Story 236 - How the Beggar and the King gambled

IN a certain country there was a King who having gambled gets the victory. At that time, in that country there was a Beggar.

One day, Senasura,^[1] having come near the Beggar, said,

“Taking the money that thou hast begged and got, go near the King, and say thou,

‘Let us gamble.’

Then the King will say,

‘I will not.’

Then say thou,

‘Somehow or other, to the degree in which you, Sir, hold [a wager], I will hold wagers. Because of that you ought to play.’

Then the King will say, ‘Ha.’”

At that time the Beggar by begging had obtained about a thousand pounds. Having taken that little money he spoke to the King about the gambling.

Then the King scolded him:

“What gambling with thee, Beggar !”

Then the Beggar says,

“Should I hold the wager that you, Sir, hold, that is as much [as matters] to you, isn’t it ? Why are you saying so ? Let us gamble.”

Then anger having come to the King, and having said “Ha, it is good,” he became ready to gamble.

Having made ready the two gambled. While gambling the King began to lose at the wagers they were laying and laying. Having thus lost, he staked (lit., placed) the palace, also, and played. By that [throw] also, he lost. Then having staked Lankawa (Ceylon) also, he played. By that [throw] also, he lost.

After that, going from the palace the King and Queen made an outer palace, and the Beggar stayed in the palace. This King and Queen [afterwards] went away. Being unable to go on, they sat down at a place. While they were sitting the Queen lay down, and placed her head on the foot of the King. During the time while the Queen was asleep, the King taking a ball of straw placed it for the Queen’s head; and while the Queen was sleeping there the King went away.

At that time some men came there, bringing laden oxen. Then having heard the noise of the caravan (tavalama), the Queen awoke. When she looked about the King was not there. Then the Queen also having joined the caravan people, went away [with them].

Having gone, while she was lying down at a place, Sena-sura, having come taking the disguise of a leopard, sprang at the party of caravan cattle. Then all the cattle which were tied up, breaking [loose] bounded off. Having bounded off, while they were running all these men sprang off on that road. This Queen sprang off to one hand (a different direction). 

Having bounded off she entered a city. The mother who makes garlands for the royal house, being without a person [as an assistant], having sought one and walked there, met with this Queen.

At the time when she asked at the hand of the Queen [if she would help her], she said,

“I can work.”

Well then, the Queen stayed [there], doing and doing garland-making work.

That King having abandoned the Queen, while he was going away, Senasura, taking the disguise of a polan̆ga^[2] (snake), stayed on the path.

When the King was going from there the polan̆ga said,

“Having swallowed a prey I am here, unable to go. Because of it take hold of my tail, and having drawn me aside and left me, go away.”

Thereupon the King having taken hold of the tail of the polan̆ga, while he was drawing it aside it bit him on the hand. Then leprosy having struck the King, the King’s eye became foul.

At that time a horse belonging to the King of yet [another] city was born. [The King went there, and was appointed as a horse-keeper under the King who owned the horse].

That garland-making mother (the ex-Queen) one day having gone taking flowers, placed them on the couches at the palace. When she was coming out, a trader who sold clothes when at that gambling city, having brought clothes to this city and having seen her as that garland-making mother was coming out, this trader made obeisance to this garland-making mother.

Thereupon the Queen of the King of the city having seen it summoned the trader, and asked him,

“Why didst thou make an obeisance to our garland-making mother ?”

The trader says,

“What of that Queen’s doing garland-making work ! [She is] the Queen of the King of such and such a city. Having seen her before, through being accustomed to it I made obeisance.”

When she asked the garland-making mother about the circumstances, all was correct.

After that having told the King, when the King, having heard of it, went looking at her she was the King’s elder sister. Thereupon he caused the garland-making mother to bathe in sandal-wood water, and robed her.

Having heard the circumstances, in order to find the King (her husband) he made use of an expedient in this manner. Settling to eat a feast, he sent letters to the royal personages of cities successively, to come to this city. Then on the day the whole of the Kings came. Before that, he had told that Queen that should that King come she was to ascertain it.

All these royal parties and their horse-keepers having come, and the royal party having arrived at the palace, that horse-keeper (the former King) went to another quarter, and placed a gill of rice on the hearth [to boil]. Cooking it and having eaten, because he was a King before that he set off to look at this royal party when eating food, and having come, peeped a little and looked. When he looked he saw that that Queen was there.

Thereupon both these persons having seen each other began to weep.

Then the whole of the Kings, having hit upon a little about it, inquired,

“What is it ?”

Then the [royal] party said,

“It is thus and thus.”

Then the King summoned the horse-keeper, and having made him bathe in sandal-wood water, kept the Queen and the King in the palace.

Having much thanked that royal party [of guests] and said,

“It was for the sake of finding this one, indeed, that I laid this feast,”

he sent the party [of guests] to those cities. This party (the King and Queen) remained at this royal house.

Western Province.

 

Notes:

This story is a variant of the Indian tale of King Nala and Queen Damayanti. The two dice, Kali and Dwapara, personified, as well as several Gods, were in love with Damayanti, but she married Nala, selecting him at a Swayamvara (at which a Princess makes her own choice of a husband). In order to separate them, Kali entered Nala when he had neglected his religious practices one day; and he became a drunkard and a gambler, and thus lost his kingdom, which was won by his brother at dice. He and his wife wandered away, and after showing her the path to her father’s kingdom, he abandoned her while she was asleep. He met with Karkotaka, a snake King, and carried him from a fire which scorched him. The snake then bit him on the forehead, causing him to become deformed, and gave him garments which restored his original form when worn; and he entered the service of a King as cook and horse-keeper. Damayanti joined a caravan, and then became a palace attendant of a Queen who proved to be her mother’s sister. A Minister of her father’s recognised her; and on her story’s becoming known her uncle sent her back to her father. She heard of a clever cook and horse-keeper whom she suspected to be Nala; when she got a false notice of a Swayamvara to be sent to the King his employer he made Nala drive him there. Nala was tested in various ways by Damayanti, who at last felt sure of his identity; she then sent for him, and Kali having now left him he told his story, put on his magic garments, and they were re-united. He afterwards recovered his kingdom from his brother.

In the Sinhalese version which has been given, the dice are not mentioned, and the reason why Senasura brought about the misfortunes of the King and Queen,—that is, his jealousy,—is also not explained.

In Folklore of the Santal Parganas (Rev. Dr. Bodding), p. 144, the story is given without any intervention of the deities or personified dice. After being abandoned, the Princess was engaged as a servant at a palace, and the Prince became a groom at the same place. She saw and recognised him, and afterwards the younger brother restored half the kingdom to him.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

The deity of the planet Saturn.

[2]:

Daboia russelli.