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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[DECEMBER, 1896.
court; one of each, not two. Therefore, there is no present for Baddhivanta. Never should there be a present for him. Then, why do you command us to give him a present ?"
At this, the Ballal said :-"Why are you so angry with Buddhiranta ? Tell me everything."
Then they said :-"O king, hear us. Four days ago, when we went to the cattlegizing hill and were playing at yett, the grandsons of Buddhivanta came there. At first, when they saw us, they began to abuse ns; and when we kept quiet they abused us more and more. When at last, we could not bear it, we also retorted with abuse upon themselves, Not seeing their own fault, they came upon as and beat us and felled us to the ground and 81t upon our breasts and put us in great distress. In the meantime, all the cowherd boys came and surrounded us, and, seeing our great distress, told them to allow us to rise. But they would not rise, and gave us more distress. Then we skillfully tried to slip from between their legs and succeeded in escaping. Afterwards they went and complained of us to their grandfather, Buddhivanta. And he sent men to take us to his house. But we refused to go to him and came straightway to the palace; because, if we should go to Buddhivanta we are afraid we will not have justice done to us."'304
“We must go to see the Ballal in whose face shines the goddess Laksbmi, whereas in our face sits Kaļi. We must get rid of Kaļi, and try to gain over Lakshmi."
So said the children to each other, and one of them advised the other to ask the opinion of Sayana Baidya, and he gave there his advice, and told them that he must first consult the Ballil about it. Accordingly, he went to the Ballal. The Ballal was sitting in his hall with great pomp. He had on a hat of areca-nut spathe,37 which was ornamented with peacock-plumes. He had likewise adorned himself with garlands of jasmine and kétaki flowers. To the Ballil thus seated, Sayana humbly made obeisance.
"Come, Sagana, take a seat," said the BallA!. “What is the object of your coming here!”
He replied “KAļi that sits in the face of the children whom you had nourished should be driven away, and Lakshmi be invited to sit there."
To this the Ballal said : -" Have the ceremony performed according to our caste. Fell plantain trees, hang up festoons of cocoanat leaves, set up four posts of plantain trees, ceil the inner roof, and carpet the ground; rain coral on the bends of the boys and wave lamps before their faces in a plate filled with pearls. Perform the ceremony just in the same way as a Ballal would have it done."
On hearing this, Sayana Baidya returned home, and inquired of the elders who the man was that had been serving his house as a barber from the time of his ancestors. He was told that it was one Isara Kambi, the son of a barber, and that he was at that time living on the land of one Kunda Bollori Svami of Karmi Sale in the city of Ijjya on the Ghats.
He thea intended to write letters on palm leaves and send for him. So he enquired of his friends who it was that had been writing such letters from the time of his ancestors. He was told that the writer was a clerk named Narayan Bangoji. So Rangoji was sent for. He came and asked Sayana Baidya why he had been sent for. The latter then gave him a palm-leaf which had been dried and prepared so as to be used for writing, and asked him to write the following letter. The clerk took it and bent it and rubbed oil and turmeric on it, and asked Sayana Bajdya what he should write on it. The latter dictated thus:
"O you that have been serving as a barber from the time of my ancestors, from Sayana Baidya's house Kali is to be driven out and Lakshmi is to be invited. Therefore, you must bring
364 [There is a biatus in the story here, and it seems to have been taken up from this point from another bard. -ED.)
T The aroca-nut apathe is used for making various sorts of hats or coverings for the lead, which are worn by All classes of Sudras,
