________________
DECEMBER, 1895.)
FOLKLORE IN SOUTHERN INDIA; No. 40.
357
to carry. But the undertaking was nevertheless not to be given op. So he quoted to himself another saying and it ran thus:
Sarvéndriyánáni nayanan pradkánam.
The eye is the chief of all the senses. Under this rule, tbhya laid down the head and pulled out its two eyes only, and proceeded on his journey. Soon he reached a lonely part of the wood, where he cromated the eyes of the ass with all the formalities of a funeral rite. Thus by an easy way and at no cost but that of a few dried sticks, which the woods sapplied him with, he obtained the. merit of a horse-sacrifice.
According to the Hindu rales, a person who has performed a funeral rite is affected with pollution for ten days. So Ebhya, without any mark on his forelicad and with his locks untied, and with other marks of mourning, entered his father-in-law's house just at evening time. The first relation he met was his mother-in-law in the court-yard of the house. She was just finishing her evening bath in that part of the house, as she did not expect any body then, and had by mistake left the outer door ajar instead of bolting it. Ebhya ran up suddenly to where she was bathing, and falling on the ground paid his respects to her according to the Hinda way of the namaskára, for does not the rule say -
Drishtamátram namaskuryát évakrúti ávasuram eva cha.
Worship your mother-in-law and your father-in-law soon as yon see them. Under this authority the son-in-law did his duty. He did not care for the occasion, time, and place. The strict rules were to him venerable anthorities, and he rigidly observed them. His agitated mother-in-law first took him to be an impolite young man, and then toned down her opinion at the stupidity which she soon discovered in him. Thus, with this introduction our hero entered his wife's house.
After thus paying his respects to his wife's mother, Ebhya went to a big hay-stack in the middle of the court-yard, and, mounting it, sat on the top of it, for he had heard the rule that people on elevated places are always respected
Uchchaih sthánéshu půjyanté.
They worship those placed on high. So to extract respect he chose that spot. His brothers-in-law, for he had three such relations, soon returned home, and their mother directed their attention to her son-in-law on the top of the hay-stack.
« Our namaskaras (respects) to yon, O son-in-law ? When did you come down? Why do you sit there ? Descend, please," said they, and after thus receiving the respect he thought due he came down. But he did not mingle with the company. He stole up to a corner of the hall, and stood apart.
"Why do you thus stand aloof P Come near, please," said the brothers-in-law.
"I am polluted," was the reply, and this was given out with all the sincerity of a mourner with low voice and dejected face. Not wishing to extract the cause of the mourning from his own mouth, the brothers-in-law went in and asked their mother whether she knew anything about it. She was not able to enlighten them, but gave them enough of information to make them all suspect that something was wrong with the brain of her son-in-law. The brothers, not believing his statement entirely, approached Ebhya, and asked him to be more plain. Ebhya then narrated the details of his journey. But, as it was his first visit they did not like to displease him. So they mildly tried to convince him of his foolishness, and though he was beyond conviction he went through the formality of mingling with his wife's relations. Grand preparations were then made in the house to feed the newly arrived guest.
"Is there anything that you specially like which we should order to be cooked?" asked the brothers.
