Concerning a Prince and a Kinnara Woman

In a certain country there was a King, it is said. There was a single daughter of the King’s. From many places they spoke of marriage to that royal Princess, but her father the King did not agree to it.

At last, when a certain royal Prince asked to marry this Princess, her father the King, having made inquiry, because of his not happening to be a son of the Chief Queen was not satisfied with it.

But on account of the Prince’s possessing a mind extremely attached to the said Princess, having considered several means of success for bringing away this Princess, he made a very large brass lamp. The chamber of the lamp had a size [sufficient] for the Prince to be concealed [in it].

Having caused the lamp to be constructed in this manner, after the Prince entered there, having employed four persons they took this very lamp to sell. In order to go in this way, the Prince said thus to his servants, “There is necessity for me to enter such and such a royal house. While [you are] taking this lamp, when anyone [elsewhere] asks for it, mention a price which it is not worth; but having gone to the royal house give it at whatever they ask it for,” he said.

Thereafter, for the purpose of beautifying the royal Princess’s chamber he placed there this lamp. The Prince, also, having entered the lamp was [in it].

Although for the care of the Princess many servants were staying there, the Prince obtained opportunity in order to bring about conversation with the Princess, it is said. By this method obtaining about a [half] share of the Princess’s food, the Prince remained hidden for a time.

Having seen that the Princess’s weight by degrees was growing less, the servant women, becoming afraid, informed the King that the Princess perhaps had some illness. The King also having thought that the Princess perhaps had some sickness (ābādayak), made inquiry, and having ascertained that she had not a sickness in that way, ordered them to give additional food on account of it. After this time, having seen that the Princess is increasing in weight by the method, at the time when he inquired about it, he ascertained, it is said, that the Princess had been pregnant for eight months.

After this, although the King investigated by several methods regarding the manner in which this disgrace occurred to the Princess, he was unable to learn it. Everyone in the country got to know about this.

In this way, after the King was coming to great grief, he caused notification to be made by beat of tom-toms throughout the country that to a person who should seize and give him the wicked man who caused the disgrace to the royal Princess, he will give goods [amounting] to a tusk elephant’s load.

A certain old woman, having caused the proclamation tom-tom to stop, said, “I can catch and give the thief,” it is said. Thereupon they took the old mother near the King.

Then the King having spoken, asked, “Canst thou catch and give the thief?”

“It is so; may the Gods cause me to be wise,” the old woman said, it is said.

“Dost thou require something for it?” he asked.

The old mother, upon that same permission having come to the royal house, while conversing in a friendly manner with the Princess after many days had gone by ascertained that from outside anyone was unable to approach the palace. But perceiving that some one could hide inside the lamp that is in the Princess’s chamber, one day, in the evening, at the time when darkness was about to fall, she came to the Princess’s chamber, and having been talking, dishonestly to the Princess she scattered white sand round the lamp, and went away.

In the morning, having arrived, when she looked she saw the foot-marks of a person who went out of the lamp, and perceiving that most undoubtedly the rogue is in the lamp, told the King (rajuhaṭa), it is said. Thereupon the King having employed the servants and brought the rogue out, made the tusk elephant drink seven large pots of arrack (palm spirit), and ordered them to kill him by means of the tusk elephant.

The elephant-keeper also understanding the speech, without killing the Prince saved him. Although he employed the tusk elephant even three times, and made it trample on his bonds, at the three times he escaped.

When time went in this manner without the Prince’s coming, the King started off and sent four Ministers for the purpose of finding him. The four persons, ascertaining that the Prince had been captured and taken into the Kinnara caste, went there, and spoke to the Prince.

When the Prince summoned the Ministers to the food, they, the four persons, putting sand in their waist pockets and mixing it with the food, endeavoured to eat, it is said. Having done so, the four Ministers said, “Although we came so far seeking our friend, we were unable to eat even a mouthful of rice from our friend without sand and stones [being] in it,” and having scolded the Prince they went away. At that time the Prince appeared as though approaching great grief.

The Roḍi (Kinnara) woman who saw this spoke to the Prince, “Go, calling your friends to come,” she said. After the way in which she said this [word] “Go,” the Prince very speedily having started, went with the four Ministers to his own country. Having gone thus and arrived at the palace, he told of the beauty of the Kinnara woman, and all his story.

In the meantime the Kinnara woman also having arrived in front of him, the Kinnara woman having said, “Here he is,” when she seized the Prince’s hand the King, having pushed the Roḍi (Kinnara) woman from there, sent her out of the way.

The Kinnara woman because of this trouble drew out her tongue, and having bit it died, it is said; and after that having cast out the dead body they burned it. On the grave mound a plant [used as a] vegetable grew.

Two women of the village near this place came here to break fire-wood. Because one of the two women had pregnancy longing, uprooting the plant [used as a] vegetable, she cooked and ate it to allay the longing. After she ate thus, the woman having given birth to a female child she grew up extremely beautiful, like the dead Kinnara woman.

During this time, the Prince in succession to his father-in-law had come to the sovereignty, it is said. At the time when the child born like the Kinnara woman had arrived at sufficient age, the King having come and having seen her when he was going [past], remembered the dead Kinnara woman, and having tied his affections on the young woman endeavoured to obtain her, it is said. But her two parents not being pleased at it, as the King was going to walk away beat him, and killed him.

After the King died, when the King’s men were burying him they gave the kingship to his son. After this son arrived at the time when he understood matters, he asked his mother how his father the King died, and ascertaining it he seized the men of the village at which they killed the King, and having put them in a ship he launched it on the sea. The men having cast nets, catching fish [in them] got their livelihood. After this, having cast the net and made efforts, catching a hundred Seer fishes they went to the village that was visible on shore. That village, indeed, is now Mīgamuwa (Negombo).

Western Province.

The capture of the Prince by a low-caste village girl is apparently borrowed from Sinhalese history. In the second century before Christ, Prince Sāli, the only son of King Duṭṭha-Gāmaṇi, fell in love with a beautiful village girl of low-caste,—according to tradition a Duraya girl—married her, and in order to retain her abandoned his succession to the throne. According to the historians, his infatuation was due to his grandfather’s having been a pious man of low-caste in his former life, and to the Prince’s marrying the girl in a previous existence, both of them then being of the same caste.