________________
AUGUST, 1895.] THE DEVIL WORSHIP OF THE TULUVAS.
"O foolish Kemira! Silly Kemira! Opium-eating Kemira! Bhang-smoking Kemira! Sour-tári-drinking Kemira! Swollen-legged Kemira! Spindle-shanked Kemira! Snub-nosed Kemira Broken-toothed Kemira! Pot-bellied Kemira! Big-headed Kemira! If we drag you to the East, we will beat you with balls of earth from a gram-field. If we drag you to the West, we will make you eat the sand of the sea. If we drag you to the South, we will make you mount the Ghat of the god Tillinga. If we draw you to the North, we will make you ascend the mountain of the god Basinga," said the heroes. "Before we wash our faces we shall go to Brahma at Kemmulage. When we go there we will take little Channayya of Edambar," said they.
243
On the road they saw ten or fifteen gudis at Kemmulagê.
"What mean these, Little Channayya ?" asked the heroes. "You will die yourselves, but you will kill me also," said he.
"What are we looking at ? Is it a basti of the Jains ? Is it a palli of the Mappilas ? Is it a church of Kudumba? Is it the door and house of a rich man? Is it the hut of a poor man ?" asked they.
"Aho heroes! You kill me," said he.
"Go and hide yourself under a small mango tree, like a fruit under a leaf," said the heroes.
When they went to the forest of Kemmalage, a Brahmana, having finished his daily pújú, was going home to his household pújá. They asked the Brahmana for some sandal from the god, and said they would take their offerings to the god.
"Puja for to-day is now finished; come to-morrow," said the Brahmana.
"If you are a Brahmana who knows the particulars of all Sástras, you had better see us perform a púją with an upright heart!" said the heroes, and stood with bended heads on a flat stone and prayed:-"Let a drum tied to a cocoanut tree, and another drum hung on an areca tree, and let all the other musical instruments be heard! Let the sound of a horn and of a gun be heard! Let a torch that has been extinguished burn again! Let a golden plate be placed at the door!"
They made Brahma Bhúta come to them, trying their best and not letting him go. Then all the musical instruments were heard, and all men and women trembled.
"What is this wonderful thing, this wonderful enchantment ?" said the Brahmana, as he went to perform pújá at home, and sat down to take his dinner. Then he returned to the temple running, and found the heroes standing with bended heads on the flat stone.
"One should beat these Billavar boys with a cocoa leaf. One should beat these Billavar boys with a bundle of prickly twigs," said the Brahmaņa.
Said Channayya:-" What do you know, O Brahmana, about lucky hours and times ? Brahmana, you told us the day. the hour and the time; what do you say now? If you are a Brahmana, who is acquainted with the details of the Sastras, shut one eye and open the other eye; bend one leg and make straight the other leg; and then I can examine all the Sastras. Now, Brahmana, open your eye that is shut, and shut your eye that is open!"
He could not open his eye that was shut, and could not shut the one that was open. He could not make straight his leg that was bent, and he could not bend the leg that was made straight.
"Brahmana, who you are and who are we ? 17 This is not an earthen pot, and not even a relation of a Brahmana," said they.
17 I. e., there is no difference between us.
