Another anecdote from the series, “Lankan Village Stories” started in our Issue No. 26.
(The nearby people had gathered for the night – the main aim was to keep the wild elephants away from their food crops).
There was once a drought for many full moons and this story is about two friends – the naya (cobra) and the polonga, (viper). Cobras have long been feared and venerated among many people. Vipers, on the other hand, have a more negative interpretation in many cultures, often being portrayed as symbols of evil or danger. “All is good! Ane hondhai!” (අනේ the audience cried).
Though they were friends in the wild there was rivalry between the cobra and viper for survival because they were ultimately competing for the same food to eat.
While cobras are known to be highly venomous and can deliver a deadly bite, they are actually shy and elusive animals that will avoid confrontation with humans, if given the chance.
The cobra woke up from its sleep one bright and sunny morning and felt good because it had drunk some water the previous day in a little rock pool near a human’s hut. In the rock pool was a human child who was playing in the water. While the cobra was drinking water, the little baby also played with the head of the cobra with a coconut shell in his hand. The cobra did not get angry with the human child at all and so it went away after its thirst was satisfied.
During the morning when it was really hot, the polonga came along the dried-up leaves hunting for food. When the polonga saw the naya, it was sure that the cobra had drunk some water. The polonga greeted the naya and said “අඩෙ අප්ප! Ade appa! You look very refreshed. I am sure you have sipped some water somewhere. Please tell me where you found the water so that I could have a drink of water also.”
The cobra did not reply at first because it did not really trust the polonga even though they were friends. The polonga asked the cobra again and again and at last the cobra sympathised with the polonga’s plight and said, “Alright I will tell you, but you must promise me first that you will not harm the human child who is playing in the rock pool.” The polonga promised not to harm the child.
The cobra said, “The child will play with you when you drink the water, but you must not harm the child in any way. The polonga said, “I promise I will not harm the human child” and went along the directions given by the cobra.
Not trusting the polonga, the cobra followed the polonga at a distance and hid himself when the polonga approached the rock pool. The child was in the pool playing with the coconut shell.
When the polonga started drinking water from the rock pool, the little child played with the polanga’s head with the coconut shell. All this time the cobra was watching from a distance.
As soon as its thirst was satisfied, the polonga turned around and bit the child on his head. The cobra saw all this and the first thing it did was to rush to the side of the child and suck the polonga’s poison from the child’s head. The child recovered and called out to his mother. All seemed to be well with the human child because of the noble action of the cobra.
Then the cobra chased after the polonga and said, “I told you not to harm the child. But you did because you are neither honest nor reliable. I never want to be your friend ever.” The cobra then bit and killed the polonga.
From this day onwards the cobra and the polonga are enemies and whenever they meet even by chance, the cobra will fight the polonga and kill it.
The audience then cried “Aney hodhai” (Well done). There was much merry-making, and an intoxicant was passed around again and again.
Image generated in DALL·E and modified by Chris Goffin, 2024.
By Rudra de Zoysa. MNZM – Gold Coast, Australia
* Honorary Consul for Sri Lanka in New Zealand (Retired after 20 years of service):
* Dean of the Wellington Consular Corps (Retired).
* Founding Member of United Sri Lanka Association:
* Founding Member of the Sri Lanka Association of New Zealand.
