.jpg "Sampuraga Pond: Indonesian Folktale of a Cruel Son")
Chapter 1: The Honest Young Farmhand
Long, long ago, in the green hills of North Padang Lawas, there lived a poor young man named Sampuraga. He lived together with his old mother in a small hut at the edge of a rice field. They had no riches, no fine clothes, and no grand house — only each other, and the small plot of land they worked on for a kind landowner.
Every morning, before the sun had even climbed over the hills, Sampuraga would wake and go to the fields. He worked from dawn until dusk, planting rice, pulling weeds, and carrying water, while his mother stayed home, mending clothes and cooking whatever little food they had.
Though they were poor, Sampuraga and his mother were known throughout the village as the most honest and hardworking pair anyone had ever met. The landowner who employed them often said to his neighbors:
Landowner: "I have never met a young man as diligent as Sampuraga. He works harder than three men put together, and he never once complains!"
Sampuraga's mother loved her son more than anything in the world. Each evening, when he came home covered in mud and sweat, she would wipe his face gently and say:
Mother: "Rest now, my son. You have worked so hard today. Come, eat — I have saved the best piece of fish for you."Sampuraga: "Thank you, Mother. But you should not always give me the best portion. You need your strength too."Mother: "Nonsense! A mother's joy is watching her child eat well. Now sit, and tell me — how were the fields today?"
And so the days passed, simple and full of love, though the little family remained poor.
Chapter 2: The Landowner's Offer
One warm afternoon, after the harvest had been gathered, the landowner called Sampuraga to sit beside him under the shade of a large tamarind tree. He looked at the young man with kind, thoughtful eyes.
Landowner: "Sampuraga, come sit with me a moment. I wish to speak with you about something important."Sampuraga: "Of course, sir. Have I done something wrong?"Landowner: "Not at all, my boy! Quite the opposite. You are honest, strong, and hardworking — truly, one of the finest young men I know. But I worry for you. Working as a farmhand will never make you rich, no matter how hard you try."
Sampuraga lowered his eyes, for he knew this was true.
Landowner: "Listen to me. In the land of Mandailing, many young men have found great fortune panning for gold in the rivers. You are still young and strong. Why not travel there and try your luck? Perhaps you could build a better life — not just for yourself, but for your mother too."
Sampuraga's heart began to beat faster. He had always dreamed of giving his mother a comfortable life, a proper home, and warm clothes for the cold nights. But the thought of leaving her alone filled him with worry.
Sampuraga: "Sir... I would like to think on this. May I speak with my mother first?"Landowner: "Of course. Go home, Sampuraga, and talk it over with her. There is no hurry."
Chapter 3: A Mother's Blessing
That evening, Sampuraga walked home slowly, his mind full of thoughts. When he arrived, his mother was waiting with a warm bowl of rice, as always. But tonight, Sampuraga could not eat. He sat quietly, staring at his hands.
Mother: "My son, why do you look so troubled? Has something happened at the field?"
Sampuraga took a deep breath and told her everything — the landowner's words, the promise of gold in Mandailing, and the dream of a better life.
For a long moment, his mother said nothing. Her eyes glistened with tears, though she tried to smile.
Mother: "Sampuraga... my dear son. I am old, and I do not have many years left. If you leave, who will I have to share my meals with? Who will call me 'Mother' when the evenings grow quiet?"Sampuraga: "Mother, please do not cry. I do not wish to leave you either. But I want so much to see you live in comfort, to give you the life you deserve after all these years of hardship."
His mother wiped her tears and placed her hand gently on his cheek.
Mother: "My son, forgive me. I have never been able to give you a life of comfort, no matter how much I wished to. If leaving is what will bring you success, then go, with my blessing. Only promise me one thing."Sampuraga: "Anything, Mother."Mother: "Promise me you will remember where you came from. No matter how far you travel, no matter how much gold you find — never forget your old mother waiting for you here."Sampuraga: "I promise, Mother. I will come back for you. When I have succeeded, I will return and bring you to live with me in comfort. This I swear."
And so, with a heavy heart but a hopeful spirit, Sampuraga packed a small bundle of clothes and set off toward the land of Mandailing.
Chapter 4: The Journey to Mandailing
The road to Mandailing was long and winding, passing through forests, rivers, and quiet villages. Sampuraga walked for many days, resting only when his legs grew too tired to continue.
At last, he came to a peaceful area called Pidoli Lombang, where he stopped to rest beneath a shady tree and gather his strength.
Sampuraga (to himself): "Not much farther now, I think. Mother, wherever you are, I hope you are well. I will make you proud."
After resting, he continued on until he reached Sirambas Village — a lively place ruled by a wise and wealthy nobleman known as King Silanjang.
Chapter 5: A Trusted Servant
In Sirambas Village, Sampuraga found work as a laborer under King Silanjang, helping to manage the king's growing trade business. From the very first day, Sampuraga worked with the same honesty and diligence he had always shown back home.
He never stole, never lied, and never grew lazy, even when no one was watching. Slowly, the king began to notice this remarkable young man.
King Silanjang: "Tell me, Sampuraga — how is it that you work harder than anyone else in my household, yet you never ask for more than your fair wage?"Sampuraga: "My mother taught me that honesty is worth more than gold, Your Majesty. I only wish to earn what I have rightfully worked for."
The king was deeply impressed by these words. Over time, he began giving Sampuraga more responsibility, until eventually, the young farmhand from Padang Lawas was managing the king's entire trading business.
King Silanjang: "Sampuraga, you have proven yourself a thousand times over. From this day forward, you shall be my most trusted advisor in matters of trade."
Under Sampuraga's careful management, the king's business flourished more than ever before. Gold, silk, and spices flowed steadily through Sirambas Village, and Sampuraga's name became known and respected throughout the region.
Chapter 6: A Grand Wedding
King Silanjang had a daughter — a young woman known throughout the land for her beauty and grace. Watching how Sampuraga had transformed from a humble farmhand into a wise and successful young man, the king made a decision.
King Silanjang: "Sampuraga, you have brought great fortune to my household, and you carry yourself with honor. I would be proud to call you my son. Will you marry my daughter?"
Sampuraga could hardly believe his ears. Overwhelmed with joy, he agreed at once, and preparations began for a grand and glorious wedding.
The celebration was unlike anything Sirambas Village had ever seen. Golden lanterns lined the streets, musicians played late into the night, and guests from every corner of the region came bearing gifts. Sampuraga, once a poor farmhand, now sat dressed in fine silk beside his beautiful bride.
But amid all the celebration, in his heart, Sampuraga had grown so used to his new life of comfort and riches that he had begun to forget the promise he once made — the promise to return for his mother.
Chapter 7: The Mother's Long Journey
Word of the grand wedding traveled far, eventually reaching the small village where Sampuraga's mother still lived, waiting patiently every single day for her son's return.
When she heard the name "Sampuraga" spoken of a wealthy young merchant marrying a king's daughter in Sirambas Village, her heart leapt with both joy and confusion.
Mother (to herself): "Could it truly be my son? But why would he not send word to me himself? Did he not promise he would come back for me?"
Unable to bear the uncertainty any longer, the old woman gathered what little strength she had and set out on the long journey to Sirambas Village, determined to find out the truth with her own eyes.
The journey was hard on her aging body. She walked for days through forests and along riverbanks, her simple, worn clothing growing more tattered with every mile. But love for her son gave her strength enough to continue.
At last, exhausted and travel-worn, she arrived at Sirambas Village, where she found the wedding celebration still in full, glittering swing.
Chapter 8: A Mother Turned Away
Dressed in her ragged clothes, the old woman approached the grand celebration, her heart pounding with hope. Through the crowd of finely dressed guests, she caught sight of a young man sitting beside a beautiful bride — and she knew, without a doubt, that it was her son.
Tears of joy filled her eyes as she rushed forward.
Mother: "My son! My Sampuraga! It is your mother! I have come, dear child!"
The guests turned in shock, whispering among themselves at the sight of this shabby old woman calling out to the groom. Sampuraga, sitting proudly beside his wife, felt a wave of embarrassment wash over him. Surely, he thought, this could not be happening — not in front of everyone he had worked so hard to impress.
Sampuraga: "Who are you, old woman?! Get away from me! I do not know you!"Mother: "Sampuraga, please... it is me! Do you not recognize your own mother?"Sampuraga: "My mother died long ago! You are nothing but a beggar trying to ruin my wedding! Guards — remove this woman from my sight at once!"
The old mother's heart shattered into a thousand pieces. She fell to her knees, weeping, as the king's guards seized her arms and dragged her roughly away from the celebration grounds, out into the dust of the road.
Mother (sobbing): "My own son... has forgotten me. He has forsaken the very woman who carried him, raised him, and loved him with all her heart..."
Chapter 9: The Mother's Sorrowful Prayer
Cast out and heartbroken, Sampuraga's mother knelt in the dirt outside the wedding grounds, her tears falling freely onto the earth. Never in her life had she imagined that her own son — the boy she had raised with such tender love — could look upon her with such cruelty and shame.
Lifting her trembling hands toward the sky, she cried out with a voice full of sorrow:
Mother: "Oh, Heavens above, hear the prayer of a broken-hearted mother! If that ungrateful young man truly is my son Sampuraga, then let him receive a punishment fitting of what he has done to me this day!"
No sooner had her words left her lips than the sky above Sirambas Village began to darken. The wind, which moments ago had carried only music and laughter, now howled fiercely through the trees. Guests screamed and scattered as the very ground beneath the wedding grounds began to tremble and hiss.
Chapter 10: The Hot Spring of Sampuraga
From deep within the earth, scalding hot water suddenly burst forth, flooding the wedding grounds in an instant. Tables overturned, lanterns shattered, and the once-glorious celebration dissolved into chaos and terror. Guests fled screaming in every direction, desperate to escape the rising, steaming waters.
Sampuraga, frozen in shock and fear, tried to run — but it was too late. The boiling flood rose swiftly around him, swallowing him whole along with the wedding stage where he had so cruelly denied his own mother.
When the waters finally settled and the steam cleared, the grand wedding grounds of Sirambas Village had vanished completely. In their place remained only a wide, steaming pool of hot water — a pool that bubbled quietly, as if remembering the sorrow that had created it.
From that day forward, the local villagers came to call this place Kolam Sampuraga — the Pond of Sampuraga — named after the ungrateful son who was swallowed by the earth itself as punishment for the great pain he had caused his own mother.
Epilogue: A Lesson That Remains
Even today, the hot spring known as Sampuraga Pond still exists in the Mandailing region of North Sumatra, and it remains a place visited by curious travelers and tourists from near and far. Steam still rises gently from its warm waters, as if the earth itself continues to whisper the old story to anyone who visits.
Though this tale is simply a legend passed down through generations, it carries with it a lesson every child should remember: no matter how much wealth or success we gain in life, we must never forget or turn away from those who loved us first — especially our own mothers.
Play the legend of Sampuraga interactively! Help Sampuraga journey to Mandailing to pan for gold, watch him grow wealthy, then discover for yourself the consequence of his cruelty toward his own mother. Tap, hold, and follow each step of the story until the hot spring of Kolam Sampuraga is formed!
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