Chapter LX
Then the
chief minister Gomukha, having told the story of the two Vidyádhara maidens,
said to Naraváhanadatta, “Some ordinary men even, being kindly disposed towards
the three worlds, resist with firm resolution the disturbance of love and other
passions.
Story
of Śúravarman who spared his guilty wife.
For the
king Kuladhara once had a servant of distinguished valour, a young man of good
family, named Śúravarman. And one day, as he was returning from war, he entered
his house suddenly, and found his wife alone with his friend. And when he saw
it, he restrained his wrath, and in his self-control reflected, “What is the
use of slaying this animal who has betrayed his friend? Or of punishing this
wicked woman? Why too should I saddle my soul with a load of guilt?” After he
had thus reflected, he left them both unharmed and said to them, “I will kill
whichever of you two I see again. You must neither of you come in my sight
again. When he said this and let them depart, they went away to some distant
place, but Śúravarman married another wife, and lived there in comfort.
“Thus,
prince, a man who conquers wrath will not be subject to grief; and a man, who
displays prudence, is never harmed. Even in the case of animals prudence
produces success, not valour. In proof of it, hear this story about the lion,
and the bull, and other animals.”
Story
of the Ox abandoned in the Forest.
There was
in a certain city a rich merchant’s son. Once on a time, as he was going to the
city of Mathurá to trade, a draught-bull belonging to him, named Sanjívaka, as
it was dragging the yoke vigorously, broke it, and so slipped in the path,
which had become muddy by a mountain torrent flowing into it, and fell and
bruised its limbs. The merchant’s son, seeing that the bull was unable to move
on account of its bruises, and not succeeding in his attempts to raise it up
from the ground, at last in despair went off and left it there. And, as fate
would have it, the bull slowly revived, and rose up, and by eating tender grass
recovered its former condition. And it went to the bank of the Yamuná, and by
eating green grass and wandering about at will, it became fat and strong. And
it roamed about there, with full hump, wantoning, like the bull of Śiva,
tearing up ant-hills with its horns, and bellowing frequently.
Now at that
time there lived in a neighbouring wood a lion named Pingalaka, who had subdued
the forest by his might; and that king of beasts had two jackals for ministers;
the name of the one was Damanaka, and the name of the other was Karaṭaka. That
lion, going one day to the bank of the Yamuná to drink water, heard close to
him the roar of that bull Sanjívaka. And when the lion heard the roar of that
bull, never heard before, resounding through the air, he thought, “What animal
makes this sound? Surely some great creature dwells here, so I will depart, for
if it saw me, it might slay me, or expel me from the forest.” Thereupon the
lion quickly returned to the forest without drinking water, and continued in a
state of fear, hiding his feelings from his followers.
Then the
wise jackal Damanaka, the minister of that king, said secretly to Karaṭaka the
second minister, “Our master went to drink water; so how comes it that he has
so quickly returned without drinking? We must ask him the reason.” Then Karaṭaka
said—“What business is this of ours? Have you not heard the story of the ape
that drew out the wedge?”
Story
of the monkey that pulled out the wedge.
In a
certain town, a merchant had begun to build a temple to a divinity, and had
accumulated much timber. The workmen there, after sawing through the upper half
of a plank, placed a wedge in it, and leaving it thus suspended, went home. In
the meanwhile a monkey came there and bounded up out of mischief, and sat on
the plank, the parts of which were separated by the wedge. And he sat in the
gap between the two parts, as if in the mouth of death, and in purposeless
mischief pulled out the wedge. Then he fell with the plank, the wedge of which
had been pulled out, and was killed, having his limbs crushed by the flying
together of the separated parts.
“Thus a
person is ruined by meddling with what is not his own business. So what is the
use of our penetrating the mind of the king of beasts?” When the grave Damanaka
heard Karaṭaka say this, he answered—“Certainly wise ministers must penetrate
and observe the peculiarities of their master’s character. For who would
confine his attention to filling his belly?” When Damanaka said this, the good
Karaṭaka said—“Prying for one’s own gratification is not the duty of a
servant.” Damanaka, being thus addressed, replied—“Do not speak thus, every one
desires a recompense suited to his character; the dog is satisfied with a bone
only, the lion attacks an elephant.”
When Karaṭaka
heard this, he said, “And supposing under these circumstances the master is
angry, instead of being pleased, where is your special advantage? Lords, like
mountains, are exceedingly rough, firm, uneven, difficult of access, and
surrounded with noxious creatures.” Then Damanaka said, “This is true, but he
who is wise, gradually gets influence over his master by penetrating his
character.”
Then Karaṭaka
said—“Well, do so,” and Damanaka went into the presence of his master the lion.
The lion received him kindly: so he bowed, and sat down, and immediately said
to him; “King, I am a hereditary useful servant of yours. One useful is to be
sought after, though a stranger, but a mischievous one is to be abandoned; a
cat, being useful, is bought with money, brought from a distance, and
cherished; but a mouse, being harmful, is carefully destroyed, though it has
been nourished up in one’s house. And a king, who desires prosperity, must
listen to servants who wish him well, and they must give their lord at the
right time useful counsel, even without being asked. So, king, if you feel
confidence in me, if you are not angry, and if you do not wish to conceal your
feelings from me, and if you are not disturbed in mind by my boldness, I would
ask you a certain question.” When Damanaka said this, the lion Pingalaka
answered; “You are trustworthy, you are attached to me, so speak without fear.”
When
Pingalaka said this, Damanaka said: “King, being thirsty, you went to drink
water; so why did you return without drinking, like one despondent?” When the
lion heard this speech of his, he reflected—“I have been discovered by him, so
why should I try to hide the truth from this devoted servant?” Having thus
reflected, he said to him, “Listen, I must not hide anything from you. When I
went to drink water, I heard here a noise which I never heard before, and I
think, it is the terrible roar of some animal superior to myself in strength.
For, as a general rule, the might of creatures is proportionate to the sound
they utter, and it is well known that the infinitely various animal creation
has been made by God in regular gradations. And now that he has entered here, I
cannot call my body nor my wood my own; so I must depart hence to some other
forest.” When the lion said this, Damanaka answered him; “Being valiant, O
king, why do you wish to leave the wood for so slight a reason? Water breaks a
bridge, secret whispering friendship, counsel is ruined by garrulity, cowards
only are routed by a mere noise. There are many noises, such as those of
machines, which are terrible till one knows the real cause. So your Highness
must not fear this. Hear by way of illustration the story of the jackal and the
drum.
Story of the Jackal
and the Drum.
Long ago
there lived a jackal in a certain forest district. He was roaming about in
search of food, and came upon a plot of ground where a battle had taken place,
and hearing from a certain quarter a booming sound, he looked in that
direction. There he saw a drum lying on the ground, a thing with which he was
not familiar. He thought, “What kind of animal is this, that makes such a
sound?” Then he saw that it was motionless, and coming up and looking at it, he
came to the conclusion that it was not an animal. And he perceived that the
noise was produced by the parchment being struck by the shaft of an arrow,
which was moved by the wind. So the jackal laid aside his fear, and he tore
open the drum, and went inside, to see if he could get anything to eat in it,
but lo! it was nothing but wood and parchment.
So, king,
why do creatures like you fear a mere sound? If you approve, I will go there to
investigate the matter.” When Damanaka said this, the lion answered, “Go there,
by all means, if you dare;” so Damanaka went to the bank of the Yamuná. While
he was roaming slowly about there, guided by the sound, he discovered that bull
eating grass. So he went near him, and made acquaintance with him, and came
back, and told the lion the real state of the ease. The lion Pingalaka was
delighted and said, “If you have really seen that great ox, and made friends
with him, bring him here by some artifice, that I may see what he is like.” So
he sent Damanaka back to that bull. Damanaka went to the bull and said—“Come!
our master, the king of beasts is pleased to summon you,” but the bull would
not consent to come, for he was afraid. Then the jackal again returned to the
forest, and induced his master the lion to grant the bull assurance of
protection. And he went and encouraged Sanjívaka with this promise of
protection, and so brought him into the presence of the lion. And when the lion
saw him come and bow before him, he treated him with politeness, and said—“Remain
here now about my person, and entertain no fear.” And the bull consented, and
gradually gained such an influence over the lion, that he turned his back on
his other dependents, and was entirely governed by the bull.
Then
Damanaka, being annoyed, said to Karaṭaka in secret: “See! our master has been
taken possession of by Sanjívaka, and does not trouble his head about us. He
eats his flesh alone, and never gives us a share. And the fool is now taught
his duty by this bull. It was I that caused all this mischief by bringing this
bull. So I will now take steps to have him killed, and to reclaim our master
from his unbecoming infatuation.” When Karaṭaka heard this from Damanaka, he
said—“Friend, even you will not be able to do this now.” Then Damanaka said—“I
shall certainly be able to accomplish it by prudence. What can he not do whose
prudence does not fail in calamity? As a proof, hear the story of the makara
that killed the crane.”
Story
of the crane and the Makara.
Of old time
there dwelt a crane in a certain tank rich in fish; and the fish in terror used
to flee out of his sight. Then the crane, not being able to catch the fish,
told them a lying tale: “There has come here a man with a net who kills fish.
He will soon catch you with a net and kill you. So act on my advice, if you
repose any confidence in me. There is in a lonely place a translucent lake, it
is unknown to the fishermen of these parts; I will take you there one by one,
and drop you into it, that you may live there.” When those foolish fish heard
that, they said in their fear—“Do so, we all repose confidence in you.” Then
the treacherous crane took the fish away one by one, and, putting them down on
a rock, devoured in this way many of them.
Then a
certain makara dwelling in that lake, seeing him carrying off fish,
said:—“Whither are you taking the fish?” Then that crane said to him exactly
what he had said to the fish. The makara, being terrified, said—“Take me there
too.” The crane’s intellect was blinded with the smell of his flesh, so he took
him up, and soaring aloft carried him towards the slab of rock. But when the
makara got near the rock, he saw the fragments of the bones of the fish that
the crane had eaten, and he perceived that the crane was in the habit of
devouring those who reposed confidence in him. So no sooner was the sagacious
makara put down on the rock, than with complete presence of mind he cut off the
head of the crane. And he returned and told the occurrence, exactly as it
happened, to the other fish, and they were delighted, and hailed him as their
deliverer from death.
“Prudence
indeed is power, so what has a man, devoid of prudence, to do with power? Hear
this other story of the lion and the hare.”
Story
of the lion and the hare.
There was
in a certain forest a lion, who was invincible, and sole champion of it, and
whatever creature he saw in it, he killed. Then all the animals, deer and all,
met and deliberated together, and they made the following petition to that king
of beasts—“Why by killing us all at once do you ruin your own interests? We
will send you one animal every day for your dinner.” When the lion heard this,
he consented to their proposal, and as he was in the habit of eating one animal
every day, it happened that it was one day the lot of a hare to present himself
to be eaten. The hare was sent off by the united animals, but on the way the
wise creature reflected—“He is truly brave who does not become bewildered even
in the time of calamity, so, now that Death stares me in the face, I will devise
an expedient.” Thus reflecting, the hare presented himself before the lion
late. And when he arrived after his time, the lion said to him: “Hola! how is
this that you have neglected to arrive at my dinner hour, or what worse penalty
than death can I inflict on you, scoundrel?” When the lion said this, the hare
bowed before him, and said: “It is not my fault, your Highness, I have not been
my own master to-day, for another lion detained me on the road, and only let me
go after a long interval.” When the lion heard that, he lashed his tail, and
his eyes became red with anger, and he said: “Who is that second lion? Shew him
me.” The hare said: “Let your Majesty come and see him.” The lion consented and
followed him. Thereupon the hare took him away to a distant well. “Here he
lives, behold him,” said the hare, and when thus addressed by the hare, the
lion looked into the well, roaring all the while with anger. And seeing his own
reflexion in the clear water, and hearing the echo of his own roar, thinking
that there was a rival lion there roaring louder than himself, he threw himself
in a rage into the well, in order to kill him, and there the fool was drowned.
And the hare, having himself escaped death by his wisdom, and having delivered
all the animals from it, went and delighted them by telling his adventure.
“So you see
that wisdom is the supreme power, not strength, since by virtue of it even a
hare killed a lion. So I will effect my object by wisdom.” When Damanaka said
this, Karaṭaka remained silent.
Then
Damanaka went and remained in the presence of the king Pingalaka, in a state of
assumed depression. And when Pingalaka asked him the reason, he said to him in
a confidential aside: “I will tell you, king, for if one knows anything, one
ought not to conceal it. And one should speak too without being commanded to do
so, if one desires the welfare of one’s master. So hear this representation of
mine, and do not suspect me. This bull Sanjívaka intends to kill you and gain
possession of the kingdom, for in his position of minister he has come to the
conclusion that you are timid; and longing to slay you, he is brandishing his
two horns, his natural weapons, and he talks over the animals in the forest,
encouraging them with speeches of this kind—‘We will kill by some artifice this
flesh-eating king of beasts, and then you can live in security under me, who am
an eater of herbs only.’ So think about this bull; as long as he is alive,
there is no security for you.” When Damanaka said this, Pingalaka answered,
“What can that miserable herb-eating bull do against me? But how can I kill a
creature that has sought my protection, and to whom I have promised immunity
from injury.” When Damanaka heard this, he said—“Do not speak so. When a king
makes another equal to himself, Fortune does not proceed as favourably as
before. The fickle goddess, if she places her feet at the same time upon two
exalted persons, cannot keep her footing long, she will certainly abandon one
of the two. And a king, who hates a good servant and honours a bad servant, is
to be avoided by the wise, as a wicked patient by physicians. Where there is a
speaker and a hearer of that advice, which in the beginning is disagreeable,
but in the end is useful, there Fortune sets her foot. He, who does not hear the
advice of the good, but listens to the advice of the bad, in a short time falls
into calamity, and is afflicted. So what is the meaning of this love of yours
for the bull, O king? And what does it matter that you gave him protection, or
that he came as a suppliant, if he plots against your life? Moreover, if this
bull remains always about your person, you will have worms produced in you by
his excretions. And they will enter your body, which is covered with the scars
of wounds from the tusks of infuriated elephants. Why should he not have chosen
to kill you by craft? If a wicked person is wise enough not to do an injury
himself, it will happen by association with him, hear a story in proof of it.”
Story
of the Louse and the Flea.
In the bed
of a certain king there long lived undiscovered a louse, that had crept in from
somewhere or other, by name Mandavisarpiṇí. And suddenly a flea, named Tiṭṭibha,
entered that bed, wafted there by the wind from some place or other. And when
Mandavisarpiṇí saw him, she said, “Why have you invaded my home? go elsewhere.”
Tiṭṭibha answered, “I wish to drink the blood of a king, a luxury which I have
never tasted before, so permit me to dwell here.” Then, to please him, the
louse said to him, “If this is the case, remain. But you must not bite the
king, my friend, at unseasonable times, you must bite him gently when he is
asleep.” When Tiṭṭibha heard that, he consented and remained. But at night he
bit the king hard when he was in bed, and then the king rose up, exclaiming, “I
am bitten,” then the wicked flea fled quickly, and the king’s servants made a
search in the bed, and finding the louse there, killed it.
“So
Mandavisarpiṇí perished by associating with Tiṭṭibha. Accordingly your
association with Sanjívaka will not be for your advantage; if you do not
believe in what I say, you will soon yourself see him approach, brandishing his
head, confiding in his horns, which are sharp as lances.”
By these
words the feelings of Pingalaka were changed towards the bull, and so Damanaka
induced him to form in his heart the determination that the bull must be
killed. And Damanaka, having ascertained the state of the lion’s feelings,
immediately went off of his own accord to Sanjívaka, and sat in his presence
with a despondent air. The bull said to him, “Friend, why are you in this
state? Are you in good health?” The jackal answered, “What can be healthy with
a servant? Who is permanently dear to a king? What petitioner is not despised?
Who is not subject to time?” When the jackal said this, the bull again said to
him—“Why do you seem so despondent to-day, my friend, tell me?” Then Damanaka
said—“Listen, I speak out of friendship. The lion Pingalaka has to-day become
hostile to you. So unstable is his affection that, without regard for his
friendship, he wishes to kill you and eat you, and I see that his
evilly-disposed courtiers have instigated him to do it.” The simple-minded
bull, supposing, on account of the confidence he had previously reposed in the
jackal, that this speech was true, and feeling despondent, said to him: “Alas a
mean master, with mean retainers, though he be won over by faithful service,
becomes estranged; in proof of it hear this story.”
Story
of the Lion, the Panther, the Crow and the Jackal.
There lived
once in a certain forest a lion, named Madotkaṭa, and he had three followers, a
panther, a crow, and a jackal. That lion once saw a camel, that had escaped
from a caravan, entering his wood, a creature he was not familiar with before,
of ridiculous appearance. That king of beasts said in astonishment, “What is
this creature?” And the crow, who knew when it behoved him to speak, said, “It
is a camel.” Then the lion, out of curiosity, had the camel summoned, and
giving him a promise of protection, he made him his courtier, and placed him
about his person.
One day the
lion was wounded in a fight with an elephant, and being out of health, made
many fasts, though surrounded by those attendants who were in good health. Then
the lion, being exhausted, roamed about in search of food, but not finding any,
secretly asked all his courtiers, except the camel, what was to be done. They
said to him:—“Your Highness, we must give advice which is seasonable in our
present calamity. What friendship can you have with a camel, and why do you not
eat him? He is a grass-eating animal, and therefore meant to be devoured by us
flesh-eaters. And why should not one be sacrificed to supply food to many? If
your Highness should object, on the ground that you cannot slay one to whom you
have granted protection, we will contrive a plot by which we shall induce the
camel himself to offer you his own body.” When they had said this, the crow, by
the permission of the lion, after arranging the plot, went and said to that
camel: “This master of ours is overpowered with hunger, and says nothing to us,
so we intend to make him well-disposed to us by offering him our bodies, and
you had better do the same, in order that he may be well-disposed towards you.”
When the crow said this to the camel, the simple-minded camel agreed to it, and
came to the lion with the crow. Then the crow said, “King, eat me, for I am my
own master.” Then the lion said, “What is the use of eating such a small
creature as you?” Thereupon the jackal said—“Eat me,” and the lion rejected him
in the same way. Then the panther said “Eat me,” and yet the lion would not eat
him; and at last the camel said “Eat me.” So the lion, and the crow, and his
fellows entrapped him by these deceitful offers, and taking him at his word,
killed him, divided him into portions, and ate him.
“In the
same way some treacherous person has instigated Pingalaka against me without
cause. So now destiny must decide. For it is better to be the servant of a
vulture-king with swans for courtiers, than to serve a swan as king, if his
courtiers be vultures, much less a king of a worse character, with such
courtiers. “When the dishonest Damanaka heard Sanjívaka say that, he replied,
“Everything is accomplished by resolution, listen—I will tell you a tale to
prove this.”
Story
of the pair of Ṭiṭṭibhas.
There lived
a certain cock ṭiṭṭibha on the shore of the sea with his hen. And the hen,
being about to lay eggs, said to the cock: “Come, let us go away from this
place, for if I lay eggs here, the sea may carry them off with its waves.” When
the cock-bird heard this speech of the hen’s, he said to her—“The sea cannot
contend with me.” On hearing that, the hen said—“Do not talk so; what
comparison is there between you and the sea? People must follow good advice,
otherwise they will be ruined.”
Story of the Tortoise
and the two Swans.
For there
was in a certain lake a tortoise, named Kambugríva, and he had two swans for
friends, Vikaṭa and Sankaṭa. Once on a time the lake was dried up by drought,
and they wanted to go to another lake; so the tortoise said to them, “Take me
also to the lake you are desirous of going to.” When the two swans heard this,
they said to their friend the tortoise—“The lake to which we wish to go is a
tremendous distance off; but, if you wish to go there too, you must do what we
tell you. You must take in your teeth a stick held by us, and while travelling
through the air, you must remain perfectly silent, otherwise you will fall and
be killed.” The tortoise agreed, and took the stick in his teeth, and the two
swans flew up into the air, holding the two ends of it. And gradually the two
swans, carrying the tortoise, drew near that lake, and were seen by some men
living in a town below; and the thoughtless tortoise heard them making a
chattering, while they were discussing with one another, what the strange thing
could be that the swans were carrying. So the tortoise asked the swans what the
chattering below was about, and in so doing let go the stick from its mouth,
and falling down to the earth, was there killed by the men.
“Thus you
see that a person who lets go common sense will be ruined, like the tortoise
that let go the stick.” When the hen-bird said this, the cock-bird answered
her, “This is true, my dear, but hear this story also.”
Story
of the three Fish.
Of old time
there were three fish in a lake near a river, one was called Anágatavidhátṛi, a
second Pratyutpannamati and the third Yadbhavishya, and they were companions.
One day they heard some fishermen, who passed that way, saying to one another,
“Surely there must be fish in this lake. Thereupon the prudent Anágatavidhátṛi,
fearing to be killed by the fishermen, entered the current of the river and
went to another place. But Pratyutpannamati remained where he was, without
fear, saying to himself, “I will take the expedient course if any danger should
arise.” And Yadbhavishya remained there, saying to himself, “What must be, must
be.” Then those fishermen came and threw a net into that lake. But the cunning
Pratyutpannamati, the moment he felt himself hauled up in the net, made himself
rigid, and remained as if he were dead. The fishermen, who were killing the
fish, did not kill him, thinking that he had died of himself, so he jumped into
the current of the river, and went off somewhere else, as fast as he could. But
Yadbhavishya, like a foolish fish, bounded and wriggled in the net, so the
fishermen laid hold of him and killed him.
“So I too
will adopt an expedient when the time arrives; I will not go away through fear
of the sea.” Having said this to his wife, the ṭiṭṭibha remained where he was,
in his nest; and there the sea heard his boastful speech. Now, after some days,
the hen-bird laid eggs, and the sea carried off the eggs with his waves, out of
curiosity, saying to himself; “I should like to know what this ṭiṭṭibha will do
to me.” And the hen-bird, weeping, said to her husband; “The very calamity
which I prophesied to you, has come upon us.” Then that resolute ṭiṭṭibha said
to his wife, “See, what I will do to that wicked sea!” So he called together
all the birds, and mentioned the insult he had received, and went with them and
called on the lord Garuḍa for protection. And the birds said to him: “Though
thou art our protector, we have been insulted by the sea as if we were
unprotected, in that it has carried away some of our eggs.” Then Garuḍa was
angry, and appealed to Vishṇu, who dried up the sea with the weapon of fire,
and made it restore the eggs.
“So you
must be wise in calamity and not let go resolution. But now a battle with Pingalaka
is at hand for you. When he shall erect his tail, and arise with his four feet
together, then you may know that he is about to strike you. And you must have
your head ready tossed up, and must gore him in the stomach, and lay your enemy
low, with all his entrails torn out.”
After
Damanaka had said this to the bull Sanjívaka, he went to Karaṭaka, and told him
that he had succeeded in setting the two at variance.
Then
Sanjívaka slowly approached Pingalaka, being desirous of finding out the mind
of that king of beasts by his face and gestures. And he saw that the lion was
prepared to fight, being evenly balanced on all four legs, and having erected
his tail, and the lion saw that the bull had tossed up his head in fear. Then
the lion sprang on the bull and struck him with his claws, the bull replied
with his horns, and so their fight went on. And the virtuous Karaṭaka, seeing
it, said to Damanaka—“Why have you brought calamity on our master to gain your
own ends? Wealth obtained by oppression of subjects, friendship obtained by
deceit, and a lady-love gained by violence, will not remain long. But enough;
whoever says much to a person who despises good advice, incurs thereby
misfortune, as Súchímukha from the ape.”
Story
of the Monkeys, the Firefly, and the Bird.
Once on a
time, there were some monkeys wandering in a troop in a wood. In the cold
weather they saw a firefly and thought it was real fire. So they placed grass
and leaves upon it, and tried to warm themselves at it, and one of them fanned
the firefly with his breath. A bird named Súchímukha, when he saw it, said to
him, “This is not fire, this is a firefly, do not fatigue yourself.” Though the
monkey heard, he did not desist, and thereupon the bird came down from the
tree, and earnestly dissuaded him, at which the ape was annoyed, and throwing a
stone at Súchímukha, crushed him.
“So one
ought not to admonish him, who will not act on good advice. Why then should I
speak? you well know that you brought about this quarrel with a mischievous
object, and that which is done with evil intentions cannot turn out well.”
Story
of Dharmabuddhi and Dushṭabuddhi.
For
instance, there were long ago in a certain village two brothers, the sons of a
merchant, Dharmabuddhi and Dushṭabuddhi by name. They left their father’s house
and went to another country to get wealth, and with great difficulty acquired
two thousand gold dínárs. And with them they returned to their own city. And
they buried those dínárs at the foot of a tree, with the exception of one
hundred, which they divided between them in equal parts, and so they lived in
their father’s house.
But one day
Dushṭabuddhi went by himself and dug up of his own accord those dínárs, which
were buried at the foot of the tree, for he was vicious and extravagant. And
after one month only had passed, he said to Dharmabuddhi: “Come, my elder
brother, let us divide those dínárs; I have expenses.” When Dharmabuddhi heard
that, he consented, and went and dug with him, where he had deposited the
dínárs. And when they did not find any dínárs in the place where they had
buried them, the treacherous Dushṭabuddhi said to Dharmabuddhi: “You have taken
away the dínárs, so give me my half.” But Dharmabuddhi answered: “I have not
taken them, you must have taken them.” So a quarrel arose, and Dushṭabuddhi hit
Dharmabuddhi on the head with a stone, and dragged him into the king’s court.
There they both stated their case, and as the king’s officers could not decide
it, they were proceeding to detain them both for the trial by ordeal. Then Dushṭabuddhi
said to the king’s officers; “The tree, at the foot of which these dínárs were
placed, will depose, as a witness, that they were taken away by this
Dharmabuddhi. And they were exceedingly astonished, but said, “Well, we will
ask it to-morrow.” Then they let both Dharmabuddhi and Dushṭabuddhi go, after
they had given bail, and they went separately to their house.
But Dushṭabuddhi
told the whole matter to his father, and secretly giving him money, said; “Hide
in the trunk of the tree and be my witness.” His father consented, so he took
him and placed him at night in the capacious trunk of the tree, and returned
home. And in the morning those two brothers went with the king’s officers, and
asked the tree, who took away those dínárs. And their father, who was hidden in
the trunk of the tree, replied in a loud clear voice: “Dharmabuddhi took away
the dínárs.” When the king’s officers heard this surprising utterance, they
said; “Surely Dushṭabuddhi must have hidden some one in the trunk.” So they
introduced smoke into the trunk of the tree, which fumigated the father of Dushṭabuddhi
so, that he fell out of the trunk on to the ground, and died. When the king’s
officers saw this, they understood the whole matter, and they compelled Dushṭabuddhi
to give up the dínárs to Dharmabuddhi. And so they cut off the hands and cut
out the tongue of Dushṭabuddhi, and banished him, and they honoured
Dharmabuddhi as a man who deserved his name.
“So you see
that a deed done with an unrighteous mind is sure to bring calamity, therefore
one should do it with a righteous mind, as the crane did to the snake.”
Story of the Crane,
the Snake and the Mungoose.
Once on a
time a snake came and ate the nestlings of a certain crane, as fast as they
were born; that grieved the crane. So, by the advice of a crab, he went and
strewed pieces of fish from the dwelling of a mungoose as far as the hole of
the snake, and the mungoose came out, and following up the pieces of fish,
eating as it went on, was led to the hole of the snake, which it saw and
entered, and killed him and his offspring.
“So by a device one can succeed;
now hear another story.”
Story of the mice
that ate an iron balance.
Once on a
time there was a merchant’s son, who had spent all his father’s wealth, and had
only an iron balance left to him. Now the balance was made of a thousand palas
of iron; and depositing it in the care of a certain merchant, he went to
another land. And when, on his return, he came to that merchant to demand back
his balance, the merchant said to him: “It has been eaten by mice.” He
repeated, “It is quite true, the iron, of which it was composed, was
particularly sweet, and so the mice ate it.” This he said with an outward show
of sorrow, laughing in his heart. Then the merchant’s son asked him to give him
some food, and he, being in a good temper, consented to give him some. Then the
merchant’s son went to bathe, taking with him the son of that merchant, who was
a mere child, and whom he persuaded to come with him by giving him a dish of
ámalakas. And after he had bathed, the wise merchant’s son deposited the boy in
the house of a friend, and returned alone to the house of that merchant. And
the merchant said to him, “Where is that son of mine?” He replied, “A kite
swooped down from the air and carried him off.” The merchant in a rage said,
“You have concealed my son,” and so he took him into the king’s judgment-hall;
and there the merchant’s son made the same statement. The officers of the court
said, “This is impossible, how could a kite carry off a boy?” But the
merchant’s son answered; “In a country where a large balance of iron was eaten
by mice, a kite might carry off an elephant, much more a boy.” When the
officers heard that, they asked about it, out of curiosity, and made the
merchant restore the balance to the owner, and he, for his part, restored the
merchant’s child.
“Thus, you
see, persons of eminent ability attain their ends by an artifice. But you, by
your reckless impetuosity, have brought our master into danger.” When Damanaka
heard this from Karaṭaka, he laughed and said—“Do not talk like this! What
chance is there of a lion’s not being victorious in a fight with a bull? There
is a considerable difference between a lion, whose body is adorned with
numerous scars of wounds from the tusks of infuriated elephants, and a tame ox,
whose body has been pricked by the goad.” While the jackals were carrying on
this discussion, the lion killed the bull Sanjívaka. When he was slain,
Damanaka recovered his position of minister without a rival, and remained for a
long time about the person of the king of beasts in perfect happiness.
Naraváhanadatta
much enjoyed hearing from his prime minister Gomukha this wonderful story,
which was full of statecraft, and characterized by consummate ability.
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