The Gamarāla who went to the God-World
In a certain country there was a newly-married Gamarāla, it is said. For the purpose of the livelihood of these two persons (himself and his wife), he begged and got a piece of chena from the King, to plant it on shares.[1] Near the time when they obtained the chena, having taken great pains and cut the ground and tied the fence, they sowed the millet (kurahan). But during the course of time having completely forgotten about the millet chena, they remained doing house work.
After two or three months passed away in this manner, one day the Gama-Mahagē (Gamarāla’s wife) having remembered the millet chena, spoke to her husband, “Have cattle eaten the millet chena?” and she sent him to look.
The Gamarāla, too, having gone hastily at the very time when he heard the word, saw at the time when he looked that rice mortars having gone had trampled the millet, and eaten it, and thrown it down. Having come home, perceiving at the time when he looked that his very own rice mortar had gone, making it fast he tied it to a tree.
On the following day also having gone, and again having seen, at the time when he looked, that the rice mortars had come and had eaten the millet, he walked everywhere in the village, and ordered [the owners] to tie up the rice mortars that were at the whole of the houses. The residents in the village being other fools did in the way he said.
On the third day, also, the Gamarāla having come, and having seen at the time when he looked that the rice mortars still had come, he thought, “It is our own rice mortar,” and having gone home he split the rice mortar with his axe, and burned it. The ashes he threw into the river.
Nevertheless, on the fourth day having come, and at the time when he looked having seen that rice mortars had come, not being able to bear his anger he came home, and while he is [there] he remains in the house, extremely annoyed.
“Why is it?” his wife asked.
Thereupon the Gamarāla replied thus, “The rice mortars having come to cause our millet eating to cease, I am not rich. Art thou clever enough to arrange a contrivance for it?” he asked. And the Gama-Mahagē, having considered a little time, ordered the Gamarāla to watch in the watch-hut at the chena.
The Gamarāla, accepting that word, on the following day went to the chena with a large axe, and during the night-time having been hidden, at the time when he was looking out saw that a tusk elephant, having come from the Divine World and trampled on the millet, and eaten it, and thrown it down, goes away. Having seen this wonderful tusk elephant, and thought that having hung even by his tail he must go to the Divine World, he went home and told the Gama-Mahagē to be ready, putting on clothes to-morrow for the purpose of going to the Divine World. At the time when the Gama-Mahagē also asked “In what manner is that [to be done]?” he made known to her all the news.