Ritual songs and folksongs of the Hindus of Surinam

16 Telvān² [Paramaribo, 1967]

ke na more bovale rā̈ī sarasöiyā ke na ho perāve karavā tela ho
kekare kakahiyā maį mą̄ga są̄vāraų kekare sędure suhāg
bābā more bovale rā̈ī sarasöiyā mātā perāve karavā tela ho
bhäujī kakahiyā maį mą̄ga savāraų harijī ke sędure suhāga.

(prabhujī ke...)

Who (among)³ my (relatives) sowed the rāī⁴ mustard and who presses the bitter⁵ oil?
With whose comb shall I part my hair (and) through whose vermilion the suhāg⁶ (shall come to me)?

2 De Klerk mentions the telvān only in connection with hardī and cumāvan ('51: 145) of the bride. He has missed the ceremony before the worship of the drum (p. 138) in which the näunī oils and parts the hair of the mother of the bride or the bridegroom and places vermilion (sindūr) in the parting. In the absence of the näunī, a woman relative may perform the action. The same may also be done at the maṭkor spot (d.Kl. p. 139).

3 na in the text appears to be only metri causa.

4 A sort of black mustard.

5 Kaṛvā tel, the usual term for mustard oil.

6 The marital auspiciousness and good luck. The vermilion in the parting of the hair is the symbol of suhāg.

[p. 65]

III.

My father sowed the rāī mustard and mother has the oil pressed.

IV.

I shall part my hair with (my) bhäujī's¹ comb, and through glorious hari's² vermilion the suhāg (shall come to me).

1 Brother's wife. Because she is a suhāgin, the lady blessed with marital fortune, the comb that makes the parting in her hair would magically bring the same auspiciousness to the singer.

2 Hari, Lord Viṣṇu, or prabhu, God and master - the husband. It is he who is the agent of the marital status, hence his vermilion brings the suhāg.