[drums] Ya ho!
“Your father lived on war and served well.
You, too, Rani, must go to war.
You, too, Rani, must go to war.”
“The sacrificial goat, mother, goes to the sacrifice,
The thakur’s son, mother, follows the thakur,
Alas! I will go, to the castle of Gurgyani Cand [Garuḍagyānī Canda].”
O, sire, “Your father lived on war and served well.
You too must go to war, yes, you must go to war,”
she said, sire. When his mother Bairagishila said this, Rani Raut spoke, and what did he say…
“O mother, the sacrificial goat goes to the sacrifice, mother, he said, sire;
The thakur’s son, mother, follows the thakur; I will go to the castle of Gurgyani Cand, I will go to King Gurgyani Cand’s palace.”
So he spoke. [declaimed:] Now, sire, to go to King Gurgyani Cand’s palace, sire, Rani Raut wore a jacket on his body, a turban on his head, a cotton shoulder-bag, a dhoti — in what manner did he dress…
[drum] Ya ho!
On his body he wears a sparkling jacket, on his body
Sire, on his head he wears a velvet turban, on his head
Sire, on his head he wears a velvet turban, on his head
Sire, at his waist he carries a gold-hilted dagger, at his waist
Sire, on his back he carries a moon-inlaid shield, on his back
Sire, on his right he carries a warrior’s [weapon], on his right
Sire, on his left he carries a warrior’s double-edged dagger, on his left
Sire, he wears warrior’s gallon-measure leg ornaments, gallon-measure
Sire, he wears warrior’s pint-measure anklets, pint-measure
Sire, my warrior is resplendent like the summer sun, resplendent warrior
Sire, tossing his hair [MG “combing his hair”; JRP “brandishing his sword [churī]”] he has set forth, tossing his hair,
Sire, flourishing his shield he has set forth, flourishing his shield,
Sire, swinging his arms he has set forth, swinging his arms,
Sire, flashing his eyes he has set forth, flashing his eyes,
Sire, tossing his head he has set forth, tossing his head,
Sire, twirling his moustache he has set forth, twirling his moustache,
Sire, flashing his teeth he has set forth, flashing his teeth,
[new melody and rhythms] Sire, urging on his horse he has set forth, urging on his horse,
Sire, he has set forth, urging on his his horse,
Sire, he has set forth, urging on his horse. [drums]
O sire, at that time, sire, to go to the palace of King Guryani Cand, Rani Raut wore on his body a sparkling jacket, on his head a velvet turban, at his waist a gold-hilted dagger,
anklets on his legs, a [weapon] in his right hand, a double-edged dagger in his left, gallon-sized spats, pint-measure anklets, a striped tilak, a figured dagger; grasping a sword-cane with a sharpened end, the hero son of his mother, the splendid warrior, sire, a treasure-house of beauty, sire,
tossing his hair, sire, he set forth, sire, fourishing his shield he set forth,
his arms waving he set forth, his eyes flashing he set forth, sire, twirling his moustache,
teeth flashing, head tossing he set forth,
urging on his horse, sire, he set forth and reached King Gurgyani Cand’s palace.
[drum] As he arrived at Gurgyani Cand’s palace, the royal council was meeting, sire, at the Osmanthus-tree resting platform, with King Gurgyani Cand in its midst. Here, sire, Rani Raut arrived.
When he arrived, sire, he tied his horse to a post, went into the royal presence and bowed to the King.
He bowed to the King, “Green kingdom, well-ordered kingdom, it takes gold, silver and pearls, it takes pearls, silver and gold, kingdom of the heroic Cands, honor to you, King!” he bowed to him.
[drum] “Hey, my little Rani Raut, he said, sire, may you live, may you be vigorous, may you have long life! Are you in good form?”
When he said this [declaimed:] then, sire, how did Rani Raut inquire of King Gurgyani Cand, sire, concerning the welfare of king and kingdom… [drums]
Sire! May the army counsellors flourish, O King,
O! May the learned doctors flourish, O King,
Sire! May the excellent ministers flourish, O King
Sire! May the queens in the queens’ quarters flourish, O King
May all the palace flourish, O King
May the servant-girls and servants flourish!
O, sire, at that time, sire, Rani Raut said,
“O King Gurgyani Cand, he said, sire, the military and the counsellors, he said, sire, may they flourish, O King, he said, sire, may the learnèd scholars flourish, O King, he said, sire.
May the worthy ministers [?] flourish, O King, he said, sire, may all of the queens in their quarters flourish, O King, he said, sire, may the palace and the court flourish, O King!
May the servant-girls and servants flourish!
By your favor, he said, I am well, yes, I am well.”
Sire, there was an exchange of enquiries, and Rani Raut settled there.
He stayed there, sire, for twelve years Rani Raut stayed in King Gurgyani Cand’s palace without going home.
But at his home there was a man, a ne’er-do-well [JRP; MG note: ‘chef des serviteurs’] named Jhagadi Jhangkaruwa. Rani Raut had told him, sire:
“Brother, I will give you all your food and clothing, you take care of the work around the house until I come back.” So saying he had left him there.
For twelve years Rani Raut didn’t come home.
While he stayed away, that Jhagadi Jhangkaruwa was seen even laughing and joking with Rani Raut’s wife, Queen Bhimshila.
Seeing this, Rani Raut’s mother said: “My daughter-in-law’s behavior is not good. Now I must call my son home,”
she said, and she sent a letter to Gurgyani Cand’s palace.
She sent the letter with a tame parrot and the parrot landed at Gurgyani Cand’s Silinggi Cautara [outdoor meeting place named after a resting-platform built around an Osmanthus tree].
When it landed, at Silinggi Cautara, the collaborators, the gentlemen of the court, military councillors, the jogis, the scholars, the wise men, the sons of good families, the four castes and the twelve clans were present.
When it landed, “Oho, whose parrot is this, whose parrot is this?” they asked.
Rani Raut said, “It looks like my parrot.”
When he said that, the others said, “Indeed! Every parrot that lives must be yours!”
“No, if it’s my parrot, it will come land on my arm,”
said Rani Raut, and as soon as he held out his arm the parrot landed on it.
He looked at it and saw there was a message.
“O Rani Raut, you are at the royal palace. But at home your wife’s behavior is not good.”
The moment he read it, Rani Raut’s spirit left him. He spat four mouthfuls of blood, in fury. [drum]
It was evening.
All the retainers went to their lodgings. Rani Raut went to his lodging.
At night, sleep didn’t come.
How could he sleep, after getting such news of home? All night he was sleepless.
He stayed awake until dawn.
In the morning, the cows were released from their tethers, the royal court met, the kinsmen awoke, all bathed, the temple doors were opened, the sun rose, the dew dispersed, the sun shone.
The king went to Silinggi Cautara.
When the king went, Rani Raut also went. [drum]
When Rani Raut saluted the king, sire — on other days his aspect was different, but today Rani Raut’s face was dark.
The King said, “Rani Raut, today your face is dark, why is it?”
Then, sire, [declaimed:] how did Rani Raut consult King Gurgyani Cand, sire…
[drum] Ya ho!
“Last night, King, I had a dream.
Tell us the meaning of the dream.
If the attic roof-beam is broken, King, who is harmed?
If the main post of the cowshed is broken, King, who is harmed?
If the left bracelent [MG note “left arm-rest (of the throne)”] is broken, King, who is harmed?
If the temple fount is broken, King, who is harmed?
If the auspicious bar and pipal trees fall, King, who is harmed? [drum]
Such was the dream.
Sire, tell us the import of this dream.”
O, sire, “Last night at midnight, King, I had a dream.
Tell us the meaning of the dream, he said, sire.
The roof-beam of the attic broke, he said, sire — who is harmed? he asked, sire. The main post of the cowshed broke, he said, sire — who is harmed? he asked, sire.
The left bracelet broke, he said, sire — who is harmed? he asked, sire.
The temple fount collapsed, who is harmed? The sacred bar and pipal fell, who is harmed?
I had such a dream; tell us the meaning of the dream.”
Rani Raut spoke thus; the king answered and said,
“O, Rani Raut, he answered, sire, if the left bracelet breaks, the babe in arms is harmed,
if the main post of the cowshed breaks, the bullock is harmed,
if the attic roof-beam breaks, the householder is harmed,
if the temple fount collapses, the ascetic is harmed,
if the bar and pipal fall, we, the King, are harmed,
Such is the the portent,”
he said. Then Rani Raut spoke and said,
“O, King, he said, sire, give me a few days’ leave, give me leave.” [drum]
The king replied, “O Rani Raut, my boy, for twelve years you have been in the palace in my service.
For you it is not a few days’ leave but a few years’, go!”
Thus Rani Raut requested leave of the King.
Having requested leave, he put his affairs, sire, in order, tied up his belongings and put them on his horse, sire, and rode briskly away. Rani Raut reached home. [drum]
When he reached home — Rani Bhimashila had kept Jhagadi Janggaruwa — the one who had been assigned to do the housework — inside.
When she heard noise outside, as if Rani Raut was arriving, sire, she was terrified.
She hid Jhagadi Jhangkaruwa inside, in the grain storage basket.
She put him in the granary and came out. [drums]
When she came out, Rani Raut said, “Hey, give me water, give me water!”
When he asked for water, she lost her nerve.
Hastily she went inside and went to the buttermilk pot — she lost her head,
her mind ceased to function. She filled up a vessel from the buttermilk pot and gave it to him.
When he was washing his feet and his face he saw that it was buttermilk.
“What’s this? You’ve given me buttermilk!”
After that she went back inside and brought out honey.
She had kept a pot of honey in a row of pots, and she quickly picked it up and brought it. When he had washed his feet he tasted it and it was sweet.
“What’s this? What kind of woman’s wile is this?”
When Rani Raut said this, his mother said, “O daughter-in-law, use your head! Think a bit! You didn’t give him water! When someone is thirsty he must drink water! You didn’t give him water!”
she said, and his wife answered, “I gave him these things so he would have a sweet moustache and a sour mouth; who says I lost my nerve!”
After that she gave him water. He washed his feet and spread a red carpet and sat on the roof-terrace of his house.
He was sitting there when suddenly his gaze fell on the eaves.
A colored bow and a snare of animal hair were hanging there. He saw them hanging there. [drum]
Then, sire, when he saw that, sire, [declaimed:] what kind of polite requests and clear answers did Rani Raut and Queen Bhimshila exchange…
For whom do you keep the colored bow, my queen Bhimashila?
For whom do you keep the colored bow, my queen Bhimashila?
For whom do you keep the snare of hair-thread, my queen Bhimashila? [drum]
— For you I kept the colored slingshot, my Rani Raut.
For you I kept the snare of hair-thread, my Rani Raut.
For you I kept the snare of hair-thread, my Rani Raut.” [drum]
O, sire, at that Rani Raut said:
“For whom do you keep the colored bow, he said, sire, my queen Ramala [MG note: error for Bhimashila]?
For whom, he said, sire, do you keep the bowstring of wild animals’ hair, my queen Ramala [Bhimashila]?”
When he asked, what did Queen Ramala [Bhimashila] say…
“I kept the colored slingshot for you, my Rani Raut. I kept the snare made of wild animal hair for you, my Rani Raut.
I kept your colored bow and the snare thinking that you used to enjoy them, and that they would shine on the balcony where you used to sit — I kept them for this memory,” she said, and reassured him. [drums]
She reassured him, and now all was ready and the food was cooked.
The meal was ready, and when he was about to eat, the grain-storage basket he was leaning on shook from fear — do you understand? — Jhagadi Jhangkaruwa had been put inside, and the basket began to tremble.
“Hey, this storage basket has begun to tremble, what kind of miracle is this?”
“Today you came home after twelve years; the house-god is happy and that’s why the storage-basket is trembling [sign of possession by a god or spirit].”
Now he [Jhagadi Jhangkaruwa] lost his nerve; he urinated, and it came out [from under the storage basket].
“Why, where did this water come from?”
“The water-god has been raining in the country upstream; there was a landslide in the river and a lake formed; this may be a sign which has appeared.”
“Good, that is all right too.” And he started to eat.
They were three to eat, but Rani Ramala [Bhimashila] set out four portions.
She set out four portions and now Rani Raut ate first.
Rani Raut said, “Why, we are three to eat, whose are the four portions?”
She said, “Why say whose are the four portions? A companion might come along asking for food, or someone might come because Rani Raut has come home — I kept food for them.”
“Good, that’s all right too.”
He ate and drank, and then he said, “All right, bring a chamber-pot, I’ll wash my hands here.”
“Oh, we observe the fast of Shiva-Parvati, we are all observing the fast of Shiva-Parvati.
Would you soil this place? You should wash out your mouth outside.”
As he was thinking to wash his hands in the chamber-pot and to wash out his mouth outside, she took the (extra) food and put it straight into the storage-basket for Jhagadi Jhangkaruwa.
Now Rani Raut said, “whoever this dinner guest may be, if it were an equal, he would eat in my company; anyone else would eat outside. What is this business of eating in the storage-basket ?”
He took some burning embers and dumped them into the storage-basket.
After he dumped them into the basket, the fire started to spread.
Immediately Rani Bhimashila grabbed [a water vessel]: “If it [i.e. the god responsible for the trembling] eats fire, it eats water as well,” she said and poured the water right in.
When she poured in the water, he [Rani Raut] understood the situation.
He looked into the storage basket and grasped Jhagadi Jhangkaruwa by the topknot.
When he said, “Shall I cut him in two?” his mother, Queen Bhimashila [Bairagishila], said:
“O Rani Raut, don’t take his life just for that skirt [MG note: gāwan [dict. gāman] ‘pleated skirt’ i.e. woman].
You need someone, you are alone.
He’ll do heavy work, he’ll carry loads, you have paddy-fields by the river, you have buffalos, you need someone.
Don’t take his life for one misdeed, heed my words!”
she said. Rani Raut obeyed his mother’s words. [drum]
He renounced his wife and left her to Jhagadi Jhangkaruwa.
He renounced her. Now the wife he renounced had an unmarried sister who was young.
This young marriageable sister was already wearing ornaments given by her fiancé, the engagement presents had been brought, it only remained to perform the marriage. That was the situation.
He said, “Now I won’t stay in her [i.e. his unfatithful wife’s] house, I won’t stay until I’ve made another marriage.
Now I will go to my in-laws’,” he said. Rani Raut went to his in-laws’.
After the salutations and polite conversation, he said, “This has happened in my house. If you have an unmarried girl, please arrange things for me.”
When he said this, his in-laws said, “The one we gave you, you left to another. Now you tell us you want another daughter!” his in-laws replied.
He was looking at his sister-in-law, but she didn’t return his gaze. “This will not suceed,” he thought, and he went home. From there he went to an ascetics’ hermitage.
He went to the hermitage. And then, sire, in what manner, sire, did Rani Raut take the habit of an ascetic…
[drum] Ya ho!
Give me a bag and a gourd, my jogi, a bag and gourd
Give me a bangle, my jogi, a bangle
Give me a pair of tongs, my jogi, a pair of tongs
Give me a walking-stick, my jogi, a walking-stick
Give me an ash-tika, my jogi, an ash-tika! [drum]
O, sire, Rani Raut went to the ascetics’ hermitage.
“Give me, he said, sire, a bag and gourd, my jogi, a bag and gourd. Give me a bangle, my jogi, a bangle.
Give me a pair of tongs, my jogi, a pair of tongs, he said, sire. Give me a bangle, my jogi, a bangle. [drum]
Give me an ash-tika, my jogi, an ash-tika!” he said, sire. He went to the jogi’s retreat and put on the complete habit, sire, of an ascetic.
Having put on the habit, he began to wander all over the earth.
He wandered for months back and forth, and in the end he stayed at his in-laws’ in Nwalipat.
He stayed at Nwalipat, and while he was there his sister-in-law came to Nwalipat to fetch water.
His sister-in-law came and saw the ascetic. What did the sister-in-law say when she saw Rani Raut…
“O, jogi, she said, sire, what country are you from? Your face, your look. Your manner is like my brother-in-law’s, like Rani Raut’s. One moment, jogi, what country are you from?”
Rani Raut spoke and said, “Girl, I am your brother-in-law, I am your brother-in-law.”
“No, you’re not, you’re not my brother-in-law.” ― “I am your brother-in-law. Truly I am your brother-in-law.”
“Oh, what are you saying?” ― “I’m saying nothing. I’ve come for you. Get going, to my house!”
“Sir, I have this golden water-pot, what should I do with it?” she said.
“If he wants it, the old man [your father] will take it, if not, no matter,”
he said, sire, and wearing ascetic’s dress he brought Rani Motima from Nwalipat to his own house, he brought her home.
He brought her home, and for some years while they stayed there was no issue, no child from Rani Motima.
She had no child, and they were distressed. They suffered the distress of childlessness.
In their childlessness, [declaimed:] at that time, sire, what humble prayers and secret supplications did Rani Raut and Queen Motima make…
[drum] Ya ho!
A bird crows on the paddy-dikes and paddy-walls.
Sire, the owl [JRP “the dove”; DVS ghuggu ‘owl’, ghuguti ‘dove’] cries in the nest.
My sisters-in-law play with their children in the courtyard
Alas, our womb is childless
Go, my lord, to the brahman’s house, go and come back
Sire, consult the astrologer and bring back the answer
O sire, at that time Rani Motima said to her husband:
“A bird is crowing on the paddy-dikes and paddy-walls, she said, sire. The ill-omened owl cries [JRP “the dove coos”] in the nest.
My sisters-in-law are playing with their children around the house, but my womb is sterile.
Go, my husband, to the brahman’s house, she said, sire, consult the astrologer and bring back the answer.”
she said, sire. It became morning, the cows’ tethers were undone, the royal council met, the companions awoke, the temple doors opened, dawn broke, the dew was dissipated, the sun shone.
Now Rani Raut took coins and a mana of rice and went, sire, to the house of Sunasingh Badabhatta.
When he went, Sunasingh Badabhatta said, “O, Rani Raut, he said, sire, go to the twelve holy places, Hardwar, Gurudwar, Banaras, Prayag, Gaya, Gajadhar, and finally, having done all that, if you bathe at Olaghat you will certainly have a son.
On the day you bathe at Olaghat, there is a dark-skinned brahman — you must pass between the legs of this brahman three hundred and sixty times.
Then you will have a son,” Sunasingh Badabhatta told him, sire.
Then— It turns out he was Meladeu Kalauni’s family brahman.
He spoke, mixing this and that.
Rani Raut came home, and on the day he was to bathe at Olaghat– he had bathed at Hardwar, Gurdwar, Benaras, Prayag, and on the day he was to bathe at Olaghat, Meladeu Kalauni – the one from whom the wedding-token had been taken [drums] for Rani Motima —
that man disguised himself as a dark-skinned brahman, putting a stripe tilak on his forehead, and lay contentedly on the road. [drum]
As he lay there, Rani Raut and Jhagadi Jhangkaruwa were on their way to Olaghat to salute the dark brahman — such was their intention, sire — when from above he chanted a Sanskrit verse.
He began chanting “namom bhojanetram bahmākelī pātram, caturabāhu cāmya karu, cār gātram, jagatrāyaṇe hetum sadā satyanārāyaṇa…” sire, from the road.
“Why, someone up here is speaking like a brahman. Ask him who he is,”
When they asked, he said, “O, you asked who it is? – I am a brahman!”
“Please, sir, will you come along to Olaghat with us?”
“All right, I’ll go, but I can’t walk.”
“Well, will you ride a horse?”
“I don’t ride horseback.”
“What will you go on then?”
“I’ll go only if I’m carried.”
“All right, get on. What to do then?” he said, sire, and carried him to Olaghat.
Now at Olaghat he had made a plan: “On the day he bathes at Olaghat, Meladeu Kalauni’s family, as many warriors as you are, you all come and we will make war on them there.” — such was their plan.
Now at Olaghat, he did his devotions. When everything was ready, the order was to pass through the dark-skinned brahman’s legs three hundred and sixty times.
He had passed through his legs and bathed three hundred sixty times when Meladeu Kalauni’s group arrived.
Meladeu Kalauni arrived. [declaimed:] At that moment, sire, having passed through the brahman’s legs, sire, what kind of humble prayer and secret requests did Rani Raut and Jhagadi Jhangkaruwa make…
[drum] Ya ho!
He will kill the bird, the bird hunting warrior, he will kill the bird
He will kill the bird, the bird hunting warrior, he will kill the bird
Sire, he will kill the bird, the bird hunting warrior, he will kill the bird
Sire, he will kill the bird, the bird hunting warrior, he will kill the bird
Sire, he will kill the bird, the bird hunting warrior, he will kill the bird
Sire, he will kill the bird, the bird hunting warrior, he will kill the bird
Sire, he will kill the bird, the bird hunting warrior, he will kill the bird [drums, new rhythm]
[recit. solo, without drums] He will kill the bird, the bird hunting warrior, the bird will fall into the net
There must be hundreds of swords, in the war with Maladeu Kalauni he was surrounded by hundreds. [chorus resumes] xxx …
[drum resumes] Jhagaduwa leapt headlong, Jhagaduwa leapt headlong …
O, sire, the bird-hunting warrior will kill the bird, he said, sire, the bird will fall into the net.
Hundreds of swords, sire — he fell into the grasp of hundreds of Maladeu’s men.
Jhagaduwa fled, leaping headlong,
sire, Meladeu Kalauni with hundreds of his men trapped Rani Raut, sire;
Jhagadi Jhangkaruwa, to whom Rani Raut had given his wife, fled headlong.
“Where has Jhagadi Jhangkaruwa gone?” said Rani Raut, and he looked as the other leapt headlong like a deer.
He leapt like a deer; Rani Raut had passed hundreds of times through the legs of the Brahman, sire; [declaimed:] at that time, sire, in what manner did he and Jhagadi Jhangkarua exchange polite requests and clear answers…
[drum] Ya ho!
Sire, I will eat my curds with my meal, I will eat them with my midday lunch [?]
Sire, I will eat my curds with my meal, I will eat them with my midday lunch [?]
Sire, I will eat my curds with my meal, I will eat them with my midday lunch [?]
Sire, I will eat my curds with my meal, I will eat them with my midday lunch [?]
Sire, I will eat my curds with my meal, I will eat them with my midday lunch [?]
Sire, I will eat my curds with my meal, I will eat them with my midday lunch [?]
Sire, I will eat my curds with my meal, I will eat them with my midday lunch [?]
[recitatif solo, without drum] I will eat my curds with my meal, I will eat xxx with my midday lunch [?]
Jhagadi Jhangkaruwa, to whom I gave Rani Bhimashila — it’s his last hour [drum and chorus resume] …
O, sire, at that time, sire, Rani Raut said,
“xxx, he said, sire. I gave Rani Bhimashila to you, Jhagadi Jhangkaruwa, and now it’s my last hour. You left me in my last hour,” he said, and Jhagadi Jhangkarua assented.
“By Narayan, it is not right, though it is true,” he [?] said and Jhagadi Jhangkaruwa turned instantly, sire, and came back.
He came back, and at that moment, sire, Meladeu Kalauni finished off Rani and Jhangkari, sire, right there, sire, at Olaghat.
Seizing their heads in his hands, Meladeu Kalauni cut down Rani and Jhangkari with a single stroke, sire, and went home. [drums]