In the Karnata desa there reigned a famous king named Chamunda,
who was served by an household priest, named Gundappa, well versed
in all the rituals at which he officiated.
Chamunda, one day, while chewing betel-leaves, thus addressed Gundappa,
who was sitting opposite him:--
"My most holy priest, I am greatly pleased at your faithfulness in
the discharge of your sacred duties; and you may ask of me now what
you wish and I shall grant your request."
The priest elated replied: "I have always had a desire to become
the Amildar [98] of a district and to exercise power over a number
of people; and if your Majesty should grant me this I shall have
attained my ambition."
"Agreed," said the king, and at that time the Amildarship of Nanjangod
happening to be vacant, his Majesty at once appointed his priest to the
post, thinking that his priest, who was intelligent in his duties,
would do well in the new post. Before he sent him off, however,
he gave Gundappa three bits of advice:--
(1). Mukha kappage irabeku.
(2). Ellaru kevianna kachchi matan adu.
(3). ellar juttu kayyalii irabeku.
The meaning of which is:
(1). You should always keep a black (i.e. frowning) countenance.
(2). When you speak about State affairs you should do it biting the
ear (i.e. secretly--close to the ear).
(3.) The locks of every one should be in your hand (i.e. you must
use your influence and make every one subservient to you).
Gundappa heard these words so kindly given by the king, and the way
in which he listened to them made his Majesty understand that he had
taken them to heart. So with a smiling face the king gave the letter
containing the appointment to Gundappa, who returned home with an
elated heart.
He told his wife about the change that had come over his prospects,
and wished to start at once to take charge of the new post. The king
and his officers at once sent messengers to Nanjangod informing the
officers of the Amildari that a newly appointed Amildar would be
coming soon. So they all waited near the gate of the town to pay
their respects to the new Amildar and escort him into it.
Gundappa started the very next morning to Nanjangod with a bundle
containing clean clothes, six by twelve cubits long, on his head. Poor
priest! Wherever he saw the kusa grass on the road, he was drawn
to it by its freshness, and kept on storing it up all the way. The
sacred grass had become so dear to him, that, though he would have no
occasion to use it as Amildar of Nanjangod, he could not pass by it
without gathering some of it. So with his bundle of clothes on his
head and his beloved kusa grass in his hands, Gundappa approached
the city of Nanjangod about the twentieth ghatika of the day.
Now, though it was very late in the day, none of the officers,
who had come out to receive the Amildar had returned home to their
meals. Everyone was waiting in the gate and when Gundappa turned
up, no one took him to be anything more than a priest. The bundle
on his head and the green ritual grass in his hands proclaimed his
vocation. But everyone thought that, as a priest was coming by the
very road the Amildar would take, he might bring news of him--whether
he had halted on the road and would or might be expected before the
evening. So the next officer in rank to the Amildar came to the most
reverend priest and asked him whether he had any news of the coming
Amildar; on which our hero put down his bundle and taking out the cover
containing the order of his appointment with a handful of kusa grass,
lest his clothes be polluted if he touched them with his bare hands
informed his subordinate that he was himself the Amildar!
All those assembled were astonished to find such a wretched priest
appointed to so responsible a post, but when it was made known that
Gundappa was the new Amildar the customary music was played and he was
escorted in a manner due to his position, into the town. He had been
fasting from the morning, and a grand feast was prepared for him in
the house of the next senior official, which Gundappa entered for a
dinner and rest. He there informed the officials that he would be at
the office at the twenty-fifth ghatika of the evening. From the way
in which he issued the order all thought that he was really an able
man, and that he had come in the guise of a simple priest in order to
find out the real state of his district. So every officer went home,
bathed, had his meal in haste and attended at the office.
The chief assistant took the Amildar to his house, and entertained
his guest as became his position. Gundappa, being a priest, was a very
good eater, for never for a day in his life had he spent money out of
his own pocket on meals, so what reason had he to enquire about the
price of provisions? It was at the expense of others he had grown so
fat! And doing more than full justice to all the good things, much to
the secret amusement of his host and assistant, Gundappa rose up from
his food, and washed his hands. He then wanted betel-leaves though to
ask for these before the host offers them is very impolite. But his
subordinate interpreted it as an order from a master and brought the
platter containing the necessary nutmeg, mace, nut, leaves, and chunam
(lime).
"Where is the dakshina?" [99] next asked the Amildar. His host did
not quite understand whether this was meant in earnest or in joke,
but before he could solve the question in his mind:--
"Where is the dakshina?" reiterated the Amildar, and his assistant,
thinking that his new superior was prone to taking bribes, at once
brought a bag containing 500 mohars and placed it in the platter. Now
a dakshina to a Brahmin is not usually more than a couple of rupees,
but should an Amildar ask for one, his assistant would naturally
mistake him, and think he was hinting at a bribe!
Gundappa greatly pleased at a princely dakshina such as he had never
seen before in all his life, at once opened the bag and counted out
every gold piece in it, carefully tying them up in his bundle. He
then began to chew his betel, and at one gulp swallowed up all the
nutmeg and mace in the platter! All this made his assistant strongly
suspect the real nature of the new Amildar; but then there was the
order of the king, and it must be obeyed! Gundappa next asked his
assistant to go on in advance of him to the office, saying that he
would be there himself in a ghatika. The assistant accordingly left
a messenger to attend on the Amildar, and being very anxious to see
things in good order, left his house for the office.
Gundappa now remembered the three bits of advice given by the king,
the first of which was that he should always put on, when in office,
a black countenance. Now he understood the word "black" in its literal
sense, and not in its allegorical one of "frowning," and, so going
into the kitchen, he asked for a lump of charcoal paste. When this
was ready he blackened the whole of his face with it, and covering
his face with his cloth--as he was ashamed to show it--entered the
office. With his face thus blackened and partly covered with a cloth,
the new Amildar came and took his seat. Now and then he would remove
the cloth from his eyes to see how his officers were working, and
meanwhile all the clerks and others present were laughing in their
sleeves at the queer conduct of their chief.
The evening was drawing to a close, and there were certain orders to
be signed: so taking them all in his hand the assistant approached
the Amildar, and stood at a respectful distance. Gundappa, however,
asked him to come nearer, and nearer the assistant came.
"Still nearer," said Gundappa, and nearer still came the assistant.
The second bit of advice from the king now rushed into the Amildar's
mind that he should bite the ears of his officials when he enquired
into State affairs, and as Gundappa's want of sense always made
him take what was said literally, he opened his mouth and bit the
ear of his assistant, while in a muffled voice he asked him whether
all his people enjoyed full prosperity! The assistant, now in very
fear of his life, roared out that all the people were enjoying the
greatest prosperity. But Gundappa would not let go his ear till the
poor assistant had roared out the answer more than twenty times. The
poor wretch's ear soon began to swell enormously, and leaving the
office in disgust, he started to report to the king the insane acts
of the new Amildar.
Two out of the three bits of advice from the king had now been duly
obeyed, but the third, that the locks of all the people must be in
his hands, remained unfulfilled, and Gundappa wished to carry out that
also quickly. Night had now set in, and as the Amildar still remained
in his seat, all his officers were compelled to do the same. In this
way the tenth ghatika of the night approached, and still the Amildar
would not get up, but sat with his black face secured in his cloth, now
and then peeping out to see whether they were all asleep or awake. The
fact was, he was waiting for an opportunity to have all the locks of
his officers in his hand! As soon as all his officers fell asleep
he intended to cut off all their locks, as usual understanding the
words in their literal sense! At about midnight, never dreaming of
the stupid act that the Amildar was contemplating in his mind, every
one fell asleep, and Gundappa rose up, and with a pair of scissors
cut off all the locks of his officers. He then tied them all up in
a bundle and returned to his assistant's home late at night, where
the servants gave him something to eat; after which he started with
his bag of mohars and bundle of locks to his king to inform him of
how well he had obeyed his orders!
In the early morning he reached the presence of his Majesty only a
nimisha after his assistant had arrived. Seeing the Amildar he was
too afraid to to lodge any complaint, but his swollen ear drew the
attention of every eye in the assembly.
Gundappa now stood before the king with the charcoal on his face
and said:--
"Most noble king, you ordered me to blacken my face for my new
duty. See, I have not even yet removed the dye! You ordered me next
only to speak while biting an ear. Look, please, at my assistant's
ear, who stands before you and tell me whether I have not obeyed
you!! And as for having the locks of my officers in my hands; why
here they are in this bundle!!!"
Never had the king seen a similar instance of such stupidity, and
the thought that Gundappa had shorn so many respectable heads of
their locks, and had really bitten the ear of a worthy gentleman,
brought much shame to his heart. He begged pardon of the injured
man and from that day forward was very careful in the choice of his
officers! Poor Gundappa was dismissed even from the priestship, and
his belly grew lean from having no longer the privilege of eating
rich food at others' cost!