1 1 2 Wilher Theodore Elmore 



The people now told the boy that it was proper for one of such 

 birth to go to heaven. He replied that he would not go unless 

 they worshiped him. They said that if he would take sand for 

 rice, and small pieces of iron for puppu, and making curry from 

 these, would eat the food from the tiny jammi leaf, they would 

 worship him. 



The boy took the sand and iron and traversed the entire earth 

 attempting to find a woman who could fulfill the seemingly im- 

 possible conditions. At last he came to the Madiga hamlet where 

 Aranjothi lived. She was at that time worshiping Siva. She 

 heard his request and performed the feat. From the sand and 

 iron she prepared a good rice and curry, serving it on the jammi 

 leaves which she had deftly woven together. 



The man now asked Aranjothi to marry him. She replied that 

 she was a Madiga and he a Brahman, and she was not worthy to 

 marry him. He did not accept her refusal, and declining to leave 

 the house, lay down in the veranda. When Aranjothi's brothers 

 came home they dragged him away, throwing him into a pit, and 

 themselves lay down in the veranda. Aranjothi now realized 

 who her suitor was and married him against the wishes of her 

 people. 



Aranjothi's father was now very angry and cursed her, saying 

 that she should be a star in the northeast. When she asked him 

 if he did not have a blessing also for her, he replied that after 

 two ages the Kali yugamu would come, and then all would wor- 

 ship her. He then cursed the husband of Aranjothi also, saying 

 that he should become a star in the southeast, but in compensa- 

 tion he was to be known as a rishi and worshiped also. His wor- 

 ship, however, does not seem to be continued among the people. 

 Aranjothi now in turn cursed the Madigas, saying that they 

 should always live in poverty, ignorance, and slavery.^" 



Aranjothi can hardly be called a Dravidian deity, as she has 

 no image, but the legend has much to indicate that she is of Dra- 

 vidian origin. The Brahmans claim that this story is a fabrica- 

 tion made by those who wanted to steal their goddess. On the 



i°E. R. Clough (While Sewing Sandals, pp. 53 sq.) gives a somewhat 

 different story, and describes the worship. 



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