Immigrant from Malayālam, Southern India. (Written in Sinhalese, and partly related in that language.)
The Teacher and the Bull (Variant a)
In a certain country there was a most skilful teacher. One day when this teacher went to walk in the village, having seen that there were two sons of a widow woman at one house, asking for these two children from the woman for the purpose of teaching them the sciences he went away [with them].
The teacher began to teach these two the sciences. But perceiving that the elder one could not learn the sciences he taught him the method of cooking, and the younger one the sciences. After he had taught these two the sciences it was [agreed] that the mother should select the person [of them] whom she liked.
When their learning was near being finished, the younger one having gone home said, “You ask for me; elder brother knows how to cook, only.”
The mother having said, “It is good,” after their learning was finished the teacher told the mother to take the person she liked. That day she brought away the younger one. The teacher, perceiving the trick that the younger one had done for him, was displeased.
The widow woman was very poor. One day the boy said, “Mother, let us sell cattle”; and taking a [charmed] cord and having given it to his mother, he said, “Having fixed this cord to my neck, at that time I shall become a bull. At the time when you sell the bull do not give the cord to anyone.”
When the woman put the cord on her son’s neck he became a most handsome bull. Having taken the bull to the city and sold it, she brought the cord home. At the time when the merchant [who had bought the bull] looked in the evening, the bull had broken loose and gone away.
After having done thus many a time, the merchant related the circumstance to the teacher of that district. The teacher, knowing the matter, said, “Having brought the bull together with the cord, place it and tie it at the side of a jungle.”