CHAPTER
V III
PROVERBS AND RIDDLES
A. PROVERBS
Proverbs are
’ the te r s e d id a c t ic and m etaphorical
statem ents con ta in in g con cise homely tru th s on v a rio u s a sp ects
of life . '
They are the wisdom o f a community. They are a ls o
the
’ essence o f thoughts and philosophy th at a group o f people
2
acqu ire through the ages. 12
3 Cervantes said th at a proverb i s
’ a short sentence founded on lon g e x p e rie n c e . ' Lord John Russel
d e scrib ed proverb as ’ the wisdom o f many and the w it
They a r e , in e f f e c t
o f o n e .’
'the capsuled wisdom, the d i s t i l l e d know­
le d g e o f the p eop le. They are a ls o based on o b s e rv a tio n ,
exp erien ce or w ithout e it h e r o f these being fir s t-h a n d accepted
as u s e fu l truism s cn a hand-me-down b a sis from the p a s t . 1'"
Proverbs are a ls o le a r n t and tra n sm itted spontaneously through
o r a l t r a d it io n from people to people and from g en era tio n
tc
g e n e ra tio n .
Proverbs serve as good guide f o r standards o f s o c ia l
behaviour and a ls o sometimes f o r socio-econom ic reform s. It
i s a fa c t th a t th ey play a more e f f e c t i v e
r o le
in the j u d i c i a l
system o f c e r ta in communities. As f o r in s ta n c e , in a N ig e ria n
1.
A.K. Krappe, The Science o f F o lk lo r e , London, 1930, n. 14.3
2.
G.S. K iln e r , Nhat is a-Pro verb ? New S o c ie t y , 1969, p. 353.
3.
Emrich Duncan, F o lk lo r e on the American hand, T oron to,
1972, p. 62.
390
ju d ic ia l system in the t r ib a l areas o f A fric a , the role
(p
proverbs is wortl^nent ioning. It has been analysed in d e ta il
by John Messenger, He remarks that "proverbs are by far
the
most numerous and the most frequently employed of these fo-’ms
o f verbal art and are used in a l l manner o f situations as a
means of amusement,--- as a method of gaining favour in
courts, in performing re lig io u s ritu a ls and association
ceremonies, and to give point and add colour to ordinary
4
conversation, '
Proverbs sometimes may serve as impersonal
vehicle fo r personal communication and also integrate the
community which produces i t . Proverbs educate the folk
in
various ways. They play an e f fe c t iv e role in exercising social
C
control in the v illa g e s .^
Sometimes, proverbs serve as a
vehicle fo r social pretest. The common people generally f e e l
hasitation in mailing complaints d ir e c t ly against e x p lo ita tio n ,
oppression and in ju stices, but they w ill find some solace in
fo lk lo re through proverbs as they may shew th eir anger at the
d i f f i c u l t i e s caused by in ju stice s , exp loitation s, e t c . o-"' the
0
ruling power.
They also play an important role in serving
the communication of knowledge. Those proverbs related
to
weather Houghing, mannuring, weeding, ir r ig a t io n , harvesting
4.
Alan Duties (e d . ), The Study of F o lk lo re , Prentice - H a ll,
N .J., 1965, p. 299.
5.
William R. bascom,'Folklore and Anthropology, ' Journal of
American F olk lore, Vol. 66 (1953), p. 290 5 see also
William R. Bascom, 'Four functions o f F olk lore' in Alan
Dundes (e d .) The Study c f F o lk lo re , 1965, p. 295.
6.
Alan Dundes, on. o i t . , p. 308.
391
and omens provide good knowledge to the fo lk .
7
They give tne
rich e st m aterial f o r the recon stru ction o f archaic b e lie fs
3
and op in ion s.
They a lso give advice on the conduct o f l i f e
and s o c ia l in tercou rse, and so on.
B. MEITEI PROVERBS
Proverbs in Manipuri are known as Paorou :
the f i r s t
element 'P ao' means news or inform ation or statement, and the
second one rou or lou
means to take or to a ccep t,
probably comes from 'lo u b a * ). Thus, paorou
(most
means inform ation
taken, or communicated or a statement that is a ccep ta b le. In
the M eitei s o c ie ty proverbs have manifold fu n ction s.
Some
proverbs have two la y ers o f meaning. Such proverbs or prover­
b ia l phrases are used fo r recording h is t o r ic a l events in the
9
M eitei Royal Chronicles in rare ca ses.
The common people o f
the M eitei s o c ie ty are mostly accustomed to the
use
of
proverbs during th e ir day-to-day or normal conversation .
Proverbs are more freq u en tly used by the e ld e r ly members or
those who have enough and varied experiences o f l i f e .
They
use the proverbs s p e c ia lly in o ffe r in g suggestions on r e la tiv e
values o f things or fo r the purpose o f c r it ic is m . Some o f the
7.
Archer T aylor, 'P roverb 1 in The Standard D ictionary o f
F o lk lo re , Mythology and Legend, V o l. if^ (e d .) Maria "Leach,
Funk & Wagnalls C o., New York, 1950, p. 903.
8.
Y.M. Sokolov, Russian F o lk lo r e , The Macmillan C o., New
York, 1950, p. 264.
9.
Ph. Nandalal Sharma, Meltrabak, Imphal, 1960, p. i l l
commonly used M eitei proverbs are metaphors drawn from d a ily
l i f e , or are terse comments based on experience. Besides, many
proverbs which have varied meaningsare also found using in the
Lal-Haraoba, one of the most important and oldest fe s t iv a l o f
Manipur. As fo r the instances :
( i ) Ngaprumria TJkaba u to l 1ornnida
(When an e e l climbs the tre e , i t reaches the top or annex).
( i i ) Tharoina michikpg chlkthoktarfa chikpana saru phang-nglda
(A snail bites to the extent o f bone as i t seldom b ite s ).
These proverbs used in the Lai-Haraoba are exchanged
between the maibi and the women in order to please the d e ity .
Sven some w itticism are also exchanged between the maibi and
the women during the ritu a ls of th is fe s t iv a l to please the
presiding god and goddess.
10
Again, in Manipur there are many proverbs that use musical
instruments fo r metaphor. As fo r example, some of the M eitei
proverbs are clo s e ly associated with one o f the oldest musical
instruments called ,penal . One such M eitei proverb, »pena
11
semlin geid S ' Samurou 1
you-i 1, the sense being, i t toox a
considerable time to repair penal that the very purpose of
repairing i t had l i t t l e value, has been using since ancient
days. The creation o f th is proverb was also mentioned in the
10.
Loui se L i g h tfo o i,' •, Dance-Rituals of ManAPJir^Sld,ia,
Hongkong, 1953, p. 22.
11.
Samurou : A place some 14 Km away from Imphal in the
south.
393
book Namit Kappa. There are another two Meitei proverbs
connected with the ' pena '. For examples, Penamuk l a i (as easy
as the pena)
and Samu mathan pena khongba (to play pena
behind tne elephant), xhe f i r s t one is the most popalar Proverb
used even by a lay-man. I f anything to do is very easy and simple,
i t is said that i t is as easy as the pena playing. I t is used
in an iro n ic a l way. The idea o f the second proverb is when
somebody t r i e s eith er to please or to disturb another, the
l a t t e r pays no heed. The music o f Pena
actually sounds nothing
to an elephant, i t neither pleases nor disturbs. So when some­
body's speech or action does not serve the purpose, i t is s a il
that i t is just lik e playing the penaT at the rear of the
elephant. It resembles in meaning the English proverb,
the dog bark
'le t
the caravan goes. '
Some proverbs are concerned with relationships among the
members of the family. For example, respect of a b rid e 's c i t i e s
and r e s p o n s ib ilitie s to the family. Here are some commonly used
proverbs to illu s t r a t e th is point :
( i ) Thabak phabada mou ancubigummi
(As hard-working as a newly married bride)
c f . A new broom sweeps clean,
( i i ) Mou anoubi numit ninida khangngi
(A newly married bride is known within two days)
c f . V is ito r s and fish smell within three days.
r-
( i l l ) Hakubokki chak totoiba
(A new bride does to the extent of mixing curry
with the rice fo r her fath er-in -la w ).
The f i r s t proverb describes that in the Meitei family
a newly married bride works very hard in order to show her
obedience as w ell as her e ffic ie n c y to the other members of
the family and to the neighbours or the l o c a l i t y . She has to
get up early in the morning fo r doing a l l the house-hold works
o f the family such as cleaning of u te n sils , keeping of 'yathin
paya1
with water for the e ld e r ly membe: s of the family as
w ell as her husband e tc . This proverb also indicates that the
M eitei women are generally hard-working. The second proverb
depicts that whatever the new bride does in the fam ily,
her
in e ffic ie n c y or defect w i l l be known within a short period by
the e ld e r ly members o f the family. In the Meitei society,
t ’n r
daughter-in-law generally keeps apart from the e ld e r ly members
o f the groom’ s family. However, the third proverb denotes that
the daughter-in-law does to the extent of mixing curry with
the rice fo r her father-in-law , which is not a part of her
duty, in order to show her e ffic ie n c y .
Proverbs also play an important role in exercising social
control in the Meitei society. They are used to express
a
v e ile d warning or threat where a blunt command mignt oxiend ?
12.
yathin paya :
tooth-brush.
a piece of bamboo. The Keitels use i t as
they may also arouse a person to action through irony. For
instance , when a man indulges him self in e v i l deeds, the
M eitei people warn him through a proverb lik e the fo llo w in g :
Liana makhun changlamdaida chumbagum .
(A snake goes straight at the time o f entering it s h o le ),
c f. Truth s its upon the lip s of the dying man.
This proverb means that a person who has been doing many
e v i l deeds in the past would not lik e to do those on h is dying
bed. Here, the person is compared to a snake which never goes
straight on the ground. However, at the time o f going inside
i t s hole, i t goes stra igh t. Likewise,
’ truth s its upon the
lip s of the dying man'. Some specimens are as follow s :
( i ) Huranbagi tarani mapugi nongma
(Ten times fo r the th ie f but one time fo r the master)
c f . Every dog has it s day.
( i i ) Ningthou semba yaoganu
ningthou kaabS- yao
(P a rtic ip a te in king-saving but not in king-making)
c f. To love the king is not bad but to be leved by the king
is b e tte r.k ’5
( i i i ) Watonna wanglageT kwaknsr phamdeki
( I f the apex o f the bamboo is high, the crow s its
on i t )
c f.
13.
Prides w ill have a f a l l .
C.3. Burne,
The Handbook of F o lk lo re , London, 1914, s.B-I
396
Some of the Meitei proverbs express several important
cultural values concerning the education of children. As for
instance, the given proverb is used :
Thoubaldong chaphubu kainanaba yeibara*
(The potter of Thoubaldong never beats in order to break
the earthen-pot).
In the Meitei society, when a child is beaten or punished
by any e ld e r ly person of the family, the parents of the c h ili
sometimes are mentally hurt. But, the child is beaten in rm er
to train him up. This proverb implies that the potter of
•Thoubaldong'
never beats the pot to break i t , he beats i t
in order to give i t a good shape. Sim ilarly, the child may oe
punished in order to mould his character in the right way.
In the Meitei society, several proverbs r e fe r to the
character of the woman as w ell as to the duties of a husound
and a w ife . The following are some of the Meitei proverbs to
illu s t r a t e this point :
( i ) Hu pi mawa louganu
(Don't y ie ld to the words o f a woman).
15
c f . "Women's advice leads to disaster"
( i i ) Nupibn sanapotkumna khanganu
(Don't take the woman as toy)
14.
15.
Thoubaldong - name of a place famous for earthen-pot in
Manipur.
P.C. Borua, Assamese Proverbs, Gauhati, 1962, p. 24o>; ^
Normally women are supposed to be jealous and inconsistent,
hence th e ir advice leads to unfavourable consequences as
meant in Assamese proverb.
397
(iii)
I l e i n i n g l a g a keimang h i n p i
he iningdragsT ke in lag;
hippi
( I f d e s i r e d , a woman s l e e p s ev en b e f o r e t i g e r but
no t s l e e p s b e hi nd i t
The f i r s t
(tiger).
p r o v e r b r e f e r s t o the c h a r a c t e r o f the woman
and the r e l a t i o n between husband and w i f e and a l s o i t s
on the M e i t e i s o c i e t y .
join t
imoact
In the M e i t e i s o c i e t y , th e system
f a m i l y i s p r e v a l e n t . The woman g e n e r a l l y r e p o r t s
random t o h e r husband what she ha s had i n the f a m i l y .
cf
at
II the
husband i s o v e r c o n f i d e n t i n h e r a d v i c e , t h e e x i s t e n c e o f a
happy and p e a c e f u l j o i n t f a m i l y w i l l be d i s t u r b e d . T h e r e f o r e ,
i n o r d e r t o e x i s t a p e a c e f u l j o i n t f a m i l y , th e p a r e n t s g e n e r 7
a lly
sa y t h i s p ro v e rb t o th e in? m a rr ie d s o n s . The second
p r o v e r b i s a p r o t e s t o f t h e woman a g a i n s t
seme men who l o o ’:
down t h e woman i n the s o c i e t y . Some men a r e h a v i n g more than
one w i f e i n the M e i t e i s o c i e t y . Sometimes, t h e y l o o k down the
women i n the sense t h a t t h e y can g e t a new w i f e .
cases,
In such
the e l d e r l y members c f the f a m i l y p a r t i c u l a r l y women­
f o l k warn them by s a y i n g t h i s p r o v e r b . The t h i r d
i n d i c a t e s th e c h a r a c t e r and the a t t i t u d e
pr ov er b
01 the woman. I f
-
woman d e s i r e s and d e t e r m i n e s t o do s o m e t h in g , she d o e s nco
c a r e anyb od y,
tiger.
3u t , i f
s a y , n o t ev en a f r a i d o f s l e e p i n g b e f o r e t n e
slue do es not d e s i r e o r d e t e r m i n e ,
be f o r c e d t o do i t ,
lik e ,
cannot make him t o d r i n k . '
she canned
' t a k i n g a h o r s e t o the w a t e r a i t
S
u
c
A
l
t
p
r
o
(
s
w
i
h
h
o
v
t
i
t
h
r
T
h
e
r
t
y
p
e
u
g
h
r
b
s
I
n
e
c
k
M
i
t
n
w
t
h
e
r
e
i
g
T
h
e
h
i
m
e
p
o
n
c
a
p
e
t
m
o
i
n
e
e
m
n
d
i
n
g
t
e
s
t
o
t
e
d
n
d
s
n
j
o
t
i
s
h
e
d
s
n
a
i
h
n
n
c
g
i
r
u
i
t
h
r
g
f
o
f
t
o
a
s
y
d
a
k
r
n
d
e
h
i
i
g
e
.
u
t
t
h
S
h
e
w
d
t
c
i
n
H
n
b
t
h
s
.
i
f
s
t
r
i
k
i
a
.
t
h
e
o
b
e
d
s
s
e
a
r
n
t
o
k
y
b
o
n
o
f
r
t
e
i
r
t
i
p
e
a
i
r
l
n
r
s
o
n
n
g
t
e
r
w
w
o
r
d
i
k
i
e
d
e
t
f
t
o
e
e
o
v
e
r
t
h
i
e
e
o
f
e
p
o
i
s
o
t
h
e
d
e
a
t
h
e
t
h
e
m
v
i
l
l
a
g
r
e
i
r
a
h
e
o
f
b
s
,
t
l
a
e
m
v
a
i
e
s
i
B
a
l
d
b
o
r
n
a
o
f
M
g
e
f
h
a
h
e
n
h
e
n
a
i
k
s
n
a
s
t
i
n
e
h
a
k
s
n
a
g
h
h
f
M
a
n
k
n
n
a
k
a
t
a
o
n
u
s
a
e
-
a
i
p
u
’
i
n
t
n
.
v
i
l
l
F
e
x
t
d
u
w
a
s
e
d
u
r
t
h
c
a
h
o
h
c
t
k
m
i
n
d
i
n
c
y
u
b
a
a
s
r
a
t
f
h
e
v
i
l
h
a
t
r
o
k
)
a
r
h
o
m
o
t
f
y
t
e
,
p
e
i
o
i
n
e
e
o
s
l
a
a
s
t
o
r
y
.
a
s
b
o
r
y
.
c
f
i
d
e
n
i
n
k
s
h
e
m
t
t
o
g
t
:
1
l
r
r
p
a
a
e
.
t
c
a
s
t
b
l
.
I
f
r
y
e
i r
b
W
h
e
r
u
r
m
h
e
r
g
u
t
i
o
n
o
f
i
t
a
p
p
e
e
n
h
i
s
y
)
t
o
e
m
i
s
.
n
s
t
a
n
d
e
a
l
e
i
a
r
l
t
h
a
r
t
a
d
e
g
c
.
r
a
h
e
a
n
a
s
s
r
g
f
n
t
o
a
t
a
e
e
o
a
l
n
r
o
e
r
e
r
v
h
o
t
n
w
a
i n
g
t
r
d
u
r
u
g
h
s
.
s
s
a
o
g
n
e
r
s
o
d
. i
i
b
e
a
e
s
o
d
r
h
s
b
o
t
o
f
i
s
m
s
l
h
.
a
a
a
t
r
d
e
(
e
r
a
l
w
k
t
u
a
i
s
r
s
h
b
t
H
d
a
n
e
b
e
a
e
l
n
f
u
d
e
a
d
n
B
i
c
o
e
l
g
n
o
e
p
f
w
s
h
i
e
i
k
p
a
t
i
a
i
i
w
s
h
t
t
a
e
w
f
d
e
v
v
o
s
T
i
e
t
n
n
r
e
k
r
.
l
e
o
o
e
o
r
e
t
s
n
e
a
b
o
C
t
p
o
r
e
e
y
y
a
t
e
d
h
a
d
t
s
n
e
f
o
t
k
S
t
a
a
s
a
i
m
e
t
e
a
t
h
c
b
a
h
n
e
w
p
e
l
t
’
d
r
r
h
i
i
h
t
,
o
h
i
h
u
o
r
c
d
r
e
u
s
t
l
m
e
d
l
s
h
e
s
e
v
i
d
e
e
p
g
g
r
m
t
b
e
H
i
s
w
v
s
f
w
f
a
e
o
o
b
e
a
e
m
r
h
c
p
o
r
h
u
s
s
p
e
n
e
o
d
u
H
n
e
e
n
v
l
a
d
i
n
t
o
e
o
b
b
i
c
h
u
e
e
d
s
u
g
a
s
C
o
r
a
’
g
e
h
e
O
a
e
upon
e
e
e
r
s
m
n
H
b
e
o
t
p
r
s
w
e
l
r
n
y
r
u
e
m
i
r
f
v
w
e
o
o
e
a
h
d
y
v
i
n
e
e
i
r
t
n
n
r
g
p
l
a
a
i
o
m
e
e
r
o
r
c
.
u
e
p
o
a
o
d
c
i
h
o
e
e
O
l
w
r
g
i
n
e
i
h
s
c
r
S
n
g
f
k
a
y
n
e
n
w
i
h
a
r
e
r
o
t
r
i
t
w
a
p
s
o
e
f
e
n
h
o
h
K
t
t
t
m
f
s
o
a
o
o
t
f
a
g
s
o
y
e
o
e
d
B
u
t
c
d
p
o
i
d
S
o
d
a
i
r
a
g
e
e
e
t h
e
r
e
a
s
o
n
a
d
h
e
l
n
s
t
.
d
i e
r
1 *
o
e
e
s
l
g
m
r
u
a
d
h
e
a
r
s
h
t
r
d
n
t
a
n
a
e
g
y
o
,
u
e
r
h
,
s
-
s
b
h
a
e
399
had n e ve r dene any good e i t h e r o f h i s v i l l a g e or o f h is own.
Sc none o f the v i l l a g e r s looked at him with l o v e f o r a si n g le
moment. Ke was at d a g g e r ’ s drawn with a l l the v i l l a g e r s and
he did not know h im s e lf that he was a wicked man. Gradually
h is ch ar a cter turned worse and he grew o l d . When he was on bin
d e a ^ b e d , he thought o f t o r t u r i n g h i s v i l l a g e r s in the wrong
no t io n that they had done much harm to him. So he c a l l e d hi s
sons at h is bed side and s a id , "My s o n s , . I have something to
t e l l you b e fo r e my death ." His sons were ready to accent what­
e v e r t h e i r f a t h e r said to them. But t h e i r f a t h e r i n s i s t e d them
on premising before he said h i s l a s t washes to them. K is s;.ns
f i n a l l y agreed t o i t .
Then t l i e i r f a t h e r s a id , "You s h a l l not
burn my dead body. You must pie rce through my body from head
t o tee with a khok bamboo and throw cut by the side o f read.
You must go and inform the king o f your f a t h e r ' s muruer by the
villa gers."Soon a f t e r the death o f t h e i r f a t h e r the sons c a r r i e d out.
the l a s t wishes o f t h e i r f a t h e r . The c o u r t i e r s came to the snot
t o wi tness the scene. They found that the sons were true in
t h e i r statement. As a l l the v i l l a g e r s could not be hanged to
death, th ey were
kept under the hot sun shine f o r seven d a y s
t o g e t h e r from dawn to dusk i r r e s p e c t i v e c f the old and the young.
Thus, the proverb ' Sirabamaktada maruna yuba1 was orginaned.
Another example o f the o r i g i n o f a M e i t e i proverb ---' Imei na tte t a o r a h i , t a o r a n a tte imeini 1 ( I t
i s not my t a i l
but
400
a root c f a r ee d, i t i s not a root o f a reed but my t a i l )
a s t o r y i s that
ircni
:
Once upon a time, there l i v e d a f o x c a l l e d Kundopa. Cue
day he sang a song by the side o f the Naga r i v e r , r'.is oo . . .
oo . . .
the beginning rhythm c f h i s song had entered into the
depth o f the water and dis tu rb e d the sound sleep o f L a i r e l
Naga Ningthou. The king was enchanted at h is sweet v o i c e and
t h e r e f o r e he wanted to send h is sons to the fo.c f o r le a r n in g
the rnjsic. So Naga Ningthou came cut c f h i s den to meet
the
f o x and th ey introduced themselves to each, o t h e r . When ngu
Ningthou came to know that Kundopa was a good teacher and a
g rea t l o v e r o f music, he f i r m l y expressed h i s d e s ir e o f sending
h i s sons t o the f o x as students f o r l e a r n i n g the music. The
f o x r e p l i e d that he was fo r t u n a t e to get the oppo rt un ity o f
teaching the sons o f La ir e n Naga Ningthou, the art which he
adorned much. In f a c t , h i s mouth watered to think that he would
get the chance o f e a t in g the young pythons (sons o f Lairen Naga
N in g t h o u ).
On the f o l l o w i n g day, Naga Ningthou came with h i s two
sons to Kundopa and entrusted the c h i l d r e n t o him to kee>~, them
as h is student:;. As soon as La ire n Naga Ningthou l e f t
the
p l a c e , they t h r e e ---- Kundopa, Kundoma and h i s son, Kundc
pounced on the two sons o f La ire n Naga Ningthou and ate them
up.
401
Lairen Naga Ningthou came back a fter about ten days to
see h is sons. Kundo, Kundomaand Kundopa remained hiding them­
selves in th eir burrow.
Lairen Naga Ningthou was sad in not
finding his sons and Kundopa's fam ily. He f e l t that h is sons
would have been k ille d and eaten up by Kundopa. So he deter­
mined to take revenge upon the fox . He waited fo r the fo x in
the bushes o f the reed Without taking food and drink^, But,
one day while Kundopa was lo ite rin g along the bank o f the
river Naga, he happened to see the Lairen waiting in ambush
in the bushes of the reeds. In order to escape, the fox ran
away through the bushes o f the reeds. Lairen Naga also ran
a fter the fo x . At la st the fo x entered inside the hole formed
by the roots o f the reeds. However, Lairen Naga Ningthou caught
the t a i l of the fox which
outside his hiding \ /
place. Being helpless the cunning fo x said, " I t is not my t a il
but i t ' s th6 root o f a reed."
Lairen Naga Ningthou lo s t thought
fo r a moment in the b e lie f that the fox was true in his remark
and so he released the t a il of the fox. But as soon as he
released the t a i l the fox went further inside the hole and said,
“ You f o o l ,
It is my t a il and not the root o f the reed." Thus,
a cunning fo x had used his wits in time to deceive a wise king.
Thus, the proverb of the above was in vogue in Manipur.
In Manipur many proverbs are complete sentences and many
are also incomplete sentences with or without verbs' Some
specimens are given thus :
(i)
I k a i k h a n gd a b a gi h l d a k l e i t e
(com ple te s e n t e n c e )
(There i s no m ed ic in e f o r s h a m e l e s s n e s s )
(ii)
Wakchinggi nong ( In c o m p le t e s e n t e n c e w i t h o u t v e r b )
(R ain o f Wakching)
(iii)
Chin amatana l e i
a n i l o n g b a ( In c o m p le t e s e n t e n c e
with v e rb ).
(A mouth h a v i n g two t o n g u e s )
V a r i o u s k i n d s o f p r o v e r b s a re found i n t h e Manipur! o r a l
l i t e r a t u r e . They are g i v e n below w i t h example
(a)
:
P r o v e r b s s i m i l a r w i t h o t h e r l a n d s and the p eo pl e in forms
w o r d s , and meanings
:
L in su s i n a b a c h e i s u s u t e k t a n a b a
(To k i l l t h e snake but not t o break t h e s t i c k )
c f . To k i l l two b i r d s w i t h one s t o n e .
(b)
P e c u l i a r t y p e o f the K e i t e i p r o v e r b s
:
Thou b e l o n g chaphubu k a i n a n a b a y e i b a r a
( I s the e a r t h e n pot o f Thoub&ldcng b e a t e n f o r b r e a k i n g ? )
(c)
P r o v e r b s r e l a t e d t o th e customs and manners
:
Mou (Hu p i ) ’t h i b a d a mama yengoo
(To see th e mother f o r c h o o s i n g th e b r i d e )
(d)
Proverbs f o r only a p a r t i c u l a r area or v i l l a g e
or l o c a l i t y 2
Charang o a t t a k a n g .j e i s ha nn a rs ga Pechina: i s h i n g t h a k i
(Kang.jei i s p l a y i n g a t the C h a r a n g - p a t , Pe chi (name cf a
village)
drinks water)
402
(e )
Proverbs fo r a section of people or a small group of
people, sap Kanipuri muslims :
Khunu pumsil houbaga shagol hawaiga thong bad5 bond- .ngria
khot pa tade
(When horse bean is cooked with chicken, nobody knows
17
even i f the cat scratches on them)
(f)
Proverbs from other languages :
Khumdrabadi yarabani
(Silence is consent)
Tingkhangna tingkhang h a l l i
(A thorn is removed by a thorn)
That some of the M eitei proverbs have parallel:: W e ther-
lands of the world is not surprising because in proverbs 'a
certain phase o f human existence or a certain characterj stic
o f human being is dealt with which is the same the world
18
o v e r .'
The Meitei proverb, " I r o i Xeidringelda houdeng
hat pa1* (To k i l l the cat before the buffalo has net been Pur­
chased) has a p a ra lle l in I t a l y , "Do not s e ll the bird on toe
bough11, and uDo not part with the bear-skin before you
caught the bear."
The Norwegian has ii
have
thus, "hou cannot
climb a mountain by a le v e l road", the Frenchman observes,
"You cannot make an omelette without breaking eggs."
In
17.
This proverb is only used by Manipuri muslims.
18.
P. Goswami, Folk-Literature of Assam , in Introductory
Survey, Gauhati, 1965, p. 72.
404
Holland, i t is said as "Don't count your chickens before they
are hatched", and "Don't count your-herrings before they are
19
in the n e t." ~ The .Japanese says i t as, "counting the skins
before one has caught any badgers". Even W. Shakespeare
described that "the man once did s e ll the l i o n 's sicin while
the beast l i v ’ d was k ille d with hunting him."*
Another examole
o: the Meitei proverb which describes the mischief brought about
a careless tongue is " Mina si bang chinda:
saria si ban! khpngulaa"
(A man dies because o f his words, a beast dies because of it s
fo o t - p r in t s ). I t has a p a ra lle l in Japan, "The mouth is t ie
front gate to a l l misfortunes." The Norwegian says, "The tongue
works death to the head", and "one is rewarded fo r his sp* ech,
his speech may lead him to death as w e ll" , becomes in Assamese
while the Englishman observes, "Let not your tongue cut pour
th ro at."
The Meitei proverb, " Luhongba- matung kabck thunglaba"
(A fte r marriage (ceremony), the sweets were brought by the
bride-groom party) has a p a ra lle l in Bengali, "while salt is
being fetched, boiled rice soaked overnight is eaten up", and
in Marathi, "Ivhen the cold weather was over, he made himself a
coat."
Another proverb, 11U(co) leita b a lamda kegena yumoi o i '!
(In a tre ele s s country, the c a s te r-o il plant becomes a " i l T - r )
has the Greek p a ra lle l : "Where there are no learned men even
a man o f l i t t l e wit is held esteem"
The Meitei proverb, 'le i.? ;
phi ha kupturia thamba yadabagum (The spark cannot be kept
19.
C.S. burne,
l o c . c i t . , p. 281
20.
Okada Rokuc, Japanese Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases,
Tokyo, 1962, p. 160.
(hidden) inside a clcth ) again has a p a ra lle l in Assamese,
’‘ Ashes cannot conceal a f i r e . "
In this connection, i t may be
ch
noted that some Meitei proverbs are also found in one or o
of the t r ib a l languages of K&nipur. her instance, " ChaoLu
K
.
har aoi ” (V.hen the earthen pot is broken, ti.e
crow becomes glad (pleased) has a p a ra lle l in the Kuki
d ia le c ts , '‘ V.’hen the earthen pot is broken, the dog becomes
pleased .
a^am v/lien one ..citers say, ’Lamgi
sauna" machi
sa n g -i' (The horns o f a wild bull are lo n g ), the same is said
in the kuki d ia le c t.
Some Meitei proverbs have Bible narcble
For example, the Meitei proverb,
'Mamitta pakpa rnitsang-1 i
udaraduna meegi mamitta pakpa mitasang ubagun
(you see the
d irt in anno her men's eye, but do not see the d irt in pour
own eye) is lik e the Bible parable of 'the man who sees the
mote in his brother's eye, but f a i l s to see the beam in his
O
cwn e y e . 1
i
This type of proverb is generally used in order
to advise the persons speaking i l l of others without knowing
th e ir own draw backs. There are some more proverbs having tme
same meaning in the Meitei society, " Barcgi sumahg sit tana
mi g i sumahg sit pa” or 'Nasumang sittana misumang s it pa'
(Sweeping on others court-yard without sweeping his own) is
lik e that o f the English proverb, "Let everyone soap his
beard" while the Bengali says, " ni.jer charkay te l dac"
(O il your own wheel).
21.
A.J. Primrose, A Manipur! Grammar, Vocabulary, and
Phrase book . . . to which are added some Manipuri
proverbs. Shillong, 1388, p. 91.
406
In the K e ite l Royal Chronicles which deal with day to-day
p o l i t i c a l and h is to r ic a l events, an excellent use of the
Meitei proverb is found. In the palace, there was a l e i sang
(department) for the purpose of writing i t . The members of
th is loisang
recorded only the correct and fact of the events
in the chronicles. As such, they are called wachumsuba (w riter
of correct words). The king could not res is t even the recording
o f any h is to r ic a l event which may tarnish the royal lineage,
out, in. rare cases on the request of the king, they may write
in the form o f the proverbs or popular saying in order
to
explain such grave matters. For instance, chingda satPa in ;ellei
I d i nnadana tenkhiba k a lla k i ( Q, flower in g e lle i on the lo f t y
P2
h i l l , How I regret i t s f a llin g without u s e )."
This proverb
deals with special reference to Gharairongba (Pamheiba) Vungthil Chaibi rela tion s.
In Manipuri, proverbs are nearly always stated in the form
o f eith e r a single sentence or more than a single sentence or
an incomplete sentence or a stanza. They are among the shortest
forms of tra d itio n a l expressions that c a ll attention to them­
selves as formal a r t i s t i c e n t it ie s . Repetition o f sounds also
play a vast role in K e ite l proverbs. The proverbs in Kaninuri
with end rhymes and assonances at the end of a line cr half
lin e , and the syntactical structure reinforced by the rhythmic
symmetry can get support in the correspondence c f sounds. Koreover, proverbs use a l l c f the devices we commonly associate
22,
Ph. ilandalal Sharma, l o c . c i t . ; see also Chapter V I I.
407
with poetry in Manipuri v i z . , binary construction and balanced
phrasing, rhyme, assonance and a l l i t e r a t i o n , metaphor, si mi l e,
e€c. etc. Inch proverbs have th eir own dis tinct functions in
the to ta l scheme of the Meitei language and form the I n t e l l i ­
gent part of the trad ition al oral l i t e r a t u r e . Some specimens
o f these types are appended below :
I t i s primarily the pronounced e f f e c t of balance that
produces the w itty e f f e c t of the proverb, and this balance
arises most notably from a binary composition. The proverb
generally of a sentence is perceptibly broken in the middle
and that break i s called a caesura. As f o r example :
Yuunhong
td ira / laira"
tllli
(One gets poor, i f one leaves home frequently)
or, (One gets poor, i f one changes one's profession frequeritly)
cf.
2.
A r o l l i n g stone gathers no moss.
PhambfT k a l l l f / phamel
pham-i^
(Patient s ittin g gets ( s i t s ) phamel)
or, (Bearing of patience s its phamel) .
cf.
Patience is b i t t e r but i t s f r u i t is sweet.
The length of the above two proverbs similarly conform
to the common length of the l i n e of folk -v e rs e . In these
two
proverbs, there are a set of number o f syllables but each
sentence may be broken into two parts having the same stresses.
Such types of Meitei proverbs are found i
.large numbers in the
K6ite i society.
I
408
There are many Keitei proverbs with end rhymes and
assonances
:
(i) IchJT, m icha, yonglei. melei riaiba
(To treat my sen, other's son as yonglei melei)
or,
(Tc take his, theirs yonglei melei)
(ii) Chaminaabaga tumminnabaga tumminnabana helli
(Sleeping together is worth more than eating together).
(iii) Sigi oiraga phaba, migi oiraga phattaba
(It is good for me but bad for others) ;
(iv) Ayukki numit oi, numidangi tha oi
(It is like the sun of the morning and the moon of
the night).
In the first and second proverbs, there are assonances
and the third and fourth have end rhymes. The use of ena rhymes
and assonances in Meitei proverbs can get support the corre^spondence of sound.
Some of the proverbs in Manipuri illustrate some c-f the
other poetic techniques noted specially the use of allitera­
tion :
(i) Khumit khudangdagi houba
(To grow from the ankle joint and wrist).
(ii) Phamme phamsi si chatle chat sisi
(If you sit, you die in sitting, if you go, you vie
in going).
-109
c f.
Death keeps no time.
( i i i ) Maheidani mangdaba landi
(Knowledge is immovable property).
The above proverbs have the repetition of the f i r s t soma
or l e t t e r of a succession of words. Ln the f i r s t proverb, Lt
has the repetition of the f i r s t sound khu, khu, the second nas
Pham, pham, chai, chai and the third one has also a l l i t e r a t i o n
-- ma, ma . The excellence of the proverbs in Manipur! increases
in the use of a l l i t e r a t i o n .
C. RIDDLES
A riddle is defined as igenious question, expressed
usually in the form of a metaphor, or in the form o f a direct
question, without any fig u ra tiv e meaning of the words which
enter into i t . ^
The concisely formed metaphorical question
o f a riddle i s more d i f f i c u l t to answer and gives a d i ffe r e n t
meaning than what is actually incorporates
interpreted. According to A r i s t o t l e ,
i f i t is apparently
'a riddle i s also a
well
composed metaphor'. It describes 'a person or a thing in mor^
obscure metaphor, calculated to exercise the i n t e l l e c tu a l s u i l l
to any who attempt to solve i t . ’
24
23.
Y.Ii. Sokolov, op.c i t . , p. 232.
24.
C.S. Burne, op. c i t . , p. 284.
It also incorporates
*a
410
question prim arily in which a fact is concealed in the form
of a metaphor, and an answer secondarily to which the hidden
meaning or the real content of the implied sense is f u l l y
revealed or expressed. Concealment thus becomes the most v i t a l
25
one. 1
The rid d le proper i s b r i e f and p recise, often achiev­
ing i t s e ffe c t with the help of a l l i t e r a t i o n and rhyme.
In
Manipur rid d le s are questions that are framed with the purpose
of confusing or testing the wits in the pretext of those
who
do not know the answer. Like proverbs, rid d le s are also tra n s­
mitted spontaneously from people to people through
oral
tra d itio n .
Riddles have many diverse functions. Riddle plays a v i t a l
role in educating the younger generation of the society. They
educate the
folk in various ways. They are used not only as a
form of amusement, but also as a means of education, a kind of
•mental gymnastics*. They also sharpen wit and stretch thought
power of the children. To some extent, i t is a part of th e ir
education. The primary function of the rid d le s in the
Dudh
Kharia of Chotanagpur i s to exercise the t r a i n , providing some
sort of in te llig e n c e t e s t . At the same time they are ern loyed
f o r making oral education to the children or younger people
about th e ir important c u ltu ra l materials and contributed
the so c ia liz a tio n process of an in d iv id u a l.
to
/ I 17. it la fact i
concealed in the form of a metaphor or otherwise
and in the
25. Durga Bhagwat, The Riddle in Indian L i f e , Lore and L i te ra tu re ,
Popular Prakashan, Bombay, 1965, p. 1.
26. A.?. Sinha, ’The Dudh Kharia Riddles in Chotanagpur' in L . P .
V id y a r t h i's (e d .) Research Journal of Ranchi U n iv e rs ity ,
Ranchi, 1978, V o l. XIV, p. 240.
answer the hidden meaning i s revealed. Hence, one o f the
p r a c tic a l purposes o f the rid d le is educative lik e that o f
proverb. The roots o f th is educative d e v ic e , that i s , r id d le s
are deeply sunk in a n tiq u ity . Sometimes r id d le s a lso serve the
fu n ction o f communication o f knowledge and b e l i e f s . Riddles
serve as a good device fo r memory t e s t in g . Though some o f the
r id d le s have educative r o le , some are a lso used fo r jok in g .
Riddles are a lso exchanged on some occa sion s and cerem onies.
In Tartar s t o r ie s , the a b i l i t y to answer r id d le s i s a test
freq u en tly applied to a su itor who asks f o r the hand o f a lady
in marriage. Riddling i s also an aspect o f courting in parts
27
o f the rural P h ilip p in es.
Riddling i s most commonly associated
with evening gatherings. However, the use o f r id d le s has
no
supernatural fu n ction . They have been a ssocia ted with Samson and
Oedipus in Europe and h o r s e -s a c r ific e r it u a ls in ancient India.
They have a lso influence popular imagination both to the
philosophers and to the lit e r a r y c r i t i c s from ancient times more
than any other ora l tr a d itio n o f tr a d itio n a l lit e r a r y form.
Q ft
D. MEITEI RIDDLES
The use o f r id d le s in the M eitei s o c ie ty has had a
long
h is to r y . In Manipuri rid d le means 1paokhong1. Most probably the
27. Arsenio Manuel E ., Notes on Philippine F o lk -lite r a tu r e in
U n iversity o f Manila Journal o f East A sia tic S tu d ie s»
4 (A p r il), 1955, p. 153.
28. Durga Bhagwat, l o c . c i t .
41 ?
term paokhong i s in fle c t e d from pao phong , pao means statement;
phong means solve which means solving a statement. Riddling
means *paokhong chanba1 and solving a rid d le means 1paokhong
Phongba1. In the Meitei s o c ie t y , r id d le s have many varied
fu n ction s. They play an important role in educating child ren.
Not only education, they are also used f o r amusement in Manipur.
Though some r id d les are used in the education o f young children,
some are also used fo r jokin g. In the Meitei s o c ie t y , the
r id d le s are sometimes employed in making r e la tio n between boys
and g i r l s . They play a v i t a l role in the s o c ia l l i f e o f the
M eiteis. The r id d les were found a ssociatin g with the Meitei
29
le :end, Ningthou Mabu Thiba. '
Riddles are sometimes u se! fo r
court ship.
Riddling in the Meitei so cie ty is associated with v a rie ty
o f occa sion s. It may be held at any time o f the day or n ig h t,
whenever there i s a group of people during their marrier
moments, in play and in work, before going to bed or during
any a c t i v i t y in the day. Children are exchanging ruddles when
t ir e d o f th e ir play. Riddling i s the sport of children ana
young people o f the Meitei s o c ie t y . It i s also a favourite
past-time f o r the Meitei ch ild ren . They s it round the hearth
or in the rural playground at la te evening and a boy f l in g s
a riddle into the group expecting anyone to rep ly , sometimepointing or addressing the riddle at one o f them. They may
29.
For d e t a ils see Chapter
V, pp. 239-241.
give various answers, i f the correct answer i s not found, the
answer i s given by the t©jr who asked i t .
In the Meitei s o c i e t y ,
i t i s a convention that the answer o f the riddle i s given iy
the person who possess i t , i f the c orrect answer i s not found.
Sometimes, there i s a l o t o f arguments among them f o r finiinm
the s u i t a b i l i t y of the answer. The herdboys sometimes exchange
r id d le s among themselves with a condition that the ;erson who
cannot giv6 the correct answer should look a f t e r the c a t t l e .
Therefore, i f a boy does not know the answer tc a riddle nose]
by another boy, he has to tend the c a tt le fo r a while and then
he w i l l again ask a riddle to another boy, i f he also cannot
give the answer, he has also to tend the c a t t l e . Even very
small children are usually quite adept to asking and answering
r i d d l e s . Sometimes, they exchange r id d le s with th e i r parents.
They learn the rid d le s by observation and practice from th eir
e l u e r s . In the Meitei s o c i e t y , even the old Meitei fo l k exenunge
r i d d l e s . However, r id d le s are f o r the young folk in Manipur. In
the Burmese s o c ie t y ,
'the survival o f riddlin g depends utmost
e n t i r e l y on children, f o r r id d le s have been“ out o f fashion”
30
with adults f o r years.
In Bengal, r id d le s are transmitted
s o l e l y among children. In Manipur, rid d lin g i s an a c t i v i t y
mainly o f children and young people o f both sexes. Riddles are
also used during planting or wood-cutting or harvesting to
lig hte n the burden o f the works. Mhen rowing or t r a v e l l i n g on
30.
Maung Wun, ’Burmese R id d le s’ in Journal o f the Burma
Research S o c i e t y , 40 (Part I ) , 1957, p. 2.
414
f o o t , daring
rice-pounding or husking the paddy or when women
assemble eith er fo r ginning the raw cotton or the eating t>-e
kabok
one hears
them enjoying each o t h e r ’ s riddles. .As
regards popularity and usages of riddles we know that in a
performance of a reli g io u s r i t u a l , in a marriage ceremony, a
gathering of fun-loving youngsters, and in many other occasions
and a c t i v i t i e s of Meiteis l i f e riddles
have always found asso­
ciating with them. Riddles play a v i t a l role in the social l i f e
o f the Meitei people.
In the past riddles were very much used in Manipur. Some
<C.
o f these riddles are survived t i l l now. however, the practice
^
of replying to the riddles is gradually disappearing in the
Meitei society. I t seems related tc the changing intellc cta -il
climate and partly the younger generation coulu no longer
carry on ihe past convincingly. But, according to the themes
o f the riddles available in Manipur, they may broadly be die i ,ee.
into several categories v i s . ,
(a) The a r t i c l e s of daily use,
e . g . , door, lock and key, broom, e t c . ,
(b) The riddles on
vegetables, roots, f r u i t s and flowers, for instance, maize,
plantain, pineapple, ginger, j a c k - f r u i t , e t c . ,
(c) The r i a i l c o
of the animals and bird s, worms and insects, e . g . , elephants,
crow, e t c . .
(d)
The riddles o f the organs of human body ana
i t s functions, e . g . , hend, tongue, fin gers, e t c . ,
objects of nature,
(f)
e.g,,
(e) The
the sun, the stars, etc. and
The miscellaneous items, e . g , , the road, the beat, etc.
415
R id d lin g
is h eld
so c ie ty .
There
exchange
of
they go ,
o f the
c e rta in
rid d ling
and the women
re sid en c e
are
on d i f f e r e n t
of
is
b e tw e e n the
girls
t h e y ta k e
for
The
c o u rtsh ip
the
g irl
f a m i l y o f the
o r th e
w ith
it.
seat.
a
The
32
♦s a r e i 1
or w ith
o r the
c o m p u lso rily .
tutes
rid d les
d id not use
Meitei
of
the
entrance
g irl
o r the
or the
g irl,
if
any,
at the mahggol for
'h id a k
p lan tain l e a f
are e x c h a n g e d
site r- in - la w ,
situ a tio n s,
go to the
rid d le s
eith er
f o r m aking
b e tw e e n th e
if
any,
are u s e d
but
as
boys
not
substi­
w o r d s a s t h e y a re e s p e c i a l l y em p loyed
in
r e la tio n .
A gain there
w here
such
fo r d irect
m a k in g t h e i r
rid d les
b oys and the
In
The
them a p r e p a r e d
a p ie c e
or boys
parents
s i s t e r - i n - l a w o f the
serves
O n su c h o c c a s i o n s ,
an d g i r l
the
g irl
at
o f the
g irl.
the
e v e n in g . W henever
ju st
receives them and also puts a kouna phak
th eir
g irls
m ale u s e d t o
i n the
M e ite i
i n w h ic h
boys a n d the
c o u r t- y a r d a s a mark o f r e s p e c t
of
i n th e
cu sto m s
o f f t h e i r fo o t- w e a r s
e l d e r l y m embers o f th e
sister
p e c u lia r
generally done.
the
o c c a sio n s
are
some o t h e r
p e c u lia r
so c ia l
are e x c h a n g e d among t h e M e i t e i
the m i l l
clo th s
society
had a
in a n c ie n t
social
33
_
1s I n n a 1 pham *
f o r e v e r y l e i k a l w here
in stitu tio n s
fo lk .
The M e i t e i s
M a n ip u r and t h e r e f o r e
institution
th e m a r r i e d
known
as
or u n m a r r ie d
31.
H i d a k : P r e p a r e d w i t h t o b a c c o l e a v e s and m a p le - su g a r u s e d
as a su b stitu te o f c ig a re tte
i n the M e i t e i s o c i e t y .
32.
S a r e i : Made
a s the shape
33.
S i n n a i p h a m : A p la c e f o r t h e w ork o f g i n n i n g th e ra w c o tto n
and t h i s p lac e may be c h a n g e d a c c o r d i n g to the c o n v e n ie n t o f
th e w o m e n - fo lk , s i n = w o r k , n a i ( n a i b a ) - g i n n i n g ; pham
( mapham) = p l a c e .
o f a p ie c e o f p l a n t a i n
of the s m o k in g - p ip e .
leaf
for
sm oking h i d a k
416
females worked togeth er. The married women, g e n e ra lly , in the
day and the g i r l s , in the night used to come at one o f
the
p a rticu la r selected residences fo r ginning the raw -cotton . It
may a lso be noted that in some areas o f Manipur th6
married
women are a lso working in the n ig h t. When they are at work,
one hears them enjoying in each o th e r 's r id d le s . Sometimes,
men or boys used to come to such places and r id d le s may also
be exchanged among them. The M eitei women are a lso very much
fond o f g et-tog eth er or eating together even 'kabok1 at a
p a rticu la r sele cte d resid en ce. Even on such o cca sion s, men
may come and jo in them and rid d lin g may also be exchanged
among them. The boys may team up against the g i r l s . There
are no team lead ers or precedence in asking r id d le s .
The
r id d le s on flo w e rs, f r u i t s , vegetables and a r t i c le s o f d a ily
u s e , e t c . are gen erally used on such occa sion s.
In Manipur, the young children s it t in g around the hearth
o f the house go on posing and solving r id d le s among themselves.
In other gatherings on fe s t iv e occa sion s a lso the old and the
young s it together and solve r id d le s . The r id d le s on the a r t ic le s
o f d a ily u se, v eg eta b les, fr u it s and flo w e rs, e t c . are gen erally
very common on such s itu a tio n s , as fo r in stan ce.
( i ) Paithok paisin
thong karino ?
(What is to hold out and to hold in ?)
Door
( i i ) Kachin lalmu karino ?
(What i s the black d e ity o f the corner ?)
Black earthen ware
417
(iii)
Angang oiringeidaria asangba set pa chaouraklaga
salungang set pa karlno ?
(IXiring Childhood, it wears green and in old age,
it wears red. What is it ?)
(iv )
Chilli
Nakan chabokpa karino ?
(Giving delivery by the side of the body) Maize plant
(v) Mamit cliama panba makoktasn mana panba kari heino ?
(It has one hundred eyes. It has leaves on its head.
What is that fruit ? ).
(v i)
Pineapple
Leinung morok karino ?
(What is the c h illi of the underground ?)
(v i i )
Ginger
L einung sana karino ?
(What is the gold of the underground ?) Turmeric
(Curcuma domestica (Bot.)
(v iii)
Mama namthibina macha Radhika pokpa karinD ?
(The mother having bad smell boras a child like
that of Radha)
(ix )
Chingonglel ( Acacia arabica (B o t.)
Mamadagl machana hahna pokpa karino ?
(What is that child who is born earlier than its
own mother ?) Lelpiklei (a kind of flower which
bears flower before germinating the leaves and
trunk.)
L .j
418
(x ) Angangna touraga changba ahanna toaraga changdaba
karino ?
( I f the child does, it can be in serted , bat the old man
does, it can't be. What i s that ?) Hole o f a needle.
Again, in the M eltei so ciety , parts of human body, animals
and bird s and worms and insects are also popular themes of the
rid d le s . In order to illu s t r a t e th is point, some of such types
o f r id d le s are as under s
( i ) Leipang amada uku taret phatpa karino ?
(What is that mound having seven h o les)
L
Head
( i i ) Khwaidagi chaoba sa karino ?
(What
i s the la rg e s t animal ?)
Elephant
( i i i ) Masagi maming masana koujaba karino ?
(Which bird c a lls i t s own name ?)
Grow
( i v ) Makoksu mathunsu chap manaba karino ?
(What worm has the same t a i l lik e that of i t s head)
Earth-worm
And, r id d le s on the o b je cts o f nature are also prevalent
in Manipur. As fo r example :
(i)
Phenggba senguba yaodana matam pumbada langdunata
le lb a karino ?
(What i s that always remains bright without cleaning and
washing i t
?)
The sun
419
( i i ) FUkhri ,1agar ama le lb a thambal kayarum sat pa thambal
sing adu numidangdadS sStpa nungthilda sattaba k a rin o?
(There i s a big pond. Many lo tu s are blooming only in the
night but not in the day. What is that ?)
S tars.
A lso, there are many r id d le s on the m iscellaneous item s.
Some o f them are as fo llo w s thus :
( i ) E ig i khong tek le khwangjet amatta laksanblyu
nongthakta kajakhrage karino ?
(My leg i s broken, wrap with something on my waist and allow
me to go up. What i s i t ?)
Thatch
This is a kind o f reed grown w ild ly both in the h i l l s and
the p la in . When it is grown up f u l l y , i t is cut with a s ic k le .
When i t is d ried up in the sun, it is used as su bstitu te o f
modern corrugated sheet fo r r o o fin g . It is wrapped and thrown
up on the r o o f fo r ro o fin g purposes.
( i i ) Numlt taraga kharomda chatkhiba, nongngallaga
awanglonda hallakpa* karino ?
(When the sun s e ts , i t goes to the south, when the sun r is e s ,
i t comes back to the n orth , What i s i t ?)
Pouron
Pouron
i s a wooden sh atter fix e d on the door fo r c lo sin g
and opening the door. At the time o f c lo s in g , it moves to the
south and at the time o f opening to the n orth . In Mani^uri it
i s c a lle d Pouron.
re
(iii)
Asibana ahingba phaba~ karino ?
(A death catches a l i v i n g thing
What i s that ?
Angling
( i v ) Wu oi amakhakjjiia phi saba aduga t in g th e k p a ll ygba
konsinbadi y ad aba karino ?
n c lu g a
(A woman weave a c l o t h , i t
be fo ld e d . What i s i t
(v )
.hkangbina c liar a a pa
can be spread but c a n 't
? ) . The road.
karino ?
(A pregnant woman wears a chura on her h ead ). Wa<.e
h ycin th.
In Manipur some tin e s the parents or the e l d e r l y members o f
the fa m ily o f a house where they assemble, j o i n the c h ild r e n in
r i d d l i n g . Those r i d d l e s serve an important r o l e f o r the mentaleducation o f the ch ild ren and a ls o a good d e vic e f o r merer}
t e s t i n g . Some o f them are as f o l lo w s thus :
(i)
Tombigi maparia macha ahum pokl mac ha a n ig i mamin gr. a
'Tingthcukrba. L e i pak pok p~a - ahum subs macha aclu g i naming
k arin o ?
/
(Ty^cmbi's fa t h e r has three c h ild r e n , the names o f the
two are Monday and Tuesday. What i s the name o J> the
t h i r d c h ild ?) Tombi
( i i ) Pukhri amada thambal khara sa t l i khoimu khara p a ira k l aga
amamiu.
tengbadaria khoimu ania le n d ,
khoimu su
kayano ?
ani ani t engbanana
than sal so. amat ta lgmilg khoimu kapanc t hambal
421
(In a pond there bloom some lo t a s , when one black bee on
each lo t u s , there Is an exceed o f one black bee but
the
two each on the lo t u s , there i s no remaining o f the lo tu s
and the black bee. What are the numbers o f lo tu s and the
black bee ?)
Lotus 1 and Black bee 2
( i i i ) Bnglandagi siohai nippankhak Imphll yourakpada s ip h ii
marlta ngaiba karino ?
(When eigh t sepoys from England reached Imphal, the number
reduced to fo u r. What i s i t ?) Numerical number 8.
The English numerical number eight is equivalent to
Bengali numerical number fo u r . In
the
Manipur as the Bengali
s c rip t i s in p r a c t ic e ; the eight (8) becomes fou r (8 ).
In Manipur there are many r id d le s which emphasized on
u nconditional norms in many ways. As fo r example,
' P ik lin geid a phanek set pa, chaoraga phanek thokpa*
(During ch ildh ood, it wears but during young it stays
naked) “ Bamboo“ , Again, there are r id d le s , the con stru ction
o f which are in negative nature. As fo r in stan ce,
'Nga olraga makok yaodaba, uchek olraga marum koktabaT
k ari karino ’ (A fis h which has no head, a bird which
does not la y eggs. What are they ?) "Crab and B e t ",
" Melgi macha mei n attaba, islngna yokpa adug'a is in g d i
n attaba, meida amuk han.janduna siba karino ?" (I t is th6
422
child of fire who i s not f ir e , it is brought up by water but
it is not water, at la s t it dies of f ir e . What is it ? ) TLkki.
These negative constructions eliminate one possible answer to
the rid d le.
In the Meitei society, the effectiven ess of the folk riddle
frequently re sts on i t s a llite ra tio n and rhyme. It i s hard
to
convey in English though the excellence of the use of a llite ra tio n
and rhyme is found in Heitei rid d les. The following are the
examples s
( i ) Asibana ahingba phaba~ karlno ?
(A death catches a liv in g thing. What i s that ?) Angling.
( i i ) Chare tenggot than, chadre t enggot than karino ?
(What is that - whether you eat or not the content of the
pot remains the same ?)
S n a il's curry.
The Meitei eat only the flesh of the sn a ils not the shell
when it i s cooked as curry. Therefore, even afte r eating the
fle sh , the shell of the sn ails remain as it i s .
In the above two rid d le s, the f i r s t riddle has the
repetition of the le tte r 'A* in a succession of words. The
second riddle has also the end rhymes, i . e . , than, than.
Therefore, the excellence of the riddles in Manipuri increases
in the use of a llite ra tio n and end rhymes.
In Manipur largest amount of m aterial for riddl6
has
been given by nature a s well a s from the perenial source 3
423
of power, mystery, beauty and life it s e l f . Some objects are
more often mentioned in riddles than others perhaps because
of their usefulness and u t il it y in the day-to-day life
of the
Meitei people. As for example, Kara nantha kara nantha karino?
(What is it to climb and to slip a soon) Plantain or, Lawailatcn
ehabokpa karino ? (Giving delivery of child at the crown of the
head. What is it ?) A compound spadix of banana (Plantain having
flower) or, Tharo imadi nahak pokpadagl pan s! loiredo (Tharo
your mother is undone by your birth. What is it
?) plantain.
The popularity of the bananas as a riddle subject can be
explained in the following ways. It is found in most backyards
because of the many uses of them. After the bananas are
har­
vested the stalk or the bud »ay be boiled or eaten as a veg­
etable. The wide leaf serves, in the Meitei society as a sun­
shade or umbrella, to wrap fish or various cakes or bulses
before cooking to line the inside of the earthen-ware
or
cooking pots, to use as plates (discs) and pots or as a small
tang a (plate) on any occasion, to use the stalk as alkaline,
etc. etc. The use of the banana leaves is indispensable
the Meitei society t i l l to-day both from the religious
the social functions.
In the Lai-Haraoba festival a ritual song known
as
PaosaT Ishei34 was sung. This song is really with erotic
riddles.
3 4 . For details see Chapter V I I , pp. 337-338.
in
and
424
In the Meitei society , there are many rid d les of which
the answers depict the obscenity. As for example
j
( i ) Ching ani karakta moibung khongbg- karino ?
(To conch between the two h illo c k s . What is i t ? ) .
To break wind.
(ii)
Tumiria charaga- phongna phaiba karino ?
(To eat secretly bat produce openly. What is it ? )
.Delivery o f a c h ild ;.
In the Meitei society the use of riddle can be traced
back from ancient times as it was found associating with
35
legends. As fo r example, in the legend of ’Ningthou Mabu Thiba'
“there was a riddle context between the sun and the two daughters
o f Ningthou Mabu Thiba. The nature o f the riddle used in th is
legend is lik e that of cryptic statement. And solving a riddle
as a means fo r winning a bride or
something i s one o f the
ancient folk lore themes in the Meitei society .
35.
For d e ta ils see Chapter ¥, pp. 239-241.