The Gamarāla and the Cock

In a certain country a Gamarāla was continually quarrelling with his wife. In the Gamarāla a disposition was manifested for ascertaining the motives of others.

At the Gamarāla’s house there were twelve hens for one cock. One day, the two old people quarrelling while the Gamarāla is on the raised veranda, the cock says to the hens, “Anē! What a fool this Gamarāla is! I am keeping in order twelve wives; my master is unable to keep in order one wife. Should my wives make a disturbance I will beat the whole of them well,” he said.

The Gamarāla having understood the motive for which the cock said it, and shame having been produced, went into the house and beat his wife well. After that, the woman and the Gamarāla without a quarrel dwelt excellently [together].

Although this Gamarāla can ascertain the motive in the minds of others, he does not tell it at any time to anybody. One day, the Gamarāla and his wife having gone to the cattle shed (gawa maḍuwa), while they were [there] an ass asked a bull that having ploughed from morning was brought and tied [there], “Friend, is that work very difficult?” The friend to that remark says, “At present I have not strength to walk,” he said.

The Gamarāla having understood that talk laughed. His wife teased him much and asked the reason why he laughed. Because of the woman’s plaguing him the Gamarāla said, “I laughed because this bull grinned at the cow.”

Ūva Province.

In the Arabian Nights (Lady Burton’s ed., vol. i, p. 13), a merchant heard an ass advise a bull to feign sickness and refuse to draw the plough or to eat, so as to get a holiday. He made the ass pull the plough all day in its place. The ass then said to the bull that their master had ordered the bull to be killed if it refused to plough again, and the merchant laughed until he fell on his back. His wife pestered him for the reason, which he could not give on pain of instant death. As he was about to tell her, the dog rebuked a cock for crowing and flapping its wings when their master was going to die. The cock replied that if their master would give his wife a good beating with mulberry twigs he might enjoy life in peace. The merchant accordingly beat her until she was nearly senseless, and she became “submissive as a wife should be.”