Taste of one's own medicine

Once upon a time, there lived a man named Papayya in Padmapuram village. Papayya was an unscrupulous money lender who levied unreasonable interest rates, fudged account balances and deceived people. He also used to trick innocent people and made money out of their misery.

Once, Papayya went to the market to purchase some hay. There he met a simpleton villager, Ramayya, who was selling hay stacked on his bullock cart. Papayya quickly realized that Ramayya was gullible and went over to ask - 'How much for the cart of hay?'

Ramayya presumed that Papayya wants to purchase all the hay in the cart and said, 'one hundred rupees and not a paisa less'

Papayya said that while the price was high, he was willing to take it. 'Drive the cart to my home. I will pay you there', he said.

Ramayya then drove the cart to Papayya's house and down loaded all the hay. Papayya then asked Ramayya to tie the cart in a corner under the three. Now,  Ramayya was confused, 'Why should I leave my cart there?'

'I negotiated for a cart with hay - that includes the hay and the cart and the bullocks!' claimed Papayya. Ramayya tried to convince him that this is not correct and that the price of hundred rupees was only for the hay. Papayya did not listen to him and drove him out of the house.

Ramayya left the place were saddened. His livelihood depended on the bullocks and the cart and he could not operate without them. When he reached his home, his son Gopayya got to know of the whole affair and challenged, 'Papayya took advantage of your innocence and weakness. I will teach him such a lesson that he will never repeat this with anyone!'

Gopayya used to work in the house of the village head. He went over to the head's house and said, 'Sir, a grave injustice has been done to my father by Papayya and recited the whole trickery. 'To teach a lesson to Papayya, I need your help  - I request you to come dressed as a normal farmer along with me'

The village head agreed to Gopayya's request and went along with him dressed as a normal farmer and a white beard so that he is not easily recognizable. They both took a cartload of hay and went near Papayya's house and started selling, 'Cart of hay. Cart of hay - for very low price'

Attracted by the call of low price, Papayya came over to purchase. He then saw two innocent looking farmers and thought that he could play the trick again and asked, 'How much for the cart of hay?'

Looking just for this chance, Gopayya replied 'Very low price Sir. Just a handful of coins from your son's hand'

Papayya got excited hearing this! He ran inside his house and came out with his five year old son holding the lowest denomination coins he could find and asked Gopayya  'Is this the handful of coins that you are asking for?'

Gopayya replied 'Yes Sir. Please take the hay first'.

Papayya took the hay and was up to his tricks again 'Cart of hay means hay with the cart and bullocks, So leave the cart and bullocks under the tree'

Gopayya acted a bit surprised, 'Oh, is that what you meant?' However, he agreed and left the cart, bullocks and hay under the tree.

After that Papayya was about to hand over the handful of coins in his son's hand. Gopayya took the coins and then took out his knife and said, 'Handful of coins from your son's hand means the coins and the hands too. So, I will cut the hands now'

As Gopayya was about to grab the five year old's hands, Papayya screamed, 'Handful of coins means that the coins in the hand. It does not mean that you can take the hands!!'

'Cart of Hay means the hay in the cart and not the cart and the bullocks. Just like you took the cart with the hay, I want the hands with the coins' retorted Gopayya

Papayya now realized the position he was in. He also realized that the man along with Gopayya was the village head and could not raise his voice and accepted defeat. The village head levied a penalty of one thousand rupees on Papayya and ensured that Papayya returned the bullocks and cart that he tricked out of Ramayya.

Papayya learnt the taste of his own medicine that day and resolved to never trick people again.

One-upmanship

Once upon a time there was zamindar named Jayapaludu who had descended from a royal family. While the family had lost all their  wealth over time, Jayapaludu was still very proud of his lineage and spent lavishly for even small functions in the house.

It so happened that once he needed five thousand rupees urgently for his friend's son's wedding. Left with no choice, he went to Varadayya to pawn an old sword that he had with him. Varadayya had heard about Jayapaludu' s financial status from different people, but he nevertheless invited him warmly and asked him the purpose of his visit.

'This particular sword has been our family heirloom for many generations and is a symbol of our rich heritage. It was part of a number of famous battles  and is specially made of silver! I am now in a position where I need to pawn this for five thousand rupees', Jayapaludu said with fabricated sadness. 'I will return the five thousand rupees in a month's time with double your usual interest.'

Varadayya was about to draw the sword, when Jayapaludu intervened immediately and said, 'Varadayya, whenever this sword has been drawn from it sheath, it certainly has led to war. We are living in such peaceful times now - why do you want to bring calamity on us by drawing it? Also, this sword should be drawn only by princes. By pawning this sword with you, it is as good as me pawning my family's honour!'

Varadayya could not say no to such an impassioned plea and said, 'Knowing that you are from a royal family who stand on their word, I am accepting this sword. Please ensure that you pay up the amount in a months time and take this back. If you do not pay up within the month, you will need to pay twice the amount - i.e. ten thousand rupees to get the sword back within the year.'

Jayapaludu agreed to these terms and signed the contract.

Jayapaludu was quite happy with himself for having got such a good bargain for his old sword and did not try to redeem his sword at all. After one full year passed, Varadayya was concerned. He was still scared to draw the sword out, but finally took courage and took it to a goldsmith to get it checked.  The goldsmith checked it and said that the sword was not made of silver, but was made of brass coated with silver and that the cost of that sword would not be more than a hundred rupees!

Now, Varadayya was convinced that he had been tricked. To get this money back from Jayapaludu, he thought up a cunning scheme!

One morning, Varadayya made a big scene that robbers attacked his house and took away all his valuables. The whole village got to know about this and sympathized with him. Slowly, this word spread across the village and Jayapaludu also got to know about it. Now, Jayapaludu was convinced that the robbers would have taken his sword along with other valuables from Varadayya' s house.

Without any delay, Jayapaludu raised ten thousand rupees by pawning his wife's jewelry elsewhere and went to Varadayya' s house. As soon as Varadayya saw Jayapaludu, he said 'Look what the robbers have done! Not just my valuables, but they have also taken things which others have pawned with me. Now, how should I respond to people who want to redeem their things? I am not able to find the sword that you had pledged with me!'

Jayapaludu affected extreme anger at this 'Varadayya, I had told you then itself how valuable that sword was for me. It is our family heirloom! If the sword is lost, I will lose my family honour!! If I have to remake such a silver sword, it will cost me at least twenty thousand rupees now!'

'Here, take this ten thousand rupees now and get my sword back. If you do not honour our contract, I will send you to jail!', he threatened.

Varadayya took those ten thousand rupees and went inside and pretended to look for some time. He then came out and coolly said, 'Thank God! I found your sword. I had kept this near my bed and hence the robbers did not take this. With the amount you have given and me returning the sword, our contract is now closed!'

Jayapaludu went back a sadder but wiser man that day. He realized that his scheme to dupe Varadayya did not work and that there were people smarter than him in the world who could pay him back in the same coin!

Who should wed the girl?

Once upon a time, there lived a prosperous couple in a village. Their only child was a daughter who they raised with a lot of care and love. Over time, the girl grew up to be an affectionate and lovely maiden liked by all.

Now, the girl's mother wanted to get her married. She had three brothers who all wanted to marry the girl themselves and this put the mother in a quandary - if she picks one brother over the others, the other two would get disappointed and even angry.

How to decide who should wed the girl?

So, she devised a test. She gave each of them a hundred rupees and said, 'Go wherever you want and do whatever you want with this money. At the end of three months, whoever earns the most using this money will wed my daughter'

The three brothers accepted this challenge and set off. They travelled far and wide across the country and finally reached Mysore. It was their first time in a big city like Mysore - they were amazed at all the big shops and the magnificent items on display.  After going through many lanes, they entered a shop where they found a magical mirror in which one could see any part of the world. The eldest brother used his hundred rupees to purchase this mirror.

In another shop, they found a very special swing which took you to any place you desire at the speed of thought! The middle brother bought this with his hundred rupees.

Then they came across a shop selling unique dolls which could bring dead people to life! The youngest brother bought a doll with his hundred rupees.

By this time, the three brothers were very hungry and sat down to eat. They washed up and opened their packets of food when suddenly the eldest brother wanted to see what was happening in their village. So, he pulled out the mirror and asked the mirror to show his village.

The brothers were shocked with what they saw. The girl they were wanting to marry was dead and was being taken to the burial ground! The anguished brothers quickly closed their packets of food and using the swing the middle brother bought immediately reached their village. The youngest brother then used his doll to get the girl to life!

Now - you decide. Who should wed the girl?

Why should an assistant be paid less?

Once upon a time, there was a king who ruled a small country south of the Vindhyas. Among the people close to him were his prime minister and his faithful assistant. The King relied on the prime minister and the assistant for a number of things on a day to day basis.

The assistant had a monthly salary of eighteen rupees while the prime minister's salary was much higher. Whereas the assistant moved around and worked hard all the time to get things done, the prime minister sat at one place and just passed orders all day.

Now, the assistant started to feel that this was not right and that he should be paid as much as the prime minister. So, one fine day, the assistant gathered enough courage to ask the King  'Sir, I carry everything you need and work hard for you all day. Your prime minister has such an easy job of sitting in one place and issuing commands and yet my pay is so much lower than the prime minister. Why this discrimination?'

'Your work is back breaking. The prime minister's job is seemingly easy. However, the prime minister has to be paid more', replied the King. 'Even though your work is tiring, you are not being underpaid. However, since you are discomfited, I will increase your salary by another four rupees', granted the King.

The assistant was silent, but he was not convinced. Why should the prime minister be paid so much higher??

A few days later, the King went on a hunting expedition to a forest and the prime minister the assistant accompanied him. They spent a lot of time in the forest and went deep inside when they came across a stream. They washed up in the  stream and the King then rested in the shade of a nearby tree.

After some time, they saw a group of people on the other side of the stream. The King was curious to know who those people were, so he commanded the assistant - 'Go and find out who those people are'

The assistant crossed the stream and spoke to the group of people and came back and reported to the King, 'Sir, they are theater artists'

'Where are they from?' asked the King

'I had not asked them that Sir. I will go over just now and find that out', said the assistant

'They are from a village near Srisailam', said the assistant once he came back

'Is that so', said the King. 'How long are they here for?'

The assistant did not know the answer for that question. He crossed the stream once again and came back with the news that there will be here for a week.

'Will they come to our kingdom?'

The assistant crossed the stream yet again to find out and came back to say 'If your majesty wishes them to come, they would be glad to come to our kingdom'

'Ok. What kind of plays will they perform? How much money do they want to perform? What arrangements do they need to come and perform in our kingdom?' The assistant kept crossing the stream to get answers to all these questions and got very tired after some time. However, inspite of this, the King did not get all the information that he needed!

The King then called the prime minister who had just returned from a short scouting expedition and told him - 'There are a few people camping on the other side of the stream. Please go and find out who they are why they are here'

The prime minister went accordingly and crossed the stream. He spoke to that group of people for a few minutes and came back with this report

'Sir, this group is from Srisailam. They are a theater group of twelve people including men and women. They are in this camp for a week and are planning to go to the next village after that. I have invited them to come over to our kingdom to perform. They are quite interested in performing the 'Dashavataram' play. If we provide them with a place to stay and take care of their food, they are willing to settle down in our kingdom for ever. If you so wish, they are eager to meet with you right now!'

The King did not need any more information than what the prime minister obtained. He called his assistant and admonished him, 'Look - You made ten to twelve trips and still did not get the information I needed. The prime minister made one trip and got all the information I need and more. That is why he is paid more. That is why you are paid less. Do you understand?'

The assistant was now convinced with what the King told him.

Introduction

Janapada stories are folk tales which carry practical wisdom in them. These used to be passed on from generation to generation by word of mouth - primarily in the form of grand parents and other elderly family members telling these stories to children.

The people who thought of these stories were not intellectuals who sat down consciously to write them down. They were people who felt the magic of the world around them, experienced all its trials and tribulations and were eager to pass that wisdom on to future generations. These stories are timeless and showcase human foibles and endurance. They are bite sized  experiences which everyone can relate to!

While we would not necessarily agree to the rules driving behaviors in the Janapada stories, it is not difficult to relate to them and feel them! In these stories animals talk and birds take on the role of helpers. Wild animals like lions help out and even harmful creatures likes snakes and scorpions can be friendly. A flying baby, a lover walking on water, a stomach which never is filled despite all the food that is eaten, a never filling pot of gold, a hand on the head which makes one prosperous, a writing on the tongue which brings life time of intelligence - all these are common happenings in the Janapada stories. A princess  seven malle flowers tall, a sweetheart  who showers honey when she talks and a girl whose  eyes are look moonshine are all characters of these stories. We also have quirky characters like a singing stone, a hardship causing beard  and a laughing mound to liven it up!

The stories could be humorous, the stories could be sad, the stories could be preachy - irrespective of what type of story it is, each story gives a deep insight into human nature and will leave us wondrous and thinking! 

What you see in this blog is a translation of some Janapada stories I found in Telugu. Any commissions and omissions in translation are my own!

References:

1. Uttara Karnataka Janapada Kadhalu - Simpi Linganna 
2. Janapada gadhalu - M D. Soujanya
3. Sanskruta Mahabharatamulo Janapada Kathalu - Acharya M. Jayadev