Adventures of a Brave Dwarf / भैरबितना

Documented by Coralynn V. Davis
Transcription and Translation by Pranav Prakash

Teller: Preeti Kumari
Location: Mithila Art Institute, Madhubani
Date: 9/8/16

September 8, 2016: Session A1
Maithili Folklore 16_09_08_a_1

View the transcription in Maithili.

एकटा…अ…एकटा…औरत रहे सेऽ…खीरा के पेड़ रोपने रहे, बुझलिये, त एकटा औरत चुरा कऽ ओकरा खा लेल…खा लेलक ।

There was a…a…woman. She..she had planted a cucumber plant, you know. Then, another woman stole her cucumber and ate…ate it. 

त कहलखिन, उ ओरत – जे खीरा रोपने रहे – सेऽ जे हमर खीरा खेले होएत, ओकरा डेढ़बितना पुत्र होएत । त उ औरत कुछ दिन बाद…

Then, she, who had planted cucumber, said, “Whoever ate my cucumber, she will give birth to a deḍhabitnā (one and a half hand-span long dwarf) child.” That woman, after few days…

…ओकरा की भेल ?
…पुत्र हेते, मतलब, बेटा हेते ।

…What did she have?
…A son, that is, she will have a son.

…डेढ़बितना…डेढ़बितना बेटा हैत । तऽब…उ…बड़ा…इसके बाद उ औरत जे खीरा खेलॅ, से कुछ दिन बाद गर्भबती भेल, ओकर डेढ़बितना बेटा भेल । 

…a deḍhabitnā…a deḍhabitnā son. Then…she…afterwards that woman who had eaten the cucumber, she became pregnant, and she had a deḍhabitnā child. 

आब डेढ़बितना बेटा त रहै, औकरा बड दुख रहै । ओकर बाप नऽ खेत में काम करत रहै, उ गोबरपाथी के, किसानी करत रहै । त डेढ़बितना गेल खाना लॅ कॅ । खाना लॅ कॅ जे गेल, तऽ बैल नऽ लैट्रीन कॅ देलक । 

Now that she had a deḍhabitnā son, she was very sad. His worked on a farm, he made dung cakes, and he worked in the fields. So, Deḍhabitnā brought lunch for his father. He brought food for him. As soon as he reached the farm with his food, the ox began defecating. 

त…उ…त…उ…ओकर बाप कहलखिन कि “डेढ़बितना, तू तब तक हॅर जोत, हम नऽ खाना खा कऽ…खा कऽ…कनि देर आराम कॅ क, घर से आबैछी । 

Then…he…then…he…his father said to him, “Deḍhabitnā, you plough the field, while I eat my lunch….After eating my lunch…I will rest for a while at our home, and later return to the field.”

तऽ बैल तब तक देलक…लैट्रीन क…निर्बित नऽ होएत, ओहे तर में झपा गेल । अ ओकर बैल सब भैग गेल । 

Meanwhile, the ox that was defecating…its dung…was still excreting, and Deḍhabitnā sank in its dung. All of his oxen broke loose and ran away. 

राजा के पूरा…अथि…गाछि बिरिछ रहै, सबटा खा गेल, और पूरा गाय-तायऽ…ओ…पूरा भूस्सा-तुस्सा सबकुछ छिटलक, दुन्नू बैल गेल भाग । 

They plundered everything…that is…they ate all the plants and trees owned by the king. They ate everything, and they pillaged the royal stock of hay and other supplies. The two oxen had run away. 

आब एकटा गोरोर बिछनी आएल । तऽ…उ…गोबर उठैलक – जे बैल लैट्रीन कॅ देने रहै – तऽ, ओ में से डेढ़बितना बुलतल निकलल । 

Now a women came to collect the dung from their farmland. As…she…picked the dung – that which their ox had excreted – Deḍhabitnā walked out of it. 

तऽ…तऽ…डेढ़बितना के कहलखिन – “डेढ़बितना रे, तू अत्तय छिही, तोहरा बाप के पकड़ कॅ लो गेलौ औ मेह कॅ पकड़ कॅ लो गेलो हॅ, अ उ तोहर बैल सब राजा के सब कुछ बिगाड़ देलको ह । 

Then…then…she said to Deḍhabitnā, “O Deḍhbitnā, you are stuck here, and they have taken your father and cattle away, and your oxen have badly ruined the property of the king.” 

माए-बाप औ तोहर जत्तैक हड़जोतबा, अ तोहर दुनु बैलो क बाँध कॅ राख लेलको । 

“They have taken your mother and father and all of your ploughshares, as well as your two oxen, and they have tied them together.” 

त डेढ़बितना बड गैल घबरा, जाएत जाएत आब उ कि करत ? देखलक, ने बैल रहॅ, ने बाप रहॅ, सब बेचारा उ अकेले पड़ गैल । 

This very much worried Deḍhbitnā, and as he continued to walk on the street, he wondered what he should do now. When he looked around, there were no oxen, nor could he find his father at home, he was left alone and helpless.

जाएत रह रस्ता में, त रस्ता में ओकरा लाठी भेटायेल, त लाठी कहलक – कत्तै जाएछी, भाय डेढ़बितना, एत्ते दौड़ल दौड़ल ?” 

As he strolled down a path, he came across a stick who said to him, “Where are you headed, O brother Deḍhabitnā, why are you rushing along the street?” 

त – “देखी न, हमर बाप क पकड़…” कहलके – “चल, हमहु तोड़ा संग देबौ ।” 

He replied, “See what they have done, they have caught my father…” It said, “Let’s go. I will come along with you.”

त रास्ता में पानी भेटायेल, त पानी-यो कहैछे – “से तु कतै जाएछी, डेढ़बितना भाइ ?” त कहलखिन कि – “से देखयो नऽ, से हमरा नऽ, माए-बाप क पकड़ क लॅल…।” त कहलके – “चल, ठीक छै, हमहु तोरा संग दै छियो ।” 

Then he met water on the way, and it too asked him, “Hey, where are going, O Deḍhabitnā brother?” He replied, “See what they have done to me, they have caught my mother and father…” It responded, “O, I see, let’s go. Let me come along with you!”

बिरनी भेटाएल, त बिरनी-यो कहलक – “चल, हमउ तोरा संग देबौ । से तोरा, केना तोहर बाप क पकड़ कॅ लौ गेलो ।” 

He came across a wasp on the street, and the wasp too said, “Let’s go. I too will accompany you. How could they have gotten hold of your parents and lashed them together?”

तब ऊ कि करते, बेचारा, अपन गेल राजा लग । त उ राजा के कहलखिन से “हमर बाप माय के छोड़ दे ।” 

Then what could he possibly do, that helpless wretch, he went to meet the king. He spoke to the king, “Please release my parents.”

कहलके – “रे डेढ़बितना, तोहर बा…बैल जे जे केलको हॅ, तेकर भरपाई कर, तहन तोहर बाप क छोड़ देबो ।” त कहलखिन – “आब हम केना ?” 
“से, ने छोड़बो तोहर बाप कॅ ।
तू की करबै – कर लै ।”

The king replied, “Hey Deḍhabitnā, whatever damage your ox…oxen has caused to my property, repay them, only then I will free your father.”
Deḍhabitnā objected, “How can I possibly repay that?” 
The king replied, “Well, then, I will not free your father. What will you do…do whatever you can.”

त लाठी से सबके डंगेलक । बेचारा राजा गेल हरैत । त फेर, पानी से पूरा में…पूरा पानी अथि भौ गेल, त ओकरा पूरा में बाढ़ एब गैल । 

Then the stick gave the king a good beating. The poor king was helpless. Afterward, the water flooded…flooded the residence of the king, and there was water everywhere.  

अ राजा के एकटा बेटी-यो रेहै । और पूरा बिरनी से कटबा देलक राजा के । 

And the king had a daughter. And the wasp stung the king badly. 

राजा…पूरा…ओकर होश…कहलके – “डेढ़बितना, तोरा गोड़ लागे छियो, हमरा छोड़ दॅ ।” 

The king, completely baffled, said to him, “O Deḍhabitnā, I am at your feet, I earnestly beg you to leave me.” 

त कहलके – “ठीक छै, तोरा छोड़ देबौ, पहले हमर बैल के छोड़, हमर बाप के छोड़ ।”

To which he responded, “Okay, I will free you, but first free my oxen and my father.”  

त बै…ओ…राजा ओकरा पूरा धन-सम्पत्ति सब कुछ देलक, अपन बेटी से शादी करैलक, अर हाथी पर…ओ…हाथी, जे रहै ओकरा, तै पर उ बैठ कॅ, ओ…उ अपना घर आबेत रहै । त रस्ता में, सब ओकर मम्मी कॅ जै कॅ कहलक – “हे, अहाँ कॅ बेटा, डेढ़बितना नऽ, शादी कॅ लेलक हँ, से राजा के बेटी से ।”  

Afterward…then…the king gave him all of his wealth, and he arranged for his daughter to marry Deḍhabitnā. And he had Deḍhabitnā sit on his elephant so that he, the groom, might ride back to his home. While Deḍhabitnā was headed for his home, others went to his mother and told her, “Hey, your son, Deḍhabitnā, has gotten married, he has married the king’s daughter.”

त ऊक्कर माय, की कहलके लड़की सब कॅ, “हैय, तू सब, छोड़ी सब, कि बाजै छँ, भाग यहाँ से, हमर डेढ़बितना से के बियाह करतै ? चेल जो एत्तै सॅ, एना हमरा से ने मजाक कर । तय्यो, सब ओकरा चिड़काबे – “नै, तू झूठ बाजे छै, से…अ…एना ने भौ सकेय ।” 

Then his mother – what did she say to the girls was, “Shame on you all, you girls! What are you saying? Go away from here! Who would marry my one-and-a-half hand-span long son? Leave me alone. Don’t play this prank with me.” Still, everyone kept on teasing her, she retorted, “No, you all are lying, this…is…this is not possible.” 

त ठीकै ऊहै बात सत्य भेल, घर गेल, डेढ़बितना राजा के बेटी से शादी केलक । राजा के सब धन सम्पत्ति…उ…डेढ़बितना के भेल । और राजा के राज पाठ, सब डेढ़बितना के भौ गेल ।

But their account was indeed true. He returned home, Deḍhabitnā had married the king’s daughter. The king had given all of his property to Deḍhabitnā. And he even ascended the king’s throne; everything now belonged to Deḍhabitnā. 

What percent did you understand?
I understood about thirty percent of that…

…अ…इ किस्सा अहां के की सिक…सिखाबै…अ…शिक्षा दैय ? 

…This…this story…what do you learn from this story…what does it teach you?

…इ शिक्षा भेटल कि कोय छोट बड़ से…कोय अथि….ने भो जायेछे, मतलब कमजोर ने रहेछे, हौसला रहबाक चाही, हिम्मत रहबाक चाही, बहुत आगे जा सकेय । मतलब ओकरा शकल, सूरत, हाइट, बोडी, इ सब से हम इ न कह सकेछिये कि बहुत कमजोर छै,  या लापरवाह छै । 

…The moral of the story is that the worth of a person…is…is not determined by whether they are small or big. That is, no one is weak when they have courage and when they are brave. As long as one is courageous, one will flourish in life, they will rise high in life. Put differently, one’s face, appearance, height, body – these things do not tell us if that person is weak or careless. 

अगर हिम्मत हौसला रहै, तागत रहै, त उ कुछ भी कर सकैय इन्सान । दिमाग बशर्ते रहबाक चाही ।

As long as one is courageous, one is full of strength, they can do anything in the world. One should, however, be smart-minded.