Story 83 - The Story Of Kalundawa

IN a certain country there were a Gamarala and Gama-mahage (his wife). There were seven daughters of the Gamarala’s; there was no male child. Taking another male child, they reared him for themselves. This child was very thoroughly doing the work at the Gamarala’s house.

Thereafter, after he became big, they asked at the hand of the Gamarala’s daughters,

“Who is willing to marry this child ?”

All [the elder ones] said,

“We don’t want that scabby filthy one,”

but there was willingness [on the part] of the last young one. The two persons having married, the other six began to treat this young one harshly, but she did not take to heart (lit., mind) the things they are saying.

While they are thus, the Gamarala’s son-in-law went to a smithy to get a digging hoe made.

He said to the smith,

“Ane ! Make and give me a digging hoe.”

Although the smith took no notice of it, yet for many days he went again and again. He did not make and give the digging hoe.

One day, at the time when the smith was eating cooked rice, having put into the heat a piece of iron refuse which this person had thrown away, he began to blow the skins (bellows).

Then the figure of a great lion having come to the smith, he came running, leaving the cooked rice and food, and when he looked, having seen that very valuable iron is becoming hot, in an instant he made the digging hoe and gave it.

Thereafter, the smith said to the Gamarala,

“This child is a very virtuous royal Prince. To this one, without delay a kingdom is about to descend.”

This boy again one day went to another man to ask for (borrow) a yoke of oxen. When he went there the man said,

“I cannot to-day; come to-morrow.”^[1]

The man brought him there many days. He did not give the yoke of oxen:

“There are no oxen with me to give,”

[he said]. Well then, this one in sorrow came to his house.

Although two [semi]-wild male buffaloes of the Gamarala’s are staying on two hills, no one is able to catch them. Thereafter, this one, taking a yoke and having gone to the rice field, performed an Act of Truth.^[2]

Having set up the yoke in the grass, he said,

“The sovereignty will fall to me indeed. The wild one on that hill and the wild one on this hill, to-morrow morning must have presented [themselves] neck by neck to this yoke.”

Thereafter, on the following day morning, he said to this one’s wife,

“Taking a little food, come to the rice field; I am going to plough.”

Then the woman said,

“Where have you cattle to plough ?”

Having said it, she laughed.

This one said,

“There will be a yoke of cattle for me in the rice field.”

Having gone to the field, when he looked, both the wild buffaloes had come, presenting their necks to the yoke. Well then, this one having tied the yoke began to plough. His wife having come to the rice field taking the food, when she looked, saw that this one is ploughing.

Afterwards, having gone near the yoke, she said,

“There will be much weariness; be good enough to eat a little food.”

Thereafter, having stopped the yoke of cattle, and gone to a shade [after] washing off the mud, and having eaten the food, through weariness he placed his head on the waist pocket of his wife a little time, and went to sleep.

While he was sleeping there a little time a dream appeared: on the yoke a hive of Bambara bees has been fastened.

Then having awoke, he said to the woman.

“Ane ! Bolan, in a dream a hive of Bambaras was fastened on the yoke ; look.”

Then the woman laughed and said,

“If so, a kingdom will fall to you now.”

When he had been [sleeping] there again a little time, [he said],

“Ane ! Bolan, maggots^[3] fell on the great toe of my foot; look.”

At that, also, this woman laughed, and said,

“If so, you will receive the sovereignty now.”

When he was there [asleep] a little time again, the clods (hi kaeta) which this one ploughed up appear to be of silver colour.

Again he said to the woman,

“The plough clods are silver colour; look.”

At that, also, this woman laughed, and said,

“If so, you will receive the sovereignty immediately.”

Again, when he had been sleeping, he said,

“Ane ! Bolan, I hear a great noise; look.”

At that, also, this woman having laughed, says,

“Fetching you to go, they are coming to appoint you to the sovereignty.”

Again, when he had been sleeping, he said,

“Ane ! Bolan, I hear the noise very near this; look.”

This woman says,

“Ane ! There is nothing to be seen. On account of the three worlds^[4] that you ploughed your head is made crazy. Be good enough to sleep a little time without speaking.”

When a little time had gone again, she awoke him:

“The sound of the five kinds of tom-toms,^[5] and the decorated tusk elephant are coming. Be pleased to arise quickly.”

Just as this one was awaking, the tusk elephant having come, kneeled down.

Thereafter, having caused this one to bathe in scented sandal-wood water, having put on him the royal ornaments, and having put in that very manner the ornaments on his wife also, they placed both of them on the back of the tusk elephant.

As they were going, he caused the smith to be brought, and impaled him. Having caused the person who did not give the yoke of buffaloes to be brought, he heated cow-dung, and having held both his lips to both sides, he poured it down his throat.

As he was going near the house of the Gamarala, the King said, for the Gamarala’s daughters to hear:—

Kaliundawa pinma kale.       Kalundawa performed very meritorious acts.
Kaliu undae pin no-kale.      The agreeable ones performed not meritorious acts.

North-western Province.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Such a remark is a form of refusal, as in the Arabian Nights (Lady Burton’s ed., vol. i, p. 174), in which a man, asking a friend for assistance, was answered,

“Bismillah ! I will do all that thou requirest, but come to-morrow.”

The other replied in this verse:

“When he who is asked a favour Saith ‘To-morrow,’ The wise man wots ’tis vain to beg or borrow.”

In the Kaele-basa or Jungle language, “no” is expressed by saying Passe puiuwani, “Afterwards [I] can.”

[2]:

Sattak kiriya-karala, lit., performed a Truth.

[3]:

Panuwo.

[4]:

The immense extent.

[5]:

In the few instances in which their nature is mentioned, these stories agree with Clough’s Dictionary in describing the five instruments of music (panca-turya) as tom-toms.

I presume that these are

1. the drum (dawula),
2. the ordinary hand tom-tom (beraya),
3. the double kettle-drum (tammattama),
4. the small, narrow-waisted hand tom-tom (udakkiya or udikkiya, the Tamil udikkei),
5. the low hand-drum (rabana), unless a single-ended drum called daekke, the Tamil dakkei, be included.

In Winslow’s Tamil Dictionary the five musical instruments are defined as

1. skin instruments,
2. wind instruments,
3. stringed instruments,
4. metal instruments,
5. the throats of animals.

In The Indian Antiquary, vol. v, p. 354, they are termed

1. tantri or sitara,
2. tal,
3. jhanjh,
4. nakara,
5. the trumpet or other wind instrument.

Since this was in print, Messrs. H. B. Andris and Co., of Kandy, have informed me that the Sinhalese Panca-turya are considered to be,

1. sinadrama, the drum,
2. bere, the ordinary tom-tom,
3. horanaewa, the horn trumpet,
4. tammattama, the double kettledrum,
5. kayitalama, the cymbal.