The Bull and the Cow – गाय-बरद

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

Teller: Dhulari Devi
Location: Ranti
Date: 9/12/16

September 12, 2016: Session A4
Maithili Folklore 16_09_12_a_4

View the transcription in Maithili.

हमर सबक माय एकटा खिस्सा कहै छलैयऽ जे…हमर…हमर सबके माए एकटा खिस्सा कहै छलैयऽ जे…एकटा, मने, एकटा गरीब-दुखिया रहै ।

Our mother used to tell a story that…our…our mother used to tell a story that…there was a poor and wretched person.

अ तऽ गरीब दुखिया रहै तऽ गाए पोसलक, गाए और बरद, जे, “गाए के पोसब अ बरद के हॅर-फाड़ में जोतब ।”

And since he was poor and wretched, he raised a cow — a cow and an ox. He thought, “I will raise a cow, and I will use the ox for farming and ploughing.

हॅर जोतब, खेती-बाड़ी करब ।”

I will plough with ox, and I will farm.”

तऽ एक दिन की भेलै, त हॅर जोतै गेल, बरद के लॅ कॅ, तऽ बरद – नै बदमासी करॅ लागेछे हॅर जोतै काल में – तऽ ओकरा बड्ड माएर मारलके, बरद के, बड्ड मारलके ।

Then, one day, what happened was that he went to plough the field, taking his ox with him. Sometimes, isn’t it the case that oxen turn unruly while ploughing the field? Now the ox was unruly, so, he beat up the ox very badly, he beat the ox black and blue.

फेर ओहिना दू-चाएर दिन, दस दिन, दू-महिना, चाएर-महिना जोतलक हॅर-फाड़ ।

Again, as before, he continued to plough the field for two or three days, ten days, two months, four months. 

एक दिन की भेलै, तऽ दूध चढ़ल रहै ।

One day what happened was that the milk was kept on the fireplace.

दूध जे चढ़ल रहै चूल्हा पर, तऽ उ कुत्ता दूध के छू देलकै । 

While the milk was kept on the fireplace, then that dog touched the milk. 

कुत्ता दूध के जे छू देलके, तऽ गाए देखैत रहै, जे दूध के जे कुत्ता छू देलकेयऽ ।

When the dog touched the milk, the cow was watching. She saw that the dog had touched it.

“इ त हमर…बच्चे सब पीयत ।”

She thought, “Now our children…all our children will drink it.”

गाए-बरद पति-पत्नी रहै ।

The cow and ox were the husband and wife.

“बच्चे सब छूअत ।” 

“Our children will touch it.” 

तखन गाए की केलक, डोरी-तोड़ी तोएर कऽ, दूध के ओंघरा देलॅक…जे कि दूध के ओंघरा देलॅक, “कुत्ता छोड़ केना हमरा बच्चा सब खाएत ।”

Then what the cow did was that she ripped asunder her rope and chains, and she knocked the milk pot on the floor, thinking “How could I let my children consume the milk touched by a dog?”

तऽ ओखने बढ़नी लै कॅ मारके गाए कॅ । 

As soon the milkpot toppled, she beat the cow with a cane.

हुन्कर पुतोहु जे रहथिन, से बढ़नी लै कॅ मारल्खिन । 

She, who was their daughter-in-law, beat the cow with a cane.

एक दिन की भेलै, तऽ फेर जोएत्त के एलैथ, बेटा हुन्कर बरद के । 

What happened one day was that he came back after ploughing the field with the ox. 

राएत में सब खाए-पी के नै सूइत रहैयऽ ?

Isn’t it so that everyone become sleepy after eating-and-drinking in the night? 

तऽ दुन्नू बरद आ गाए बतियायै छलै जे कि, “हैय, एकटा बात कहूँ ?”

Then the ox and cow started speaking with each other. He said “Hey, can I tell you something?”

तऽ, “कहूँ, की कहैछी ?”

To which she replied, “Tell me, what’s the matter?”

तऽ, “हमरा नऽ आए बउआ बड्ड माएर मारलक यऽ ।”

Then he said, “Today, you know, my dear child beat me mercilessly.”

“किया मारलक यऽ ?”

“Why did he beat you?”

तऽ, “यँए हॅर जोतैय काल में कनि एम्हर आम्हर पैर भौ जाय्यअ नै, से बड्ड माएर मारलक्यऽ ।”

Then he explained, “Well, while ploughing the field, as you know, sometimes our legs begin to step unevenly here and there, on account of that he beat me up really badly.

तऽ, “से आहाँ कहैछीयै । आए तऽ हमरो कनिया से बाढ़ैन लॅ कॅ मारलेथ्यऽ ।”

Then she replied, “So, that’s what you wanted to share. Today I too was beaten up by our daughter-in-law, she hit me with a cane.”

“कीया ?”

“Why?”

तऽ, “दूध नै चूल्हा पर छलैयऽ, तऽ दूध पी लेलके कुत्ता , तऽ हम कहलिये, ‘बच्चा कोना पीयत ?’ तऽ…ओंघरा देल्यै जा कॅ हम । तऽ कनिया हमरा पूतोह बढ़नी लॅ कॅ माएरलॅक ।”

Then she explained, “The milk, you see, was on the stove, and the dog drank some of the milk. Then I said, ‘Now how will our children drink it?’ So…I went there, and I knocked the milkpot to the floor. Then our maid — our daughter-in-law — beat me up with a cane.”

तऽ से हुन्कर बेटा जे रहथिन, से मालक घर में मचान बएन कॅ पहिले लोग सुतै छलै । 

So, their son who was there, he used to sleep on the loft in the cow-barn. He would sleep there in the same way that people in earlier times did. 

तऽ मचान पर सूतल रहथिन । 

Thus, he was lying on the loft. 

कहथिन कि, “जा, इ त बरद अ गाए, से बतियाएछै । 

He said to himself, “Oh no, this ox and cow, they are talking together.

एकर मतलब हमर माय-बाप छी ।

It means they are my parents.

लोग कहैछे जे, ‘कोनो चीज में जन्म लैछे, कोन चीज में जन्म लैछे – मनुख में लैछे, कि गाए में लैछे,’ – कहैछे लोग ।

People say, ‘everyone is reborn as something, everyone is reborn as something — some are reborn as humans; some are reborn as cows,’ That’s what people say. 

से सच में, जे इ हमर माए-बाप छी । 

This is really true that these are my parents. 

उ भएर रात माय-बाप के सबटा बाएत सुइन लेलैथ…उ…तकर बाद भिन्सर जे भेलै, तऽ कनिया के कहैछे ते, “हेगै, सून ।” ओहिना कहे छलै पहलै, “आ गै, सुन, एम्हर आ ।”

He spent all night listening to everything their mother-and-father talked about…he…And later, when morning care, then he spoke to his wife, “Oh hey you, listen.” This is how they used to talk in old times. He said, “Hey you, listen, come here.”

“हैय्य, की भेलऽ हऽ, हैय्य की भेलऽ ?”

“Oh my, what’s happened? Oh dear, what’s happening?” 

“गै, एना एना जे गाए−बरद बतियाय छलैयऽ ।”

“Hey you, the cow and the ox were talking about such and such.” 

कहल्के, “धउर जाऽ । ओए गाए बरद के नाम लैछॅ, जा, जल्दी से हॅर जोतॅगऽ ।”

She replied, “Go away! Instead of evoking the names of that cow and ox, be gone, go quickly and plough the field.”

कहल्के, “आब हम, आब हम बरद के जोतब हॅर, उ तऽ हमर बाप छी, उ हमर माय छी ।

He said, “Now I, now I will not plough with that ox. That ox is my father. That cow is my mother.”

आय दिन से जे तु इ बरद के, अ गाए के मारबै, तऽ हम तोरा नै रहै देबौ घर में, हम माय-बाप छी हमर उ । 

From today onwards, if you ever hit the ox, if you ever beat the cow, then I will not let you stay in this house. They are my parents.

ओकरै सेबा हम करब, आ हमर हॅर नै जोतब ।” 

Now I will offer my services to them, and I will not use them to plough. 

तऽ की केलॅक, ओय दिन सॅ गाए के अ उ बरद के सेवा करै लागल । 

Then what he did was that, from this day onwards, he began taking good care of that cow and ox. 

तऽ ओकरा ओइठाँ में धन बड्ड भो गेलै ।

And, therefore, his house was filled with wealth. 

सब सुखी सम्पन्न भो गेल । 

They all became wealthy and prosperous.

आ, तै द्वारै के अक्सर आहाँ गाए माए एके होयेछै । तै द्वारे गाए के लोक माँ…गाए जे बॅजायेछे, तऽ बुझायछै माँ कहैछे…कॅहैछे नऽ ?

And, that is why, you know, it is usually held that cow and mother are one. That is why, a cow is called “Mã” in this world. When a cow speaks, it seems that it is speaking “Mã”. Isn’t it so? 

से खिस्सा हमर माय कहने छलै । 

This story was told by my mother. 

से उ बहुत धनिक भौ गेल । अ गाए बरद जे मरले, तऽ जेना मनुख के सराध करैयऽ, तेना माय-बाप के उ सराध केलक । उ आदमी । अ ओय स उ सुखी सम्पन्न भो गेल । 

So, he became very rich. And when the cow and ox passed away, then — just as one performs the funeral rites of humans — he performed the funeral rites of his mother and father. That man performed these rituals. And, because of his service, he became prosperous and wealthy.

हमर सबक माय इ खिस्सा कहने छलै । 

This story was told by my mother. 

अ गरीब सॅ धनिक कोना होएछे ? 

So, how does a poor person become rich? 

दिन केना पलटैछे ? 

How do times change?

से ओकरा भौ गेलै । 

This is how it happened to them. 

से खिस्सा हमर माय कहने छै, उ बरद-गाए के । 

This story was told by mother, this was the story of the cow-and-ox. 

तऽ हॅम नै, पेन्टिंग बनैबे, ओय पर । हम सोचलिये…बहुत दिन से सोचे छीयै । 

So, I, you see, want to make a painting based on this story. I thought about this…I have been planning to do this for a very long time.

[…पेन्टिंग बनैने छथिन ।…] 

[…she has already made this painting]

नै बनैल्यै अख्नी, गाए के, उ के, नै बनेल्यै । 

No, I have not yet made it, I haven’t painted one about the cow, about it.

आब हम सोचैछीयै जे ओय पर हम मधुबनी पेन्टिंग बनाबी ।

Nowdays I am thinking that I should make a Madhubanī painting about this story. 

एक, बच्चो सब बुझतै, अ इ बात हम बच्चो सॅबके कहैछीयै । 

First, our children will understand, and I tell this to the children as well.