g

The Story of
the Bamboo-cutter
nee upon a time there lived a poor man
and his wife. He had great difficulty in
making ends meet . Everyday he used to go
to the neighbouring forest to cut down
bamboos and sell it in the town.
One day, as usual, he was in the fore st
cutting the bamboos. He had hung his lunch of
rice and gundruk 1 on the branch of a nearby
tree. At noon, unpacking his meal, he found
that his food had been replaced, much to his
horror, with human excreta. He was greatly
perturbed by this mysterious happening. Then
he heard a strange voice calling out, "The more
you come inside, the better bamboos you will
get!" Though the voice sounded very much like
that of a human being, there was not a single
soul to be seen around and more ever, the
innumerable
. stumps of bamboos blocked his
views.

1. fermented and dried vegetables

 The Story of the Bamboo-cutter 73

He was dumbfounded, yet he could not

resist the temptation. He thought that if he
could get some better bamboos, it would fetch
him more money in the market. He went
deeper into the forest and, true to the words of
the unknown voice, he came across better and
finer bamboos.
All these strange happenings were due to
the bewitching influence of a demon, who dwelt
in the same forest. He had deceived the man by
imitating a human voice by virtue of his
supernatural powers. The same demon had also
played mischief on his lunch. The demon then
cast a spell; the man fell into a trance and could
not remember anything. He was under
influence Qf ajhumicha. 2
The demon was about to devour the poor
man when a thought occurred to him: "Since
~ this man is under my spell, I can feast on him
any time. I'll change myself like this man, go to
his house and eat all the members of his family.
Then I will come back for him." The ·demon
assumed the form of the bamboo-cutter and

a
2. When a man is under the influence of a jhumicha,
the
supernatural being, he cannot think and will follow
g
direction of the jhumicha, the jhumicha remainin
lle
invisible .all the time . If someone suddenly calls his Jl!U
the
loudly he would come to his senses. This is the one of
ways to get ridjhumicha's spell, according to the popular
belief.
74 Folk Tales of Nepal

went to his home at dusk, carrying stumps of

bamboos. The innocent wife, on seeing her
husband, went to prepare his meal. As it was
already dark, she could not distinguish the
actual features of her 'supposed husband'.
While preparing the supper, she provided
him with his favourite hookah. 3 The demon, in
order to allay suspicion, calmly took up his seat
on the windowsill overlooking the road as the
bamboo-cutter used to do and started smoking.
After the dinner, taken in the dark because the
poor bamboo-cutter could not afford even a
small oil-fed lamp, the demon retired to their
bedroom and planned to eat her after a short
n~. -
The woman having finished her supper and
other household chores came to the room with
a small pot of oil, to anoint his legs. The demon
was quite unaware that the wife used to
massage her husband's tired legs after a hard
day's work. He was already asleep. As she was
about to apply oil to his feet, she was horrified
to see the toes and heels of the feet reversed, .
and she realized the person was not her
husband but a demon in disguise.

3. hubble-bubble or a tobacco pipe connected to a vessel

filled with water and provided with a small side tube for
drawing in the smoke
 The Story of the Bamboo-cutter 75

She was not an ordinary woman. Brave and

clever, she maintained control over herself and
planned a way to get rid of the demon . She laid
a big pillow in her place close to the demon,
sprinkled dried peas from the third floor to the
ground floor and also removed all the staircases
as she came down to the ground floor. Just
below the staircase on the ground floor, a big
fire-pot was placed with burning charcoals.
The demon woke up from his sleep and
thought, "Now is the time to a sumptuous feast
of warm blood and tender flesh," and pounced
on the big pillow by his side thinking it to be
the woman . But instead of the woman's flesh,
his teeth closed in on an old tattered pillow. He
had difficulty taking out his teeth entangled in
the rags. He fumbled in the pitch dark and
found no one on the bed . The demon realizing
that he was outwitted by a woman, flew into
rage, and swore that he would devour her by
any means.
He got up only to tread upon the bed of
dried peas. This caused him to roll and reel as .
he walked, and crashed down heavily hitting
the ground with his head. The effect of the fall
almost knocked out all senses from him . He got
up and went down the staircase. As he went, he
fell down as the staircases had been removed.
As he 'got up and walked, he slipped over the
dried peas on the first floor, too, and crashed
76 Folk Tales of Nepal

again . He got up and went to the ground floor.

This time he fell into the big fire pot and died
instantly.
Early in the next morning, the woman came
back (she had spent the night at her mother 's
house), to see how far the plan had succeeded.
She was relieved to find the demon dead. The
woman did not know how to dispose the huge
body of the demon . As she was thinking, a plan
came to her mind. She placed her kosa-sandu 4
on the ground floor and managed to squeeze
the huge body of the demon . She then closed
the chest and locked it with a big lock. She kept
the incident secret and she was careful not to
let any of the neighbours know about it.
The woman went about her usual chores as
if nothing had happened. As night fell, she kept
the main door of the house open but locked the
takha. 5 She kept up a nightlong vigil making
the whole situation appear as if everyone had
gone to sleep.
A band of thieves, who were out on their
nocturnal mission, happened to pass the road
before the woman's house .. They noticed the
unlocked door and entered the house with high
hopes. They groped in the dark for anything
that they could lay their hands on and were

4. big roofed treasure chest

5. door leading to the first floor
 The Story of the Bamboo-cutter 77

pleased to find a heavy chest at their disposal.

"Surely, it is a god-send gift," they commented,
"This chest is woman's dowry-chest and being
too heavy to be taken up , it must have been left
on the ground floor."
The leader of the gang decided to carry it
away at once outside the main gate of the town.
The rest of the thieves readily agreed. They
brought strong wooden poles and ropes, tied
the chest and hastily carried it away staggering
under the heavy load.
They reached a secluded spot outside the
city gate and w.ere in such high spirits, even
their moustaches seem to be smiling. They
tried to open the lock with a master key but of
no avail. They broke ·it open, hoping it would
contain not only the women's clothes but also
money and ornaments.
- It was twilight, the shades of night were
still lingering and things could only be seen
with difficulty. As they opened the lid of the
chest, much to their horror and consternation,
they saw two white demoniacal tusks, which
were visible even in the dark . Dazed and
horror-stricken at the terrible features of the
demon, they ran away as fast as their legs could
carry. Each thought that the demon was
following him. The shock was so severe that
many fainted and some fell seriously ill and
were confined to bed for months. The outcome
 78 Folk Tales of Nepal

was all of them swore never to follow their

trade.

The woman, who was quietly watching the

event came down from hiding, bolted the main
door from inside and retired to bed. She decided
to go to the fore st to search for her husband, as
he did not return even after two days of
waiting. She hoped that the demon had not
eaten him.
She found him, much to her delight, sitting
deeply lost in a trance and dazed -with fright.
The woman guessed that her husband must
have been bewitched by the spell of the demon,
and to destroy the influence, she beat him with
the tied end of her black sari.6 Her husband
came back to his senses. She led him back to
the house and narrated the whole story of her
adventure with the demon. The husband 'r
thanked and praised his wife for her courage
and resourcefulness. They were overjoyed and
took sagun 7 that night. They continued with
ff -' ·,,]~,
. . . ;,,, . I
their usual lives in happiness and free from any
fear.
~ . _, '.'-- ~~ , j,

1
:,; '/,~~• ,\.. '' / ilri

i ., ,
. i' '•\ ~ )~
;',:"'"
'1/1 il"
~i ~
. , ..
. I11 . • ' , .-,i.,.

6. The popular belief especially among the farmers, the

very presence of the black sari of the aji (grandmother or
godmother) helps to drive away evil spirits and end their
evil charm. Beating one with the tied end of the sari
accelerates the action.
I
7. drink and eatable offered as a mark of good omen
 10
The Story of
the Simpleton
~ nee upon a time there lived a farmer who
11} had a son. He was a simpleton. He could
never do anything the right way. If asked
to do anything he would do it just the opposite.
One day, his mother had to send lunch to his
father who was busy in the kanga,1 digging out
the black clay from beneath the soils, which are
to be used as manure . There was nobody to
deliver it except him.
Knowing how stupid he was, she reminded
him of the many 'dos' and don'ts' to follow on
the way. She added, "Be careful, do not touch or
pass over anything black on the way. Try to be
wise." With these instructions, she handed the
lunch tied up in a bundle to him.
The boy took to heart his mother's
instructions. As he was trudging along the
narrow path, he saw a heap of cow-dung. It
was black. As his mother had told him not to

1. clay pit
80 Folk Tales of Nepal

t ouch or pass over anything black he thought it

unwise to step over. He asked it to get out of his
way. Of course, the cow-dung did not respond to
his order . He put aside the lunch in a
phalacha, 2 and took the cow-dung in his hands
and threw it a good distance. However, some of
it got stuck to his hands and he did not know
how he should clean his hands. Not knowing
what to do, he decided to wash his hands by
dipping them in the dal,a which was in a small
bowl with the lunch .
When he arrived at the kanga his father,
who was hungry, was much delighted to see his
son come with lunch. He was also pleased that
his worthless son had made himself useful. He
washed his hands, and eagerly set to eating the
lunch . As he did so, he was sickened to find that
the dal smelled vile and was unable to eat a
single mouthful .
He asked his son for the reason. The son in
all sincerity told him the whole story. The
father became very angry and bellowed, "Get
home at once, you dwadha. 4 You are a perfect
dhwanpun. "5 The boy, who was expecting
praises from his father, was hurt especially by
the abusive words 'dwadha' and 'dhawanpun'.

2. wayside inn.
3. soup of pulse or lentil
4. stupid person
5. useless person
 The Story of the Simpleton 81

To send him quickly, the father gave him a

bamboo pole to take home.
The boy, hit by his father's anger, silently
took the big pole and went home. As he was
walking along the road, one end of the bamboo
constantly struck the ground producing a
peculiar noise. It sounded to him like 'dwadha'.
The boy thought that even the bamboo was
insulting him and he could not accept it. In a fit
of anger, he threw the bamboo into near-by
pond. The bamboo pole slashed into the water
with a 'dhwanpun' sound. This irritated the
boy all the more; he thought he was still being
ridiculed. In retaliation, he threw a stone at the
pole now floating on the water. But the stone,
instead of hitting the pole, landed in the water
and again the sound of 'dhwanpun' echoed out.
Enraged, he threw more stones, each of which
pr~duced the similar sounds on hitting the
water. And it went on.
Meanwhile, his father after finishing his
work in the clay-pits, was returning home and
was surprised to see his son throwing stones at !t.; '

the bamboo pole instead. On being asked the -

,I '"

.
.
reason of his queer act the boy angrily •
9: ,

explained everything. The father, shaking his

head in disgust at the naivety of his son, was
compelled to take off his clothes in the chill
evening and dive into the water to recover the
bamboo pole. The son received a good deal of
82 Folk Tales of Nepal

haranguing on the way home from an incensed

father.
When they reached home, the mother had
good news for her son. He had been invited for
a dinner at his father-in-law's house. As before
she lectured her stupid son on the 'dos', the
'don'ts' and the manners. "Do not take any
friend with you. Do not drink any liquor during
the dinner. Behave well and during the dinner
sit like a lion and talk like a crow," she said and
added, "When you come back, tell me which
was the best item that you were served during
the course of the dinner."
The boy, accordingly, put on his special
dress for the occasion and left for his in-law's
house. The sun had set and i~ was a bright
moonlit night. As the boy turned back on the
way, he saw his own shadow. He remembered
his mother's instruction not to take any friend. ,
Being under the impression that someone else
was following him, he told the shadow not to
follow him. The shadow, of course, kept
following him. Many times he ordered it not to
follow him.
Finally he said, "Why do you follow me? Is
it that you want my waistcoat? You can have
it." As he said these words the boy nodded his
head and the shadow, too, did the same. The
foolish boy thought that his 'friend', in fact,
84 Folk Tales of Nepal
oat
wanted his waistcoat. He took off his waistc
and put it down on the shadow.
he
He continued his journey; even then
the
found that he was being followed. Again
sers.
boy asked the shadow if he wanted his trou
As on the previous occasion, the 'sh
adow'
k off
seemed to nod his head in assent. He too
. As
his trousers and placed it over the shadow
he
the shadow 'still' continued to follow him
had
parted with bis clothes one by one, until he
by the
but one loincloth to being complete nude
use.
time he reac .hed his father-in-law's ho
hid
Ashamed of his under-dressed state, he
und
himself in a corner of the room on the gro
self.
floor of the house rather than present him
s
His wife, who had been waiting for him wa
was
getting anxious and fearing some trouble,
idiot
planning to go and search for her
in a
husband, her eyes fell upon him hiding
ost
comer of the room. Seeing her husband alm
t his
nude, she · asked him where he had lef
wife,
clothes. On hearing his explanation his
y as
who was quick~witted, went the same wa
all
her husband had come. She could retrieve
was
the dresses lying on the road, as the place
band
deserted at late hours. She got her hus
ner.
redressed, took him upstairs and served din
During the dinner, the boy instead of sitting
his
cross-legged crouched like a lion. When
had
father•in-law asked him if his father
 The Story of the Simpleton 85

finished his work in the clay-pit, he merely

replied by cawing like a crow. His father-in-law
was rather surprised and disappointed with
such a reply. Thinking that his son-in-law had
done out of shyness, he left the room. The boy
soon began to eat the dinner his wife had
prepared for the occasion. She provided kata-
thwan 6 contained in a vessel called soma. But
he refused to touch the liquor as he
remembered his mother' words.
When he was left alone for a while, he
tuted a bit of the liquor and found it to be
excellent and wondered why his mother had
forbidden him to drink such liquid. As he was
wondering over his mother's warning, he also
remembered his mother's asking to report to
her the best items served for dinner. He decided
of all the items served, the egg was delicious
and selroti! was the sweetest.
When the dinner was over, his wife helped
him to wash his hands and mouth. The boy
i could not resist the temptation of having a
second helping of the kaJa•thwan and watched
his wife take the liquid downstairs to pour it
hack into a big earthen jar. He could not openly r
ask, as he had already refused to take the same
l • ~
-'
I

before, After all the members of the house had

6. a strong home-made beer

7. vermicelli, dough of gram fried in ghee
86 Folk Tales of Nepal

gone to beds, he got up and went downstairs

taking a pointed iron rod. He made a hole in the
earthen jar with the rod and began to drink to
his heart's content the kata-thon, which flowed
like fountain. After he had drunk his fill, he
told the fountain to stop but of course, it did
not. He was drenched with the liquor ·and being
nervous and afraid lest he be found, he went to
a sheep pen and hid there.
A gang of thieves came to the house with
the intention to steal the sheep. The boy was
frightened and did not- dare to raise any alarm .
He, too, moved on all fours like the sheep as the
thieves drove away the sheep. On the way,
when they came across a big ditch, he bawled
out imitating the sheep-cry. TJie thieves
realized that it was a human voice mimicking
the sheep and thought their game was up and
·will be caught. They took to their heels leaving
the sheep behind.
It was left to the boy to take the sheep back.
The dawn was breaking by the time he reached
• I£:.i'!'"~ the house. It amused his wife and his father-in
~ -law when he narrated that night's incident.
His father-in-law was very pleased indeed and
thanked him. After his overnight stay at his in-
law's place, the boy returned home muttering
to himself the egg was delicious and selroti was
~-.: - sweet, lest he might forget the names of these
....._., two items he had to tell to his mother. On the
 The Story of the Simpleton 87

way, he had to jump over a big ditch, and as he

did so, he exclaimed and forgot the names of
the two items he had so long tried to memorize.
He could not understand how and under
what circumstances he had forgotten the
names of these two items. Thinking that they
might have fallen into the ditch, while he was
jumping, he went back and began to search for
them. A passer-by asked him what he was
searching for in the ditch. The boy thought he
was simply being jeered at and replied back in
anger, "Straight is the gate , and wide is the way.
So, you go your way." The person out of
inquisitiveness stood near-by and kept on
watching him thinking that the latter was
searching for something v.aluable. At that
moment, the boy belched, which smelt
unpleasant. The passer-by being annoyed by
the smell said, "Shame on you. What a strong
smell of selroti from your belching! It stinks
like rotten eggs."
As soon as the boy heard the words 'selroti'
and 'egg' he exclaimed, "That is it. That is it. I
have found out." Leaving behind the bemused
passer-by, he ran quickly to his home and told
his mother that of all the· items served to him
•
I
I
t
•

during the dinn~r, egg was delicious and selroti

was the sweetest.
 11
The Story of
Sinhapata Maiju
nee there was a virgin maid named
Sinhapata Maiju. One day, she dressed her
hair and donned her best dress and
making herself look most beautiful, went out.
On the way a sparrow accosted her who
chirped, "Hello Sinhapata Maiju, where are you
going?"
With an attractive bow of her head she
replied sweetly, "If somebody proposes, I am
ready for marriage. If somebody invites me, I
am ready for a feast."
The sparrow was excited by the romantic
answer and at once asked her to marry him.
She said, "What is your food? Where is your
shelter?"
The sparrow said, "I ·dwell in a hole made in
high wall, sometimes on the eaves of roofs. As
for my food I can procure plenty of rice grains
or small insects which I get in the gardens or
fields."
 The Story of Sinhapata Maiju 89

"Oh, no!" she said, "I am afraid of falling to

death from the holes, where you rest at night . I
am sorry, I am not able to accept your suit ."
Rejecting the offer of the sparrow, she went
on her way. Next she happened to meet a
.
pigeon.
"Hello, Sinhapata Maiju," the pigeon cooed,
"Where are you going?"
She replied, "If somebody proposes, I am
ready for the marriage. If somebody invites me,
I am ready for a feast." The pigeon tempted at
the offer of having a beautiful wife asked if she
was willing to marry him. As before she asked
him where he lived and what he would feed her.
The pigeon replied, "Well, I rest at night
mostly in the niches and corners of temples; as
for my food, f have plenty of rice-grains, maize
and other cereals to eat." But Sinhapata Maiju
i
refused to go in for the nuptial union because
she was afraid of falling down from the temple
top too.
As she proceeded on her way, a crow met her
and likewise, the proposal was rejected after
citing her fear of falling off the treetop. Then
she met a smart young mouse that put a similar
question to her. Upon hearing her reply, the
mouse asked her hand in marriage. Like the
earlier suitors she also asked the mouse, "What
is your food? Where do you take shelter?"
 The Story of Sinhapata Maiju 91

The mouse replied confidently, "How lucky

I am! I have my nest in the king 's treasure
room. I have got valuable and rich bedding
made of tas 1 and tinkhab 2 cloth. As for the food
I can get delicious royal meals."
Sinhapata Maiju liked the idea of living in
the royal palace and eating rich food. Sinha pata
Maiju accepted the mouse as her husband. The
mouse married her and took her to his own
abode in the royal treasure-room.
Some time after the marriage, Sinhapata
Maiju was blessed with a child. The usual
custom is, after childbirth, the mother is given
daily oil-massages. She told her husband that
she needed oil for her post delivery massage.
The mouse, delighted at being a father, went off
to search for oil. But as he was reaching for the
oil in the big oil vessel, he slipped into it and
was drowned to death.
Sinhapata Maiju waited for her husband
and as the mouse did not turn up for a long
time, she grew anxious and went in search of
him. She was horrified to find that her husband
had drowned. She beat her forehead in bitter
remorse crying aloud.
The members of the royal palace including
the king and the queen were very surprised to

1. brocade raised in gold thread

2. brocade raised in silver thread
92 Folk Tales _of Nepal

hear the wailings of a woman in the palace.

They followed the direction from where the
cries were coming and were taken aback to see
a young woman wailing in the royal treasure
room. On being questioned, she narrated her
whole story.
The king after hearing her tale consoled her
saying, "Do not fear, young woman, we will
keep you in the palace in all comfort." Thus,
she spent the rest of her days in the p,alace with
her baby in royal comfort.
 Kan1nakar Vaidya
(1914-1988 AD.)

From his early years, he was very interested in the

tradition and culture of the Nepalese society. This interest
led him to explore the folklore around the country and are
found in several of his books and research papers which
are written in Nepali, Nepal Bhasha and English.
He was the resident of Lalitpur district, Nepal. He
passed his Matriculation Examination and I.Sc. from
Patna University, India, in 1932 AD. and 1934 AD.
respectively and his B.Sc. from Banaras University, .in
India, in 1936 AD. He obtained his Diploma in Ceramics
in 1937 AD. from the same university.
t From 1944 to 1949 AD., he worked as an expert in a
ceramic factory at Birgunj,, and then he changed his
profession to become a lecturer (in Chemistry) at
Trichandra Campus, Kathmandu in 1950 AD. He taught
there for 38 years.
His work, Dantya Katha Sangraha (in Nepali), won
UNESCO AWARD in 1968 AD. He was twice awarded
with the popular MADAN PURASKAR (1957 and 1979
A.O.). He was also conferred with the prestigious
GORKHA DAKSHIN BAHU by His Late Majesty, King
Birendra Bir Bikram Shah, in 1981 A.D.