Village Folk-tales of Ceylon (Sri Lanka), vol. 1-3

by Henry Parker | 1910 | 406,533 words

This folk-tale entitled “the story of the pearl necklace” is gathered from oral sources sources, tracing its origin to ancient Ceylon (Sri Lanka). These tales are often found to contain similarities from stories from Buddhism and Hinduism. This is the story nr. 100 from the collection “stories of the cultivating caste”.

Story 100 - The Story Of The Pearl Necklace

AT a certain city there are a King and a Queen, it is said. While they are there, one day the Queen with the female slave went to bathe at the pool in the King’s garden. Having gone there, the Queen, having taken off her garments and put them down, placed her necklace upon the garments; and having told the female slave to stay there the Queen went into the pool, and is bathing. Then the female slave went to bathe.

A thievish female Grey Monkey (Waendiriyak) that was in the garden, took the necklace, and having placed it in a hole in a tree remained silent.

The Queen having bathed and come ashore, when she looked for the necklace while putting on her garments, there was no necklace. Afterwards she asked at the hand of the female slave,

“Where, Bola, is the necklace ?”

Then the female slave said,

“I did not see a person who came here and went away [with it].”

Then both of them having come to the palace, the Queen told the King that thieves took the necklace. Thereupon the King caused the Ministers to be brought, and said,

“Go quickly and seek ye the necklace.”

The Ministers speedily tying [up their cloths],[1] began to run [in search of it].

At that time a poor man from a distant place came into the jungle to seek sticks and creepers.

When he was coming, the Ministers watching there were saying,

“Seize him; he bounded away here.”

This poor man having heard it thought to himself,

“Should I stay here they will seize me. Because of it, having bounded away from here I must go to my village.”

At the time when the man was running away, the Ministers having gone and seized the man, and beaten and beaten the man with their hands and feet, took him near the King.

Thereupon the King asked at the hand of the man,

“Didst thou take a gold [and pearl] necklace in this manner ?”

Then the man thought to himself,

“Should I say that I did not take this necklace, the King will behead me. Because of it, I must say that I took it.”

Having thought this, he said,

“I took it.”

Then the King asked,

“Where is it now ?”

The man said,

“I gave it to the Treasurer (sitano) of this city.”

Afterwards the King having caused the Treasurer to be brought, asked,

“Did this man give thee a necklace ?”

Thereupon the Treasurer thought to himself,

“Should I say that he did not give it to me, he will now behead this poor man. Because of it, I must say that he gave it to me.”

Having thought this, he said,

“He gave it.”

The King asked,

“Where is the necklace now ?”

Then the Treasurer said,

“I gave it to a courtesan woman.”

Afterwards the King caused the courtesan woman to be brought.

“Did this Treasurer give thee a necklace ?”

Thereupon the courtesan woman thought to herself,

“What will this be about, that such a Treasurer said he gave me a necklace ? Because of it, it is bad to say he did not give it; I must say he gave it.”

Having thought this, she said,

“He gave it.”

Then the King asked,

“Where is it now ?”

The courtesan woman says,

“I gave it to the man who knows the science of astrology (ganita saestara), or to the Gandargaya” (sic).

Afterwards the King having caused the Gandargaya to be brought, asked,

“Did this courtesan woman give thee a necklace ?”

At that time the Gandargaya thought to himself,

“What is this thing that this woman said ? It will be about something regarding which the woman is unable to save herself. It is because of that [she will have said] that I took it that day. Because of it, it is not good to say she did not give me it; I must say she gave it.”

Having thought this he said,

“She gave it.”

Well then, on that day it became night; there was no time to hear the case. After that, the Ministers said,

“Having put all these four persons in one room, outside we must listen secretly to the manner in which this party talk.”

The King gave permission [to act accordingly]. Afterwards, the Ministers having put the four persons in one room, and shut the door, stayed outside secretly listening.

Then firstly that Treasurer asked at the hand of that poor man,

“When didst thou give me a necklace ? What is this thing thou saidst ?”

Then the poor man says,

“Ane ! O Treasurer, I am a very poor man. Your Honour is a very wealthy person. Because of it, in order that I may save myself I said that I gave it to Your Honour. It was for that. Otherwise, when did I give Your Honour a necklace ?”

Afterwards that courtesan woman asked at the hand of the Treasurer,

“O Treasurer, when did you give me a necklace ? What is this you said ?”

Then the Treasurer says,

“Thou, also, art a possessor of much wealth. I also am a person who has much wealth. On account of it, because we two can escape from this injury that has occurred [to us], I said it. Otherwise, when did I give thee a necklace ?”

Then the Gandargaya asked the woman,

“What, woman, is this thing that thou saidst ? When didst thou give me a necklace ?”

The courtesan woman says,

“Ane ! O Gandarvaya,[2] thou, having said sooth, art a person who obtains much wealth. Because of it, as we, having even paid the debt (the value of the necklace), can escape, I said it. Otherwise, when did I give thee a necklace ?”

Well then, the talk of the four persons was heard by the Ministers who were secretly listening. That day, after it became light, taking the four persons out, they took them near the King.

The Ministers who had listened in secret said to the King,

“These four persons are not the thieves.”

Then the King asked the Ministers,

“How did ye ascertain that they are not thieves ?”

The Ministers said,

“We stayed listening in secret; by that we ascertained.”

The King said,

“If so, who are the thieves who took this necklace ?”

Then the Ministers said,

“According to the way in which it appears to us, maybe it is a thievish female Grey Monkey that is in the garden, who took the necklace.”

The Ministers said,

“You ought to set free these four persons.”

After that, the King having released the four persons sent them away.

Afterwards, the Ministers having gone to the garden, caught a male Grey Monkey. [After] catching it they came to the palace, and having sewn the jacket and breeches, and put the jacket on the Monkey, and put the breeches [on it], and put flower garlands [on it], and dressed the Monkey, and again sent the Monkey to the garden, the Ministers remained looking on.

Then that thievish female Grey Monkey who took the necklace, having seen the Monkey that had been clothed, went to the fork of the tree in which she placed the necklace, and placing the necklace on her neck, came outside.

These Ministers having seen it, the Ministers clapped their hands [to frighten her]. At the time when they were saying “Hu,” as that female Grey Monkey was going jumping and jumping from tree to tree, the necklace that was on the female Monkey’s neck fell to the ground.

After that, the Ministers went, and picking it up, came to the royal palace and presented it to the King. On apcount of it, the King having become much pleased with the Ministers gave them many offices.

North-western Province.

 

Note:

This is evidently the Jataka story No. 92 (vol. i, p. 224), in which the man who was first caught declared that he gave the necklace to the Treasurer, who said that he passed it on to the Chaplain, who stated that it was given to the Chief Musician, who said he handed it to the Courtesan. To make the monkey produce and wear it, a number of bead necklaces were placed on the necks wrists and ankles of other monkeys that were caught. In this story the last person charged totally denied having received the necklace.

In A. von Schiefner’s Tibetan Tales (Ralston), p. 181, the Queen hung the necklace on a tree, whence a monkey stole it. A beggar who was arrested first charged a merchant with receiving it from him, and afterwards also, as accomplices, a courtesan, a lute player, and the son of the Minister. The Minister got the King to release the prisoners, and to take the Queen to the park wearing a necklace. When she danced the monkey imitated her, and the necklace fell ofi its neck.

With reference to the remarks of the prisoners in the Sinhalese version, that being wealthy persons they could escape by paying the value of the missing necklace, a statement not found in the Jataka story, Sirr, who was a Deputy Queen’s Advocate in Ceylon, stated in Ceylon and the Cingalese (1850), vol. ii., p. 231, that “theft was punished by a fine equal to the value of the stolen property, by flogging, and by imprisonment; or, if the thief immediately restored the property, he was only flogged and paraded through the village where the crime had been committed.” According to Dr. Davy, flogging and imprisonment were not always'inflicted, however.

In the middle of the seventeenth century, according to Ribiero,

“if the thief confessed his crime he was condemned to pay the highest value of the article which satisfied the other party, and as a penalty for his offence double its value to the Royal Treasury”

(History of Ceilao, translation by Pieris, 2nd ed., p. 152).

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

When a man is about to run quickly he pulls up his cloth to the upper part of the thighs, passes the loose portion between his legs, draws it tightly behind, and tucks the end through his belt.

[2]:

Gandarvayini.

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