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JANUARY, 1894.]
THE DEVIL WORSHIP OF THE TULUVAS.
21
Translation,
It is said that Panjarli was born on the ghats, and the story runs thus:A sow gave birth to a twin brother and sister.
« Now we must descend the gháts! What god shall we serve? If we serve the god Sidalinga in the South, he will probably accept our services, but his male attendants will not allow that. If we should offer to serve the god Mahalingesvara in the North, he may probably accept our services, but his male attendants will not let us serve him.
Now there is the god Jimmappa in the East, mightier than all the gods and Bhutas. He is remarkably powerful, but his male attendants will interfere. There is the god Subraya on the gháts. He will permit us to serve him, but his male attendants will not allow that."
Such were the contending thoughts of Panji Gujjare, king of the pigs, blacker than the berry called kar, and of Panji KAJi, queen of the pigs, whiter than the flower called jambe.
Now they resolved to become the servants of the god Subraya, giving him offerings, in case the male attendants should interfere. Intending to descend the gldts, they consecrated five or six offerings to the god, bathed their heads and bodies, and, starting from the eastern gate, came to the western, and humbly asked the blessing of the god, thus :
"Up to this day we were brother and sister, and now we descend the ghats, and will become husband and wife !"
The god said, "Be it so," and they walked down the gháts.
The wife became pregnant, and when they reached the low country, she was seven months big with child. The colour of her breasts faded and her head became dirty.
As she was completing the seventh month of her pregnancy, she felt the peculiar desire occasioned by pregnancy, and to satisfy it, her husband brought her yams (ké ne), plantains and creepers.
When she was in the tenth [lunar) month of her pregnancy, the time of giving birth was near, and it became necessary to build a shed and to dig a pit.
"Go tlou and find me out a branch of the karya karala tree, and another of the plant called simul!u. The pit I shall dig myself," said the wife.
The husband went and brought the medicines, and in the meanwhile she dng a pit and built a shed, and sat within it possessed by a Bhůta). While there, she began to feel the pangs of child birth. She ground her teeth with pain, and her hair stood on end. Her groans were heard in the four worlds, and her sighs resounded in the three worlds. Both in her back and in her womb she felt rueful throes, and at each pang she brought forth a pig.
Three or six days after giving birth to her young, she descended into the low country with them. She could not find a good garden any where, and so she entered the pleasure garden of the god Isvara, and, having entered it, she laid waste the plantains, the creepers, and the plant called kéne, and then returned to her own place in the forest.
When Isvara awoke in the morning and looked at his garden, he found the whole garden laid waste and spoke to his servants thus:--
«Some wild beast has entered the garden, and has destroyed everything in it. Go you, and find it out."
They searched every part of the forest, every pit,"street, lane and house, and at last found the sow sitting possessed (by a Bhůta) within a shed under a simu!!r plant. The people of the whole town joined together and sbot the pig and the sow dead. The young ones the god Íbvara took up in a blanket and carried to his palace.
