![CHUCHOK AND CHETABUT : The story of Chuchok translation Thai>English: John Crocker, ANU PhD Student:
Old Chuchok (the swindler of the story is a professional beggar)
There was a destitute Brahmin who had no family. His name was Chuchok, and he was born into the family Phowathikachat. He lived in the district of Thunawit village attached to the city of Kalingkharat. He went about begging donations and was able to collect and save 100 "kasap". Then he took them to entrust to a friend who was also a Brahmin, and went off for a very long time begging donations all over the country; so he could not return home.
As for the Brahmin who was looking after the money, he grew poorer, so he took Chuchok's money which he had entrusted to him, and spent it all. When Chuchok remembered, he returned to claim his money. The Brahmin couple did not have any money to repay him so they offered their daughter, Amittada, to be Chuchok's wife, and so Chuchok took her to his home. The girl Amittada cared for Chuchok her husband in a proper manner, until she made many Brahmin men in the district dissatisfied with their own wives, because their behaviour [as wives] was not as good as that of Amittada. All the Brahmin women were cursed because of Amittada, so together they went to curse her, when she had gone down to the water stage to scoop up water, to drive her away. When the Brahmin women encountered Amittada, they crowded around Amittada, cursing, mocking and jeering, making her feel ashamed and heartbroken, so she went home and told Chuchok that from now on she was not going to work; she told him the story, and Chuchok said he would have to do the work himself, but Amittada would not accept that. She said that her family had never used a husband as a slave, and she begged Chuchok to go and find a slave to come and help, otherwise she would not live with him.
At this moment, the deity who had assisted Prince Wetsandon to earlier make the sacrifice of the great gifts (Sattasadok), thought that he would help Wetsandon to make an additional sacrifice (Piyabut) to add to his worthiness (barami), so he inspired Amittada with the knowledge of the story of Wetsandon and of the sacrifice, and he caused the girl to suggest to Chuchok that he go to beg for Chali and Kanha . Chuchok did not want to go, but were he not to go, he feared she would run away, so against his will he agreed to her request. She got together supplies of dried food. Chuchok had the house put in order and gave advice to her; he then walked clockwise around his wife three times. He dressed himself in white as a hermit and went out towards the city of Siwirat. He went about making enquiries from the townspeople about the story of Prince Wetsandon; the townspeople grew angry with him and chased Chuchok into the forest. The deity inspired Chuchok to get lost in the forest, and he reached the territory watched over by Chetabut. Chuchok fled from Chetabut's dogs and climbed into a tree, but then thought about the generosity of Prince Wetsandon which was comparable with the earth, water, a Bodhi tree or a banyan tree; great things which people could rely on. When Chetabut met Chuchok, he resolved that he would shoot and kill him, but instead, he asked his story first and Chuchok lied to Chetabut thus. "I am a royal courier of the King of the city of Sonchai, I am going in order to invite Prince Wetsandon to return to the royal city". Chetabut believed him, so he invited him to eat some food.
The Story of Chuchok
Chuchok was born on a Saturday, in the fifth month, in the year of the Tiger, before the year 1 of the Buddhist era, several thousand years ago, in a Brahmin village called Thunawit in the district of Kalingkharat. His mother was called Chanthi, a female Brahmin, his father was called Tolaka, a Brahmin. His appearance was of the ugly type called "inauspicious in 18 ways". At the time of his birth there were evil omens. These were
1 his mother had evil dreams before giving birth, for example, she was bitten by a snake and died, and so on;
2 he had the 18 inauspicious male characteristics on his body
3 he had the habit of liking to tell lies, earn food by joking, to deceive and to be sarcastic
4 he was born in "namha" or "nam-ngua" [the fifth child].
To be born in "namha" means that his parents had children all of the same sex in a row, they were boys or girls adjacent. The fifth child in a set was called "born nam-ngua" . Chuchok had gathered together 100 kasap by begging. One kasap is equal to 4 baht, so it would total 400 baht. He had entrusted it to his friends. The husband and wife, parents of Amittada, who looked after Chuchok's money, were called "Kunlaphinthu and Nang Manirat".
Courtesy John Crocker
<a href="http://www.anu.edu.au/asianstudies/publications/wetsandon.html">The Wetsandon Jataka"</a>](http://toninasia.smugmug.com/Art/BUDDHIST-ART/CHUCHOK-AND-CHETABUT/i-76zrC8x/0/Ti/img_7356%20fs%20fav-Ti.jpg)
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