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| Sunday, 8 August 2004 |
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The hunter in search of a drink Sunday parable by Sunanda Mahendra Once there was a hunter named Sura. He was such an experienced hunter that he knew almost all the jungle trails and the behaviour patterns of all animals and even those who entered the jungle. He was in fact the king of the jungle. Nobody dared to go against him regarding anything connected with the jungle.
They shared the hardships as well as the comforts of the jungle. At a certain time of the year there came a severe drought which was followed by rain. The rains made the jungle a good place to live, but during the drought all the animals, the hunter and the hermit had to undergo a period of suffering. It became so severe that most animals died due to lack of water. The little water that remained was in a lake in the middle of the jungle. It became the only oasis to fetch water. As all the animals made use of this lake, gradually the water decreased and there wasn't adequate water to drink. Sura, the hunter was so sympathetic towards the animals that he did not kill any of the animals. But he roamed about the jungle in search of water and food. Then all of a sudden he caught sight of a great big tree on the side of a rocky precipice. He saw monkeys playing about on the rocks drinking some liquid taken from a huge crevice or vat formed in the trunk of the big tree. The hunter observed closely for sometime. Then he discovered that the monkeys and even birds like the salalihini and parrots who drank from the tree crevice flew about as if drunk and then fall asleep for awhile, to overcome it. He slowly paced towards the tree and peeped inside. He discovered an open space full of a liquid mixed with herbs like aralu, nelli, paddy seeds and various seeds brought by parrots and other birds. Then he tasted a little from a cup made from leaf plucked from a nearby tree. On tasting it, he found that it not only had a good aroma but also a tippling sensation. He drank more to find if he got intoxicated. He got into a drunken stupor, but recovered fast. He then thought of his hermit friend. He soon made a bamboo chalice, filled it with the liquid and took it to the hermit. The hermit Varuna, having tasted the liquid found it to be an intoxicant and refused to drink more as it would disturb his state of mind. "You should inform the king of the country about this discovery", said the hermit to his hunter friend Sura. "Please do it on my behalf", pleaded the hunter Sura. The hermit through the kinsmen brought this to the attention of the king. The king without much hesitation visited the place where the cauldron like tree crevice was located. On tasting the liquid in this crevice the king found it tasty and tipsy. 'Oh this is indeed a high class drink', exclaimed the king and asked the kinsmen. 'Can't we produce this elsewhere?' The wisest of all said, 'It can be produced in a vat great majesty' The king thanked Sura and rewarded him lavishly. 'But what should we call it?' the king asked. The wise men thought of a name and came across one that fits the drink. 'Let's call it Sura, they said and the king agreed. Since then a drink that intoxicates came to be known as Sura pana or the drink of Sura, the hunter. Becoming too drunk is still denoted as Survenava. |
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In this jungle where Sura roamed, there also lived a certain hermit
named Varuna. The hermit and the hunter were good friends.
