The Story of the Elder Sister and Younger Brother
H. (Henry) Parker translation
At a certain village there was a Gamarāla. While a woman contracting (lit., tying) marriage with him was [there], a female child and a male child were born. After they two were born the woman died.
Having said, “These flowers are not good,” the younger brother went up the tree and plucked flowers. At the time when he was descending the younger brother disappeared (naeti-wunā). The elder sister through grief at it remained at the bottom of the tree.
While staying at the city, the woman having become pregnant a child was born. The King told her to fix a name for the child. Then also (ēt) the woman did not speak.
While the two persons were staying thus for a little time, again a child was born. The King told the woman to fix a name for that child also. Then also this woman did not speak. “Why don’t you speak?” the King asked. Then also she did not speak.
On yet a day, the King went hunting with the Ministers, and having gone walking and come near the city, told the Ministers to go. The Ministers having gone there, say at the hand of that woman, “A bear bit (lit., ate) the King to-day.”
When they are saying it falsely, the Queen, taking the two children, and having descended from the palace to the path, and fallen on the ground, sitting down says to the two Princes, “Sun-rays Prince, Moon-rays Prince, weep ye for your father; I am weeping for my younger brother.”
The King having secretly come again near the palace, remained listening. Having seen it, the Queen, taking the two Princes, got into (etul-wunāya) the palace. The King having come to the palace and entered it, said, “Why did you not speak for so much time?”
Afterwards the King, taking axe and saw and calling people, having gone near the Kīna tree, and cut and sawn the tree, when he looked [inside it] the younger brother who was lost was [there]. Then the King, calling the younger brother, came to the city, and showed him to the elder sister. The elder sister arrived at happiness again.
North-western Province.
The story provides no explanation of the cause of the brother’s imprisonment inside the trunk of the tree. Apparently the deity—presumably a Yakā—who resided in the tree punished him in this manner for plucking the flowers, yet the King cut down the tree with impunity. At the present day, the Sinhalese villagers would not venture to injure or pluck flowers from a tree infested by a Yakā. Many years ago all refused to fell a Kum̆buk tree of this kind which it was necessary to remove from an embankment I was restoring; but some of my Tamil coolies had not the same scruples when encouraged by extra pay, to counterbalance the risk. Probably they would have been less venturesome in their own country.
The notion that a person may exist inside a tree trunk in a state of suspended animation is found in other folk-tales. In No. 47, vol. i, a Nāga Princess became a tree; in an Indian variant on p. 269, the tree was a girl imprisoned thus by Rākshasas. (See the notes after No. 155, and also p. 245 of this volume.)