This is classified as ATU 2022 The Death of the Little Hen.
The author provides a note about arsailu (arisela), but no help for Paidarallu Peddamma at the end of the story. I know that Peddamma is a name for the Goddess in south India, but I do not know what to make of Paidarallu Peddamma.
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THE STORY OF THE ANT
Once upon a time a peahen reared an ant, which became so attached to her that every day she would precede here foster-mother from the fields, whither the peahen had gone to fetch the ant her daily food.
One day said the ant, "Mother dear, I am going to make some arsailu for you tomorrow morning."
"Don't make it, don't make it, darling," said the peahen. "You will fall into the pan."
But the ant paid no attention and made the arsailu, and began drawing them out of the pan: one, two, three, four, but at the fifth draw there was an accident and she fell into the pan of boiling oil.
In due time, the peahen returned as usual, but for a long while she searched in vain in every nook and corner for the ant. At least she found the poor litlte ant quite dead in the burning oil and set up a great lamentation. In her sorrow she sat down under a banyan-tree lamenting, and this made the tree say, "O peahen, peahen, you have always been joyous; what is the matter today?"
"O banyan-tree, banyan-tree, don't you know?
The ant died,
The peahen grieves,
The banyan-tree weeps."
The banyan-tree began at once to weep at every pore, and a crow that always used to perch on one of its branches began to enquire, "O banyan-tree, O banyan-tree, you were always hearty; what is the matter today?"
"O crow, crow, don't you know?
The ant died,
The peahen grieves,
The banyan-tree weeps,
The crow has lost a leg."
Immediately one of the crow's legs fell off and it began hopping on one leg miserably. An elephant saw it and said, "O crow, crow, you were always perky; what is the matter today?"
"O elephant, elephant, don't you know?
The ant died,
The peahen grieves,
The banyan-tree weeps,
The crow has lost a leg,
The elephant has lost all."
Immediately all power went out of the elephant's legs and he began to crawl cumbrously here and there. In this plight a deer saw him and said, "O elephant, elephant, you were always strong; what is the matter today?"
"O deer, deer, don't you know?
The ant died,
The peahen grieves,
The banyan-tree weeps,
The crow has lost a leg,
The elephant has lost all,
The deer broke her knees."
Instantly the deer fell on its knees by the river-side in great pain. Said the river, "O deer, deer, you were always blithe; what is the matter today?"
"O river, river, don't you know?
The ant died,
The peahen grieves,
The banyan-tree weeps,
The crow has lost a leg,
The elephant has lost all,
The deer broke her knees,
The river bubbles."
When the river began bubbling, said the millet-field alongside, "O river, river, you were always smooth; what is the matter today?"
"O millet-field, millet-field, don't you know?
The ant died,
The peahen grieves,
The banyan-tree weeps,
The crow has lost a leg,
The elephant has lost all,
The deer broke her knees,
The river bubbles,
The millet-field is blighted."
A great blight at once settled on the millet-field and the king who was there said, "O millet-field, O millet-field, you were always full of corn; what is the matter today?"
"O king, king, don't you know?
The ant died,
The peahen grieves,
The banyan-tree weeps,
The crow has lost a leg,
The elephant has lost all,
The deer broke her knees,
The river bubbles,
The millet-field is blighted,
The king has gone lame."
The king began at once to go dot-and-go-one and when the queen saw him, she said, "O king, king, you were always sturdy; what is the matter today?"
"O queen, queen, don't you know?
The ant died,
The peahen grieves,
The banyan-tree weeps,
The crow has lost a leg,
The elephant has lost all,
The deer broke her knees,
The river bubbles,
The millet-field is blighted,
The king has gone lame,
The queen stuck to her seat."
And sure enough the queen had at once to carry her seat about with her, and Paidarellu Peddamma seeing her in such a plight said, "O queen, queen, you were always sprightly, what is the matter today?"
"O Paidarellu Peddamma, don't you know?
The ant died,
The peahen grieves,
The banyan-tree weeps,
The crow has lost a leg,
The elephant has lost all,
The deer broke her knees,
The river bubbles,
The millet-field is blighted,
The king has gone lame,
The queen stuck to her seat,
And the basket has stuck to Paidarallu Peddamma."
NOTES
To make arsailu. Pound some rice to a coarse powder, mix into a cake with boiled molasses while still liquid place the cake in a pan of boiling oil, when cooked fish up with an iron ladle and serve the cake as arsailu. Arsailus are used on commercial occasions, such as betrothals, marriages, and so on.
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