The Story of Goḷu-Bayiyā1
Reading edition
The Story of Goḷu-Bayiyā1
In a country there was, it is said, a man called Gōnaka-Bokkā. There were ten younger brothers of that Gōna-Bokkā, it is said.
The ten younger brothers spoke: “From elder brother Gōna-Bokkā there is not any advantage for us [because he idles and does no work]. It is difficult for us, doing [house] work for ourselves. On account of it, we will bring one [woman in] marriage for us ten persons.” After having said it, having said, “Let us go to the village called Oṭannāpahuwa,” the young younger brother went to the village, it is said. He went to that Oṭannāpahuwa to ask about the marriage.
After that, the ten persons speak [together], it is said, “Let us send elder brother Goḷu-Bayiyā, older than we ten, to ask about the marriage,” they talk.
Well, the person they call Goḷu-Bayiyā is a great fool, it is said. After that, those ten spoke: “Elder brother, if you also agree (lit., come) to the things we say, you also come [after] calling [a woman] to live in one marriage for the whole of us eleven.”
After that, Goḷu-Bayiyā said, “It is good; I will go.” Causing them to cook a lump of rice, he set off and went. He goes and he goes. Because he does not know the path, having gone [part of the way], sitting down on a rock in the midst of the forest he ate the lump of cooked rice.
Having eaten it, while he is there a woman of another country, having become poor, is coming away, it is said, along the path. Having come, she sat down near the rock on which is that Goḷu-Bayiyā. After that, the woman asks, it is said, “Of what country are you? Of what village?” the woman asked the man.
The man said, “I am going to Oṭannāpahuwa to ask about a marriage,” he said. [He told her of his brother’s visit.]
After that, the woman says, “Aniccan̥ dukkhan̥! The woman of that village who was asked is I. My two parents, having made a mistake, drove me away. Because of it I am going to a place where they give to eat and to drink,” she said.
After that, Goḷu-Bayiyā having thought, “Because the woman is good-looking, and because she has been asked before, not having gone at all to Oṭannāpahuwa I must go [back] calling her [in marriage],” summoning the woman whom he met with while on the path he came to the village. Having come, he says to his younger brothers, “I went to Oṭannāpahuwa.” Having said, “The bride,—there, [that is] the woman; for the whole of us let us call her [to be our wife],” he said.
After that, the other ten persons, because they had not seen her [before], from that day marrying the woman stayed [there with her]. Marrying her, while they were there several days the younger ten persons speak: “Elder brother quite alone, without anyone whatever [to assist him], came back calling our [bride in] marriage. It was good cleverness that our elder brother showed (lit., did). Because of it let us all do work. Having handed over our wife to our elder brother Goḷu-Bayiyā to guard her continually, let us do work. Elder brother, guard the woman,” they said.
Having said, “It is good; I will guard her,” to the places where the woman goes and comes, and to all other places if the woman goes, that Goḷu-Bayiyā also goes.
While [matters were] thus, one day a man came to the village for trading. The man’s name was Gaeṭapadayā. That Gaeṭapadayā for several days having continued to do trading at the same house, stayed in the maḍuwa (open shed) at the same house [at which the brothers lived]. While staying there, Goḷu-Bayiyā’s wife associated with the same man they call Gaeṭapadayā.
While they are thus, on a day when the first-mentioned ten persons went to work, Gaeṭapadayā says to the aforesaid Goḷu-Bayiyā, “I saw a dream to-day. What was it? At such and such a place on the path I saw that a Sambhar deer is dead.” Gaeṭapadayā told Goḷu-Bayiyā to look at it and come back.
While Goḷu-Bayiyā went to look at the Sambhar deer, Gaeṭapadayā taking the woman, taking also the goods that were at the house, both of them absconded.
Tom-tom Beater. North-western Province.