Story 120 - How A Man Charmed A Thread

IN a certain country there are a woman and a man, it is said. The woman having falsely said that she had the Kadawara disease,^[1] taking on false illness lay down. The man every day goes to the watch-hut [in the chena].

One day when he was going to the watch-hut, he asked for thread at the hand of the woman, in order to bring it on the morrow morning, [after] charming it for the Kadawara. After that, the woman gave him thread, having become pleased at it.

The man knows about the woman’s trickery. Knowing it, that day evening having gone to the watch-hut the man charmed the thread. How did he charm it ? The woman’s father's name was Palinguwa.

At the very time when the man was going to sleep, holding the thread, the very manner in which he charmed it [was this]: having made [nine] knots [on it], he charmed it [by] saying and saying [only],

“Palinguwa’s woman, Palinguwa’s woman.”

On the following day morning he came back, and tied it on the woman’s arm. At the very instant, the woman, quickly having arisen, does her work.

While she was thus, the woman says,

“Having hastened quickly, you must distribute [betel].”^[2]

Afterwards, the man also having said,

“It is good,”

he gave betel to Kadawara Vedas^[3] who dance well, and said, “Come on such and such a day.” He collected for it the articles to be expended, and caused arrack (spirit distilled from palm-juice) to be brought, and prepared all.

On the Kadawara day the men came, and having eaten and drunk, and dressed themselves [in their dancing costume and ornaments], as they were descending [from the raised veranda] into the open space in front of the house, this woman quickly took out the mat also, and stretching out her two feet at the doorway, sat down on it, (ready for the ceremony, which would be performed in front of her).

Then this man having come speedily, bringing the rice pestle, beat that woman with the pestle and put her in the house. Having shut the door and locked it, and come outside, as he was coming out the Kadawara Vedas, becoming afraid, prepared to run away, saying,

“Perhaps this man is a mad-man.”

Then this man said,

“Don’t you run away. Dance well. There is arrack; drink as much as you want.”

Afterwards, they having drunk and drunk and danced until it became light, in the morning the man cooked abundantly, and gave the Kadawara Vedas to eat, and having given them presents sent them away.

North-western Province.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Illness caused by one of the demons called Kadawara Devatawa.

[2]:

Betel is presented to devil-dancers when inviting them to come for a demon ceremony.

[3]:

A Veda (low caste) or Vedarala (good caste) is either a medical practitioner, or a soothsayer, or person who expels demons.