Sama and Shyamu / सामा आ श्यामू

March 2, 2017: Session 4
Maithili Folklore Story 17_03_02_04

Documented by Coralynn V. Davis and Carlos Gomez
Transcription by Nidhi Anand and Translation by Neeraj Kumar
Translation edits by Coralynn V. Davis

Teller: Arhulia Devi
Location: Patwara, Rajanagar
Date: 03/02/17

View the transcription in Maithili.

सामा रहथिन कृष्णा भगवानकेँ बेटी। सामा आ श्यामू दुनू भाई बहिन रहथिन। भाय के नाम रहैन श्यामू आ हुनकर सामा। 

Sama was the daughter of Lord Krishna. Sama and Shyamu were sister and brother. The brother’s name was Shyamu and hers was Sama. 

तो हुनका बियाह भेलय सामा के चारुकर्ण नाम रहय तकरा लोक गबय छै चकेवा। हुनकर चारुकर्ण नाम रहय । चारुकर्ण से बियाह भेल। 

So, she, Sama, was married to Charukarn (for whom people use the name “Chakeva” when singing). His name was Charukarn. She was married to Charukarn.

भाई के बड मानैत रहय सामा। ताहि दुआरे भाई बहिन के लोग… बड मानैत रहय ने तऽ रोज सामा भाई के  स्कूल दऽ आबै आ स्कूलसँ छुट्टी बेरमे फेर ठार रहय आनि ले। भाई के पहिले स्कूल कऽ दऽ आबै तब जै गिरिजा पूजा करय लै। 

Sama loved her brother a lot. That is why people, brothers and sisters… She loved him a lot. Every day she would take him to school and return, and would stand there again at school closure time to pick him up.  First she would drop him at school and then she would go to worship Goddess Girija. 

गिरिजा पूजा जे करऽ जै तऽ गिरिजा मंदिरमे से एकटा बबाजी रहथिन। तऽ ओइ जां बड़ी खाने पूजा कऽ कऽ चलि आबय।

When she went to worship Girija, there was a holy man at the Girija temple. She would worship there for a long period of time and then would come back.

तऽ एकटा चूरक नाम के हँ चुगला। ओकरा नाम रहय चूरक। चुगला चुगला एना लोग कहय छै। चुगली केलकय तऽ चुगले भऽ गेलय। चूरक नाम के रहय से ऊ कि नै सब दिन जाय तऽ तकैत रहय जे ई एते खाने मंदिरमे से किया आबय यै।

There was a Chugla there, named Churak. His name was Churak. People would usually say Chugla, Chugla. As he engaged in gossip, he was given the name Chugla. That guy Churak, called Chugla, would go there everyday, so he could see why she stayed at the temple for so long. 

एक दिन एकरा कि मोन फुरेलय कि नै। राजा के सभा लागल रहैन कृष्ण भगवान के तई सभामे जा कऽ ई चूरका आ कहलकय कि जे सरकार अपने के जे बेटी छैन सामा से ओइ मंदिरमे बबाजी संगहि गलत व्यवहार करैत छथि। 

One day it occurred to Churak to go to the king’s court, the court of Lord Krishna, and there he said, “Lord, Sama, your daughter behaves badly with the holy man there in that temple.”  

भगवान जे सुनलखिन कि नै ओते लोकमे कहलकैन, गबय नै छै जे दरमे दरबारमे नै कहय छै। तहि जां चुगला चुगलपन करय नै कहय छै।

God heard that, said among so many people (you know, as they sing, ‘at the doorstep, in the court…’), there Chugla engages in his act of gossipping about everybody’s business. (It is said, no?)

तऽ ऊ कहलकय कि जे अहाँकेँ बेटी गलत। राजा सोचऽ नै लगलखिन आ श्राप दऽ देलखिन जे जो गे सामा तू सकल पंछी भऽ जो। तऽ ऊ श्राप भऽ गेलय तऽ आब तऽ ओ सकल पंछी…आ जते रहय गामक लोग फलना चिलना से सब सामा लै कनए। सब कनए जे कियैक श्राप दऽ देलकय।  एते सुन्दर छलय एहन सती छलय एना कियैक केलकय।

So, he said, “Your daughter is wrong.” Without stopping to think, the king cursed her, “Hey, go and be a bird!” And so that curse came to pass, and now she would have to be a bird…. And all the villagers were crying for Sama. All lamented as to why she had been cursed. “So beautiful was she, so chaste; why did he do such a thing?”

सामाकेँ बर सुनलक जे हमर कनियाँ पक्षी भऽ जैत ओहो कानै। आ सामा के कोनो पते नै। सामा जे पूजा कऽ कऽ ई आयल तऽ एतय तऽ पंछी के रहय अथि ओ श्राप दऽ देने बाप। माय ओ कनैत रहय। सब कनैत रहय। 

When Sama’s husband heard that she would be turned into a bird, he also cried. And Sama was unaware of all this. When Sama returned home from her worship, she was unaware that she had been cursed by her father to be a bird. Her mother was also crying. Everybody was crying.

तऽ कहलकय कियै लोक सब कनय है कि भेलय यै। 

Then she inquired, “What has happened? Why is everybody crying?” 

आ तऽ अहीं के श्राप देलनि हऽ अहाँकेँ बाबूजी।

“Your father has cursed you.”

कथी लै?

“What for?”

आ तऽ ऊ चुगला जे छै से अहाँ दऽ गलत गलत  बात अहाँ बाबूजी के  सभा में जा कऽ कहलैन हऽ। तहि दुआरे श्राप दऽ देला। अहाँ तऽ सकल पंछी बनि जेबय, उड़ि जेबय। बारह बरिस पंछीए रहबय से कहलनि अहाँकेँ बाबूजी।

“That Chugla has said some false things about you in the court of your father. That is why he has cursed you. You will be a bird now and will fly. You will remain a bird for 12 years; that is what your father has declared.”

तऽ भाई के लाबय लै नै गेल। ई तऽ ऐनिहेमे लागि गेल विरहमे।

So she didn’t go to pick her brother up. She remained in mourning here.

तऽ भाई आ कहय जे आन दिना बहिन अबय छला आइ नै अबय छला। सोचिते सोचिते आयल तऽ भाईयो सुनलक। लोक सभ के बड तामस लहरलय जे ई एते चिक्कैन छै आ तकरा कहय छै खराब बात। 

Then the brother said, “Sister would normally come to get me, but she hasn’t come today.” He kept thinking this on his way home, and then heard what had happened. People got very angry that despite the fact that she was actually so pure, he had told falsehoods about her.

मानि ले अपने दुनू गोरा रहल छियय ऑफिसमे आ के केहन कैरेक्टर के छै, सबके तऽ सब जानैत छियय आ ओकरा जे कोई फेकतय  कोनो बात तऽ कते खराब बात भेलय। तऽ लोक सब बड लोक सब सामा लै कनय। 

Just imagine that we two are sitting here in the office, and we all know about one another’s character. And then if somebody were to throw aspersions about her, how bad that would be. So, then people, all the important people, cried for Sama.

एलय बाबूजी लग सामा गेल। कहलकय बाबूजी अपने तऽ अन्तर्यामी छियय ध्यानमे देखि लियौ सामा के सौत कतौ भंगठल छै। हमरा देलियय अहाँके आज्ञा हम पूरा करबय। 

Sama came to her father. She said, “Father, you are omniscient. See in your conscious mind if Sama’s purity has been tainted. You have cursed me; now I will obey your order.”  

तऽ ओ देखलनि तऽ ठीके कतौ किछु नै। सामा एकदम पवित्र। आब तऽ दऽ देने रहैन। ओ कहलखिन जे नै हम सकल पंछी, तऽ कहलखिन बारह बरिस तू जा। आब तऽ दऽ देलियय तऽ बारह बरिस फेर तू यैह देहमे भऽ जेबह। तऽ बारह बरिस तऽ आब कानय ओइ मंदिरमे जा कऽ भाई। बर सुनलकय तऽ बर कनय। तब कहलकय जे तू दुनू गोरा से ऊ मंदिरमे जा कऽ…

Then he saw that indeed there was no such thing. Sama was totally pure. But he had already given the curse. She said, “No, now I am a bird.’ Then he said, “Go for 12 years. Now since I have given you the 12 years, after that you will again be back in this body. The brother went to the temple and cried when he heard about the 12 years. The husband heard about it, and then he also cried. Then he said, “You two go to the temple and…”   

आब ई सब बौआएल फिरे, तकने फिरे जे हमर सामा कतऽ गेल। कहलकय नै ऊ कतऽ भेटतौ। बौआ को तऽ मरि हरि जेतय। 

And so they would wander, looking for her, “Where has our Sama gone?” He said, “Where could you possibly find her? She must have died somewhere.”

कहलकय कि जे अहाँ मंदिरमे से भगवान के पूजा करियौ। आ बारह बरिस पूजा करबय तो अहाँकेँ भेट जैत। भाय के कहलकय आ बर के। 

“Worship God in the temple for 12 years. “And, when your 12 years of worship is complete, you will find her,” he told her brother and her husband.

तो ऊ चारुकर्ण आ श्यामू दुनू सारे बहनोई मिल कऽ से पूजा मंदिर पर बारह बरिस केलखिन। तकर बाद  सामा के ऊ श्रापसँ छूटलय तब सामा एलखिन। तऽ ओ सामा एलखिन तो भेंट भेलय। 

तऽ दुनू भाय के आ बहिन के सब दिन अनोप होइत रहि गेलय आ जेते आइ माइ रहय तऽ ओतयसँ भाई कहय लगलय चलय लै। तऽ सामा कहलकय हम नै जैब। 

Then, Charukarn and Shyamu, he and his brother-in-law both worshiped God at the temple for 12 years. After that, Sama was released from her curse and returned. When Sama arrived, they were reunited. Then all that usual brother-sister love and teasing kept on for days, and all the old ladies and mothers were there. When her brother asked her to come along to his home, Sama said, “I won’t go.” 

तऽ ओहि टिरा गीत सबमे नै हय, हमर दुरा देस अनिहऽ हे भैया मोटरियाके यार, अहि भाग बहिनि करुणमा कएने है ठाढ़। बहिन कनय छै नदीकेँ ओइ पार। अई पार भाई कनय छै।

You know all that tone in the songs, “O brother, bring backpacks and friends to my doorstep in my country. Over here your sister is waiting and eager.” The sister is crying on that side of the river, and her brother is crying on this side.

भाई कहय छै हमरा लग चल। बहिन कहलकय नै। बर संगहि चलि गेलखिन सामा। एते तक हमरा बूझल अछि। 

Her brother is requesting that she come along. The sister said no. Sama went along with her husband instead. I know just this much.