Web of Life

In the spicy wooded vales of Lanka a rich Gamarala had extensive fields which gave him a large income. On an auspicious day he sowed it with paddy and two days later went to see how it was growing. But what he saw were a number of big round marks in the mud, like those made by rice-pounding mortars. He ordered that all rice-pounding mortars in all the houses should be tied and the Gamarala decided to keep watch He had an early dinner and left for the field It was a long and tedious vigil and he was about to fall asleep when he saw a huge elephant, a most majestic beast descend from the sky and walk in his fields. The Gamarala approached the elephant and inquired why it was damaging his fields. "Oh no" said the elephant, "I have no bad intensions I love you so dearly that I have come down from heaven to take you there and show you the place". Overjoyed at this the Gamarala clung to its tail and was taken to heaven. It was a delightful place where everything was of gold. Heavenly beings, the most charming one could think of danced around him, smiling, as though to win him over. However despite all these he thought of his beloved Gamamahage. To him his wife was lovelier than all the angels there. He wanted to come back to her and therefore expressed his willingness to the elephant to come back to earth. The Gamarala was brought back to earth by his friend the elephant in the same manner he was taken to heaven. He straightaway ran up to his wife and told her about his trip to heaven and what he had seen there. All at once she expressed her desire to visit heaven herself and the Gamarala got the elephant to take them both there the following day. Having spent a time in heaven the good wife thought of home and said that she wanted to have a chew of betel which commodity was not found in heaven. She returned home with the Gamarala and the first thing she did was to visit every house in the village and relate the story of their going to heaven. Naturally almost all in the village begged of her to take them too to heaven. A date was fixed and the elephant summoned. Lest any male other than the husband should touch her, the Gamamahage was the first to hang on to the elephant’s tail and to her clung the Gamarala. All the others who formed the chain were males except the Redi-nenda, the village Dhoby woman who was at the other end clinging to the one just above her, the Hene-Mama., the village Dhoby, her darling husband. The elephant started off and all the travellers were in ecstasy. The males were silent but the females could not keep their mouths -shut. "Walawwe Hamuduruwo" cried the Redi-nenda "Is it a nice place?’’’’ Why not "replied the Gamamahage "everything is of gold and once you, go there you will not like to come back" ‘Are there big pots in which I can boil dirty linen?.... Why not "was the reply again. "they are all made of shining gold, and some can hold all the dirty linen in the village.... "Then they must be very big" said the Redi-nenda. "They are of various sizes" replied the Gama-mahage and in trying to show the size she let go the elephant’s tail. The travellers to heaven all dropped down in one whole heap and got stuck in the mud. Thus ended the trip to heaven. God in creation made the man stronger than the woman but to make amends gave the woman a loquacious tongue.