In a certain country there were two brothers, it is said. Of these two
the elder one got married. The younger brother had a secret friendship
with his elder brother's wife. One day, the elder brother having
succeeded in ascertaining about this, and having gone summoning the
younger brother into the midst of the forest, cut off his two hands
and his two feet.
Then the younger brother says, "Elder brother, you having cut off my
hands and feet gave me the punishment that is to be inflicted. Please
stop even now," he said.
Thereupon the elder brother, having placed this Kota [285] without
hands and feet in a boat and launched it in the river, sent him
away. Prior to launching and sending him off, because he told him to
bring and give him a Bana [286] book that was at the younger brother's
house, he brought the book and having placed it on Kota's breast sent
him away.
Well then, this boat with Kota also, going drifting by the margin of
the river, two old women having been [there], one said, "That boat
which comes drifting is for me." The other woman said, "Should there
be anything whatever inside the boat it is for me." Well then, when
the boat drifted ashore, out of these two women one took the boat,
one having taken Kota gave him to eat.
During the time when he is thus, having heard that they were beating
a notification tom-tom on the road [to proclaim] that to a person
who having seized gave him the thieves who are stealing flowers in
the King's flower garden, [the King] will give goods [amounting]
to a tusk elephant's load, Kota caused this notice tom-tom to stop,
having said, "I can." Causing them to build a little house in the
flower garden, and he himself having told men, they lifted him up
and went [with him there]; and lying down inside the little house,
on the loft, in a very sweet voice he began to read his Bana book.
At the time when he is saying Bana in this way, at night seven
Princesses having come to pluck flowers, and having heard the sweet
sound of Kota's saying Bana, went near the house and told him to
open the door. Then, because in order to arise he had not two feet
nor also two hands, when Kota said that he was unable to open the
door, one person out of these Princesses having put on a ring able to
display extreme power which she had, caused Kota's hands and feet to
be created [afresh]. Then Kota having opened the door said Bana for
the Princesses.
The Princesses having heard the Bana, when they were going the youngest
Princess on whose hand was the ring went after the whole. Then Kota
having seized the hand of the Princess who went after, and drawn her
into the house, shut the door.
After it became light, having gone taking the Princess, and having
given charge of her to the old woman who took charge of Kota, Kota
went to the royal house to say that he caught the thief who plucks the
flowers. When going there, Kota went [after] putting on the Princess's
ring of power, [287] having given part of [the Princess's] clothes
to the old woman.
Kota having gone, told the King that he caught the thief. He told him
to come with the thief. When Kota came home to bring the thief, he saw
that having cheated the old woman, the Princess [after] asking for [and
getting] her clothes had gone, and had concealed herself; and Kota's
mind having become disheartened, he went away out of that country.
While thus travelling, having seen six Princesses taking water from a
pool that was in the middle of the forest, when Kota went near them
he recognised that they were the Princesses who went to steal the
flowers; and having seen that the Princess whom he seized was not
there, for the purpose of obtaining the Princess he invented a false
story in order to go to the place where they are staying. That is,
this one, having asked the Princesses for a little water to drink,
and having drunk, put into one's water jar the ring of power that
was on his hand, and having allowed them to go, he went behind.
When these six royal Princesses went to the palace of their father
the King, Kota also went. Then when the royal servants asked Kota,
"Why have you come to the royal house without permission?" he said
that the Princesses had stolen his priceless ring. He came in order
to tell the King, and ask for and take the ring, he said. "The ring
will be in one of the Princesses' water jars," he said. But the whole
seven Princesses, ascertaining that it was the ring of the youngest
Princess of them, gave information accordingly to the King. Thereupon
the King having much warned Kota, told him to give information of the
circumstances under which he had come, without concealing them. Then
Kota in order to obtain the youngest Princess told him how he came.
Having said, "If you are a clever person able to perform and give
the works I tell you, I will give [you] the Princess in marriage,"
the King ordered Kota to plough and give in a little time a yam
enclosure of hundreds of acres.
This Kota, while going quickly from the old woman after having left
the country, obtaining for money a pingo (carrying-stick) load of young
pigs that [a man] was taking to kill, for the sake of religious merit
sent them off to go into the jungle. When any necessity [for them]
reached Kota, when he remembered the young pigs they promised to come
and be of assistance to him.
Again, when going, having seen that [men] are carrying a flock of
doves to sell, and a collection of fire-flies, taking them for money,
for the sake of religious merit [he released them, and] they went
away. These doves and fire-flies promised to be of assistance to Kota.
Because he had done these things in this manner, when [the King] told
Kota to dig and give the yams he remembered about the young pigs. Then
the young pigs having come, dug and gave all the yam enclosure. Well
then Kota having [thus] dug and given the yams, pleased the King.
Again, the King having sown a number of bushels of mustard [seed] in
a chena, told him to collect the whole of it and give it to the King.
Thereupon, when Kota remembered about the doves, all of them having
come and collected the whole of the mustard seeds with their bills,
gave him them. Having gone to the King and given that also, he pleased
the King.
At the last, the King having put all his seven daughters in a dark
room, told him to take the youngest Princess by the hand among them,
and come out into the light.
Thereupon, when Kota remembered the fire-flies, the whole of them
having come, when they began to light up the chamber, Kota, recognising
the youngest Princess and taking her by the hand, came into the light.
After that, the King gave the Princess in marriage to Kota. They two
lived happily.
Western Province.
Regarding the ring in the jar of water, and the tasks to be performed
before the Princess could be married, see vol. i, p. 294.
In the Katha Sarit Sagara (Tawney), vol. i, p. 142, a Brahmana who
wished to let his wife, a Vidyadhari who had taken refuge on Udaya,
the Dawn Mountain, know of his arrival, dropped a jewelled ring into
a water pitcher when one of the attendants who had come for water
in which to bathe her, asked him to lift it up to her shoulder. When
the water was poured over his wife she saw and recognised the ring,
and sent for him.
In A. von Schiefner's Tibetan Tales (Ralston), p. 71, Prince Sudhana,
who had made his way to the city of the Kinnara King in search of his
wife, the Kinnari Manohara, met with some Kinnara females drawing
water for pouring over Manohara, to purify her after her residence
with him. He placed her finger-ring in one pot, and requested that it
might be the first to be emptied over her. When the ring fell down
she recognised it and sent for him, introduced him to her father
the King, and after he performed three tasks was formally married to
him. The third task was the identification of Manohara among a thousand
Kinnaris. In this she assisted him by stepping forward at his request.
The incident of the ring sent in the water that was taken for a
Princess's bath, also occurs in Cinq Cents Contes et Apologues
(Chavannes), vol. i, p. 302. She recognised it, and sent for her
husband who had thus notified his arrival in search of her.