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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[DECEMBER, 1890.
her children. She had a magnificent raft built, stored it with provisions, shipped her sons on it, and consigned it with its precious freight to the bosom of the Irrawaddy, invoking at the same time the dryadsło to exercise special care over her children.
The raft floated down the river, and in due course arrived at the place where Sagaingll now stands. Here its further progress was stayed by a projecting branch of "sit” tree, whose guardian 12 was an Ogres 13 called Sandamökki.l* Taking advantage of the blindness of the princes, the ogress daily shared with them their scanty meals without their knowledge, till the brothers made an arrangement to catch the intruder by holding each other's hand and asking whose it was. By this means the princes captured the agress, and were just waving their swords to kill her, when she cried out: "Hold ! spare my life, and you will see how grateful an ogress can be.” One of the princes asked: "What do you mean? How will you shew your gratitude ?" And the ogress replied that she would undertake to cure their blindness. On this condition her life was spared, and the raft floated down. At the place now called Sag016 she began to cure them, and at Ywâlinto their eyesight was restored. At Myede, 17 just above Prome, delighted with their restored vision, they exclaimed:
Mógá; a-pon: Myê gáa-t'e; "The sky is a covering dome,
And the earth is below it." The downward voyage was continued, and the raft was not moored till its arrival at Bugágyaung, 18 a creek below Prome. Here they encountered Bedayi, who was drawing water. Noticing the smallness of the aperture in the joint of the hollow bamboo through which the water was trickling, this being the contrivance of the old yathé 10 whereby he succeeded in keeping his foster daughter employed all day long, the princes took the liberty of cutting off the joint in the bamboo end and thus enabled Bedayi to return home earlier than usual. The hermit enquired why she had, unlike her wont and in disobedience to his express command, returned so early. She explained the cause, and volunteered to fetch the princes and introduce them to the old recluse. This was permitted, and on learning the pedigree of the strangers, who were no other than his nephews, Labaduha married Bedayi to Mahathanbawa, 20 the elder of the two princes.
At that time the ruler of the Pyu tribe was a queen, and the yathe obtained from her a grant of land of the size of a hide. He, however, construed the grant in a different sense, and cutting up a hide into thin strips, took possession of as much land as could be encircled by
10 The corresponding term in the Burmese version of the tale for dryad' is nat. Nat-worship, which is pure demonolatry, still prevails in Burma, and the Buddhist monks have never attempted to suppress it.
11 Sagaing is written in Burmene as 'Sit-kning,' 1. e., the Sit-garden. The sit tree is not mentioned in Mason's Burma.
12 Each object in nature, as trees, hills, streams, &c., is believed by the Burmans to be presided over by a guardian nat. See note 10, supra.
13 The description of the "ogress" here is extremely interesting, as by the term is meant merely a foreigner or "barbarian," without any special attribute of inspiring terror.-R.O.T.]
#4 Sandamôkki is the Burmanisod form of the PAli word Chandamuri (4 o ). 15 Sagà means "begin-cure." It is in the Minba distriet.
36 YwAlin is popularly, but wrongly, identified with Salin in the same district. It is situated in the Malad township of the Thayetmyo district.
11 Myede is in the Thayetmyo district. The Mylde parallel was taken as the boundary line between Upper and Lower Burma before the annexation of the former.
11 This creek has been filled up. 20 Yathé, no pronounced but written rasse, is the Burmanized from of the Sanskrit rishi. 5. Mahôtbanbawa ie the Burmanized form of the PA word Mahdearbhava.
