Story 88 - The Story Of Marirala

IN a country a man near the [New] Year spoke to the people of the village:

“To bring palm sugar let us go to the quarter where there is palm sugar.”

“It is good,” a few people said. Having said “I am going to-morrow,” and having plucked fifty coconuts and removed the husks, he placed them in the comer in the house.

On the following day morning, bringing the pingo stick and two sacks outside, and having broken [open] the sacks, and placed them below the raised veranda, when he was going into the house to bring the coconuts [his] wife said,

“Stop and eat cooked rice. Be good enough to tie the pingo load.”

Having said,

“If so, give me the cooked rice at the raised veranda,”

at the time when he was eating the cooked rice his relatives brought a coconut apiece; when they said,

“Bring and give each of us also a packet of palm sugar,”

he replied,

“Put them into those sacks.”

Subsequently, having eaten cooked rice and arisen, at the time when, having lifted the two sacks, he looked at them, there were collected together [in them coconuts] to the extent that he can carry. Subsequently, taking from his house, for expenses [on the journey], rice and two coconuts, having put them in a sack he tied up the pingo load. Afterwards, having called up the people who are going [with him], taking the pingo load he set off and went.

Having gone many gawwu (each of four miles) in number, [after] exchanging [the coconuts for] palm sugar, he came back to the village. On the following day morning, having summoned the people of the village who gave the coconuts, and looked at the account according to the manner in which they gave the coconuts, he apportioned and gave [the packets of palm sugar] to them.

Subsequently, at the time when he looked in the sack there was [left] one packet of palm sugar. When he inquired about it and looked, he perceived that it was exchanged for one out of the two coconuts that he carried for expenses.

Afterwards having gone into the house, when he looked [there] having seen that there was [still] in the corner the heap of coconuts which he had husked for carrying, [and that he had taken only his relatives’ coconuts, and left his own at home], he said,

“Apoyi! What is the thing that has happened to me !”

and struck blows on his breast.

Then his wife got to quarrelling with him. Unable [to bear] the worry, having gone running to the pansala that was near he told the Lord (monk) the whole of these matters that occurred.

“A barterer,^[1] a fool like you, there is nowhere whatever in this country,”

the Lord said.

Beginning from that time (taen), until he dies everybody called him Mariya (Barterer).

North-western Province.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Mariyek, probably intended for mariyek, from the Tamil root maru, in compounds mari, to exchange or barter.