Ritual songs and folksongs of the Hindus of Surinam

[p. 49]

5 Sohar v [Nieuw Nickerie, 1967]
(I) Pregnancy-inducing drug
(II) An astrological forecast of Rāma's future
(III) Against a woman's infertility¹

maciyahi bäiṭhī kausilyā rānī sįhāsana rājā dasaratha ho
rājā hamare muräiyā ke sādha muräiyā hama khā̈iba ho
hąsrau nagara ke luniyā begai cali āvau
bana päiṭhi khodo bana-muräī kausilyā rānī hokhara ho
hąsrau nagara ke nauvā begai cali āvau
ragi ragi pīsau bana-muräī kausilyā rānī hokhara ho
ika ghųṭa piyäi kausilyā rānī dusare sumitrā rānī ho
sakhi sil dhoy piyahi kakahī rānī to tinahǫ garabha se ho
kausilyā ke janame haį rām sumitrā kē lachamana
sakhi kekahī ke bharata bhuvāla tinahų ghara sohara ho
hąsaran nagara ke paṇḍit begai cali āvau
bäiṭho na canana piṛhäiyā to pothiyā bicāräu ho
kauni ghare bhaye siri ramacandr kaune ghari lachiman
kauni ghare bharata bhuvāla kinahų ghare sohara ho
akchaya ghari bhaye siri rāmacandra akchay ghari lachimana
akchaya ghari bharata bhuvāla tinahų ghara sohara ho
akchay ghari bhaye rājā rāmacandar bahut sukha karihaį
barahe barasa rāmā höihaį to ban ke sidharihaį
itanā bacan rājā sunalaį to sunahų na pā̈ilaį
rājā goṛe mūṛe tānalę cadariyā sovahį dhaurāhara ho

1 This is a new version of the story of Rāma's birth. It may he summarised in these words: Daśaratha's senior wife, Kauśalyā, feels a desire to eat wild radish which is sent for. The three queens share it and conceive. The four princes are born and an astrologer forecasts their future including that Rāma would be exiled to a forest at the age of twelve. At this Daśaratha is much perturbed but Kauśalyā consoles him by saying that she is satisfied as she, at least, no longer has to bear the stigma of infertility and, in any case, wherever Rāma would go he would be honoured by all.

[p. 50]

XXI.

päiṭhī jagāvai kausilyā rānī uṭho rājā dasaratha

XXII.

hātha mųha dhoho na kullā datüina karo

XXIII.

rājā chuṭale bajhiniyā ke nama bhalaiyā rāmā bana jäihaį

XXIV.

jaune ke gali rāmā jäihaį dhotiyā pachārihaį

XXV.

gaṅgā asanāna karihaį tarihaį nagara saba log, bhalaiyā rāmā bana jäihaį

XXVI.

je yahi mangala gāve aura gā̈i ke sunāve

XXVII.

tulasīdāsa bali āsā mangala phala pāvai

The queen Kauśalyā is sitting on a seat¹ and king Daśaratha on a throne;
- King, I have a wish for (eating) a radish; I would eat a radish.
- Oh cutter² of Hąsrau city,³ come speedily;
Having entered (deep into) the forest, dig out wild radish, (for) the queen Kauśalyā is feeling a craving (for it).⁴
- Oh barber⁵ of the Hąsrau city, come speedily;
Crushing it repeatedly, grind the wild radish, (for) Kauśalyā is feeling a craving (for it).
The queen Kauśalyā drinks one sip, the queen Sumitrā (sips) the second time;
Sakhi, Kaikeyī washes the grindstone and drinks - (and) then all three get pregnant.
To Kauśalyā is born Rāma (and) to Sumitrā (is born) Lakṣmaṇa;

1 Mañca, a raised seat made of wood or metal, like a platform.

2 Luniyā from S. lu, to cut. The singers, however, apply the term to a particular caste group employed for making mud huts. It is probable that they may have also been used for odd jobs or for cutting wood in the forests for planks etc. of the house.

3 This city cannot be identified. It may refer to a village where the sohar was first composed or where an incident similar to the one described in the song might have taken place.
The singers stated that a nagara in the dialect means a small village with few houses. In Sanskrit nagara is a city.

4 Hokhar, the singers said that this is a special term for women's craving for a certain food in certain physical conditions including pregnancy. Here the craving is without pregnancy.

5 A nā̈ū (S. nāpita), a man of the barber caste also employed to carry messages and otherwise assist at ceremonial occasions. See p. 20.

[p. 51]

X.

Sakhi, to Kaikeyī are born Bharata and Śatrughna¹ - and sohar (is sung) in all the three houses.²

XI.

- O Paṇḍit³ of Hąsrau city, come speedily;

XII.

Won't you sit on the sandalwood seat⁴, and (now) consider⁵ the book?

XIII.

In which house⁶ is born the glorious⁷ Rāma? at what hour (is born) Lakṣmaṇa?

XIV.

In which house are born Bharata and Śatrughna - in whose house is the (singing of) sohar (befitting)?

XV.

- The glorious Rāma is born at the akṣaya hour⁸, and Lakṣmaṇa is born at the akṣaya hour.

XVI.

Bharata and Śatrughna are born at an akṣaya hour, at all the three⁹ houses is (the singing of) sohar befitting.

XVII.

The king Rāmacandra is born at an akṣaya hour; he will cause much happiness;

XVIII.

When Rāma will be in the twelfth year he will depart to the forest.

XIX.

The king heard just this much statement; he had hardly heard it -

XX.

He covered (himself) with a sheet from head to feet and lay in the private¹⁰ chamber.

XXI.

The queen Kauśalyā sits and awakens (him): - get up, King Daśaratha!

1 The song has the phrase ‘Bharata bhuvāla’. This the singers explain to mean ‘Bharata and Śatrughna’, Bhuvāl being a folk name for Śatrughna the origin of which cannot be traced. The singers have also taken him for Kaikeyī's son whereas in the epic he is Sumitrā's son.

2 Or: ‘there is (singing of) sohar in their houses’.

3 Paṇḍit, a priest and, in this case, an astrologer.

4 Piṛhäī, a small, low seat.

5 Make calculations from an astrological guidebook or almanac.

6 The places assigned to various planets etc. in a horoscope according to their positions in the heavens at the time of an occurrence such as a birth are termed ‘houses’; on the basis of these the predictions are made.

7 Śrī, a general title of respect before a name.

8 Akṣaya, ‘Name of a day which is said to confer undying merit’.
The line may, however, be translated to mean, ‘at an hour which confers undecaying prosperity etc.’.

9 The three houses of the three wives of Daśaratha. It was customary for the different wives of a polygamous king to live in separate chambers or houses.

10 Dhaurāhar, a private chamber, usually upstairs.

[p. 52]

XXII.

Won't you wash (your) hands and mouth, and do the rinsing and brushing¹ (the teeth)?

XXIII.

Oh King, the name ‘bą̄jh’² has been terminated, (now) it does not matter that Rāma will go to the forest.

XXIV.

In whichever (persons') street Rāma will walk (the persons) will wash his garment³.

XXV.

They will bathe in the river Gaṅgā and all the people of the city will be redeemed⁴.

XXVI.

Whoever sings this auspicious song and makes it heard by others,

XXVII.

(Says) Tulasīdāsa, there is a strong hope that he will attain the auspicious fruit.

1 Datüin (H. dātun), about eight inches long sticks of various woods the ends of which are chewed to form a brush for the teeth every morning. They are still used in Surinam.

2 ‘Bą̄jh’, an infertile woman. This state left a woman totally insecure in society and in the family for she could not fulfil the function of her sex for which she was married.

3 Dhotī, a sheet-like garment approximately five yards in length, tied round the loins, with one end passed between the legs and tucked in at the back. That this people would wash Rāma's garment shows the great respect they would have for him. The next line expresses it more clearly - his presence would be regarded by this people like a bath in the sacred river Ganges, a dip in which is believed to redeem a person from all sins.

4 Lit. ‘will swim across’ - a term commonly used for redemption, the allusion is to swimming across the ‘bhava-sāgara’, the ocean of worldly existence.