No. 3
The Story of Senasurā[1]
In a certain country a man having been stricken by the evil influence (apalē) of Senasurā, any cultivation work or anything whatever which the man performs does not go on properly.
The man having become very poor said, “I cannot stay in this country; I must go to another country”; and having gone away from that country he sat down at a travellers’ shed. During the time while he was there a friend of the man’s came there. That man, sitting down in the travellers’ shed, said, “Friend, where are you going?”
Then the man said, “What is it, friend? Well then, according to my reckoning there is no means of subsistence for me. I am going away to some country or other, to look if I shall obtain a livelihood.” [He told him how everything that he did failed, owing to the ill-will of Senasurā.]
Then the friend said, “Friend, don’t you go in that way; I will tell you a good stratagem. Having gone back to your village, when dry weather sets in cut chenas; when rain falls do rice field work.”
The man having come back again to his village, began to cut a chena. At the time when he was cutting the chena rain rained. Then, having dropped the chena cutting, he went to plough the rice field. Then dry weather again began to set in. Again having gone he chops the chena. Then rain rained. Again having gone he ploughs the rice field. In that manner he did the chena and rice field works, both of them. Having done the work, the [crops in the] chena and the rice field, both of them, ripened.
After that, Senasurā said at the hand of the man, “What of their ripening! I will not give more than an amuna (5·7 bushels) from a stack. Let it be so settled (aswanu).”
Afterwards, having cut the rice crop, the man began to make the stacks separately of two or three sheaves apiece. Then having trampled out [the corn in] the stacks [by means of buffaloes] at the rate of the amuna from the stack—should there be one sheaf in it, an amuna; should there be two sheaves, an amuna—in that manner having trampled out [the corn in] the stacks he filled up two corn stores. Having cut the millet in the chena he filled up two corn stores of millet.