The Friendship of the Cow Hansraj and Tiger Vanshraj / हंसराज आ वंशराज के खिस्सा/ गाय आ बाघ के दोस्ती

March 2, 2017: Session 9
Maithili Folklore Story 17_03_02_09

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.

हंसराज वंशराज से गेलय बोनमे। बोनमे एकटा गाय रहय आ एकटा बाघ रहय। तऽ दुनू रहय सहेली बहिना लगौने। तऽ दुनू  रहैत रहय बोनमे। ऊ अपन जानवर मारि मारि खाइत रहै, अपन ई घास भूसा चरैत रहै। दुनू सहेली रहय तऽ ओकरो भेलय बच्चा आ ओकरो भेलय बच्चा। 

Hansraj and Vanshraj went to a forest. There was a cow and a tiger in the forest. They were friend-sisters. Both lived in the forest. The tiger would kill animals to eat and the cow would graze. The two were friends, and each gave birth to a baby. 

एक दिन पानि पीबऽ जे गेलय से सब दिन गाय भट्ठामे पानि पीबए आ ओइ दिन गाय कि केलकय तऽ सीरेमे पानि पीयऽ लगलय। बाघ इम्हर पियैत रहय आ ओ ओम्हर पियैत रहय । 

One day, when they went to drink water – the cow would normally drink out of a kiln but that day what the cow did was to begin drinking from the dug-out hole in the ground. The tiger was drinking on this side and the tiger on that side. 

ओकरा मुँह के गाउज एलय एकरा मुँहमे। गाय के गाउज मुँहमे के चलि एलय दहा कऽ बाघ के मुँहमे। बाघ कहलकय जे एकर गाउज एते मीठ लगलय तऽ एकर मांस कते मीठ हेतय एकरा खा जेबय। बोनमे चरैत रहय ओकरा खाय के चोट केलकय।

The spittle from her mouth would pass to her mouth. The cow’s spittle got into the tigress’s mouth. The tigress wondered, “If the spittle from her mouth is so sweet, how delicious might her flesh taste? I will eat her.” She was grazing in the forest and she began attacking her.   

कहलकय हय बहिन आइ नै खा से काल्हि खना खा जहिऐं। हम बच्चा के दूध पीआ कऽ आबऽ दैह आ कही देबय जे हम नय जीअब। ओइ दिना नय खेलकय तऽ एलय कि ने तऽ बच्चा के  पीआ देलकय। ऊहो अप्पन बच्चा     के पीऔलक। तऽ कहलकय कि जे बौआ आइ पी लै काल्हिसँ तऽ माय नै भेटतौ।

The cow said, “Hey sister, please don’t eat me today, eat me tomorrow instead. Let me go and nurse my baby. I will tell my baby that I won’t live anymore.” The tiger didn’t eat her that day. She fed her baby. When the cow arrived, she told her baby, “Son, nurse today, for from tomorrow onward you won’t find your mother.”  

तऽ कियै माय? कियै खा जेतौ? 

“Why, mother? For what reason would she eat you?”

तऽ ई हमरा खा जेतय। तोरा दोस्त के जे माय छौ से हमरा खा जेतौ काल्हि। 

“She will eat me. Your friend’s mother will eat me tomorrow.”

तऽ एना एना हमरासँ गलती भऽ गेलय,खा जेतय आब। 

“Actually, I have committed a wrong, so she will eat me now.”

तऽ कहलकय एकटा कर माय भागल नै हेतौ भाग ने।

“Mother, please do one thing. Can’t you run away?”

कहलकय ई एकरासँ जीतबय हम जे भगबय। तू रहिअऽ कहुना। खा जैत काल्हि तऽ ओकरा कहलकय।

“Will I beat her, so that I can run away. You have to live here somehow. She will eat me tomorrow,” she told him.

मनुहैल बैठल रहय बच्चा। तऽ बच्चा कहलकय कि जे… हाँ,आइ चरय लै बोनमे गेलय फेर। फेर बोनमे ओकरा खाय लगलय। तऽ कहलकय, हे बहिना आइ भरि छोड़ि दै तू काल्हि तू खा लिहऽ। तऽ ई बाघक बच्चा आ ई जे खेलेलक तऽ खूब कूदय बोनमे आन दिना आ ई बछड़ा नै खेलाय। 

The child was sitting in sadness. Then the child said… Yes, again they went to graze in the forest. Again in the forest, the tigress approached with the aim of eating her. She said, “Sister, just for today, leave me be. Eat me tomorrow.” The cub who played there in the forest was jumping and enjoying playing there, but the calf was not. 

तऽ कहलकय, दोस्त से कियै नै खेलाय छी कि होइ छौ आइ? कहलकय तोहर माय हमरा माय के खा जैत दोस्त। तइ लै हमरा मोन। तऽ के कहलकौ तोरा? तऽ हमर माय कहलक से आइए खा गेल हैत आ कि आइ एबो  करत तऽ काल्हि तऽ खाऐ जेतौ तोहर माय। माय कहलक हमरा। कहलकय अच्छा हमर माय तोरा माय के खा जेतौ तऽ हमहूँ अपना माय के नय रहऽ देबै।हमहूँ नय रहऽ देबै।

So the cub asked the calf, “Hey, friend, what is wrong with you today, why aren’t playing?” He replied, “Friend, your mother is planning to eat my mother. That’s why I am in this mood.” The cub then asked him, “Who told you this?” The calf replied, “My mother told me. Perhaps she has been eaten by now; or, even if she comes back today, then she’ll be eaten tomorrow. My mother told me this.” The cub said, “Well, if my mother eats your mother, I will also not spare my mother. I will not let her live.” 

कि केलकय तऽ ओकरा खा गेलय गाय के। गाय घूरि कऽ नय एलय। खा गेलय बाघ। बाघ एलय असगरे खेने पीने बच्चा के दूध पीआबय लै। आ ऊ कहलकय दोस्त के माय? तऽ कि जाने गेलिए कतौ चलि गेलय चरय लै नै एलय। अबैत हेतय तू आबऽ ने आबऽ। 

The tigress ate her, the cow. The cow did not return. The tigress ate her. The tigress returned home alone to nurse her baby. The cub asked his mother, “Where is my friend’s mother?” Then she said, “I don’t know, baby, where she has gone to, perhaps to graze. She didn’t come back. She must be coming back; come, come here.”   

कहलकय हम नै पीअब। जाबे दोस्तक माय नय औतय ऊ नय पीतय ताबे हम नै पीअब। तऽ कहलकय पीअ ने अबय है कि नय। तऽ कहलकय सुन एकटा कहय छियौ। अहर तकलक पहर तकलक कहलकय नय दोस्त खा गेल हमरा माय के। कतऽ आओत हमर माय। 

The cub said, “No I won’t nurse. Until my friend’s mother comes back and as long as he doesn’t nurse, I, too, will not nurse.” Then she said, “Come on, nurse.” He replied, “Listen, one thing to say.” The calf then waited for one afternoon and then another, after which he said, “No, my friend, she has eaten my mother. How can she possibly return now?” 

कहलकय सुन ओइ इनारमे से बहुते खड़ छै। बोनमे नय भऽ जाय छै इनारमे खड़। तऽ ओइमे सँ खड़ नोचि कऽ आनि दही तू मुँह लऽ कऽ हमर दोस्त ताबे खेतय ताबे हम दूध पीबय।

Then he said, listen, “That well has a lot of straw (you know the forest often has a lot of it); there’s straw in the well; my friend will eat that while I drink milk.”

ऊ गेलय नोचि लै बघिनिया। नोचऽ गेलय कि नै आ कि बघबा बच्चा जे रहय बच्चा एना कऽ ठेल देलक माय के ओइ इनारमे। बघिनिया इनारमे गिर पड़ल डूबि गेल। इनारेमे मरि गेल डूबि कऽ। तब ई दुनू से बोनमे रहऽ लागल। 

The tigress then went to fetch it. As she went to fetch the straw from the well, the cub pushed his mother into the well. The tigress fell into the well and drowned. She drowned and died. Then these two began living their life in the forest.

बछड़ा आ बाघ दुनू खेलैए। एकटा घंटी बांधि देलकय जे दोस्त तोरा जे कोई पकड़ऽ ओकड़ऽ लगौ तऽ तू हमरा से घंटी अथी हेतौ ने तऽ हम दौड़ि कऽ चलि एबौ। कि भेलय तऽ एकटा झूठे के एना एना घंटी कऽ दय। बाघ दौड़ि कऽ अबय कि भेलय ,कि भेलय। फेर चलि गेलय। 

The calf and the tiger cub both would play. The cub wrapped a bell around the calf’s neck, saying, “Friend, if anybody tries to catch you or hold on to you forcibly, I will come running when I hear the sound that this bell makes.” Now, the calf would often shake the bell under false pretenses. The cub would run back and ask, “What has happened, what has happened?” Then he would go back.

फेर कतौ शिकार पकड़ऽ लगय तऽ ई एना एना कऽ दय। छोड़ि दय आ दौड़ि कऽ अबय। दोस्त कि भेल? तऽ नय किछु। नय किछु दोस्त।कहलियय देखियय दोस्त हमर अबय छथिन कि नय। गाय के बछड़ा कहलकय।

Again, when he would go off hunting somewhere, the calf would shake like this. He would quite hunting and come back running. “What has happened, my friend?” The calf would reply, “Nothing, nothing, my friend. I thought I would check whether my friend would come or not.” 

एक बेर कि भेलय तऽ जे कहलकय दोस्त हम आब नय आयब। अहाँ हमरा ठकय छी बड़ी। गेलय नै ताबेमे एकटा सजना कसाई बरियाती नेने जाइत रहै ओइ दऽ कऽ। देखलक बड नीक बछड़ा है एकरा मारि कऽ खाइए ली। सब बरियाती रूकि कऽ एकरा मारि देलक। से ऊ जे छरपटाए आ केतबो घंटी बजय ऊ एबे नै केलय बाघ। बूझए जे एनाही करय यै ठकय यै। 

What happened once was that the cub said, “Friend, now I will not come back, you have tricked me too often.” When he went back, a butcher was passing by that way with a wedding party. He saw that the calf looked very good, and thought, “I should kill and eat him.” Now, no matter how much the calf struggled and shook his bell, the cub didn’t come to save him. He thought that the calf was doing it just as before “to trick me.”

मारि देलकय। मारि देलकय बना सोना कऽ ओ सब खा…बना सोना कऽ रखने रहै। तब ई आयल। तऽ देखलक तऽ एकरा मारि देने रहय। बाघ के देखलक ओ सबटा लोक भागल। ऊ कानऽ लागल। कहलकय, “आरो सजन कसाई आयल, रौ झूठे बजलैं दौड़ी दौड़ी एलियय, बेर पर भेलियय दुश्मनमा रो सजन कसाई।”

He was killed. He was killed and the butcher had prepared it after cutting his pieces. Then the cub arrived. He saw the calf had been killed. Seeing the cub, people began running away. And the cub began to weep. He said in his lament, “Hey, you, the butcher came. Hey, you had lied. I came running and running, yet I proved to be an enemy. Hey, you, butcher.” 

कानऽ लगलय बाघ। “सजन कसाई आयल रौ दोसर के कारण हम मायो के मारलियय तकरो केलही बलिदानमा रो सजन कसाई।” कहलकय भाग नै तऽ सबके खा जेबौ। सबटा मांस के राख आ जारैन ला। आ ऊ जारैन जे रखने छैं ओइ पर कऽ दही सबटा मांस आंच पजारि, जा। 

The cub began to weep: “The butcher came, hey. Because of another person I killed my mother, as well, and you, hey, butcher, you sacrificed him, as well.” He said, “Get out of here. Otherwise I will eat all of you. Put all the meat here and bring the firewood. Now, put all the meat on that firewood you have arranged and light it.” 

तऽ ओ सबटा जारैन देलकय ओइ पर कऽ सबटा मांस के धऽ देलकय। आ जऽ ओ पजारि गेलय  तऽ बाघो ओइमे खसि पड़लय। बाघो के बच्चा, ओहो जरि गेलय।

Thus, he put all the meat on the firewood. And when it was lit, the cub also threw himself  into it. The cub was also burned to death.

दू टा बांस भऽ कऽ, एकेटा पोर बांस के, आ दू टा बांस। कोनो राजमे एकटा राजा के बाल बच्चा नय रहय। कोनो महात्मा कहलखिन जे कतौ जे एक पोरा बांस भेटतऽ आ ऊ बांस जे  तूं डोलीमे काटि कऽ आनि लेभक आ रानी के गोदमे देभक तऽ असर हेतऽ। 

Bring two stalks of bamboo, with only one straight stalk without any knots, and two stalks of bamboo. In some other kingdom, the king had no children. A holy man said, “If you can cut two bamboo stalks without any knots in it, bring it in a palanquin, and place it in the queen’s lap.  This will show its effect.”

बांस, बांस, हँ ओकर एकेटा पोर हेतय, गिरह नय हेतय, एकेटा पोर। तऽ एकटा पोर के बांस कतऽ भेटतय। तऽ ऊ दुनू भेल। तऽ ऊ डोली पर लऽ कऽ राजा आ रानी गेल बांस लऽ कऽ।

Bamboo, bamboo, yes, the one with just one straight stalk, without any knots. But where could one find a stalk without a knot? Both were presented.Then the king and the queen both went with the bamboo in the palanquin.

तऽ कहलकय हमरा काटऽ नय। बांस बजलय हमरा काटऽ नय। हमरा दुनू के लिबा कऽ खोंइछमे लऽ लै। बांस कऽ एना कऽ अपने लिब गेलय आ ऊ रानी के खोंइछमे चलि गेलय। आ खोंइछमे देखलक ऊ रानी तऽ दू टा बेटा। 

Then the bamboo said, “Don’t cut me, please. Don’t cut me, please. Pull both of us and take us into your saree fold.” The bamboos bent like this on their own accord and went into the saree fold. And when the queen looked into her saree fold, she found the two sons. 

दू टा हँसल फूल सरियैल फेर दुनू भाई बनि गेल। तऽ देखियौ स्नेह कते रहय आ दोस्ती केहन रहय।हँ दुनू राजा के बेटा भऽ गेलय। वैह भेलय हंसराज वंशराज। एकटा के नाम हंसराज आ एकटा के वंशराज।

Two happy flowers, arranged; both of them (the cub and the calf) became brothers again. See, how much affection there was, how deep friendship there was. Yes, both became the king’s sons. They were the very same Hansraj and Vanshraj. One was named Hansraj and the other Vanshraj.