No. 2

The Sun, the Moon, and Great Paddy

IN a

N a certain country there are a woman and a man, it is said. There are also the children of those two persons, the elder brother and younger brother and elder sister. Well then, while these three persons were there, the man having died those children provided subsistence for the mother of the three.

One day the three persons went to join a party of friends in assisting a neighbour in his work.1 That mother stayed at home. For that woman there was not a thing to eat. Should those persons bring food, she eats; if not, not.

When the three persons were eating the food provided for the working party, the elder sister and the elder brother having eaten silently, without even a [thought of the] matter of their mother, came away home. The younger brother thought, “Anē! We three persons having eaten here, on our going how about food for our mother? I must take some." Placing a similar quantity of cooked rice and a little vegetable curry under the corner of his finger nail, the three came back.

Then the mother asked at the hand of the elder sister, Where, daughter, is cooked rice and vegetable curry for me?" She said, "I have not brought any. Having indeed eaten I came [empty-handed]."

Then the mother said to the daughter, "Thou wilt be cooked in hell itself."

Having called the elder son she asked, "Where, son, is the cooked rice and vegetable curry for me?"

1 A Kayiya, usually to provide help in clearing jungle, or ploughing, or reaping, for which no pay is given, but the party are fed liberally.

The son said, "Mother, I have not brought it. Having indeed eaten, I came [empty-handed]."

Then the mother said to the son, "Be off, very speedily." Having called the young younger brother she asked, "Where, son, is cooked rice and vegetable curry for me?" Then that son said, "Mother, hold a pot." After that, the mother brought it and eld it. The son struck down his finger nail in it. Then the pot was filled and overflowed. Afterwards the mother, having eaten the rice and curry, gave authority to those three persons, to the elder brother, to the younger brother, and to the sister older than both of them.

Firstly, having called the elder sister she said, "Thou shalt be cooked even in hell." That elder sister herself now having become Great Paddy,1 while in hell is cooked in mud.

She told the eldest son to go speedily. That elder brother himself having become the Sun, goes very speedily. For the Sun, in very truth (aettēma), there is no rest. In the little time in which the eyelids fall, the Sun goes seven gawwas, they say. At the time when the Great Paddy is ripening, the Sun goes across (harahin). Because it is older than the Sun, the Great Paddy represents the elder sister.

4

Having called the younger son she said, "My son, go you in the very wind (pawanema) 5." That one himself having become the Moon, now goes in the wind. For the Moon in very truth there is not a difficulty, by the authority given by the Mother.

North-western Province.

1 Mã Vi, the name of the largest variety of rice.

Twenty-eight miles. According to Indian reckoning of about six winks to a second, as given in the Maha Bharata, this would be an orbit of about 14,500,000 miles, with a diameter of 4,620,000 miles.

That is, the sun rises in the latitude of the district where the story was related. This would be within a day or two of February

22.

4 I cannot explain this remark.

This is, where refreshing breezes blow.

IN

No. 3

The Story of Senasurā1

N a certain country a man having been stricken by the evil influence (apale) of Senasurā, 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 Senasurā.]

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.

1 The deity of the planet Saturn.

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 (5'7 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 (naekatrāla). Having gone to him, he informed the astrologer of the evil influence that there was from Senasura [and how he had outwitted him]. Then the astrologer said, “ Until the time when you die the evil influence of Senasurā over you will not be laid aside."

The man said, "Can you tell me the place where Senasurā is [and what I must say to him]?

The astrologer replied, "Senasurā having taken a man's disguise and come to your house, will talk with you. Then say, 'The evil influence of Senasurā 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]."

The

Afterwards this man came home. While he was there, on the day foretold by the astrologer Senasurā came. 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 Senasurā. Now then, I want an assistance from you for that."

Afterwards Senasurā, 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.

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 father of Mahadeo. See the notes at the end of Nos. 39 and 75.