Dùimâ dùisâ ni khorâng.

How the rivers were made.

Sânùi brai burui man. Phâre unau bîsur gothai brai-buruî zâlângbâ, buruiâ zingâsînânai brainu khithânaise “Brai, zang­fùrhâ zî dânai fisâfur dang, bîsùr mâ zânânai thânggan?” Erui bungbâ braia mai hu khâmnu lâgi Khubernîau thângnânai, mai sobai bîsor ârù lai-megong lâfâ megong bîfùr mânî-nî bîgot-zului bînânai nå-i-au lâbônânai sânsnî sânzât lâmâiau hoṛ thânânai, nå man-fai-nânai buruinù khitha­naise: “Ang gasenù bigot-zului lâbobai.” Phâre nå-i-au sân-ne-sù thânânai, khet khâmnù lâgi sorai fithâ-gundui lânânai hâ, nainù lâgi thângnaise. Phâre gahâm hâ, dåtse nai-ui frâbui fâtbrùi-thing-bù zurâ khânânai dinnanai nå fainaise. Unau sânse­ni-khâli khodal sekhâ, bifùr-mâni lânânai thângnânai hâgrâ eonânai ârù bî hâgrâtùrkhô saunânai hâkhô mazâng khâmnaise. Bînî­frai, sanzâ sanâp ârù sâ khùlâ fâtbrùi-thing khulumnânai khonâ brùithing phongse phongse zaunaise.

Once upon a time there lived an old man and an old woman. And when they were quite old, the old woman said to her husband “How shall these our children get food when we are gone?” So the old man travelled afar to the great god Kuvera,26 the god of riches, and, taking from him seedlings of paddy, pulse, mustard, and gourds, journeyed for eight days and so reached his home. And after staying a couple of days, he set forth to cultivate, taking dry food with him. And first he marked out a piece of rich land by placing boundaries on all four sides of it, and so came home. And again he set out another day with hoe and axe, and cut and burned the jungle, and cleaned the soil, and after worshipping on each side of his field—on the east and on the west, on the north and on the south—he struck one blow with his hoe on each side.

Biaunù hâ gasenù mannaise. Phâre baidî baidî mai ârù fîfâng megon-thaigong boikhôbù fùnânai hùnaise. Phâre hâbâ zapbâ braiâ nåi-au thângnânai zirai nânai thânaise. Obâsù âzîbù dang khâlibù dang sânse buruiâ mai nainù lâgi braikhô lùgù homnaise. Khintu braia bungnaise “Lâmâ­iau dùi gùiâ. Nanghâ dùi gâng-bâ âng maunîfrai hùnù?” Theo­bù bî brai-nî khorâng khnâsongâ­lâbâ embrâbrâ braikhô homnai­khai lâng-gnâng-naise. Phâre thân­gùi thângùi mainî hâ man-sî man-sî zâbâ, buruihâ dùi gângnânai brainù khithâbâ, braiâ bung­naise “Âng nangnù dùhùi-nù khithâ-dangman, nonggâ? lâmâ-i au gùia hannânai? Theo­bù ângnî khorâng khnâ-i-âlâbâ fainânai ângkhô dukhu hùíù. Ereùi bungbâ, buruiâ bungnaise. Dinî âng dùi man-lâng-âbâ, thoi-sî-gan. Nang âng-nù dùi hùnù­nânggô.” Phâre unau braiâ mung­bù upai mane zânânai, dùi namai-nâng-naise. Nâmaie nâ­maie fukurimanse nubâ, bî buruinî megonkhô hî zang khânânai be fukuri-hâ-lâgi lângnaise. Ârù braiâ bungnaise “Nang be fukuri khô naiâlâbâ dùi lâng.” Khintu dùi lângbâ-rù mâbâ mâbâ dùi nî dau ârù hângsùfrâ birlai-bâ, bîkhô khnânânai, bîkhô nainù lubuinânai nainaise. Beaunù daufùrnî gele­nai ârù rong zâlainai nunânai bîhâbù brai zang rong zâlainù mon zânaise. Obâsù braiâ khâ­mâ, buruiâ âgârâ. Phâre braiâ buruinî khorâng lânù gnâng zâ­naise. Obâsù bîsùrhâ âji-bù-thâiù khâli-bù-thâiù gåthå gåthai zânaise. Zâbâ, bîsùrkhô fisînù hâekhai braiâ bîsùrkhô buruinî khorângzang Hem-nî hâzô-au lângnânai beaunù fukuri manse khâmnânai baidî baidî nâ khâm­nânai dùiau hogârnânai dinbù-naise.

And when all was ready, the old man planted his seedlings of various sorts, and finally went home and rested. And so, as time went by, the old woman desired vehemently to see how the crops were getting on. But the old man said “There is no water on the road, and if you grow athirst, you will get no relief.” But she persisted and prevailed, and made her husband take her along. And as they went, and were now quite close to her husband’s field, behold, the old woman began to be very thirsty. And the old man, being enraged, cried “What did I tell you? There is no water, and yet you would come.” But she, being a woman, said “If you do not give me to drink, I shall die. So, water you must procure as best you can.” So the old man, seeing no other way, went to seek for water. And after long search, seeing a tank, he bound the old woman’s eyes with a cloth and dragged her to the water’s edge and said to her “Drink if you will, but look not upon the tank.” Now the ducks and other water fowls were playing in the water, and were making a merry noise, clacking and quacking. And, the old woman, being curious, like all her sex, peeped at them. And, seeing them at their play, she too desired to be happy in her husband’s society, and, though he was very loth, prevailed with him. And so in due course there were born to them many sons and daughters. And then, in order to provide for their food, he journeyed to the Himalayas and digged a great tank, stocked with many kinds of fishes.

Phâre unau Srî braiâ sùimâ fudrun mâse lânanai, mùi sessâ ârù khusung nâmaibaie nâmaibaie dùi gângsù dangman. Ereau-nù Srî braiâ be fukuriau thâng-fnâng-naise. Beaunù dùi nunâ­nai lângnù nâmaibâ, nâfrâ bîkhô raidaunaise. “Afâ, nang bení dùi lângbâ, zangfùrkhô gahâm khâmnânggan.” Beaunù bî sùmai lânânai, dùikhô lângbâ, náfrâ bungnaise. “Dâ nang zangfùr­khô Loitho hâlâgî lâng.” Beaunù Srî braiâ gaigainù lauthî zang dru-dru bù-bù-bâ khîthû khîthû dùi bùhùi bùnai, ârù nâfrâ bù fai­naise. Bîbaidînù dùisâ zânaise. Obâsù unau nâfrâ Srî brai-nù lao thaise ârù khumrâ thaise hoṭaaise. Phrâ bîkhônù lâbônanai sâse khurmâ-nî nå-i-au hâpfaibâ bînù zô mîkhâm ârù ômâ mâse buthât­nânai hùnaise. Phâre okhà nai­bâ Srî braiâ be khumrâ-khô bînî khurmânù hunaise. Hùbâ bi khumrâkhô dânkhaubâ thâkâ gazâ mannânai ârù bâtî-se khâm zâhùnù lâgi omâ buthâtnaise. Ârù omâ bikhau2 man-se dinnaise. Zâkhâng-ùi frâbùi fainù nâmaibâ omâ bikhaukhô Srî brainù hùnaise. Hùbâ ârù braiâ laukhôbù khurmânù hùnaise. Bî lau-au darbî gazâ dangman. Khintu be khorângkhô braiâ mi-thiâ. Ârù bînî khurmâ­iâ-bù bî-nù khithâ-i-â-khùise. Unau braiâ nåi-au fainaise. Ârù bîhâ nå-i-au bînî fisâzù-khô zâbrâ zânânai thânai nunaise. Bî lao ârù khumrâ-khô bînî khurmâ-khô hùlângnaikhai bîbaidî zâbrâ zânai ârù bînî khurmâiâ-bù be lao ârù khumrâ-khô lâkhmânaikhai zâbrâ gabrâp zânânai thânaise. Obâsù bînî unau nâ-frâ ozâ zâ-thî-nânai bîsùr-nî nå-i-au thângnânai gadân nai-hùi-nânai3 khithânaise “Nang-sùr zùsâ mairong ârù goe zorâse fâthùi zorâse ârù dau mâse lânânai dùisâ-i-au hùnânai khu­lumbâ, nang-sùr-hâ zâbrâ gâgan.” Besùr bibaidi-nù khâmnânai zâbrâ gânaise. Bînîkhai dâ Bå­råfrâ dùisâ dùimâ fùrkhô khulumù. Zapbai!

Now, one day the god Sri, the god of good luck, came that way with his white dog, ahunting for deer and hares and tortoises. And when he came to the margin of the tank, behold he was very thirsty. But when he stooped to drink, the fishes said to him eagerly that he must grant them a boon in return for their water. To which he assented, and when he had satisfied his thirst, the fishes said “Take us to the great river, the Brahmaputra (or Lohit).” So the god Sri tied them to his staff, and drew them after him, making runnels of water. And that is how the rivers were made. And the fishes in return gave him a pumpkin and a gourd. And, taking these with him to a friend’s house, his friend regaled him with rice beer and pig’s flesh, and in the morning he gave his friend the pumpkin. But when his friend cut open the pumpkin, it contained nothing but pure silver. So he bade the god Sri stay another day, and brewed fresh beer and killed another pig, and when he was going away gave him a flitch of bacon to take with him. So the god Sri gave him also the gourd. But when he cut open the gourd, it contained nothing but pure gold. And so the god Sri journeyed to his home. And when he got there, he found that his little daughter was very ill. And that was because he had given away the presents which the fishes had made him. But the fishes took pity on him, and came to him in the guise of physicians, and told him that if he would worship and do sacrifice on the banks of rivers, then his daughter would be healed, which he did. And that is why we Kacharis worship rivers. And that is all.