Long ago there was a tiger in a far village of Manipur. Villagers called the tiger as Keibu keioiba. Keibu Keioiba was very similar in appearance to the human body. The difference is that only his head was that of the tiger. He was transformed into Keibu Keioiba from the human being – a married man. He was wise and intelligent. There is the Manipuri folk story how Keioiba as transfigured. Before his transfiguring into the keioiba, he was a man of having possessed full knowledge in mantra – a special spiritual power.
He was a married man during his taking the shape of human body. On a particular night he wanted to make snobbery in his art of mantra. He called his beautiful wife and said, “hey honey, today let me transform my body into the shape of a tiger. If you want to restore me in the human form, you may hit upon my body with the clothes.” He loved his wife very much and believed her that she will hit on his body after transforming the body into the tiger. At the dead of night, he had handed over his clothes to his lovely wife and want out naked from his house. On the way towards the gate of his house, he repeatedly chanted the mantras as an aid to his medication. The wife was trying to sleep on the fateful night. A few moments later she heard the movement of footsteps outside her courtyard. Of course, Keioiba, who had gone out had entered into his courtyards from the same gate. She knew that the tiger was transfigured from the body of her husband.
The night was under the cover of pitch darkness. She could hardly see a tiger at the courtyard. Its body was like human being. But it has a round head, bright eyes, sharp teeth and long whiskers. The woman was so feared that she had forgotten what her husband had said to her earlier. But Keioiba was playing, jumping, and leaping at the courtyard. In fear of the human body with its head of the tiger, the woman ran into her house and locked the door from inside. Incidentally, she also accompanied the clothes given by her husband. The human body with tiger’s head had roared and roared at the courtyard. Later, he knocked the door several times. The woman had also remained silent. Nothing had been done for her husband because of her fear. When the sun on the eastern sky started giving light, Keioiba started shaking his body. Still the door of the house remained closed. So in the early daybreak, the man having possessed full knowledge of mantra remained ad the Keibu Keioiba. From that day onwards, he could not stay in his house. He had separated his lovely wife. He went away into the jungles, bushes and roamed from place to place. After some time his wife had also passed away. He remained alone in the jungles. Everyday, he searched his foods in the bushes, jungles and villages. The foods he had found were often taken without cooking. In face, while he had taken rice and others delicacies after boiled, baked and heated on fire. Now, he had not any alternative but to eat the raw foods. Having full knowledge of the human nature, he was always thinking of taking a woman as his wife.
Many times, he said, “I need a wife.”
One day, the night was far advanced. Keioiba came into a village to abduct a woman. At first he entered the house of an old woman who had not any relatives. In that unearthly hour, he knocked the door of the old woman. He said, “There is smell of the human body, I want to eat the human fresh, open the door.” The old woman had already heard about the menace of Keioiba. With trembling hands, she opened the door immediately and said, “Hey Keioiba, I am old, indeed very old, fresh would not be in good taste.” In her efforts to escape from the beast, she disclosed that there was a beautiful girl named Leima Thabaton in the adjoining house. You go and try your luck there. But she had seven brothers who were out of their house for searching dry woods in the hills. She was one and only sister among the eight children. The old woman the pointed out her finger to the house where the beautiful girl was there. The old woman has also further told Keioiba how to woo her and to win her love. Upon hearing the name of Thabaton romancing her beautiful face in his mind and heart, Keioiba struck his mind and wanted to take her as his wife. Without delaying much time, Keioiba ran towards the house of Thabaton. Keioiba imitating the voice of the one of her brothers said, “Hey my dear sister, we your brothers have returned after completing our works in the hills, unlocked the door bars of the house.” From inside the house, Thabaton said, “Your voice is different from my own brothers, I would not be able to open the door.”
Keioiba was helpless. He ran again to the house of old woman and told the matters in details. The old woman didn’t know what to do. But under the pressure of Keioiba, she was going along with the beast up to the house of Thabaton. She stepped up near the door. Keioiba was behind the old woman. The old woman can mimic youngest brother perfectly. The youngest bother was brought up under the arms of the old woman after his mother died when he was very young. The woman mimicked the youngest brother, “Hey my dear sister, we your brothers have returned after completing our works in the hills, unlocked the door bars of the house.” On hearing the voice perfectly similar to that of her youngest brother, Thabaton snateched away seven bars of the door and opened the door. She was going out to greet her seven brothers who were out in the hills. She sprang a surprise on seeing the face of a tiger and body with human who was standing at the corner of her house’s portico. In haste, she turned back to enter the house, but the beast had held her hands and abducted her from the house. After some time, the brothers had returned to their house. They also got surprise when they saw the house door opened. They searched their only sister nook and corner of the house. But she was missing. The wanted to know whereabouts of their sister. Later, they were informed by the old woman about the incident. The seven brothers armed with good weapons searched out in the four directions but they did not find Thabaton. On the other side of story, Keioiba, had kidnapped the lovely girl and reached to his hut after passing through many bushes and dense jungles.
He locked the beautiful girl inside the door. Everyday, Keioiba searched out foods and vegetables and later all of them were handed over to Thabaton who was kept under lock and key inside the house. Thus two years passed. A baby was born to Thabaton. Meantime, the seven brothers has also not stopped their searching. One day, Thabaton was pounding her wooden stick for cleaning padding rice, she sang a song.
Oh! Hear me, my brothers
Your only sister,
Shining like a flower!
I am in the custody of a beast
For the past 24 months.
Release me, safe me…..
The youngest brother, from a distant place, heard the song. The youngest brother, who had been searching his sister in every nook and corner of the jungles and lakes for the past two years, approached towards the hut without any hint of coming anybody. Later, the brother and sister met. They cried for the loves in the manner of brotherly and sisterly. While there were preparing to leave the hut, Keioiba was coming to provide foods and vegetables. Smelling the scene, the youngest brother climbed on the tree and hide there. As a part of the preplan preparations, Thabaton gave a hollow bamboo pipe to Keioiba requesting him to fetch water from the ravine. While the beast was going to fetch water , the brother and sister fled from the area. Before their leaving the place, Thabaton place her child inside the locked door of the house. The youngest brother set a fire the house which was destroyed into cinders. The child was also burn alive.
Keioiba tried to fetch the water on the hollow pipe on several occasions. Whenever, he picked up the water into the pipe, it always remained empty when he held the hollow pipe. A crow was seeing what Keioiba was doing for the past few minutes. On seeing the harrowing tasks, the crow from atop a tree said,
Hey Keibu Keioiba
Fetching water on hollow pipe
Leaving away your lovely wife
Reducing your house into cinders
Losing your lovely son burnt alive
Oh! Everything lost in the fire.
On hearing the riddle song, Keioiba held up the hollow pipe and looked inside it. In a fit of anger, he hurled the pipe and fled as soon as possible towards his home. He was full of shocks. No wife, no child but burnt house. He followed the footprints left behind by his wife Thabaton and his brother. He was totally helpless but to cry. He again wanted to become a human being. But all were in vain. After reaching the house, the seven brothers had made well protection to their only sister. Later, Thabaton lived a happy life.
He was a married man during his taking the shape of human body. On a particular night he wanted to make snobbery in his art of mantra. He called his beautiful wife and said, “hey honey, today let me transform my body into the shape of a tiger. If you want to restore me in the human form, you may hit upon my body with the clothes.” He loved his wife very much and believed her that she will hit on his body after transforming the body into the tiger. At the dead of night, he had handed over his clothes to his lovely wife and want out naked from his house. On the way towards the gate of his house, he repeatedly chanted the mantras as an aid to his medication. The wife was trying to sleep on the fateful night. A few moments later she heard the movement of footsteps outside her courtyard. Of course, Keioiba, who had gone out had entered into his courtyards from the same gate. She knew that the tiger was transfigured from the body of her husband.
The night was under the cover of pitch darkness. She could hardly see a tiger at the courtyard. Its body was like human being. But it has a round head, bright eyes, sharp teeth and long whiskers. The woman was so feared that she had forgotten what her husband had said to her earlier. But Keioiba was playing, jumping, and leaping at the courtyard. In fear of the human body with its head of the tiger, the woman ran into her house and locked the door from inside. Incidentally, she also accompanied the clothes given by her husband. The human body with tiger’s head had roared and roared at the courtyard. Later, he knocked the door several times. The woman had also remained silent. Nothing had been done for her husband because of her fear. When the sun on the eastern sky started giving light, Keioiba started shaking his body. Still the door of the house remained closed. So in the early daybreak, the man having possessed full knowledge of mantra remained ad the Keibu Keioiba. From that day onwards, he could not stay in his house. He had separated his lovely wife. He went away into the jungles, bushes and roamed from place to place. After some time his wife had also passed away. He remained alone in the jungles. Everyday, he searched his foods in the bushes, jungles and villages. The foods he had found were often taken without cooking. In face, while he had taken rice and others delicacies after boiled, baked and heated on fire. Now, he had not any alternative but to eat the raw foods. Having full knowledge of the human nature, he was always thinking of taking a woman as his wife.
Many times, he said, “I need a wife.”
One day, the night was far advanced. Keioiba came into a village to abduct a woman. At first he entered the house of an old woman who had not any relatives. In that unearthly hour, he knocked the door of the old woman. He said, “There is smell of the human body, I want to eat the human fresh, open the door.” The old woman had already heard about the menace of Keioiba. With trembling hands, she opened the door immediately and said, “Hey Keioiba, I am old, indeed very old, fresh would not be in good taste.” In her efforts to escape from the beast, she disclosed that there was a beautiful girl named Leima Thabaton in the adjoining house. You go and try your luck there. But she had seven brothers who were out of their house for searching dry woods in the hills. She was one and only sister among the eight children. The old woman the pointed out her finger to the house where the beautiful girl was there. The old woman has also further told Keioiba how to woo her and to win her love. Upon hearing the name of Thabaton romancing her beautiful face in his mind and heart, Keioiba struck his mind and wanted to take her as his wife. Without delaying much time, Keioiba ran towards the house of Thabaton. Keioiba imitating the voice of the one of her brothers said, “Hey my dear sister, we your brothers have returned after completing our works in the hills, unlocked the door bars of the house.” From inside the house, Thabaton said, “Your voice is different from my own brothers, I would not be able to open the door.”
Keioiba was helpless. He ran again to the house of old woman and told the matters in details. The old woman didn’t know what to do. But under the pressure of Keioiba, she was going along with the beast up to the house of Thabaton. She stepped up near the door. Keioiba was behind the old woman. The old woman can mimic youngest brother perfectly. The youngest bother was brought up under the arms of the old woman after his mother died when he was very young. The woman mimicked the youngest brother, “Hey my dear sister, we your brothers have returned after completing our works in the hills, unlocked the door bars of the house.” On hearing the voice perfectly similar to that of her youngest brother, Thabaton snateched away seven bars of the door and opened the door. She was going out to greet her seven brothers who were out in the hills. She sprang a surprise on seeing the face of a tiger and body with human who was standing at the corner of her house’s portico. In haste, she turned back to enter the house, but the beast had held her hands and abducted her from the house. After some time, the brothers had returned to their house. They also got surprise when they saw the house door opened. They searched their only sister nook and corner of the house. But she was missing. The wanted to know whereabouts of their sister. Later, they were informed by the old woman about the incident. The seven brothers armed with good weapons searched out in the four directions but they did not find Thabaton. On the other side of story, Keioiba, had kidnapped the lovely girl and reached to his hut after passing through many bushes and dense jungles.
He locked the beautiful girl inside the door. Everyday, Keioiba searched out foods and vegetables and later all of them were handed over to Thabaton who was kept under lock and key inside the house. Thus two years passed. A baby was born to Thabaton. Meantime, the seven brothers has also not stopped their searching. One day, Thabaton was pounding her wooden stick for cleaning padding rice, she sang a song.
Oh! Hear me, my brothers
Your only sister,
Shining like a flower!
I am in the custody of a beast
For the past 24 months.
Release me, safe me…..
The youngest brother, from a distant place, heard the song. The youngest brother, who had been searching his sister in every nook and corner of the jungles and lakes for the past two years, approached towards the hut without any hint of coming anybody. Later, the brother and sister met. They cried for the loves in the manner of brotherly and sisterly. While there were preparing to leave the hut, Keioiba was coming to provide foods and vegetables. Smelling the scene, the youngest brother climbed on the tree and hide there. As a part of the preplan preparations, Thabaton gave a hollow bamboo pipe to Keioiba requesting him to fetch water from the ravine. While the beast was going to fetch water , the brother and sister fled from the area. Before their leaving the place, Thabaton place her child inside the locked door of the house. The youngest brother set a fire the house which was destroyed into cinders. The child was also burn alive.
Keioiba tried to fetch the water on the hollow pipe on several occasions. Whenever, he picked up the water into the pipe, it always remained empty when he held the hollow pipe. A crow was seeing what Keioiba was doing for the past few minutes. On seeing the harrowing tasks, the crow from atop a tree said,
Hey Keibu Keioiba
Fetching water on hollow pipe
Leaving away your lovely wife
Reducing your house into cinders
Losing your lovely son burnt alive
Oh! Everything lost in the fire.
On hearing the riddle song, Keioiba held up the hollow pipe and looked inside it. In a fit of anger, he hurled the pipe and fled as soon as possible towards his home. He was full of shocks. No wife, no child but burnt house. He followed the footprints left behind by his wife Thabaton and his brother. He was totally helpless but to cry. He again wanted to become a human being. But all were in vain. After reaching the house, the seven brothers had made well protection to their only sister. Later, Thabaton lived a happy life.
No comments:
Post a Comment