In a country there was, it is said, a man called Gonaka-Bokka. There
were ten younger brothers of that Gona-Bokka, it is said.
The ten younger brothers spoke: "From elder brother Gona-Bokka there
is not any advantage for us [because he idles and does no work]. It is
difficult for us, doing [house] work for ourselves. On account of it,
we will bring one [woman in] marriage for us ten persons." After having
said it, having said, "Let us go to the village called Otannapahuwa,"
the young younger brother went to the village, it is said. He went
to that Otannapahuwa to ask about the marriage.
After that, the other nine persons speak, it is said: "When we say
to our elder brother, 'Gona-Bokka,' the woman they are bringing
for us will say, Bola, that the name called Gona-Bokka is not good
caste [enough] for her. The woman they are bringing for us will come
[now]. On account of it, let us call him Golu-Bayiya. Let us give her
to our Golu-Bayi elder brother also to neutralise [146] our [inferior]
names," they are talking together, it is said.
Then, several days wearing down the road, the youngest brother of
all having come, said, it is said, "Elder brothers, I went to ask
at Otannapahuwa. The woman indeed is of good lineage (wanse). They
sent word, 'Who gives in marriage to a young youngster? [147] Tell
the elder brothers, one of them, to come.'"
After that, the ten persons speak [together], it is said, "Let us
send elder brother Golu-Bayiya, older than we ten, to ask about the
marriage," they talk.
Well, the person they call Golu-Bayiya is a great fool, it is
said. After that, those ten spoke: "Elder brother, if you also agree
(lit., come) to the things we say, you also come [after] calling
[a woman] to live in one marriage for the whole of us eleven."
After that, Golu-Bayiya said, "It is good; I will go." Causing them to
cook a lump of rice, he set off and went. He goes and he goes. Because
he does not know the path, having gone [part of the way], sitting down
on a rock in the midst of the forest he ate the lump of cooked rice.
Having eaten it, while he is there a woman of another country, having
become poor, is coming away, it is said, along the path. Having
come, she sat down near the rock on which is that Golu-Bayiya. After
that, the woman asks, it is said, "Of what country are you? Of what
village?" the woman asked the man.
The man said, "I am going to Otannapahuwa to ask about a marriage,"
he said. [He told her of his brother's visit.]
After that, the woman says, "Aniccan dukkhan! The woman of that
village who was asked is I. My two parents, having made a mistake,
drove me away. Because of it I am going to a place where they give
to eat and to drink," she said.
After that, Golu-Bayiya having thought, "Because the woman is
good-looking, and because she has been asked before, not having gone
at all to Otannapahuwa I must go [back] calling her [in marriage],"
summoning the woman whom he met with while on the path he came to
the village. Having come, he says to his younger brothers, "I went to
Otannapahuwa." Having said, "The bride,--there, [that is] the woman;
for the whole of us let us call her [to be our wife]," he said.
After that, the other ten persons, because they had not seen her
[before], from that day marrying the woman stayed [there with
her]. Marrying her, while they were there several days the younger ten
persons speak: "Elder brother quite alone, without anyone whatever
[to assist him], came back calling our [bride in] marriage. It was
good cleverness that our elder brother showed (lit., did). Because
of it let us all do work. Having handed over our wife to our elder
brother Golu-Bayiya to guard her continually, let us do work. Elder
brother, guard the woman," they said.
Having said, "It is good; I will guard her," to the places where
the woman goes and comes, and to all other places if the woman goes,
that Golu-Bayiya also goes.
While [matters were] thus, one day a man came to the village for
trading. The man's name was Gaetapadaya. That Gaetapadaya for several
days having continued to do trading at the same house, stayed in
the maduwa (open shed) at the same house [at which the brothers
lived]. While staying there, Golu-Bayiya's wife associated with the
same man they call Gaetapadaya.
While they are thus, on a day when the first-mentioned ten persons
went to work, Gaetapadaya says to the aforesaid Golu-Bayiya, "I saw
a dream to-day. What was it? At such and such a place on the path
I saw that a Sambhar deer is dead." Gaetapadaya told Golu-Bayiya to
look at it and come back.
While Golu-Bayiya went to look at the Sambhar deer, Gaetapadaya
taking the woman, taking also the goods that were at the house,
both of them absconded.
Tom-tom Beater. North-western Province.