Story 220 - The Thief and the Rakshasas

IN a certain village a man and a Rakshasa, having become friends, dwell. While they are there this friend went to the Rakshasa jungle. When going, the Rakshasa seized him to eat.

Then the man says,

“Don’t eat me; I will give thee demon offerings.”

The Rakshasa, having said,

“It is good,”

allowed him to go home.

After that, that man having brought a youth gave him to the Rakshasa to eat. In that manner every day he brought and gave a youth until the time when the youths of the village were finished. All the youths having been finished there was not a youth for this man to give. While he was thus the man died.

After he died, the Huniyan Yaka^[1] began to come to the house [visiting the widow in the disguise of a man]. When he was coming, the woman’s father having seen him went into the house to seize him. Having gone [there], when he looked there was not a Yaka. After that, the man having gone away went to sleep.

Then the Huniyan Yaka having gone to that man’s village, said,

“Don’t come to look at me.”

The man said afterwards to his daughter,

“Daughter, ask for wealth at the hand of that man.”

After that, the woman says to the Yaka,

“Bring and give me wealth.”

Thereupon the Yaka says,

“I will bring and give it.”

Having gone to the place where that man is sleeping, says the Yaka,

“Come thou, to go [with me] for me to give thee wealth.”

He went with the man near the hidden treasure.

Having gone, he opened the door of the hidden treasure. “Take for thyself the treasure thou wantest,” he said. Then the man took a golden necklace, two cloths, four gem-'lamps, four cat’s-eye stones (wayirodiya gal), and twelve pearls. Taking those, the man came home.

When he was coming home, [four] other men having seen that he brought the wealth, the men went to break [into] the hidden treasure. After they went there, the four men having uttered spells, and put “life”^[2] (i.e., magical life or power) into four stones, buried them at the four comers, in such a manner that no one could come [within the square formed by them]. After that, half the men break into the hidden treasure. {The others were repeating protective spells to keep away evil spirits.)

The Hnniyan Yaka ascertained about the breaking. Having ascertained it he came near the hidden treasure, but as the four stones are there he cannot seize the men.

Having come, he created for himself the Cobra appearance; those four persons gave fowls’ eggs to the Cobra. Again, he created the Elephant appearance; to the Elephant they gave a plantain stump. Again, a Hen with Chickens began to come near the hidden treasure; to the Chickens and to the Hen the men gave millet (kurahan). After having eaten they went away.^[3]

The Hnniyan Yaka, [being unable to approach the place on account of the charmed stones, and the feeding of the animals], went to that woman’s house. He went to the place where the woman’s father is sleeping.

The Yaka says,

“Quickly go near the hidden treasure.”

Without hearing it the man slept. Then having come yet [another] time he struck the man. The man having arisen began to run naked near that hidden treasure.

Those men who are breaking [into it], having seen the man [and thought he was a demon], uttered spells still more and more; they uttered spells to the extent they learnt. Notwithstanding, this man comes on. After having seen this man who is coming, those men began to run off through fear; they ran away.

This man ran behind them. Those men, looking and looking back, run; this man runs behind.

Then this man says,

“Don’t run; I am not a Yaka.”

The men say,

“That is false which he says; that is indeed a Yaka.”

While running, one man stumbled and fell.

Then that man who was coming behind went to the place where the man fell.

After that, that man says,

“Where are you going ?”

That man who had fallen says,

“We having come to break [into] a hidden treasure, a Yaka came as we were running on the path. Then, indeed, I fell here.”

Those other men bounded off and went away.

After that, these two men lament,

“What is it that has happened to us ? In this forest wilderness what are we to do ?”

they said.

Having heard that lamenting, that Rakshasa came and said,

“What are ye lamenting for ?”

Having come, he seized both of them. After he seized them he did not let either of them go.

The men said,

“Don’t eat us. We two have two sons; we will give them to thee.”

Afterwards he let both of them go, and the men came to the village.

After that, taking a youth they gave him to the Rakshasa. After that, they went and gave the other youth.

Then that Rakshasa says to that man,

“I must eat thee also; for to-morrow there is no corpse for me.”

Then the man says,

“I must go home and come back,”

he said. The Rakshasa said,

“Thou wilt not come.”

“I will come back,” he said.

Then the Rakshasa allowed him to go home.

When he went home, the man having amply cooked, ate.

After he ate, the man charmed his body (by repeating spells, etc.). Thereafter having gone to the jungle he called out to the Rakshasa. When the Rakshasa came, after he seized the man he ate him. After that, the Rakshasa remains there. A sleepiness came. After he went to sleep, the Rakshasa, having split in two, died. By the power of the [charmed] oil which that man rubbed [on his body], the Rakshasa having been split, died.

The Rakshasa having gone, was [re]-born in the body of a Yaksani.

The Yaksani says to the Yaka,

“I am thirsty.”

Then the Yaka (her husband) having gone, brought and gave her water.

The Yaksani again says to the Yaka,

“I must sleep.”

The Yaka told her to go into the house and sleep. Then [while she was asleep], the Yaksani’s bosom having been split, she died.

That Rakshasa who was in her body at that time, splitting the bosom came outside.

Having come he says to the Yaka (his apparent father),

“You cannot remain in this jungle.”

Then the Yaka says,

“Are thou a greater one than I ?”

The Yaka youngster (the former Rakshasa) says,

“These beings called Yakas are much afraid of Rakshasas. Let us two go into the Rakshasa forest, the jungle (himale) where they are.”

Then that Yaka says,

“Is that also an impossible thing [for me] ?”

The Yaka youngster became angry; then the two go to the Rakshasa forest.

A parrot having been at the side of the road at the time when they are going away, says,

“Don’t ye go into the midst of this forest.”

Then that big Yaka through fear says he cannot go.

That Rakshasa youngster says,

“Where are you going ?”

“I am going to the new grave,” that Yaka said.

Well then, having gone to the burial place, he remains there.

A man, catching a thief, is coming [with him] to the burial place. Having come [there], that man tied the thief to the corpse that was at the burial place, back to back. Then while the thief is [left] at the grave, the man came to his village.

When he came he went to the thief’s house, and seeing the mother and father he says,

“Don’t ye open the door; to-day, in the night, a Yaka will come.”

Having gone to the house, also, of that thief’s wife, he says,

“Don’t thou open the door to-day; a Yaka will come to thy house to-day.”

Having gone to all the houses and said this, he went away.

After that, taking on his back that dead body which was at the burial place, the thief came to his house. When he came he tells the woman to open the door. The woman is silent through fear.

Then the thief says,

“I am not a Yaka; you must open the door.”

The woman at that time, also, is silent through fear.

He went to his father’s house, this thief.

Having gone, he says,

“Mother, open the door.”

Then the woman through fear is silent.

He went to the house of the thief’s friends:

“O friend, open the door.”

Having said,

“This is a Yaka,”

the friends did not open the door.

That thief afterwards went by the outside villages. When he was going on the journey the light fell. He went to the jungle in which is that Rakshasa. When going, the thief met with a parrot. Then the parrot says,

“Friend, what did you come to this jungle for ?”

The thief thought,

“Who spoke here ?”

When he looked up he got to know that the parrot is [there]. After that, he says to the parrot,

“What art thou here for ?”

The parrot says,

“I am sitting in my nest.”

The thief says,

“If so, how shall I go from this jungle ?”

After the parrot descended it cut the tyings of that dead body. Having cut them and finished the parrot says,

“Thou canst not go in this jungle.”

The thief says,

“What is that for ?”

Then the parrot says,

“In this there is the Rakshasa. Catching thee he will eat thee. Because of it don’t thou go.”

The thief without hearkening to the parrot’s word said he must go.

Then the parrot says,

“Listen to the word I am saying. The Rakshasa who is in this jungle is my friend. Say thou earnest because I told thee to come.”

Afterwards the man went.

After he went, the Rakshasa, with a great loud evil roar, seized the man on the path.

After he seized him, the man says,

“What didst thou seize me for ?”

Thereupon the Rakshasa says,

“To eat thee.”

Then the man says,

“A parrot told me to come in this manner: ‘The Rakshasa is my friend,’ [he said].”

The Rakshasa says,

“Those are lies thou art saying. Let us go, let us go, us two, near the parrot.”

When they came near the parrot, the Rakshasa says to the parrot,

“Friend, didst thou send this one to my forest ?”

The parrot says,

“I sent him.”

Then the Rakshasa says,

“Am I to eat this one ?”

The parrot says,

“Seize another man and eat him. Let that man go.”

Then the Rakshasa let him go; after that the man went away.

Having gone and hidden, he stayed in the midst of the forest. The Rakshasa went to watch the path. After that, that man came to the Rakshasa’s house.

Having come, the man says to the Rakshasa’s boy (son),

“O youth (kolloweni), thy Rakshasa died.”

The Rakshasa youth is grieved, and says,

“You are not my mother, not my father; what man are you ?”

Then the man says,

“I am thy Rakshasa’s elder brother.”

The man told a lie.

The Rakshasa youth says,

“It is good. There is much wealth of my father’s,”

he said.

Then the man went into the Rakshasa’s house to take the wealth. Having gone in, there was a golden mat (kalale) ; he took it. There was a golden cloth; he took it. Taking these, the man went away unknown to the Rakshasa youths.^[4]

After he went secretly (himin), the Rakshasa next (dewanu) came to the house. Having finished coming,^[5] he says,

“Where is my golden mat ?”

he asked.

Thereupon, the Rakshasa youth said,

“Your elder brother came and took away the mat.”

Then the Rakshasa says,

“Where have I, Bola, an elder brother ?”

That thief went near the parrot.

“Look here, I met with a golden mat in the midst of this forest,”

he said. “Parrot, am I to take thee ?” he said. Thereupon the parrot came near the thief.

After he came, he seized the parrot by its two legs. Having waited until the time when he is catching it, when he caught it the thief killed the parrot. After that, the thief went away plucking and plucking off the feathers.

The Rakshasa says to that Rakshasa’s youth,

“Where went this thief ?”

“He entered your forest wilderness,” he said.

The Rakshasa having gone along the thief’s footprints, after he went to the place where the parrot was, the parrot was not [there].

He looked to see who killed this parrot:—

“It is the very thief who killed this parrot.”

Then the Rakshasa fell down and wept through grief that the parrot was not [there].

Tom-tom Beater. North-western Province.

 

Notes:

In the Maha Bharata (Shanti Parva, CLXX) a crane sent a poor Brahmana to a Rakshasa King who was his friend. He was well-received on account of the bird’s friendship, was presented with a large quantity of gold, returned to the bird, and killed and ate it. When the Rakshasa King noticed that the bird did not visit him as usual, he sent his son to ascertain the reason, the remains of the bird were found, and the Brahmana was pursued and cut to pieces.

In Santal Folk Tales (Campbell), p. 8i, a hero in search of gems possessed by an Apsaras (Indarpuri Kuri) fed, as he went and returned, her three animal guards stationed at her three doors,—an elephant with grass, a tiger with a goat, and a dog with a shoe which it worried.

In Cinq Cents Cowles et Apologues (Chavannes), vol. i, p. 179, a man killed a monkey that had saved his life. In vol. iii, p. 51, a corpse was tied on a man’s back.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

The Yaka who gives eflect to evil magic spells and charms, and to the evil eye and evil month, that is, evil wishes and curses.

[2]:

Jivan karala.

[3]:

In Folk-Tales of Kashmir (Knowles), 2nd ed., pp. 411, 412, a Prince who was going for a magical sandal-wood tree, fed two tigers which protected it, with the leg of a sheep, and the serpents with bread and curdled milk, after which they did not attempt to harm him.

In Ceylon, it is believed that the demons who protect the treasure, or those who are summoned by means of evil invocations in other cases, take at first various forms of animals; and it is imperative that these animals must be fed with appropriate food, otherwise the demon would be able to destroy the persons engaged in the business.

[4]:

Kollanta himin.

[5]:

Æwadin ahakwela.