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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[NOVEMBER, 1889.
17 gê, slaŭ kâra-bhůto gataḥ sêtureyêna mahôdadhau virachitaḥ kv=asau
Dada)sasy-am18 takțit | anye ch=&pi Yudhishthira-prabhțitayê yâvad-bha[v]á bhûpatir=n=
sikên=api 19 saman gatâ ka(va)sumati manye tvaya yâsyati || chha || Ity-adi paribhâvya 20 gâsanam-idam p ilanîyam | chha | Paramanaishthika-mahAbhattaraka-sri-[N]i21 lakamtha[sv]amina [u]pârjitam-idam il chha 11 Yah kaschid-atra52 ..... rak8
bhavati tê22 ,53
. . . . .
FOLKLORE IN SOUTHERN INDIA.
BY PANDIT NATESA SASTRI, M.F.L.S. No. 31.-THE FOUR GOOD MAXIMS.
First Variant. In a certain village there lived. a poor merchant of the Chetti caste. He had an only son, to whom, on his death-bed, he handed a palm-leaf as his only property. The following four maxims were inscribed on it:
(1) “Travel not without a living assistant. (2) "Sleep not in an inn. (3) "Neglect not what four or tive people say.
(4) "Be not always open towards your wife." Receiving the leaf containing the four maxims, the old Chetti's son, who had the greatest regard for his father, promised him, in his last moments, that he would observe each and every one of those maxims to its last letter. Then the old man died, and the funeral rites were duly performed over him.
After the death of the old Chetti, the difficulties of his son increased, for he had nothing to live upon. So he resolved to travel to some distant place, and there to earn his livelihood. While he was thinking over this, Somuletti, — for that was the youth's name, - bethought him of his father's first maxim, - not to travel without a living assistant. But where was he to go for an assistant in his poverty-stricken condition? As he was thinking and worrying over this, & crab happened to crawl slowly past him, and placing a literal interpretation on his father's words, he took hold of the crab, and put it in an earthen pan full of water, and covering the mouth with a cocoanut-shell started on his journey, with his mind at ease ; for had he not now a living assistant for his journey?
In this way Sômusetti travelled for about a day, till only one watch remained before the lord of day should sink out of sight. He was extremely tired, and seeing a fine shady banyan tree, he laid himself down overcome by exhaustion, under the cool shade to sleep and give rest to his wearied limbs. The pan, with the crab in it, he kept by his side.
Half-an-hour or so after Sómasetti had gone to sleep, a crow, which had its nest on the top of the banyan tree, began to caw. Now this was a very dangerous crow, for as soon as it cawed, & serpent - the incarnation of Death itself - used to come out of an ant-hole near the tree and drink up the life of any sleeper lying in its shadow. Not one sleeper till that day had ever survived his sleep, and so the tree was much dreaded. However, on this occasion, the crab came out of its pan and pinched Sômusetti's hand, and he suddenly awoke in consequence. Getting up, he saw the huge black serpent coming towards him, and away he ran with all the speed that he could command.
Meeting some neatherd boys not far off, he related to them his narrow escape, and they, with one voice, exclaimed that he was a most fortunate man. Said they :-"Friend, many
* Here about five aksharas are entirely illegible or altogether gone.
# The writing in this line is almost completely gone, and only the tops of a few letters are visible in the rubbing.
