How an Evil Wish was Punished—an Oriental Legend [pp. 440-444]

444 THE LADIES' REPOSITORY. [Nov.,
given, because a priest dared not refuse,
but the embryo god knew the punishment that must follow such an evil wish.
... Whole ages after these events,
when Gaudama had already entered the
cool shades of Nbigban, and the three
brothers had passed through many transmigrations, the fulfillment came. The
princes all ascended to the lower heaven,
where the eldest became the Sun; the
second, the Moon; and the third, a huge,
black Tewa, called Rahu; the glory of
each being apportioned according to the
richness of his offering to Gaudama, on
that day when their wishes had been uttered. The size and strength of the
Tewa are also in accord with his revengeful prayer. He is forty-eight thousand
miles in height, his arms are thirteen
thousand miles apart, as they are
stretched forward, his face measures
five thousand miles each way, and the
space between his eyebrows five hundred.
His nose is three thousand miles long,
his mouth, which is fiery-red is three
thousand miles wide, and his nostrils
three thousand miles deep. His fingers
and toes are all of equal dimensions,
four thousand miles long. As his color
corresponds to the black rice pot, so does
the monster's malignity to the fierce
hatred expressed in the imprecatory
prayer. He is bold, envious, and malicious, and watches eagerly the Sun and
Moon that hle may destroy them. When
the Moon is at her full, he covets her
glorious beauty, and so hates her for it,
that he can neither sit nor lie down in
peace, but stands right in her path, with
open mouth and murderous intent.
Sometimes he seizes her between his
lips, sometimes hides her under his chlin,
sometimes presses her maliciously in the
hollow of his cheek, and then shuts her
up in his hand, according to the whim
of the moment. His rage and jealousy
toward the Sun are still more intense,
and his attempts to annihilate him
proportionately vigorous and persistent.
When the heavenly orbs are thus pursued, they are terrified beyond measure,
and hasten to recite distichs from the
sacred Bali. As the sun is but twelve
hundred miles in diameter, and the
moon only five hundred and ninety
miles, they are, when thrust suddenly
into the mouth or nostrils of Rahu, utterly amazed and confounded, and lose
themselves as if they had been cast into
the depths of hell. All the celestial
maidens are affrighted at the spectacle —
disheveling their hair, and crying out
in alarm:'The beautiful Moon is destroyed. She was very glorious, and
protected us from evil spirits. We must
ever remember her beneficence, and
mourn over her sad destiny. Rahu is
very audacious thus to devour her.'
Among men, astrologers announce that
the phenomenon forebodes evil, and in
dismay they rush wildly forth to the rescue. They prevail for a while, but the
malicious Rahu will overcome at last.
Until utterly exhausted, the Tewa can
lever relax his efforts-Fate constantly
urging him on to the complete fulfillment
of his wicked imprecation, because his
evil wish was granted by the great
teacher of religion. When the monster
can hold out no longer, he releases the
poor, terrified Sun or Moon, and rushing furiously into his palace, casts himself down in extreme agony and terror.
If asked what has happened, hle says:
'I have been playing tricks with the
heavenly bodies, in consequence of which
my head is nearly strained asunder, and
my whole body is on fire.' Thus Rahu
and the Sun and Moon are at perpetual
enmity, because anger laid by to afuture
state is as seed sown in a fruitful soil,and an imprecation having been uttered,
its effects can never cease, till the sin has
been atoned for by suffering, and he who
spoke it has gained admittance to the
blessedness of Nigban."
FANNIE ROPER FEUDGE.
THE L,ADLES' REPOSITORY.
[Nov.,
444