Tamarind Ṭikkā
In a certain city there are seven elder brothers and younger brothers, it is said. The seven have a younger sister, who cooks and gives food to all seven.
While the seven brothers were cutting and cutting the sides of an earthen ridge (nīra) in the rice field, they saw seven women coming, and said to them, “Where are you going?”
The seven women replied, “We are seven elder sisters and younger sisters; and we are going to seek seven elder brothers and younger brothers.”
Then the seven brothers said, “We are seven elder brothers and younger brothers. Stop with us.”
The seven sisters said, “Hā.”
The seven brothers having brought the seven sisters to their house, leaving them there went again to the rice field, and chopped the ridges. Those seven sisters having boiled seven pots of paddy and spread it out to dry, said to their sister-in-law, “We are going for firewood; you stay at home and look after these things.”
After they had gone, that sister-in-law fell asleep. Then rain having fallen, the seven large mats (māgal) on which the paddy was spread were washed away. When the seven sisters came, and saw that the mats and paddy had been washed away, they seized that woman, and having beaten her, drove her away from the house. So she went to the foot of a Tamarind tree on the roadside, and stayed there.
When a long time had passed after she went there, all those seven women bore girls. The woman under the Tamarind tree bore a boy.
As the eldest brother was going along the road on which was the tree, the woman said, “Anē! Elder brother, look at my boy’s horoscope.” He said, “I will not.”