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| Sunday, 10 July 2005 |
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News Business Features
Editorial
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The hunter's wife and her robber paramour Sunday parable by Sunanda Mahendra 'Look, I have brought you some of the finest jewellery,' said the robber handing over some of the ornaments he had robbed from a well-to-do family of rich treasurers, to the hunter's wife.
"It is time for you to leave me now, my hunter husband will be around any moment" "I will see you soon. Who knows perhaps tomorrow?" When the robber left the hunter's house it was at crack of dawn. The robber made it a point to keep some of the robbed items in his own hut far away in the forest. The rich treasurer found that a robber had entered his house and robbed most of his wealth. He had a group of villagers who were close to him. The treasurer informed this robbery to his supporters and requested them to find the robber and get the wealth back. "We are suspicious of one good-for-nothing robber living in the edge of the forest region of the village," said the informants. "Is it possible for us to go there and get the wealth?, asked the treasurer. "Then we've got to act quickly," said the informants. "Shall we go right now?" suggested the treasurer and walked into the forest with a group equipped with various weapons. The robber was fast asleep and the treasurer saw some of his belongings lying inside the hut. "Those items belong to me, wake him up," said the treasurer. Some of the group members wanted to hit the robber with clubs but the treasurer prevented them from harming the robber. "We should not hit him right now, but try to get the wealth initially and bring him before a court of law and punish him in the proper manner." All of a sudden the robber got up as if troubled by some inner problem, and looked around to see a galaxy of people surrounding his house. "Why did you rob my house, for these are all my belongings," said the treasurer in a mild tone. The villagers wanted to torment him and get rid of him completely. But once again the treasurer prevented them from doing any physical harm. "Oh don't hit me great lord, please don't kill me for I have not robbed your wealth. "Then how do you account for these items lying inside your hut?", asked the treasurer. "I found them under the foot of a tamarind tree, I will swear by anything upon my mother, upon my father and upon the name of God above the sky and the god of the earth, I am innocent, don't kill me." The treasurer felt that the robber should not be harmed, but wanted to know whether he actually meant what he said. "Alright", said the treasurer. "I want to know whether the tree god or the forest god approves of your words." "I will do anything to prove that I am innocent." said the robber pleading innocence. So in the forest there was a gigantic tree known as god's tree (deyyange gaha). Villagers used to make vows and offerings in order to get help from the god of the forest (vana deviyo). "Is it possible for you to get the tree god to prove that you are innocent?" "Yes my lord I can do that," agreed the robber. "Alright, we will take these belongings today and come on another day, say day after tomorrow to the foot of the god's tree at this time of the day and see that you are there. You should prove your innocence through the words of the tree god. Do you understand? If you don't prove your innocence, we have to either drive you out of the village or kill you," said the treasurer in a thundering tone. The fear -struck robber agreed to be present on the specified day at the foot of the god's tree. The treasurer got the help of the supporters to pack his robbed items from the robber back to his house. When everybody left the robber's hut, the robber walked up to the god's tree and examined it. "Please help me if there is any god in this tree because they will kill me," he pleaded and walked around the tree planning as to what he should do. He saw various kinds of cloth flags hung on the trunk of the tree. On one side of the tree, he found that there were a number of hollow crevices. On further examination, he found that more than one person could creep into the great big trunk of the tree and hide. He struck at a new idea. "I must get the hunter's wife to hide inside the crevice in the tree trunk and help me by playing the role of the tree goddess. In front of these people I will just say, "oh goddess of the tree, please tell these people how innocent I am, and when I utter those words you should just say he is not a robber, instead he is an innocent man and don't punish him. Then the villagers will take her words seriously and save me from any impending disaster." So the robber cut a hole with a hatchet on the trunk of the tree for the hunter's wife to enter into the tree trunk. Having done all that he went to the hunter's house in the dead of night and told her secretly all about the dangerous situation and the role she should play to rescue him. "Do you really love me?", asked the robber. "Yes I love you so much, but why do you ask that question?", the hunter's wife asked. "Then help me and become a goddess for a moment inside the god's tree." "Oh I am scared." "Don't worry I am going to be there and it is a simple manipulation. You got to get inside the tree trunk and just say in a soft voice, "he is innocent. Listen to me you folks, he is not a robber, go on repeating that until they are convinced that I am not a robber." "If they catch me?" "How can they do that, as you cannot be seen when you are inside the great big trunk of the god's tree? When everything is over let's leave this village and run away to the other side of the mountain range and live happily thereafter." It was a sweet dream for the hunter's wife and she agreed accordingly. The day dawned when the treasurer with the headman and the group of supporters rallied round the god's tree. The robber was present "Alright now prove your innocence," said the headman of the village signing to the others to watch what is going to happen. The robber offered some wild flowers on the altar at the foot of the tree, murmuring some strange sounds. "Oh tree goddess, the holy spirit, please listen to me. Please tell these people of my innocence and accept my innocent but worthy offerings. I have only to offer you wild flowers... please oh goddess of the forest... please prove my innocence." Then the headman, the treasurer, and the followers heard a strange feminine voice coming from the tree trunk. "I tell you folks, he is innocent, he is innocent and he is not a robber, don't harm him, he is not a robber I tell you." The people were rather curious about the voice and some recognised that as a feeble feminine human voice coming from the tree trunk. They looked at each other and some others wanted to have a view inside the trunk. Then some of them gauged as to what had actually happened. They made a fire around the tree and got a fire brand and held it inside the tree trunk. The cloths, the hunter's wife wore caught fire and she had to run out of the hollow area of the tree trunk. She discarded her cloths which caught fire. The onlookers recognised who she was and found that she was running naked. While some of them ran after the woman, the others caught hold of the robber. "Look how the tree goddess is running after trying to help a robber", said some of them laughingly. A Sinhala saying in the village sprung up based on this event, horata
udavvata gihin heluven duvanta vunavagei (it is like running naked by going
to help a robber). |
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Editorial | Security | Produced by Lake House |
"What is the earthly use of these ornaments to me?", she said in a sad
tone. "You ask a strange question. One fine day you will wear these, or we
can afford to sell them and get lots of money. Anyway keep them with you
safely to remember me." "Have you got any plans of running away?" "Perhaps
very soon it will definitely happen." 
