying in this manner, one day the lion having scented the iron cage looked at it. Then the Gamarala with a lance that was in his hand stabbed [at it, for the blade] to go along the nose. The Gamarala did thus through fear; but the lion having become afraid, not staying in the midst of that forest went to another forest.

After that, the Gamarala [informed the King that he had driven it away, and] taking the goods [amounting] to a tusk elephant’s load, went home and dwelt in happiness.

Western Province.

 

Notes:

In The Orientalist, vol. ii, p. 175, in a story given by Mr. T. B. Panabokke, a foolish Adikar who was sent to kill a lion, ran off as it was coming, and climbed up a tree. The lion came, and resting its fore-paws against the tree trunk, tried to climb up it. The man was so terrified that he dropped his sword, which entered its open mouth and killed it. He then descended, cut off the head, and returned in triumph. In a variant in the same volume, p. 102, the animal was a tiger. The story is given in Cinq Cents Contes et Apologues (Chavannes), vol. ii, p. 207, the animal being a lion.

In Tales of the Punjab (Mrs. F. A. Steel), p. 85, a weaver who had been made Commander-in-Chief killed a savage tiger by accident in the same manner, through his dagger’s falling into its open mouth when he was in a tree.

In The Indian Antiquary, vol. xiv, p. 109, in a South Indian story by Natesha Sastri, a man who was sent to kill a lioness climbed up a tree for safety. When the lioness came below it and yawned he was so much alarmed that he dropped his sword, which entered her open mouth and killed her.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Lit., having killed, gave.