In a certain country a Brahmana reared a kitten, it is said. He said
that he reared the kitten in order to give it [in marriage] to the
greatest person of all in this world.
After the kitten became big he took it to give to the Sun, the
Divine King. [345] Having taken it there he gave it to the Sun,
the Divine King.
The Sun, the Divine King, asked, "What is the reason why you brought
this kitten?"
Then the Brahmana said, "Rearing this kitten since the day when it
was little, [346] I have brought it to give to the greatest person
of all in this world."
Then the Sun, the Divine King, said, "Although I fall as sun-heat
(awwa) like fire, into the world, there is a greater person than
I. Mr. Rain-cloud [347] having come, when he has spread his car for
himself I am unable to do anything. The gentleman is greater than
I. Because of it, having taken it give it to the gentleman."
After that, the Brahmana having taken the kitten gave it to the
Rain-cloud.
Then the Rain-cloud asked, "What is the reason why you brought this
kitten?"
Then the Brahmana said, "I reared this kitten since the day when it
was little, to give it [in marriage] to the Sun, the Divine King. When
I brought and gave it to the Sun, the Divine King, he said, 'There is
a greater person than I. Give it to Mr. Rain-cloud.' Because of it,
I brought this kitten to give it to you to marry."
Then the Rain-cloud says, "I, the Rain-cloud, having come, what of
my car's spreading out and remaining! The Wind-cloud having come,
and smashed and torn me into bits, throws me down. He is greater than
I. Because of it give it to him."
After that, the Brahmana having taken the kitten gave it to the
Wind-cloud. Then the Wind-cloud asked, "What did you bring this
kitten for?"
Then the Brahmana said, "I reared this kitten since the day when it was
little, to give it [in marriage] to [His Majesty of] the Sun race. The
Sun, the Divine King, told me to give it to the Rain-cloud. The
Rain-cloud told me to give it to the Wind-cloud. Because of it,
I brought it to give it to you to marry."
Then the Wind-cloud says, "I, the Wind-cloud, having gone, what of my
going throwing down the Rain-cloud and smashing the trees! I am unable
to do anything to the Ground [348] Ant-hill. However much wind blows,
the Ant-hill does not even shake. Because of it he is greater than
I. Take it and give it to him."
After that, the Brahmana having taken the kitten gave it to the Ground
Ant-hill. Then the Ground Ant-hill asked, "What have you brought this
kitten for?"
Then the Brahmana says, "I reared this kitten to give it [in marriage]
to His Majesty the Sun. When I brought it near the Sun, the Divine
King, he told me to give it to the Rain-cloud. The Rain-cloud told
me to give it to the Wind-cloud. The Wind-cloud said, 'There is a
greater than I, the Ground Ant-hill. Give it to him.' Because of it
I brought it to give it to you."
Then the Ground Ant-hill said, "The Sun, the Divine King, can do
nothing to me, the Rain-cloud can do nothing to me, the Wind-cloud
can do nothing to me, but there is a greater person than I, the Bull
(gon-madaya). He having come and gored me, smashes me and throws me
down. Because of that give it to the Bull."
After that, the Brahmana having taken the kitten gave it to the
Bull. Then the Bull asked, "What did you bring this kitten for?"
The Brahmana says, "To give this kitten [in marriage] to His
Majesty the Sun, I reared it since the day when it was little. When
I brought it there, the Sun, the Divine King, told me to give it
to the Rain-cloud. When I brought it near the Rain-cloud he told
me to give it to the Wind-cloud. When I brought it there he told me
to give it to the Ground Ant-hill. When I brought it there he said,
'The Bull is greater than I; give it to him.' Because of it I brought
it to give it to you."
Then the Bull says, "There is a greater person than I, the Leopard. It
is true that I trample on the Ant-hill, and gore it and throw it
down; but the Leopard chases me, and tears me, and eats my flesh,
therefore he is greater than I. Because of it give it to him."
After that, the Brahmana having taken the kitten gave it to the
Leopard. Then the Leopard asked, "What did you bring this kitten for?"
The Brahmana says, "This kitten reared I to give [in marriage] to
His Majesty the Sun. Well then, having walked from there in this and
this manner, the Bull told me to give it to you. On account of that
I brought it to give it to you."
Then the Leopard says, "The Cat is greater than I; my Preceptor is
the Cat. He taught me to climb up trees, but I have not yet learnt
how to descend. [349] Because of it give it to the Cat."
After that, the Brahmana having taken the kitten gave it to the
Cat. Then the Cat asked, "What did you bring this kitten for?"
The Brahmana says, "For you I did not rear this kitten. Having reared
it to give [it in marriage] to the most powerful person of all in
the world, I took it to give to the Sun, the Divine King. Then he
told me to give it to the Rain-cloud. When I took it near him he told
me to give it to the Wind-cloud. When I took it near him he told me
to give it to the Ground Ant-hill. When I took it near him he said,
'There is a greater person than I, the Bull.' When I took it near
him he told me to give it to the Leopard. When I took it near him
the Leopard said, 'Because the Cat is my Preceptor give it to the
Cat.' Therefore I brought this kitten to give it to you."
After that, the Cat having said, "It is good," marrying the kitten
it remained there.
North-western Province.
In the Literary Supplement to The Examiner of Ceylon for 1875, it was
stated that the cheetah (leopard) applied to the cat to teach him the
art of climbing, but the cat forgot to show him how to descend. From
that time the cheetah never spares the cat if he can catch him, but out
of veneration for his old teacher he places the body on some elevation
and worships it [that is, makes obeisance to it], instead of eating
it. (Quoted by Mr. J. P. Lewis in The Orientalist, vol. ii, p. 149).
In the short tales at the end of The Adventures of Raja Rasalu,
(Panjab, Swynnerton), p. 179, the tiger was taught by the cat. When
he thought he had learnt everything the cat knew, the tiger sprang
at it, intending to eat it; but the cat climbed up a tree, and the
tiger was unable to follow it. The story is repeated in Indian Nights'
Entertainment, p. 350.
In the Katha Sarit Sagara (Tawney), vol. ii, p. 56, an ambitious
Candala girl who determined to marry a universal monarch saw the
supreme King bow down to a hermit. She followed the latter, but when
he prostrated himself at a temple of Siva she attached herself to that
God. A dog behaved in such a manner at the shrine that she followed
the dog, which entered a Candala's house and rolled at the feet of
a young Candala; the girl therefore was married to him.
In the same work, vol. ii, p. 72, a hermit transformed a young mouse
into a girl, and reared her. When she had grown up he offered her to
the Sun, saying he wished to marry her to some mighty one. He was
referred in turn to the Cloud and the Mountains, but the Himalaya
said that the Mice were stronger than he and dug holes in him. She
was then transformed into a mouse once more, and married a forest
mouse. This latter form of the tale is given in The Fables of Pilpay,
in which it was the girl who wished to be married to a powerful and
invincible husband.
In Folklore of the Santal Parganas (collected by Rev. Dr. Bodding),
p. 168, the parents of a beautiful girl of a semi-aboriginal caste
determined to marry her to the greatest person in the world. They took
her in turn to the Sun, the Cloud, the Wind, the Mountain, and the
Ground Rat. When they applied to the rat it informed them that their
own people were more powerful than the rats, as they dug out and ate
them; so in the end the girl was married to a man of their own caste.