 |
 |
 |
 |
| About
The Story: There are very many variations of this classic story from India. The script being performed today combines ideas from 7 of them. In some versions, the second alligator is the monkey's wife, while in others it is his mother. In some versions the second crocodile is sick and needs monkey heart for medicine; in others, the second crocodile just wants the monkey's meat, figuring it'll be sweet because of the monkey's diet of fruit. Sometimes the fruit is mangoes, sometimes apples, sometimes jamuns. Sometimes there's a "second scene" with a rock, sometimes not. About Jamun Fruit: The jamun fruit grows along riverbanks in the wild, in India and other countries. It is related to the plum, and is sometimes called the "Java Plum". In the Tamil language it is known as the naaval, naaval pazham, or naga pazham. Other names for it include jambul, jaman, black plum, faux pistachier, Indian blackberry, jambol, doowet, and jambolan. Think the Indian names sound hard? Try saying the botanical name: "Syzygium Cumini L." The jamun tree is an evergreen, growing to a height of 30-40 feet. The leaves are 3-4 inches long, ovate, opposite with an acute apex. The veins are close to one another and all the branch veins growing from the midrib join a marginal vein, lending to the leaf a characteristic appearance. When crushed, the leaves give off a faint smell of turpentine. The bark of the tree is used in dyeing and tanning processes. The fruit is oval to round in shape. When ripe it is dark purple or almost black in color, and has an irresistible succulence with a sweetish taste. It is said to be a favorite of the Hindu God Ganesh. Kids love it as much for the way it darkens their lips and tongues as for its taste. When the tree is in fruit, you can see hordes of monkeys exhibiting a very obvious relish as they gluttonously feed on it. And children have a good time pelting stones at the monkeys, which, enraged, shake the branches - which is exactly what the children want, for the ripe fruits fall off the branches at the merest whiff. Here is a story about the jamun fruit: Once Saint Avaiyaar was traveling by foot. She got tired and sat under a naaval tree. She had written a lot of poems and had developed a big ego. Lord Muruga wanted to remove this. He appeared like a shepherd. He was sitting on top of the tree. He asked Avaiyaar, “Grandma, you look so tired; do you want some naaval fruits?” When she answered yes, He asked, “Do you want Sutta pazham or Sudatha pazham?” (Sutta has two meanings: one cooked and the other hot.) Saint Avaiyaar laughed and thought, "This boy is kidding. How can a fruit on the tree be cooked?" So she said "Give me cooked fruit (Sutta pazham). When the boy shook the tree, the fruits fell down onto the sandy ground. Saint Avaiyaar picked up the fruits and started blowing the sand off them. Immediately the boy asked, “What grandma, are the fruits very hot?” She was shocked to hear this, and realized that he was not an ordinary boy. She bowed before Him and Lord Muruga took His form and blessed her. |
|
|
|
|
