Story 3 - The Story Of Senasura

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IN a certain country a man having been stricken by the evil influence (apale) of Senasura, any cultivation work or anything whatever which the man performs does not go on properly.

The man having become very poor said,

“I cannot stay in this country; I must go to another country”;

and having gone away from that country he sat down at a travellers’ shed. During the time while he was there a friend of the man’s came there. That man, sitting down in the travellers’ shed, said,

“Friend, where are you going ?”

Then the man said

“'What is it, friend ? Well then, according to my reckoning there is no means of subsistence for me. I am going away to some country or other, to look if I shall obtain a livelihood.”

[He told him how everything that he did failed, owing to the ill-will of Senasura.]    .

Then the friend said,

“Friend, don’t you go in that way I will tell you a good stratagem. Having gone back to your village, when dry weather sets in cut chenas; when rain falls do rice field work.”

The man having come back again to his village, began to cut a chena. At the time when he was cutting the chena rain rained; Then, having dropped the chena cutting, he went to plough the rice field. Then dry weather again began to set in. Again having gone he chops the chena. Then rain rained. Again having gone he ploughs the rice field.

In that manner he did the chena and rice field works, both of them. Having done the work, the [crops in the] chena and the rice field, both of them, ripened.

After that, Senasura said at the hand of the man,

“What of their ripening ! I will not give more than an amuna (57 bushels) from a stack. Let it be so settled ( aswanu ).”

Afterwards, having cut the rice crop, the man began to make the stacks separately of two or three sheaves apiece. Then having trampled out [the corn in] the stacks [by means of buffaloes] at the rate of the amuna from the stack —should there be one sheaf in it, an amuna ; should there be two sheaves, an amuna—in that manner having trampled out [the corn in] the stacks he filled up two corn stores. Having cut the millet in the chena he filled up two corn stores of millet.

In that very country there is an astrologer ( naekatrala). Having gone to him, he informed the astrologer of the evil influence thg.t there was from Senasura [and how he had outwitted him]. Then the astrologer said,

“Until the time when you die the evil influence of Senasura over you will not be laid aside.”

The man said,

“Can you tell me the place where Senasura is [and what I must say to him] ?”

The astrologer replied,

“Senasura having taken a man’s disguise and come to your house, will talk with you. Then say, ‘ The evil influence of Senasura has been over me. I did a good trick for it. I worked in both a chena and a rice field. I got the things into the corn stores. While staying here eating them I can do cultivation again [in the same way].”

Afterwards this man came home. While he was there, on the day foretold by the astrologer Senasura came. The man having given him sitting accommodation asked,

  Where are you going”

Then Senasura said,

“It is I indeed whom they call Senasura, the Divine King. Because of it tell me any matter you require.”

So the man said,

“ What is the matter I require ? I have become very poor, having been stricken by the evil influence of Senasura. Now then, I want an assistance from you for that.”

Afterwards Senasura, the Divine King, having given the man a book said,

“Without showing this book to anybody, place it in your house. Remain here, and make obeisance [to me] three times a day, having looked and looked into [the instructions in] the book. From any journey on which you may go, from any work you may do, you will obtain victory [that is, success].”

Having said this, Senasura, the Divine King, went away. After that, having remained there in the very manner told by Senasura, the man became a person of much substance.

North-western Province.

 

Note:

In Indian Folk-Tales (Gordon), p. 61, a Jackal is represented as outwitting the great deity Siva or Mahadeo, by telling him that he was Sahadeo, the fattier of Mahadeo. See the notes at the end of Nos. 39 and 75.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

The deity of the planet Saturn.