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

by Henry Parker | 1910 | 406,533 words

This folk-tale entitled “how the boars killed the rakshasa” 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. 71 from the collection “stories of the rodiyas”.

Story 71 - How The Boars Killed The Rakshasa

THERE is a certain city. There is a very great jungle belonging to the city. A wild Sow stays in the jungle. The Sow having come to a house on the high ground, and pains having come to her, gave birth to a little Boar. The men of the house having seen the little Boar, catching it and amply giving it to eat, reared it.

[After he had grown up], one day that village Boar says,

“I cannot remain thus.”

Having thought,

“I must go to a great jungle,”

he went away.

After that, having gone to the jungle, while he was there a Rakshasa having come to that jungle was eating the large Boars.

Afterwards the village Boar said [to the others],

“I will tell you a good trick,”

he said.

“What is it ?” the other large Boars in the jungle asked.

“Please dig two very large wells. At the bottom make the two wells one,” [1]

he said.

“The large village Boar will be [on the ground] in the middle of the two wells,”

he said. He told the other large Boars to be round the well.

The Rakshasa every day comes to a rock. The large village Boar asks the other large Boars,

“This Rakshasa having come, what will you do as he comes ?”

The other Boars say,

“This Rakshasa having come makes grimaces at us.”

“Then ye also make grimaces,”

he said.

“Again, he inflates his sides at us.”

“Do ye also inflate your sides,”

he said.

“He makes a very great roar.”

“Do ye also at that time roar all together,”

he said.

On the following day the Rakshasa having come, and having looked in the direction of the Boars, made grimaces, inflated his sides, and made a very great roar. [The Boars did the same.]

Then the Rakshasa thought,

“To-day these Boars will eat me.”

Thinking this he went near the Lion.

Afterwards the Lion scolded him.

“Ane ! You also having gone, and having been unable [to do anything], have you come back ?”

“What am I to do ? All that I do the Boars are doing.”

Afterwards the Rakshasa again came to the place where the Boars were. After that, the village great Boar says to the other Boars,

“To-day the Rakshasa is coming to eat us indeed. What shall we do ?”

he said to the great Boars.

“[This is what we will do.] The Rakshasa having come, when he springs at the great Boars I will jump into the well. Having jumped in, I will come to the ground by the tunnel [and the other well],”

he said.

“Before I ascend you eat the Rakshasa,”

he said.

In that way the Rakshasa came. Having come, as he was springing [at the Boar] the Boar jumped into the well. Then the Rakshasa having jumped [in after him] they bit him and ate him up.

Afterwards the great village Boar asked the other Boars,

“Who else is there to eat your flesh ?”

Then,

“Still there is a Lion King',”

they said. Saying,

“Ada ! Seeking him there, let us all go,”

they all went.

The Lion King as the Boars were coming climbed up a tree. Then the Boars at once having broken the roots of the tree, felled the tree to the ground. The Lion ran away.

Then the Boars, saying,

“Seize him, seize him !”

having gone chasing him, killed the Lion.

Rodiya. North-western Province.

 

Note:

This tale is given in the Jataka story No. 492 (vol. iv, p. 217). A Boar reared by a carpenter joined the wild ones, and taught them how to kill a Tiger that devoured them, by means of two pits. The tunnel connecting them is omitted. The Boar did not jump into the pit; ' only the Tiger fell into one of the pits when he sprang at the Boar. After killing the Tiger they proceeded to kill a sham ascetic who was his abettor, in the same manner as in the Sinhalese story.

Although the Rodiyas are not often present at the services at the Buddhist temples, they go to them occasionally, not, however, being permitted to enter the temple enclosure, but standing outside it. There they can hear the reading of the sacred books (bafia), and perhaps in this manner they have learnt the story of the Boars. I have not met with it as a folk-tale elsewhere. The reference to the tunnel connecting the two pits shows that it has independent features. This tunnel alone explains the excavation of the two pits, one to jump into and the other to escape by.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

That is, unite them by a tunnel.

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